Testimonials
“The Kleinburg BIA Board of Directors has worked with Patty for almost 3 years. She has taught us how to be a cohesive board and to fully understand our role and influence in the community and with the Municipality. She helps guide and teach us in all aspects of the BIA model- marketing, special events, beautification, internal communications and Board governance. Patty is easy to work with. She is diligent and is always willing to help. She understands our needs and our limits and is willing to share both her ideas and her tremendous vault of experience. Over the years, we have increased our contract with her because working with her makes our BIA better.“
— Louise Zembal, Owner, Hawthorne House, Kleinburg BIA Chairperson
"have worked with Patty Hayes over the past 15 years both in her capacity as an Executive Director of one of the country’s most progressive BIAs and through her consulting work. On our consulting projects that we have worked together on, Patty offers exceptional insight and real world understanding of the main street environment, small and independent business inner workings, and most importantly on the governance and leadership requirements so that recommendations are actually implemented. Patty is a real people person who easily connects with business owners, landlords, developers, municipal officials in a wide range of settings."
— John Archer, 360 Collective
"I had the privilege of working alongside Patty at the Ottawa St BIA in Hamilton. She is the exact type of person you want on your team. Someone who will go to bat for you, pushes you to be your best and supports you along the way. I feel very fortunate to have been able to work alongside Patty. We have created a lifelong bond that I will cherish forever."
— Elisha Szafran
"I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH PATTY HAYES FOR OVER 10 YEARS. She is a creative thinker and problem solver, in touch with the needs and concerns of her clients. Patty has a wealth of experience with Downtowns and she understands local businesses and how to help them succeed.”
— France Fontana Hart
“Patty has enormous amount of knowledge about small business and especially business improvement areas. She has been a mentor and role model since I started my career working with my BIA. Our BIA hired Patty to do some consulting work in 2017 and 2018 and we were extremely pleased with the outcome. I would highly recommend Patty. Quite frankly, any business that gets to work with her will soon learn she is a massive asset and a true professional to align with.”
— Susie Braithwaite, International Village Bia
THE CLARKSON VILLAGE BIA WORKED WITH PATTY TO COMPLETE TWO PROJECTS THAT HAD SAT ON THE BACK-BURNER FOR SEVERAL YEARS - THE HIRING OF OUR FIRST BIA MANAGER AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN. TAKING THESE PROJECTS ON IN LATE 2020 MEANT THAT MANY OF THE USUAL AVENUES WERE UNAVAILABLE TO US, YET PATTY’S WISDOM AND EXPERIENCE ENABLED US TO ACHIEVE SIGNIFICANT RESULTS WITH BOTH PROJECTS.
PATTY'S ABILITY TO IDENTIFY A VARIETY OF CANDIDATES FOR THE BIA MANAGER ROLE HELPED US UNDERSTAND WHAT TYPE OF EMPLOYEE WE NEEDED, THEN HER PROCESS AND DIRECTION LED US TO EXACTLY THE PERSON WE WERE LOOKING FOR TO FILL THE ROLE.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN UTILIZED PATTY’S BIA EXPERIENCE AND HER ABILITY TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE IN WAYS THAT BROUGHT THE BEST OUT OF US AND HELPED SHAPE AND DEVELOP A CLEAR SERIES OF NEXT STEPS FOR OUR BIA. PATTY’S ABILITY TO ASK QUESTIONS THAT DEEPENED OUR THINKING MADE US BETTER THAN WE WOULD HAVE BEEN ON OUR OWN.
WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR PATTY’S WILLINGNESS TO USE HER EXPERIENCE AND ABILITIES TO MAKE OUR BIA BETTER AND BELIEVE SHE WOULD BE AN ASSET TO ANY BIA THAT HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH HER.JAMIE