The Town of Essex has hired an economic development officer.
Nelson Silveira's first day on the job was Monday.
He says he'd visited the region many times before accepting the job since his fiance is from LaSalle.
"I am all hands on deck right now," he says. "I'm trying to develop some of the initiatives that were already in place and trying to create future initiatives to help stimulate economic growth."
Right now, Silveira is just familiarizing himself with Essex's business owners and town staff. In the coming weeks, he says he'll meet with the Windsor-Essex Economic Development Corporation and Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island to foster new partnerships which may include new funding for the town.
In town, he says his focus will be on all employers, big and small.
"The fabric of these small communities; they're built on small businesses," he says.
- With files from Ricardo Veneza.