The City of Vernon is pounding the pavement to hear from local businesses.

The city will visit about 50 locations Wednesday for the third annual Business Walks program.

“We have assembled more than 20 volunteers, including Mayor Akbal Mund, representatives from the province of B.C. and the B.C. Economic Development Association, that will be visiting commercial businesses throughout Vernon from 10 a.m. until noon with a goal of gaining a better understanding of the economic climate in the community,” said Kevin Poole, economic development manager.

“Last year, we were able to visit 145 businesses in Vernon and are hoping to visit just as many this time around.”

Business Walks is meant as a five-minute check-in with businesses to gain a better understanding of how things are going and how support agencies can better meet their needs.

“The goal of Business Walks is to get a pulse on the immediate issues and challenges that companies may be facing,” said Poole.

“Our goal is to create an environment in Vernon where business can continue to grow and thrive.”

The city has partnered with Community Futures, the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Vernon Association as part of the program.