Businesses in the South Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys have the support of one of Canada’s leading regional economic development agencies – the first in the country to deliver a bold new program to help small companies expand their markets.
In its recently released 2010-11 Annual Report, Community Futures Okanagan Similkameen (CFOS) provides details of its groundbreaking introduction of the proven ‘Economic Gardening’ program, as well as details of its other major initiatives and operations during the past year.
Begun in October 2010, the 18-month, $183,000 Economic Gardening project uses the latest GIS technology, market intelligence, and business databases to help small businesses throughout the region to develop new marketing plans, make new contacts, and grow their sales, production capacity, and workforce.
CFOS General Manager Mary Ellen Heidt says research shows that the majority of a region’s jobs are created and maintained by existing small businesses. Since, most small businesses don’t have the expertise or resources to do market research, Economic Gardening is designed to provide them with key information and analysis.
“We have seen from U.S. examples how Economic Gardening successfully supports entrepreneurs and promotes rural economic diversification – and, in our first few months of working with businesses throughout the region, we are seeing some promising results,” Heidt says.
She notes that this CFOS initiative is Canada’s first formal Economic Gardening program. CFOS staff received intensive training in using its research and database tools, and a pilot project has already been completed with organic farming businesses in the region. Economic Gardening is now being offered to other selected businesses across the South Okanagan/Similkameen. The project has received funding from the federal government, the Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust and from some municipalities – and it is overseen by a Steering Committee with representatives from businesses, educational institutions and Chambers of Commerce.
In the past year, besides launching Economic Gardening, Community Futures Okanagan Similkameen has also introduced other targeted business development programs and has continued to offer ongoing business financing, entrepreneur training, and community economic development programs that it has championed in the region throughout its 26-year history. Highlights include:
• The pilot program ‘Moving Forward’ was launched, helping entrepreneurs with disabilities gain the important business skills needed to start up their own businesses. The program provided key bookkeeping training, market research assistance, business plan preparation, and expert assistance with marketing materials such as websites, brochures, logos and business cards.
• The offering of new Human Resources Workshops was begun in 2010-11, with their content based on the successful HR Toolkit developed during the previous year. Based on that Toolkit, CFOS developed and delivered this new small-business HR training program two times during the year. The program is a series of four half-day workshops, including one-on-one consulting and a copy of the HR Toolkit. In November 2010, CFOS also sold its HR training program to 19 other Community Futures in B.C., Saskatchewan and Ontario.
• With groundwork and developmental assistance from CFOS, the new South Okanagan Business Exchange began holding regular meetings, providing a valuable and popular peer mentoring and networking group for business people in the Oliver and Osoyoos areas.
• CFOS delivered an extensive set of professional development courses for small businesses on topics of practical value to business people throughout the region. In addition, it offered a new Internet Business Strategies Workshop, which proved so popular that it had to be offered a second time.
• Since its establishment in 1984 CFOS has provided a total of $25 million in loans to hundreds of small businesses – paving the way for the establishment or expansion of more than 1,000 new businesses and the creation of more than 2,500 new jobs in communities throughout the region. Over the years, Community Futures has been instrumental in the start-up of restaurants, amusement parks, wineries, coffee houses, tourist attractions, small manufacturing companies, medical research firms, high-tech companies, meat markets, clothing stores, hair salons and other businesses.
• In 2010-11 Community Futures also continued to deliver its range of concentrated yet thorough Self-Employment Business workshops and training programs, which amount to a four-week ‘Mini-MBA’ program.
Through its 2010-11 accomplishments, Community Futures continues to demonstrate how it responds quickly to changing economic conditions and provides flexible, high-quality programs that support economic growth throughout the Okanagan Similkameen.
Heidt notes that, at the end of the 2010-11 reporting year, the 14-member Community Futures Board of Directors consisted of:
CHAIR –Linda Larson (Oliver)
VICE-CHAIR – Barb Sheppard (Penticton)
TREASURER –Jeff Rowe (Keremeos)
SECRETARY –Jack Lank (Penticton)
PAST CHAIR – Jaymie Atkinson (Princeton) DIRECTOR – Jane Coady (Penticton)
DIRECTOR – Carla Ohmenzetter (Summerland)
DIRECTOR – Jo-Anne Yacheson – (Penticton)
DIRECTOR – Rory McIvor (Penticton) DIRECTOR – Bill Downing (Penticton)
DIRECTOR – George Stayberg (Penticton) DIRECTOR – Jim King (Osoyoos)
DIRECTOR – Ben Amos (Penticton)
DIRECTOR – Ron Britton (Naramata)
Community Futures Okanagan Similkameen covers the region, including the communities of, Kaleden, Okanagan Falls, Cawston, Keremeos, Hedley and Princeton.