Small businesses in the Okanagan will have the opportunity to learn about new growth strategies when the Canadian Centre for Economic Gardening (CCEG), under the auspices of Community Futures Okanagan Similkameen, brings the first economic gardening conference to Canada.
The conference, October 8 and 9 at the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort & Conference Centre in Kelowna, brings together innovative thinkers on small-business growth who will discuss the importance of small business on community development. The event will educate entrepreneurs and economic development professionals on competitive strategies used in the global market.
“It’s an economic development model that they developed in Colorado because one of the large employees in Littleton had laid off something like 4,000 workers,” said the centre’s team leader, Su Baker. “The community was desperately affected. So the local government said, ‘We’re not going to focus on bringing large companies into the community; we’re going to focus on the people that are already here and that want to live in our community; we’re going to help them grow into big businesses.’”
The model has been in operation successfully in the United States for about 14 years. It was introduced into Canada in 2010. Baker said that since then she has worked with more than 100 companies all across Canada.
“What often happens when you bring in these large companies – they can often not stay,” she said. “They don’t find the right staff and often have challenges.”
She said that her organization has the tools that entrepreneurs can’t afford to purchase on their own to develop their businesses.
“We sort of become the research department for these businesses,” she said.
She encourages entrepreneurs in the Okanagan-Similkameen, and anywhere in Canada, to attend the conference, which is also aimed at economic development professionals from across the country.
Baker said she wants people to come away from the conference with the knowledge of successful strategies they can implement into their business plans.
“We want them to start to grow,” she said. “And we also want economic development professionals to know how this can impact their communities.” •
