October 2015 - Newsletter

Northern Development has partnered with the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE) to bring XL Your Business to Prince George – a special event catered to drive small business growth in Northern B.C.

The “XL Your Business: Best Practices for Any Business. Any Size.” event is a response to a need that Northern B.C.’s entrepreneurs have access to education and resources to grow and scale their businesses. The event welcomes both men and women, and will feature a panel discussion exploring best business practices for a company’s growth phase, including marketing and branding, the user experience and systems.

“Business leaders, their staff and customers experience a much smoother expansion when the right systems are in place, a brand is positioned for growth, and a user experience can be sustained despite any challenges a company may be experiencing,” said Lisa Niemetscheck, FWE General Manager.

Some of Canada’s top industry experts will travel to Prince George to join the panel, including Katie Reiach, co-founder of Smart Cookies and principal of Talk Shop Media. Yuri Fulmer, founder of Fulmer Capital Partners, and Kevin McElroy, president of Nuheat. Sought-after business advisor Judy Brooks, co-founder of Blo Blow Dry Bar, entrepreneur and FWE Board Member, will moderate the discussion.

The event will take place on Tuesday, November 17, 2015 from 4 – 8pm at the Ramada Prince George Hotel. More information and register for the event online at www.fwe.ca/xlyourbiz. Tickets are $60 per person and includes dinner and reception.

15 free tickets available!

Northern Development is offering one free ticket to the XL Your Business event to the first fifteen Northern B.C. business owners who are interested in attending the session to help grow their business.

Contact us at info@northerndevelopment.bc.ca to express your interest.

We showed some love to another Northern B.C. community with the launch of Love Kitimat in early October. The event and trade show was held at the Riverlodge, and featured more than 25 local and independently owned businesses. The event was well attended with an estimated 200 visitors over the course of the evening. 

You can continue to show these businesses some love by visiting www.lovekitimat.com and checking out these local businesses in person. 

A new wheelchair lift at the Connaught Youth Centre will ensure one of Prince George’s premier community hubs is more accessible for the entire community.

Northern Development has approved a $30,000 grant to support the wheelchair lift construction at the youth centre, which, for more than 30 years, has hosted numerous family and youth programs including four cadet corps, a youth boxing program, quilting and basketball, badminton and racquetball groups.

“It is with great anticipation to soon see a new wheel chair lift be installed in the gymnasium of the Connaught Youth Centre. The Connaught Youth Centre Society is grateful for the funding from Northern Development Initiative Trust and the Province of British Columbia that have helped us bring this project to fruition,” says Caroline Kendall, Executive Director of the Connaught Youth Centre Society. “This wheel chair lift will bring the Connaught Youth Centre one step closer to being a completely barrier free and inclusive facility for youth and the general public.”

In 2010, the Connaught Youth Centre was incorporated as a society with a long-term goal to create a facility that’s inclusive and barrier free.

The grant was approved through the Trust’s Community Halls and Recreation Facilities program.

“Building a Stronger North” is exactly what local government management intern Chelsea Dunk is doing during her year-long internship with Northern Development in Wells and Quesnel. Chelsea is one of seven local government management interns who are out in northern communities working hard and gaining practical experience in Northern B.C.’s municipalities and regional districts. Chelsea recently completed a six-month stint in the small Cariboo community of Wells, and has since moved west to Quesnel to learn the ropes in a larger community.

Economic Development Intern Will George caught up with Chelsea via telephone as she was moving from one place to another:

Q:  Why did you initially apply to become an intern?

A: I was intrigued by one of my professors at University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) who referred to political science as the study of the question, “how do we live together?” The local government management internship seemed like a great opportunity to learn what that study looks like in practice. I get to learn first-hand how people come together to shape their community through representative municipal governance.

Q: What is the number one thing you learned in Wells?

A: The smaller the town, the wider the range of work you get to do in local government. There are not enough people for each staff member to function as a true specialist, so everyone here is a jack-of-all-trades. I’ve appreciated getting a sense of the variety of issues that local governments are asked to take responsibility for, and the number of factors that have to be taken into consideration in making decisions … it is always interesting. 

Q: What’s your favourite thing about Wells?

A: Everything! My dad came to visit and he called Wells “magical” (and he’s not a guy for flowery language). Wells has a unique way of combining mining history with fresh creativity and a sense of adventure. There’s a culture here that encourages people to take a chance at carving out their own idea of a good life.

Q: How has Northern Development worked with the District of Wells to make a difference in the local economy?

A: Northern Development has helped the District of Wells with a wide range of economic development projects that would otherwise be much harder for a small community to execute alone. Initiatives like trail expansions and civic building upgrades help Wells attract residents and visitors by creating more opportunities to come out and enjoy the community and its stunning surroundings. For example, I’ve been working on Love Wells, a [shop local to promote the area]. The site isn’t projected to launch until late September, but locals are already getting to know more about their local small businesses as a result of the project.

Q: What’s your plan post-internship?

A: My plan is to keep working toward realizing my goal of living in North/Central B.C. and contributing to its ongoing development as a place where people of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy a high quality of life. 

Facts about Chelsea

• Born in… Etobicoke, Ontario but my family moved to Canim Lake, B.C. when I was 9 months old and that’s where I grew up 
• Age… 22
• University… UNBC, 2015
• Degree… Political Science (minors in Economics and Psychology)
• Favourite northern place… the Ancient Forest [near Prince George]. Most people don’t realize the interior cedar hemlock zone extends up so far [north], giving us the surprise of massive thousand-year-old cedars right off of Highway 16 between Prince George and McBride. 
• Where I want to be in five years… In Wells, maybe?! But if I don’t pull off my grand scheme to return, then I hope to be living in an equally charming community in the region.  
• A song I know every lyric to… Bohemian Rhapsody (by Queen). Doesn’t everybody?