Apr 05, 2012


Last week’s Business over Breakfast at the Verona Lions Hall on March 29 was a great success, with both the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (FCFDC) and local businesses having much to celebrate.

Anne Prichard, executive director of the FCFDC, said when I spoke to her by phone this week, “When we received the EODP funding back in October of this year, it was announced that for the first time the EODP funding would be ongoing until March 2014, which is a great thing for businesses and other recipients. With funding in place for two and half years recipients will be able to plan out long-term projects and have the time to carry them out properly.”

At the breakfast meeting, which was chaired by Jim Kelly, vice chair of the Federal Economic Development Agency of Southern Ontario, it was announced that to date nine projects have been funded through the EODP totaling $115,000. In February the FCFDC also started receiving applications for EODP grants for the fiscal year that begins April 1, and to date 29 projects totaling $350,845 in funding have been approved. Those recipients will be announced in the near future. Also available through the FCFDC are access to capital loans for businesses or individuals looking to develop vacant or underutilized commercial properties or to make facade improvements. In the past six months five access to capital loans totaling $285,000 have been given out and those funds have leveraged an additional $2.4 million.

Carl Kelly, a senior manager of consulting at the Business Development Bank of Canada, was also at the meeting speaking about their Booster Program, which offers three consecutive ½ day workshops in marketing for businesses who are looking to boost sales. The FCFDC is supporting the program and is offering to fund 50% of the cost of the workshop for interested businesses. Anyone looking for more information about that program can contact Carl Kelly at 613-389-2897.

Also upcoming is the FCFDC workshop titled “Retail Makeover Workshop” aimed at retail businesses looking to help drive their sales in their retail locations. This is the first time the FCFDC has offered this kind of workshop. The annual FCFDC trade show, which takes place in the fall and where local businesses showcase their services and products, was also discussed. Organizers are currently looking for public input as to how to attract more visitors to the annual show. A few new ideas suggested at the meeting included the possibility of hiring a guest speaker on a topic that might attract more visitors.

With the April 1 EODP deadline just past, businesses should take note that the upcoming deadlines for EODP applications are May 1 and June 1, 2012.

Also to note: The Frontenac CFDC is now accepting applications for the 2012-15 board of directors. For more information call 613-372-1414, 1-888-372-9962, or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

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