PARKSVILLE – On September 17, Community Futures is nationally celebrating its 30th anniversary while the local Nanaimo office is celebrating 40 year roots of providing business and community economic development services.
Parksville Mayor Marc Lefebvre has declared September 17 as Community Futures Day in the City of Parksville. “This is an opportunity for the City to demonstrate its support to entrepreneurship and the importance of small business to our community,” said Mayor Lefebvre.
This proclamation lends recognition to the important work that community economic development plays and the generous efforts of volunteers who support this work. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy, representing 98 percent of all businesses in the province of BC, employing half of our province’s private sector workforce and creating nearly two out of every three new jobs. Representing the classic Canadian ideals of hard work and ingenuity, small businesses from startups to mom-and-pop shops are crucial to the prosperity and economic vibrancy of our region.
In 1975, Nanaimo Community Employment Advisory Society was the trail blazer and model for the Community Futures Program and led the way for the 268 sister organizations across Canada. Since its inception, the office has lent $30 million to small businesses in the region, leveraging $44 million and creating/maintaining 5,035 jobs.
For 30 years, Community Futures has supported entrepreneurs through small business exploration, start up, expansion and succession throughout Canada. Each of the 269 not-for-profit organizations are led by a local board of directors, who volunteer their time, knowledge, and passion to guide a team of professional staff in providing a wide array of business and community economic development services. These services fall under several categories that strengthen and diversify our local economies, which include, business development, training and counseling, community economic development and small business financing.
– This region’s local Community Futures office, Community Futures Central Island, is located in Nanaimo. Learn more by visiting the organization’s website: www.cfnanaimo.org.
