2011 Spring Newsletter

 Venture Kamloops Brand Refresh

BIV Magazines’ How TO 2011 article on How to Leverage Design as a Business Asset reported in a recent study from the United Kingdom that three-quarters of businesses that made design an integral part of their operation have improved their competitive advantage. Branding is one of the most important keys to differentiate from competitors and includes much more than a logo. It involves advertising, web environment, email communication and personal contact. Venture Kamloops Business Development wants to be forefront in Business Attraction and Business Retention & Expansion so we have refreshed our brand and website. The new look is strategic and professional and the website has a modern flair as well as easy navigation to information relevant to business needs.

The new tag line expresses exactly what Venture Kamloops wants from its viewers “Invest in our City”. The colours convey a positive message, Venture Kamloops is pro-active and re-active. The colour orange is said to stimulate emotions and appetites. Grey represents innovation, professionalism and the future as well as gives a sense of space and modernism. The refreshed brand also allows for a more usable format in advertising, printing and other visual aspects .

The new homepage is vibrant, attractive, engaging and points you to the information that you want through the reorganization of the navigation structure to allow for most viewed pages to be easier to find together with a higher level of information on landing pages. The content on the website will continue to be improved over the next few months and the statistical information will be updated to the most current available.

Take a browse through the www.venturekamloops.com to see our new look and website organization, then let us know what you think via info@venturekamloops.com.

 

 

Southern Interior Innovation Fund    

The Southern Interior Innovation Fund (SIIF) is the first Private Equity Fund focusing on the Southern Interior of BC. It was created to continue the investment activities established by the Okanagan’s first Private Equity Fund, the Okanagan Innovation Fund.

The Fund will be targeting Southern Interior based companies that are generating revenue from their operations and are focused on growth/expansion opportunities. For the right company, SIIF will consider investments in the $250,000 to $1 million range of either debt or equity. The fund is registered as a venture capital corporation, providing investors in the fund with a 30% B.C. investment tax credit (minimum investment is $100,000).

Prospective investments are evaluated on their individual merits, but generally the fund is looking for deals which meet the following criteria:

• Proven product/service, that is generating significant revenues (e.g. $1M+/yr)

• Potential to grow revenues to $5M-10M+/yr within the next few years

• Total investment required from the fund is between $0.25M - $1M

• Majority of employees are based in the Southern Interior

• Investment term of 5 years or less; a clear exit path for the investment exists

• Subordinated debt or equity financing in preferred shares

Companies interested in investment by the fund are invited to complete in Excel format the one page Stage 1 application form located on the website www.siifund.ca. Submit the form along with any supporting materials (e.g. business plan, etc.) to the fund using the contact information provided below. If the fund is interested in pursuing the investment opportunity further, it will contact the company for an in-person meeting. The timeline for receiving funding from this initial meeting ranges from two to four months

For further information, please contact: John Drope at jdrope@siifund.ca or 250-762-6860

TRU 2009 - 2010 Factbook Summary – A great resource

Thompson River’s University, “Canada’s most Comprehensive university” is growing by leaps and bounds. Learn key information about, enrollment numbers, student profiles, age distributions, countries of origin, full time and part time students, and graduates per degree from this great resource.

Kamloops Business Corral

We are happy to announce that Venture Kamloops and KPMG have partnered on the Kamloops Business Corral. This innovative program continues to give promising Kamloops entrepreneurs access to a responsive business advisory board.Visit the Kamloops Business Corral web page  to gain an overview of the program and the 2010 year in review.

Spark Your Imagination recently went through the Business Corral in February. Click here to view coverage from Shaw TV. We look forward to an exciting 2011, and continue to build Kamloops’ brand as a progressive, business-friendly community by engendering a culture of invention, innovation and enterprise!

                                                              

The Next 36: Canada’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Initiative

Amy Berard, a third-year Bachelor of Business Administration student at TRU, has been selected for Canada’s first-ever Next 36 entrepreneurship program. As one of 64 from 300 applicants, Amy successfully competed for a spot in the Next 36 in Toronto.

The goal of The Next 36 is to help launch the careers of 36 of Canada’s most promising and innovative undergraduates. The program identifies these students through a rigorous national selection process, and gives them the academic foundation, practical skills, role models and networks to become Canada’s next generation of entrepreneurial leaders. Students should expect to be pushed out of their comfort zone, gain skills vital to entrepreneurs and nation builders and have their expectations for themselves increased dramatically.

In Amy’s words:

"The Next 36 is about fostering the next generation of great Canadian entrepreneurs. It's all about pushing us to our limits, increasing our expectations, and exposing us to failure and success so we can make a larger impact earlier in our lives. My goal for this program is to heighten my expectations for what I can contribute to Canadian business and achieve as a young entrepreneur."

Please join us in congratulating Amy on this monumental achievement! We wish Amy all the best, representing Kamloops and TRU, in the program

Venture Kamloops implements International business attraction tool

Venture Kamloops Business Development Society is reaching out to national and international investors via Real-e-Live People, an innovative business attraction tool that is designed to attract more investment to Kamloops in an innovative and cost effective way.

Venture Kamloops staff will now have another way to engage and attract targeted investment to our community and provide an enhanced service to investors looking for information fast and in a personal manner. The program changes VK’s website from a flat, impersonal brochure to a virtual storefront where one can watch visitors enter and navigate the website, identify the area of interest and then approach the client in person via a live video and text chat. The program humanizes the website, by allowing our staff to treat website visitors like real people, provide them with incredible customer service, the information they need and engage them before they browse away.

As the first economic development agency in Canada to implement such a program, Venture Kamloops can personalize its chat requests to potential investors based upon their location, areas of interest, and community priority areas. This proactive marketing tool will, not only, allow Venture Kamloops to identify and reach new markets that have been previously untapped but will also save valuable resources and time.

“This is a great innovative tool, developed by a local Kamloops entrepreneur that allows us to expand our marketing efforts and strategically connect with potential investors that have already shown an interest in Kamloops” said Dan Sulz, Executive Director for Venture Kamloops.

“We feel this tool will be very successful in helping to build growth in our business community”

Since Venture Kamloops has started to use this innovation, it has reached out and spoken to over 600 potential investors from the Chile, Turkey, Mexico, Poland, Malaysia, Brazil, New Zealand, France, Australia, Iran, Dubai, England, and across the US and Canada. Feedback from clients has been great and the results impressive. Via one chat a Venture Kamloops staff member was able to convince a potential investor from Iran who was planning to locate his manufacturing busines

s on Vancouver Island to look at Kamloops. A personalized familiarization tour is already in the work.

 

 

Small Business Accelerator Program – A resource for small business

 

Business success depends on obtaining access to reliable information. The Small Business Accelerator is your gateway to freely available business information, education, and assistance that is both current and trustworthy. We know how hard it is to find, sort, and analyze quality business information. Use this website kick start your research efforts, so you can spend your precious time focusing on your business needs. You'll find information resources and research strategies that will be critical to all aspects of your business planning - whether you're just getting started or looking to grow or open a new a location. Solid research will move your business forward.

The main objective of the Small Business Accelerator Program (SBA) is to develop information services that help B.C. entrepreneurs find relevant information, tools, and other types of assistance that will accelerate the secondary market research they need to do as a part of sound business planning.

The SBA will feature content rich BC industry research guides and other web-based information aimed at helping site visitors to quickly and easily identify resources so they can learn more about their industry, research their competitive environment and conduct a customer analysis for their business idea. Site visitors can also use these guides to learn about potential provincial or federal regulations and/or financing sources for their product or service.

The SBA site aspires to be an interactive platform for business support service providers to connect with each other in support of BC entrepreneurs. Examples of interaction include a shared event calendar, the ability to connect with other service providers, and to participate in forum discussions, as well as the ability to contribute content and/or to provide comments directly on guides.

Visit www.sba-bc.ca for resources that can help your small business.

Youth Skills BC Workplace Pilot Program

The BC government is offering a new program, the Youth Skills BC Workplace Pilot Program, which offers BC employers a $2000 hiring incentive (up to 3 employees at $2000 each) to hire eligible youth between the ages of 15 and 29. The Youth Skills BC Workplace Pilot Program, funded by the Ministry of Regional Economic and Skills Development has been specifically created as easy-to-use for employers and employees. There is also an additional training allowance, of up to $1000, available should an employer wish to train their new employee externally.

The criteria for the potential employee to qualify for YSBC:

• Aged 15 - 29

• Not currently receiving EI and must not have received EI within the past 36 months; or 60 months for a parental claim

• Not a full-time student or returning to school

• Is a resident of BC and legally entitled to work in Canada

• Not participating in any other government funded program

The criteria for the employer to qualify for YSBC:

• In business for a minimum of one year

• In good standing with WCB

British Columbia's future economy will need a highly skilled workforce, and YSBC is helping meet that challenge. In addition to employer support for hiring and on-the-job training, the pilot program can help employers develop a training plan for each participant and funding assistance to pay for the supplemental training identified in these plans.

To learn more about the program (available until March 2012) please visit www.bowmanemployment.com. To see the official Press Release, please click here.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please call Monday thru Friday from 8:00am to 5.00pm. at 1-877-866-3100 toll free.

Venture Kamloops is going to Ontario!

Does your company work with suppliers out of Southern Ontario that have expressed an interest to expand their business west? Do you know of companies that are looking to relocate their business to British Columbia? If so we want to hear from you!

During the first two weeks of May Venture Kamloops will be meeting with companies in Southern Ontario that are looking to move west and we think that Kamloops is the best location to expand their companies. Please contact the Venture Kamloops office directly by email to mike@venturekamloops.com or call 250-828-6818 if you know of any companies that would be interested in meeting with our New Business Development Specialist.

 

The world is coming to our backyard

In the months of May and June Venture Kamloops, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Investment, will be hosting two seminars designed to help your company export around the globe.

The first seminar “Going Global” will be held Thursday May 5th, 2011. Going Global - Strategies for International Business seminar will provide insights, ideas, real success stories and strategies to sell and succeed in the international marketplace. This seminar will enlighten, entertain and motivate you to explore the opportunities of going international from understanding effective market entry strategies to why accepting cultures are critical to international success and figuring out the real value of the internet for your international presence.

Specifically the seminar focuses on several key aspects of doing business internationally, including:

• How to research potential export markets?
• How to manage risks associated with exporting?
• How to develop an export market entry strategy?
• How to access export insurance and financing?
• What trade commissioner services are available to Canadian companies?
• How to find and evaluate foreign business partners?
• How business conditions and practices differ from country to country
• Market entry strategies from exporting to foreign direct investment
• Exchange rates and getting paid and risk management
• Market and competitive intelligence

The seminar is designed for any business that has potential to sell its product or service outside of Canada.

In June, British Columbia’s Trade and Investment representatives (TIR’s) from South and North China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea and West Coast USA will be coming to Kamloops. The TIR’s are the British Columbia agents that are working on the ground in their respective regions to sell the investment opportunities and the business advantages of British Columbia. These agents can also promote your company, the products your company exports and help build local networks and contacts for your business.

For 1 day only qualified companies that are Export Ready, already doing some exporting but would like to expand into a new market or have a project that is looking for large scale investment ($2 million+), will have a chance to pitch their business opportunities to the TIR’s

The first half of the day will consist of the Trade and Investment Representatives (TIR’s) presenting to community stakeholders, lawyers, bankers, accountants and companies on what they do; the services and resources they provide and where they see opportunities in their markets.

The second half of the day will be reserved for one-on-one meetings where our local companies will have 15 minutes to promote their opportunities to the TIR’s directly. The trade reps are looking for companies that are currently exporting or Export Ready and companies that are looking for a significant investment ($2 million +).

If you would like to learn more about this incredible opportunity please contact the Venture Kamloops office at 250-828-6818 or info@venturekamloops.com

Calgary in a day

WestJet Airlines is updating their schedule and will be changing their departure/arrival times for the Kamloops – Calgary flight.

The new schedule will have the flight departing Kamloops at 7:00am and arriving in Calgary at 8:55am. Return flight leaves Calgary at 7:35pm and arrives in Kamloops 7:35pm.

“The morning departure will allow business travelers to be in downtown Calgary by 10:00am and back home in the same day. Being able to have a full day of business meetings and coming home in the same day is a huge asset for the business traveler,” said Dan Sulz, Executive Director of Venture Kamloops.

The flight schedule changes will be implemented with WestJet’s summer schedule on May 1, 2011.

 

eStrataHub strata document ordering service launches on BC OnLine

Obtaining strata documents just got easier with the launch of eStrataHub. The service lets lawyers, notaries and real estate agents in British Columbia order, receive and pay for strata documents from participating property managers all through BC OnLine.
BC OnLine customers can now log in, send orders to property manager and receive documents as electronic PDF files. eStrataHub also lets each party exchange messages and documents, including undertaking letters and listing agreements, to complete an order. All of the information is stored together in one place. An information website with product tours and frequently asked questions is available at www.aboutestratahub.com

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B.C. Business Network

Action:
Profile your company to those looking to create or develop potential
business opportunities in BC and abroad

Results:
Find suitable partners to facilitate:                  Receive communication about: 

- subcontracting     - partnering    - supply and service opportunities   Connect with:    - valuable contacts   - contract opportunities   - events that may lead to new business   - Exposure to an international audience

- educational and capacity-building resources           - market intelligence            -inbound/outbound trade programs   Exclusive invitations to:      -  valuable workshops       - information sessions       - networking events       - matchmaking sessions

Click here to join the BC Business Network today - there is no cost!

Region to benefit from Ashcroft Terminal

The Ashcroft Terminal is well on its way and ready to release its benefits and opportunities throughout the region. After a $5M investment of matched funds from the Federal Government to build infrastructure, the terminal is providing a strong logistics opportunity for British Columbia's Intermodal & Industrial Customer's. As part of the Southern Corridor along Canada's Pacific Gateway, Ashcroft Terminal is uniquely positioned as a viable, sustainable industrial site, with both inland container handling and industrial transloading service. Currently the operations service over 200,000 MT with a completed terminal build out capacity of 5,000,000 MT. For more information about the Ashcroft Terminal and its plans please visit their website at: ashcroftterminal.com/index.html

 

Moved To Kamloops Testimonies

"My wife and I thought a lot about the move and Kamloops seems like to us the best place in BC to start off. We thought about staying in Kelowna, going to Vancouver, Victoria or even back to where we grew up, Fernie, but made the decision based the jobs, affordability, demographics and amenities (natural and built).

We like the idea of being able to afford a house and a dog, and enjoy the climate and landscape, small town feel, connectedness, golf and skiing on weekends, the jobs we landed are great and we get a really good vibe from the city. "

I'm optimistic about Kamloops
Posted on: www.skyscrapercity.com

 

Enhance your e-Business Practices with the Small Business Internship Program

A significant number of established small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are currently only connected to the Internet or are passively on-line, and might not be taking advantage of the possibilities offered by e-business. The Small Business Internship Program seeks to improve the competitiveness of SMEs by supporting businesses to actively market on-line and improve their competitiveness with e-business practices and technologies.

Join the Small Business Internship Program Team, as they explain how the Program could work for your business. Victor Paul-Elias will present the English Webinar and Lynne Antoine will present the French Webinar.

The webinar takes place on Friday, April 15, 2011 at 12:00pm EST in English and at 1:30pm EST in French. If you're interested in attending, complete the English Webinar or the French Webinar registration form.

For more information, please send an email to SBTBWebinar-DGPETWebinaire@ic.gc.ca