Skip to content

Drumming Up Business for Virden Area in Europe

Dennis County Partnership has new cheerleader
Vern May
Vern May, Director of Economic Development, Portage la Prairie

The “Dennis County Development Partnership” may not be a household phrase yet in southwestern Manitoba where it's based. But soon, business executives in Europe will be hearing all about it.

Vern May, who leads Economic Development in the city of Portage la Prairie, is heading to a global summit in the Netherlands in April to promote trade.

He’ll meet with European business and industry leaders while representing Portage. But he’ll also be promoting the Dennis County Development Partnership (DCDP), which represents three municipalities: the Town of Virden, the RM of Wallace Woodworth and the RM of Pipestone.

The Partnership was forged to promote the region as a possible site for a soybean crushing plant or other industrial development. And it’s about to get some valuable exposure to a brand new audience.

Ambassador

May says, “My offer (to the DCDP) was that I’ll be in the room with European investors (at the Amsterdam summit), and it would be my pleasure to act as an ambassador for rural Manitoba.”

Tanis Chalmers, the Economic Development Officer (EDO) for the RM of Pipestone, appreciates the offer saying, “It’s fortunate that we will have a voice at an event we’re not attending.”

We’ve done it before

May’s trip coincides with the start of construction on a $400 million pea plant in Portage owned by a company from France. May plans to use that success as a case study to present to European investors at the summit.

He said, “All it takes is one. One right company that could expand into North America. One right company where Manitoba would fit their plans.”

Virden support

May has collaborated in the past with Virden’s new EDO Liza Park, going back to her days in Deloraine and his in Souris.

Park said, “The information Vern is going to be bringing with him is a marketing piece we are working on for Dennis County Development Partnership. It will identify who we are, where we are geographically, the goals of the partnership, advantages and opportunities the area may have.

“I think anytime you have an opportunity to work together and get the word out about the Manitoba Prairie opportunity and more specifically the Dennis County Development opportunity, it’s a win-win.” 

Partnership lauded

May applauds the spirit of cooperation that drives the DCDP in which three municipalities join forces and resources to attract new investment to the area at large.

“I’m very excited about Dennis County and a little jealous too. Portage la Prairie may be bigger, but we aren’t having those conversations with our neighboring municipalities even though our economy relies on them.”

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks