They braved freezing rain and icy roads for a day of learning how to start a new business or improve an existing one, and a little networking over muffins and coffee.
Over 100 people participated in the 6th Annual Southwest Business & Entrepreneur Expo on Feb. 8 at the Kola Evangelical Mennonite Church Hall.
Organized by a team of economic development practitioners, the day-long annual showcase of all things business included over 20 trade show booths and exhibits, as well as a number of breakout sessions and speakers. Kola, in the R.M. of Wallace-Woodworth, is the smallest locale the event has been held in since it was launched at Virden’s Tundra Oil & Gas Place in 2018.
Expo Chairperson and RM of Wallace-Woodworth Economic Development Officer Tiffany Cameron presented “Lasting Impressions – Your Town Rising One Year Later”. Leslie Fournier and Gregg McLachlan were the guest speakers at the Expo last year in Souris, and spent a week in the area touring Kenton, Elkhorn, Virden and eight other rural communities.
“They had a really good time seeing our communities and giving a fresh… look into what they are presenting to people,” Cameron said.
Fournier and McLachlan, two business owners from Ontario, examined storefronts and streetscapes and made suggestions and recommendations for signage, planters, seating and staging, all within a limited budget.
“We’ve taken the Your Town Rising experience and we’re starting to see it come to life,” she said.
Cameron said plans are afoot in Elkhorn to source vintage vehicles that are not worthy of display in the Manitoba Antique Auto Museum, paint murals on them, turn them into planters and decorative art and place them around the village.
“Elkhorn is running with this idea…expect to see some cars this summer.”
The success of the “Very Virden Christmas” campaign in Virden over the 2022 holiday season was noted by McLachlan and Fournier, who shared photos on their social media channels. A painting party was held in late November to create Grinch-themed Christmas Trees and that momentum extended to the annual Light-Up Night and Santa Claus Parade.
“The Grinch theme in Virden took off,” Cameron said. “I can’t think of a business that didn’t participate. There were painted windows…a Grinch photo shoot…very simple things that pulled the community together.”
As for individual businesses, Cameron stressed the importance of giving people a reason to visit them, especially as an economic rebound occurs after the ravages of COVID-19.
“We want to say “Welcome Back,” she said. “We want to make it fun (and) entertaining for people to be out shopping in our communities. We know how hard it is to compete on price against online shopping and big box stores, so we have to think about the value of our products. Always look at your business from an outsider’s perspective to ensure you are creating a place people want to be.”
PANEL DISCUSSION
A panel discussion around this year’s theme, “Taking the Next Step in Your Business,” included two equestrians – Kim Richardson, an equine assisted training facilitator and riding instructor who owns and operates Lucky Break Ranch and Tack near Rivers and Juanita Funk, an equine osteopath and proprietor of Covenant Ranch Feed and Tack just outside Kola.
Cindy Horrigan, founder and partner in Good Life Environmental at Pierson, also took part. Horrigan was a stand-in for Sara Corrigal, co-owner of Southwest Strength in Melita, who was unable to participate due to poor road conditions.
Before opening the floor to the audience, Cameron, who acted as moderator, had each explain how their business got started and posed pre-determined questions regarding challenges, successes and decisions made along the way. She asked the three panelists to share advice for those wanting to channel their entrepreneurial spirit into a new enterprise.
MCCONNELL SHARES BUSINESS WISDOM
Keynote speaker Kim McConnell shared tips, successes and challenges from his business background, with a little humour mixed in. A native of Hamiota who now resides in Okotoks, Alberta, he received his post-secondary education at the University of Manitoba and proceeded to start and grow the company AdFarm, one of the largest and most respected agri-food marketing communications firms in North America. Throughout his career, he has received a number of accolades, including induction into the Canadian Ag Hall of Fame in 2012 and being named a member of the Order of Canada in 2017.
Several breakout sessions were presented during the day, covering topics such as tax help for small business, mental health in the workplace and branding your business.
BUSINESSES PITCHED
Winners of the Business Pitch Competition, a closed-door event whereby business owners sell their start-up plan to a panel of judges, included:
DR. KENN’S WOODWORKS
$250 Most Unique or original pitch of the day from Goodlands Environmental
STUDIO T VIDEO CREATION & DESIGN
$1000 Business Award from the Municipality of Two Borders
CUSTOM CUTTING & CHARCUTERIE BOARDS
$500 Business Award from Crocus Country EDC
ZOEY JEBB WELLNESS
$1000 Business Award from the R.M of Wallace-Woodworth
SANDY SOIL FARM AND GARDENS
$250 Marketing Excellence from the RM of Pipestone
$500 Original or Unique Business from the RM of Pipestone
$750 Ability to Succeed from the RM of Pipestone
THE DENNIS COUNTY CAFÉ
$500 Best Business Pitch from the RM of Pipestone
SANDERS WATER & ICE
$1000 Business Award from the Town of Virden
EXACT SHINE AUTO DETAILING
$1000 Best Overall Pitch of the Day from Community Futures
$500 Demonstrates a sound business plan with steps for growth from the Municipality of Souris Glenwood
$500 Best overall presentation from the Municipality of Souris Glenwood
One-year membership from the Souris& Glenwood Chamber of Commerce
$1000 Advertising Credit to the most creative business pitch from CJRB Golden West Radio
Since the Southwest Business Expo began, over $41,500 has been distributed to the winners of the business pitch competition, with 71% of the businesses still in operation today.
LOOKING AHEAD
“We’re always trying to improve the experience for our participants,” said Souris-Glenwood Economic Development Officer Echo Finlay. “We try to get really relevant and interesting information. We try to make sure we host it in the various regions…it’s a collaboration between these different municipalities, so we take turns hosting it to make sure that if someone couldn’t attend before, now it’s going to end up being that they have the chance.”
Finlay said that Kola was suggested as a site, and the EMC Church as a suitable venue, for the R.M. of Wallace-Woodworth to take its turn as event host.
“Tiffany (Cameron) had suggested Kola because there really aren’t many events held there but there’s a lot of people that are running home businesses.” she said. “That’s what we based the theme around – taking your business to the next level. No matter where you were at, it was meant for the information to be relevant within that area. We really tried to be aware of where we decided to hold it so it would bring some awareness to a part of the region that maybe otherwise we wouldn’t have known about.”
Plans call for the 2024 edition of the Southwest Business & Entrepreneur Expo to be held in Deloraine.
