Futures Annual Report

Futures Annual Report 2014-2015 Growing communities one idea at a time

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CONTENTS COMMUNITY FUTURES STAFF 4 BOARD OF DIRECTORS 6 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR 8 MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER 9 BUSINESS MANAGER ANNUAL REMARKS 10 CED COORDINATOR ANNUAL REMARKS 11 FINANCIAL REPORT 12 Looking to connect with Community Futures Lac La Biche online? www.cfllb.com www.facebook.com/cfllb @CFLLB 3

COMMUNITY FUTURES STAFF STEPHEN EVANS General Manager September 2014 Present GENE WESLEY Business Development Manager March 2013 Present KAAN TATARI Business Advisor January 2015 Present 4

COMMUNITY FUTURES STAFF JACLYN DENMAN Community Economic Development Coordinator May 2011 Present JOCELYN WILLIAMS Administrative Coordinator April 2015 Present BETHANY KETTLE Community Economic Development Coordinator Assistant May 2015 August 2015 Temporary Summer Student 5

BOARD OF DIRECTORS DOUG STEWART Chair Member at Large In the past RCDC (Community Futures Lac La Biche) helped me start and finance my business ventures, and since then I ve wanted to give back to the community. I ve been a part of this board for many years and have seen its success in supporting local small/medium sized business which has helped to diversify our economy. MADERE BIRKILL Vice Chair Member at Large I have been a Member at Large on the Community Futures board for 7 years. My career has taken me through a couple of journeys between adult education, entrepreneurship and working with small and medium sized businesses. My attraction to CF is related to a passion for small and medium sizes business. I believe that their existence is core to a sustainable and thriving economy, on a regional, provincial and national scale. ERNIE HAWKE Secretary/Treasurer Member at Large My previous roles include Economic Development Coordinator for Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement and I currently work as a consultant. I have enjoyed being a member of the board of Lac La Biche Region Community Development Corporation for about 12 years now. RCDC has a history of supporting the region and it s entrepreneurs who are looking for an opportunity that may not otherwise be afforded to them. KEN STAPLES Director Heart Lake First Nations Since 1983 I have served as a Member at Large and have also provided representation for the Heart Lake First Nation, where I serve as the General Manager for the Heart Lake Group of Companies. I feel it is important to give back to the community, and I have a strong interest in the growth and prosperity of Lac La Biche. I think Community Futures biggest accomplishment is their leadership amongst all Alberta CFs for volume and quality of the loan portfolio. SHIRLEY MICHAUD Director Member at Large I have been involved with Community Futures for many years, and have expanded my role as a Director on the Board to broaden my knowledge of the operational side of the business. As we look to the future, I would like to see Community Futures continue to improve working relationships with our many stakeholders and increase the exposure of what CF does ultimately leading to increased loan growth. 6

BOARD OF DIRECTORS RICK SKYRPAN Director Lac La Biche & District Chamber of Commerce Having been appointed to the Board of Directors to represent the Chamber of Commerce, and As a business owner myself I see the value of the work that is done at Community Futures to help support and grow entrepreneurs in our region. As a Director with the Chamber of Commerce, there are natural synergies between both organizations and I believe the ongoing partnership to both promote and support business growth in our region is fundamental for our success. DAVE PHILLIPS Director Lac La Biche County Mr. Phillips is an elected councillor with Lac La Biche County and is currently in the middle of his first appointed term serving as the County Representative on the Community Futures board. As the past President of the Lac La Biche Pow Wow and Fish Derby Association Dave is familiar with some of what Community Futures has to offer and brings a unique perspective as a longtime resident and self-employed business person with a passion for his community. JACK BOUCHER Director Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement I have been serving on the council of the Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement and in my 2nd year with the Community Futures Board representing the interests of Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement. As a member of the Community Futures Board I am eager to learn about the opportunities and help grow a stronger partnership between CF and Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement which can benefit our entrepreneurs and residents. SHILA TUBMAN Director Wandering River Area I contribute by getting the word out in our area that Community Futures Lac La Biche is a valuable resource for business planning and financing. I talk with local people and encourage them to talk to CF about financing their dreams. I would like to see more women entrepreneurs, and more younger entrepreneurs in the region. The challenges are there for new start-ups as the equity for financing may not be available, but that is where CF can help. Looking for more information about Our Staff or Board Members? www.cfllb.com/our-staff www.cfllb.com/our-board 7

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR Max Lucado said: "A leader who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd." Having lead the Lac La Biche Regional Community Development Corporation (RCDC) as Chair for so many years, it is with great pleasure that I leave on such a high note. Our RCDC has charted a new course and broke ground on so many fronts over my tenure as Chair, that I am proud to have been a part of our great success! From an engaged small business community to a lending program that is one of the best in the Nation, our RCDC has created a real legacy for future entrepreneurs. We could not have done this without a lot of hard work from our staff, community partners and volunteer board members. Typical to previous years, this past year has seen its share of transition. From changes in leadership to new additions to our staff, RCDC has benefited from the expertise and fresh eyes placed on our organization. As is the case in most organizations, a renewed leadership at the governance level is now in order. A new Chair and new Director(s) will help the organization reinvent itself. Core to the efforts on a go forward basis will be the legacy of the efforts afforded RCDC from our predecessors. My hope for this organization is that we take a moment to review our fundamentals of community economic development by asking ourselves questions related to what if? For instance, what if we explored innovative as a way to do business? What if we look to the past for benchmark opportunities for the future? What if we investigate the east-west trade corridor as an enhancement to the north-south trade corridor? What if we build our own smokestacks verses chasing them? What if we engaged our entrepreneurs in a more profound sectorial strategy? What if we enhanced our fishery, food, air and mining sectors? What if we delivered on ideas and not just discussed them? Over my tenure as Chair of RCDC, I have had the pleasure of working with a wonderful group of volunteers. From representatives at the College, to Heart Lake First Nations and the Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement, to representatives from the Lac La Biche and District Chamber of Commerce and the Lac La Biche County, and representatives from Wandering River and Members at Large, it has been my pleasure to know and work with each and every one of you. My hope is the good work will continue to support your leadership and that the efforts will continue to add true value to the organization. To our staff, I would like to say I am very excited about the work you are doing! Our tourism sector has benefited immensely from the leadership of our Economic Development Coordinator. Our Business Advisors have put the let s get er done back into our leading program. Our books are in order and our reception area is very welcoming. And of course to our General Manager, Mr. Evans, your leadership has inspired a new course for our organization. To all our staff, I say thank-you! The most important thing to remember is our Community. We live the ideal of helping our neighbours and when in doubt, just Giv er and Git-er done. Success is not measured by activity, but by action. It s the results that count, and if you do not take a risk, nothing is going to happen. We believe in our community. We are successful; sometimes, we just need a hand up. We can become independent and contribute to the growth and success of our Community. It has been a pleasure to serve the Community. Doug Stewart Board of Directors Chair 8

MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER Back to Our Fundamentals After 29 years of serving the Lac La Biche Region, Community Futures Lac La Biche has championed a return to its fundamentals. Business and Community Development are core services offered by Community Futures Lac La Biche. We have been successful in re-establishing our working relationships with local and regional partners. We have provided a significant amount of investment and begun to partner more on our loan fund activities. While renewing our commitment to Tourism, we have expanded our community economic development services to other sectors within the Northeast. In addition to providing program delivery services, we have begun to engage stakeholders at the strategic planning level. Accomplishments for 2014-15 Some of our accomplishments for the 2014-15 include negotiating three-year agreements with both Western Economic Diversification and the County of Lac La Biche; lending more than $ 2.66 Million to Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs); and in the last quarter of 2014-15 alone we lent out more than $ 1.2 million. We have also worked on our governance model by updating our Investment Review Committee s Terms of Reference; revising our Term Limits for Directors and developing a Redress Policy. From a program service delivery perspective, staff contracts are now performance based; Western Economic Diversification reporting is on time and more accurate; and our job creation targets were exceeded. In addition, Community Futures Lac La Biche has put in place more effective financial management protocols by developing stronger internal reporting and financial monitoring. These controls have allowed us to develop a capital improvement (rain-day) fund. Capital Improvement Funds will be generated from our rental income and tourism advertising surpluses. To better service our customers, we opened a branch office in Plamondon and we have significantly enhanced our building s safety and operating procedures. The Future From the outset, the future for Community Futures Lac La Biche looks challenging. With a significant cut in oilsand and SAGD development projects and with the global price hitting historic lows, the need to diversify the local economy has become ever more important. Community Futures Lac La Biche is in a financial position to better help diversify our regional economy by putting to work our community investment funds, partnering with other community economic development agents and by better engaging our core small business sector. The Lac La Biche region will need the support of our regional, provincial and federal partners. Community Futures Lac La Biche looks forward to leading the way as we help grow and help diversify the region s economy. It s not about ideas. It s about making ideas happen. - Scott Belsky, co-founder of Behance. Stephen Evans General Manager 9

BUSINESS MANAGER ANNUAL REMARKS The most exciting thing is When someone asks me where I work, I tell them Community Futures, and they never seem to know where we are, what we do, or why. Considering we have operated since 1986 from the same location this is puzzling because we have disbursed over 41 Million dollars with over 750 loans to businesses in just our local area. So, what do we do? The back of our business cards might tell it best: Growing Communities one idea at a time. In some ways we are Your Local Business Development Centre but that s not all we do. We are an organization that is able to use innovative and focused strategies to promote and assist any potential strategic economic, environmental or social development opportunity. That s exciting! We assist both individuals and communities as a whole by working with other agencies and groups to develop long-term job creation and economic development. By assisting individual clients and groups alike we get things done. So why don t people seem to know where we are and what we do? I have a theory that clients keep us a secret. That is until they hear of someone else with a good business idea that needs help with advice or funding. We are in fact a best kept secret. I know this because that is how most people come to find us. By referrals. I m proud of that. Obstacles are challenges to us and nothing satisfies me more than when we can be part of something becoming a new reality in our area. We help the local economy one job at a time. By helping local people create businesses and jobs out of ideas. Tangible from the intangible. That s why we are here. Although we are excellent at what we do and we can prove it, this is not enough. That s not my vision for the future. The fact is that our local area needs a variety of jobs. A variety of jobs like we used to have in the area. We need to diversify and be a destination and give this area a future long after the oil is out of the ground. This will take effort. More of the same will only produce more of the same. We have so many assets in our region and my vision is that and we capitalize on these now; for the future. How do I see this happening? One good new idea at a time becoming a reality. Fortunately we have an organized like-minded team at Community Futures that has proven we can do this. So, what excites me most? The next person that walks in our door or phones with an idea. Especially that new idea; or an old idea that was forgotten. Get the word out: Community Futures is here to help. One idea at a time. Gene Wesley Business Development Manager 10

CED COORDINATOR ANNUAL REMARKS In the fiscal year of 2014-2015 we have continued several successful partnerships with municipalities, provincial government departments, and local/regional tourism operators and non-profit societies. Our brand of Lac la Biche Region has allowed us to create a consistency in our marketing via web, social media, and all print materials. Since our website redesign in late 2013, www.laclabicheregion.com had become a multi-device friendly website with relevant information for users which is continually updated. From April 2014 March 2015, our website had 43,347 visits with 33,688 unique visitors. In comparison to 2013-2014 our overall number of visitors to the website has slightly increased by 1%. The ROI through our website is estimated at just over $1.0 million* for tourism in our region. Last year we launched a new aspect to our website featuring weekly blogs, written by our Temporary Summer Student, CED Coordinator Assistant. In 2014, 23 blogs stories were written which have had a total of 1,270 page-views and 21.87 hours spent on those webpages. For Summer 2015 we are continuing Our Story feature with more blogs about individuals across our region which will be shared every Thursday starting in early June. Our social media presence has remained strong, growing through some contests and paid ads, but for the most part has grown organically through likes and follows. At the end of this fiscal year our Twitter @LLBtourism following is at 421 [78% increase], Facebook /LLBtourism likes is at 1,215 [70% increase], and we are now also on Instagram @LLBtourism since July 2014. On Twitter this fiscal year we averaged 104 new tweets with an average of 71 mentions/retweets giving us a 67% engagement rating. On Facebook 25% of people who like our page are from the Edmonton region with another 21% from the Lac la Biche Region. The Lac la Biche Region 2015 Discovery Guide publication was printed and ready for distribution as of mid-january. Since its publication, 5,508 copies have been distributed through our annual tradeshow attendances (which include: Calgary RV Show, Edmonton RV Show, Red Deer Outdoors Show, Edmonton Boat & Sportsman Show, Lloydminster Spring Showcase, Sherwood Park Spring Tradeshow, Fort McMurray Spring Tradeshow), with an additional 4,035 distributed regionally, and 5,125 have been mailed out provincially to Visitor Information Centres. Over the past year our office has collaborated with tourism partners (non-profit community organizations, businesses, and municipal governments) on several marketing activities, such as: Fatal Impact sponsorship with M.D. Bonnyville, Plamondon Summer Events, Lac la Biche Region Summer Events, Lac la Biche Region Summer Social Media Campaign, Winter Festival of Speed Marketing Campaign, Winefred Lake Lodge Campaign, and the 2015 Sport Fishing Regulations Publication. The fiscal year ahead for our office will see the continuation of the building, maintaining, and enhancement of partnerships with municipal, regional, non-profit organizations, and businesses of our region that are tourism stakeholders, as we look for ways to broaden the awareness of our region and increase the tourism products offered throughout our region. *ROI Formula = website visits x 4.5% actual bookings/visits to the region x $280 daily spend x 1.84 average length of stay (Tanner Young Publishing Group shared through Travel Alberta.) Jaclyn Denman Community Economic Development Coordinator 11

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FINANCIAL REPORT 13

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FINANCIAL REPORT Looking for more information about our Financial Report? www.cfllb.com/reporting 15

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