Bow Valley College (BVC) is looking to bring an entrepreneur centre to Airdrie, where local businesses, start-ups and visionaries can launch new ventures or receive professional education to build their skills.
According to Cara Doré, manager of regional stewardship for BVC’s Airdrie and Strathmore campuses, the college is trying to get a sense of the city’s business needs – its drivers in terms of economic development.
“The business community is very large here and we have a very diverse business population,” she said. “The city is continuing to grow and we need to look at it like, the more resources and tools we can provide to increase the success and work with the business community, [the better].”
The City of Airdrie, which launched its 10-year economic development strategy last year, is on board with the initiative.
“We’re just excited to see BVC take leadership in this area, because we do have a strong entrepreneurial spirit in this community,” said Sarah Chamberlain, an economic development officer with the City.
“We talk to businesses all the time, and we know if they can be provided with more resources, support and connections to each other, that just makes a stronger business environment for all of us.”
Doré added the centre, which is still in early consultation stages, could either be a stand-alone building or attached to the local BVC campus.
“What we’re doing right now in Airdrie is trying to build more of an access point for businesses – just doing workshops and some great events occurring, with the intention of moving towards a community-led entrepreneurship hub,” she said.
“We also have some employment training courses running, so some skill development in things like accounting and the base skills [for running a business].”
To help fund the initiative, BVC received $87,000 from the province’s Community and Regional Economic Support (CARES) grant program, which supplies funding for projects related to economic development.
The Strathmore campus already has an attached entrepreneur centre, according to Doré. The 4,000-square-foot building, which boasts office, boardroom and classroom space, is referred to on BVC’s website as a “business incubation centre” for local entrepreneurs, who can rent out the spaces for specific projects, meetings, brainstorm sessions, networking opportunities and more.
But the benefits of the hub go beyond the venue itself, Doré said, adding the centre also offers workshops and training programs.
“That’s what is different from a lot of entrepreneur centres,” she said. “It’s not just a place to work – it’s a place to learn and thrive with other businesses.
“We’re trying to help the business community as much as we can and be seen as a resource to do that.”
Considering the importance of small business in Airdrie – according to Chamberlain, 98 per cent of local companies would be classified as “small businesses” – entrepreneurship is “huge” to the City’s economic development plans.
“[Small businesses] are really the lifeblood of our community," she said. "We need them – not only to provide us with products and services, but they provide us with jobs. And they’re the ones supporting our kids’ sports teams and supporting arts initiatives.
“I don’t know where Airdrie would be without such a connected and prosperous business community.”
Doré said the CARES funding is “in place” until June 30, 2020, at which point, BVC will need to have concluded its business case for the entrepreneur centre.
