Network of Economic Development Practitioners Growing in the Thompson-Okanagan with the Help of ETSI-BC

Network of Economic Development Practitioners Growing in the Thompson-Okanagan with the Help of ETSI-BC

December 9, 2024

The value of a professional network is well-accepted. Being in regular contact with peers can be helpful because they can learn more about their sector and build value in their relationships.

This is true in the economic development space, but the people carrying out the economic development activities in their communities might not all be employed by their local government, First Nation, Chamber of Commerce or other business support agency, such as Community Futures. It’s especially important to provide a venue for all those practitioners to get together on a regular basis and learn from one another, and to explore areas where they could collaborate to support their communities and their region.

ETSI-BC, the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior, understands this, and has been supporting the Kootenay-Boundary Economic Development Practitioners’ Network for several years.

After this positive experience, ETSI-BC recognized that the Thompson-Okanagan region would benefit from a similar network, with a particular focus on the smaller rural communities and the 27 First Nations in the Thompson-Okanagan region. ETSI-BC wanted to offer a forum where the people helping strengthen their local economies could come together, regardless of what type of organization they work for. The team at ETSI-BC wanted to help bring people together to help the region’s rural economic development practitioners to get to know each other, start networking and explore collaboration opportunities, like their Kootenay-Boundary counterparts.

The Thompson-Okanagan region differs from the Kootenay-Boundary, in that there are several urban centres (Kamloops, Vernon, Kelowna, West Kelowna, Penticton) that have more resources for economic development than the surrounding rural areas. So ETSI-BC considered it doubly important to provide a venue for the rural economic development practitioners to get together with people from other small communities and First Nations in the region.

That’s why ETSI-BC has contracted with Robyn Cyr, owner of Brabyn Business Solutions and experienced economic development practitioner to help build a similar network to the EDPN for the Thompson-Okanagan region. Her mandate is to provide a forum where communities with a shared vision can come together and learn from others’ experiences to effectively maximize all resources, including human, time, and financial resources.

Some of the activities and resources that will be offered through the EPDN include facilitated networking events, dialogues, and knowledge sharing meetings, which are directly aligned with current issues and challenges faced by individual communities and the region at large. In addition, the network acts as a community economic development hub, sharing information, expertise, and strategies for the benefit of all its members.

By providing economic development practitioners the opportunity for regional dialogue to share knowledge, resources and best practices, they can better collaborate on projects that may benefit more than one community or organization, and create meaningful partnerships that will likely develop into a stronger professional network and friendships.

“I am hoping to help lead discussions with different economic development organizations throughout the region to build a network of practitioners that can work together on the needs of diverse communities,” she says.

In past assignments working with First Nations communities and Regional Districts, Robyn also created networking groups that have helped communities work together to leverage funding to implement projects, work effectively with small businesses, and ensure that all organizations have the resources they need to be sustainable. For her, working together with other economic development organizations, especially in the smaller rural communities, is extremely rewarding.

Robyn highly encourages others to learn more and join this network, regardless of their experience in delivering economic development programs. “I think we all can learn from each other. If you can use your skills to help another organization that has limited staff and resources, you can help to support local businesses, maintain employment and the economy for these communities.”

Working together to increase investment throughout the Thompson-Okanagan region and being part of the Thompson-Okanagan EDPN is about collaborating to ensure everyone can participate and help create a stronger economy and stronger communities in this beautiful part of the country that we call home.

If you’re interested in learning more or getting involved, please reach out to Robyn Cyr at robyncyr@brabynbusiness.ca and Renata King at renata@etsi-bc.ca. For resources and news about economic development in the Southern Interior, follow the ETSI-BC LinkedIn page and subscribe to our eNews at www.etsi-bc.ca.

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