Sponsor organization: British Columbia Economic Development Association (BCEDA)
Description
The Economic Development Essentials Workshop aims to assist First Nation communities to expand their capacity, knowledge and skill sets to ensure economic sustainability and future growth. The first part of the workshop (Day 1) focuses on those economic development basics that all communities need to have in place to support economic development. The second part (Day 2) of the workshop will focus on those economic development activities and programs that communities can implement to expand their investment readiness, increase awareness and support existing businesses/entrepreneurs. Participants will hear best practices from various aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities throughout the world.
What Participants will learn by attending
- Economic development basics
- Strategic Planning including community assets, SWOT, Vision, Goals & Objectives, and Performance Metrics
- Economic development marketing
- Investment Readiness
- Supporting new and existing businesses
- Encouraging entrepreneurship
- Workforce development
- Sector Development including tourism
Presenters
Dale Wheeldon, CEO
BCEDA
dwheeldon@bceda.ca
604-819-3809
www.bceda.ca
Colleen Bond, Partner
EDCD Consulting
bond@edcdconsulting.com
www.edcdconsulting.com
Presenter Biographies
Dale Wheeldon
Dale has 26 years of economic development experience and is the CEO of the BC Economic Development Association and one of the founding partners of EDCD Consulting. Starting out as in economic development in a rural BC community he then moved to Chilliwack where he worked to make Chilliwack one of the leading economic development communities in BC. He is in demand as a speaker with a presentation style combining humour with simplicity for understanding complex issues.
Colleen Bond
Colleen Bond is a certified Economic Developer with 24 years of economic development experience. She has extensive knowledge in building economic development programs for business retention and expansion, business attraction and foreign investment attraction. Colleen has worked from grassroots to government organizations in a variety of community development and capacity building roles earning awards along with way. Colleen co-founded EDCD Consulting to provide consulting services to economic development agencies at all levels of government.