Slow, steady process ahead for Rural Manitoba Economic Development Corporation

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This article was published 31/01/2022 (1384 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What started as a one-person operation with a volunteer board to help build business networking in Westman has grown into a team production at the Rural Manitoba Economic Development Corporation.

Since being hired to lead the Brandon office in May 2021, CEO Margot Cathcart has used the past nine months to build from the ground up and help develop the potential for economic development in Manitoba’s rural communities.

“I want to reinforce how optimistic and excited I am about not just the opportunities for business and the energy of rural Manitoba, but also the broader economic development environment that is in the province,” Cathcart said.

The CEO has found entrepreneurs in the province are bringing a level of energy and new ideas to the table in part from having time off during the pandemic. It has given people time to reflect on the kind of businesses they want to start.

Cathcart sees this level of energy in her day-to-day work as she facilitates discussions, networks connections and gives support to both existing and startup businesses across Manitoba.

Cathcart has had conversations with people looking to start or expand their clean tech company and has worked with people from the mining and retail industries. Others have reached out to the corporation with interests in cryptocurrency.

“There’s no limitations to the industries that we’re involved in, and it’s a very big region for essentially one person in a startup,” Cathcart said.

People from rural communities will approach RMED for help with business retention, succession planning and private equity, right through to investment attraction and expediting the permitting process for entrepreneurs looking to move forward with their business, she said.

“Part of what I do is match-make people who have specific interests.

“I had a client in the eastern part of the province who had some synergies with other organizations in the Westman area, and so they came and spent a day in Brandon with me. We talked to academia, to some government departments and other businesses where they were able to facilitate those conversations, where they may never have met each other otherwise.”

In Westman, Cathcart works with Economic Development Brandon and Brandon Downtown Renewal Corporation, among others, to strengthen the interest in promoting economic growth for this part of the province while making connections with other business owners who may not be from here.

The corporation recently hired a policy analyst and marketing and communications co-ordinator to help the CEO manage what has been a long process to hit the ground running. Cathcart expects to enhance the level of work done over the coming months and knows there is always room to do more.

It’s a feeling shared by RMED’s board chair, Chuck Davidson, who is also the president and CEO of Manitoba Chambers of Commerce. Davidson would like to see the organization become fully operational this year.

“I want things to go faster,” Davidson said.

“I get that there’s an expectation in what we’re trying to do for rural Manitoba, and that is part of the challenge for us.”

After starting as a volunteer board in November 2019, the not-for-profit corporation, which receives government funding, opened its office in August 2021. Davidson told the Sun the starting budget is in the neighbourhood of $675,000.

The organization is still in the infancy stage, and Davidson recognized the challenge in arranging meetings in person due to the pandemic.

The organization aims to build upon the work being done at Economic Development Brandon and amplify its development strategies to reach a larger network.

Davidson explained the organization can address challenges a company may ask them to assist with. This could include a need for land, access to water or an increase in workers.

“If you’re looking to grow your company by a certain amount in this part of the province, and you need 300 employees, chances are they may not be here.”

He would like to have eight to 10 staff hired to be considered fully operational and elevate the work completed by the four people currently on staff.

In addition to previously hosting a few educational webinars in the fall, Cathcart and her team are working on starting a speaker series and creating a forum, similar to the talks they’ve hosted on private equity placement and revitalizing downtowns.

“We’ve got a long list of topics that we’re exploring and finding appropriate speakers for,” Cathcart said.

“Whether we’re looking at labour or innovation, understanding permitting, talking about infrastructure, it’s bringing people together so we can facilitate conversation.”

Over the coming month, Cathcart will work alongside Enver Naidoo, executive director of Westman Immigrant Services, to start a discussion with stakeholders in the community. The plan is to address newcomer entrepreneurship and foreign student retention as a way to aid some of the labour gap issues that exist in the province.

» jbernacki@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @JosephBernacki