A joint venture amongst three CFDCs - North Okanagan, Central Okanagan and Okanagan Similkameen has been awarded funding to facilitate the delivery of a comprehensive and integrated sales and market development program for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program clients as part of a regional proposal to deliver capacity building programs for this target market.

Sales and market development skills are essential skills for employees, aspiring entrepreneurs and existing entrepreneurs. Normally, sales and marketing programs are hosted as one day events with limited follow-up and reinforcement unless it is part of an in-house training program, often only offered in larger firms with a large base of sales people.

This project will target up to 18 EDP type clients, or approximately six clients per site, at three sites; Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton. The project is easily scalable and is flexible enough to allow adjustments to these numbers depending on demand with a nominal increase in costs.

The business development program combines training and development to deliver an effective program that is implemented slowly, consistently over time. By using technology to store, deliver, track and re-use resources on a just enough, just in time basis, information is released in small chunks, ensuring people implement what they learn in their work activities before giving them more. The learner verifies what they know but also what they can do with what they know at a learner pace rather than instructor pace. Programming is being supplied using Northern Vantage's Measurable Development TM distributed and delivered by Colin Parker at Red Giraffe Marketing.

The program will be offered beginning in November 2009.

Location: Okanagan Valley, BC

Partners: Okanagan Partnerships, CFDC North Okanagan, Central Okanagan and South Okanagan

The purpose of the project:

The primary goal of this project is to provide a new business service to the Okanagan Valley business community that will:

• improve the coordination of local suppliers and purchasers;
• provide easy access to information for inbound investors and potential new businesses to the Valley;
• assist with regional competitiveness;
• facilitate all three areas of the Okanagan Valley Region to work collaboratively together;
• provide economic benefits to Okanagan Valley businesses through increased awareness and access to value-added business services.

This business service will be delivered through a web portal called Our Okanagan.

The project focuses on 1) import replacement by connecting local sellers and buyers, and 2) value-added services to the Okanagan Valley businesses and business service agencies, and 3) inbound investment by providing potential investors with access to the Region’s marketplace.  

This project was awarded funding from REDI-BC, a Community Futures BC program that focuses on areas of Business Productivity and Competitiveness as it encourages improved access to business services (and possibly risk capital to SMEs) in conjunction with other business service organizations and associations. In addition, the project will support the efforts on investment attraction to the Okanagan Region.

For more information contact Okanagan Partnerships, Brad Clements 250-306-4192 email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .