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Community Futures has grown over 20 years |
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Written by Ric Swihart Lethbridge Herald
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Wednesday, November 25 2009, 9:31 PM |
It was 1989 when then Ald. Bob Tarleck hired businessman Don Dalke to head up the Lethbridge Community Futures venture.
It was slow to catch on. People in the region that includes Barons, Coaldale, Coalhurst, Lethbridge, Magrath, Nobleford, Picture Butte, Raymond and Stirling and the County of Lethbridge were welcomed to jump into business with professional advice and some funding if required outside of traditional banking circles once a business plan was approved.
But Community Futures has grown in the 20 years since, working past Dalke to Ed Fettig and Mark Fournier to today’s general manager Darlene Sinclair to turn federal Western Economic Diversification funding, supported by a provincial fund, into viable small businesses across the Lethbridge regional network.
With Dalke, Tarleck and Sinclair on board Wednesday, long-time Lethbridge CF chairman Mark Switzer praised the professional business analysts and key office staff over time for reaching “laudable achievements.”
“Our initial seed money in 1989 was $2.35 million and that nest egg has grown to $3,055,867, including loan writeoffs and losses,” he told about 50 at the celebration at the Lethbridge CF offices.
“If you do the math, we have a net gain over time on the taxpayer investment of seven per cent. I would like that return on my RRSP.”
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