RRFDC to see busy year ahead

The Rainy River Future Development Corp. met for its annual general meeting last Wednesday at La Place Rendez-Vous, and saw one new member appointed to its board of directors.
Martin Dufresne of Rainy River is the newest appointee to the board after Bruce Holmlund chose not to run again.
No election was necessary at the meeting as the number of new people wanting to join the board matched the number of those leaving it.
Returning to the board for another three years are Telford Advent, Ken McKinnon, John McTaggart, Christine Jourdain, Dale Kaemingh, Dick Lyons, Eugene McPherson, and George Emes.
The chair and vice-chair for the next term will be determined at the board of directors’ next meeting in mid-August.
According to the activities report presented at the annual general meeting, the RRFDC had a very busy year—and doesn’t plan on slowing down.
Advent, the current chairman, noted in his message to the board that the RRFDC’s relocation to the office at 608 Scott St. has allowed for easier access and better public visibility.
There has been an increase in the number of community meetings and business training sessions at the office, which has allowed the RRFDC to become much more accessible.
The RRFDC has hosted a series of business workshops over the past year, with more than 100 district businesses attending.
The need for these workshops was identified through the Business Retention and Expansion survey conducted here in recent years.
Advent noted the RRFDC continues to move forward with projects, such as an abattoir in the district and the improvement of broadband service through its partnership with Pwi-Di-Goo-Zing Ne-Yaa-Zhing Non-Profit Advisory Services.
As well, the “gateway” project at the international bridge here will see seven banners erected at the Fort Frances port of entry later this year.
Advent also said he was pleased to see district municipalities, including Fort Frances, and First Nations stay on board with the RRFDC for economic development partnerships.
Meanwhile, business investment officer Angela Halvorsen reported that in the last year, the RRFDC made 28 loans to district businesses, equalling $1,029,395.
This money resulted in creating or maintaining 83 jobs.
She noted the business investment committee has moved towards a more focused approach to its lending, and is aiming to diversifying the economic base by aiding value-added and manufacturing businesses while, at the same time, strengthening existing ones.
Halvorsen also said the RRFDC joined other Future Development Corporations in the region this year in an investment pool. This pool allows the RRFDC to offer business loans in excess of the normal lending cap of $125,000.
And she said that starting this fall, the RRFDC will be participating in a business mentorship program that will “provide business expertise and assistance to new and existing entrepreneurs through the experience of successful business people.”
Just this past year, district businesses have gotten access to the store front loan program, whereby they can borrow up to $10,000 to enhance the appearance of their businesses.
Economic development officer Geoff Gillon noted the RRFDC has continued its efforts to diversify the local economy, targetting areas such as value-added wood products.
He noted RRFDC successes in the past year have included the “gateway” project, which stemmed from the “Re-Inventing Fort Frances” study, the Sunset Country tourism impact study from the fall, and the Northern Networks Trade Conference held here last September.
Gillon also lauded partnerships with the local Chamber of Commerce and Business Improvement Association to deal with the “new retail environment” in Fort Frances.
The RRFDC also made financial contributions to various district activities and events, such as the Rainy River First Nations watershed program, the Emo Walleye Classic, and the La Vallee, Morley, and Rainy River centennials, he said.
Gillon also noted a very important project that started last year was the Northwest-Midwest Alliance (NMA).
Thanks to local rep Bill Boulton, he said the RRFDC can continue to work towards expanding the presence of local businesses in the United States by increasing exports.
“The RRFDC has a significant stake in this project as we believe much of our future prosperity will be derived from increasing our exports to the region,” Gillon said in his report.
Looking ahead, he noted the RRFDC is eyeing a new economic development strategy by mid-2005 while this fall, a three-year marketing project promoting tourism to the region in northern Minnesota will begin.
Other goals for 2004-05 include having the district actively involved in e-commerce; expansion of partnerships with First Nations; learning more from other communities’ successful business and economic development efforts; and supporting diversification projects in the local agricultural community.