Community Futures Success Story: Trails That Bring Jobs, Visitors and Growth

Community Futures Crowsnest Pass is committed to backing community-led initiatives that diversify our region’s economy and build opportunity. A leading example is the trail network developed by United Riders of Crowsnest (UROC) in the Crowsnest Pass region.

Background: With support from the Community Futures Crowsnest Pass office, the project began back in 2010 when Community Futures Crowsnest Pass received a large grant and engaged IMBA Canada to develop a master plan for mountain-bike trails across Crowsnest Pass. Community Futures coordinated early funding through municipal contributions and provincial recreation grants; we also helped plan community-engagement activities to set the groundwork for a strong destination asset.

Today: What began as a vision for sustainable recreation has grown into over 95 kilometres of professionally built single-track trails connecting our communities and drawing visitors from across Western Canada. Additionally, UROC has built a Kids Corner and Skills Park, inspiring the next generation of riders and providing a welcoming space for families and youth to develop skills and enjoy the trails together. UROC now employs six full-time seasonal staff to continue growing and maintaining the trail network.

Why it matters: This trail system brings fresh economic energy, attracting visitors who spend in local lodging, food, bike services and retail; it provides employment and builds year-round community vitality; and it leverages our natural landscape into a sustainable asset.

Read more about the history of this project here - https://imbacanada.com/crowsnest-pass-redux/

Learn more about UROC here - https://uroc.ca/

Photo Credit - Threshold Media

It doesn't get much funnier than this; we loved helping Puzzleneck piece together their entrepreneurial adventure.

After working in healthcare for 10+ years, I was at a crossroads. I knew that the career opportunities in Crowsnest Pass were limited in my field of expertise, and I wondered if it was time to pursue my dream of owning a jigsaw puzzle manufacturing and retail business. The stars started to align after I met with a business advisor at Community Futures in 2022.

Working with this client was un-beet-able.

Our friend Jasmine from The Crowsnest Pantry shared about working with us! 

As a small business owner, the support I’ve received from Community Futures Crowsnest Pass has been invaluable. The live trainings and workshops have been incredibly helpful in expanding my knowledge and improving my business skills.

I’ve also had the pleasure of working closely with Marty, the business analyst, whose expertise has been essential in guiding me through critical business decisions. He’s always eager to share his wealth of knowledge, and his advice has made a real difference in how I approach challenges.

Additionally, Community Futures helped me apply for a small COVID-19 Relief loan, which helped get us off the ground!

Finally, the networking opportunities have also been super helpful, allowing me to connect with other local entrepreneurs and build valuable relationships.

Thanks to Community Futures' ongoing support, I feel more confident in my ability to grow and succeed in my business.

WEBSITE: http://www.homechekcnp.net

In 2017, after many years of searching and consideration, my wife and I finally decided to take the leap and purchase our own business.  Our dream hit a wall when banks refused to loan money to buy a company based solely on goodwill, without physical assets.  We were at a loss for how we could pursue a purchase.  Luckily, a good friend recommended that I talk to the good people at Community Futures to see if this was something that they could help with.  At that time, I wasn't even aware that they had federal dollars available to help fund small businesses. I was impressed to meet with their Business Analyst, who helped me review the numbers and agreed with my assessment that it would be a solid purchase.  He assisted with the company's valuation and negotiation tactics and, finally, signed off on a business loan for our purchase of the company.  After that one meeting, my dream was able to form into reality with a fast-moving purchase of a business that is still growing and thriving today.  

Community Futures continued to offer support throughout the loan, and their friendly staff was a pleasure to deal with.  I would not hesitate to approach Community Futures for help again in the future. 

Organization: Community Futures Network of Alberta

Region: Alberta

Impact: Through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund, Community Futures in Alberta supported over 1,700 businesses and over 9,500 jobs in Alberta during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Program: Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF)

Funding: $85 Million to over 1,700 rural businesses in Alberta

Sectors:  Business growth, Community economic development

Story Date:  2022-08-16

The COVID-19 pandemic brought on many challenges for communities, especially for the small and medium-sized businesses that consistently drive local growth and innovation.

When pandemic health measures changed how people accessed local goods and services, many small businesses struggled. Some of them could not access early federal business support programs. They had to keep searching for help with their financial pressures.

Brian Gallant
Crowsnest Pass

Brian Gallant, owner of Sinister Sports, successfully applied for a Business Improvement Loan with Crowsnest Pass Community Futures to renovate the front of his building in Bellevue. Originally, Coupland's Meats and Groceries, more recently, the building was used as a rental shop and the front had fallen into disrepair. The goal was to bring it back to somewhat of its original look while keeping with the current structure.

Randy Rinaldi
Crowsnest Pass

Rinaldi Welding opened in 1981 and moved to its current location in the Frank Industrial Park in the early 1990s. As their business grew, so did the size of their customer base and by 2010 they had outgrown their original building.

Community Futures Crowsnest Pass was ready to help when Rinaldi Welding built an addition which doubled the size of their operation. The expanded building allowed them to take on more work with bigger jobs and diversification into servicing the mining industry. With the extra space, they now build off-road service trucks, mechanic trucks and pump-floats.