Downtown Stores of Winter

What has 269 offices, 1360 staff, 3415 volunteers, has assisted in the creation of over 495,800 jobs and invested in excess of $4.2 billion into the rural Canadian economy?
The Community Futures Network of Canada. The CDC is one of those 269 offices.

The Community Development Corporation (CDC) opened up its doors in 1984 and has been in operation for 31 years now. Through funding support from the Government of Canada, the CDC was born in Downtown Orillia. Since inception, the CDC has approved $23+ million in loans for local businesses, reviewed 821 loan applications totaling more than $35 million, have created/maintained 3,150 jobs through lending and answered more than 40,000 general inquiries.

The vision of the CDC is to be the foremost business resource centre, ensuring an economy in Ontario’s Lake Country that is prosperous, growing and sustainable. The mission of the CDC is to enrich the local economy through coaching, training and financing businesses, and fostering community economic development projects. The primary objective in creating the CDC 31 years ago, was to support job creation and develop small business, based on the premise that investment decisions should be made by local people for local people. This original vision for the program has remained strong. In addition to their business loan program, they have also had the opportunity over the years, to further impact our community through their business coaching, and the significant number of Community Economic Development projects they have developed, led or participated in.

CDC values include:
• Collaboration – Collaborating within and outside the organization to develop positive working relationships as a means to foster community economic development.
• Community- A sense of responsibility and contribution that define their existence.
• Resourcefulness – Being solution-focused by identifying needs and working diligently and adaptability towards meeting those needs.

The CDC also offers a Business Improvement Loan Fund. These are business loans up to $25K, for equipment purchases/upgrades, leasehold improvements, IT needs, working capital, debt consolidation, competitive interest rates, no legal fees, no early payout fees, flexible repayment terms and include a simple application process. Applications will be reviewed on a first come, first serve basis. To qualify for the program, applicants must have been in business for a minimum of three years. Younger businesses are welcome to apply, however, terms may vary.

Professional Development Workshops that cover several topics for owners, managers and employees are another great service offered by the CDC. View their workshop calendar at www.orilliacdc.com and sign up for their newsletter to receive updated information.

The CDC has also recently opened up their office walls to Orillia & area artists, and invited them to display selected works of art. They have since received an overwhelming response and are now home to 61 beautiful pieces of art from 29 different talented artists! If you are interested in hanging, or purchasing selected works, please contact Samantha at [email protected] for more details.

In the future, you can expect the CDC to continue offering great service, access to valuable programs and resources, and flexible solutions for your business. They are YOUR business success centre! Call or email them to learn how they can help YOU succeed… 705.325.4903 or [email protected].