Our Partners

Diamond

Nestled between two lakes, Penticton enjoys long, hot summers, dry winters and more than 2,000 hours of sunshine each year. We’re located in the southern Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, which is easily accessed by major highways and airports.

We're known for our beaches, wine and orchards, not to mention a wide range of outdoor recreational activities. Hop on your bike to discover award-winning wineries and trails with stellar views. Shop at the bustling outdoor market, peruse art galleries or go skating at the modern Community Centre. Ski champagne powder slopes or take in a hockey game or concert at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

Penticton is located on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Syilx/Okanagan people. Its name, from the Interior Salish word snpintktn, is commonly translated as "a place to stay forever," or more accurately, a place where people live year-round. It’s the kind of place where people come to visit for the holidays – and never want to leave.

Destination British Columbia (Destination BC) is a provincially funded, industry-led Crown corporation that supports a strong and competitive future for BC‘s tourism industry through a combination of global marketing, destination development, industry learning, cooperative community-based programs, and visitor servicing. Destination BC receives approximately $52 million each year, out of a Provincial investment of about $140 million in BC‘s tourism ecosystem as a whole. These investments help to improve the visitor experience, support businesses and communities, and strengthen BC‘s worldwide reputation as a destination of choice.

Indigenous Services Canada works collaboratively with partners to improve access to high quality services for First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Our vision is to support and empower Indigenous peoples to independently deliver services and address the socio-economic conditions in their communities.

The Northern Development Initiative Trust board, regional advisory committees and staff have a passion for growing the economy of central and northern British Columbia. When the Premier of British Columbia announced the Northern Development Initiative Trust, it was on the premise that, The best economic development decisions for the North should be made in the North.

Northern Development is an independent, non-profit corporation; a catalyst stimulating economic growth through investments in grassroots, community-led projects.

Platinum

BC Hydro is a Crown corporation, owned by the government and people of British Columbia. It’s our job to safely provide our customers with reliable, affordable and clean electricity throughout the province. For new customers, our Business & Economic Development team provides a single point of entry for businesses wanting to locate in British Columbia. We are here to help prospective customers understand how to get connected to our clean electricity grid, anticipated electricity costs, electrification incentives and possible options for where to locate. To get in touch with the team, please visit: bchydro.com/newbusiness

Cando (Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers) is a federally registered, non-profit society that is Indigenous controlled, community based, and membership driven. Cando is directed by a national regionally represented volunteer board of elected EDOs representing every region of Canada.

Cando has been instrumental in facilitating partnerships with EDOs, academics, Indigenous leaders and senior corporate and government representatives. Cando is unique because it is the only national organization that focuses on education and professional development for EDOs working in Indigenous communities or organizations.

ResearchFDI is a world-class investment attraction consultancy, delivering customized strategies and research-driven programs for economic development organizations and regional promotion agencies worldwide. Founded in Montreal in 2010, the firm has expanded to include offices, consultants, and partners across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Asia —facilitating over $50 billion in capital investments and generating high-value projects for more than 300 entities globally. ResearchFDI’s core services include developing market and sector profiles, foreign direct investment strategies, lead generation programs, investment attraction training, strategy reports and other services tailored to facilitating inward investments. The firm's mission is to position clients to identify and secure high-value inward investment opportunities efficiently.

Gold

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.

Localintel provides online location marketing tools that hundreds of economic developers have added to their website to promote their community's advantages and assist businesses. Our clients range from the small rural Village of Hazelton to the Government of British Columbia, Invest Ottawa and the cities of New Westminster, Coquitlam, Terrace and Penticton. Learn more at www.ecdev.org.

Silver

We are BDC, the Business Development Bank of Canada and the financial institution devoted to Canadian entrepreneurs.

We help create and develop strong Canadian businesses through financing, advisory services and capital, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises.

We support entrepreneurs in all industries and at all stages of development from business centres across Canada and online at bdc.ca.
We’re committed to the long-term success of Canadian entrepreneurs and we understand that a business is more than just dollars and cents.
We complement the role played by private-sector financial institutions and have been serving Canadian entrepreneurs since 1944.
We are a financially sustainable Crown corporation and we operate at arm’s length from our sole shareholder, the Government of Canada.

The Cityviz data platform is a comprehensive, highly modular, customizable and affordable solution for communities and regions of all sizes. We keep adding new features and datasets to Cityviz at no additional cost. We are focused on helping economic development professionals, investors and entrepreneurs have all relevant data in one place, always up to date, pre-processed and ready to use. Our mission is to deliver exceptional data products and customer service. We listen to your needs and adapt our solutions to suit your requirements.

Co-operatives First is a non-profit organization funded by Federated Co-operatives Limited and the Co-operative Retailing System. Founded in 2015, the organization provides co-op start-up resources, such as feasibility studies, business plans, and incorporation support to rural and Indigenous co-op entrepreneurs across western Canada. Our goal is to help leaders in these communities build new businesses, grow local economies, and support community development.

EMC has grown to become Canada's largest manufacturing consortium and with over one thousand industry events annually, is one of the most active manufacturing organizations in North America! For more than a quarter century EMC has been responsible for contributing significant knowledge, expertise and resources towards the success of over 13,000 consortium and online member manufacturers, representing every province across Canada. EMC's total manufacturing audience includes 40,000+ employers and 600,000 manufacturing employees. Founded in the mid-1980's and incorporated in 1997, EMC facilitates events in more than 60 consortium regions, across more than 450 communities. Offering a broad range of hands-on programs and services, EMC is helping manufacturers to lower costs, access greater opportunities to compete for business and improve efficiencies in dealing with the day-to-day complexities of running a manufacturing operation. Become a member today.

Bronze

We understand the critical challenges facing B.C.’s agriculture sector. To help address these challenges, we are here to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and agriproducers to develop products and help position British Columbia as a world leader in agritech.

Our Economic Trust contributes to economic growth and diversity in the Southern Interior of BC.

We add value to our region through

Helping build the region’s economic development capacity
Assisting our partners as they support local businesses
Encouraging entrepreneurship and the creation of meaningful jobs
Providing support to key sectors of our region’s economy to innovate and be more sustainable

ExecutivePulse is the only Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution built by economic developers, for economic developers. Our CRM’s intuitive design allows users to easily create at-a-glance reports and presentations, optimize their internal and external communication, and track the progress of their initiatives.

FortisBC delivers natural gas, electricity and innovative energy solutions to approximately 1.2 million customers in 135 communities throughout the province. We believe in building stronger communities. That‘s what drives us to be innovators in the energy sector, offering renewable and alternative energy solutions for homes, businesses and transportation in BC and beyond. We‘re also rethinking BC‘s lower carbon future with our 30BY30 target to reduce our customers‘ emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 and all the ways we‘re working with British Columbians to create a cleaner energy future together.

Since 1996, Futurpreneur has fostered the entrepreneurial passions of Canada’s diverse startup founders ages 18-39. We are the only national non-profit organization that provides young aspiring entrepreneurs across Canada with the loan financing, mentorship and resources they need to start or buy a business.

With a deep understanding of the local business landscape and a passion for empowering young entrepreneurs, our British Columbia (BC) team is here to help you succeed on your entrepreneurial journey. They can guide you through the opportunities and challenges of starting and growing your business in the province.

IAF delivers programs and services to support a thriving agriculture and food sector in British Columbia. IAF’s Board of Directors have led a number of strategic initiatives in recent years. From addressing the future of the agriculture sector in BC, to assisting the sector during the pandemic, the Board acts quickly and responds to issues facing the industry wherever possible.

Founded by the Province, Governed by Coastal Communities

Island Coastal Economic Trust was established by the Province of British Columbia in 2006 with $50 million under the North Island-Coast Development Initiative Trust Act. Our mandate has been to support economic diversification and growth across Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, and islands and inlets from the Salish Sea to Cape Caution (see Our Region).