Success Stories
Community Futures Beaver River has completed a project which developed an Asset map for the La Loche Clearwater Region and in the community of Pinehouse.
Ten years ago, Art Laliberte was busy harvesting timber in the Green Lake area, but not making much money at it. He was using line skidders to harvest trees, but "skyrocketing" workers compensation premiums were taking ever-larger bites out of any profits.
For kids, empty cardboard boxes are like magnets, so why not capitalize on the connection? That was what Doug Deconinck-Smith was thinking when he set out to give kids' imaginations a little boost by transforming those empty boxes into castles, cottages and puppet theatres. Two years later, Doug and wife Maggie are the owners of EverBuild Imagination Accessories Inc., and working toward what they hope will become a successful entry into the tough, competitive toy industry. There have been some side tracks along the way.
It took a while for Susan Osness to take the plunge into owning and running her own business, but once she made the decision, things happened quickly. Susan is now the owner-operator of Susan's Sign Shoppe in Kindersley, after working for others for 15 years. Working for "difficult" people in one of those shops convinced her the only way to get ahead would be to be her own boss. When she heard the shop in Kindersley was for sale, she moved her family to Saskatchewan with the intention of buying it.
Nibal and Katy Achkar purchased the assets of Al's Precision Archery from the Bear Hills RDC in 1997 and they commenced archery repairs and sales of accessories from their home. By 2001, the business had grown to need the business premises and archery-shooting lane on main street Biggar.
The Lake Diefenbaker Tourism Destination Area Plan (LDTDAP) was completed in July of 2008. The actual implementation of the Plan began in September of 2008.
The "WaterWolf Project" is no ordinary project. In fact, it encompasses five initiatives aimed at community and economic development. "WaterWolf is working to fill in some of the capacity gaps within local governments, and encouraging renewal on many fronts," says project manager Russ McPherson.
Community Futures Newsask has two successful loan clients, Codie Prevost , who they lent money to go to Nashville to record his first CD. Codie comes from the Archerwill area and is currently working on his second CD.
One of Community Futures Newsask's successful clients is Ken Trach, who owns and operates Ken's Cresting and Apparel in Melfort.
When Ted Cawkwell wasn't busy farming and operating a customer spraying business near Kelvington, he pursued his passion for fishing. That eventually led to his current business, giving customers the opportunity to indulge their passion on four pristine lakes in northern Saskatchewan. But, there were some intermediate steps along the way.
