Big Eye Leather has eye on the prize

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WHAT IS COMMUNITY FUTURES?
Community Futures is a volunteer directed, locally driven
program that operates across Canada. Our goal is to help
rural Canadians start or expand businesses and to help
communities improve their local economies.
In Manitoba there are 16 Community Futures offices. Each
is led by a local board of directors who volunteer their time,
energy and expertise. A team of skilled staff provides a wide
range of community economic development and business
services.
COMMUNITY FUTURES PROVIDES...
Business Development & Counselling
Community Futures can help you develop the knowledge and
skills you need to reach your entrepreneurial goals.
Community Futures provides a wide range of business
counselling and training services on topics such as:
• Creating business plans
• Conducting market research
• Understanding financing options
• Accessing business resources
Access to Business Loans
Community Futures can provide you with repayable loans not
normally offered by financial institutions.
Specific business loan programs for new and existing
businesses include:
• General entrepreneur loans up to $150,000
• Entrepreneurs with disabilities loans up to $150,000
Connections to Other Services
Community Futures is supported by Western Economic
Diversification Canada and we are a key partner in the
Western Canada Business Service Network. Through our
partnership we can offer you a vital link to a world of business
resources, including information on:
• Marketing
• Export and trade
• Other loan programs
• Regulations and licensing
• Trademarks and patents
• Selling to government markets
• Other government products, services, and support programs
Community Economic Development (CED)
Community Futures helps communities address their social
and economic needs and develop a vision for the future.
Experienced Community Futures staff help rural communities
expand their local economies through:
• CED planning
• Strategy building
• Accessing CED resources
• CED project leadership
To find the Community Futures
office that serves you...
•visit www.cfmanitoba.ca
•e-mail [email protected]
•call 1-888-303-2232
•check your regional Yellow Pages
Directory under the heading Business
Consultants.
OUR LOCATIONS
Cedar Lake Region - The Pas
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Greenstone - Flin Flon
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North Red - Selkirk
Northwest - Lynn Lake
Parkland - Grandview
Southeast - Winnipeg
Triple R - Morris
West Interlake - Ashern
Westman - Brandon
White Horse Plains - Elie
Winnipeg River - Lac du Bonnet
SPRING
2014
futurescape
Growing communities one idea at a time.
Big Eye Leather has eye on the prize
La Riviere entrepreneur Clint
Boyd’s life may change in a big
way this fall. That’s when the world
will find out if he’s deemed worthy
of a cash infusion by some of
Canada’s most successful
entrepreneurs.
After making it through an initial
audition in Winnipeg last February,
Boyd was invited to Toronto to
make a pitch to the well-named
This newsletter is
published by:
Community Futures Manitoba
(provincial association)
559-167 Lombard Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 0V3
Tel: 204-943-2905
Fax: 204-956-9363
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.cfmanitoba.ca
Supported by:
Dragons of the CBC television
show Dragons’ Den.
The wildly popular show features
aspiring entrepreneurs who pitch
their business concepts and
products to a panel of Canadian
business moguls who have the
cash and the know-how to make
their dreams happen.
Boyd’s flagship business is Big
Eye Leather, which produces fish
leather products recycled from the
waste skins of Manitoba Walleye.
Having been in the trapping
business for over 40 years,
the development of this unique
product has been a labour of love
for the eco-conscious environmental steward. He is also a skilled
tanner and taxidermist.
“Out of 41 years in this business,
it’s taken the better part of 20 to
perfect my recipes. It’s all selftaught. We’re the only ones in
the world doing walleye. It’s such
a unique process it would take
people a long time to figure out.”
Clint Boyd poses outside the Dragon’s Den
In addition to using walleye leather,
Clint also uses beaver tails and
turkey feet to complement his
What’s Inside…
Page 3
Take a river tour for a unique northern experience
Pages 4 &5 Celebrating Entrepreneurs with Disabilities
Page 6 Preserving the past
Page 7
Championing workplace safety
A sample of Big Eye Leather offerings
products. He has perfected fish
leather cowboy boots and mukluks,
and has no plans on stopping the
expansion of his product line.
“There are so many things that
can come out of this. The sky’s
the limit.”
His goal in appearing on Dragons’
Den was to secure investment
funds for product marketing.
“If I had time I could do it myself
but with the whole set-up (the fish
leather, animal tanning, and taxidermy) I just can’t be on the road,”
...continued on page 2
futurescape
SPRING
2014
More than just lemonade
Championing workplace safety
Just about every child ventures into
the world of business via the old
fashioned lemonade stand at some
point, but business development
experts in Manitoba are taking the
experience to a new level.
In Manitoba workplaces on
average, 100 workers are injured
every day, two amputations occur
every week and there are three
workplace fatalities every month,
according to workplace safety
expert Theo Heineman. These
may be shocking numbers, but
the former Community Futures
client is working passionately to
change those figures.
The Lemonade Stand Game was
held as part of a youth leadership
conference for Aboriginal youth in
Brandon and surrounding communities. It was a fun way for students to
learn about business.
Business Foundation and departments
of the Provincial Government.
The game is simple in itself—teams
of youth are charged with creating
and marketing their own brand of
lemonade, then pitching their beverage to a panel of judges, all in a
limited amount of time.
But as Lindsay Dandeneau, Business Consultant for Entrepreneurship Manitoba says, the game’s
design is rooted in the basic principles of business development.
Students are asked to create their
own marketing mix for their business. Decisions on price, location,
product and promotion are all made
with their target customer in mind.
Each team is also given a limited
budget to purchase the required
supplies for making and marketing their product. Throughout the
activity, a key message is reinforced
‘Companies don’t sell products,
customers purchase them.’
Storm-Ridge McArthur measures
ingredients with Alison Kirkland from the
Women’s Enterprise Centre Manitoba
“It’s critically important to introduce
these skills to our youth, said David
Ironstand, Aboriginal Liaison Officer
with the Brandon Urban Aboriginal
People’s Council and one of the
event organizers.
“There tends to be a negative
self-image, where they’ll say ‘I can’t
do that. I could never own a business.’
I am trying to empower them, show
them that everything is possible.”
The half-day session was hosted
by representatives from business
development organizations including
Entrepreneurship Manitoba,
Community Futures, Community
Futures Entrepreneurs with
Disabilities, Aboriginal Business
Service Network, Women’s Enterprise
Centre Manitoba, Canada Youth
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“Our goal is to get youth to
experience being their own boss.
We often tell students that they
should explore entrepreneurship
as an option; we’d like them to
test drive that experience, even
on a micro-scale.“
Vincent Massey Brandon High
School teacher, Quinton Grindle
Hunter–Rain McArthur gets some help
from his mother Crystal, who joined in
the day’s activities.
teaches a grades 11/12 entrepreneurship class. “I see more and
more students treating self-employment as an option. This game is very
beneficial and a great experience
for the students.”
Crocus Plains High School students
17-year-old Hunter-Rain McArthur
and his 15-year-old brother StormRidge agreed.
“I learned this stuff in school but
this (experience) actually showed
me how to start and run a business”,
said Hunter-Rain when asked how
the contest helped complement
what he is being taught in his
entrepreneurship class.
...continued from page 1
said Boyd, adding he has a great
assistant in the shop. He sells
online and at the odd tradeshow.
To help keep up his product stock
he employs up to 59 piece workers
as needed; many who are at-risk
youth he has recruited from Teen
Challenge chapters across
southern Manitoba.
“You really need people who will
stand behind you and they do. I
get along with them 110 per cent.”
He also credits Community Futures
Heartland with helping him launch
his business.
We hope so. Season Nine of Dragons’
Den is set to air Wednesday nights
on CBC this fall.
For now he must be content to
await the official results of his pitch
to the Dragons. As far as he’s
concerned, he’s “sitting on a
gold mine”.
“We should be honouring our
workers,” said Heineman from the
St. Boniface headquarters of her
firm, 1 Life Workplace Safety and
Health. A former paramedic from
Brunkild, Manitoba, Heineman is
the founder and president of 1
Life, a company which describes
itself as specializing in “safety
management system evaluation,
design, implementation and
continuous improvement.”
Theo Heineman, award-winning entrepreneur and workplace safety expert
“Half of the companies were
failing their safety audits. I got mad
and decided to start a company,”
said Heineman, about the firm’s
origins. She started the company
in 2009 with the goal of improving
safety across the province. “I love
going into businesses, putting
good standards into place and
helping to create more profitable,
sustainable businesses.”
Heineman and her crew also
leverage technology to help
Manitoba employers comply with
Workplace Safety and Health
requirements. For example,
mySafetyAssistant.ca is a web
based virtual Safety Professional
providing small and medium sized
business owners 24/7 access
to their own company branded
workplace safety portal. myContractorManager.ca allows general
contractors to simplify subcontractor evaluation and mitigate
their workplace safety and health
related risk. Her clients are as
varied as manufacturers, car dealerships, contractors of various
kinds (plumbing, electrical, construction, paving) as well as city
and provincial agencies.
To that end, 1 Life provides such
services as safety management
system development, assistance
with COR certification and maintenance, audits, gap analysis,
consulting, coaching and live
training courses. There are webinars to go along with in-person
sessions at 1 Life headquarters at
175 Marion Street in St. Boniface.
Along the way, she’s become a
go-to person in the province in
issues of on-the-job health and
safety; she does a lot of public
speaking about the topic, making
presentations to organizations like
the Canadian Society of Safety
Engineering at its National Conference, the Accident Prevention
Association, and the Manitoba
Heineman had seen a lot in her time
as a paramedic, but ultimately
got into the workplace health and
safety industry because of the lax
systemic attitudes towards worker
safety that she’d experienced.
Construction Safety Association.
But back when it all started,
Heineman had initially retained the
services of Community Futures
Triple R Morris.
“Triple R was the start of that,”
she said. “I took courses and
accounting and marketing
courses. They set me up with
a business plan and helped me
write it and I ran it out of my home.”
From the start at home, Heineman
now runs a company that employs
15 people, including three full-time
programmers. And Heineman
and the firm are award winners,
having been recognized by the
BBB Torch Awards, the Canadian
Society of Safety Engineering
and (Heineman herself) as 2011
Woman Entrepreneur of the Year,
amongst others.
Said Heineman, “I started with
the vision that we could have an
impact on sending workers home
safe at the end of every day and
help follow entrepreneurs protect
and grow their businesses and
today we are living into that vision.”
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futurescape
SPRING
2014
Preserving the past
There’s something rustic and
comforting about old barns.
It would make sense then, that
some of their charm would remain
with the materials used to construct
them. With this in mind, there’s
a Manitoba craftsman who is
capitalizing on that appeal.
Blayne Wyton had an epiphany
while on a visit to Ontario a few
years back, that the wood from
old, disused barns could be
repurposed into furniture with that
value-added, weathered look. He
turned that idea into a company
called Prairie Barnwood.
He had the experience to handle
the craftsman portion of the
job, having started a refinishing
company, Windsor Furniture, back
in 2000. He’d been refinishing 100
pieces a week, by his estimation.
It was, in fact, Community Futures
that helped him when he was
starting Windsor.
“Community Futures
helped me do a business
plan for Windsor. I’d been
laid off from my previous
job, and went through the
unemployment program
to start a new business,”
said Wyton. “I sold that company to a fellow
in Darlingford when Prairie Barnwood took off. And I just made
the decision, that this is the one
I wanted to go with.” “Community Futures also helped
me out with a loan to help buy the
sanders three years ago.”
6
Wyton has
grown the
company
from an
idea into an
entity that
employs six
people and
is looking for
two more.
For tourism in northern Manitoba,
the town of Churchill tends to
overshadow everything else. One
Gillam-based man, however, has
seen an opportunity to boost
tourism via the Nelson River, rather
than the ocean.
“It’s definitely
fun to watch
people come
in with their
talents,” he
said. “It’s
A Prairie Barn Wood dining room set
fun to watch
unique piece of furniture for each
people buy
member of the farmer’s family.
into my dream.”
Ultimately, Wyton would like to
grow his business from something that’s currently regional into
a national presence.
“Right now, we have a presence
in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and
Alberta. We’ll be moving more
into BC and Ontario this year. And
I hope to move it into the States.”
When Wyton contacts an owner
of an old barn who no longer
wants the barn, he reclaims what
he can, and creates memory
pieces for the owner out of the
barnwood. For example, when
contacted by the extended family
of a late farmer who had already
dismantled much of his old barn
before he died, Prairie Barnwood
took what they needed, and, for
payment, made a distinct and
Nelson River - an untapped tourism gem
“Usually, we go through about five
buildings a year. We’re running
against the elements, fighting
against wind and rot. Once a
barn has fallen, it’s too far gone,”
said Wyton.
As for challenges, Wyton says,
“the hardest thing is that modern
equipment isn’t made for old
wood. So, it’s trying to find equipment to get the look we want. The
other difficult thing is to find good
old barns. My favourite barns are
from the 1700s to the late 1800s.
In this area (about a 25-kilometer radius around Morden-Winkler), right around the turn of
the century are the barns we’re
looking for.” The work has also given Wyton a
little bit of a philosophical pause.
“One appreciation we have is just
how hard our ancestors worked to
settle here. Everything was done
by hand. It’s certainly given me an
appreciation,” he said. “The interesting thing is how our culture is
so disposable, but when you do
this, you revive the art and culture
from the past.”
Clint Sawchuk works for Manitoba
Hydro when he’s not operating
Nelson River Adventures, a new
summer business that takes
people on a tour of the Nelson
River, just downstream from
Churchill, showing off sights
like the iconic York Factory
trading post and the local wildlife. There are polar bears along
the Nelson, too, not just at the
mouth of it—Sawchuk travels
with a gun on the trip—and
belugas have been known to
swim up the river as well.
“I flew to York Factory when I first
came to Gillam,” said Sawchuk,
who is originally from southwestern Manitoba. “I have an obsession with timber-framed buildings, and the building itself is still
standing in those conditions, with
the permafrost.”
The historic Depot Building at York Factory
calls from people, lots of people
that had ancestors that worked
at York Factory. Other people just
want to see it.”
Sawchuk offers four different tours,
two shorter ones (Kettle River or
Gull Rapids) and two longer, full-day
ones which come with lunch (York
Factory or Port Nelson); the captain
handles cooking duties as well.
His season isn’t a long one.
Sawchuk offers the trips from late
June to August or September.
Depending on what tour it is, it’s
possible to view seals, polar bears,
black bears, moose, caribou,
eagles and wolves.
The Nelson River Bridge
Last year was Sawchuk’s first
official year in business, after
getting all his licenses in order.
In his first year, he delivered
19 different outings on his
flat-bottomed jetboat.
“There’s been quite a bit of interest,” he said. “I’m getting lots of
“You see maybe three or four polar
bears every trip,” said Sawchuk.
“I saw 18 on one trip but I’ve never
seen any at York Factory itself…
and the eagles are amazing. You
see probably 50 eagles on the trip.”
Community Futures North Central
Development has played a part in
the establishment of Nelson River
Adventures.
“Community Futures has been
great,” said Sawchuk, who
specifically cited Community
Futures’ Charlene Kissick as a big
help. “First of all, I got my business
loan through them; for the offseason (repayments), they’re not
as picky as a bank. Starting a
business isn’t cheap. I got the
boat. The boat is pretty much
$100,000. And everything else
costs–the training, the equipment.”
He had his business plan ready when someone mentioned CFNCD
in Thompson.
“We went through it, they helped
me with the business end, helped
to show me how to track your
records, what your outlook for
three years is going to be, how it’s
all going to work,” he said.
For his second year in business,
Sawchuk is getting some attention
from potential European clients for
this upcoming season, travellers
interested in a real and unique
northern Manitoban adventure.
Said Sawchuk, “It’s a full day.
It’s a long day, but I’ve never
had anyone complain.”
3
futurescape
SPRING
2014
Entrepreneurs with disabilities take centre stage in contest
The winning hasn’t stopped for
Taylor Layton, following her capture
of the top prize in the Just Watch
Me! video contest this spring.
Layton, who hails from Outlook,
Saskatchewan was one of 15
contestants for the online voting
contest, which celebrates rural
entrepreneurs with disabilities
in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Contest entrants submitted short
videos expressing why self-employment works for them, and shared
stories of business success. Prizes
were cash awards and donated
business services.
Layton runs Taylor’s Curbside
Recycling, a subscription–based
business that picks up residential
recyclables and sorts them for
resale. Following media attention
about her entry in the contest, the
community rallied in a big way.
After securing a top spot in the
judged portion of the contest, the
community proceeded to vote…
and vote… and vote for her video.
Following her win (which was
celebrated at the town hall),
other businesses came forward
with donations of a customized
commercial trailer to help her
business expand, and her pick
of jewellry pieces courtesy of Lia
Sophia Jewellry. The gift was in
response to her expressed desire
to treat herself to some “bling” with
her winnings. The company was
so impressed with her video, they
extended an invitation for her and
her mom to speak at its annual
conference. The meeting and gala
takes place this July in Toronto, with
around 800 people expected to attend.
As a result of all the attention, there
is even talk of expanding her services to a nearby town, which could
mean hiring her first employee and
growing her customer base beyond
the near-seventy she currently has.
4
Second Prize Winner
Brett Devloo
The Blind Kid clothing line
Brett Devloo is the founder and creative force behind
The Blind Kid clothing line, a brand of clothing and
skateboard wear based in Stonewall. Devloo’s clothing
line allows him to “own” his disability, while also
remaining a vibrant participant in the skateboarding
culture he loves. He is seen here with friend Nicole
Wood selling TBK clothing at a recent tradeshow.
Third Prize Winner
Winner Taylor Layton with mother Eloise receives her award in front of a cheering
crowd in Outlook, Saskatchewan. Credit: Derek Ruttle
“It’s beyond words. I’m so proud and
excited,” said Taylor’s mom Eloise.
“You know, everybody has the right
to have a job. It’s just a matter of
finding the right job for that person.”
And that, says Susan Bater, Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program
Coordinator for Community Futures
in rural Manitoba and spokesperson
for the contest, is the whole point
behind the contest.
“Self-employment can be a great
fit for people with disabilities or
ongoing health conditions.
Owning a small business means
they can set their own hours, create
a personalized work environment,
and – most importantly, gain a
sense of control over their destiny,”
explains Bater.
“The Just Watch Me! video contest
is a way that entrepreneurs with disabilities from rural communities can
share and celebrate their success
stories, while competing for prizes
that will help grow their businesses.”
Second prize winner Brett Devloo
is the founder and creative force
behind The Blind Kid clothing line,
a brand of clothing and skateboard
wear based in Stonewall, Manitoba.
It was the thrill of competition that
stood out for him.
“The voting stood out to me the
most. Each morning waking up and
me and my girlfriend checking the
Just Watch Me! website. Watching
the votes go up and going from
first place to second place and not
knowing which ranking I’d end up
with. It was a daily excitement to
see all the votes coming in,“ he said,
adding the contest has resulted in
a lot of media coverage for his
clothing line and a foundation he
has launched to assist other blind
youth in the province.
“Our hope is that these videos
inspire others to consider being their
own boss,” said Bater, adding the
contest will be back next year for
its 4th year.
Andrea Gorda
Pip Creek Farm + Studio
Third Prize Winner Andrea Gorda is the owner of Pip
Creek Farm + Studio in Inglis. She operates a farm
and photography studio and sells handmade products
such as soaps and artisan breads.
Fourth Prize Winner
LeVerne Tucker
Storybook Farm /Storybook Art & Fibre
Fourth Prize winner LeVerne Tucker is the owner and
operator of Storybook Farm /Storybook Art & Fibre
in Teulon, a small diverse farm focusing on experiential tourism, fibre production, natural products and
sustainable living. Her business allows her to work at
her own pace in a field she’d always dreamed about,
while educating the public about sustainable agriculture. She is seen receiving her award from CF East
Interlake’s Eugene Zalevich.
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