The SADC of Nicolet-Bécancour held its AGM on June 18 in Fortierville
From entrepreneurial culture to sustainable development
In front of about fifty people, elected officials, local leaders, entrepreneurs, and economic stakeholders, the SADC of Nicolet-Bécancour held its 2018-2019 Annual General Meeting in Fortierville. Under the theme For a sustainable development of the territory – working together for the benefit of our world, the SADC team presented the results of its interventions and the overall impact of its activities for the sustainable development of the region, beyond financing.
Sustainable development significantly colored the activities of the SADC in 2018-2019 with the implementation of the PRO Action support program for businesses and municipalities. This support, lasting 6 months, allowed four businesses (Fleuriste Savard, La Tomaterie, Soudex Métal, and Distribution R. Désilets) and four municipalities (Fortierville, Deschaillons-sur-Saint-Laurent, Sainte-Sophie-de-Lévard, and Saint-Elphège) to initiate a strategic reflection on sustainable development and to implement concrete actions aimed at optimizing social and economic returns while reducing the environmental footprint of the organization. More than 175 people also participated in the PRO Action sustainable development conferences.
In addition to offering flexible financing to businesses, the SADC supports individuals to ensure they are well-equipped in their role as entrepreneurs. Currently, 21 entrepreneurs benefit from the Business Mentoring service, and 25 business managers have this year received management support through the ABC accounting and bookkeeping programs, allowing them to develop their management knowledge. The SADC also coordinates the activities of the HR Network, enabling about twenty HR managers from SMEs in the region to share knowledge and participate in training. “Our ultimate goal is to promote the development of skills and potentials of the entrepreneurs and local leaders we support through our services. We provide technical and financial tools to businesses when it matters to help them find solutions to today’s challenges from a sustainable development perspective,” proudly emphasizes Steve Brunelle, General Director.
In 2018-2019, the SADC invested an amount of $1,166,500 in 31 businesses. Of this amount, $222,500 was allocated to the business projects of 24 promoters aged between 18 and 39 years from the Youth Strategy Fund dedicated to young entrepreneurs. Among all investments, the startup and expansion component of the “Service Businesses” sector particularly stood out in 2018-2019. The projects of the funded businesses generated total investments of over $21M and allowed the creation of 38 jobs and the maintenance of 172 jobs in the region. Additionally, thanks to its Small Business Support Fund (non-repayable financial assistance), 13 businesses shared $50,000 for the realization of online commerce projects and business succession.
This year, entrepreneurial culture was once again honored with the Grande conférence Desjardins where over 200 people, entrepreneurs, economic stakeholders, and high school students, were able to hear the journey of Simon De Baene, co-founder and president of GSoft. The SADC also promoted I Entrepreneur Nicolet-Bécancour, in collaboration with youth entrepreneurship stakeholders, aiming to deploy actions in entrepreneurship, notably in schools with support for youth co-op projects in the secondary schools La Découverte and Les Seigneuries. The Great Day of Young Entrepreneurs and the Lucioles Rendezvous highlighted the entrepreneurial projects of young people in the territory. Finally, the Terre des jeunes event brought together 159 young people from the MRC of Bécancour to promote youth civic participation in their community. In total, over 250 young people from the territory were impacted by the various activities supported by the SADC.
The SADC of Nicolet-Bécancour can count on the collaboration of numerous financial partners, including Economic Development Canada, Desjardins, Services Québec, Alcoa Foundation, Hydro-Québec, and the Entrepreneurship Foundation (Network M), and more than 80 partners from the economic, social, environmental, cultural, and educational sectors who believe that collaborations allow for greater achievements and better outcomes.
About forty people are involved within the SADC and contribute their knowledge and skills for the development of the region, including 6 permanent team members, 11 directors, 7 investment committee members, 10 mentors, and about ten volunteer columnists. The SADC of Nicolet-Bécancour is funded by the Community Development Program of Economic Development Canada. The organization holds an investment fund of over $5M and supports 106 local businesses, generating over 1000 jobs. For 35 years now, the SADC has evolved in the regional landscape in response to challenges by offering local communities the opportunity to find innovative and tailored solutions to promote local economic development in the region. The territory of the SADC consists of the MRC of Nicolet-Yamaska, the MRC of Bécancour, and the Grand Daveluyville.
The SADC team 2019
Permanent team
From left to right: Thérèse Ricard, administrative assistant, Claudie Beaudoin, contractual financial analyst, Guy Masson, director of financial services, Steve Brunelle, general director, Carolyne Aubin, sustainable development advisor, and Geneviève Beauchemin, administrative assistant.
Board of Directors
Julie Pressé, Jonathan Rondeau, Ophélie Couspeyre, Stéphane Biron, president (front), Steve Plante, Raynald Jean (back), Steve Brunelle, general director, Isabelle Brunelle, and Réal Deschenes. Absent: Anthony Deshaies