Creston & District BRE Completed June 2016

A Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) report is complete for Creston & District. During the Community Business Pulse initiative, a trained researcher collected thousands of responses from over 80 local businesses between Yahk and Riondel. Kootenay Employment Services coordinated the Creston & District Business Retention & Expansion Study with financial and steering support from: Town of Creston; Regional District Central Kootenay; Columbia Basin Trust; Rural Development Institute; Community Futures Central Kootenay; Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce; Kootenay Lake Chamber of Commerce and College of the Rockies. The data collected was compiled and analyzed by the Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute (RDI). The final report can be viewed and downloaded here: Creston & District Business Retention & Expansion Report.

Kootenay Employment Services is encouraged by the key findings and recommendations from RDI. The current economic development activities and future collaborative programs currently being discussed align with the BRE responses from the business community. Highlights of the report include:

• Over half the companies surveyed are growing
• The community was the most frequently cited reason given for success in the Creston area
• The most critical considerations for employees are cost of living and housing
• Tourism and Agriculture value added businesses were most commonly cited as sectors, businesses, or industries that could be attracted to the region

So far eight businesses received immediate follow-up support from the Community Futures of Central Kootenay local representative, to guide them in timely business activities. “This report is an invaluable tool to support informed decision making by economic development stakeholders in Creston & District”, says Eden Yesh, project coordinator at Kootenay Employment Services.