Our Services - Success Stories
At CIEL, we believe each community should succeed; that might mean putting together an economic development strategy or simply identifying and getting a few concrete projects launched & successful. With the BVI our success rate is over 90%. That means communities we work with follow through with at least one of the actions they've taken on through the BVI.
An external evaluation conducted in Alberta found that more than 93% of participants - the bulk of them business people - would recommend the BVI process to other commmunities. Our own evaluation puts the number at more than 98%.
- In Nelson, BC, business friendliness was identified as the #1 issue. In the 2 years after the BVI, an additional 200 business licenses were issued (a 20% increase). The BVI process also led to the creation of the Social Planning Action Network (SPAN), a cross-platform form for discussing important issues like housing that cut across social and economic communities, as well as the the creation of the Nelson & Area Economic Development Partnership (NAEDP). The NAEDP is made up of the City, the Chamber, Community Futures, regional District and a number of other players and has been responsible for award winning initiatives like Invest Kootenay. The BVI also became a foundational document for the City's economic development strategy.
- In Vulcan, Alberta, the BVI pinpointed downtown beautification issues like street lighting and deteriorating buildings. The community was successful in having its business leaders lead the charge, and were able to access funding with the right leadership and the issues identified clearly. The Town was able to link its popular (Star) Trek Visitor Centre with the rest of the downtown. Click here for AlbertaAgriculture video on the Vulcan BVI on YouTube.
- Click here to listen to two remarkable BVI stories in MP3:
- Nakusp, BC (7 Mb, 7 minutes long)
- Harrop-Procter, BC (7 MB, 7 minutes long)
Our free Communities 'Life Cycle' Matrix tool, vital for measuring community readiness (& starting the conversation), has been requested by more than 15 countries including Canada, the US, Australia, Brazil, France and South Africa.
What will your community's succes story be? Whether your community needs to jumpstart its economy, build its business sector, or harness its tourism potential, CIEL has the tools and knowledge to get you there. Challenge yourself to make your community an extraordinary success story.
Please contact us for more information.