Kootenay Employment Services (KES) has been honored with the prestigious Community Resiliency Award in the 10,000 to 25,000 population category at the 2025 BC Economic Development Association (BCEDA) Awards.
The recognition celebrates the outstanding success of KES’s innovative Rural Entrepreneurship Development (RED) Program.
Gregg Berg, RED Program Coordinator, says success lies in the why of the program.
“When it was created, we went to the local regional districts- Kootenay Boundary, East Kootenay and Central Kootenay and looked at what they had identified as needs in our community which led to the four streams of childcare, green technology, rural development and secondary food processing,”
“So, the program really addressed actual issues in our community, and we focused on those streams to identify business start-ups that we could support throughout the program.”
“What makes RED special is its focus on supporting entrepreneurs through comprehensive wrap-around services. We don’t just provide funding — we offer coaching, mentorship, and sector-specific expertise tailored to each venture’s needs.”
Since its launch in April 2023, the program has had 22 participants, resulting in over 28 full-time positions across the Kootenays.
“All the way out to Grand Forks, north to Slocan and across to Elk Valley and Elford, up the Columbia Valley towards Invermere. A lot of them were in Trail, Nelson and Creston, but also the East Kootenay around Cranbrook and Kimberly.”
The awards recognition goes beyond the employment opportunities but looked into the quantitative and qualitative success identified through the program and the return to the area.
“We had women in business, there were some indigenous businesses, some immigrant businesses as well, and when we looked at the revenue generation of these businesses for the year after the program it totalled an economic impact of $7 million.”
“In the first year after the program so we’re pretty proud and thankful to know that our program had a significant impact in all of our Kootenay regional districts.”
The award was presented at the recent BCEDA Conference where economic development leaders from across the province gathered under the theme “Connecting the Dots: Collaboration, Innovation, Resilience.”
“This award is a testament to the vision and hard work of our entire team, our community partners, and most importantly, the entrepreneurs who took the leap to create homegrown solutions to local challenges,” said Benjamin Sargent, Executive Director of Kootenay Employment Services.
“The RED Program embodies our belief that rural communities thrive when we invest in local talent and address local needs.”
The RED Program has generated an impressive economic impact across the region, including:
• 28 direct full-time equivalent jobs created
• $2.8 million in total investment leveraged
• 156 new childcare spaces established
• Businesses launched in 12 communities across 3 regional districts
“The RED Program has demonstrated how targeted support for entrepreneurs can transform economic challenges into opportunities. By focusing on sectors like childcare and green technology, we’re building a more diverse and resilient economy for the future.” said Leandri Kleinhans, Manager of the Creston Valley-Kootenay Lake Economic Action Partnership.
The program was made possible through funding from the Province of British Columbia’s Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP).
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