I was excited to speak at the Chilliwack Creative Commission's event, Pecha Kucha along with nine other entrepreneurs from Chilliwack.  Pecha Kucha allows speakers twenty slides for twenty seconds! 

I spoke about the Sto:lo history and economy, and shared with the audience information about our family businesses.  To learn more about the event, you can visit the Chilliwack Creative Commission website. 

iSto:lo was excited to work with the staff at Sto:lo Community Futures to organize the first Sto:lo Business Tradeshow.  There were 30 Indigenous businesses and 10 sponsoring partners set up to meet the business community from throughout the Sto:lo territory. 

Visit www.stolocf.ca/stolobusinesstradeshow to learn more. 

The growth of Indigenous Businesses in Canada is amazing!

This is a quote from "First Nation Small Business and Entrepreneurship in Canada" published in December, 2007 by Warren I. Weir.

Indigenous organizations and entrepreneurs have existed for thousands of years. In Canada, the number of contemporary Aboriginal organizations has grown exponentially over the past 10 to 20 years. In the early 1990’s there was an estimated 6,000 Aboriginal organizations in Canada, and the number now stands at over 30,000.2
In particular, there has been a tremendous increase in for-profit organizations, particularly small businesses and entrepreneurs. Of the 6,000 organizations listed in the early 1990’s, it was estimated that approximately 50% were not-for-profit and governmental, while the other 50% were private businesses. Today, approximately 3,000 organizations continue to provide not-for-profit and governmental services to Aboriginal peoples and communities, while the number of small businesses now stands at over an astounding 27,000!

I am personally excited about the Sto:lo Business Association. It's an opportunity for Aboriginal Business Owners from the Sto:lo Traditional Territory to support eachother. 

Visit the Sto:lo Business Association on facebook to learn about membership options, meeting dates and details about the Aboriginal Business Tradeshow in the Fall, 2016. 

The RezLAND & RezGAS Conference hosted by the Aboriginal Marketplace in July 2016 at the River Rock Casino and Resort was a major success. There were over 200 delegates from the First Nation community throughout British Columbia meeting with people from the private sector.

Everyone is looking forward the National Aboriginal Business Opportunities Conference (NABOC) in September at the Spirit Ridge Resort. 

These events are a great opportunity to build relationships and focus on business and economic development for our First Nation communities. 
​