• Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Careers
  • Who We Are
    • Our Board
    • Our Staff
    • Governance and Accountability
    • Annual Reports and Financial Statements
  • Who We Serve
  • News
  • Learning
Community Futures North Okanagan
  • Home
  • Business Services
    • Starting Your Business
      • Self Employment
      • Buying a Business
      • Business Coaching
      • Planning Tools
      • Business Loans
    • Growing Your Business
      • Employer Support
      • Business Coaching
      • Succession Planning
      • Supports, Funding, Grants
      • Momentum
      • Business Exchange
      • Export Navigator
      • Continuity Planning
      • Business Loans
    • Loans
      • Loans Application
      • Business Loans
      • Micro Loans
      • 4-H Loans
    • Workshops
      • Workshop Calendar
  • Programs
    • Self Employment
    • Employ for Youth
    • Momentum
    • Business Exchange
    • Entrepreneurs with Disabilities
    • Export Navigator
    • Enterprize Challenge
    • Reach
    • SharED
    • WorkBC
    • Inclusive Hiring Hub
    • RNIP – Rural & Northern Immigration Pilot
    • Newcomers Loan
  • Employment Services
    • WorkBC
    • Employ for Youth
  • Contact
  • Menu Menu

Community Futures Releases Feasibility Study on North Okanagan Innovation Centre and Maker Space

September 3, 2019/in News

Salmon Arm has one, and Nelson, BC is about to get one. The Innovation Centre, work-share, and maker-space concept is gaining traction all over BC, with numerous Innovation Centres opening throughout the province.

The idea has gained interest from the North Okanagan business, technological and creative community, as was seen when Community Futures North Okanagan (CFNO) hosted a presentation on the North Okanagan Innovation Centre and Maker Space Concept, Aug. 28.

A full house listened as consultants Angela Tu Weissenberger and Rose Hoeher presented their preliminary findings from a feasibility study they conducted with local stakeholders.

Commissioned by CFNO and the City of Vernon, the study showed that a local Innovation Centre and Maker Space could impact 14,000 entrepreneurs and businesses as well as 342 tech companies, and 277 makers and artists.

“The Vernon area and the North Okanagan have so many rich assets,” says Tu Weissenberger, an economist with a finance background who has worked on a number of projects around Canada. “It’s almost a hidden community, with numerous residents working remotely, and these assets need to be networked and brought together. There is already a thriving innovation ecosystem. It just needs to be connected.”

While an Innovation Centre is described as a place that fosters a culture of innovation through the creation, sharing, and testing of ideas, a maker space is a collaborative workspace inside a school, library or separate public/private facility that provides hands-on learning as well as help with critical thinking skills.

“The vision is to create a flexible space and a central hub for regional communities to work in collaboration,” says Tu Weissenberger, who with Hoeher conducted a feasibility study in 2016 for the Nelson Innovation Centre, which is about to launch Phase 1 of its operation with a soft opening in October.

“The concept of building an Innovation Centre in Nelson started to merge after I hosted a strategic session where 70 people showed up to talk about what tech in Nelson would look like. Angela was hired to do a feasibility study and I helped her. We had the data to move forward and with the help of Community Futures Central Kootenay and the Nelson and Area Economic Development, a business plan emerged,” says Hoeher. “A combination of government, community and the private sector, as well as the tech component, chambers of commerce and private industries were the ingredients needed to make it happen. It really was a community initiative.”

For the North Okanagan study, Tu Weissenberger and Hoeher interviewed 15 stakeholders, involving regional community members from corporations to government to those involved in the arts, science and technology fields.

The recommendation that came out of the study was for a 2,000 sq. ft. physical space, near downtown, with an anchor tenant. While there was clear support for the Innovation Centre concept, questions arose about the Maker Space, with the construction of a new cultural centre expected to be built in Vernon in the near future.

“The biggest take was that there is no central hub for those 14,000 people to meet and network. This includes the hidden tech community, remote workers, co-workers, independent freelancers, startup businesses, entrepreneurs, artists and makers in the community to come together, share ideas and collaborate or to have Internet access and a meeting/event space,” says Tu Weissenberger. “We also found that people wanted something made in Vernon, not taken from a Silicon Valley model. They wanted something specific to the community.”

Adds Hoeher: “I’ve seen a lot of enthusiasm from young people, who are excited to see their dreams flourish… Tolko and Kal Tire have also been very supportive of this project. The community that has come forward in Vernon so far with their support and enthusiasm has been phenomenal.”

Besides financing, the women agree that social media and branding are the keys to move the concept of an Innovation Centre and Maker Space forward.

“This would have to be done in phases to reflect Vernon’s strengths and needs a passionate leader long- term to move it forward,” says Tu Weissenberger.

Leigha Horsfield, CFNO General Manager, says: “The process in getting to the point of a feasibility study has been highly collaborative and involved many community stakeholders. We feel the community is primed for an asset of this kind and are looking forward to the next steps.”

https://www.futuresbc.com/wp-2/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/CFNO-Innovation-presentation-large-e1567201779142.jpg 751 1000 Kazia Mullin https://futuresbc.com/wp-2/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Community-Futures-North-Okanagan-Logo.png Kazia Mullin2019-09-03 09:23:382019-09-03 09:23:38Community Futures Releases Feasibility Study on North Okanagan Innovation Centre and Maker Space

Pages

  • Apply To This Year’s Enterprize Challenge
  • Business Loan Application
  • Directions Application
  • Enterprize Challenge 2022 Final Pitch and Awards Program
  • Event Submission
  • Home
  • Momentum Application
  • Privacy Policy
  • Reach Application
  • Self Employment Program Application
  • Thank your applying!
  • Volunteer Application
  • Our Staff
  • Bridges Application Form
  • Bridges Application
  • Our Board
  • Who We Serve
  • Our Mission
  • Governance and Accountability
  • Annual Reports and Financial Statements
  • News
  • Self Employment
  • Buying a New Business
  • Business Coaching
  • Planning Tools
  • Employer Support
  • Succession Planning
  • Supports, Funding, Grants
  • Business Loans
  • Micro Loans
  • Newcomers Loan
  • 4-H Loans
  • Small Business Week 2022
  • Workshop Calendar
  • Employ for Youth
  • Momentum
  • Business Exchange
  • Continuity Planning
  • Reach
  • Entrepreneurs with Disabilities
  • Export Navigator
  • Enterprize Challenge
  • SharED
  • RNIP – Rural & Northern Immigration Pilot
  • Contact
  • Past Projects
  • Careers
  • Partners
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Categories

  • News
  • Success Story
  • Uncategorized

Archive

  • January 2023
  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • July 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • October 2016
  • August 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • August 2015
  • May 2015
  • December 2014

About Community Futures

From our office in downtown Vernon, Community Futures North Okanagan offers employment, business and economic development services to help residents build their future and the community. We service Armstrong, Coldstream, Enderby, Grindrod, Lavington, Lumby, Mara, Okanagan Indian Band,  Spallumcheen, Splatsin and Vernon.

Careers Volunteer Partners Privacy Policy Issue Resolution Services en Français
Government of BC logo

© Copyright - Community Futures North Okanagan | Developed by Tambellini Design Studios
  • Terms and Conditions
Scroll to top
Open toolbar Accessibility Tools

Accessibility Tools

  • Increase TextIncrease Text
  • Decrease TextDecrease Text
  • GrayscaleGrayscale
  • High ContrastHigh Contrast
  • Negative ContrastNegative Contrast
  • Light BackgroundLight Background
  • Links UnderlineLinks Underline
  • Reset Reset