Business

Lunch & Learn: Growing local businesses beyond our borders

Two experts are coming to Campbell River to teach local entrepreneurs how to grow their businesses beyond our borders. Brady Calancie oversees Export Navigator on Vancouver Island, on behalf of Export Canada. Julie Sperber is the CEO of the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance. Together they oversee Foreign Trade Zone VI, Vancouver Island.

“That’s a special designation given to Vancouver Island under their umbrella from the federal government. Normally foreign trade zones are created around individual municipalities, but because Vancouver Island is so unique, they basically deemed all of Vancouver Island a foreign trade zone. It may include the Gulf Islands. I can check with Julie on that,  I’m sure it would,” explained Mary Ruth Snyder, Executive Director of the Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce.

Sperber and Calancie are the guest experts at the Chamber’s ‘Lunch and Learn,’ at 12:00 PM, May 16 in the Anchor Inn, Campbell River. 

 Brady Calancie of Export Navigator and Julie Sperber, CEO of the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance – courtesy the Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce

MRS: “There are supports in place through Brady and Julie to help businesses get their product beyond our borders, whether it’s beyond the border of the islands, whether it’s beyond the border of British Columbia, whether it’s beyond the Canadian border.”

“Anybody who has anything that they are selling, they can begin to sell beyond where they’re selling now. Say it’s candles; we have a lot of local distilleries; maybe it’s children’s clothing; hemp clothing; maybe it’s energy bars that they’re making in their VIHA approved kitchen and they want to expand. Maybe you are a videographer, a podcaster, or a coder and writer for artificial intelligence. You’ve created something that is not tangible, something that you can’t hold in your hand, but something that you can share creatively.”

“These are all small entrepreneurs that have an opportunity to go big, but in a way that works for them and that’s what these two individuals are bringing together for our ‘Lunch and Learn.’ It’s a free service that they offer.”

“You can pepper them with questions and then you can set up an appointment with them for a one-on-one.” 

“When you export a product, or even an intellectual property, there are many regulatory steps that you have to go through.” 

“These individuals know these regulations inside out, and can help businesses navigate and streamline what they’re trying to do. If you try to do it on your own, it’s very difficult and it’s time consuming. Why do it on your own when you have an opportunity to have somebody literally hold your hand through the entire process that does this day in and day out. They are experts in this field.” 

“If it’s an intellectual property, again, the laws around intellectual property in every country are different. There isn’t one law. It’s the same for importing products.”

“When you have a product that you want to sell, what Brady Calancie can do and what Julie Sperber can do, is  help you identify which market you want to enter. Maybe it’s New Zealand, maybe it’s East Asia, maybe it’s Moldova, maybe it’s Sweden or Finland. They can help you identify which market is going to be the best fit for what you are trying to sell.” 

“Secondly, once you identify the market, they can help you go through  all the steps that you need to do to begin to sell beyond our borders.” 

CC: That’s happening in Campbell River today …  

MRS: “ … At the ‘Anchor Inn and Suites’ on the Old Island Highway,  right across from Quadra Island, at 12 o’clock. Tickets are $30 if you are a chamber member, $35 if you are not a chamber member. Lunch is included in that price.  It’s going to be a wonderful round table conversation, and you have a chance to win a $100 gift card.”

“At the April ‘Lunch and Learn,’ Kelly Rommel from Coastal Community Credit Union won a $100 gift card to Mattone’s Italian Kitchen in Campbell River.”

“If you’re not able to make it to the actual Lunch and Learn, then please just reach out to myself and also I’m sure that Cortes Currents is going to post the links for Export Navigator and for Vancouver Island Economic Alliance, foreign Trade Zone, Vancouver Island. You can just reach out to either of those individuals through those links, or to myself and I will help connect you.”  

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