Dahlia May Flower Farm has continued to bloom and evolve over the past seven years thanks to the vision and hard work of owner Melanie Harrington, who continues to make her dreams a reality.

Rain or shine, Harrington has persevered since she launched her business in 2014, combining 10 years of experience in floral design, a background and education in horticulture and her childhood experience of being raised on a farm.

“I hoped to carve out a niche in growing flowers right here in the Bay of Quinte and partnering with other growers to offer only Ontario grown flowers through my business,” says Harrington, who sustainably grows specialty cut flowers and offers beautiful and seasonal floral design services for all occasions.

Challenges & Successes

“What challenges haven’t we faced may be an easier question to answer,” says Harrington, who has faced countless weather-related challenges, a lack of infrastructure to grow and zoning issues.

A lack of access to capital as a small business and niche farm meant years of struggling with cash flow, Harrington recalls.

“Our lack of infrastructure limited our growth and work-life balance was impossible as we ran a busy farm out of our own home,” she says. “We spent seven years washing buckets at our kitchen sink, splitting dahlia tubers in our farmhouse basement and using the dining room table as an office.”

As a business steeped in agrotourism, when the pandemic hit in spring 2020 Harrington had to make a sharp pivot. She moved her offerings online and started a delivery service when customers were no longer able to connect with the farm in person.

Through her hard work and perseverance, Harrington’s dreams of expansion are finally becoming reality as Dahlia May Flower Farm is in the process of building a new facility, thanks to the federal government’s Community Futures Program initiative and Trenval.

“Trenval, in partnership with BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada), offered us the opportunity to break ground on a building that will house and grow our business for the foreseeable future,” says Harrington. “We anticipate that this new building will increase our profitability by streamlining systems, while allowing us to create new jobs as we expand several of our product lines.”

Over the last seven years, Dahlia May Flower Farm has become an economic driver for agrotourism. Visitors come to the Bay of Quinte region throughout the year to visit the flower farm and Harrington has amassed an incredible social media following of more than 90,000 followers on Instagram.

“We’ve created consumer demand for locally grown and Ontario Grown flowers, driving the expansion of our farm and our offerings,” says Harrington.

Once the new production facility is up and running, Harrington plans to build a new retail store at the farm and hopes to expand her online shipping services outside of Canada to include the United States in coming years.

Community

Being located in the heart of Bay of Quinte allows the opportunity to develop community in a way that would be lost in a larger city centre, says Harrington.

“Our customers have become our friends and their support is what sees us through the difficult times,” she says. “Our community has gotten to know us in a way that’s possible only in small towns. They are always cheering for us and are always here to help us win.”

Dahlia May Flower farm now provides 20 jobs in the Quinte area as they lead the way in agrotourism.

“We love being able to grow and offer something special right here in our own small town,” says Harrington.

For more information on Dahlia May Flower Farm, visit dahliamayflowerfarm.com, call 613-403-5055, visit the farm stand at 1226 Stockdale Rd. Trenton and follow Dahlia May Flower Farm on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

Trenval experience

“The entire Trenval team has been wonderful to work with. Because they are all members of this community, they know our business and our work, and it feels like they are all invested in helping us succeed. The Trenval team has been an incredible resource as we work to grow our business. Having access to the Trenval team’s knowledge and resources as we work through our business growth has been a strong asset for our farm,” says Harrington.

About Trenval

Trenval Business Development Corporation is Bay of Quinte’s Community Futures Business Specialist, financing business start-ups, expansions or successions in the Quinte region for 34 years. Trenval provides small business support by offering various small business loans to entrepreneurs to start, grow and thrive their business in our local communities.

Do you have a business plan that you would like to bring to fruition? Contact Trenval at 613-961-7999.

SOUTHERN ONTARIO FUND FOR INVESTMENT IN INNOVATION (SOFII) SUPPORTS RURAL CLEANTECH COMPANY, FIREREIN INC.

NAPANEE, ONTARIO – March 25, 2022 - Rural cleantech company, FireRein Inc. successfully completes UL (Underwriters Laboratories) firefighting efficacy testing of Eco-Gel and continues its efforts to bring Eco-Gel to large markets across North America with support from the Southern Ontario Fund for Investment in Innovation (SOFII).

The Southern Ontario Fund for Investment in Innovation (SOFII) is supported by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and is being delivered by Community Futures Eastern Ontario. SOFII provides interest-bearing business loans to support innovation and growth in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the region.

“Small- and medium-sized businesses play a vital role in the economies of rural communities across southern Ontario and the Government of Canada is proud to support local Canadian businesses to create secure jobs and drive resilient economic growth in rural economies,” says the Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

FireRein Inc. provides sustainable, bio-based water enhancing technologies for fire prevention and suppression. With the $500,000 loan provided from SOFII, FireRein’s product became the world's only certified 100% bio-based water additive for firefighting and fire prevention as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has officially recognized and verified the effectiveness of FireRein's Eco-Gel™ for the suppression of Class A and Class B fires.

"This is a significant milestone for FireRein as we now have UL recognition for performance. Eco­Gel™ is certified 100% bio-based by UL Environment and the USDA Bio Preferred program, making Eco-Gel™ the safest product available to the Fire Service and Industry," says Quincy Emmons, President and Co-Founder of FireRein.

"As one of the biggest accomplishments for FireRein, completion of the product testing with UL opens up sales channels into many key market segments, which will surge company growth," adds Zackery Hodgen, Vice-President, and Co-Founder.

Eco-Gel is currently sold to fire departments through fire product distributors in Western Canada, Ontario and Northern United States. FireRein also manages several commercial and fire departments directly. Regardless of where the order comes from, FireRein ships directly to clients to ensure quality assurance with the product and to provide training on proper use of the gel. This expansion has helped maintain 7 fulltime employees and will create an additional 20 fulltime jobs within the next three years.

 About FedDev Ontario

For more than 12 years, the Government of Canada, through FedDev Ontario has worked to advance and diversify the southern Ontario economy through funding opportunities and business services that support innovation and growth in Canada’s most populous region. The Agency has delivered impressive results, which can be seen in southern Ontario businesses that are creating innovative technologies, improving their productivity, growing their revenues, and in the economic advancement of communities across the region. Learn more about the impacts the Agency is having in southern Ontario by exploring our pivotal projects.

Contacts

Monica Granados

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

 For more information about SOFII and other CFDC programs, please visit: www.cfeasternontario.ca

For more information on FireRein Inc., please visit: https://www.firerein.com/

ACCFutures' Board of Directors is pleased to announce Greg Pietersma as their new Executive Director effective February 14, 2022.

 With deep roots in the SDG area and a wide range of experience and expertise, Greg Pietersma will continue to drive ACCFutures towards its mission to deliver financing, collaborative SME support, strategic community planning, and economic development solutions for Akwesasne, Cornwall, and the SDG Counties.
Mr. Pietersma brings over 30 years of entrepreneurial experience, having scaled a small business in North Dundas with his partner into an international exporter of highly sought-after niche tin products. The company attracted clients like Holt Renfrew, Lee Valley Tools, and Martha Stewart. He also has extensive experience in Board Governance, Financial Management, Software and Coding, and Tourism. Most recently, Mr. Pietersma was Executive Director of the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce. There, He catapulted the organizations' reputation and positioned the Chamber as the voice of business throughout the pandemic. He and his team secured and delivered multiple grants placing non-repayable funds in the hands of small businesses when they needed it the most.

"Mr. Pietersma's innate ability to lead, manage large projects, and navigate sensitive and significant issues will undoubtedly serve this region well." States ACCFutures Chair, Lila Romanko. "We are very excited to welcome Greg to the ACCFutures team!"

"I am very thrilled by the opportunity to join the ACCFutures team and to give back to this community," remarks Mr. Pietersma. "They have a fantastic staff and Board of Directors, and I look forward to leveraging my unique skills to explore how much more we can positively impact this community together."
Greg Pietersma can be contacted at 613-932-4333 ext 1 or .

“Trenval’s investment in us is something we take great pride in and will deliver back in a major way. Thank you for providing us with an opportunity to fulfil our dream.”

Howling Designs is a decal lettering, sign and promotional business located in Smiths Falls.

Current Opportunities

Program Coordinator/Business Analyst - Full-time

Community Futures Eastern Ontario is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Program Coordinator/Business Analyst to join our dedicated team. In this role, you will play a key part in driving positive change and contributing to the growth of the eastern Ontario economy by providing essential support to our CFEO program team through coordination of member services, events, meetings and program client intake, driving data-driven insights by developing and maintaining dashboards with predictive analytics, contributing to developing recommended program strategies, sourcing prospective program partners, identifying additional funded program opportunities, contributing to the modernization of CFEOs systems and processes, and ensuring compliance with program delivery and reporting requirements. For more information and to apply, click here.

Marketing & Communications Student - Summer Position

Community Futures Eastern Ontario is seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic Marketing & Communications Student to join our team. In this role, you will play a key part in driving positive change and contributing to the growth of the eastern Ontario economy by providing essential support to our CFEO marketing and communications team by growing the network’s profile through digital media and sharing of the multitude of local economic development stories stemming from our member offices. In this role, you will will work directly with our team to support marketing campaign planning and execution by developing social media content, blog posts, website development, Search Engine Optimization, and additional administrative activities. For more information and to apply, click here. 

Volunteer Board Director & Committee Member Recruitment

Are you passionate about economic development and supporting rural communities in Eastern Ontario? Community Futures Eastern Ontario is seeking dedicated individuals to join our Board of Directors and Committees, contributing to our mission of fostering entrepreneurship and economic prosperity.

At CFEO, our board members make decisions in the best interest of the collective. Our board composition includes a diverse mix of Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) Executive Directors, CFDC volunteer Directors, and independent volunteers. Their mandate is to provide support to the CFDCs in Eastern Ontario, advocate on behalf of our members, facilitate collaboration among them, and promote economic prosperity in the region. For more information and to apply, click here.