Town & Country

D A U P H I N WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 3 Oak Ridge Meats Ltd Custom Slaughtering - Beef & Bison Government inspected plant One of Cantor's Grocery Suppliers We promote local Manitoba producers. Our beef and bison are antibiotics free. No added hormones • Hand picked animals Lorne Nagorski - GM 204-835-2365 204-476-0147 (cell) 1055 Boundary Ave, McCreary, MB SCOUTEN'S GARAGE at Benito, Manitoba will be celebrating 101 YEARS IN DOING BUSINESS IN BENITO AND AREA. We wish to thank everyone for their support from 1918 to 2019. PH. (204) 539-2572 CONTACT DARYL FOR ALL YOUR BAKING NEEDS 19-2nd Avenue N.W. Dauphin, Manitoba R7N 1H1 Phone: 204-638-3441 Fax: 204-638-8319 Email: darylbacon@hotmail.com • Retail & Wholesale • Customer Satisfaction • Serving a 40 mile radius • Daintie Trays available • Multigrain Breads • Quality Products • Large orders welcome • Specializing in a wide variety of unique treats • Celiac, No Sugar Added, and Heart-Smart products Dauphin & District Allied Arts Council Live Music Is Better At The WAC! October 13 Wild Wild West! Fundraiser November 10 Christmas CRAFT Sale December 8 LUKE McMaster in Concert Visit www.watsonartcentre.com for more info! 104 1st Ave. NW Dauphin, MB (204) 638-6231 GRANDVIEW 145 North Railway Ave. • Fast On Farm Service • Most Major Brands • Agricultural • Industrial • Automotive 35 Years Experience Wayne Williamson, Owner (204) 546-2911 SWAN VALLEY IF YOU WISH TO REMEMBER ME Honor the memory of a loved one or a special person or a special event by making a donation to the Community Foundation of Swan Valley. When you make a memorial donation, the Community Foundation will promptly acknowledge your gifts and send an inscribed card to the designated person or family. All donations are greatly appreciated and a tax receipt will be issued. For more information on the Community Foundation of Swan Valley write to: Box 1509, Swan River, MB R0L 1Z0 or call Donna Martin 204.734.9129 www.cfswanvalley.ca Clockwise from left: Co-chair and co-founder Carissa Caruk-Ganczar (left) with fellow planning committee members, and past speakers Manitoba Agriculture business development specialist Annette Allen and Smak Dab gourmet mustard founder Carly Minish-Wytinc. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TAKE THE LEAP O ne of the province's only business conferences geared specifically towards supporting rural entrepreneurs will celebrate its 10th anniversary in Dauphin next month. The Take the Leap rural entrepreneur conference will take place Oct. 22 at the Parkland Recreation Complex. The an- nual event regularly attracts more than 150 attendees from across the province and organizers are expecting another sellout crowd this year. Co-chair and co-founder Carissa Caruk-Ganczar was one of a handful of people who helped organize the first Take the Leap a decade ago. She says it was a response to the fact that there were plenty of events that catered to businesspeople in larg- er centres like Winnipeg and Brandon, but nothing for their counterparts in smaller rural settings. "At the time there were no events we could find in our re- gion or in rural Manitoba that celebrated rural entrepreneurs and addressed some of the challenges and opportunities for do- ing business outside of the major urban centres," says Caruk- Ganczar, who is the economic development manager for the City of Dauphin. "There was also not a lot of new businesses being started in the area at the time. We were looking for an opportunity to in- spire people to start businesses in rural Manitoba and highlight what the opportunities and challenges for them were." Another unique aspect of Take the Leap is the way it's orga- nized. While the City of Dauphin, the local chamber of com- merce and several government departments provide support, it's largely local business leaders who run the show. "It's about real content provided by business for business," Caruk-Ganczar says. "It's genuine and not just a government- organized event." The format of the conference has evolved over time but has remained true to its original mandate to inform and inspire rural business leaders. The day begins with several hot-topic sessions featuring dis- cussions on a variety of timely ideas and challenges led by guest speakers. This year's speakers include Taunya Woods, an expert in the field of behavioural finance, and Jessica Lorusso, a lead- ing authority on credibility and industry leader development. There are also several panels featuring business owners from across the province sharing their personal experiences on doing business in rural Manitoba. Past speakers have included GORP Clean Energy Bar founder Colleen Dyck, Smak Dab gourmet mustard's Carly Minish-Wytinc and brothers Chris and Law- rence Warwaruk of Farmery Estate Brewery. One of the fea- tured speakers for this year's conference is Émilie McKinney, a band member from Swan Lake First Nation. She founded Anishinaabe Bimishimo Corp., the only Canadian company that produces accessories for clothing worn on the Indigenous powwow dance circuit in North America. The organized portion of the afternoon wraps up with a question-and-answer session with guest speakers and the day concludes with an informal gathering during which partici- pants can mix and make connections. Caruk-Ganczar stresses that Take the Leap is intended for both current entrepreneurs and those who aspire to start their own business. In fact, conference organizers invite dozens of high school students to participate each year as part of the event's youth program. "It's really more of a mindset as to who attends," she says. "It's both business owners and potential business owners who see the potential in rural Manitoba and who want to put rural Manitoba on the map. We also want to show young people you can love your community, love the things you have there and find opportunities and success right where you are." Attendance for Take the Leap has been capped at 150 and the event has been sold out for each of the past nine years. There has been some discussion about expanding it, but Ca- ruk-Ganczar says the organizing committee has resisted doing so because it wants it to remain an intimate affair. While those numbers are something to be proud of, Caruk- Ganczar says the greatest achievement for her and other orga- nizers is seeing the success that individuals attending the con- ference have achieved. "We've definitely been tracking the success of our partici- pants over the years. I think that's what has kept us going for over a decade. It's rare to have an event like this go for that long. We really enjoy seeing that evolution of the people who attend the conference." Take the Leap Turns 10 Rural entrepreneur conference marks milestone B Y J I M T I M L I C K The Take the Leap rural entrepreneur conference will take place Oct. 22 at the Parkland Recreation Complex. The annual event regularly attracts more than 150 attendees from across the province and organizers are expecting another sellout crowd this year.

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