GUELPH – Wellington County handed out two awards at its Feb. 27 council meeting, recognizing the contributions of two individuals to economic development in the county.
The George Bridge Economic Development Influencer Awards went to Rick Whittaker, loans officer with Wellington Waterloo Community Futures, and Laura Emery, communications and committee coordinator with Puslinch Township.
In her role, Emery created a community guide to highlight local businesses and volunteer organizations.
She also prepares a monthly feature on a local business to spotlight in local media.
After just a year and a half on the job, Emery found herself taking on economic development matters, which are interesting from many different perspectives, she said.
Whittaker was executive director of Community Futures for 22 years before moving to his current role.
Rick Whittaker, centre, former executive director of Waterloo-Wellington Community Futures, also received the George Bridge Award.
The agency supports local businesses with loans and mentorship and is funded by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
Warden Chris White, who is also president of the board of Futures, sang Whittaker’s praises.
“Over the years, Rick was instrumental in building the program,” White said. “It’s the best bang for your buck I’ve ever seen.”
Though he’s retired from politics, former Minto mayor and county warden , George Bridge, was at the meeting and explained that economic development is a long game.
“With economic development, you don’t see it,” he said. “When you build a road or a bridge, you can see that, but economic development is behind the scenes. But now we can show what economic development has done for the county.”
Council also noted the Wellington County Experimental Acres program received an award at the Economic Developers Council of Ontario Conference.
Experimental Acres offers small and medium-sized farms in Wellington County the opportunity to trial regenerative agriculture practices in a low-risk environment by providing up to $3,000 in micro-grants, soil testing and research support.
The goal is to empower farmers to adopt practices that reduce emissions and increase long-term farm profitability.
Smart Cities manager Justine Dainard, centre, holds the award Experimental Acres received from the Economic Developers Council of Ontario. She is flanked by councillor Jeff Duncan, left, and Warden Chris White.
