Peterborough entrepreneurs and small business owners are being invited to pull up a chair in a new space created by Community Futures Peterborough.
Home of the Business Advisory Centre, Community Futures Peterborough has announced the official launch of an advisory suite located in the renovated basement level of the Venture North building in downtown Peterborough.
According to a media release, the expansion marks the non-profit organization’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurship, providing enhanced business resources, and creating a vibrant hub for local economic growth.
“Our goal is more entrepreneurs and business owners feel there is a space they can feel comfortable to ask questions and receive advice that will help them start or grow their business,” Devon Girard, executive director of Community Futures Peterborough, told kawarthaNOW.
“We want people to feel comfortable walking through our door and, when they leave our suite, to feel they received confidence and advice to pursue and achieve their business goals.”
The advisory suite is a fully furnished professional space designed to meet the evolving needs of entrepreneurs in Peterborough city and county, the release states. It features a state-of-the-art meeting room, a 360-degree camera device for integrated meetings and virtual workshops, a collaborative workspace, and a dedicated confidential advisory area.
“The new advisory suite at the Business Advisory Centre will be more than just a meeting space — it’s a haven for creativity, ingenuity, and problem-solving,” noted Business Advisory Centre manager Rose Terry.
“Here, we are dedicated to walking alongside entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey, whether starting, growing, or scaling their businesses. This unique expansion of our offices at Venture North are designed to inspire and motivate. It will act as a resource hub with the support needed to turn visions into reality.”
In 2024, Community Futures Peterborough assumed responsibility for the Business Advisory Centre — which is funded by the Ontario government with operational funding from the city and county of Peterborough — from the now-defunct Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development.
Since then, the Community Futures office has been “bursting at the seams,” according to the release, driven by increased demand from those interested in business support services as well as the addition of two new staff members and multiple programs.
The organization says the expansion will alleviate space constraints and increase its capacity to support local entrepreneurs. The suite also provides Terry, along with Business Advisory Centre business advisor Lindsey Irwin, with dedicated space to provide business advisory support.
“It enhances our ability to offer one-on-one guidance and creates a dedicated workshop space allowing for increased collaboration among local business owners,” Girard said.
Community Futures Peterborough says the suite has been designed in a way “to foster connectivity and accessibility, offering an ideal venue for small workshops, meetings, and mentoring sessions.”
“We’ve been inundated with business owners, each with unique ideas, hopes, and dreams for their businesses,” Irwin says. “This space gives them the chance to speak freely and confidentially, fostering genuine conversations and meaningful support.”
Funded by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), Community Futures Peterborough has been providing financing and business advisory support for entrepreneurs in the city and county of Peterborough since 1985, investing more than $42 million in over 1,300 small businesses that have created or maintained more than 4,300 jobs in the city and county.
