What promised to be your run-of-the-mill annual general meeting evolved into an unabashed celebration of impact and legacy at Farmhill Weddings in Keene.
Peterborough city and county business leaders and politicians sat elbow-to-elbow on Thursday (June 26) for Community Futures Peterborough’s AGM, which happened to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the organization that has helped countless entrepreneurs make their dreams a reality.
Business was indeed conducted, with board member and past CFP chair Grant Seabrooke overseeing governance matters in the absence of chair Wayne Harding but, before and after, speaker after speaker praised the organization for its work financing, mentoring and advising clients since 1985, when it began as the Greater Peterborough Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC).
Along with Seabrooke and CFP executive director Devon Girard, founding members and former board chairs George Gillespie and Doug Armstrong, former board chair Charlina Westbye, and board member Raymond Yip-Choy took to the podium. Also making remarks were Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal, and Peterborough County Warden Bonnie Clark.
The common thread of their comments was found in each speaker’s praise of the vision and leadership of the late Judy Heffernan who, for 16 years, served as general manager of the Greater Peterborough CFDC. Just after a short video tribute to Heffernan was screened, Westbye spoke of her mother, who died in May 2013 at age 61 after a battle with brain cancer.
“Judy would have been frustrated that we focused on her today instead of focusing on the people and the community that she served so well,” said Westbye, terming her mom’s tenure with the CFDC as “more than a job — it was a calling.”
“She believed in people, in their potential, and in the power of the community. She was fortunate to work with a board of directors who not only believed in her vision, but challenged her, which fuelled her. The board’s trust and support made for the freedom to innovate, to lead with heart, and to build programs that enriched entrepreneurs across the region.”
“Thank you for honouring her today, but in every meeting that CFP staff has with clients, in every entrepreneur who dares to take that giant leap, in every moment of courage, we see her, we feel her, and we carry her with her legacy.”
Afterwards, Westbye told kawarthaNOW the outpouring of love and respect for her mom “was emotional” for her but left her “extremely proud.”
“We’re very fortunate that her name’s not just on a tombstone. The Judy Heffernan boardroom is named after her at Community Futures. I’m very privileged now to have my name in that same room as a past chair.”
Westbye added that, having been a CFP board member and chair, she has gained a greater appreciation and respect for the contributions her mom made.
“Much like our executive director now, she had so much drive and character, and was such a presence … that just keeps resonating with people. I see a culture that she developed continuing. She had many, many ideas. She’d come home angry and upset because the board’s not letting her do this or that, but she’d go back and push.”
For his part, Gillespie acknowledged he felt Heffernan’s presence in the room, adding she would have rebuffed the attention directed her way.
“She would say ‘We have business to do. Let’s get the business done,'” he said, adding “Obviously, this organization gets the business done.”
“The foundation of it (CFP) is that it was built by local people. The federal government said it didn’t want to have anything to do with it, and they pretty much lived up to that during my time (on the board). It’s run by local people who know the community. They know what community members want and need, and they have a pretty good idea of what will be successful and what won’t be successful.”
That may have been the case at one time, but certainly not anymore as the federal government, via the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), continues to fund CFP.
That investment, to date totalling more than $42 million in loan dollars in support of 1,300-plus small businesses, has created and maintained an estimated 4,600 jobs and counting.
The provincial government, meanwhile, has stepped up as well, funding the Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) program that allows CFP’s Business Advisory Centre, which annually advises hundreds of local businesses, to operate. The city and county of Peterborough also funds the centre’s operation, which was previously administered by the now-defunct Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development.
In her remarks, CFP’s current executive director provided a state-of-the-union-like update of CFP’s track record.
For example, Girard said, CFP has supported a growing number of women-owned businesses (43 per cent) and diverse entrepreneurs (11 per cent), including those owned and operated by Indigenous youth, LGBTQ2S+ and social enterprise leaders.
And, from September 2024 through March 2025, the Business Advisory Centre held more than 200 consultations with local entrepreneurs to help start or grow their businesses. This past April and May saw more than 100 consultations added to that track record.
Also of note, CFP received a record $4.6 million in loan applications in the 2024-25 fiscal year, and disbursed more than $1.38 million to 26 local businesses. It’s estimated that new loans created or maintained more than 300 local jobs.
“What’s happening economically globally is scary,” Girard later told kawarthaNOW. “We have tools and programs to support larger, more established businesses, but what we continually try to remind everyone is that we finished March (2025) with $4.6 million in loan applications.”
“There are people knocking on our door at all times, looking not just for money now but also for advisory support. There are people who want to start and who want to grow businesses in our area. Yes, it’s small entrepreneurs many times, but that’s how so much of this does start, with those one and two and three people (businesses). We’re so proud for the role we play in helping to start and grow those businesses.”
Having earlier heard one speaker refer to her as “the new Judy Heffernan,” Girard admitted that reference was “very humbling” for her.
“That responsibility isn’t lost on me. In pulling together tributes for our 40th (anniversary) and meeting with some of our previous board chairs, I felt the weight of the world. I came home and said to my family ‘Oh my gosh, this organization is so important to so many people.’ It’s great to be reminded of the responsibility we have to carry on that legacy and continue doing the great work that so many before us did.”
As part of the event, that “great work” was evident for all to see and experience in the form of a pop-up market featuring 2024 and 2025 beneficiaries of the Starter Company Plus program offered through CFP’s Business Advisory Centre.
Among them was Kevin Woollacott, co-owner of Peterborough-based yoga, Pilates, and wellness studio Summer Soul.
“They provided workshops on marketing, promoting your business, and social media … they were instrumental in getting us going,” he said, noting a small business loan was also provided to help with equipment purchases.
“The business landscape has changed. My parents had a pick-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps philosophy. They started one store and grew that to six through pure determination and blood, sweat, and tears. I told them years ago to get on the internet and they said it was a fad.”
While his parents built their business on their own, Woollacott is grateful for the support he has received from CFP.
“Community Futures provides all the tools to successfully start, and if you run into any roadblocks, they’re always there to answer your questions. They’re super quick to answer emails or texts, and they’ve been very helpful in that way.”
Equally thankful for CFP’s services and support is Lexi Mills, the owner of Heeling Souls, a canine training business specializing in the training of service dogs for clients who don’t qualify for such help through other channels.
“I got a lot of help with the financing aspect of the business — how much to charge and where to put my money back into the business,” she said.
“Rose (BAC manager Rosalea Terry) specifically helped a lot with the marketing of the business, helping with my website and where to market and how to do press releases and stuff like that. It took it to the next level and gave me so much more confidence as a business owner.”
Another Starter Company Plus participant is Tim Jeffries, the owner of the National Touring Museum, which lectures about dinosaurs at schools, museums, and libraries across Canada. Through his business, Jeffries brings his love for, and knowledge of paleontology, to kids who don’t get the chance to visit museums, or don’t live close to one.
He says the business start-up program “helped with all the ins and out, like where to get funding, and how to create and grow a business.”
“The great thing is we have advisors to help us,” Jeffries noted. “Even though I’m done the program, those advisors are still available to us, so I meet with them every so often.”
For more information about Community Futures Peterborough, and the programs and services it offers as well the available loans it helps facilitate, visit communityfuturespeterborough.ca or phone 705-745-5434.
