Innovation Centre for Entrepreneurs opens in Elgin-St. Thomas

The doors are now open at ICE, the Innovation Centre for Entrepreneurs! ICE is a 5,500 square foot facility and is St. Thomas and Elgin County's first mixed-use business incubator. ICE's incubation program will allow client businesses to better compete in the marketplace and will increase the the likelihood that their business will succeed.

Elgin County Economic Development, the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation and the Elgin Business Resource Centre were founding members of the this project. It had long been apparent that there was a need for this type of facility in Elgin and St. Thomas and ICE has received more than 40 applications from prospective clients to date!

The official opening of ICE comes as the Canadian Government recognizes 2011 as the Year of the Entrepreneur, which highlights the important role that small and medium-sized businesses will play in the future of the Canadian economy.

For more information about ICE, Innovation Centre for Entrepreneurs please visit: http://www.iceinnovation.ca/

Rush Creek Wines Wins Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence!

Savour Elgin member and on-farm innovator, Rush Creek Wines Ltd. has won a Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence. This award recognizes Ontario's local farmers who are developing innovative ideas, driving local economies and strengthening the agri-food industry. Ontario's agri-food sector is one of the province's leading industries, contributing more than $33 billion annually to the economy and between 2007 and 2011 the program has had over 900 applicants. In 2010 over 200 applications were recieved and 55 winners were selected.

Rush Creek Wines was honoured for its best selling wine Decadence - a delightful combination of chocolate and strawberries. Decadence has inspired a wine jelly, body cream, body sugar scrub, and body spritzer creating jobs, increasing tourism dollars and giving business to local honey, fruit and chocolate producers.


Below: Rush Creek Wines owners Wendy and Kim Flintoff, with Elgin County Warden Dave Mennill accept their award.

Welcome to Experience Elgin

Welcome to Experience Elgin, where Elgin County Economic Development & Tourism will update you on the programs, initiatives, and events happening in Elgin County. This blog will focus on stories relating to activities in our key sectors of Energy and the Environment, Agribusiness, Manufacturing, Tourism and the Creative Economy.


Check back here for regular updates!