The website Invest Northwest BC (www.investnorthwestbc.ca) has come out ahead with an award.
The website, which provides information for potential investors about the opportunities that exist and are possible for the region, took the Technology Provider of the Year award at the annual Northern B.C. Business and Technology awards gala on January 8.
The website means a connected look at everything that’s happening in the region.
“We wanted to create a regional presence,” said Kitimat Economic Development Officer Rose Klukas, who notes that when speaking to foreign investors, trying to pitch an individual town of under 10,000 can sometimes under whelm a person used to million-plus communities. “We’ve all recognized that each of our communities have attributes that make us unique to investors.”
The details on the website are compiled with the input of economic development officers in communities from Prince Rupert to Dease Lake to Burns Lake, and further.
“It’s designed for potential investors but it also provides information about the projects that are unfolding in the community,” said Klukas.
Clicking on a community will bring up a list of that community’s major projects, both active and proposed. Kitimat’s tab, for instance, will show RTA’s modernization, to Douglas Channel Energy Partnership to the proposed Kitimat Clean oil refinery.
The website is undeniably popular. Klukas said that in November 2012 they had 4,670 visits to the site.
As well, most potential investors will tell Klukas they have seen the website the first time she meets them.