StFX Enterprise Development Centre (XEDC)

Back in the 1920s as the world was struggling through post-war hardship, Rev. Jimmy Tompkins and his cousin, Rev. Moses Coady, recognized the unique opportunity to make the resources of St. Francis Xavier University available to struggling fishing, mining and farming communities in Antigonish County.

The forward-thinking priests developed a system to help local sheep farmers grade and market their wool more effectively. The then-revolutionary concept of “people’s schools” helped rural Nova Scotians access expertise and resources at the university to help improve their own lives.
 
Dr. Coady later established an Extension Department of the University, beginning the celebrated Antigonish Movement that has influenced community development across the globe.

That communal spirit of sharing educational resources for the greater good remains alive through the St. Francis Xavier Enterprise Development Centre (XEDC), which serves as the bridge between the business-oriented resources on campus and the larger community outside the university.

“Nova Scotia has a very entrepreneurial attitude,” explains Mark van de Wiel, Director of XEDC. “There are a lot of people in smaller communities looking for new business opportunities and new ways of doing things. Antigonish has more than its share of community-minded people who get involved in small business.”

The XEDC was established in 1997 with the dual mandate to build an entrepreneurial culture on campus at StFX and to connect the university and all its resources with businesses in the community it serves in northeastern Nova Scotia.

Since then, the centre has been harnessing the entrepreneurial energy of the business community and the resource capabilities of StFX. The XEDC is an invaluable catalyst for people wanting to start their own business, for small enterprises looking to grow their business and for non-profit community development organizations.

“There could be a business operating in Antigonish, Pictou or Guysborough that has a really great idea that needs further industry-specific research or more engineering,” explains van de Wiel. “We might be able to help connect someone with research capacity at StFX to put some time to that effort, and be beneficial to both the business and the professor.”

The initiative can also flow the other way. Through its business department, and other departments, StFX offers several courses that require students to gain real-world project experience. The XEDC office can help connect students with a small business that might need their time and expertise. It’s a win-win situation.

Van de Wiel explains a project that recently brought the university and the entrepreneurial community together. The nearby village of St. Andrews had held open meetings to discuss some ideas for creating community-based business opportunities. One suggestion was to develop a funeral co-op and another to develop a fitness centre and day care under one roof.

The XEDC helped connect the needs of the community with the resources of the university. The joint effort could allow students to get some valuable hands-on experience in the business world, while helping the larger community.

Like many Nova Scotian communities, St. Andrews is both resourceful and innovative — the community raised money to build its own curling rink and seniors’ home, projects that were financed internally by selling shares in the community and by identifying outside funding sources. A lot of volunteer time went into making those projects successful as well.

The XEDC is one of six similar development offices on campuses around Nova Scotia; St. Mary’s University, Université de St. Anne, Acadia University, Cape Breton University and Mount St. Vincent University have their own versions. All are linked through the Alliance of University Business Development Centres ensuring a more comprehensive range of services can be offered to Nova Scotia’s small business sector.

The XEDC receives a portion of its core funding from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, which allows it to offer programs, including workshops and business counseling, to interested stakeholders on campus and out in the community. It specializes in developing business plans, delivering customized training workshops and conducting market research.

The centre also runs a student entrepreneurship program, which includes a business concept competition. With an eye on the future and on the creative energy of the youth sector, the XEDC is always interested in working with younger entrepreneurs to complement its ongoing work with entrepreneurs of all generations.

The office also administers the Self-Employment Benefits program for Service Canada, allowing eligible candidates to draw employment benefits while getting their business up and running.
Van de Wiel says the tightly knit community in Antigonish responds well to the hands-on approach of the XEDC.

“We have a youthful office, and a small staff,” he says, “and that makes for a small-town office culture. Because we have a small office, everyone here does a lot of different things.”
 
Instead of “working in silos”, activity is shared through the office and all the staff pitch in. The office is also very involved with the StFX student body, initiating workshops for students in areas like personal financial management and business skills.

Although it will always be a challenge to make the off-campus community more aware of their services, van de Wiel says the word is certainly getting around.