September Newsletter

It’s September! Time to Hit the Ground Running

Call for Board Members: Help Shape the Future of Western Nova Scotia

Are you passionate about Western Nova Scotia?

The Western REN is looking for private sector leaders to join our Board of Directors.

Board Members play an important role in guiding the strategic direction of the organization and ensuring fiscal accountability. They bring leadership, experience, and a regional perspective that helps drive economic growth in our communities.

✅ Three-year terms

✅ Applications welcomed from across the private sector

✅ All applicants will be notified after the closing date

This is an exciting opportunity to share your expertise and make a meaningful impact on the future of our region.

To Learn More & Apply

Western REN Welcomes Ron Smith Back to the Board

We’re excited to welcome Ron Smith back to the Western REN Board of Directors.A proud Yarmouth native, Ron brings decades of executive leadership—from CFO at Maritime Tel & Tel to CEO of Emera and Nova Scotia Power. As a founding member of the Western REN Board of Directors, Ron has played a key role in advancing regional economic development since the organization’s early days. His return to the Board reflects his ongoing dedication to fostering economic growth and community vitality in Southwest Nova Scotia.

On August 21, the Western REN team launched our first-ever Community Connection day at the Barrington Regional Library. From 10 AM to 4 PM, community members, entrepreneurs, and business owners dropped in to chat with us, ask questions, and share their ideas.We talked about our BusinessNow, CI and BT programs,discussed Digital Transformation, the Get Side-Tracked Trail porject, skilled trades and apprenticeships and more! Thanks to Della Nickerson of the Barrington Chamber of Commerce for spending the day with us.

We also had the chance to visit several local businesses throughout the day. We send a big thank you to everyone who welcomed us into their space! We’re proud to work for you and with you.

If you missed us in Barrington, don’t worry — Community Connection will be on the move! Keep an eye out for future stops. And speaking of which…

Our next Community Connection is happening in Digby on September 18th! We will reveal our location and more details next week.

Drop in, ask questions, and learn more about our programs and services. We’ll also spend the day visiting local businesses, arranging one-on-one meetings, and engaging face-to-face with the people who drive our regional economy.

Talk to us about all our programs and initiatives:

• BusinessNow Support

• Continuous Improvement (CI)

• Business Transition (BT)

• Apprenticeship and Skilled Trades Programs

• Connections & Resources to Support Immigrant Workforce and Community Integration

• Digital transformation and AI Programs

• Connecting business to the Dark Sky T’Railway through Get Side-Tracked

…and much more.

📩 Want us to visit your business while we’re in town? Email us in advance! Let’s connect.

Email Us!

Need a Hand with a Business Challenge? We Can Help.

Running a business means wearing a lot of hats. Sometimes, it feels like you’re juggling more than your fair share of challenges. That’s where the BusinessNow Program comes in.

Keval d’Entremont, our BusinessNow Lead at the Western REN, is here to help — at no cost to you.

“My job is simple: I’m your legs. While you focus on running your business, I dig into your challenges, research solutions, connect you with the right people, and uncover funding and resources you may not know exist.”

Here’s how it works:

We meet for 30–45 minutes — at your business or wherever’s convenient

You share the challenges you’re facing — big or small
Keval does the legwork to find solutions, supports, and connections
NO COST, no strings attached — it’s what we do

Whether it’s staffing issues, red tape, cash flow, funding, or expansion — if something’s slowing you down, we’re here to speed things up.

Interested in a quick conversation? Keval will work around your schedule and come to you.

Email Keval!

WesternREN.ca is Your New Home For Blogs and News

There are so many important stories to tell, news to keep you updated on, and events to connect you to within our business community. WesternREN.ca is the Hub for everything happening within that Community in Western Nova Scotia. Keep looking in our “News & Blogs” for all of it!

Visit NEWS Visit BLOGS

Until next time, enjoy September!