About Us

Who We Are

Essex Community Futures Development Corporation, operating as the Community Futures Essex County, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing business financing and counseling to entrepreneurs in rural Essex County. We are supported by a 9 member volunteer Board of Directors and numerous community partners.

The organization incorporated in 1995 as South Essex Economic Development (SEED) Corporation and was located in Leamington. In 2001 we became the Essex Community Futures Development Corporation (Essex CFDC) and the office later relocated to the Municipality of Essex to centralize our services and to be more convenient to our clients in Essex County. In 2015 we began using the operating name Business Resource Centre of Essex County but in 2021 we returned to our Roots by incorporating Community Futures into our operating name once again. After all, the future of our community is our priority.

The Community Futures Program has been serving rural communities for over 30 years.  Community Futures Essex County is one of 60 Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) operating in Ontario. Our funding is made possible by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) who work with the 36 CFDCs in rural Eastern and Western Ontario. We are a member of Community Futures Western Ontario.

Essex County is a mix of rural/urban communities located in southwestern Ontario. Our service area includes the rural communities of: Amherstburg, Essex, Kingsville, Leamington, Lakeshore, LaSalle, Pelee Island and Tecumseh (excluding Windsor). Services are available in both official languages and are provided by our Team of friendly professionals.

Our Board of Directors

Amy Kendall
Chair

Tracy Pringle
Past Chair

Nelson Silveira
Vice Chair

Wolfgang Weber
Secretary

Zach Dorland
Treasurer

Karolyn Hart
Director

Ian Chalmers
Director

Ali Houmed
Director

Community Futures Essex County maintains a roster of potential Board Members on an ongoing basis. If you are interested in being considered for a position on our Board of Directors, please contact our General Manager for an application form.  The Nominating Committee periodically interviews applicants and, as the need may arise, recommends candidates for election or appointment as a Director based on our Board Member Representation Policy.

Learn More

Current Board Composition

Key Sector Representation

Municipality Representation

Our Staff

Diane Malenfant
General Manager

Ext. 16#

Lee McGrath
Business Lending Advisor

Ext. 14#

Charlene Houle
Business Development Advisor

Ext. 12#

Lindsay Larocque
Administrative Coordinator

Ext. 10#

Contact Us

39 Maidstone Ave E, Essex, ON N8M 2J3
519-776-4611
519-776-9297
help@cfessexcounty.ca
Office Hours by Appointment Only
Monday to Thursday8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday8:30am - 1:00pm

Please call ahead for an appointment as our office may be locked from time to time if we are doing site visits, attending meetings, or taking a lunch break.