Not only families and individuals in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo were affected; but businesses were also affected. Successful businesses, small businesses, family businesses, medium sized businesses and large businesses. Businesses operating in the region for many years and even new businesses. "The Beast" had no concern or care for any of that.
CMC-Alberta and its members, Certified Management Consultants (CMCs) saw the heavy burden and jumped to the challenge; after all isn’t this what we do as consultants / coaches? We help businesses, their owners, managers and staff deal with challenges, of all sorts. Three CMCs in Edmonton: Pierre Cormier, Cheryl Lockhart, and Keleigh Cormier thought something must be done and quickly! The Back to Business Coaching Program was born and created for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo to help with the task of supporting businesses who were in shock. 
Back to Business Coaching Program
Many conversations were had with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Economic Development (RMWB) to determine the scope of this disaster for each individual business in the area. The Department immediately saw how a coaching program could work to help the businesses of Fort Mac navigate through a very emotional and stressful time. The interest and passion shown by the Department was the key to developing and supporting the Back to Business Coaching program.
An intake process was created, so the immediate need for the business could be efficiently assessed. A matchmaking committee of CMCs was formed, to match businesses with a qualified CMC coach. Businesses were then introduced to a CMC who had knowledge of the type of business, industry sector and type of challenge the business was currently facing. The relationship between the CMC and the business included a one-on-one coaching process up to a maximum of 12 hours. In all cases, trust had to be quickly built and a tangible action plan with next steps, developed for each business to help them sort things out and move forward. So far, more than 60 businesses have been helped through this program.
"I am so proud of the interest, hard work, passion, stepping up and “get ‘er done” attitude of all CMCs involved in this process and am confident
that together, we can lift-up participating businesses affected by the wildfires in Fort Mac," said Pierre Cormier, Project Manager, CMC-Alberta.
Thank you to RMWB for believing in the community and providing small businesses with the effective resources to attract some new thinking. Here is a listing of our project manager, matchmakers and coaches involved in the project. Thank you to all:
- Pierre Cormier, CMC, project manager
- Brenda Crompton, CMC
- Chris Harper, CMC
- Rick McDonald, CMC
- Tiz Benvenuto, CMC
- Claudia Verburgh, CMC
- Keleigh Cormier, CMC
- Angela Pedrini, CMC
- Barry Huybens, CMC
- Cheryl Lockhart, CMC
- Eugene Van DenBerg, CMC
- Ivor Bernatsky, CMC
- Jane Grant, CMC
- Julianne McKinnon, CMC
- Kevin Sheppard, CMC
- Maurice Enabu, CMC
- Michael Watson, CMC
- Pauline Patenaude, CMC
- Stefan Bucatau, CMC
- Sheila Carruthers, CMC
- Marty Rybiak, CMC
We never really think about disasters as we go about our day-to-day lives. Further, we never think it will happen to us or how it would affect our business. It's good to know there is a group of business professionals who will have your back and help you through tough times. Helping to keep #albertastrong
--
Keleigh Cormier, CMC, CAC
The Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designation is the profession’s only international certification mark, recognized in over 40 countries. It represents a commitment to the highest standards of consulting and adherence to the ethical canons of the profession. CMC-Canada (the Canadian Association of Management Consultants) administers, and its provincial institutes confer, the CMC designation in Canada. For more information about the CMC designation, click here.
