Building Tomorrow – Exciting Projects Shaping WindsorEssex

2024 has been a very exciting year for Community Futures Essex County (CFEC)! Although we faced an unexpected tragedy in the untimely passing of our Business Lending Advisor Bruce Campbell, the remaining staff rallied and carried on. A special ‘thank you’ to Charlene Houle and Lindsay Larocque for your dedication and devotion to our clients and the success of CFEC. We were fortunate to add Lee McGrath to our team this year. She came with many years of relevant experience, and quickly settled into the lead lending role. Rounding out the organization is our amazing Board of Directors who work tirelessly to ensure we support economic growth in the region.

The catchment area of CFEC is unique in that we have 7 rural municipalities who comprise the County of Essex. We are adjacent to the City of Windsor, which does give our rural businesses the advantage of having access to a variety of services, as well as traditional lenders. CFEC is active in the WindsorEssex entrepreneurial ecosystem and maintains strong relationships with the other lenders in the region, all to benefit our clients and the businesses in Essex County.

The WindsorEssex region has some very exciting projects underway that will have a positive impact on our industries. The new Gordie Howe International Bridge, North America’s longest cable-stayed bridge, is expected to open in the fall of 2025. Our current Ambassador Bridge is the busiest bridge on the Canada-United States border, so the additional capacity with a second bridge is welcomed. The new bridge will offer a 2.5 km safe and separated (and free) trail allowing pedestrians and cyclists to cross the border. With the popularity of e-bikes, they anticipate many health sector workers and other daily cross-border commuters may switch to using bicycles to get to work.

Another exciting project is NextStar Energy, the massive electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor. Production started on battery modules this fall, and it’s the first facility of its kind to begin production in Canada. Full production is about a year away. The plant, a joint venture between Stellantis and LG Energy Solution, will eventually employ 2,500 people directly and produce additional jobs in the supply chain.

While our region does face many unknowns with the change in leadership in the U.S., particularly in relation to trade policy alignment, overall, we are positioned for growth.

Growth in our urban area will create a ripple effect, fostering development and opportunities in the neighboring rural areas of Essex County. Community Futures Essex County will continue to actively support that growth. We’re currently in our 30^th year of providing business financing and counseling to entrepreneurs in rural Essex County, and we look forward to celebrating our 30^th anniversary milestone in 2025.