ATB Financial is proud to bring you Small Business Week. For more than 70 years, ATB and its associates have been committed to supporting worthy causes in hundreds of Alberta communities.

In fact, ATB opened its first branch in Grande Prairie on Sept. 30, 1938. It was one of the original six Alberta Treasury Branches, and its opening was presided over by Dr. Wallace Cross, Alberta’s Minister of Health. Dr. Cross told those who had gathered for the opening that Alberta Treasury Branches were here to stay.

“This thing will last more than a day,” he assured everyone. “Your money will be safe here.”

That was certainly the truth. Seven decades later, ATB has 164 branches – including three in Grande Prairie – 132 agencies and a team of 5,000 talented and passionate associates serving more than 670,000 customers in every corner of this great province. We’re the largest Alberta-based financial institution, with assets of $26.5 billion and consistently profitable results for more than a decade.

In spite of a challenging economy, ATB saw record growth in loans and deposits in 2008-09 – a clear sign that we’re more committed than ever to helping Albertans and Alberta businesses. We plan to build on that strength. ATB has named Curtis Stange, a 23-year veteran banker with an outstanding track record for leadership, performance and customer satisfaction, as its new Executive Vice-President, Business and Agriculture.

At ATB, Curtis will redefine how we approach independent business and agricultural banking, and work with our branches, our Corporate Financial Services lenders and our Investor Services business to deliver the best possible customer experience.

Curtis’s new role links his passions for banking, entrepreneurship, independent business and agriculture.

“Rural businesses have been part of my mandate for most of my career. I’m really fond of entrepreneurs. I like the way they think, the way they do business, and I get excited when I can help them achieve their goals and fulfill their aspirations for their business,” Curtis says. “I’m excited about the flexibility and nimbleness of working for a bank that focuses exclusively on Alberta. I love that we are experts about this province. We know this marketplace better than anybody, and we have a commitment to Alberta that’s unmatched.”

That commitment shines through in the community initiatives we sponsor and help lead throughout the province.  As presenting sponsor of the Grande Prairie Street Performers Festival, we understand the important role that arts and culture have in strengthening Alberta’s communities and improving Albertans’ quality of life.

This year, ATB associates and our customers combined to raise $554,384 for the Stollery Children’s Hospital and Alberta Children’s Hospital foundations during the 10th annual Teddy for a Toonie campaign.

And we’re proud to support local businesses, too, by bringing you Small Business Week. Here’s to a great week!

 ATB Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)
Entrepreneurs First

Small Business Week is about entrepreneurs and for entrepreneurs.  This is BDC’s 30th annual celebration of their passion, risk-taking and hard work. For us, the success of Canadian SMEs means one thing: the economy gets stronger.

Here are the facts: 

Out of all employer businesses in Canada, 97.5% are small, and 2.2% are medium.  In other words, more than 99% of companies in our economy are small and medium-sized businesses. 

The bottom line:  Entrepreneurs are the driving force behind Canada’s economy and the nation’s biggest employer.  Thriving, entrepreneur-led businesses mean more growth, more jobs and a healthier, more robust economy.

Taking Action

BDC is doing more than ever during these tough times to reach out to entrepreneurs because we know they’re the ones who will pull us out of the recession and lead us in the recovery. 

That’s why we offer – from a hundred locations across the country – financing, venture capital and consulting services.  We tailor our services to their needs.  And we are patient lenders, especially when times are tough. And those aren’t just words.  BDC has been increasing its lending steadily.  In the past fiscal year alone, we increased our total loans by 11 per cent. And we’ve continued to do so.  In August, we authorized 72% more money in loans than we did in August of last year.  Last month, we lent 85% more money than in September 2008. We also gave clients a break if they needed it.  For example, we allowed them to postpone their principal payments if they were having cash flow problems. We did so because there was a shortage of credit.  The exit from Canada of non-regulated financial institutions was a hard blow to the system that had a ripple effect on the availability of credit.  The banks tried to fill the gap by lending more, but because of the recession, they were careful in doing so.  Terms and conditions were back to conservative.  That is where BDC was able to play a helpful role.

We’ve been a key player in federal government action to help Canadian business weather the economic storm.  We are working with other Canadian financial institutions to channel at least $5 billion in additional financing through the Business Credit Availability Program.   And we have a new Operating Line of Credit Guarantee that helps financial institutions provide their creditworthy clients with the financing they need to remain competitive and grow. In addition to this, the government asked us to establish and manage the Canadian Secured Credit Facility, or CSCF, which has an allocation of up to $12 billion.  Its primary objective is to stimulate economic activity in Canada by supporting sales and leasing of vehicles and equipment in Canada through BDC purchasing term asset-backed securities.

We also developed as many new products as we could to meet the needs we saw.  We started syndication desks in Toronto and Montreal to help with larger loans, and created a product to support purchase order financing for the auto parts sector.  We worked with financial institutions in sharing commercial mortgages to relieve pressure on capital.  And we created special financing for working capital support.  In effect, we acted as a “shock absorber” at a time of serious market disruption. 

A History of Success

At BDC, we strive to show our belief in Canadian entrepreneurs.  And we turn that belief into action.  For 65 years we’ve supported entrepreneurs to the point where we now have 28,000 clients. Our long-standing partnership with entrepreneurs is the direct result of the patient, flexible and understanding way that we deliver our financing and consulting services. That approach has paid dividends for both sides in a classic win-win relationship. Statistics Canada recently found that BDC financing clients consistently outperform non-BDC clients in terms of revenue growth.  The advantage was even greater when financing was combined with our consulting services.  Those clients grew revenues by almost 60% more than non-clients in the years studied. The study also found that BDC clients fared better than non-clients in terms of employment growth and chances of survival.

It all goes to show that there’s nothing small about Small Business Week.  Entrepreneurs are the engine of the national economy and we’re here to help those with good ideas and creditworthy businesses – in good times and bad. The recession has been difficult for many entrepreneurs.  But we’re confident that their innovation, ingenuity and tenacity will lead the way to recovery and renewed prosperity. Because the future does not belong to the ‘big’, it belongs to the adaptable.  For entrepreneurs, the new

order is clear.