To respond quickly and adequately to the different needs of the region's entrepreneurs, the CLD de l'Érable holds umbrella meetings with resource persons from the various government departments and development agencies. These réseaux express, or express networks, have proved a success, for entrepreneurs can get all information needed during a single meeting, thus avoiding the time and trouble of making multiple appointments. Participants in the réseaux express include the ministère de l'Industrie et du Commerce (MIC), Emploi-Québec, Investissement Québec, the Corporation de développement international du Centre-du-Québec (CDICQ), Tourisme Québec, the ministère des Régions, the Fonds de Développement Industriel Action (FDIA), the Fonds de développement économique de Lotbinière (FDEL), the Centre de Recherche Industrielle du Québec (CRIQ), the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC), the Société d'Aide au Développement des Collectivités Arhabaska-Érable (SADC), the ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ), Canada Economic Development (CED), the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), the MRC de l'Érable and its municipalities, and other resources as the need may be. To obtain information on how to organize a réseau express for your business, contact Nathalie Desjardins at (819) 362-2333, ext. 224.

To respond to the different needs of entrepreneurs in the region, the CLD de l'Érable organizes training sessions for its clientele in collaboration with various parties and government departments. Topics covered included value-added output, transactional Web sites, senior managers in business, kaisen and the use of ongoing telephone courses to learn English.

To better equip promoters wishing to start a business, the consultants of the CLD de l'Érable have put together a document on how to create a business plan. The guide has been designed with an eye to the contemporary realities of the milieu. The guide is only available in french language. Go to: http://www.cld-erable.qc.ca/francais/services.htm