It starts with the kind of attention to detail you find in an artist. That is how Brian Osmond, owner of the Port aux Basques Collision Center, approaches each vehicle that comes to his shop. With a commitment to customer service and pride in his work, the local entrepreneur has turned a career as a mechanic into a family-run business.

“In 2016 I had an opportunity to buy the Port aux Basques Collision Center and become my own boss. I have always had a passion for this work and the dedication and patience that it requires. I’ve never felt that this was a job, it has always been work that I have taken great enjoyment in. Every vehicle that we turn over to a customer is an advertisement for the quality work we do here. Being able to instill those basic principles of attention to detail and pride in your work with my family has only further confirmed that I made the right choice in taking this on. Hard work doesn’t feel like work, when at the end of the day you feel like you have accomplished something.”

-       Brian Osmond, owner, Port aux Basques Collision Center 

Beginning with the purchase of the Port aux Basques Collision Center, Brian worked with his local Community Business Development Corporation (CBDC) to secure financing and to learn the ropes of running his own business. CBDCs provide a variety of services to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses including financial assistance opportunities, business counselling and advice, entrepreneurship development and training, technical assistance, and advocacy.

“Becoming a small business owner can seem like a daunting task. At our CBDC offices, we offer expert advice on where to start, how to plan and how to secure funding to help get an entrepreneurial venture off the ground. The Port aux Basques Collision Center is another example of how an individual's raw talents and passion for their work can create an environment for success. Hard working entrepreneurs like Brian Osmond help support our rural communities by providing employment and by demonstrating that if you have the desire, you too can become a business owner.”

-       Roseanne Leonard, Managing Director, Newfoundland and Labrador Association of CBDCs

During the 2016-17 fiscal year, CBDCs in Newfoundland and Labrador have disbursed more than $20 million to help start, maintain and modernize small businesses throughout the province. Over the past year, this funding has helped leverage an additional $14.5 million in funding from other sources and to create and maintain more than 860 jobs. In the Port aux Basques region, CBDC provided more than $2.1 million to businesses, resulting in the creation of 39 new jobs and helping to maintain 51 existing positions.