Artisan Metal Finishing Receives $1.4M in Small Business Funding in 2014

Artisan Metal Finishing is a growing business that specializes in corrosion resistant metal treatments for zinc plating, zing flake coatings, decorative plating, zinc phosphate, and component degreasing. The London, Ontario based business has a strong track record of job creation and business expansion, making them an ideal candidate for Canadian government funding.

Although Artisan Metal Finishing had some experience with the CME SMART equipment grant in 2012/2013, the time requirement and process made them interested in a comprehensive funding support service – a gap that Mentor Works was happy to fill.

Getting Started with Mentor Works

Barry Foley first gained exposure to Mentor Works’ knowledge of funding during a keynote presentation by Bernadeen McLeod, President of Mentor Works, at an industry association event. Barry connected with Bernadeen following the event and set up a one-on-one session to discuss Artisan Metal Finishing’s funding needs.

Barry had met with other funding consultants in the past, but explained that this meeting was different:

“What we found in the past is other consultants would approach us and we’d ask questions and they’d ask for time to check. With Mentor Works, there were no questions asked by us that [they] couldn’t answer.”
– Barry Foley, President of Artisan Metal Finishing

Barry noted that by the end of the meeting he was overwhelmed with the number of funding options, however Mentor Works was able to pinpoint the most appropriate programs for Artisan Metal Finishing’s strategic priorities, using a mixture of federal and provincial loans and grants for small business.

“We never had a question by the time [Bernadeen] was done her presentation on funding.”
– Barry Foley, President of Artisan Metal Finishing

By the end of the meeting, all of Barry’s questions were answered and a customized strategic funding plan was created to maximize the business’ funding potential.

Applying for the Right Programs for Canadian Government Funding Success

Mentor Works assigned a funding champion, Jennifer Bleakney, to take the lead on each of the Canadian business grants and loans that Artisan Metal Finishing applied for. Barry stated that the Mentor Works team was “very capable and knowledgeable. [They] came and met with us, determined the best programs for our needs and what was needed to complete the application.”

Minimizing Application Time Commitments by 95%

One of Mentor Works goals is to make the process of applying for Canadian loans and grants for small business easy and efficient. The procedures aren’t always simple since the government needs to feel confident in giving funding to a company and project, however Mentor Works will ensure that we streamline the application process and minimize our clients’ time commitments while ensuring an optimized, accurate, and complete application.

When discussing the funding process, Barry stated,

“We couldn’t do it on our own. We don’t have the resources, we don’t have the time, and we don’t have the knowledge. It makes good sense to have someone like Mentor Works look after these projects for us. Without Mentor Works, it would take a lot more time and we wouldn’t do it.”
– Barry Foley, President of Artisan Metal Finishing

Leveraging Loans and Grants for Small Business Growth

When discussing the impact of Canadian government funding on Artisan Metal Finishing’s growth, Barry did not understate the value of funding to his business’ ability to carry out strategic initiatives.

“Without funding, I wouldn’t have been able to carry out the project.”
– Barry Foley, President of Artisan Metal Finishing

The business was able to obtain funding through several programs, including:

• Approximately $350k in Ontario government grants via the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund (SWODF) for business expansion and job creation
• Nearly $1M in repayable funding via FedDev Ontario’s Investing in Business Growth & Productivity (IBGP) for further business expansion and job creation
• $50k+ in research and development grants through the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP)
• Actively applying for additional funding through new and existing Canadian government funding programs related to their future strategic initiatives

Barry is very thankful for funding, stating “I’m glad the funding is there because normally the related costs you absorb into your company. It’s part of my life. It helps me grow faster so I will continue to use them.” By receiving government support Barry’s business is able to mitigate the risk and improve the scope and implementation rate of his growth initiatives.

Find Funding for your Business via Mentor Works

Mentor Works teaches dozens of businesses each day about small business funding programs available to them. If you are just starting to explore the small business funding landscape, please download our free Comparing Funding Types Info Sheet to explore the options available to you.

We also hold regular small business funding workshop and webinars on a wide range of topics, from training grants to manufacturing funding programs. Ready to get started with funding? We meet with established businesses one-on-one; just send us a message if you’re a Canadian manufacturer or software developer with 15 or more employees.