Client Spotlight: Funding Success for a Leamington Manufacturing Company

The government funding landscape is vast and complex. Many businesses may have preconceived notions about how a funding process will go, or whether they’re even eligible, but working with consultants that have an extensive knowledge of program history, eligibility criteria, and government insights can help a business meet and exceed their strategic goals and objectives.

Through a combination of various government funding programs, Mentor Works, a Ryan Company, has helped UE Enclosures attain grants and loans for economic growth and strategic innovation projects.

The key to accessing funding is not the prior success of a business, but understanding which programs are best suited to each organization’s upcoming projects and overall goals. Furthermore, writing a compelling application that aligns with the funding program’s objectives is of utmost importance because the government reviews applications before allowing projects the scale and scope that they need to move forward with funding support.

In this client spotlight article, we will unpack the funding success of our client, UE Enclosures, as supported through services provided by Mentor Works, a Ryan Company, and how specific Canadian funding programs help businesses in meeting their company goals.

“Mentor Works has helped us build a confidence that a company like ours can apply for funding and given us a lot of great feedback and assistance about what is required [to succeed with funding].”
– George Bergen, President, UE Enclosures

About UE Enclosures

Located in Leamington, Ontario,  UE Enclosures manufactures custom electrical enclosures and stives to be a Solutions Partner in the custom enclosures market by leading with an efficient, team orientated company. Founded in 1991 under the name UniFab, UE Enclosures has over three decades of experience in manufacturing.  In 2000, they were established as a standalone company know as UniFab Enclosures and then in 2013 was rebranded to UE Enclosures.

UE Enclosures has manufactured custom enclosures, from fulfilling original enclosure designs to modifying industry-standard enclosures. UE Enclosures uses software developed by Clear Code a Kingsville tech company, who has designed a systematic protocol program called FLOW to ensure excellent quality and service of every enclosure project.

Mentor Works, a Ryan Company, spoke with George Bergen, President of UE Enclosures, and Nettie Froese, Director of Sales at UE Enclosures, about the role that government funding support has played in assisting the business growth of UE Enclosures.

“All three of the funding programs [we’ve been approved for] have helped us grow. The experience [with Mentor Works, a Ryan Company] overall has been very positive. It has opened our eyes that we can collaborate with groups such as [Mentor Works, a Ryan Company] and both the provincial and federal governments to continue providing a good workplace for our community.”
– George Bergen, President, UE Enclosures

CanExport Grants for Market Expansion

The CanExport SMEs funding program provides Canadian government grants to support Canadian businesses developing new export opportunities and markets, particularly high-growth priority markets and sectors, by covering a portion of eligible sales and marketing activities.

UE Enclosures first began working with the Mentor Works, a Ryan Company team in 2020 and they were approved in early 2021 for a significant sum of CanExport funding in the form of non-refundable grants.

Bergen speaks to this funding success as a huge support during the uncertain times of the global COVID-19 pandemic, stating “if we didn’t have the original marketing training [from the CanExport grant] during 2020, then we wouldn’t have had the expertise to apply for further funding programs [SWODF and CEDD] which have helped us grow immensely.”

SWODF Funding for Business Expansion

The Southwestern Ontario Development Fund (SWODF) is a business expansion funding program that incentivizes companies to invest in new facilities and equipment, as well as economic development organizations, municipalities, and consortia in investing in infrastructure or implementing strategies to advance regional priorities.

UE Enclosures was awarded SWODF grant funding in 2022 to help with the expansion, equipment purchases, and development of their new facilities.

“To be able to get these committed [SWODF] funds, it’s taken [our business] a long way in making sure that we can complete the whole project on time instead of working with the bank and having to push things out. It was very strategic to be able to make the commitment to meeting our deadlines because now we can truly be more aggressive in construction and obtaining equipment. We can make it all happen within the first 12 months, and not the estimated project timeline of two to three years.”
– George Bergen, President, UE Enclosures

CEDD Funding for Economic Development

Administered by FedDev Ontario, theCommunity Economic Development and Diversification Program (CEDD) program aims to create sustainable economic growth in small and rural communities in southern Ontario. Applicants can be businesses or not-for-profit organizations in southern Ontario who are working to diversify and transform their local economies.

With latest and largest funding success, UE Enclosures was approved for CEDD funding on a project that will continue advancing their strategic planning and implementation.

“SWODF allowed us to start the project, now the [CEDD funding] allows us to escalate it and get it going that much quicker, capture greater business from the existing customer base, and ideally capture new customers too. If we do hit a recession, though we hope we won’t, it’s good to have the FedDev support with a no-interest loan and not have to worry about potential lay-offs and other setbacks.”
– George Bergen, President, UE Enclosures

Apply for Government Grants with Mentor Works Support

When choosing to work with Mentor Works, a Ryan Company, Canadian businesses are paired with our skilled team of professional grant writers who complete each stage of the funding process based on vast funding knowledge and government insight. The thorough pre-qualification process leads to a higher rate of approval when compared to average success rates of each government funding program, and our team genuinely believes in each one of the applications that we support.

“Mentor Works did a great job at staying connected throughout the process, especially in between submitting and waiting for the funding approval. They were fantastic at consistent reminders because even as we were expecting things to come through, [our operations representative] was always following up a day or two before to check-in with us. Overall, the team was incredibly proactive and always engaged, kind, and friendly.”
– Nettie Froese, Director of Sales, UE Enclosures

If your organization has been incorporated in Canada for at least three years, has 15 or more payroll employees, and has a positive net income, consider working with Mentor Works, a Ryan Company, to help your business find and access government funding that aligns with your unique projects and goals. Contact our team today to get started.