Business Analyst
Community Futures Fraser-Fort George
Age: 27
Born and raised in Prince George, Mike Jurkovic has grown into a position of having personal affect on the economy and business prospects of his hometown.
His business contacts call him “passionate about supporting small business in Prince George” and “an enthusiastic ambassador for our city” and epitomizes why UNBC was built here in the first place. He obtained his Bachelor of Commerce degree there in 2013 and that led immediately to his position now, putting that degree and that local knowledge to work for the public good.
“Community Futures is a non-profit organization funded by the government to help rural Canadians start or expand a business and to help sustain and improve communities and their local economies,” said one supporter. “Mike provides one-on-one coaching and financing for business operators in the region.”
He was as passionate during his training as he is at his job today. While at UNBC he was president of the Commerce Students Society, involved in alumni relations, and in his own words “I organized the Canadian Association of Business Students Roundtable, Canada’s largest and most prestigious student-run conference, with 250 students from 30 of the top business schools in Canada.”
This conference was an example to himself as to the business potential of the region.
“Hosting the roundtable resulted in a direct cash injection in the local economy, I was able to raise the profile of UNBC and Prince George nationally, and intentionally used local independent businesses to showcase the best and most unique parts of the city.”
He is applying that kind of business logic to his developmental work now, and is getting that kind of result.
“We now receive referrals from organizations who were previously unaware of Community Futures and the services we have to offer,” he said. “In the past financial year, I exceeded the targets set by the board of directors by nearly 40 per cent.”
Presented by the Prince George Chamber Of Commerce
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