Thanks in part to an initiative spearheaded by Peavey Industries, The Old School Cheesery will soon be calling the Town of Vermilion home. In an effort to support and enhance the communities their stores are in, Peavey Industries, the parent company of Mainstreet Hardware, Peavey Mart, and ACE Hardware Stores, approached local communities looking to see what members felt their community’s economic needs and wants were. They began speaking to community members here in Vermilion in September of 2020 and Patrick Dupuis, owner of the cheesery, was in attendance. It was suggested at that meeting that Peavey work with him and his company as they need to grow and the cheesery being in town would be a huge step for the community. This led to Vermilion becoming one of the first pilot projects of the initiative and helped in the creation of the Vermilion Community Development Cooperative (VCDC), a group of 20 local business and community members whose goal is to enhance local economic development.
Peavey Industries contributes up to $150,000 on a matching basis (subject to various allowable exemptions and co-operative rules) to the project. The financial contribution and bringing the Alberta Community Cooperative Association (ACCA) is Peavey’s way of building momentum, credibility and legitimacy to the co-op.
Doug Anderson, President and CEO of Peavey Industries stated this week “We are rooted in our communities and continuously seek to further strengthen our connection with our valued customers, who we see and serve every day in our stores across the country. The economic wellbeing and development of the communities we operate in is extremely important to us which is why I am excited to announce a new initiative that Peavey Industries is undertaking to act as an incubator for kickstarting community development and keeping communities vibrant. As our first pilots, we are working to set up Opportunity Development Co-operatives in Vermilion, Stettler and High River Alberta where we’ll help to create, fund, and support co-operatives that sustain, drive and positively impact local economic development. For these first projects we have partnered with the Alberta Community Co-operative Association (ACCA) to help bring our vision to life.”
For more information about the Peavey program, visit; About PODC | Peavey Opportunity Development Cooperative (peavey odc.ca)