Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership

What Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership does

Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership (SLEP) is a nonprofit economic development organization headquartered at the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1981, it provides free business advisory, investment attraction, site selection, and workforce development services to companies, investors, and entrepreneurs evaluating or operating in the Sarnia-Lambton region. Its core programmatic surface includes the Business Enterprise Centre (a joint venture with the County of Lambton and Province of Ontario delivering Starter Company Plus, Summer Company, and Foodpreneur Advantage), the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park (an 80-acre innovation and commercialization hub), and the Sarnia-Lambton Foreign Trade Zone designation supporting exporters. Supporting tools include a GIS-based Property Search & Analysis Tool, GrowthWheel e-learning courses, and the Newcomer Hub, Career Accelerator, and REDI workforce programs. SLEP also convenes the Lambton Business Collaborative alongside Community Futures Lambton, Invest Sarnia, TechAlliance, BDC, and SBC Ontario.

SLEP's business model is public-sector funding rather than commercial monetization. The organization receives allocations from the County of Lambton and the Province of Ontario, supplemented by program-specific federal and provincial grants (Ministry of Economic Development, EDC). All advisory services, consultations, workshops, and site-selection support are provided at no charge to clients. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the organization does not generate commercial fees. Key personnel include CEO Matthew Slotwinski (appointed June 2024), Business Enterprise Centre Manager Alison Minato, Marketing & Communications Manager Arianne Garcia, and Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park Executive Director Dr. Katherine Albion.

The region SLEP promotes is anchored by a mature cluster of energy, chemicals, and advanced manufacturing employers including Imperial Oil, Shell, Enbridge, LCY, Linde, Cargill, Cabot, Nova, Origin, Bluewater Power, and Lamsar, situated on the Ontario-Michigan border with access to roughly 400 million consumers and a 250,000+ talent pool within a 100 km radius. In August 2025, SLEP received the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Excellence in Economic Development Gold Award, and the region was previously recognized by The Globe and Mail's Report on Business as one of Canada's top five cities for exporting.

Name

Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership

Legal name

Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership

Website

https://sarnialambton.on.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership is a nonprofit economic development organization in Sarnia, Ontario, that provides free business advisory, investment attraction, site selection, and workforce development services to investors, entrepreneurs, and existing businesses in the Sarnia-Lambton region, funded by municipal and provincial government allocations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarnia

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: The organization operates as a publicly-funded economic development corporation receiving funding from the County of Lambton and Province of Ontario. Revenue comes from government allocations and program funding rather than commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

SLEP is a publicly funded economic development corporation that delivers investment attraction, business retention and expansion, site selection, workforce development, and entrepreneurship support services for the Sarnia-Lambton region. Through its Business Enterprise Centre (joint with the County of Lambton and Province of Ontario) and affiliated programs (Starter Company Plus, Summer Company, Foodpreneur Advantage, Foreign Trade Zone, Career Accelerator, REDI, Newcomer Hub, and the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park), SLEP helps companies locate, expand, start up, and grow in the region at no charge to clients.

Product overview

The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership (SLEP) is an economic development organization, not a technology product company. It operates the Business Enterprise Centre (BEC), a joint venture with the County of Lambton and Province of Ontario, which provides a portfolio of business advisory services, entrepreneurship programs, and workforce development initiatives. The core offerings include the Starter Company Plus grant program, Summer Company student entrepreneurship program, Foodpreneur Advantage food sector program, and Business Planning workshops. Supporting services include site selection with GIS mapping tools, the Sarnia-Lambton Foreign Trade Zone for export support, the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park for innovation, workforce programs (Career Accelerator, REDI), and a Newcomer Hub for immigrant integration. The BEC also provides e-learning resources covering business planning, IT & cybersecurity, health & safety, and succession planning through the Succession Ontario hub. Together, these services form a comprehensive economic development ecosystem supporting business start-up, growth, and relocation in the Sarnia-Lambton region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Business Enterprise Centre of Sarnia-Lambton: A joint venture of SLEP, the County of Lambton, and the Province of Ontario delivering business advisory services, entrepreneurship programs, and grant programs for aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses
• Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park

Products and services

• Business Enterprise Centre (BEC) of Sarnia-Lambton Joint venture of SLEP, the County of Lambton, and the Province of Ontario delivering business advisory services, grant programs, and learning resources for aspiring entrepreneurs and existing small businesses in Sarnia-Lambton.
• Starter Company Plus Program Entrepreneurship program offering training, programming, and potential grants to help entrepreneurs establish a strong foundation for launching or expanding their small business, delivered through the Business Enterprise Centre.
• Summer Company Program Student entrepreneurship program providing funding, mentorship, and training to help young entrepreneurs launch and operate their business while building skills, knowledge, and experience.
• Foodpreneur Advantage Program Specialized program connecting aspiring and established food entrepreneurs with expert guidance, industry insights, and tailored resources for the food and beverage sector.
• Site Selection and Property Search Services Property Search and Analysis Tool plus advisory support helping businesses find commercial or industrial properties, including available land, buildings, industrial parks, and utility infrastructure information in Sarnia-Lambton.
• Sarnia-Lambton Foreign Trade Zone Program helping businesses access federal, provincial, and regional programs to support export growth and navigate tariff challenges, providing strategic advantages for international trade.
• Career Accelerator Program Workforce development program offering training, employer connections, and career development support for job seekers and employers in Sarnia-Lambton.
• REDI Program (Regional Economic Development Initiative) Program supporting workforce stability and employer retention in Sarnia-Lambton by connecting employers with resources for recruitment and workforce development.
• Newcomer Hub Support service helping permanent residents explore opportunities in Sarnia-Lambton, providing guidance for community integration and workforce participation.
• Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park 80-acre innovation and commercialization hub featuring laboratories, pilot plant infrastructure, commercial office space, and meeting facilities, supporting emerging sectors and new technology development. SLEP operates from this campus.

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Lambton Business CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2025Renewed partnership bringing together key economic development partners to address business challenges and foster collaboration between local nonprofits and municipalities. Hosted May 2025 forum on tariff impacts.
• County of LambtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government partner providing funding and governance oversight. The County is a joint venture partner in the Business Enterprise Centre of Sarnia-Lambton.
• Province of OntariocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial government partner providing funding for programs including Starter Company Plus, Summer Company, and other entrepreneurship initiatives through the Ministry of Economic Development.
• Community Futures LambtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional development organization providing business support, financing, and mentorship services in collaboration with SLEP's Business Enterprise Centre.
• Invest SarniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal investment attraction organization partnering with SLEP to promote Sarnia-Lambton as a destination for business investment.
• BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerFederal development bank providing financing and advisory services. BDC partners with SLEP for events, webinars, and business support programs.
• TechAlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology and innovation organization providing support for tech-based businesses and innovation initiatives in the region.
• SBC Ontario (Small Business Ontario)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvincial organization coordinating small business support programs across Ontario, partnering on events and program delivery.
• Western Sarnia-Lambton Research ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner80-acre innovation and commercialization hub housing laboratories, pilot plant infrastructure, commercial office space, and meeting facilities. SLEP operates from this campus.
• Export Development Canada (EDC)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerFederal export credit agency referenced for trade impact programs and resources for exporters navigating tariffs.
• Foodpreneur AdvantagemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialized food entrepreneurship program connecting aspiring and established food entrepreneurs with expert guidance, industry insights, and tailored resources.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Invest Manitoba: Manitoba's investment attraction agency focused on FDI, business expansion, and sector promotion. Same economic-development mission and service model as SLEP at a provincial scale.
• Toronto Global: Toronto-region investment attraction agency marketing the Greater Toronto Area for FDI, talent, and business expansion. SLEP runs the same investment-attraction GTM at a smaller regional scale with a comparable service portfolio (site selection, business advisory, FDI promotion).
• Edmonton Global: Edmonton-region economic development corporation providing investment attraction, talent attraction, and trade support services. Closely comparable mandate, service mix, and operating model to SLEP.
• Halifax Partnership: Halifax-region economic development organization providing business advisory, FDI attraction, and workforce programs. Direct functional peer to SLEP across investor attraction, business retention, and sector promotion.
• Invest Alberta: Alberta's provincial investment attraction agency providing FDI advisory, sector promotion, and expansion support. Equivalent provincial-level economic-development mandate to what SLEP delivers at the Sarnia-Lambton regional level.
• Invest Ontario: Ontario's provincial investment attraction agency offering site selection, sector promotion, and investment incentives across the province. SLEP is essentially Invest Ontario's regional counterpart within the Sarnia-Lambton area, with overlapping service lines.
• Vancouver Economic Commission: City of Vancouver's economic development agency offering business support, investment promotion, and sector development (including a strong focus on green/clean economy). Comparable public-sector economic development mandate.
• Calgary Economic Development: Calgary-region economic development corporation offering business advisory, site selection, FDI attraction, and sector promotion services. Same nonprofit, publicly-accountable mandate as SLEP, focused on a single mid-sized Canadian metro/region.
• WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation: Southwestern Ontario economic development corporation serving the Windsor-Essex region, immediately adjacent to Sarnia-Lambton, with a similar advanced-manufacturing base and Canada–U.S. cross-border focus. Most geographically and industrially comparable peer to SLEP.

Others

• Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC): Federal development bank providing financing and advisory services to Canadian SMEs. Listed as an active SLEP partner for events and programs and offers overlapping business-advisory capabilities, positioning it as an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sleconomicdev
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SLEPofficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/SarniaLambtonEcPart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sarnia-lambton-economic-partnership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments9 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership