It varies, but typically it's a long-term commitment. We might provide some assistance up front in terms of helping a company to acquire new equipment, maybe undertake some marketing activities, or perhaps get certification to enable them to bid on other contracts. Typically, they might come in initially and we might support them on one or more of those initiatives. Then our account managers, who work very closely with those companies, continue to engage with them on a regular basis. As they progress they might approach us at some later date to take on a new initiative.
One of the key things that our staff do—and our account managers are very skilled—is to focus on building a very strong relationship with their clients so they can really understand what their needs are, provide some advice, and help them better identify some of the tools that not only ACOA has. They also work in concert with the Province of Nova Scotia and other federal agencies. It is very much an ongoing relationship.