Cambridge Bay (Feb 17/03) - There's always a better way to drum up business.

Nunavut's economic development officers reviewed ways to get the think tank primed when they met in Cambridge Bay, Feb. 3-7.

The annual get-together was also a chance to increase general training through a series of workshops, says George Bohlender, treasurer of the Nunavut Economic Development Association (NEDA).

Money greases the skids for just about anything, including the business life of a community.

By learning which government departments or agencies have money to hand out and what they want in terms of an application, EDOs can be more successful helping kick start local enterprises.

EDOs also studied ins and outs of financial management to counsel business clients looking to set up shop in a community.

"For example, the workshop will help tell EDOs what to look for in a company's business plan," Bohlender says of the "map" a company bases their operations on.

"Each year the focus is a little bit different," Bohlender says of the conferences.

NEDA ultimately wants to use these ongoing sessions as the basis for qualifications that would lead to a standard certificate program for EDOs, Bohlender says.