About Us
Flourish Community Development Co-operative Ltd. (Flourish) is a co-operative of independent consultants with expertise in community and economic development and large-scale project management.
Founded in 2019, Flourish was established to create more equitable and self-reliant communities. The co-operative has created a process that emphasizes maximization of the community, by focusing on local assets (human, economic, environmental, and institutional) to create a more entrepreneurial community culture. We bring together a diverse, caring, and expert group of consultants who have worked with federal, provincial, and municipal government agencies, the health sector, Indigenous communities, not-for-profit organisations, academia, and businesses for decades – and continue to do so.
Flourish is uniquely placed as a cooperative of consultants in Atlantic Canada, bringing complementary skills to projects that affect the community. Our work, as individual consultancies and within Flourish, has focused on strategic and operational planning, research and evaluation, and business, co-operative and organisational development, social enterprise, and succession.
Our purpose is to work on projects and initiatives that are transformational in nature, whether that be for geographic communities or communities of interest.
To view our full Strategic Foundation click here.
Testimonials
What Our Clients Are Saying
Flourish facilitated our strategic planning process by bringing together the diverse perspectives and opinions of our board, staff, funding partners, and stakeholders. They facilitated our team to establish a visionary and focused plan that will enhance our ability to succeed. Their approach to this project was tailored to our needs. We appreciated their flexibility in process, and timing which supported our team’s specific circumstances, and produced excellent results . We look forward to having the opportunity to work with them again.
Jennifer Tufts, CEO
Valley Regional Enterprise Network
We've been working with the Flourish team to study the concept of social succession and develop strategies to ramp up this promising model in the region. They're passionate about community-led economic development and truly believe in building from the ground up to address major challenges we're facing in Canadian communities. I'm looking forward to building on what we've learned with them and other Atlantic CCEDNet members & partners.
Sarah Leeson-Klym, Regional Networks Director, Canadian CED Network (CCEDNet)
The Flourish team led the communities of Parrsboro and Springhill through a robust engagement process directed toward the development of economic development strategies for each community. The team has been professional and innovative in their application of engagement, facilitation, and research amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The plans created will enable these communities to move forward both individual and collectively.
Michelle Byers, Manager of Community Economic Development, Municipality of Cumberland
Our Current Projects
Social Succession
& Preserving Local Economies
We have undertaken extensive research in social succession (i.e. transitioning independently-owned businesses to collective ownership), and are actively developing local, provincial, and regional strategies in partnership with the Canadian CED Network (CCEDNet), the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and other partners in Atlantic Canada.
Give us a call If you'd like to explore
how you might make your community more equitable and self-reliant.
Our Members & Expertise
Andy Horsnell
Member, and Owner of Andy Horsnell Consulting
Andy lives on a homestead farm in Kempt Shore, 30 minutes up the Hants Shore from Windsor, Nova Scotia. He has worked as a consultant, trainer, and coach for over 30 years in small business and social enterprise development throughout Canada, the USA, and abroad. A founding member of Flourish, Andy was also a founding staff member of the Acadia Entrepreneurship Centre, founding director of the Social Enterprise Network of Nova Scotia (SENNS), and co-founder of Authenticity Consulting LLC and Common Good Solutions CIC. As a volunteer, he has served as the chair of Urban Boatbuilders, For the Love of Learning, and the Centre for Local Prosperity, and presently serves as vice chair of the Social Enterprise Council of Canada (SECC) and director of SENNS. Andy has always been driven to help make local economies more inclusive, compassionate, resilient, and self-sufficient – qualities which will be key to adapting to the unfolding climate crisis. Andy gets great joy from working on his small sheep farm and riding horses with his partner, Sarah-Jean.