Several projects from Brandon businesses and institutions are receiving more than $7 million in grant funding from the federal government.

They include Assiniboine College, Bushel Plus — a company designing smart technology to help farmers increase yields — and Behlen Industries, the largest steel building manufacturer in Canada.

Manitoba Liberal MP Ginette Lavack made the announcement at the college Thursday.

The projects “will help drive growth, strengthen local industries and create opportunities right here in Brandon,” Lavack said as she addressed the crowd in the mechatronics and robotics lab.

The money comes through Prairies Economic Development Canada’s regional innovation ecosystems program. Businesses and not-for-profit organizations with proven success in attracting investment and creating high-paying jobs were eligible for two streams of PrairiesCan funding — repayable and non-repayable.

“We’re just extremely grateful to receive the money. It’s a huge boon to our business,” said Behlen Industries senior vice-president Sean Lepper.

Behlen is receiving about $2.8 million from each of the two streams for two phases of a project on its automated welding line, with the goal of improving accuracy for consistent high-quality welds.

“The guts of our entire business is based on an automated weld line that creates I-beams, and we’re replacing it. So, this is a brand new line,” Lepper said.

“It’s a $6-million investment by our ownership, and this grant and loan will help offset those costs. It’s a huge opportunity for us to continue our growth.”

Bushel Plus is headquartered in Brandon, with customers in 45 countries. Its chief financial officer, Tessa Geurts, said there are “some heavy hitters in Brandon” and she wants to stay in the game.

“Having this kind of initiative to support you while you adapt and still continue on your path of innovation and new technology — it’s an understatement to say how excited we are,” she said.

Her company’s vision for the non-repayable $577,500 is to ensure more countries are “getting more grain in the bin.”

“What the funds are going to allow us to do is to continue on this track of global expansion and to diversify into different markets,” Geurts said.

“Because with the complex trade environment right now, you need to be able to adapt. And one of the ways to do that is to diversify.”

The lion’s share of the funding is going to Assiniboine College, with a non-repayable $2.2 million for a new mechatronics facility.

“PrairiesCan has been with us from the beginning on this,” Mark Frison, the college’s president, said.

Mechatronics trains students in mechanical engineering, electronics, computing and automation giving them the knowledge to develop automated machines.

“When PrairiesCan came on board to help with some of the capital, it really made a difference,” Frison said.

“It allowed us to accelerate the program, and to build in those things that take it beyond a regular educational program, to how we can leverage the space for applied research and industrial outreach.”

After the announcement, Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett looked on as mechatronic students demonstrated a robot that resembled a dog and was able to move its limbs and stand on two feet.

“I’m really happy to have had this announcement here today,” he said, adding, “but the other piece that is really important is recognizing the exporting companies that work out of our city.”

“There are stories to be told here all the time,” Fawcett said. “And the fact is we have this fantastic manufacturing piece of our city that we don’t talk about a lot, but it drives a lot of the economy. So, it’s really, really good to see that on a national level, it is recognized and supported.”

The Brandon Downtown Development Corporation’s non-repayable funding is $400,000. The non-profit provides grants to property and business owners to encourage the beautification and visual appeal of the city’s downtown core.

The repayable $1 million going to Greenstone Building Products is for expansion and to launch a new product line at its manufacturing facility.

Westman is an important economic driver for Manitoba and Canada, Lavack said.

“I’m seeing a lot of great energy in Brandon. There are many projects that are quite interesting in this region, and we want to support them,” she said.

“And as long as there are entrepreneurs and businesses willing to do the legwork and apply for funding — the programs exist, and they can come from anywhere within the province.”