NEWS + EVENTS

Brokering the energy hub

jeroach — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:35:00 -0300

Author

Ben Shingler

Source

Telegraph-Journal, Published Friday August 15th, 2008

Reference

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/385462

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Linda MacDonald, industrial project liaison with the Atlantic Canada Oportunities Agency in Fredericton on Wednesday.

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Mandarin helps smaller firms negotiate their way through the mega-project maze

New Brunswick's future prosperity may not lie entirely in the hands of Linda MacDonald, but she certainly has an important role to play.

A development officer with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, MacDonald serves as a liaison between the large companies launching southern New Brunswick's energy projects and the small- and medium-sized businesses hoping to land contracts with them.

MacDonald works to identify the minimum requirements, which are needed to bid on a contract. These range from quality controls, industry certifications, and documented safety programs. She then informs small-and medium-sized businesses what those requirements are and how to attain them.

"What we don't want to happen is they get to the 11th hour and they do happen upon a tender and they should have had a specific requirement already in place," MacDonald says from her office in Fredericton.

A chartered accountant by trade, the Miramichi native has worked at ACOA for 16 years before starting the posting May 1.

The task may sound technical and bureaucratic, but the process is crucial and the stakes are high.

Energy projects underway and in the works could mean up to $44 billion in spending, 33,000 jobs, and $14.2 billion in tax revenue over 10 years, according to Benefits Blueprint, an organization designed to maximize the economic growth stemming from the energy boom.

Developments include a new liquefied natural gas terminal and pipeline, the refurbishment of the Point Lepreau nuclear generating station, a new potash mine in Sussex, a possible second oil refinery and a potential second nuclear unit at Lepreau.

Among the 16 recommendations from a Benefits Blueprint report issued in April, two addressed the issue of leakage - the flow of money to out-of-province businesses: improve communication between small businesses and the companies organizing the projects, and increase the productivity and efficiency of businesses so they can compete for the contracts.

The first recommendation is, in part, MacDonald's responsibility.

MacDonald said the mandates of ACOA and other stakeholders, such as the Enterprise Network's 15 regional offices and Business New Brunswick, have overlapped on occasion, producing inefficient results and miscommunications.

As a consequence, some businesses did not get information they needed to bid on contracts.

"The way we were doing it historically is some organizations were giving key bits of information but not everybody was being informed of opportunities," says MacDonald.

"We were not always co-ordinated or communicating with small- and medium-sized businesses.

"In this case we said, 'Look if we really want to do things effectively, we've got more than enough resources so we've all come together to say, we will work together, we will make sure that our companies are informed consistently.'"

Business New Brunswick, says its programs - as part of the government's self-sufficiency plan - will also help local businesses land the sought-after contracts related to the energy boom.

Still, some development organizations based outside southern New Brunswick area have expressed concern their members won't get a fair slice of the energy boom pie.

Experts predict between 40 and 50 per cent of contract work on these projects could go to out-of-province businesses.

MacDonald cautions some leakage is inevitable, and development officials can only work to stem the tide.

"The word 'ensure,' we certainly have to take out our lingo because there's no guarantees in this," MacDonald says.

"Realistically, even if we can stem the flow (out of the province) by one or two per cent then we've made a significant impact."

Some companies, such as Hache Services Techniques, a shop drawing company based in Caraquet, have already benefited from the boom.

It landed a contract worth hundreds of thousands of dollars with Saint John-based Ocean Steel & Construction Ltd. to make computerized 3-D drawings for the pre-fabricated steel parts of the new potash mine. But for the moment, such examples remain are rare.

While the work is still in its early stages, early reports indicate officials are pleased with the arrangement.

"In my opinion it's very good because at the end of the day you need to streamline the process so there's not 50 people doing the same thing," says Donald Hammond, executive director for Enterprise Chaleur.

"Then the process is going to be a lot easier for everyone."

On Aug. 20, MacDonald will meet with members from the 15 regional offices of the Enterprise Network, officials from Business New Brunswick, and the deputy minister of energy to discuss ways to include small- and medium-sized businesses in the projects.

"We're ahead of the game to a certain extent," says MacDonald.

"This is a great launching pad for companies to become known around the world for the expertise and the productivity and the quality that these projects deliver."

Social media transforming corporate communications

jeroach — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:42:35 -0300

Author

David Shipley

Source

Telegraph-Journal, Published Thursday August 14th, 2008

Reference

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/384086

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David Alston, vice-president of marketing for Fredericton-based technology firm Radian6 says interacting with users through social media is the next evolution in consumer relations for firms. Radian6’s software monitors what is being said on various social media sites so that companies and public relations firms can know what’s on people’s minds and respond. Their clients include Moosehead Breweries Limited and Bell Aliant.

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Last spring Carman Pirie questioned a decision by Dell Inc. to sell its computers through Wal-Mart and wrote about it on his blog.

"It struck me that their direct sales model was their key for success," said the 33-year-old principal with Colour, one of Atlantic Canada's largest integrated marketing and communications firms.

Pirie didn't think selling machines through Wal-Mart was a smart strategy and he wasn't shy about sharing his thoughts.

"It was some pretty direct armchair quarterbacking on my part."

What he didn't expect was a reply from a representative from the company in the form of a comment on his post.

"Within a couple of hours of posting "¦ I got a response from Richard at Dell," said Pirie.

Richard, said Pirie, went into a great deal of detail about why Dell was working with Wal-Mart and what the computer firm was looking to do.

"Here's Dell, based in Round Rock, Texas, interacting with a blogger in Halifax, Nova Scotia "¦ within a three hour window," he said. "If you mention Dell within your blog in any kind of way that deserves a response, you're going to get a response with a couple of hours."

Pirie said while Richard's comments didn't totally sway his view of Dell's strategy, he was impressed with the rapid response from the company and posted his own reply to Richard's writings.

Pirie's experience with Dell highlights a growing trend in corporate communications - the rise in the importance of social media as a two-way communications channel between consumers and businesses.

Social media can be broadly categorized as blogs, social networking sites, as well as Internet discussion boards - places where individuals gather to discuss points of common interest or express their thoughts and ideas on the web.

Pirie is no stranger to social media.

In addition to being an avid blogger, Twitter and Facebook user, he's also part of Colour's social media practice.

Colour has partnered with Fredericton-based technology firm Radian6, a maker of social media monitoring software, to provide clients with services that help them understand the impact of social media on their businesses.

Colour also helps its clients seize on the power of social media to market their brands, products or services.

One campaign Colour implemented for Killam Properties Inc., called Landlord Lou, combined a slick website, amusing YouTube videos, a fictitious Facebook profile as well as a sink plunger collection contest to build university and college student awareness of, and interest in, Killam's apartment properties in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Social media, said the marketing and public relations expert, is having an ever-increasing impact on firms.

"In Western Europe for instance, 25 per cent of all people who are on the Internet are actively reviewing or commenting about consumer products online," he said. "That's a huge statistic."

Pirie said a friend of his who also works with social media uses a phrase called MAIL (which stands for monitor, analyze, interact and lead) to describe the different ways businesses are using social media.

While how a firm approaches social media in terms of monitoring, analyzing, interacting or leading conversations depends on its size and markets, all businesses big or small should be aware of the influence of blogs, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and discussion boards, he said.

David Alston, vice-president of marketing for Radian6, said his company's software monitors what is being said on various social media sites so that companies and public relations firms can know what's on people's minds and respond.

Radian6's social media monitoring product has been on the market since 2007.

Clients include major Canadian and American public relations and marketing firms as well as companies within Atlantic Canada such as Moosehead Breweries Limited and Bell Aliant.

"In the past, the web page for a company might have been considered the homepage for a brand," he said. "If you think about it now, when searching Google and you search for that brand or that brand category, that's really in a new way the new homepage for a company," he said.

Alston used 3M's Duck Tape as an example.

"If there were 10 results on that (Google) page, number 10 would be 3M.

But the nine above it would be social media, blog posts, consumer sites, videos, all kinds of stuff," he said.

Interacting with users through social media is the next evolution in consumer relations for firms, he said "If you think about someone who blogs or tweets or posts a picture, 99 per cent of the time the reason they're doing that is they want to be heard. They want to share their opinion, they want to share their ideas," he said.

Alston compared posting on social media to someone standing in front of a company's downtown office with a megaphone.

"If someone was doing that "¦ you know within minutes someone is going to be down there talking to a person saying 'How can I help you', 'Is there anything I can do'," he said.

"Companies really need to be listening for that and engaging people right away."

AnyWare Group and HCIM form strategic partnership

jeroach — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:36:18 -0300

Author

Source

AnyWare Group

Reference

http://www.anywaregroup.com/news/2008/news8.php

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Alliance to deliver healthcare solutions across North America

Saint John, N.B. – August 13, 2008 – AnyWare Group, a leading provider of Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions, and HealthCare Information Management, Inc. (HCIM), a leading provider of software solutions and consulting services to enhance claims processing operations, have signed a strategic partnership that will further develop their respective customer bases throughout North America .

“This important strategic partnership builds on AnyWare Group's major North American channel initiative addressing the critical need for proactive health and wellness management,” said Gerry Verner, CEO, AnyWare Group. “By leveraging the core strengths of both companies' best-in-breed technologies to address the healthcare industry, AnyWare Group and HCIM can discover new ways to deliver value in this evolving and demanding solutions space.”

Headquartered in Walnut Creek , CA , HCIM delivers technology solutions and consulting services to the managed care/payor industry.

“This affiliate business relationship supports our mission to provide the best advice, products, services, and support to our clients,” said Michael Wilson, President and CEO of HealthCare Information Management, Inc. “I look forward to an enduring strategic relationship with AnyWare Group and welcome the opportunity to deliver their leading edge and cost-effective products to our clients.”

Healthcare organizations throughout North America have leveraged AnyWare Group's unique ROAM technology and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) business model to deliver applications and information to users based on their role – anytime, anywhere. ROAM has been particularly valuable in the healthcare industry, enabling hospitals to extend the reach of their care teams and programs by leveraging the Internet and the ROAM platform.

About HealthCare Information Management, Inc.

Incorporated in July 2000, HCIM is a privately held corporation that delivers technology solutions and consulting services to the managed care/payor industry. HCIM offers many innovative software solutions that increase productivity by automating and tracking the adjudication of claims, authorizations, grievances, appeals, and provider dispute resolutions. HCIM's Professional Consultants offer payor software application implementation services such as project planning, business rules configuration, conversions, custom software development, report development, operational/workflow assessments, testing, and interface/integration of third party applications. For more information, call 888-454-0202 or visit www.hcim.com .

About AnyWare Group

AnyWare Group, headquartered in Saint John , New Brunswick , Canada , is a market and technology leader in the design and development of Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions. AnyWare Group's award winning ROAM platform has revolutionized how organizations launch and deliver business solutions. ROAM enables organizations to deliver new and existing applications such as on-demand solutions reliably, cost effectively and faster than previously possible. Using the Internet, ROAM-enabled solutions can be easily and securely shared with anyone in a few simple clicks. For details, visit www.anywaregroup.com .

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For more information:

Hailey Miles
MAVERICK Public Relations
416-640-5525, ext. 238
haileym@maverickpr.com

Angela T. Reynolds
HealthCare Information Management, Inc.
925-348-1123
areynolds@hcim.com

Making business training easier

jeroach — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:46:28 -0300

Author

David Shipley

Source

Telegraph-Journal, Published Monday August 11th, 2008

Reference

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/380302

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Dave Grebenc, director of sales, marketing and finance for Innovatia, Inc., says the deal represents his firm's latest effort to move clients toward a 21st-century learning platform.

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Innovatia deal will turn one firm's existing instructor-led face-to-face courses into a virtual classroom

Innovatia Inc. has signed a deal to provide virtual classroom training for voice and text message technology firm Movius Interactive Corporation in 75 countries around the world.

Under the deal, Innovatia, a subsidiary of Bell Aliant, will move Movius' existing instructor-led face-to-face courses into a virtual classroom and self-paced e-learning courses.

The deal represents Innovatia's latest effort to move clients towards a 21st-century learning platform, says Dave Grebenc, director of sales and marketing for Innovatia.

"It means more revenue for us, better results for our client Movius and easier, more accessible training that's available in a ubiquitous manner for their clients globally," he said

Movius is an original equipment manufacturer of multimedia messaging technologies for telecommunications firms and enterprise-size businesses.

Innovatia provides documentation, e-learning, teleweb support, information architecture and auditing services to over 1,500 customers in 29 countries around the world. It has offices in Canada, the U.S. and Europe.

Innovatia was recently named to the list of Top 20 Companies in the Training Outsourcing Industry by Trainingoutsourcing.com for the fifth year in a row.

Innovatia's virtual classroom uses video, chat, social networking as well as hands-on training segments to deliver complex, technical knowledge, said Grebenc.

"We would have an instructor online and (students) would basically all share a common screen where all the students are looking at the same content," he said.

"All of the students have the ability to ask questions. It's very interactive."

The chat and social networking components embraces a growing trend towards students learning from fellow students, he said. Video helps students learn how to use specific equipment and compliments hands-on training, Grebenc added.

"In some of the courses, not only with Movius, but also with other courses, we use video to demonstrate a task that needs to be done with the equipment."

The virtual classroom allows for greater efficiency, he said.

"Typically 10 students would be a full classroom. We've held classrooms using virtual technology with up to 30 or so students and this would be in a technical environment," he said.

"When there is a less technical environment you can...have 100 people participate in a classroom exercise or more."

Virtual classrooms for corporate training are becoming more common, said Grebenc.

"There's a trend here where companies are doing more and more outsourcing of training to companies like ourselves and in the process they absolutely want to move their traditional face to face learning approach to a web-based environment."

Mobile devices, such as Apple's iPhone or iPod Touch, or Research in Motion's BlackBerry, along with other smartphones represent a growing area of interest when it comes to training, said Blair Morgan, director of research and development for Innovatia.

While handheld technologies may not be useful for full virtual classroom-based learning, such mobile devices represent an opportunity to embrace the concept of "just in time, just enough, just for me" information delivery and training, said Morgan.

Morgan points out that the just in time, just enough and just for me approach to information has been talked about for some time but hasn't yet delivered on its promise.

"One of the challenges is the cost to deliver information in its various output formats, screen sizes and some of the restrictions and differences in devices out there," he said.

"We think we've kind of cracked the nut on that when it comes to information distribution and it comes from the very beginning which is to design and develop your information in such a way that it can be transformed and reused in any output format."

Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund - Y Combinator

jeroach — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:55:39 -0300

Author

Paul Graham

Source

http://ycombinator.com

Reference

http://ycombinator.com/ideas.html

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Y Combinator is a New England-based venture firm, unaffiliated with Catalict or propelsj, but whose aggressive focus on startups through what is for many the hardest step, from idea to company, puts them on our radar and catches our interest.

As their web site claims, Y Combinator "invests mostly in software and web services. And because we are ourselves technology people, we prefer groups with a lot of technical depth. We care more about how smart you are than how old you are, and more about the quality of your ideas than whether you have a formal business plan."

Following is a recently posted article on their site that outlines their areas of interest through which our local entrepreneurs might gain insight or new ideas to build on their own: http://ycombinator.com/ideas.html

Aliant to hold on to Xwave and Innovatia

jeroach — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:47:12 -0300

Author

David Shipley

Source

Telegraph-Journal, Published Thursday August 7th, 2008

Reference

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/376785

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Bell Aliant’s chief executive officer Stephen Wetmore speaks at the annual meeting of unitholders on Wednesday morning at the Delta.

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Bell Aliant has no plans sell off its Xwave and Innovatia subsidiaries following the sale of a specialized defence group to an international aerospace firm.

"Xwave plays an important role in the (information and communications technology) area for Bell Aliant and we've said from the very beginning that we want to make it more efficient, which we did in 2007 and where it could really benefit Bell Aliant overall," said Stephen Wetmore, Bell Aliant's chief executive officer of Bell Aliant Regional Communications Income Fund (TSX: BA.UN) during a conference call with investors.

"Xwave had another very strong quarter with revenue growth of $23 million or 36.1 per cent over the same period in 2007," said Wetmore. "Along with revenue growth, profitability continues to improve in our xwave business, driven by the restructuring we implemented in 2007."

Xwave accounted for $87 million of the $823 million in gross revenue Bell Aliant posted in the second quarter of 2008. During the same period, Aliant saw a decline in local service and long distance, which fell by 2.4 per cent and 4.8 per cent respectively.

Alyson Queen, spokeswoman for Bell Aliant said after the conference call that both Xwave and Innovatia remain important parts of Bell Aliant.

Late Tuesday pilot trainer CAE Inc. (TSX: CAE) announced a deal to buy the defence, security and aerospace unit of xwave for $26.1 million.

Wetmore described defence, security and aerospace branch as specialized businesses that Aliant acquired in 2000 and 2001. After a strategic review Aliant decided that this division would be better of in a larger firm that was interested in pursuing business opportunities across North America and worldwide.

Bell Aliant operates phone and Internet services throughout parts of Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. It is one of North America's largest regional communications providers, with 10,000 employees.

Bell Aliant is 73.5 per cent owned by Canada's largest telecom group, BCE Inc. (TSX: BCE).

Xwave has roughly 1,500 employees and posted revenues of about $300 million in 2007. Xwave plans, designs, builds and operates complete information and communications technology solutions for businesses.

Innovatia provides knowledge management and e-learning solutions to businesses.

Innovatia employs more than 300 people globally and serves over 1,500 customers in 29 countries around the world from offices in Canada, the United States and Europe.

The sale of the defence, security and aerospace division to CAE comes as Bell Aliant faces increasing competition in its service areas.

Cable-based telephone services are now available in 54 per cent of Aliant's territory, up from 42 per cent in the same period last year and up three per cent from the first quarter of 2008.

"It will be more important than ever to execute on our strategy to focus on the individual communities we serve by tailoring our offerings and strengthening our brand presence," said Wetmore.

"Our footprint could be between 60 and 65 per cent competitive by the end of the year if the markets open as they could."

One way Bell Aliant may become more competitive with cable rivals Rogers Communications Inc. and EastLink would be the introduction of high-definition television services to its Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service.

"HD is coming," said Wetmore. "In the coming quarters we will have additions to our pay-per-view line-up and the introduction of high definition and (personal video recorders)."

New Brunswick's divas at the wheel

jeroach — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:45:32 -0300

Author

Michelle Porter

Source

Telegraph-Journal, Published Monday August 4th, 2008

Reference

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/373854

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Trish Connolly, the president and CEO of Advanced Publishing for Be here series.

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Women are driving the economy

Last September, Trish Connolly decided to put her business on the line: the president and chief executive officer of Advance Publishing in Saint John embarked on a journey that demanded she trade profit-in-hand for the possibility of more down the line.

Connolly is part of a recent surge of female entrepreneurs across the province who are driving the growth of small- and medium-sized businesses one risk at a time.

Studies showing that women are leading the charge are no surprise to Florine LeBlanc, an employment counsellor with the Community Business Development Corporation.

In Atlantic Canada, women launched three times as many businesses as men over the past decade. According to Statistics Canada, between 1981 and 2001 the number of female entrepreneurs increased 208 per cent compared to 38 per cent for men. More than one million Canadian women are expected to run their own businesses by 2010, with 80 per cent married and more than half with children.

LeBlanc has been in contact with women across the province who have given up job security to run their own businesses.

"Some of these women, they are working at great corporate jobs,'' she said. "Then they have babies and want more flexibility. Not less work, just more flexibility."

She points to Sackville, where 60 per cent of the businesses on Bridge Street are owned by women. The success of female entrepreneurs there is so famous that the Community Development Corporation is launching a women's networking organization called the Diva Network.

"Women are the driving force of economic development in Sackville," she said.

A 1999 Swiss study blew away the stereotype that women are more reluctant than men to take financial risks. The study showed that when men and women are both presented with the same types of choices, the differences in approaching decisions are negligible.

Certainly risk is not unknown to entrepreneur Janis Melanson, who left a promising position practicing law with a Moncton firm to open Bella Promessa Bridal Boutique.

"People are always saying if I had a million, this is what I would do," she said.

Instead of waiting for that million, she opened the shop instead, a move that allowed her to work while caring for her six-month-old baby at the same time.

"On paper, it was a risk,'' she said. "I had to borrow money. I had to leave a secure job. It's very difficult for a lawyer to look at what is on paper and go with the gut."

Connolly once had a secure corporate job as well: she was the chief financial officer at Fundy Communications.

Starting her own business was a risk, but she had to remain open to it in order for her business to grow.

"There's quite a culture of risk in New Brunswick because you don't have a huge number of corporations,'' she said. "For people who choose to stay here, once you get to a certain point in your career you have to leave to start something on your own to continue to grow."

Her original product was not keeping up with the Internet world, so she hired a team of people to help her re-develop the software package she offers to keep up with today's computers.

The care and feeding of young, new companies

jeroach — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:41:12 -0300

Author

David Shipley

Source

Telegraph-Journal, Published Monday August 4th, 2008

Reference

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/373865

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With downtown Fredericton seen from the window of his office, Calvin Milbury, vice-president of business development for the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, is happy to be living and working in New Brunswick.

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FREDERICTON - When Calvin Milbury learned about the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, he knew he had to be part of it.

"I'm passionate about New Brunswick. I'm also very passionate about venture capital. When all of a sudden out of the blue the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation was created, part of its mandate was to focus on venture capital and growing venture capital in the province. I said 'what a great fit'," said Milbury, the foundation's vice-president of business development.

"A lot of people said 'You're crazy to give up an opportunity in Montreal because you can go to Montreal, work there, gain a whole bunch of knowledge, new contacts and always come back to New Brunswick'," the 30-year-old executive said. "I can always go to Montreal and Toronto, but to be able to do venture capital in New Brunswick and make a difference, that doesn't come around often'."

Milbury grew up in New Maryland and studied at the University of New Brunswick, where he earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and a master's of business administration.

He left New Brunswick in 2002 to work for Montreal-based venture capital firm Foragen Technologies Management.

Returning to New Brunswick to work for the foundation was a "rare opportunity" Milbury said.

"And for me, it paid off. I love what I do."

The foundation was formed by the provincial government in 2002 and given $35 million in seed capital. It began operations in March 2003. The independent, non-profit organization manages the New Brunswick Innovation Fund on behalf of the provincial government.

The foundation has made 25 investments worth over $7 million over the past four and a half years. Investments range from $25,000 to $1 million.

The foundation has supported e-health, life sciences and information communications technology firms, among others, says Milbury.

"Generally our goal is to get the company to the marketplace and securing its first customers. Our goal is to achieve revenue. From there, if they've got revenue we help build the business to the point where we can get it to profitability."

Once a company is profitable, the foundation helps firms attract outside venture capital investments so that they can continue to grow.

Milbury frequently gestures with his hands as he explains the role the foundation plays in the birth and fostering of new firms.

The foundation, he says, has made the province a better place to be for entrepreneurs and start-up companies.

"We like to believe we've played a large role in kind of increasing venture capital investments in New Brunswick," he says.

"Last year was a banner year for us in terms of attracting venture capital investments from abroad. Atlantic Hydrogen and Radian6 and AnyWare Group all received funding from venture capitalists out in central Canada, and that hasn't happened in a long time."w

New Brunswick is an ideal place for entrepreneurs, he says.

"The culture is right in New Brunswick. People here have a history of innovating and taking new products to market. Contrary to popular belief, I do believe there is quite a lot of capital available (here) and if you can build a good team of people that have a track record of executing and developing businesses, that capital will come in."

propelsj Board Letter to City Council in Support of Land Sale and IOL Development

jeroach — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:28:26 -0300

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Jeff Roach

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Common Council
City of Saint John
15 Market Square
C.P. 1971
Saint John, NB E2L 4L1

Your Worship and Councillors,

On behalf of the propelsj Board of Directors, I am writing to you to express our strong support for the municipality to sell the former Lantic Sugar site, at fair market value, to facilitate a possible transaction between Irving Oil Ltd. and the Saint John Port Authority.

The current demands for talent in our local Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry are high and we have an unprecedented opportunity to grow the ICT sector and other creative sectors of our economy. In late 2006, propelsj surveyed ICT businesses in the area and discovered that 1,300 new jobs could be created in the Saint John area alone in the coming five years. Since then, demand for talent has accelerated further and we need a vibrant community to attract the talent we need.

We believe the Irving plan for Long Wharf that will result from the Memorandum of Understanding announced this spring is progressive, visionary, and should provide the tipping point for development of our downtown. It is also the result of the right motivation: a focus on people, and keeping them connected to the heart of our city as we rebuild the urban magnet for the creative professionals we need to realize our community goals.

We believe the benefits to putting the world headquarters of one of our city's most important corporations on our prime real estate is good for our community and for revitalizing our urban core.

Rebirth is a process and this is an exciting step. This is a good thing.

Sincerely,

Jeff Roach
Executive Director, propelsj

propelsj Directors:
Richard Jones
Patricia Connolly
Anthony Hardt
Rick MacPhee
Gerry Pond
Dave Grebenc
Anita Punamiya
Henryk Sterniczuk
Chris Nadeau
James C Irving
David Baxter

Shore Excursion - Port of Project Management

jeroach — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:51:05 -0300

Start: 2008-08-16 13:00

End: 2008-08-16 17:00

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On August 16th from 1:00-5:00 pm local time, PMI-NB will be hosting PMI-SNEC in the Port City of Saint John, for a unique maritime experience. Come and be part of the “Port of Project Management” edutainment event sponsored by Irving Oil Limited & Ambir Solutions, organized by PMI-NB Local Events Committee.

Our guests will arrive at the port via Carnival Victory cruise ship, be greeted by the PMI NB Welcome Committee where upon registering, board transportation services bound for Canada’s Largest Oil Refinery. Learn how effective Project Management has secured Irving Oil’s future growth potential.

Fees: $35 CDN members, $45 CDN non-members (Cash, cheque or money order payments only. Sorry we do not accept credit card or debit payments. US currency exchanged at par).

For Registration & more information please contact SaintJohn@pminb.ca

If you are interested in volunteering for this event please contact Sacha Patino (p) 506-645-8512 or email at sachap@nbnet.nb.ca