Business Bulletin n June, the Board of Directors held Enterprise Saint John’s 2010 Annual General Meeting. The AGM is an important time for us to reflect on the past, look at where we are today, and focus on where we want to go. Now half way through the first year of our region’s 2011-2013 economic development strategic framework, Tony Gogan, Board Chair commented on the importance of a strong Saint John for the province. "This is where the economy is driven," he said, "New Brunswick really needs an ambitious Saint John. An ambitious Saint John will help grow the economy." The opportunities for economic success are greater in New Brunswick’s urban centres, and this is a message we are actively delivering to our provincial and federal partners and leaders. Investment attraction Col. Nase Boulevard opportunities Enterprise Saint John worked with the Town of Grand Bay-Westfield to host a public meeting on June 8 to explore opportunities for Col. Nase Boulevard. This new collector road will link the potential commer- cial activity around the Route 7 Interchange to the Town’s central commercial zone. Over 50 interested community members, property owners, land developers and entrepreneurs attended. Presentations were made by Ken Hannah of Dillon Consulting and Enterprise Saint John representatives, Steve Carson and Jay Reid. Enterprise Saint John also met separately with land owners to help them prepare for potential development opportunities. Enterprise Saint John’s next step is to assist the Town in developing a marketing strategy in time for the grand opening later this fall. Grand Bay-Westfield Quispamsis Rothesay St. Martins Saint John Investment attraction is central to what we do at Enterprise Saint John. In June, we hosted 6 domestic and interna- tional investment clients. We work with our partners in both the public and private sector to seek out and develop projects that add value to our community. We don’t do cold calls. We work strategically to generate and follow up on hot leads that flow directly from our local businesses and entrepreneurs. That is a home team advantage and it enables us and our community to put forward a value proposition many investors cannot deny. In employment, Saint John leads the way! Since the fall of 2010 the Saint John region has outperformed the province, Moncton and a peer group average in the important economic indicator of the monthly unemployment rate. The peer group is made up of nine other CMA’s across the country who share similar economic profiles. Why the strong performance? Saint John has more successfully matched employers and employees; the region enjoys a diversified economy; there is less reliance on public spending; and energy and paper products, key drivers of the local economy, are experiencing improved global market sales. June’s inspired entrepreneur: Tracy Craig It was in the fall of 2008 when staff at Enterprise Saint John first met Tracy Craig, a dynamic entrepreneur from Saint John. She had an idea, a business idea inspired by kids, her kids. “Today’s society is so busy being busy”, Tracy mused, “We structure our lives with school, work, soccer practice and so on and we forget to let our kids spend time just being kids!”. This has lead to a growing epidemic of child obesity, depression and learning disorders. So in July 2009, with assistance from Enterprise Saint John, she opened Just Play at Place 400 on Main St. - an indoor playground & Cafe, where kids CAN be kids! Just Play expanded in July 2010 to add an extended hours daycare and now employs 15 full and part time staff and continues to meet and exceed business plan projections. Congratula- tions, Tracy on Just Play’s 2nd anniversary! JUNE 2011 ACTIVITY UPDATE Inspiring people, ideas & investment “I am so thankful to the team at Enterprise Saint John. They helped with SEED funding, keeping me in the know about ongoing training and support and gave me great networking opportunities. Pictured with me are my kids because they ARE what inspired me to start Just Play!” Tracy Craig, inspired entrepreneur and “top kid” at Just Play “When it comes to economic development, the wants and desires of the community play an important role. Certainly, there has to be a business case for land owners, developers and other entrepreneurs to invest in a project, but community support is always a driving factor,” Steve Carson, CEO Enterprise Saint John Monthly Unemployment Rate 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 Jun- 10 Jul- 10 Aug- 10 Sep- 10 Oct- 10 Nov- 10 Dec- 10 Jan- 11 Feb- 11 Mar- 11 Apr- 11 May- 11 Jun- 11 Saint John Moncton Peer Group Avg NB Energy and advanced manufacturing investment attraction Right now, building upon the significant growth initiated by Canaport LNG, we are working with Business New Brunswick, the Department of Energy and Stantec to finalize a short list of energy-related companies that would be interested in Saint John’s strong value proposition. Only then do we get out there and pound the pavement, and sell all the wonderful things that our region has to offer.