SmartCity Blog

What’s your big idea?

(Originally published in the November 2014 issue of the Business Voice)

Recently, I met with a Halifax leader who was facing a challenge in her company. I asked her: “What would be a game changer for your business?” She paused for a moment and then responded with a Big Idea. We proceeded to have a rich and exciting conversation about how we could make this idea happen.

I find myself having more and more conversations with people about Big Ideas.

Why? Because achieving aggressive goals and transformational change in our businesses, our communities and our city requires us to think big and take action.

In Halifax, we know what our challenges are. We’ve spent years researching and talking about them. We know we have to grow our population, change attitudes, export more, support entrepreneurship, and revitalize our downtown.

But what are the Big Ideas that will drive significant growth and development in Halifax over the next 10 or 20 years?

This is where you come in š

• Do you have a BIG IDEA for Halifax? š
  
  
• Are you ready to do something about it? š
  
  
• Do you want to work with

If you answered yes to these questions, you are part of a growing movement of people, businesses, and organizations who believe in Halifax’s amazing potential and are ready to collaborate on big ideas.

This is what the Halifax Ecosystem is all about. It’s about creating the right attitude and entrepreneurial and innovative culture and significantly increasing our individual and collective impact. It taps into the powerful tools of passion, connections, and collaboration and organizes and harnesses the energy, talents and resources in our community to get to action quicker on key economic and social issues. The focus is on dreaming big and taking bold measures to create a more confident and innovative Halifax.

Since the Ecosystem’s launch, working groups and project teams have formed around a number of opportunities and hundreds of residents have signed-on to champion Halifax and work together in the Ecosystem. The Ecosystem is open to everyone. It’s you. It’s me. It’s everyone doing their part to make positive changes in our community. We are all authors of Halifax’s story and The Ecosystem is the way we are writing it together.

So I ask you: What’s your Big Idea and how can we work together to make it happen? Contact me at pkent@greaterhalifax.com. I look forward to the exciting conversations we’ll have.

Take the Bold Promise and showcase your big ideas at www.boldhalifax.ca

Author: 

Paul Kent is the President and CEO of the Greater Halifax Partnership. Paul has over 30 years of experience at executive and senior management levels, in both the public and private sectors. 

 

 

 

 

Partnership Receives International Recognition

Last month, the Partnership brought home six awards from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) for our work to attract and retain business, talent and investment in Halifax.

Partnership Chief Economist and Executive Vice President Fred Morley accepted the awards at IEDC's annual conference in Fort Worth, Texas in the company of over 800 international economic development professionals. 

IEDC's Excellence in Economic Development Awards recognize the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials, and the year’s most influential leaders and organizations who are creating positive change in urban, suburban, and rural communities around the world. 

The Partnership won 4 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze award. Gold awards went to WhyHalifax.com (Special Purpose Website), the Partnership’s SmartBusiness Program (Business Retention and Expansion Program of Three Years of More) and the National Connector Program (Human Capital and Multi-Year Economic Development). Silver and Bronze went to Why Halifax (General Purpose Print Brochure) and the Halifax Gateway Mega Projects (Special Purpose Print Brochure).

This year's awards were very special for our team as Fred Morley was awarded Fellow Member Status for his “unusual” stature in the field of economic development. This designation recognizes substantial contributions to the profession through service to IEDC and/or academic ventures directly related to the practice of economic development.

IEDC Chair Bill Sproull said, "Mr. Morley serves as a premier example of one who has made just such contributions and we are proud to have bestowed Fellow Member status upon him."

Fred has been a leader in the field of economic development for over 30 years.  Fred has made significant contributions to our local, provincial and regional economy in his roles as Chief Economist and Executive Vice-President at the Greater Halifax Partnership, Senior Economic Advisor at the Government of Nova Scotia, Senior Policy Analyst and Research Coordinator for the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council, and Director of the Marketing and Research Branch of the Nova Scotia Department of Economic Development. Fred also taught for nine years in the Economics Department of Saint Mary’s University and is the author of over 100 articles on economic development. He has presented his views to hundreds of organizations, companies, and government groups around the world and is a frequent media commentator.

Our team is truly honoured to be recognized by IEDC and our community as a leader in economic development here at home and abroad. Our work and achievements would not have been possible without our public and private sector investors, partners and sponsors, and we thank them for their ongoing support and commitment to growing Halifax's economy.

Author:

Celina Lam is Marketing and Communication Assistant at the Greater Halifax Partnership. She currently is in her final year of the Public Relations Program at Mount Saint Vincent University 

You can reach Celina at celina@greaterhalifax.com 

Consumer Confidence is Key to Success

If you ask an economist about a particular region’s potential, one of the things he or she will almost certainly talk about is consumer confidence. Why is that? Of all the big moving pieces in an economy – interest rates, employment rates, new companies opening and other companies shutting down – why is consumer confidence so important?

Every single person has an impact on the economy with the decisions we make each day. Collectively, our impact is massive. When we are nervous, we sock our money away, and the wheels of the economy slow down.

When people feel confident, they spend. They travel, eat in restaurants, invest in new cars and new furniture, in buying new homes or renovating older ones. And that spending powers the local economy. It keeps local businesses thriving, it creates employment opportunities, and it generates the tax revenue that provides the services we all rely on. 

Well, you can’t have confidence without trust; they’re flip sides of the same coin. And that’s why the organization I am privileged to lead – your Better Business Bureau (BBB) – is an integral part of our economic development ecosystem. Our mission is to advance marketplace trust – to help create an environment of high trust between consumers and businesses.

In a marketplace with high levels of trust, people know they can feel comfortable doing business with the companies in their community. They know that those businesses will provide the product or service they want, and that if something goes wrong, they’ll make a good faith effort to make it right.

Many people are familiar with BBB’s complaints program, through which we work with consumers and businesses when there are disputes about transactions between them. We don’t advocate for one or the other; as an impartial and balanced third party, we help both come to a reasonable resolution. Our Business Reviews are also unbiased, and help people find businesses that maintain high standards for ethical behavior, so that they can make better informed choices with their hard-earned money.

We’re also a source of important information for the people you care about. When an elderly relative gets an email that looks like it came from their bank, but is actually a phishing attempt to gain access to their banking information; when your child is off to their first year at university, and needs to know how to protect their identity and credit – both online and off – we’re there with that important information.

We’re lucky in this part of the world. Atlantic Canadians have a well-deserved reputation for being honest and true to our word. That makes it easier for organizations like the Greater Halifax Partnership and Nova Scotia Business Inc to attract people and companies to live and do business here.

Your BBB is proud to play the role that we do in this ecosystem, starting with trust to build our regional economy.

Author: 

Peter Moorhouse is the President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau, Atlantic Provinces. Mr. Moorhouse has worked in the private, not-for–profit and academic sectors in both Toronto and Halifax. Moorhouse is an active community leader with experience in investor services, business development, event coordination and sponsorship, government relations, media relations and communications.

The best connection? A human one.

When you hear the word networking, what comes to mind? The exchange of business cards, handshakes, perhaps some small talk as well?  Yet, this is just the tip of the iceberg. When you think of networking do you also consider where this handshake, cup or coffee or exchange of business cards could go?

Making connections is electric. As one connection is made it opens a whole other network of people and opportunities. Like a web, these connections grow and expand and before you know it the single handshake leads to a large network of contacts to call on.

Like knocking down the first domino in a row, the Connector Program helps to ignite human connections between business and talent.

Check out our new video on the program to find out why the human connection is the best connection.

 

 

Author: 

Sarah Beatty joined the Partnership in 2014 and is a whole-hearted champion of the city. As communication co-ordinator she works to help share and celebrate the stories of Halifax’s success. 

You can reach Sarah at sbeatty@greaterhalifax.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Two Super Connectors. Two reasons to get involved.

Chanda Chilandra – Participant and Connector

Growing a professional network can be challenging, especially if you’re an international student growing your network from scratch in a new city.  But the Greater Halifax Partnership’s Connector Program is making it easier for international students, new graduates and immigrants to build their professional network and improve their job search in Halifax.

A simple, yet highly effective networking program, the Connector Program puts job seekers directly in touch with Connectors – local business people, civil servants and community leaders who work in their field.  Through one-on-one meetings with several Connectors, participants in the program have the opportunity to learn about their industry and the labour market, enhance their job search and exponentially grow their local network.

Chanda Chilanda, an international student from Zambia, has experienced the success of this program first-hand. “Coming from a different culture, I didn’t know the value of networking because it’s not what we do back home,” says Chilanda, who graduated from Saint Mary’s University with a Bachelor of Commerce.

For Chilanda, the biggest learning curve as an international student has been equipping herself with the “soft skills”.

 “If I had the skills I have now when I was looking for a job I’d be less frustrated,” she says. “It’s frustrating finding the right job when you feel like you’re not having opportunities in your field or that are relevant to your skills.”

Initially involved in the Greater Halifax Partnership’s Connector Program as a participant, Chilanda quickly became a Connector after finding a job. Today, working as a Partnership Coordinator with Skills Canada Nova Scotia she has connected over four participants in the past year.

“It’s the people who genuinely want to help people and will go out of their way to do so that makes the biggest impact,” says Chilanda.

With experience as both a participant and a Connector, Chilanda is a strong advocate for the Connector Program, encouraging others to share their experience to help accelerate talent retention in the city.

 “It’s a great feeling knowing that you had a role in pushing that first ‘domino’ that led to someone getting a job,” says Chilanda.

Today the Connector Program has over 640 Connectors and 1,000 Connectees helping over   447 helps immigrants, international students and new graduates find employment in Halifax.

Nic Fieldsend – Immigrant and Connector

As a newcomer to Halifax, Nic Fieldsend, Vice President and Director of Client Services of Journeyman Film Company, quickly discovered the importance of strong connections.

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” says Fieldsend. “I quickly realized that making connections is the way you need to get things done here.”

After rapidly expanding and cultivating his own network, Fieldsend strives to pay it forward as a Super Connector with the Greater Halifax Partnership’s Connector Program - a highly effective networking program that helps immigrants, international students and new graduates build a professional network and improve their job search in Halifax .

Through the program, he works to connect participants with people in industries relevant to their job hunt and passions. Though for Fieldsend, his role is more than connecting employers with employees-it is about tapping into a participant’s passions.

“Employment is only one part of it, it’s about how to get someone plugged into the community in all the other aspects of their life as well,” says Fieldsend, “That’s what will make them want to stay.”

 “We’re really going to have to bring new people in, you can’t be locked into the old boy’s network,” says Fieldsend, “We need to maintain the great character of Halifax by bringing new ideas and new voices to the fold.”

 Author:

Sarah Beatty joined the Partnership in 2014 and is a whole-hearted champion of the city. As communication co-ordinator she works to help share and celebrate the stories of Halifax’s success. 

You can reach Sarah at sbeatty@greaterhalifax.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Youth, it's time to get involved. My State of the Economy Conference experience.

If I could pick my favourite thing I did as a grade 12 co-op student at the Greater Halifax Partnership, it would have to be participating in the 2014 State of the Economy Conference on May 22^nd. Not only was there a great keynote speaker and activities, but the Partnership presented a warm and welcoming environment for everyone who attended. There was plenty of delicious food, fun and interesting discussions throughout the day.

 Though I just turned 18 and figured I would be out of my element completely, I was proved wrong. By helping out and being included in the afternoon activities I felt part of it all.

In the morning, we had a fantastic keynote speaker, Victor Hwang, who described the business world in a unique way. Victor said we should treat our community like a rainforest and let weeds (ideas) spread instead of keeping everything like a perfectly manicured front lawn. During the afternoon, groups worked together to discuss how we could improve Halifax in the next five years. My group chose me as their presenter. We spoke about engaging youth and elderly people in economic development. We suggested youth friendly activities and having young people visit nursing homes. Kids could learn from seniors while brightening their day. At youth friendly events, there would be business and economy fact booths alongside other activities.

The idea of involving younger generations really stood out to me. After pitching all of our ideas to one another, I stood up and spoke in a room full of business people, investors, and members of the community about our group’s ideas. After the activity, so many people came up to me to say how wonderful my presentation was.

They built my confidence and reminded me that people do listen to youth when they speak their minds. That was a major highlight for me. I would not hesitate to return to the State of the Economy Conference in the future or encourage other youth and the general public to attend as well.

 It’s a really good opportunity for everyone to be involved in our city’s development. 

Author:

Larissa Reese is a grade 12 student at Millwood High School. She completed her co-op placement at the Greater Halifax Partnership this spring.

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Why You Should Take the #myHFXpledge

This weekend, the Greater Halifax Partnership joined the 100in1Day Halifax to bring the #myHFXpledge to the community. 100in1Day Halifax is a citizen driven festival to unite people across the city to make Halifax a better place by creating acts of urban change known as “interventions”. These interventions aim to raise awareness of urban and social issues, inspire ideas, and motivate us to consider new approaches to issues in Halifax.

From collecting food for the food bank, to writing post cards with ideas on how to improve the city, to community clean-ups and guerilla gardening, 100in1Day shows that when the community comes together, great ideas and action happens.

This is exactly what the #myHFXpledge is all about. With nearly 275 community members of all ages and backgrounds having already taken the Pledge, the movement is growing.

There are so many champions for the city already working to share good news and optimism across the city. The #myHFXpledge helps to celebrate and connect these champions to create real, positive change in Halifax.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is the #MyHfxPledge?

#myHFXpledge is a commitment to share your love for Halifax and champion our city near and far. Those who take the pledge join a growing movement of people, businesses and organizations across Halifax who believe in dreaming big, taking risks, and experimenting together to create a more innovative and successful Halifax.

By taking the #myHFXpledge you are joining a movement of people championing Halifax and taking action to improve our city. As part of this movement you will have the opportunity to take part in collaborative cafes and Halifax Innovation Ecosystem groups and projects. Plus, you’ll receive exciting news about Halifax to share with your friends, family, and networks.

Four reasons why should you take the pledge

1. You love Halifax and want to share your positive, win-win attitude.
2. You’re ready for change! You’re ready to create real, lasting change in our community.
3. You want to work with others in Halifax on common social and economic goals to help Halifax grow and thrive.
4. You celebrate success and are ready to be a champion for this city.

How do I make #myHFXpledge?

Take the #myHFXpledge by simply clicking on the button below.

Already Made Your Pledge?

Here are some next steps you can take to live the pledge:

1. Nominate others to take the pledge. Be sure to let your friends, family and other connections know about the pledge and challenge them to make their commitment too. You can share it on social media with a message like:

 I took the #myHFXpledge to help #Halifax succeed. Now I nominate you

(tag people here) http://ht.ly/wSRan

 

         2. Start living the pledge! At home, work and in your community take action on your own and with others to create a more confident, welcoming, and innovative Halifax.

         3. Stay tuned for updates on the Halifax Innovation Ecosystem, a community-driven network of people in Halifax working together on projects to improve our city.

 

Author:

 

Sarah Beatty joined the Partnership in 2014 and is a whole-hearted champion of the city. As communication co-ordinator she works to help share and celebrate the stories of Halifax’s success. 

You can reach Sarah at sbeatty@greaterhalifax.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The key to reviving downtown Halifax: Part two

The key to reviving downtown Halifax: Part two

By donalee Moulton

Originally published in the June 2014 issue of the Nova Scotia Business Journal

Reprinted with permission from TC Media

To encourage more people to live in the downtown, creating new accommodations is a priority. The city is currently saying farewell to the Roy Building and welcoming a new 150-condo development in its stead. One of the most recent developments to get a thumbs up from the city includes a 500,000 square-foot twin tower with 88 condo units in the centre of downtown.

Attracting people to downtown living, however, will mean providing them with the services they require.

“We need people living in the downtown to bring our city back to life, but it’s not enough to have a home, you also need easy access to a grocery store, a dry cleaner, a convenience store, and more,” says Rand Gaynor, owner of Drala, a décor and gift shop on Grafton Street.

To a certain extent, the issue reflects the age-old question of which comes first — the chicken or the egg, the people or the services? The answer, says Kent, is neither.

“This is a symbiotic relationship.”

While services will attract more owners and renters, their presence, in turn, will attract more services. But caution is required: diversity is needed. A vibrant downtown community requires more than upscale accommodations.

“It’s critical that the downtown be home to an incredible mix of individuals of all ages, all backgrounds, and all incomes. A truly thriving downtown has room for everyone,” says Chris Hornberger, a partner with Halifax Global Inc., a management consulting firm.

Savage points out that revitalizing the downtown is not and should not be a competition between the suburbs and the urban centre.

“People have to have a choice,” he says.

Ensuring both diversity and density requires sound planning and a value judgment. Halifax has both, says Kent.

“Elected officials often favour proposals that allow low-cost options to co-exist with more affluent options.”

Still, he notes, incentives may be needed to encourage developers.

Such incentives need to be strategic, stresses Gaynor.

“Cities that develop naturally are stronger,” says the retail store owner. “Let lower-cost housing and more expensive housing evolve. If we force the issue, we will fail.”

There is perhaps one final ingredient essential to building a downtown that draws people, services and business. It is optimism, and it is currently lacking, says Kent.

“Confidence is so fragile,” he says. “When there is a lack of confidence, people are less likely to take a risk. An attitude transformation is necessary.”

The Greater Halifax Partnership and the City of Halifax are hoping to sow the seeds of that transformation by launching a movement.

Fred Morley, executive vice-president and chief economist of the Greater Halifax Partnership, says his organization recently challenged stakeholders to take an individual and personal pledge to embrace a positive attitude and take the first step towards a better innovative culture.

“Innovative economic ecosystems are built by people who commit to being bold, challenging activist pessimism, extending trust, innovating together, being a champion and paying it forward, and most of all celebrating success,” says Morley.

 

Author: donalee Moulton

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Downtown I'm In...Are You?

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The key to reviving downtown Halifax: Part one

By donalee Moulton

Originally published in the June 2014 issue of the Nova Scotia Business Journal

Reprinted with permission from TC Media

There is, not surprisingly, widespread agreement that Halifax’s downtown core has lan guished. Surprisingly, there is equally widespread agreement that new life, new energy, and new ideas are beginning to revitalize the neighbourhood.

For Halifax mayor Mike Savage, there is one critical ingredient to building a vibrant, prosperous city centre.

“What we want downtown is community, and community is people who live, work, study, and visit the downtown,” he says.

That has not been the case, Savage acknowledges.

“We have a great downtown, but there’s no question over the last number of decades we’ve seen a reduction in the size of the population on the peninsula. That’s not unusual. What we hadn’t done was come up with a plan to invest in our downtown.”

That plan, HRM By Design, is now in the works. Released in 2010 after three years of public consultation, the plan creates a new 25 year-vision for the city along with a new land-use bylaw, a municipal capital improvement strategy, and a design-based development approval process. Many believe the impact of this plan is now evident in the numerous construction projects underway throughout the downtown.

Still at least one of the essential ingredients for a flourishing downtown — residents — is noticeably absent. Developers like Joseph Ramia, whose company Rank Incorporated is building the one million square-foot mixed-use Nova Centre in the heart of the downtown, is hoping to change that by making the downtown generally more appealing and more amenable. Build it and they will come seems to be the current mantra, and it is being widely chanted.

“There are 35 cranes on the peninsula,” says Greater Halifax Partnership president and CEO Paul Kent. “If someone says we’re stagnant, I have to ask them what planet they’re living on. Things are changing.”

The change is both significant and long term. The new public library is expected to be substantially complete this summer, and the Nova Centre, which boasts more than 285,000 square feet of convention space and 18,000 square feet of public space, is slated to open its doors in 2016. Most recently, city council approved the transformation of the Cogswell Interchange into what it calls a “mixed-use, pedestrian/transit/active transportation-friendly redevelopment, connecting downtown to northern Peninsula neighbourhoods, and acting as a gateway to downtown Halifax.” The transformation, says Savage, will take approximately a decade.

Click here to read part two

Author: donalee Moulton

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Chris O’Shea knows what it feels like to be a stranger in his own town. Self-proclaimed “boomerang”, O’Shea returned home to Halifax after six years in the United States to find a very different city.

“Since no one knew me here, I had to take a refocusing of my career,” says O’Shea. “When I came across the border, I had a solid set of skills but it was put aside for ‘Who are you? Why did you leave?’”

As many of O’Shea’s contacts had re-located, re-inserting himself into his industry was a challenge. With an IT background and over six years of experience O’Shea struggled for months to find a job in Halifax.

“If you don’t know somebody or have the contacts in the industry, it’s harder to gain that opportunity,” says O’Shea, who currently works as an Internet Services Consultant for the Business Development Bank of Canada.

From this experience, O’Shea seeks to lend his connections, experience and expertise to anyone else facing the same dilemma through the Greater Halifax Partnership’s Connector Program.

 By pairing up new graduates, immigrants and international students with Connectors - business and community leaders in Halifax - the program helps participants build their professional network and find jobs in their field.

 Over the last five years, over 641 Connectors have joined the program and over 447 participants have found jobs. Word has spread about Connector’s success and as a result 14 cities across Canada have started their own programs with the Partnership’s help. The program’s growth and would not have been possible without the help and support of volunteer Connectors like O’Shea.

 “I consider myself a coach,” says O’Shea who has been a Connector for a year. “I like to see where the participants are at, what their career goals are, I want to make sure that whatever their goals are, that as a region we can provide it for them.”

 As Connector, O’Shea has met with several participants to help them build, re-build and integrate into the community. His dedication to the program and willingness to connect multiple participants at a time has made him a “Super Connector” for the Partnership.

“I’m not out there pounding the pavement,” says O’Shea, “I just make a few calls and send some emails, but if what I can do makes an impact, that’s an effort I want to make.”

 O’Shea’s top coaching tips for Connector participants are:

1)      Tap into the potential of LinkedIn

2)      Start talking about your industry and be in those places, be at the events, do the networking, take in the information.

3)      Be open and friendly.

An advocate for promoting opportunities within the city, O’Shea encourages others to start to play the role of Connector.

“You really need to look at the Ivany Report as the fork in the road. Which way do we want to go from here,” says O’Shea. “If there is something here that newcomers and young talent are interested in for their career, why wouldn’t we do what we can to keep them here?”

Author:

Denise is responsible for managing the Partnership's Connector Program which is funded by the Province of Nova Scotia and the Government of Canada.

If you're interested in joining the Connector Program, you can contact Denise at: (902) 490.6460 or ddelong@greaterhalifax.com

 

 

 

 

 

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