Innovation Forum

Dr. Don Simpson, founder of the renowned Innovation Expedition, will speak from 8 am until 10 am on Tuesday, September 21st, at the event “Miramichi Ideas into Action: We innovate. We prosper” being held at the Miramichi Golf & Country Club, 930 Water Street.

Miramichi Ideas into Action is an exploratory initiative by GMCC and Silicon East that seeks to raise awareness of Greater Miramichi’s innovation and growth challenges and offer options for its future.

The slogan for the event, “We Innovate. We prosper,” is intended to capture the hosts and sponsor’s optimism for both the event and the region. It also underscores the importance of innovation in building high-performance local economies as the bedrock of national wealth-creation.

The event supports important ongoing community-based discussions on innovation and the future, following the successful work of the Miramichi Prosperity Task Force and the April announcement of the new $25 million Regional Economic Development Fund. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) is the event’s sustaining sponsor.

In announcing the Ideas into Action forum, Katrina Donovan, president of GMCC, and David Stairs, president of Silicon East, said they were delighted to organise an event of this nature and attract a speaker of Don Simpson’s calibre.

In addition to having a long-term vision for a more prosperous Canada, Simpson has an engaging, down-to-earth speaking style and is leading the creation of a new national support network for innovation among small to medium-sized businesses, known as I-CAN.

“I am pleased to see both the good work of the Task Force and the favourable response by government,” Simpson said. “At the heart of the Prosperity Task Force’s work, there is evidence of an integrated approach to regional economic development. I expect this will help generate new ideas and new voices in the New Brunswick north-east, notably due to the focus on broadband, applied research and innovation within the seemingly traditional sectors and the growth and establishment of knowledge-based industries.

“Based on our initial research, we have learned that several large mills in the area are already well tapped into global best practices in manufacturing and environmental stewardship and there is another dynamic group of companies with an innovative and complementary focus on construction, wood, steel and environmental industries.

“In the following month, I am looking forward to sharing the insights gained in this Maritime visit with I-CAN Network colleagues and federal, provincial and territorial task forces concerned with the growth of globally competitive enterprises.”