As our main trading partner, the United States continues to work through its economic challenges, the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China are surging ahead. Where are the opportunities for our companies and where are the opportunities for global investment?

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President’s Message
Stephen Lund

Stephen Lund | President & CEO

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…Never More Evident

Message from the President & CEO, Stephen Lund

We do business in a global, interconnected world. This has never been more evident.

As our main trading partner, the United States continues to work through its economic challenges, the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China are surging ahead. Where are the opportunities for our companies and where are the opportunities for global investment?

Although our economy has clearly seen the impact of global turbulence, we still have seen some success in Nova Scotia, and now is the time to be even more vigilant. NSBI, along with our partners and our clients, exceeded the payroll target of $130 million and brought about a positive return on investment for Nova Scotians. For NSBI, it’s about jobs, but not just jobs. Through our clients, we’re increasingly focused on higher value careers, which is part of increasing total payroll and moving the provincial average salary even higher.

In 2010/11, we saw an increased focus on domestic investment and trade development for Nova Scotia companies.

As in previous years, we’re also focused on promoting our province on the world stage as a place to invest and showcasing our local industries at the same time.

In 2010/11, we saw an increased focus on domestic investment and trade development for Nova Scotia companies. Investing in homegrown businesses can help catapult them onto the world stage—and in the case of Dartmouth-based Unique Solutions—onto the front page of the New York Times’ Business section. The firm’s state of the art body measurement scanner system and customized shopping service is poised to revolutionize both in-store and online shopping.

Unique Solutions’ transformation from custom pattern maker to apparel industry game-changer illustrates the power of identifying a niche, embracing new technology and hunting down bigger markets. And as our clients evolve to compete globally, so do we.

Last year the provincial government launched jobsHere, a plan to grow the Nova Scotia economy. The international commerce strategy is an important part of that plan and will help companies build global capacity and strengthen the province’s access to global markets and networks.

As outlined in our 2011/12 Business Plan, NSBI will play a key role in this strategy, through our work in venture capital, business finance, investment attraction and trade development.

Sometimes it’s all about what you do—and how you do it. At NSBI, we’re constantly looking for new ways to integrate our operations for the benefit of our clients. This year, our investment attraction and trade development teams worked together at the San Francisco-based Game Developers’ Conference—a premiere industry event with more than 18,000 attendees. Our business units worked together seamlessly to sell Nova Scotia to the world and help our homegrown firms uncover new opportunities for growth through exports and international partnerships.

Sometimes it’s all about what you do—and how you do it.

Read through our 2010/11 Annual Report and you’ll see examples of how we’re evolving to meet the needs of our clients as they in turn evolve to reach ever higher levels of competitiveness. It’s about working better together to grow and thrive.

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Unique Solutions

Big business happens minute by minute—even by the second. Thirty seconds is all it could take for Dartmouth-based Unique Solutions to revolutionize the apparel industry—worth an estimated $150 billion in the U.S. alone. That’s how long it takes for Unique’s breakthrough Intellifit Plus 3D body scanner to use white light and radio wave technology to capture more than 200,000 points of body measurement, and then make personalized product recommendations. It’s called mybestfit and its 2011 launch in The King of Prussia Mall—the largest retail shopping mall in the U.S.—generated widespread media attention with coverage in the New York Times and the Today show. Now that they’ve tested the waters, Unique plans to expand mybestfit to 400 U.S. locations within the next two years.

2002

Unique Solutions introduces the proprietary UniqueScan body scanning system using white light technology. In addition to over 200,000 points of body measurement, the Intellifit Plus can report BMI, height, weight, and health risk factors.

Tanya Shaw

2004

NSBI launches its relationship with Unique Solutions, providing venture capital to assist in the evolution of the firm’s 3D body scanner. NSBI has a presence on the company’s board of directors, providing support and guidance.

2008

Unique Solutions opens California offices to test concepts and launch technology into the US marketplace.

Intellifit

2009

NSBI Venture Capital invests $2 million in Unique Solutions, helping the firm to attract an additional $3 million in U.S.-based private sector funding. The firm moves to deploy body scanners throughout Canada, the US, Mexico, Tunisia and Korea. This brings the total investment to more than $5 million since 2004.

2009

Unique acquires Intellifit and now holds exclusive patents for two of the world’s most advanced body measurement protocols. Intellifit used radio wave technology and is the only system capable of scanning a clothed body. After applying its own proprietary software and upgraded technology, the Intellifit Plus can now offer customers the ability to quickly determine their exact body measurements and be matched to apparel that fits—and flatters.

2011

Unique launches mybestfit, a personalized shopping service, at the King of Prussia Mall – the largest retail shopping mall in the U.S. The service is free to shoppers – retailers pay a fee to be included in Unique’s database. mybestfit generates a media frenzy. Tanya Shaw is featured in dozens of high profile US and Canadian media outlets, including People Magazine, Good Morning America, Anderson Coopers’ 360 and InStyle Magazine.

2013

mybestfit could be deployed in as many as 400 U.S. locations. The firm’s comprehensive database of aggregated body measurements allows it to branch out beyond the apparel industry into health and wellness, home furnishings and consumer goods.

Intellifit