At NSBI, we see opportunities and we go after them.
Two years ago we saw a huge opportunity in Alberta for Nova Scotia metal workers. Let me paint you a picture: Alberta’s metal working industry was facing a capacity shortage, meanwhile Nova Scotia companies had the ability to take on new contracts. As our solution, NSBI and our partners took Nova Scotia metal workers out West to bring back new contracts and assist Alberta companies in meeting their project deadlines.
In December 2006 more than two dozen metal working companies from Nova Scotia traveled with me to Alberta to participate in the first Partner East initiative. They attended trade shows, networked and met with prospective partners in Calgary and Edmonton.
Returning home, many of these companies saw a lot of value in Partner East and wanted to do it again, so we did. In 2007 we traveled out West again, this time to Nisku, Alberta, with 15 companies. Our travels to Alberta through Partner East have led to contract wins and many valuable business leads for Nova Scotia metal workers.
As the trade development executive leading Partner East, I saw first-hand the connections being made in Alberta and also between the Nova Scotia metal workers themselves. They’ve changed the way they think about each other. They’re no longer pure competitors, but potential business partners as well.
This initiative kick-started Nova Scotia companies to look for opportunities together and they’re still drawing on their partnerships today. They’re joining resources to take on larger projects and win new contracts. In fact, some of the metal working companies have grown so much through increased sales and new product development, they’re expanding their facilities.
From Sydney to Yarmouth, Halifax to Oxford and all points in between, our companies have discovered that collaboration is at the root of a strong, well-connected metal working industry. But it’s not just the metal workers that have benefited from Partner East. Local service providers that specialize in drafting, engineering, blue print design, architectural and electrical are called upon by metal workers to fulfill contracts.
Two years ago, Partner East was just an idea around a boardroom table, and I’m so proud of what it’s become. This idea has evolved into an annual event that Nova Scotia metal workers look forward to each year.