Sarnia's Bioindustrial Innovation Centre names director
Friday, 27 August 2010 08:55
Dr. Murray McLaughlin has been appointed Executive Director of the Bioindustrial Innovation Centre, a National Centre of Excellence. The BIC is focused on helping Canada become a globally recognized leader in taking sustainable feedstock, such as agricultural and forestry by-products and wastes, and turning these renewable resources into energy and value-added chemicals for use in applications ranging from construction to automotive parts.
Jack Pasternak, Chair of the BIC’s Board of Directors, said Dr. McLaughlin’s background is an excellent fit for leadership of the centre. “His experience in working with centres to build clusters of significance will be critical in ensuring that the Bioindustrial cluster becomes well positioned in Sarnia-Lambton. This will make the region and Ontario a leader in this sector.”
Dr. McLaughlin has a long history of involvement in Canadian agriculture and bioindustry and he has held various positions in private industry, government and non-profit sectors. His career has focused on agricultural science including research, development and product management and marketing.
“Our aim is to bridge the gap between research and market in chemicals and energy production from biomass,” said Dr. McLaughlin, who is also President and CEO of the Sustainable Chemistry Alliance. Earlier this year, he received awards from both BIOTECanada and The BioTechnology Initiative (now Life Sciences Ontario) in recognition of his leadership in the commercialization of biotechnologies and the growth of innovation-based companies.
The BIC plays a major role in translating Southwestern Ontario's strengths in agriculture, chemical and automotive production into new, sustainable bioproducts and renewable energy. It is creating North America's first biotechnology laboratories and shared pilot plant facilities for gasification, pyrolysis, fermentation and bio-conversion – key technologies involved in converting agricultural and forestry by-products into fuels, chemicals, products and materials.
Located at the Sarnia Lambton campus of the University of Western Ontario Research Park, the BIC was launched with $15 million in seed funding from the National Centres of Excellence program with renovations partly funded by Ontario's Ministry of Innovation through a $10 million grant.
"We're excited to see the Bioindustrial Innovation Centre moving forward under Murray's direction. His vast experience in the field of biotechnology and green chemistry will be invaluable as this initiative moves forward," said Ted Hewitt, Vice-President of Research and International Relations at the University of Western Ontario. "The university has been committed to supporting the BIC's development since day one, given its importance for bioindustrial research and development not only in this region but on an international scale."
Last Updated ( Friday, 27 August 2010 08:59 )
"New Southwestern Ontario" focus of SWEA project
Friday, 30 July 2010 09:45
The Southwest Economic Alliance (SWEA) has teamed with Roundtable Creative Group, publisher of Report on Industry (ROI) Magazine, to provide a specialty news service designed to communicate innovative economic developments across Southwestern Ontario. "Drivers of Change" debuts in September with daily radio broadcasts, a multi-media web presence and publication. Content focuses on "made in Ontario" research, development and implementation to benefit Ontario residents. Roundtable, in association with Ontario AgRadio Network, will interview individuals, companies and associations most actively engaged in leading change across Southwestern Ontario.
"Our region is blessed with a diverse economy rooted in decades of achievement in agriculture, advanced manufacturing, energy production and technology," said Serge Lavoie, President of SWEA. "Increasingly companies, colleges, universities and individuals across the region are building on this legacy with game-changing research and innovation. These are the stories that we want to tell."
Once in place, the material will be available in a variety of formats for use by SWEA members on their web sites and in their newsletters. "We want our members to be part of our efforts to build positive, new perceptions of the region", says Lavoie.
The Great Lakes have given Southwestern Ontario the longest summers and shortest winters in Canada. Rich in both natural and human resources, the region is located in the NAFTA corridor linking Canada's heartland with partners in the U.S. and Mexico. Its diverse economic spectrum is world class in categories of agriculture, agrifood, food processing, advanced manufacturing, information technology, healthcare and educational institutions, and the region is home to many popular tourism destinations.
The SWEA region includes 15 counties and regional municipalities that stretch west from Wellington County to Essex County - essentially the entire "519" area code. With a population of 2.5 million residents, the region is responsible for nearly 25% of Ontario's economy. SWEA's role is to link governments, business, industry and academic sectors, and to create a vision for the region. It also aims to encourage cooperative regional action in order to generate sustained growth and prosperity.
Report on Industry (www.roinews.ca) is distributed electronically across Ontario with additional targeted distribution in other provinces and U.S. states. Its publisher, Roundtable Creative Group (www. roundtablecreative.com) is an integrated communications firm. Professional broadcaster AgRaNet has communicated with agribusiness, agrifood and rural audiences across Ontario for more than two decades.
For further information, contact
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, SWEA president, or
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, president of Roundtable Creative Group.
Last Updated ( Friday, 30 July 2010 09:58 )
SWEA Assembly 2010 in London proves popular
Written by Serge Lavoie
Monday, 05 July 2010 11:51
Some 250 people attended the fifth annual SWEA Assembly in London and, judging by survey responses, delegates were extremely pleased with the event and clearly saw it as time and money well spent.
Preliminary results of an online survey of delegates indicates overhwhelmingly that the conference met and exceeded expectations and delivered value for money. Attendees were especially pleased with the messages delivered by keynote presenters David Crombie, Terry O'Reilly and Allan Gregg, all of whom discussed elements of effective brand building. Delegates were also pleased with the presentation given by Blackfly Beverages co-founder Cathy Siskind-Kelly. Many commented that it was uplifting to see how a local start-up can get big results through innovation and branding.
In all, there were four keynote presentations, five breakout sessions and one town hall style meeting hosted by Allan Gregg and featuring mayors Anne-Marie DeCicco Best of London, Dan Mathieson of Stratford along with university presidents Amit Chakma of UWO and David Johnston of Waterloo. While not all breakout sessions were evenly attended, survey respondents were positive about the range of topics offered and the quality of presenters involved.
In an internal evaluation by the SWEA board, chair Dan Mathieson declared the 2010 Assembly as the best of the five presented by the organization. A post mortem by members of the Assembly Advisory Committee also judged it a success and made several recommendations for future conferences, especially in the area of marketing and promotion.
the 2011 Assembly is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, June 9-10. A final destination has yet to be announced for the 2011 Assembly although the SWEA Board is indicating a preference for a location in the eastern portion of the 15 county region. SWEA is seeking expressions of interest to host the assembly in 2011 through 2014. For more information, contact SWEA president Serge Lavoie.
The Southwest Economic Alliance (SWEA) wrapped up its fifth annual Assembly today with a call to all economic players in the region to work together to create a fresh brand image for southwest Ontario that is in keeping with its changing economy and world-class assets.
Over 250 delegates representing business, universities and colleges as well as government met in London to take stock of the state of the Southwest Ontario brand and explore a new more assertive positioning for the region and its economy.
"As we heard during our Conference, our region is blessed with numerous economic advantages, but is hampered by an outdated image as a declining economy," said SWEA chair, Stratford mayor Dan Mathieson. "In fact, we have a diverse economy, with a highly skilled labour force, world class universities and colleges and an enviable quality of life; yet this does not shine through in the image we project, nationally or internationally."
Conference delegates heard from an impressive line up of speakers that took up the theme of branding in a global economy. One speaker, pollster Allan Gregg delivered the results of a new survey conducted for SWEA on business attitudes towards the region.
"Today we heard one message loud and clear: For our region to succeed in the global marketplace, all economic players - from governments to universities and colleges to business - must recognize the importance of a sharply-focused and commercially-attractive regional brand," added Mathieson. "Our competition can come from Shanghai as much as from the GTA and just as with other every city, region or country in the world we need to stand out with a clearly defined brand image if we want to be recognized as a place to do business."
One of the highlights of the Conference was a panel discussion on the importance of universities and colleges to the regional economy. The discussion, involving Dr. Amit Chakma, President of the University of Western Ontario, Dr. David Johnston, President of the University of Waterloo, London mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best and Stratford mayor Dan Mathieson also helped showcase a new SWEA initiative to bring all the colleges and universities in the area under its tent in a cooperative relationship.
The SWEA region is comprised of 15 counties, and some 100 individual municipalities, stretching west from Wellington County - essentially the entire "519" area code. The region's 2.5 million residents hold almost 25% of Ontario's jobs.
SWEA's role is to link governments, business and industry, as well as the academic sector to create a common vision for the region and encourage cooperative action in order to generate growth and prosperity.
For further information: Serge Lavoie, (519) 859-7763 or by e-mail:
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.
Southwestern Ontario Ranks High as Business Investment Destination: Study
Friday, 04 June 2010 05:39
A survey of business attitudes conducted for the Southwest Economic Alliance (SWEA) by pollster Allan Gregg finds southwestern Ontario is a preferred destination for business investment, with 53 per cent of those responding likely to consider an investment in the region.
The survey results were released today at SWEA’s fifth annual conference in London, Ont. The conference brings together the region’s municipal, business and academic leaders to assess its strengths and find ways to connect and combine them for greater results.
Allan Gregg, chairman of Harris/Decima, conducted the survey of Ontario business owners and managers between May 14 and May 30. Asked to rank southwestern Ontario’s strengths, respondents put access to the U.S. market first, followed closely by the region’s high-quality workforce, roads and highways, and post-secondary educational institutions ready to work with business. Respondents also view the region’s lower local taxes as a significant competitive advantage over the rest of Ontario.
“The survey reveals how others see us and shows they see our region’s strengths,” said SWEA chair, Stratford mayor Dan Mathieson. “Now it’s up to us to build on that favourable impression and create a brand that will tell the world southwestern Ontario is a great place to live, work and do business.”
Gregg found that workforce quality is the most important consideration for business leaders when choosing where to invest. He concluded that the high quality of the southwestern Ontario workforce and the role of the region’s post-secondary institutions in developing that workforce should form the core of the Southwest brand.
