In This Issue...
- Renowned chef draws attention to Ontario East at international food expo
- Ontario East team networks with North American hotel developers
- Smiths Falls Hershey Chocolate plant sold to international finance company
- Port Hope hosts Governor General’s leadership and sustainability conference
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Ontario East photographer to be celebrated at national music festival
Renowned chef draws attention to Ontario East at international food expo
A marketing team from Ontario East brought more than brochures to a recent international food exposition to demonstrate that the region is a hotbed of high-quality food production and food processing companies.
Accompanying the Ontario East Food Sector Team to the International Food Expo in Montreal was renowned Kingston-based chef Clark Day and his staff who provided a steady supply of delicious foods for passers-by, all made from ingredients produced in Eastern Ontario.
Chris King, team chairman, said the appetizers and the chefs in their white attire drew crowds continually to the booth and brought some new attention to the region’s food sector.
“It allowed us to promote the individual suppliers and processors who provided the products,” said King.
“When someone tried one of the dishes prepared by Chef Clark Day, they’d ask what was in it and want more information about the supplier,” he said. “We were then able to provide the Ontario East directory of food-industry companies for a full description and contact details on that Eastern Ontario company that provided the food product or ingredient they wanted to source.”
The key to any successful expo or trade fair is attracting visitors to one’s booth and it’s also the most difficult challenge. The Ontario East cooking initiative was so successful and drew so much interest from potential industry buyers—entrepreneurs, investors, and food industry leaders—that the team ran out of directories and had to send for more.
King believes that hundreds of the directories were given to expo attendees whose numbers came from 60 countries. The expo attracted almost 14,000 food-industry professionals.
The Ontario East team included economic developers from several Eastern Ontario communities as well as a representative from the Business Development Bank of Canada and Belleville-based Canadian canning company Sprague Foods (www.spraguefoods.com). Many of its foods were incorporated in the dishes served by chef Day and his staff.
King said the initiative was so successful that it will be expanded upon at next year’s International Food Expo in Toronto.
“There are plans in the works to involve more food companies and to have an actual Eastern Ontario pavilion where the Ontario East Economic Development Commission and local food industry are located side by side promoting the Eastern Ontario food sector,” he said.
The Ontario East Food Sector Team is a partnership of communities across Eastern Ontario that have a strategic advantage in the food sector and interest in growing and developing the food processing sector. Team members include Bay of Quinte Region, City of Brockville, City of Cornwall, Hastings County, City of Kingston, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Lennox & Addington County, Northumberland County, Prescott-Russell, Town of Smiths Falls, and United Counties of Stormont Dundas and Glengarry.
Ontario East team networks with North American hotel developers
Eastern Ontario economic developers gleaned powerful insights into the world of hotel investment and rubbed elbows with executives representing some of North America’s top development firms at a recent hotel investment conference.
Economic developers from the City of Kingston, the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, and the County of Renfrew operated a booth at the Canadian Hotel Investment Conference in Toronto from where they marketed the region of Ontario East.
Alastair Baird, a member of the Tourism Investment Sector Team for the Ontario East Economic Development Commission who is also Renfrew County Manager of Economic Development Services, said the event was successful on three levels: for the local and regional marketing opportunities and for the industry insights.
“One of our roles was to man the exhibit and interact with potential investors—the people who build hotels and representatives of the big chains—and tell them about Eastern Ontario and opportunities across the region,” said Baird.
When the economic developers were at the booth, they marketed the region as a whole and when they were away from it, they marketed their own municipalities.
Baird, for example, was searching for a hotel chain that might be interested in putting its brand name on a ski resort in Renfrew County.
Baird and the other members of the team—Ann Weir, Economic Development Manager for the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville Economic Development Office, and Rob Carnegie, Director of Tourism Kingston—also attended workshops and panels with the hundreds of conference attendees.
At these sessions, they gained critical insight from experts and industry insiders about lodging development news, future trends, and cross-country industry performance.
“I learned a lot and I gained a better feel for the industry and we got to know some of the hotel chains,” said Baird. “It was absolutely a successful networking event and intelligence gathering opportunity.”
Smiths Falls Hershey Chocolate plant sold to international finance company
Four years after the Hershey Company shuttered its historic 46-year-old chocolate factory a new buyer has been found for the facility.
The Town of Smiths Falls has announced that its former Hershey Chocolate Plant has been sold to ICON International, a specialized finance firm engaged in corporate barter to help companies restore value to underperforming assets and fund corporate expenses.
“This is great news for the Town of Smiths Falls and it adds further credence to the confirmation from the corporate community about the positive sense of confidence that industry has in Smiths Falls as we move forward,” said Smiths Falls Mayor Dennis Staples.
Corporate barter restores value by exchanging assets for media placements or other business purchases over a span of time. ICON’s barter transactions have proven to be an excellent solution for undervalued real estate. They have been constructing barter transactions around real estate for about 20 years and have purchased more than 40 million square feet of corporate real estate.
ICON International is a subsidiary of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC). Omnicom Group is a strategic holding company that manages a portfolio of global market leaders comprised of three global advertising agency networks, many big national advertising agencies, a global network of more than 175 marketing services companies, and a media group.
Forbes magazine elected Omnicom to the Forbes Platinum 400 list of the Best Big Companies in America and the Wall Street Journal ranked Omnicom Group Number One in its peer group for its 10-year average annual total return to shareholders.
When the Hershey plant closed in 2008, 400 permanent local jobs were lost.
Bob Cheetham, the Town’s Director of Economic Development, said the ICON solution will provide some flexibility as new investment opportunities are collectively pursued.
“The acquisition of the Hershey Plant by ICON International opens the door to even more creative opportunities for attracting new industry to the community,” Cheetham said.
James Tully, Vice-President of Real Estate for ICON International, said he looks forward to finding a sustainable solution.
“Our objectives are in line with those of the town and that is to secure a solid purchaser for the plant at our earliest opportunity,” Tully said.
Port Hope hosts Governor General’s leadership and sustainability conference
Fifteen delegates from the 2012 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference visited Port Hope’s town hall to explore the subject of sustainable communities.
Taking place every four years, this was the 8th session for the conference, which brings together 240 emerging leaders from Canada’s labour, business, and government sectors for two weeks of interaction designed to improve the quality and relevance of their future decision-making.
Ian Anderson, the conference’s Executive Director, said he selected Port Hope to be part of the conference’s week-long study tour because of its rich history, proud citizenry and diverse economy.
“The leadership conference thought Port Hope was an ideal place to explore the theme of sustainable communities,” Anderson said. “The dialogue with Mayor Linda Thompson and community leaders helped the conference members understand the importance of leadership in dealing with today’s challenging issues while also looking forward to the bright future of one of Canada’s most beautiful municipalities.”
Ontario East photographer to be celebrated at national music festival
Peterborough photographer Michael Hurcomb was chosen as one of Canada’s 20 best photographers featured at a recent national music festival in Toronto.
The LIVE@NXNE Photo Exhibit at the North by Northeast Music Festival & Conference showcased the work of photographers from across Canada.
Each of the featured photographers was asked to provide two to four photographs of musical artists who have performed at NXNE in the past.
Hurcomb said he was excited to see his images displayed in such an “energized” environment.
“To be asked to showcase my photographs at an event of this calibre and among such acclaimed and talented photographers is truly a highlight of my career,” he said.
Hurcomb has photographed several artists throughout his career, including Soundgarden, Metric, Three Days Grace, Green Day and the Sheepdogs. He has also photographed Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Robert Kennedy Jr.
Recent clients include Gibson Guitars, The Late Show With David Letterman, and Warner Brothers Music.
Over the past year, Hurcomb’s images have been featured by Rolling Stone and Maclean’s magazines.
To view his work, visit www.MichaelHurcomb.com.