Business has been booming for Anchored Ideas. The marketing and communications agency, based in Cape Breton, connects local companies with global audiences through creative and robust campaigns that help businesses tell their story.
Anchored has also recently expanded to include Recruitment so they’re not only helping businesses tell their story and reach new markets, they’re also helping to attract and keep more people on Cape Breton Island.
Co-founders Danielle Patterson and Danielle Johnston, also known locally as “The Danielle’s”, –– attribute this success to the fresh talent on their team.
“Having a young, motivated, energetic team of recent grads has benefited us tremendously,” says Danielle Patterson.” It’s allowed us to grow and offer so many more services and bring on more clients.”
Like other small businesses, Anchored Ideas explored different grants that could help them grow their team while saving money. They asked their peers for recommendations. “The name- Graduate to Opportunity (GTO)- just kept coming up” adds Danielle.” After hiring two recent grads through the program, I can understand why.”
Using GTO, the company hired Victoria Chapman, a CBU grad, for a Social Media Coordinator role and Emily MacLennan, a MSVU grad, for a Marketing Manager’s role.
Employers who are eligible for GTO can receive 25 per cent of the graduate’s first-year salary, (35 per cent if the graduate is a member of a diversity group), and 12.5 per cent of the second-year salary. To be eligible, an organization must be a small business of fewer than 100 employees, a start-up, a non-profit, a charity, or a social enterprise.
Applying for GTO is easy, and most employers find out if they have been approved within five business days.
Both Emily and Victoria are grateful to be able to work in their chosen fields and grow their families in Cape Breton. “It was my dream to work with Anchored Ideas and stay in Cape Breton.” says Emily.” It’s crazy to think that my dream came true.”
Anchored Ideas’ other GTO employee, Victoria Chapman had the opportunity to showcase her skills when a colleague took another opportunity. “Victoria instantly took on her tasks with grace and pure happiness.” says Danielle Patterson.” We are still simply blown away.”
The opportunity has been great for Victoria, as well. “It gives me a chance to learn all the different aspects of the industry,” says Victoria.
Anchored Ideas has shown appreciation for their young staff by giving them a raise. “It’s a competitive market and we just really wanted to give them the fair wage that they deserved,” adds Danielle.
Since 2018, GTO has helped around 2,400 graduates find jobs they love, in the communities where they want to put down roots. “Having the opportunity to offer meaningful jobs to fresh talent, here on the island is extremely important,” adds Danielle Patterson. “Recent grads are the cream of the crop, and we are grateful for programs like GTO that help us bring them on.”
Learn how Graduate to Opportunity can help you hire fresh talent and save money.
For many, Sydney Harbour is known for its hotels, cruise ships, and a giant fiddle. But that only blows over the surface of this waterbody that’s 16-and-a-half metres deep. There are more cruise passengers, more commercial traffic, more ambitious plans, and more opportunities here than anyone would fathom.
In the second episode of the Invest in Cape Breton podcast, three local leaders reveal what’s happening at the Port of Sydney today, why Sydney Harbour is a tremendously strategic site for investors, and why Novaporte’s forthcoming offshore wind marshalling port is an opportunity “so enormous it’s hard to even imagine”. First Nations and settler communities across Unama’ki-Cape Breton are set to be transformed.
Our guests are:
- Marlene Usher, the former CEO of the Port of Sydney
- Steve Parsons, the General Manager of Eskasoni Corporate Division and CBRM Councillor
- Kathleen Yurchesyn, VP, Operations and Corporate Development
Listen now, or read on for a few highlights.
Sydney Harbour is Busy With Cruise and Commercial Traffic
Marlene Usher provided an overview of what’s happening in Sydney Harbour today. In 2023, the Port of Sydney welcomed 115 cruise ships carrying in excess of 220,000 visitors. That’s enough to make it the second busiest cruise port in the Maritimes (after Halifax) and a rising star as a cruise destination. It also attracts smaller leisure vessels, like sailboats and super yachts.
The cruise ships are hard to miss, but Sydney Harbour is home to lots of less noticeable commercial users too. There are Imperial Oil tankers delivering fuel, Donkin Coal and Provincial Energy Ventures vessels transshipping coal, Marine Atlantic ferries going to and from Newfoundland twice a day, the Canadian Coast Guard College doing training exercises, plus tugboats and other ships.
Even with all this activity, there’s capacity for much more.
Sydney Harbour is a Great Investment Opportunity
When asked, Marlene Usher and Kathleen Yurchesyn easily rhymed off the harbour’s many assets. It’s a sheltered deep water port with no air draft restriction. It’s a Foreign Trade Zone on the Great Circle with close proximity to Europe. It’s adjacent to an urban centre with an airport, post-secondary education institutions, and a population of industrious people. There are a lot of strategic advantages here.
Yet, unlike most of the other ports on the eastern seaboard, Sydney has large tracts of land that are portside and undeveloped, and its population has room to grow. This place is investment-ready.
Plus, a major development is coming that will increase the opportunities exponentially.
Development of a Multi-Billion Dollar Offshore Wind Marshalling Port is Underway
Novaporte is a 2,000+ acre deep-water port, logistics, and green energy infrastructure project that has been in the works for more than a decade. The partnership between Sydney Harbor Investment Partners and Membertou First Nation took a big step recently when they announced a concession agreement with Denmark-based Blue Water Shipping to develop a major marshalling hub for offshore wind energy servicing the Northeast Atlantic U.S. and Eastern Canada. Kathleen Yurchesyn says the hub will be capable of producing five gigawatts of energy and will account for up to $30 billion of investment, not counting the spinoff activities. A tender package is the last thing needed to get shovels in the ground.
Much of the spinoff will happen in the adjacent Novazone logistics park, a 1,200 acre site for support activities like logistics, transloading, packing, cold storage, and hydrogen production. In a unique move, all 13 of Nova Scotia’s First Nations communities have taken a 20% interest in the development and will co-market and co-develop it. Steve Parsons expects it will create employment and business opportunities for those communities’ band members within Novazone’s boundaries, and beyond.
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In Episode 3 we’re exploring the transformative offshore, wind and green energy projects in the Strait of Canso, an industrial powerhouse on the island’s south coast. Tune in for a deep dive of what’s going on in this natural, deep water port.
To make sure you don’t miss it, subscribe or follow now on your favourite podcast platform.
(Unama’ki – Cape Breton, NS) – The Cape Breton Partnership was thrilled to celebrate the impactful contributions of businesses, community organizations, and business leaders across Unama’ki – Cape Breton last evening during the annual Economic Impact Award presentation at the 2023 Investor Summit, held at the Inverary Resort overlooking beautiful Baddeck Bay.
The 2023 Economic Impact Awards were presented with support from Bear Head Energy, Atlantic Lottery, Nova Scotia Power, Invest Nova Scotia, and Seaside Communications.
“It was a terrific evening celebrating the meaningful contributions of local businesses, leaders, and an important grassroots community organization who have gone the extra mile to not only make their businesses successful, but have made a meaningful and lasting impact for the communities across this great Island,” said Tyler Mattheis, President & CEO of the Cape Breton Partnership. “A special thank you to our award sponsors at the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, Bear Head Energy, Invest Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Power, and Seaside Communications. Without your support, these awards would not be possible.”
The recipients of the 2023 Economic Impact Awards included:
- Richmond River Roots Market Garden Society
- Larch Wood Canada
- Rose’s Smash Burgers
- Cape Breton Farmers’ Market
- Cape Breton University
“Cape Breton University is honoured to receive a 2023 Economic Impact Award from the Cape Breton Partnership. Their work in economic development is crucial for this region,” says David C. Dingwall, President & Vice Chancellor of Cape Breton University. “CBU is committed to championing the Island’s prosperity, and we are working hard to deliver on that commitment each and every day. As CBU celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024, we look to the future with optimism, hope and unrelenting resolve for what’s ahead.”
The recipients of the 2023 Economic Impact Awards are all organizations from various industries and communities across Unama’ki – Cape Breton. To be nominated, an organization or business must be nominated by an Investor of the Cape Breton Partnership and must have demonstrated a notable economic impact on Unama’ki – Cape Breton through new investment, innovation, and/ or workforce development in the last year.
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Media Contact:
Jeremy Martell, Director of Communications
Cape Breton Partnership
(902)-562-0122
Jeremy@capebretonpartnership.com
About the Economic Impact Awards:
The Economic Impact Awards annually recognize individuals and organizations from multiple industries for their outstanding contributions to the economy. Award recipients will be chosen based on their significant contribution to the Unama’ki – Cape Breton economy through innovation, entrepreneurship, and new investments.
About the Cape Breton Partnership:
The Cape Breton Partnership is Cape Breton – Unama’ki’s private sector-led economic development organization that supports companies and entrepreneurs by promoting our island as a great place to live and invest; growing a culture that values and celebrates creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship; and connecting entrepreneurs and companies to the resources they need to succeed. For more information, visit https://capebretonpartnership.com.
The Invest in Cape Breton podcast has launched! This series was developed by the Cape Breton Partnership to challenge assumptions about the island’s economy through in-depth interviews with local changemakers. These conversations go beyond the headlines to reveal the island’s untapped potential for investors and entrepreneurs, and offer a preview of the island’s coming transformation.
In the inaugural episode, we explore the island’s innovation ecosystem with the help of three leaders in the med tech, clean tech and IT sectors who prove that innovation is thriving here.
Listen now, or read on for a few highlights.
Yes, You Can Build a Successful Innovation Business in a Rural Community
Halifax Biomedical, a medical diagnostics business that provides advanced measurements to researchers and physicians, was once located in Halifax. Fifteen years ago, the company’s CEO Chad Munro moved it to Mabou—population 1,200.
Chad made the decision because he wanted to live in a beautiful waterfront community and had faith that talented employees would want that as well. He was right, telling us that he’s had no problems attracting talent from the local pool and around the world.
With improvements in remote work technologies (like expanded high speed internet access, decreased server costs, cloud computing, Zoom, etc) the barriers have been greatly reduced. As he puts it: “You can do anything from anywhere. You just have to be the best in the world at it.”
Cape Breton Companies Are Attracting Investment Like Never Before
Darren Gallop is a Sydney-based serial entrepreneur who cut his teeth in the music industry before moving into cybersecurity with his current company, Carbide. Since he didn’t have as many connections in that industry, and was determined to fast-track its growth, he sought out accelerator programs in Toronto and Boston.
Those programs were invaluable for Darren, but they didn’t tempt him to move Carbide out of Unama’ki-Cape Breton. Big innovation ecosystems like Boston and Silicon Valley offer limitless opportunities for scale-up, but he knows he can build a multi-million dollar remote company with dozens of employees right here where his family and friends are.
He can find the investors he needs from here too. In the last number of years, government and private investors like Invest Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Capital Group have popped up, and since the pandemic, global venture capitalists are writing checks to people they haven’t met in person. Darren says, “There’s never been more opportunity for attracting money and investment in your company in Cape Breton.”
A Unique Facility is Helping Ag and Industrial Biotech Companies Scale Up
Emerging companies with big ideas that could reduce GHG emissions and create a circular economy often hit a roadblock: it’s hugely expensive to take the concept from idea to reality. Enter the Verschuren Center for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment, a facility with large-scale shared assets (like a bioreactor) for testing, and funding opportunities that don’t require giving up intellectual property.
It’s a winning combination that has attracted promising companies from across North America. Beth Mason, the Verschuren Centre’s CEO, thought most of the companies would leave Unama’ki-Cape Breton after getting what they needed, but many are staying. She attributes that to the supportive local innovation ecosystem as well as the co-location of natural resources conducive to clean tech, like offshore wind, wave energy, and seawater.
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In Episode 2, we explore Sydney Harbour’s port infrastructure with the experts who can tell you about the assets available today and the transformative developments that are coming down the pipeline.
Episodes will be released every two weeks. To make sure you don’t miss it, subscribe or follow now on your favourite podcast platform.
Originally posted to the Building Tomorrow Campaign Website: https://building-tomorrow.ca/2023/09/15/building-dreams-in-the-construction-trades/
Do you remember strolling through your high school hallways, envisioning what you’ll be when you grow up? Maybe you pictured yourself as a gentle-handed nurse with a caring nature, or a meteorologist researching intriguing weather patterns. Some may have dreamed of becoming an aesthetician working to enhance both inner and outer beauty, while others thought of becoming a historian surrounded by museum walls that tell ancient stories.
For Cole Walker, a grade 11 student at Breton Education Centre (BEC), he’s not yet sure of the exact path he’ll follow, but there is one thing he knows for certain; his future looks very similar to his Papa’s thanks to an inspiring six months of learning in a skilled trades class, taught by one passionate teacher and a community of tradespeople.
“I watched my Papa renovate the home I live in now, and though I asked him a lot of questions like, how he does what he’s doing; why he chose to do something a certain way; how he became interested in the trades; I never knew how interested I would be until I sat down to learn in this class,” shares Cole. “Watching him do his thing was interesting, that’s why I took the skilled trades class to see what it was all about. I quickly noticed that I was good at what we were being taught, so I’ll be working in the trades after I graduate.”
James “Jamie” MacIntosh, Red Seal Carpenter and former owner of James MacIntosh Construction, is the skilled trades teacher responsible for inspiring Cole, and countless other students, to pursue the trades.
“It’s really up to the students. They share their ideas and we run with them,” Jamie shared. “The class has broad objectives. For example, students need to learn to solder a pipe which includes measuring, cutting, soldering, and testing. Rather than telling them they have to build a square, we can instead make a marshmallow shooter.” This just so happens to meet the criteria for this section of the course, allowing students to have fun, learn a new skill, and feel excitement over what they’re building.
As the semester moved forward, Cole and his classmates were given the unique opportunity to learn first-hand from trades professionals working for contractors’ onsite, courtesy of PCL Construction, who were awarded the construction management contract to build the new state-of-the-art Breton Education Centre scheduled to open fall 2024. The erection of the new school is just one project within the New Waterford Community Hub model, which also includes a health centre and long-term care home, the community wellness centre, and recreational facilities.
“We just introduced masonry this year. We were sent down piles of supplies and I was sent for training,” Jamie shared. “On the day I planned to introduce it to students, I realized I forgot the mortar mix.”
Disappointed that the lesson would have to be taught another day, Jamie recalled the bricklayers who were working diligently on the new BEC school early that morning.
“As a class, we went to the fence where BEC is being built, and I just hollered over. I said, ‘what mix are you guys running?’ And a bricklayer replied, ‘hold on, I’ll be over within 20 minutes.’” Sure enough, within 20 minutes, four members of Local 1 Bricklayers and Allied Craft Workers with Reddick Brothers Masonry Contracting were over mixing up a batch of mortar and giving the students and Jamie a demonstration about bricklaying.
Before the demonstration ended, Jamie shared an idea suggesting a small project for the class involving laying a single brick. Not much time had passed before Jamie received a call from Chuck MacKinnon, Senior Superintendent with PCL Construction, who Jamie met previously on a walkthrough of the new building, with an even better proposal.
“Chuck suggested that everyone come over, sign their names on bricks, and assemble them in what will be the new skilled trades class. This project would result in a plaque commemorating the experience,” Jamie explained. “It’s incredible how the students in the skill trades program became part of the new school’s legacy. It’s all thanks to this community partnership.”
From that day onward, the relationship between the skilled trades class and PCL Construction strengthened. Members of the crew often visited the class, giving demonstrations and further inspiring passion for the trades.
Jeff Preeper, Business Manager for Local 1 Bricklayers commented, “I’m so proud of our members and their ability to share their craft with youth. There are opportunities for students to learn from trades professionals and have a career in this trade.” Bricklaying is considered the first construction trade dating back over 6,000 years ago, and Local 1, representing unionized bricklayers across Nova Scotia, has been training trades professionals since 1888.
Another Opportunity to Learn
Sarah Chisholm, third year carpentry apprentice Local 1588 and Chair of Sisters in the Brotherhood for the local chapter, is another well-known face within Jamie’s classroom.
“In the world of trades, there’s a wide range of new equipment and tools available,” Sarah began. “When I was in school, we were introduced to the tools used today in the skilled trades program; a more traditional approach that followed the old-school methods. As a result, I didn’t have the chance to use these newer tools until I entered the workforce and began using them more regularly.”
One day, Sarah and her colleagues Jody and Scott visited the skilled trades class where they conducted a brief demonstration of a steel stud frame installation. “We brought along all our lasers, guns for fastening the track, steel, concrete, and various types of pins, each with different sizes.”
During the demonstration, Sarah and her colleagues shared their industry knowledge teaching students how to install a steel stud frame which proved valuable as students are usually only introduced to wood framing within the program.
“PCL kindly sent over gloves and left behind all of their supplies, enabling Cole and the class to disassemble and then reassemble the wall,” Jamie added. “Their generosity went beyond just the demonstration; they provided all the necessary items for the students to engage in practical exercises.”
Thanks to the dedicated tradespeople working hard to build the New Waterford Community Hub, the high school students enrolled in the skilled trades program gained exposure to a modern way of building, thus propelling them forward as aspiring tradespeople.
Students Learn More than Program Objectives
Jamie shared that the skilled trades program, and the other trade-focused programs at BEC which include construction trades and transportation, are not just about creating the next successful grouping of tradespeople. “Consider that everyone will eventually own a house and a vehicle. This leaves you with a choice: handle repairs yourself, blindly accept a quoted price, or evaluate a quote with informed judgment. Moreover, we cultivate informed consumers.”
For Cole, the time PCL gave to his class gave him a clearer sense of what he’ll pursue in life. “Watching the workers do bricklaying, drilling, and electrical work inspires me to think about my future and what I’ll do post-graduation. I can see myself in a few different roles and this class showed me my options.”
The skilled trades program has not only highlighted potential career paths but also ignited a sense of purpose and possibility, proving that within these walls, dreams are not just envisioned but tangibly constructed, brick by brick, lesson by lesson, towards a future filled with potential.
To learn more about the new Breton Education Centre and the New Waterford Community Hub project, visit our website at https://building-tomorrow.ca/projects/new-waterford-community-hub/