Welcome to Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership’s Newsletter
Taking Care of Business
News for the Sarnia-Lambton Business Community
February 2016
** SLEP Launches New Website
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The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership invites you to learn, explore and celebrate all that this community has to offer through its newly updated website!
At a glance, www.SarniaLambton.on.ca has a beautiful new interface, offering key information that visitors look for. The new website is designed to speak to the broad audience of the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership through its categorized tabs. In a single click, the general community, site selectors, realtors, companies, new residents, entrepreneurs and youth, have access to the reference material they need.
To keep you in the loop, the website has an active feed of updates, tweets, posts and a calendar of upcoming events. It is alive with features such as sharing options, YouTube videos and Eventbrite, an application that simplifies registration for events.
If English is not your first language, the new site has an updated translation feature that can convert the content into 90 different languages. http://slep.wpengine.comIt is search engine friendly, meaning that we are less of a secret, with newcomers having an easier time finding our website. The new appearance adapts seamlessly to different devices, making mobile navigation intuitive and simple.
** Comet Biorefining, Inc. Coming to Sarnia, Ontario
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Comet Biorefining, Inc. has announced the location of its commercial scale biomass derived sugar facility in the TransAlta Energy Park in Sarnia, Ontario. The plant, producing dextrose sugar from locally sourced corn stover and wheat straw, is scheduled to come online in 2018. Corn stover is the residues left in the field after harvests, such as stalks, leaves, husks and cobs.
Comet selected Sarnia by working with Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC), the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and an Ontario farmer’s cooperative on a project to bring sustainable technology providers to the region and to meet the increasing demand for low-carbon products from chemical suppliers and consumers.
“Comet’s cellulosic sugar technology was one of the clean sustainable technologies recommended, with the best fit for the region and an excellent opportunity to accelerate the growth of the bioeconomy in rural Ontario”, noted Dr. Murray McLaughlin, Executive Director, BIC.
The company uses its patented process of converting non-food agricultural and forest residues into high-purity dextrose sugars that will be transformed into bio-based products, including organic acids, amino acids and bioplastics. These low-carbon, bio-based products replace traditional petroleum-based materials, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help contribute to Canada’s efforts on climate change.
Comet dextrose is cost and performance competitive with commercial dextrose sugars, the benchmark raw material for today’s biochemical production.
Andrew Richard, CEO of Comet said, “Construction of this first-of-a-kind plant represents a key step towards the large-scale commercialization of our cellulosic sugar business. It highlights the important role our technology plays in the value chain, helping to drive the bioeconomy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
** Sarnia-Lambton Energy Symposium 2016
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Lambton College’s Applied Research & Innovation Department teamed up last Thursday with Sarnia Lambton Economic Partnership, Western Sarnia- Lambton Research Park and Bluewater Power for the 2016 Sarnia-Lambton Energy Symposium. The day-long even hosted an array of speakers and guests from across the country, coming together to talk energy.
The conference focused on advancements in clean and renewable energy, energy storage, material development for energy applications, micro-grid technologies, along with policies, strategies, trends and initiatives in the energy industry. Speakers addressed the advantages and disadvantages of current energy production strategies, such as solar and wind.
The conference buzzed with hot topics as speakers discussed solutions to energy dilemmas we face in this century. How can we sustain future technological advancements in a modern, mobile ecosystem? What are the best solutions to bringing awareness and inspiring actions for sustainable water usage? How soon can we have the world’s first operational Biological Power Plant, converting hydrogen to electricity?
A roundtable with Dr. Medhi Sheikhzadeh, Dean of Applied Research and Innovation of Lambton College, Ian MacLellan, President and CEO of Ubiquity Solar Inc., and George Mallay of Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership, concluded the evening, recognizing the unique and advantageous positioning of Sarnia-Lambton for clean energy business and addressing the direction the energy industry is going. They emphasized the importance of innovation and applied research in the area.
Sarnia-Lambton offers companies supportive R&D services through Lambton College and Western Research Park and access to research laboratories. It is an attractive location for tech and energy companies because of the established infrastructure, ready to use facilities, pipelines and skilled work force. Access to the 400-series highways and the U.S. border crossing provides quicker access to major markets in Toronto, London, Windsor and Detroit. Companies will find that the region offers many unique geographical, financial and lifestyle advantages for their business and employees.
The symposium ended with a bus-tour of three Lambton-College laboratories, including the Atmospheric Vortex prototype, the Sustainable Smart House, and the Advanced Nano-Technology Lab.
** Google Seminar by Alex Marks
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Alex Marks has worked for Google since February 2015, and in the time he has been there, has identified some key strategies to marketing success, which he shared with the Lambton County community on Friday, February 12
^th.
Did you know that the average Canadian pulls out their phone 150 times a day, but the total amount of time spent on the phone per day totals only 170 minutes? This means that marketers and developers, have an average of 1.13 minutes to capture your attention, also referred to as micro-moments.
Marks emphasized the importance of cutting through the clutter and making your message stand out from the rest by creating micro-moments, or short bursts of advertising. We are exposed to them every day through our use of technology and media. Alex’s seminar gave us access to the perspective of internet giants like Google, an idea of where we fit as consumers in the bigger picture.
** Top 21 Intelligent Communities
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Sarnia-Lambton is ranked among the Smart 21 Intelligent Communities!
The prestige comes from the Intelligent Community Forum, recognizing the communities that harness the powers of the broadband economy to the advantage of their businesses and citizens. Communities face the challenge to create growth, prosperity, stability and cultural meaning in an environment where communication and information technology direct jobs, investments and growth.
The accolade recognizes the capabilities of the Sarnia-Lambton in keeping up with- and setting – global technological standards. Lambton County recognizes that making information and technology more accessible to the public is essential to the overall well-being and advancement of its community.
This understanding is demonstrated through the efforts of Lambton College and their new Centre of Excellence in Energy & Bio-Industrial Technologies and R&D projects. The Cube, a service centre of Lambton College, that fosters and supports entrepreneurs who take advantage of programs that are available to Sarnia-Lambton residents, including seminars, mentorships, business counselling etc. Other recognizable accomplishments include, Lambton County’s E-library service, MyCNN, the streaming of Lambton City Council meetings and Link2Feed, a powerful tool that supports food banks by understanding hunger from a local, regional, national and international perspective. It helps clients understand, not only who they serve, but also how their services are making a sustainable difference on the people in the community.
Despite not being recognized among the Top 7 communities by the Forum, Lambton County has demonstrated that it stands among the ranks of large international cities in providing its community with advanced and reliable serviced and resources.
For more information on the Intelligent Communities Forum, visit their website, https://www.intelligentcommunity.org/
** Creative Industries Sector Poised for Growth
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Last year, the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership (SLEP) received a grant from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) through the Labour Market Partnership (LMP) program and funding through various partners. The funding went towards examining the potential for local economic and community development, using social enterprise and the creative industries as a development model for new and different businesses. The initial investigative phase of the project has now ended, but activity in the sector is just starting to ramp up.
An NBC/Universal show, the Twelve Monkeys, filmed the season two finale in Sarnia. This production signalled the start of renewed interest in the film and film production sector. A local group has been established and had its first meeting on January 25th. Shortly after, a social media group was also established on Facebook. Within a week its membership exceeded 80 local industry members. Its purpose:
A social media hub for writers, actors, directors, producers, editors, musicians, composers, effects artists, costumers, sound, light, and make up professionals and beyond to meet, connect, and engage for the purpose of creating film and television content in Southwestern Ontario.
Also active – a new group, MADE Lambton – Makers, Artists, Designers, and Entrepreneurs in the creative sector – has scheduled its first meeting.
The session will be held at the Thedford Fire Hall on March 31st, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Speakers will provide details on how group members can export to the U.S.A. and gain customers there. Discussions about shared space and how to fulfill demand for this popular option will also take place at the event.
Growth in the Creative Industries sector has dual benefits:
* An active Creative Industries sector helps local businesses and makes Sarnia-Lambton a more enjoyable place to live
* The same active Creative Industries sector helps to draw new residents to our area
The Culture account in Ontario includes the Creative Industries. This sector contributes about $22 billion annually to the provincial economy. SLEP’s now-completed LMP study concluded that this sector is alive and well in Sarnia-Lambton and poised for growth.
** Startup Sarnia-Lambton
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Startup Sarnia-Lambton has greeted the New Year with the launching of their business incubator at the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park. Their mission is to connect entrepreneurs; to cultivate entrepreneurship, innovation and startup companies in our region.
Startup Sarnia-Lambton offers you access to an established ecosystem that consists of a network of committed and passionate entrepreneurs and community organizations. All of which are dedicated to the long-term success and sustainability of the community. Startup Sarnia-Lambton’s services include access to: Physical space and discounted workshops, coaching and mentorship, idea/business evaluation, facility prototyping, funding and investment, networking and referral opportunities, and training events.
“We want businesses to recognize that Sarnia-Lambton is the right place to start and grow a business,” says John Milos, Lambton College. “When you combine the resources and facilities of the college with our passionate community partners, there are a hundred reasons why it’s a great time to start a business in the region.”
Startup Sarnia-Lambton is open to all members of the community and the organization will act as a key provider of tools and services to entrepreneurs, encouraging them to think beyond the status quo and traditional career paths.
** Discoveries That Matter Brand
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Lambton County invites all residents, companies, organizations and municipalities to adopt our Discoveries That Matter brand! The brand and its logo are to be used by everyone located within Lambton County. This brand is not specific to any one municipality or organization, it is truly a community brand, and is to be used in conjunction with brands and logos already in use throughout Lambton.
We would like to congratulate the Village of Point Edward, City of Sarnia, Township of Enniskillen and Village of Oil Springs for their adoption of the Discoveries That Matter community brand.
Show that you are proud to be part of the Lambton County community. Add a customizable Discoveries That Matter logo to your website, electronic messages, business cards, etc.
Did you know that you can request a logo that includes your geographic location within Lambton County? Download your Discoveries That Matter logo and learn more at www.discoveriesthatmatter.ca.
For further brand inquires, contact Adam Veen (519)-332-1820 or adam@sarnialambton.on.ca
** Upcoming Events
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March 31st 2016
5:00pm-7:00pm
MADE Lambton – Exporting for Creative Businesses. Workshop on doing business in the U.S.
Where? Thedford Fire Hall
RSVP by March 28th on Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/made-lambton-tickets-21489680212
April 14th 2016
9:00 am – 3:30 pm
Sarnia-Lambton Water Symposium Where? Lambton College Event Centre
Register Today – (519)-542-7751 ext 2460 or sarah.shean@lambtoncollege.ca (mailto:sarah.shean@lambtoncollege.ca)
**
Updating Business Directory
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The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership is in the process of updating the Business Directory and local businesses may be contacted to make sure that the information is current.
If your business is not registered in our directory, you may go to our website, slep.wpengine.com/business/ to create an account and manage your own business listing.
You may also contact contact@sarnialambton.on.ca (mailto:contact@sarnialambton.on.ca) , 519-332-1820 (toll free 1-800-972-7642 to make sure that your company has a free up-to-date listing in this popular online directory.
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Copyright © 2016 Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership, All rights reserved.
Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership
T: 519-332-1820
Toll Free: 800-972-7642
Western University Research Park, Sarnia-Lambton Campus
1086 Modeland Rd., Building 1050, Suite 100
Sarnia, ON
N7S 6L2
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