Evidence of meeting #107 for International Trade in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was technology.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB
In terms of hiring talent in your company, are many of your new employees hired from Atlantic Canadian universities or colleges?
Vice-President of Sales, International, LED Roadway Lighting Ltd.
They are indeed. Yes, we have strong affiliations with the universities and colleges in the area, including both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. We are actively looking for the top, brightest engineers and technology experts to join our organization from the region.
Liberal
Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB
In terms of the technology or the expertise required, when you're working with the college and university networks across Atlantic Canada, are you helping them in terms of the suggestions regarding curriculum or the requirements that are necessary to be successful in green opportunities?
Vice-President of Sales, International, LED Roadway Lighting Ltd.
The answer to that question is probably yes, but indirectly. We also work quite closely with the universities and colleges on some of our technology development. Through those actions or activities in the development of our technology, I believe that has an influence on the type of curriculum they are deploying to train their students.
So the answer is yes, indirectly, through technology development alongside the colleges and universities.
Liberal
Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Certainly you're a very, very successful Atlantic Canadian story. I understand you opened in 2007. In a very short period of time, you really have had a sizable global footprint for an Atlantic Canadian company. I'm wondering what recommendations you would offer to others—maybe not your competitors, but other companies in Atlantic Canada—on how to move into the global market and be successful.
Vice-President of Sales, International, LED Roadway Lighting Ltd.
No worries about the competition, because LED Roadway Lighting as an LED street lighting manufacturer and smart controls manufacturer is quite unique for the Canadian market.
The suggestion is very clear, and that's to utilize the government resources that are available for export development. These are resources like Global Affairs, the Trade Commissioner Service, Export Development Canada, Canadian Commercial Corporation, and local trade development agencies like Nova Scotia Business Inc. or New Brunswick ONB. These resources and the people involved in these agencies are absolutely spectacular. They have access to resources and contacts. It was a fundamental part of our success as we grew from one installation here in Halifax eight years ago to 66 countries of business today.
That would be my first and foremost recommendation for anybody looking to get into export.
Liberal
Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Thank your for that recommendation. Certainly we heard that as well from a number of different witnesses. Just this morning we heard it again from Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters about the awareness of programs.
If I may, how did you become aware of all the available trade services to give you such a leg-up?
Vice-President of Sales, International, LED Roadway Lighting Ltd.
We became active with our local account managers with each of those governmental agencies. We've recently become part of the “accelerated growth service”, a grouping of the government agencies that help to facilitate export development on behalf of eastern Canadian companies. We're in a position now where we have active meetings with all members of the trade development team associated with the Canadian government, including EDC, CCC, Global Affairs, Business Development Bank of Canada, ACOA, and Nova Scotia Business Inc. That has really helped us amplify our message in the global market and has supported us as we've grown into other markets, other countries.
Liberal
Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB
You mentioned CCC. Are you selling directly to governments?
Vice-President of Sales, International, LED Roadway Lighting Ltd.
Our clients are either utilities or governments. We definitely work through the Canadian Commercial Corporation, and have utilized them in conversation with governments. We haven't actually been successful in enabling a transaction as of yet, but they do bring a layer or level of expertise to the conversations we have had with governments globally.
Liberal
Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Do you see that that could be an opportunity in a trade agreement?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Mark Eyking
No, sorry. That wraps up our time, our dialogue with the MPs, and the meeting.
Thank you, gentlemen, for being with us. Thank you for good presentations and good dialogue. We have quite a bit more to do on this study. We're going to be travelling these countries, and we'll have a report probably at the end of the year. You are welcome to get a copy of it and get the results from it. Thank you, again, for coming and have a good rest of the week.
We're going to suspend just for a couple of minutes, and then we're going in camera.
[Proceedings continue in camera]