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Selling Winnipeg To The World News

Volume 1  Edition 3
 

Bill Morrissey, Senior Vice-President  (204) 944-3309
Cindy Goertzen, Business Development Manager  (204) 944-3324
Tess Wilson, Business Development Coordinator  (204) 944-3323

Selling Winnipeg to the World Is ...
 Our initiative has four unique defining characteristics: Selling Winnipeg to the World is ...

  • Private-sector led

  • Highly collaborative, all about mobilizing a community effort

  • Focused on specific company/entrepreneur opportunities
    (vs mass advertising, marketing or promotion) and

  • Proactive (vs reactive) with a real action cadence

Speaking of proactive, we have been very busy connecting with numerous Winnipeg industry associations, requesting to work with them to identify strong Winnipeg companies within their sector who, with the right kind of assistance from our community, may be capable of launching an exciting new expansion.  At the same time, we're getting their assistance in identifying companies currently located outside of Manitoba whose presence here would make their sector stronger.  We are very pleased with the progress we are already making with organizations such as the Composites Innovation Centre, Manitoba Hydro, and New Media Manitoba and with many others in the very near future.

We are so pleased with the working relationships we have established with key collaborators and enablers such as ANIM, CentreVenture, Destination Winnipeg and the City of Winnipeg, Bio-Medical Commercialization Canada, BDC, a number of banks and credit unions, the Canada Manitoba Business Service Centre, various departments within the Province, and Dept of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, to name but a few.  Together we are advancing a number of very exciting new opportunities for our city.  And last month we were invited to be part of the 30-person CentrePort delegation that toured inland ports in Guanajuato, Dallas/Fort Worth, Memphis and Chicago to establish business relationships and learn from their experiences in devising our strategy.

  

Helping Companies Choose
 Winnipeg, now!
 Is SWTTW enjoying success?  We measure success by assisting entrepreneurs and companies to create new jobs (and/or save existing ones) and make new development investments here.  And in the 15 months since we announced SWTTW we are pleased to have assisted many already!  Most notably: an existing Winnipeg company which will be undertaking a significant new expansion here in the near future, a new extended stay hotel currently under construction on Berry St., and a company which has plans to produce a new beverage currently in testing at the Food Development Center in Portage.  All with our help!

We have many other opportunities in-progress, 24 to be exact, and many in advanced stages. We'd love to share the details but you'll understand that confidentiality requirements prevent us from doing so. They range across many sectors, including manufacturing (transportation, construction, consumer products, Agra, aerospace) service/hospitality, new media, biotech and I.T. And they're split between external attraction and new ventures by Winnipeggers. 

This is the Place to Invest!
In recent meetings, with businesses both inside and outside our city, our team is hearing that many people are unaware of the many of the programs that have been developed by the various levels of government to provide financial assistance or incentives for expansion.  So, in response the SWTTW team, with the cooperation of the Province, the City, the Federal Government, Canada/Manitoba Business Service Centre and the 3 accounting governing bodies (ICAM, CMA, CGA) organized the Government Programs for Business Seminar.  At this seminar, attendees were provided information on no less than 40 existing programs, along with information on how to access them and use them to help their bottom line.  If this seminar allows local businesses to create just one more job, or invest just one more dollar into our City - it will have been successful.  Feedback from the attendees was very positive.  To learn more about these programs, click here to view the presentation provided at this seminar.

Al Morin
 Assiniboine Credit Union

   


"There are always several worthwhile causes to invest in when it comes to our city.  I believe this initiative continues to be a worthwhile investment of time and resources specifically targeted at growing our business community.  It is not often we have a chance to collectively affect this type of change.  I am glad to be a part of it."
Brian Scharfstein
 Canadian Footwear Ltd.
 


"The more interaction I have with the Selling Winnipeg to the World team, the more they impress me.  This initiative is exactly what our business community has been lacking.  The best part, everything is happening at the speed of light making our city more nimble than any other in Canada."
Kim Jasper
 Canadian Museum for Human Rights

"When we work as a team, we are unbeatable!  We jointly pitched a global company that selected Winnipeg from a list of cities from around the world as a potential expansion site.  Why Winnipeg?  Because they value our shared commitment to  community - especially our business community. By working together, we can be a destination of choice for international business (and for human rights)!"

You Are Amazing!!
SWTTW has been humbled by the quality and quantity of volunteers who have stepped forward to offer their time for our initiative!  At the beginning of January we sent out a survey to all of our contacts asking if anyone was interested in volunteering for SWTTW in a number of capacities - everything from public speaking to article writing to lead generation, and we are amazed and thankful for the responses.  It's not too late; if you are still interested in volunteering, please click here, give us a call or drop us a line and a survey will magically appear on your computer!

Great, you have a lead...now what?
We want them!  You can reach the SWTTW by phone, fax, mail or email or even anonymously if preferred.  We are often asked to sign non disclosure agreements to offer the highest level of comfort to those with sensitive information.  Once a lead is received, the SWTTW team hops into action by acting promptly, professionally and fully respecting confidentiality.

Together we will continue to make Winnipeg everything we want it to be!  Thank you for your support and assistance!