I work with public, private and institutional stakeholders to enhance economic prosperity in Ontario-based communities. I achieve this by taking time to understand the complexities of economic development that each municipality, county or region must identify, address and overcome in order to sustain long-term economic growth and viability for its’ local residents and businesses.Successful economic development is not about offering band aide solutions, but rather investigating root causes that can have a profound ripple effect on economies, supply chains, investment readiness, business retention and expansion, talent mobility and much more. In consultation with clients, internal departments and external stakeholders, I assist in the development of a series of best-case scenarios that are easily understood, implemented without difficulty and nurtured to ensure long-term success with clients who quickly become partners. In delivering these best practices, I have the opportunity to lead, participate and manage various economic development activities within the company in collaboration with staff and other departments.I drive the company’s business development activities in Ontario, engage in contract negotiation, influence strategic planning processes and outcomes and ensure long-term growth of the economic development division and the company as a whole.

With the goal of developing a collaborative approach to addressing and solving issues related to economic development, I’m building Canada’s largest Economic Development Forum. This year’s theme of, ‘Think Smarter: How to Build the NextGen Community’ will bring clarity, alignment and a hands-on approach to building smarter, more innovative and more inclusive communities. This theme was designed to show communities across Canada how to maximize the economic impact of their future land development strategies today. Bringing together senior economic developers, planners, all levels of government, land developers, engineering firms, utilities, financiers and private land holders, this unique program will inspire collaboration while also strengthening communication between public and private sectors. Participants in this event will gain insight into driving growth and new investment into their communities by implementing a holistic, big-picture approach which takes into account vested interests from public and private sector parties, while also engaging the residents of their communities.For more details, contact me at jason@thinkcompass.ca or be part of the solution by registering at www.thinkcanada.org/ecdev for the October 19, 2016 forum being held in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

Waterloo Region (Ontario) continues to grow and compete for global investment while remaining a destination region for attracting and retaining a highly skilled workforce. To support these efforts with a broadened mandate, Canada's Technology Triangle (CTT) evolved into the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation (WREDC) and publicly launched on January 1, 2016. Continuing to work in the capacity of Senior Business Development Officer and building upon the strategies employed under CTT , I was tasked with contributing to Waterloo Region’s continued prosperity by having…• Created local employment opportunities though global investment and industry expansion;• Assisted in the retention of multi-national investment in Waterloo Region;• Leveraged global networks and resources to help accelerate the growth of local anchor companies into international markets.• Ensured the smooth transition of CTT's core industry, influencer and client relationships including active investment opportunities to WREDC.

As the Instructor for the 'Global Entrepreneurship' course within the one year post-graduate 'Small Business Venture' program, I introduced students to the global business environment, including emerging trends and issues relevant to global trade. If a business faces the possibility of importing or exporting products and/or services, it must deal with issues and challenges not faced by firms operating domestically. Managers of global firms quickly find themselves dealing with cultural issues, currency exchanges, trade agreements, regulations and other international requirements. Key topics included; political economy, culture, ethics, foreign exchange markets, the global monetary system, global strategy, entering foreign markets, exporting, importing and counter-trade, global marketing, global production, outsourcing and logistics, protection of intellectual property, and global human resource management. I achieved this by having...• Organized a full class research assignment that investigated, examined and offered recommendations to the 2015 global Volkswagen scandal. Having structured the final presentation in a role playing format where students assumed actual stakeholder roles and political positions, the exercise lent itself to increased debate, brainstorming and a better appreciation of the contributing factors. • Leveraged different learning styles through instructor and student presentations, video and audio, social media and industry speakers. This kept the students interested and engaged and resulted in an increase in class participation and ability to more easily absorb the required material. • Students identify three global events and provide insight into or indicate how these events impacted their company’s ability to go global. Students were able to gain a better understanding of how larger influencers were at work which could have had local, national or international implications on their individual business.

Working in the capacity of Senior Business Development Officer for Canada’s Technology Triangle Inc., I was tasked with contributing to Waterloo Region’s continued prosperity by creating local employment opportunities though global investment and industry expansion. I achieved this by having…• Developed and strengthened relationships with global influencers such as Trade Commissioners, In-Market Senior Economic Officers, Investment Specialists, Lead Generators, Site Selectors and more;• Collaborated with local economic development offices/officers while reinforcing their jurisdictional strengths to prospective investors;• Connected with industry, academia and business association leaders within Waterloo Region and throughout Ontario and Canada to better understand gaps in our local/global supply/value chain for the purposes of identifying investment opportunities to pursue;• Targeted global trade shows and high-priority regions to meet with industry leaders who have international expansion plans on the horizon;• Strengthened investor confidence in Waterloo Region by engaging the appropriate industry, academia and government leaders who could provide the right products, services and support necessary for our region to complete globally and attract foreign direct investment;• Continuously met and exceeded customer service expectations by having provided relevant regional and business-related data in a timely manner to support a business case for investment and/or expansion.I encourage you to expand the 'Honors and Awards' section of this work experience to see a selection of the 180+ jobs and 60,000+ sqft of commercial real estate, representing global investments into Waterloo Region in which I played a key role in attracting.

As a dedicated Small Business Advisor with TD Canada Trust, I was responsible for developing new business banking relationships in Waterloo Region. I achieved this through a series of networking events, by engaging in the local chamber of commerce and through cold calling. Client retention and enhancing existing business banking relationships was also an important element of bank's strategic growth strategy. I maintained a high client retention rate by helping clients save time, save money, make money, while offering them peace of mind and convenience. I provided a leadership role in managing the customer experience by being aware of my surroundings within the branch, looking for opportunities to make a personal connection with customers and working with my peers to ensure a positive customer experience.What I enjoyed most about my role was introducing clients and engaging them in my professional networks to help them further their business venture, acquire new suppliers/customers or to be introduced to other like-minded professionals.

As Regional Sales Executive for TD Merchant Services, I was responsible for developing new business relationships and setting up these businesses with the ability to accept Visa, MasterCard, Interac and American Express at their places of business. Platforms could include face-to-face, over-the-phone, ecommerce and recurring type transactions/payments. I was also tasked with supporting local TD Canada Trust retail/commercial branches and chambers of commerce including their respective members within the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph, Cambridge, Elora, Fergus, Elmira, Listowel, Paris, Woodstock and Stratford.I supported management with on-the-job new hire training and created a workbook and reference guide for easy learning. What I enjoyed most about this role was distinguishing myself as a leading expert in the field by simplifying the complexities of this industry so that the average business owner was better equipped to understand an industry that was full of rules and ‘what-if’ statements. In doing so, I developed a creative and efficient ways to implement these services into businesses still only accepting cash and cheque as their primary forms of payment.

As Membership Development Representative for The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, I sought out new business relationships that I felt would benefit from the networking opportunities, cost savings programs, advocacy and community engagement offered through The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce. I achieved this by proactively cold calling, asking for referrals and understanding the business needs of my clients and matching them up with relevant programs and/or opportunities made available through the chamber of commerce. Member retention was also an integral component of my day-to-day requirements. I maintained a high retention rate by remaining in good communication with, facilitating B2B introductions to, sending invitations to relevant events and showing a genuine interest in chamber's membership.What I enjoyed most about this role was being a member of the Chamber Executives of Ontario, being recognized as the top 5th Membership Development Representative in North America (for similar sized chambers) for 'memberships acquired' and 'dollars sold' and the other business professionals with whom I shared an office with.