Responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining business retention and expansion processes and programs in alignment with the City’s economic development strategy, and engaging with local businesses to identify barriers and opportunities within the community to deploy effective retention and expansion strategies.

Working to highlight the stories of manufacturers from across the Canadian Prairies, and share the insights and information that help the leaders of these companies maintain their competitive edge.If you know of manufacturers based in or operating in Alberta, Saskatchewan, or Manitoba who would have a story to share, please send me a note at jeff@prairiemanufacturer.ca

That voice at events asking you to take your seats or stand for a national anthem, or the voice you hear introducing the emcee or sharing the story of an award recipient? That might just be me!From my home studio in Metro Vancouver, my voice has travelled across the globe to charity events, corporate gatherings, association meetings, and even industry and business awards galas.Projects I have voiced include the Travel Alberta Alto Awards (2015-2016), Junior Achievement of Edmonton's Business Hall of Fame Gala (2016-2018), Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) Annual Convention (2015-2018), Pipeline Contractors Association of Canada (PCA) Annual Convention (2016-2019), Distribution Contractors Association of America (DCA) Annual Convention (2015-2019), MacEwan University's Mad Hatter's Gala (2015-2017), Edmonton Tourism You're Welcome Edmonton awards (2015), Consulting Engineers of Alberta (CEA) Awards (2015-2019), University of Alberta Faculty of Nursing Centennial Celebration & Virtual Reality Tour (2017), Fashion With Compassion (2017), the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) Summit Awards (2017-2019), and Canadian Home Builders Association - Edmonton Region Awards of Excellence (2019).

- Executive team member of GO Productivity, a private non-profit consulting company focused on Canada-wide industrial productivity improvement and innovation- Extensively involved in the start-up of the company, including marketing & branding, human resource recruitment and development, operating policies & procedures, and culture development- Developed and managed head office location and construction project, completed on-time and on-budget- Developed and implemented the company’s marketing and communication programs, including marketing strategy, advertising campaigns, communications and public relations, partner relations, educational tools, company websites, and social media presence.- Supervised team of up to four employees, including Marketing Coordinator, Relationship Manager, Marketing Assistants, and practicum and summer students- Developed and implemented re-branding strategy from Productivity Alberta to GO Productivity- Extensive experience in executive-level strategic planning and operations management of the company, including Purpose to Structure methodology- Responsible for corporate event planning/management, including GO Productivity Summit (2014), Global Innovation Summit & Annual Meeting of the GFCC (2014), GO Golf: Leadership on the Links (2015), and GO Golf: Innovation on the Links (2016), and GO Productivity Grand Opening- Developed and implemented strategic partnerships with complementary organisations- Represented GO Productivity at industry events, including tradeshows, public speaking engagements, and emcee duties- Responsible for vendor and contract management for marketing services, IT and telecom services, office furnishings, and facility services- Experience in stakeholder engagement with industry, government, associations, and educational institutions- Regularly engaged with Board of Directors through contributions to CEO’s Report, presentations to the Board, and joint working sessions on company priorities

I'm responsible for the strategic marketing, communications, and partner relations portfolio at Productivity Alberta. With my team, I get to spread the word about productivity improvement, who we are, and how we can save Alberta industry both time and money.

- Collaborated with Senior Director, Productivity Enhancement, on the development of the government’s industrial competitiveness strategy, including development and execution of the Premier’s Forum on Economic Competitiveness and the subsequent development and roll-out of Productivity Alberta- Worked closely with local economic development organisations, including Edmonton Economic Development and Calgary Economic Development, on development and implementation of local productivity and innovation programs and services- Project managed the development and roll-out of the standalone Productivity Alberta website and communication tools within government rules and guidelines- Managed competitive RFP processes for contracted graphic design, web development, event planning, and promotional services in accordance with New West Partnership rules- Developed and maintained strong working relationships with vendors and contractors to ensure on-time and on-budget delivery of goods and services to meet program requirements- Developed and maintained strong working relationships with local media outlets for communication and promotion purposes- Built strong working relationships at senior levels across government to ensure alignment and awareness of the productivity improvement program with overall government strategy and priorities

- Reporting to the Executive Director of Industry Development, worked with industry sector specialists, policy analysts, and trade development colleagues on macro-level economic development for Alberta industry- Sectors of focus included Architecture/Engineering/Construction, Environmental Products & Services, Forest Products, Value-added Wood Manufacturing, Health Products & Services, and Transportation & Logistics- Researched and prepared economic and business publications and major branch and division events, including Mexico-Alberta Environmental Products Mission, Scenario Planning Signpost Summary and environmental scanning process, Cold Regions Construction Conference, and Cabinet Manufacturing Workshops- Contributed to the Premier’s Council on Economic Strategy through research and analysis of comparable jurisdictions’ economic development policies and practices and their applicability to the Alberta provincial context- Responsible for branch-level issues management and co-ordination of Ministerial correspondence, briefing documents, and public speeches- Worked closely with Assistant Deputy Minister on a variety of special projects as requested- Involved in the planning and delivery of the Buyer/Seller Forum, an annual energy supply chain development event in Alberta, including the expansion of the Forum from a provincially focused event of ~200 participants to a Canada-wide event with attendance exceeding 1200 participants and the development of new tradeshow and one-on-one meetings components

- Co-ordinated Western Regional Investment Management Board meetings and correspondence- Involved in developing Regional Investment Strategy, and Community-based Investment Strategy for Winnipeg Metro- Contact person for property project information across Western Region- Assembled project workload planning forecasts for Regional Directors- Managed quality assurance for Property Development Information System (PDIS) project information review- Responsible for arranging travel for division executives to national and regional meetings

- Delivered front-line client services in a storefront environment at Canada-Saskatchewan Business Service Centre- Researched and analysed statistics, industry information, and business leads for public and government clients- Counselled clients in gathering information for business start-up, specific manufacturers, suppliers, and purchasers of products and services- Developed information guides specific to agribusiness entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs with disabilities- Interacted directly with nearly 1000 clients via telephone, fax, e-mail, and walk-in enquiries