Issue link: http://tourismwpg.uberflip.com/i/976794
YES! WINNIPEG 5 Companies that choose to maintain and expand their presence within the Winnipeg market favourably impact job creation, local supplier base stability and growth, community income and wealth, and tax base diversification. From early triumphs that saw EDW's sales force help facilitate expansions for major Winnipeg firms like Winpak, Price Industries, Canada Goose and New Flyer Industries to recent expansions by SkipTheDishes, Manitoba Harvest and Skybridge Americas, YES! Winnipeg has maintained a consistent focus on this aspect of its overall effort to create jobs and encourage capital investment. Following EDW's restructuring last year, the BRE program shifted from a sales-centric model to one that now includes a more prominent and complementary market intelligence element. This revamped BRE program incorporates a more robust research component when compared to the previous iteration, which enables an improved understanding of the leading employers in Winnipeg and identifies critical issues and opportunities impacting local businesses. From a somewhat unscientific method largely relying on word- of-mouth leads to one advocating a broader view of Winnipeg's diverse and interconnected economy, this fresh approach is expected to produce results applicable to multiple firms as patterns emerge that can expose opportunities across entire sectors, not just individual companies. To maximize the BRE program's success, YES! Winnipeg and EDW's market intelligence group work together to become as knowledgeable as possible about each company involved in the interview process, so an ideal level of support can be offered. Being the acknowledged subject-matter experts about these companies and key sectors means EDW can lobby relevant decision-makers within government, industry and academia to create conditions conducive for success through increased investment, more targeted incentives and better ways to address talent deficits. The step-by-step approach used by EDW to execute its BRE efforts is as follows: 1. In collaboration with EDW's executive team, YES! Winnipeg identifies suitable companies for the BRE program and alerts the market intelligence group. Major employers with a significant Winnipeg presence are prioritized at the outset, followed by comparatively smaller firms with a potential for notable growth. 2. Market intelligence researches these companies and analyzes their industries to develop briefs for the YES! Winnipeg team. This process helps outline what is known, what knowledge gaps exist and what pertinent information would be useful moving forward. 3. YES! Winnipeg representatives interview the companies and capture relevant results. Market intelligence is alerted, and applicable action items are initiated. 4. Market intelligence updates its information based on intelligence gathered via the interview process. A follow-up company meeting is scheduled. 5. Interview data is used to address issues faced by local businesses and to identify opportunities for EDW to effect positive change. EDW is evolving along with our city, and its job is to help facilitate economic growth by encouraging industry investment, creating an optimal business environment and removing unnecessary administrative roadblocks. EDW's new BRE strategy deploys its resources more effectively than ever, enabling its in-house experts to better understand the city's leading employers and to identify critical issues and opportunities that may impact firms. It's an approach expected to pay impressive dividends as Winnipeg readies itself for a promising future.