It was June 18^th, 2012, and things were not going according to plan. The goal of this first day in the Canadian office with the new team was to start strong, to show these recruits that FMG was headed for success. But instead of being able to get the ball rolling with coaching and demonstrations, Publisher Jeff Hocken found, instead, that the power was out.

So, Jeff did what Jeff does best—he improvised and made it fun. This first day was not going to be what he had planned, but it would be a good day. Jeff took everyone to the pub, which turned out to be the perfect environment to get FMG to quickly transition from a group of strangers to a group of friends.

Reflecting on this day almost 10 years later, Operations Director Adam Cameron starts to describe how calm and unworried Jeff was about all this, but Jeff starts to laugh. It turns out, Jeff was panicking on the inside on this first stressful day, but he clearly had the leadership chops to project confidence, and that helped set FMG’s core philosophy of integrating fun into the workplace from day one.

“I hid my fear well, and it’s a good thing I did because Adam’s still here 10 years later, possibly because of that day and how it all started,” says Jeff. “Work has to be fun! If it’s not fun, I don’t want to be here.”

“I think I’m going to like this,” thought Adam at the time.

The early days

Focus Media Group actually has its genesis in Australia, where Jeff Hocken, his business partner at the time, and their dynamic team refined their business model.

With a degree in geography and a work history that ranged from military to sales, Jeff’s role as business owner and publisher of business magazines might not have been an obvious choice. But Jeff has always been a ‘yes’ person when it comes to opportunities. He is curious, drawn to adventure and fun, and is never the sort to turn down anyone’s idea without giving it fair consideration.

With Controller Jen Hamilton’s administrative skill and keen eye for detail, and Robert Hoshowsky’s experience as a writer and editor, the first publication, Australian Construction Focus, was born, and FMG began to refine its business model to best tell the stories of companies down-under.

As that magazine grew, the volume of work soon demanded more writing staff, and Jeff reached out to his brother, Tim Hocken (an aerospace engineer, of all things) and Jaime McKee (who holds a degree in community development) to help fill in until he could find more staff. As it turned out, Tim and Jaime enjoyed the work—the freedom to work remotely, the opportunity to learn about businesses all over the world, and the chance to work with family—and along with Robert, they formed the early editorial team at FMG and turned a temporary gig into a rewarding career.

In 2012, with the lessons learned in the Australian market, Jeff was ready to start anew in North America. Having been born and raised in Canada, the Halifax launch really represented coming home for Jeff. For Adam Cameron, however, it initially represented confusion.

When Adam first came across the job posting for Focus Media Group, he was immediately interested in the role, particularly the content research side. With an attractive on-target earnings number, he happily agreed to an interview. However, when the calendar invitation came in from an Australian email address for an interview at eight o’clock at night, Adam was certain it was just a scam, so he didn’t accept the invitation.

But, as Adam would later learn about Jeff’s personal approach, a declined calendar invite is not going to stop him. Jeff called at the proposed time anyway, catching Adam off-guard!

“So, come eight o’clock this weeknight back in 2012,” Adam recalls, “my phone starts ringing and it’s from this crazy number. I answered it and it was Jeff. I think the interview went alright—I don’t really remember it!… In the end, I think it went alright, because he set up an interview for when he was coming to Halifax! I still wasn’t sure. I still had my doubts up until we met.”

Eventually, Adam would transition into management, becoming FMG’s Operations Director—after convincing Jeff that he wasn’t, in fact, “too nice” for the role.

Modern management

The two make a good team. Adam cites Jeff’s flexibility and willingness to take risks as key to the company’s growth, while Jeff champions Adam’s compassion and sense of fairness. “I try to put myself in their shoes,” says Adam, of the company’s staff. “I do hold people accountable, but not in an unjust or unreasonable way.”

The entire leadership team share some core values that help make FMG what it is today. Employees’ ideas are always welcomed, and management is flexible and open to different ways of getting things done. Content Developer Jamal Francis-Anderson describes it as “a very close-knit community… It’s not that large of a company that you can’t just go talk to senior leadership when needed, and senior leadership doesn’t view the employees as beneath them.”

For Graphic Designer Ashley Dowling, this rings true. “Being a part of FMG means that you become a part of the team instantly. Your input is taken into consideration and we all collaborate to become better and more successful. I am trusted to get my work done so I have a lot of freedom in how I schedule and prioritize my work,” she shares. “FMG values teamwork and collaboration inside and outside of work, doing extra-curricular activities to let loose and talk with one another. We all eat lunch together and are able to reset ourselves by being in a social environment. It’s nice working in an office where having fun and being social is also important.”

As Jeff says, “every voice in the company matters.”

The FMG way

An open and supportive management style isn’t the only way FMG sets itself apart. Owing in part to a business model that has always supported remote communication, FMG has been green from the start. Business in Focus, alongside sister publications Construction in Focus, Resource in Focus, and Manufacturing in Focus, make it their mission to highlight eco-friendly organizations, initiatives, and technologies, and FMG walks the walk.

Jeff explains that, even before COVID, “I wanted to prove that we could do the business from home to reduce commuting, and I wanted to prove we could do short-run print, with the vast majority of our distribution online. That was what we started with and we’ve remained green,” donating issues to local high schools and maintaining a paperless office.

This ability for much of the team to work from home has also meant that FMG has never taken the staff writer approach. In fact, editorial is kept deliberately independent from the sales side to ensure journalistic integrity, and FMG is thus able to draw on a breadth of unique voices and perspectives. The end result is a rich, tailored finished product with the client’s voice coming through the clearest.

“We have independent journalists so that our readers have engaging articles that speak to them,” Jeff explains. “We hire people from all over the world because we want different, diverse perspectives.”

Contributing Writer Allison Dempsey found that this model was just what she was looking for. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing for FMG for the past two years and, in fact, I’m hard-pressed to think of a company I’ve liked working with more,” she says. “As a long-time freelance writer, FMG has provided exactly what I always look for: highly interesting assignments; positive, constructive feedback; the ability to work at my own pace within a prescribed deadline; and an overall welcoming and encouraging environment. As an added bonus, I’m continuously impressing my friends and family with all the new facts and inventions I learn about on a monthly basis!”

“This new way of doing things,” says Jeff, “led to clients asking more and more about using their articles as brochures, which is why we began doing just that.” Every client receives a completely custom brochure version of their feature article—a valuable tool for trade shows, branding, and recruiting, and a point of pride for the FMG team members who are able to make it happen.

A culture built on people

Adam believes that it is partly this bespoke nature of the work that draws people to FMG. “The description of the role is intriguing: searching for content for a magazine. It’s interesting and it’s different,” he says.

“And why do they stay? I truly believe it is the culture that we have here. I’ve worked a lot of jobs and I’ve never seen a group of people get along as well as they do here—and for 10 years!”

“I credit those early employees with affecting the environment and culture going forward,” says Jeff. “They helped set the foundation, they helped build the company—it’s their company as much as anyone else’s.”

Content Developer Wendy Hood-Morris agrees. “I work at FMG for the people,” she says. “The people I work with day-to-day make going to work a pleasure. We’re a close-knit team and rely on each other. Also, I love talking with business leaders across North America and learning their stories!”

Sales & Marketing Manager Luke Simms, who has been part of the team for seven years, enjoys the opportunity to learn and contribute in a fun environment. “When I was looking for a career and a place to work, I wanted to be around cool, like-minded, fun people,” he says. “With FMG, it’s been a lot of fun and a learning experience to ride the wave of a growing young company and to have a hand in some of the decisions that were made along the way. That adds value to the work that I put into the company.”

For Contributing Writer Jessica Ferlaino, “reflecting on this milestone is exciting from both a personal and professional standpoint, as I have had the opportunity to grow alongside the organization and its publications. Ten years ago, I wrote my very first article for Business in Focus, which kickstarted my career as a freelancer, and today, I am grateful to continue to work alongside the team as they strive for even greater outcomes in the future. It has been an absolute pleasure… being part of something so amazing that shines a light on some really great stories and companies across North America.”

Looking ahead

Focus Media Group has evolved over the years, and the founding principles that have always made it fun continue to make it a success. Taking calculated risks, building integrity into the business, and maintaining an open-door management policy—all set against a backdrop of fun—have been cornerstones to the business’ growth and adaptability. “As long as we’re all working together for a common goal, there’s nothing we can’t handle,” says Jeff. “That was the whole idea; if everyone assumes we’re going to win, we’re going to.”

That wild first day in 2012 set the tone, and what followed has been quite the ride. “In the beginning,” says Jeff, “optimism is all it was… We look at what’s possible.” We’re excited to see what further possibilities lie ahead.

Sidebar:

Management and the Art of Ping Pong

As you might imagine, this writer is keenly aware of Jeff’s lifelong love of ping pong. “I loved this game,” he says; “I would play for 19 straight hours and figure out food later. I couldn’t get enough. So my dream, when I opened a business, was to make enough money to justify the square footage required for a ping pong table.

“I brought it in primarily to be a team building activity… a semi-competitive, ‘have some fun before getting back to work, get the blood flowing so you’re not tired’ activity, a fun activity for lunches,” Jeff shares.

“But the cool part,” he says, “is our team invented new rules to be more inclusive… They changed it so you can’t hit the ball twice in a row when it’s your team’s turn to hit it. No matter where the shot goes, you have to back up, get out of the way, and work as a team.”

Sidebar:

Where ‘Healthy’ and ‘Fun’ Go Hand in Hand

At FMG, “healthy” and “fun” are a package deal, resulting in a healthy workplace where people can both be successful and let loose. The ping pong table is a key piece to this puzzle, as are some other fun lunchtime shenanigans!

For example, a local tavern had a promotion one holiday season where patrons who came in singing a Christmas carol would get a free beer. Somehow, the whole office ended up participating! “We took everybody,” Adam recalls. “We all went down to the Red Stag. We decided which song we were going to sing on the way in, and we all sang this entire song.” The bartender was satisfied after the first verse, and started pouring, but the team insisted on finishing the entire carol together first, before enjoying their drinks and heading back to work. How many days of Christmas are there again?

This healthy, fun attitude, nurtured in part by the flexibility and trust afforded to staff, is punctuated regularly by such memorable events, but the big company parties might have a little something to do with it as well. Many companies have big Christmas parties, and FMG pulls out all the stops for those, but it also hosts epic summer parties at the FMG Lakehouse, to let off some steam in July in the natural beauty of Nova Scotia. Singing around the bonfire, paddle-boarding out to tiny rock islands, or just chilling out on a giant ‘floaty’ in the lake—this outing has more of a summer camp feel to it than office party, for sure!

The post The Story Behind the Stories<p class="company">Focus Media Group Celebrates 10 Years</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

In simple terms, supply chains are networks or systems between companies and suppliers created to provide products or services to consumers. This requires taking raw materials or components and transforming them into finished products, which are then delivered to buyers. Involving different people and resources along the way, suppliers are usually ranked and organized by tiers. To be successful, this requires supply chain management, which co-ordinates the process from sourcing to transportation, making it as efficient as possible.

Thanks to improved shipping technologies in the 18^th century, supply chains became large-scale global enterprises, transporting sugarcane molasses from India to New England, where it was distilled into rum, much of it transported to Europe for sale. This was soon followed by the Industrial Revolution and the need to move raw materials like cotton to make textiles, and the construction years later of major railway lines, steamships, telecommunications and the Suez Canal to facilitate mass manufacturing.

Later, major innovations, including containerization in the 1950s, saw goods being transported more efficiently than ever before. And in the coming decades, both ships and ports became much larger, and able to move and process more products faster than ever. Efficiency increased profit, and that was the driving forces of change in the industry. Today, however, the equation is not so simple.
The triple bottom line
In recent years, companies have been pressured by workers, customers, and governments worldwide to take greater responsibility for their part in supply chain sustainability. More than supply chains of the past which involved mainly transporting goods, sustainable supply chains encompass the entire process from start to end-of-life cycle, measuring the environmental and societal impact at every stage.

Large businesses, and their logistics networks, are increasingly under the microscope for several new factors, including waste generated and greater accountability for everything from sourcing raw materials to how they are stored, production and manufacturing methods, and modes of transportation. In an energy-conscious world, even factors once dismissed, like water consumption and the amount of waste generated are considered and evaluated under sustainable supply chains. Emphasizing not only the impact on the environment but also on society, supply chain sustainability encompasses fair labour, water security and the impact of deforestation, and other important global issues.

For businesses and people, the benefits that come from sustainable supply chains are many, and able to positively affect the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), namely profits, people, and our planet. Coined by British entrepreneur, author and specialist in sustainable development and corporate responsibility John Elkington, examples of large companies subscribing to TBL include Starbucks, LEGO, Mars, and Ben & Jerry’s, who emphasize fair trade certification of raw goods , reducing their carbon footprint, fair treatment of labourers, using renewable energy, and hiring veterans.

According to Investopedia.com, “In economics, the triple bottom line maintains that companies should commit to focusing as much on social and environmental concerns as they do on profits.” Applied directly to supply chain sustainability, Triple Bottom Line principles benefit businesses.

When companies, especially large entities, track supply chain management (SCM) systems, they validate to investors and the public alike that they are good corporate citizens, responsible and proactive. This can be achieved by applying environmental initiatives throughout supply chains, including using recycled packaging and materials, prioritizing renewable energy, and shipping goods to the nearest distribution centers to save fuel and reduce carbon emissions.

According to global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, supply chains account for over 90 percent of the environmental impact of many consumer goods companies, a staggering figure. By better aligning themselves with suppliers, these companies can significantly reduce the impact they take on the environment and society.

As populations increase, so does consumer spending on everything from food to personal care products to clothing and electronics. All these products and many others can be better streamlined into sustainable supply chains, including where they are sourced, the ethical treatment and fair wages of providers and workers, how products are packed, and many other factors, including the type of energy used for shipping.

“The typical consumer company’s supply chain creates far greater social and environmental costs than its own operations, accounting for more than 80 percent of greenhouse-gas emissions and more than 90 percent of the impact on air, land, water, biodiversity, and geological resources,” stated McKinsey & Company in Starting at the source: Sustainability in supply chains. “Consumer companies can thus reduce those costs significantly by focusing on their supply chains.”

Time for change

Companies aligning themselves with sustainable supply chain initiatives not only reduce their overall impact on the environment and society, they also find new opportunities for growth. This ties into the rise of ethical investing – also called ‘socially responsible investing’ or ‘green investing,’ – where investors are increasingly putting their money into businesses aligning with their personal code of ethics. They are putting their money where their mouths are.

Although what is ‘ethical’ varies from person to person, it usually trends toward companies making a positive difference – such as how they use energy, and treatment of people, animals, and the environment. And this valuation now also extends to a company’s supply chains, regardless of who owns what under which umbrella – armed with software tools for analysis and the general transparency of information, investors are looking at the big picture.

Of course, sustainability in supply chains is a matter of accountability, above and beyond just attracting investors. From suppliers of raw materials to how and where products are made and distributed, this awareness drives accountability, and sweeping bad information under the rug is becoming more of a liability than ever.

About a decade ago, it was revealed some of the world’s biggest makers of athletic shoes and sportswear were working with suppliers in China who were dumping toxic chemicals into waterways, and a well-known computer company violated safety protocols by exposing workers to dangerous chemicals during the manufacturing of its phones. Events like this sully a company’s reputation, which can affect everything from the consumer choices to recruiting.

For supply chains to be truly sustainable, an end-to-end and beyond approach is needed. This involves not only accountability with how materials are sourced from tier suppliers, paying workers fairly, and how goods are shipped and sold, but also what happens to products when they reach their end-of-life states. Viewed for years as linear, many are now looking at supply chains as circular. Genuinely sustainable supply chains consider every stage of the process, including eventual recycling and minimizing waste.

While many companies accept the basics – recycling metal, plastic and paper – others are going beyond, restoring their used products, or finding solutions to ‘upcycle’ them into something else. This includes office used office furniture, with worn-out parts being replaced, and even redesigning clothing so that parts can be repaired, and the garment re-used.

It’s only logical: by purchasing materials closer to home, by ensuring fair compensation for workers, by minimizing transportation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and by repairing products at the end of their life cycles, sustainable supply chains are achievable and profitable.

The post Logical Logistics<p class="company">Building Sustainability into Supply Chains</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Bees are not only vital to the planet’s survival – more than 80 percent of the world’s flowering plants require pollinators to reproduce, including fruits, vegetables, chocolate, coffee, nuts, and spices, according to farmers.gov – they’re also a burgeoning business responsible for products ranging from medicine to cosmetics.

You may simply think of them as stinging pests that ruin outdoor picnics, but they’re more than just busy – they’re saving the planet and making a lot of money in the process.

Every year in the United States, bees produce about 160 million pounds of honey and the necessaries for about $300 million worth of products. These range from food to medical dressings, skin creams, lotions, toothpaste, mouthwash, and musical instrument varnish.

But the truly significant business of beekeeping lies in the billions beekeepers make by pollinating crops.

The pollination story

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are highly profitable, but honey is only a by-product of apiculture’s main industry. Although there are some alternative pollinators for certain foods, domesticated honeybees are the most common, pollinating more than one-third of our food crops.

Crop pollination is big business in agriculture, and honeybee colonies are moved precisely where needed at the appropriate time to ensure specific foods receive the best pollination. The pollination season begins in California, which hosts the world’s largest managed yearly pollination event with more than two million installed hives.

California produces 80 percent of the world’s almonds, a crop that requires the use of two hives (about 80,000 bees) per acre of trees for cross-pollination, according to https://www.earthdate.org/the-business-of-bees. This pollination takes place in February throughout a three-week timeframe, with pollination services costing more than $300,000 per year for a typical almond farmer.

These “migratory” beekeepers have been providing a vital service to agriculture since the early twentieth century, moving their hives seasonally to pollinate a wide range of crops.

Each year, commercial beekeeping adds between $15 and $20 billion to agriculture’s economic worth, and food costs would rise if commercial pollination services didn’t enhance yields. The farm sector would become less competitive globally, and the security and variety of our food supply would be compromised.

And now commercial migratory beekeeping is more important than ever in our agricultural economy, with wild insect pollinator numbers already in significant decline, according to http://cues.cfans.umn.edu/old/pollinators/pdf-value/EconomicValueCommercialBeekeeping.pdf.

It’s a decline that could have serious, long-term repercussions, and one that entomologists are urgently investigating. A massive bee die-off, possibly due to Colony Collapse Disorder, is occurring globally, and according to preliminary results of the nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership’s 15^th annual nationwide survey, beekeepers in the United States lost 45.5 percent of their managed honey bee colonies from April 2020 to April 2021.

CCD only refers to the phenomenon of the sudden and sometimes literally overnight loss of the vast majority of the hive, leaving a queen, full brood (larvae) cells, and full honey stores behind. No dead bees are found in collapsed hives, perplexing scientists and posing a major challenge to disease research. The USDA has been studying the phenomenon since 2009, but whether due to parasites, diseases, poor nutrition, or pesticides, CCD in some cases remains a mystery, says http://www.planetbee.org.

Regardless, honeybees are the most commercially useful pollinator on the planet, and many high-value crops including almonds and broccoli rely exclusively on commercial beekeepers for pollination, with insect pollination accounting for 9.5 percent of the entire economic value of agricultural products for human consumption globally, according to http://cues.cfans.umn.edu/old/pollinators/pdf-value/EconomicValueCommercialBeekeeping.pdf.

As it is, humans play a huge role in helping keep bees alive and thriving for both the planet and humanity’s survival.

Honey, I’m home: tips for a happy hive
So you’ve decided to become a beekeeper! Starting a honey business necessitates careful planning and preparation, with three key considerations: Providing bees with shelter, ensuring the shelter is fit for continuous usage by the bees and gathering honeybee products from the hive.

In any business, quality is crucial, particularly so in the honey industry.

Knowing how to properly keep bees helps produce harvests of high-quality honey and beehive goods. To that end, joining local clubs and reading books about beekeeping, harvesting, and working with honey will also teach you about best techniques and equipment to purchase, including protective gear – beekeeping suits, veils, and gloves – essential for working safely around bees.

Becoming a member of a beekeeping group is also a fantastic opportunity to meet other beekeepers who can provide useful tips and suggestions.

Beehives come in a variety of styles, including the Langstroth beehive, the Warre beehive, and the British National beehive, while beekeeping techniques change slightly depending on the climate zone. For instance, it’s important to prepare carefully for cold seasons as in the winter, bees are less active and have fewer foraging sites than in warmer seasons.

The honey extractor is one of the most significant pieces of beekeeping equipment. A big extractor can take multiple frames at once and is a good option for large honey operations. Honey can be extracted from a large number of beehive frames in a single day using commercial honey extractors.

You can’t have a honey business without bees, of course, so you’ll need a bee colony once you’ve acquired the appropriate equipment. You can either purchase a colony or catch a swarm on your own.

To build strong honeybee colonies throughout your apiary, a healthy colony is vital. By introducing new queen bees, beekeepers can improve the genetics of their honeybee colonies, and trapping a wild honeybee colony is an excellent way to improve the apiary’s genetics.

Over the winter months, beekeepers need to use a variety of techniques to keep their colonies healthy as winter bee deaths can lead to weakened colonies later. Because they can’t leave the hive to find food, wintering bees eat honey and may retreat to the hive’s interior and concentrate more on one another.

If this occurs and the hive entrance isn’t secured, bees may be subjected to insect infestations, as other insects that prey on bees may also attack if the hive entrance is unprotected.

Time is honey

The profitability of honey business activities varies. Of course, larger businesses promise more profitability as they also provide higher honey yields, allowing beekeepers to earn more than smaller enterprises.

A beekeeping operation with more than 25 beehives should produce strong profit ratios, but when starting a honey company, the safest amount of hives to keep is 50. With 50 beehives in the first year of operations, while you may put a lot of money into the business, it will quickly pay off.

The amount of honey you harvest is also critical, as honey and other products from beehives are usually sold per weight. A single colony of bees can produce anywhere from 20 to 60 pounds of honey, and in a year, beekeepers generally produce more than 25 pounds of honey on average.

During honey harvest season, bees in a fresh beehive have a limited amount of honey, and the amount of honeybee forage available has an impact on how much honey beekeepers collect from their hives.

Strong colonies with a large number of bees produce higher beehive product yields, so the amount of honey you gather from a single beehive is also affected by beehive diseases and pests.

Finally, to maintain good colony strength, honey bee colonies must maintain adequate brood levels. Bees store honey during good times for use during bad times, so when harvesting honey, leave some for the bees to use when foraging conditions are unfavourable,” says https://beekeepclub.com/how-to-start-a-honey-business/.

Aside from the monetary benefits, bees are critical to the conservation of ecological balance and biodiversity in the natural world, providing one of the most well-known ecosystem services, namely pollination, which is necessary for food production. They also protect and maintain ecosystems, as well as animal and plant species, and contribute to genetic and biotic diversity.

Bees can also be used to assess the state of the environment, as their presence, absence, or quantity can tell us when something is wrong with the environment. To put it bluntly, if the bees die off, so do we: it’s their world, and we’re just living in it.

The post The Money In Honey<p class="company">The Buzz Around Bees</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

HIPOWER SYSTEMS serves all clients with the same high level of care and expertise. “No matter how big or how small, they take the same importance for us,” says Rino Sbriglia, Vice President of Sales and Client Experience.

This is reflected in the bottom line of this trusted diesel and spark-ignited power generator engineering and manufacturing giant, as company growth over the last decade has been nothing short of phenomenal. It grew from an estimated 20,000-square-foot space just eleven years ago to a 110,000-square-foot facility a couple of years later. Eight years or so after that, HIPOWER SYSTEMS serves North America from an over half a million square feet facility in Olathe, Kansas.

“The investment and the effort that has been put in place in the past ten years are huge. [That] is because we know and understand the American market, and that is why we are [making] these investments,” Sbriglia adds, underlining how these complex expansions demanded a surprising amount of effort and contribution and not just fiscally.

The team takes customer requirements and needs seriously, and when a new product is underway, practical feedback is valuable. “Compared to our competitors, we are still small,” says Sbriglia, who notes that this works in the company’s favor. “Every customer has access to everybody here in the company, starting from the chief executive officer down… they are welcome to reach out to anybody, and we will take care of them.” Thanks to this, communication flows, leading to smooth processes and availability throughout the organization.

Its gargantuan parent companies, HIMOINSA of Spain and YANMAR Group of Japan, give the company advanced capabilities second to none. This international footing affords HIPOWER SYSTEMS access to some of the most advanced technology, research and development, and manufacturing capacity relating to this type of equipment.

“That is [one of the benefits] of being part of a multinational organization. That we are flexible in that way,” he says. This considerable pool of support means that, when the economy is under pressure labor-wise, the company still has full access to world-class equipment and knowledge to fulfill its orders. Its distribution partners are well-informed about its products, delivering the same caliber of personal service as the HIPOWER SYSTEMS team.

When it comes to innovation, the company heeds market demand. It tries to satisfy all customer requests. “Once we identify the product they need, then we develop that product together with them,” Sbriglia tells me. It means detailed conversations with field operators who physically operate these machines daily, rather than checking in with, for instance, company leaders.

HIPOWER asks operators “what they need for certain applications, what they do not need, so the innovation is meeting customer expectations. That is also something that [makes us] unique. There are not many people that do this,” he says. When cars are designed, for instance, it is done in a way that potential customers have no input into the design and can take or leave the resulting product.

Instead, in-house research and development team designs specifically for its clients, focusing on solving customer challenges and optimizing performance and durability in the face of extreme temperatures. Having access to the brilliant minds of the parent companies gives the Kansas team exciting possibilities for collaboration. The final procedure following the development phase is getting stationary units UL certified. Once this is complete, production commences.

Nearly all of HIPOWER’s components are produced in the United States. “We produce everything here at our facility in Kansas for the U.S. and Canadian markets,” says Sbriglia.

There is further growth and product development ahead for HIPOWER SYSTEMS. In the second half of 2021, it launched another diesel range of portable generators with capacities ranging between 25 kilovolt-ampere (kVa) to 1375 kVa. This variety of integrated Tier 4 engines also comply with the United States Environmental Protection Agency emissions standards. These standards aim to considerably lessen particulate and nitrogen oxide emissions, introduce ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, and promote cutting-edge engine technologies and after-treatment systems for exhaust gas.

HIPOWER’s stationary diesel range also features various models, starting from 10 to 600 kilowatts (kW). Its natural gas selection has portable and stationary models ranging from 650kW to 800kW and 1 megawatt (MW). These new ranges also include revamps of existing models that had become outdated and needed modernizing. “There have been new components and new engines coming out, so there was a need of a complete redesign of that product line,” Sbriglia says.

In addition, another line of smaller, natural-gas-powered generators was introduced in March this year, ranging from 80kW to 150kW. Soon it will debut yet another product line with outputs of up to 600kW.

The Heavy-Duty Industrial Diesel Standby Series recently received the 2021 International Building Code seismic certification, making it a strong option in case of earthquakes. The product not only retains its structure and strength but also works in the aftermath of this type of natural disaster. To achieve this incredible feat, the company collaborated with the earthquake simulator laboratory at University of California, Berkeley’s Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER) laboratory. Here, the generators were put on an earthquake simulator shaking table to test strength and performance under severe conditions. This sophisticated piece of equipment is reportedly the largest of its kind in America. The machines passed the tests with flying colors and are now ready to serve North Americans in both the worst and the best of times.

Much of the company’s factory is automated. “Some areas can run with very few people. And, of course, some areas need more people. Right now, we are about one hundred people,” says Sbriglia. “If I am thinking about the people we have in production, production planning and engineering, purchasing, there is a true commitment from [them]. Everybody understands the project. Everybody knows the target, and I think we are all going in the right direction.”

As COVID-19 measures continue to affect markets, the company has seen a balance developing between its two main types of clients. Around half of these customers occupy the rental arena, while the other half uses these machines as standby electricity backup sources. Industries include agriculture, construction, water treatment facilities, oil and gas exploration plants, data centers, financial institutions, and disaster relief operations.

In terms of how the global health crisis affected the company, Sbriglia remains positive. “COVID-19 did not change the business. 2021 was one of our best years. I have heard this from multiple companies. We had to face challenges, but we were able to overcome these by strengthening our cooperation with our subsidiaries around the world,” he says.

The post Power to the People: Building QUALITY Generators<p class="company">HIPOWER SYSTEMS </p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

It’s a true marvel of Canadian ingenuity and engineering and with 4,000 vehicles crossing per day (pre-COVID), it has made a huge economic impact.

The bridge was a long time in the making – 130 years in fact – in final fulfilment of a promise made in 1867 by the newly-formed Dominion of Canada to link Prince Edward Island to the mainland if it joined the Confederation, which it did in 1873.

The promise was initially kept by CN Marine (later Marine Atlantic) which operated a ferry service across the Northumberland Strait, from Borden-Carleton, PEI, to Cape Tormentine, NB, and which for many years transported entire passenger and freight-carrier trains.

Overrun by demand

That solution was far from perfect, however, because it seemed that no matter how many ferries were in operation or how frequently they crossed the strait, they couldn’t keep up with the demands of the tourism or transportation industries, both vital to PEI.

In the years after trains stopped running in PEI, wait times of up to four hours faced commercial transport drivers and young families packed into cars, eager to get to the island’s beaches, or islanders with business on the mainland. And since the ferry service did not operate after midnight, the only way to get off the island in an emergency was by air.

The years of frustration ended on May 31, 1997, with the opening of the appropriately named Confederation Bridge.

The name not only recognizes that long-ago promise to link PEI with the mainland but also acknowledges PEI’s role as “The Cradle of Confederation”. For it was at a meeting held in Charlottetown in 1864, with representatives from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Quebec), that the idea of forming one nation was born.

Even though it had been obvious for many years that a fixed link, as opposed to a ferry service, was crucial for the island’s economy, there was a surprising amount of opposition in the 1980s when the idea was proposed.

Proponents cited the much-needed economic boost the bridge would provide, but opponents voiced concern around environmental, safety, and financial issues. The debate was settled by a plebiscite in 1988 in which 59.4 percent of islanders voted in favour of the fixed link.

A modern marvel is born

We had the privilege of speaking with Michel Le Chasseur, General Manager of Strait Crossing Bridge Ltd. (SCBL), who arrived on site on October 7, 1993, the day the Government of Canada and Strait Crossing Development Inc. (SCDI) signed the contract to build the bridge, creating a public-private partnership, or P3.

He’s been on the job, ever since, overseeing all aspects of the bridge. “I was only 38 years old when I arrived, and this year I will be 67,” he says.

“It has been an incredible experience and I am extremely lucky to have done this. It’s been my passion. I’ve been supported by a great team, including others who’ve been here since Day One, too. And to me, it’s like winning gold at the Olympics; it’s something I cherish.”

Le Chasseur explains the partnership structure, unique in Canada at that time. It shifts the risk of construction, budgeted in 1993 at $730 million and equal to the subsidy, from the government, and allows SCBL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SCDI, to recover the delta to the actual cost of $1 billion by collecting tolls which are also used to operate and maintain the bridge for 35 years.

At the end of that time, in 2032, management of the bridge will revert to the Government of Canada, unless it should choose to continue with the present arrangement.

The multi-award-winning 12.9 km bridge, which saw 6,000 employees and sub-contractors cross the gates during the four-year construction period, was designed by a consortium headed by a joint venture of J. Mueller International and Stantec (then SLG Consulting).

It used precast concrete parts, which were fabricated on a 150 acre open yard and assembled on site.

The bridge is composed of a multi-span concrete box girder, with the 11 km long main bridge supported by 44 piers. The 1.3 km New Brunswick approach from Cape Jourimain rests on 14 piers, with 7 piers in the 0.6 km approach from Borden-Carleton, PEI.

“What may be a surprise to people outside the industry, is that the bridge features a hollow core,” Le Chasseur says, “and 12,000 km of cable, which is what really holds it together.” This hollow core allows engineers to carry out regular inspections.

More than just a stroll

Walking the length of the bridge, from PEI to New Brunswick, “is part of our ongoing maintenance program,” says Le Chasseur. “We’re walking and eyeballing, taking pictures and comparing them with the last time we were there. We carry laptop computers, and we can bring up construction drawings to analyze something in particular,” he says.

“Our inspections include going down hollow pier shafts along with diving inspections to see what’s happening at the bottom of the strait. As well, the bridge is equipped with tiltmeters to monitor its movement, and ice flows are also monitored. On top of that, there’s a full annual inspection with independent engineers, and their report goes to the federal government, owner of the bridge, and Strait Crossing,” he explains.

“After 25 years the bridge is in excellent shape and now the thinking is that it will last longer than the 100 years it was designed for. One of the biggest challenges in the construction process was the presence of ice in the strait, but with the warming of the planet, scientists are now predicting there will be no ice in the strait by 2050, which seems to be good news for the longevity of the structure.”

While ironically, the bridge may benefit from global warming and climate change, it has also contributed significantly to the environment by eliminating 44,000 tonnes per year of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses that the ferries produced annually for the past 25 years.

In addition, all the lighting on the bridge has been converted to LEDs that consume 30 percent less energy than the ones used in the initial design.

“We are mindful of whatever we can do in terms of improving the environment. We are talking about micro-solar farms and looking at acquiring electric trucks. They are hard to come by, but we have them on our radar,” says Le Chasseur.

25-year connection

Not only is structural safety paramount, so is vehicle safety. In control rooms at each end of the bridge, traffic is watched 24/7 through 25 cameras posted along the crossing. If a vehicle stops at any point, a patrol vehicle heads out to assess the situation, which could of course be serious or something as trivial as running out of gas.

Ready to respond is a dedicated towing service along with EMS services – fire, police, and ambulance. “We do whatever it takes to keep people safe, including monitoring weather conditions. We’ve been fortunate with very few accidents over the years,” Le Chasseur says.

Things couldn’t have been better for the Confederation Bridge and the tourism and transportation industries until March 2020, when the unexpected occurred: the first of several COVID-19 lockdowns. The bridge remained open, and commercial traffic, deemed an essential service, flowed freely across it, but with restrictions on interprovincial travel, tourism came to a grinding halt.

“What kept us going was commercial traffic, but we had a 40 percent reduction of overall traffic in 2020 and 2021. Because the island doesn’t produce most of what it needs, everything is shipped from the mainland, so it was extremely important for the bridge to remain open when all other travel was strongly discouraged. Commercial traffic became our bread and butter.”

Apart from tourist and commercial traffic, the bridge plays a vital role in helping separated families. “Children go back and forth between parents on weekends, and in the space of a year the cost could be onerous, if you are driving your own vehicle at the 2 axle rate,” Le Chasseur explains.

The solution was to offer a self-serve shuttle for only $4.75 instead of the regular toll of $50.25 (for 2-axled vehicles) in which one parent can drive the children across the bridge to meet with the other parent, as long as the car returns within 40 minutes of departure.

The same program works for other applications such as university students who go back and forth on weekends. “We have 500 such accounts, so that means the system is working.”

Plans to come

Twenty-five years is a milestone anniversary, and Le Chasseur is hoping that he’ll be able to arrange some events of significance, however, COVID-19 and attendant restrictions remain an unpredictable variable.

“COVID has made things difficult, but we think we are moving toward the end of the pandemic and the provincial government is talking about removing restrictions by April 7.”

Still, when we talked in mid-February it was too early to reveal definite plans. “We are looking at different things, but we are not ready to announce.” He hints, however, that it could involve several smaller events spread across the tourist season, starting with the anniversary of the bridge opening on May 31.

“But it will have to be a bit different from our big 20th anniversary celebration which was timed to Canada 150 celebrations.”

Those interested should check social media toward mid-April for announcements.

Meanwhile, the Confederation Bridge remains open, as it has throughout the pandemic, with opportunities for contactless payment through Interact and major credit cards when leaving the island at the toll plaza in Borden-Carleton. Tolls are tax exempt.

Frequent users can utilize the StraitPass transponder system, which is a convenient and secure link to the driver’s credit card. It can also be connected to other toll facilities which accept the MacPass, (for Halifax’s MacDonald and MacKay Bridges and the Stanfield International Airport parking lot) and the E-Pass at the Cobequid Pass, north of Truro on TCH 104.

The post The 25-Year Link<p class="company">Strait Crossing Bridge Ltd.</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Back in 1984, when the murals painted on the silos of the Lehi Roller Mills (a family-owned flour mill founded in 1906) were featured in the movie Footloose starring Kevin Bacon, the site was surrounded by open fields.

The Lehi City of those years is remembered by Marlin Eldred, who grew up 15 miles away and has been Lehi’s director of economic development for the past five-and-a-half years, as a “sleepy little town with only two flashing lights.”

From ag to tech
Incorporated in 1852, Lehi’s economy was based on agriculture, and it stayed that way for 148 years. But with the arrival of Micron Industries, everything changed, and Lehi was catapulted from the 19th century directly into the 21st, as the economy transitioned from agriculture to technology.

As Eldred explains, some 25 years ago Micron Industries approached the State of Utah to create a microchip fabrication plant and Lehi worked with the company to build a massive, 2.5 million square foot building. Then, to everyone’s great disappointment, “they mothballed it. But three years later, in 2000, Micron returned, put in equipment, hired staff, and that became our nexus.”

Micron acted as a catalyst, attracting other high-tech companies to the newly-dubbed “Silicon Slopes,” which resulted in a dramatic increase in population.

In 1990, six years after Footloose was filmed, the population of Lehi was only 8,475. But it more than doubled to 19,028 in 2000 (per the U.S. Census) when Micron began hiring and has grown steadily ever since; the population had nearly quadrupled to 75,907 by 2020.

In 2008, Adobe Systems built one of its U.S. headquarters facilities, now home to 1,800 employees, in Lehi. The focus there is on engineering, product development, and other operations associated with Adobe Marketing Cloud.

High-end comes to Lehi
For the last 14 years, Eldred says, “We’ve been able to attract more and more high-end tech companies.” These include Snapchat, Oracle, InfusionSoft, Workfront, Vivint Solar, Agel Enterprises, DigiCert, Jolt, ProPay Inc., and many, many others.

Microsoft, too, has brought over an engineering department specializing in the next version of Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), while Ancestry has moved its headquarters from Provo to Lehi.

In addition, a roll-call of multi-level marketing companies such as XanGo, Younique, Nature’s Sunshine Products, and Young Living has put Lehi in a unique position to lead the way in the digital economy.

Speaking on behalf of Young Living Essential Oils, Acting President Ben Riley says that the company “has been fortunate to be headquartered in Lehi since 2003. In 2017, working closely with City leaders, we decided to build our award-winning global headquarters along the Silicon Slopes corridor. We are inspired to be surrounded by some of the most dynamic companies in Utah and appreciate the energy and momentum Lehi affords,” he says.

“We are proud to continue our partnership with Lehi City on many enhancements and improvements for both the business community and residents alike, and look forward to being a part of Lehi’s continued economic growth as a premier business, technology, commercial, and essential oil center for many years to come.”

This past October, Micron sold its entire fabrication plant to Texas Instruments.

“We’re very excited,” Eldred says. “Texas Instruments has more than 40,000 customers and is completely diversified, serving many different industries. This fabrication plant will be utilized and continue to grow in the future.”

As it turns out, the staff at Texas Instruments is equally excited to be in Lehi.

Living the life in Lehi
Plant Manager Trevor Bee of Texas Instruments says, “I’ve been working in Lehi since 2006 and have watched this area thrive with the tech sector in recent years. People want to live and work in Lehi because there are many career opportunities in our relatively small geographic area, which has maintained a strong sense of community and support. The tech companies here realize how fortunate we all are to call Lehi home, and we support each other’s success.”

Eldred takes up the narrative, saying, “We got that fly-wheel started and landed our first, second, and third businesses, and we’ve got to the point where a lot of tech companies in Utah are looking at Lehi as the place to locate because we have such a high concentration of tech companies. What I’m finding now, is that I spend very little time doing large business recruitment.” Instead, he says, his present focus is attracting employees to relocate to Lehi, to work for the tech companies where the average annual salary is $95,000 to $120,000.

What’s also needed are more medical, financial, legal, and educational professionals, and a variety of retail establishments to support the growing population, to offer the lifestyle young professionals and young families are looking for, and to make Lehi fully self-sufficient.

Just 30 miles along the freeway from Lehi City is Salt Lake City, with its international airport, professional sports, and cultural activities.

Salt Lake City is home to the NBA Utah Jazz, as well as Major League soccer and rugby teams. It’s also home to the Utah Symphony Orchestra, professional theatre and dance companies, and the famed Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.

Also within a short drive are three major universities: Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, and the University of Utah, making all the amenities of an urban lifestyle accessible to Lehi residents.

Turning to nature
Lehi stands in picturesque surroundings. The Jordan River to the west, Utah Lake to the south, Wasatch Mountains to the east, and the White and Oquirrah Mountain ranges to the west invite outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, camping, and skiing.

In addition, Lehi maintains a recreation center with indoor and outdoor pools. Lehi truly combines the best of both urban and rural living in its own unique way, appealing to its young demographic where the median age is 24.5 years.

The city offers a variety of housing solutions, Eldred says, ranging from very nice apartments and townhouses to starter homes with three bedrooms and two bathrooms priced around $470,000, and executive homes priced at $1.1 million located in the canyons or on the mountainside.

Primary residences are taxed at only 55 percent of the assessed value. According to the city’s official website, “Maintaining an average rate for many years, property tax revenues have stayed relatively stable. When compared to other cities in Utah of a similar size, Lehi has maintained a relatively average property tax rate for many years which has helped to mitigate the need for a significant rate increase in any given year.”

Lehi healthcare
Another advantage of life in Lehi is excellent health care facilities. In 2015, IASIS Healthcare built Lehi’s first hospital – a 23-acre campus housing a 40-bed, full-service facility with an emergency department, intensive care unit, medical imaging, cardiac lab, surgical suites, and labor and delivery.

Currently under construction is the Primary Children’s Hospital, only the second dedicated children’s hospital in the state. It will be a full-service hospital, providing heart surgery and chemotherapy.

To improve communications, Lehi announced a partnership with STRATA Networks at the end of 2021 to build an all-fiber network throughout the city. Over three years, the agreement will bring some of the fastest internet speeds in the country to homes and businesses within city limits, adding just one more reason to live and work there.

Meanwhile, Eldred shares news about “a $500 million project that has taken almost three years to get across the finish line. It will include multi-family housing, commercial office space, and a retail component,” he says.

“We are trying to get a mix of high-end restaurants and major brand names that will draw traffic, but we also want smaller independent boutique-style stores, because we want smaller stores to stay viable and become profitable. I’ve been spending most of my time recently focusing on the retail sector, so our residents have a place to shop where they live and work. You can’t pigeonhole residents and say they are all going to shop in one kind of store, so we need a breadth of retail to appeal to both a wider population and niche markets.”

Eldred, who created two economic development courses for the Utah Valley University branch in Lehi, where he teaches, says that every community’s economic-development effort would like to claim to be the best in the U.S.; however, that is perhaps something that Lehi can do.

“There are only a handful of cities that are experiencing the kind of growth we have, and I believe that it’s a result of a stable municipal government. There’s no community I’d want to leave Lehi for, because of our stable municipal government and my relationship with our mayor, senior staff, and council. It is second to none,” he shares.

“The reality of what sets Lehi apart from all of those others, is the stable local government, along with the tech and business community we have created here, and the opportunities for employment, quality of life, and housing. We have built that three-legged stool and Lehi has become a gem that people look at and ask themselves, ‘Why aren’t we locating here?’”

The post Move Over Silicon Valley – Silicon Slopes Coming Through<p class="company">City of Lehi, UT</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

The Northeastern Nevada Regional Development Authority (NNRDA) was founded a decade ago as an initiative of Moving Nevada Forward: A plan for Excellence in Economic Development 2012-2014, the state’s economic development plan. The NNRDA represents Lander County, Eureka County, Elko County, and White Pine County.

Comprising public and private members who are integral to the future of Northeastern Nevada, the NNRDA’s footprint encompasses a massive area of almost 40,000 square miles, representing 36 percent of the state.

Essentially a private/public partnership, NNRDA members are from the four represented counties, which include five communities within those counties who are members. On the private side, members include leaders in mining, hemp farms, hospitals, and other large-scale enterprises, while community partners include local chambers of commerce and similar groups.

Regardless of status, all members are important to building the area’s economic growth and sustainability.

Known for its mining, Northeastern Nevada remains the fourth-largest gold-producing area in the world.

Exempt from many taxes – including corporate (under $4 million annual revenue), and without personal, state, warehousing, inventory, or franchise taxes – the area is almost “recession-proof,” putting Northeastern Nevada in an ideal position for economic growth and prosperity, says Sheldon Mudd, Executive Director of the NNRDA since 2017.

While mining remains king in the area, Nevada is also known for its rich agricultural heritage. The state produces everything from livestock to crops that include alfalfa, corn, oats, and barley.

“We still try to maintain and take care of those industries the best we can. But to piggyback off of those, two of our target industries are directly related: value-added mining, and value-added agriculture,” says Mudd.

With value-added mining, almost all resources mined locally leave the state for further processing, something the NNRDA is trying to change. This is especially important, with lithium being mined nearby, and a vanadium mine getting ready to come online in the region. Since both elements are used in batteries powering electric vehicles (EVs), demand will increase as EVs become more commonplace.

The goal is to have these products and many others, including agricultural goods, refined, utilized, or manufactured in the State of Nevada, not elsewhere, so jobs are created and money goes back into local economies.

Making this even more vital is the recent creation of a large industrial hemp farm, with raw product being shipped elsewhere for additional processing.

To address the issue, Mudd and the NNRDA are speaking to related businesses and encouraging them to set up manufacturing in Northeastern Nevada. This includes speaking to mattress makers and building material companies who utilize hemp in their production to encourage them to manufacture products locally, as well as to livestock slaughterhouses and beef processing plants.

“What we are looking for is anything we can do to essentially have an end product before it leaves the state,” says Mudd. “To complement our existing industries, we term it value-added agriculture or value-added mining.”

For companies, setting up processing or manufacturing facilities in the area is a win-win, since it means being closer to resources and having lower costs for transportation.

The NNRDA is focused on other industries, too, including warehousing/distribution and logistics. Located in the middle of the Western United States, transportation is readily accessible via main and business routes such as the US-93 and I-80 BL.

From a base in the region, a truck traveling 60 miles an hour (96 km/h) can be in any major metropolitan service area in the Western United States within just 10 hours, including Vegas, Phoenix, Denver, or Portland.

Other sectors focused on by the NNRDA include aerospace and defense. Located in San Diego since the late 1960s, the elite TOPGUN program – a nickname for the Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program (SFTI) – was relocated to the Naval Air Station Fallon (NAS Fallon) in Western Nevada in the 1990s.

For many years, starting in 1951 and continuing until 1992, parts of Nevada were used as nuclear testing grounds by the U.S. government. The state is also home to the highly classified Area 51 airbase, used for the development and testing of state-of-the-art aircraft and weapons technologies.

But although the state has a long history of aerospace and defense, none of it is in Northeastern Nevada, something the NNRDA is working to change.

“We want to see more of that happen here for two reasons,” says Mudd. “Number one is we have a vast amount of land that’s wide open and free, and the second reason is that because of this, security measures can be maintained far easier out here. You put somebody out in the middle of nowhere testing equipment or planes, the chances that somebody’s going to stumble upon them – or that a housing development is going to go up next to them – is highly unlikely. So we are trying to target aerospace and defense as well.”

Currently, 87 percent of Nevada is actually federal land belonging to the U.S. government. Nearby Lander County is looking to change that, and have lands transferred so they can be used for car testing.

This was motivated by the area’s Battle Mountain playing host to the World Human Powered Speed Challenge (WHPSC), which featured recumbent riders reaching jaw-dropping speeds of almost 90 mph (about 145 km/h).

For the NNRDA, being recently designated an Economic Development District by the Economic Development Administration means access to greater funding, along with infrastructure and development opportunities.

Moving forward, some of the Authority’s biggest goals include infrastructure projects, increasing access to existing rail, making natural gas more available, and increasing power infrastructure. Just last year alone, the NNRDA responded to about 50 requests for information from interested businesses.

“Our number one goal is trying to bolster our infrastructure so that we have the capacity to meet the demands of companies who are calling us,” says Mudd. “A lot of manufacturers that come to us have larger power demands, anywhere from 5 MW to 20 MW, and our small power companies are not always able to offer that, so we have to bolster our power.”

Together with increasing power requirements, Northeastern Nevada is facing challenges with housing. Recently, Mudd emailed officials saying that if they can get a thousand homes in their area, housing prices would be taken care of for the next two to three years; in larger centers like Las Vegas, a thousand additional homes would barely have an impact. “People want to move to Northeastern Nevada because it’s very outdoorsy and Wild West, with traditional American values – but they simply don’t have a place to live.”

Although the area’s development was based on gold, Mudd and the team at the NNRDA realize times are changing, and the area cannot continue to rely on a single industry, especially one that is not renewable and will inevitably run out.

Embracing diversification of other economic industries and establishing and encouraging companies of 50 to 100 employees apiece, is the key to future success. “We know the future is automated and digital, and we are trying to bolster that.”

The post Good as Gold and Getting Better<p class="company">Northeastern Nevada Regional Development Authority</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.