When we think about business strategies and planning, we have to consider how we’re going to support this huge aging population. Larger print, slower-paced advertising campaigns and how-to videos, and older fashion models will only do so much. Because the health challenge that tends to scare people most is something that we need to face head-on: Alzheimer’s.

A society under pressure
More than six million Americans, most 65 or older, have Alzheimer’s, the most common type of dementia. It’s a progressive disease that starts with mild memory loss and can lead to serious loss of cognitive ability where one cannot hold a conversation or respond to the environment. Alzheimer’s involves areas of the brain that control thought, language, and memory.

For family members, friends, and an individual’s independence, Alzheimer’s can be devastating.

By 2060, the number of Alzheimer’s cases is predicted to rise to an estimated 14 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s not, however, an inevitable or normal result of aging, a common misperception.

Alzheimer’s is tied to risk factors that we can modify. If we adopt healthy lifestyle habits like managing blood pressure and diabetes, getting physical exercise, not smoking, limiting alcohol, nutritious eating, and maintaining a normal weight, we’re earning more enjoyable golden years. Essentially, living healthily can improve and protect brain health. Neuroscience research has now found that Alzheimer’s begins 20 years or more before memory loss and other symptoms develop.

So, there are a lot of factors at play here that modern society hasn’t exactly helped address; for example, we’re more sedentary and eating more takeout and processed foods than ever before.

But one important advancement is how we are revolutionizing caregiving. Simply put, with the projected numbers of Alzheimer’s patients, we’re not going to have enough care facilities to cope with the demand for services. We need to have more aging safely-at-home options. That’s happening now with emergency alert buttons, in-home nursing care, and sophisticated medication tracker apps, for example.

And then, there’s an intriguing new suggestion—turning to robotics of an unexpected kind.

New companions – robot pets
Talk to most people with a dog or cat companion, and they’ll tell you that their pet is part of the family, bringing affection, devotion, and playtime to their lives. People with pets may feel less lonely, and they have a reason to get outside (to walk their dogs or take them to the dog park).

So, one of the greatest—and saddest—struggles is people with Alzheimer’s having to give away their pets, often because of forgetting to feed or care for them. The responsibility of pet ownership can be a lot to handle, especially as memory loss eats away at a pet owner’s confidence and ability to manage daily activities like caring for a pet.

However, people with Alzheimer’s or other chronic illnesses could truly benefit from pet companionship.

The breakthrough? Robotic pets. But first, put away thoughts of robots you’ve seen in surgical assistance, on manufacturing shop floors, or in business warehouses. These robotic pets are designed to look and act like our beloved cats or dogs. They’re soft, fluffy, and pretty darn adorable. While the idea might sound like a great toy for kids, these robotic companions, such as those from Joy for All and Tombot, are provably helping fight loneliness and cognitive decline.

It turns out that there are several therapeutic benefits to robotic pets for Alzheimer’s patients, and they can also help ease the role of caregivers. In clinical studies, robot dogs and pets have been shown to help reduce stress and anxiety levels in patients living with dementia.

Certainly, behavioural problems can affect people with Alzheimer’s, increasing the cost and burden of care. They may experience fear and anxiety, hallucinations, pacing, and disorientation, and many people wake up at night with severe agitation. But just as, for many years now, real live pet therapy has been known to be emotionally beneficial, robotic pets can calm people and help them feel more grounded. Plus, they can be used in care settings without the risk of infections (transmitting zoonotic pathogens or cross-transmitting human pathogens) or injury to patients. There’s also no possibility of allergic reactions, which can be more severe in elderly people.

Robotic pets are safe and economical with no feeding, grooming, exercising, or trips to the vet required, making them an appealing companion for patients at home or in assisted-living spaces.

“Pets play an important companion role whatever your age,” Andrew Sixsmith, Director of the Science and Technology for Aging Research Institute at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, told NBC News. “For some people with dementia, a real pet might not be feasible, so this might help.”

The data on our new best friends
Health researchers in Texas studied 61 instances of robotic pets assigned to patients in dementia care; the average patient age was 83 and 77 percent were females. About twice as many women have Alzheimer’s as men do, mainly because women live longer and age is the biggest risk factor for the disease.

Patients were randomized into control and treatment groups for the 12-week study. The fascinating results were documented in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in 2017. The treatment group patients experiencing the touch and sensory closeness of the robot pet benefited from decreased pain and the need for less psychoactive medication. They were more socially engaged and communicative. Decreased stress and anxiety brought a better quality of life to these people living with Alzheimer’s and less stress for their caregivers.

The “hyper-realistic” Tombot puppies, for example, are designed to mimic the looks and behaviour of a real dog; they respond to how and where they’re being touched. The artistic design for the Tombot prototype was brought to life by the inspiring animatronics of Muppet creator Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

Tombot’s Pup retails for about $500, and Ageless Innovation’s Joy for All Dogs and Cats are less realistic but more affordable at about $140.

Other companion robots on the market are pricier. PARO, a doe-eyed seal pup used in nursing homes around the globe since the early 2000s, soothes seniors with its cooing sounds and gently waving flippers. It sells for about $6,000 and holds a Guinness World Record for “most therapeutic” robot. That kind of price tag puts it out of reach for many seniors in the U.S. where millions aged 65 and older live at or near the federal poverty level.

Tom Stevens, CEO of Tombot, saw his mother experience hallucinations and violent anger, symptoms of increasing dementia. He says that psychotropic medications aren’t the only answer and can turn “seniors into zombies and greatly reduce life expectancy.”

He says, “Studies have shown that when seniors with dementia can form a robust emotional attachment to an object, traditionally a baby doll or stuffed animal, they can reduce symptoms. Tombot is scientifically designed to promote emotional attachment for seniors with dementia.”

When you scratch behind her ears, she leans in for more.

If robot technology can reduce medication use and help seniors with dementia live better lives, that’s a huge win—especially when it’s embodied in such a cute, loveable creature with big brown eyes and a tail that won’t stop wagging.

The post Fido the Robot?<p class="company">Our New Best Friend for Life – And Health</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Originally known as the Sudbury Area Mining Supply & Service Association (SAMSSA), MineConnect Canada has expanded to become Northern Ontario’s Mining Supply and Services Association. Serving as the voice of the province’s growing mining sector, MineConnect actively works for its members. These include manufacturers and service providers in traditional industries such as fixed mining equipment, mine contractors, and blasting, along with emerging industries like automation, software, and battery electric vehicle companies and suppliers.

Helping to introduce Canadian companies to mine-rich Nevada, MineConnect USA was launched in Elko, the county seat of Elko County, Nevada, three years ago.

Increasing opportunities
Recognizing the important contribution the mining sector makes to the ongoing economic success of Canada and the United States, the Province of Ontario announced a further strengthening of economic ties with its Nevada colleagues last fall.

A new Economic Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will see a deepening of the relationship between Ontario and Nevada, which will “support joint promotion of electric vehicles, advanced manufacturing, critical minerals, and other priority sectors,” according to a new release from the office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford (www.ontario.ca/page/economic-cooperation-memorandum-understanding-ontario-and-nevada).

Last September, Premier Ford and Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo signed the agreement during a ceremony at Queen’s Park, site of the Ontario Legislative Building. They were joined by Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Vic Fedeli and a Nevada-led delegation including other government leaders.

“This new agreement will help Ontario and Nevada attract new investments and provide businesses and entrepreneurs opportunities for new markets for their products and services,” said Premier Ford. “Our government is hard at work, developing new economic partnerships with jurisdictions across North America and around the world to create new jobs and a stronger, more resilient economy.”

Added Governor Lombardo: “This agreement is based on our region’s strong mining sectors. It is in the mutual best interests of Nevada and Ontario to cooperate and work together to expand our economic partnership. Working together we can maximize emerging export opportunities.”

In 2022 alone, more than CAD 2 billion in trade moved between Ontario and Nevada. This new Ontario-Nevada MOU will continue to strengthen the relationship between the two jurisdictions as they work in tandem, identifying strategic partnerships and joint trade promotion and investment opportunities benefitting Canada and the United States.

Leading the 260-plus-member-strong MineConnect is Marla Tremblay, named Executive Director of the not-for-profit supply and service association in March 2021. “We’re taking the existing Nevada initiative we have in place and expanding it, changing up to formalize the partnership with them even further,” she says of the MOU.

MineConnect and the Nevada Governor’s Office are working in concert to ensure that the MOU results in tangible outcomes. An example of this is the recent launch of Master Links, a key component of the NNRDA Nevada Silver Links program. Developed based on the Nevada Water Smart Landscapes model, Master Links was created as a means of addressing supply chain gaps in Nevada by enabling participants to take advantage of various benefits including insider access to RFIs, prior to publishing.

“We are working with the Northeastern Nevada Regional Development Authority (NNRDA) to help Nevada-based mining companies address their supply chain issues via direct assistance with RFI development and subsequent communication of said needs to MineConnect members in Northern Ontario,” says Tremblay. “Our suppliers can bid, and if they’re successful, we’ll help offset some of the costs, including legal fees, to get them set up in Nevada. The objective is the same, but the delivery is different.”

Best of all, participants will work with the shared facilities at the NNRDA in Elko, Nevada. “We’re going to use the dollars directly to help companies, versus providing more indirect support.”

Facing challenges
Like many other industries, the mining sector continues to face challenges in recruiting new workers to replace older staff heading toward retirement. Tremblay has recently begun to make presentations to high schools and panels of postsecondary students. These include inviting young professionals to talk about their career paths and the benefits of mining and encouraging students to envisage themselves in the field.

“Our members are telling us their main challenge is finding trained, qualified people,” she says, “so we’re doing what we can to help that. It starts when they’re young, and with getting teachers and guidance counsellors to understand the breadth of career opportunities that exist within the industry.”

Through its partnership with the Sudbury-based Goodman School of Mines at Laurentian University, MineConnect is striving to encourage future leaders in the industry. About 20 years ago, a game to foster awareness of mining careers among high school students was created and is being expanded beyond Sudbury to other parts of Ontario’s North. Recently, the first non-Sudbury editions of the MineOpportunity Challenge game were held in North Bay, Timmins, and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Since MineConnect has ties throughout Northern Ontario, the pairing is a natural fit with Laurentian University’s Goodman School of Mines.

“There’s a major labour crunch, a need for engaging youth to consider mining as a career and teaching them it’s not about just being a miner,” says Tremblay. “All kinds of roles exist in the industry. A mining camp is like a little city, with everything from chefs to bus drivers. People can be nurses in mining. We need people to understand that there are so many opportunities, and it’s not what they might imagine.”

A cross between Monopoly and The Amazing Race, MineOpportunity Challenge features mining companies, suppliers, and others in mining operating booths. In this highly interactive game, participants are asked questions which require them to go to a website, ask companies for information, or check QR codes to find the answers.

“We use minerals as their pawns and core samples as the head frames, so it’s a whole integrated way for them to learn about the industry and learn about the companies in their area and all of the innovative things they do,” comments Tremblay.

If they get the answer right, contestants win “money” and the opportunity to buy a mine, conduct exploration, and more. Along with the game, students learn about diversity, women in the industry, drone technology, virtual reality, and more to foster awareness about modern mining.

Valuing diversity
Recently, MineConnect’s board and staff underwent an Indigenous relations training course to better understand Canada’s colonial history so that they can help foster understanding and learn wise practices in creating strong partnerships that will help to move the sector forward together—in a mutually beneficial way.

In terms of women and diversity/inclusion in the industry, the organization recently partnered with Women in Mining Sudbury for a Halloween-themed business networking event and is looking forward to developing partnerships with other branches of this national group in future.

At the upcoming Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Convention in Toronto this March, MineConnect will work in collaboration with Theresa Nyabeze, the Diversity and Inclusion Lead at Vale Base Metals to co-host a roundtable session with leaders—including female CEOs—from various mining operations and other large firms that influence the sector, to discuss what they’re doing from a diversity and inclusion perspective.

FAM Tour
Tapping into her extensive background in tourism, Tremblay was inspired to create a familiarization tour, better known as a FAM Tour. Instead of focusing on travel, however, she has developed a novel version for the mining industry.

Set to take place at the end of May, the tour will see invited media attending to take part in mine suppliers/services site tours and other events. It will coincide with the back-to-back BEV In-Depth: Mines to Mobility conference (presented by Greater Sudbury Economic Development), which focuses on mineral extraction and its applications for electric vehicles, and NORCAT’s Mining Transformed exhibition—the world’s first mining technology expo held in an operating underground mine—in the City of Greater Sudbury.

“In between those two events, we will host a reverse expo,” says Tremblay, “which is essentially a trade show where the media and mines are at the table.” Almost like a type of pre-matched speed dating, suppliers, journalists, and specialists will sit together for 15 minutes, discuss relevant topics, and move on to the next group. She anticipates high demand for this members-only event, but there will be a limited number of participants.

And in September, MineConnect will be at MINExpo in Las Vegas at the Mining Suppliers Trade Association (MSTA) booth in the Canadian Pavilion. Others, including representatives from the City of Greater Sudbury and Ontario’s Ministries of Northern Development, Mines, and Natural Resources and Forestry, will also be in attendance.

In just a few years, MineConnect has grown and earned significant brand recognition. Through conversations and surveys with its members, the organization has gained valuable insights, enabling it to accurately base its decisions around member needs.

More staff, more capacity
With more staff than ever, MineConnect can provide myriad programs and advantages to members.

“A big piece of what I want to do is enhance and strengthen my relationship directly with the mines because that’s what our members want: an opportunity to get in front of them,” explains Tremblay. “And that’s one reason we want to do the reverse expo, so they have a chance to meet with representatives of mines,” she says.

“We are really building that piece and growing our domestic presence. We’ve done a lot of work from an export standpoint outside of Canada, and now we’re working on strengthening the relationship with the other provinces, looking at ways to work with them, and figuring out ways to get our suppliers to all work together to strengthen the overall capacity and supply chain throughout Canada,” she shares.

“We’re also looking at ways to reduce issues around the supply chain—to be less dependent on parts from elsewhere. That’s a big focus, and I’d like to get that solidified.”

The post Suddenly, Nevada and Northern Ontario Are Very Good Neighbours<p class="company">MineConnect</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

“Mining happens organically around here,” says Mudd. “What we are trying to do is create new business and industry clusters that can be leveraged in the off chance that mining experiences an unexpected downturn.”

Today, the NNRDA represents four counties. These are Elko (Carlin, Elko, Wells, and West Wendover), Eureka, Lander, and White Pine (Ely). Founded over a decade ago, the NNRDA helps companies with their location and expansion needs, from incentives to site selection.

Bordered by Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, and California, Nevada’s available land, very low unemployment rate of just three percent, and no individual state income taxes make the state an attractive place to start or expand a business.

More than mining
Although mining has been integral to the state’s economy since gold was discovered in 1849, Mudd recognizes that Northeastern Nevada is ideal for other sectors—such as manufacturing, logistics, and distribution—to create a more diverse portfolio heading into the future.

Like many other rural communities, Elko, Eureka, Lander, and White Pine are faced with challenges related to location and a relatively low population. As a result, rural Nevada doesn’t have the workforce or variety of retail outlets found in larger centers. Even with its many advantages—from very low crime rates and near-zero traffic to striking mountains and scenery—businesses still need skilled workers.

“We have to be strategic when targeting companies,” comments Mudd. “We can’t recruit a Tesla or Panasonic here because they need thousands of people. We look for companies who require 50 to 200 people, tops, so that we can accommodate growth strategically.”

Even with area employers paying almost double the salary and other benefits found in states such as Idaho and Utah, the challenge of available housing remains. This has led to the NNRDA investigating ways for the area to have larger subdivisions allocated and built to accommodate needs. “It’s a nationwide problem and we understand that,” Mudd explains, “but we have provided potential solutions to our lawmakers that include detailed strategies and they appear to be gaining steam. I think we may be getting out ahead of this issue very soon.”

Attracting business
Despite these challenges, Mudd says, Northeastern Nevada is gaining considerable attention from businesses not just across America, but from Australia, Canada, and other countries.

One of the most recent is Battle Mountain Hydrogen LLC. Based in Northern Nevada, Battle Mountain is focused on the production of green methanol and hydrogen, both low-carbon fuel sources. “It’s one of the biggest things to happen here since mining,” says Mudd of the potential billion-dollar project, currently in the permitting process.

One of the reasons Lander County was selected by corporate representatives as an ideal location is its annual exposure to sunlight—which they indicated is more plentiful even than that of Miami, Florida. Battle Mountain Hydrogen will use the sunlight to power its electrolysis process, generating an authentically “green” fuel source and eliminating the need to rely on local utility companies.

In addition to these exciting new developments, mining continues to expand and grow in the region. Northeastern Nevada is seeing investment from major companies, including the Japanese multinational corporation Komatsu Ltd., one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of equipment used in mines, the military, forestry, and construction. Komatsu is currently wrapping up construction on a massive new warehouse expansion that will add almost 50,000 square feet to its service center campus in Elko.

Set to expand an existing warehouse, the new facility will generate new jobs and include high-capacity racking and high-density vertical lift modules in a climate-controlled environment. Owing to its location and easy access to Interstate 80 just west of Elko, it is particularly convenient for customers in the mining sector.

Other companies, such as Epiroc, have also made significant investments in the area. One of the world’s most innovative manufacturers of drill rigs, construction equipment, and rock excavators, the Stockholm, Sweden-based business recently unveiled a new 48,000-square-foot Competency Center in Elko. Epiroc already has an established presence at mines in Nevada, including a service center in Battle Mountain.

Also choosing Northeastern Nevada as a place to do business is Solmax International Inc. Based in Varennes, Québec, the company is a worldwide leader in sustainable construction solutions and geosynthetics, making high-performance geomembranes for mining, oil and gas, water management, and other sectors. Purchasing almost two dozen acres at the Northeastern Nevada Regional Railport, Solmax is set to soon begin construction of its plant.

In addition, a major non-mining manufacturer has expressed interest in about half of the available space of Wells Industrial Park. Situated at the crossroads of two intercontinental roadways, Interstate-80 and U.S. Highway 93, the prospective company hopes to serve its entire western customer base from this logistically superior location. Stakeholders are currently negotiating specific terms and Mudd and his staff are hoping to make an announcement sometime in the first quarter of 2024.

The NNRDA is also in talks with global drill manufacturing giant Sandvik. According to the company, it is investing over $50 million in its biggest facility to date in Elko. Replacing the company’s present office and separate warehouse, the new facility will cover 14 acres and is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2025. Once completed, the facility will include dedicated infrastructure to support battery electric vehicles (BEVs), a simulator area, training center, welding areas, and a painting booth.

“This facility will be our largest of several branches serving the U.S. mining market,” says Victor Tapia, Vice President, Sales Area USA, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, in a media release. “We are creating a new, modern work environment for our people, and in turn, for our customers, who operate in rapidly changing market conditions with fast-evolving technology. The new building will facilitate increased collaboration opportunities and enable us to better serve our customers for years to come.”

MineConnect
Originally known as the Sudbury Area Mining Supply & Service Association (SAMSSA), MineConnect is a not-for-profit that serves as the voice of Ontario’s mining sector. Representing the interests of its members, MineConnect helps introduce Canadian mining products and services to companies in Nevada.

In the interest of refining a great concept, Mudd was recently tasked to explore what a revised version of MineConnect USA could look like. While working on a project known as Supply Chain Nevada, he came up with the SilverLink Program, inspired by ‘the Silver State’, Nevada’s official nickname.

The idea, he says, was to build a repository where mining operators could engage and provide data and information for the economic development group. That information will then be analyzed to determine supply chain gaps, with Mudd immediately seeking to recruit and market to companies able to fill those gaps or pivot operations to address a supply chain issue, whether a service or a need.

The idea was bolstered by a trade mission from the Nevada Governor’s office to Canada last fall. Once in place, SilverLink will assist businesses with grants which can be used to pay costs for business licenses, rent, or legal fees.

“This initiative has flipped the process by which we recruit supply chain companies, where mining operators drive the data and determine the need,” Mudd explains. “Once that need is defined, a request for proposal (RFP) will be created and prepared for publishing.” Mudd’s team then established a membership component known as “Master Links” that will have exclusive opportunities to review and respond to these RFPs prior to public distribution. MineConnect has agreed to partner with NNRDA and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) to be the program’s first Master Link partner.

“Members of the Nevada GOED international team have a genuine interest in what we are doing out here, and are trying to promote more FDI [foreign direct investment] into the rural parts of the state,” Mudd explains.

Although Northeastern Nevada remains an undiscovered gem, Mudd and the NNRDA are convinced it will attract many more mining and non-mining related businesses alike in the coming years. Other areas, such as Reno, have already undergone economic revolution through the presence of Tesla, Panasonic, and other large companies.

“Economic development happens organically there now,” Mudd says. “You don’t have to market a city like Reno or push some of these economic development initiatives there because they have established a dynamic business environment with a great quality of life. Las Vegas is the same way. Phoenix, Arizona, Boise, Idaho, and Twin Falls, Idaho, where I was born, are the same. Each one has been discovered; people know it’s there. They know what it has to offer, and those who want to are taking advantage of it. This, too, is our goal for Northeastern Nevada.”

The post New Growth as Diversified Industry Stakes Their Claim in the Mining State<p class="company">Northeastern Nevada Regional Development Authority (NNRDA)</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

The new world-class Centre in Nairn will comprise a detonator manufacturing facility for both non-electric and electronic detonators, with on-site plants producing BME’s leading brands: VIPERDET™ nonelectric detonators, AXXIS TITANIUM™ and AXXIS SILVER™ electronic detonators, and INNOVEX™ emulsion explosives. These facilities will also support AXXIS blast initiation equipment and offer upkeep, repair, and maintenance for the company’s trucks and subterranean equipment.

Not only are AXXIS products and BME’s array of digital technologies assisting miners in enhancing safety, reducing energy costs, and meeting ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) targets, BME has also recently successfully deployed AXXIS SILVER™ detonators to blast in below-freezing temperatures, owed to the superior performance capabilities of BME’s electronic detonators.

With an official grand opening scheduled for May 2024, the facility in Nairn Centre, a small town located outside of Sudbury, Ontario, has helped position BME for its projected substantial growth in the North American market.

“With Sudbury being very prevalent for mining, along with mining communities in the north, Nairn Centre was the perfect fit for us,” says General Manager Neil Alberts.

BME’s detonator manufacturing facility, located outside of Nairn Centre, is one component of this manufacturing hub which is now completed, and the company has installed and commissioned its manufacturing equipment with leading technology to offer a quality product to market to its customer base across North America.

“The facility itself will be the first new non-electric production line in Canada to be commissioned in more than 35 years, and we have built in sufficient capacity to support the North American market and beyond.”

In addition to the manufacturing of detonators, the Nairn Centre facility will be equipped with state of the art laboratories for quality control and further product development, allowing BME Mining Canada to build market confidence and deliver solutions through high-quality product offerings.

“We’re also proud to be expanding our abilities to include manufacturing of bulk emulsion products,” says Alberts. “It’s really exciting for us to be able to have a manufacturing facility that allows us to have a centralized point of manufacture and distribution for our complete product range, and which allows us to tailor products for distinct market needs,” he says.

“Our manufacturing and assembly of BME’s flagship electronic detonators is an element that we are really proud of, since we are confident in our world-class AXXIS Titanium electronic detonator brand, which has provided significant benefits to customers across the world in attaining impressive production outcomes, improving safety, reducing energy costs, and in the long term, even achieving ESG targets as well as delivering on sustainable practices.”

In terms of supply security, BME Mining Canada manufactures locally and has created redundancy for further growth and capacity at its manufacturing facility, allowing the company to deliver premium product solutions to the market in Canada and North America.

“It places us in a very strategic position and allows us to be very competitive from not just a global perspective, but an in-country perspective, as well,” Alberts says. “We are confident in our competitive advantage in terms of our technology, quality, and supply security, and being strategically located closer to some of the larger mining operations in Canada really bodes well for our expansion.”

Facility growth also means expansion of the company’s capacities in building, maintenance, truck shop, and servicing of equipment both for underground and surface use, as well as housing an office block to cater for its team.

“The manufacturing facility is being positioned to become the centre of excellence for BME Mining Canada, with a future focus of further expansion opportunities,” Alberts shares.

The overall reception in the market has been “very positive” so far, he adds, with the company recently landing its first major contract with one of the larger mining companies outside of Sudbury. The team has also conducted numerous trials locally around Sudbury and toward the north in the Timmins region—with very good results and feedback from customers that continues to be promising.

“With such optimistic outcomes,” Alberts says, “the substantial investment in the detonator manufacturing technology allows us to demonstrate to the market our commitment and dedication to growing in the Canadian and North American market.”

BME Mining Canada is also serious about bringing its ESG commitments to market, both locally and globally. The recent announcement of the partnership with Hypex Bio Explosives Technologies, based in Sweden, and Omnia Holdings confirms its commitment to technologies that drive ESG benefits and outcomes, as well as leading the way in cutting-edge and environmentally friendly explosives solutions. Hypex Bio has created a revolutionary emulsion using hydrogen peroxide (HP) that offers far more environmental advantages than traditional nitrate-based products. This presents an opportunity for BME Mining Canada to provide a differentiated product offering in Canada and North America.

This partnership will significantly improve the company’s continuing research and commercialization of Hypex’s HP emulsion technology in strategic markets, and additionally provides Omnia, BME’s parent company, with access to state-of-the-art technology. By comparison with conventional emulsion products, the hydrogen peroxide emulsion delivers a 90 percent reduction in carbon emissions due to its non-nitrate chemistry solution.

“What we’re very excited about and very much looking forward to, is that one of those key markets of development for sustainable product initiatives is going to be Canada,” Alberts says. “And that will be driven by the BME Mining Canada team.”

In the near future, he adds, the company will have the ability to manufacture a non-nitrate explosive emulsion in Canada and for the Canadian market.

BME has overcome all the challenges imposed by the pandemic and is now delivering on its objectives and strategies, some of which—for example, the HP technology—is to be realised in the next 12 to 15 months.

“That’s a major focal point for us right now: to get that infrastructure set up, get the manufacturing capability ready for production, and put that to market and gradually build up a clientele with our range of new green explosive solutions and our differentiated value-adding products,” Alberts explains.

Other goals include embracing and maintaining robust safety standards, achieving stability and performance—both key factors in the manufacturing of emulsion products—and looking ahead to building the product range further.

“We’ve pushed the boundaries with AXXIS TITANIUM™,” Alberts says. “Our AXXIS TITANIUM™ detonators are world-class, and have elevated capabilities in terms of safety, reliability, and advanced technology. We also have a suite of software technologies that contribute to our ecosystem of products, including our detonators and emulsion products.”

BME’s software suite, namely BLAST Alliance, supports customers from design to outcome for standard and specialised applications that have proven to optimize drill and blast performance of customers globally.

“Many companies have that; it’s not unusual for a company to have a suite of offerings that are leveraged off each other,” Alberts says. “What sets us apart is that we have a specialized focus on the client’s needs. These technologies and applications are specific and dedicated to providing a complete ecosystem of solutions for our customers.”

Another aspect that truly helps set the company apart is its cold emulsion product technology, which was developed in South Africa close to 40 years ago, a dual-salt product which comprises an ammonium nitrate and a calcium nitrate product.

Why is that relevant? “It makes for better blasting, and it contributes to factors like safety, durability, and performance, which are vital for the mining sector,” Alberts says.

The post Safer, Greener, Better – The Practice of Progressive Mining<p class="company">BME Mining Canada</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

A&M Remediation is a waste management and commercial cleaning partner for industrial clients, and goes a step further to align its people and processes with its operating values of good environmental stewardship and trust-based relationships.

From Manager of Staff Development and Support, Jake Geale’s, perspective, “You can operate with values, and you can still be successful with values; it doesn’t have to be just the financials. And it’s not two sides of a coin: you can have both the values and the good business sense as well.”

No wasted opportunity
As an industrial waste management specialist, the team at A&M offers consultative services and support to optimize its clients’ operations in accordance with standards, regulations, and overall best practices. This is an offering that not only helps clients do the right thing; it is also good for their bottom lines.

With interest rates as high as they are, there is no question that budgets have tightened across industries and sectors, and this is especially true of the mining sector, where millions of dollars may be leveraged. There has never been a better time to take advantage of operational efficiencies.

“We’re constantly finding ways to explain the cost savings, because if we look at what our clients are looking at—which is dollars and cents because it’s a shareholder-driven business—markets are always asking for savings and more value for the dollar. So, how do we convey the message that our service does this while at the same time meeting their ESG guidelines?” President and Founder, Paul Thususka, explains.

Building trust
A&M Remediation is deeply committed to improving environmental, social, and economic outcomes for its clients through proven waste diversion and mitigation tactics, a values-based culture, and more meaningful engagement with First Nations in line with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.

Failure to consult with First Nations is a major issue that confronts the company’s clients and must be taken seriously. Mining and development companies have a unique opportunity before them to build trust and uphold the TRC’s Calls to Action, demonstrating good faith and good intentions through their actions, which A&M can facilitate.

“For our clients, this is the way: by demonstrating your intention for environmental stewardship and demonstrating your intention to leave [the environment] clean and not damaged—that’s going to build trust. It’s a massive piece of trust right off the top,” says Thususka.

Given the history of distrust, both sides need to come to the table to ensure that traditional lands are protected and First Nations’ interests are considered. A&M hopes that its approach to consultation will help to plant the seeds of change and empower positive progress and self-determination for the long term.

Acknowledging the reality of the situation, Thususka notes, “We’re planting a tree that we may never see the fruit from. I’m never going to see the long-term benefits of these decisions 10, 20 years from now. My kids will see them, and the industry will see them.” But he makes it clear that that’s enough to keep A&M motivated for change.

New path forward
By delivering services that directly align with its values, A&M promotes safe, profitable, and environmentally sound operations while saving its clients time and money. To date, A&M has saved thousands of hours per year in operational efficiencies for its clients, which amounts to more than a million dollars in savings annually while reducing landfill waste volume by 94 percent on average. For remote operations, this is invaluable.

According to Thususka, “What we do is, when inputs come in, we process those and create outputs that go to recycling, composting, landfill, reuse, or another purpose. If we can reduce the number of inputs coming in, we can reduce the outputs, so we’re consulting on some of that with our clients. Organic composting has become a big part of reducing costs and impact for some of the remote operations.”

He adds, “If you have road access two months of the year, how are you getting your waste out? You can’t store organics and you can’t bury it. Even with some of the permitting for landfills, they’re not able to do that.”

While major waste streams are being managed in accordance with regulatory requirements to ensure that the people, lands, and waterways are protected, there are smaller quantities of hazardous waste that are being overlooked in some day-to-day operations, and A&M has a proven program to tidy up these loose ends. The company has developed a fully vetted process that is traceable for auditing purposes. This system of accountability has supported its clients in achieving environmental certifications such as ISO 14001, which has very rigid standards.

Operations Manager Chris Hendsbee notes, “The client directed the auditors to our waste management programs at a couple of the mines underground and it was great for us because it was a showcase of what we were doing. In everything that the auditors saw on the paperwork side and in practice, the client was achieving the ISO 14001 standard, so that was big for us and them.”

People first
People, of course, are a major component of service delivery and A&M Remediation seeks employees who will match the energy and culture of the company, upholding the values it holds dear. At a time when securing talent is a challenge, A&M is committed to developing its own, creating an inclusive and open environment where everyone can excel, including those who have been historically excluded from the industry, such as women and people of colour.

It’s no secret that the mining industry and the underground are not the most welcoming of environments, particularly for women, as the sites are designed for male workers and usually have limited accommodation, but having a diverse team calls for a more diverse approach to staff provisions, including appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and change room facilities.

“We’re focusing more and more on our values, and we’re standing by those values more strongly with our clients. ‘This is the way it is. This is the way the work is going to go.’ Not that we’re putting ultimatums out but we’re choosing things to do that align with our values more and more every day,” says Thususka.

A unique aspect of A&M Remediation’s success is its calm acceptance of staff turnover given the time and effort that goes into its training and development program; its leadership team understands it as confirmation that the company is seen as a quality stepping stone to bigger opportunities.

For Geale, “We know that the training we do is part of our cost of doing business, and we’re prepared to do that. But being able to provide excellent service and have a positive working environment is more important to us,” he says.

“We know that a lot of people want to get into the mining side rather than the service side of things. We can help you get into the mining industry. We can help you gain some experience, some safety knowledge, some skills, and then we would be happy to provide you with a reference or to make an introduction to have you potentially work elsewhere. While that sounds a little bit backwards, embracing the turnover, I think it’s been really helpful for us because I am far happier to have an excellent staff member for a year than a mediocre one for five.”

A&M has designed its training program to focus on nurturing new onboards, providing them with a support system and sounding board during their transition underground. On any given day, you can find the leadership team at A&M alongside its employees underground doing the same jobs because no one is above the work being done—and safety is above everything.

“We stay on top of coming regulation and we try to make sure our people are comfortable and confident. I don’t want anybody going underground without the confidence that they can be on their own down there,” says Daryl Bransfield, Manager of Health and Safety Programs and Training.

“I’ll spend extra days down there making sure they understand their duties, and we have excellent people who guide them on the smaller day-to-day stuff, so we’re constantly reaching out to our workers to make sure their comfort levels match our expectations of them. We get a lot of good feedback on that,” he says.

“I talk to people who have moved on to other companies and I get feedback from them saying, ‘You know, you guys do it differently,’ and I always appreciate that. It’s a warm feeling and I love hearing from people who have moved on.”

This inherent understanding that a fulfilled employee will bring greater value to the company they work for is a testament to A&M’s ability to be an employer of choice, as well as an industrial partner of choice. By putting people and the environment first, mining operations and industrial sites can do better while being better, and A&M can help.

The post Leaders in Environmental Innovation<p class="company">A&M Remediation</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Recognizing these factors, mining companies want to do their work in as clean, efficient, and human-sensitive a way as possible so that this can become a cleaner industry overall.

To this end, the organization brings forward technologies that look to disrupt the sector, especially those that will improve prospecting and exploration, mine design, construction, permitting, remediation, and land restoration. “MICA is going to give the mining industry the tools it needs to become the mining industry of the future,” says Nyabeze.

This kind of disruption cannot be achieved alone, so while many mining companies develop technologies on their own, MICA aims to bring them all together and coordinate how mining innovation evolves. Through its network of over 100 members, six Regional Main Partners across Canada, and National and International Associate Partners, the organization taps into this innovation web that in turn feeds back into the country’s networks and goals.

Nyabeze says that MICA’s role is to usher in the future of mining in Canada in such a way that the country plays a key role, such that Canadian companies and inventors can contribute globally with their innovations and organizations can continue to meet and exceed climate-centric objectives.

Since 2022, MICA has continued moving forward in crucial ways. First, it has formalized its approach to international outreach and onboarded a new Director for Global Outreach. This appointment will create more pathways for organization members to take on a global reach so that Canadian technology can spread more effectively across the world. Nyabeze accepted a promotion to Network Director in July 2023, allowing him to work more formally in the areas of leading and developing.

MICA’s network of partners continues to grow in terms of interconnectivity as its influence and brand become more well-known, especially through various events in the national and international mining community. Nyabeze also says that the organization has since established relationships in countries like Germany, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Peru, and parts of Africa, which will only further promote this sense of interconnectivity. It has overall been a part of nearly 150 national and international events and activities, including academic engagements, conferences, workshops, panels, and presentations. In addition, the MICA team—Nyabeze and Douglas Morrison, CEMI President and CEO—recently attended the Future Minerals Forum in Riyahd, Saudi Arabia, where CEMI was consulted in the development of International Networked Centres of Excellence.

To date, MICA has allocated $26 million to 40 projects from across the mining value chain, and these projects are set to mature by 2026 and hopefully add 40 new technologies to the mining landscape. These technologies are being funded in four distinct areas: activity, which refers to increasing the production capacity of mines; energy, meaning reducing consumption and emissions; smarts, the implementation of autonomous mining systems; and environment, reducing risk and liabilities to natural resources. All these technologies work together to accomplish the mining industry’s objectives toward growth and prosperity.

Nyabeze says that there are some very promising technologies on the horizon from these projects. For instance, the company ApoSys Technologies is working on an underground positioning system that will allow more autonomous machines in mining. By enabling the use of robotics in more dangerous spaces, mines of the future can become more efficient and less risky for humans.

Elsewhere, Extract Energy is putting forth solutions to capture and convert low-grade heat from mining operations into electricity; H2nanO looks to manage waste water sources; Destiny Copper offers low-energy copper processing; and Rithmik Solutions’ ‘Equipment Doctor’ technology allows mining operations to perform predictive analysis and maintenance of equipment.

Critical minerals are another important aspect of today’s mining work. These are defined as strategic minerals needed to supply in-demand areas, those that are important to the supply chain and often found in low concentrations. Nyabeze says that innovation and technology are key to affording companies in the industry the ability to mine, process, and add value to critical minerals. MICA member, Litus Inc., from Calgary is pioneering a Direct Lithium Extraction technology that promises to harvest lithium from low-concentration sources.

The mining technology supported by the organization will allow future mines to open faster and more effectively so that any critical mineral mine will benefit from the work of MICA and its technologies. The organization is also working with its technology providers to aid smaller mining companies in getting into the critical mineral game, an area typically reserved for bigger corporations.

Existing in one of the oldest industries in the world, MICA is asking the question of what needs to be changed in the industry to accommodate innovations on the rise. Nyabeze says that the mining industry needs MICA to support and de-risk innovations and raise the level of confidence that these innovations work; however, the mining industry holds many potential dangers, so MICA wants to remove humans from this as the industry itself opens to solutions that will achieve safer operations.

Companies are looking to open new mines where the footprint of mining itself is minimal, especially as it pertains to the local environment and economies. Typically, Ontario locations like Sudbury and Timmins are communities that have been supported by mining for generations, but the call is now on for mining to be more responsible for its environmental and worker impact. “We want to make sure that mining is respectful of the environment and people,” Nyabeze says.

As the year is well underway, MICA will soon be looking to have a presence on the international stage at Mining Indaba, from 5-8 February in Cape Town, South Africa. Organization representatives will be attending the conference as well as taking a mission of partners and members to Johannesburg. Nyabeze says that Africa is the place with the most concentrated amount of valuable minerals, so MICA wants Canadian technologies to play a part in the development of the African mining industry.

The organization is also pushing more activities and events across Canada to knit together the innovation ecosystem present in the mining space. This will further increase the outreach, memberships, partners, and companies of MICA, as well as the innovation of that network.

Closer to home, MICA’s online portal will be adding new features this year, where members can do more matchmaking to find integrators and solutions. In fact, it is enlisting an open challenge to all mining companies to be open about their ongoing problems and challenges so that it can vet solutions to these problems from around the world. Finally, MICA aims to get more involved at the academic level with students and work to address and initiate relationships with the next generation of workers.

MICA continues to position itself as a global leader in curating emerging solutions for mining, and it wants mining operators around the world to regard it as a go-to place for innovations that can make operations better and affect them in significant ways as far as possibility, environmental performance, and how these technologies deal with the people that represent the beating heart of mining operations. Simply put, MICA “will make mining better,” as Nyabeze says.

For more information about MICA please contact info@micanetwork.ca.

The post Bringing Canadian Mining Solutions to a Global Market<p class="company">Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) Network</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

“Electrification is probably the most interesting and newest topic that the HAWE Group collectively is exploring. Back in 2019, we acquired a company called Mattro, and we’ve now integrated them into our fold. We’re calling that division HAWE Mattro. They are an Austrian-based team with a production line for building batteries and integrating electrification systems,” explains Electronics Product Manager, Chase Younker, who works for HAWE’s U.S. subsidiary. “With electrification, we are adapting to a world that is changing.”

The company (whose name is pronounced ‘Ha-Vee’ and was previously profiled in February 2023’s Resource in Focus) has no intention of abandoning its original mission of making hydraulic valves and coming up with integrated solutions incorporating these valves. In fact, it wants to “make sure that hydraulics still has a seat at the table,” even as it broadens its focus, Younker says.

Hydraulic valves control the direction of liquids used within a hydraulic system to activate an equipment or machine function. HAWE’s valves are used in agricultural, construction, and forestry machinery, lifting platforms, loading cranes, drilling equipment, and more, and HAWE aims to establish itself as a leader in providing electrification solutions within some of these same sectors. It has also branched into new sectors such as the consumer boat market.

“There’s a big push to get electrified boats out there, and they fit our offering quite well,” shares Younker.

The company is also making a splash within the world of electrified field robots, used to seed, weed, and harvest plants in agricultural settings. In addition to providing automation, consistency, and accuracy, field robots are lighter than conventional tractors, resulting in less soil compaction. HAWE has developed a field robot platform called ROVO, which is powered by lithium-ion batteries.

“ROVO is a fully developed, off-highway, tracked electrification platform that allows customers to mount and integrate their application on board. It operates on our 96-volt battery, which is part of our standard product offering,” says Younker.

Field robots fitted on the ROVO platform have a 40-kilometer range, can toil continuously for four hours before requiring a recharge, and do not produce any emissions. Beyond farm work, ROVO has been utilized for firefighting, search and rescue, and some industrial and drilling applications, says Younker.

There are different levels of electrification, including hybrid outcomes featuring conventional fossil fuel sources and some electrified functions.

“In electrification, the entire vehicle is often not redesigned, but proven work processes are electrically driven,” explains HAWE literature. The company’s work with truck mounted cranes is a case in point. Under its guidance, a modified truck mounted crane might include a traditional engine along with a separate electric drive to power the hydraulic pump for boom lowering, lifting, swinging, hoisting, and other work functions.

HAWE’s work with controls is another key area of expertise, and the company recently partnered with Xtreme Manufacturing to produce a massive, tracked telehandler nicknamed ‘Trackzilla.’ Officially called the XR50100-G, this telehandler boasts a 100-foot lift height, 75-foot forward reach, 675-horsepower engine, dual hydrostatic transmissions, and a 50,000-pound lift capacity. In an exuberant LinkedIn post, Younker described Trackzilla as “a one-of-a-kind, absolute MONSTER of a machine, with all the GRACE of a ballet dancer.”

“We did all of the programming and integration of all the CAN sensors including the CAN valves… We leveraged our hydraulic expertise with our electronic expertise,” he tells us. A controller area network (CAN) is a system that links ‘intelligent’ devices in industrial settings. CAN bus technology features prominently in HAWE controls.

Using CAN bus, the company can “tie all your smart sensors together,” in mobile equipment and do the same “in the mobile hydraulics world as well, mostly with our PSL CAN product which is essentially a spool valve with electronics and CAN bus communications onboard. So you can send it a CAN message and get the actuation that you need and get a lot of diagnostics out of it as well… Our CAN lite product [is] a budget-friendly version that doesn’t include internal spool feedback for high accuracy. This allows customers who don’t need that accuracy but want to take advantage of the wiring benefit and CAN bus integration,” he explains.

The company’s controls can be used to remotely monitor and control tractor attachments for improved efficiency, productivity, and machine health. The ROVO platform is also fitted with a HAWE control.

ROVO has “the motors and the drives and the controls necessary for radio remote operation… but then, we add an interface so customers can control it with CAN bus. That allows you to tie in telematics, automation, even full autonomy if you want,” states Younker.

The company also continues to develop hydraulic valves. “We recently launched what we call our MICK product which is, more or less, an add-on to our standard PSL valve,” he says. The MICK 3 valve is a proportional directional spool valve that controls the velocity and direction of either individual or multiple hydraulic consumers when actuated at the same time. The MICK 3 valve enhances safety and energy efficiency and has the benefit of being lighter, smaller, and less expensive than conventional solutions.

HAWE has been growing its footprint within the renewable energy sector. Over the years, it has produced over 20,000 hydraulic pitch systems for wind turbines and provides turbine parts and retrofit services as well. The company also makes products that can position solar panels.

Theme parks represent another intriguing market for HAWE’s wares. It supplies a special hydraulic locking system for theme park rides that enhances safety in lap, shoulder, and stomach restraints.

“When you get on a roller coaster and feel that padded lock mechanism come in place, that’s a HAWE lock mechanism that’s actually providing you with that safety in a lot of cases. We have a pretty good market share there,” says Younker. The same hydraulic locking system is used in simulators, virtual reality rides, and 4D cinemas, which provide physical sensations of motion along with sound and pictures.

HAWE Hydraulik was founded in Munich in the late 1940s, a few years after the Second World War ended. Manufacturing is currently done at a state-of-the-art plant in Germany. The company’s American subsidiary, headquartered in Huntersville, North Carolina, handles distribution and warehousing for the U.S. Younker works in a HAWE office in Clackamas, Oregon that provides technical support and custom-engineered solutions.

HAWE products used to be distributed in Canada through Mississauga, Ontario-based firm, Hydra-Fab. HAWE eventually bought Hydra-Fab and then launched an official HAWE Hydraulik Canada subsidiary on July 1, 2023. With over 40 employees, the Canadian operation is “doing really well and also growing at a good clip. It provides the same type of engineering and distribution [as the U.S.],” says Younker.

One thing that has not changed at HAWE is the company’s business model. The firm works directly with original equipment manufacturers and “qualified electrification distributors,” says Younker.

HAWE tries to impart best practices to its clients, “because I think there are a lot of ways to do things incorrectly. We want to make sure our products are being used in the best way possible. Leveraging our expertise for our customers and distributors and providing a bit of that integration knowledge helps a lot,” he adds.

“We’re very vertically integrated,” which meant that HAWE was not as adversely affected by COVID-related supply chain chaos as many of its competitors. “During the supply chain shortages that were experienced globally in the past few years, we were relatively unaffected because we had so much control over how we get the steel, how we machine it. We really control every aspect of our production in that regard. [We didn’t] succumb to a lot of the challenges that some of our competitors did,” explains Younker.

That is not to say that HAWE Hydraulik has faced no challenges of its own. “I think everyone’s experiencing personnel shortages. It’s hard to find good help… Our European subsidiaries [are trying to address this issue by] working with universities. We’re making more of an effort in North America to do the same,” he says.

Personnel shortages aside, Younker is excited about HAWE’s direction and growth potential.

Going forward, “We want to expand our battery portfolio. We currently have a 48-volt and a 96-volt battery. We also recently came up with a modular energy pack and this allows us to take our battery modules and stack them in a series to achieve various high voltage applications: 400 volts, 600 volts. What we’re really trying to do is stay on top and make sure we design products that are going to fit now and in the future.”

The post Hydraulic Valve Manufacturer Broadens Its Focus<p class="company">HAWE Hydraulik </p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Together with its partners, GSDC promotes business vitality, talent development, attraction, and retention efforts, and an engaged community that works collectively toward shared goals of making the region a top destination for talent, investment, innovation, and great quality of life.

Enhanced placemaking
From a quality-of-life standpoint, St. Cloud has it all. Rich in natural endowments, including the perfect blend of urban and rural, with all the amenities one could need, it’s an ideal place for individuals and families with diverse interests to call home.

For GSDC President and CEO NeTia Bauman, “The beautiful thing about the Greater St. Cloud area is that it’s a smaller metro region and it’s just nestled perfectly in between this rural Minnesota and major metro region. I think that’s an asset that we can leverage more,” particularly the fact that all of this is accessible within a 15-minute drive.

At the heart of it all, in downtown St. Cloud, steps are being taken and investments made to bring new life and vitality to the city’s core. GSDC serves on the Mayor’s Downtown Task Force, which is charged with catalyzing reinvestment and revitalization activities in the downtown corridor, largely through public-private partnerships and the proposed establishment of a business improvement district (BID).

“This will pave the way for new investment business and talent because more and more, the sectors of our region, our business community, our general stakeholders, are starting to recognize that a vibrant downtown plays a crucial role in driving economic prosperity across the region, so this is one of our top priorities in 2024,” says Bauman.

The City of St. Cloud is in the process of requesting a $100 million bonding bill from the state legislature that, if passed, will kickstart the transformation by facilitating investments to “increase walkability, add more housing and appropriate housing, more green space, and improve safety and beautification efforts. It spans the gamut of opportunity,” says Bauman.

The goal is to be attractive to top talent and hold onto people and investments once they are there, and with GSDC leading the charge, there’s no shortage of opportunity for those who wish to call the St. Cloud region home.

Showcasing opportunities
Building bridges and serving as a nexus between people, ideas, and opportunities has long been a strength of GSDC and since 2018, the organization has found a way to showcase the many opportunities in the region in one convenient, accessible place.

GSDC’s Job Spot portal has been a wonderful resource for the community that continues to improve year after year. Updated with an automated scraping system, employers are no longer required to post jobs as these are automatically updated from the employer’s website each night, in addition to aggregate job boards and other websites.

“This is at no cost to the employer. This is something that GSDC funds over our three-county coverage area,” says Talent Director Gail Cruikshank of the job board that now sits permanently within the St. Cloud Shines website, which is a tool for local employers and jobseekers that offers all the regional resources from service partners in one place.

For Cruikshank, “It provides a tremendous tool for people that are considering moving, visiting, and working here, as well as a lot of resources for all of us who currently live here to know where all those exciting events and opportunities might be.”

Given the diversity of the offerings and opportunities the local economy and community provide, the needs are just as broad ranging. Whether the issue at hand is transportation-related or about childcare, GSDC is always listening and committed to collaborating in search of a solution. By maintaining a multifaceted approach to development, the organization continues to remain agile and relevant, meeting the needs of the region.

“There’s not just one answer, just one solution, just one problem that each of our employers faces; being able to listen to their specific needs and know what resources we can provide or connect them to makes us all successful,” says Cruikshank.

An EPIC place to grow
As the pandemic changed the nature of work—with working from home now an option for some and work-life balance a priority for most—where better to prioritize a great quality of life than in St. Cloud, a welcoming and inclusive community for all?

As an economic development agency, GSDC has long been committed to talent development, attraction, and retention efforts, and in many cases, seeds of change that were planted years ago are now starting to bloom into maturity. A great example is EPIC (Exploring Potential Interests and Careers), which serves to bridge the gap between available opportunities in the region and the future workforce to ensure the needs and the supply align meaningfully.

“EPIC is a community collaborative—not owned by anyone—that GSDC and others have been spearheading since 2017, focusing a light on making sure that our future workforce fully understands the breadth of opportunity they have in jobs and careers here, because you simply don’t know what you don’t know,” says Cruikshank.

Programs like EPIC have been fully embraced by local employers, with well over 200 of them contributing education and support for local students. These employers believe so deeply in this program that a full-time EPIC coordinator was hired to facilitate it.

“Employers are realizing they need to invest in their people and are committed to doing what they can to make our community successful as well as succeeding in their business through staffing and community engagement,” says Cruikshank.

Commitment to developing talent starts early in St. Cloud, where organizations like the Boys and Girls Club and Boy Scouts of America are also joining the efforts through their own career connection programs that introduce a world of career possibilities to children, engaging and inspiring them. In addition, St. Cloud is home to an extraordinary Vex Robotics program, which continues to lead the state of Minnesota in giving students a hands-on opportunity to see how careers in Industry 4.0 can be challenging and fun.

Cruikshank also lauded the Minnesota Young American Leaders Program (MYALP), a program that the University of Minnesota has brought to several larger Minnesota markets, St. Cloud among them. 2024 will be St. Cloud’s fourth cohort, seeing nine emerging leaders participating. “The power of collaboration and partnership has spearheaded all that work, growing it into a sought-after program,” Cruikshank says of local talent development efforts.

Collaboration and innovation
One of the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation’s greatest strengths is its ability to bring people and organizations together, sharing resources and support to advance the collective interests of the region for the long term.

“It’s an ability of ours to get the right people in the room to talk about it so that we’re not missing somebody’s perspective; we’re hearing all of the voices and then deciding what’s the best solution, who is the best person to lead that,” says Cruikshank.

By taking a regional approach to development, leveraging a combination of traditional and progressive economic development approaches, GSDC and its many partners are ensuring that the diverse needs of the region are understood and met while sharing best practices and resources to secure results.

Bauman describes the impetus for the regional approach: “It’s the collaborative partnerships: it’s bringing in our neighboring cities and counties; all of our other stakeholders; community development and non-profit entities; individuals who are moved to contribute and be a part of the community—pooling those resources and working together to solve our common challenges. That’s how we all win.”

She adds, “We’re not just a convener, we don’t just help people ideate; we really are the organization that can help with execution. It’s one thing to have ideas, but to bring them to life and help them along the way to become sustainable—that’s what makes the difference and leads to collaborative success.”

These successes have resulted in a diverse and vibrant economy that sustains a variety of strong industries and sectors, particularly manufacturing, agribusiness, health care, and education. In fact, the latter two are converging to position the region as a leading hub of medicine and innovation.

CentraCare, a privately owned health care system in the region, is partnering with the University of Minnesota, one of four institutions of higher learning in the area, to create a school of medicine that is expected to open in fall of 2024. This will be a game-changer for the economy, but also for the delivery of world-class health care and outcomes to area residents.

From Bauman’s perspective, “That is going to have a significant focus on enhancing rural health care and bringing in those students to get educated and train here and, hopefully, stay here and continue to provide value to our rural health care system.”

Support for innovation and for the people and businesses who are driving this change has been a pillar of GSDC’s strategy. To better serve these ends, it has launched a new quarterly event called the Industry Innovators Forum where people and ideas can come together to further drive innovation and its many benefits.

For Bauman, “Entrepreneurship-led economic development helps us provide support for small- and medium-sized minority business enterprises, and it helps us foster social entrepreneurship and nurture that technology and innovation development. All these things combined will help us strengthen opportunities for public-private partnerships, for economic diversification, and create pathways to attract that talent and that new investment to our region.”

The post Aiming High<p class="company">Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

TIG stands for The Integritty Group, a name that captures the company’s foundational values.

“It means something [about] who we are and what we represent,” explains Co-founder Pranav Desai. When Mr. Desai, Jiger Patel, and Raj Mahadevia launched the company in 2015, they wanted to acknowledge these key principles. “We talked about a lot of our core values, our guiding principles, and the vision that we had for the company,” Desai says. The three founders all recognized that, “Our core values were around integrity and honesty.”

Why the unusual spelling, ‘Integritty?’ The founders wanted to acknowledge the grit and perseverance required to build the business. “We all had been through difficult times, but then we always figured out a way to bounce back,” Desai shares. “Up until that point, we had already seen lots of ups and downs, and since then, we came out stronger from the adversaries that we faced, so that was part of the naming,” he says.

“In terms of the vision, we always knew that we wanted to build a company that was sustainable, that’s growth-minded, and with like-minded people,” he continues. “We wanted to leave behind the legacy for the future generations and have a vision—that we are not just there looking at one small concept and latching everything on it. It was an idea, and it was a vision that we wanted to scale and grow in a more sustainable way, keeping all our stakeholders in mind.”

The company’s first venture was with The Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille and after that, the business quickly expanded. “From there, we built up to four restaurants right before COVID, and we were in a pretty good swing of things until the lockdown happened,” says Desai. “We were primarily in full-service restaurants. We had Checkers restaurants, which is a QSR [quick service restaurant], but other than that, we were all full-service, which was heavily impacted as we all know. So, it was a time when we had to quickly figure out how to pivot; we looked at 10 different things at that time. We were in that discovery mode again and figuring out what our next course of action looked like.”

The team made the right choice with that pivot. “One thing led to another, and we were introduced to the brand Qdoba,” Desai says. “We had looked at that segment… of Mexican fast-casual eats. And Qdoba, with their values and with their vision of what they wanted for growth, was a perfect fit. So we went aggressively in partnering with them, and we acquired a series of stores, opened new stores.” The plan began with just one Qdoba at the beginning of 2021. Fast forward to 2023, and the business was already operating 33 Qdoba locations across five states.

“We built up very aggressively, very fast, and with that, built the team around it,” Desai says. “And when I say team, it’s the support team as well: not just the operations team, but the back office, including our finance and accounting team, our infrastructure and development team, the sales and marketing, and [human resources]. All that infrastructure we developed over a year-and-a-half or two years, including an offshore team to do some of our support work.”

After building a strong team, the founders did not rest on their laurels. “As the momentum was on our side, we continued to look at different opportunities,” says Desai. Their next move was to partner with Dave’s Hot Chicken, “which was arguably the fastest-growing restaurant chain in the U.S. last year,” he says. “We’re really excited to join hands and partner, be the franchisee of Dave’s Hot Chicken for the Philadelphia market.” The current goal is to open eight to 10 new locations within the next four years.

When asked to describe the company’s services, Desai says they are in the “people business and hospitality business. The brands that we work with or we have partnered with are franchise concepts, and we rely on the product for what they represent.”

Currently, TIG is partnered with the aforementioned Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille, Checkers, Dave’s Hot Chicken, and Qdoba. “Those are the brands that we work with as a franchisee of the system, but it’s not just about those brands. We are truly committed and local, so we work with a lot of local partners who support us, and we support them back.”

To do so, the team relies on a strong company culture. From the beginning, the company has taken a “more intentional approach,” to build and secure that culture. “By that, we mean that we wanted to instill certain values and certain principles, starting from hiring and then setting the expectation on an ongoing basis of what the employees mean to the company.”

There are several non-negotiable, key qualities the team looks for in employees. “They have to be team players,” Desai says. Of course, integrity and perseverance are also required qualities, since they are two of the company’s guiding values. In addition, TIG looks for employees who are “family-first and community-first type of people, not just about themselves. When we have talent like that, it makes it easy for us to build a culture where it is never about the hierarchies or titles.”

Instead, the focus is on being a member of the TIG family. “You are part of a team. Individually, you have whatever title that you might hold—and that’s also needed—but in the end, it’s for the same vision and the same goal. So, to us, that was the most intentional way of building the culture.”

After such a strong start—and overcoming the challenges of the pandemic—the team has an ambitious plan in mind for the future. “We are looking forward to building another 10 to 12 restaurants for 2024 and our target is to hit above 75 restaurants in the next two to three years. Then, in parallel, we’ll continue to build our team along the lines of the executive level and senior leadership to shore up our growth.”

In 2025 and 2026, “There will be a lot more vertical growth opportunity as well,” Desai explains. “We are looking at different lines of business and different concepts and the acquisitions that might come up, but a lot of it depends on the market conditions and what makes sense at that time.” As the company proved by pivoting in response to COVID-19, TIG is nimble enough to adjust its strategic plan as needed.

Regardless of how this strategic plan unfolds, the company’s underlying values will remain the same. “We are always opportunistic,” says Desai. “But at the same time, we want [to] only grow with the like-minded people who are aligned with our culture and our core values.”

With such strong values to back up its growth plan, TIG is sure to keep enjoying a rapid and successful expansion for many years to come.

The post Built on Grit and Integrity<p class="company">TIG</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Dale is President of USTOA, the United States Tourism Operators Association. The association, based in New York City, has members around the world, and every one of those members was affected to an unprecedented extent by the COVID-19 pandemic. But this was not the first time Dale had led an organization through an unthinkable storm.

“On September 11, 2001,” he recalls, “my job was to promote tourism for New York City. I figured that a person would only experience something that extreme once in their career. I thought I’d ‘checked that box.’ Then COVID hit, and it was 10 times harder. After 9/11, the whole world wanted New York to come back better and stronger. With COVID, the whole world was impacted.”

Dale’s team at USTOA is small but mighty. “We have a team of five people, and I think we do magic,” he says. “I have the most amazing colleagues; we all know the job we need to do and get it done. We’re lean and mean.”

Together, that team delivers a wide range of services to both members within the industry and the traveling public. It maintains a member directory for tourists seeking travel experiences. This provides a level of assurance to travelers, as a tourism operator that is a member of USTOA must follow the organization’s principles of professional conduct and ethics.

USTOA also manages a travelers’ assistance trust fund, to which every member is required to post $1 million in security. This fund protects consumers in the event of an operator’s bankruptcy or insolvency, helping to ensure they are not left stranded or empty-handed.

For its members, USTOA provides opportunities to network, do business with, and learn from each other. The organization has about 900 members, including the 63 National Parks across the United States, and over 140 destination marketing organizations around the world.

Dale is adamant that the organization’s goal is not to have the most members, but rather the right members.

“We have no aspiration to be the largest tourism organization,” he shares. “At the core of USTOA is integrity. We align ourselves with businesses that share that integrity, ones that provide customers with the experience they deserve.”

In addition to the alignment in values, USTOA’s membership goals strive to meet the demand of the traveling public. “We look to create a global balance. We look at where our members are taking American travelers, and we work to identify partners and suppliers in those countries to consider.”

When Dale joined USTOA 12 years ago, his first mandate was to increase the level of advocacy on the part of the industry.

“The board’s first request and priority was that we have a stronger voice in Washington—one that would help tell our story and educate the government about the industry. Of course, that voice is more credible when it comes from an industry member, rather than a ‘paid spokesperson,’ and we’ve done well at engaging our members on that front. Whether it’s the Department of Transportation, the State Department, or elected officials, we show them how what they do can have a positive or negative impact on the travel industry.”

To engage its members even more actively, USTOA hosts an annual conference every December. Tour operator members must be represented at that event; the workshops and symposia provide ongoing education and support in growing their businesses in a way that reflects the integrity for which USTOA stands.

Understandably, the connections and relationships that have been built between USTOA members at these events became even more important in early 2020. The industry was hit with the biggest crisis it had ever faced, and the members rallied to support each other.

“Early in the pandemic, USTOA moved to create a channel for dialogue between members, to give them the chance to say, ‘How are you dealing with ‘X?’ and, ‘What can we learn from each other?’ The beauty of our members is their willingness to share. In a pandemic, you don’t compete; you want to survive.”

USTOA’s track record for advocacy and relationships in Washington was also important during the worst of the pandemic. The organization was present in Washington, championing the needs of member companies and industry employees when it came to funding and other support programs.

The organization’s members and its membership were remarkably resilient. “We didn’t lose one single member through COVID—not one. But it wasn’t just because of USTOA. It was because our members are solid, sound business people. They had the foundations to get through even that and to bounce back.”

Every cloud has a silver lining, and for Terry Dale, it is the relationships that were formed in crisis but persist to this day. “The pandemic created a stronger community, and that community continues to talk with each other. There’s more conversation, more dialogue between members than ever.”

The association celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022, a milestone that provided an opportunity to look back and to look forward. When asked about the future priorities for the organization, its members, and the industry as a whole, Dale names diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and sustainability as chief among them.

“DEI is a big hurdle as an industry, and it’s longer-term,” he says. “We’ve got to be able to get staff, leadership, and customers who are more diverse. That will take time but we’re moving in that direction.”

One vehicle through which USTOA puts its commitment to promoting DEI into action is Tourism Cares, the organization’s charitable foundation. Tourism Cares supports community initiatives across the United States and around the world, through grants to social enterprises and other mission-driven organizations and projects. One such initiative is the Black Tourism Talent Directory, developed by the National Blacks in Travel and Tourism Collaborative.

Tourism Cares also promotes global conservation initiatives, aligning itself with USTOA’s drive to promote sustainability in the travel and tourism industry. Worldwide, the industry’s environmental impact is a significant one. When operators make choices that have a lesser impact, the ripple effects are multiplied powerfully.

“On the sustainability front, a lot of our members are making really good progress. Some members have become B Corp Certified. That’s the gold standard; it really shows that they’re committed to doing the right things.”

When it comes to promoting sustainability or DEI, Dale makes it clear that USTOA’s role is not to mandate actions on the part of its members or to dictate what steps they should take; it is more about celebrating accomplishments that can inspire and motivate others, and providing guidance, no matter where a member may be starting.

“No one has the answer; I certainly don’t,” he says. “Every company has to figure out what works best in their business model. My job is to provide resources to members to start their journey and to support them as they take steps in the right direction.”

There is one development being felt in every industry, and tourism is no exception: the explosive growth in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. What impact will AI have on travel and tourism?

“I don’t have the answer,” Dale laughs. “I do believe that we shouldn’t approach it as a threat though. Instead, we need to figure out how we can use it as an opportunity.”

The widespread adoption of AI will undoubtedly create changes in the way people research destinations and book travel, and that is why Dale sees USTOA’s role as one of education and advocacy.

“It’s easy to use online tools to get basic itineraries and information, but there are nuances when you deal with a real person to help you create the travel experience. AI doesn’t necessarily know that local person who makes arts and crafts or the person who knows the real history of the place.”

The risks can be more serious than just poor information, though. “You can use AI to book travel if you want but, if you’re somewhere else in the world, you’re on your own. If a pandemic happens or a 9/11 happens, you need an advocate—somebody to help you get to safety and security.”

There is no question that travel will continue to hold a magical allure. Seeing new sights, experiencing different cultures, and learning about places far from home are nearly universal human desires. In the future, USTOA will continue to protect the traveling consumer and provide support for tourism businesses around the world but, in that work, Dale sees a larger role for USTOA: one that can quite literally help to create a better world.

“We have a responsibility to create meaningful, purposeful travel. As an industry, we have tremendous economic power; how we decide to spend that economic power is critically important. We need to find communities around the world that we want our customers to experience from an educational and inspirational perspective. Our dollars can go so far in those neighborhoods.”

Naturally, for USTOA, it is not about directing where the traveling public may go. It is about making sure that, wherever they choose to go, they have the best possible experience.

“People are always going to go to Italy, and that’s great, but if you’re considering going to Ethiopia, USTOA should have a network of experiences in Ethiopia. Ones that can help community-based organizations and businesses and will have a meaningful impact on people’s lives.”

The post Making the World Smaller—and Better—for Travelers<p class="company">United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA)</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.