2017, the 150th birthday year of Canada, was a chance to celebrate and reflect on Canada’s awesome legacy. But what makes the country truly amazing is a tally of the achievements of the communities within the nation. Here’s a Top 10 snapshot of what the Bay of Quinte region celebrated in 2017.
#10 Growth across the Bay of Quinte Region: New Jobs Created, Existing Jobs Retained, and Millions of Dollars Invested Regionally.
Here are some of the Bay of Quinte expansions and relocations that took place during 2017, in partnership with the Eastern Ontario Development Fund (EODF). Other industries across the region also enjoyed significant growth.
- Hain Celestial recently announced the establishment of a plant in Quinte West.
- Vantage Foods Inc. expanding their Belleville facilities: with a 50,000 sq. ft. facility to open a seafood line
- Redpath Sugar Ltd. (adding innovative new packaging capabilities).
- Archer’s Poultry Farm adding a state-of-the-art chick incubator system to their Trenton hatchery.
- Triangle Fluid Controls added over 12,000 sq.ft. to existing Belleville Industrial Park facility and purchase of new equipment.
#9 B2B Support Locally from Bay of Quinte’s World-class Supply Chain Services.
Bay of Quinte businesses are great at supporting each other. They appreciate the convenience of having such high-level service to depend on right in their own backyard.
- Protective coating experts, Greetham Industrial Services (located in Brighton), values being able to hire great local companies (which also contributes to the Bay of Quinte’s economic vitality). In addition to purchasing trucks, forklifts, coatings and industrial supplies locally, Greetham uses local contractors for facility maintenance.
- Procter & Gamble relied on local partners for the large addition to their building at Belleville’s industrial park, as they continue to provide jobs for hundreds of Bay of Quinte residents.
- Domtech Inc. has formed a priority support network with other Bay of Quinte businesses. They appreciate the suppliers who have sprung up locally to provide industrial, mechanical, and material supports, as well as warehousing.
#8 Multinational Businesses Collaborate Well with Bay of Quinte Companies.
Businesses from around the world also know they can rely on Bay of Quinte companies for collaboration that meets their customers’ needs.
American company, Spring Box, already well-established in the South American market, was searching for an environmentally-conscious partner for expansion into the North American market. They chose Quinte West’s Oak Hills Artesian Water Company, which has been providing the Bay of Quinte Region with high-quality spring water since 1995.
“…they knew our capability, and our ethics, so they approached us to do the first ever production for NA.”— Larry Groves, Founder & Owner, Oak Hills Artesian Water
Kilmarnock Enterprise, a local industrial service company, supports new start-ups, expansions and the ongoing maintenance of local manufacturers.
#7 Quinte is Home to Many Successful Brands, Sold in Both Domestic and International Markets.
Many of the products made right here in Bay of Quinte are shipped across Canada and around the globe.
- Beclawat Manufacturing Inc. has a broad, global client base. Their windows and doors for the marine, transit, rail and defence industries are manufactured in Belleville and used for transportation projects in Canada (Wolf Islander III, Toronto Rocket subway, Vancouver SkyTrain, Canadian Coast Guard Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels, Via Rail) and around the world (Kuala Lumpur Light Rail, Denver Light Rail, Amtrak high speed passenger trains, U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels, locomotives for Indonesia, India and Kazakhstan).
- Procter & Gamble’s Belleville site produces Always and Olay facial products sold in stores in North America and around the globe.
#6 Existing Manufacturers Encourage New Companies to Choose The Bay of Quinte Region.
When companies who are looking for a new location see the Bay of Quinte region, the many successful manufacturers already located here, and the support they receive, makes the area much more appealing.
- Quest-Tech Precision Inc. has worked with the City of Belleville and QEDC to gain several large local customers and connect with local suppliers for material, transportation and logistics, which has helped them become an integral part of the Belleville community.
“We saw amazing encouragement from the community. We didn’t have to do it alone as there was incredible support available for us that yielded growth for us and our community.”—Simon Khodar, Quest-Tech Representative
#5 A Plan to Fill Talent Gaps with Skilled Workforce and Inclusive Local Training Programs.
Many Bay of Quinte residents already have a high level of skills training. Others, who need to upgrade or want a career change, can access industry-specific training locally from one of many Bay of Quinte programs designed to connect workers with employers.
- People get free training to fill positions in Bay of Quinte with the Elevate Plus program, which is available to unemployed and underemployed residents. Quality education, plus opportunities to improve their quality of life, mean many of these workers become long-term employees at a local company.
- Loyalist Training & Knowledge Centre offers skill upgrades for individuals between jobs or careers and targeted staff training programs customized for company needs.
#4 A Strategic Location For Shipping And Receiving.
Fast, efficient access to shipping by land, rail, air and sea makes the Bay of Quinte an ideal location for distribution centres that need to move goods across the country and around the world.
- A Trenton Cold Storage (TCS) website headline announces, “Over 50% of North Americans live within just a day’s travel of a Trenton Cold Storage facility.” The TCS head office is located in Trenton, with the majority of their warehouses located in the Quinte West area.
- McKesson Canada distributes health and pharmaceutical products, serving Canada’s healthcare industry.
- Amer Sports distributes internationally recognized brands of sporting goods.
- Parmalat Canada distributes several respected dairy brands, fruit juices and table spreads.
The region’s adjacency to the Highway 401 has really helped TCS grow. Equi-distance to Toronto and Ottawa, with Montreal not much further along, “In every direction, we are close to massive markets,” – Greg Callaghan, Manager of Customer Development, Trenton Cold Storage
#3 Top-ranked Economic Development Support Team.
Quinte Economic Development Commission (QEDC) is a not-for-profit corporation, whose mission is to support existing Bay of Quinte businesses and attract new businesses to the community. QEDC has been frequently recognized as a top performing economic development group in Canada.
- Supporting developing companies in the Bay of Quinte by helping them access EODF and other funding options.
- Providing information and resources to local and prospective companies.
- Promoting Bay of Quinte region internationally through tradeshows and marketing efforts.
Check out QEDC’s Manufacturing Resource Centre and business-focussed location in the Quinte Business Development Centre.
#2 Strong Local Agriculture for Ingredients and Support.
Bay of Quinte region has a proud agricultural heritage. Many farms are still in operation today and provide quality, local ingredients for the food processing industry.
Sprague Foods combines superior quality Canadian-grown products in recipes with a global flavour to create innovative and trendy ethical products. They focus on producing 100% Canadian products and continually look for ways to bring more locally farmed food to Ontario’s grocery stores.
#1 Proudly Made in the Bay of Quinte Marketing Campaigns
QEDC’s Proudly Made in Bay of Quinte campaigns are designed to promote products in the region and encourage people to buy local and support their friends, family and neighbours.
- Sprague Foods proudly displays the Made In the Bay of Quinte logo on their packaging, which can be easily recognized on grocery shelves.
- International Truckload Services Inc., another local company, saw the Proudly Made in the Bay of Quinte manufacturer’s logos and contacted QEDC, who had initiated the program. Together, they created the Proudly Shipped from Bay of Quinte decals.
- Local grocery stores support the PMBQ campaign by promoting PMBQ-labelled products with shelf hangers and displays.
ITS is proud to use its 1200 trailers to “spread the word about the region. It’s a place to move to, and/or set up a business.” — Rob Haggarty, President, ITS.
“In the Bay of Quinte region, every business is seen and valued. Because of our unique community make-up (a strong manufacturing cluster in Ontario, excellent local skills and training support, and a blend of urban and rural life) it’s very hard for other regions to offer the level of support local companies receive here.” – Chris King, CEO, Quinte Economic Development Commission.