At the Valley REN, we’re unlocking opportunities for businesses in the Annapolis Valley. We have been given a mandate – by the municipalities in the region and the Province of Nova Scotia – to help local business and to support the development of key industry sectors in the Annapolis Valley region. We view regional economic development through a business lens.
We also play a strategic role in promoting the assets and opportunities in the Annapolis Valley to potential investors and residents.
Through our newsletter (this is the first one!), we will report on what we are doing and how we are helping the region. We hope you enjoy reading it and we invite your feedback.
I also invite you to explore our new and updated website. Then contact us with your ideas for how the Valley can become an even better place to do business and invest in the future. We’ll share your views in our newsletter.
Cheers,
Kelly R.M. Ells, Chief Executive Officer
Valley REN initiatives
Promoting our region by sharing success stories
Watch the new Valley REN web video about Kluskap/Glooscap Landing. It showcases the community-inspired vision for a major, multi-phase tourism/retail/heritage and learning destination, beginning with a highway gas and convenience station and coffee outlet on the land of the Glooscap First Nation.
Marketing our region to potential residents and investors
You may have seen CTV’s October 4 news coverage of the “Live, Work, and Grow in the Annapolis Valley” campaign. The Valley REN has been working on this joint project with the Valley Business Leaders’ Initiative. We want to raise the profile of the Annapolis Valley as an attractive place to live and work and do business.
The “Live, Work, Grow” television and digital media campaign was launched in July with a 30-second commercial on CTV. Since then, the social media campaign has received more than 330,000 impressions and generated inquiries from 100 people who may want to move to the Valley from somewhere else in Canada or the world.
The idea behind the campaign is that businesses and communities will benefit as more people learn about the advantages offered in the Annapolis Valley.
Marketing the business opportunities in the region is a key part of our work at the Valley REN. We are one of five regional enterprise networks that work together, across Nova Scotia, to grow the economy outside of Halifax.
Growing the economy by better use of broadband
The Valley REN is playing an instrumental role in advancing the broadband agenda for the Annapolis Valley region. If you're interested in this issue, you can read a background report on our work. Then take our rural broadband survey.
What is the importance of culinary tourism to our region? How can it generate economic prosperity and pride in community? How can we innovate? What assets are we overlooking in Nova Scotia?
This forum is open to all. Our presenters bring expertise and examples for innovation from across Canada. Find inspiration and idea-generation for your business with our panel of visiting speakers, all leaders in their respective regions.
Regional stakeholders, tourism operators, artisanal food entrepreneurs, wineries and craft beverage makers, and all interested business owners are invited. We hope you can join us.
November 4: Troy Restaurant, 12 Elm Avenue, Wolfville
(site of Wilsons Home Heating Pavilion during the Devour! The Food Film Fest)
What is the Valley REN?
Who We Are:
The Valley REN was incorporated in March 2014 under the Municipal Government Act. We have a mandate to be the catalyst for economic development in the Annapolis Valley-West Hants region of Nova Scotia. Our partners in the Valley REN are the Glooscap First Nation, the municipalities of the County of Kings and the District of West Hants, and the Towns of Berwick, Kentville, Middleton, Windsor and Wolfville. We are jointly funded by our regional partners and the province. Our volunteer Board of Directors, drawn mostly from the private sector, delivers a wealth of experience in business and economic leadership. A Liaison and Oversight committee – representing regional partners and the province – ensures public accountability.
Our Misison:
To guide and navigate regional economic development, while providing support to businesses; operating as a connector among economic development partners; supporting business growth and retention; and providing leadership on economic priorities.
Our Vision:
“Communities working together to create a prosperous region.”
We provide resources and connections for business owners and potential investors, while supporting the development of key economic sectors in the Annapolis Valley region.
Supporting and connecting local business
The Valley REN can connect you with people and resources to grow your business. We provide one-on-one support and effective referrals through our BusinessNow suite of services. As we form valuable relationships in the business community, we can help you overcome barriers and pursue opportunities.
As we gain insight into the local business climate, we will bring the concerns of business to municipal and provincial governments.
For more information or to arrange a meeting, contact James Schofield, Economic Development Officer.
Phone: 1 (902) 698-9192 |jschofield@valleyren.ca
Developing priority economic sectors
Through our strategic planning process, the Valley REN has identified five priority sectors that present significant opportunities for business growth and investment attraction. These are: agriculture, information and communications technologies (ICT), manufacturing, sustainable energy, and tourism.
Working with our Board of Directors, the Valley REN is leading five Sector Tables – one for each of these sectors. Each Table, or advisory group, will provide insight into business conditions, opportunities and challenges, and will identify action items to grow the regional economy, through innovation and collaboration.
Our Tables will meet for the first time this Fall. We’ll keep you posted on our progress through this newsletter.
For more information, contact Emily Konrath, Economic Development Officer. Phone: 1 (902) 670-0542 |ekonrath@valleyren.ca
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Valley REN Voice
