7 September 2021

PRESS RELEASE – Sherbrooke Innopole ranks in the select group of 20 local and regional economic development organizations in Canada, compiled by American magazine Site Selection in its article Canada’s Best Locations 2021.

Published in the magazine’s September 2021 issue, the ranking is based, in part, on corporate end-user facility investment and related job creation activity, calculated on a cumulative and per capita basis. The data comes from the Conway Analytics database.

In its article, Site Selection mentions that despite the pandemic, companies in the industrial and high-value-added services sector of Sherbrooke have made record investments for a 4th consecutive year, totaling nearly 671 million $ in 2020.

The article also lists some recent investment projects that have taken place in the territory, in which Sherbrooke Innopole has collaborated at various levels: Kruger Products, Eidos-Sherbrooke, Immune Biosolutions, Tekna, and Attitude.

“I was fortunate to visit Sherbrooke not long ago and see for myself the area’s attractive blend of pioneering innovation and industriousness,” says Adam Bruns, Managing Editor of Site Selection. “It is clear that Sherbrooke Innopole is continuing to foster the growth of a knowledge-based economy with reality-based goals.”

This is the second time Sherbrooke Innopole has been recognized by Site Selection: In 2018, the magazine awarded it an honourable mention in the rankings for Canada’s Best Locations.

Sherbrooke Innopole Executive Director Sylvain Durocher says that the entire team is very honoured to see the organization recognized among Canada’s economic development leaders: “This recognition by Site Selection attests to the excellent work carried out every day by our professionals with industrial and technology firms to provide them with support in their startup, development and implementation projects in collaboration with the City of Sherbrooke.”

Sherbrooke Innopole Board Director Alexandre Nault says, “This distinction also clearly demonstrates, once again, the resilience of Sherbrooke entrepreneurs, who continue to come up with prosperity-generating and job-creating projects during this unsettled period. Their confidence and boldness also highlight Sherbrooke’s flourishing and innovative business environment made possible by an entire network of partners and stakeholders.”

“On behalf of the municipal council, I salute this deserved honor that Sherbrooke Innopole receives by Site Selection magazine. We are committed to the economic development of our municipality, and we will continue our efforts to ensure that Sherbrooke shines in an attractive and innovative business environment,” says Steve Lussier, Mayor of Sherbrooke.

The five key sectors in Sherbrooke’s economy—Advanced Manufacturing, Cleantech, Information Technologies, Life Sciences and Micro-Nanotechnologies—account for 19,374 jobs in 676 companies.

Since 2010, the key sectors recorded:

• A net gain of 181 businesses
• Net creation of 6,244 jobs
• Investments of more than 2.5 billion $ in machinery, equipment, land, buildings, and R&D.

The Sherbrooke Innopole team carries out an average of 650 interventions each year with industrial and technology companies to provide them with support in their startup, implementation, development, consolidation, and expansion projects in Sherbrooke.

Only three other economic development organizations in Québec are in the top 20 best locations in Canada—DEL (Développement économique de l’agglomération de Longueuil), Montréal International, and Québec International. Investissement Québec, for its part, is ranked 1st among provincial agencies.

>> Click here to read the full article.

About Sherbrooke Innopole
Sherbrooke Innopole is the paramunicipal economic development organization for the industrial and high-value-added services sector. Its mission is to accelerate the development of companies from the five key sectors – Advanced Manufacturing, Cleantech, Information Technologies, Life Sciences and Micro-Nanotechnologies – and ensure that Sherbrooke has an attractive and innovative business environment. It is mainly financed by the City of Sherbrooke through the Bureau de coordination du développement économique. 

Source: Sherbrooke Innopole