27 September 2018

PRESS RELEASE – Sherbrooke Innopole was awarded an honourable mention in the rankings for Canada’s Best Locations, published by the American magazine Site Selection in their September 2018 edition.

This ranking recognizes the most successful economic development agencies – provinces and metropolitan areas – across Canada. It is based on private sector infrastructure investment and job creation, calculated on a cumulative and per capita basis. The data comes from the Conway Projects Database of Conway Analytics.

Josée Fortin, Director General of Sherbrooke Innopole, is delighted with this first nomination for the Sherbrooke economic development agency: “The entire team is deeply honoured to receive this mention in the magazine Site Selection. It acknowledges the passionate work of our professionals carried out on a day-to-day basis supporting companies in the industrial and high-value-added services sector in their numerous projects. It is also an honour that reflects on Sherbrooke’s entrepreneurs. They are the ones who innovate, hire, and invest – congratulations!”

The President of Sherbrooke Innopole’s Board of Directors, Alexandre Nault, added: “This distinction also shines a light on the fertile ground that companies profit from here, nourished by a vast network of partners and stakeholders. Collectively, our contributions are positioning Sherbrooke as a prosperous and dynamic business environment on a national scale.”

“On behalf of the municipal council, I am greatly pleased this honour has been awarded to Sherbrooke Innopole. Incentives implemented by the City are contributing to this positive result for Sherbrooke’s economic development,” stated Steve Lussier, Mayor of Sherbrooke.

“During a visit to Sherbrooke earlier this year, I found all the components of an emerging business ecosystem: entrepreneurial business leaders, innovative scientists and academics at the university, and professionals within Sherbrooke Innopole and the government who know how to bring those components together for the good of the community as well as its employers, ” commented Adam Bruns, Managing Editor of Site Selection magazine.

It is of note that Sherbrooke’s five key sectors – Advanced Manufacturing, Cleantech, Information and Communication Technologies, Life Sciences, and Micro-Nanotechnologies – account for 18 803 jobs within 653 companies. They have invested over $210M – a record amount – and created almost 650 jobs in 2017.

Sherbrooke Innopole is the only economic development agency from Quebec to place among the 11 honourable mentions awarded by Site Selection. Montréal International and Québec International are among the top 10 best locations in Canada, with Investissement Québec placing 2^nd among provincial agencies.

The full article is available here.

Source: Sherbrooke Innopole