Introducing Digital Boost 2.0

It’s been a big month here at TechImpact, as we launch Digital Boost 2.0, our bold new program to drive technology adoption in small to medium-sized New Brunswick businesses.  Applications are being accepted starting April 21.

This project is possible thanks to $3.7 million from ACOA, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. This week on the TechTalks podcast, I’ve got two stellar staff members from ACOA on the show with me to dive into why this program specifically and digital adoption, in general, is so important.

Meet My Guests

First, let me introduce my guests, Kalie Hatt-Kilburn, Director General of Regional Operations, ACOA New Brunswick, and Trevor Macausland, an Economic Development Officer with ACOA’s Innovation, Trade and Business Growth team.

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Kalie and Trevor embody the best in the public service: deep industry knowledge, a passion for business, especially entrepreneurship, and years of hands-on experience in economic development.

“It is a tremendous place to work,” Kalie says. “It is full of people that are deeply committed to this region and seeing our companies prosper and our communities flourish.”

The COVID Context

We kicked off by talking out how ACOA, as a regional development agency, is a “very nimble tool for the federal government to be able to deliver responsive programming,” as Kalie says.

Of course, COVID-19 has necessitated the swiftest, most significant response of all. Companies struggled with the seismic shifts it brought to all facets of their operations while many were also dealing with revenue drops and worrying about survival.

As ACOA stepped up to help companies adapt and stabilize, the predominance of the need for digital and automation solutions was striking.

“We saw the opportunity to give a boost,” Kalie says. “And that's why we call this program Digital Boost, isn't it? To enable them to make that pivot sooner with some support, while also focusing on survival and sustainability.”

The Transformation Was Already Underway

ACOA had been looking at digital transformation for a while when COVID hit.

“Prior to the pandemic, we were already working internally to raise awareness of the benefits of leveraging technology in order to be more productive and efficient and increase the customer experience,” Trevor says.

COVID was an accelerant in making digital top-of-mind. Still, many businesses struggle to start the shift.

“They're trying to walk and chew gum at the same time,” Kalie says, “to make this transition while also keeping their companies going.”

And then there’s the challenge of where to turn for help.  “If you don't have that expertise in-house, it's a daunting prospect to see where do you start and how do you start?”

Enter Digital Boost 2.0

When it comes to digital adoption, there are risks to action as well as inaction. 

“If you don't have a plan of how you're going to proceed over time, then you can have some more random acts of digital or random acts of automation, and it doesn't knit together in a cohesive plan,” Kalie says.

DB 2.0 pairs businesses with qualified local Atlantic Canadian technology providers to create a digital strategy and roadmap, which creates a win-win for both the company and the technology provider.  Through the program, businesses can receive up to $20,000 to do this work or 75% of the costs (maximum of $26,600), with the businesses paying the remaining 25%. (To learn more or to apply, click here).

Here at TechImpact, we’re proud to leverage our knowledge and connections to be the trusted industry intermediary between government, companies and service provides. 

“The real critical piece is having some trust and faith in the expertise that you're accessing,” Kalie says.

The Big Picture

Digital Boost 2.0 will give businesses clarity and confidence in their digital journey by giving them a tailored plan to adopt things like automation and AI. Along with being more competitive, productive and better able to attract talent, there are other, bigger benefits, as well.

“What we're really looking at here is outcome transformation for these clients,” Trevor says. It’s a chance to examine their current and desired future states and bridge the gap. That means looking beyond just technology or software at skill sets, culture and people.

And for ACOA, the program is also a great chance to have informed conversations with clients to determine how to invest in the short-, medium- and long term, Trevor says, “to set them up to scale and grow and export and become more resilient in the new normal.”

The Collab Hub

When we launched the Digital Boost pilot project last year, we learned a lot. And one of the big messages from small and medium-sized businesses was that they know they need to adopt technology but struggled to find the right technical and digital help.

That’s how the Collab Hub (our working title for now) was born. We are in the early planning phases for this exciting project.  It’s an online platform and resource for non-tech businesses looking for local IT service providers. 

“It takes a village to raise a company,” Trevor says. “What we're trying to do is add more voices and more resources to it.” 

These are exciting times for our region and our industry, and, as my conversation with Kalie and Trevor shows, government has a huge role to play in accelerating our recovery. Check out our entire conversation by clicking here to listen.

 

And here are some of the highlights from this episode:

  • [05:48]: Kalie on ACOA’s dynamic, responsive role in supporting economic development. 

  • [17:13]:  Trevor describes ACOA’s interest in digital adoption even before the pandemic.   

  • [21:23]: Kalie talks about some of the challenges businesses face in digital transformation.

  • [25:42] Trevor on how DB 2.0 focuses on equipping companies with a digital roadmap.

  • [30:07]:  Kalie on TechImpact’s role in DB 2.0 as a trusted intermediary between funder, consultants and clients. 

  • [42:18]: Trevor on the need for a collaborative, online community connecting SMEs, service providers and businesses.

  • [44:21]: Kalie on how ACOA looks for ways to create and facilitate digital spaces where stakeholders can connect.

 

Don't Miss an Episode.

Do you subscribe to the TechTalks With Cathy Simpson Podcast? You should! Every week, my guests and I cover many different topics around innovation, technology and the future. Click here to listen and subscribe in iTunes. You'll find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, PodLink and everywhere else you enjoy podcasts.

 

And sign up for our newsletter to never miss an update.

TechImpact lance la version 2.0 du Programme de renforcement de l’infrastructure technologique pour accélérer l’adoption de nouvelles technologies au Nouveau-Brunswick

Une aide gouvernementale de plus de 3,7 millions de dollars permettra aux entreprises du Nouveau-Brunswick d’élaborer et de mettre en œuvre des feuilles de route numériques

Le 15 avril 2021 · Fredericton (Nouveau-Brunswick) · Agence de promotion économique du Canada atlantique (APECA)

L’innovation et la diversification contribuent à la croissance de l’économie et à la création de bons emplois pour la population du Canada atlantique. Afin de favoriser le développement et la croissance d’une économie durable, les entreprises de la région doivent continuer à mettre en place les technologies innovatrices, les projets et les processus qui améliorent leur productivité dans le respect de l’environnement.

TechImpact launches Digital Boost 2.0 to drive tech adoption in New Brunswick

Government support of more than 3.7 million dollars will help NB businesses chart and implement digital roadmaps

April 15, 2021 · Fredericton, New Brunswick · Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)

Innovation and diversification help grow the economy and create good jobs for Atlantic Canadians. To develop and grow a sustainable economy, businesses in the region must continue to implement innovative technology, projects and processes that are good for productivity and the environment.

Change Is Inevitable, Managing It Well Is Not

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Change is inevitable; managing it well is not

“A change is as good as a rest," the adage says, but change management in business can feel more stressful than refreshing.

So, this week on episode 22 of the TechTalks Podcast, we're unpacking change management with one of those rare consultants who's worked in this area for all of her 20-plus-years' career. Nicole Paquet is a Senior Change Management consultant with Mariner, an IT and management consulting firm and long-time TechImpact member. She helps us understand what change management is, why it's essential, and how to do it better.

This show continues TechTalks’ exploration of digital transformation. Technology can enable growth, productivity, and competitiveness, but it needs to be accepted by those impacted by the change and align with the overall strategy. So, in this show, we're debunking myths and clarifying change management, which is often mentioned but not particularly well understood.

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So, what IS change management, anyway? 

"There are many different names," Nicole says, including “organization change management” and “organization change readiness.” While many people tend to think of change management in relation to IT and release management for technology projects, it can be applied to all kinds of projects, from a new computer system or office move to pivoting due to a global pandemic. There are many different kinds of clients, many kinds of changes.

Whatever the project, the change process and the principles are the same. It's about risk management, Nicole says. And that starts with a deep-dive organizational assessment.

"We tend to highlight a lot of risks at the beginning of a project, which sometimes feels to our project managers like we're slowing things down," Nicole says. "But it's really so we can put the right mitigation strategies in place to get those business results sooner and to a greater degree."

All together now!

The process is also front-end loaded with aligning the leadership team.

"Most leaders will tell us, 'Well, we're aligned,'" Nicole says. But with a bit of probing, it becomes clear that's not necessarily the case. And that's OK. The idea is to understand this at the outset and tackle it as a risk. Leaders have to go through a change process, too.

"Without that leader alignment, it's very difficult to support individuals through their discomfort,” Nicole says. "And that's OK because you can't have any change without discomfort, which is why change is so hard. So we need to be able to support our leaders through this process."

What change management is NOT.

Nicole sometimes sees companies make the mistake of thinking that change management is about making your staff feel good.

 "It's not about being nice," she says. "It's about building capability, strategy and leadership."

And many organizations have a limited sense of the scope of change management, which goes beyond a new piece of software, say, to span organizational change, processes, and preparing people for the change. It isn't just a little communications or training. And it needs to be woven in from the start, well before the change takes place.  

"Often, we get brought in too late, right before go-live," Nicole says.

Effective change management begins before and continues after the "flipping of the switch of the change," smoothing the way for the transition, getting people and processes in place to mitigate against the inevitable productivity dip, maximizing the investment.  

"When you actually do the metrics after the fact, and you look at the performance, people don't always know how to use the system to its full capacity, so you don't get the benefits."

Partners in the project.

Nicole favours an integrated approach between project management and change management, always aligning change management to the business case, with strategies and approaches tailored to the organization's particular aims and needs.

"Every change is going to feel different, depending on the organization and the people and the culture,” she says. “And so that's really where the magic happens."

Increasingly, Nicole sees internal change management roles, a change she applauds and that she and her colleagues at Mariner support in their work.

"You want to leverage external consultants to some degree," she says. "But having your own internal capability is critically important to build that capacity over time and to build the resilience of your leaders."

Change management professionals show up in different places in an organization, from HR to a separate, standalone department or office. And there are many paths to change management, from business to psychology to communications. Along with an appreciation for process and at least a bit of data chops, a  key trait is what Nicole calls "interpersonal flexibility" and a learning mindset because every project, every client is different.

"It never gets boring," she says, “that challenge of really supporting people through this process, and helping people realize that it's OK to feel uncomfortable.”

Nicole is a huge fan of process, "which a lot of people are surprised by," she says, "because they think I'm a people person. But it's really the process that I'm in love with."

Check out our entire conversation by clicking here to listen.

And here are some of the highlights from this episode:

>>[08:44]: Nicole unpacks some of the high-level confusion around change management.

>>[17:00]: Nicole talks about getting leaders to see change management as a business enabler.

>>[26:00]: We dive deep into alignment and why it's essential to change management.

>>[29:00]: Nicole unpacks the communications component.

>>[34:25]: A common question, answered: where is the best place for change management to live in an organization?

>>[42:05]: Nicole on the many paths into change management and critical skillsets for the job.

Don't Miss an Episode.

Do you subscribe to the TechTalks With Cathy Simpson Podcast? You should! Every week, my guests and I cover many different topics around innovation, technology and the future. Click here to listen and subscribe in iTunes. You'll find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, PodLink and everywhere else you enjoy podcasts.

And sign up for our newsletter to never miss an update.

The Power of Data

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There’s more data than ever, and this week TechTalks delves into its scope, power and opportunities.

This episode continues our experimentation with taking the podcast outside the studio and into the community through webinars and other events. This show is adapted from a panel that I moderated on March 12 as part of the 2021 Virtual Data Challenge at UNB. The virtual event drew 38 teams from eight countries and five Canadian provinces who used data to tell stories and provide recommendations.

On this episode, I talks to three panellists working on transformational data products and projects about their career paths and perspectives on how data can advance ideas, support better, quicker decisions and build better products. Their range of backgrounds and experiences show that there are many fascinating paths to a data-driven career.

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I’ve known Justin for about 15 years and we worked together at T4G for a short while.  In his more than 20-year career in data architecture and data science, Justin’s seen the evolution of data’s relationship to product, powered by new tools and ever-cheaper computing power. 

“Ten years ago, your product was largely driven by what was possible technologically,” he says. “Now, you're taking data and turning it into something else. There are two parallel streams: you have to build out the tech, but you also have to make sure that the data supports your hypothesis, which gives you a product.”

Justin’s path to data came through software, working with applications that evolved, over time, from simple functions to those that use data to make decisions.

“I feel like my software skills really dovetailed well into the more quantitative side of things,” says Justin, who upskilled his mechanical engineering background with graduate degrees in computer science and mathematics from UNB. 

“Because all the tools used in the industry have come from the software side, it's a great complement to put those skills together.”

Today, he leads Instnt's product and engineering groups, where he’s responsible for the definition and delivery of the product and platform roadmap.

The New York-based SaaS company works in fraud risk detection and identity verification, using nontraditional data to help groups such as immigrants and millennials access credit while indemnifying banks’ risk. It’s a turnkey software service.

“You just drop some code on your webpage, and that routes it through our system,” Justin says. “It's a lot of engineering because it’s all real-time.”

Justin sees a shift in data from it being strictly the realm of data scientists who know the tech and tool to more domain knowledge coming to the fore.

“Sure, we have this massive IoT stack that can handle a million streaming events per second; that’s wonderful,” Justin says. “But if the data doesn't support you being able to use that to make quality decisions, then it's just going to sit there. It’s not going to be valuable.”

Susan Hunt, Chief Technology Officer, The Oceans Supercluster

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Susan Hunt’s work has always been out to sea.

“I've done a bunch of different gigs, all primarily in the ocean space around innovation or product development or the management of the same,” she says.

A naval architect by training, she cut her teeth as a designer at Brunswick, the world’s largest boat designer and manufacturer, using data and mathematics to create blueprints for massive vessels.

“It’s one instance of how data gets visualized to create a product,” she says.

Susan also used data to test and refine the final product, spending thousands of hours on the water troubleshooting boat parts and systems.

“You get huge amounts of data coming in from the various types of equipment and sensors to help understand how a product is working,” she says. “So data is also really important to product development and commercialization.”

Susan, who has a graduate degree in information systems, has also seen data integrated across departments and databases for very high-level decision-making that transcends a single project or product.

“With that much data, you’re taking it up a step, you’re getting into a systems-level understanding,” she says. “You're getting to the point that you're using it to make decisions on not just a product level but at a portfolio level. What are the types of products we want to build, how are we working as a company together, how does our team need to be restructured to be more efficient?”

Her role as Canada’s Ocean Supercluster Chief Technology Officer builds on her subsequent experience in Atlantic Canada’s tech and research sectors. The organization is a collection of hundreds of companies and public sector organizations that collaborate on projects to improve Canada's competitiveness and productivity in the ocean space. To work together, they had to find common ground and challenges.

“The number one common denominator across different ocean sectors was lack of high-quality, real-time data,” Susan says. “It was the glue that actually bound companies and organizations from different sectors together around such a game-changing movement in Canada's ocean space.”

Jason Lee, Partner, MNP

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Jason’s applied data group at MNP has a mantra: “Make better decisions and improve operations using data.”

That sounds simple enough, but it plays out in a wide range of ways, from advanced predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, modelling, visualizations, and even data strategy and governance.

Often, they work in partnership with large tech companies to find solutions for customers, including Microsoft, with whom they’re a Gold Certified Data Partner.

“Partnering with someone like Microsoft is really an extension of your sales arm,” Jason says.

As one of the largest full-service business advisory firms in Canada, MNP’s projects span a dizzying range of sectors and take many forms. It means working with NHL and Olympic figure skaters to build an app powered by AI and data for grassroots talent development in Canada and beyond. Or taking a cue from Toyota on more efficient manufacturing.

“It’s starting to use all the sensor data from the assembly floor to swap out machinery and equipment at the right time, so that you wouldn't have this downtime on some of these machines”

More recently, he worked on the Digital Supercluster COVID-19 Program, which leverages data and predictive modelling to help businesses, emergency responders and policy leaders to make data-driven decisions.

And Jason says he increasingly sees how data comes into play in non-traditional departments, such as marketing.

“I've never really thought of marketing as a hard science,” Jason says. But that team uses tools such as Google Analytics for search engine optimization, and A/B testing for campaigns. It’s a great example of using data to solve real business problems, instead of what he calls “science fair projects,” where the data scientists present exciting numbers or models, but there’s no plan for implementation.

“How do I take this and actually apply it, and commercialize it, and monetize it, right?” Jason says. “Because that's what companies are going to be really interested in.”

 ======

Hear Cathy’s complete discussion with Justin, Susan and Jason by watching the panel discussion or listening to the podcast.

Digital Transformation Primer

For many businesses, things like AI, robotics and even e-commerce are intimidating. They may not know what it means, how it might apply to them, what a project might cost, or even what the business value is.

Those fears are common but unfounded. Digital transformation simply means harnessing automation and digitization to be more efficient, competitive, productive and profitable. And you don’t need to do it alone. 

Here in Atlantic Canada, there’s a wealth of expertise and a long list of service providers with the technical knowledge and business acumen to help all kinds of companies, including traditional industries or non-technical ones, start shifting to digital. 

Webinar host, Cathy Simpson.

Webinar host, Cathy Simpson.

Webinar guest, Jarvis Spires from SMET Monuments

Webinar guest, Jarvis Spires from SMET Monuments

Webinar guest, Paul Harrell from Ganong

Webinar guest, Paul Harrell from Ganong

This week’s TechTalks Podcast is adapted from a recent webinar host Cathy Simpson gave on digital transformation. She breaks it down into simple steps and talks about Digital Boost, a TechImpact program that’s had great success pairing local companies with N.B.-based technology service providers on digital projects. In the last part of the show, she invites representatives from two Digital Boost projects to share their experiences. 

Get the full story by watching the webinar, listening to the podcast or checking out this Digital Transformation Primer to get started.  

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Digital Transformation Isn’t Scary

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For many businesses, things like AI, robotics and even e-commerce are intimidating. They may not know what it means, how it might apply to them, what a project might cost, or even what the business value is.

Those fears are common but unfounded. Digital transformation simply means harnessing automation and digitization to be more efficient, competitive, productive and profitable. And you don’t need to do it alone. 

Here in Atlantic Canada, there’s a wealth of expertise and a long list of service providers with the technical knowledge and business acumen to help all kinds of companies, including traditional industries or non-technical ones, start shifting to digital. 

Webinar host, Cathy Simpson.

Webinar host, Cathy Simpson.

Webinar guest, Jarvis Spires from SMET Monuments

Webinar guest, Jarvis Spires from SMET Monuments

Webinar guest, Paul Harrell from Ganong

Webinar guest, Paul Harrell from Ganong

This week’s TechTalks Podcast is adapted from a recent webinar host Cathy Simpson gave on digital transformation. She breaks it down into simple steps and talks about Digital Boost, a TechImpact program that’s had great success pairing local companies with N.B.-based technology service providers on digital projects. In the last part of the show, she invites representatives from two Digital Boost projects to share their experiences. 

Get the full story by watching the webinar or listening to the podcast. And click here to download your Digital Transformation Primer to get started.  

A masterclass in leadership

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This week’s podcast was a trip down memory lane, back to the early days of my career at NBTel, with guests Dave Grebenc and Roxanne Fairweather, friends and colleagues for over 25 years.

The powerhouse duo are the co-CEOS (more on that below!) of Innovatia. It was a pleasure to have them on Episode 19 of the show to talk about leadership and driving growth, diversity and values, and the intricacies of a successful business partnership.

Roxanne and Dave are at the top of their careers and the pinnacle of Atlantic Canada’s tech sector today, but it wasn’t always this way. Both had scrappy beginnings and worked damn hard over many years to get where they are today.

When she was starting out, Roxanne was a single mom who went to university to get a good job to support her three kids. When she joined NBTel, the company saw her potential, nurturing it through its management trainee program. She also had the benefit of many mentors over the years.

“I will be forever grateful for those wonderful folks that took me under their wings and coached me along in my career,” she says, including Gerry Pond, the godfather of our region’s tech scene.

For Dave, when he came out of university, his big dream was to travel Europe, but he didn’t have the money. Instead, he went to Newfoundland for a quick vacation, and then landed a job as a janitor at NBTel in Saint John, eventually working his way up to management roles in the company.

“I ended up staying there for 20 years, and it was probably the best MBA I could ever get,” Dave says. “They just let us do things that you couldn't imagine. They carved up little pieces of the business and told you to run it.”

Prime Leadership Training Ground

Roxanne and Dave’s inauspicious starts with NBTel would prove the source of many lessons on building and leading a winning company, lessons they still bring to their roles today. 

“They saw the possibilities,” Roxanne says of the leaders at their early employer, and not just from a technology perspective. NBTel was ahead of the curve when it came to people, too, and its culture of support and respect.

“For Dave and I, one of the things that glues us together is our absolute commitment to diversity and respect for people,” Roxanne says. “It's all about growing the person, growing their skills, growing their potential, and enabling that to grow the potential of the company.”

Come, Lead With Me

When the chance to buy Innovatia arose, Roxanne knew she was interested, and that she didn’t want to do it alone. But she wasn’t looking for just anyone as a partner: she wanted Dave. She kept asking him, and eventually, her tenacity paid off. They bought the company together and from its earliest days, it was a 50-50 arrangement. 

“Our partnership works,” Roxanne says. It’s based on shared values and mutual trust, but also differences. They don’t always see eye-to-eye, but they’re always able to arrive at a shared vision, a joint decision. “And that comes from listening and having respect.”

When they hit an impasse, they rely on their CFO to act as a referee and moderator. And they always put the business first.

“A partner is easy when things are going well,” Dave says. “But at the same time, when things aren't going well, a partner is a great thing to have because you can talk about things that otherwise would just kill you inside.”

There have been ups and downs in the business, of course, including running out of money a couple of times, but personal challenges, as well: loss of loved ones and, in Dave’s case, a Parkinson’s diagnosis. Whatever life and business throw at them, they face head-on.

“We answer the call in life and in work with very much the same approach,” Dave says. “And it is an overriding approach of optimism.”

Growing Together

When Roxanne and Dave bought Innovatia from Aliant 12 years ago, 95% of the revenue came from Nortel, which was going through bankruptcy. They needed to figure out how to keep as much of the business as possible, while also diversifying within and beyond the tech sector.  They explored a lot of options. 

“We always had a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, and sometimes we extended it beyond that,” Dave says. Eventually, they found a niche in the energy sector. They have built from there, growing from one service and just over 200 people to more than a half-dozen software solutions and nearly 700 staff. Today, along with their Saint John headquarters, they have an office in Bangalore, India, and employees worldwide.

And since those early days, Innovatia has spun off four companies focused on knowledge management. 

“It's all about capturing and creating information that might have otherwise been stagnant and not accessible and turning that into a strategic weapon for our clients so that they can achieve their business goals,” Dave says. “That's what we do.”

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Extracurricular Activities

A key value Dave and Roxanne share is a sense of responsibility to give back.

While Dave is busy working to advance the tech sector, he’s also involved with the community at large as a board member with Family Plus, an organization that works in mental wellness and youth advocacy. He sees many opportunities for social incubation to advance causes and change how we deliver programs.

Roxanne's faith and spirituality are at the heart of her community work, from advocating for literacy and putting an end to child poverty to co-founding Women for 50%, which promotes gender parity in politics.

“The energy comes from the love,” she says of her seemingly boundless stores of it. “I just believe that if your spirit is open, you will absolutely attract from the universe what you believe is good.”

So inspiring! Check out our entire conversation by clicking here to listen.

And here are some of the highlights from this episode:

>>[05:37]: Dave and Roxanne on how NBTel helped shape them as business partners and leaders.

>>[10:28]:  Cathy and her guests reminisce on how NBTel let them learn and grow by trying things and making mistakes.  

>>[20:27]: Roxanne on the early days of owning Innovatia. 

>>[32:07]:  Dave talks about how Innovatia helps clients harness their data.

>>[44:08]: Roxanne on the culture of care at their company.

>>[45:52]: Dave on the importance of diversity and the need for immigration.

Don't Miss an Episode.

Do you subscribe to the TechTalks With Cathy Simpson Podcast? You should! Every week, my guests and I cover many different topics around innovation, technology and the future. Click here to listen and subscribe in iTunes. You'll find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, PodLink and everywhere else you enjoy podcasts.

And sign up for our newsletter to never miss an update.

Hashtags: #innovation #techimpact #techtalks #innovatia #data #contentmanagement #coCEOs #leadership #techsector 

The Innovative Art of Applied Science

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I meet many smart, interesting people in my work, but my recent guest on the TechTalks Podcast sparked an especially stimulating conversation about applied science, productivity and the sixth wave of innovation.  

Get ready to be inspired by Eric Cook, executive director and CEO of New Brunswick’s Research and Productivity Council, who brought some big, forward-thinking ideas to the show.

A mechanical engineer by training, Eric discovered early in his career that he preferred managing technology rather than being hands-on with it, “being on what I'll call the leading edge, not avoiding the bleeding edge... and seeing science and technology applied and generating value,” as he puts it.  

Scientists + Industry Unite

The RPC is a natural home for Eric’s interests and skills. A provincial crown corporation and not-for-profit, it was founded in 1962 as a research and technology organization.  

“RPC is specialized in the translational aspects of innovation,” Eric explains, “getting things moving from the lab into industry to realize economic value. And that's really what innovation is.”

Their work falls into two main buckets: analytical services that tend to be repeatable work, usually done to an accreditable standard, such as sample testing water, soil, radon gas and even cannabis.

Then there’s the applied science and engineering bucket, which is exactly what it sounds like, and where RPC plays at all stages of innovation.

“We have our name on a whole number of patents,” Eric says. “But we're usually listed as a co-inventor, not an owner. And that's part of our public good. We're a provincial crown corporation. And we're not-for-profit. So we work to recover our costs. But unlike a for-profit company, we're not trying to take an IP position in your idea. And that makes us very business-friendly.” 

The breadth of RPC’s work is mind-boggling, from the range of project stages and company sizes to the numerous sectors they serve, including energy, environmental assessment, food processing, agriculture and more. Last year, they served 1,300 unique clients, ranging from small to large projects running into multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The diversity of its staff is equally as impressive. At RPC’s main site in Fredericton, around 160 specialists from over 17 countries work in a dazzling array of fields, from all types of engineers to a variety of chemists, biologists and more.

The “P” in RPC

Productivity is so important right now, and Eric talked about it in such a grounded way.

“Productivity goes straight to our quality of life,” he says. “If we're not a productive economy, the things that we like to have, whether it be healthcare or other services, good roads, those things, they're not possible.”

We’ve had a relatively easy ride in New Brunswick on this front because of abundant natural resources, low-cost labour and a favourable trade partnership with the U.S.

“All those things are changing,” he says.

Factors such as looming labour shortages, the global economy and price pressures are a wake-up call, and productivity is on the other end of the line.

“Companies that are going to thrive in the next phase here will be those that make a commitment to be a productive company,” Eric says.

The first step is a mindset change. The second? A business assessment and mapping to determine what technology or processes can deliver the best ROI, begin to change your culture and make you more profitable and competitive. When it comes to productivity adoption, Eric uses the adage of eating an elephant: go one bite at a time.

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The Next Wave

In April, in the “early, dark days of the pandemic,” Eric co-authored a paper about how waves of innovation have long been observed to drive waves of economic growth. He and his co-author speculated that we're nearing the end of the fifth wave and entering the sixth.

“We were trying to think differently; we were trying to think about what opportunities this might provoke,” he says.

The paper explores how the innovation wave is usually triggered by a major world event, like a depression or war–or a pandemic.

“The inflection points could be the one-two punch of the 2008 economic meltdown and the pandemic,” he says, similar to the Spanish Flu followed, a decade later, by the Great Depression.

This next wave will likely encompass a shift to clean energy, more sustainable businesses and huge opportunities in biotech, where Eric sees lots of opportunity for New Brunswick.

“And values are going to start to change,” he says. “You're going to think about the garbage you’re generating, you're gonna think about how long your product lasts. An ideal customer gives value to quality and delivery, as well. And I think that's good news for our economy.”

As the first anniversary of COVID19 approaches, this conversation offered such a refreshing look forward. It’s really showed how scientists and industry need to collaborate to drive our economy. And it was a good reminder that embracing innovation to become more productive isn’t an end unto itself, but the way to a better quality of life for all of us.

You’ll definitely want to check out our full conversation by clicking here to listen.

Here's a peek at some of the highlights from this episode:

>>[08:26]: Eric on what innovation really means.

>>[15:00]:  Eric describes the range of RPC’s activities and the diversity of its staff.  

>>[29:28]: We talk about productivity and the mindset shift that’s required.

>>[36:02]: Eric on how automation, AI and other tools aren’t just for big companies.

>>[44:19]: We chat about the paper Eric co-authored last year about the next wave of innovation. 

>>[52:00]: We close out by talking about what we can learn from Arctic-based research.

Don't Miss an Episode.

Do you subscribe to the TechTalks With Cathy Simpson Podcast? If not, please do. Every week, my guests and I cover many different topics around innovation, technology and the future. Click here to listen and subscribe in iTunes. You'll find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, PodLink and everywhere else you enjoy podcasts.

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Create a Standout LinkedIn Profile

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This week, we’re trying something new on TechTalks. Instead of our usual podcast format, I hosted our first live webinar with my friend and LinkedIn expert Eleanor Austin, founder of New Marketing Today. Much of our work here at TechImpact is about connecting talent and employers in our sector, and this seemed like a great way to help job-seekers put their best face–and profile–forward. 

But even if you’re not in tech, this is a terrific session full of actionable advice, even for savvy LinkedIn users. Eleanor serves up lots of tips and insights on optimizing your profile, strategically building your network, and engaging and influencing others. 

“LinkedIn is so much more than a resume,” she says. “Think of it more as your marketing brochure. Think of it as the home of your professional identity.”

Eleanor’s 10-Step Formula to Rocking Your LinkedIn Profile

  1. Complete your profile. It sounds obvious, but only 51% of users have done this, so if you’re in that other 49%, get to it. An all-star profile gets 40 times more opportunities. “The other cool thing if you have an all-star profile is that Google really likes LinkedIn,” Eleanor says, so you’ll show up higher in searches. 

  2. Get a professional profile photo. First impressions count, and you want to look the part of a professional. So hire a photographer. You’ll get more profile views, connection requests and messages. “You want your LinkedIn headshot to represent you, to say that, yes, I am competent. Yes, I'm likeable.” 

  3. Add a relevant background. Behind your headshot is a big long rectangle of prime real estate that’s a great way to promote the brand that is you. It could be a photograph or montage, a graphic design element in your brand colours, or your logo or tagline.  

  4. Create a headline. You have 220 characters to convey the “brand of you” and entice people to want to know more. The default headline is your title, but it doesn’t have to be. Get creative. ”What are you doing for whom, and what is the benefit?” Eleanor says.  “That’s your headline.” And make it as keyword-rich as possible. 

  5. Fill out Find Me. Add your location, industry, and claim your personalized LinkedIn URL to up your searchability.  

  6. Craft your About section. You can write this in the first or third person. Either way, you’ve got  2,500 characters to convey your unique value proposition. Write in ​short paragraphs in your voice. ​Think about your audience–who are you writing for?  Make it relevant for them. “And at the end, you could put a call to action in there. What do you want people to do now?” Eleanor asks.

  7. Add your education and experience. This will significantly increase your views. Your top job should be your most recent. If you're a student, don’t let it go blank. Add a relevant volunteer position to make the LinkedIn algorithms happy.  

  8. Add your skills. The key here is to choose the top three skills that you want to be known for, not just those for which you have the most endorsements. And then endorse others ​and ask them, in turn, to endorse you. This is another great way to improve your SEO. 

  9. Make and request recommendations: These are more powerful than endorsements because they take more time and effort, and the endorser is putting their reputation on the line. So make it easy for them. Remind them of the details of when you worked together, or even draft a recommendation for them based on how you want your brand reflected. And, of course, pay it forward by recommending someone else.

  10. Add your volunteer experience: This is so important for rounding out your profile. Your volunteering says a lot about your character and what you care about. “Some hiring managers will say that your volunteer experience, especially if you're starting out, is as important as your actual experience,” Eleanor says. 

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Eleanor’s 30-day LinkedIn Challenge: 

  • Add a professional photo ​

  • Add a banner image (1584x 396 pixels; 8MB)​

  • Personalize your LinkedIn URL​

  • Create a 90-220 character “Headline”​

  • Create a compelling “About” ​section

  • Add your education​

  • Add your most recent job​

  • Recommend and endorse at least one person​

  • Ask for a recommendation and an endorsement​

  • Add your volunteer work​

  • Connect with 30 people ​

  • Follow one group and two influencers 

Check out our full conversation by clicking here to listen or watch the webinar here

Don't Miss an Episode.

Do you subscribe to the TechTalks With Cathy Simpson Podcast? If not, please do. Every week, my guests and I cover many different topics around innovation, technology and the future. Click here to listen and subscribe in iTunes. You'll find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, PodLink and everywhere else you enjoy podcasts.

And sign up for our newsletter to never miss an update.