Quebec City, September17, 2010- Dr. Fernand Labrie, Chairman of the Board, and Carl Viel, Chief Executive Officer, announced the new corporate identity of POLE Quebec Chaudière-Appalaches at a ceremony today attended by Sam Hamad, Minister of Transport and Minister Responsible for the Quebec City Region. As a result of this change, POLE Quebec Chaudière-Appalaches, the Quebec City metropolitan region's economic development agency, will now be known as Quebec International. This marks an important milestone for the organization, which is seeking to reinforce its mission on the international stage with a view to promoting regional expertise and attracting talent and investment.
"Above and beyond the name change, Quebec International's arrival marks an evolution in our organization's role within the regional, provincial and national economies. This change reflects the profound transformation of our economy and stands as a testament to our growing ability to occupy a prime position on the world stage," said Mr. Viel.
Thanks to efforts in recent years to diversify its economy and develop its knowledge-based industries, the Quebec City metropolitan region has reached economic maturity and achieved a level of excellence enabling it to compete successfully in global markets. According to a recent ranking of Canada's economic development leaders published by US-based Site Selection magazine, the Quebec City metropolitan region came in second place, behind Toronto.
"Now that Quebec City is positioned among Canada's and North America's top-performing metropolitan regions, it seems more important than ever to have an economic development agency with a more pronounced international focus in order to fully realize the economic potential derived from our enviable position in North America," said Dr. Labrie.
The change announced today stems from strategic consultations with regional economic stakeholders and the business community, which prompted the organization to step up its role and reaffirm its international mission. Quebec International's efforts to support economic development will now focus on two areas: helping businesses to reap the full benefits of market globalization while ensuring their competitiveness and growth nationally as well as internationally; and attracting foreign investment and specialized workers. Quebec International's mandate will thus continue to complement that of the other regional economic development stakeholders.
"A region's economic success is based not only on the dynamism and innovativeness of its researchers and entrepreneurs, but also on our leaders' ability to join forces on groundbreaking initiatives that are the cornerstone of success. On that basis, we will continue to build a solid economic foundation, thereby securing a promising future for the Quebec City metropolitan region," said Mr. Hamad.
Currently in Quebec City to attend the Economic Developers Association of Canada's 2010 conference, which kicks off on September 18 at Quebec City's convention centre, Adam Bruns, Managing Editor of Site Selection magazine, took the opportunity to present Dr. Labrie with a plaque commemorating Quebec International's being named one of Canada's Top 10 economic development agencies. This is the fourth consecutive year that the organization has been awarded this distinction.
Site Selection, a specialized magazine published by Conway Data Inc. in the US for the past 55 years, has a readership of 44,000 business leaders in North America and around the world. It is primarily geared toward real estate professionals and individuals specializing in the selection of new operating sites meeting the needs of businesses undertaking expansion projects (www.siteselection.com/portal).
Quebec International also took the opportunity to launch a new economic portal serving as a showcase for the region and as a reference tool for businesses. The site www.quebecinternational.ca presents high-quality content on the Quebec City metropolitan region's business environment, including information on services and activities offered by various regional and national organizations.
The ceremony was followed by a talk by Richard Bendis, Founder and President of Innovation America, a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating economic growth and promoting entrepreneurial innovation across North America. The theme of Mr. Bendis's talk was "Advancing Quebec City's Innovation Economy".
About Quebec International
Quebec International contributes to the economic development of the Quebec City metropolitan region and to its international standing. As an economic development agency, Quebec International fosters business growth, supports key industry clusters and attracts talent and investment to the region. For further information, please visitwww.quebecinternational.ca.
