Bruce Lazenby’s Role is to Make Ottawa a World Centre for the Knowledge Economy
While communities across Canada can count on manufacturing, mining, oil or other diverse industries as part of their economies, Ottawa has only one major export: knowledge.
Our exports are the results of 1,922 knowledge-based companies that call Ottawa home,” said Bruce Lazenby, President and CEO of Invest Ottawa. “Some of them are headquartered here. Others have major offices here. And then we have a very large start up community. In fact, I’ve been able to confirm that we’re the only city in North America that has got all of the economic levers for that space under one roof.”
As the leader of the non-profit organization that aims to create more knowledge-based economy jobs in Canada’s capital city, Lazenby’s work is funded by governments at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, as well as by several private sector partners. “Our job, our mission, is to make sure that we create good, sustainable jobs in the knowledge-based mostly-export-oriented economies.”
To do that, the organization has created what Lazenby calls an “incubation acceleration centre” to mentor and guide people trying to get new businesses off the ground. “They can actually move into our building,” says Lazenby. “We’ve got about 90 chairs here in our 40,000 square foot facility designated for entrepreneurs and they can actually come in here and start and grow their companies here.”
After companies get larger, the firm provides them with assistance to negotiate export rules, expand their offices or begin building relationships with large trade nations, like China and Brazil.
On the creative side, the organization is working to attract film, television and digital media production to Ottawa. Lazenby sits on a Creative Industry working group and the film commissioner works for him. They’re helping get a “best-in-class” film sound stage built in the city. They also promote the Ottawa film festival and they’re considering setting up a 24-hour gaming event that would attract the world’s best gamers.
“We know that the City with the best talent in the future will win big,” says Lazenby. “And we know that talent is mobile and the best talent wants to go places where they can have a great life and enjoy things and participating in creative programs for these festivals in a cool culture that they can participate in.”
Note: This article appeared on p 26 of Canada’s Leading Real Estate Forum Magazine, Ottawa, Fall 2012.
