January 29, 2012

Mueller-Sparenberg New ADEDA Board Chair

Mueller-Sparenberg The representative for the Town of Annapolis Royal is the new Board Chair for the Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency (ADEDA).

Holger Mueller-Sparenberg, who is also Deputy Mayor for the historic Annapolis County town, was elected at a recent meeting of the ADEDA Board.

Mueller-Sparenberg sees ADEDA’s role as a pivotal agency in coordinating economic development in the Annapolis Digby area.

“We are stronger when we work together”, he said, adding, “I see a key role for ADEDA in identifying and coordinating opportunities and inquiries, and facilitating the subsequent start ups”.

He also intends to take an active role in attracting newcomers to the area, and encouraging new approaches to traditional industries such as tourism.

Born and raised in Germany, Mueller-Sparenberg moved to the area in 1993 and has built a prominent and successful career in the real estate profession in south west Nova Scotia.

He has also been very active in community, fraternal and service organizations as well as public service.

The new ADEDA Board Chair pointed positively to the new Board structure recently adopted by the agency, one that puts a particular emphasis on specific sector representation.

“There’s a different spirit around ADEDA these days”, he said, “And the sector representatives work particularly well to keep us in direct touch with the business community”.

Looking forward to the challenges ahead, Muller-Sparenberg said that he also wanted to thank his predecessor as Board Chair, Annapolis County Councillor Paul McDonald, for his dedication and hard work.

Entrepreneur Looking Locally

howard_selig A Middleton-based entrepreneur is hoping to take his business idea beyond flax-finding.

Howard Selig, of Valley Flaxflour Ltd., is putting together a plan to work with local farmers to create a new line of gluten-free products to sell throughout the region. Over the coming months, Selig will be looking for local producers willing to grow non-genetically modified corn and soya.

His company now employs four people and mills flax seeds that he brings in from other areas to use in his flax flour products. He hopes that creating this new line of products will not only grow his business, but also support the local economy and make use of some of the farmland now being underutilized.

Many people have food sensitivities that require a gluten-free diet. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, malts and is often used as a food additive. Selig’s flax products are already selling to this special market, but he wants to expand his product line using local producers.

IMPORTANT NOTICE RE: BRIDES 2012 SHOW

If your business provides services to the Wedding Sector, there is still an opportunity to promote your services at BRIDES 2012, Atlantic Canada’s Largest Wedding Show.

Whether you provide accommodations, reception venue, photography, floral design, catering, etc., ADEDA will be happy to distribute your publicity materials at the show as part of our initiative to develop the region as a Wedding Destination of Choice.

Please make sure we have them by Friday, January 27^th.

Contact Joy O’Neill at joneill@annapolisdigby.com or call 638-8139.

Local B&B Receives National Industry Award

seafaring_maiden2 "A Seafaring Maiden Bed and Breakfast" in Granville Ferry, Nova Scotia has received The TripAdvisor, Travelers Choice Award for 2012, recognized as one of the top 25 (placed #15) Bed and Breakfast in Canada of the more than 5,200 B&B's in the country.

TripAdvisor.com is a travel website that assists customers in gathering travel information, posting reviews and opinions of travel-related content and engaging in interactive travel forums.

This highly coveted award is based on reviews posted by the traveling public. Guest's ratings/reviews posted on TripAdvisor are based on a rating system that includes value, location, rooms, cleanliness, sleep quality and service along with a brief narrative of the travelers’ experience.

“A Seafaring Maiden Bed and breakfast” is owned and operated by Bill and AnnMarie Monk.

"It's a true honor to be selected for the Travelers Choice Award for 2012, and we thank our guests for the positive reviews that resulted in this award, stated Bill Monk, "A Seafaring Maiden B&B" innkeeper.

Daily Commute Measured in Feet

johngray There’s a list of reasons why Jon Gray looks years younger than his real age: a job that lets him meet his daughters at the school bus every day, a lineup of customers, a cozy shop with a wood stove and a commute of 15 metres.

Except for Indian spices, for which he occasionally travels to Halifax, Gray, a shoemaker and one of the most contented people you’ll ever meet, has everything he needs in Annapolis Royal.

"We used to live in the country, in Port Royal, but I’m in the fire department and I was always the last one on the truck," said Gray, 37. "My wife wasn’t convinced that was a good enough reason to move to town, but eventually I won her over."

Gray advises visitors not to show up at his shop until mid-morning, after the stove has taken off the chill. The converted garage with a rough-hewn wooden floor and the pleasing aroma of leather has a neatly hanging array of tools with names like bone folder, pegging awl, channel knife and lasting pliers.

Gray’s doing the job that’s fascinated him since he was a boy.

Irving Shipbuilding Online Supplier Registry Goes Live

Halifax, NS, January 18, 2012: On January 17th Irving Shipbuilding officially launched its Online Supplier Registry, as a part of its extensive preparation for upcoming vessel construction programs associated with the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS).

"Although we are only 90 days into a 30-year process, we felt it was crucial to capture the interest expressed by many local, national and global companies in becoming part of the Irving Shipbuilding supply chain," said Steve Durrell, President, Irving Shipbuilding.

The registry database, located at www.irvingshipbuilding.com, is designed to gather and categorize information on interested potential suppliers, and assist in consistent communications regarding NSPS-related contracts and projects. Since the Oct. 19th announcement of the successful NSPS shipyards, Irving Shipbuilding has received more than 550 inquiries from suppliers interested in knowing more about upcoming opportunities to provide goods and services.

Raising Digby's Profile

ben_cleveland Digby’s mayor Ben Cleveland says people know where Digby is now.

“My goal when I was elected was I wanted to move Digby ahead, I wanted to raise Digby’s profile.

"Over the last few years we’ve been successful at knocking down the fences we built around the town.

“We had kind of isolated ourselves but the last couple years I’ve really concentrated on looking outwards and getting the word out: ‘We’re here, there’s lots happening here, we’re open for business.’ ”

He says he has put a lot of effort into meeting with provincial ministers and our federal representatives.

“I want to make sure they know who we are and what our plans are in case there’s something they can do to help us.”

New Approach to Tourism

cody_joudrey Annapolis County is cutting to the chase this year in tourism development. It's dispensing with studies and consultations and employing a 'get it done' strategy that could see creation of a handful of tourism products and a means of promoting them all in one fell swoop.

And Community Economic Development Officer Cody Joudry isn't re-inventing the wheel either. He's taking what already exists, enhancing it, and getting local retail outlets to plug local experiences to tourists passing through.

"Our area was a prime tourism destination years ago," said Joudry. "We think it can come back. We have a lot to offer."

Joudry is looking for more experiential tourism activities. It could be visiting a llama farm, shearing the wool, dyeing it, and then hooking it into a rug. Or going out on a fishing boat -- or watching or helping a fisherman build lobster traps. In Joudry's eyes, the possibilities are as endless and varied as the people and occupations in Annapolis County.

"The idea is to come up with more ideas to reach a broader market," Joudry said.

Offering Harp 101

tim_habinski In a red-topped, barn-shaped studio just outside Bridgetown, Timothy Habinski is working out the economics of putting a harp in every school in the province.

The harp-maker and musician is also composing his response to an issue that became a talking point in the business community this month when the province bailed out NSCAD University. What is the connection between entrepreneurship, arts education and the economy?

As sole proprietor of Timothy Harps, Habinski makes up to 30 professional Celtic harps a year, mostly for export.

But the cost of the harp places it beyond the reach of most families and certainly most schools. As a result, too few people can play and teach the instrument.