Our province is clearly making a mark on the IT world stage.  This year's I-3 Competition winner, Tether, has been awarded a $100,000 prize package by Innovacorp.  This little company has already attracted worldwide media attention, including coverage in The New York Times, for its simple, inexpensive way for laptop users to connect to the web.  Here in Zone 3, Clare Machine Works was declared the regional winner for its innovative mobile approach to refurbishing oil and gas drilling components.

Uber-entrepreneur Roland Swift has been awarded funding from the Canadian Research Council's IRAP program which will enable the company to conduct testing on, among other things, a towable banding machine. From his headquarters in Digby, Roland continues to revolutionize the global packaging industry. He's a great inspiration to all of us in the region, and beyond.

You can tell summer's over.  After a relatively quiet couple of months, this week there are a ton of great events to help you run your business.  Check out a couple of Centre for Women in Business workshops ... the CME Supplier Development Conference... and exactly how green are our farm operations, anyway?

Today's I-3 Competition Launch at NSCC in Middleton kicks off with a presentation by InNOVAcorp president Dan MacDonald.  With only three weeks to complete your application, it's important that you join us for today's Pitch Session.  We'll help you polish your concept and presentation!  Here's everything you need to know about the competition, with event details here.

Believe it or not, the I-3 Competition prize package is on par with that which is offered by the likes of tech giant Google.  And InNOVAcorp's scope includes innovations that are not just from the IT field - it can be practically any kind of technical innovation, such as Roland Swift's $100,000-prize winning banding machine, an idea born and bred in Digby County.  Timelines for entering this year's competition are extremely tight, so we encourage you to pitch your idea to us right away.

It's true -- when I came here 18 months ago, I made a sacrifice, one that is perhaps not uncommon for those who have chosen to move back here 'from away.'  It's all about salary expectations.  There, I said it.

The Chronicle Herald recently published a must-read piece called 'Landing a real job' by Kelly Toughill.  She articulated a very important thing:

The limited op­portunity of this place has left a residue of community values.  That commitment to community val­ues shows up in hard numbers put together by Statistics Canada, the federal agency that measures everything from pork belly production to religious affil­iations across Canada.  Its studies show that Nova Scotia has lower divorce rates than the national average, higher levels of charitable giving, tighter ties to local community and a very strong base of social support when times get tough.

In today's economy, spending money on advertising is often thought of as an extravagance.

However, there are bargains to be had.  As economic numbers go down, radio listenership goes up.  And with ad revenues low across the media board, this is the perfect opportunity to negotiate time on your local radio station.  For small business owners, or anyone offering value for money, this could be just the ticket to create sales.

I am fascinated by advertising, good and bad.  Always have been.  How could I not be?  I grew up watching reruns of 'Bewitched' and 'The Dick Van Dyke Show.'  The lead characters both worked in advertising.  It seemed like the coolest job around.

Get your feet wet with DSWNA's new co-op radio promotion -- a really great and inexpensive way to explore radio advertising!

Here's more info.

The Globe and Mail has a great business video series called Incubator Case Studies.  Last week, they released a new instalment called What's Good Customer Service?

If you read my blog entries from November 21 and 24, 2008, you'll see two shining examples of excellent customer service here in Annapolis Digby.

Check out the Globe and Mail video by clicking here -- there are some great tips for service providers!

Urban studies theorist, professor and author, Richard Florida, today spoke with Jillian Findlay on CBC Radio's The Current.  A transplanted American, and now a permanent resident of Canada, Florida talked about the differences between the economic situation here versus the US. He began by remarking that he is "happy that our little nest egg is all in Canadian banks."

We are indeed fortunate that the banking system in this country is stable, and that while we can justifiably gripe about bank fees, I would also argue that our national banks did not succumb to the grandiose greediness that has run rampant in the US. 

Most certainly we are witnessing the decline of the old industrial economy.  However, we are perfectly positioned to benefit from the emergence of the knowledge based economy.  The key is creative energy:  identifying it, investing in it, and harnessing it, with the goal to build a stronger, sustainable future.