New economic director sees opportunity

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This article was published 13/05/2023 (1264 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon’s next director of economic development is looking forward to rejoining the team he left nine years ago.

At the beginning of May, it was announced that Assiniboine Community College’s director of community development Gerald Cathcart would take over from the retiring Sandy Trudel.

Cathcart previously worked in the city’s economic development department under Trudel as a business development specialist from 2007 to 2014.

“I think there’s an awful lot of opportunity here in Brandon right now,” Cathcart said Friday. “There’s been significant focus on economic development from all levels of government.”

He said programs like a protein strategy, the creation of the Canada Water Agency and the opening of a PrairiesCan office in Brandon all speak to the federal government’s interest in economic development. PrairiesCan is the federal economic development agency for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

At the provincial level, he feels similarly about the creation of the Rural Manitoba Economic Development Corporation and the creation of a new Manitoba First venture capital fund about Manitoba’s focus on economic development.

Here in the city of Brandon, Cathcart said every city councillor he’s spoken with has been supportive of efforts to grow the local economy and pointed to programs like tax-increment financing and recent investments in water infrastructure as key to long-term growth.

“I’m quite hopeful for the future,” he said. “Brandon has got a significant industrial cluster right now in industrial chemicals and the metals manufacturing community is quite large.”

One of the biggest economic advantages Brandon has, Cathcart said, is its location. Not only is the city the centre of a trading region of around 100,000 people, but it’s also located next to one of Canada’s busiest trading routes and supply chains — the Trans-Canada Highway.

The presence of ACC and Brandon University also provides local employers with an educated workforce.

While attracting employers on the level of Maple Leaf Foods, which operates a large pork processing plant in Brandon, is a tough ask, he believes there’s potential locally in facilitating the growth of existing businesses.

“I think an initial focus for me will be what the barriers for existing businesses are,” Cathcart said. “Is it labour force? Is it facilities? What government hurdles prevent them from expanding?”

Cathcart officially takes over from Trudel on May 23, though the retiring director will make herself available to help with the transition process.

After working in city’s economic development office since 1994, Trudel said she feels a mix of excitement over being able to spend more time with family, and trepidation about moving on after almost three decades of work.

Originally, the economic development office was a standalone board at arms length from the city but was moved in-house in 2001.

“It’s wonderful to have somebody coming in who actually is already familiar with what our goals are and the roles that we play in the interface between business growth and population in municipal processes,” Trudel said of Cathcart. “Somebody coming in with all that background just makes the learning curve much easier.”

According to Trudel, her successor’s greatest challenge will be getting up to speed with the area’s economic activities and the programming being run by the office, but he has the advantage of coming in with a fresh perspective.

Over her years on the job, Trudel listed bringing in the Maple Leaf plant, making Brandon a host for the rural and northern immigration pilot program, bringing in daily WestJet air service and helping facilitate the move of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry from Winnipeg to Brandon as some of her proudest accomplishments.

Asked about the hiring decision, city manager Ron Bowles cited Cathcart’s familiarity with the city and its businesses as well as its strengths and weaknesses.

“He has done the work of economic development in that office,” Bowles said. “He then left our office and did a much higher level of community development work for Assiniboine Community College. Now he brings both of those unique skills back to the office as director.”

One of the first things Cathcart will be tasked with, Bowles said, is the creation of Brandon’s first ever economic development strategic plan to guide the city through the rest of the 2020s.

Speaking about Trudel’s retirement, Bowles said the outgoing director brought a spirit of collaboration to her work that allowed all the city’s departments to understand the world of business and develop a sense of pragmatism.

“I hope I speak for our business community when I wish Sandy Trudel success in what the future holds for her and we are very excited for Gerald Cathcart to be rejoining our organization.”

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