Yorkton has great potential, says John Law. He also says his experiences as CEO of the Global Transportation Hub Authority can provide the city with a few lessons on how to capitalize on that potential. During his time as CEO, he worked to develop these projects and attract businesses to the hub.
Law, who provides business development and support services to companies looking to establish or expand operations in Western Canada, was recently invited to speak in Yorkton to the city's Economic Development Committee.
"In Saskatchewan, with as much growth that is happening across the province, including regions like Yorkton, there is going to be lessons that we can share with each other about how to deal with companies that are looking to share within our communities and how we can make our communities attractive," he states.
He says that there were many lessons learned through the development of the hub. Collaboration was a big part of the hub's success, working with different agencies and jurisdictions. The hub, for example, required many different public-private partnerships to get the necessary infrastructure in place, and cooperation between all levels of government to develop the site and find ways to keep the project moving.
As well, he says that it's important to move at the speed of business, in order to be able to attract those businesses and make changes quickly enough to keep them interested.
Another piece of advice is to keep flexible. Law says that many people have their set responsibilities in their job, but sometimes one has to go outside of those responsibilities in order to meet the needs of a business who wants to set up shop in a city. Since the business wants the smoothest road possible, it's important to adapt to their needs and potentially take on unexpected roles.
"The difference is thinking about it from the outside in rather than the inside out," Law says.
Yorkton has an advantage for businesses because it is a regional service center, and is well connected in the region.
"I've talked to companies even in the last number of weeks that see this as a prospective location that they want to be a part of, just because it services a market area they want to get to, or provides connections through the highway network or the rail network to sites that they're interested in getting to," Law says.
Another major factor, both for the hub and with Yorkton itself, is the relationship with nearby rural municipalities. Law says there's no magic for working with nearby RMs, but that the city and RMs need to be able to talk to each other and understand how each side can work together, and what are their respective advantages.
Law also says that open communications can be an advantage for businesses, as the collaboration and sharing of information can uncover issues that might otherwise be overlooked. He says that more progressive companies are looking towards more collaboration, and it is a process worth examining as more businesses want to open up in the city.
