Insights with Don Mills and David Campbell- An Acadia Broadcasting Podcast

The latest "Insights" podcast features an in-depth conversation with Trent Vichie, the CEO of EverWind Fuels, which has plans to be the first company in Nova Scotia to commercially produce green hydrogen from wind power.Vichie's company has already invested about $100 million in the project, recently completing the purchase of the tank farm at Point Tupper which has the capacity to store nearly eight million barrels of fuel.EverWind has ambitions to transform Nova Scotia into an energy hub in Eastern Canada. Learn more about EverWinds' ambitious plans that include details on when the company plans to begin production of green hydrogen (and ammonia) is expected.You can listen to their conversation in the player above or download the show on your preferred podcast platform.The “Insights” podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.Search for “Huddle Insights” on podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify, and follow the show so you don’t miss an episode. You can also listen to past conversations there.

In this rebroadcast of one of the most popular “Insights” podcasts, David Campbell and Don Mills chat with one of Atlantic Canada's most successful business leaders, Clearwater Seafoods co-founder John Risley, someone who has been part of building three different companies that sold for more than $1 billion each.Risley shares candid opinions about the kinds of public policy changes needed in Atlantic Canada. He also tells the story about how Clearwater Seafoods was founded and the decision to sell to a company with an ownership group that includes a Mi’kmaq First Nations coalition.“[We] didn’t’ have family in the business and it made sense to pass ownership on to [peope] we thought would be good stewards of what we had put together over the long term,” says Risley.“The company will have had its best year ever since the sale, so it’s a great way for them to have started off this relationship with the company performing above both their expectations and our expectations.”This conversation was originally uploaded on May 13, 2021, but the insights are still fresh. You can listen to the conversation with Risley in the player above. Better yet, search for “Huddle Insights” on a podcast platform like Apple or Spotify. Follow the show and never miss an episode. You can also listen to past episodes on those platforms.The “Insights” podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, to promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and to encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.

John Bragg will make you believe that rural and small-town economies can flourish despite the widespread perception that the future of job and wealth creation is in our larger urban centres. After all, he has built globally competitive companies from a small town - Oxford, Nova Scotia.In this rebroadcast of one of the most popular Huddle “Insights” podcasts, Don Mills and David Campbell have a look at the challenges of rural economic development and speak to one of the region’s biggest proponents of rural development, the CEO of the Bragg Group of Companies that includes Oxford Frozen Foods and Eastlink.With more than 600 employees in Oxford, Nova Scotia, and more than 6,000 across the entire group of companies, John discusses the impact of the growth of his businesses on the small town of Oxford and offers some concrete suggestions on how other rural communities can grow and what is needed to support rural development in Atlantic Canada.“You have to start with the entrepreneurs,” says Bragg. “When I travel around Nova Scotia…I would say, ‘who is the entrepreneur in this town? Who is the entrepreneur in this village?’ There are entrepreneurs in every town and village in Atlantic Canada. We need government policies that encourage those people.”John says he’s not talking about “giving money away.” He’s talking about supporting them by making it easy for them to cut through red tape and access capital to start and grow successful businesses. He also says small communities need schools and available housing to support an employee base.This conversation was originally uploaded on May 13, 2021, but the insights are still fresh. You can listen to their conversation in the player above or download the show on your preferred podcast platform.The “Insights” podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, to promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and to encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.Search for “Huddle Insights” on podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify, and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. You can also listen to past conversations there.

In the last couple of episodes, Don Mills and David Campbell have talked about companies about the ocean of opportunities for power generation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the region. In this episode, they speak with John Hawkins, the CEO of Nova Scotia-based Heritage Gas, about the natural gas and hydrogen opportunities in the region.Hawkins provides an interesting perspective on what needs to be done to get to net zero by 2050, especially with regard to the role that renewable natural gas and green hydrogen can play in transforming his company over time. They have also a good discussion about the proposed Atlantic Loop and some of the challenges associated with its implementation. You can listen to their conversation in the player above or download the show on your preferred podcast platform.The “Insights” podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.Search for “Huddle Insights” on podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify, and follow the show so you don’t miss an episode. You can also listen to past conversations there.

In this episode of the "Insights" podcast, Don Mills and David Campbell continue their series on innovative emerging companies in our region with a conversation with CEO Mike Kelland and Chief Chemist Will Burt of the Nova Scotia-based Planetary Technologies.The company has developed a unique ocean-based carbon removal technology that recently won a $1-million Xprize from the Elon Musk Foundation. Its mission is to remove one billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by 2035.At the same time, the company's process will help de-acidify the oceans and generate green hydrogen and battery metals to replace fossil fuels. The company's technologies are in a demonstration phase now; if successful, they will be game changers for climate change.You can listen to their conversation in the player above or download the show on your preferred podcast platform.The “Insights” podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.Search for “Huddle Insights” on podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify, and follow the show so you don’t miss an episode. You can also listen to past conversations there.

Sustainable Marine has just connected its turbines to the Nova Scotia power grid in a real-life demonstration project to prove its surface-based technology can harness the power of the Bay of Fundy. Our conversation with their CEO Jason Hayman is a must-listen for anyone looking to understand the challenges and opportunities associated with tidal power. After numerous failed attempts by others to generate power from the world's highest and most powerful tides, Sustainable Marine has taken a different approach to the task of tapping into the tidal power of the Bay of Fundy that has the potential to power two million homes and help provide green renewable energy to Nova Scotia to replace coal-generated electricity.

Atlantic Canada has a growing workforce problem. There are not nearly enough young people to take the place of those who are retiring. Rick Emberley, the founder of SeasonedPros, thinks he has one part of the solution.His company matches older workers with companies in need of short-term talent in technical, management and mentorship roles.On the latest Huddle "Insights" podcast, he joins Don Mills and David Campbell to talk about how older workers could be mobilized to help ensure workforce demand can be filled in the years ahead.SeasonedPros already has 10,000 older workers for hire in its database."Sometimes, my elevator speech is we're e-harmony for employers," laughs Emberley. "It's fundamentally an online service driven from a database we've developed and a technology platform that allows employers of any description...looking to fill gigs, you know, the gig economy, the idea that they have an emerging or immediate gap in their workforce and they're looking to fill it."The opportunity is significant. If Atlantic Canada’s 60+ workforce had the same labour market participation rate as the workforce in Alberta, there would be 54,000 more people working across Atlantic Canada.The “Insights” podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.Search for “Huddle Insights” on podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify, and follow the show so you don’t miss an episode. You can also listen to past conversations there.

Over the summer, Don Mills and David Campbell will be interviewing the founders of high-growth potential companies across the region. The series starts with David Shipley, the CEO of Fredericton-based Beauceron Security.The company has an interesting product and service meant to help companies and their employees take better control over their own cybersecurity. David talks about his personal road to entrepreneurship and the company’s plan to carve off its share of the $75-billion cybersecurity industry from Atlantic Canada.David has ambitious plans for the company. In just five years, it's grown from around $100,000 in annual revenue to nearly $3 million. David wants to grow that yearly total to $10 million and ultimately $100 million in a competitive but lucrative global market. He wants Beauceron to have the same impact as Q1 Labs and Radian6, which created jobs and other entrepreneurial opportunities in the province."The dream for me is to chase ... the Q1 Labs legend and to try and follow that same trajectory," he says."How do we create hundreds of jobs in New Brunswick and then tie them to something even larger, and create even more opportunities and fuel that cluster, that expertise, that virtuous cycle that includes not just the good payday to your early investors and the angels that believed in you, but you're also creating the next generation of entrepreneurs."The “Insights” podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.Search for “Huddle Insights” on podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify, and follow the show so you don’t miss an episode. You can also listen to past conversations there.

This episode of the "Insights" podcast features a fascinating conversation with Steve Matier, the CEO of Maritime Launch Services, the company behind the Spaceport to be built near Canso, Nova Scotia.With most regulatory approvals now in place, the company is nearing its construction phase which will see an investment of $150 million to build Canada's first commercial spaceport. Find out about the company's plans, its decision to locate in Canso and the economic benefits to the community.Matier, who is from New Mexico, says there will be many spinoff opportunities, including tourism because people will travel to the province for launch events."I'm from the Albuquerque area and every episode of 'Breaking Bad' generated well over a million dollars in tourism opportunities, just from each episode being filmed there over multiple years," he says. "If you look at it from a launch perspective...which will be a tourism draw, not just an economic impact of the event itself, it is going to be quite significant."The “Insights” podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.Search for “Huddle Insights” on podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify, and follow the show so you don’t miss an episode. You can also listen to past conversations there.

Michelle Simms, the president and CEO of the Genesis Centre at Memorial University, joins Don Mills and David Campbell on the latest episode of the "Insights" podcast. The Genesis Centre has been supporting startup companies in Newfoundland and Labrador for 25 years.Many of the province’s top tech startups - most notably Verafin, which sold for nearly $3-billion U.S. - were incubated through the centre’s Enterprise program, which has an innovative royalty-based financing model. Newfoundland and Labradors’ tech sector is getting noticed and still growing."Our tech sector is still relatively new. It's probably only 15 to 20 years of real snowballing growth and maybe even less than that," says Simms."[We have] the exit from Verafin and a number of other really exciting things that have happened in this province recently. There are probably six or seven other acquisitions that have happened in the last two years. We're going to see a lot more re-investment of that money into our local startup ecosystem and I really do see that snowball getting bigger and bigger and bigger as it rolls down the hill."A CBC documentary Silicon Island also came out last fall and highlights some of the most promising firms. Simms tells Don and David about the importance of immigrant and female founders to the province’s recent startup boom.The “Insights” podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.Search for “Huddle Insights” on podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify, and follow the show so you don’t miss an episode. You can also listen to past conversations there.