A new print advertising campaign targeted at drawing business into Nanaimo from the Greater Victoria area is set to begin in the coming weeks.
The advertisements — which were commissioned by the Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation — will feature a series of five corporate leaders and companies from within the Nanaimo region, starting with Charles Hamer, CEO of Resonance Software. Robotics firm Inuktun Services Ltd. will also be featured in the campaign.
The print advertisements will include statistics about the Nanaimo and information to highlight the region's advantages for business, such as access to Vancouver Island University and workforce housing costs that compare favourably to Victoria, said Sasha Angus, CEO of the NEDC.
The advertisements will run in the Times Colonist periodically over the next 2 1/2 months and will cost the NEDC about $7,500.
Angus, who formerly worked at the Greater Victoria Development Agency, said Victoria businesses have a tough time finding land to expand their operations.
"Sometimes, their initial inclination is to say, 'we should move across to the Lower Mainland,' " Angus said.
"And so we want . . . to showcase Nanaimo as a place where that can happen and it can be incredibly affordable and very productive."
Angus said the ads are also intended to highlight Nanaimo's "knowledge-based" economy, as well as businesses of varying sizes.
"[Hamer's] business is a smaller business, but it's got great potential to grow, and then other businesses like Inuktun Services can be showcased, and they've got a longer track record in the community," Angus said. "We wanted to the breadth of the types of businesses that are here."
The print campaign is only the first phase of the NEDC's strategy to attract attention from the Victoria market. Angus said the corporation will also meet with individual companies in the Capital Region to consider investments in Nanaimo.
So far, NEDC has identified a "working list" of 15 or 20 businesses to approach first, with an aim to approach others later.
