> Why Invest Here? > Testimonials Waterloo Region Testimonials
| “The model for Canada’s economic future: Waterloo Region” “… it has relied on a century of change and innovation to produce one of Canada’s strongest economies. It’s a knowledge capital with a thriving entrepreneurial culture. It’s our future. If Canada is to prosper beyond the current commodities boom, we must learn from Waterloo’s success, or risk becoming a global economic backwater.” Globe and Mail, Report on Business, April 25, 2006 |
| "Waterloo Region and Guelph: a High Tech, High Growth Future" “The Waterloo Region and Guelph area is one of the brightest lights in the Ontario and Canadian economies.” “. . . the area should outpace the Ontario and Canadian economies over the 2007-10 period. Thanks to its strength in fast-growing sectors like advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, and information and communications technology, the area has a high-tech, high-growth future.” January 2006 BMO Financial Group |
| “This community is a hotbed of innovation. Whether you are talking about post-secondary institutions, research centres or business and high-tech sectors, this place has it.” Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, CIGI, October 21, 2005 |
| “Just in terms of scale and focus on computer science, Waterloo stands out . . .” “There are many years when Waterloo is the university that has the most people (at MicroSoft) of any university in the world . . . Waterloo has always been in the top five every year.” Bill Gates, Microsoft, at University of Waterloo, October 1, 2005 |
| Paul Wells, “Back Page” Column, Maclean’s “. . . this increasingly fascinating region . . .” “I’ll just say this: watch it go” Macleans, October 19, 2005 |
| "There's a real yin and yang going on here. It's all very holistic, complementary, and powerful." Jim Balsillie, RIM, Canadian Business, September 2008 |
| “Is it a good place to invest? Well, we’re investing over $10M in R&D here annually and our growth plan continues as we deliver digital cinema products to the world from Waterloo Region.” Gerry Remers, President, Christie Digital |
| “The Waterloo Region has had a long tradition of technical excellence and entrepreneurial spirit that goes back more than a century with companies like Seagrams, Electrohome and Schneiders. And this trend continues today with the Waterloo Region as home to some of the top technology companies in the world.” Tom Jenkins, Chairman of the Board, Open Text |
| “The (Waterloo) Region has internationally recognized research institutes complemented by commercially oriented post secondary institutions. This one-two punch has fostered a regional milieu that encourages and supports new technology ventures.” Tim Jackson, Partner, Tech Capital Partners |
| “Why is this the best place to invest in Canada? Talented people! Our region is a magnet for talent.” David Johnston, President, University of Waterloo |
| “The Waterloo Region has all the ingredients required for start ups to succeed: an educated and skilled workforce, major research talents at the local postsecondary institutions and the availability of business skills necessary to ensure their financial success.” Robert G. Rosehart, former President, Wilfrid Laurier University |
“The Waterloo Region is at the core of an unmatched matrix of business and technology success facilitators:
John Keating, CEO, COM DEV |
| “I came from the USA and picked Waterloo Region to start my business because it has a unique combination of critical factors that guarantee it will be one of the fastest growing high tech centers in North America over the next 10-20 years.” Eric Meger, President, Broadband Learning Corp. |
| “The Waterloo Region has a great resource infrastructure for start up technology companies: a critical pool of highly skilled people, excellent communications and transportation systems, reliable sources of energy, and an enterprising spirit that permeates the community.” Savvas Chamberlain, CEO, Dalsa |
| The Waterloo Region is “one of the brightest stars in the Canadian economic skies…..Waterloo-Guelph’s high-tech sector is growing by leaps and bounds…..The area is an attractive place to live and work, as demonstrated by the number of people who move in each year… the area has a relatively youthful population and strong net in-migration.” Bank of Montreal, Regional Outlook for Waterloo Region (forecasting growth expected to outpace provincial and national averages for 2009 and 2010), 2008) |
| "The Waterloo Region gives you an opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology for global markets - and still enjoy a 10 minute commute to the office. Its an unbeatable combination that has contributed to our decision to keep RIMs global operations here." Jim Balsillie, Chairman & Co-CEO, Research In Motion |
| Further solidifying its reputation as a high tech leader, the Waterloo has been named among the “Top 7 Intelligent Communities” in the world by the Intelligent Community Forum, based on its “commitment to fostering institutions that drive technology innovation and share its benefits with the community at large.” ICF, 2006 |
“Just in terms of scale and focus on computer science, Waterloo stands out . There are many years when Waterloo is the university that has the most people (at Microsoft) of any university in the world .”
Bill Gates, Microsoft
Bill Gates, Microsoft
