Sault's Trade Bridge 2001 this month.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: Brief Article

Sault Ste. Marie's ongoing story in developing transatlantic links with businesses in Ireland adds another chapter at Trade Bridge 2001 this month.

The reciprocal trade mission and networking event is'a continuation to a relationship-building process that began last year when a Sault trade delegation toured the border communities of Newry in Northern Ireland and Dundalk in the Republic of Ireland.

Organizers of the event, slated for June 13 to 15 at the Holiday Inn, are expecting a diverse group of between 25 and 30 businesses from the Republic and Northern Ireland as well as Belgium and Germany who've either already established contacts in Northern Ontario or are keenly interested in developing trade relationships, product and technology transfers and joint-venture opportunities.

"It's such a diverse group coming that it's difficult to match everyone up," says Rob Derbyshire, a small business adviser with the Sault's economic development corporation's Enterprise Centre, who's also co-ordinating the event.

Some of the incoming manufacturers and institutions planning to attend specialize in fabrication and light engineering, food products, software design, call centre opportunities, waste water treatment products, plastics and polypropylene, electronics, tourism, and cultural and educational exchanges.

Most are affiliated with the Newry/Mourne Enterprise Agency, whose representatives toured Northern Ontario last winter and were very enthusiastic about some of the business opportunities available.

The event is geared primarily to matching up small- and medium-sized enterprises with a particular focus on encouraging attendance of companies in the 10-to-30 employee range who have global exporting aspirations.

The format will be short on formal speeches and big on encouraging delegates to mix and mingle between events through business table meetings and at trade-show booths.

"The onus is on the businesses, once they make a connection, to determine what their agenda is," says Derbyshire. "We're giving them a venue to make contacts and how they want to proceed is totally up to them."

It's not known if any major deals will be signed at the event, Derbyshire says, but two local companies, Next Generation Consulting and Lucidia Studios are already working with a Dunleer, Ireland firm, Wren Innovations, to develop flash map technology for various business and industry applications.

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