AIR UnlImIted doUbles cApAcIty In move to centRepoRt

w w w . C e n t r e P o r t C a n a d a . c a

A Manitoba-owned-and-operated company since 1984, Air Unlimited has expanded its operations with a move to a 20,000 square foot facility at 2116 Logan Avenue – located in the south east quadrant of CentrePort. The addition of Air Unlimited totals 50 companies to locate at CentrePort since inception, bringing with them with over 1,300 jobs and over 300 acres of land in various stages of development.

Driven by their three core values of passion, dedication and accountability, Air Unlimited provides compressed air systems and building power solutions to Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Northwest Ontario. The company was previously operating out of two locations in Winnipeg and needed more space to accommodate its growing operations. Since the move, Air Unlimited’s employee base has more than doubled to 70 jobs and the larger facility has allowed for the acquisition of two more businesses, further expanding their product and service offerings.

“We are thrilled with our move to CentrePort,” said Jason Chuback, President of Air Unlimited. “Our mission is to provide customers with the best solutions, service and aftermarket support for their business and being able to operate every facet of our business operations under one roof now – as we manage our continued growth – is invaluable.”

Air Unlimited is currently working on a large contract for Canadian Blood Services where they are building and staging three compressor units – work that they wouldn’t have been able to accommodate in their previous location. They are now also doing fabricator, welding and machining work in-house.

Chuback credits his highly skilled, experienced and master-level certified employees for helping to drive new business opportunities. “I’m really proud of the team and how committed they are to ensuring our customer’s needs are put first,” said Chuback. “We are still settling into our new space but the location is incredibly convenient for our employees and for moving our products in and out of the facility. We also love being so close to the Winnipeg International Airport and the CentrePort Canada Way expressway.”

“We are excited to welcome Air Unlimited to the CentrePort footprint. They become the 50th business to choose to move to CentrePort since we began in 2009,” said Diane Gray, President & CEO, CentrePort Canada Inc. “ Air Unlimited joins 49 other companies who see tremendous value in creating a concentration of activity, locating close to tri-modal transportation options and generating a node of economic activity that will benefit all Manitobans.”

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mARcH 2017

c e n t R e p o R t c A n A d A e x p r e s s

A good tIme to tAlk AboUt centRepoRt cAnAdAby: cHRIs loRenc

Senate committee report says Trudeau government needs to up the profile, investment in trade-enabling infrastructure

The pivotal role that trade-enabling infrastructure plays in keeping Canada’s economic heart beating just got a huge ‘high-five.’ And CentrePort Canada’s Board Chairman Chris Lorenc has been spreading the news.

On February 28, the Senate’s national finance committee reported on the $186-billion national infrastructure program and funding model. It called for better coordination of funding and transparency in the program. It also pointed out a glaring omission in Ottawa’s strategy for infrastructure investment. Budget 2016’s priorities for infrastructure did not give trade infrastructure the profile and priority it is due, given its importance to economic growth, it said.

“We rely upon transportation infrastructure for trade and our country’s overall productivity is a factor of the quality of our infrastructure,” the committee’s report Smarter Planning, Smarter Spending said.

Lorenc says the committee’s specific recommendation - that lessons from previous gateway and trade corridor investment programs inform Ottawa’s proposed $10-billion plan for trade infrastructure - is welcome. The fact the committee underscored the importance of trade-enabling infrastructure investment affirms the work of all those who advocate for and work to tie trade assets into a strategic, seamless regional and national transportation system. Public awareness of the ties between trade, trade infrastructure and the economy - and the quality of our social programs that raise Canadians’ standard of living - is key, Lorenc said.

“We can’t afford to ignore the central role that trade, and trade-enabling infrastructure, plays in growing the economy,” Lorenc said. “With its report, the Senate committee has placed that irrefutable fact squarely on Prime Minister Trudeau’s desk.”

Lorenc, who is also the president of the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association and the Western Canada Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association, said this report, and a number of national economic and infrastructure reports before it, flow from the decades of advocacy of these associations and of the hard work of stakeholders who are promoting strong trade transportation strategies.

CentrePort Canada can show that public and private investment in its build-out, and in its vision and planning, has tremendous return to Manitoba’s economy, he said. It is a pillar in the plan to boost Western Canada’s regional trade profile and productivity, book-ending the British Columbia marine ports and trade corridors.

At a recent speech to the Rotary Club, Lorenc laid out the stark numbers, pulled together by the Manitoba Bureau of Statistics’ forecasting of CentrePort’s construction impacts, alone:• almost92,000personyearsofemployment;• $1.1billioninprovincialtaxrevenue;• boostingManitoba’sGDPbymorethan$7.4billion

“CentrePort Canada is a once-in-a-lifetime, generational opportunity to leave an economic growth legacy that we cannot squander.”

centRepoRt pARtneR beHlen develops new tecHnology foR pRe-engIneeRed steel bUIldIngs

Until now, robotics in welding has been traditionally used for predefined, repetitive tasks with little to no variability. CentrePort’s newest strategic level marketing partner, BEHLEN Industries, realized that it was necessary to be able to gain the benefits of robotics and advanced software in welding, without having any limitations.

Every project at BEHLEN is custom, so robotic technology had only a small place in their plant, almost everything else was done manually. There are many benefits to an automated process in steel manufacturing like increased productqualityandcapacity;decreased

errorsateverylevelofthebusinessandintheproductitself;andincreasedcommunication with clients.

While robots in manufacturing are not a new technology, it is BEHLEN’s strategically chosen and innovative combination of software, robotics and processes that has allowed them to successfully implement the use of robotic technology for custom manufacturing.

The new three-step technological wedling process has enabled BEHLEN to increase their plant productivity, take on more and bigger projects and they already have plans to add more robots to further increase plant capacity.

BEHLEN is the first pre-engineered steel building manufacturer plant in North America, and possibly the entire world, to employ this new technology in such an effective combination.

UnIted wAy lAUncHes helprefugees.caUnited Way, in partnership with the Province of Manitoba, launched HelpRefugees.ca, a website to help welcome the rising numbers of refugee claimants entering Manitoba.

So far, HelpRefugees.ca has seen people donate from all over the country, raising thousands to support overwhelmed settlement agencies help refugees build a better life.

centRepoRt RecognIzed wItH spIRIt of wInnIpeg AwARdOn March 10, The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce hosted the 8th annual Spirit of Winnipeg Awards. This gala event honours local businesses making a difference in Winnipeg.

CentrePort Canada was thrilled to be awarded the Spirit of Winnipeg Award in the Trade category. This category celebrates companies who, through trade efforts, have made a qualitative difference to our city’s prosperity. CentrePort was nominated alongside Brydges Property Management and MK Global Trade Inc. Congratulations to all nominees and award recipients!

Farm Credit CanadaInland Audio Visual

Manitoba Chambers of CommerceManitoba Institute of Trades and Technology

MTS

Prairie Rail SolutionsThompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP

United Way WinnipegWinnipeg Chamber of Commerce

Winnipeg Construction Association

Bel Acres Golf & Country ClubBison Fire Protection

Clearly InSightCrane Steel Structures

EncoreFX

GHY InternationalMacDon Industries Ltd

Manitoba Trucking AssociationNASCO

Pegasus Publications

StantecUniversal Rail Systems

World Trade Centre WinnipegXpromo

2017 MARkeTIng PARTneRSS t r a t e g i c Pa r t n e r S

P r e f e r r e d Pa r t n e r S

a S S o c i a t e Pa r t n e r S

centRepoRt’s newest pARtneRs

CentrePort Canada is pleased to welcome four new companies to the Marketing Partnerships Program, bringing the total number of partners to 43.

BEHLEN Industries LP is the largest manufacturer of steel building systems in Canada. They serve customers worldwide through a growing network of authorized builders and continue to earn a reputation as a global leader in the industry. www.behlen.ca

Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC) is Canada’s voice for the steel construction industry. The CISC promotes dialogue,collaboration and commerce between industry stakeholders – advancing the benefits of steel to the consulting community, builders and buyers, academia and government. www.cisc-icca.ca

HTFC specializes in landscape architecture, community and resource planning, economic development, urban and interpretive design. While their work is focused on the prairie, boreal forest and arctic regions of North America, they occasionally bring their ability to connect nature and culture to planning partnerships as far afield as Eastern Europe, South America and Africa. www.htfc.mb.ca

Scatliff+Miller+Murray was formed with the sole purpose of developing bold new concepts and high-level designs for urban revitalization and sustainable development. Innovative thinking and the practical, on-the-ground, experience that gets projects built is their signature. They work with clients to identify not only what is possible, but also what is practical – no matter what the challenge. www.scatliff.ca

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE - The Winnipeg Jets Practice Facility is now complete and fully operational. The two storey, 21,700 square foot addition attaches itself to the already existing 177,000 square foot MTS Iceplex rink facility on two levels. The entire facility was proudly built by PCL Constructors Canada Inc.

SPREAD THE WORD - MyWinnipeg.ca is the gateway to spreading the word about Winnipeg. Economic Development Winnipeg has launched MyWinnipeg.ca to enable everyone to become an enthusiastic and knowledgeable ambassador of our prairie city. Help showcase Winnipeg to the world and let everyone know we’re open for business and alive with opportunity. www.mywinnipeg.ca

MAD SKILLS - This summer, Winnipeg will play host to the 2017 Skills Canada National Competition. Coined ‘the Olympics of skilled trades’, this week offers trade students a unique opportunity to compete with their peers while being recognized for their devotion to their craft. Prior to this national event, Red River College will host the 20th Annual Skills Manitoba Competition in April.

CROSSING THE LINE - World Trade Centre Winnipeg is hosting a practical, hands-on introduction to explore importing and exporting to the U.S. Event runs 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7 at the Canadian/U.S. border. Participants will be picked up by bus in St.Norbert and Morris. Call 204.984.2272 for more information. www.wtcwinnipeg.com

TAKE A BOW - In EncoreFX’s first full fiscal year (2016), Dev Dabas, SVP was awarded with the first ever President’s Circle trophy for EncoreFX and the Winnipeg branch was awarded with Branch of the Year. EncoreFX has 12 branches across Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

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Diane Gray@CentrePort CentrePortCanada

news fRom tHe centRepoRt commUnIty

connect wItH Us

Manitoba Institute of Trades & Technology is receiving $1.1 million from Western Diversification to support further skills development in the print industry in Manitoba.

“Not only will our students now work and learn on the most state-of-the-art equipment available,

EDW

The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce is hosting a special breakfast event with Premier Brian Pallister on the anni-versary of the election on Wednesday, April 19th at the RBC Convention Centre. Networking starts at 7:30 a.m. and the event runs until 9 am.

Tickets can be obtained by call-ing (204) 948-0100 or by email events@mbchamber.mb.ca

mAcdon sUppoRts AssInIboIne pARk

MacDon Industries has donated $1 million to the Assiniboine Park Conservancy in support of two major projects at Assiniboine Park and the Assiniboine Park Zoo.

The farm equipment manufacturer earmarked $500,000 of the donation for Canada’s Diversity Gardens, the new horticultural attraction planned for the southeast corner of Assiniboine Park. The other $500,000 will be directed to a new zoo exhibit that is being dubbed “a modern take on Aunt Sally’s Farm,” an exhibit for children featuring hands-on interactive experiences.

bReAkfAst event: pRemIeR

bRIAn pAllIsteR wednesdAy, ApRIl 19