Firms revel in success of trade mission: business leaders return from Atlanta with promising leads.

Guy Labine signed up for a spring trade mission to Atlanta just hoping to scout out the southeastern United States and drum up some new business opportunities for Science North Enterprises.

But a bit of research on his pre-arranged American contacts, and some phone calls placed prior to the late-April trip, enabled him to return to Sudbury with a $120,000 (US) contract in hand.

The multimedia exhibit division of Science North signed a contract with Atlanta's Fernbank Science Center to lease their Jane Goodall exhibit for three months in 2004.

"We had already been in discussions with them and during the mission we were able to finalize a contract," says Science North's director of business development.

Science North Enterprises was one of 18 small- and medium-sized businesses and post-secondary institutions from across the North that participated in the joint North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce and FedNor-sponsored Team Northern Ontario trade mission to the southern U.S.

Delegates were dropped into the heart of one of the fastest-growing regional economies in the U.S., which provided them with access to invaluable face time with some high-profile players from the Atlanta business scene.

"It was a very aggressive and condensed time frame," describes Labine, a first-time Atlanta visitor.

"I was only there for three days and I met with (officials from) eight organizations."

Part of the criteria for the six-day mission required participants to fill out a company or organization profile, which was forwarded to an Atlanta consultant assigned to pick out potential partners for one-on-one matchmaking sessions.

Labine says the format was a real time saver.

"It would be very difficult to co-ordinate and source out who those companies are, and who I should meet with," says Labine, who conferred with officials from area zoos, aquariums and museums.

"The marketplace in the U.S. for our products and services is a wide range from museums to corporate visitor centres, and everything in between."

Though not able to provide details of his confidential discussions, Labine says "there are several organizations that have expressed an interest in the type of work that we do and the services we provide. The timing was good."

Already a group from Science North is scheduled for a return trip to Atlanta in late summer or early fall as result of opportunities he identified.

"The idea will be to flesh out the opportunities to the point of having either a contract or negotiations started off with those organizations."

Aircraft remanufacturer Ross MacGregor, CEO of ReconAir in Geraldton, also came away from Atlanta with some "very interesting leads" on the sales and maintenance side from contacts made in Georgia and from Florida.

His 20-employee company specializes in rebuilding de Havilland Beavers and Otters from scratch and doing turbo conversions.

"We were able to meet with six aircraft operators, mostly charter and flight schools, but they're quite interested in aircraft that we re-manufacture," says MacGregor. His trip included a side trip to St. Simon's Island, an upscale retirement community off the coast of Brunswick, GA.

With a client base stretching across Canada, the company has only dabbled in exporting, but now has definite designs on spreading its wings south of the border.

"We're still in contact with three or four different buyers in the States, resulting directly from the Atlanta trade mission."

Though not close to signing any deals or taking any orders, MacGregor says "we've awakened a lot of interest and down the road we're sure some sales may result from that."

Trade mission organizer, Jay Aspin, North Bay Chamber of Commerce export development adviser, was pleased with the response from the Atlanta business community, estimating 120 one-on-one meetings took place.

"As a first attempt I think we managed to get some businesses and match them up with some great potentials," Aspin says. "The mission paved the way for other opportunities in the future."

Another pleased participant was Jean-Marc Pellerin of Lumiere International Corp., who returned from Atlanta positively buoyant about striking up a relationship with one of the largest architectural design firms in the U.S. southwest.

"I've travelled all over the world and it is impossible to meet that quantity of great individuals," says Pellerin, whose 10-employee outdoor lighting company based in Hanmer (north of Sudbury) ships an estimated 90 per cent of its product to the U.S., Australia and Asia.

Pellerin crammed in 12 appointments over four days, the most successful being a budding relationship with Rosser International Inc., one of the southeast's leading architectural firms and experts in airport and sports stadium design.

Lumiere used Atlanta to unveil its newest product, a crosswalk lighting system relying on pedestrian sensors, which was very well received.

Gordon Ryan, president of Coastal Steel Construction Ltd., a Thunder Bay fabrication shop, picked up six contacts in marketing his firm's material-handling conveyor systems and services, as well as prospects for some business leads.

Attending on a federal government-sanctioned trade mission, he says, was akin to receiving a stamp of approval with his appointments already set up well in advance.

"It's not like going there cold turkey," says Ryan, in remembering past failures on other trade missions.

"Many times you go on these trade mission and get absolutely nothing, but the contacts were good and the potential customers were excellent. It was all first-rate."

www.northbaychamber.com