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FREDERICTON, N.B., Nov. 15, 2023 – The New Brunswick Business Council (NBBC) is pleased to announce John Herron has been named its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective November 7, 2023.
“We are very excited to welcome John as our new President and CEO,” said Andrea Feunekes, Chair of the NBBC Board of Directors and CEO of Remsoft, a forestry software company. “John’s extensive experience working at the intersection of the public, private and non-profit sectors will be very valuable in helping us bring positive change to New Brunswick.”
The NBBC is a non-partisan group of leaders and CEOs committed to ensuring New Brunswick meets its full potential. It collaborates with business, government and community partners to find meaningful, fact-driven solutions to the province’s challenges.
MONCTON—The New Brunswick Business Council (NBBC) partnered with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the Government of New Brunswick to announce 1.6M in funding for a new provincial non-profit housing development organization called the Housing Hub of New Brunswick (HHNB).
The HHNB is being created to develop housing to support workforce attraction, population growth, and other local needs in rural and smaller communities across New Brunswick.
Andrea Feunekes, CEO of Fredericton-based Remsoft, has been named the new Chair of the New Brunswick Business Council.
Feunekes has earned a reputation as one of New Brunswick’s top CEOs. Under her leadership, Remsoft has become a world leader in optimized planning and scheduling for sustainable land-based asset management. From its base in Fredericton and through its Brazilian subsidiary as well as offices in Ontario and New Zealand, the company serves clients on six continents, collectively managing over half a billion acres of land.
On January 19, 2022, New Brunswick Business Council President and CEO Alex LeBlanc spoke on behalf of the Council with the New Brunswick Legislature’s Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Stewardship.
In his remarks, Mr. LeBlanc stressed that the Councils’ membership – made up of 29 leaders of major New Brunswick-based enterprises – believe firmly in the reality of climate change and support taking climate action to ensure the sustainability and vibrancy of our province for future generations. They also believe that we must apply a competitiveness and economic lens to policy making, ensuring a managed transition to a low-carbon economy, where cost competitiveness, taxes, investment incentives, and other supports are competitive with other jurisdictions in Canada and internationally.
The movement to establish an “Atlantic Investment Bubble” – a regional equity tax credit aimed at boosting interprovincial investment in Atlantic Canada – is picking up steam. Here are some recent commentaries by business leaders across the region:
“An Atlantic Investment Bubble will help companies grow and create jobs” - Commentary by Blair Hyslop, New Brunswick Business Council Member and Co-CEO of Mrs. Dunster’s Bakery, in Huddle.Today.
“Atlantic Investment Bubble would grow jobs, create opportunity on home front” – Commentary by Paul LeBlanc, CEO of 7th Wave Capital, in the Chronicle Herald.
“Seizing opportunity with an Atlantic Investment Bubble” – Commentary by Rory Francis, CEO of the Prince Edward Island BioAlliance in the Charlottetown Guardian.
Creating a more vibrant business environment in New Brunswick is one of the top priorities of the New Brunswick Business Council. We know that access to capital is a recurring challenge for many businesses, and based on considerable discussion and consultation, the Council has been a key player in the movement to create an “Atlantic Investment Bubble”, an equity tax credit designed to complement the existing provincial equity tax credit programs found in the four Atlantic province.
Many high-growth businesses in Atlantic Canada operate from a regional perspective, driven by the need to access larger markets, skilled employees, mentors and advisors. This regional tax credit will catch public policy up to this reality, encouraging greater interprovincial investment within the region and making it easier for businesses to raise capital to fuel the growth that leads to new jobs and new tax revenues.
As part of the New Brunswick Business Council’s goal of fostering public discourse about the best ways to responsibly and sustainably grow the New Brunswick economy, we joined the chambers of commerce of Moncton, Fredericton and Saint John as well as the Conseil économique du Nouveau-Brunswick and the Canadian Manufactures & Exporters to provide recommendations to federal political parties and candidates about the steps needed to ensure our economy and our communities prosper.
New Brunswick and the rest of Atlantic Canada face a unique set of challenges and opportunities as we seek to encourage job creation and growth. We wanted to take advantage of the election to be sure that New Brunswick’s message was heard loud and clear by those who seek to govern.
“Affordable and accessible child care will give thousands of women in New Brunswick the opportunity to participate in the workforce, which is a win for households; a win for the New Brunswick economy; and, a win for employers looking for talent” says Alex LeBlanc, President and CEO of the NBBC. “Finding and attracting labour is the biggest challenge facing New Brunswick employers and we expect this to continue into the future.”
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