Media Release
Winnipeg Named One of the Top 10 Mid-sized Cities in the Americas for FDI Strategy and Business Friendliness
April 15, 2015: Winnipeg, MB – Winnipeg has been identified as one of the top 10 mid-sized cities in the Americas for foreign direct investment (FDI) strategy as well as business friendliness by fDi Magazine in its biennial American Cities of the Future 2015/16 rankings. Placing fifth for FDI strategy and sixth for business friendliness, Winnipeg’s strong showing marks the first time the city has been featured in two distinct categories, improving upon its sole seventh-place finish in the business friendliness category in the 2013/14 rankings. Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. (EDW) authored the comprehensive submission to fDi Magazine.
“This latest acknowledgment of EDW’s efforts to attract business investment tells international executives and investors alike that Winnipeg is a city of opportunity that welcomes every chance it can get to go head-to-head against competing jurisdictions to prove that it can consistently punch above its weight and come out on top, ” said Marina R. James, president and CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. “We welcome news like this because it raises Winnipeg’s profile worldwide and puts us squarely in the crosshairs of decision-makers looking for their next deal. And when bolstered by our city’s responsive business climate, we find ourselves in an enviable position when it comes to convincing potential prospects that Winnipeg’s collaborative culture between business, academia and government is intent on creating local conditions that maximize success. I congratulate Winnipeg’s business leaders for shaping, sustaining and growing the kind of investment-friendly environment that is increasingly making the world take notice.”
For 2015/16, the third iteration since fDi Magazine introduced the American Cities of the Future rankings in 2011/12, cities throughout North and South America were grouped by size—major, large, midsized, small and micro—then quantitatively ranked within five areas of expertise: economic potential, human capital and lifestyle, connectivity, business friendliness and cost effectiveness. A total of 421 locations were analyzed for the study—77 of which fell into the midsized group that includes Winnipeg—using two specialized online tools: FDi Markets and fDi Benchmark. The sixth category, FDI strategy, is the only qualitative category in the rankings. Collectively garnering 105 submissions across all city sizes, this category was scored by fDi’s judging panel.
Comparatively, Canadian cities took six of the top 10 spots in the FDI strategy category, with Brampton, Quebec City and Winnipeg placing first, third and fifth respectively. Canadian cities finishing in the sixth, ninth and tenth spots all hail from Ontario and include Ottawa, London and Hamilton. In the business friendliness category, Canadian cities fare even better, snagging seven of the top 10 spots. Ottawa, London, Quebec City and Hamilton swept the first four places, with Winnipeg, Brampton and Halifax securing the sixth, seventh and ninth spots respectively.
“Winnipeg is a great place to base a business,” said Bill Morrissey, leader of YES! Winnipeg, an initiative within Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. “Winnipeg has a very competitive and compelling value proposition, but in past years we rarely managed to organically attract the attention of senior executives from international companies who make the calls on where to site new operations. To rectify this, we’ve refocused our available resources and have proactively set out to introduce ourselves and ‘get in the game’ like never before. We’re very pleased with our results to date, and being recognized by fDi Magazine is especially gratifying.”
The American Cities of the Future rankings are part of the “Locations of the Future” series presented by fDi Magazine, which is designed to showcase the most promising destinations worldwide for future inward investment. Each region is assessed every two years. A bimonthly publication, fDi Magazine is part of the fDi Intelligence division of the Financial Times.
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About Economic Development Winnipeg Inc.
Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. (EDW) is the lead economic development agency for Winnipeg. EDW facilitates investment promotion and attraction, capacity building, tourism development, marketing and communications, and the management of market information. By applying competitive intelligence and by fostering relationships with industry leaders, government officials and community stakeholders, potential opportunities and innovation drivers are evaluated to develop key industries and define future economic growth. EDW supports targeted sector, community and social development, and promotes Winnipeg’s diverse economy and high quality of life.
EDW leads global investment attraction, and local business retention and expansion, with its YES! Winnipeg initiative. YES! Winnipeg’s business development team assists in the creation and retention of jobs, identifies opportunities that attract new investment, focuses on expansion and helps local entrepreneurs launch new commercial ventures.
Tourism Winnipeg is the city’s official destination marketing organization tasked with increasing visitation and delivering the best possible visitor experience. A division of Economic Development Winnipeg Inc., Tourism Winnipeg’s mission is to facilitate a healthy, prosperous, responsible and fully integrated tourism industry that enhances Winnipeg’s economic growth through the acquisition of meetings, conventions, sports and events, group travel and leisure tourism.
For more information, please contact:
Croft Petersmeyer
Director, Marketing & Communications
Economic Development Winnipeg Inc.
Phone: 204.954.1961 Cell: 204.898-4866
Email: croft@economicdevelopmentwinnipeg.com
