In fact, OPG (the electricity generation successor to the former Ontario Hydro) recently won the Economic Developers Council of Ontario’s inaugural Corporate Appreciation Award. The EDCO award recognizes public and private companies that make substantial contributions to economic development in the province.

"We get many visitors from around the world," OPG Vice President of Sales and Marketing David G. Comissiong says. "The award becomes an opportunity for us to demonstrate to them our commitment to promoting economic development in Ontario."

"OPG’s contributions came not only by way of the economic development officers, but by the upper echelon executives as well," he says. "One of the founding members of Team Ontario [a provincial marketing initiative], they remained active to bring Team Ontario to the high stature it enjoys today. They created SitesOntario^TM, which generates business leads daily. They simplified for us the complexity of the new electrical services in Ontario through a number of seminars. They continue to partner with us to promote Ontario, and they have been a catalyst for other utilities to develop complimentary economic development programs.

SitesOntario? (www.sitesontario.com) is a Website featuring available buildings and land across Ontario, as well as community profiles and other information. Other OPG Websites helpful to site seekers include www.ontariopowergeneration.com and www.directelectricity.com.

Olive says numerous OPG staff have provided oustanding support, including Economic Development Program Manager Ahmed Mayeenuddin. He has played an excellent liaison role, Olive reports. "He has been constantly front and center for us."

Winning the EDCO award "gives us a tremendous satisfaction that our economic development program is giving value," Mayeenuddin says. "We strive to have a partnership with the municipal, provincial and federal development agencies so we can respond to needs and bring comprehensive solutions that go beyond electricity alone."

OPG’s economic development initiatives, as the EDCO award underscores, have become a high-voltage resource for business location in Ontario.     SS