Burlington’s Key economic sectors, a leader in Ontario
Burlington’s Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) can help a business relocate or expand to Burlington Ontario which embraces a great work/ life balance. Burlington’s key economic sectors drive the smart growth of this city perched on Lake Ontario.
Burlington is a great place to move, expand or start-up a business in Ontario.
Burlington businesses employ more than 90,000 people. Many of these employees are found in Burlington’s key economic sectors such as finance, insurance, real estate, and retail/wholesale trade sectors.These sectors alone account for more than 1,900 of the local businesses, and 29 percent of the workforce.This is followed by advanced manufacturing, reflecting 15 percent of the employment base through 355 companies. Burlington’s strength lies in its economic diversity, generating a reputation as a high performance economy. Burlington is also home to a number of companies with global mandates, including such notables as Etratech and the Ippolito Group.
Etratech is a privately held corporation specializing in the design, development and manufacture of advanced electronic controls and control systems for major multinational companies. Established in 1989, Etratech employs more than 400 people worldwide, led by their Burlington- based Customer Support Management Team. Export markets include the USA, China, Germany, Switzerland, Israel, Mexico, and the UK. Etratech was ranked as one of Canada’s top 100 SME (Small Medium Enterprises) in 2015.
“As the demand for smart products grows, global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) need reliable partners who can design, engineer, and manufacture the high-quality electronic components their customers expect. Additionally, as OEMs look to re-shore their manufacturing, the Canadian dollar in conjunction with our proximity to the US, makes Canadian companies look increasingly attractive,” says Michael Desnoyers, President & CEO.“If you can offer both high quality work and competitive pricing, it becomes a lot easier to be optimistic.”
Burlington’s Business Advantage
Ippolito Group’s packaging facility at 201 North Service Road, Burlington operates 364 days a year on a three-shift basis, coordinating efforts with a number of local and American farms to produce their core items, including spinach, organic mixes, broccoli, squash, and radishes. Spinach is the primary line item at the Burlington plant, with a packing capacity of 650 cases per hour.
“Canadians and more specific Burlingtonians are loyal, polite, top shelf people. Our ability to have a superior labour pool that achieves a better than average effective and efficient output makes us competitive in the US market,” says Robert March, Director of Finance at the Ippolito Group.“This human capital special advantage gives us a leg up on our competition not only in Canada but also south of the border. As always, you have to work as a team; but the talent pool exists right here in Burlington.”
Both Desnoyers and March cited a host of advantages to being in Burlington that are echoed by the Burlington Economic Development Corporation, including the community’s well-educated and diversely skilled workforce already mentioned – 67 percent of residents have post-secondary qualifications, and 34 percent of the adult population in Burlington holds a university degree.
Its geographic location – with 164 million North American consumers within a day’s drive – draws on access to road, rail, air, and water distribution channels to reach foreign markets.Then there’s Burlington’s high quality of life, abundance of recreational amenities, and ready access to the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario.
Burlington continues to prosper as Canada’s best mid-size city with MoneySense Magazine ranking Burlington as the #1 Best Mid-Sized City to Live in Canada for four years running. Maclean’s Magazine ranked Halton Region as the safest Regional Municipality in Canada, and the most recent study issued by the Conference Board of Canada shows Burlington performing well above the provincial and national averages. This success is only expected to continue. Check out a few businesses showcasing Burlington’s key economic sectors in the CreBlurb Burlington feature of this site. For business inquires visit the BEDC for more details.
