Podcast: John Bragg On Running A Blueberry And Telcom Empire From Rural N.S.
In this episode of the Huddle “Insights” podcast, Don Mills and David Campbell have a look at the challenges of rural economic development and speak to one of the region’s biggest proponents of rural development, John Bragg, CEO of the Bragg Group of Companies that includes Oxford Frozen Foods and Eastlink.
With more than 600 employees in Oxford, Nova Scotia, and more than 6,000 across the entire group of companies, John discusses the impact of the growth of his businesses on the small town of Oxford and offers some concrete suggestions on how other rural communities can grow and what is needed to support rural development in Atlantic Canada.
“You have to start with the entrepreneurs,” says Bragg. “When I travel around Nova Scotia…I would say, ‘who is the entrepreneur in this town? Who is the entrepreneur in this village?’ There are entrepreneurs in every town and village in Atlantic Canada. We need government policies that encourage those people.”
John says he’s not talking about “giving money away.” He’s talking about supporting them by making it easy for them to cut through red tape and access capital to start and grow successful businesses. He also says small communities need schools and available housing to support an employee base.
This is the second in a three-part series of conversations about improving economic development performance in Atlantic Canada. In the previous episode, David spoke with Steven Lund, the CEO of Toronto Global, the organization responsible for attracting international investment to the region. Stephen is the only person to have been CEO of both Opportunities New Brunswick (ONB) and Nova Scotia Business Inc., the two organizations responsible for leading development in those two provinces.
The “Insights” podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, to promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and to encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.
Search for “Huddle Insights” on podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify, and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. You can also listen to past conversations there.