3+ CEO Eric Mourant on the ‘Economic Motor’ of New Brunswick
MONCTON–Eric Mourant has been in his new job as CEO of 3+ Corporation since May 3. We caught up with him to see how things are going and what he hopes for the future.
What drew you to the area?
First of all I’m from Caraquet and I also studied here 30 years ago so I’m very familiar with the region. What really brought me here is the job because I looked at the job ad and it met my interests and listed areas where I thought I could contribute a lot.
What’s prepared you to be 3+ CEO?
I have a solid financial background. I’m a full-fledged chartered accountant with 25 years of experience and I also have a masters in business administration. I also worked for the Department of Economic Development for the province of New Brunswick and with the different levels of government both in New Brunswick and in Nunavut. I also worked for the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes and during this time I was able to gather everybody together to speak with one voice and all push in the same direction and we were able to accomplish a lot. It’s this experience at the Association of Nursing Homes that led me to believe that I could also use my skills and expertise to rally everybody together in the region of Dieppe, Moncton and Riverview and to work for the greater good of the community through economic development and job creation.
Why do you think this work is so important for New Brunswick? Why do we need to draw investment here?
To me it’s the economic motor of the province because job creation generates sales, generates revenue for businesses, generates taxes and revenue for the government, generates new buildings, which would then generate property taxes and also sales tax. It is the number one component of a prosperous and sustainable society and economy.
Do you have any goals to achieve in the region through your role?
My most important goal would be to unite the three municipalities of Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe so we work closely together in collaboration to enhance the effectiveness and the efficiency of the economic development for our region.
Which areas do you hope to attract the most growth in?
Our bilingualism is one of our very strong assets so to be able to capitalize on that as much as possible would be beneficial to us. That makes us almost unique in Atlantic Canada. I would also like to see us take better advantage of the experience and the expertise that is generated by the numerous colleges and universities in our region. I think that to be able to attract high skills and high paying jobs in the region would be most beneficial. I also believe that to work in a closer business partnership with those post-secondary institutions would also generate a positive outcome.
How would you see that happening?
A partnership of companies requiring expertise and experience that are involved in innovation and research and development to involve the universities and colleges in those initiatives.
Do you find the area has changed a lot in recent years?
I left Moncton 30 years ago and when I left, the economic situation in the region was experiencing challenges due to the railroad industry struggles. I’m very proud to see that the population of the greater region of Dieppe, Moncton and Riverview really stuck together and was successful in their economic development recovery.
What would you say about the area to attract people there?
I believe that all New Brunswickers are somewhow connected to the area. People come to our region to shop. They come to our region to see shows. They come to our region for post-secondary education so they’re already connected to this area and I think that people in New Brunswick would welcome the opportunity to come and work in our region if they were provided the right opportunities.