Press release
Seventh edition of Export Alliance Construction:
A unique event exclusive to companies in Quebec's construction industry
Montréal, February 4, 2008 The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, in partnership with the Ministère du Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation and the Société d'habitation du Québec, is holding the seventh edition of Export Alliance Construction in Montréal today at the OMNI Mont-Royal Hotel.
This important individual-networking event enables Quebec's construction export companies to forge and strengthen new business ties. For the second year, Export Alliance Construction is welcoming buyers from Western Canada, who are joining buyers from the American North-East. More than sixty Quebec contractors will meet with about fifteen buyers in the residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional construction sectors.
The Board of Trade's objective in once again organizing Export Alliance Construction is to help Quebec companies take advantage of business opportunities offered by markets in Western Canada, which are currently experiencing particularly strong growth, and in the American North-East. They will have the chance to meet with major buyers who have shown an interest in coming here to learn about their products, declared Isabelle Hudon, president and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.
On November 23, 2007, the Quebec Government launched the Action Plan to Support the Quebec Manufacturing Sector to provide tangible assistance to Quebec's manufacturing companies aiming to improve their productivity and conquer larger market shares. With measures totaling $620 million, this plan will generate direct benefits for the construction industry, noted Raymond Bachand, Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade, Minister of Tourism, and Minister responsible for the Montréal region. The Québec Research and Innovation Strategy, adopted recently, provides us with other tools to support our companies in their efforts to diversify and consolidate, he added. Moreover, among other measures that will have a positive impact on the access of Quebec companies to foreign markets, the Strategy for the development of all regions and the ACCORD program are already yielding promising results through the identification of niches of excellence, concluded Bachand.
Along the same lines, the Board of Trade with the help of its team of experts at the World Trade Centre Montréal aims to serve as a bridge between local companies and foreign markets. In fact, the mission of our international trade team a member of the global network of World Trade Centres, present in more than 320 cities worldwide is to support, train, and advise associations and companies in their efforts in international markets to promote the export of their products and services through an integrated program of international trade solutions, added Hudon.
At a time of growing global demand and increasingly fierce competition for sustainable products, materials, and construction systems, many Quebec manufacturers are able to offer high-quality products and services in both domestic and foreign markets. An event such as Export Alliance Construction helps raise awareness of this Quebec offer. The Société d'habitation du Québec is proud to be closely associated with this event and to support Quebec's residential construction industry in its efforts to position itself in foreign markets, declared Nathalie Normandeau, Deputy Premier and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Regions.
Export Alliance Construction was established to provide tangible assistance to companies in Quebec's construction sector to help them take full advantage of business opportunities arising in foreign markets.
This event is made possible by a partnership with the Ministère du Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation and the Société d'habitation du Québec as well as the collaboration of the Association de la construction du Québec, Export Development Canada, Fasken Martineau, and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
For more information on Export Alliance Construction, please visit its Web site at www.exportalliance.com.
Through its experts at World Trade Centre Montréal, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal offers international trade services to the greater business community with the support of Canada Economic Development.
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Source:
Sylvie Paquette
Coordinator, Media relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tel.: 514 871-4000, ext. 4015
sylvie.paquette@ccmm.qc.ca