I’ve been doing some exciting work recently, and part of the role has me learning as much as I can about Newfoundland demographic trends. In particular, I am exploring how our aging population, as well as in-migration, is going to impact where and how people live in our province. The Harris Centre report, which was released last year amidst a lot of conversation, does a great job of shining a light on where we are headed. Newsflash! The results of their study may be perceived as a little scary.

With 2018 rolling in, it seems like an appropriate time to evaluate where my business is, where it is going, and what I would like to accomplish this year. I also thought that I might try to analyze what makes a good business goal versus a lousy business goal. In a sense this post acts as a way for everyone else to hold me accountable – while I’m not going to get into ALL of my business resolutions, I do have several that are related to my presence and messaging that we can absolutely follow up on in December to ensure that I’ve followed through. What better accountability than pressure from others, am I right?

After several long months, we are approaching the finish line on the first major contract that Urban East engaged in, the Common Ground Expansion Feasibility Study. I have had the pleasure of working with a phenomenal team, and while my role has primarily been to assess the design and develop an appropriate business case, I had input on all aspects of the project. The level of collaboration was unlike anything I had ever worked on.

The rise of the sharing economy has caused tidal waves throughout a variety of industries, and real estate is impacted by the entirety of the sharing economy perhaps more than any other industry. While taxis and hotels feel pressure from companies like Uber and AirBnB, real estate and urban design are directly impacted by ALL of these businesses. Changing how people pay for, interact with, and traverse space will drastically alter what is profitable and unprofitable practice in the various segments of the real estate industry. Subsequently, architects, designers, engineers, planners, investors, and developers all stand to gain or lose based on how they identify with and respond to this prolific change in how people are doing things.

For two days this past week, entrepreneurs and investors from across Atlantic Canada convened on downtown St. John’s to talk about the growth of the startup culture in our region. Over 300 attendees, including ecosystem support groups, government, and service providers joined the conference to discuss what exciting businesses are growing in Atlantic Canada, and how we as an ecosystem can support them. The Invest Atlantic Conference held its first ever event in Newfoundland, and organizers exclaimed that the show was a resounding success.