Front Lines

An artist’s rendering of the GEM Residence at St. Clair College is illustrated here, which will house 512 students, with five floors. Local firms Petretta Construction Inc. and Architecttura worked closely with Z Modular to develop one of the first modular student residences to be built in Canada.

Recognizing that Windsor faces a critical housing shortage, St. Clair College has developed a unique approach to solving a problem facing its growing international student population.

By the end of December, there will be a new 512-bed student residence on campus, built phase-by-phase within 45 days of the arrival of the initial modular unit.

“This welcome wave of newcomers desperately needs a home away from home and this new residence project will provide just that,” states St. Clair College President Patti France.

The $23 million project is a partnership involving St. Clair, Global Education Mihome (GEM) and the Z Modular Corporation, a subsidiary of Zekelman Industries, which is owned by the college’s corporate patrons Barry and Stephanie Zekelman.

“It’s a truly collaborative public/private sector effort,” adds Nancy Jammu-Taylor, Chairwoman of St. Clair College’s Board of Governors. “It will ease the stress of hundreds of our students as they find comfortable, convenient and affordable accommodations right on campus.”

The 296 individual modular units will be constructed in a factory and shipped to the site complete with plumbing, electrical systems and even furniture.

Once stacked and locked into place, under the supervision of Petretta Construction Inc., the interior systems will be connected, with occupancy expected in time for St. Clair’s 2020 winter semester. Architecttura is also on board as the architects and engineers responsible for the architectural design and civil, mechanical and electrical engineering on the project.

The first modular unit is scheduled to arrive on campus in late May.

France indicates, “The innovative phase-byphase construction will provide a place for our

On hand for the announcement on February 28 at the campus for the new residence from left were: John Wu of the GEM Corporation, which will manage the building; David Piccini, Parliamentary Assistant to Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities; St. Clair College President Patti France; Jonathon Lot of Petretta Construction, which will oversee the 45-day build; Rick Nicholls, MPP for Chatham-KentLeamington and Oliver Mason of Z Modular, which is building the individual modules. Photo by Dave Hall.

students to lay their heads, at a time when such accommodations are in short supply in this area.”

The GEM Student Residence at St. Clair will include 62 eight-bed units, four four-bed units, a common kitchen area, cafeteria, lounge and laundry spread out over five floors and almost 111,000 square feet.

“There’s been a dire need for on-campus housing where students are able to develop lifelong friendships,” says Kiara Clement, President of the college’s Student Representative Council. “We commend the administration and its project partners for recognizing this dire need and doing something to remedy this shortcoming.”

John Fairley, St. Clair’s Vice-President of Communications and Corporate Relations, points out that the project is believed to be the first of its kind in Canada.

Fairley informs Biz X that rental prices for the units are still to be determined.

“We’ll have a better idea when we start accepting applications for residency,” he indicates.

FRONTLINES TAP Into Industry Experts To Build A Personalized Export Strategy

The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce has announced two new initiatives that will spur growth and productivity for businesses in our region. And both programs are offered at very little cost, or even no cost at all!

“Enhancing productivity through efficient use of the most appropriate processes and technology is important, to remain competitive globally,” states WindsorEssex Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rakesh Naidu. “In today’s business environment tapping new markets, diversifying products and services, and remaining competitive has become more imperative than before. Our Chamber recognizes this and offers two new programs to assist our Members to become more productive by leveraging technology and increase exports by tapping new international markets.”

The “Trade Accelerator Program” (TAP) is a series of intensive hands-on workshops and seminars designed to help established companies, in any sector, scale up and develop and execute a strategic Export Plan.

TAP provides companies with access to Canada’s top exporting advisors, resources and contacts, giving the training and support they need to be successful on an international scale.

Although TAP has had previous cohorts in 11 cities across Canada including London, Kitchener, Niagara and Toronto, this is the first time the program will be offered in Windsor Essex. TAP operates in conjunction with the World Trade Centre Toronto and the Toronto Region Board of Trade, with support from national partners EDC, BDC, RBC and Air Canada Cargo.

The initial two day seminar is now rescheduled due to COVID-19 to January 19 and 20, 2021. Presentation topics include: finances and banking, accounting, grants and government assistance, international law and tax, supply chain management, international sales, marketing and success stories from TAP graduates (over 800 companies are graduates of the Trade Accelerator Program).

The “Export Plan Day” is scheduled for January 26, 2021 while the final “Mentoring Day” is February 24, 2021 where the export plan is reviewed in a one-on-one setting.

All sessions are held at the Institute for Border Logistics and Security on Wheelton Drive in Windsor. Normally

a $5,000 value, TAP is being offered to qualifying companies (15 to 25 companies can be accommodated) in any sector, for just $495.

Results from the TAP program are impressive, with graduates realizing a 38% average growth in export sales, while 51% of companies hired new staff and 86% entered new markets.

The Chamber’s other new program announcement is in conjunction with FedDevOntario and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters — the “Technology Assessment Program” allows small and medium-sized enterprises in the manufacturing sector to enhance their growth and competitiveness.

Eligible businesses will receive a fully funded assessment by a vetted technical Qualified Service Provider valued at up to $25,000. Recommended actions from the assessment include quality and productivity improvements and technology adoption. FedDev Ontario’s support for the entire Technology Assessment Program across Southern Ontario is expected to generate up to $40million in follow-on investments.

A maximum of 35 participating companies in Windsor Essex will connect and work (starting in late August 2020) with their chosen consultant to conduct a productivity assessment on their own schedule through 2022.

To qualify, companies must have between 15 to 500 employees, be incorporated for more than two years and be involved in operations to produce or support products and services related to manufacturing, processing, fabricating or refining.

There is no cost to participate, and aside from submitting program updates at benchmark intervals through 2022, there are no specific dates for the program to be executed within each manufacturing operation.

“We encourage businesses in the Windsor Essex region to take advantage of the new programs,” Naidu expresses.

To register for the Trade Accelerator Program or for more information on the Technology Assessment Program, visit: WindsorEssexChamber.org.