Invest WindsorEssex is launching a marketing campaign aimed at enticing technology companies in four states to expand to Windsor-Essex.
The campaign called "Windsor-Essex: A Bridge to Your Future" is targeting small to medium-sized technology companies in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana.
It will showcase the region as a prime location for foreign direct investment as a result of its strategic location, access to world-class talent, quality of life and thriving innovation ecosystem.
The campaign strategy includes videos, social media, billboards, display ads and search marketing tactics designed to drive audiences to TheFutureIsWe.ca, profiling the Windsor-Essex region's value proposition and next steps to future expansion.
Stephen MacKenzie, President and CEO of Invest WindsorEssex, says the goal is to get these growing tech-based companies to expand their operations.
"We're after investment and job creation. What we would want is setting up an office here, hiring some folks from our region, is the best case scenario for that," he says.
MacKenzie says we have an incredible corridor of tech talent from Windsor-Essex to the Greater Toronto Area.
"Companies and regions for that matter, the biggest success factor in the near future is going to be the ability to grow, retain, attract, develop talent," he says. "We think that will be very attractive to U.S. based tech companies that are in the growth mode."
MacKenzie says normally a company looks to expand to access a market where they can sell their products or services.
"But in this case, I think it's superceded by access to talent that we can fuel our growth, an oh by the way, there's market there too," he adds.
Along with promoting available talent and the region's location on the border, the campaign will also highlight the Canadian Automobility Hub, a first-of-its-kind in Canada EV ramp-up factory, along with the near $5-billion NextStar Energy electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant being built in Windsor.