I
INSIDE INDUSTRY
12 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 www.vanguardcanada.com
area, investing wisely, following through
on commitments, and introducing more
than $1 billion annually into the Cana-
dian economy.
This was not lost on Derrick Rowe,
Bluedrop Performance Learning's Ex-
ecutive Chairman, who explained that
Boeing "has been tremendously helpful"
throughout the lead-up to the official an-
nouncement of the partnership, adding,
"they clearly take a long-term view of
their investment in Canadian industry …
that is the kind of relationship we were
seeking…"
In an interview with Bluedrop's Vice
President of Technology and Simulation,
Jean-Claude Siew said that the courtship
between the two firms actually began a
few years ago, before Siew had joined the
company. When asked why, out of all the
companies involved in training and simu-
lation in Canada, Boeing would have
chosen Bluedrop, Siew explained, "When
you look at a company like Bluedrop, it is
a small-to-medium sized business in the
Atlantic area, and the need for research
and development is bigger for a company
like [ours]. So it made sense for Boeing
to be able to work with a company like
us, when all the ITB requirements fit."
Another good point can be made
around the topic of relative impact. The
creation of ten jobs may not have garnered
much attention in a city like Toronto
(from le) Jean-Claude Siew,
VP of Technology and
Simulation; Joe Hayman,
Project Manager, International
Strategic Partnerships,
Boeing; Hon. Ed Holder,
Minister of State for Science
and Technology; Hon. Diana
Whalen, NS Minister of
Justice (then Finance); Mike
Savage, Mayor of Halifax.
Boeing's investment is, in part, due to its
Industrial and Technology Benefits (ITB)
obligations, resulting from the Government's
December 2014 purchase of a C-17
Globemaster III aircra.
