East Coast Connected

“Farewell to Nova Scotia” ... New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Not these days.
 
The old folk standard about leaving the motherland (that’s tearfully sung at Maritime get-togethers, usually with a locally brewed beverage in hand), is being drowned out by a new chorus of Atlantic Canadian expatriates exclaiming, “I want to be re-connected!”
 
Say “hello” to East Coast Connected.
 
East Coast Connected (ECC) is a rapidly growing not-for-profit organization that acts as a community hub, networking more than 3,000 Atlantic Canadians living and working in Toronto and Atlantic Canada. The volunteer members - comprised of 70 per cent expats and 30 per cent Atlantic province residents - are all inspired by a shared loyalty to their Atlantic homeland.
 
The organization provides a common place for these East Coast enthusiasts - mostly business professionals (aged 25 to 45) and students - to get together for mutual support, networking, and to share knowledge, experience, ideas and human resources with Atlantic Canadian organizations, from business to culture, education and the arts.
 
ECC’s creator and president, Chris Crowell, says he thought of the idea while working in Toronto. As with many East Coast expats, he could not stop thinking about his beloved Nova Scotia home, and felt he was losing his day-to-day connection with the province.
 
“You’re in a different world,” Crowell says of expat life. “You’re not really thinking about Atlantic Canada. Not in the same way. The longer you’re away, the more your information pipeline narrows.”
 
He also wanted to give back.
 
“The idea behind East Coast Connected is that there are significant numbers of expat Atlantic Canadians who are living away in areas like Toronto,” says Crowell, who earned his law degree and an MBA at Dalhousie. “In that community there’s a tremendous amount of goodwill, there’s a tremendous amount of affinity for [Atlantic Canada].”
 
East Coast Connected was able to harness the power of that expat goodwill. In 21st century style, it went viral.
 
ECC owes its existence to social media, in particular, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Crowell says that ECC’s Facebook page allowed the volunteer organization to show its numbers to Nova Scotia government when it applied for funding. “Facebook provided us with a tangible metric. It proved that there was a sizeable community out there.” Along with Nova Scotia funding, ECC is supported by the provinces of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, and several private and university sponsors.
 
Crowell attributes the success of ECC’s synchronized Halifax-Toronto launch in November 2007 to virtual networking - social media - that spread the word fast. The kick-off, held concurrently at the World Trade and Convention Centre (Halifax), and Live@Courthouse (Toronto), featured InNOVAcorp president and CEO Dan MacDonald, New Brunswick’s Minister of Business, and performances by Sons of Maxwell and other Atlantic artists.
 
In addition to Dan MacDonald of InNOVAcorp, ECC’s advisory panel includes community notables, such as NSCAD University president David B. Smith (the youngest university president in Canada); former Trade Centre Limited president and CEOFred MacGillivray; Maurice Law Barristers & Solicitors (Toronto) partner Bernd Christmas; Mariner Partners Inc. chairman and co-founder Gerry Pond; and Agribusiness Group (Maple Leaf Foods Inc.) president and COO Scott McCain.
 
ECC offers its members a holistic set of events programs, says Crowell - with everything from high-level business meetings to casual pub gatherings. The Civic Engagement Initiative lets expats demonstrate their Atlantic goodwill by volunteering in their adopted Toronto community.East Coast Arts Events promotes Atlantic music and art in Toronto.
 
The Atlantic Business Summit held once a year is one of ECC’s biggest business affairs, engaging high-level Atlantic business leaders to talk about the triumphs and challenges of Atlantic businesses and export markets. ECC also holds regular Coast & Cocktails during the year featuring academic, political, and business leaders.
 
The ECC Mentorship program hooks up new Atlantic grads with seasoned expat business leaders living and working in Toronto.
 
The East Coast Army is the social side of ECC. Its members regularly gather at Grace O’Malley’s “maritime headquarters” in downtown Toronto to chat, drink Atlantic beer, and eat lobster - monthly events that also raise money for the IWK Health Centre, ECC’s charity.
 
InNOVAcorp, perhaps ECC’s biggest “client,” has benefited from the ECC network. The “highly networked” Nova Scotia Crown corporation, which incubates and mentors sci-tech upstarts in the province, has discovered a perfect fit with ECC.
 
“When East Coast Connected came along, it didn’t take long to realize this was a special network that we could really leverage on behalf of our clients,” says Dan MacDonald, InNOVAcorp president and CEO. “When we go looking for a particular talent or a particular skill set, East Coast Connected is one of the first places we look.”
 
“We’re always looking for this very niche expertise - especially life sciences,” MacDonald adds, “More often than not, our expats are involved in those very things.”
 
MacDonald says InNOVAcorp has recently helped one of its client companies find a highly specialized marketing firm (run by expats) with offices in Toronto and Halifax. He also secured the services of a seasoned expat with international pharmaceutical experience to help local companies understand the highly competitive go-to export market.
 
He met the expats through ECC. “The cool thing about East Coast Connected is that people self-qualify themselves into the network,” MacDonald says. “By joining East Coast Connected they say, ‘Hey, I’d like to know what’s going on back home - I’d like to be somehow connected with back home.’”
 
And that is why East Coast Connected is expanding.
 
After carefully reviewing what works and what doesn’t, the organization is launching its Ottawa branch this fall. Ultimately, Crowell says, ECC would like to enter all the major Canadian cities, and perhaps a few international destinations as well.
 
Crowell, who was named Dalhousie University’s Outstanding Young Alumnus of 2008 for his work with ECC, is stepping down as president. He has returned to his roots and is turning his devotion to Nova Scotia up a notch by seeking nomination as the Liberal Party of Canada candidate for Halifax.
 
Crowell’s favourite quote reads along the lines of, “In the modern world, distance is measured more by cultural barriers than by geography.” ECC’s biggest achievement, Crowell feels, is breaking down those barriers and allowing a free exchange of ideas.
 
As that old folk standard asks, “will you ever heave a sigh or a wish for me?” It seems the answer for Atlantic Canadian expats is a resounding “yes.”