In a year that was marked by loss, transition and sacrifice, we also witnessed tremendous courage, skill, goodwill and support. It may take us years to properly put 2020 in historical context. As we begin a new year, we are grateful to see the promise of better tomorrows as vaccinations are underway and as we remain vigilant in the care of each other.
With this in mind, we want to say thank you to all our members and partners for your support and participation in 2020. MAPLE Business Council is stronger for it. We are delighted to share that our community has continued to grow over the past 12 months. So as we begin 2021, we would like to briefly share with you some of our 2020 milestones which together give us a foundation for continued growth and meaningful opportunities to grow together in the coming year.
A Growing Membership
We welcomed a record 20 new members in 2020. What is particularly exciting is the diversity of expertise and markets they represent. Our new members work in 12 different sectors and are based in 7 markets. We are now a community of over 100 members working in 21 different sectors in 17 markets across Canada and the U.S.
We also want to say a special thank you to five member organizations who elevated their participation in our community in 2020 to higher levels of engagement. Thank you to IP law firm Knobbe Martens in Orange County; the Government of Ontario based in California and New York; Purolator International whose teams in Southern California and New York are now engaged with us; TMX Group, owners of the Toronto Stock Exchange and the TSX Venture Exchange who is now active with us in SoCal and NYC; and Toronto-based QA Consultants who is now also active with us on both coasts.
Chapters One and Two...
Our vision for MAPLE since we first launched our community in 2015 has been to grow into a network of executive communities across sectors connected together through a shared interest in doing more business and sharing more innovation between Canada and the U.S. This vision took a big step forward on our 5th anniversary with the launch of MAPLE New York led by former Purolator International President, John Costanzo.
And since 2017, we've loved bringing together business leaders in Vancouver as well as leading delegations from Southern California to British Columbia and so it was time to formalize our organization in the province as a MAPLE Chapter under the leadership of our longstanding leader, Jason Tse, as Executive Director.
What has been particularly exciting since we began hosting online events from Los Angeles, New York and Vancouver is the opportunity for our entire community to network across our regions which also includes our members in Alberta, Ontario, Québec and New Jersey, Northern California and Texas.
John Costanzo, Executive Director MAPLE New York; Jason Tse, Executive Director MAPLE British Columbia
New Ways to Connect
As so many have, we pivoted to online events after hosting what may have been one of the last in-person receptions in Vancouver on March 12 before travel restrictions came into effect. Working online enabled us to bring 21 events to our network touching a wide range of sectors including IP protection, tax incentives for R&D investment in Canada, the CUSMA/USMCA trade agreement, future proofing your technology, energy interdependence, supply chain research and much more.
We always want our events to be meaningful and so in 2020, we leveraged online platforms to deliver a variety of networking and content formats including member mixers, fireside chats with Canadian and U.S. diplomats, panel discussions with sector experts, and most recently, online networking that visualizes a meeting room for table conversations.
A Wealth of Cross-Border Content
Between our in-person and online events, the perspectives and insights that our members and partners share through our content platforms keep us connected and well-informed.
MOMENTUM, our mid-month e-newsletter, is approaching its 4th anniversary and in 2020 we had the pleasure of sharing 25 articles including 6 interviews with economic development and political leaders in our markets.
And our video series, Conversations, is now over 40 episodes strong spanning a wide range of cross-border topics. In 2020 we produced 18 new episodes starting with trends in office design and most recently on the Canadian - U.S. dollar relationship and the importance of employing a foreign currency exchange strategy. You can find this content on our website, Vimeo and YouTube channels.
Diversity Equity & Inclusion
In 2020, we examined our own DEI profile and immediately saw an opportunity to increase the representation of women on our leadership team. We are honored to have the participation of Anna Innis of Air Canada on our Board of Directors and Delilah Panio of TMX Group and Sem Ponnambalam of xahive on our Board of Advisors. We also wish to thank Marie-Josée Lachance for her past work as our Regional Director in Quebec.
We will be addressing our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion commitments further early in 2021.
Anna Innis, Air Canada; Delilah Panio, TMX Group; Sem Ponnambalam, xahive; Marie-Josée Lachance.
Valued Partners
One of the privileges of connecting Canada and the U.S. together is the opportunity to work with so many wonderful economic development, political, academic and regional partners. In September, we were honored to receive the Bob Kleist Leadership Award from the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce as part of their annual World Trade Week celebration - the oldest in the nation.
Overall in 2020, we had the pleasure of collaborating with over 30 organizations and institutions in Canada and the U.S. While it is not possible to mention everyone by name we want to say a special thank you to the following organizations with whom we have signed agreements or are inextricably joined together by our missions. Thank you to the Consulate Generals of Canada in Los Angeles and New York, the U.S. Commercial Service, the City of Long Beach, and our World Trade Center partners in Los Angeles and Vancouver. And to all our partners, we look forward to working more together in 2021.
Deep Roots
Our work dates back to 2009 when a group of Canadian executive expats in Orange County got together with a vision for social and business networking. That idea gave birth first to Canadians in Orange County, an active social network with wonderful marquee events for Canada Day and Canadian Thanksgiving each year as part of its calendar.
MAPLE Business Council followed in 2015 with a focus on bilateral investment, trade and entrepreneurship between Southern California and Canada and now includes New York with a vision to expand to additional markets.
And in 2020, we launched MAPLE Business Advisors to provide advisory services to businesses in Canada and the U.S. who are seeking to grow domestically and across the border.
Together we have multiple ways to connect each other together whether it is to celebrate our shared heritage, network for growth and innovation opportunities, or to develop bespoke strategies for more cross-border success.
Hello 2021!
On behalf of our Board of Directors, Advisory Board and leadership team, we want to wish you a safe and prosperous new year. We look forward to connecting with you soon.
Best wishes,
Stephen Armstrong - Co-Founder
John Costanzo - Executive Director - MAPLE New York
Robert Kelle - Co-Founder
Stan Marszal - Regional Director MAPLE San Diego
Jason Tse - Executive Director MAPLE British Columbia