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New directors announced for non-profit corporation's board

Growing the energy hub will require expertise beyond the energy sector, according to a regional industry association based in Saint John.

The Atlantica Centre for Energy is set to announce today new board members who hail from the construction, financial services and information communications technology industries as well as a voice from the energy sector.

At the non-profit corporation's annual general meeting tonight, chairman Stephen MacMackin will name as directors Andi Vigue, the president and chief operating officer of Maine's largest construction company Cianbro Corp.; Richard Jones, the regional director for the Maritimes of xwave [and propel Board President], a division of Bell Aliant (TSX:BAUN); Darrell Bishop, the executive vice-president of strategic planning for NB Power; and Jeff White of Deloitte [also propel Past-President and current Board Member for the propel Accelerator].

Tim Curry, the president of the Atlantica Centre for Energy, said the companies will jive well with other firms on the organization's member list.

"Their common thread is a common interest and focus on opportunities within the energy sector," Curry said.

That the firms are not all New Brunswick-based works with the organization's goal to remain regional, Curry said.

"The Atlantica Centre for Energy chose its name with some forethought, because really the market region that is of interest does reach into both sides of the international border, extends throughout Atlantic Canada and into the northeastern U.S. states."

The companies will join 12 other members of the organization; each firm has a representative that sits on the board, which means about once per month.

Andi Vigue said Cianbro, which brings in more than $450 million in annual sales, is not actively working in New Brunswick yet.

Vigue sees his new board role as a strategic move into a sector sure to grow.

"We don't just do highways, we do industrial, we do power-related, and we really believe that as a company, the future opportunities are all going to be related around energy and its generation, its transportation and its use."

Vigue said his company is now building power lines in Maine, and that north-south transmission of power will important as the New England states increasingly look north for cheaper energy.

Cianbro's role on the Atlantica Centre for Energy board could position the company to cash in on upcoming contracts.

"Ultimately where we benefit is we get the work, right, but we don't wait until the work is created to go after it all the time; we help facilitate the creation of the work," Vigue said. "We're not just going to wait until there's a job to bid on; we're going to help create a job."

Richard Jones, who also sits on the board of propel ICT, a provincial information communications technology industry group, said firms in his sector could play a role in the energy hub in working to improve efficiency and productivity of energy projects.

"We feel it is a piece of an important supporting infrastructure," Jones said.

Xwave, as Bell Aliant's ICT division, could be a good voice for the sector, he said.

"I think xwave is well positioned to represent the industry."