Industry as an Ecosystem Builder: From Participant to Partner in Regional Growth

What if the businesses already in your community are the key to unlocking its economic future?

Too often, we think of industry as employers, taxpayers, or sponsors. But what if their greatest contribution hasn't happened yet?

In this episode of Paths to Prosperity, Crystal Froese explores how industry can become a true partner in building stronger regional economic ecosystems—developing talent, strengthening local supply chains, driving innovation, and helping communities thrive.

If we want stronger regional economies, maybe the question isn't "How do we attract more industry?" It's "How do we engage the industry we already have to build what comes next?"

Whether you're an economic development professional, business leader, elected official, or community builder, this episode will challenge you to think differently about collaboration—and the future of Saskatchewan.

Paths to Prosperity is a platform for exploring how communities can build resilient, inclusive, and future‑ready economies.

Through thought leadership, practical insights, and conversations with leaders from across Saskatchewan and beyond, Paths to Prosperity examines the forces shaping local and regional economies—and the choices communities can make to navigate change with confidence.

Our focus is on what works, what’s emerging, and what leaders should be thinking about now.

To go deeper on the ideas shaping Saskatchewan’s future, https://seda.ca/about/paths-to-prosperity/ for more podcasts, thought leadership, and resources from the Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Welcome to Paths to Prosperity, the podcast from the Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance, where we explore the ideas, people, and partnerships shaping the future of Saskatchewan's economy. I'm Crystal Froze. And last month, we asked a simple question. Does Saskatchewan already have economic ecosystems, or are we still building them? And the answer was both. Across our province, we can see the pieces. We have incredible businesses, we have educational institutions, municipalities, indigenous communities, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, investors, and economic development organizations. But having all the pieces doesn't automatically create an ecosystem. An ecosystem only works when those pieces begin working together. Today, we take the next step by asking another important question. What is the role of industry in these ecosystems? And are we fully leveraging it? Because ecosystems don't grow on strategy alone. They grow where industry shows up not just as an employer, but as a partner. When we think about industry, we often describe it in familiar ways. They're employers, they create jobs, they contribute to the tax base, they sponsor local events and support community organizations, and those contributions matter. But they're no longer enough to sustain a modern regional economy. In strong economic ecosystems, industry plays a much bigger role. They become co-designers of regional priorities. They invest in workforce development, they strengthen supply chains, they champion innovation, they connect communities to global markets and new opportunities. It's a subtle shift, but it's transformational. And why does this matter so much today? Because three major forces are reshaping regional economies. The first is labor. Across Saskatchewan, almost every sector is talking about workforce shortages. The traditional response has been to compete harder for employees, offer higher wages, recruit from another community, hope someone moves here. But ecosystems think differently. Instead of competing for the same talent, they work together to grow the talent pool. Businesses partner with post-secondary institutions. They support internships, apprenticeships, and mentorships. They engage students earlier, and they help design the skills tomorrow's workforce is going to need. Especially in rural and northern Saskatchewan, attracting talent isn't one organization's challenge, it's everyone's. The second force is supply chains. The disruptions of the past few years remind us how vulnerable global supply chains can be. Strong ecosystems ask a different question. What can we build closer to home? Industry plays an important role by identifying opportunities to source locally, supporting supplier development and helping small businesses become part of larger regional supply chains. Every local supplier strengthens the regional economy. Every dollar that stays in the region creates opportunities for someone else. That's how ecosystems build resilience. And the third force is innovation. Economic diversification doesn't happen because someone writes a policy. It happens because someone identifies a market opportunity. Industry understands markets. They understand customers and they understand problems that still need solving. And entrepreneurs bring the ideas. Industry brings experience, investment, and real-world applications. Often, they're the bridge that helps move a great idea from a concept to marketplace. And there's another role industry plays that we don't always recognize. They're place builders. Businesses increasingly understand that people don't just choose jobs, they choose communities. Communities with housing, recreation, quality schools, healthcare, culture, infrastructure. When industry invests in the vitality of a community, they're not just supporting economic development, they're helping create places where people want to build their lives. That's where economic development and community development become one conversation. Across Saskatchewan, there are already strong examples of industries setting up, but too often those efforts are project-based rather than sustained, organization specific rather than regional. Reactive rather than strategic. The opportunity is to move towards structured, ongoing industrial participation in regional economic ecosystems. And that could mean industry advisory tables embedded within regional partnerships, co-investment in workforce development and innovation, shared data to guide better decisions, and formal roles for industry and ecosystem governance. But collaboration doesn't happen on its own. It takes organizations willing to bring people together, create trust, and keep everyone moving towards a shared vision. And of course there are challenges. Businesses are focused on running businesses, and communities often work on different timelines. Sometimes industry isn't sure where they fit, sometimes communities don't know how to engage them. Those aren't reasons to step back, they're reasons to become more intentional. If you're working in economic development, community development, local government, or business leadership, there's a mindset shift worth considering. Instead of asking, how do we get industry involved? Ask, how do we make industry a co-creator? That changes everything. Instead of inviting businesses to another meeting, invite them to help solve a problem. And as Tyler Thorne, the president of the Community Builders Alliance at Musiman, he captured that approach perfectly when he said, here's a problem, but maybe here's a solution we can help work on with you. I think that's exactly the mindset strong economic ecosystems require. It's not about waiting for someone else to solve the challenge, it's about bringing the right people together to solve it. When industry becomes part of creating the solution, not simply reacting to it, that's when communities begin building resilient, connected, and prosperous regional economies. As we wrap up today, I leave you with one final thought. For decades we've asked, how do we track more industry? Maybe that's no longer the right question. Maybe the better question is, how do we engage the industry we already have as partners in building what comes next? Because the strongest economic ecosystems aren't built for industry, they're built with it. And when communities, businesses, educators, entrepreneurs, indigenous partners, governments, and economic development organizations all begin designing the future together, regional prosperity stops being an aspiration and it becomes a reality. Thank you for joining me for another episode of Paths to Prosperity. If today's conversation sparked a new idea or challenged your thinking, I encourage you to explore the thought leadership resources and learning opportunities at ceda.ca. If you found value in this episode, please share it with a colleague, business leader, elected official, or anyone who's passionate about building a stronger community. Every conversation helps strengthen Saskatchewan's economic future. In September, we will explore governance and coordination. Who owns the ecosystem and how do we sustain it over time? I'm Crystal Froze. Thanks for listening to Paths to Prosperity.