Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission Names New CEO
The Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Doug Murray as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CEDC, effective Monday, Aug. 12.
"I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the Board of Directors and staff to welcome Doug,” said Paul Inksetter, Chair of the CEDC Board of Directors. “We look forward to working together for the benefit of Thunder Bay's economic development. Doug's strategic leadership and strong management skills will be an asset to the CEDC. We are very fortunate to have him join our team."
"This is an excellent opportunity for me to help build Thunder Bay,” said Murray. “I was born and raised here in Thunder Bay in a small business family. I’ve played a leadership role in the re-vitalization of the forest industry and liaised extensively with community, labour and government contacts. I'm really looking forward to working with CEDC's partners and furthering the Commission’s objectives.”
Murray is a seasoned Thunder Bay business leader with a track record of identifying opportunities. Prior to being the General Manager at Bowater, now Resolute Forest Products, he worked in the Pulp and Paper industry in Northern Ontario and British Columbia in progressively-senior management roles for more than 30 years, including over 11 years as a General Manager.
Murray has been involved in many service clubs and the Chamber of Commerce, including four years on the Board of Directors of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. Currently Murray sits on the founding Board of the Northern Policy Institute.
About CEDC: The CEDC is responsible for business development, retention and expansion, entrepreneurial support, opportunity promotion, and the collection and assessment of key business data. The CEDC receives formal proposals for projects that will contribute to economic development. It responds quickly to new opportunities and initiatives to attract direct financial involvement from government and private sectors.
Located within CEDC's administrative office, the Thunder Bay & District Entrepreneur Centre provides seminars, workshops and free, confidential business counselling services to new and existing small businesses.
For more information, visit www.ThunderBayCEDC.ca
Some thoughts from Doug Murray after his introduction to the media and Thunder Bay.
“ We had to really rethink what we did to make money in the forestry business in the last 10 to 15 years and to step outside the box looking for different ways to stay in business. I think my past forestry experience is a good fit along with the people that work here at the CEDC.” “ I like Thunder Bay and was born and raised here going to Fort William Collegiate and then to University of Waterloo.”
What can we do to make sure Thunder Bay grow? There are opportunities the staff are working on now. We want to help out small business as they are the back bone of Thunder Bay. Also how can we work with the Mining Readiness Study which has 20 to 25 items in the report for us to work on. We have to be prepared for when things do happen.”
“ I would like to consult with the University, College and businesses to make ideas come to fruition. There isan’t just one person that has the right way to proceed. We have to work together to find the right path. I have lived in many small towns and in private business you are involved in the public sector.” “ Diversifying is very important. We were very dependent on the grain elevators, sawmills and pulp and paper. At one time we had over 12 paper machines here, now we have one. How many grain elevators do we have compared to the past. Things are changing and evolving and we need to not have all our eggs in one basket. The forestry and grain business is still important but we need to grow other parts of the economy like healthcare which employs so many people.” “ The ore reserves development around us will affect our population growth. There is the potential for population growth here especially if all the mines develop.”
Doug Murray, CEO, CEDC
