Page 24: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2024)

ONE-ON-ONE LAURIE BALAN, COO, GENOA DESIGN INTERNATIONAL and Labrador, for sure; there’s something special about Ge-

The Newfoundland & Labrador cluster is noa, and the local supply chain here, too. Those are some of unique in how it operates together. Looking the reasons that I’m still so passionate about this industry, at the cluster around you, can you discuss which is typically viewed as a ‘traditional’ industry. [Part of what your company puts into it, and what my job] is to share those stories and attract younger profes- your company gets out of it?

sionals [to fuel] the next generation of the industry. We’re in-

More so than any other province, Newfoundland & Labra- dor’s history is linked to the sea. We are uniquely positioned novative, we’re fun, and we apply new tools and technologies to make this industry better.

as the gateway to the Arctic as well as to Western Europe. Our schools are noteworthy in terms of how they support the in- dustry. Our schools are second to none, whether it’s MUN, the

Marine Institute, College of the North Atlantic or other private

Watch the full interview with colleges in the province. Graduates are recognized as top in

Laurie Balan, COO, Genoa their ? eld and are ready to work anywhere in the world when

Design International, on

Maritime Reporter TV: they graduate. We have outstanding companies here, and you don’t have to look far to ? nd locally grown companies like

Genoa, Kraken and Virtual Marine – to name a few – at the forefront of innovation. We have research & development, simulation and innovation centers here that are developing leading edge solutions that are being used across the globe.

If anything, our province could do a better job of promoting ourselves. We’re a bit humble as a community, as a province, and maybe we need to toot our own horns a little bit more to share our knowledge and our expertise with the world. There’s a real sense of cooperation and camaraderie here in the prov- ince of Newfoundland & Labrador that I don’t think you see everywhere. There is something special about Newfoundland

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