Adam Frye has been to Toronto and back.
“I tell this to everybody I bring here – come see what’s growing here. It’s new. It’s different. It’s not something that’s been built before. Come help me build it.”
He’s part of a growing group of young professionals that have cut their teeth in the business world in cities like Toronto and Waterloo, and returned to Windsor- Essex to build careers and families.
Frye is the Director of Business Innovation at WEtech Alliance, a Regional Innovation Centre, and he understands the thriving tech ecosystem that exists in the region. Part of his role is to help companies scale and grow global.
“Essentially my job here is to create systems of scale for companies. Whether you’ve got an idea in your head that you’re trying to bring to reality, whether you’ve got some early sales, or whether you’re a corporation with 4000 employees, I help design solutions that help you grow.”
Though he grew up in Amherstburg, Frye left the region to study and work in Waterloo and Toronto for 8 years. When his wife got her dream job in Windsor, they headed home to a region budding with possibilities and a lifestyle they loved.
“Coming back home, we bought a house within three months,” says Frye. “There’s truly an opportunity to be part of the middle class here, and that’s something that isn’t always within reach in big cities,”
Windsor-Essex, an amazing career / culture mix.
Once a month, Adam and his wife Kristin invite a group of friends from out of town to show them around. “What blows their mind every single time is this amazing vineyard culture just fifteen minutes from Windsor,” Frye says, beaming with pride. “People don’t realize we’ve got eighteen wineries, eleven breweries, three distilleries, and we’ve got eight coffee roasters. It’s like going to Niagara in your backyard.”
Make your idea a reality.
Similarly, Windsor-Essex has a diverse and vibrant business landscape and an entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports all parts of business creation – from ideas and conception to testing, validation, commercialization and job creation. If you have an idea for a business start-up, Windsor-Essex is the place to make your idea a reality. Frye says his transition home energized him, in part because of how he was embraced by the community. “Talent is celebrated,” says Frye. “If you’re motivated and have a purpose to grow something special, to do something new, there’s no better place to be than right here.” When a tech business signs up as a WEtech client they receive what’s called a 30-60-90-day operational plan that includes working with in-house advisors and also a newly constituted Venture Success Team of seasoned business veterans who share their time and expertise.The culture of collaboration runs deep in the region’s tech ecosystem.
Last year, WEtech partnered with the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation to host the region’s first Tech Mobility Day. It was a great success with over one hundred attendees getting to experience the region’s growing mobility hub. Five startup companies competed in the Mobility Pitch competition for a $10,000 prize offered by the economic development corporation.
Optimotive Technologies, a four- person mobility start-up founded by CEO Scott Fairly, shared the top prize. Optimotive Technologies is ‘building one of the first camera based localization systems able to function in harsh environments such as snow, sleet, rain, dirt roads, and no roads at all’ – and is a prime example of how the technology ecosystem in Windsor- Essex is expanding rapidly.
Frye, Fairly and the myriad of tech companies inWindsor-Essex are part of our region’s stay-and-play ecosystem dedicated to helping entrepreneurs succeed in building a business and building a life. Come to Windsor-Essex where the opportunities are endless and where your talent is celebrated.
Looking to explore Tech jobs in the Windsor-Essex Ontario region, please visit WeTech’s job portal, click here to view job.
For more information about starting up, expanding or relocating your business to Windsor-Essex please visit the Windsor-Essex Economic Development website found here or the WeTech Alliance website found here.
