Buy New Brunswick: Homegrown innovation at your doorstep

In these tumultuous times, as the specter of U.S. tariffs continue to reshape Canada’s business landscape, I’m struck by a powerful truth: sometimes our greatest opportunities emerge right at home.

As I connect with business leaders across our province, I’m reminded that New Brunswick isn’t just weathering this storm – our innovative companies are positioned to help others navigate it too.

Cutting-edge New Brunswick innovations are being deployed across the globe. Why not leverage them for your business or organization?

The “Buy New Brunswick” opportunity has never been more relevant, offering both economic resilience and competitive advantage.

Consider this: While headlines focus on trade tensions, our province hosts world-class technology companies providing critical business-to-business solutions across numerous sectors.

Many businesses are unknowingly purchasing solutions from faraway providers when comparable – often superior – options exist right in our backyard.

Innovation in our backyard

Take cybersecurity, for instance. Every organization faces digital threats, yet many don’t realize that New Brunswick is home to trailblazing security firms.

Companies like Beauceron Security, Troj.AI, and CyberCheck offer sophisticated protection that rivals global alternatives. These homegrown innovators understand local business needs while delivering world-class solutions.

In agriculture, firms like Picketa Systems and SomaDetect are revolutionizing how our farmers optimize operations. Their technologies address everything from crop optimization to dairy production efficiency – critical innovations for our food security and agricultural productivity.

Our manufacturing sector benefits from companies like Smart Skin Technologies and Eigen Innovations, whose cutting-edge solutions help increase productivity and reduce downtime.

These aren’t just provincial success stories; they’re competing and winning globally while maintaining their New Brunswick roots.

Beyond geographic boundaries

What makes these companies particularly valuable in today’s environment is their digital nature.

Most deliver software and services that transcend physical borders, meaning tariffs have minimal direct impact on their delivery models. This creates a unique opportunity for New Brunswick businesses to partner with local providers while reducing exposure to trade disruptions.

The advantages extend beyond mere proximity. By choosing New Brunswick innovations, companies gain partners who understand our unique business environment, can provide responsive local support, and contribute directly to our provincial economy.

Every dollar spent with a local technology provider creates a multiplier effect – supporting jobs, fostering new innovations, and building our innovation ecosystem.

A call to connection

At the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF), we’re committed to bridging these connections.

We’ve invested in companies spanning cybersecurity, agriculture technology, advanced manufacturing, digital health and more. Each represents a potential solution for businesses looking to enhance capabilities while supporting local innovation.

We’re fostering some leading technology companies here in our backyard, creating a great opportunity to help improve the productivity of your operation while helping evolve these emerging companies.

I encourage business leaders to explore what’s already here. You might be surprised to discover that the solution you’ve been searching for globally exists just down the road. Reach out to me or our team at NBIF – we are excited to be the conduit to connect you with these innovative companies and help strengthen our collective resilience.

This isn’t merely about being loyal to Canada or to New Brunswick – it’s smart business.

By building relationships with local technology providers, companies gain more than just products and services – they gain partners invested in mutual success.

In challenging times, communities thrive by turning inward for strength before looking outward for opportunity. The tariff situation reminds us that our provincial interconnections represent not just a safety net, but a foundation for future growth.

Because that’s what New Brunswick innovators do best – we don’t just adapt to change, we drive it forward, transforming challenges into opportunities that propel our province toward greater success.

Jeff White, FCPA, CA, ICD.D, is President and CEO of the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF).