NEW
BRUNSWICK
STORY
OPPORTUNITIES
NEWSUCCESS
BRUNSWICK
RevJet
How does a tech company prove it’s committed to its employees? You
can provide the pro forma ergonomic workspaces, attractive salaries
and bonuses, onsite yoga classes and organic cuisine. But if you’re
Silicon Valley-based RevJet, you do it by spearheading the successful
launch of a new international office to help your staff and their families
out of an increasingly precarious conflict zone and into the safe and
welcoming climes of New Brunswick, Canada.
Working with Opportunities NB (ONB) and leveraging relationships
forged in Silicon Valley’s startup culture, RevJet’s new location really
showcases the full scope of ONB’s expertise. In fact, RevJet’s R&D staff
from two Ukrainian locations experienced first-hand ONB’s role in
investment attraction, procurement of necessary skilled workers via
immigration and the successful settlement of those workers in their
new community.
Background
In 2014, Silicon Valley-based LifeStreet Media (a leader in global in-app
advertising for Apple iOS, Android, and Facebook developers) spun off
some of its technology into a new company— RevJet.
New Company, New Location
Several members of the RevJet R&D division worked in two offices in the
Ukraine and wished to work in a new location. As a result, RevJet began
to evaluate a way to accommodate them. Due to limited visa openings
and the lengthy process in the United States, RevJet decided to look
north to its Canadian neighbour for other opportunities. With RevJet’s
official launch set for October 2015, the company needed to be secure
in the knowledge that its established development staff would remain
safe, happy, and healthy. To accomplish this, it was decided that the New
Brunswick connection was the right choice.
The New Brunswick Connection
John Swan, President of Swan & Associates, is a former CIO with New
Brunswick’s Irving Oil Ltd. After leaving Irving in 1999, Mr. Swan opened
his management consulting company in Saint John. Crucially, however,
he would spend the next decade as part of Exigen Group’s Business
Development division in San Francisco.
It was during this time that he would work with Serge Ioffe, the
company’s VP - Strategy. Mr. Ioffe would go on to co-found LifeStreet
Media in 2005, and now serves as CTO of RevJet.
New Brunswick Meets Silicon Valley
With the information technology industry identified as a key sector to
pursue for economic growth, ONB made the San Francisco Bay Area a
priority target.
As part of a strategy to connect with Silicon Valley companies, ONB went
to great lengths to source the best contacts in that region. Those efforts
ultimately led the ONB Investment Team to New Brunswick native and
Silicon Valley investment veteran John Swan.
In his role as a consultant for ONB, Swan made introductions to several
Silicon Valley companies, including RevJet. In 2014, Swan introduced ONB
to Serge Ioffe, co-founder and CTO of RevJet.
Ioffe and Swan had worked together previously, and Swan had told him
about New Brunswick in the years prior to the move. When exploring
options for the Ukraine team, RevJet executives recalled their previous
conversation with Swan and began exploring a move to New Brunswick.
After weighing the options, RevJet decided to move forward.
RevJet and Opportunities NB
During consultation with RevJet leadership, ONB provided valuable
information on available credits such as the Scientific Research and
Experimental Development Tax Incentive Program (SR&ED), as well as
the Province’s R&D Tax Credit (a refundable tax credit that helps fund
research activity).
In this case, a successful move would also involve coordinating with
additional players, specifically the province’s Department of PostSecondary Education, Training and Labour (PETL), and The Saint John
Multicultural & Newcomers Resource Centre (SJMNRC).
Step 1: Immigration
The Province of New Brunswick has made immigrant attraction
and retention a top priority in order to drive economic growth, and
many New Brunswick governmental organizations are eager to
help immigrants succeed. For the RevJet case, ONB worked closely
alongside senior officials from PETL’s Population Growth Division (PGD)
on immigration.
PGD staff participated in several calls with ONB providing extensive
advice on immigration to Canada, particularly on the New Brunswick
Provincial Nominee Program (the Province’s immigration program
made possible through arrangements with the Federal Government).
ONB and PGD helped RevJet prepare their staff for the transition to
New Brunswick, including assistance accessing work permits and entry
visas.
In order to facilitate this project and expedite the process, PGD staff
met with RevJet representatives in two Ukrainian cities (more than 600
km apart), and organized information sessions about New Brunswick
in general, and on immigration in particular.
The company wanted to be sure their team felt welcome and that the
right amount of development talent would be ready to hit the ground
running in New Brunswick from day one. Their ideal situation involved
existing employees continuing their work in a more secure, stable
political environment. ONB coordinated with its partners in the private
(Swan & Associates), public (PETL-PGD), and non-profit (SJMNRC)
sectors, and managed to successfully meet this challenge.
‘‘Our organization has experienced an amazingly supportive
relationship with the Opportunities NB team. ONB has been
extremely professional and helpful in their engagement
with our employees, and their extended circle of support
has made our decision to commit to the province of New
Brunswick an extremely easy one. Their business focus,
assistance to our staff, and attention to detail has already
made our employees feel welcome as they complete their
move to Saint John.”
— Serge Ioffe, Co-Founder and CTO, RevJet
They also coordinated with Canadian Embassy staff to help expedite
and streamline the immigration process. There were an initial 20
Provincial Nominee Program applications received and all were
officially nominated within a matter of only four weeks, which is record
time.
Achieving success with a project of this magnitude required all parties
to have a strong knowledge of what each partner could deliver, at
which stage(s) their roles were most instrumental, and where they
could each take the appropriate lead. This case represents an initiative
in which the full scope of ONB’s services is on display.
Together, ONB and PETL staff saw to it that the RevJet team had
everything it needed to move its workers through the process of
successfully settling in Atlantic Canada.
RevJet’s situation was a unique one. Its successful resolution
demonstrates the agility that ONB and its wealth of strong partners
throughout the province bring to the table in order to create new
opportunities. It’s definitive proof that both New Brunswick and ONB
are built for business.
Step 2: Settlement and Acclimation
One of the important commitments made to the company was the
appointment of a Settlement Officer dedicated to the successful
integration of the workers in Canada. With New Brunswick’s port city
of Saint John finalized as the company’s desired location, the final
step involved ensuring RevJet employees would have proper support
upon arrival; enter The Saint John Multicultural and Newcomers
Resource Centre. The SJMNRC is a non-profit organization offering “an
integrated approach to services for newcomers. All services are free
for immigrants in order to encourage and promote cultural diversity” in
the Greater Saint John Area.
To support the ONB-RevJet project, SJMNRC arranged for a temporary
Settlement Officer (fluent in English and Ukrainian) to assist the
arriving workers with a host of services. Over a six-week period, this
Settlement Officer took the lead on everything from the development
of individual settlement plans to arranging English tutors, providing
information on real estate, banking, local community groups, religious
institutions, health services, and more.
Looking for the best setting to locate or expand your own business? Let
our professionals open doors for you to create the right environment
for increased competitiveness and growth opportunities. Click
the button below to connect with an ONB Business Development
Executive.
Connect with Opportunities NB
www.ONBCanada.ca
Results
Altogether, between RevJet employees and their family members, the
city of Saint John has seen a total of 48 new arrivals as part of this
arrangement, including 20 employees and 28 spouses and children.
NEW BRUNSWICK SUCCESS STORY