Dennis Lower, President and CEO of Cortex Innovation Community spoke to the power of authenticity and connectivity at ULI Alberta’s Fireside Chat on April 11. Founded in 2002, Lower’s innovation district, Cortex Innovation Community, in St. Louis is the Midwest’s premier innovation hub of bioscience and technology research, development, and commercialization. It serves as the anchor of St. Louis’ growing ecosystem for innovative startup programs and established companies.

Lower was joined by Mary Moran, President and CEO of Calgary Economic Development as they spoke about the opportunities Calgary has to build communities that encourage new business and investment. The concept of inclusion was a key focus of the presentation. Both speakers reiterated the idea that commitment to inclusion has to be a part of the planning process, and cannot become an afterthought. The importance of being authentic and genuine is crucial in attracting today’s workforce.

“You can’t just build buildings, you have to build communities,” said Moran when talking about the need for Calgary to empower the different areas of expertise that exist within the city. Calgary has the highest concentration of corporate head offices in Canada, yet there is talent that is going unnoticed and under-leveraged. Moran said it is time to tap into these hidden markets of talent, and give them a place to thrive and evolve in order to enhance the reputation of excellent business opportunities in Calgary.

At the end of the evening both speakers agreed that if you give innovative and entrepreneurial people a place to research, discover and grow, that they will thrive. How a city lives its values, is how it gets ahead; and Calgary has every opportunity to create a dynamic and progressive business environment for its talented workers.