Hi CEOs, welcome to the rock.

After stops in Calgary and Montréal, this week’s Field Notes takes us out east to St. John’s.

If you’re visiting anytime soon — perhaps for the 208th edition of the Royal St. John's Regatta in a few weeks — it helps to know some of the lingo. CFAs are “Come From Aways” — people visiting from elsewhere. If someone tells you they’re travelling through the RDF to meet you, it’s not a historic district; it’s rain, drizzle and fog. A townie is someone from St. John’s, while a bayman is someone from around the bay.

And if you’re looking for a global success story, follow your nose to a local Mary Brown’s Chicken. The arena bears its name because this St. John’s-based chicken shop now operates hundreds of locations across Canada and has steadily expanded into international markets including the United Kingdom, Mexico, India and Pakistan.

Shaped by its geography and position on the eastern edge of the continent, St. John’s has also built a dynamic business community defined by innovation, ingenuity, and a long history of developing solutions to challenges felt around the world.

This edition also looks beyond St. John’s to the full breadth of Newfoundland and Labrador’s innovation economy. Across urban, rural, remote, and coastal communities, the province is home to oil and gas leaders, world-class aerospace companies, national champions in health care, and growing strength in ocean technology, defence, and digital solutions.

This week, we introduce Anne Whelan, Chief Executive Officer of Seafair Capital, whose work spans community and behavioural health, technology, education, and corporate services in rural and urban communities. We also look at how Mount Pearl-based Solace Power is developing wireless power technology for global industries. We have also assembled a directory of member-owned and locally rooted places to meet, stay, and gather during your next visit to St. John’s and the surrounding region.

First up is Karen Moores, CCI's Senior Advisor of Atlantic Canada, with ideas on how to help more companies from the region scale-up globally.

Happy reading,

Patrick

Patrick Searle is the Chief Executive Officer of the Council of Canadian Innovators, a national member-based organization reshaping how governments across Canada think about innovation policy, and supporting homegrown scale-ups to drive prosperity. If you are interested in learning more about the Council or joining our cause, get in touch.

ON THE GROUND

Earlier this year, CCI released Building with Atlantic Ambition at Home and Around the World, a policy playbook outlining how governments can help Atlantic Canadian companies scale from the region, compete globally, and become world leaders in their industries.

St. John’s sits at the intersection of several sectors covered in the playbook. The city’s expertise in ocean and maritime systems, energy, defence, artificial intelligence, and dual-use technology creates opportunities for companies developing products with both commercial and strategic applications.

The playbook identifies four areas where public policy can make a difference. Coordinated artificial intelligence policies can support adoption and commercialization across the region. Stronger intellectual property and data frameworks can help companies protect their innovations and retain more of the value they create. Better air access, coordinated trade missions, and dedicated trade support can help firms reach international customers. Modern procurement policies can also give Canadian companies more opportunities to sell to governments and build a track record at home.

These priorities reinforce one another. Access to domestic customers helps companies demonstrate their technology, stronger intellectual property protections preserve their competitive advantage, and improved market access supports international growth.

Better procurement, stronger intellectual property and data frameworks, and improved access to global markets would help more Newfoundland and Labrador companies scale while anchoring economic value in the province.

Karen Moores is the Senior Advisor for Atlantic Canada at the Council of Canadian Innovators. She can be reached at atlantic@canadianinnovators.org and on LinkedIn.

BUILT HERE

Solace Power

As vehicles, aircraft, telecommunications equipment, and autonomous systems become more connected, the physical wires and connectors powering them can create limits of their own. Mount Pearl-based Solace Power is developing an alternative.

Led by Chief Executive Officer Neil Chaulk, the company builds wireless power and data-transfer technology for use across aerospace and defence, automotive, industrial automation, smart home, and telecommunications applications. Its systems can transmit power and data through materials such as glass, wood, and concrete, giving manufacturers more flexibility when traditional connectors are difficult to install, maintain, or protect.

The technology is designed for practical industrial challenges. In vehicles, it can replace wiring in moving components. In telecommunications, it can power equipment through windows and other barriers. For aerospace, defence, and autonomous systems, it can support equipment operating in demanding environments where reliability matters.

It is a strong example of deep technology being developed in Mount Pearl for customers and applications well beyond Newfoundland and Labrador. Solace is drawing on specialized local engineering expertise to serve industries where wireless power could change how products are designed, manufactured, and operated.

Explore more Newfoundland and Labrador companies in the CCI Directory.

ONE TO WATCH

Anne Whelan, Chief Executive Officer of Seafair Capital

Anne Whelan has spent more than 25 years building companies and organizations around the needs of communities.

As principal shareholder and Chief Executive Officer of St. John’s-based Seafair Capital, she leads a group of companies with investments across community and behavioural health, technology, education, wellness, safety, and corporate services. The portfolio brings together service providers, technology platforms, and professional services firms working on practical challenges facing patients, care providers, and organizations.

Whelan’s approach combines experience delivering community services with the capacity to invest, develop technology, and build new businesses. Through Branch Innovations, Seafair’s embedded innovation division, the organization also works with hospitals, health care providers, founders, and governments to develop software, managed services, and program administration solutions.

Her leadership extends beyond Seafair. Whelan is the Lead Director of the Bank of Canada’s Board of Directors and also serves on several corporate and community boards.

What makes her worth watching is the model she has built from St. John’s. Seafair demonstrates how locally rooted operating experience can support a wider group of companies while keeping leadership and decision-making anchored in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Learn more about Anne and other Newfoundland and Labrador innovators on CCI's CEO Directory.

SEEN & HEARD

In May, CCI brought a delegation of Atlantic Canadian innovators to Ottawa for our inaugural Atlantic Innovators Day on the Hill. Members met with ministers, MPs, Senators, and senior public servants to share the technologies and policy ideas emerging from the region.

Held shortly after the release of our Atlantic playbook, the day focused on procurement, defence, artificial intelligence, export diversification, digital modernization, and ocean and maritime technology.

Members shared examples of Atlantic Canadian companies applying artificial intelligence in education, health care, and defence, digitizing government services, and developing technologies for the energy, ocean, and national security sectors. Officials showed particular interest in how these companies are leading in global markets and what can be done to help them grow further at home.

Atlantic Canadian companies are already building technologies that Canada and the world need. Faster, more accessible procurement and industrial programs would help these companies, and others across the region, reach more customers, scale globally, and remain anchored in Atlantic Canada.

Read the full recap of CCI’s Atlantic Innovators Day on the Hill here.

THE CCI DIRECTORY

Keep these places in mind the next time business brings you to St. John’s, from the first coffee of the day to dinner after the final meeting.

Where to Take an Investor Coffee

Bannerman Brewing Co., co-owned by CCI member Steve Follett and two business partners, is an innovator favourite meeting place for investors and entrepreneurs in every season. Featuring a great menu and coffee bar, this day-to-evening option works well for everyone's schedules. Follett and his partners also own and operate Cape Coffee, another locally rooted option for a morning meeting.

Where to Host a Board Dinner

Merchant Tavern is our recommendation for a board dinner or an evening with visiting executives. For a special occasion, book a table at the newly reopened Mallard Cottage. The restaurant is operated by co-owners Mark Murphy and Eldon Murray, the team behind The Postmaster’s Bakery and Postmaster’s House Bed & Breakfast, both known for their craftsmanship, warm hospitality and deep roots in the community.

Where to Work Between Meetings

The Rooms Viewing Gallery is a memorable place to catch up on emails or prepare for your next meeting. It also gives you a chance to experience one of the city’s best-known cultural spaces without straying far from the day’s schedule.

Where to Gather After the Event

After a long day, grab a cocktail at Mojo on the eighth floor of the JAG and take in a panoramic sunset view of the city. Find yourself closer to Mount Pearl? Landwash Brewery, owned by CCI member Killick Capital, is open late and serves up a great rotation of beers and non-alcoholic options.

Where to Stay

There’s no other hotel quite like the JAG Hotel. Locally owned and built by the Steele family, the JAG is known for its multiple on-site dining options, striking artwork and bold rock-and-roll fabrics. The rooms, however, are quiet and modern, with beautiful views of the harbour. Looking for something more intimate? The Postmaster’s House Bed & Breakfast, in the heart of St. John’s, offers the chance to stay among the colourful homes of Jellybean Row in style.

Next week, we head to Waterloo. Have a great weekend!