Terry Hussey is proud to be from Newfoundland. He set up his construction agency, Vigilant, in the town of Paradise eight years ago. While operating on the island, he saw his business grow at a rapid pace, particularly between 2016-2019. But, when he was looking to the future growth of his company, he knew he had to expand outside his home province. After all, the island economy is struggling mightily right now.

“The Newfoundland and Labrador economy, we are so far out on the ice pans it’s not even funny,” said Hussey.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love my province. I’m proud to be from Newfoundland and Labrador. It gives us a certain resilience and a certain ability to laugh off difficult times and suffering.”

Suffering is a good way to describe the fiscal situation. The province has a debt crisis (even before Covid-19) due to the failed Muskrat Falls project. It’s also heavily tied to oil and gas prices, and those have been much lower in recent years than projected. The provincial government will need help from Ottawa to climb its way out of the hole.

So, Hussey and the team and Vigilant looked to the Maritime provinces and, just last week, the construction agency opened its new office in Halifax. Vigilant anticipates assisting in construction projects in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI.

The company did an economic analysis of the Maritime provinces and noticed a steady growth in the last five to 10 years. Hussey also noticed a positive attitude towards immigration and an overall welcoming environment towards new businesses. This convinced him it was a good time to expand, despite the pandemic.

Hussey, who was named a top 50 CEO in Canada by Atlantic Business Magazine three years running, describes his work team as “construction nerds,” who just love to get involved in a big project. If you are a fellow nerd, you may find your dream job with Vigilant, since they expect to be doing a lot of hiring over the next year.

Keep reading on Huddle.Today