People of PacifiCan: Eric Neudorf

Meet Eric,
When he’s not at work helping British Columbians connect to federal funding programs or advising about critical minerals, ocean science, artificial intelligence or housing, you can find him at home jamming on his piano.

How did you arrive at PacifiCan?

I grew up and went to school in Saskatchewan. After my studies, I knew I wanted to work in federal economic policy. There was essentially one option: I did an internship at PacifiCan’s predecessor, Western Economic Diversification. Thankfully it was a great place to work, and I learned a ton about the province. From there I went to Ottawa for a few years, but after the pandemic, I decided it was time to get back west. When I surveyed the options, I couldn’t think of anything better than to return to PacifiCan. Once again, I am thankful to learn about every aspect of the provincial economy. 

What interested you about PacifiCan?

The breadth of work means that I am constantly learning. I love that one day I can be giving advice about critical minerals; the next day it’s ocean science; and the day after that, it’s artificial intelligence or housing. There are few jobs like this where a person can really look at the whole province as a living and evolving economic unit.

What do you do in a typical day?

We bring B.C. to Ottawa and Ottawa to B.C. Our job is to give the folks at the decision tables in Ottawa a robust understanding of what makes sense for the economy of B.C. We also do our best to keep B.C. folks informed about what they can gain by working with Ottawa. We help British Columbians connect into federal funding programs; we give them the opportunity to participate in consultations with federal leaders; and we can even tell them where to find to free business advice. 

What do you find most rewarding about your work? 

I love being part of a community of economic development professionals that really cares about B.C. I get to connect with people at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels—in the public sector, the private sector, and non-profit sector—who are all contributing to a great quality of life in British Columbia. That makes me proud.

Can you share one of your greatest accomplishments?
I’m really proud of the work my team at Innovation Canada did during the pandemic. We were responsible for developing a brand-new program framework to fund the development of vaccines and treatments. Within 17 days, we had created the program, received authorization from Cabinet, and signed an agreement with Vancouver-based Abcellera to scale up their COVID-19 treatment. I know our quick work saved lives—that’s gratifying enough—but I’m especially proud we did it in a way that upheld public service integrity and remained accountable to Canadians.

Favourite project or experience at PacifiCan:

In January I went to Prince George for a conference. I also went to meet a new team member, who we had hired to bring a northern perspective to our analysis. The rest of our team is in the Lower Mainland or Ottawa. After a very full day of meetings and learning, I met our new team member. She took me out to the Nordic Ski Club along the Nooksack River. We went for a long snowshoe trek. I went there straight from the conference, so I was still wearing my suit (built for summer weather). It was about -20, but being out in the snowy woods was so much fun that I didn’t have time to worry about my chilly ankles.

Any advice you have for people who may want to join PacifiCan?

There is probably no better place to start an economic development career in B.C. Your job will be to spend everyday learning something new. After working with us, you’ll be ready for anything!

Name 3 songs that are on your Spotify Playlist:

Butterfly (Jon Batiste);
Waltz Whitman (Yo-Yo Ma);
and the rest is just a lot of Doja Cat.

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