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Wednesday, September 21, 2022
By: Matthew King (he/him)
Proximity is becoming a clear priority for companies in the David Johnston Research + Technology Park at the University of Waterloo
The competition for talent has never been fiercer. As companies seek any advantage to help them attract talent, proximity to the University of Waterloo has become a differentiator for some companies.
The David Johnston Research + Technology Park (R+T Park) officially opened in 2004 and spans over a million square feet on the Waterloo campus. It began as a research hub and is now home to more than 100 companies — many of which hire Waterloo co-op students and recent graduates.
What's really changed in the last few years has been the shift to talent and it's really becoming all about people. Companies want to be close to the University because they're really keen to connect with world-leading talent that's coming out of the University of Waterloo.
- MIKE PEREIRA, MANAGER OF R+T PARK
Mike Pereira
Manager of R+T Park
On an episode of Waterloo Grit, a podcast by the Accelerator Centre, Cindy Fagen, managing director of SAP Labs Canada shared that “90 percent of their employees in Waterloo are graduates of the University.”
According to Pereira, something as simple as having large signage on a building is seen as a recruitment tactic.
"If the students can stay where they are and easily get to work with the same ease that they get to campus, it makes recruitment that much easier,” says Pereira.
“The value proposition is ‘listen, it's no different than coming to your classes. We're right here on campus.’ So that proximity and that placemaking is really important.”
In 2021 and 2022, companies within R+T Park hired a total of 170 students. Pereira is tapping into that talent himself by employing upwards of 10 students in the five years he’s been managing R+T Park.
“I love having a co-op student come on board. Especially during the summer months when we're doing more fun event planning and things like that. I love having people that we can give a project to and watch them run with it,” says Pereira.
In spring 2022, Rose Mathew, a Waterloo Math student, coordinated many of the events at the park as part of her co-op work term in the role of marketing and event specialist at R+T Park.
“I coordinated our social media and most of the events that we held,” says Mathew.
“I coordinated our digital and a lot of our in-person engagement, I worked extensively on our newsletters, our blog, our charity events, and then the summer rec leagues held in the park — which I handled entirely myself. So, a lot of it was just the engagement in the park, getting the word out to people and getting people interested into coming back to the office.”
The sense of community amongst the companies with offices in R+T Park home is something Pereira is trying to amplify.
Rose Mathew
Marketing and event specialist at R+T Park
Holding events like charity events, beer gardens and lunchtime recreation leagues are all an attempt to add to the workplace experience within the park.
“People would come to the office on those days specifically because they wanted to take part. We even saw some people coming in on multiple days of the week so that they could take part in the rec leagues,” says Mathew. “People were taking their time to come to the office, in part, to tap into that sense of community.”
“That seems to resonate really well with the companies, because a lot of them have that sense of togetherness,” says Pereira. “They like their coworkers, and they enjoy the opportunity to get out and do something more social and fun. So, the feedback there has been really positive.”
With community-building at the forefront, the R+T Park is looking to the next phase of the park’s makeup. They are currently investigating the zoning uses available within the park to amplify the amenities available to companies and their employees.
“It's really about looking at the types of uses that make sense, while still focusing on the reason for having a research park because we still want to attract companies that are going to partner tightly with the University,” says Pereira.