Sault Ste. Marie's Bruce Strapp is the new executive director of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.
Sault MPP David Orazietti announced the appointment Oct. 5.
Strapp, the current CEO of the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation, replaces Aime Dimatteo of Sudbury who vacated the position in June to take the director general's job at FedNor.
“I would like to congratulate Bruce Strapp on being selected as the executive director of Ontario's NOHFC where he will manage a critically important economic development fund that continues to create hundreds of new jobs in our city,” said Orazietti in a statement. “I have worked with Bruce on many successful projects in our community while he was the CEO of the city's economic development corporation and I am confident he will do an excellent job in directing what will become a $100-million economic development fund next year.”
Strapp has worked for 30 years in both the public and private sector in Northern Ontario.
With a background in mining and logistics, he began his career in Red Lake running an expediting business that serviced the area's mining camp. He took the Red Lake economic development officer's job in 1988, and moved to Timmins in 1990 to take the same position. Two years later, Strapp moved into the Sault's economic development corporation top position.
He's been credited with establishing a successful diversification strategy in the Sault that's seen the city attract renewable energy and clean-tech companies to the city. Strapp is well-known for working with various partners in the creation of a new knowledge economy and has been instrumental in attracting key investments to upgrade local transportation, post-secondary and public infrastructure.
Last February, Strapp received his profession's highest provincial award – the Joseph Montgomery Economic Development Achievement Award – at the Economic Developers Council of Ontario's annual general meeting in Toronto.
Strapp will continue to be based in Sault Ste. Marie.
