Media Release

For Immediate Release

January 21, 2009

Sobey School of Business prof to help Nova Scotia businesses compete

Two Nova Scotia companies are getting help from the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University.

Barrett Lumber of Lower Sackville and Burgess Baskets of Newport Station will work with professor Dr. Harvey Millar to improve their productivity and efficiency.

Both companies were successful applicants in the Productivity and Innovation Voucher pilot program offered by the Nova Scotia Department of Economic Development. The program was designed to enhance linkages between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and institutions (like Saint Mary’s) that provide needed expertise and assistance.

The goal is to help the companies become more competitive in today’s marketplace.

Businesses selected for the program were issued vouchers to help them contract the expertise they need to increase their innovation and productivity. In the case of Barrett Lumber and Burgess Baskets, they needed expertise in management operations and were directed to the expertise available at the Sobey School of Business.

Barrett Lumber is a family-owned business that has operated for more than 80 years. The business is a one-stop shop for construction products, services and materials including framing, lumber, roofing, windows and doors, siding, insulation and flooring.

Burgess Baskets is also a family-owned business. It has manufactured wooden basket and box containers for the agriculture and fisheries sectors since 1990. Their customers are primarily in Canada and the United States.

Dr. Millar will work closely with the companies to evaluate their current processes and develop new models and recommendations for improved business processes.

As a professor in the department of Finance, Information Systems, and Management Science at the Sobey School of Business, Dr. Millar teaches topics such as total quality management and improvement, operations management and strategy, and the use of scientific methods in management decision making. He has also worked with several companies as a consultant in the areas of inventory management, production planning, optimization (modeling) and manpower planning and scheduling.

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For More Information:

Blake Patterson
Public Affairs Officer
Saint Mary's University, Public Affairs
(902) 420.5514
E-mail: blake.patterson@smu.ca
www.smu.ca