Calgary soon to be newest home of global software development company

ESQ Business Services is choosing Calgary to open its sole Canadian support and software development centre.

ESQ’s new Canadian subsidiary is called Cloudexa Technology, Inc. The software development company is headquartered in Silicon Valley, CA with offices in India, Mexico, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

While searching for its newest development centre location in Canada, ESQ looked to Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver, but ultimately chose Calgary as the best option to expand its company into North America.

“Calgary Economic Development’s recent efforts to promote and attract investment in new technology industries outside of the traditional oil and gas sector was a strong factor in our decision to launch this new unit in Calgary,” said ESQ Chief Executive Officer Paul Sandhu. “Working with CED and their recommended partners shortened the process of starting up our Cloudexa Technology operation by many months.”

Choosing Calgary, which The Economist currently ranks as the fifth most livable city in the world, benefits workers also, says Bob Perreault, ESQ’s Chief Operating Officer. Assistance with human resources came from professional employment organization PEO Canada. “We believe that using resources available through PEO Canada in Calgary will allow Cloudexa to focus all of our internal energies on the product management and technical innovation of our solutions, while allowing us to offer our employees exciting product opportunities and a great work-life balance in the Calgary area,” he said.

When ESQ reached out to discover what Calgary had to offer, The City moved quickly teaming up with Calgary Economic Development to give the tech company all the answers and information it needed to make the decision to bring its business to Calgary.

“We understand that time is money for businesses looking to open in Calgary which is why we are focused on moving businesses through our processes quickly,” said Sonya Sharp, Leader of the Business and Local Economy Program at The City of Calgary, which aims to reduce barriers for businesses. “We also recognize that we need to improve things to make it easier for businesses to open and this also includes working more closely with our partners like CED to make sure we can sell Calgary to potential businesses and then get their doors open quickly once they get here, together.”

The City is working with partners like Calgary Economic Development with the same end goal – to further Calgary’s economic growth and resilience by supporting business.

“When a global leader in the tech sector such as ESQ Business Solutions expands to Canada and chooses Calgary as its first location it speaks to remarkable value proposition this city can offer to companies as a leading tech centre in Canada with an unmatched quality of life,” said Mary Moran, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Innovation is a key pillar in our vision for Calgary in the New Economy and companies like ESQ are driving progress in the tech sector so there is a great fit for city and company.”

Calgary’s economic recovery depends on The City making it easier for businesses to do business. The new program is aimed at cutting red tape, enhancing the speed of approvals, and streamlining processes.

“The Business and Local Economy Program is about bringing all of the great work that we are doing in The City of Calgary – not just in the Corporation but the city as a whole – to make sure that we are not only attracting great new businesses, but keeping our current businesses up and running,” said Sharp. “It’s the opportunity to join all the pieces of work to ensure that we are the most business-friendly city in Canada and, we’re hoping, North America.”

Touching on everything from idea to open, council direction and enabling business innovation, Sharp says the program will streamline the experience for entrepreneurs.

“We want our business community to see us not as regulators, but as facilitators,” said Sharp, who has owned a number of private businesses in the past. “We don’t want to be that barrier, we want to be that facilitator. How can we get you to ‘Yes’? We all want to go to that new restaurant and to that new coffee shop. It is important we animate those vacant buildings, support vibrancy and investor confidence in our City.”

The City is working to make doing business in Calgary easier and faster. This includes decreasing permit and business licensing requirements to save business owners time and money, as well as developing tools and online resources to assist businesses through their life-cycle. The City also offers convenient online permitting featuring live chat, saving business applicants time and money.

For more information on what The City is doing to support businesses, visit calgary.ca/business.

Calgary is a dynamic and resilient city and The City of Calgary and its partners are committed to our economic recovery to make life better every day for citizens, customers, communities and businesses. To learn more about Calgary’s Comeback related efforts, please visit calgary.ca/comeback.