By paNOW

B.C. company planting new roots in Saskatchewan

Jan 25, 2018 | 3:00 PM

A B.C. based agriculture technology company is moving its headquarters to Saskatchewan.

Clean Seed Technologies has qualified for a provincial tax incentive, which allows the company to pay a lower corporate income tax rate for up to 15 years.

Chief Operating Officer Colin Rush said he is very excited about the move to Saskatchewan.

“It’s a new step for us as a company but we have a tremendous growth trajectory in our plans and Saskatchewan is going to be a catalytic event that does it for us,” he said.

Clean Seed received approval of its scientific eligibility under the Saskatchewan Commercial Innovation Incentive (SCII). The SCII is open to any company in the world that would like to commercialize its innovative products and services in Saskatchewan. Rush said the offer was simply too good to pass up.

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“We were looking at multiple jurisdictions, western Canada and the United States, to look at setting up a facility and head office and Saskatchewan certainly was a business friendly climate,” he said.

The company has some roots in Saskatchewan already. Rush, who refers to himself as a roving COO, lives near Saskatoon. The company also has a research and development facility in Midale, where the Smart Seeder was essentially created. The machine allows producers to seed without tilling and tailor seeding to specific soil conditions. Rush said no decision has been made yet regarding where the main office will be located.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from other towns and RM’s and I think I’ve had four packages sent to me and a couple calls from town and cities that are interested in trying to secure a spot so we are very pleased everybody is participating in welcoming us,” he said.

Rush said the moving process could take up to three years and while not clear on a definitive numbers, he said they will have offer a multitude of skills trade, administration and sales jobs.

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca 

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell