The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership has named its next CEO.
The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership has named its next CEO.
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The Lambton County-funded organization announced Thursday Matthew Slotwinski is SLEP’s new boss. He’s been with the agency 13 years, including the last six months as interim CEO after former CEO Dan Taylor left in January.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge of building on the great work of the SLEP team in collaboration with our partner stakeholders and municipalities,” Slotwinski said in a statement, adding he’s “energized by the potential that exists across Sarnia-Lambton for economic growth, diversification, and innovation.
“There is an opportunity for SLEP to take on a heightened leadership role in advancing transformational economic opportunity for the Sarnia-Lambton area, it’s industry, it’s entrepreneurs and it’s workforce.”
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Slotwinski said his focus remains implementing a five-year economic development strategy the partnership unveiled in 2023.
Aspects include continuing to develop the community’s industrial sector, helping attract more workers, “better leveraging our agricultural assets in the community and supporting rural areas,” and ensuring industrial land and development sites in the community “are truly investment ready,” Slotwinski told Lambton County council earlier this year.
The recent change in leadership at SLEP also has led to a strategic plan refresh, “to reflect the transforming of the local economy and our organization,” Slotwinski said, adding details are expected at the agency’s annual general meeting June 27.
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Slotwinski, who was named one of North America’s top 50 economic developers in 2021 by Consultant Connect, was also SLEP’s interim CEO in 2017, and was vice-president of economic development before taking over for Taylor, officials said in a news release.
“His performance over the last six months, and really over the last 13 years, I think it was definitely an easy decision for the board to make,” acting board chair Adrienne Lee said, noting Slotwinski has forged strong relationships in the community.
Slotwinski’s tenure in Sarnia-Lambton also signal stability after two changes at SLEP’s helm in two yearsshe said.
“His community roots are very, very strong,” she said.
The organization has nine full-time employees and is hiring a tenth, to take over the economic development vice-president position, Slotwinski said, noting there are also two summer students on the payroll.
The partnership received $1.5 million in county funding in 2023, along with $535,000 in provincial and federal grants.
-with files from Paul Morden
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