KICK OFF 2026
with an event that will spark ideas, ignite conversation, and set the tone for a year of bold economic growth
January 22, 2026 | 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Best Western Hotel, Bridgewater
Start the year with fresh insight and powerful inspiration. Join us for a warm welcome drink, a plated lunch, and an engaging armchair conversation with Don Mills and David Campbell – hosts of the Insights podcast and authors of Toward Prosperity: The Transformation of Atlantic Canada’s Economy.
Guided by a skilled moderator, Don and David will explore the trends, opportunities, and big ideas shaping our region’s future. You’ll have a chance to join the conversation during our audience Q&A, a rare opportunity to ask questions, share perspectives, and connect with leaders across the South Shore.
Every attendee receives a complimentary copy of their bestselling book.
$49 per person. Tables of 8 available.
Reserve your seat today before this event is sold out.
Meet the guest speakers
Don Mills is the President of Crane Cove Holdings Limited, his family investment firm, and a partner and Director with CABCO Communications, an IT infrastructure company in Canada. He is a co-founder and partner with Total Marketing & Communications (TMC) in Bermuda and its affiliate Narrative Research Bermuda. He currently serves as Senior Counsel to TMC. He is the co-founder and former owner and CEO of Corporate Research Associates (now Narrative Research), which has an on-going and long-term relationship with TMC. Don sold his company to his senior management team in late 2018 and remained Chair of the Board and Senior Counsel of Narrative Research until early 2023. He is a regular columnist with the MacDonald Report, as well as being a frequent media commentator on public affair issues. He is also the Co-host of the Insights Podcast on the Acadia Broadcasting Network and recently co-authored a book with David Campbell, “Toward Prosperity: The Transformation of Atlantic Canada’s Economy”. He continues to be active as a consultant in marketing and strategy.
Don has been active as a business leader and community activist, serving on more than two dozen boards over his career including among others as a founding board member of the Halifax International Airport Authority, as a member of the boards of Dalhousie University, the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, the Halifax Partnership, the IWK Foundation, the Atlantic Institute of Market Studies, the YMCA, the Arthritis Society, and United Way. He was a founding Board member and a past Vice-Chair of the Canadian Research Insights Council. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the YMCA, and on the boards of the New Scotland Clothing/ Brewing Companies and 100 Seeds.
He is recognized as a public opinion expert by various judicial bodies and is a Certified Research Insights Professional. He was recognized as a Fellow in the market research industry in Canada in 2008 by the national association, the only Atlantic Canadian to be so recognized. He was chosen as Business Person of the Year in 2001 and as a runner up in 2007 by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. He was inducted into the Top 100 CEOs Hall of Fame in its inaugural year in 2005 by Atlantic Business Magazine and received a Merit Award from his alma mater, Bishop’s University in 2009. He was also an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in 2017. In 2022, he inducted into the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame. He continues to be passionate about Atlantic Canada and an advocate for change in the region.
David Campbell is the President of Jupia Consultants Inc., an economic development consulting and research firm based in New Brunswick. David has more than 30 years’ experience as a consultant working with industry, not-for-profit organizations and governments across Canada with a specific focus on Atlantic Canada. In recent years he has been involved in some of the most important regional development opportunities including large scale energy projects, port and airport development, workforce planning, cluster growth, export market development and new economic opportunities identification. He also has become one of the leading providers of economic impact assessments in Atlantic Canada.
From 2015 to 2017, he was Chief Economist with the Government of New Brunswick. In that role, he led the development of economic policy, economic development strategy and people attraction efforts for the provincial government.
In addition to co-authoring Towards Prosperity: The Transformation of Atlantic Canada’s Economy (2025), David writes the It’s the Economy, Stupid! Substack and co-hosts the Insights podcast with Don Mills and David Campbell. He has an active following on social media with his LinkedIn content reaching over 1.4 million impressions in the past 12 months (as of December 2025). He was a long-time columnist with Brunswick News (2005-2024) and has been a contributing writer to multiple other publications including the Globe and Mail and Atlantic Business magazine. David is frequently asked to be the keynote speaker at industry events and conferences across the region.
David is the Chair of the Board of the Multicultural Agency of the Greater Moncton Area (MAGMA), past Chair of the Board of the United Way of Greater Moncton and a member of the Crandall University Board of Governors. He has been involved with over a dozen other community organizations over a three-decade career.
He formerly was a Research Fellow at the Donald J. Savoie Institute at the Université de Moncton and he has collaborated with the Public Policy Forum, Wallace McCain Institute and a number of other similar organizations. He also teaches an annual course on Energy Economics as part of the University of New Brunswick Saint John Energy Fundamentals for Leaders program.
He lives in Cocagne, New Brunswick with his wife Adriana.