Media and press at the Polar Mobile office
The Polar Mobile team and office received much media attention on December 8 as Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty made a public appearance. With a focus to discuss the importance of creating jobs for the future by decreasing business taxes, the Premier recognized Polar Mobile for its work and global successes.
Premier McGuinty and Kunal Gupta walking through the Polar office
The media arrived during the early hours to set up for the announcement, and the Premier was greeted by Polar Mobile’s Chief Executive Officer Kunal Gupta and introduced to the Polar team. Premier McGuinty made a personal point to meet with Polar’s new grads and co-op students, having casual discussions with Andrew Cross (student at the University of Waterloo) and Stephane Leroux (new grad).
Mr. Gupta and the Premier then continued to meet the press and discuss the recent wins within the Canadian economy, as an estimated 87% of jobs lost during the recession were regained with the help of innovative small businesses. Mr. Gupta then presented the Premier with a special gift on behalf of the Polar Mobile team – a new BlackBerry torch device pre-loaded with Polar Mobile apps! The event concluded with a Q&A session followed by a team photograph.
Videos
On a mobile device? Click here.
Remarks
Premier McGuinty, it is a pleasure for us to host you this morning at Polar Mobile’s worldwide headquarters!Your personal leadership has been terrific in positioning Ontario in the Global economy, not only in manufacturing but as a place where software and mobile companies can thrive. Your visit to Polar today is a simple example of your encouragement for our industry, and we thank you for that.At Polar, we have experienced tremendous growth this year alone. A company we started only a few years ago while students at the University of Waterloo, we have a young, dynamic team of 40, 200 customers in over 10 countries and the opportunity to work with some of the largest media brands on the planet as customers.The world is not standing still, and although we are pleased with how far Polar has come in 2010, now is the time for us to push harder, double-down and continue to grow. The sense of urgency, Premier McGuinty, is high and strong here at Polar. We see what is happening in our industry in Silicon Valley, India, Japan and the UK, among other places.There is no doubt Polar has benefited greatly by being an Ontario-based company. With access to great engineering talent, support from key government funding programs and a thriving community of tech entrepreneurs, this is the place to be. It is important however to ask the question about how are we engaging other young entrepreneurs, how are we building an understanding of how they see the world and what are we doing to pay more attention to the younger, smarter and even more talented versions of Polar.And with that last thought, I would like to present you with a momento that I know will serve you as you continue to drum up excitement about Ontario around the world, the newest BlackBerry device pre-loaded with a few of Polar Mobile’s Apps, namely The Hockey News, Maclean’s, NHLPA, TIME magazine, World Politics Review, GQ India and Shanghai Daily.Thank you for the continued encouragement Premier McGuinty.
- Kunal Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Polar Mobile
Quotes
Ontario has the people, skills and businesses to thrive in the emerging economy. Our tax reforms are building a new foundation for growth and helping create new, good jobs for Ontarians.
- Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario
We are proud to be part of a sector that is at the forefront of creating new, high-tech jobs. Ontario’s tax credits have created a good climate for our company to grow, and that’s one of the reasons why we chose to establish and keep our headquarters here in Toronto. Mobile apps can be created anywhere in the world; it is this region’s competitive tax environment and creative talent graduating from colleges and universities that make Ontario a natural choice for us.
- Kunal Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Polar Mobile
Photos
On a mobile device? See photos below:
 |
| Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty visits Polar Mobile Office |