SubC Stories: Why Newfoundland?
SubC Imaging was born in a tiny basement office in a rural Newfoundland community over a decade ago. Despite growing to more than 20 employees and 170 clients worldwide, we’ve chosen to keep our operations where it was founded. Founder and CEO, Chad Collett explains the reason behind this decision and the “all-in” mentality that characterizes the company.
Primed for Ocean Tech
When I started building this company, it honestly never crossed my mind to start SubC Imaging in a different province or country. Newfoundland is home. It is rugged and unique -- the people here are the same -- shaped by the land and environment around us. For an ocean tech company like ours, there are not many areas of the world more ideal. I’ve been all over this planet and have worked in some really nice places (Norway, Australia and Spain come to mind) but nowhere is perfect and they all felt very crowded.
Newfoundland and Labrador presents some great opportunities for ocean tech, such as cutting-edge research labs and funding with the National Research Council, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Department of Industry, Energy, and Technology, and Ocean Supercluster. There are many like-minded companies in the area and great opportunities for networking and collaboration. Since COVID-19, we have expanded our team outside of Newfoundland and now have employees working from home in Toronto and Nova Scotia.
All-in Mentality
I usually get asked, “Why rural Newfoundland?” and the answer to that is similar to, “Why Newfoundland?” except, perhaps, even a little more extreme. If you are outside of the St. John’s area, you are “all in” to the way we live here. If you are into the outdoors, the lifestyle here is something people in other parts of the world dream of. Hiking, biking, boating, or skiing, is 10-20 minutes away. It is great for families as well as the soul.
Chad and his daughter skiing on a trail in Clarenville.
Photo captured in Swift Current, NL (approximately a 40 minute drive from the SubC Imaging office in Clarenville). It’s a popular spot for SubC staff to visit.
Our customers operate in every ocean on the planet. We have sold our subsea equipment and software in more than 35 countries and to over 170 individual clients, and the list is only growing! We could be based anywhere in the world, so why not be somewhere remote, wild and free.
It’s not just our rural roots! Learn more about what makes us the industry leaders in subsea cameras and underwater imaging systems.
