About Intelligence in action
SmartWhale Consulting is an economic development and market intelligence firm based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It offers research and marketing services to private and public organizations in a broad range of sectors.
With a roster of economic development, international trade and sector specialists at its disposal, SmartWhale Consulting helps its clients grow their business and their communities.
Management – Jake Whalen, Principal
Jake Whalen has been involved in economic development, international trade and public policy research for more than a decade. He has completed sector studies in aerospace and defence, information technology, biotechnology, ports and manufacturing, and has provided competitive intelligence in several geographic markets, including North America, Europe and Asia.
Mr. Whalen has undertaken research and project management initiatives for municipal, provincial and national governments, as well as several regional development authorities in Canada.
Internationally, in 2005, he was based in Hanoi, where he worked with senior members of the Vietnamese Government to attract greater foreign investment into the country, as part of a legal reform initiative sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
Mr. Whalen is an advisor on the Opus’ Virtual Advisory Board, an international trade and business consultancy, and an advisor to the Entrepreneurs Forum, which fosters the growth of knowledge-based companies in Atlantic Canada.
He has degrees from Queen’s University and Saint Mary’s University, a Certificate in Chinese Language (Mandarin) from Xiamen University, and a Diploma in International Trade from the Forum for International Trade Training.
Mr. Whalen’s diverse background reflects his broad interest in providing the research-based findings that companies, sector associations and governments need to drive smart and sustainable growth at home and abroad.
Connect with Jake on LinkedIn 
.
Testimonials
-
Fred Morley
Greater Halifax Partnership“We’ve used SmartWhale’s services for a number of reasons. Jake Whalen understands our needs, is quick to get work done, and our partners enjoy working with him. He grasps complex issues with ease, and he produces the solid research we need to grow our municipality.”
-
Dale Robertson
Enerscan Engineering Inc“SmartWhale Consulting led a study for me. Not only was its work precise and on time, by the completion of the project SmartWhale had done what would have cost us twenty per cent more from any other consultant, and likely their work would have been less complete and less professional. We were completely satisfied and have planned further work directly as a result of this good work. The benefits to Nova Scotia will be significant.”
-
Stephen O’Leary
Institute for Marine Biosciences — National Research Council Canada“Working with Smart Whale Consulting was effortless and brought specialized research and analysis capabilities to our program that would have otherwise been lacking. Mr. Whalen’s ability to gather, evaluate, and package complex data from a variety of sources and effectively communicate the relevant information to senior decision-makers in Canada and the United States greatly accelerated the progress of our international collaboration in renewable fuels development and has been critical to the successful completion of project milestones and deliverables.”
-
Jo Ann Fewer
Colchester Regional Development Agency“Jake Whalen does a thorough job of mining relevant and pertinent information for a project. He is competent at transferring that data into solid recommendations. I was extremely pleased with his work.”
-
Jeff Mactavish
City of Miramichi“When the City of Miramichi decided to diversify its economic base into green energy, we had visions of wind turbines on our skylines and solar panels reaching towards the sun producing energy. SmartWhale Consulting provided us with a different vision for diversification based on our manufacturing strengths in the region. The attraction strategy developed by SmartWhale Consulting provides a clearer vision of where we should be going in our diversification efforts, and is based on the human
-
Michael McCabe
Stikeman Elliott-Experco International“Mr. Whalen did a terrific job for us in Hanoi. He took the initiative with our senior Vietnamese government counterparts and helped them define the issues in the areas in which they sought assistance. He did the back-up research thoroughly and organized effective workshops designed to bring Canadian expertise and experience to the development of Vietnam’s emerging market economy and legal framework.”
-
Carolyn Nicholson
Entrepreneurs’ Forum“SmartWhale Consulting provided exceptional feedback and advice very relevant to our clients’ needs and challenges. We are thrilled to have the firm as one of our newest advisors and welcome the opportunity to work with SmartWhale in the future!”
-
Margaret Kay-Arora
YMCA Canada East“The YMCA Canada East Management Resource Centre hired SmartWhale for a project to develop a document for the Federal Government that outlined the intentions for all YMCAs and YMCA-YWCAs in the Atlantic Region to utilize the upcoming infrastructure funding. The time line was very tight and the details were complex, but the firm was able to professionally and competently deliver a high quality product on time. We were very pleased with the results.”
Why Choose SmartWhale
- Committed - We’re on time, on budget and on call for our clients. We value our long-term relationships with them and understand their need for privacy.
- Current - We adhere to economic development, international trade and competitive intelligence best practices, as set forth by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) , the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT) and the Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) organization .
- Experienced - We’ve worked with regional development authorities, industry associations, governments and companies in a range of sectors, from aerospace and defence to logistics and transportation.
- Networked - We have close relationships with business development stakeholders throughout Atlantic Canada, nationally and internationally.
- Connected - We have international market-reach through our affiliation with the Opus Virtual Advisory Board .
- Action-oriented - Our services are aimed at providing you with actionable insights.
- Flexible - We offer retainer and fee-for-service compensation arrangements.
- Open to new challenges and partnerships - We welcome unique and challenging projects, and partnerships with other consultants.
- Easy to deploy - We’re on a number of government standing offers, making our deployment hassle-free.