Calgary's remarkable ability to reinvent itself through ambitious collisions of diverse talent has become a defining characteristic of this dynamic city, according to Terry Rock, Senior Vice-President of Operations and COO at Alberta Innovates. As Calgary approaches the milestone of two million residents, Rock reflects on how the city's unique ecosystem continues to drive groundbreaking innovation across multiple sectors.
The Fertile Verge Phenomenon
Rock draws upon historian Daniel Boorstin's concept of the "fertile verge" - the powerful phenomenon that occurs when diverse, ambitious individuals converge and create outcomes none could achieve alone. "When Calgary celebrated its millionth resident twenty years ago," Rock writes, "I was making the public case that our greatest asset was the ingenuity of our people, both those born here and those drawn here by opportunity."
Energy Industry's Lasting Legacy
The energy sector has played a crucial role in shaping Calgary's innovative character. For decades, this industry attracted extraordinary talent to the city - engineers who think in complex systems, entrepreneurs who understand capital deployment against challenging problems, and professionals drawn to Alberta because it represented where the most consequential work was happening.
"The industry's cycles have given Calgarians a muscle memory for reinvention," Rock emphasizes. "This means taking skills developed in one context and applying them to problems that didn't even exist ten years earlier. That adaptability represents Boorstin's fertile verge in practical action."
Platform Calgary's Front Door Policy
During his tenure as CEO of Platform Calgary, the city's innovation hub, Rock witnessed firsthand how this legacy continues to evolve. "I saw the next chapter of that story walk through our doors every day," he recalls. Energy engineers were channeling decades of expertise into new ventures, while visionaries with bold ideas sought a city that would embrace their ambitions.
Rock highlights that Calgary's open-door approach proved particularly valuable for those with the most significant ambitions - individuals who needed immediate access to resources and collaborative spaces. "That openness represents a competitive advantage few global locations can match," he notes.
Innovation Across Multiple Frontiers
Today, Calgary's fertile verge is producing remarkable results across diverse fields:
- Carbon Removal Technology: Companies are establishing operations in Alberta because this region possesses unparalleled subsurface knowledge and engineering talent. Decades of expertise in geology, well systems, and pipeline infrastructure are now being redirected toward addressing climate change through carbon capture and storage solutions.
- Advanced Materials Development: Innovative startups are transforming bitumen into carbon fiber for sophisticated manufacturing applications, discovering potential in hydrocarbon feedstocks that others have overlooked.
- Quantum Computing Advancement: The Quantum City initiative has attracted significant international attention, drawing Mphasis (a major Indian technology firm) and a Swiss quantum accelerator that selected Calgary as its North American launchpad.
A City That Amplifies Ambition
Rock, who arrived in Calgary during the late 1990s as a business professor, speaks from personal experience about the city's transformative power. "This place has a remarkable way of getting hold of people and amplifying their ambition," he observes. His perspective is informed by both professional leadership roles and academic background, including inspiration from his late professor Dr. Jerry Hunt at Texas Tech University.
As Calgary continues its growth trajectory toward two million residents, Rock's thesis about the city's innovative capacity has proven itself beyond initial expectations. The global community is increasingly recognizing what this unique collision zone can produce - a testament to how ambitious people, when brought together in the right environment, can drive economic transformation and technological advancement that benefits both the region and the world.
