unusual recipe for success

Transcription

Exch-oct12_pgs01-11:Exchange
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE
ON SEVERAL CONTINENTS
A DATING SERVICE
FOR ANGELS
MAGAZINE FOR ENTREPRENEURS / ENTERPRISES / ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS / EDUCATORS
Vol. 30 No. 1 October 2012 - $6.95
“THE CAR WILL KNOW WHEN
YOU’VE HAD TOO MUCH”TO DRINK
UNUSUAL
RECIPE FOR
SUCCESS
The Charcoal Group breaks the mould
of restaurant chain expansion
INSIDE
• Boldly going into space
• Any good news from board rooms?
• Putting money where the opportunity is
• Sixty years of service
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BANKING ON EDUCATION IS
AN INVESTMENT WITH REWARDS
The best investments bring returns and rewards. At RBC Royal Bank®, we believe
that investing in education and applied learning builds prosperous and thriving
communities here in Waterloo Region and around the world.
That’s why we’ve chosen to invest in the School of Business at Conestoga
College. Our support will help ensure that tomorrow’s business leaders have
access to the tools and infrastructure they need to stay on the leading edge of
knowledge and application.
That’s good for our community and the individuals we serve.
Conestoga’s School of Business is a leader in providing applied learning
opportunities to meet real-world needs. Its diploma and degree programs
are tailored to meet the diverse requirements of today’s business and industry
and prepare students for success in our changing world.
At RBC Royal Bank®, identifying good investments is our business.
Conestoga College meets and exceeds our expectations on many levels.
Jane Black, Regional Vice President
Greater Waterloo, RBC Royal Bank l Royal Bank of Canada
Together, we are building rewards that provide great returns for the entire
community. Join us. Invest in Conestoga, and be the cause of something great.
www.conestogac.on.ca/giving
R sign RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada.
be the cause of something great
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“At Desire2Learn, we hire
superstars – enthusiastic,
independent, dedicated,
entrepreneurial co-op
students. Many of our co-op
students have become
full-time employees as our
company has grown. These
students bring fresh ideas and
are integral to our success.
University of Waterloo
co-op students represent
an excellent talent pool.”
John McLeod
Sr. Director,
Marketing & Alliances
Desire2Learn
Incorporated
HIRE
WATERLOO
for all your talent needs.
A one-stop shop for employee recruitment:
» Skilled students are available for year-round
co-op, part-time and summer work
» Talented graduating students at the
undergraduate, master’s, and PhD levels
are eager for full-time positions
» Experienced alumni are available year-round,
equipped with the knowledge and skills
to fill more senior roles
Advertising a job is free
and easy. Contact us:
hire.talent@uwaterloo.ca
7830
877-928-4473
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AWARE OF ANGELS, page 22
OCTOBER 2012
SERVING BUSINESS IN WATERLOO REGION AND GUELPH | VOLUME 30, NUMBER 1
On the cover: Charcoal Group
CONTENTS
COVER STORY
Unusual Recipe for Success
................................................14
PO Box 248, Waterloo ON N2J 4A4
Tel: 519-886-0298 • Fax: 519-886-6409
email: editor@exchangemagazine.com
BY PAUL KNOWLES
The Charcoal Group breaks the mould of
restaurant chain expansion
Editor in Chief
JON ROHR
jon.rohr@exchangemagazine.com
Editor
PAUL KNOWLES
paul.knowles@exchangemagazine.com
FEATURES
Feature Writers
PAUL KNOWLES, JON ROHR
Dating Service for Angels ....22
Contributors
JOHN T. DINNER, HARP ARORA,
DANIEL E. GIRARD
Gold Triangle Angelnet helps put money
where the opportunity is
Creative Director
SUZANNE KELLER
suzanne.keller@exchangemagazine.com
Making a Difference ............38
BY PAUL KNOWLES
BY PAUL KNOWLES
The Astonishing Impact of Local Rotarians
Photography
EXCHANGE, UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO, COM DEV
Advertising Sales
JOHN HOBIN
519-886-0298 x305
john.hobin@exchangemagazine.com
PLEASE RECYCLE,
GIVE TO A FRIEND
EXCHANGE magazine is a regional business publication published by Exchange
Business Communication Inc., CEO Jon Rohr. Eight issues per year are distributed to each company in Kitchener,Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, and area as
determined by Canada Post Business Postal Walks. Subscriptions are available for $85.43. Send cheque or money order to Exchange, PO Box 248,
Waterloo ON N2J 4A4. Attn: Circulation Department. Back issues are available for $12.00 per copy. Phone: (519) 886-0298 x 302
Fax: (519) 886-6409. ISSN 0824-457X Copyright, 2012. No part of this
magazine may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.
THE SCIENCE OF SOBER DRIVING, page 12
6 | www.exchangemagazine.com
MAJOR DONATION, page 34
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FROM THE EDITOR
UNUSUAL
PEOPLE
Profiling people who take a unique
approach to their enterprise
n this issue, we profile a number of business people who come
at
entrepreneurial
effort from an unusual
perspective.
First, the folks on
our cover – the leaders
of the home-grown
PAUL KNOWLES is editor of Charcoal
Group.
Exchange Magazine. He is
Frankly, I much admire
an author, public speaker
the way these men
and executive director of
have
broken
the
New Hamburg Live! email:
mould
of
successful
paul.knowles@
restaurant
chains,
exchangemagazine.com
going their own way
and following their own unique muse.
“Normal” restaurant chains have a signature pattern – they create a successful
restaurant, and then repeat the effort,
often to the smallest exacting detail,
from community to community. The
Charcoal Group does the opposite, going
out of their way to invent new and different dining experiences... and somehow,
finding success through this stereotypedefying approach. In our story, we find
out why, and how.
Then, the two men behind Golden Triangle Angelnet, a pair of entrepreneurial
altruists (and isn’t it a pleasure to discover those two words are not mutually
exclusive) who are working very hard, as
volunteers, to bolster the prosperity of
our community. GTAN has put more than
90 early stage companies together with
more than 100 potential investors; in 22
cases (all success stories, amazingly),
this “dating service” has resulted in
investment.
And also, the hard-headed business
types who are reaching out, through the
Rotary Clubs of our area, to help those in
the greatest need all around the globe.
They bring practical wisdom and lifelong experience to some of the toughest
challenges in our world. And they make
a difference, a life-changing difference,
time after time. These are soft-hearted
hard-heads, if ever I met any.
Great stories, each one; this is an
issue you will undoubtedly enjoy.
by PAUL KNOWLES
BRINGING K-W TALENT AND HEART TO THE WORLD, L-R Jim Beingessner, Bill Carter,
Peter Sweeney and Mark Walters of the Kitchener-Conestoga Rotary Club, page 38
DEPARTMENTS
From the Editor .......................... 7
PAUL KNOWLES
Unusual People
From the Publisher .................... 9
JON ROHR
Propensity for Prosperity
Business Monitor .................... 10
Com Dev’s Fine Guidance Sensor is Canada’s
Contribution to the James Webb Space Telescope; AA Rating Upgraded Based on Healthy
Local Economy and Manageable Debt; Home
Hardware a Most Valuable Brand; Deep
Space Comes to Waterloo; Noted Humanitarian to Lead Initiative at CIGI; ActivDox CEO
Dies Suddenly; Start-Up Driving Toward
Stopping Drunk Driving, Safely; XQuarterly;
XQuote; Sixty Years and Going Strong;
Rural-Urban Partners Protect Water Quality
60 YEARS OF SERVICE, page 13
Watercooler ................................42
COLUMNS
Good Governance.................... 28
JOHN T. DINNER
Any Good News Coming Out of Boardrooms?
Social Media ..............................30
HARP ARORA
Outsourcing Social Media
Wealth Management ..............32
DANIEL E. GIRARD
Sudden Wealth
LEADING HUMANITARIAN JOINS CIGI, page 11
I
X
OCTOBER 2012 | 7
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
PROPENSITY FOR
PROSPERITY
This issue marks a very exciting milestone for the team at
Exchange Magazine: we turn 30.
by JON ROHR
JON ROHR is publisher of
hirty years later, Exchange can claim it has reported
on one of the most amazing eras in business history.
During that time business has gone through one of
the longest economic advancements in economic history, survived two recessions, the latest, a record
breaker, and for the last decade, a transformation from
ink on paper to pixels on a screen. Throughout this
time, Exchange and the people that make it possible
have adapted, innovated and prospered.
As the first business social media enterprise forum
T
Exchange Magazine for
Business, editor of exchangemagazine online and
president of Exchange Busi- in the area, Exchange has nurtured an information
ness Communications Inc. sharing environment that is integral to the dynamic
email: jon.rohr@
community it serves.
exchangemagazine.com
There are many reasons for our continued success;
to strengthen the area’s propensity for prosperity. In
doing so Exchange has had to adapt and change. In
2008, we changed our masthead from Exchange Magazine for Business to a more complete Exchange Magazine for Entrepreneurs, Economic Developers, Enterprises and Educators. We did this to highlight our
areas collaborative business environment, and to recognize the many facets of the business world. What
we accomplished was not only raising the awareness
of the entrepreneurial mind set, but also to focus on
the elements that nurture it.
As we enter our thirtieth year Exchange will reflect
on the challenges of working local in a global economy. Topics such as the struggling financial markets,
governments that need to change with the times, policies that conflict with new directions, unions that
expect a perpetual gravy train, and the changing landscape that comes with digital media, and of course the
immediacy we are all feeling from a connected world.
We are prepared for the future publishing world. In
Exchange has nurtured an information sharing environment integral to the community.
first, it comes down to people, those we write about
and the great team that is dedicated to doing the best
they can do.
Launched after the recession of 1980-1982,
Exchange has developed a strong voice and editorial
work ethic.
During that time, Exchange has chronicled the wondrous impact leaders have made to advance their business and their market. If I was asked, what motivation
keeps this area as a leading economic engine? I would
say, it’s the communities ability to collaborate, innovate and adapt to a ever changing world.
Over the three decades Exchange has worked with
many liked minded organizations, groups who desire
8 | www.exchangemagazine.com
2007 we started a online daily business news service
called the Exchange Morning Post. It now has over
120,000 online readers and is available by a free subscription at exchangemagazine.com. This news service has added tremendous readership – locally and
around the world. And that’s all good. More and more
people are finding out what this area is all about, how
we continue to position our businesses as leaders in
their field with a continued drive to prosperity.
There is something in the water in Waterloo Region;
a willingness to tear down and rebuild, change and
invest, go through some hardship to make things better. As we continue to hear more and more about
communities suffering from complacency, we can
reflect on what builds successful ones. In a nutshell,
it’s the people, the entrepreneurs, enterprises, economic developers and educators whose success
begets our success, and this area has many of them.
X
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Charmed
Annual Corporate Christmas Party
2012
Festive Season
December 7 or 8
Rushes Restaurant offers individual companies a gala Christmas party
with a full Christmas dinner buffet, live piano stylings during dinner,
DJ music and dancing! Purchase individual tickets or tables of 8.
Private
Rushes Private Dining Room
November and December
The ultimate venue for festive fine dining. Reserve for your business,
office staff or family gatherings in Rushes Private Dining Room.
Seasonal, fresh menu choices are available for lunch and dinner events.
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Planning a Holiday Event?
November - December - January
Our party rooms add sparkle to the season and our menus are
magnificent! A variety of rooms to host from 20 to 500 can be
reserved just for you! Our sensational central location is so convenient.
Delighted
Celebration Ride Rate
December 9-January 7
Why chance the drive home after your event?
Treat yourself to an overnight guestroom and a ride home on our elevator!
Traditional
Christmas Day Dinner Buffet
Tuesday, December 25th
Our “Over-the-Top-Three-Roast-Buffet” dinner features roast turkey, roast beef and
roast ham plus all the traditional Christmas trimmings, potatoes and yams,
fresh fruits, our seafood and salad bars, desserts and more!
Classic
Rushes New Year’s Eve Dinner
Monday, December 31st
Bring your party to our party!
Our chef has created a fabulous 5-course gourmet dinner. Dancing to a DJ begins
at 9 p.m. and party favours ring in the New Year at midnight!
475 King Street North, Waterloo ON N2J 2Z5
www.waterlooinn.com
519.884.0220 1.800.361.4708
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BUSINESS MONITOR
COM DEV’S FINE GUIDANCE SENSOR IS CANADA’S CONTRIBUTION
TO THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE
OM DEV International Ltd. has completed work on the instrument it designed
C
and built for the James Webb Space Telescope, successor to the Hubble Space
Telescope.The two-in-one instrument, which is Canada’s contribution to the Webb
PHOTO: CSA, COMDEV
program, will serve to point the telescope precisely, allowing it to peer
into the distant universe, and study stars and planets in other stellar systems. The instrument has been accepted by COM DEV’s customer, the
Canadian Space Agency, and has been shipped to NASA for integration into the telescope.
“Our work on the James Webb Space Telescope has been one of the
largest and most complex programs in our company'’ history,” said
Michael Pley, CEO of COM DEV.“It has allowed us to develop and extend
our world-class capabilities in guidance sensors and opto-mechanical
design for a highly challenging environment. It is an example of the
highest standard of space engineering by our Canadian Division, done
in close collaboration with our customer, the Canadian Space Agency.”
The delivery of this instrument represents the culmination of nearly
nine years of work for a total contract value of $136 million. Over 90%
of that revenue has been generated since November, 2005 when COM
DEV paid approximately $5 million to acquire assets including the
space science and optical instruments operation that had contracted
to work on the Webb program.
Canada is providing Webb’s Fine Guidance Sensor, as well as one of
the telescope’s four science instruments: the Near-Infrared Imager and
Slitless Spectrograph.
The Fine Guidance Sensor consists of two redundant special cameras
that are critical to Webb’s ability to provide sharp images. The FGS will
allow the Webb telescope to determine its position on the sky, locate its
celestial targets and remain accurately pointed so that the telescope can collect
high-quality data. It will guide the telescope with incredible precision, with an accuracy of one millionth of a degree.
The NIRISS will have unique capabilities for finding the earliest and most distant
objects in the universe’s history. It will also peer through the glare of nearby young
stars to unveil new Jupiter-like “exoplanets”. It will have the capability of detecting the thin atmosphere of small, habitable, earth-like planets and determine its
AA Rating Upgraded Based on Healthy
Local Economy and Manageable Debt
& Poor’s Ratings Services has reaffirmed Guelph’s current “AA” credit
Standard
rating, and upgraded the city’s outlook from “stable” to “positive.”
“This Council has implemented several new financial policies,” says Mayor Karen
Farbridge. “Our improved credit rating shows they’re paying off.”
Guelph’s low unemployment rate was a key factor in the rating improvement,
along with the city’s diversified local economy. Standard & Poor’s also noted the
city’s continuing efforts to manage its debt by focusing on infrastructure renewal
and replacement, reducing debt-financed projects, and deferring growth-related
projects into future years.The city’s increasing liquid assets and reserves also influenced Standard & Poor’s outlook assessment.
“Guelph is growing and this research shows we’re financially prepared to manage that growth in a way that’s affordable and sustainable,” says Al Horsman,
Guelph’s Chief Financial Officer.
Home Hardware a
Most Valuable Brand
ome Hardware Stores Limited,
H
Canada’s largest independent,
dealer-owned hardware, lumber, building materials and furniture cooperative, has been ranked one of Canada’s
Most Valuable Brands. The ranking
was done by Brand Finance, the
world’s leading independent brand
valuation consultancy.
“Home Hardware is a deeply impressive Canadian brand, drawing on all
the best Canadian virtues and turning
them into a solid business model
which has the ability to extend through
its network of independent dealers
into every corner of the country,” said
David Haigh, CEO & Founder, Brand
Finance. “Home Hardware is a downto-earth brand, right for the harsh economic times, with great customer
service, value for money products and
a refreshing honesty that will help it
succeed in virtually any market across
Canada – large or small."
10 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m
An engineering test unit of the Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) about to undergo cryogenic testing at
the David Florida Lab in Canada.
chemical composition to seek water vapour, carbon dioxide and other potential
biomarkers such as methane and oxygen.
Slated for launch in 2018, the James Webb Space Telescope is a joint project
between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
The Webb telescope will examine the first stars and galaxies to form after the Big
Bang, study the formation of new stars, and seek extra-solar planetary systems
capable of supporting life on planets like Earth. Canada’s contribution, designed,
built and tested by COM DEV at its facilities in Cambridge, Ontario, and Ottawa,
guarantees Canadian astronomers a share of observing time once the telescope
launches.
“Imagine the challenge at hand here: design and deliver technology capable of
unprecedented levels of precision to conduct breakthrough science on board the
largest, most complex and most powerful telescope ever built,” said Steve
MacLean, President of the Canadian Space Agency. “The Webb telescope will be
located 1.5 million kilometres from Earth – too far to be serviced by astronauts
like Hubble was. At that distance, the technology simply has to work. This is the
outstanding level of excellence Canadians are capable of achieving. It’s something
for all of us to be proud of.”
Home Hardware was ranked #39 on
the Brand Finance list of Top 50 Canadian Brands and #3 among private
companies. Furthermore, the Canadian home improvement retailer was
ranked #6 of the Top 10 Retail Brands,
a result of its successful business
model, best-in-class program for independent hardware retailers and widereaching marketing and advertising
program.
“Home Hardware has always been focused on helping our independent
Dealer-Owners build relationships with
their customers,” said Paul Straus,
President and CEO, Home Hardware
Stores Limited. “That is why Home has
continued to invest strategically in programs that connect our brand and our
Dealers with Canadians. When customers enter our stores our brand experience is backed by a diverse
product offering, competitive prices
and personal service. We are very
proud to be recognized as one of
Canada’s most valuable brands.”
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BUSINESS MONITOR
Deep Space Comes to Waterloo
of scientists that includes a
Atute'steam
recent recruit to Perimeter Instifaculty has won a major cosmology prize. Kendrick Smith, who joined
Perimeter in September, is a member
of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy
Probe (WMAP) team. The team has
been announced as the winners of the
2012 Gruber Cosmology Prize.
WMAP's observations and analyses
of ancient cosmic light have provided
rigorous measurements of the age,
content, geometry, and primordial
structure of the universe that are without precedent. In honouring the WMAP
team and its lead scientist, Charles
Bennett, the prize citation noted that
their results helped transform cosmology itself from “appealing scenario
into precise science.”
Perimeter Director Neil Turok said,
“WMAP has had a transformative impact on the field of cosmology. It provided strong confirmation of our basic
picture of the universe and added un-
precedented precision. It is the benchmark for almost every other cosmological measurement and sets a very high
bar for future experiments.”
WMAP used a space-based detector
to measure the most ancient light in
the universe, called the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation.
According to the big bang theory, the
early universe was a hot, dense
plasma – a fog of both charged and
uncharged particles. That fog cooled
as it expanded, and when the universe
was only 378,000 years old, the fog
lifted: electrons were captured by protons and other atomic nuclei, forming
neutral hydrogen and other atoms.The
universe became transparent and light
was able to travel through it freely for
the first time. The cosmic microwave
background is the relic of that ancient
light a “snapshot” of the very early
universe.
The CMB radiation is a faint, nearly
uniform glow suffusing all of space
NOTED HUMANITARIAN
TO LEAD INITIATIVE AT CIGI
r. James Orbinski has been appointed Director of the Africa Initiative of The
D
Centre for International Governance Innovation. He also will be a senior adviser to CIGI’s vice president of programs.
Dr. Orbinski is a globally recognized humanitarian practitioner and advocate, as
well as a leading scholar in global health. Before the CIGI appointment, he was
professor at the University of
Toronto and a staff physician
at St. Michaels Hospital.
As International President
of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders, Dr. Orbinski accepted
the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the organization in
1999. He was honoured
with the Meritorious Service
Cross, Canada’s highest
civilian citation, for his service in Rwanda during the
1994 Civil War and genocide. Dr. Orbinski served with
MSF in Somalia, Zaire,
Afghanistan and Peru.
The Africa Initiative is a
Dr. James Orbinski
multi-year, donor-supported
program with three components: a research program, an exchange program and an online portal. Supported
through a partnership between CIGI and the South African Institute of International
Affairs, the Africa Initiative aims to contribute to the deepening of Africa’s capacity
and knowledge in five thematic areas: conflict resolution, energy, food security, health
and migration, with special attention to the crosscutting issue of climate change.
“These are vitally important policy issues for Africa and our Global Community,”
said Dr. Orbinski. “I am delighted to be joining both CIGI and the Africa Initiative.
We have a highly competent team focused on research and capacity building.This
is a wonderful opportunity to further engage and shape the world so that it is
more humane, fair and just.”
CIGI Vice President of Programs David Dewitt said, “CIGI’s Africa Initiative is an
important contribution to building research and analytic capacity about significant
issues of public policy in Africa. Bringing James Orbinski to CIGI as the Director of
our Africa Initiative and senior adviser on programs with a special focus on global
health and climate change will immeasurably strengthen our capacity and our vis-
but it is not quite uniform. The small
variations in it are due to small variations in the density of the early fog.
Denser regions eventually clumped together under gravity to become galaxies, galactic clusters, and even
superclusters.WMAP’s detailed measurements of the CMB have shown the
following, among other things, about
our universe:
• It is within one percent of 13.75 billion years old.
• It consists of 22.7 percent dark matter, 72.8 percent dark energy, and
just 4.6 percent ordinary matter.
• It has a flat geometry, to within 0.6
percent.
So precise are these findings that
WMAP’s version of the universe is now
commonly known as the Standard
Cosmological Model. The WMAP science team stopped gathering data in
August 2010 and its final data analysis will be released in late 2012.
ibility in these crucial areas of governance research and knowledge mobilization.
We are thrilled that James will be joining the CIGI community and be a faculty colleague at our partner institution, the Balsillie School of International Affairs.”
At CIGI, Dr. Orbinski will provide academic and research direction, and assist in
developing a long-term strategic plan for the Africa Initiative, with responsibility
for staff and over-all management of the program.
From 2001 to 2004, Dr. Orbinski co-chaired Médecins Sans Frontières's Neglected Diseases Working Group, which created and launched the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi). The DNDi is a global not-for-profit research
consortia focused on developing treatments for tropical diseases. The DNDi has
since developed and released six drug treatments that are now available to millions of people.
In 2004, Dr. Orbinski co-founded of Dignitas International, a hybrid academic
non-governmental organization that provides frontline medical care, strengthens
health systems, and engages research that shapes health policy and practice at
regional and international levels. Over 2012-13, it is expanding research and
scaling services for a population of three million in Malawi.
The world’s leading medical journal,The Lancet, recognized one of Dr. Orbinski’s
co-authored papers on HIV/AIDS treatment adherence, as among the 20 most
significant medical research papers in the world for 2006. Another of his co-authored papers, appearing in The Lancet in 2002 and analyzing the lack of research for neglected diseases, is recognized as one of the most important
scholarly articles that shaped scholarship in the field of global health in the post
Second World War years.
Simultaneously, Dr. Orbinski has been appointed by Wilfrid Laurier University to
the position of CIGI Chair in Global Health and will be affiliated with the university’s School of International Policy and Governance. CIGI Research Chairs hold
academic appointments at either the University of Waterloo or Wilfrid Laurier University, and are also members of the interdisciplinary Balsillie School of International Affairs.
Dr. Orbinski received his undergraduate degree from Trent University and his M.D.
degree from McMaster University in 1990. He completed an M.A. in international
relations at the University of Toronto in 1998. His award-winning and internationally acclaimed documentary film on medical humanitarianism, Triage, won the
2008 Amnesty International Gold Medal Award. Released internationally in
2008, Orbinskis bestselling book, An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarianism in the
Twenty-First Century, won the 2009 Writers Trust Shaunessy-Cohen Prize for best
political writing in Canada.
ActivDox CEO Dies Suddenly
avid Thomson, founder and CEO
D
of ActivDox, passed away suddenly in early August. He suffered a
heart attack while walking his dog,
Aug. 8. He was 58.
Thomson, who studied at the University of Waterloo, lived in Kansas,
although ActivDox is based in Ontario. Thomson and his company
were featured in the most recent
edition of Exchange, which had
gone to press and was in distribution at the time his death was announced.
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2 | 11
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BUSINESS MONITOR
PART FOUR OFA FIVE-PART SERIES ON START-UPSTHAT HAVE CHOSENWATERLOO REGIONASTHEIR LAUNCHING PAD
PHOTO: JON ROHR
START-UP DRIVING TOWARD STOPPING DRUNK DRIVING, SAFELY
Catherine Carol
car will know if you’ve had too much.” Really? It sounds like the perfect an“thatThetidote
to drunk driving, and Catherine Carol, COO of Sober Steering, believes
to be precisely the case. She explains further: “Sober Steering is developing
a trans-dermal sensor system that is embedded in the steering wheel vehicle to
prevent drunk driving. It can detect the presence of alcohol in a driver’s system
through the gases that are exuded from the skin. So, it’s the natural interaction
between a person’s hands and the steering wheel.The car will know if you’ve had
too much.”
XQuarterly – www. xquarterly.ca
• Economic conditions are right for
Canada’s existing professional
sports clubs to prosper and for new
Canadian-based franchises to succeed over the next 25 years, according to The Conference Board of
Canada. The Canadian professional
sports scene in 2035 could include:
up to 3 more National Hockey
League teams, raising the number
to 10; a revived Major League Baseball team in Montreal; a second
chance for a National Basketball Association franchise in Vancouver; 3
more Major League Soccer clubs in
Canada, making 6 in all; and up to
7 viable new markets for franchises
in the Canadian Football League.
• Housing market activity is projected
to soften in the near-term, but the
good news is any adjustment will
not be aggravated by negative demographic forces. In fact, at least for
the next decade, demographic
forces will be strong enough to mitigate the damage and probably
shorten the duration of the upcoming market adjustment says a new
report from CIBC World Market Inc.
The number of Canadians between
the ages of 25 and 34, who make
up the vast majority of first-time
buyers, will continue to grow.
• Confidence in the state of the world
economy is at its lowest ebb since
the World Economic Forum started
Not only that, but the car will still allow you to run the car to have heat and electricity, to listen to the radio or even charge your cell phone. You just won’t be allowed to drive. Carol says, “If you’re above a certain legal limit, it’ll immobilize a
transmission. So, you can still turn the car on, the engine will run, you’ll have heat
and electricity and a radio... you just can’t move the car.”
Sober Steering was founded by a Canadian based in Florida; the founder remains the chief investor in the company. Carol met him in Florida – her original
home – and signed on with the project. “And I’ve been working with him in the
company ever since.”
However, Sober Steering is now based in Kitchener-Waterloo, drawn here by the
start-up services offered by the Accelerator Centre, and by the expertise in key
fields available at the University of Waterloo.
Carol told Exchange, “Our technology involves very advanced answers. There
aren’t a lot of places worldwide that have people capable of working with these
sensors.The University of Waterloo is one of them. So, without a question, the university is what drew us.... several different departments, from mathematics to engineering to the chemistry department as well. And when we looked at the
community around the university and saw the environment for a startup here,
particularly the Accelerator Centre, it was pretty much no-brainer.”
Funding was also a factor. Says the Sober Steering COO, “We have both funding from angel investors as well as from the Canadian government. So we have
been very fortunate to work with the Canadian government in a number of different programs to help fund our development. And because of that, we wanted to
base our R&D out of Southern Ontario. So, we started looking in this region. But
I mean, honestly, if there wasn’t any expertise here, we couldn’t have done it here
in the first place.”
Sober Steering is still in start-up mode, with three employees – Carol, the Chief
Technology Officer, and a project leader.
Carol describes their status: “We are currently at the project stage,” and may be
until early 2013.
Carol is very impressed with the Accelerator Centre, and she brings international
experience with such enterprises to her assessment. She told Exchange, “It’s remarkable to me how well everyone works together and how much of an effort
they make at pulling you into the community and making you part of the community. I’ve worked in incubators prior to Accelerator Centre. And that side of
community, in collaboration, was not part of the environment.”
its Global Confidence Index five
quarters ago. The relative optimism
of the previous quarter evaporated
against a backdrop of slowing
growth in the US and China as well
as a lingering eurozone crisis, with
72% of respondents reporting that
they were not confident about the
state of the global economy over the
next 12 months, up from 37%.
• At the beginning of 2011, there were
3.14 million members of public sector pension plans – an increase of
26.6% since 2001 – while private
sector pension levels remained flat.
Canadian Federation of Independent Business research shows that
public sector plans are underfunded
by more than $300 billion, despite
$10,000 per year being put aside
for the average public servant in employer and employee premiums.
• Almost half of today’s Canadian 5059 year olds have less than
$100,000 saved for retirement;
many plan to use employment income in retirement to make up for
lost savings. A new CIBC poll of
Canadians in the heart of the baby
boom (aged 50-59) shows that
while retirement is just around the
corner for many, they have come up
short on their savings goals and plan
to supplement their income by working in retirement.
• On average, Canadians in their 50s
plan to retire at age 63, but 53% say
they’ll work in retirement, with most
planning to work part-time.
• 61% say they have fallen short of the
savings they expected to have.
• 45% say they have less than
$100,000 put away to fund their retirement.
XQuote
“The escalating costs of government pension plans are seriously eroding the
ability to deliver fundamental public services. The implications are starting to be
felt. For example, the City of Montreal’s pension plan now eats up 13 per cent of
its operating budget – even more than the amount devoted to public transit."
– Dan Kelly, President Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses.
9/4/12
10:46 AM
Page 13
BUSINESS MONITOR
SIXTY YEARS AND GOING STRONG
here are not a lot of people around who can remember a time when a Murray’s
T& Footwear
store was not in the heart of New Hamburg. That’s because Murray’s Clothing
is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year – and because an earlier
PHOTO: JON ROHR
generation of the Murray
family operated a restaurant right next door to the
present Peel Street property for almost a decade
before that!
Today, Mark Murray,
owner and operator of
Murray’s Clothing &
Footwear is the third generation of Murrays to run
the family business.
Mark's wife Kimberley is
also integral to its success, working in the office
during the week and
Mark's daughter, Katie
also works in the store.
Murray’s was founded in
1952, by Mark’s grandparents, Bill and Dora. They
opened a department
store – a popular concept
at the time – which sold
both groceries and clothing. The family tradition
was established when Bill
and Dora’s sons, Bob and
Jim, worked for their parents, and then took over
management of the business when Bill passed
away, in 1969.
Bob concentrated on the
grocery department, while
Jim – Mark’s father – ran
Mark Murray, owner and operator of Murray’s Clothing &
the clothing and footwear
Footwear is the third generation of Murrays to run the family
business.
business. Mark began
working at Murray’s in 1980, and at times, today, cannot believe he is already a
32-year veteran of the trade.
In 1992, the two departments separated, and in 1994 the grocery division
moved to a then-new downtown plaza, under the IGA brand.That IGA store is now
Rural-Urban Partners Protect
Water Quality
onservation leaders, scientists,
C
farm leaders, fertilizer industry representatives, and provincial officials
gathered to launch a unique ruralurban partnership that will protect
water quality in the Grand River Watershed and support the sustainable intensification of agriculture in the
region. Funded by the Canadian Fertilizer Institute and the Ontario Centres
of Excellence Social Innovation Program, the project will create a unique
network or “cluster” to facilitate sharing of Beneficial Management Practice
guidelines associated with the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program.
ClimateCHECK will lead this partnership by deploying its Agri-INNOVATIONS
solution that combines ClimateCHECK’s expertise in agriculture and
sustainability with its online Collabo-
rase tools to enable stakeholder collaboration and knowledge transfer.
“Agri-INNOVATIONS will provide farmers and other stakeholders online access to pertinent information and
expert networks. Farmers will benefit
from greater participation in innovative
strategies for implementing BMPs,
such as 4R Nutrient Stewardship,
which are designed to support farmers
and other stakeholders to increase
market access and sustainable growth
in the agriculture sector,” said Tom Baumann, CEO of ClimateCHECK. “It is essential to enable farmers to effectively
engage in knowledge transfer and to
rapidly scale results and share them
with all stakeholders.”
Water quality is a vital issue for the
39 municipalities and 1 million residents living in the Grand River Water-
a Sobey’s franchise, owned by Bill and Jill Fleming.
Murray's Clothing & Footwear remained in the original building on Peel Street,
but received extensive renovations at the same time the grocery store moved to
the plaza. The Murrays understood their place in the heritage of the town – their
building pre-dates the Murray’s business by a century – and history was honoured in the renovations., Today, you can see tin ceilings that were uncovered in
the project, historic hardwood floors, and a front facade restored to its earlier
glory. The building at 95 Peel Street received a much-deserved Award of Excellence from the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation.
But it is not the historic building, or even commitment to family tradition, that
keeps Mark coming to work every day. “It’s the people,” he says. Murray’s has a
large and loyal customer base, both from the local community, and from far afield.
Clients come on a regular basis from communities in the Niagara Peninsula and
the Greater Toronto Area.
They come for the quality, Mark says, and they come for the service they receive
at Murray’s, which is known for men's wear, ladies' wear, footwear and luggage.
Mark says he also enjoys “the challenge of maintaining and growing the business,” a unique challenge for a small-town independent, but a challenge that
Murray’s has met for six decades.
Mark is not only loyal to his family business, he is also a big fan of his hometown. His volunteer activities include installing the Christmas lights and the flower
basket – depending on season! – in the retail district. He’s a member of the Board
of Trade, of which his Dad, Jim, is a past-president. He served on the volunteer fire
department for 28 years, including 13 years as District Fire Chief. He left that position only after being elected as a Township of Wilmot Councillor, a position he
holds today.
shed.This region of Ontario also represents some of the province’s most viable and productive farmland. Land
use and water quality concerns are a
shared priority across the Province of
Ontario and the global community.
The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program
will support the adoption of Beneficial
Management Practices on farms. The
4R concept guides farmers in using
the Right fertilizer source; at the Right
rate; at the Right time; and in the Right
place.
“There are many advantages for farmers to adopt the 4Rs into their cropping systems,” said Norman Beug,
Chair of the Canadian Fertilizer Institute, the lead Industry Partner for this
project. “The 4Rs offer a framework to
farmers as they implement BMPs to
optimize fertilizer efficiency, which minimizes nutrient loss and leakage into
the air and water. The 4R approach
maximizes farmer returns for every
tonne of fertilizer used and allows
farmers to quantify their practices to
receive credits for ecological goods
and services.”
“I’m excited about the 4R Nutrient
Stewardship Program we are launching today and look forward to building
an even closer relationship with all of
the partners as we work toward our
common goal of protecting our precious resources for generations to
come,” said Jane Mitchell, Chair of the
Grand River Conservation Authority.
Recent research conducted at institutions such as the Water Institute at
the University of Waterloo have provided new insights into land use and
water quality. “Long-standing agricultural practices are difficult to change.
Improved collaboration techniques
should encourage greater uptake of
BMPs that, over time, enhance crop production, save farmers money and minimize water quality impacts,” said Dr.
David Rudolph at the Water Institute.
Ontario Federation of Agriculture Vice
President Keith Currie added,“the OFA
is pleased to participate in this program as it complements the work
farmers have initiated through the Environmental Farm Plan.The 4R fertilization recommendations integrated with
other BMPs will build on the successes
of prior work.”
“The Region of Waterloo has a long
history of working with farmers in Waterloo Region to improve water quality,”
stated Ken Seiling, Regional Chair of
the Regional Municipality of Waterloo.
“This project will not only benefit the
agricultural community by offering a
collaborative framework to establish
best sustainability practices, but also
benefits the residents in the surrounding municipalities serviced by the watershed through decreased ground and
surface water contamination and improved drinking water quality,” said
Tania Massa, Director of Programs, Ontario Centres of Excellence, a key funder of the project. “The 4R Nutrient
Stewardship in the Grand River Watershed will serve as a pilot project that
will inform future programs of this nature across the province.”
In addition to the Canadian Fertilizer
Institute and the Ontario Centres of Excellence, this project is supported by
several partner organizations including,
the Ontario Federation of Agriculture,
the Grand River Conservation Authority, the University of Waterloo Water Institute, and the Region of Waterloo.
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2 | 13
8/31/12
11:26 AM
Page 14
They aren’t interested in opening identical
restaurants in cities, nation-wide; they prefer unique
establishments as close to home as possible.
It’s unusual but it is undoubtedly effective.
John Zizzo, Jody Palubiski, Tim Wideman and Tom Wideman
of the Charcoal Group
8/31/12
11:26 AM
Page 15
COVER STORY
UNUSUAL
RECIPE FOR
SUCCESS
BY PAUL KNOWLES
The Charcoal Group breaks the mould
of restaurant chain expansion
here’s just nothing typical about The Charcoal Group. Successful,
yes. Enduring, certainly. Innovative, sure. But not typical.
The “typical” methodology of a successful chain of restaurants is
replication – find a successful formula, and then roll it out in cookiecutter models as far and fast as the business allows.
Well, the Charcoal Group is undeniably a chain of restaurants –
the business cards of the four principals are a bi-fold, to allow all
the logos to run across the double-sized cards. But the closest they
come to a typical chain would be the three Moose Winooski’s, or (as
of this month), two Beertown Public Houses.
In addition to that, the Charcoal Group owns and operates the
eponymous and venerable Charcoal Steak House, delDente, Martini’s (all on various levels of the same Kitchener facility), Wildcraft
Grill & Bar, The Bauer Kitchen (in Waterloo), The Bauer Bakery &
Café, and the nicely self-described Wildcraft Wherever Catered
Events.
The three Moose Winooski’s are located in Kitchener, Barrie and
Brantford; the new Beertown Public Houses are in Cambridge and,
opening October 2012, Waterloo.
T
PHOTO: JON ROHR
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2 | 15
8/31/12
11:26 AM
Page 16
COVER STORY
Once upon a time
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The Charcoal Group comes from humble family beginnings – and the family
still has a major stake in the business.
Del and Ortha Wideman founded the
Charcoal Steakhouse in 1954, in a location above the legendary Hiway Market,
and ran it as their only restaurant venture for almost 30 years. If the Charcoal
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The Widemans moved to the present
King Street East location in 1976, and
opened a second brand in the new building, a decision the Widemans’ son, Tom,
terms “a leap of faith.”. The Library
Lounge was a popular watering hole, and
exists today, re-branded (and completely
re-fitted, more than once) as Martini’s
since 1993.
“The Lower Deck”, rebranded in 1994
as delDente, was launched in 1983.
Measures of success
Today, there are four partners in The
Charcoal Group: brothers Tom and Tim
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Beertown, is “not just another
road house, pub or sports bar...
it’s a very unique space.”
Palubiski says, “we saw it as a
new and emerging opportunity.”
Wideman, John Zizzo, and Jody Palubiski.
Exchange interviewed Tom Wideman,
Zizzo and Palubiski.
A quick review of the numbers
demonstrates the success of the business: Marketing Director Cindy Perri told
Exchange that the Charcoal Group currently employs 650 people; Beertown
Waterloo will add another 120 to that
total. The sundry outlets serve between
20,000 and 25,000 guests per week.
On any scale, those are measurements
of undeniable success.
The partners say that the subsequent
growth of the company has taken place
because the group has identified needs,
and developed creative ways to meet
those needs.
One of the first second-generation
developments was the first Moose
Winooski’s, quite unlike anything previously part of the Charcoal brand, but created to meet a need for family dining.
Zizzo says the niche was identified, and
“we developed” the brand to meet it.
A similar process resulted in the very
dissimilar Wildcraft, a hip and upscale
meeting place.Palubiski says, “we started
talking about the possibility of doing
Wildcraft in 2003. Waterloo presented a
chance to do something different, to
bring something new to the community.”
Therein lies the unusual nature of this
culinary partnership: they aren’t interested in opening identical restaurants in
cities, nation-wide; they prefer unique
establishments as close to home as possible. It’s unusual but it is undoubtedly
effective.
Download previous issue at:
www. ex c hange magaz ine .c om
Tim, left and Tom Wideman are second
generation Charcoal Group owners.
8/31/12
11:26 AM
Page 17
The Charcoal Group’s first Beertown is
open in Cambridge, with a second
opdning in Waterloo.
Palubiski suggests that one key to their
success is the development of talent from
within the Charcoal Group’s ranks. With
almost 800 staffers, as of this month, the
potential for finding “the talent within” is
quite large.
Local focus
Tom Wideman sees their local focus
as another strength. “There is leverage
in being in the community,” he told
Exchange. Palubiski points out that living and working in their home community provides plenty of opportunity for
spotting potential. “We’re all part of this
community.”
He says the Bauer Kitchen is a key
example – the partners “fell in love” with
the idea of developing the restaurant in
the heritage building. “You don’t come
across these opportunities very often.”
Being home town fans doesn’t mean
the Charcoal partners are oblivious to the
rest of the world. They are often on the
move, checking out the latest developments in the business across the conti-
nent and around the world, bringing
home ideas from their favourite haunts,
like Chicago, Napa Valley, and New York
(the strongest inspiration for the Bauer
Kitchen, by the way).
Palubiski delivers another kick to the
traditional chain approach to expansion:
their stated goal in developing The Bauer
Kitchen, he says, was “to do something
different from the experience at Wildcraft.”
Serious business
The Charcoal partners enjoy the hospitable nature of their business; all four
partners, and their key organizational
leaders, are on the floor of one or more of
their restaurants every day. They enjoy
the creations coming out of their very
diverse kitchens – the interview was conducted while the partners dined on culinary treats from the Charcoal kitchen –
but at the same time, they are very pragmatic in their approach to doing business.
Tom Wideman says the secret to their
success is “being persistently attentive to
detail... tenacity in execution.”
"ACKmOW 0REVENTION 3PECIALISTS
Zizzo suggests the partners and their
team are driven by “fear of failure”, an
unusual assessment given the company’s
unblemished record of success – but perhaps also the precise explanation of that
The Charcoal Group
currently employs 650 people;
Beertown Waterloo will add
another 120 to that total...
serving between 20,000 and
25,000 guests per week.
success. Tom Wideman says, “We’re constantly reflecting, every day, on how we
performed the day before.”
Palubiski adds, “we take everything
that happens in the restaurants – good or
bad – very personally. We try to take
every step we possibly can” to make
every diners’ experience a great one. “It’s
in our DNA,” he says.
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8/31/12
11:26 AM
Page 19
COVER STORY
every new restaurant,
we go through every
detail of the dining
experience,” before
anyone actually dines
there.
Wideman agrees.
“It’s in our culture.
We’re very picky about
hiring people whose
values match up with
ours.”
Variety is their spice
The partners agree
that they take an
unusual approach to
expanding their business. Palubiski suggests that every decision involves “a great
dialogue, back and
forth.” He says they
are always on the alert
for “opportunities in
the marketplace,” as
they did with Wildcraft. “We saw an
opportunity... a place
to go and enjoy a
cocktail, something we
Charcoal partners John Zizzo and Jody Palubiski
saw as missing in
Waterloo.”
Building outside the
Zizzo says, “We genuinely listen to our
box – trying something new – is “the
guests...” and Palubiski finishes his senopposite of the chains, which are very
tence: “and our team members.”
rigid,” suggests Tom Wideman.
He adds, too, that the kind of attention
Cindy Perri credits the four partners
to detail referred to by Tom Wideman is a
with inspirational, hands-on involvement
central part of their planning process
in all of the Charcoal projects: “There is a
when they do a new restaurant. “With
lot of personal involvement,” she says.
But Palubiski is quick to deflect some of
the credit, noting that “chefs and managers are a huge part of that,” and Zizzo
chimes in with more praise for the Charcoal staff.
Just because the Group is opening
brand-new ventures like Beertown doesn’t mean they take their existing brands
for granted. Palubiski points to “continual
evolution” in the style and decor of their
restaurants, noting that recent years have
Tom Wideman says the
secret to their success is “being
persistently attentive to detail...
tenacity in execution.”
seen major renovations to Martini’s,
delDente, and “the Charcoal in the
upcoming year,” a completion of an
ongoing, three-year project.
In fact, as they reflect on the work that
has been done, Tom Wideman concludes
that there has been ongoing construction
at the Charcoal locale “for the past seven
years.”
And the Charcoal is not alone. It may
seem like Wildcraft is brand new, but the
restaurant has been opened for six years,
and if it is to remain trendy, it needs a
facelift, say the partners. The Brantford
Moose Winooski’s is also getting a makeover this year.
“A unique space”
Not surprisingly, the partners are quick
to point out that their newest brand,
Beertown, is “not just another road
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2 | 19
8/31/12
11:27 AM
Page 20
COVER STORY
house, pub or sports bar... it’s a very
unique space.” Palubiski says, “we saw it
as a new and emerging opportunity,”
based in “the beer renaissance that’s happening”.
“We don’t have a head
office. We’re in our restaurants,
every single day. We take care
of our guests and our team
members.”
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Their first Beertown is open in Cambridge, and typically, Palubiski says
“we’re thrilled... but not content.” That
pretty much sums up the Charcoal attitude to perfection – unattainable but
always to be sought.
And Beertown is not the final chapter
in the Charcoal Group story. Palubiski
says, “we are looking at other opportunities. We’re putting two offers on locations
outside the city,” but within an hour of
their home base. Tom Wideman notes,
“as we grow, we’re not going to start
opening them three hours away.”
Not all potential growth involves new
locations or brands. Palubiski is proud
that the Bauer Bakery is a distinct success, now making the bread for all the
Charcoal restaurants, and about to move
into the wholesale business. The cleverly
named catering business is also growing.
The partners – they all share The Charcoal Group, although the percentage of
ownership may vary from restaurant to
restaurant – understand that decades of
success can evaporate very quickly. Palubiski says that margins are small in the
restaurant trade, while the “margin for
error” is very narrow.
Zizzo points to the significant investment demanded of today’s restaurateurs.
“It’s not a little player’s game any more.
You do have to run it like a big business.”
The Charcoal Group is a big business –
but one run like a family firm, with a genuine emphasis on local community. They
use local suppliers whenever possible,
from farm gate produce to small enterprises such as the Arva Mill, Norwich
Parkers, Conestoga Packers, and Flanagan Foodservice.
And it’s a big business without corporate headquarters. Says Palubiski, “we
don’t have a head office. We’re in our
restaurants, every single day. We take care
of our guests and our team members.”
X
8/31/12
11:27 AM
Page 21
JJoin
oin us in rrecognizing
ecognizing the entrepreneurs,
entrepreneu
urs, businesses,
businesses, ment
mentors
ors and
community
exciting
comm
unity leaders who have
have dared
dared tto
o dream!
dream! Our e
xciting awards
awards
d night
acknowledges
ac
knowle
edges
g those who inspire
inspir
p e others
othe
ers with their creativity
creativity
y and
trail
passion while
w
blazing a tr
ail for
for future
future community
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unity leaders.
leaders.
Busine
Business
ess Spirit
Spirrit A
Awards
warrdss
November
No
vem
ember
mber 1,, 2012
Reserve
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ollow the
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conversation on Twitter
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#bsa
a2012.
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8/31/12
11:27 AM
Page 22
“Angel networks are all about
relationships,” he says, and
Carl Furtado values human
relationships above almost
anything else.
Carl Furtado, left and Rob Douglas lead Gold Triangle Angelnet
8/31/12
11:27 AM
Page 23
MOVER & SHAKERS
A DATING
SERVICE FOR
ANGELS
BY PAUL KNOWLES
Gold Triangle Angelnet helps put money where the
opportunity is
o how do you become an angel, anyway?
S
While that may sound like a question posed by a child at bed-time, it is a very real issue for two
sober-minded, veteran businessmen and community activists in Waterloo Region – Robert L. Douglas, and Carl Furtado.
Rob Douglas and Carl Furtado are not immediately concerned with the heavenly version of
angels, however. They are, on the other hand, very interested in the more economically-oriented
version of such beings, and they spend an inordinate amount of their time and effort – voluntarily
– bringing angels together with people in need of angelic help.
Douglas and Furtado are the founders of Gold Triangle Angelnet, a Cambridge-based not for
profit network that exists for the sole purpose of arranging marriages between investors and worthy start-up companies.
Here’s Douglas’ definition: “An angel is a high net worth individual who invests privately in
early stage companies.”
In an unusual twist, Douglas and Furtado have acted as angels, themselves, through their private company, Roseview Capital Consultants. However, as President and Vice President, respectively, of Golden Triangle Angelnet, they are arms-length with any prospective start-ups, serving
only as facilitators between potential investors and early stage companies.
Douglas receives an honorarium only for his work in what is essentially a full-time job; Furtado’s contribution is entirely as a volunteer. They believe a healthy local “eco-system” – which in
their vocabulary means “economic system” – is dependent on healthy companies, which in their
initial stages need nurturing and investment. They genuinely understand their role to be that of
community builders, with an entrepreneurial focus.
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2 | 23
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MOVER & SHAKERS
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Douglas might be describing himself
when he offers this explanation of how
angels develop. “It’s something that
evolves over a life time,” he says. “These
usually are people who are involved in
business and are successful and achieve
various levels of excellences, including
financial success. They have an interest
in re-investing in companies; they also
like to give back to the community.
They’re interested in creating prosperity –
it’s all part of an ‘eco-system’.”
Furtado talks enthusiastically about
two of his personal interests that come
together perfectly in the Angelnet
endeavour. He has owned and operated a
financial business for 34 years, and is still
actively involved. But he has also been a
very devoted member of the Kiwanis Club
– which Douglas is also involved in – for
30 years. That mix of Furtado’s love for
business and commitment to community
service have propelled him into the GTAN
project.
“Angels typically want to be
in and out in a three to five
year period.”
“Angel networks are all about relationships,” he says, and Furtado values
human relationships above almost anything else.
Douglas also brings a mix of interests
to his current role. “I’m a Chartered
Accountant by profession who’s had a
fascination with entrepreneurial interests
for as long as I can remember,” he says.
He first invested in a business in 1978,
and “I have been self-employed in a variety of businesses since that time.”
He first became an angel investor in
1998; today, he says, “I devote all my
attention to the angel investor community and more specifically the Golden Triangle Angelnet.”
GTAN is an innovator in its own right,
sponsoring meetings where three carefully chosen start-ups pitch to a group of
potential investors, and also hosting the
successful LaunchPad 50K, a showcase
for start-ups that resulted in investments
made in a number of companies.
Douglas sums it their role as facilitators, but not investors, simply: “We are a
dating agency, but we don’t go out on
dates.”
He adds, “we’re trying to build the ecosystem.”
8/31/12
11:28 AM
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MOVER & SHAKERS
Furtado wears his heart on his sleeve,
when it comes to causes which he
believes in. For example, he describes his
role with GTAN as “a labour of love.” And
Douglas is right behind him: “You could
describe it that way for both of us. Carl is
very generous with his time without compensation,” and he describes his own
North Wellington, and Stratford and environs.
GTAN was founded in late, 2009. From
the beginning, the method has been to
hold monthly meetings (ten months of
the year) where they “showcase three
early stage, high growth opportunities to
an audience of angel investors.” Those
Douglas says, “Carl and I both have a common belief in altruistic
service, for benefits we have received from our community and our
economy. This is an opportunity to give something back.”
remuneration as “more like expense
reimbursement.”
So why do they have such a high level
of commitment to GTAN, when they are
neither paid staff, nor one of the young
companies benefiting from their “dating
service”, nor one of the investors whose
faith in a start-up may indeed be repaid
handsomely?
Douglas says, “Carl and I both have a
common belief in altruistic service, for
benefits we have received from our community and our economy. This is an
opportunity to give something back.” He
mentions the word, “legacy.”
He also admits that he likes it: “This is
a place where I have a high comfort level
in performing and being active. Economically, my community will gain, remain
sustainable, be a prosperous place.”
Furtado is a passionate community activist.
And both Furtado and Douglas are
quick to explain that their community
includes an area larger than their home
town of Cambridge. GTAN serves Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph and
companies are well vetted by a ten-person volunteer committee before they ever
get the opportunity for this pitch.
The idea is a winner. In the first sessions, GTAN attracted about 15 potential
investors; today, between 50 and 60 show
up.
Angel investors pay a membership fee
to GTAN – $500 – and would-be investors
are eager to do so, as the membership
has grown from 30 to 120 since 2009.
In three years, GTAN has showcased
slightly more than 90 early stage companies; angel investors have opted to invest
in 22 of them; “our angel investors have
invested over $13 million in early stage
companies.”
The provincial and federal governments are strong supporters of efforts like
GTAN, through agencies like the FedDev
Ontario program, which
contributes $1 for every
$2 invested by angel
investors. FedDev is
headed
by
Gary
Goodyear, federal Minister of State for the
Federal
Economic
Development Agency
for Southern Ontario
(and not coincidentally,
MP for CambridgeNorth Dumfries). Matching government funds
have added about $10
million to the angel
investment sum, bringing the total impact on
the start-ups to “in
excess of $20 million in
three years.”
Furtado says that the
FedDev program “really changed the
game for us and for our community. We
were early adopters of the program, the
first agency in.”
Douglas is proud to note, at this point,
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charcoalgroup.ca
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MOVER & SHAKERS
that all 22 companies that have received
investments are flourishing today. One
star example is Miovision; another upand-comer is Top Hat Monocle, which
Rob Douglas: an entrepreneur in accountant’s clothing.
has more recently received venture capital investment of $8 million.
It was the lack of available venture
capital that initially inspired governments
to get involved in investment programs
for early stage companies. Douglas paints
a stark economic picture: “In the late 90s,
venture capitalists were coming by the
busload out of Toronto. In 2000, the VCs
all went away.”
In 2007, the government of Ontario’s
Ministry of Economic Development and
Furtado and Douglas are quick to
share credit with the late David Borges, a
key GTAN volunteer and friend who
passed away at the age of 42.
The GTAN founders
see themselves as one
element in a complex
economic system in the
region. They maintain
close ties with institutions such as the Accelerator Centre, Innovation Guelph, and the
Communitech
Hub,
places that identify and
nurture young entrepreneurs and early stage
companies – the very
entities that need the
GTAN “dating service.”
GTAN receives a significant number of
queries from start-ups
seeking investors. Each
month, those are whittled down to six, which
are checked out by GTAN’s volunteer
experts. Three are chosen to meet with
potential investors.
There are no restrictions as to the type
of company that may be approved for the
monthly sessions. “We’ll give anybody an
opportunity,” says Douglas, and the two
men check off a list of categories they
have seen – health care, pharmaceutical,
cinema, manufacturing. But they also
admit that high tech seems often to hold
the most allure for angel investors. “The
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Rob Douglas sums it their role as facilitators, but not investors,
simply: “We are a dating agency, but we don’t go out on dates.”
Innovation launched the Angel Network
Program “to create a dozen or so angel
networks across the province who could
service their local communities and collaborate or cooperate on investment
opportunities,” says Douglas. “Angel networks filled the [VC] gap.”
GTAN’s founders are clearly non-partisan, praising the foresight of both the
federal Conservative government and the
provincial Liberal government.
With the impetus from both levels, and
the commitment of Douglas, Furtado,
their volunteer board and their volunteer
experts who preview potential start-ups,
it may not be surprising that GTAN is
“one of the most successful – if not the
most successful” of angel networks in the
province.
appetite we observe in our membership
is more IT than anything else,” probably
because historically, IT companies have
shown rapid growth and therefore faster
ROI. Says Douglas, “angels typically want
to be in and out in a three to five year
period.”
That may be a good goal for investors,
but it must be said that both the investors
and the start-up companies that have
benefitted – and will continue to benefit –
from the Golden Triangle Angelnet
should be deeply grateful that Rob Douglas and Carol Furtado have no such time
limit on their service. In fact, they admit
they don’t have a succession plan –
they’re going to keep doing what they do,
for the good of their community and its
economic health.
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charcoalgroup.ca
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GOOD GOVERNANCE
ANY GOOD NEWS COMING
OUT OF BOARDROOMS?
Boards rarely make headlines for adding value
by JOHN T. DINNER
JOHN DINNER is president of
John T. Dinner Board Governance Services
(www.boardgovernance.ca).
He can be reached at
john@boardgovernance.ca.
was asked recently to identify situations where
boards of directors were credited with making a positive contribution to organizational success. While
there are many examples where boards are criticized
for inept oversight, boards rarely make headlines or
are publicly acknowledged for adding value or making
a significant, game-changing business decision.
I
cult to identify and quantify, particularly from the outside looking in.
The role of any board is, in large part, to set strategy
and monitor the success of its execution. Other responsibilities relate to these two overriding activities.
The Globe and Mail conducts an annual review of
Canada’s corporate boards, the outcome of which is
the centerpiece of its annual governance rankings and
identification of what are, arguably, Canada’s best
boards. However, the rankings fail to identify what
impact these boards have had on organizational success. Rather, they focus on board practices and rank
how well these governance inputs are implemented.
The outcomes these activities help to achieve are not
discernible and do not help to define the value the
board brings to its respective organization or the contributions these boards make.
Essentially, the rankings depict the quality of the
The board is rarely publicly credited with making a significant contribution or
making significant decisions beyond the hiring or firing of the CEO.
Few decisions made by Boards of Directors become
public unless there is significant controversy surrounding them. The reasons for this are three-fold:
• Good news rarely makes news, whereas real or perceived incompetence does;
• The work of boards is largely confidential, making it
difficult for outsiders to determine how well a board
performs and what contribution it makes; and,
• Business success is largely attributable to management as opposed to boards.
This is not to say that boards can’t or don’t play a
critical role ensuring accountability for results, transparency of business processes and dealings and fair
treatment of key stakeholders. However, the role of
boards is largely restricted to input on good governance practices, the outcomes of which are often diffi-
platform on which good governance can take root and
deliver on the principles of accountability, fairness,
transparency and the like.
Management typically gets the spotlight when it
comes to organizational success. The board is rarely
publicly credited with making a significant contribution
or making significant decisions beyond the hiring or
firing of the CEO. This speaks more to the focused role
of the board (and the confidentiality of its deliberations
and decision-making) than it does to good governance
or board effectiveness.
By way of example, the Board of Research in
Motion has received disparaging reviews as that company’s share price plummeted and the threat of the loss
of another Canadian tech icon loomed heavy during
the past year or so. As easy as it may be to blame the

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8/31/12
11:32 AM
Page 29
GOOD GOVERNANCE
Board for its seeming passivity, it’s
impossible to know what inaction or ineffective oversight occurred in the RIM
Boardroom.
It’s also easy to speculate, but hard to
imagine, that highly competent and successful individuals merely sat on their
hands while the Company floundered.
Just the same, there’s little evidence that
the RIM Board provided bold leadership
in making the kind of decisions to navigate the extremely competitive and
dynamic marketplace for smartphones.
Again, these kinds of decisions are typically within the purview of management
and, in the case of RIM, the CEOs were
generally seen to be the primary contributors to the company’s success and, also,
primarily responsible for its inability to
remain as competitive as many expected.
Undoubtedly, the most important decision a board makes is hiring the CEO and
this should, and typically does, impact
everything else for which the board is
responsible (e.g., strategy development
and execution, risk oversight, etc.). As the
following examples suggest, the hiring of
a CEO is a decision with a longer-term
horizon. Success can only really be
assessed by considering the CEO’s legacy
achieved over time.
Some examples could include:
• Apple Computers’ rehiring of Steve
Jobs, which led to the company’s
unprecedented success. In 1997, Apple
had no future. In 1998, the company
beat analyst forecasts following a $1
billion loss the previous year with the
launch of the iMac. This was the start
of an amazing series of innovative
product launches that arguably made
Apple the preeminent technology firm
in the world.
The need for quality directors
is in no way diminished by the
fact that boards operate away
from the public eye.
• The IBM Board’s hiring of an outside
CEO in 1993 resulted in strong investor
favor. Traditionally, IBM recruited its
CEOs from within the company. The
appointment of Lou Gerstner as CEO
from 1993 to 2002 marked the first
non-IBM lifer to assume its top job.
Gerstner had been CEO of RJR Nabisco
for four years and spent 11 years at
American Express Company, where he
was president of the parent company
and chairman and CEO of its largest
subsidiary, American Express Travel
Related Services Co. Like Jobs, Gerstner
also resurrected a failing company.
• More recently, Yahoo! announced the
hiring of Marissa Mayer as its CEO, the
fifth individual to fill this role in the last
five years. Recruited from Google,
Mayer is regarded as the tech heavyweight Yahoo! needs given its uncertain future and her string of product
successes at Google. Whether this decision will live up to its potential remains
to be seen.
These are a few anecdotes that support the important role and influence of
any board. The fact that there are a
plethora of examples of heavy hitting
boards is, again, a factor of how boards
function and their oversight role.
The need for quality directors is in no
way diminished by the fact that boards
operate away from the public eye. This
fact makes it difficult then to promote a
form of board membership when there
are more examples of boards that appear
to have failed in fulfilling their duties.
X
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2 | 29
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SOCIAL MEDIA
OUTSOURCING SOCIAL
MEDIA
2010, 14% outsourced social media marketing. By
2012, that number more than doubled to 32%, according to the 2012 State of the Social Media Marketing
Industry report. But just because more companies are
outsourcing, it doesn’t necessarily make it right for
you.
The answer really comes down to your specific situation – either option can work very well in the right circumstances. First, the key pros and cons of outsourcing:
A magic bullet or a major pain?
by HARP ARORA
t seems there’s a bright and shiny new social media
site every week. Just when you got up to speed on the
intricacies of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and
YouTube, along comes the next big thing you simply
can’t ignore, according to the gurus. Whether they’re
right or not, a bigger issue exists: finding enough time
for social media while trying to run a successful business.
I
• Time: you’ll save time when someone else develops
the strategy and content, posts updates, and interacts with your community. This allows you to focus
your time on critical business operations.
• Technology: no need to learn how every single tool
We all know being active on social media takes substantial time – probably more than you
banked on. And as the tools and platforms proliferate, it will only get worse.
HARPARORA, MBA, is Principal, Sedona Communications and Adjunct Faculty,
University of Waterloo &
WLU; email
harp@sedonacommunicatio
ns.com.
Pros
We all know being active on social media takes substantial time – probably more than you banked on. And
as the tools and platforms proliferate, it will only get
worse. So what’s the answer when you’re already
stretched thin on resources?
Some companies are choosing to outsource. In
works. Experts who know their way around the technology can do it fast, easily, and effectively.
• Consistency: you can be more consistent in both
your messaging and the frequency of your interactions.
The fact is that companies are expected to be active
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I N C O R P O R A T E D
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SOCIAL MEDIA
on social media today and when that
activity is erratic or non-existent, it creates negative perceptions. A recent and
rather frightening Satmetrix study found
that 42% percent of B2C companies
ignore customers that provide feedback
via social media. The number soars to
69% for B2B companies. Talk about a
huge opportunity to improve customer
satisfaction and loyalty!
Cons
• Knowledge of your company: people
outside your organization are not going
to have the same depth and breadth of
knowledge about your processes, people, and day-to-day happenings. If
there are any gaffes, its your company
that will ultimately pay the price.
• Authenticity: more than ever, it’s critical to be authentic and transparent.
Someone outside may not be able to
communicate as well in the voice and
tone of your company, which may lead
to a loss in credibility and trust.
• Business expertise: many social media
experts know the tools and how to
engage community, but have a limited
understanding of the big picture – crucial things like business strategy, objec-
tives, and brand strategy. Social media
without this understanding is a complete waste of time – it is meant to support strategy and help you meet objectives, whether to increase market share,
differentiate from competition, drive
brand awareness, generate leads, etc.
The need for quality directors
is in no way diminished by the
fact that boards operate away
from the public eye.
So where does that leave you? First,
take a look at your organization’s
resources, skills, and priorities. Do your
people have time for social media? And
do they understand both your business
and the social media tools available? If
yes, great. If not, you still have options:
• Train those who have a solid understanding of your business on social
media tools. It’s much easier to train
experienced people on tools than it is to
train inexperienced people on strategy.
There are many excellent social media
consultants and trainers out there who
can do this at a very reasonable cost.
• Outsource. You have many choices
about what to outsource – from help in
developing your social media strategy,
to page design, developing content
(blogs, videos, case studies etc.) creating posts, responding to customer service issues, measuring results and monitoring what people are saying about
your company.
If you go this route, set your organization up for success, by (a) hiring an
agency or consultant who is well-versed
in both business and social media strategy, (b) creating a review process so you
know and approve of what is being posted on social media sites, and (c) ensuring
social media duties are not handed off to
a junior associate once the contract is in
place.
Without these precautions in place,
you may have a mess on your hands. As
Chrysler did when its agency rep posted
about his drive in to work on Chrysler’s
Twitter account: “I find it ironic that
Detroit is known as the #motorcity and
yet no one here knows how to f*cking
drive.”
Gulp.
X
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O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2 | 31
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WEALTH MANAGEMENT
tips will help you navigate through the critical first few
months of new wealth. These five essential steps will
help you turn new wealth eventually into old money.
SUDDEN WEALTH
Take a time out
Turning new money into old money
by DANIEL E. GIRARD
n North America, over the next ten years, current estimates suggest that more than $25 trillion in sudden
wealth will be received. This swift pool of money will
come from stock options, inheritances, commuted values of pensions, sales of family businesses, farm (and
I
The emotions associated with becoming wealthy
rapidly can be incredibly disruptive to managing
money effectively. For this reason, the first thing to do
after your wealth event is to take a time-out. This decision-free time is a period in which you make no
changes in your life. By taking this time out and gaining perspective on the changes your wealth will bring,
you’ll be giving yourself time to grow accustomed to
your new situation. More importantly, you’ll be protecting your wealth from ill-considered financial decisions.
Three to six months is a good guideline.
Those who have come into wealth rapidly often feel there is no limit to their wealth —
but I assure you, there is.
DANIEL E.GIRARD CFP, FMA is
an Investment Advisor with
The Craig-Girard Investment
Group, CIBC Wood Gundy in
Waterloo. CIBC Wood Gundy
is a division of CIBC World
Markets Inc., a subsidiary of
CIBC and member CIPF. The
views of Daniel Girard do not
necessarily reflect those of
CIBC World Markets Inc.
other land) sales, divorce, insurance settlements,
sports and entertainment contracts, and lotteries.
Unfortunately, many of the recipients won’t know how
to handle their newfound wealth effectively and will
see it dwindle quickly.
Sudden wealth can be defined as the receipt of a
lump sum of money greater than one has ever experienced before. A person who experiences a sudden
money event will often go through a range of confusing emotions. Some will feel overwhelmed, confused,
fearful that they may lose the money, or become isolated out of trepidation that someone may try to take
advantage of them. Others will feel free, elated and
more powerful than ever before.
Regardless of the individual feelings, all realize that
their financial position has changed and experience
uneasiness about what to do next; how to best manage
their new position for their personal, and their family’s,
long-term benefit.
No matter the origin of the windfall, the following
WATERLOO
KITCHENER/GUELPH
CAMBRIDGE
Make a wish list
During your gaining perspective time, construct a
wish list. This shouldn’t simply be a list of things.
Rather, it should be a list of outcomes you would like
for you and your family. Ask yourself: What would
make me truly happy for the rest of my life? Living
abroad? Funding my children’s education? Supporting
important causes? Traveling? Owning my own business? A new car, fishing boat or dream vacation are
great short-term goals. However, you want to think
about what your new wealth can mean to the bigger
picture. Some items on your list will be easy. Others
will become clear after some time and thought.
Build a team
The most important task for the vast majority of
newly wealthy individuals is to seek professional help.
The sooner you start working with competent professionals, the sooner your new wealth can be made
secure.
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WEALTH MANAGEMENT
Now that you’re wealthy, you need to
understand that your finances require
more care, more attention, and more
knowledge from your professional advisors. In general, you want trustworthy
and competent advisors in the areas of
taxation, law, and financial and investment planning (wealth management).
Furthermore, one of these professionals, usually the wealth manager, should
assume the role of quarterback or personal CFO. They help coordinate the
expertise of the other advisors and make
sure decisions are focused on accomplishing your goals.
Now that you’ve gained some perspective, made a wish list and identified a
team of professionals, you can evaluate
what you can actually afford, and when.
This can be difficult; those who have
come into wealth rapidly often feel there
is no limit to their wealth — but I assure
you, there is.
Determining the cost of one-time,
immediate wishes is easy. However, work
with your wealth management advisor to
calculate what current purchases will
mean to the long-term viability of your
goals, and what needs to be done to
ensure the affordability of future goals.
Take into consideration inflation, tax and
varying investment returns.
The Centre for Family Business (CFFB) strives to help business families
reach their fullest potential, and has become one of Canada's largest
membership based family business associations. Since 1997, CFFB has
been delivering relevant educational programs and providing the
necessary support that allows families to achieve their enterprising
goals, fulfill their dreams and strengthen their families.
Divide & succeed
With the previous fours steps taken
care of, now comes the time to ensure
your money is managed properly. You
want to divide your wealth into two distinct pools. The first will be your pool of
safe money – the wealth that will provide
your desired lifestyle for the rest of you
life, the wealth you can’t afford to lose.
Your wealth management team should be
able to help you build a suitable portfolio
for this money to provide safety, inflation
protection, and tax-preferred income.
The second pool is your fun money.
This pool can be used for whatever you
want – purchasing luxury items, philanthropy, high risk investing, or just plain
having fun. The key with this pool is,
don’t feel anxious about spending it. It’s
there to enjoy after the first pool is
secure.
Experiencing a sudden money event
opens the door to new opportunities and
the financial resources to do the things
you’ve always dreamed of. If managed
properly, it can provide you and your
future generations a lifestyle you may
have never thought possible. Take your
time, plan effectively and enjoy your new
wealth.
Join our Family ‘round the Table - October 19, 2012
Our newest Roundtable Group will be
centre stage this morning sharing their experiences
SUPPORT – ENERGIZE – EDUCATE
For more information call 519.749.1441 or visit www.cffb.ca
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O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2 | 33
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WATERCOOLER
TECHTOWN, a 60,000 sq. ft. building
located in the David Johnston
Research + Technology Park,
has been donated to the University of Waterloo.
TechTown is a multi-tenant professional services building which
opened in January, 2007 on the
north campus. The building provides services to the employees in
the Park, the University of Waterloo and the local community
including everything from health
and wellness services to childcare.
Services and amenities at TechTown will continue uninterrupted.
“The University of Waterloo is
pleased to accept this generous
gift which will enhance the ameniToby Jenkins has donated
ties offered under the auspices of
TechTown to UW.
the university at the Research and
Technology Park,” said Feridun
Hamdullahpur, University of Waterloo president. “This building provides a great
opportunity to further enhance the university’s core functions and ensure we continue
to attract the best and brightest to Waterloo.”
The donation has been made by Toby Jenkins, a University of Waterloo graduate
(Environmental Studies, ’82). TechTown is the realization of Jenkins’ vision for a central
location to provide a variety of services needed to support the vibrant community. The
University of Waterloo graduate worked with companies and organizations located
within and surrounding the park to realize the vision, culminating in the building donation to the university.
“As a University of Waterloo alumnus, I am delighted to make this donation”, said
Jenkins. “It has been wonderful to see the realization of the TechTown vision.”
Ownership of TechTown was transferred to the University of Waterloo on August 1,
2012.
THE LPGA and Sports Properties International have announced that the second staging
of the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic will be July 8-14, 2013 at Grey Silo Golf
Course in Waterloo.
The tournament will feature a full field of 144 players from all over the world competing in a four round, 72 hole, stroke-play
format. Golf Channel will once again provide four days of live coverage from Grey
Silo to over 150 countries across the globe.
More than 66,000 spectators attended the
inaugural tournament in 2012, won by
American Brittany Lang in a thrilling fourhole playoff.
“The world is coming back to Waterloo,”
said Hugh Morrow, CEO and Chairman of
Sports Properties International, which owns
the tournament. “The inaugural year was a
tremendous success. We are anticipating
the 2013 tournament will be bigger and Brittany Lang, winner of the 2012 Manulife Financial LPGA.
better.”
“I can’t tell you how delighted we are to continue our sponsorship of this exciting
tournament,” said Brian Gooding, Senior Vice-President of Distribution at Manulife
Financial. “From the great number of fans, partners and volunteers, this community has
created a world-class sporting event like no other. Feedback about the inaugural event
has been so positive and we can’t wait to help shine the global spotlight back on Waterloo Region.”
IGLOO SOFTWARE, a leading provider of social
business software in the cloud, has
announced the opening of its second
European office alongside growing traction in the Asia-Pacific region. One in
four of the company’s over 200 customers have international operations and
Igloo now has three regional offices
around the world providing sales, service
and support to its global customer base.
Andrew Dixon
“Igloo has expanded rapidly since
launching in 2008 and now has customers in 80 countries worldwide,” said
Andrew Dixon, Senior Vice President,
Marketing & Operations for Igloo Software. “The establishment of our second
European office is a reflection of the rapidly growing demand for Igloo and its
multilingual capabilities in geographies
around the globe.”
The second European office, which
has been named the European headquarters, is located in St. Gallen, Switzerland
and is expected to grow rapidly. Heading
up operations is industry veteran Marco
Palatini who was named Vice President
for the region. Palatini was previously the
Managing Director of European Operations for OpenText Corporation and
was largely credited for opening up the
European market for the company. Prior
to that, Palatini served as CEO of Arcplan Information Services AG.
Igloo recently completed a tour of
China meeting with government officials
and competing in the Demo China 2012
event in Harbin. The DEMO conferences
have earned their reputation for consistently identifying tomorrow’s cutting-edge
technologies and have served as a launch
pad for companies such as E*Trade,
Salesforce, WebEx, TiVo and VMware.
Twelve overseas teams from eight countries competed for the chance to proceed
to the signature event in Hangzhou later
this month and Igloo was selected as the
top cloud computing vendor.
“China’s investment in innovation is
unparalleled and it is fostering an envi-
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WATERCOOLER
ronment that is ideally suited for nurturing new technologies,” remarked Dr.
Richard Reiner, one of the official
judges of the Demo China panel. “I was
impressed by Igloo’s unique position in
leveraging cloud, mobile and social to
truly transform how we do business in
China, and this was one of the primary
reasons we selected Igloo as the winner
in the cloud computing category.”
In lock step with the expansion into
new geographies, Igloo’s web-based collaboration suite now supports multilingual translation. Upon login, users can
set their default language preference. As
they collaborate with peers in different
countries, a tabbed view enables instant
and verified translations of all social content. Igloo is currently available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese,
with plans to add additional languages in
the coming months.
clean water and air. We are starting to
see a real commitment by regional governments to enforce positive change that
will lead to significant potential growth
opportunity for Biorem.”
THE ACADEMIC RANKING OF WORLD UNIVERSITIES
has
again named the University of Waterloo among the top 200 universities in the
world. Waterloo’s results place it seventh
among 22 Canadian institutions.
Waterloo is within the 151-200 range
of ranked institutions. After 100, the next
400 universities appear in groups, and
not assigned a specific number.
“The University of Waterloo is committed to its goal of achieving a level of academic excellence that puts us among the
top 100 universities in the world,” said
Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and
vice-chancellor of Waterloo. “While we
are pleased with these results, we will
BIOREM INC.
has announced that it has
received two orders in Asia totalling $3.1
million. The first order for an odour control system for installation in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, consists of eight separate systems within an underground
state-of-the-art green-field waste water
treatment facility. The system will incorporate Biorem’s latest technology using
its proprietary XLD filtration media.
The second order is for a biogas purification system which will remove Hydrogen Sulfide from a large biogas facility in
China utilizing a specialized bio-trickling
Peter Bruijns
filter developed by Biorem. This is the
second order received from this client
within the last six months.
“Biorem has been active for several
years in Asia having patiently developed
relationships and a corporate structure
which allows the company to be competitive on all projects requiring high quality
performance” said Peter Bruijns, President & CEO. “The Asia region is in great
need of environmental technologies to
Feridun Hamdullahpur
continue with our dynamic, innovative
approach so that we may build on our
successes to meet our objective.”
The Centre for World-Class Universities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University releases the ARWU.
Waterloo gained ground in several
areas. It is ranked 43rd in the world in the
Engineering/Technology and Computer
Science category, and its ranking puts it
second in Canada. This year, the university also appears in categories where it
was unranked in 2011. Waterloo is within
the 76-100 range for chemistry, the 101150 range for mathematics, and the 151200 range for physics. It remained in the
76-100 range for computer science,
unchanged from last year.
SUN LIFE FINANCIAL
celebrated the 100th
anniversary of its Canadian headquarters
building this summer, as the company
continues to grow its business in the
region and support the retirement needs
of an aging population in both Kitchener-
Dean Connor
Waterloo and across the country. The celebration included a public event featuring
the unveiling of a provincial plaque from
the Ontario Heritage Trust.
“On behalf of our 3,000 employees and
advisors in the region, I’m thrilled to be
celebrating 100 years of our building’s
history and receive this honour from the
Ontario Heritage Trust,” said Dean Connor, President and CEO, Sun Life Financial. “Sun Life Financial’s Canadian headquarters is a symbol of our evolution and
commitment to the region. We remain
focused on supporting the financial planning needs of our clients in the community.”
Sun Life continues to grow its business
in the region to support the retirement
needs of the aging population. According
to Statistics Canada, more than 21% of
the region’s population will be 65 or older
by 2031, representing 126,000 people of a
projected 600,000.
“The record number of baby boomers
who will be retired in less than 20 years
in the Kitchener-Waterloo region and
across Canada is a trend that’s quite
striking,” said Kevin Dougherty, President, Sun Life Financial Canada. “We’ve
been in the region for more than 100
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O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2 | 35
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WATERCOOLER
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time when the aging population is on the
rise and the need for help with financial
planning for retirement has never been
greater.”
Sun Life’s financial advisors in Kitchener-Waterloo continue to provide financial planning support across the region, a
presence that began in 1869. Sun Life
contributes to the local economy as one
of the region’s largest employers, and in
2011 invested $250 million towards
employee payroll, business and property
taxes. Sun Life is also a committed community partner, supporting organizations
like the Kitchener-Waterloo Art
Gallery, the Kitchener Rangers and
local events including: Sun Life Financial Waterloo Busker Carnival, Sun
Life Financial UpTown Waterloo Jazz
Festival and Culture Days. Employees
and advisors organize annual coat, toy
and food drives to give back to the less
fortunate during the holiday season.
MIOVISION TECHNOLOGIES , a innovator and
provider of intelligent traffic data management solutions, has been named a
finalist in the 2012 Ontario Business
Achievement Awards by the Ontario
Chamber of Commerce, in the RBC
Royal Bank Award for Small Business
category. Miovision is one of three finalists in the category, having been selected
from hundreds of nominees.
This award honours small businesses
(under 100 employees) that demonstrate
a progressive attitude and approach to
their sales and new market development,
company culture, environmental stewardship and corporate citizenship. Now in
its 30th year, the Ontario Business
Achievement Awards celebrates business
innovation and entrepreneurial success
from all sectors across the province.
Finalists are likewise recognized for their
creativity, passion and drive for doing
business in Ontario.
Since 2005, Miovision grown from a
start-up company of just three university
graduates to an international company of
85 employees serving 350 customers in
27 countries spanning five continents.
Miovision’s automated traffic data collection technology uses video to capture
data about traffic volume, vehicle move-
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ments, roundabout counts, etc. This data
is helping cities and municipalities across
the globe to measure, manage and fix
traffic problems such as congestion, long
travel times, carbon emissions and road
safety.
“We are honoured and thrilled to have
been selected by the Ontario Chamber of
Commerce as a finalist for an OBAA in
the RBC Royal Bank Small Business category,” says Kurtis McBride, CEO and cofounder of Miovision. “We are gratified to
have our commitment to advancing
industry innovation, environmental sustainability and community investment
recognized in such an incredible fashion,
and to be regarded as one of the top
small businesses in Ontario alongside the
other finalists.”
The award winners will be announced
at the annual OBAA gala on October 24,
2012 in Toronto.
EXECULINK TELECOM
continues to grow with
new products and services, a decision
has been made to move their Company
Headquarters and state of the art Data
Centre to Woodstock, Ontario.
CEO of Execulink, Ian Stevens said,
“With a long history in Oxford County,
Woodstock is an ideal location in relation
to our customer base. The consolidation
and the growth of our new facilities will
enhance our internal efficiencies and better support our customers”. The new
office building will be located at 1143
Ridgeway Road and expect to be operational in the first half of 2013.
Mayor Pat Sobeski welcomes the
official announcement of Execulink’s
plans for the facility in Woodstock and
indicated that “this investment continues
our long term strategy of diversifying the
economic base of the community. Execulink’s decision to build this facility in
Woodstock will provide the company
with many internal efficiencies and at the
same time reflects the inherent advantages that a Woodstock business location
can offer. ”
DESIRE2LEARN INCORPORATED has announced its
recognition as a 2012 Microsoft U.S.
Public Sector Partner of the Year. The
award honors Desire2Learn’s innovative
use of Microsoft technology in support of
Public Sector Agencies and Organizations. Winners and finalists were nominated and selected by Microsoft’s U.S.
Public Sector team working throughout
the nation.
“Microsoft relies on its network of dedicated partners around the globe to deliver technology solutions that empower
public sector missions” said Vince Menzione, General Manager of U.S. Public
Sector Partner Strategy at Microsoft. “We
are thrilled to recognize Desire2Learn as
a Partner of the Year for its unwavering
commitment to serving customers across
education.” Desire2Learn is being awarded the U.S. Education Solution Partner of
the Year award. The award recognizes a
partner that excels at providing innovative and unique solutions based on
Microsoft technologies to education customers. As an industry-leading SaaS
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WATERCOOLER
solution for education, Desire2Learn
exemplifies how innovative solutions can
be delivered by embracing Microsoft’s
technologies to deliver Desire2Learn®
Learning Suite, a robust cloud, hybrid
and on premise solution for education.
“Our close partnership with Microsoft
enables us to deliver advanced and reliable solutions that help our clients to
transform the teaching and learning
experience,” remarks John Baker, President & CEO, Desire2Learn.
“Education organizations are being
challenged to deliver improved services
while simultaneously cutting costs,” said
Sig Behrens, General Manager, US Education at Microsoft. “Over the past year,
the great fashion centres of Europe. This
latest addition will be located in Guelph
at AMG Appliances on Watson Road.
A statement from the Faulds says,
“Why Guelph you might ask? The Royal
City is rarely mentioned among the
world’s leading fashion centres. It’s really
quite simple, AMG is home to North
America’s largest collection of GAGGENAU luxury appliances. You may not
know it, but they already lead the continent in promoting these supremely elegant appliances. Now it’s time to fire up
this equipment and show exactly why
these superbly engineered products are
at the heart of some of the worlds finest
restaurants.
“If you are interested in experiencing
the ultimate in ultra modern German elegance and in seeing why this legendary
German brand still sets the standard
against which all others are measured,
just call AMG for information.”
OPENTEXT
John Baker
Desire2Learn has shown how the innovative deployment of Microsoft technology
can transform operations for our Education customers.”
BUDGET BLINDS, the largest window covering
company of its kind, recently expanded
to the Waterloo Region. Entrepreneurs
Brian and Jennifer Bartlett, Mark Riffer and Cindy Bowman, and Brian
and Ashley Vermunt recently purchased franchises serving Cambridge,
Kitchener, Guelph, Waterloo and surrounding areas. Before coming together
for the first time at training in California,
the three owners had no idea they had
purchased neighbouring territories and
decided at that time to work together to
build their business.
They offer services to businesses as
well as commercial window services
under their Budget Blinds Commercial
Solutions business.
ALAN AND SANDRA FAULDS are pleased to
announce the opening of North America’s first Live GAGGENAU KITCHEN
STUDIO. It will rival those already operating in Dubai, Shanghai, Singapore, and
CEO Mark J. Barrenechea has
outlined details of the company’s new
strategy to lead the market in Enterprise
Information Management, bringing the
company’s unique combination of
strengths in managing unstructured
information and business processes to
top organizations across the globe. At its
core, EIM aims to help organizations
manage and exploit their enterprise
information to drive innovation, create
competitive advantage and make better
decisions about their business.
“Last year, we began broadening our
scope well beyond our content management heritage,” said Barrenechea. “We
will continue on this trajectory, focusing
on the next generation of enterprise software, to help our customers maximize the
value of their enterprise information without compromising their information governance and security requirements. EIM is
the market that represents this broader set
of solutions and we intend to aggressively
grow our leadership in this space.”
“We live in a world where the firewall
is no longer the boundary for business,”
said Barrenechea. “Today, information is
mobile and lives everywhere - in the
cloud and on premises. Organizations
planning for the future require new, more
dynamic ways to utilize information
across social and mobile applications,
manage everything from compliance to
security leaks and enhance business
processes and information exchange with
customers, employees and partners.”
FIBERNETICS BUSINESS SERVICES
has announced
the addition of ANA (Autonomous Network Aggregation) technology to their
portfolio of business services. With the
addition of ANA, Fibernetics Business
Services is equipped to offer customized
networks to multi-site and franchise
businesses across North America.
ANA technology is a next-generation
bonding technology that enables business customers to take advantage of the
Internet where they would generally have
to purchase private networks.
The technology allows the aggregation
of multiple connections, regardless of
speed and/or type, to deliver greater
bandwidth and better reliability to business customers.
“We’re solving more common network
frustrations today than ever before, and
ANA is another powerful extension of our
brand,” said Francisco Dominguez,
CTO of Fibernetics Business Services.
“With this addition, we are able to provide high-value networks to those companies that need them most – whether
Francisco Dominguez
you’re a multi-site organization that is
looking to cut down on network costs, or
a single-site shop.”
X
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2 | 37
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE
THE ASTONISHING IMPACT
OF LOCAL ROTARIANS by PAUL KNOWLES
Someone should be focusing on international services
ill Carter understands the irony inherent in his statement: “Rotary was not founded originally to be philanthropic. It was founded to deal with a desperately
bad economic situation.” The happy irony? Today,
Carter and his fellow Rotarians in the Rotary Clubs
throughout Waterloo Region are making a huge philanthropic impact all around the globe.
B
somewhat passionate about what people of influence,
when they join together in a network like Rotary, can
do about the world’s problems.”
The K-C Rotary Club formed the KCRC International
Aid Fund,” a charity that facilitates an amazing number
of relief and development projects in many countries.
The Rotarian volunteers have become highly adept at
putting donors together with the right people to carry
out the projects on the ground in the receiving communities; at times, the Waterloo region Rotarians even
sponsor a new Rotary club in the receiving community.
Much of the work has been accomplished in Africa
and Latin America.
Carter points out that the collaboration is not only
international – members from other Rotary clubs in our
region are also actively involved, and the KitchenerConestoga relief fund often acts as the agency of
record for projects initiated or shared by other clubs.
PHOTO: EXCHANGE MAGAZINE
“If you’re in the game, opportunities will come along that are world class.”
Rotary was founded in 1905 by businessmen in
Chicago, to work together for mutual benefit in tough
economic times. The group formulated a “code of conduct” that continues to guide Rotarians today. The original group was dubbed the “Rotary Club” because they
rotated their meetings between their various offices.
Rotary moved into Canada early in its history. Today,
there are 1,200,000 members of 32,000 Rotary Clubs,
internationally. The first club in Waterloo Region was
the Rotary Club of Kitchener; it has
inspired several more, including
the Kitchener-Conestoga club, of
which Carter is a member.
While Rotary was founded
to improve business ethics
and the general economic
situation, it was not long
before
philanthropic
endeavours began. In
Waterloo Region, Rotary
founded the rehabilitation centre for children
now called Kidsability,
still a major beneficiary
of Rotary philanthropy.
Rotary has been a
major contributor to
Big Sisters, through
their Dream Home
fundraiser, and is also
involved with other
regional charities.
The founders of the
Kitchener-Conestoga
club applaud the work
done locally, but Carter
says, “we thought that
at least one club should
be focusing on international service.” And so,
Bill Carter: hard-headed businessman and
the new club formed.
soft-hearted philanthropist.
Carter admits, “I’m
One such project, the Rotary African Women’s Education Fund, is a shared effort of the KC and Kitchener
clubs. David Martindale is the long-time chair of the
International Fund of the Kitchener club.
He shares Carter’s commitment to international aid
projects, telling Exchange: “In 2005, Bill and I met with
Rotarians from South Africa... and we began together a
program called Community Development Care Centres
aimed at orphans and vulnerable children affected by
the HIV-AIDS pandemic. Since then I have coordinated
15 matching grants involving contributions from Canadian Rotary Clubs, Rotary International and funds supplied to the program by CIDA. Presently, there are 52
centres feeding 4,200 children a day in the program.
“Rotary African Women’s Education Fund started
because of the donation of nearly $500,000 for a fund
to educate African women at University, in Africa. The
donor, Audrey Wipper, is a member of the Rotary Club
of Kitchener. To access other funds and expertise, we
joined with the Rotary Club of Kitchener-Conestoga to
set up the RAWEF.”
This work has forged an amazing number of connections between Waterloo Region Rotarians and key
points of immediate need around the world. A recent
example is the impact of the RAWEF on the “Aboke
girls,” young Ugandan girls who were kidnapped by the
“Lord’s Resistance Army”, but who are now rescued
and receiving educational opportunities.
Says Carter, “If you’re in the game, opportunities will
come along that are world class.”
Today, the impact of the local Rotarians is immense
– Ugandan woman are being rescued and educated;
Tanzanians are drinking clean water; orphans in South
Africa have full stomachs; girls in Kenya are in school;
food programs are running in Darfur, Sudan and
Somalia; children are cared for in Haiti; educational
bursaries are being awarded in Bolivia. And that’s just
a quick, unrehearsed list suggested by Carter.
Of one thing, Carter is absolutely positive. “Are we
making a difference?” he asks, rhetorically? “Yes!”
X
If you know someone who you feel has made a difference in their industry or enterprise
and would like us to consider them for a Making a Difference article, email editor@exchangemagazine.com
8/31/12
au
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The difference is Gaggenau.
Though few people know it, AMG is home to Canada's largest and most elegant collection of the world's
finest luxury appliances.
Owners, Sandra and Alan Faulds have centered their entire collection around Gaggenau, the iconic
German brand, whose roots go back to 1683. For generations, Gaggenau has represented the very finest
in precision engineering.
The Faulds are particularly excited because September marks the opening of North America's first
Gaggenau Kitchen Studio. It will rival those already showing off this exclusive brand throughout the
world. It will feature the most advanced appliance technology available anywhere.
CONTACT:
SANDRA & ALAN FAULDS
TELEPHONE 519.763.3264
TOLL TREE 1-866-264-5087
SAM@AMGAPPLIANCES.COM
ALAN@AMGAPPLIANCES.COM
www.amgappliances.com
Why Settle for Anything Less than Germany’s Only True Luxury Brand
of Appliances.
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