WINTER 2014 Vol. 1, No. 1
www.businessminded.ca
BUSINESS
MINDED PETERBOROUGH • NORTHUMBERLAND
IMMIGRATION: Canada creates a new visa stream for foreign entrepreneurs Page 11
WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR: Kyla Gutsche Page 16
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS: Adam and Mike Doran Page 18
START-UP COMPANY: Rebecca Baptista Page 22
Celebrating the triumph of the entrepreneurial spirit
TIM BARRIE
President and General Manager Merit Precision Moulding Ltd
IN BUSINESS AND IN LIFE
140 King Street, Suite 403 Peterborough, ON K9J 7Z8 Phone: (705) 741-5287 Fax: (705) 741-3438 www.herodfinancial.com
Making plans to provide financial security and peace of mind
CONTENTS REGULARS Foreword Upfront Economy Events Commentary
4 6 24 27 32
FEATURES COVER STORY
12
Tim Barrie runs his own $10 million-plus business. But that’s not hindering him from making time for others. He invests in innovative start-ups, volunteers in community programs and mentors young aspiring entrepreneurs. He is the 2013 citizen of the year of the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce.
WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR
12
16
With her breakthrough medical-tattooing technique, Kyla Gutsche is not only transforming people’s appearances. She is touching lives.
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS
18
16
Mike and Adam Doran are cousins. They’re also partners in a water-treatment technology start-up that may just become the next big Canadian business success story.
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR
20
Leslie Doyle combines her love for gardens and the outdoors to start a business that installs and maintains green roofs.
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20
Businessminded is published quarterly © 2013 Mediaplus Village. All material strictly copyrighted and all rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without the prior permission of Mediaplus Village is strictly prohibited. All content is believed to be factual at the time of publication. Views expressed by contributors are their own derived opinion and not necessarily endorsed by Businessminded or Mediaplus Village. No responsibility or liability is accepted by the editorial staff or the publisher for any loss occasioned to any individual or company, legal or physical, acting or refraining from action as a result of any statement, fact, figure, expression of opinion or belief contained in Businessminded. Mediaplus Village does not officially endorse any advertising or advertorial content for third-party products. Vol. 1 No. 1 | MEDIAPLUS VILLAGE 311 George Street North, Unit LL5, Peterborough, ON K9J 3H3 Phone: (705) 772-7172 | editor@mediaplusvillage.com
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FOREWORD
We Inform, And We Inspire
B
usinessminded is an entrepreneur magazine. And that magazine copy in your hand is our first one. As a publication, we celebrate the triumph of the entrepreneurial spirit, as the little slogan on our masthead boldly states. We do that by reporting on everything that touches on all aspects of launching, growing and managing a business and, more important, by keeping our editorial focus consistently on the entrepreneur – that man and that woman who valiantly fought off self-doubt, launched a business and made a difference in the marketplace as well as in people’s lives. We will try to keep every issue of Businessminded magazine as inspirational as it is informational. Be inspired, for instance, by the story of Kyla Gutsche, who turned a moment of adversity in her life into a fierce determination to making life better for her and for others. Her business, Cosmetic Transformations, is not only transforming people’s appearances; it is changing lives. She is on Pages 16-17. The other faces you see on the magazine did not have as dramatic life experience as Kyla had. But they are all big chasers of dreams. Our cover story, Pages 12-15, features Tim Barrie, who walked away from a lucrative position at General Motors, returned to Peterborough and restarted his career for the promise of being able to appease a restless heart and fulfilling
what he had always wanted: to have his own business. His company, Merit Precision Moulding Ltd, now rakes in annual gross revenue in excess of $10 million. Wait. Tim’s business success is only half of his story told. He is also an active part in the life of the community where he lives – mentoring young aspiring entrepreneurs, investing in innovative start-ups and volunteering in many community organizations. That whole package about Tim earned him the prestigious citizen-of-the-year award from the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce. As Stuart Harrison, the president and CEO of the chamber, said the award “is about the above and the beyond – for those who have done something beyond being successful in business.” The small business is at the centre of our editorial coverage. We believe in the small business. We believe in the small business as being a critical component to a strong local economy. We position ourselves as an advertising platform for the small business. And, as you may have noticed, our magazine is editorialdriven. We will continue to set ourselves apart that way. Enjoy.
BEVERLY LOMOSAD Editor
OUR ADVERTISERS 2014 Ontario ParaSport Games Applewood Retirement Residence Best of Hearing Centre Bin-It Carmela Valles Immigration Consulting CMA Condrad Consultancy Creative Legacy
34 9 8 9 30 9 8 31
Firing Time 31 Hayes Carpentry 31 Herod Financial Services 2 Kawartha International Trade Experts 10 Lee’s Hi-Tec Computer Services 30 Mediaplus Village 26 New Canadians Centre 35 Nexicom Back Cover
TALK TO US We welcome your feedback, comments and suggestions. Let us know what content you wish to see more of in our magazine. To be included in our Upfront section, let us know about your new business, new location and other important events in your business. Letters or e-mails intended for publication are edited for clarity, style and space. You may also write and request a free copy of the magazine. Write to: editor@mediaplusvillage.com.
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Package Plus Inc. 11 Part Time CFO Services 31 reBoot Peterborough 31 The Community Training and Development 5 Trent Conferences & Hospitality Services 8 Watton Employment Services Inc. 10 Wensten Accounting Inc. 31
MEMBER
NEWSBRIEFS: Seneca College, Flying Colours Corp. MILESTONES: Traynor Farms, Discovery Dream Homes, Whitfield Home Improvements, Golden Pathways Retreat and B&B, Home Suite Home Transitions, The Body Shop, Primal Cuts, Grady’s Feet Essentials, Aclarus Water Systems, KI Equity Corp., Elmhirst’s Resort, BIOS Natural Health-Allergy and Nutrition Clinic, GM Financial, Crawford Building Consultants, MicroAge Peterborough TRANSITION: All Office Machines, Cedar Lane Home and Garden, Austin Trophies, Jack in the Box Party Rentals START-UPS: Insight Counselling, Advanced Health and Wellness, 360 Wellness Clinic, The Food Forest, JTH Logistics, Ashburnham Ale House
UPFRONT NEWSBRIEFS Seneca Picks Peterborough
Peterborough has a new addition to its post-secondary community. Home to Fleming College and Trent University, Peterborough has been chosen as the new home base of Seneca College’s aviation and flight technology program. Seneca’s flight school is currently based at Buttonville Airport, which will close in 2015. Approximately 150 students of its Bachelor of Aviation Technology will be onsite at its new Peterborough aviation campus, which is planned to open in January 2014. The students will be joined by about 45 staff – flight line instructors, academic professors, aircraft maintenance personnel as well as administrative-support workers. Students will continue to attend Seneca’s
IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURSHIP Peterborough
36%
Kelowna
29%
St. Catharines-Niagara
24%
Kingston
23%
Hamilton
22%
Victoria, BC
22%
Of the 35 Census Metropolitan Areas, Peterborough has the highest rate of immigrant self-employment in 2012, according to Fairness Commissioner Jean Augustine, speaking at the Peterborough Partnership Council on Immigrant Integration conference on November 5, 2013. Businessminded Graphics
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Newnham campus in Toronto for their first year, and then switch to the Peterborough campus for their second, third and fourth years.
Flying Colours Expands
Aviation-service provider Flying Colours Corp. has broken ground on the first phase of its $3.5 million three-stage expansion plan at its headquarters at the Peterborough Airport. Construction on a new 20,000-square-foot hangar, which adds to its existing three-hangar complex, is under way. Phase one is due for completion during the first quarter of 2014. The expansion will allow the company to hire 15-25 new employees in the areas of interior, maintenance and engineering. Currently, it employs 200 people in Peterborough. The new hangar will be equipped to handle refurbishment projects, avionics installations and upgrades, heavy maintenance projects and full interior completions. When all phases are complete, the total 65,000 square foot of hangar space will enable Flying Colours to work on the Airbus ACJ and Boeing Business Jet series and executive variants of the larger C Series airliner now under development by Bombardier. n Phone: (705) 742-4688 n www.flyingcolourscorp.com
New DBIA Chief
The Downtown Business Improvement Area has announced the appointment of Terry Guiel as its new executive director. Mr. Guiel takes over from Paul Raino,
Terry Guiel who has retired. A former professional entertainer and event organizer, he worked as a law clerk at a downtown law firm in the past five years prior to his DBIA appointment. He is also a former city councillor. Mr. Guiel has organized charitable and entertainment events over the years, notably the 2004 Flood Relief Concert, which raised $1.56 million for flood victims. He is the recipient of three Peterborough Community Betterment Awards for his efforts in the community. “I have spent most my life dedicated to the enrichment of this city as a whole and now look forward to concentrating my efforts exclusively on its downtown,” he said, adding that he will draw on his background as a former city legislator and his experience of working in the downtown for more than 25 years. n Phone: (705) 748-4774 n www.downtownptbo.ca
UPFRONT Crawford Building Consultants
MILESTONES Tourism SPARK Photo Festival Hospitality Golden Pathways Retreat and B&B Micro Business (Fewer than 5 employees) Home Suite Home Transitions Stuart Harrison
Chamber Announces Winners
The Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce has announced the winners of its annual Business Excellence Awards, which draws 150-200 nominations each year for the more than a dozen award categories. Into its 10th year, the event is “designed to encourage business people to stop once a year, celebrate their successes and gain some recognition for being at the top of their game,” said Stuart Harrison, the president and CEO of the chamber. “Sometimes if you don’t stop and take the time to acknowledge all of the hard work that you put into your business, then you can forget why you’re doing it.” A judging committee looks at the nominations, which include members and non-members of the chamber, selects three finalists and then declares a winner in each of the 17 categories. Tim Barrie, president and general manager of Merit Precision Moulding, was named 2013 business citizen of the year. The winners are:
Retail-Chain/Franchise The Body Shop Retail-Non-Chain/Non-Franchise Primal Cuts Customer First Grady’s Feet Essentials Local Focus Primal Cuts Innovation/Research and Development Aclarus Water Systems Commercial Restoration/Renovation KI Equity Corp. (Hobart’s Steakhouse) Marketing and Promotion SPARK Photo Festival (2013 Campaign) Environmental Practices Elmhirst’s Resort
Entrepreneurial Spirit Traynor Farms
Health and Wellness BIOS Natural Health-Allergy and Nutrition Clinic
Supply Chain Discovery Dream Homes
Not-for-Profit YWCA Peterborough Haliburton
Skilled Trades Whitfield Home Improvements
Employer of the Year GM Financial
Crawford Building Consultants held a party on October 23, 2013 to mark its 25th anniversary. Established in 1988, the company used to operate out of owner Dick Crawford’s home until it moved to its current location on Concession Street, in Lakefield. The company provides project-management services to industrial, pharmaceutical and commercial companies. n Phone: (705) 652-1100 n www.crawfordbuilding.com
MicroAge Peterborough
Employees and customers of MicroAge Peterborough gathered at its 753 Erskine Avenue location on September 19, 2013 for an appreciation BBQ and cake to mark its 30 years in business. MicroAge is one of the largest technology solution providers in Eastern Ontario. n Phone: (705) 876-1177 n www.microageptbo.com
TRANSITION All Office Machines
All Office Machines has moved to 28 Edwards Street, which is just off Lansdowne Street. The company has served the Peterborough region for more than 52 years, providing office products to businesses. n Phone: (705) 745-3256 n www.allofficemachines.ca
Cedar Lane Home and Garden
Cedar Lane Home and Garden has moved from Bridgenorth to a bigger location on 15 Charlotte Street in Lakefield. The company has also announced that it is discontinuing its gardenmaintenance services at Pot Appeal so it could focus more on the retail side of its business – its paint workshops and its furniture makeovers. However, its WINTER 2014 www.businessminded.ca
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UPFRONT NUTRITIOUS FOOD COST
$790
The cost of nutritious eating per month for a family of four in Peterborough
$2,639 monthly minimum wage*
After paying for food and shelter, a family of four supported by a minimum-wage earner will have little, if any money leftover, to cover other basic monthly expenses. *including benefits and credits Businessminded Graphics Source: Peterborough County-City Health Unit Nutritious Food Basket, August 2012
container gardening services are still available. Cedar Lane carries jewellery, giftware, home décor and accessories, as well as both lines of FAT Chalk Based Paint and Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint. n Phone: (705) 652-0505 n www.potappeal.net
New Hire at PED
The Peterborough Economic Development Corp. has beefed up its team with the hiring of Lorne Kelsey as Business Development Lead. His responsibilities include helping businesses to expand, pursuing investment opportunities and growing the clean tech water and energy clusters. Mr. Kelsey brings 30-plus years of experience in business development, management, sales and marketing. He comes to the position after working as Destination Sales and Partner Relations
Lorne Kelsey with the Regional Tourism Organization 8 (RTO8–Kawarthas Northumberland Tourism). n Phone: (705) 743-0777 n www.peterboroughcanada.com
Austin Trophies
Austin Trophies has moved from Char-
Where Exceptional Events Unfold With Ease.
CONFERENCES & HOSPITALITY SERVICES
For more information on planning your next Exceptional Event at Trent University, call 705.748.1260 or visit www.meetattrent.com
email: info@conradconsultancy.ca
www.conradconsultancy.ca 8
www.businessminded.ca WINTER 2014
lotte Street to 926 High Street, Peterborough. Established in 1946, the company is the largest supplier of educational and athletic awards in Central Ontario, specializing in corporate and special event awards as well as custom engraving. The new location has a larger showroom and parking space. n Phone: (705) 745-9012 n www. austintrophies.com
Jack In The Box Party Rentals
Jack in the Box Party Rentals has moved to a new location on 322 McDonnel Street, Peterborough. Owned by Kim Trimm, the company began in 1989 as a one-person operation. The business has grown, and it now employs four full-time and three part-time customer server specialists. Services include rentals of tents, tables, chairs, dishes, linen, popcorn machines, wedding supplies and decora-
tions, plus sales of plates, napkins, confetti, place cards, balloons and more. n Phone: (705) 745-5225 n www.jackintheboxpartyrentals.com
START-UPS
NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY HOTEL MARKET FORECASTS AVERAGE DAILY RATE 120 110 100
Insight Counselling
A Canadian certified counselor, Jessica Biggar has started her private practice, Insight Counselling, which provides counselling and psychotherapy services for individuals seeking help with relationships, anxiety, depression, mental health, self-esteem, work stress, healthy spirituality and more. Areas of specialization include Aspergers and autism, caregiver stress, career guidance and personality assessment. n Phone: (705) 243-2442 n www.insightcounsel.ca
$105.25 2014
2015
$113.34
$110.58
2016
2017
OCCUPANCY RATE
60
53.6% 47.6%
40 20
$107.88
2014
2015
49.1%
50.8%
2016
2017
AVAILABLE ROOMS 2017 2016 2015 2014
114,975 114,975 114,975 93,075
Businessminded Graphics Source: Northumberland County Market Study and Hotel Development Strategy, May 2012
WINTER 2014 www.businessminded.ca
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UPFRONT Advanced Health and Wellness
On November 16, 2013, Advanced Health and Wellness held a grand opening at its location on 200 Rubidge Street, Peterborough. The clinic offers chiropractic care and registered massage therapy services. Jeff Bolton, the owner and clinic director, is joined by chiropractor Sue Gleeson and Registered Massage Therapists Ashley Logan and Amanda Payne. n Phone: (705) 748-4322
n
www.advancedhealthandwellness.ca
360 Wellness Clinic
360 Wellness Clinic is a new multidisciplinary clinic that opened recently at 311 George Street North, Peterborough, Suite 203, offering registered massage therapy, reflexology, esthetics and Bowen therapy. n Phone: (705) 400-8454 n www.360wellnessclinic.ca
The Food Forest
The Food Forest, a new restaurant on 641 George Street North, in downtown Peterborough, brings an entirely plant-based and gluten-free menu. The restaurant’s menu is 100% plant-based, containing no meat, dairy, egg or gluten. Its goal is to provide delicious and healthy, common allergen-free foods with as much organic and local produce as possible. n Phone: (705)-874-1888 n www.foodforestcafe.com
PETERBOROUGH HOUSING MARKET FORECASTS HOUSING STARTS 343
350
2012
2013 (F)
2014 (F)
Businessminded Graphics Source: Canadian Housing Mortgage Corp.
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RESALE MARKET
300
320
325 300
AVERAGE PRICE
345
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300
$264,946 $268,000
375 250
2012
2013 (F)
$272,000 375
2014 (F)
250
2,553
2012
2,505 2013 (F)
2,530 2014 (F)
IMMIGRATION JTH Logistics
A full-service freight management service, JTH Logistics helps businesses reduce freight costs and manage their day-to-day transportation functions. The company is recently started by Tim Holland, an industry veteran, who had worked with small and medium-sized businesses that ship across town, across the country or around the world. n Phone: (705) 917-1980
Ashburnham Ale House
Ashburnham Ale House is settling into the former Ferguson Cleaners building on 128 Hunter Street East, Peterborough. The restaurant features three patios, a gorgeous wooden bar and lots of local influence on the menu. n Phone: (705) 874-0333
Canada Hunts for Foreign Entrepreneurs Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander has announced a new visa stream to attract foreign entrepreneurs to Canada. The new business incubator stream under the start-up visa program aims to attract early-stage and high-growth businesses. “As part of our government’s focus on jobs, growth and long-term prosperity, it is critical for Canada to attract the best entrepreneurs and innovators from around the world,” Mr. Alexander said. “This new stream will partner Canada’s world-class business incubators with immigrant entrepreneurs, driving economic growth and placing Canada ahead of its competitors in the global economy of the 21st century.” The government has partnered with the Canadian Association of
Business Incubation to designate eligible business incubator and accelerator programs for the new stream, which began accepting applications on October 26, 2013. Foreign entrepreneurs will apply directly to incubator and accelerator programs, which will evaluate proposals and provide recommendations to CIC on whether to approve their immigration applications. The program does not specify a minimum amount of money that foreign entrepreneurs are expected to provide. A five-year pilot program, the start-up visa fast-tracks permanent residency for immigrant entrepreneurs who are able to secure funding from designated Canadian investors. The program has a ceiling of 2,750 applications a year.
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COVER STORY
The 2013 citizen of the year of the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, Tim Barrie is recognized for his entrepreneurial success and his volunteer work in the community
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IN BUSINESS AND IN LIFE
P
erhaps unknown to many Peterborough residents, there is so much Peterborough pride in the car that they drive. From the clips underneath the car holding gasoline lines or break lines to the door pads, to the HVAC (heat, ventilation, air-conditioning) system – they are made in Peterborough, thanks to Tim Barrie’s company, Merit Precision Moulding Ltd. Merit is a custom thermo plastic injection moulder, and its products are applied in the automotive and electronics industries as well as in a variety of consumer products. Its automotive parts are fitted in cars manufactured by General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Kia, Toyota and Hyundai. The company supplies indirectly to all but GM, where Mr. Barrie worked for 10 years at its car-assembly plant in Oshawa – at one point the largest in the world – as area manager with oversight of its body shop, before he decided to strike on his own. Mr. Barrie left quite a comfortable career at GM in 1990 for the promise of potentially owning his own business one day, joining Peterborough-based Tilco Plastics Ltd, primarily a maker of hair-care products, on a bit of a sweat-equity deal. At the time, Tilco was looking for fresh blood, aiming to diversify its product line. Working for Tilco was also a homecoming for Mr. Barrie, who was born and raised in Peterborough. “I guess it all comes down to what your background is. Some people just don’t fit into a big corporation, and I think I was one of those,” said Mr. Barrie, explaining his decision to quit a lucrative job and take a huge risk. “I realize I wanted to get out and get into my own business – it was something that I’ve always wanted to do. I grew up around my uncle’s garage station, and I always enjoyed the small business as opposed to bigger business.” He added: “GM was very, very good to me. I had a very good learning experience working for them, and it was all very positive. And they put me through MBA school.” He obtained his MBA at York University. The gamble paid off in a sort of unexpected way. Shortly after Mr. Barrie joined Tilco, the economy hit recession – the big 1990 recession – causing the company’s manufacturing business to stagger before it ultimately went into receivership two-and-a-half years later. Backed by equity investors, Mr.
Barrie put together a buyout offer and acquired Tilco’s manufacturing assets. With those assets, along with leftover staff from Tilco’s manufacturing concern – 18 of them – Merit was born in 1993. To this day, the staff have stayed with Merit, except for three who recently retired. Tilco’s customers formed his initial client base. “Every customer stuck with us,” he said. “We continued to build our business with them and got more other business. That’s how we grew initially.” Those were trying times, when Merit began. The manufacturing industry was in rapid transition, with production of a lot of lower-value components moving offshore – to Mexico, Malaysia and, a few years later, China. In the midst of the growing outsourcing trend, however, the automotive industry remained largely “still very domestic,” Mr. Barrie said. “You had to pick your markets. So, that’s where we went after. We concentrated on goods for other manufacturers.” Mr. Barrie had kept his company in Peterborough instead of perhaps taking it to the manufacturing corridor on the west side of Toronto, where it would potentially be able to snag more customers. For some reason, the east side of Toronto is shunned even though Oshawa used to host the world’s largest carassembly plant. Most of the manufacturing has migrated to Brampton, Mississauga, Kitchener and Waterloo. “I think the workforce in Peterborough is motivated,” he said. “They come to work, for the most part, every day, and they seem to be content in their lives. Unlike the workforce in other communities, they are not transitional. And Peterborough generally has a good business environment.” Merit’s turning point to profitability came three years into the business. “We watched our dollars, and we saved everything we could,” Mr. Barrie said, adding that, “my goal was always to buy out my equity partners as fast as I could. So I didn’t take a huge salary, kept the money in the company and used that money to buy them out. After about three years, we had sufficient profits to do that.”
ENTREPRENEURS ARE CALCULATED RISK TAKERS – PEOPLE WHO CAN PUT A VALUE TO THEIR GUT INSTINCT
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TIM BARRIE’S COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
COVER STORY AT A GLANCE TIM BARRIE, 60
Worked at General Motors (engineering and manufacturing) for 10 years. Took mechanical engineering but quit school in his second year to play lacrosse in the United States. Graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in business administration. Obtained MBA at York University. As a professional athlete, he was inducted to the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame, the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame. Business: Merit Precision Moulding Ltd What it Does: Makes custom thermo plastic injection mouldings for application in a variety of consumer products as well as the automotive and electronics industries. Export Markets: Mexico, United States (25%-30%) Annual Revenue: In excess of $10 million Largest Customers: Siemens and Savage Arms Year Established: 1993 No. of Employees: 70 Website: www.meritprecision.com
Did he always know that Merit will be as successful as it is today? “Entrepreneurs are calculated risk takers – people who can put a value to their gut instinct,” Mr. Barrie said. “When you first start a new business, you’ll never know if it will become a success or not. You live for the next week, you live to meet payroll this week. And you manage your cheque book very tight.” One thing though going for him is that, “stress doesn’t bother me,” he said. “I enjoy the challenge. I obviously have a competitive streak.” Of course, Mr. Barrie knows whereof he speaks. A celebrated professional lacrosse player as well as an inductee to not one, not two, but three halls of fame – the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame, the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame – he had demonstrated time and again that he knew how to thrive under intense pressure. He sees a few things common between sports and business. “Hard work,” he said, “as well as team work.” “Business is putting a team together, and you need to be able to look over personality issues of your teammates and work with them.” To expand, Mr. Barrie is planning investments in businesses involving proprietary products. Five years ago, he acquired a nuclear-related business and also recently invested into Aclarus Water Systems, a water-treatment business using ozone technology. Mr. Barrie said he had wanted Merit to be a sustainable business, not a highly leveraged business, so that it can with14
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Tim Barrie has founded as well as played leadership roles in a number of community organizations. He, along with his wife Shelley, is also a generous donor to many charities. n
Peterborough Economic Development Corp. (formerly Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corp.) Director, Vice-Chair and Treasurer
n
Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster Director
n
Kawartha Manufacturers’ Association Board Member
n
Peterborough Region Angel (Investors) Network Co-founder and current Vice-Chair
n
Peterborough Minor Lacrosse Association Board Member
n
Junior A Lakers Lacrosse Team President
n
Sport Kawartha Vice-Chair
n
Trent University Business Council Founding Steering Committee Member
n
Fleming College Advancement Committee Member
n
Kawartha Trades and Technology Centre Advisory Council Member
n
Peterborough Safe Communities Foundation Board Member
n
Peterborough Green-Up Board Member
n
Chamber of Commerce Policy Committee Advisor
Source: Nomination paper for Tim Barrie's business citizen-of-the-year award
stand the downturn. “And we have been able to do that. Merit has kept on growing in sales every year other than the recession years,” he said. Apart from his entrepreneurial success, the breadth of Mr. Barrie’s volunteer work was also another area he was given much recognition for. In October 2013, the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce named him the 2013 business citizen of the year during its 10th Business Excellence Awards. Each year, three or four people get nominated for the award, and a judging committee narrows the nominations down to one. His volunteer work includes sitting in the boards of the Greater Peterborough Innovation cluster and Sport Kawartha as well as Fleming College’s Advancement Committee. He is also the president of the Peterborough Merit Precision Junior A Lakers Lacrosse Team.
TIMELINE
Below is a roster of people who received the business citizen-of-the-year award from the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce in the past 10 years.
2013 TIM BARRIE
2012 MICHAEL SKINNER
2011 DAN STANFORD
2010 MARY-CAROLYN HART Lazer Graphics*
D.M. Wills Associates Ltd
2008 DOUG ARMSTRONG
2007 BILL LOCKINGTON
2006 DON VASSILIADIS
2005 DAVID MORELLO
2004 DARYL BENNETT
Merit Precision Moulding Ltd
Armstrong and Associates
The Venue
LLF Lawyers LLP
Cabinetree
The Shish Kabob Hut
Morello’s Independent Grocer
2009 DAVID WILLS
The Liftlock Group
*retired
Julie Davies, Trent University’s vice president on external relations and advancement, who nominated Mr. Barrie for the award, highlighted his volunteerism track record – “which is wide and deep, and often underappreciated.” He devoted “a significant amount of time to mentoring, supporting and investing in individuals and businesses in Peterborough to help them succeed,” Ms. Davies said. As a co-founder of the Peterborough Region Angel Network, a group of angel investors from the area, he also earned praise for taking the lead in encouraging other successful local business people to combine their wealth, knowledge and experience and invest in early-stage growth companies. “He is very hands-on in helping start-up technology companies and entrepreneurs to help take innovative ideas and processes to market and to foster an environment fueled by innovation,” Ms. Davies said, citing Mr. Barrie’s investment in ozone-water company Aclarus. Bill Lockington, of LLF Lawyers, describes Mr. Barrie, whom he had known for about 25 years, as “a model employer, sensitive and responsive to the needs of his individual employees and their families.” Mr. Barrie was also appreciated for his involvement in education as well as youth initiatives, including providing in-
ternships to Trent University’s business students in his company and sitting in the advisory council of Fleming College’s Kawartha Trades and Technology Centre, a crucial investment in the region. Stuart Harrison, president and CEO of the chamber, said the business citizen-of-the-year award “is about the above and the beyond – for those who have done something beyond being successful in business.” When he looks at the roster of people who have received the award over the years, he said, “what comes to my mind is the volunteer work that they do.” “There are a lot of successful people in town, but, to me, the award is not about being big, or making a bunch of money. It’s about what have you done outside of that – your volunteer work, your contributions to the community, what have you done that’s a result of being successful in business,” Mr. Harrison said. “Success is not necessarily being independently wealthy and giving a bunch of money away. It’s about who you are as a person in this community – as a leader, as a volunteer, as someone who gives back. What does that whole package look like?” Ask Mr. Barrie, and his idea of success is simply right at home. “I have three great boys I’m proud of and a wife of 33 years,” he said. WINTER 2014 www.businessminded.ca
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WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR
Art, body and science By KIERA TOFFELMIRE
A
t 26, Kyla Gutsche was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. A professor of art and art history at Oxford University with a focus on medical illustration, she was fiercely dedicated to her work, a self-proclaimed perfectionist. Her dogged work ethic was a double-edged sword – it helped her to succeed; yet, it also took a toll on her health. The ensuing cancer treatment was harsh. She began losing her hair while experiencing de-pigmentation on her skin, notably her lips. To try to restore her looks, she turned to a nurse as well as a permanent make-up tattooist, who unfortunately bungled the restorative procedure. Her allergic reaction to the pigments caused intense burning sensation doctors had to surgically remove part of her upper lip and eyebrow. Devastated, Ms. Gutsche became a recluse, falling into a state of despondency and depression. At one point, she contemplated suicide. Her parents flew to England and came to her aid, persuading her to be out in the public again. Together, the family volunteered at burn and cancer treatment centres for disfigured children. That marked a turning point in her life, seeing that despite the severity of their disfigurements, the children exuded so much joy and vigor for life. She decided to redirect her research, trying to find ways of helping people with disfigurements through medical tattooing. She contacted Dr. Jean-Paul Tiziano, an innovator in micropigmentation and director of Biotic Phocea Labotary, maker of sterile, single-use pigment line, who offered her an apprenticeship, which she began in 2001. Ms. Gutsche’s first patient was a young boy named Sammy, who was disfigured in a house fire. Ms. Gutsche worked on Sammy’s burned face for five-and-a-half hours. When the job was complete, Sammy asked to be alone. Twenty minutes later, he emerged, his eyes red from crying. “I think my friends will want to play with me again now,” he said. The experience transformed Ms. Gutsche. She felt a sense of purpose again, like things had coalesced to help her make something of her situation. She has since travelled across the globe, training under internationally renowned tattoo artists and medical professionals, merging both science and art in her pursuit for an innovative technique in micropigmentation or medical tattooing. 16
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In 2003, her research and training led her to develop a diluting agent for tattoo pigments, which enabled her to create more realistic effects than traditional permanent makeup or tattoo procedures. In 2008, her Titian Wash tattoo pigment dilutant was introduced in the market after a five-year trial. The product has been patented and is now sold in 52 countries. With the royalties she receives from her product, Ms. Gutsche offers free treatments to young patients who would not be able to afford her services otherwise. Also in 2008, Ms. Gutsche founded her own company, Cosmetic Transformations, in her hometown of Calgary, offering cosmetic and medical micropigmentation tattooing. In 2009, she moved to Peterborough after marrying her high school crush, nephrologist Eliot Beubien. She is renowned for her skin and scar camouflage technique inspired by the glazing techniques of Renaissance artist Titian as well as for the 3-D areolas she tattoos on breast-cancer patients who have undergone reconstruction. Her clients come from all over the world. Although Cosmetic Transformations was Kyla Gutsche helps started in Calgary, it really took people with disfigurements through off in Peterborough. restorative medical “Peterborough has a big tattooing heart, capable of big things,” said Ms. Gutsche, thanking the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce as well as Judy Heffernan, the former general manager of the Community Futures Development Corp. in Peterborough, who passed away in July 2013. “I went to see Judy, and she asked me if I had a business plan,” she said. “She taught me the importance of having all the nuts
AT A GLANCE KYLA GUTSCHE, 39 Oxford-trained university professor in visual arts; highly skilled in medical micropigmentation, having taken advanced training in North America and Europe as well as with plastic surgeons in Canada and London. Business: Cosmetic Transformations What it Does: Performs restorative medical tattooing on survivors of trauma or illness. Year Founded: 2008 No. of Employees: 4 Website: www.cosmetictransformations.com
and bolts in place before starting a business.” Cosmetic Transformations is a recipient of numerous business and innovation awards. In October 2012, Ms. Gutsche won the Innovation Award from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, besting two multi-million dollar companies. Win-
ning the award reaffirmed Ms. Gutsche’s notion that “if you have a dream, no matter how weird it is, and you work hard at it, people will support you.” “Entrepreneurs are weird, and they’re motivated. We’re motivated weirdos,” she said, laughing. “The key is, finding the other weirdos out in the world who will appreciate your ideas.” In the 2011 Business Excellence Awards organized by Peterborough’s chamber of commerce, Cosmetic Transformations snagged two awards – one for micro business and another for innovation, research and development. The company’s slogan, “Transforming Appearances, Changing Lives,” is as real as it can be to many of its patients. There was a 63-year-old patient, for instance, who went on his first date after receiving treatment for a congenital facial deformity. “It wasn’t that he was undateable, it was that he felt undateable,” Ms. Gutsche said. She continually searches for ways to improve herself. While client testimonials aid her business, they also reassure her. “Having people say how much my work means to them helps give me a sense of purpose; it spurs me on and gives me confidence I’m headed in the right direction,” she said. One of her main focuses is generating awareness about the importance of merging art and science, on which Cosmetic Transformations, as a business, stands. Bifurcation of the two fields has been both detrimental and regressive to society, according to Ms. Gutsche. Cosmetic Transformations now has four employees. An expansion is in the horizon through a franchise system, which is part of the company’s five-year plan. For now, however, Ms. Gutsche, who is 39 and cancer free, prefers to spend more time with her husband and two young children. Active in ovarian cancer initiatives, Ms. Gutsche has helped start up Peterborough’s annual Walk of Hope for Ovarian Cancer. Having known what it was like to look into the mirror and have an unfamiliar face stare back, Ms. Gutesche is on a mission: she is changing lives – one patient at a time. WINTER 2014 www.businessminded.ca
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YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS
Cousins Adam, left, and Mike Doran with their AOWT-8 unit inside their potable water treatment trailer, used to conduct demos
Ozone makes ripples By KIERA TOFFELMIRE
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coop up a glass of water directly from the Otonabee River, where Peterborough’s drinking water comes from. Chances are you would fall ill drinking that raw, untreated water. Since 1916, the Peterborough Utilities Group has been using chlorine to disinfect water collected from the Otonabee River and taken to its treatment plant to kill bacteria and viruses before it is piped through homes and comes out of a tap ready to drink. 18
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Chlorination is one method of water treatment, a process to remove contaminants and purify water. Ultraviolet radiation is another. Reverse osmosis is yet another. Other water-treatment technologies also exist. Enter Aclarus Water Systems. Formed in 2012, the company has developed an affordable ozone-based technology for treatment of drinking and waste water. Cousins Mike and Adam Doran, both 34, are the driving force behind the Aclarus ozone water-purifying system. Mike, vice president of operations and head of research and development for Aclarus, first came to know of the ozone technology while he was based in Calgary, where he used to work as a fisheries biologist for the Alberta Conservation Association, a quasi-government entity. His interest grew, and he quit his job to work on it. Adam, vice president of sales and marketing, later joined him there, and they spent the next several years working with the innovator of the technology.
When they ended up owning the rights to the ozone watertreatment technology, they set their sights at starting commercial production and taking their product to market. In order to do so, they needed to secure funding and technical support. They approached the Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster, a not-for-profit that supports technology start-ups with innovative ideas, hoping to obtain that support. As fate would have it, a group of three Peterborough entrepreneurs was, at the same time, also in the thick of a water project and had established a company, Aclarus, to carry it to production. The entrepreneurs – Tim Barrie, president and general manager of Merit Precision Moulding Ltd; Dave Bignell, former president and CEO of Siemens Milltronics Process Instruments Inc.; and John Gillis, who owns industrial instrumentation company Measuremax Inc. – shifted gears, put off their project and embraced the ozone technology by investing in it following an April 2012 meeting with Mike and Adam. Aclarus subsequently became the corporate vehicle for the ozone-technology business. “We’re concentrating first on the cottage industry to get a small unit up and get a track record, although we are being drawn into the home industry,” Mr. Barrie told Businessminded. “We’re working on wastewater treatment as well.” “Ozone,” he said, “is 300 times stronger than chlorine when it comes to purifying water. But the beauty of it is it can be 3,000 faster.” Ozone also has no byproducts, preserves healthy water minerals and super saturates the water with oxygen. The company has received widespread interest immediately.
THE ACLARUS SYSTEM
Aclarus 5GPM
Disinfection Bacteria, Virus, Cysts n Fastest Disinfectant n All Natural n
Aclarus 8-60GPM
Aclarus 60-600GPM
Oxidation
Aesthetic
Iron and Metals n Medicine, Pesticides, Hormones, Chemicals n By-products e.g. THM’s
n
n
Color/Tannins Taste n Odour/Sulphur n
AT A GLANCE MIKE AND ADAM DORAN, both 34
Adam has a degree in geography and business and a masters in international development from the University of Guelph. Mike has a degree in marine and freshwater biology from the University of Guelph. He has also worked as a fisheries biologist for the Alberta Conservation Association, a quasi-government entity. Business: Aclarus Water Systems What it Does: Designs, manufactures and markets specialized ozone-based water treatment Year Founded: 2012 No. of Employees: 8 Revenue (projection): $1 million-$2 million in the next 12-18 months Website: www.aclarus.ca
In mid-October, for instance, it was awarded the innovation, research and development award at the 2013 Business Excellence Awards organized by the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce. As an analogy to how Aclarus has quickly gained notice, Mike tries to evoke an image of an old television commercial, where a group of entrepreneurs are huddled around a computer, celebrating their first five clients. When they hit the refresh button, interest jumps to 500 clients. And the excitement turns to worry. “That was an initial challenge – creating a business structure that can handle volume fluctuations,” Mike said. “But it’s a good challenge to have.” Last spring, at a cottage trade show in Toronto, Aclarus closed more than 40 sales, which is “pretty much unheard of at a trade show these days,” according to Mike. On the surface, it looks as if Mike and Adam are an overnight success. Not really. For the past 10 years, they have made several attempts to try to gain some traction. They were unable to make any significant headway – until now. Designed to be long lasting with little maintenance, the Aclarus water systems have helped farmers produce 1.5-2 litres more milk per day, according to Adam. “When we improve the water, there is less stress on the animal. They are not dealing with the same contaminants, so they consume more and produce more. And when the water quality is better, the milk quality is also better,” he said. Along with their plan for growth and expansion is the creation of a water charity. They noted that in Canada more than 200 reserves are still without access to clean water. As Aclarus approaches its second year, Mike and Adam are determined to continue to work hard. Their goal: to be the next big Canadian business success story. WINTER 2014 www.businessminded.ca
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SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR
Greens in the sky By KIERA TOFFELMIRE
W
hen Leslie Doyle quit her job as a project manager at an advertising firm in Toronto, she walked away with a hunger for a career that allowed her to create something of long-lasting value. While she enjoyed the creative process in advertising, she had grown disillusioned with how shortlived some advertising campaigns really were. And, she said, she found working in a downtown office quite suffocating. Coming from a rural community outside of Kitchener, Ontario, Ms. Doyle is used to the outdoors. During her free time in Toronto, if she was not strolling through city parks, she was tending to her small backyard garden. Yes, she loves to garden, a passion feeding off her desire to research further into green roofs, a system of growing plants, flowers and other vegetation on rooftops. She did everything she could to pave her way into the green-roof industry: she read extensively, and she also attended conferences and workshops. After taking industry courses and writing an exam, she became a green-roof professional. And one thing simply led to another. While pursuing a Landscape Technician program at Humber College, Ms. Doyle had the chance to network with industry professionals and mentors. She met sustainable builder Chris Magwood, who pioneered the Sustainable Building Design and Construction program at Fleming College in Lindsay. Eager to be involved, she joined a crew of students and instructors, who built the first green roof on one of the remote build projects as part of Fleming’s sustainable-building program. Through the Fleming project, she also met Mathis Natvik, a landscape-design consultant and green roof advocate, who became her mentor. Inspired and supported by a circle of industry professionals, Ms. Doyle began discussing the prospect of starting her own business. “You can only talk about it so long before you have to jump at it,” she said. With little overhead costs, Restoration Gardens was birthed in 2009. Ms. Doyle teamed up with a close friend whose passion for green roofs and construction skills complemented her business and landscaping knowledge. The pair worked tirelessly, installing and maintaining green roofs on residential buildings. 20
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The timing of Ms. Doyle’s business could not have come at a better time. In May 2009, Toronto became the first city in North America to adopt a bylaw, which requires rooftop gardens on residential, commercial and institutional buildings erected after January 31, 2010 and having a minimum gross floor area of 2,000 square meters. Beyond aesthetics, green roofs are also understood to provide other benefits, including lower energy consumption, because of the cooling potential of vegetation cover; improved air quality, because of a reduction in carbon-dioxide emission; and longer lifespan for rooftops. “We need our buildings to work for us – to be a part of our culture rather than just a structure that stands,” Ms. Doyle said. As expected, the green-roof industry attracted more players following Toronto’s initiative. Hoping to stand out in an increasingly competitive market, Ms. Doyle strapped on her backpack once again to pursue a joint degree program on Ecological Restoration between Fleming College and Trent University. “I want to be able to offer credible solutions to my clients and make good judgments about what I’m doing based on science and the understanding of all the system components,” she said. Ms. Doyle has installed green roof test plots at Fleming College’s Lindsay campus, aided by a group of enthusiastic students, some of whom she offered summer employment with her company. She acknowledged that being both an entrepreneur and a full-time student at the same time is a difficult balancing act. Her secret? “Coffee – lots of coffee,” she said. Restoration Gardens begins installing green roofs as soon as the snow lifts, usually in March, and continues until first frost in fall. Administration and marketing chores are generally done during the winter months. So are client meetings to map out roofs for the spring. The duration of the projects varies, depending on the size, spanning anywhere from a couple of days to several weeks. While the majority of its work is currently concentrated in Toronto, Restoration Gardens travels across Ontario, going as
AT A GLANCE LESLIE DOYLE, 33
Landscape Technician program, Humber College; Joint degree program on Ecological Restoration at Fleming College and Trent University Business: Restoration Gardens Inc. What it Does: Installs and maintains green roofs Year Founded: 2009 No. of Employees: 1 full time, 7 part time Website: www.restorationgardens.ca
Leslie Doyle installs test plots on the rooftop of one of the buildings at Fleming College’s Lindsay campus
far north as Thunder Bay. Ms. Doyle feels a strong connection with Peterborough, where she spends half her time. She is actively involved in the sustainability communities of both Fleming College and Trent University. She also facilitates workshops at Peterborough’s sustainable building co-op, The Endeavour Centre. She describes Peterborough as progressive and a prime city for green roofs, because of its vulnerability to floods and its location alongside a river. She hopes that Peterborough will follow in the footsteps of Toronto in providing incentives for green roof installation. Toronto homeowners can receive up to $75 per square metre of green roof from the city. Restoration Gardens started as a two-person operation. Today, it usually employs seven people during its nine-month
operation cycle. In 2013, it hired its first year-round, full-time employee. While Ms. Doyle feels good about the continued growth of her business, she admits she feels a little behind the ball in other aspects in her life. “As a 33-year-old, I feel like I should have a family to make dinner for every night. And that’s not going to happen for a while, unless the family wants to eat at Tim Hortons on the 401 every day,” she jokes. Still, Ms. Doyle said the rewards of being an entrepreneur outweigh her personal sacrifices. Some of the letters and emails she received from her clients expressing appreciation have moved her to tears. “I just love what I do,������������������������������������������ ”����������������������������������������� she says, pausing to take a swig of coffee. “I’m not wrapping up anytime soon. I see the big crews and bigger projects.” WINTER 2014 www.businessminded.ca
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START-UP COMPANY
That Artsy Feeling
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ebecca Baptista can still vividly recall her Aha! moment. She had just done staging her first-ever event the night before – a collaborative show of musicians, DJs, dancers and visual artists. Everything unfolds in one space, with the audience milling around and socializing with the artists afterward. “The next day I walked out onto the street, and I thought that’s what I’m supposed to do,” she said, her eyes sparkled. “I love it. I’m making a difference. In the arts world, I’m doing something important. I’m supposed to be doing it, and I just knew it.” Ms. Baptista has been a dancer all her life, dating back to when, as a young teen-ager, she took a specialized dance program at Mayfield Secondary School in Caledon, Ontario, just north of Brampton, where she is originally from. Aspiring students must pass a screening process to enter the school’s arts program, which covers four disciplines: drama, dance, music and visual arts. She also trained in contemporary dance in Toronto, her home of nearly 20 years while she travelled and performed in theatres, festivals and other venues in different parts of the world as a member of the famed Newton Moreas Dance Company, founded in 1997 by Brazilian-Canadian choreographer Newton Moraes. “So, after my experience in Toronto, and from doing art events and art production involving all disciplines of arts in one space and connecting with the audience in different ways, I knew that I wanted to have a full-time establishment where I could do that – an art gallery, a shop and a performance venue,” Ms. Baptista said. “I realize that I’d like to be more of a leader – somebody who reached to the audience instead of being a dancer on stage. Instead of waiting for people to come into the theatre, I’d like to be more active in creating an event that perhaps reached out to the audience more and tapped into different audiences.” So, in June 2012, she opened Impresario Artisan Market in downtown Cobourg, offering contemporary art creations, including fashion accessories, textile art and jewellery, among other items. The shop flows into an open-concept art gallery, which showcases pieces of art meant more for the ordinary art buyers than for the serious art collectors, and produced mainly by artists from Northumberland County. Prices in the art gallery range between $150 and $3,000 apiece. The gallery has also served as a venue for small concerts 22
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and poetry readings. “I’m connecting with the dancers in the area too,” said Ms. Baptista, who has lived in Cobourg for about four years now, expressing her desire to use the space also for dance events. Ordinarily, the gallery features a different artist each month, although it may also occasionally showcase a group of artists. “I knew I wanted to stand out by having a mixture of art gallery and fun shopping experience. That way people get introduced to art in a different way,” Ms. Baptista said. “Sometimes galleries can be scary because you are in a quiet room with big pieces of artwork – even though there’s a place for that in the art world – and it doesn’t feel like a fun, friendly experience to everyone.”
Local residents are the majority of her customers – not the serious art collectors, who invest hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars into an art piece. “There’s a huge appreciation for arts in Cobourg. There are so many possibilities in downtown Cobourg, and I just wanted to be part of its transformation through the art space that I’m creating,” she said. “I feel like arts establishments do help transform towns and neighborhoods. I hope this gallery and shop will be one of the places that will help downtown Cobourg to flourish.” Her business also benefits from an influx of people coming through Cobourg from cities during summer and fall. Art being subjective, “and a lot of it is based on emotion,” she said, she takes the time to talk to people and educate them
Rebecca Baptista has been dancing all her life. Now, she is taking a sidestep to run a shop and art gallery business
AT A GLANCE REBECCA BAPTISTA, 38
Professional dancer, events organizer and choreographer Business: Impresario Artisan Market What it Does: Showcases all-Canadian contemporary arts, crafts and designs as well as art pieces from mostly Northumberland County artists; also serves as events venue Year Founded: 2012 No. of Employees: 3 (part-time) Website: www.impresariomarket.ca
about the pieces of art in front of them. “I talk to every customer about who the artist is, and I have discussions with them about how they feel when they look at an art piece. So, it’s a very conversational way of telling them about the artist and the artwork,” she said. Ms. Baptista said her curatorial selection, “which is in my head and in my heart – the things that I think look good or are of good quality,” should set Impresario apart from other art galleries. “I want this gallery and shop to have an identity that is different from the public art gallery down the street. So it’s got my personality in it, my choices. The look of the artwork in here might be reflective of that. And that helps me to stand out,” she said. “I identify the products in here almost on an emotional basis. If it’s a piece of art that I want in my house, I’m proud to have it in here too.” Ms. Baptista was coming off of maternity leave, when she decided that, with a new baby, she did not want to go back to a day job anymore. Seeing a lot of empty storefronts in downtown Cobourg, she thought the timing was perfect. “I saw opportunity. I don’t want someone else to take the opportunity before I could,” she said. So, with a little help from the Northumberland Community Futures Development Corp., which provided business coaching, mentoring and financial assistance under its Self-Employment Benefit Program to tide her over through the first few months of the business, she took the leap and started the business that she had always wanted. “This was my dream. I knew I wanted to do this, and I was glad I was eligible for the (CFDC) program and that it happened at the right time for me,” she said. The program provides entrepreneurial skills training and support to people who were on employment insurance or are re-entering the work force after leaving it to care for a newborn. Ms. Baptista said she would consider it a success if the business stays afloat a few years down the line and becomes stable and sustainable. “I just felt so lucky that I did do it now and here,” she said. “I felt that I did the right thing at the right time.” WINTER 2014 www.businessminded.ca
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ECONOMY
Peterborough Has More Immigrant Entrepreneurs
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n her keynote speech at a diversity conference in Peterborough on November 5, 2013, Fairness Commissioner Jean Augustine brought a piece of news that many in her audience perhaps were largely unaware about – that, in a field of 35 census metropolitan areas all over Canada, Peterborough had the highest number of immigrant entrepreneurs. In 2012, 36% of Peterborough immigrants started their own business, according to Ms. Augustine, who described Peterborough as “the city with the leading percentage of immigrant entrepreneurship.” Kelowna City is second at 29% followed by St. Catharines-Niagara, 24%. “Immigrant entrepreneurship is alive and well,” she told a crowd of more than 100 people who attended the third biennial Peterborough Partnership Council on Immigration Integration “Together We Prosper” conference. In fact, Peterborough wants to do more. The city is currently seeking funds to finance a full-time position at the New Canadians Centre whose role will be to market Peterborough
Fairness Commissioner Jean Augustine
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IMMIGRANTS TO PETERBOROUGH CITY EUROPE ASIA AMERICAS AFRICA OTHER
3,965 1,360 1,135 190 65
PERIOD OF IMMIGRATION Before 1971 1971 to 1980 1981 to 1990 1991 to 2000 2001 to 2011
3,130 895 830 845 1,020
Businessminded Graphics
Source: National Household Survey, Statistics Canada, 2011
as a destination for newcomer entrepreneurs; help employers to navigate the immigration processes involved in attracting, hiring and retaining newcomer employees; and make plans to retain, integrate and improve the employment outcomes of international post-secondary students. The Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is likely to make the funding application. The move followed a meeting the city had with its immigrant business community in September 2013. Mayor Daryl Bennett, along with Councillor Dean Pappas, who chairs the city’s diversity portfolio, had called a meeting with a group of immigrant entrepreneurs as Peterborough looks into the economic potential of the diaspora networks of its immigrant population. The theory is that the depths of connection that its immigrants have with every corner of the world can potentially engender trade and business activity between Peterborough and other global economies – resulting in fresh investments and jobs created. The basis of the conversation at the meeting was a questionnaire that participants were asked to individually respond to. “We asked some of the basic questions: What are we doing right – or wrong? Why are people choosing to locate their businesses in Peterborough?” Mr. Pappas said. “Let’s see where the report takes us. But, ultimately, I would like to see more growth in new Canadian-owned businesses.” Sammy Shehadeh, a Middle Eastern immigrant whose investment portfolio in Peterborough in his more than two decades of living in the city includes real-estate development, property management, wireless telecom franchise, restaurants, spa, entertainment venues, and physical fitness club, described the meeting as “a good start – that the city is recognizing the economic contribution of immigrants.” Raj Kashyap, who owns a Pharmasave drugstore retail outlet on Lansdowne Street, said he is hoping that the business-attraction strategy of the city will result in high-paying jobs being created in Peterborough. “Peterborough is open for business,” the mayor said.
ECONOMY
Facility Boosts Prospects for More Local Food BUSINESSES SURVEYED FOR BR+E project
T
Kawartha Lakes CFDC $20,000 Peterborough CFDC $20,000
5%
Prince Edward/Lennox and Addington CFDC $20,000 Trenval CFDC $20,000
5%
50% 25%
North and Central Hastings and South Algonquin CFDC $20,000 CFDC = Community Futures Development Corp. FedDev = Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario Businessminded Graphics Source: Press Releases
58
Kawartha Lakes
38
Quinte West
29
Belleville
11
Hastings
50
Prince Edward
45
Source: Regional Local Food BR+E, June 2012
MAIN FUNDING SOURCES 5% 5% 5%
Peterborough
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he proposed Ontario Agri-Food Venture Centre, the facility that will carry out a plan for a regional approach to a sustainable local food production, is on track to open in the summer of 2014 on a 15,000-square-foot site at the Colborne Industrial Park. Construction of the centre is due for completion in April or May. The centre is an attempt by a group of nine counties and cities in Eastern Ontario, led by Northumberland County, to develop their own local food system.
Northumberland CFDC $100,000
77
Lennox and Addington 24
Arlene Dorland, president of Northumberland Federation of Agriculture, at the site of the food-processing facility
FedDev Ontario $200,000
Northumberland
The plan involves establishing a facility equipped to handle processing, packaging Added to Ontario’s econand storage of fruits, vegomy if every household in Ontario spent $10 a week etables and bakery items. The on local food facility emerged as a compelBusinessminded Graphics ling need after a survey of 363 food businesses in those Source: The Martin Prosperity Institute cities and counties, according to Arlene Dorland, president of the 700-plus-member Northumberland Federation of Agriculture, a lobby group on farm issues. Ms. Dorland expects the centre to benefit from a shifting attitude among consumers on local food, which, she said, “is becoming popular.” A research report issued in August 2013 by The Conference Board of Canada highlights Canada’s growing appetite for local food in the past 10 years. For consumers, the report states, local food is a way for them to express their values and beliefs about the food system. For businesses, it is a way for them to differentiate themselves from their competitors and create niche products. Twenty-four percent of Ontario’s food production is consumed locally, the highest proportion among Canadian provinces after Quebec’s 29%. The rest is exported internationally or inter-provincially. “You can say, ‘Local food? What difference does it make? The normal consumer picks up stuff from the grocery store and brings it home.’ But there’s a movement away from that. People now want to make their own food,” Ms. Dorland said. For these consumers, she said, the centre provides a way for them to come in, say, during
$2.4 Billion
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ECONOMY their weekends or off-work days and make their food. Beyond the individual consumer, market gardens are also potential users of the centre’s facilities. Across the region spanning Northumberland County through Frontenac County, several market gardens exist, growing fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops. Some of them have the ability, to some extent, to process farm produce right in their own commercial kitchens. They mainly make jams, jellies, sauces or relishes in fairly small volume and sell them directly to consumers through on-farm stands, farmers’ markets, restaurants and independent produce outlets. The concept of the centre, spearheaded by Northumberland County’s Economic Development and Tourism, allows farmers to develop new products, test them out in the market and gain traction before they finally decide whether they should go on a bigger scale. Lorne Lang thinks the centre is a great idea. “We usually have a lot of surplus during the summer, which we throw away, and we buy them in winter,” he said. Will he ever use the centre? “I don’t know, but we’re always looking for opportunities to make money,” said Mr. Lang, who has a 158-acre farm in Northumberland County and owns Maria’s Garden. The theory behind the project is that by having a rental food-processing facility, farmers
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will be able to extend the seasonality of their fruits and vegetables as well as explore secondary sources of income. And, with the facility in place, the expectation is that fruits and vegetable farmers will start to grow more. A dairy farmer, Ms. Dorland said the centre will more likely gain the support of aggressive and innovative farmers, noting: “Farmers are interesting people. Some will jump on a new concept and just run with it, and then there will be others – you couldn’t pay them to go there, you know, because it’s new and it’s going to cost them to use it, and then there’s everybody in between.” The centre’s facilities on cooking, chilling, freezing, packaging and labeling are for rent. The centre will also serve as a venue for training on anything from food preparation to the basics of running a business, she said. “Training is big,” said Ms. Dorland. And training is the one service component of the centre that she sees will likely catapult it to a point of becoming viable and sustainable. “I’d be lying if I’d say I wasn’t sceptical – that the facility will fly immediately as a food-processing facility. At this point, I see it more of a training facility, and it could potentially develop from there over time. How good a job they do in training people will determine the success of the place,” she said.
CLICK EXCELLENCE AWARDS
On November 23, 2013, the East Kawartha Chamber of Commerce announced the recipients of its annual awards of excellence at a gala event. The 14th Annual Awards of Excellence has received more nominations than in recent years, and perhaps ever, according to the chamber. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY East Kawartha Chamber of Commerce
Award recipients: (Sitting, from left) Rev. Warren Vollmer, George Brown, Matt Logan and Trevor Brundle. (Back row, from left): Susan Hunter, David Wilson, Chris Wilson, Munroe Scott, Heather Sadler, Andrea Childs, and Karl and Deb Kustor Rev. Warren Vollmer receives the Citizen of the Year award. With him is Kris Keller, of RBC Financial Group
Chris and David Wilson, of Let’s Get Digital, receive the Customer Service Excellence award. With them is presenter Scott Davidson, of Hendren Funeral Homes
Karl and Deb Kustor, of Harbour Town McCracken’s Landing, receive the Business Beautification award. With them is presenter Heather Sadler, of Ecovue Consulting Services Ltd, on behalf of Ennismore Automotive Repair
George Brown, of MASS Environmental, receives the Entrepreneur Innovation award. With him is presenter Alison Garbutt, of Nightingale Nursing Registry
Andrea Childs, of Scotsman Point Resort, receives the Tourism/ Hospitality Excellence award. With her is presenter Mary McGillis, of Celtic Connection
Matt Logan, of Logan Tree Experts, receives the Young Professional award. With him is presenter Ken Smith, of the Peterborough Community Futures Development Corp.
Munroe Scott, of Lakefield Youth Unlimited, receives the Not-For-Profit Excellence award. With him is presenter Annie Siegel, of Darling Insurance
Trevor Brundle, of Town & Country Marine, receives the Retailer of the Year award. With him is presenter Paul Downs of Nexicom
Susan Hunter, representing SGS Lakefield, receives the Outstanding Business Achievement award. With her is presenter Deputy Warden Joe Taylor, of the County of Peterborough
WINTER 2014 www.businessminded.ca
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CLICK NEW CHAMBER MEMBER SHOWCASE
On November 19, 2013, the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce showcased businesses that have been members since April 2013 in a mini-tradeshow format. Held at the Peterborough Curling Club on Lansdowne Street, the event also served as an occasion for new and old members to network and make business connections.
Natasha Roulston of Creative Legacy Beth Armstrong of Enticing Cakes
Doug Butson of Pillar to Post Home Inspectors
Cheri Anderson of The Crate Escape PTBO
Val Wilson of Total Sportswear & Marketing Inc.
Steve Borgman of Sign-A-Rama and Angela Kettle of i-Talk Consumer Solutions
Darryl Goodall of Part-Time CFO Services
Brittany Mark and Emily Downie of ScotiaMcLeod
Betty Smith of Applewood Retirement Residence
Shelley English and Lisa Hartjes of Stay Over Rover
Karen August of the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce; Chris Hushagen, of the Peterborough Curling Club; and Stuart Harrison, president and CEO of the chamber
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Richard Birarda of JSG Group and Michael Hearne and Brian Bulger of The Life Insurance Guy
Butch Bellhouse, of TCB Office Design & Furniture Sales; Andrew Pyle, of ScotiaMcLeod; and Jon Bryan and Chris McBain, of TCB Office Design & Furniture Sales
CLICK CONFERENCE AND TRADE SHOW
On October 24, 2013, Port Hope and District Chamber of Commerce hosted a Conference and Trade Show at the Port Hope Recreation Centre. Titled, “Small Community – Global Impact: Economic Opportunities and the PHAI,” the event, among other things, looked at economic opportunities at the Port Hope Area Initiative, one of Canada’s largest environmental cleanup projects. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY Port Hope and District Chamber of Commerce
The team from ECC Quantum Murray, an event sponsor
Sandy Holmes, community relations co-ordinator of the Port Hope Area Initiative
Wendy Parker from AMEC, an event sponsor
Lynn Forest, director of regulatory policy at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Allan O’Dette, president and CEO of the Ontario Chambers of Commerce, lunch-time speaker
Doug Blundell from Executive Protection Services
Port Hope Councillor Jeff Gilmer A slice of the crowd at the panel discussion Bree Nixon, manager, Port Hope Chamber of Commerce; Julie Mavis, chamber president and also with Cats Media; Heather Kleb, vice president of the Canadian Nuclear Association and keynote speaker; and Sarah Anderson, of the stakeholder relations and communications at the Port Hope Area Initiative t Dov ben-Reuven, regulatory policy officer at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Kristy Savoie, Jim Wraith and David Cole of Tervita, a major sponsor of the event
Dr. Brian Ikeda, associate professor at UOIT’s Faculty of Energy Systems and Nuclear Science
WINTER 2014 www.businessminded.ca
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CLICK PHILANTROPHY MONTH
The Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough hosted Business After Hours of the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce on November 5, 2011 at Ashburnham Ale House on Hunter Street East in which Philantrophy Month was launched.
Cheri Anderson of The Crate Escape and Roula Kovios of Sign-A-Rama
t
Dave Carveth of Carveth Painting and Laurel Atkinson of the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough
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Gavin Muir of Gavin R. Muir Professional Corp.
t Jeannine Taylor of KawarthaNOW.com and Michael VanDerHerberg of the New Canadians Centre
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Kevan Herod is owner and CEO of Herod Financial Services
COMMENTARY
BUSINESS SENSE By KEVAN HEROD, B.Sc., CFP, CLU, ChFC, CHS, CAFA, TEP
Life Happens. Plan Ahead and Secure Your Future
A
s the owner of a business, new or seasoned, you plan for success. You spend time learning the business, acquiring new knowledge and information, building your reputation and developing relationships within your business and with your customer. You may take on a business partner and pool your expertise, skills and other resources, including money. You take time to plan for events that are within your control. But what about events, which are beyond your control, that may impact you or your business? What if you should become disabled, what if your partner dies or decides to leave the business or what if one of your key executives develops cancer and needs time to deal with their current situation? You can protect yourself, your business and your family by planning for the unexpected events of life with insurance. Following a major change in key players in a business, creditors may cut back or ask for immediate payment, debtors may slow their payments waiting to see what will happen to the business. Some customers and employees may lose confidence and competitors may see an opportunity at your expense. Ensuring that you have a plan to deal with contingencies is critical to the long-term success of your business. Insurance products incorporated into your overall strategic business plan will help you develop cost-effective solutions for many of the situations that can threaten your business. n Key Person Insurance: The proceeds of a life insurance policy provide immediate cash to cover capital needs and to pay for/look for a replacement. n Business Loan Protection: Proceeds from life insurance policy are tax-free and may be used to pay outstanding loans or other debts; the proceeds can also protect owners or their estate from becoming personally liable for business debts. n Buy-Sell Funding: It allows for the eventual transfer of business interest and helps the remaining owners survive the transition. Buy-Sell funding is part of the succession plan, ensuring purchase financing is in place when owner dies 32
www.businessminded.ca WINTER 2014
BUSINESS PLANNING PYRAMID
Estate Who?
PHASE 4: Legacy
MOST
Succession Plan for Business
Retirement Planning and Succession
PHASE 3: Established
PHASE 2: Growing PHASE 1: New Business
Executive Compensation ■ Individual Pension ■ Plans (IPP) ■ Personal Insured Retirement Plan (IRP) ■ Corporate Insured Retirement Plan (CIRP) ■ Retirement Compensation Agreement (RCA)
CASH FLOW
Employee Benefits
Buy Sell Arrangements
Group RRSP
Attract and Retain
Death? Disability?
Pension
Debt Personal Corporate?
Income for Family
Buy/Sell Arrangements
Death Disability
Death? Disability?
LEAST
Key Person Coverage Who?
Businessminded Graphics
n Funding Capital Gains Tax on a Business at Death: Life
insurance is particularly valuable if the beneficiaries want to retain the property or if market conditions will not provide fair market value. Insurance can also provide the funds to pay the tax liability resulting from capital gains and recaptured depreciation. n Executive Compensation: As part of a benefit package to attract key executives, life insurance provides monies to the dependents of an executive which can be used to cover the cost of a funeral, education, debt or to provide income should the executive die. n Wealth Creation: Exempt permanent life insurance policy allows for tax-deferred growth of the cash value and tax-free receipt of proceeds at death. HEROD FINANCIAL SERVICES can be reached by phone at (705) 741-5287 or online at www.herodfinancial.com.
Sandra Dueck is policy analyst of the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce
COMMENTARY
AT THE CHAMBER By SANDRA DUECK
Why Lobby? It Works and Makes a Difference
W
hat is policy? What does it mean for business? What does it mean for the economy at every level (local, provincial, federal)? The all-encompassing answer is that policy and subsequently legislation have everything to do with the Ontario and Canadian business landscape. Policy is the framework within which business must operate. Policy tells us how to apply for a business permit, how to set up a business, how to secure a loan, how to hire employees and secure a product. Policy is the background to success. Good, effective policy makes being in business easy. It’s why the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is putting even more focus on connecting business to business and business to government. The more we get in front of local, provincial and federal governments, the more we can help iron out wrinkles. The more we make those connections, the more we can make a difference. Locally, your chamber works on a number of issues, both on a short-term and an ongoing basis. Apart from providing the business perspective on the news of the day through our weekly “Voice of Business” page, which can be found online at www.peterboroughchamber.ca, or every Tuesday on The NEW CHEX Daily, our continued stance on the Trent Severn Waterway to see a boating pass implemented is part of the effort to convince the government there are other options to help those who do business along the waterway. We’ve provided feedback to the Peterborough city council on everything from the location of a public square to the police budget. We have been extremely active on the issue of immi-
WE EMPHASIZE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE VARIOUS LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, AND A CONTINUAL FOCUS ON BUSINESS, THE ECONOMIC ENGINE OF THE ECONOMY
grant integration, most recently hosting a roundtable with the provincial minister of citizenship and immigration, Michael Coteau. We continue to support the Shining Waters Railway Corp. and the extension of the 407. On the broader scale, with initiatives like the Prosperity Round Table and the Government Affairs Committee, as well as the work of our regular monthly Policy Committee, we emphasize cooperation between the various levels of government, and a continual focus on business, the engine of our economy. As a member of both the Ontario and the Canadian chambers of commerce, we are active, very active, with both the provincial and federal governments. Federally, the chamber network has: n
n
n
Asked the federal budget be balanced by 2015-2016 (which Finance Minister Jim Flaherty recently indicated is the same timeline) Limit employer EI premium rate increases to 7cents per $100, saving business $750 million in 2011-2012 Lower the general Corporate Income Tax rate from 16.5% in 2011 to 15% in 2012, saving business $1.5 billion per year
Provincially, the chamber network has convinced the government to: n
n n
Increase the Employer Health Tax Exemption Limit (up for final reading in December 2013) Commit to a balanced budget by 2017 Endorse our “Emerging Stronger – A Transformative Agenda for Ontario” report
We lobby as one voice for business because it works; it makes a difference. Follow the Peterborough chamber on Twitter @ptbochamber and at www.peterboroughchamber.ca. Join the discussion on the “Peterborough Chamber” group of LinkedIn. WINTER 2014 www.businessminded.ca
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115 years – and still connecting
One hundred and fifteen years. That’s how long we’ve been helping local homes and businesses to stay in touch with their everexpanding world. From our modest beginning as Millbrook’s first telephone service, we’ve grown into one of the largest suppliers of telephone, Internet, and security systems in the Kawarthas. But we couldn’t have done it without your support. Since that day in 1898 when our switchboard operator first connected two parties, we’ve never forgotten that our success depends upon giving you friendly, reliable service. And that’s something we will remember, well into the future. We’re proud to be a part of this community, and we’re honoured to have served you for 115 years. We look forward to keeping you connected for many more.
Paul, Matt, John
We have what it takes. Internet. Telephone. Security. 705-775-nexi (6394) • nexicom.net