Profile Stories

By Véronique Loewen

BUSINESSVOICE SASKATOON SABEX 2021 SPECIAL EDITION / 2021 15 Image: Sik Pics

Image: Sik Pics

Established in 1910 to ensure that women, girls and their families are empowered in a safe, equitable community, the YWCA Saskatoon is celebrated as the 2021 recipient of the Community Impact SABEX Award.

Although conditions have improved for women, the YWCA Saskatoon’s role is still relevant. The facts are that in Canada: • Every 6 days, a woman is killed by her intimate partner. • Women are 10 times more likely than men to be victims of sexual assault and 553,000 women reported sexual assaults last year. • Women earn on average 75 cents for every $1 men make, with similar experience, socio-economic and demographic background. • Just 8.5% of the highest-paid positions in Top 100 companies are held by women, although 56% of postsecondary graduates are female. 321 women in 2020, the YWCA Saskatoon is also focused on its Turning Points program.

“Turning Points is a long-term housing program that helps women ready to make change and start their healing journey by providing continuous support and a safe place to call home,” explains Carla Delgado, Director of Development & Engagement at YWCA Saskatoon.

“These women are struggling with addictions, mental health issues and have often been victims of violence, trauma and abuse. Our dedicated counsellors work with them to create stabilization and healing plans. They teach them self-care strategies, life skills, and connect them to other supports or opportunities.”

The program has an 83% success rate with participants securing longterm housing and overcoming addictions. Almost 40% of the women work full-time and 8% are pursing post-secondary education. And 70% of mothers, whose children were in care, are reunited with them or gained access visits.

The impact of Turning Points on the lives of these women is profound. The impact of the YWCA Saskatoon on the community cannot be understated. www.ywcasaskatoon.com

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The 2021 Community Investment SABEX Award goes to Saskatchewan’s well-known homebuilder, North Prairie Developments. Having built over 3,500 single and multifamily homes, North Prairie Developments has made it its mission to also contribute philanthropically throughout Saskatchewan.

Over the years, North Prairie Development has supported community projects and organizations, such as the Gordie Howe Sport Complex, Oxford House Saskatchewan, Nutrien Wonderhub Children’s Discovery Museum, Merlis Belsher Place, Remai Modern, Wanuskewin Heritage Park, Ronald McDonald House, Read Saskatoon, and all four hospital foundations in Saskatoon. In 2020, North Prairie Developments and its affiliate Canwest Commercial and Land Corp. made their single largest community contribution. They announced a $3 million land donation for the construction of the Martensville multipurpose recreation facility. “North Prairie has built many homes and condos throughout Martensville and also developed some large land developments, including McCormak Ranch, Black Iron Crossing and Sunset Ridge sub-divisions. It is important to us to support the city and the people who supported us,” says John Williams, founder and partner of North Prairie Developments.

“Surrounding area recreational facilities are over booked and Martinsville residents have to travel quite far to access sports and events facilities. We are proud to be involved in a project that will give the residents a place to go to close to home.”

The past twelve years, North Prairie Development has also donated 1,990 turkeys and 2,257 hams to the Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre. “We raise money from our employees, subtrades and business associates and match their donations. With the funds raised we purchase turkeys and hams to add a little extra cheer to the Holiday Season for people in need,” explains John.

Whether the company is contributing to the creation of affordable housing and shelter, health and wellness programs, sports and recreation amenities, education and literacy initiatives or arts and culture facilities, or simply encouraging employees to volunteer, North Prairie Developments’ commitment to community investment has definitely earned the recognition as 2021 Community Investment SABEX Award recipient.

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When Alex Cruder and Brent Gudelot launched Curbie Cars in late 2017, their goal was to offer a customeroriented process to purchase a preowned vehicle online.

With their proprietary advanced pricing and inventory management digital technology, they provide a transparent all-in price, a sevenday test-own period, a money-back guarantee, a free three-month (10,000km) warranty, a 240-point inspection on all vehicles, and a contactless service with free home or office delivery.

They make shopping for a pre-owned vehicle as easy as shopping for music, clothes and meals. No need to spend valuable time in a dealership speaking with a salesperson or agonizing over price negotiations. They knew they were onto something good as they watched the rise of online purchasing, but they couldn’t have predicted what would happen just three years later. Fast forward to March 2020, the world shuts down with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and Curbie’s sales dried up overnight. But the drought didn’t last long. They had what other Saskatchewan vehicle retailers didn’t - people could purchase their vehicles entirely online – contactless.

“Although vehicle inventory issues also affected the used vehicle market, we quickly developed new connections across the country and hired vehicle purchasing specialists to ensure we would have a steady supply of vehicles,” says Alex Cruder, Co-founder and CEO at Curbie.

Their focus on the digital customer experience before, during and after purchase, and on quality vehicles, earned them a 95% increase in sales in 2020. They expanded into the Alberta and Manitoba markets next and grew from fourteen people to 43 today. With over 500 happy customers and vehicles sold, and a growth forecast of 300%, they expect to expand into new markets across North America in 2022. That’s fortitude, deserving of a COVID-19 Grit SABEX Award.

www.curbie.ca

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What do you get when you put a meticulous electrician and a people and process specialist together? You find yourself dealing with the SABEX award winning dynamic duo, Kurt and Rodelle Genoway, owners of Hometown Homes.

When Kurt, a journeyperson electrician, and Rodelle, a business coach and human resources consultant, launched Hometown Homes, in early 2020, they had no idea that a pandemic was right around the corner. The impact of the pandemic didn’t stop them. They had a vision for their new home building company: to put the hometown feel back into dealing with a contractor.

To achieve their vision, Kurt and Rodelle, felt it was important to provide their clients with a personable approach, transparency in their streamlined processes and pricing, and plenty of creativity in their design. They also built a team of subcontractors that shared their values of attention to detail and artisanship, relationship building with clients and brought some fun to their projects. “We found our passion. Each workday is fun and meaningful, no matter what kind of issues arise. We truly enjoy curating a rewarding experience for our clients,” says Rodelle.

Setting themselves apart, they invested in technology to offer their clients the ability to view their home’s creative design in a realistic 3D model, which also allows them to see how design and style changes affect their total cost at any given point. “We have invested heavily in technology. It’s currently overkill for a business our size, but we wanted to set things up right the first time in order to be able to scale up Hometown Homes quickly,” explains Rodelle. That’s exactly the forward-looking thinking that made Hometown Homes the 2021 New Business Venture SABEX Award recipient.

www.hometownelectric.ca

If you’re looking for a family-friendly location to experience year-round the unique vibe, welcoming spirit and go-forward attitude that Saskatoon offers or “Saskatooning” as everyone calls it, look no further, the Nutrien Wonderhub is where you must go. It is also the recipient of the 2021 Saskatooning SABEX Award.

Wonderhub is Saskatchewan’s only children’s discovery museum, offering an exceptional experience for children under twelve and their adults. There, children are free to lead their adults and friends through the exhibits at their own pace, letting their curiosity guide them. The Wonderhub team members provide visitors, young and young-at-heart, with an engaging experience that reflects the cultural diversity of the community. to spend time connecting with their children through play, where adults bring back their inner child, and where every child has the opportunity to learn while having fun and making new friends. Its diverse exhibits include the Toon Town city scape that lets kids become business owners, builders and performers, the Cosmic Commotion a crocheted masterpiece of swings, tunnels and nets to climb, and the Discovery Mine exhibit to explore a miniature potash mine, among many other activities.

“Our Wonder for All program allows us to offer opportunities such as free admission days, low sensory days, and immune compromised visits. We also take our programming outside in every corner of the city to bring fun learning experiences wherever children are in the community. And to contribute to building a positive and welcoming community for all, we partner with other family attractions and events in the city, like Wanuskewin, Western Development Museum, Saskatoon Zoo, and the Children’s Festival,” says Amanda McReynolds Doran, Wonderhub CEO.

Truly, Wonderhub demonstrates its Saskatooning spirit for all within its walls and beyond.

Experience this Saskatooning attraction at www.wonderhub.ca

2021 marked the inaugural edition of the Mistahi Mamîchîtowin SABEX Award, which means Great Pride in You, in Cree and recognizes a Saskatoon organization that is working to foster good relations with Indigenous people in our community and promote economic reconciliation. Wanuskewin Heritage Park was a natural fit to be the first recipient of this award.

A national heritage site that celebrates the cultures of northern plains Indigenous peoples, Wanuskewin sits on a land that has been a gathering place for over 6,400 years and is the site of the longest running archaeological dig in Canadian history. It is also on the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation tentative list. “Since opening in 1992, we have created an unprecedented model for reconciliation in Canada. We welcome over 40,000 school children each year and another 25,000 visitors (pre-pandemic), raising awareness, helping erase stereotypes and fostering appreciation,” says Darlene Brander, Chief Executive Officer of Wanuskewin

Hosting Indigenous culture learning events for schools, businesses and non-profits alike, such as with the University of Saskatchewan, Walmart Canada and the Saskatchewan Rattlers, Wanuskewin helps foster connections. With a focus on residential school trauma and the TRC Calls to Action, Wanuskewin also works with organizations that assist Indigenous people in their road to healing and wellness, such as Str8 Up, Métis Addictions Counselling Services and Prairie Harm Reduction. And its gift shop and restaurant offer mentorship, promotion and business opportunities for their Indigenous artisans and traditional ingredients suppliers, such as NWC Wild Rice, Boreal Heartland and Askiy Garden. “We feel strongly that as an established Indigenous owned and operated that it is our role to help bring in the next generation of entrepreneurs,” says Darlene.

Expanding its reach, during the pandemic, Wanuskewin created a video subscription service featuring their cultural programs and tours and sold it to most of the school divisions in Saskatchewan. Now, the service is also selling in Alberta, Manitoba and the United States. As Wanuskewin prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2022, it continues to exemplify the spirit of Mistahi Mamîchîtowin.

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Fostering a strong safety culture through training, development and continuous improvement is not just vital to the success and performance of JNE Welding, it is part of its DNA. One of Saskatchewan’s largest fullservice engineer-to-order steel fabricator, the Indigenous owned organization has welded safety in every part of its operations from project estimating, to employee onboarding and product delivery.

“At JNE, one of our core values is compassion. It means that safety culture runs deeper than having the proper PPE and safe work practices. It’s about supporting employees, including their mental health, within JNE’s walls and outside, so employees can commit themselves to safety every day. It’s a philosophy of positive reinforcement,” explains Shallyn Nowakowski, JNE Welding’s Administrative Specialist.

JNE supports its philosophy with a robust safety management system, which includes potential hazards identification for every task, weekly toolbox meetings to discuss safety initiatives, near miss incidents and various safety topics, and monthly “Shop Talks” led by JNE’s CEO, Adam Logue, to share best practices as well as recognize employees’ career and safety milestones and celebrate exemplary safety behaviour.

Open communication and a proactive approach are at the core of JNE’s safety culture. They use several tools, such as CorePoint, to immediately record and share safety incidents and near misses to prevent reoccurrence. They encourage employees to speak up about potential safety issues and hold each other accountable. “We have also adopted a behavioural based safety reporting system. It allows us to recognize positive behaviours and increase overall safety awareness by establishing a positive environment, while preventing complacency in safety,” adds Shallyn.

With 134 employees boasting an average tenure of 9.80 years and achieving an average of 9.12 years with zero lost time incidents throughout its 41-year history, JNE standard of safety excellence deserved the 2021 SABEX Safety Culture Award. www.jnewelding.com

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When Jeff Shirley launched Rivercity Technology Services in 2015 and quickly followed with the launch of Blue Heron Gardens and Rivercity Innovations in 2018, he didn’t realize that he was about to achieve an entrepreneurship hat-trick that would garner his newest venture the 2021 Entrepreneurship SABEX Award.

Rivercity Innovations was born out of Jeff’s thirty years of IT experience and his passion for apiary, with the creation of a successful product to protect beehives. For Jeff and his wife, Julie, growing three businesses at once came with sacrifices, including downsizing their home to create cashflow and financial stability at the beginning, when banks weren’t forthcoming. “We even borrowed from the ‘bank of mom and dad’ to make payroll a few times, but we persevered. And thanks to great mentors and support systems like the BDC, Innovation Saskatchewan and Co-Labs, we continue to grow,” says Jeff.

Jeff has big plans for Rivercity Innovations to become a world class leader in IoT (Internet of Things) sensor solutions and he is already well on his way. From its initial BeeSecure solution, as a LoRa (low-power wide-area modulation) technology specialist, Rivercity Innovations is now scaling into diverse markets across Canada such as the pharmacy and grocery businesses with a focus on cold-chain monitoring. The company is also growing the distribution of its proprietary GPS sensors for bikes and pets. As part of its expansion, it has secured a key partner in France and is also spreading into other parts of Europe. Jeff adds, “we offer made-in Saskatchewan products country-wide and internationally, thanks to our great team of home-grown graduates.”

To say that Jeff and the team at Rivercity Innovations have courage and conviction to build a successful business and that they embody the enterprising spirit of Saskatoon is an understatement. They are true risk-takers, innovators, creators, well deserving of the Entrepreneurship Award.

www.rivercityinnovations.ca

such as the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce and the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce for referral of their members to participate as mentors and protégés. The Program also works with the Regina & District Chamber of Commerce, the Prairie Sky Chamber of Commerce, the NSBA and WESK.

“Mentorship was at the core of Raj’s beliefs and values. Rather than starting a business of his own, he saw business mentorship as an opportunity to ‘celebrate the success of many rather that just one.’ Raj took the greatest fulfillment from this, and he would be so pleased to see this spirit continue through the business community,” explains Kanchan Manek, Secretary of the Board of the Raj Manek Mentorship Program.

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The 2021 Hall of Fame inductee is not a business in the true sense of the word, yet it is an organization that has contributed greatly to the growth of the local and provincial economies and the lives of almost 550 business people and entrepreneurs. This year, the Raj Manek Mentorship Program celebrated its 25th anniversary and entered the SABEX Hall of Fame.

The Raj Manek Mentorship Program started in memoriam of the late Raj Manek by his family. Raj emigrated from his native Kenya to Inuvik, Canada in 1974 and quickly relocated to Yellowknife, NWT, before settling in Saskatoon in 1979, where he became a prominent member of the business community until his passing in 1996. Raj served as a mentor to countless business students and entrepreneurs. He helped foster strong business relationships between Saskatchewan based companies, the University of Saskatchewan and foreign jurisdictions such as India, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. He had a gift for facilitating business development. The establishment of the Raj Manek Mentorship Program was a natural succession to build on his legacy.

A leading provider of business coaching, mentorship and related educational and training tools for small and medium-sized businesses and their entrepreneurs, the Raj Manek Mentorship Program is fully run by volunteers. Aside from the hundreds of mentors who donate their time and experience to foster growth and prosperity amongst young entrepreneurs, the program has partnered with organizations Although the focus is truly on creating opportunities for budding entrepreneurs to connect with experienced business owners and professionals and also network with their peers, the Raj Manek Program also offers an extensive collection of resources accessible to all on its website. From accounting guides to human resources best practices, information technology toolkits, marketing tools and strategic planning insight, the vast array or resources available gratuitously, along with direct contacts to experts in these fields is another benefit of the program for the members and the broad business community. In addition, the Program facilitates peer-topeer mentoring for participants in the Program.

“From the inception of our Mentorship Program, we believed 25 years ago that businesses build great communities. Saskatchewan has proven that to be very true over the years. We have been the benefactors of this great Saskatchewan business community that is never ending in its support, with the participation of our sponsors, board members, mentors, other volunteers and our protégés now coming back to the program to pay it forward,” said Raj Manek, Jr., Chairman of the Board.

Over the past 25 years, the Raj Manek Program, has become a pillar in the business community. Beyond commemorating its namesake, it is truly a testament to the dedication of Raj’s family, his widow, Kanchan, and their children, Raj Jr. and Sona, who have devoted countless hours to make it the success it is today. With program offerings across Saskatchewan and Alberta they have contributed to the growth of the business community and economy and to the prosperity of hundreds of business owners. The Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to recognize the Raj Manek Program’s contributions through its induction in the SABEX Hall of Fame.

“My father often said, ‘In Saskatchewan we measure the temperature by the warmth of the people.’ The 2021 SABEX Hall of Fame induction of the Mentorship Program is a recognition of the warmth that he spoke of. The success of the Foundation is thanks to the eagerness of the business community to come together in support of the next generation of entrepreneurs. We are so honoured to be receiving this prestigious distinction,” concluded Sona Manek.