BIC April2013

Recreation & Investment Properties

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Jostling

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For nearly a century Canmore was an important coal mining centre in southern Alberta.

Over time, the town evolved into an international recreation centre and tourist destination. While the town of Canmore changed, the Canmore Hotel did not. Located in the heart of downtown Canmore, the Canmore Hotel remains a precious landmark from those early mining days. As the second oldest, continuously operated hotel in Alberta, the pub has been catering to both locals and visitors alike for over 120 years. The Canmore Hotel was originally one of the town’s four grand hotels. As the sole survivor, it has spent a lifetime keeping watch over Canmore.

It is now time to restore, expand and sensitively rehabilitate this historic establishment so that its legend -- and its rich history -- will live on.

We are pleased to offer eligible investors an opportunity to participate in this exciting and rewarding development.

• RRSP and TFSA eligible • 9% annual preferred dividend paid quarterly • Additional profit from your ownership in both a well established pub and an enlivened boutique hotel • Select VIP hotel privileges Selling agents protected

For more information about this investment opportunity visit canmorehotel.com This investment is only for investors by way of subscription agreement. This is not a solicitation for sale or purchase of securities, without the appropriate exemption documents being provided to prospective purchasers. The information enclosed is for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation as to any investment product. The information above is inherently limited in scope and does not contain all of the applicable terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions of the investment described herein.

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THIS IS NOT AN AD FOR ROCKY MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT. But it is an ad for everything we stand for. Things like honesty, integrity, and helping you put food on your family’s table. But above all, it’s an ad to let you know that none of those things are going away because we’re calling ourselves Rocky Mountain Equipment. Because even if the name on the sign is changing, our values won’t.

Introducing the new Rocky Mountain Equipment DEPENDABLE IS WHAT WE DO.

Contents

Volume 23 • Number 4

PUBLISHERS

Tim Ottmann & Pat Ottmann

EDITOR

John Hardy

On our cover…

COPY EDITORS

Lisa Johnston & Nikki Mullett

ART DIRECTOR

Cher Compton cher@businessincalgary.com

Debra Ross, president, CEO and founder of Gamma-Tech Inspection Ltd.

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER

Richard Bronstein Frank Atkins David Parker Lonnie Tate Mary Savage

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THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

Recreation & Investment Properties

Camie Leard Heather Ramsay Jesse Semko Stewart McDonough Luke Azevedo Andrea Mendizabal Parker Grant

Family Fun in the Resort Market Commercial Real Estate

Jostling

PHOTOGRAPHY

Cover photo courtesy of Ewan Nicholson Photography Inc.

ADVERTISING SALES

Evelyn Dehner evelyn@businessincalgary.com Rachel Katerynych rachel@businessincalgary.com Renee Neil renee@businessincalgary.com Bobbi Joan O’Neil bobbi@businessincalgary.com Brent Trimming brent@businessincalgary.com Carla Wright carla@businessincalgary.com

for Square Footage

The

Telecommunications

Life in the

Gutsy

Workplace

CEO

Golf

Fore, Calgary Style!

Se ry C pa ct ha ge io m 8 n b

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DIRECTORS OF CUSTOM PUBLISHING

Bernie Cooke bernie@businessincalgary.com Kim Hogan kim@businessincalgary.com

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EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING & ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Online at www.businessincalgary.com Annual rates: $31.50; $45 USA; $85 International Single Copy $3.50

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COVER 35 • The Gutsy CEO, Her success and ... her popcorn Debra Ross, president, CEO and founder of Gamma-Tech Inspection Ltd.

By John Hardy

Business in Calgary is delivered to over 33,500 business people every month including all registered business owners in Calgary, Banff, and Canmore, and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce members.

The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents of any advertisement, and all representations of warranties made in such advertising are those of the advertiser and not of the publisher.

No portion of this publication may be reproduced, in all or in part, without the written permission of the publisher. Canadian publications mail sales product agreement No. 41126516

28 68

BYOD

Debra Ross, president, CEO and founder of Gamma-Tech Inspection Ltd.

1025, 101 6th Ave. SW Calgary, AB T2P 3P4 Tel: (403) 264-3270/Fax: (403) 264-3276 Email: info@businessincalgary.com

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www.businessincalgary.com 6 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

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Contents

Volume 23 • Number 4

THIS MONTH’S FEATURES

72

28 • Jostling for Square Footage

Commercial real estate is big business, and with low vacancy rates and economic resilience, more and more businesses are on a competitive hunt for their ideal space. It’s a recipe for a solid and sustainable market.

By Heather Ramsay

57 • Family Fun in the Resort Market

by John Hardy

68 • Life in the BYOD Workplace

By John Hardy

72 • Fore, Calgary Style!

By Parker Grant

COMPANY PROFILES 41 • Bow Valley College

South Campus: Gateway to Learning

66 • Sprouse Fire & Safety

Half a Century Old and Better than Ever!

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81 • The Green Bean

Welcome Home With nearly 20 years of experience serving Calgary’s business crowd, The Green Bean is geared to grow in its new location

28 REGULAR COLUMNS

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10 • The New Urban Planning Reality TV Show

By Richard Bronstein

12 • Some Thoughts on the 2013 Alberta Budget

By Frank Atkins

14 • America is on the Mend

By Lonnie Tate

85 • Leading Business 89 • The Calgary Report

Current developments for Calgary Telus Convention Centre, Tourism Calgary, Calgary Economic Development, and Innovate Calgary

94 • Marketing Matters

By David Parker

8 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

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The New Urban Planning Reality TV Show • Richard Bronstein

BY RICHARD BRONSTEIN

The New Urban Planning Reality TV Show

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he spat between Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Charron Ungar of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association may be over but there is still a lot of misunderstanding over the new planning process in Calgary.

If you’re following this story, you know that it erupted in January when Ungar made reference in a speech to an apparent “suburban development freeze.” The mayor responded on February 21 by threatening to boot the builders’ association from city hall advisory groups.

Since then, Mayor Nenshi and Charron Ungar worked to patch things up. Although the spat is ridiculous, the issue is important – how Calgary will grow and evolve as a great city.

So gentlemen, let’s do away with our duelling sabres and settle things the modern way – through a new reality television show.

We’ll have two teams. The Red Team under Mayor Nenshi will consist of 100 volunteers chosen at large from the city population. The Blue Team under Charron Ungar can have as many experts as it wants from the Canadian Home Builders’ Association.

The Blue Team gets an appropriate amount of raw land on the furthest southeastern boundary of the city. The Red Team has to do their project in already developed pockets of the city and/or some raw land.

The objective is to come up with a suitable mix – single home, condo, apartment, etc. – to house, let’s arbitrarily say, 300 people. There are no restrictions on the type or quantity of commercial, public or any other kind of development or amenity within the plan. Let your minds go wild.

But not too wild as both teams have to cost out their projects. The housing and amenities have to be affordable to prospective buyers/renters. And we need to see full life cycle costs for the entire project, including water and sewer, schools, roads and other infrastructure.

Each week the two teams meet at their respective locations and the camera films them developing their plans, debating within the group, back-stabbing the other team . . . you know, all the good drama that happens on television shows.

Each week we show how the plans evolve while both teams start their respective marketing pitches. That’s where you need some hottie men and women because you can’t do

a TV show without a little sex appeal to draw viewers.

For the season finale we gather both teams around a big bonfire with lots of skulls and amulets, where technicians have cleverly installed interactive large-screen televisions and the general audience gets to vote on where they would prefer to live.

My guess is that the Red Team would beat the Blue Team in a heartbeat.

Why? Because when people do the planning it is in their very nature to plan for people.

When homebuilders do it, they plan for consumers. And there is a big distinction.

It is true that all consumers are people. But it is not true that people are only consumers. People are complex, complicated, individualistic, diverse, changing and their wants and needs are as unpredictable as springtime in the Rockies.

An urban environment is much more than a place to sleep, work, shop, take the kids to soccer and enjoy the odd movie or concert. A city is also a place of sensory, spiritual and social dimensions. And if we have learned anything in the past 50 years, it is that the city of the future also has to be much more sustainable and environmentally healthy.

We have evolved many exciting ideas about city life since Jane Jacobs in the 1960s first talked about designing cities for people and not just cars and malls.

To frame the Nenshi-Ungar spat as a battle over more or fewer suburbs is a shallow way of thinking. It ignores the monopolistic power inherent in institutions like developers, who because of the way they want to build arbitrarily assign cultural meaning to how we live in Calgary.

I think what Mayor Nenshi is saying is that to get better results it is people who must have the vision and tools to apply meaning to the space and place in which they live.

So people must be included in a very fundamental way in the planning process to build a great city. People working together can achieve more inspiring visions of urban life than defaulting the work to planners, designers and engineers who necessarily view the world through the narrow lens of their particular specializations.

Does anyone have producer Mark Burnett’s phone number? BiC

10 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

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Some Thoughts on the 2013 Alberta Budget • Frank Atkins

By FRanK atKins

a

s human beings we tend to cling to “buzzwords,” perhaps because we believe that by reducing complex issues to a single phrase, we have a better chance of understanding them. One of the latest trends in economics is to label a government budget as stimulus or austerity. Apparently, the word sensible is not in anyone’s vocabulary at the moment. We should remember that what we are calling austerity budgets are simply government actions that are attempting to take away all of the stimulus spending that was done during the downturn, and return us to some level of normal spending and balanced budgets. I would call this sensible.

For public relations purposes, the most recent Alberta budget is being marketed as an austerity budget. Clearly, when facing yet one more budget deficit, the Redford administration wishes to be viewed as taking actions to reduce spending. However, holding operational spending constant and spending $4 billion on infrastructure could hardly be said to be reducing spending.

In order to market this budget as an austerity budget, the Redford administration has resorted to an old political game: make the whole budget process very complicated, and when people complain about this, tell them that it is new and innovative.

In Ms. Redford’s own words, if we do not understand what her govern-

some thoughts on the 2013 Alberta Budget ment is doing with the budget, we are thinking in a parochial manner.

So, just what did the government do to make this new and innovative? Spending is now divided into three separate categories: operational spending; capital spending (infrastructure); and savings. This is not particularly new or innovative.

With the release of this budget, the Redford administration has reached new heights of arrogance.

The new part is that the government insists that these spending categories cannot be added together in order to arrive at a figure for overall spending. Given this, the concept of an overall budget deficit does not make any sense anymore. Apparently, according to the Redford rhetoric, the fact that the government is spending approximately $4 billion on infrastructure, for which they are borrowing money, does not constitute a deficit budget position.

12 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

When we argue that the government is borrowing the money because revenue streams do not cover this expenditure, and that, therefore, this is deficit spending, we are told that we are thinking in a parochial manner. According to Ms. Redford, this is not deficit spending because the government is purchasing assets that they could sell in the future if cash is needed. How silly of us ordinary citizens, not realizing that some of us may be in the market to buy a hospital or two at some point in the future.

With the release of this budget, the Redford administration has reached new heights of arrogance. The entire exercise reminds me of the Orwell novel 1984. We are now encouraged to use newspeak, which teaches us that budget deficits as we knew them in the old regime do not exist anymore. In Ms. Redford’s words we (the government) have a spending problem, but we are going to continue to invest in Albertans. Big Brother (or in this case possibly Big Sister) has declared that we are not running a deficit of approximately $6 billion, borrowing is not really borrowing, and this is clearly an austerity budget designed to control spending. BiC FRANK ATKINS IS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY AND A MEMBER OF THE ADVISORY BOARD OF THE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC SECTOR ACCOUNTABILITY.

America is on the Mend • Lonnie Tate

By Lonnie Tate

America is on the Mend

I

’m becoming mildly positive about the future of the American economy. Here and there, common sense is beginning to show in the halls of the lawmakers. Congress and state representatives are beginning to react to the will of the voters.

The political folks who preach low taxes for the wealthy are the same folks that want an AR-15 right next to their bible. They are almost exclusively Caucasians. Moreover, they are prepared to keep affordable health care out of the reach of average Americans. That same bunch wants to get rid of the hardest-working segment of the labour force – undocumented aliens. Every time there is a national issue, the hardline politicians against change are the same folks.

The style of arguing doesn’t change regardless of topic.

They are glib, fast-talking politicians with makeup tans and hair that also serves as a helmet. Their suits are vulcanized so that stuff doesn’t stick. While they are powerful, they are a minority.

The accumulation of hardline rhetoric is beginning to tell – the silent majority in America seems to be waking up. Some voters are turning away from that powerful minority and it will not take many to bring America to the centre of the political spectrum. As that happens, the number one impediment to economic growth (that would be Congress and the state legislatures) will be removed. Sadly, the political spectrum may change because politicians want to keep their jobs; not because of an underlying commitment to broad economic growth. But that discussion is for another day.

So what is the deal? Let me spell it out. $16,400,000,000,000 is the politically-created debt ceiling.

Yes, it is a big number. But it is manageable when compared to the country’s gross domestic product and way ahead of all the significant, developed countries of the world. The real danger is the annual operating deficit of $1,000,000,000,000 which is created by spending $3,000,000,000,000 when bringing in only $2,000,000,000,000 of revenue. That operating deficit brings the debt ceiling to GDP ratio closer … that is bad.

14 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

In order to get the current ratio of debt to GDP neutral, there needs to be a $400,000,000,000 swing caused by an increase in revenues or a decrease in expenditures. That is both probable and doable in the fiscal year ending in 2014.

And when that happens, the economy will gain momentum spurred by both internal and external confidence in America. I think the economy may take off.

Yes, there are lots of problems in the USA. But one of the most important factors is American enthusiasm and cando spirit. It has been pent up since 9/11. Seven years of declining economic activity followed by five years of real recession. Personal saving is at an all-time high (ahead of us frugal Canadians) and as a result, total personal debt is falling. That is causing housing markets to show signs of life. Better yet, their wars are coming to a close. And there is light at the end of the energy tunnel: both shale oil and gas and renewable energy sources are providing impetus for economic growth.

America and Americans are a proud lot. As they raise the flag to see who salutes, made in America is becoming more and more important – even if it costs a little more. Directing government spending at infrastructure, education and health care (rather than at foreign wars and energy imports) will further boost the economy. It could actually be near booming by the end of 2014. I think the country will likely start reducing the debt by 2020 (i.e., we may see a balanced U.S. federal budget in my lifetime).

There are downsides that will make the road bumpy.

Political instability in the Middle East is my biggest concern, followed by North Korea and the subcontinent. The European Union will get it right … but that is going to take some time and create curves in the road that will have an impact on U.S. markets. And in my darkest moments, I fear a cataclysmic terrorist event that will make 9/11 look modest.

Having said all that, it seems the U.S. has turned around, and there are better times on the horizon. BiC

It started with a vision...

It started with a Prairies

Then and now

GLORI MELDRUM g[squared], Little Warriors

GLORI MELDRUM

A

tumultuous childhood in the riverside town of Mirimichi, New Brunswick, made one thing clear to Glori Meldrum: she was born to be an entrepreneur.

“My parents divorced when I was two and I lived with my single mom,” she says. “It was pretty tough. I saw her work jobs that barely paid the bills and struggle, while my father was an entrepreneur in property management. He had a good life and freedom … I always knew that’s what I wanted for myself.”

But the struggles of living in a broken home under financial strain were no comparison to the childhood trauma that shaped the next 30 years of her life – between the ages of eight and 10, Meldrum suffered sexual abuse at the hands of her grandfather. After being met with disbelief by the authorities and denial by her family, Meldrum found herself deeply depressed at 12 years old with a decision on her hands.

“It was a defining moment,” she says. “I was either going to end my life or fight. I chose to fight. I became a warrior and I fought to keep moving at any cost.”

Fuelled by this fighting spirit, Meldrum completed a bachelor of commerce at Dalhousie University in Halifax, and became an entrepreneur at the age of 23 when she founded g[squared], an Edmonton-based marketing and advertising agency.

“I love the ad business,” she says. “From the minute I knew what marketing was, I loved it.”

Meldrum’s drive has made her one of the country’s most respected entrepreneurs. Her achievements are many, including: • Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2013 • Canada’s 30 most fabulous entrepreneurs 2012 • 2010 Top 40 Canadians Under 40 • Me to We Award Winner 2010 • Ernst and Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award (Social Entrepreneur) 2009 • Rotary Integrity Award 2008 • Global Woman of Vision 2008 • YMCA Woman of Distinction 2007

h a vision...

Entrepreneurs.

They turn us on.

“I am so close to building my dream,” she says. “The Be Brave Ranch will be the first long-term treatment centre in Canada for kids who have been sexually abused.”

In partnership with the University of Alberta, Meldrum and her team are building an innovative suite of programs that are unique in the country.

She says her team has raised more than $1.6 million in just under a year towards the $3.5 million project – she’s in the process of buying the land just outside of Edmonton and hopes the ranch will be operational within 24 months. It’s an ambitious project for an ambitious entrepreneur whose warrior spirit inspires a dedication to giving back.

“I just want to leave something behind when I’m gone,” she says. “To use my time on earth to help the people who come after me be healthy and happy … I think that’s time well spent.”

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® honours outstanding Canadians who have turned their unique business vision into successful reality. In 20 years, the program has achieved several major milestones in Canada including over 8,700 nominations received, more than 3,000 award finalists named, and presented 980 regional awards — including 40 lifetime achievement awards.

20 years of inspiration

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But while she was building a successful business and enjoying the financial success she’d always dreamed of, she was still suffering the emotional scars from her childhood abuse. She needed to do something – and that something became clear one night as she watched her little girl sleeping.

“She was the same age I was when I experienced sexual abuse and I realized I could never have done anything wrong at that age,” she says. “I needed to put the shame where it belonged and that wasn’t with me. I needed to do something to help kids with all the things that I’ve overcome.”

So, Little Warriors, a charitable organization with a national focus that educates adults about how to help prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse, was born; and since 2008, Meldrum has been taking the skills and experience she’s honed as a successful entrepreneur and applying them to building a successful non-profit. She says she’s learned some valuable lessons over her 17 years in business including not accepting “no” as an answer, making sure you find work-life balance and having a passion for what you do.

Meldrum has poured that passion into realizing a longtime goal – the Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch.

Find out why and nominate today at 20 years of inspiration ey.com/ca/EOY.

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Ernst & Young is a proud supporter of entrepreneurship

Off the Top • News

Celebrating the ‘Dirty Artists’ of Alberta It’s called the ‘dirty arts’ and for those who engage their minds, it’s like stepping into another world. It’s magical and mystifying, it’s whimsical, yet inspiring. It’s a world where water and clay collide to create fantasy. Chunks of earth are shaped and shaved, whittled and dimpled; every curve and corner is perfectly moulded – bringing expression to life.

Objects that are seemingly ordinary start to emerge as extraordinary works of art – as interpreted through the eyes of a ceramic artist. Vibrant and ingeniously creative, the nuances draw you in to capture a mood and a moment. An air of illusion is ever-present: it awakens your imagination and leaves you wanting more.

And for the first time in decades, Calgary is about to experience an exceptional group of Alberta ceramic artists. They are stepping forward to showcase their artistry at the 2013 Clay Symposium, Off Centre, hosted by the Alberta Potters Association (APA).

During the month of May, these works will be on display at Webster Galleries where 20 artists will be featured. And although any APA artist can submit their work, it’s a juried show and the works are assessed on a number of criteria.

Only those selected are granted admission to display their craft at Off Centre – giving rise to a truly unique and magical exhibition of original works.

t

Chicken in a Cart by Andrea Revoy Photo credit: courtesy Visual Arts Association Alberta-Carfac

Cup by Darlene Swan.

Photo credit: Wenda Salomons, Visual Arts Association AlbertaCarfac

“We want to see a renaissance of clay appreciation and we have many talented ceramics artists in Alberta,” says Monika Smith, APA president. “These people are imaginative, original and true to their passion where an element of ‘genius’ shines through.”

The APA will also be holding a Clay Symposium at ACAD where workshops and guest speakers strive to educate and enlighten both professional artists and art enthusiasts alike.

“Ceramics have been part of our history since the dawn of time … I am reminded of the Dutch architect Aldo van Eyck who often spoke about ‘the making of art and the

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Off the Top • News

“We want to see a renaissance of clay appreciation and we have many talented ceramics artists in Alberta. These people are imaginative, original and true to their passion where an element of ‘genius’ shines through.” ~ Monika Smith, APA president

art of making,’” says Dr. Daniel Doz, president and CEO, ACAD. “It is through the pursuit of the perfect gesture, the perfect colour, the perfect movement and the perfect texture, but also the imperfect moment and the unexpected anomaly.”

It’s been years since the last symposium – of this kind – graced the halls of ACAD, and it’s the first time the APA has held a conference at ACAD to feature ceramics. The body of knowledge, perceptions and expertise will be unrivalled, and it is extended to all who experience Off Centre. Over the decades, Alberta ceramic artists have gained recognition on the international stage and this year, the APA proudly presents these artists at Webster Galleries.

Complementing a wide array of accomplished Canadian artists found at Webster Galleries, Off Centre seeks to showcase the vivid imaginations of Alberta’s finest ceramic artists – creating one of the best opportunities to experience a show of this calibre.

A sneak preview of the collection will be available to view online at Webster Galleries’ website beginning in April. The Exhibition & Sale is May 3-25 and the Artists’ Reception is on Friday, May 10; both events are at Webster Galleries, 812 – 11 Avenue SW. Call 403.263.6500 or visit www.webstergalleries.com. The Clay Symposium is on May 10-11 at ACAD, 1407 14 Avenue NW. Call 403.284.7600 or visit www.albertapottersassociation.com BiC

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www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY April 2013 • 19

Off the Top • News

Family businesses continue to thrive, but where’s the talent?

With growth potential on the radar – innovation and succession planning are a must Sixty per cent of Canadian family businesses reported sales growth in the last year and in the next five years, 87 per cent plan to grow steadily.

However, securing talent to drive this growth is a challenge, according to the Canadian supplement of PwC’s Global Family Business Survey.

For the next five years, attracting a skilled workforce is the top concern for 62 per cent of Canadian family businesses, while the economy is the primary issue (66 per cent) for global respondents. Sharon Duguid, director, Centre for Entrepreneurs and Family Enterprise, PwC, says, “The difference lies in the relative stability of the Canadian economy, aging workforce and the tight talent pool Canada is facing.”

Duguid continues, “Everyone is competing for the same talent. Typically, family businesses are not able to compete with multinational players when it comes to compensation. On the development end, their conservative growth strategies are not appealing for younger talent who want to climb the ranks quickly.”

However, a family business’s structure can offer significant benefits – particularly their agility, continuity and their long-term perspective mindset. Duguid says, “Family businesses need to do more to highlight their competitive advantages; their commitment and loyalty to their people.

People are attracted to companies that have strong values and where they know their efforts will be recognized – both of which are characteristics of family businesses.”

According to Ian Gunn, partner and leader of the private company equity practice for PwC in Alberta, companies in the oil-rich province face the same issues at their counterparts throughout Canada. “There is a propensity of more entrepreneurialdriven businesses in Alberta – it is safe to say a lot of which would be family businesses – and they are facing the same issues of transitioning the business to the next generation or bringing in outsiders. This is proving to be as difficult a task in Alberta as it is in the rest of the country,” explains Gunn.

Who’s taking over – Family ties or step outside?

Just over half of Canadian family businesses (51 per cent compared to 41 per cent globally) plan to pass on the management of the business to the

Ian Gunn, partner and leader of the private company equity practice for PwC

next generation, while an additional 14 per cent of Canadian family businesses plan to pass on ownership, but employ non-family members to oversee the business. A further 16 per cent don’t know what they will do at this stage.

“Few families in Canada are having the conversation and asking their children whether they’re interested in taking over or not, whereas in Europe and Asia, families start that dialogue with their children early on,” says Duguid. “It’s critical to be transparent and set the guide-

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Off the Top • News

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“There is a propensity of more entrepreneurial-

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lot of which would be family businesses – and they are facing the same issues of transitioning the business to the next generation or bringing in outsiders. This is proving to be as difficult a task in Alberta as it is in the rest of the country.” ~ Ian Gunn, partner, PwC

lines on how the business will be transferred from one generation to the next because this can build the family firm–or break it.”

However, according to Gunn, while succession is also an issue in Alberta it is harder to pass down some of the province’s unique businesses namely those related to the oil and gas industry. “There is still the issue of passing the business onto the next generation and it is not distinctively different in Alberta than it is anywhere else.

However, to use an example of the oil and gas-based junior exploration companies – a lot of them are not too concerned of a family succession situation. Instead they are looking more to the outside market to find a purchaser with a lot of cash that will pay today for the company.”

Local versus global Canadian family businesses remain focused on growing domestically as 65 per cent of respondents do not generate sales from exporting goods or services to foreign markets. In the next five years, 26 per cent of Canadian family businesses surveyed have no plans to move into new markets at all.

Globally, sales in international markets account for a quarter of total sales

today and are expected to grow to 30 per cent in the next five years.

“This reluctance to expand into global markets is a problem for Canadian family business,” says Tahir Ayub, Canadian private company services leader, PwC. “Growth activity lies in the developing markets – where the demand is. It’s impossible to grow significantly in the next five years unless you dive into the international markets.”

From an Alberta perspective, Gunn says Alberta is not as concerned about developing more of a global presence. “One of the issues that did come out of the surveys is there is an expectation for the businesses to look at foreign markets and the difficulty that family businesses have in doing that because of their structure. In Alberta, there was less of a desire to look to foreign markets, so from that aspect it is not as big of an issue to worry about globalization,” says Gunn. “Some of that we infer to the nature of the Alberta economy and what we are dealing with here in Alberta – a much more self-sufficient and self-reliant industry for Alberta businesses.”

For more information on PwC’s Family Business Survey, please visit www.pwc.com/ca/familybusiness. BiC

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www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY April 2013 • 21

Off the Top • News

Timeless Living Legacy set to be Calgary’s newest and hottest neighbourhood WestCreek Developments is busily applying paint to canvas for its exciting new community on the south end of Calgary. The parcel of land encompassing the community will stretch west from the Bow River escarpment to Macleod Trail and north from the Pine Creek Valley (Heritage Pointe Golf Course) to 210th Avenue (Pine Creek Campground). Approximately 1,000 acres in size, the master-planned community will eventually be home to 7,400 residences ranging from town homes to semi-estate homes.

“It will be a fully sustainable development with virtually every type of housing available in Calgary,” says Don McLeod, vice-president of WestCreek Developments. “The land is a 1,000-acre plateau above the Bow River and Pine Creek Valley so it is an unusual parcel in that there are three miles of escarpment and 300 acres of natural reserve around the perimeter of the project which makes the natural amenities outstanding.”

WestCreek will be taking advantage of this natural reserve land with the creation of over 15 kilometres of intertwining pathways once the community is completed. Four showhome parades will be opening in both April and May featuring homes by some

Legacy entry feature.

22 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

of Calgary’s top builders – Shane, Trico, Stepper, Greenboro, Excel, Morrison, Albi and Sterling. They will feature four products lines from semi-detached homes starting in the low $300,000 range to semi-estate homes starting at just over $500,000.

The first phase of the community will have 302 lots available for immediate development.

In addition to the residential component of the community, Legacy will also feature a 63-acre commercial development on the east side of Macleod Trail. Starting on the Macleod Trail edge, big-box retail stores will slowly transition into small and medium-sized retail and office buildings, which will then transition into a street-scale, pedestrian-oriented commercial development. From here visitors and residents will travel down the residential main street which will lead into the heart of the community.

“Our tagline for this project is ‘Timeless Living,’” says McLeod, who adds the first residents will begin to call the new community home as early as fall 2013. “As a young family you will be able to buy a starter home in Legacy and as you progress through the various stages of your life, you can continue to live in this commu-

Off the Top • News

nity because there will be every style of home available to you right up to a high-end estate home on the ridge.”

McLeod explains that homeowners can stay in the community as they raise their family. Their children will be able to go to school in the community (Legacy is slated for three schools in addition to one high school), shop in the community and enjoy a number of recreational pursuits in the escarpments and valleys surrounding the area. In addition, Legacy is situated only minutes away from Calgary’s newest hospital, the under-construction ring road, Shawnessy Towne Centre, a public library, recreation complex and the LRT station – all the amenities any family could need close to their front door.

“Access is good from Legacy,” adds McLeod. “The closest shopping facility at this time is Shawnessy Towne Centre which also houses the LRT. It is just a few minutes away from Highway 22X which will be the new ring road that can either take you west to the mountains or wherever you need to go.”

With unique features – including a European-style aqueduct at the entranceway and a clock tower at one the roundabouts – Legacy will be striking and dramatic as Calgary’s newest neighbourhood. A community garden is also being planned to help create a sense of involvement and camaraderie, bringing residents back to the theme of the area – timeless living. BiC

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www.ritewayfencing.com www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY April 2013 • 23

Off the Top • News

Tarpon Achieves Platinum Club Status – Canada’s Best Managed Companies Program A strong emphasis on people, sustained growth and solid leadership are just a few reasons why Tarpon Energy Services Ltd. has earned Platinum Club status in Canada’s Best Managed Companies program. Membership in this club is reserved for companies who have maintained a standard of excellence for more than six consecutive years. Tarpon was first recognized as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies in 2006 and is proud to become a Platinum Club member for the first time.

“We are extremely honoured to receive this recognition after seven consecutive years of maintaining our Best Managed designation,” says John Henry, president and CEO, Tarpon Energy Services Ltd. “A sincere thank you to our employees and clients for

John Henry, president and CEO, Tarpon Energy Services Ltd. (left) accepting the Best Managed award from Mike Smith from Deloitte (right).

helping us earn this prestigious distinction for outstanding business achievement. This award is a reflection of the passion, skill and dedication of the Tarpon team.”

Canada’s Best Managed Companies continues to be the mark of excellence for Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $10 million. Every year since the launch

“A sincere thank you to our employees and clients for helping us earn this prestigious distinction for outstanding business achievement. This award is a reflection of the passion, skill and dedication of the Tarpon team.” ~ John Henry, president and CEO, Tarpon Energy Services Ltd.

24 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Off the Top • News

of the program in 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices. This well-known national award is sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC, National Post, Queen’s School of Business and MacKay CEO Forums.

“I want to congratulate Tarpon on becoming a Platinum Club member.

This designation exemplifies consistency, commitment and the ability to be flexible in a changing marketplace,” says John Hughes, partner, Private Company Services, Deloitte.

“These qualities are what make Tarpon such a great business success story and one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies.”

Winners of the 2012 Canada’s Best Managed Companies award, along with the Gold Standard winners, Requalified and Platinum Club members will be honoured at the annual Best Managed gala in Toronto on April 16, 2013. On the same date, the Best Managed symposium will address leading-edge business issues that are key to the success of today’s business leaders.

For more information on Canada’s Best Managed Companies, visit www. bestmanagedcompanies.ca and www. financialpost.com/bestmanaged. BiC

Twist Marketing acquired by Riata Partners – a leading business services outsourcing company for SMEs Calgary-based Twist Marketing – an award-winning branding and marketing firm as well as a past Leader of Tomorrow recipient – is taking on a new look. As of February 1, 2013, the leader in branding and destination marketing has joined forces with Riata Partners, a leading provider of outsourced business expertise to small and medium-sized companies in the areas of business advisory, human

resources consulting, and sales and marketing.

“Win-win – you hear that phrase a lot,” says Twist managing director Catherine Proulx. “In our case, it really is true. Being acquired by Riata Partners Inc. means that Twist Marketing will now have an office in Edmonton and gain immediate access to additional resources to pitch larger accounts in Alberta and Western Canada.”

“This opportunity allows us to continue to develop our recognized expertise in branding and destination marketing. ~ Catherine Proulx, Twist Marketing, managing director Catherine Proulx, Twist Marketing, managing director.

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www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY April 2013 • 25

Off the Top • News

As part of their growth strategy, Twist has occasionally considered mergers and acquisitions to see if there are potential synergies. Proulx adds, “This opportunity allows us to continue to develop our recognized expertise in branding and destination marketing. It also presents an exceptional opportunity for Twist Marketing to engage in other larger and more diverse projects in concert with the Riata team.”

The merger will also be a win-win situation for Riata.

“We are delighted to add Twist Marketing to our family of companies and to assist our outsourcing team,” says Darren Baumgardner, Riata’s president. “Catherine Proulx and her team have a successful track record of developing award-winning marketing programs and developing strong, long-term relationships with their clients. They provide additional resources and support for a growing list of clients in our outsourced consulting practice.”

Proulx adds that she will continue to serve as Twist Marketing’s managing director, staying focused on the branding and destination work that has become a trademark of the company. Business will continue to be conducted under the Twist Marketing brand. Effectively immediately, Riata Partners Inc. will move their Calgary office into the Twist Marketing offices at Crossroads Market. As well, Twist Marketing will now have a presence at Riata Partners’ head office in Edmonton. BiC

Alberta Scottish Business Association Launches in Calgary Organization aims to deepen business relationships between Alberta and Scotland

The Alberta Scottish Business Association recently launched in Calgary with the aim to build stronger ties between businesses and business professionals located in Alberta who have an economic, educational or historical relationship with Scotland.

“Alberta and Scotland go way back with a rich heritage together, but this new association will seek to forge deeper relationships between modern-day businesses and their leaders,” says Gerry Wood, president of Wood Automotive Group, who has been named president of the new association. “Our mutual strength in the oil and gas industry is one example of a natural connection to leverage, but we also have common ground when it comes to financial services, technology, creative industries, manufacturing and many other sectors.”

Scottish Development International (SDI), the international economic development arm of the Scottish government, reestablished its operations in Canada in February 2011 with the opening of a Toronto office. In February 2012, SDI expanded its Canadian footprint by opening a second office in Calgary, followed by the launch of the Alberta Scottish Business Association – the first of its kind in Canada. Later this year a similar association is expected to begin operations in British Columbia followed by Ontario.

“The historical connections between Scotland and Canada are well-documented,” says Raymond McGovern, senior vice-president of SDI, who helped spearhead the creation of the association. “We are excited about creating better contemporary busiIT FLOWS IN OUR VEINS ness linkages that will be beneficial to companies in both countries.”

McGovern adds, “The justification for us in the business case for being in Alberta was a significant number of jobs in Scotland are supported by Alberta-based companies.

While Scottish Enterprise (the Scottish government’s main economic development agency) worries about economic development, SDI’s mandate is to deliver foreign direct investment into Scotland and to support the international trade ambitions of our BRUNCH | LUNCH | DINNER | LATE NIGHT companies.”

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Off the Top • News

Although there are many Scottish organizations throughout the country promoting cultural and historical ties with Scotland, the Alberta Scottish Business Association has a business focus.

“While this is very much about Scottish folks here in Alberta … it is also about Canadian companies – Canadian nationals – that might be interested in what is happening in Scotland. They can be a part of this in the same way a Scottish company based in Scotland can be. It is really an exchange of ideas, experience and hindsight.”

Following on the heels of the highly successful association launch, more events are being planned for the Alberta Scottish Business Association. For more information, call 403-531-0564 or visit www.albertascottishbusiness.com. BiC

Raymond McGovern, senior vice-president of SDI, and Gerry Wood, president of Wood Automotive Group.

“We are excited about creating

SEEKING TALENTED TALENT SEEKERS.

better contemporary business linkages that will be beneficial to companies in both countries.” ~ Raymond McGovern, senior vice-president of SDI

Are you an HR professional who can spot potential?

Such an association – which held its inaugural event in February – allows not only Scottish companies to build a permanent presence in Calgary while getting closer to investors but also assists Alberta companies by determining where there might be opportunities mutually benefiting both Alberta and Scotland.

The Government of Alberta is always looking for HR professionals to help grow and develop a talent pool of over 25,000 employees.

We need the right people to ensure the success of our province and it starts with you. If you see HR as an integral partner to help employees succeed, visit jobs.alberta.ca for more information and to stay informed on job opportunities.

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www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY April 2013 • 27

2013-03-07 10:55 AM

Jostling for Square Footage • Real Estate

Jostling

for square Footage Commercial real estate is big business, and with low vacancy rates and economic resilience, more and more businesses are on a competitive hunt for their ideal space. It’s a recipe for a solid and sustainable market.

BY heatheR RaMsaY

c

ommercial real estate in Calgary is big business, and 2012 proved to be a year of market strength and benchmark activity. While the year brought with it uncertainty on macroeconomic levels, major centres across the country experienced significant momentum and increases in commercial property transactions. As we move into the second quarter of the year, industry experts and investors anticipate that the activity will continue and Calgary will become home to even more corporate headquarters and office consolidations.

In February, RealNet Canada Inc., a Canadian real estate information services company, released data indicating that commercial real estate transactions in 2012 totalled $4.84 billion dollars in Calgary, an overall investment increase of 80 per cent in a single year. Of that there were 445 transactions over $1,000,000 in value and noteworthy growth in the apartment and land markets. These figures indicate that Calgary is no longer lagging behind other major cities and has reached investments at higher levels.

RealNet Canada Inc. defines commercial real estate by seven asset classes, each with definitive features, appeal and use. These classes include office, industrial, apartment, retail, hotel, ICI land and residential land. According to Andre Ulloa, research analyst with RealNet Canada Inc., Cal-

28 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

gary’s investment has seen significant increases. “In 2012, property transactions were led by the office sector, having a total dollar volume that took up 33.4 per cent of the market.

That class was followed by residential land and then retail at 15.9 per cent and 15.0 per cent respectively,” says Ulloa.

Transactions of note in the asset classes listed above and provided by RealNet Canada Inc. include the following:

office • Scotia Centre and Scotia Fashion Centre – January 2012, $140,000,000 • Altius Centre – March 2012, $179,750,000 • Calgary Place I and II – May 2012, $312,000,000

Residential Land • North Point – February 2012, $107,462,700 • North Point East – November 2012, $150,528,000

Retail • Bow Parkade – April 2012, $90,000,000 • Marlborough Mall and Professional Building – June 2012, $137,000,000 • Shepard Regional Centre – December 2012, $94,000,000

Jostling for Square Footage • Real Estate

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Key contributing factors to the viability of the local market include the overall availability of affordable financing, high occupancy levels, upwardly trending rental rates and generally active investment sales.

With liquidity and larger transactions taking place, the market has been deemed at near record levels.

Jeffery Hurren, senior research analysis with CBRE Limited, anticipates the 2013 market will likely go unchanged from last year. “Low vacancy rates are resulting in frictional movement. We are seeing trends in space consolidation, larger energy groups relocating head office functions and an influx of hefty U.S. businesses moving into Calgary. Our market is second only to Toronto, and with very limited new space coming on scene until 2014, it can only continue to build momentum,” explains Hurren.

To provide perspective, Calgary’s

downtown office market is the third largest in the country at 38.5 million square feet. That’s almost twice that of Vancouver, which is 21.9 million square feet. The leaders in square footage are Toronto at 80.8 million square feet and Montreal at 42.8 million square feet. However, when it comes to net asking rents in downtown, Calgary sits at the top of the list. Average class A asking rents here peaked at $40.58 per square foot in the fourth quarter of 2012. At that same time, Vancouver was next priciest at $34.66 per square foot.

It is interesting to note that the downtown office market in Calgary alone accounted for 85 per cent of the national net positive absorption for downtown office markets in 2012. Of that, The Bow specifically accounted for 78 per cent of the national total.

As of March 1, there was just 65,814 square feet of vacant class AA space

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Jostling for Square Footage • Real Estate

Remington Development’s Quarry Park Community. Photo courtesy of Remington Development Corporation.

Donna Banks, senior vice president with Cresa Calgary.

“While many of our clients continue to consolidate space within downtown, others are specifically looking to areas such as Quarry Park for the lifestyle and amenities it offers.” ~ Donna Banks, senior vice president with Cresa Calgary

in downtown Calgary, which is a space equivalent to two floors of The Bow. There was also an additional 504,384 square feet of vacant class A space.

Even with announcements such as Imperial Oil moving to Quarry Park and CP Rail relocating to Ogden, commercial real estate inventory will remain limited. At the end of 2012, vacancy rates sat at 2.62 per cent, and even with the approximate 850,000 square feet (roughly two per cent of the totally occupied space in downtown) that the Imperial Oil move will put back into the downtown market, inventory will remain tight. With the current economy in Calgary and growth projections in various industry sectors, square footage is not going to be on the market long.

As such, there is also much activity taking place outside of the core. Developments such as Remington Development Corporation’s Quarry Park have created not only square footage but also a redefinition of ‘living, working and playing’ in a sole community. Boasting over 1.7 million square feet of office space, this development incorporates offices, 30 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

homes, retail and green spaces; and according to Donna Banks, senior vice president with Cresa Calgary, is a brilliant approach to development and is helping to take some pressure off of other asset classes.

“We are seeing a shift in the type of space our clients are looking for and how to best utilize them, in interest of productivity as well as employee satisfaction and retention. Calgary is incredibly competitive when it comes to hiring exceptional talent, and offering an interesting and malleable environment for employees is now reaching far beyond office walls and incorporating community and endorsing work-life balance,” explains Banks. “While many of our clients continue to consolidate space within downtown, others are specifically looking to areas such as Quarry Park for the lifestyle and amenities it offers.

Low vacancy rates in downtown are likely going to continue to channel interest in other peripheral development projects, which is encouraging and will continue to open up new options.”

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Jostling for Square Footage • Real Estate

EDUCATION THAT’S BEEN BUILT TO MEET DEMAND.

THIS CHANGES

EVERYTHING. Alberta is thriving, fed by a steady supply of skilled SAIT Polytechnic grads that know how to hit the ground running. Programs taught by instructors with real world experience and designed through industry collaboration have the potential to deliver thousands of additional skilled trades people, technicians, technologists and degree graduates over the next decade.

SAIT offers bright futures in Energy, Business, Information Technology, Media, Hospitality, Health and Public Safety, Manufacturing and Automation, Transportation and Construction. Our commitment to transforming student lives is what makes them successful. Our reputation as a provider of training solutions to organizations across Canada and around the world is what makes us a leading Polytechnic.

Welcome to SAIT Polytechnic.

SAIT.CA

34 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

As a developer, past president of the Calgary Real Estate Board and past chair of the Real Estate Council of Alberta, he has seen a multitude of developments and changes within the commercial real estate market in Calgary and the surrounding area over the years.

John Fraser would agree. As a developer, past president of the Calgary Real Estate Board and past chair of the Real Estate Council of Alberta, he has seen a multitude of developments and changes within the commercial real estate market in Calgary and the surrounding area over the years.

With ongoing demand for natural resources, and Calgary being a hotbed for small business and entrepreneurship, all indications are that the market will retain its vigour and space will continue to be occupied, and others developed in new and multifunctional ways. “We are optimistic about this year. There is strong demand for development and Alberta continues to grow good businesses. As they grow, so do their needs for space and services. It likely won’t be a runaway year, but strong to say the least,” says Fraser. BiC

The Gutsy CEO • Cover

The

Gutsy

CEO Her success and ... her popcorn

Debra Ross, president, CEO and founder of Gamma-Tech Inspection Ltd.

BY JOHN HARDY | PHOTOS BY EWAN NICHOLSON PHOTOGRAPHY INC.

T

o respectfully borrow from what the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, could have said: Calgary’s Debra Ross is “a natural woman.”

Some who know her, work with her, her clients, her friends, those who have been professionally coached by her (and even her competition) would say Ross is a supernatural woman.

She is a hard-working high achiever who has found that elusive perfect balance.

Professionally as president, CEO and founder of GammaTech Inspection Ltd. (GTIL) – providing highly technical, non-destructive testing (NDT) services for the oil and gas and construction industries – and personally as a mentor, personal coach, SAIT-booster, motivational speaker, movie and old TV show buff, self-confessed popcorn addict and just a really good friend to “hang-out with.”

There’s a consensus about Ross. With smarts, savvy, drive, determination, insatiable curiosity, an infectious spirit, straight-up and blunt honesty and a whole lot of charm, she is resoundingly a self-made, Calgary success story.

“As far back as I can remember, I was always interested in different things,” she shrugs with some sentiment and a sparkling-eyes smile. “When I was six, I remember playing and taking apart a plastic Corvette and some Tinker Toy cars. Since I was very young I was a bit of a gadget freak and I loved figuring out how things fit together and how they worked.

“Most of all I have always and still enjoy learning new things. If it’s not a challenge, I’m not interested.”

The not-so-long but definitely unconventional career path took Ross to graduating at the top of her class in the aircraft maintenance engineering program at SAIT Polytechnic and www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY April 2013 • 35

The Gutsy CEO • Cover

Gamma-Tech Inspection’s x-ray truck on site at SAIT Polytechnic campus, where they were doing inspections for PCL during the construction of the Aldred Centre.

confronting a special milestone of a “new challenge”: metallurgy and non-destructive testing (NDT).

And she was interested. Very interested. “Until we covered it in class, I didn’t know what non-destructive testing meant,” she says. “But I read, I listened, asked a lot of questions, I learned and I was instantly hooked.”

After dabbling in the business for five or six years and supercharged with her boundless energy, the idea of starting her own NDT inspection company soon became a gutsy passion.

Ross was (and still is) far too focused and positive to dwell on forgettable memories, negativity, discouragement and obstacles but – when asked – she is genuine and sincere about admitting that getting started was not easy.

Despite her admitted weakness for challenges, Ross had to confront a multi-headed monster.

“I needed $125,000 for start-up. Although I had an impeccable credit rating, every single bank in Calgary turned me down,” she remembers with a vindicated grin. “So I maxed out each of my five credit cards and put the funding together myself.

“And the attitudes were scary. Even just 11 years ago, there was such a lingering public and corporate perception, especially in this business, about a woman starting or running a company. It was almost trampling on traditional and sacred turf.

“I never expected the level of intimidated resistance and maliciousness from the competition and from the unions,” she says. “It was such intense and nasty gender bias and a fear of change.”

36 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

On site at a pump jack in the Longview area a few years ago, working for Talisman.

(Photos, this page, courtesy of Gamma-Tech Inspection Ltd.)

Finally in 2002 – against the early financing speed bumps and viciously competitive and union odds – Debra Ross became a dangerous-to-ignore industry upstart when she finally opened the doors of Gamma-Tech Inspection Ltd. And the challenges worked on her ... again.

They provoked her to push back even harder. She remembers working for 36 hours, taking a nap and working for another 40 hours but she’s quick to insist there was no magic formula. “I was honest, I worked hard and I gave exceptional service. In this business, and in most others, there is a niche for someone who works hard and gives good service.

“Despite all the obstacles to get started, I was pleasantly surprised that getting clients happened easily. It’s a testimonial to the personalized quality of our inspections that, unfortunately, we still turn away new clients on a regular basis, because of existing workloads. Loyalty to existing clients is priority one,” she says with conviction.

“It’s finding and keeping qualified staff that’s occasionally tough.”

It is a gross understatement to say Ross is driven but, remarkably, she manages to avoid baffling and confusing people with tune-out shoptalk whenever she is called on to explain just what exactly her company does.

So the next best reference is a sampling of her company’s official brochures and bumph: “The GTIL mission is to provide clients with a wide selection of NDT services including radiography, ultrasonic, magnetic particle inspection, ferrite testing, using portable digital technology, dye penetrant testing, PMI, ground penetrating radar and coring.”

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James Meadow, Randy Bella and Dylan Hughes will help you set up the appropriate business structure to assist with all your taxation needs, including the sale of your business, estate planning, income splitting and much more. Working closely with you, they deliver personalized strategies to ensure you pay the least amount of tax possible, while maximizing the returns to your business.

Contact Randy Bella, CA, Regional Tax Leader at 403.536.5536 or randy.bella@mnp.ca.

The Gutsy CEO • Cover

Debra on site at the Aldred Centre, SAIT Polytechnic campus, where her company did structural inspections.

Whether it’s fielding the usual and sometimes quirky questions during popular Debra Ross/one-on-one business and success coaching sessions, after delivering a motivational keynote speech, conducting a seminar or pitching and negotiating with clients, she is ready with a much more manageable and interesting explanation of what she does backed by her company.

In straight talk (another talent at which she excels) Ross enthusiastically explains that, “Most of our company’s business ranges from oilfield work – like inspecting the integrity of pipelines, vessels and fabrication – to all kinds of structural inspections – from checking rides at Calaway Park to inspecting trusses and support beams at the CrossIron Mills mall.

“The inspection or measurement of material, without damaging it, is essential to make absolutely sure that anything constructed or manufactured is safe and compliant with all government and industry standards and requirements. We can test almost anything for structural integrity and mate38 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

rial identification and do whatever necessary to make sure nothing will break down in service.”

Together with her GTIL inspectors and technicians, they are also much in demand and busy in the construction industry’s mechanical and electrical fields.

“There’s really no limit,” she beams with the characteristic Debra Ross enthusiasm. “Aside from the hard-core oil and gas and construction related projects, we have tested the ceramic plates encased in police Kevlar vests and we have even tested samurai swords.”

Ross doesn’t deny that neither she nor Gamma-Tech were overnight sensations. She remembers and sombrely nods about the struggles, the worries, the growing pains, needing staff, needing trucks and suddenly, when the 2009 recession hit. It hit hard.

“It was very, very rough and business was super slow.

Luckily by then I had experience, so we scaled back a bit.

But look at us now.”

The Gutsy CEO • Cover

As with other Type AAA high achievers, Ross always has a new idea, always a new challenge and always a new goal.

As with other Type AAA high achievers, Ross always has a new idea, always a new challenge and always a new goal. And with everything she tackles, the irrepressible spirit keeps trickling down from the top.

“Gamma-Tech is in the final stages of a merger with a U.S. company,” she says with guarded thrill, “which will make us an international company. I’m so excited about all the opportunities both for our company and for our terrific employees.

“And it’s kind of hush-hush for now, but GTIL is also about to launch a new division. Nothing to do with metallurgy or inspections but something which could take the financial industry by storm.”

The workload, the responsibility, the constant sparks of new ideas and challenges and the hard-earned success don’t leave much personal downtime.

Much more than “a hobby” (and she would rather not talk about it) Ross is a tireless community-booster with her generosity of time and support for Calgary causes.

Last year she helped organize a fundraiser for the CIBC Walk and Run for the Cure and has been involved with Kid’s Cure for Cancer, the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre, STARS, Business for Calgary Kids Foundation, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and others.

“I was a big fan of Amelia Earhart (the legendary American aviation pioneer and first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic) and I always wanted to fly,” she says with a hint of nostalgia.

“In fact, it’s probably how I first got interested in aircraft maintenance engineering at SAIT. I eventually got my own plane and really enjoyed flying. Then the workload and the schedule got to me. Last year I didn’t even bother renewing my pilot’s licence and my plane is now permanently parked in the hangar.

“There’s just no time.”

Ross has a weakness for travel, getting together with friends and sipping wine but the dynamic growth of Gamma-Tech and her relentless multitasking, turning more new ideas and challenges into reality, is a demanding and time-consuming lifestyle.

“I’m a menace in the kitchen. I can barely boil eggs and I recently tried to make some packaged Cream of Wheat.

It blew up and splattered all over the inside of the microwave.” (No, she didn’t take the microwave apart to see how it worked.)

She is lovably and professionally in denial and begrudgingly acknowledges just a hint of workaholism – although her friends, colleagues and clients unanimously beg to differ – and she prefers to quickly change the subject to needing only six hours sleep, not being a morning-person and being at her most productive best between five and eight in the evening.

“But, hey,” she laughs, “I can sit and watch old TV shows and eat popcorn all night.”

Who would have thought that a few dozen years after little Debra Ross was taking apart Tinker Toys to see how they worked and since the SAIT student cracked open the thick textbook that first introduced her to the words “nondestructive testing,” her initially daring and now booming Gamma-Tech Inspection Ltd. would be an internationally known and industry-respected, multimillion-dollar organization with a specialist staff of 20 and loyal clients in Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan?

When it comes to bright ideas, hard work and success, a lot of people talk the talk.

Like the inspirational words on her dynamic www.debraross.ca website: “Find your focus, follow your passion, and realize your dreams!”

In her professional, entrepreneurial and private life, Calgary’s Debra Ross absolutely walks the walk. BiC www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY April 2013 • 39

SOUTH CAMPUS: GATEWAY TO LEARNING

SOUTH CAMPUS GRAND OPENING April 5, 2013 RSVP bowvalleycollege.ca/southcampus

SPECIAL ALUMNI SOUTH CAMPUS REUNION April 10 RSVP facebook.com/BVCAA

rSVP for april 5 Grand opening: bowvalleycollege.ca/southcampus

On June 24, 2009, I had the immense pleasure of donning a hard hat, picking up a shovel, and pitching in to break ground for our new South Campus.

On that day, I shared that when we started in the 1960s we fought hard for our place in the world of post-secondary education within the city and the province. I spoke of having earned, over our almost 50-year history, a reputation for being a very good steward of the entire environment in which learning takes place—an environment that includes not only educational needs, but also broader social, economic, and cultural considerations.

2009 South Campus Groundbreaking

LEARNING INTO THE FUTURE Our South Campus is a physical presence, but it is also a gateway for enhanced education through technology, bringing to life our Vision 2020 focus on any time, any place, any path, any pace learning. That’s access – through our partnership with eCampusAlberta – to 24/7 learning.

On April 5, 2013, at our South Campus Grand Opening, I’ll stand with Joanne Stalinski, Board Chair, our Premier, and a host of Bow Valley College community members who have planned and worked long hours to create not only the bricks and mortar of this building, but also to imbue this space with the heart and soul that is Bow Valley College.

In the spirit of collaboration—unique in North America— joining us as South Campus education partners are: Athabasca University, Olds College, and the University of Lethbridge. Learners now have additional pathways to even more education opportunities, all in one central hub right in downtown Calgary.

This new campus enhances the important role we play within our region, the province, and the country. BVC is known nationally for the strength of its academic upgrading program, English language learning, innovative fast-track career programs, and the effective way in which it draws upon the strengths of new immigrants to energize our national labour market and invigorate our Canadian culture.

Like any great work, the South Campus project involved the talents of many. Our partners in government, complementary institutions, and the entire southern Alberta community provided unwavering support for this much-needed campus expansion. As always, the faculty and staff at Bow Valley College continue to work hard every day to ensure that your trust in us is well-placed and well-rewarded.

Thank you.

Sharon C arry PrESIdENT ANd CEO

1 | Bow Valley College

BVC SOUTH CAMPUS: YEARS IN THE MAkING The new South Campus is a significant milestone for Bow Valley College, which has shaped Calgary’s urban landscape and workforce for nearly five decades.

What began as the Alberta Vocational Centre in 1965, with 535 students, has grown into Calgary’s only Comprehensive Community College offering fast-tracked career programs to over 13,000 students annually with access doubling with the addition of South Campus.

Fi rs t AV C

e h el d at cl as se s w er

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A ve n u e S.W

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From the early days, to the opening of the AVC campus in 1972, right up to today, Bow Valley College has been a visionary institution helping create a multi-skilled and educated workforce ready to meet the ever-changing demands of the labour market and a growing skills shortage.

The opening of BVC’s South Campus coincides with one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by the College: Vision 2020.

The goal of Vision 2020 is to shape the future of learning, setting the College on a path that leads to becoming a truly innovative worldclass college, rooted in communities, enabling people to Learn a better living™ and Live a better life by the year 2020.

The addition of BVC’s South Campus is already helping in many ways to meet BVC’s Vision 2020 goals by: • Providing more space and resources that can accommodate responsive academic programing addressing trends and influences on the horizon that will change the work we do today and the workforce needs of tomorrow.

• Tapping into the diversity advantage with programs dedicated to International and Aboriginal students.

• Doubling capacity, providing post-secondary access to even more Albertans.

• Providing pathways for students to continually upgrade their skills at BVC, as well as pursue programs with BVC’s South Campus partners: Athabasca University, Olds College, and the University of Lethbridge.

It is clear that as the College nears it 50-year anniversary in 2015 and Vision 2020, it has the facilities and resources to deliver on its Vision 2020 priorities and to hold to the standards of excellence that have given way to such successes in the past.

BVC South Campus along 6th Avenue and 3rd Street S.E.

Visit bowvalleycollege.ca/history

Attending Grand opening?

Follow it live on twitter at #BVCSouth

“BVC students are the backbone of Alberta’s economy.

This building—and the entire redeveloped campus— ensures that our students are job-ready, prepared for the real and ever-changing world of work.”

Dr. DAViD AllwriGht dE AN, BVC SChOOL Of BUSINESS

BUILT FOR BUSINESS The business at hand is that of equipping students — in BVC’s School of Business, as well in the School of Health, Justice, and Human Services, the Centre for Excellence in Immigrant and Intercultural Advancement, and the Centre for Excellence in Foundational Learning — for lifelong success in the workplace and life.

OPen SPaceS. LOadS Of natuRaL Light. incReaSed PROductiVity.

Bow Valley College graduates are the backbone of Alberta’s economy; the quality of space in which they learn feeds into the calibre of worker they will become. Built for business, Bow Valley College’s new South Campus blends the needs and expectations of today’s multigenerational BVC student population, with the latest in teaching technologies and LEED Silver standards.

Bow Valley College emulates a successful business environment, providing appropriate space and technology to study, learn, and collaborate, alongside spaces that go beyond academic pursuits such as the fourth floor patio and roof-top gardens.

A technologically advanced professional environment complete with award-winning instructors committed to quality instruction, as well centrally located student services, and a convenient location on the CTrain line, gives learners a gateway to the many employers seeking the blend of hard and soft skills BVC graduates possess.

aRt. cuLtuRe. highLy mOtiVated, engaged citizenS. Of course, no comprehensive community college education would be complete without experiences that touch the spirit.

Bow Valley College, with the addition of South Campus, is able to expand already successful cultural endeavours, including: • displaying BVC’s vast collection of publically and privately owned art • hosting free concerts with musical partners like the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Epcor Centre • housing cultural spaces like the new Aboriginal Centre and Multi-Faith Room

cOLLabORatiOn iS key.

In education as well as business, collaboration is key. BVC’s South Campus is home to an academic collaboration, creating a unique educational hub in the heart of downtown Calgary.

Athabasca University, Olds College, and the University of Lethbridge have their Calgary campuses headquartered in BVC’s South Campus, creating a gateway to education, with laddering opportunities for even more Albertans.

Looking up at BVC’s South Campus sunny two-storey atrium and the many classrooms and opportunities above, the sky’s the limit for people wanting to learn a better living™ and live a better life.

South Campus: Gateway to Learning | 4

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5 Clockwise from top lef t: (1) Construction begins on South Campus; Inset: Former Premier Stelmach behind the controls; (2) 2009 Groundbreaking ceremony; (3) BVC helmets and shovels; (4) +15/+30 installation; (5) Construction progress

A BUILDING GROWS From the very moment the College broke ground in June 2009, to the grand opening in 2013, the South Campus project was a transformational experience, ushering in a new era for Bow Valley College.

5 | Bow Valley College

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See more photos on instagram @bowvalley

Clockwise from top lef t: (1) Students walk through +15 connecting North and South campuses; (2) View of South Campus from City Hall CTrain platform; (3) Looking down on second f loor atrium; (4) Aboriginal Centre; (5) Of fice of the Registrar; (6) The Market cafeteria

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South Campus: Gateway to Learning | 6

BVC Alumnus?

April 10 South Campus Reunion Event is for you! rSVP at facebook.com/BVCAA

THE DIVERSITY ADVANTAGE Bow Valley College stands on the sacred territory of the Nitsitapii (Blackfoot peoples). BVC’s Aboriginal Centre, situated in the College’s South Campus, brings together elements of the traditional ways of Aboriginal life, like the tipi (or Niitoy-yiss): the portable home of the plains and the heart of family, community, and culture is also central to the dayto-day student activities in BVC’s Aboriginal Centre.

The Centre is welcoming and light, conducive to study, gatherings, socializing, and ceremonies including smudging, as well as Cultural Resource Elder visits, counselling and advising, and meetings.

Entering the Aboriginal Centre, you stand transfixed below a series of Lodgepole Pine symbolizing a tipi: the heart of family, community, and culture.

Designs painted on the sides of a tipi connect the community with Spirit Beings. The windows of the Aboriginal Centre are filled with such culturally appropriate symbols, including in particular the buffalo. The buffalo has special meaning for Aboriginal peoples in Canada and Alberta, with education often referred to today as the “new buffalo.”

diVeRSity Of cuLtu L ReS Ltu

Throughout South Campus light is filtered through patterned designs inspired by the Aboriginal culture, as well as the following cultures: • • • • • • • • •

7 | Bow Valley College

Chinese Indian Iranian Japanese Malian North African Persian Tibetan Turkish

117 countries are represented by BVC’s 13,000 learners, who speak more than 97 languages. This diversity advantage brings a cultural richness to the Bow Valley College community and a global awareness to the classroom. The South Campus is also home to the International Education program and BVC’s Regional Stewardship office—part of the College’s mandate to provide access to education and training to 1.3 million southern Albertans.

Students and clients also have access to BVC’s Centre for Excellence in Immigrant and Intercultural Advancement and the Centre for Excellence in Foundational Learning, as well as services offered by the Career Advancement Centre.

COLLABORATION Education is not a solitary activity. Community partners bring an added layer of creativity and vitality to Bow Valley College.

Over the years, the College has partnered with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, bringing musicians and their stories to campus and making concerts more accessible for learners. BVC students have had the benefit of exposure to programming at the Glenbow Museum. The YWCA Childcare Centre at Bow Valley College is a unique collaboration with huge benefits for community members, students, and BVC’s Early Learning and Child Care program.

And, of course, the business community supports the College in so many ways, including practicum placements for students, as well as providing valuable input as members of program advisory councils.

From the beginning, the South Campus was an important capacity-building project. Added to the scope fairly early on was a very significant and strategic post-secondary partnership that is providing new pathways to education for even more learners.

Bow Valley College, along with three other post-secondary institutions, is using the new South Campus to create a unique to North America partnership.

Athabasca University, Olds College, and the University of Lethbridge are headquartering their Calgary campuses in BVC’s South Campus.

The South Campus Partners make a significant contribution to affordability, as well as access and quality, not just in Calgary but throughout southern Alberta.

Together all four institutions are fostering a fully integrated learning experience in which key services and resources are shared. Perhaps most importantly, learning pathways between institutions are both enhanced and seamless— bringing more post-secondary options within reach of more Albertans.

GATEWAY TO EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY “Now that the South Campus is complete, I have easy access to the CTrain and great services. It’s also nice to see familiar faces and say hi to my previous Bow Valley College instructors and staff at BVC. Those are some of the major reasons I chose to continue my studies at the University of Lethbridge Calgary Campus location at the BVC South Campus.” yoko k AwAShimA BVC BUSINESS AdmINIS Tr ATION dIPLOmA 2012 ALUmNA ANd UNIVErSIT y Of LE ThBrIdGE S TUdENT IN ThE GENEr AL mANAGEmENT BA PrOGr Am

South Campus: Gateway to Learning | 8

AT THE HEART OF COMMUNITY Calgary’s one and only comprehensive community college, with its new South Campus, is located in the heart of downtown Calgary at the gateway to the East Village neighbourhood, one of the country’s most exciting urban developments.

When talk of the South Campus began, it was put forward that Bow Valley College could well become downtown’s hub for education, culture, and community in the East Village. Today, you can see that those early ideas have come into their own as students and visitors walk past walls filled with public art, sit down to share a cup of coffee in The Market cafeteria, take in speakers series, or come by in the evening for professional development through BVC’s Continuing Education offerings.

VibRancy, cuLtu L Re + ecOnOmic SPinOffS. Ltu As the Calgary Public Library, the National music Centre, and East Village homes and hotels move from the drafting board to reality, BVC’s South Campus will be part of a thriving mixed-use, inner city community with thousands cycling or strolling along the riverWalk and diving into cultural and educational activities.

As you explore BVC’s beautiful new South Campus and the newly redeveloped North Campus right across 6th Avenue SE, have a seat on the street furniture, enjoy the greenscaping or come on in and see how Bow Valley College is helping to build a strong, healthy community by building student success.

BVC’s South Campus is in the right place at the right time, but don’t just take our word for it. read what our neighbours have to say...

“Bow Valley College and the Calgary Public Library have fostered a distinctive, successful, and supportive partnership for many years. As the East Village blooms into a cultural destination, first with the grand opening of the superb South Campus and soon the new Central Library, our collaboration will continue and grow, inspiring generations of Calgarians from the knowledge corridor of the neighbourhood.”

Follow BVC on Facebook facebook.com/bowvalleycollege and on twitter @BowValley 9 | Bow Valley College

EllEn humPhrE y INTErIm ChIEf E xECUTIVE OffICEr C aLgary PubLiC Library

“NMC is excited to be neighbours with Bow Valley College in East Village. We see the potential to collaboratively realize unique educational opportunities by fostering a neighbourhood culture that supports diversity with a strong cultural anchor in music.”

“Bow Valley College has really been listening to what businesses in Calgary are looking for. the opportunity to develop fast track career programs and getting highly skilled individuals back into the workforce is key for business efficiency and ongoing success. BVC’s South Campus, in the heart of downtown Calgary, creates even more opportunities for students and business, and the Chamber is excited to celebrate this grand opening for Calgary’s only comprehensive community college.”

ADAm lEGGE PrESIdENT ANd CEO C aLgary ChaMbEr

AnDrEw moSkEr PrESIdENT ANd CEO NaTioNaL MusiC CENTrE

“We have had the good fortune of working alongside (literally and geographically) the Bow Valley College team for several years now and have been excited to watch the new South Campus emerge. As the developer charged with the rejuvenation of Calgary’s East Village neighbourhood, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) is delivering a new mixed-use community – which will be home to 11,500 future residents – which will benefit from the energy and dynamic culture being created by students, faculty and staff of the campus. Welcome to the neighbourhood, South Campus!”

“Bow Valley College is a dynamic contributor to Calgary’s energy. BVC graduates are work ready and the backbone of Calgary’s business and health sectors. Calgary Economic Development is proud to call Bow Valley College an energy partner and a vibrant part of CED’s plan for the future.”

BruCE Gr AhAm PrESIdENT ANd CEO C aLgary ECoNoMiC dEvELoPMENT

SuSAn VErES VICE PrESIdENT, mArkE TING & COmmUNIC ATIONS C aLgary MuNiCiPaL L aNd CorPoraTioN

“Congratulations to Bow Valley College on the grand opening of their South Campus! As a customer of ENMAX’s Downtown District Energy Centre, BVC South Campus is the first building in Calgary to be built without a conventional boiler system. BVC’s leadership will help others to understand the benefits of District Energy not just for their own business, but for the community as a whole.”

DAViD rEhn E xECUTIVE VICE PrESIdENT, GENEr ATION, INfOrmATION TEChNOLOGy & SUPPLy ChAIN mANAGEmENT ENMa X CorPoraTioN

South Campus: Gateway to Learning | 10

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Congratulations to Bow Valley College on their new location!

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This is a huge step in helping thousands more people fulfill their dreams and reach their goals. We look forward to many more years of partnership. ~ Diversified Staffing Services

Barristers and Solicitors | www.carscallen.com

Congratulations to Bow Valley College on this wonderful new facility!

Carscallen LLP was honoured to provide legal services as part of the project team.

11 | Bow Valley College

Congratulations, Bow Valley College on the opening of your beautiful south campus!

Proudly providing facility management services Arcturus Realty Corporation 555 - 4th Avenue S.W., Suite 1450, Calgary, AB, T2P 3E7 403.265.7880 | www.arcturusrealty.com

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Congratulations Bow Valley College on your Grand Opening!

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South Campus: Gateway to Learning | 12

BECAUSE BECAUSEYOUR BUILDING CAN OF YOU, THE CONTRIBUTE FUTURE LOOKS TO A BRIGHTER BRIGHT TOMORROW

TM

ENMAX Corporation

Congratulations on your grand opening, welcome to the neighborhood. We are proud to have you as a customer of the ENMAX Downtown District Energy Centre.

Thank you Bow Valley College for being an early adopter of district energy - for showing strong leadership and understanding the benefits of district energy not just for your own business, but for the community as a whole.

To learn more about district energy, visit enmax.com/dec

nortonrose.com

Norton Rose and Armstrong Mitchell Lawyers congratulate Bow Valley College on the grand opening of its South Campus On March 1, 2013 Armstrong Mitchell Lawyers will join Norton Rose in Canada.

2900 lawyers | 42 offices | 6 continents | 1 vision

13 | Bow Valley College

PROUD TO BE THE MECHANICAL CONTRACTOR FOR THE BOW VALLEY COLLEGE PHASE 2 PROJECT DECADES OF EXPERIENCE, INNOVATION AND RELIABILITY BEHIND OUR WORK. Project Expertise: • Project Management • Design/Build Services • CAD Modeling

Mechanical Contractor

• Plumbing and Heating • Ventilation • Off Site Fabrication

• Planned and Preventative Maintenance • COR Certified

Congratulations Bow Valley College!

ServiceMaster is proud to be the Janitorial Service provider to this fine institution.

403-705-7878 www.smalberta.com SM

Ordinary tasks, extraordinary service.

South Campus: Gateway to Learning | 14

Welcome to the Village!

CMLC’s East Village team is excited to welcome the expanded Bow Valley College to our evergrowing neighbourhood. We look forward to seeing students on RiverWalk, in cafés, and on the streets of our dynamic urban village. Bow Valley College is part of what’s making East Village the place where Calgary comes together in the newest, oldest, coolest warmest neighbourhood in town. Hello and welcome South Campus!

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Family Fun in the Resort Market • Recreation & Investment Properties

Family Fun in the Resort Market

BY JOHN HARDY

One of the properties on the market in Canmore. (Photo courtesy of ReMax)

I

t’s your toss! The recreation property decision is a two-sided coin.

One side are the sunsets; fresh air; the morning dew; dozing off in a big, droopy hammock; kids playing and giggling; roasting s’mores while the smoke wafts from the crackling campfire; skiing; brisk walks with the snow crunching underfoot; balmy summer afternoons with family, friends, noodle salad, sizzling barbecued burgs, colourful baggy shorts and corny jokes; and unforgettable pictures to last sentimental lifetimes.

The flip side is m-o-n-e-y! Property taxes; insurance premiums; maintenance costs like furnace repairs, leaky eavestroughs and dripping toilets; good tenants and tenants from

Phil Soper, president and CEO of Royal LePage Real Estate Services (RLP)

hell; capital gains taxes; estate planning strategies; and a maze of other tricky second-home ownership numbers to think about and juggle.

Regardless how the coin toss turns out, a majority of people (especially Calgarians) considering or already owning recreation properties are mostly motivated by – lifestyle.

“Recreation properties are an excellent way to bring families together and reduce the stresses associated with city living,” says Phil Soper, president and CEO of Royal LePage Real Estate Services (RLP). “Canadians are generally confident about buying recreation properties because they see a big payoff in terms of improved quality of life.” www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY April 2013 • 57

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Family Fun in the Resort Market • Recreation & Investment Properties

“Today’s 30-somethings are fast paced, they are plugged in with the latest technology and they are on the go 24-7. They are also the new recreation property market and they are looking for relaxation, social life and quality family time.” ~ Elton Ash boomer parents. “They are starting to explore new areas like A fairly recent reality-check that the real estate industry’s Fernie, Crowsnest and even north Saskatchewan.” recreation property marketing and sales logic must deal with Every year, both Canadian real estate giants (RE/MAX is the dynamics of shifting generations. and Royal LePage) publish detailed and itemized Recreation “Recreation properties are still extremely popular with Property Reports that instantly become popular references boomers,” according to Elton Ash, regional executive viceand often-quoted market analyses about recpresident of RE/MAX-Western Canada. “They reation property trends, prices and forecasts not only want to enjoy the leisurely lifestyle in most popular leisure markets from the they worked so hard for but they also want to Maritimes to British Columbia. leave a legacy for their grandchildren.

When RLP was doing a public opinion “And then there are the gen-Xs and gensurvey for its 2012 report, respondents were Ys. Today’s 30-somethings are fast paced, asked for a personal wish list of what they they are plugged in with the latest technolwanted most from a recreation property. ogy and they are on the go 24-7. They are Although the real estate pros usually track also the new recreation property market and and analyze complex and convoluted marthey are looking for relaxation, social life ket trends, comparative stats and purchaser and quality family time.” attitudes, the overwhelmingly number one Ash explains that some Calgary millenconsumer wish in the otherwise technical nials are still looking in traditional cottage and business-jargoned report was refreshing or cabin areas like Canmore and Invermere, and surprising: more than half of all the surbut they are more willing to travel further Elton Ash, regional executive vice-president of RE/MAX-Western veyed purchasers (55 per cent) ranked ‘peace for their getaway cottage or cabin than their Canada 60 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

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W

hen spectacular design, a dedication to sustainability and innovative partnerships come together, the results can change the way we think about development. And near the shores of central Alberta’s largest lake, the community of Deere Park is doing just that.

Deere Park at Gull Lake offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience fabulous lake country living, while being a part of an innovative, sustainable project. With conservation of the natural environment in mind, Deere Park has entered into a unique partnership with Airdrie’s Akal Homes to offer premium cabins and country homes with minimal construction impact.

The partnership aims to pair the efficiencies of factory home building with the best in conservation community design at Deere Park, by manufacturing superior conventionally framed cabins at the Akal facility in Airdrie, and trucking them to Gull Lake.

“Building offsite reduces the impact of construction in the natural environment at Deere Park,” says Deere Park Developments President Chris Lennon. “There is almost no noise, traffic or garbage at these construction sites.”

Not only does the Akal/Deere Park partnership minimize environmental impact, it also maximizes value for homeowners, with 19 lot-and-cabin packages starting at $379,000 in Sales Phase 1.

“Because of this partnership, we can build new cabins and country homes at Deere Park for $129 per square foot,” says Lennon. “And that’s a delivered price – an exceptional value for country estate living.”

While traditional construction is weather-dependent, Akal can work closely with Calgary clients to design and build beautiful homes year-round and ship to the Deere Park site in the spring – in fact, the first show home is nearing completion and will be ready to view on-site later this season.

In the meantime, Lennon encourages interested homebuyers to visit the Akal facility in Airdrie to view the show home, and discuss possibilities for their own beautiful country cottage in one of Alberta’s most forward-thinking communities.

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Nestled in the uplan d watershed of beautiful Gull Lak e, Deere Park is a premiere conserva tion community, offering a quiet, pri vate and natural place for fam ilies, neighbours and friends to co me together and enjoy the best of central Alberta’s natural beauty and recreationa l possibilities.

“Not only does Gu ll Lake present spectacular fishing , boating, golfing and more,” say s Lennon, “It is also conveniently located near Red Deer betwe en Calgary and Edmonton, allowin g for easy access to people fro m all over the province.”

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Family Fun in the Resort Market • Recreation & Investment Properties

and quiet’ as the main reason for buying recreation property.

The other top priorities were: four-season use (51 per cent), close to amenities (48 per cent), waterfront/beach access (42 per cent) and boating/fishing (25 per cent).

The RE/MAX and Royal LePage charts, numbers, trending summaries and forecasts tend to be consistent and both reports highlight similar recreation property decision speed bumps.

Canada’s recent tightening of lending requirements – a minimum 20 per cent down payment on any residential or recreation property – and persistent rumours about anyday-now spikes in Canadian interest rates are having a slight dampening effect in some regional markets, particularly in B.C. and Ontario.

While both agree that it is way too early to crunch actual 2013 numbers, brokerages in Alberta and southeast B.C. already sense a turnaround in recreation property interest.

Calgary purchasers, in particular, seem poised and ready to invest in some popular areas (a two to six-hour drive from Calgary) like Canmore, Sylvan Lake, the Shuswap and the Windermere Valley.

According to the 2012 RLP report, Albertans more than any other Canadian market, consider lifestyle and long-term investment potential as their primary reasons to buy.

“Many Canadians want to own recreation property for lifestyle value,” Soper says. “But it’s vital that potential buyers make a plan, understand the actual long-term costs, weigh their options for financing and make sure they can afford it.”

“It’s still a buyer’s market,” according to Rob Shaw, president of the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board and former chief economist for the British Columbia Real Estate Association. “And, of course, vendors are frustrated and anxious for a more balanced market.

“Contrary to some media hype, we haven’t seen a market meltdown in prices and there’s no bubble burst. The past few years have had a downward pressure on prices but it finally seems to be bottoming out.”

62 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

He adds, “No doubt about it, the current inventory of recreation property listings offers good choices (especially for Calgary purchasers) to look for a relaxing place in the sun or near a ski hill.”

Beware!

Despite the buyer’s market that may be happening – from Sylvan Lake to Fernie, Invermere, Mara Lake and Canmore – there is also consensus among real estate experts, financial analysts, tax consultants and estate planners about a need for consumer caution when it comes to the expectation for recreation properties to be ‘can’t lose’ investments.

“Some people thrive on the vacation lifestyle of a cottage on a lake or a cabin in the mountains,” says Gail Bebee, sought-after Canadian personal finance adviser and author of the investment primer, No Hype: The Straight Goods on Investing Your Money. “If that’s their true reason, they should buy one. But it’s a big mistake to consider recreation properties as investments. They are absolutely not a road to riches.

“On the contrary, just factoring in basic expenses,” she counts the fingers of her open hand, “like annual property

Rob Shaw, president of the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board.

Gail Bebee, sought-after Canadian personal finance adviser.

Family Fun in the Resort Market • Recreation & Investment Properties

Calgary purchasers, in particular, seem poised and ready to invest in some popular areas (a two to six-hour drive from Calgary) like Canmore, Sylvan Lake, the Shuswap and the Windermere Valley.

taxes, maintenance expenses, insurance, maybe the carr ying costs of a second mortgage, the capital gains and other taxes – all for a cottage or a cabin that the family may use for only a few weeks out of a year?

“No matter how it gets rationalized, recreation properties are very pricey and very poor investment propositions.

There are so many better ways to invest money with safer returns and much fewer headaches.

“People simply must do their homework. With all the startup and hidden costs, it’s a minimum five-year investment, probably longer,” she says. “If they eventually make money at all, it’s a bonus.”

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Family Fun in the Resort Market • Recreation & Investment Properties

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The project was formally proposed more than 22 years ago. The remarkably patient senior vice-president Grant Costello has been ‘on hold,’ waiting for the volumes of provincial and First Nations studies, reviews, negotiations and approvals “for only 10 years or so,” he grins.

“I never anticipated this much red tape. Delay after delay after delay.

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Access road construction starts late this summer; day-operation skiing will be available July 1; lift construction in 2014 and base area developments will happen in 2015.

“It’s not only beautiful, it’s exciting,” beams Costello.

More dazzling pictures and recreation property details are at www. jumboglacierresort.com.

64 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Family Fun in the Resort Market • Recreation & Investment Properties

“Recreation properties must be considered long-term hold, lifestyle purchases. They must never be bought with the strategy of flipping it.” ~ Elton Ash

WAR Ash also voices concern about the well-intentioned but common mistake made by some buyers. “Recreation properties must be considered longterm hold, lifestyle purchases. They must never be bought with the strategy of flipping it.”

Hot tips, friend-of-a-friend experiences and wishful thinking assumptions can even prove to be dangerous.

“The high purchase price and basic expenses aside, it is very bad investment strategy because recreation properties are an illiquid market,” Bebee warns. “People who suddenly need to get their money out may find themselves panicking with no buyers.

As with most real estate, investing in cottages or cabins is risky and returns are definitely not guaranteed. Unfortunately, some people may not even get their principal back.”

So, when it comes to the two-sided coin of recreation properties, it’s your toss. Do whatever it takes but make sure it’s heads – you win ... and tails – you win. BiC

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Half a Century Old and Better than Ever!

Written and photographed by Mary Savage

W

hen Randy Repas first went to work for Sprouse Fire and Safety Ltd. in 1975, he had no idea that 21 years later he would own the company.

During that time, and under the mentorship of the original founders, Ken Sprouse and Pepper Nicholls, the company would grow to become one of Western Canada’s most iconic and successful businesses in the life-safety industry.

“I had the benefit and pleasure of mentoring under the best in the industry with Ken and Pepper,” recalls Randy.

“They instilled the value of delivering excellence in customer service while ensuring that our staff was unequalled in their level of industry expertise.”

From energy and manufacturing to small business and residential, Sprouse Fire plays an invaluable role in helping to keep people and companies safe. They represent a handful of full-service organizations that provide a comprehensive scope of life-safety services – from portable fire equipment, fire alarms, fire monitoring, sprinkler systems and automatic fire suppression systems to extensive training programs and first aid and safety services and consulting.

“We are the best because we have the best people,” explains Randy. “We continue to stay true to our founding roots of excellent customer service provided by the most knowledgeable staff in the industry.”

Over the decades, Sprouse Fire has evolved to weather the economic peaks and valleys that are synonymous with Alberta’s boom-bust climate. They have spent 50 years building and maintaining excellent customer relations and today, it comes as no surprise they service over 11,000 customers, annually, in Calgary alone.

Today, Randy remains the president and brings nearly 40 years of history and experience to the benefit of both new employees and customers alike. He has worked in every facet of the business and provides an incredible array of insight, knowledge and expertise to the leadership of Sprouse Fire.

When Randy and past business partner Larry Holling took over the business in 1996, they had nine employees. Today Sprouse Fire employs over 50 people and they have recently expanded into Edmonton.

The key to their success is found largely among the people who call Sprouse Fire home: they are dedicated, accomplished and completely committed to a standard of excellence not readreadily found in the marketplace. “We are truly fortunate to have so many exceptionally outstanding managers and employees on

Randy Repas and Rick Mooers

our team here at Sprouse Fire,” adds Randy.

“We offer a level of customer service that is unparalleled, and over the years, we’ve had a lot of knowledge that has been transferred from our managers, past and present, to our employees. It’s our people who have made the company successful,” says Randy. “Many of our people have been with Sprouse Fire for over 20 years and as a result, we have established a tremendously loyal customer base – a customer base that we never take for granted and work hard every day to continue to earn that customer loyalty.”

Sprouse Fire is also an innovative company and they have been integrating technology to improve their delivery cycles

Sprouse Fire and Safety | 50th Anniversary

www.sprousefire.com and minimize turnaround time. Inside their Inglewood office, it’s a busy place even though the majority of their employees are usually in the field: found in every quadrant of the city. And when a customer calls the office, they will always hear a live voice – ready to assist them.

This innovation is led by Rick Mooers, who joined Sprouse Fire two years ago as the managing director and is the primary force in taking Sprouse Fire to the next level of business.

“We are dedicated to service excellence: it’s our commitment to making sure our customers are getting what they need, how they need it and when they need it. We help organizations recognize their life-safety requirements and it’s a big part of what we do every day,” says Rick.

“Our customers can sleep well at night knowing that they have Sprouse Fire taking care of their life-safety needs,” adds Rick. “We understand that it is important for our customers to ensure that their people are safe and that their business assets are protected.”

As Sprouse Fire celebrates their 50th anniversary, they have plans to expand into a larger office while continuing to operate from their Inglewood location. They also plan to step up their service offerings in the other centres throughout Alberta such as Red Deer, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. And after 50 years in business, they extend a sincere note of

gratitude to all of the customers, employees, business partners and suppliers who have helped them to achieve this milestone.

“These are exciting times for us and we have only scratched the surface; we want to establish ourselves as the number one provider in Western Canada,” remarks Randy. “And one of our biggest challenges right now is finding the right space for our second location in Calgary – which means continuing to be very accessible to our customers and after 50 years in Inglewood, that’s a tall order to fill.” •

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Life in the BYOD Workplace • Telecommunications

Life in the

BYOD ( B r i n g Yo u r O w n D e v i c e )

Workplace

BY JOHN HARDY

68 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

O

nce upon a time, in an analogue workplace far, far away, talking on the phone was a no-no, punishable by strange looks, leers, warnings and memos. Mostly because it was the boss’ time and the boss’ phone.

Fast-forward a few light-years and talking on the phone (and texting and tweeting and emailing and apps and Facebook-posting and browsing) is no big deal, ho-hum routine and probably more common than groggy morning-types, fake smiles, lunch room microwaves and access cards dangling like necklaces.

The real challenge is how the company should or can properly deal with the warp-speed changing and constantly updating mobile technology epidemic in the workplace, because – company-issue or personal gadget – it’s no longer just the digital nuisance of disturbing, distracting and annoying anyone within ear shot.

The situation is much, much more complex and difficult. While technology continues to make work instant, amazingly efficient and undeniably better, it also makes the workplace challenge complicated and messy.

Blame Wi-Fi, apps and slick menu options but oncesimple cellphones have evolved into sophisticated, hand-held communication control centres. Size and portability enable tablets and thin laptops to be as routine work accessories as personalized coffee mugs, pens, staplers, highlighters and sticky pads.

The ferocious popularity of no-boundaries mobile connections is a staggering fact of contemporary work, play and social life. The most recent Statistics Canada numbers crunching counted more than 34,482,800 Canadians, from babies to the elderly and everyone in between.

According to the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), which represents all major providers like Telus, Bell, Rogers and others, there are more than 26,543,780 mobile service subscribers in Canada; half of all Canadian phone connections are now wireless; 75 per cent of Canadian households have access to one or more cellphones; and Canadians send a staggering 267.8 million text messages per day.

A recent survey from the internationally respected Marist Institute for Public Opinion guesstimates that nearly nine out of 10 (or 87 per cent) of North Americans own some kind of mobile device. That figure jumps to 92 per cent of people working outside the home. Nearly two thirds of full-time workers now own smartphones (up from 48 per cent just two years ago) and one third own a tablet (up from 12 per cent).

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Life in the BYOD Workplace • Telecommunications

So it’s a safe bet that most Calgary staff routinely have some kind of a mobile device with them at work. Unfortunately and despite undisputable facts and figures like CWTA, some employers are not only in denial, they may also be living (and managing) dangerously.

“Companies must accept that mobile technology – whether it’s company-issued or personal – is now the primary way most people communicate,” says Nancy Flynn, director of the American ePolicy Institute and author of The e-Policy Handbook.

Technology experts agree about two particularly baffling complications, for employers and employees, when trying to deal with the latest grab bag of available mobile connections.

Not everybody works down carpeted hallways lined with cubicles, meeting rooms and offices. There are connected staff in the warehouse, on the shop floor, in the yard, in the plant, on the road, in the field and other places where cellphone abuse is not only a nuisance but a possible risk factor.

And some things don’t change, despite technology. It is

Graham Chalk, Senior Product Manager, TELUS

Nancy Flynn, director of the American ePolicy Institute

70 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

still the boss’ time but (with the irresistible portability in a pocket, a purse, a tote bag or hanging from a belt) it may no longer be the boss’ phone, tablet or laptop.

Tech consultants and major mobile service providers are quick to cite the latest state-of-the-art trend: the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) workplace, where staff routinely bring their own tech gear to work and easily upload whatever they need – from client contact lists and schedules to company files and programs.

“BYOD is so popular and employees have made it such a basic part of their daily work routine that the lines between talking on the phone and doing business have already been blurred,” explains Graham Chalk, senior product manager with Telus in Calgary.

Bosses beware! Even though many companies are still reluctant to embrace the BYOD workplace concept, Chalk mentions a newer and more plugged-in mobile device trend has already begun.

“More and more companies are being pushed from bottom up with a brand-new kind of internal consumerization,” he says. “Get ready for CYOD (Choose Your Own Device), where employees determine which device and which specific apps they need to do their specific work more efficiently. Sales reps rely on Salesforce.com and other popular programs to do their job but staff in the warehouse or in shipping need entirely different options.

“When it comes to the possibilities of mobile technology, one size most definitely no longer fits all.”

Despite the indisputable fact of work life that most employees do bring some type of mobile device to work, a flabbergasting number of companies still refuse to take the situation seriously.

Fewer than 20 per cent of companies have some mobile technology policy in place and about 25 per cent make do with dated and dangerously vague rules.

Invariably, a company’s stale and naive “personal use or

Life in the BYOD Workplace • Telecommunications

Tech consultants and major mobile service providers are quick to cite the latest state-of-the-art trend: the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) workplace, where staff routinely bring their own tech gear to work and easily upload whatever they need… abuse of company property” policy tends to get stashed in forgotten HR binders or in rarely-browsed administration sub-folders, as Jurassically irrelevant as stacks of extinct “all staff memos” and hasty layers of small, pink “While You Were Out” phone message slips.

Easily portable mobile gadgets have made the workplace challenge much more daunting and complicated than the simpler times when a weird ringtone, constant yakking, texting, browsing porn and online gambling distractions were the boss’ biggest problems.

Industry experts agree, while flaky and disruptive goofoff situations still happen, they are not problems caused by technology. “They are nuisance-behaviour problems and have been around much longer than cellphones,” according to Chalk.

Today’s mobile technology presents much bigger, serious and urgent workplace issues, like productivity, privacy, liability, security and others.

“Now more than ever, it’s vitally important that employers develop a realistic and relevant mobile device policy for all the ways employees and the company are affected,” Flynn says with proactive caution.

“Just being preoccupied with random personal cellphone calls or trying to police wasted staff time on Twitter or Facebook is so pointless. Putting together an enforceable mobile technology policy is complex and goes way beyond just department managers and HR,” she emphasizes.

“Since the technology is so advanced and intricate – especially if the device is hooked into the company’s server – employers should also involve internal or outside IT experts and particularly IT-experienced lawyers. Not only for basic liability reasons but (especially in regulated industries like financial services, health care or real estate) navigating mobile device policy needs specialized legal input.”

Flynn speaks from diverse consulting experience, offering the warning that, as with most workplace policies and rules, it is all worthless if not properly explained and consistently enforced.

In seminars and in her popular how-to book, Flynn recommends key aspects of creating and implementing a mobile device policy.

• Keep it updated. Review the policy at least once a year, mostly because the technology changes so fast. “It wasn’t so long ago that all the company nervously worried about was email abuse.”

• Don’t just circulate the new policy document. Do staff training sessions to explain and illustrate the expected behaviour; and present the policy as important information the employee should know.

• Specifically explain the defined disciplinary action and the consequences for violating the company’s policy.

• Employees should get a reasonable opportunity to reread and review the policy, then keep one for their reference and return one to HR, formally signed and dated to confirm that the policy has been fully explained and that the employee understands and accepts it.

With or without formal company policy and spelled-out consequences and no matter how essential and irreplaceable mobile technology may be in personal or work life, cellphones will forever straddle the fine line between modern convenience and disruptive nuisance. BiC

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Fore, Calgary Style! • Golf

Fore, Calgary Style!

BY PaRKeR GRant

The Glencoe Golf & Country Club

t

here’s a strange similarity between bears, squirrels and golfers.

Golfer’s metabolism and breathing may not slow down in winter, golfers may not use up stored body fat during cold months and there are no caves or hollow logs in their homes but much like their furry friends, many Calgary golfers hibernate during winter.

Suddenly it’s April and hibernation is over.

Just about now, golfers anxiously wait for the first sign that spring has sprung, the grass is green and the first swings of the season are underway.

It’s time to ready the Nikes, FootJoys and Etonics. Clean and polish the TaylorMades, Callaways and Pings. Scour for sales and deals on the boxes of dimpled Titleists, Srixons and Bridgestones that will embarrassingly or mysteriously vanish into the rough.

As Calgary golf course superintendents and resident pros are quick to explain, rushing into the season can be a big problem – for the course and for the golfer.

“In this climate, golf in April is a bonus. Year round but especially in the early spring, golf relies entirely on weather,” says Kerry Watkins, the solidly experienced superintendent at Calgary’s venerable Glencoe Golf and Country Club. “For more than five months the landscaping has been in a dormant state. We can’t rush it just to be ‘first to open’ or just because it’s April. We will open only when we are professionally ready. Opening too early would negatively impact the condition of the course and would be a serious problem

72 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

for us and our members – for the next six months.

“Our absolute top priority is making sure Glencoe members enjoy the club,” Watkins says with friendly but firm golf course expertise. “Being respectful and blunt: in April our priority is the turf, not the golfers.”

Early spring at Glencoe, HeatherGlen, Priddis Greens, the Links of GlenEagles and other popular Calgary courses means crucial, detailed and time-sensitive to-do lists and schedules, including meticulous daily inspections of the entire property to note whatever action is necessary, particularly winter damage to the turf.

Compared to average backyard spring cleanup chores, Calgary golf course spring cleanups are mammoth manoeuvres.

The Glencoe is much more sprawling than other local courses. With 45 holes and more than 450 acres of mostly grass, it is demanding early morning starts and exhausted late-afternoon finishes for the 80-90 people who are the Glencoe’s seasonal turf-care team.

The size of Calgary courses vary but – from Fox Hollow, Canyon Meadows and Inglewood to Earl Grey, the Calgary Golf and Country Club and Maple Ridge – getting everything cleaned up, looked after and properly ready for the 2013 golf season is always a detailed, long list of winter-damage repairs and routine maintenance tasks, from ensuring proper drainage on the greens and in the sand traps to checking the battery terminals and water levels of every golf cart.

Hibernation or not, getting ready (and in shape) for the season is also crucially important for golfers.

Fore, Calgary Style! • Golf

Ron Laugher, head professional at Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club

ial t ec men ay & p S na M r ur or e To ng f emb ici pt Pr Se

Terry Carter is a Calgary-based teaching pro with 20-plus years experience coaching and Director of Calgary’s National Golf Academy.

“Whether someone is a 36 handicap, a scratch player or a pro, flexibility is the key to enjoying golf,” according to Ron Laugher, head professional at Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club. “Ideally an exercise program during winter, with some cardio and a lot of stretching and working on flexibility would be great. The fact is, not many do it.”

Terry Carter is a terrifically personable Calgary-based teaching pro with 20-plus years experience coaching, cajoling and mentoring in the Calgary area. He echoes the importance of golfers being ready by being in shape.

“It doesn’t mean having to go through workouts in a gym. Just a good routine for stretching and working on the lower back, the hips and the shoulders,” he explains.

“Average golfers are not so dedicated as to work on conditioning in the winter. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize how very much stress golf causes for the body. Playing golf properly involves a lot of muscles.

Even if someone didn’t stay in shape during

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www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY April 2013 • 73

Fore, Calgary Style! • Golf

Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club - 15th hole “Raven” course

Driving Range on Old Banff Coach Road, the Oasis Greens winter, there is still time, now, to make a plan and do a regiGolf Centre on Macleod Trail and the other driving ranges men of rotation exercises and drills.” all over Calgary.

Carter is director of Calgary’s National Golf Academy.

Full bags, selected clubs and buckets and buckets of balls Together with Grant Cook, Clayton Robb, Darryl James and are the seasonal ritual. the other academy golf pros, they are much in demand and Whether the Calgary golfer hibernated or managed some busy as the city’s “official pros,” giving golf lessons for adults, workout routine during winter, “a level of general fitness is juniors and seniors at McCall Lake, Confederation Park and a must for the stamina, the strength, the flexibility and the Shaganappi Point as well as the Golf Dome, the academy’s balance that golf demands,” cautions own, year-round indoor facility.

Ryan Anderson, associate professional “Especially this time of year, it’s so at the Glencoe. important to be ready for golf, so you Especially in the spring, when amacan be safe and maximize the enjoyteur golfers first get to the driving ment. Now and even during the season, range, usually with enthusiastic good always stretch when you get to the intentions, they tend to go at it with a range or the course. Swing a couple vengeance, often painfully overdoing it. of clubs together before you take your “Pulling out the favourite driver and first shot,” Carter suggests. “You can whacking away at balls is a common really hurt yourself because the lower mistake,” Anderson says. “It’s so bad back and the shoulders absorb a lot of for the muscles and the hips. For varithe stress during the torque, the twistous reasons, they should start with a ing and rotation of your swing.” wedge, do short swings and get some Every spring, as the turf crews get rhythm and balance.” their before-dawn starts and head out Laugher agrees with the common on their daily rounds of scouring the blunders of spring golfers being overly course, checking for problems and gung-ho and anxious, not pacing doing whatever needs doing, there are themselves and doing many things cars and SUVs parked with trunks and dangerously wrong. “Especially in hatches popped open at the All Shots Ryan Anderson, associate professional at The Glencoe.

74 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Fore, Calgary Style! • Golf

Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club - 2nd hole “Hawk” course

spring, getting back into your game, try to start with a shorter-faced club, hit some balls two to three times just to ‘get the rust out’ and get a feel for your swing again.

“More often than not,” he says, “the short game – the chipping and the putting – take the longest to come back.”

Calgary’s PGA professionals shrug from experience about one of the most common quirks of average golfers.

“There’s hitting the ball and then there’s playing the game,” Carter grins. “It’s not the same. Too many amateurs worry more about what the ball is doing than what their body is doing. Distance is all about rotation of the body. The swing is a circle. Like swinging a baseball bat, you’re torquing your whole body and the wind-up gives you the leverage.

“Anybody can learn to hit a golf ball,” he says with the calm empathy of a seasoned instructor. “About 90 per cent of people want lessons for their swing. It’s up to pros to discreetly educate them that their short game is what really matters.” www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY April 2013 • 75

Fore, Calgary Style! • Golf

The Glencoe Golf & Country Club is busy gearing up for another golf season.

Most Calgary courses (including 27 of the 45 Glencoe holes) are aiming to open the second or third week of April.

There’s much anticipation for Glencoe members. It has been almost a full year of major renovations to the 18-hole forest course. And it’s all done. After the 1476 trucks hauling in 73 acres of sod, five million kilograms of growing mix and three million kilograms of white sand for the bunkers, the new turf is already taking root, settling solid and on

schedule for a much-awaited July 1 grand reopening.

The hibernation is over and another Calgary golf season begins.

For the next five months, all over Calgary, the bags of clubs and shoes will (just in case) be stored in the trunk and turf crews will hastily sip their paper cups of early morning coffee and start their rounds well before the dew dries off.

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76 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Golf Event Planning 101 W

hat? You have just been volunteered (or volunteered) to plan a golf event. It can seem overwhelming. Here is a tip on how to get started.

First, do not go surfing around on the Internet looking for a venue right away. Answer some fundamental questions first. You will quickly find that your venue choices will narrow quite quickly, saving you a large amount of time and effort pouring over the costs, facilities and agreements.

The fundamental questions are simply: why, who, when and where.

Team building, fun, gratitude and charity are the reasons WHY golf events are so successful. It’s bringing a common group of customers, employees or friends together to enjoy a social event, build stronger relationships and in many cases raise funds for a cause.

In order to have a successful event you need participants. The most important question is … WHO is your customer? And what do they want? Furthermore, if you are the planner and you focus on answering the WHO question, you will find out that the rest of the questions will be answered with little or no effort.

So who is your customer?

• What month, day of week, and time of day are they available to play golf?

• How far would they be willing to travel to play in an event?

• How much are they willing to pay (or is the boss willing to pay)?

• What level of golfers are they? Do they golf a lot, preferring an 18-hole format? Maybe they don’t golf at all, but would like to learn through an interactive golf school.

• What level (toughness, fun factor) of golf course suits the majority of your customers?

• If it is a charity event, when are the sponsors available to play?

They are the real customers in this case.

• Do they care who they play with or is it more likely they will play if they can form their own group or bring a guest?

Don’t worry about having too many participants. It’s always a good thing to be sold out!

When and Where Not all golf courses allow outside tournament play. Also, based on the needs of your customers you will have narrowed down your search of venues based on times available, geography, cost and other needs you may have identified. Hopefully you will end up with two or three venues to choose from.

Plan a meeting with the facility’s CPGA golf professional. Tell them about your target customer, the type of event you are hoping to have and the number of golfers anticipated for the event. Let them know exactly what you have learned about your customers.

It will become obvious which venue you will want to work with and where your event will be this season.

Scott Orban, CPGA Golf Professional Watch video golf tips regularly at www.mckenziemeadows.com.

D’Arcy Ranch Golf Club

D

’Arcy Ranch Golf Club is a public facility that offers a challenging and rewarding experience for all levels of golf. Their dining room is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner. The backdrop of the Rocky Mountains makes the club a memorable venue for wedding receptions, company functions or a private dinner for two.

The fully-equipped pro shop has something for everyone. Whether it is golf leagues, junior programs or golf lessons, one of four golf professionals can be of assistance. .

D’Arcy Ranch Golf Club has been hosting meeting and golf events and corporate golf tournaments for the past 21 years. There is not a better place to entertain customers or recognize valued employees. Feel free to visit the club’s new website www.darcyranchgolf.com as well as check them out on Facebook and their blog.

find us on facebook

Book Tee Time 4 Days in advance!

78 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Holding your experience to as high a standard as the course you play or the menu you choose.

The finest courses Mother Nature offers, both fairway and plated.

Our best is nothing without exceptional service.

Join us for world-class golf and fine dining at Eagle Ranch and Silvertip.

Book your tee time or make reservations at eagleranchresort.com or silvertipresort.com, or by calling 1.877.877.5444.

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www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY April 2013 • 79

Thursday, June 20 | 6pm | Metropolitan Centre Contact us for tickets

403-264-3270 Join us in celebrating Business in Calgary’s Leaders of Tomorrow.

We will be honouring 20 individuals for their business acumen, contribution to community and to their industry. These are the people that are making Calgary a great city to live and work in.

Business in Calgary will feature your Leaders of Tomorrow in our July 2013 issue.

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The kind folks that take your orders and delivery your meals

Welcome Home With nearly 20 years of experience serving Calgary’s business crowd, The Green Bean is geared to grow in its new location Written and photographed by Camie Leard

D

rop by The Green Bean Restaurant’s chic new space on 6th Avenue SW during a weekday breakfast or lunch hour and you’ll be treated to a buzz of conversation, experienced staff providing impeccable service and, of course, fresh, handmade food to delight the palate.

But this lively and beautiful space is only the fabulous new face of an organization that has a much larger scope and a long history of satisfying Calgarians’ hunger for quality and service.

Steve Beddoe arrived in Calgary in 1973 with the whisper of “go west young man” in his ear and a recipe for success in his pocket. Trained as a chef at the Savoy Hotel in London, England and having worked in Europe, Beddoe’s passion for food fuelled his business mind and he immediately opened his first of many restaurants in Calgary’s core. Longtime Calgarians will remember the Bristol Room, Terrace 15 and the Piccadilly Grill as lunchtime favourites for the down-

town crowd. But the story of The Green Bean begins in 1995 with a small roasterie/café and dining room in the Herald Building on 6th Avenue.

“My love of food is equalled only by my love of coffee and beer,” laughs Beddoe. “So it was a natural fit for me to open a coffee house.” The original Green Bean had a threepart model: part café/roasterie, part dining room and part catering. After a small fire exposed the hazards of roasting beans and the demand for catering services exploded, BedBed doe decided to first sell the roaster and then close the dining room to expand the catering department.

Flanked by The Chowder House, another of Beddoe’s restaurants, The Green Bean found great success in its sandwich/coffee shop and catering services specializing in serving corporate Calgary in the downtown core. For more than 20 years Beddoe and his team served their customers from their location in the Herald Block. But, as the city concon

Floor staff in the dining room

Fantastic fish’n’chips with homemade tartar sauce

tinued to grow and develop, their longtime home fell victim to the wrecking ball and The Green Bean and The Chowder House found themselves in search of a new home.

“We decided to close The Chowder House while keeping some of its popular menu items,” explains Beddoe. “At the same time we wanted to expand our catering capabilities and run a vibrant, manageable restaurant and bar.”

The Green Bean moved into its new home at 550 6 Avenue SW across from the courthouse on July 1, 2012 – a feat BedBed doe is proud to say took only one day.

“We didn’t lose a single day of business in the move,” he says. “We moved our stoves, all of our equipment – everyevery thing in a day. What a team!”

The new space is clean, elegant and bright in the dindin ing room and alive with the clamour of culinary creation behind its swinging doors. On one side is a large commercial kitchen where the aroma of a freshly roasted turkey swirls around busy staff turning brightly coloured, fresh produce into sandwiches, fruit and vegetable trays and other delights before they’re whisked away by an army of delivery people to the offices and boardrooms of the city’s core. On the other

Catering kitchen hard at work

The dining room

side, steaks sizzle, soups bubble and baked goods brown while chefs weave and duck and flip and pour with such dexterity, you’d think it was choreographed.

Jackie Tyler, one of Beddoe’s business partners, says the staff of about 40 is the reason The Green Bean has been able to build a reputation for coming through with quality in challenging situations.

“They’re the entire reason we’re able to do what we do,” she says. “We don’t say no because we’re confident our team can fulfil our clients’ challenges every time.”

And sometimes those challenges can be a little daunting – well – for someone who isn’t on Steve Beddoe’s team.

“One of our clients called us at 11:39 to order lunch for a big meeting,” says Beddoe. “We had it delivered by noon.

We use the latest technology and keep our focus to the downtown core. Combined with a great team, we’re able to do these things for our clients.”

And Beddoe doesn’t just talk the talk. When the lunch rush hits, he hits the streets, delicious deliveries in hand.

“It’s important to me to be involved in the business,” he says. “I see the kitchen every day, I see the creation of our

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Owners (L-R): Steve Beddoe, Jackie Tyler, Owen Beddoe

product every day and I see our clients every day. I can feel the pulse of the business.”

While still heavily involved in the day-to-day operations at The Green Bean, the partnership with Tyler and his son, Owen Beddoe, is part of a succession plan that will allow him to wind his nearly 40 years of serving Calgary’s business community down into retirement.

“Jackie and Owen are the future of the business,” he says.

“It’s up to them to take it to the next level.”

That next level means looking for new opportunities to grow the business. Owen, who has been called in to help with the family business his entire life, says he came on as a partner three years ago with a vision to find areas the company could refine its offering and explore new possibilities – like events.

“We have a great space in a great location,” he says.

“There is a lot of opportunity for us and for our clients to use this space in creative ways.”

Another way the team is taking The Green Bean to the next level is catering to the needs of an increasingly sophisticated customer.

“All of our food is handmade so we can tell our clients exactly what has gone into their meal and that we source our products responsibly,” Tyler explains. “For example, we’re Ocean Wise certified to support sustainable fishing practices.”

The Green Bean is also a green company having been “foam free” since 2009 and recycling everywhere possible.

Their disposables and plastics are biodegradable or comcom postable. They’ve purchased locally for many years, and are always looking to expand their local supplier. And while the leadership team always has an eye on future innovations, for now, they’re focused on continuing to serve great food with great service from their new location.

“You’re only as good as your last sandwich,” says Beddoe.

“It’s important to remember that quality product and skilful care in preparation goes into every single thing you do.” •

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APRIL 2013

Chamber Introduces New Team to Meet Business Community’s Needs

BY JESSE SEMKO

The Calgary Chamber exists for one reason: to make our members’ business more successful.

Member Services Team (from top left to bottom right): Rebecca Wood, Erica Jargo, Anjali Aman and Marni Hatch.

That’s it. Plain and simple.

If we’re not doing that, we’re not doing our job as an organization.

To deliver on this goal, we’re proud to say we’ve created a member services team to meet the needs of you – our members. The purpose of this team of member relationship professionals is to understand your business and what you’d like to get out of Chamber membership.

Think of this team as the Chamber’s eyes and ears on the ground, working to ensure your business is successful.

If you’re a Chamber member and have a business problem that’s keeping you up at night, our member services team is here to listen to what you have to say. They’ll take these tidbits of information and relay them back to either our events team or our policy and government affairs team who will then work out what we can do to help you solve that business-related headache. If you’re not a Chamber member, but would like to see how membership can help your business, contact the team to learn how our various program offerings or business directed advocacy efforts can work to benefit your business.

Regardless if you are a sole trader or work in a company of 1,000 people, we’ve got a membership package that can help your business. There’s a whole slate of program offerings with everything from some of the city’s best networking events and learning workshops to high-level keynote presentations with some of Canada’s top business and political leaders.

The Chamber’s new member services department is headed up by Rebecca Wood. Wood, a 12-year veteran of customer service and sales, has worked with such organizations as the Calgary Stampede, Royal Host Hotels www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY April 2013 • 85

2013 Board of

Directors Executive Joe Lougheed – Chair

Dave Sprague – Immediate Past Chair Leah Lawrence – Chair Elect Rob Hawley – 2nd Vice Chair Denis Painchaud – Vice Chair, Finance Adam Legge – President & CEO Directors

and Resorts, and the Fairmont Palliser Hotel. “The bottom line is the Chamber is here to help businesses throughout the city,” says Wood, member services manager with the Calgary Chamber. “We are here to help your business, so by all means take advantage of what we can do for you and give us a call.”

Wood is accompanied by two member services representatives: Anjali Aman and Erica Jargo. Aman is a seven-year veteran of the business and marketing world while Jargo is a recent recruit from South Africa who comes to the Chamber with more than 14 years of marketing and communications experience.

Supporting the Chamber’s member services team is Marni Hatch, who works in the role of member services coordinator. Hatch will likely be your first point of contact, responding to your request and making sure the appropriate person on the member services team gets back to you.

So far feedback on the team has been awesome. “We’re finding a lot of our members want to meet potential customers and connect with peers, so when we produce an event, it is great to see connections being made and members getting immediate results.”

For more information on how to get the most out of your Chamber membership or to find out what Chamber membership can do for you, email membership@calgarychamber.com.

David Allen Bill Brunton Eva Friesen Guy Huntingford Rob Lennard

Chamber Member Spotlights

Dilan Perera Linda Shea Paul Waddell Management

As Calgary’s leading business organization, the Chamber has the city’s top companies and business organizations as its members

Adam Legge, President & CEO Ben Brunnen, Chief Economist Michael Andriescu, Director of Finance & Administration Jackie McAtee, Director of Member Experience Kim Koss, Vice President, Business Development

Leading Business magazine is a co-publication of the Calgary Chamber and Business in Calgary Calgary Chamber 600, 237 8th Avenue S.E. Calgary, Alberta T2G 5C3 Phone: (403) 750-0400 Fax: (403) 266-3413

Bow Valley College Bow Valley College is Calgary and region’s only comprehensive community college. With more than 13,000 full- and part-time students annually, Bow Valley is a leader in business, health, justice, and human services career training, as well as academic upgrading and English language learning. Bow Valley also provides workplace training for immigrant professionals, and employment services for a wide range of businesses and professionals.

Join us to celebrate the grand opening of Bow Valley College’s South Campus on April 5, 2013. Located off of the city hall C-Train platform, this newly constructed extension of the downtown campus is a LEED Silver-certified building. See page 41 in this month’s Business in Calgary magazine for more information.

calgarychamber.com

Air Canada Air Canada is Canada’s largest full-service airline and the largest provider of scheduled passenger services in the Canadian market, the Canada-U.S. trans-border market and in the international market to and from Canada.

Together with regional partner Air Canada Express, Air Canada serves more than 33 million customers annually and provides direct passenger service to more than 170 destinations on five continents. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world’s most comprehensive air transportation network. For more information, visit AirCanada.com.

86 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Chamber Member Spotlights

Dow Canada Dow combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress, connecting chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, affordable housing, healthy foods and renewable energy.

Dow’s diversified portfolio delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high-growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. Calgary is home to Dow Canada’s national headquarters. For more information, visit Dow.com.

Upcoming Events Time-tested management secrets: What great leaders need to do to win against the odds Thursday, April 11, 2013 – 11:30am to 1:15pm Marriott Hotel, 110 9th Avenue SE Battles are not won by generals who fight “by the book,” and success in the business world depends on the ability to identify and implement new strategies. That means today’s leaders need to know how to persuade people to do unfamiliar things and do so quickly.

Join us as Eric Beaudan, author of the renowned book Creative Execution, unveils the secret sauce of uniquely successful leaders. Through his focus on the world’s great military strategists and business leaders, Beaudan offers an in-depth look at the audacious acts that led to stunning victories – whether they’re on the battlefield or in the world of commerce. From the exploits of Alexander the Great and Lord Horatio Nelson to the brains behind Google and Toyota, it’s clear that the right mix of strategy, execution and leadership can play an important role in winning against the odds.

This is a must-attend event for any aspiring business leader or manager who wants to learn how to set in to motion the critical leadership decisions needed for personal and organizational success.

About Eric Beaudan: Eric Beaudan is a global leadership practice director and partner at the Toronto office of Odgers Berndtson, one of the top executive search firms in the world. In this role, Beaudan helps assess and develop the leadership potential of executives and top talent using methods he has developed in his more than 20 years of experience in the industry. Throughout this time, he has worked with such companies as Rogers Communications and Northrop Grumman, and interviewed a number of CEOs of Fortune 100 companies to write monthly CEO features. His insights have appeared in the pages of the Globe and Mail and the Ivey Business Journal.

For more information, visit CalgaryChamber.com or call Marni Hatch at 403 750 0400.

88 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Sharing induStry Knowledge The Calgary TELUS Convention Centre (CTCC) is an industry leader in the meeting and conventions business. The CTCC is an important element of Calgary’s tourism industry and a key revenue generator. To ensure the Convention Centre continues to attract local and international meetings and conventions team members regularly attend workshops and conventions to ensure their industry knowledge is current and they are able to bring new concepts and ideas related to the unique demands of convention facility and destination marketing and management to Calgary.

CTCC’s management team also recognizes the importance of sharing knowledge outside of the organization. Several employees regularly speak, present information, and educate tourism industry participants locally and internationally.

Marcia Lyons, General Manager of the CTCC, states, “All of us at the CTCC are focused on maintaining a leadership presence within the meetings and convention industry both at the international and local levels, and we are pleased to engage with others in our industry to share our knowledge”. Lyons regularly teaches at the AIPC- The International Association of Congress Centres at the Dolce la Hulpe, a dedicated training facility near Brussels, Belgium. The AIPC represents a global network of 170 leading centres in 54 countries with the active involvement of more than 750 management-level professionals worldwide. Through her course offering, “Human Resources: Managing the Future Faculty,” Lyons helps to educate other industry professionals about excellence in convention centre management and the human resources needs of the market specific business.

Heather Lundy, the CTCC’s Director of Marketing, serves on the advisory committee for the Event Management Diploma offered at Calgary’s Bow Valley College and speaks to students. CTCC management have also contributed to educating tourism professionals as part of the University of Calgary’s Bachelor of Commerce in Tourism programs.

Educating all industry participants is an investment in the continuing success of the tourism sector in Calgary, and remaining a centre for education and learning is a vital component of the CTCC’s vision for the future. Gaining and sharing knowledge of the meetings and convention industry on the global and local level will ensure the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre remains a business leader in Calgary and to those looking to Calgary as a destination for national and international events.

Calgary-convention.com www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY April 2013 • 89

Powerful Events

BY STEWART MCDONOUGH

T

ourism marketing isn’t about portraying your destination as generally appealing and worthy of a visit. Good tourism marketing is about giving travellers a compelling reason to visit right now – not eventually at some undetermined point in the future. A compelling reason to travel isn’t what it used to be. Increased competition from innovative destination marketers makes it harder to grab attention and captivate someone’s imagination.

Close to 30 per cent of the respondents in a Tourism Calgary survey of regional markets indicated that a major barrier to visiting Calgary was they “had no real reason to go.” Match that to the close to 20 per cent who said a festival or sporting event was the main reason for their most recent visit to Calgary and you can see why events strategies are so important to destination marketing organizations.

The Calgary Sport Tourism Authority (CSTA) plays an integral role in attracting events that will drive visitation as well as strengthen Calgary’s tourism brand. Once those events have been confirmed, the marketing team can take full advantage of each opportunity to build awareness, drive website traffic and sales, and enhance stakeholder engagement.

Oprah Winfrey’s visit to Calgary on January 22, 2013 could easily have been sold out just by promoting to Calgarians, but that would mean leaving a lot of economic benefit on the table.

Tourism Calgary, the Calgary Hotel Association, the Calgary Stampede and others joined as event sponsors because the power of Oprah’s brand could carry weight as a tourism message.

Oprah’s Calgary visit was the first Canadian date announced and while other dates were added to the tour eventually, the Calgary stop was the first out of the blocks. Tourism Calgary took advantage of this window of opportunity

by co-ordinating with a strong team of more than 13 partners (including Calgary Stampede, WestJet, CrossIron Mills, Global TV, Calgary Herald, Corus Radio, Sheraton Cavalier, Calgary Hotel Association, Chatters Salon, Penny Lane Entertainment, Charcut Roast House, Calgary Zoo and Ambassador Limousine) to develop an engaging regional promotion in December.

“The Ultimate Girls Getaway” contest flew 12 women to Calgary to join four Calgary winners for dining, shopping, pampering and Calgary experiences as well as, of course, attending “An Evening with Oprah.”

The 14 partners contributed more than $235,000 in products and services toward the marketing and execution of the promotion.

The contest was Tourism Calgary’s most successful to date with more than 8,300 entries and almost 75 per cent coming from outside Calgary. Tourism Calgary’s direct marketing database increased by more than 2,100. The Oprah page of visitcalgary.com had 13,650 visits in just two weeks. And social media activities reached 332,500 people creating 2,850,000 impressions for Calgary. These numbers justify the sponsorship, but the most exciting result was how many tickets were bought from outside Calgary to people who would have stayed in our hotels, eaten in our restaurants and shopped in our stores. More than 37 per cent of tickets to the Oprah event were sold outside of Calgary across British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan even reaching into Ontario, Quebec and several U.S. states.

As is often the case, tourism organizations latch on to iconic entertainers or events in order to grab attention and follow with a larger destination story. The Oprah visit created urgency to visit, in particular as it was the first Oprah event announced.

90 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Oprah Winfrey captivates a sold-out crowd at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. Photographer: Greg Paupst.

The contest brought together a unique set of partners that can be leveraged for future promotions. And the contest components combined to create a strong brand message in key regional markets.

Calgary is fortunate to have a strong stable for existing events including the Calgary Stampede, High Performance Rodeo, Sled Island, Folk Festival and more. The CSTA is aimed at regularly evaluating and securing new events.

And Calgary is ripe with local event champions and organizations with ambition and creativity.

Calgary is about to enjoy a new festival peak in August and September with four sequential events that could individually create urgency to visit Calgary. Together they show a city that is diverse, world class and continually ready to surprise, entertain and overwhelm. Starting the weekend of August 22 Calgarians and visitors will enjoy Opera in the Village (Canada’s only outdoor summer opera festival), followed by the PGA Champions Tour on August 26 (the first in Canada), the Tour of Alberta’s final stop on September 8 (Canada’s biggest professional cycling race) and Beakerhead (a unique festival taking advantage of Calgary’s overabundance of creative and technical communities starting September 11).

The Future of Alberta’s

Film, Television

and Creative Industries Sector

Alberta has some of the most experienced film crews in the world.

BY LUKE AZEVEDO

is completely spent within the province. Seventy per cent of the production done in Alberta is indigenous production – the telling of Alberta stories.

Three questions producers ask when looking at Alberta as a potential production location: 1) How competitive are your locations, incentives?

2) How good and how deep in experience are your crews?

3) How robust is the supporting infrastructure, stages and technology?

I

n recent months, there has been much dialogue about the future of Alberta’s film, television and creative industries sector including the highly debated Alberta Creative Hub, the needs and wants of the industry and the struggles the sector continues to face in this province.

The creative industries employ 60,000 Albertans and generate billions of dollars into the provincial economy on an annual basis. Of that 60,000, approximately 3,000 work in film and television production. Alberta has 100 years of filmmaking history and within it, more Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy nominations than any other jurisdiction in the country.

Alberta was the first jurisdiction in North America to establish a film commission and production incentives, and the second province in Canada to establish a Ministry of Culture. The province has some of the most diverse vistas in the world – mountains, prairies, badlands and two cities with over a million people within a three-hour radius.

The support received from the Alberta government as production incentives generates a five-to-one return, which

The answer to the second question is easy. But Alberta is at a critical juncture on the first and third.

With some adjustments and enhancements to incentives, the province has the opportunity to grow this sector to a half-billion dollars in the next five to seven years. To ensure this growth is long-term and sustainable, the development of purpose-built facilities is essential.

The Alberta Creative Hub is a multifaceted facility that includes sound stages, long- and short-term production office space and a creative industries project lab. The onetime government investment would enable this to grow and develop the entire creative industries sector in a way that will support long-term continued and sustainable diversification of the economy. Alberta is ideally positioned to be a world-class film, television and creative industries jurisdiction, making the province more competitive in the global marketplace.

Alberta stories are an ongoing dialogue with those they represent, and the ability to push forward, sometimes into uncharted territory. That’s what has made this province great, and what will ensure it is a shining, global, bestin-class example of a region truly empowering its creative industries and knowledge economy in the 21st century. www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY April 2013 • 91

New Liquidity Option for Angel Deals in Alberta Innovate Calgary and the Canadian National Stock Exchange announce strategic partnership

BY ANDREA MENDIZABAL

I

nnovate Calgary and the Canadian National Stock Exchange (CNSX) have entered into a strategic partnership that will see a new liquidity option for successful angel deals in Alberta’s advanced technology startup sector. The partnership is designed to help develop capital markets for technology deals and improve the financial environment for technology companies in order to foster their growth.

“This partnership launches a major initiative to magnify the Alberta technology capital market,” says Peter Garrett, President, Innovate Calgary – a full-service organization offering technology transfer and business incubator services to researchers, entrepreneurs and businesses within the advanced tech sector. “We are pleased to unite with CNSX. We look forward to this next step in focusing on investors as a major client group for us.”

CNSX is an innovative stock exchange with a focus on technology companies and the capital markets that support them. “This initiative will result in efficient application of this mandate and enhance growth capacity for technology companies,” says Mark Francis, Western Canada Advisor, CNSX. Innovate Calgary and CNSX are joined by Alberta Deal Generator (ADG), one of the largest networks of active and accredited investors in Canada pursuing opportunities in Alberta’s early- and growth-stage companies.

“In partnership with CNSX we assert our intention to bring on many more angel investors who want to add tech deals to their portfolio and who understand how CNSX can provide another road to liquidity,” says Henry Kutarna, Executive Director, ADG. “We are now able to offer our investors another path to exit – something our tech entrepreneurs also appreciate.”

Focused on supporting and enhancing Alberta’s advanced technology ecosystem, Innovate Calgary, CNSX and ADG will also introduce several new initiatives including: public events and investor training opportunities; online resources for accredited technology investors; and an increased number of ADG forum pitch presentations. The organizations will also continue their advocacy in the public policy arena while supporting a significant increase to ADG’s accredited Investor Network.

Named 2012 Incubator of the Year by the Canadian Association of Business Incubation, Innovate Calgary is dedicated to the growth of southern Alberta’s technology commercialization ecosystem: • Developed or assisted in the creation of 40+ spinoff companies to date 92 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

• Advised, coached and mentored 120+ entrepreneurs through Entrepreneur Development programs and services (2012) • Currently 40+ technology company tenants and 100+ virtual tenancy clients at the Alastair Ross Technology Centre • Since inception, negotiated 600+ technology commercialization agreements in over 24 countries • Ranked 4th among 37 Canadian institutions in gross licensing revenue (AUTM Canadian Licensing Survey 2011) • 1,700+ discoveries evaluated with 680+ patents secured to date For several years, CNSX has been the fastest growing alternative stock exchange in the world. CNSX is gaining market share, but fastest of all in the technology sector and both understands and supports the angel investor space across Canada. Its value proposition is ideal for technology stocks: • Streamlined regulation and enhanced disclosure saves management time and legal costs • Listing policies contain no arbitrary milestone barriers or valuation requirements which can prove difficult for technology companies • Execute on business plan / acquisitions / strategic partnerships without seeking prior exchange approval Technology is more important to CNSX than to other Canadian exchanges: • 20% of CNSX listings and 25% of CNSX market cap • 37% of new Canadian venture technology listings (2012) • 3 of 4 of CNSX’s biggest winners (stock performance) in 2012 • Increasingly supported by the independent dealer community ADG, a joint venture between Innovate Calgary and TEC Edmonton, provides a capital market for early-stage deals by providing a forum where well-screened and coached deals are pitched to carefully selected, accredited Alberta angel investor members.

• 250+ ADG angel investors and rapidly growing • 200+ deals reviewed per year and 15-20 deals prepared for forum pitch presentations • ADG members are successfully “exited” or current entrepreneur/investors with accredited investor status and actively seeking deals. They are carefully selected for capital ready status and interest in tech deals.

To learn more about this partnership, contact Henry Kutarna, Executive Director, Alberta Deal Generator at (403) 267-2408 or hkutarna@innovatecalgary.com, or Mark Francis, Western Canada Advisor, CNSX at (403) 532-7870 or mark.francis@cnsx.ca.

DRIVE SUCCESS AT THE CENTRE OF ENERGY

DISCOVER WHY THE CALGARY TELUS CONVENTION CENTRE IS CANADA’S MOST SUCCESSFUL MEETING PLACE. –

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT:

calgary-convention.com

David Parker • MarketingMatters

MarketingMatters

By daVid PaRKeR

a

UPE begat CUPE 79 – two great clients for Scout Communications.

Lois Lockwood and her team, who now work out of the floor above Shelf Life Books on 4th Street SW, have worked with the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees for several years.

By applying the same marketing and communications disciplines as the agency does for the private sector it has been able to assist its 75,000 members to the degree that the call came for the same help from Toronto-based CUPE 79.

Scout also has Health Services Association of Alberta, a union of 23,000 paramedical technical, professional and support employees in public and private health care, and has done contract work for the BC Nurses’ Union.

Lockwood says Scout has also enjoyed a long relationship with the University of Calgary – where she taught postgraduate level communications planning for 13 years – and is currently teamed up with a Halifax creative company in working with Dalhousie University.

The reason for the move to larger premises was the addition of staff when Scout acquired Apis Interactive.

•••••••••••••• After a comprehensive agency review process Western Financial Group has selected ZGM Collaborative Marketing as its agency of record.

It’s a three-year assignment that will leverage ZGM’s integrated approach including marketing strategy, brand development, advertising, digital ser-

vices, media planning and buying, and customer acquisition, retention and growth.

ZGM has been engaged in project work for Western Financial Group, Western Direct Insurance and its Bank West division; now it will work across all divisions of the group.

Another review won by ZGM has seen Bonavista Energy join its list of premier clients, and president and executive creative director Dan King has also been busy settling his staff into the whole floor above Morgan’s Pub on 17th Avenue SW. They had great space in Vintage Towers but it became too cramped so they have expanded from 6,000 square feet to 9,000 square feet.

•••••••••••••• In October 2011, a joint venture was formed between Watermark and Suitcase Interactive – and last October they quietly became Cult Collective.

According to the new website Chris Kneeland is founder and CEO, Ryan Gill wears the title of president and partner, and Geoff Butler, who goes by the title of chief creative officer, is also a partner.

Good to see a couple of photos of old buddies on the site: Barry Anderson as brand strategist and Charles Blackwell as creative director and CTO. Already Cult is able to boast Harley Davidson Canada and Michaels Art and Crafts as new client wins.

celebrating creative excellence in Calgary, will be presented at a gala event on April 12 at Hotel Arts that has attracted a first-class panel of jurors.

Stephen Jurisic is one of Canada’s top art directors with John St. in Toronto. Bryan Collins has worked in Calgary but returned to Vancouver where he worked with Rethink and Cossette before helping to launch Dare Vancouver. Carson Ting chairs Ting Industries in Vancouver and was named one of Canada’s top five most creative people. Billy Carlson is with Threadless in Chicago and Dan Treichel is creative director at Barton F. Graf 9000 in New York.

•••••••••••••• Edmonton-based Riata Partners, a leading business services outsourcing company, has acquired Calgary’s Twist Marketing and is moving into Twist’s space in Crossroads Market.

The big gain for Twist managing director, Catherine Proulx, who continues in that role, is direct access to the Edmonton market.

•••••••••••••• Congratulations to Scott Henuset and the gang at Corkscrew Entertainment Group in producing the East Coast Music Awards for the third year in Halifax, and being awarded a CBC contract to produce the Country Music Awards in Edmonton on Sept. 8.

•••••••••••••• Venture Communications staff are celebrating two new clients. Venture is now working across Alberta for Pella, the manufacturer of premier windows and doors, and for Thermal Energy Services, an Edmonton-based provider of industrial construction and fabrication services for steam and power facilities.

•••••••••••••• A new date has been set for the 2013 Ad Rodeo. This year’s Anvil Awards,

94 • April 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Parker’s Pick: I like the decision of the Hudson’s Bay Company in changing its logo. It has dropped the Bay and returned to its 300-plus years of heritage in using its coat of arms and the name Hudson’s Bay.

South Campus

GRAND OPENING NEW DATE :

April 5 – Noon After years of planning and hard work, we’re officially opening the doors of our new LEED Silver certified South Campus – and doubling student access.

Join us at 345 – 6 Avenue SE, Calgary!

Joining us will be our South Campus Partners: Athabasca University, Olds College, and the University of Lethbridge.