July 2013 - Business in Calgary

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Contents

volume 23 • number 7

PUBLiSHeRS

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Calgary’s 2013 Leaders of Tomorrow winners

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ReGULaR ConTRiBUToRS

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Jessi Evetts

Richard Bronstein Frank Atkins David Parker Lonnie Tate Mary Savage

THiS iSSUe’S ConTRiBUToRS Heather Ramsay Colleen Wallace Parker Grant Catherine Stone Michael Fotheringham Stewart McDonough Andrea Mendizabal Meghan Ockey

PHoToGRaPHY

Cover photos courtesy of Ewan Nicholson Photography Inc.

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Calgary’s Visionary Business Leaders Look and Move Ahead

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Contents

27

Volume 23 • Number 7

THIS MONTH’S FEATURES 20 • Step Inside Another World…

By Mary Savage

22 • What About Other Markets?

By Parker Grant

27 • Thar’s Big Bucks in Them Thar Canvases!

By Colleen Wallace

31 • It’s an Attractive Retail Marketplace

Calgary’s retail real estate market continues to be poised and active.

By Heather Ramsay

96 • The Family vs. The Family Business

By John Hardy

98 • The Entertainment Expense Lobby Keeps Pushing

By John Hardy

COMPANY PROFILES 79 • Crestview Electric Celebrates 25 Years

87 • Kon Construction Moving Dirt for 45 Years

90 • AE Security Celebrates 30 Years

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92 • Bricor Roofing Ltd. Celebrates 30 years

94 • Chinook Pumps Ltd. 25th Anniversary

REGULAR COLUMNS 10 • “Let Me Be Clear”

By Richard Bronstein

12 • Taxes and Infrastructure Spending

By Frank Atkins

By Lonnie Tate

102 • Leading Business 105 • The Calgary Report

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

110 • Marketing Matters

By David Parker

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

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“let me Be Clear” • Richard Bronstein

By RiCHaRD BRonSTein

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ot long ago I was approaching Glenmore Landing shopping centre when several Calgary Police Service motorcycles roared up to the intersection, sirens wailing. Officers quickly dismounted and within five seconds had everything under control with their firm, crisp action. Right on cue, a cavalcade of huge black vehicles turned onto 90 Avenue and I realized it was Prime Minister Stephen Harper who had been visiting his constituency office at Glenmore Landing.

Pretty impressive show, I thought, especially by Calgary Police Service.

The prime minister, not so much.

The media and the Opposition seem to have the PM in a bulldog grip and while it’s not necessarily fatal just yet, it can result in serious long-term damage to the Stephen Harper brand.

The Senate scandals over expense claims should have been a three-day news story. Personally, I would have thrown Mike Duffy and Pam Wallin under the bus a long time ago. I worked with both of them and at one time they were both good journalists. But with the same character flaws – gigantic, selfserving egos and love of the good life.

But the Senate affair has stretched on for months now. And it has cost the prime minister his most trusted adviser, in the departure of Nigel Wright.

The resignation from the Conservative caucus of Edmonton area MP Brent Rathgeber is hardly a hill to die on either. But his actions do give voice to some of the dissenters among Harper’s home base – fiscal conservatives, social conservatives and principled democratic conservatives – who com-

“Let Me Be Clear” plain the prime minister and his staff are running roughshod over caucus.

Add to this $3 billion in undocumented spending on security measures, the G20 spending splurge in Tony Clement’s riding, mismanaged procurement projects and countless other minor irritants, and you have to say that this is no way to run a serious country.

Where Canada needs visionary leadership and bold policy initiatives – international trade, environmental stewardship, repairing relations with First Nations and modelling new ways of delivering efficient and effective public health care and social services – this government resembles Tommy in The Who rock opera… “deaf, dumb, blind” but sure plays a mean electoral game.

Well, that is not enough.

Any government – Conservative or Liberal – is always going to have its share of distractions. There are two ways of dealing with these: Do something grand that appeals to most Canadians; or, do something personal.

Former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien managed to salvage his leadership by keeping Canada out of the Iraq war.

Brian Mulroney stickhandled through controversy with endless smooth talk.

If MP Rathgeber had worked in the Mulroney government and his private member’s bill was about to be emasculated, he would have received a phone call at midnight.

“Hello Brent, it’s Brian calling. Let’s talk about your private member’s bill …”

Instead, Stephen Harper sends a hyper 23-year-old prime ministerial aide to explain the political facts of life to a veteran MP, a man who is a lawyer, and

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

from all appearances, a reasonable and committed public servant of Canada.

What do they say with incredulity at obvious stupidity on that U.S. football broadcast: “Aw, c’mon man!”

People change some things out of necessity: light bulbs, furnace filters and underclothing. In the political-social sphere we change because of hope, that the new idea will be better than the old.

We retain that sense of hope for some considerable time. But a point comes when there is just too much bad noise, and we tune out completely.

How do you know when this happens? When the prime minister stands up in Parliament like he did recently to defend his government, and says to the howling banshees of political opposition 23 times in a 20-minute speech, “Now let me be clear about this.”

To paraphrase what Shakespeare wisely wrote in Hamlet, “The man doth protest too much, methinks.”

The Harper government is approaching a red line. It worked extremely hard and intelligently to achieve a majority government. And what have they delivered? A relatively empty dance card on significant policy issues while producing discord, noise and unsettling confusion about its abilities to manage even the basics of good government.

The fault may not be Stephen Harper’s alone, because he does not have the benefit from a great front bench, except maybe for James Flaherty. But the personality of the leader does matter. And in this, if he desires to serve Canadians, Stephen Harper has to come out of his shell and display more emotion to show that he truly cares. BiC

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Taxes and Infrastructure Spending • Frank Atkins

By Frank Atkins

W

e hear a lot about infrastructure lately, most of it in the form of dire warnings about what politicians like to call our infrastructure deficit. Premier Redford is very fond of saying that Alberta must go into a fiscal deficit and borrow money in order to build the infrastructure that Albertans want, and in Calgary, city council is almost perpetually whining about the need for infrastructure spending. In reality it is the politicians who want the infrastructure spending because they feel that it makes them look good.

This is where we face a big problem.

Infrastructure spending is politically motivated, so spending goes to big flashy projects that the public can see.

Think of the south hospital, which is a big expensive complex that is underutilized because we cannot afford to staff it properly. In Calgary infrastructure spending is one of the irritants which has led to a war of words between the mayor and the builders.

The standard argument made by the city is that established neighbourhoods are subsidizing infrastructure in the suburbs. As far as I can tell, there is absolutely no evidence for this assertion. Even if it was true, the city decides the allocation of infrastructure spending, so they appear to be criticizing their own decision-making. Often political thinking boggles the mind.

Taxes and Infrastructure Spending In economics, we teach that allocation of resources occurs efficiently through supply and demand and the market price mechanism. The problem with the manner in which we deal with infrastructure spending is that there is no market or price mechanism, as the government (at whatever level) determines the allocation of infrastructure spending. Governments do a very poor job of this allocation, and in Calgary this directly contributes to the perpetual increases in city taxes. Each year city council raises our taxes, and warns us that this is needed because we have an infrastructure deficit. We have been using the term infrastructure deficit since the Bronconnier era, which implies a lot of infrastructure spending. In spite of this, the deficit apparently continues to grow. So, the problem is not the total amount of infrastructure spending, but how the city decides to allocate the spending.

On June 3, 2013, the major headline on the front page of the Calgary Herald stated, “Sewer Capacity Crunch hits N.W.” Apparently $50 million is needed to fix this problem, and it will be delayed until 2017. It is very hard to believe that the city did not know that this was coming, and could not have planned for it properly. This is a perfect example of poor allocation of resources on the part of the city. I imagine that in the election this fall, this will be brought up by politicians as an exam-

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

ple of why we need higher taxes and more infrastructure spending.

I am a jogger, and I like to run along the Bow River. I used to use a bridge to cross over to St. George’s Island, but that bridge is closed now because the city is building another bridge right beside it. This is all very close to the $25-million bridge that everyone briefly got upset about and then promptly forgot. Several years ago I can remember driving along Memorial Drive NW near 10th Street. The news item on the radio was someone from city hall saying that if we did not raise taxes, fire and police may have to be cut. Traffic was backed up because the city was widening the median, and putting in new trees and street lights.

Therefore, the sewer system is not being maintained properly, so that we can build pretty bridges and beautify Memorial Drive. This is a serious problem of misallocation of resources based on political decision-making, and the taxpayers are paying for these bad decisions. We should all think very hard about this next time a politician tells us that we need to increase taxes because we have an infrastructure deficit. 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.

off the Top • News

Ceo of Scottish enterprise, lena Wilson, made a visit to alberta a top priority The alberta Scottish Business association in partnership with Scottish development International presented their second signature event: Strengthening economic Ties between alberta and Scotland Wilson. “I wanted to really highlight Given the parallels between these some of the strengths of the Scottish two economies, the opportunities for economy and of Scottish business while Alberta and Scotland to share knowltalking about some of the synergies edge and work together are immense. between Scotland and Alberta. It was a The desire to create better contemgreat opportunity to get some insight as porary business links that will be to how we can work better together.” beneficial to companies in both counAccording to Wilson, the main goal tries lies at the heart of the Alberta of Scottish Enterprise is to help faciliScottish Business Association. tate the transformation of Scotland’s To help hit this point home, Lena economy. With approximately 1,100 Wilson, the CEO of Scottish Enterstaff members and budget of close to prise (Scotland’s national economic $500 million, they focus on identidevelopment agency), made a stop in Gerry Wood, president, Alberta Scottish Business Association & Wood Automotive Group; Dr. Lena C. Wilson, CEO, Scottish fying and working in sectors where Calgary this past June to talk about Enterprise; Honourable Cal Dallas, Alberta’s minister of international and intergovernmental relations Scotland has a unique global advanher upcoming trade and investment tage and where there is global growth mission. In conjunction with the while looking at markets with the biggest opportunities.

Alberta Scottish Business Association, the event on June 4, Naturally, this would lead them to Alberta.

2013 featured discussion and networking as well as presenAlberta and Scotland boast a shared leadership position tations by Wilson and the Honourable Cal Dallas, Alberta’s in the energy sector. Specifically, Calgary’s oil and gas conminister of international and intergovernmental relations. nections to Scotland support close to 2,000 Scottish jobs and “I was delighted to be out here to speak at the event,” says Continued on page 15...

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www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY July 2013 • 13

The Sad State of Broadcasting • Lonnie Tate

By Lonnie Tate

The Sad State of Broadcasting

M

ost people I know have reached the saturation point in U.S. news broadcasting. I wonder if the CRTC can screen or somehow limit the stuff on our cable channels? My modest cable package gives me all the news channels live from Detroit. And then, if I have missed anything, I can watch the same shows broadcast from Spokane (three hours later). And the so-called pure news channels repeat every one of their shows through the night. Yikes!

I think freedom of the press is a good thing and we should be able to choose among many alternatives. But having one channel after another beat stories to death, night after night and week after week, has a debilitating effect on our society.

I get to choose among broadcasters … not the news. There must be a way to put parts of the information genie back in the bottle.

The information age (when underwritten by folks with money) is turning our world upside down. Much of the problem stems from those folks with the money thinking they have a story to tell and people to influence. Unfortunately, they pander to the lowest common denominator and public media follows along – salivating for the money. Our society is being dragged into a quagmire.

Let me demonstrate using the U.S. example. In the 12 years since 9/11 more than 100,000 people have died of gunshot wounds; 400,000 have died in motor vehicle accidents; and more than 450,000 have died of diseases contracted while they were in hospital. Over the same 12-year period, less than 30 American civilians have died from foreign-inspired events.

You know where this is leading. Media sets priorities that seem all out of proportion to what (one would think) should be the real issues. Wall-to-wall coverage of tragic events leads in many different directions – none of which are beneficial.

A horrific school shooting leads to weeks of coverage. What should be a polarizing event for change leads to remarkable inaction. The media outpouring actually stimulated the militant right to stop every attempt to bring sensible gun control legislation to the forefront. Then, the 14 • July 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

horrific Boston bombing drew wall-to-wall coverage. Now everyone knows how to make bombs with stuff you buy at Home Depot.

Or … how about three months of coverage of the murder trial of a woman who gruesomely killed her boyfriend? It is cheap to produce; a certain element of society gravitates to the story; ratings go up; more drugs and cosmetics are sold in associated commercials. The spiral into the muck goes on.

And some real, major tragedies like road deaths and hospital diseases are buried by the junk news.

There is a bizarre side. A few weeks ago, President Obama commented on the California attorney general: “ … She also happens to be by far the best-looking attorney general in the country — Kamala Harris is here.”

A bunch of women’s groups leapt all over the president.

They were led by women who could play for the Green Bay Packers. Now the U.S. cosmetics, fashion, fitness and plastic surgery industries contribute $400 billion to the U.S. economy. They blanket U.S. media with advertising. People like Ms. Harris benefit from those industries and turn out to be easy on the eyes. What was the president to do? The president made the right call all the while supporting a very bright colleague. (One should acknowledge that the leaders of the dissent support their own industry – the $20-billion tattoo industry.)

I watch (with wonder and awe) the world’s fascination with social media. A lot of what happens within the universal texting world is terrific. There are many, many benefits.

But social media acts as a multiplier to the sensational news.

The material gets taken out of context and bad things happen – like those events chronicled a few paragraphs ago.

In Canada, it is unfortunate that there is a halo effect from all this. It bothers me when our news services start to mimic their U.S. counterparts. Richard Bronstein was right when he wrote in his June column: “We allow government to administer on our behalf, but society has to set goals through involvement in political and social action and cultural expression.” BiC

off the Top • News …continued from page 13.

represent hundreds of millions of pounds of inward investment towards the Scottish economy. Wilson shared her thoughts on this topic in addition to the following points during her trade mission: • “Sister” Energy Capitals: Calgary is the energy capital of Canada and Aberdeen, Scotland is the energy capital of the EU – accounting for 64 per cent of the EU’s total oil production. Close to 30 per cent of the oil and gas produced in the North Sea is recovered by Canadian companies based in and around Aberdeen. Among them are Nexen, Suncor, Canadian Natural Resources Limited and Talisman.

• Mutual Economic Impact: With nearly 40 Canadian companies operating in Scotland and supporting more than 4,000 jobs, Canada is already one of Scotland’s biggest inward investors. Latest figures show Scottish exports to Canada at around £320 million. Today, there are approximately 20 Scottish companies operating in Canada and many more doing business with Canadian partners or through agents.

• Scottish Exports on the Rise: Figures released this May reveal a significant boost in international business goals for Scottish companies. With 2,000-plus Scottish companies working with Scottish Enterprise in 2012/13 to develop their international business – a 50 per cent increase – a relationship with the Canadian market has become even more important.

With 223,000 Calgary citizens claiming Scottish ancestry, Calgary holds deep historical and cultural ties with Scotland.

“There is such strong and long-standing historical, cultural and business links with Alberta,” explains Wilson. “A lot of people from Scottish descent were pioneers in the formation of Alberta – there is a lot of history here. More fundamentally, we now have a lot of Scots and those with Scottish heritage in very senior positions in the business sectors which are important to Scotland, including oil and gas. So the business association is a way for us to tap into that goodwill, tap into those senior people and to help do more business for both Alberta and Scotland.”

The signature event, which took place at the Ranchmen’s Club, had approximately 100 people in attendance – a number that Wilson was very pleased with at the end of the evening.

“We were able to challenge all those people who were in the room to really do everything they can for the mutual benefit of Alberta and Scotland. It was also a terrific platform for people who maybe didn’t know anything about it, who essentially came along to attend a social business event, to potentially become new members,” adds Wilson, who kept her presentation short so she could spend more time mingling with the crowd.

In the days following the event, Wilson remained in Alberta to participate in meetings with some of the major Canadian investors in Scotland. In addition to thanking those who have mentored and supported Scottish companies, Wilson was also on the trail to recruit more members to assist with the goal of Alberta and Scotland working together in a win-win situation for both economies. BiC

Thank you Last month, we celebrated a role model when Alan Norris was named the 2013 Distinguished Business Leader.

This month, we celebrate the partners and sponsors who made it possible.

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www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY July 2013 • 15

It started with a vision...

It started with a Prairies

Then and now

DON TAYLOR Engineered Air

DON TAYLOR

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n the fiercely competitive and high-tech HVAC (heating, ventilating, air conditioning, refrigeration and energy recovery) industry, the widely-respected and Calgarybased Engineered Air succeeds with a remarkably simple difference: Engineered Air ... listens!

From the initial consultation, the customized design and manufacturing all the way through to completion and installation of the client’s unique HVAC project. As a custom manufacturer, Engineered Air designs each unit to fit the client’s and the construction team’s specifications.

In 1966, it was the vision, the focus and the strategy of current Engineered Air CEO Don Taylor to develop engineering

designs and manufacturing techniques which allowed for the customization of commercial and industrial HVAC equipment to supply and service unique and specific client needs.

In 1999, Taylor’s determination and industry innovation were rewarded with the coveted Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in the Manufacturing category.

Today, 47 years later, Taylor’s original strategy – combined with the advantage of tremendous technology – is still the focus and the uncompromised commitment that is the Engineered Air competitive edge, continuing to earn international respect and an exceptional reputation as North America’s leading manufacturer of custom-built heating, ventilating, air conditioning, refrigeration, heat transfer products and energy recovery equipment.

Growth and success are earned by one customized client at a time.

Today, the Calgary-based Engineered Air has grown to more than 1,400 highly-skilled employees, in design, research and development, manufacturing, sales and administration (more than 65 graduate engineers and 105 technicians), 12 sales offices in Canada, 19 in the U.S. and the service and supply strength of seven factories in North America.

Engineered Air custom designs and manufactures equipment uniquely suited to the individual project requirements.

No two units are exactly alike and Engineered Air treats every project as the client-specific and customized project that it is!

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Engineered Air embraces the ISO Standard 9002 for Quality Assurance.

After a professional HVAC lifetime of design and product development and with a superb industry reputation, Don Taylor affectionately chuckles about the corporate acronym trend – which created CIBC, ATCO, KFC, UPS and so many others – acknowledging that many clients, competitors and the industry at large often refer to his company as EngA. So a few years ago, Engineered Air and EngA both became registered trademarks.

“EngA is still on the cutting edge of HVAC technology and the tremendous skill and expertise of our sales and support engineers allows us to provide exceptional consultation, design and backup service,” he explains. “We don’t have middlemen. All of our skilled and up-to-date sales engineers are in-house and have tremendous HVAC systems and performance experience.

“In every sense – about design, manufacture, installation and performance – they are genuinely advisers, not sales reps,” he says with pride.

“They make us the best!”

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.

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off the Top • News

Investing in a strong Canada-China relationship alberta institute brings leaders together to look at the present and future of public policy on China’s investments in Canada A recent forum by the University of Alberta brought together academics, senior government officials, and business and industry executives to discuss public policy issues related to Chinese investments in Canada.

The high-level forum supports the provincial government’s international efforts, says Teresa Woo-Paw, associate minister of international and intergovernmental relations.

“Alberta plays a vigorous role in focusing and prioritizing international activities, and our efforts are enhanced tenfold by a knowledgeable and engaged private sector, as well as the support and involvement of the non-profit sector and educational partners,” Woo-Paw says. “I commend the China Institute for this opportunity to discuss public policy challenges and

to explore where opportunities lie for Alberta to deepen trade and investment ties with China.”

The minister made the comments in Calgary during the forum, Public Policy Dimensions of Chinese Investment in Canada, organized by the U of A’s China Institute.

Calgary’s mayor, Naheed Nenshi, underscores that statement.

“This forum is vital,” he says.

“Change happens in the world when there’s engagement. And investment from China into Canada – and conversely, Canadian investment into China – are an important part of starting relationships. We still need to talk about human rights, labour standards and the environment. But we cannot do that in the absence of business relationships, so a forum like this helps to

18 • July 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Gordon Houlden, director, China Institute, University of Alberta. Photo credit: Richard Siemens.

create and foster those relationships.”

The forum comes amid considerable public policy discourse on future Canada-China economic relations and on the heels of a recent Government of Canada report, Canada-China Economic Complementarities Study, which outlined seven sectors of opportunity for growth in commerce.

But for those opportunities to become realities, there needs to be a coherent public policy between all levels of government, says Gordon Houlden, director of the China Institute.

“All 14 governments are aligned in wanting more investments in Canada. Where it gets complicated is the resources sector, where the provinces own the resource but where the federal government has responsibilities in terms of investment promotion.

And in those areas there needs to be more coherence of policy, because if we don’t have that between the federal and provincial governments, there’s a risk that will drive away foreign investment, to the detriment of the Canadian economy.”

Nenshi agrees, noting that there’s a need for the federal and provincial governments – and also municipal governments, in some cases – to talk together about the benefits of investments.

“Business benefits when you reduce risks, and the largest risk is uncertainty,” says Nenshi. “The federal government’s policy needs to be more

off the Top • News

proactive so that people know immediately, early, what the ground rules are as they’re starting to think about the way they invest. What does national benefit mean? How will it be defined?

These are examples of questions that will be helpful for foreign and domestic business.”

To help answer those and other questions, delegates spent the day tackling issues such as recent developments in Chinese investments in Canada; public policy implications of Chinese investments, with a focus on the energy sector; understanding state-owned enterprises; and future prospects for Chinese investments in Canada and Alberta.

U of A board chair Doug Goss welcomed delegates and noted the importance of

their deliberations in light of China’s investments in Canada – which reached $20 billion last year.

“The rapid rise of China in the 20th Century, most notably its economy, and its bright prospects for the 21st Century, compel us to consider carefully the implications of Chinese economic success for Canada,” he says.

“China, now possessing deep reserves of foreign currency, can be a key part in building 21st Century prosperity for Canadians. The China Institute is dedicated to enhancing understanding on issues involving both China and Canada by creating opportunities, such as this high-level forum, for fruitful and substantive dialogue.” BiC

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The award recognizes the team’s accomplishments in installing, placing and finishing the “Gregg’s DistribuTom Weston, Calgary branch manager, accepted this tion” Edmonton-based distribution prestigious award on behalf of the Dynamic employees warehouse floor consisting of 575,000 square feet of joint-free high-tolerance concrete flooring. This joint-free floor slab is delimited by armoured construction joints, called double Omega joints, that provide optimum load transfer and excellent concrete edge protection, making this entire slab basically maintenance free for its user. The Freeplan ‘joint-free’ floor slab concept, by eliminating saw-cut joints, reduces long-term maintenance costs and optimizes mechanical handling equipment efficiency.

Tom Weston, Calgary branch manager, accepted this prestigious award on behalf of the Dynamic employees who as a team successfully met the challenges and exceeded the high flatness specifications of this project. The team had to meet extremely high flatness tolerances and use unconventional pour rates and installation techniques to accommodate the aggressive project schedule and deliver a finished floor above specifications.

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

Step Inside another World • Arts & Culture

Step Inside Another World…

BY MaRY SaVaGe

“La Cavalcade” oil on canvas, 48” x 60”. Photo courtesy of Webster Galleries.

D

enis Chiasson is a soft-spoken and semi-reclusive man. But as an artist, his work awakens your imagination, ignites your soul and whispers to your heart.

As a passerby, he is unassuming – blending into the background. You would never know his paintings are sought

20 • July 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

from coast to coast – until you’ve spent a few minutes in observation.

Chiasson’s collection of work exudes a ‘lucid stillness’ that portrays bohemian women lost in thought. Animals are woven throughout – representing an undercurrent of freedom. Naked

…

GE

Step Inside another World • Arts & Culture

About 10 years ago, the crossroads of life arrived at his door – staring him square between the eyes. With little to his name, he stepped into his passion and the world of fine art welcomed him with an unrequited air.

or dressed, still or in motion, the women dream – if only in their minds – immersed in a melancholy and peaceful state, and their eyes are rarely open.

“The eyes communicate more when they are closed – it leaves more to the imagination and it’s also a reflection of my emotions,” observes Chiasson.

His style speaks of a refined mixture that draws from famous painters like Amadeo Modigliani, Pierre Bonnard and Paul Gauguin with a hint of van Gogh – seemingly blended to create a Chiasson original. Ironically though, Chiasson rarely studied the masters for fear of influencing his form.

Like most children, Chiasson started drawing at an early age. But unlike most kids, he never stopped; he was a prodigy-in-the-making.

About 10 years ago, the crossroads of life arrived at his door – staring him square between the eyes. With little to his name, he stepped into his passion and the world of fine art welcomed him with an unrequited air.

Today at 44, Chiasson’s work is found across the country – he is one of those rare individuals who generate his income entirely by his trade and his work is in demand.

Webster Galleries Inc. has carried Chiasson’s work for about 10 years and he is one of their top-selling artists. During the first year, Webster Galleries sold about 80 pieces and

to date, they have sold over 600. As well, they are one of few galleries that sell his larger works.

Sitting before a blank canvas, Chiasson brings a clear vision of his main subject and it’s always women, but beyond that, the balance remains an enigma – left to unfold as his inspiration is fast and furious.

“The drawings (of the women) are the direction, but the colours are a mystery to me: they come together when I start painting,” notes Chiasson. “And I paint as fast as I can.

I have to capture the inspiration and act on the feelings immediately.”

One of his recent works, “La Cavalcade,” captures the sum of his style with grace, fluidity and raw imagination. It’s where fantasy, freedom and liberty coexist: the women are fleeing – on a tiny island – while the fish swim about; symbolic of life. The sun and moon shimmer in synchronicity and the musician serenades.

And just for a moment, you’re lost in the possibilities … the vivid hues … and the slightness of detail that make Chiasson’s work so captivating.

Sold only as originals, you won’t find any Chiasson reproductions or prints in circulation, and every spring, Webster Galleries features a show dedicated to his new works.

To learn more about Denis Chiasson and to view his work, visit Webster Galleries at 812 11 Avenue SW. BiC

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

What about other markets? • Oil & Gas

What About Other Markets?

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i

t happens a lot. The sizzle always seems to get more attention than the steak, except when oil and gas insiders who know and deal with the (even contentious) facts and details are in-synch with experienced professionals who just know better.

While some naïve and simplistic outsiders – including critics with an agenda, attention-seeking protestors and some generalizing media – embellish the current sizzle about Obama and Keystone, dirty oil, climate change and re-hashing scare tactics like “the horrendous accident in the Gulf,” the industry is focused, deals with its legitimate problems (and there are several), stays the course and readies for the long term.

Because simple and simplistic issues are easier to toss around than logical, rational and factual details, and because opinions are often hard to distinguish from actual facts, the genuine and practical working with the real options and the fate of Alberta’s oilsands future tends to get fogged in some hopelessly convoluted and distracting arguments.

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

The real Canadian dilemma is the real Canadian bottom line: Canada’s oil will come out of the ground (at a rate of 1.7 million barrels per day and growing to a projected 3.7 million barrels per day by 2021) and someone, somewhere WILL buy it, refine it and burn it.

The three real oil industry, Alberta and Canadian economy challenges are: Whom to sell it to? How to get it there? And at what price?

The U.S. has been and will indefinitely continue to be, not only Canada’s best friend but, biggest oil customer. But is the U.S. enough?

Transportation is one of the oil industry’s three current critical issues.

Existing pipelines are running near capacity and efforts to build new ones have stalled, mostly thanks to protests from oilsand bashing groups concerned with greenhouse gas emissions. TransCanada Corp.’s $7-billion Keystone XL pipeline, which would link Alberta with refineries in Texas, is hopeful and waiting for U.S. President Barack Obama’s signature, perhaps this summer while Enbridge’s $6-bil-

What about other markets? • Oil & Gas

“China is developing a middle class that can afford a better standard of living, homes, food and cars! Their insatiable need for fossil fuel is just beginning. In about 15 years or so, China will replace the U.S. as the largest economy in the world.” ~ Dan Hays, senior partner with the Calgary office of Norton Rose Fulbright lion Northern Gateway, needed to pump oil to a shipping terminal on the B.C. coast, has speed bumps from “the green lobby,” First Nations groups and is a political football between two provincial premiers.

Some oilsands producers have resorted to shipping crude the old fashioned way, by rail, while some exasperated but wild and creative types want to move it through the Arctic or improbably scrounge the billions to build refineries on the B.C. coast.

And then there’s the uncontrollable, unpredictable and industry-frustrating matter of prices – the differential between West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent crude. Although WTI is often quoted as the price of oil in North America, Brent is actually the global benchmark for crude. Lousy timing and bad luck for Canadian producers, lately the spot price of Brent has been as much as $25 a barrel higher than that of WTI. While Canadian oilsands producers are the main victims of this price gap, they’re also, somewhat ironically, its principal cause. Without more pipeline infrastructure to offload oil to other mar-

kets, oilsands crude, as well as shale oil from the Bakken play in North Dakota, has nowhere else to go. More production from these places only boosts supply, further lowering the price of WTI. The industry is also dealing with insider frustration infamous as the crack spread.

In the refining business, the difference between what a refinery pays for its inputs (like crude or bitumen) and the price it gets for finished products (like gasoline or diesel) is known as a crack spread.

The glut of oil coming from Canadian producers means U.S. Midwest refineries are enjoying crack spreads up to five times larger than those seen

by American coastal refineries, which pay world prices for their feedstock.

Little wonder that, out of necessity or just professionally stealth, the mammoth oil industry (like every other business that relies on sales and profits) is focused on growing its customer base. It’s unanimous among oil industry executives and economists: the hot prospects are Asia (primarily China) and India.

“Various measurements confirm that in terms of overall growth and especially oil and gas demand, north east and south Asia – Japan, China, Korea and India are the big players,” according to Dan Hays, senior partner with the Calgary office of Norton

Dan Hays, senior partner with the Calgary office of Norton Rose Fulbright

www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY July 2013 • 23

What about other markets? • Oil & Gas

“Most people don’t get it. Not having transportation infrastructure in place harms all Canadians because it costs the Canadian economy about $25-$30 billion – jobs, schools, health care, social services.

Some economists are calling it ‘vaporized wealth!’” ~ Glen Schmidt, President and CEO of Calgary-based Laricina Energy Rose Fulbright, an international law firm that advises clients in the energy industry.

“China has 1.3 billion people and India has 1.2 billion. As they develop, they dramatically change the energy dynamic of the world. China’s energy use, for example, has doubled and the trend will only accelerate. Japan imports 100 per cent of its energy requirement. And it’s a world-wide phenomenon. Development is changing at such a pace,” Hays explains, “and causes increased demand for commodities, including energy.

China is developing a middle class that

can afford a better standard of living, homes, food and cars! Their insatiable need for fossil fuel is just beginning. In about 15 years or so, China will replace the U.S. as the largest economy in the world.”

“Since 2007-2008 China has had the world’s biggest increase in economic growth,” according to Gordon Houlden, director of the University of Alberta’s China Institute and one of the most knowledgeable and respected Chinese-investment experts in Canada.

“In perspective, China is still growing at a rate of about seven per cent a year

Gordon Houlden, director of the University of Alberta’s China Institute

Glen Schmidt, president and CEO of Calgary-based Laricina Energy

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

while Canada and the U.S. are growing at about two per cent.

“When it comes to oil, China produces roughly half of what they need.

Domestic production is flat. The Middle East is their major supplier but the Middle East is not stable. Selling Canadian oil to Asia is a natural fit,” he says. “Especially the Chinese want to diversify sources of supply, just when they should be wanting to diversify its markets.”

Houlden acknowledges the long standing, close supply/demand relationship between Canadian oil and the U.S., but suggests that it may be a risky mistake. “For at least the next 20 years, if not longer, Americans will likely continue as our biggest customer, but it’s like having only one stock in your portfolio. It just doesn’t make sense.

Hays agrees. “The U.S. is steadily increasing its reserves and will likely be self-sufficient by 2030. No doubt about it,” he says, “we are the their largest supplier, but the U.S. is definitely a declining market.”

Houlden, Hays and most industry insiders are convinced that Canada urgently needs to develop other markets. “More non-U.S. options,” Houlder says. “Let’s say we could supply 5-10 per cent of China’s oil? It would be a very secure and stable 5-10 per cent

What About Other Markets? • Oil & Gas

and a boom for the oilsands. The question is: how do we get it there?”

“The facts and figures tell the story,” says Glen Schmidt, the straight-shooting and animated president and CEO of Calgary-based Laricina Energy, a privately held, independent oilsands developer with land in northern Alberta’s Athabasca region. “Resources are the arena in which Canada competes best and oil is the dominant sector of the Canadian economy. Consider that China’s oil imports have now overtaken U.S. oil imports. We must go after that booming market but it won’t happen without viable transportation.

“Keystone and Gateway are crucial!” Schmidt is passionate about pipelines being provenly effective and safe forms of transportation which can and must be strictly regulated and respect the environment. “Most people don’t get it. Not having transportation infrastructure in place harms all Canadians because it costs the Canadian economy about $25-$30 billion

– jobs, schools, health care, social services. Some economists are calling it ‘vaporized wealth!’”

Any reference to China’s ambitious and aggressive deep-pockets interest in especially Canadian energy invariably triggers the good and the cynical mentions of the federal government’s late 2012 approval of two recent, separate and controversial takeovers of Canadian oil and gas companies: the $15.1-billion acquisition of Nexen Inc.

by China’s CNOOC Ltd. and the $6-billion Malaysian Petronas deal to grab-up Progress Energy Resources Corp.

Aside from the literally big deals, the Canadian government also announced changes to foreign investment rules which may not have set restrictions on private foreign investment but do emphasize that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) like CNOOC and Petronas will only be allowed to acquire control of Canadian companies on what Stephen Harper called an “exceptional basis.”

Opinions are mixed about how the

new foreign investment rules could impact oilsands development, but it’s no secret that there’s simply not enough Canadian cash to develop the oilsands to full potential. Foreign capital is needed and if Chinese investors are willing to stick to the rules and still throw trillions into the (regulated) pot... ”In so many ways the Canadian economy is being harmed, daily, without an effective and efficient energy transportation network to supply more than just one market,” Schmidt cautions.

“Look, suddenly Alberta has a deficit, mostly because of a lack transportation to get product to market. The investment in energy today is a quarter of what it was last year. A lot of it has to do with transportation issues and political musings about ‘not being open for business.’ Canada must be competitive and today it is not.

“I don’t want to exaggerate or be overly dramatic, but these are serious times with serious consequences!” BiC

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

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Thar’s Big Bucks in Them Thar Canvases! • Chuckwagons

Tervita’s $200,000 canvas sponsorship of chuckwagon superstar Kelly Sutherland. Photo courtesy of Tervita.

Thar’s Big Bucks in Them Thar Canvases!

BY COLLEEn WaLLaCE

“a

nd please don’t call them tarps,” smilingly pleads the affable and gung-ho Mark Damm, the dynamic chair of the Calgary Stampede Chuckwagon Committee.

No matter what you call them, thar’s big bucks – and some very serious big business – when it comes to the traditional, rules-regulated, strictly mandatory and ornamental white canvas covers of the Stampede’s legendary racing chuckwagons.

It’s potent advertising! It’s what Tervita, the giant and Calgary-based and giant environmental and energy services company, Tsuu T’ina First Nation, ATB Financial, the iconic Canadian law firm Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, the Canadian Rockies Water Corp, Shaw GMC Chevrolet Buick and others have in common.

This April’s 2013 Chuckwagon Canvas Auction gavelled a grand total of $3.6 million worth of chances to brand, logo, corporate-plug or otherwise advertise on the canvases that are all set to compete and likely get muddy this month at the 101st Calgary Stampede. In marketing-budget lingo, that’s an average of $100,138.89 per chuckwagon canvas, over the 36-driver field.

Organizers and corporate sponsors agree that the 2012 canvas auction was a wonderful but wild aberration, mostly due to the extra attention and megahype of the Stampede’s centennial, and last year’s bids broke all records with

Mark Damm, chair of the Calgary Stampede Chuckwagon Committee. Photo courtesy of the Calgary Stampede.

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

Thar’s Big Bucks in Them Thar Canvases! • Chuckwagons

$4,015,000, topping the previous record of $4,003,000 set during the 2007 economic boom.

“Sure, $3.6 million is a lot of money to sponsor a 10-day event,” Damm says, “but the auction is so much more than

“Could we measure how many eyeballs we reach?

Probably not, but it’s an irresistible chance for Tervita to not only

dollar amounts. It’s the tremendous support for the sport of wagon-racing and support for our drivers, its huge community boosting for The Stampede and, in a formal business sense, it has been proven to be a legit bellwether of where our economy is headed.”

Although many, especially Calgary, companies and businesses are active and do tremendous good in their communities, a basic truism of business life is that the expenditure ultimately has to make sense.

Jeff Gaulin, Tervita’s personable, sharp and enthusiastic vice-president of marketing and communications, is indicative of the corporate logic and sponsorship

be highly visible, associate our brand and get international exposure during an invaluable, 10-day event, but we are an Alberta-founded company and we genuinely respect and enjoy our heritage.” ~ Jeff Gaulin

Jeff Gaulin, Tervita’s vice-president of Marketing and Communications. Photo courtesy of Tervita.

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

of chuck wagon canvases and the entire Stampede chuck wagon event.

“It is an unparalleled marketing opportunity, not only to connect with some of our clients but to carry on the western legacy and tradition. It’s where we live and where we work.

“Tervita re-branded last year and our multi-level Stampede marketing plan is a strong and high-profile opportunity to enhance and market our ‘new’ brand in a unique and exciting way,” Gaulin admits.

“No doubt it’s a bit unconventional and, in terms of advertising, difficult to quantify. It helps put us on the map and boosts the Tervita profile. Could

Canvas Sponsorships Call it branding, advertising, exposure, tradition, heritage-boosting or good ole fashioned support of the sport and the driver athletes, thar’s obviously good value and ROI on them thar canvases.

How much, for this year’s Stampede Chuckwagon races?

DRIVER

SPONSOR

AMOUNT

Kelly Sutherland

Tervita

$200,000

Colt Cosgrave

Tsuu T’ina First Nation

$170,000

Jason Glass

Shaw GMC Chevrolet Buick

$155,000

Kurt Bensmiller

Canadian Rockies Water Corp.

$150,000

Rick Fraser

Northwell Oilfield Hauling (2009) Inc.

$140,000

Obrey Motowylo

H & E Oilfield Services Ltd.

$130,000

Jordie Fike

BD&P Put the Boots to Hunger

$130,000

Troy Dorchester

Fireside of Cochrane

$120,000

Kirk Sutherland

Ghostpine Environmental Services Ltd.

$120,000

Doug Irvine

B & R Eckel’s Transport Ltd.

$115,000

Rae Croteau Jr.

Ranchman’s Renegades/TOMCO Group

$110,000

Tim Haroldson

Horsepower Inc.

$105,000

Neal Walgenbach

The Kidz Wagon

$105,000

Jerry Bremner

The Legends

$100,000

Vern Nolin

Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP

$100,000

Codey McCurrach ATB Financial

$95,000

Devin Mitsuing

$95,000

SOURCE: CALGARY STAMPEDE

Tervita

(THE EARTH)

TERVITA, PROUD SPONSOR OF THE CALGARY STAMPEDE. For over 30 years Tervita has provided environmental and energy services to help our clients minimize impact on the Earth while maximizing returns. So it’s only natural that we sponsor the Calgary Stampede. We share a commitment to safety, sustainability and a respect for the land—and every living thing that calls it home. Visit tervita.com to learn more.

GOOD LUCK TO TERVITA CHUCKWAGON TEAMS: KELLY SUTHERLAND & DEVIN MITSUING.

Copyright Tervita Corporation 2013. EARTH MATTERS and the TERVITA logo are the trademarks of Tervita Corporation. All rights reserved.

WE HELP PROTECT AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE GREATEST OUTDOOR SHOW ON EARTH.

Thar’s Big Bucks in Them Thar Canvases! • Chuckwagons

Each year, successful chuckwagon canvas auction bidders unanimously agree: It’s talented WPCA chuckwagon driver Evan Salmond’s last year as a “rookie.”

He’s racing at The Stampede this month.

Evan Salmond

The Highly Competitive “Rookie” Chuckwagons are not only in 32-year old Evan Salmond’s blood (his whole family is involved, former driver Ray Salmond is his uncle and current driver Rod Salmond is his cousin) but chuckwagons are also in his heart and soul.

The official World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) records, documents and the half mile of HELL.com website say Evan is an up-and-coming “rookie.” In real life and when it comes to passion, guts, grit and determination, Evan is already a seasoned and accomplished pro.

“Of course I have been doing it since I was a kid and I love it. It’s a highrisk, high-adrenalin sport,” the soft-spoken Evan says, “but it’s definitely my life.”

He explains that although the drivers must be in fairly good shape, especially the arm and hand strength, it’s the horses that must be in great shape and ready to go. Their thoroughbred nature is to run and that’s how they are bred and trained.

Aside from being a highly competitive chuckwagon “rookie,” Evan Salmond is happily living and very much enjoying the unconventional chuckwagon-driver life on the WPCA circuit.

“We start the season with training in late March and April and then, we’re pretty much on the road from May to August. Most of us travel, town to town, and live in small trailers and it’s a good bunch and we quickly become friends. My fiancé, Adriane is with me all the time and I really like this life.”

This year is Evan’s first time competing at The Stampede but it will be milestone year, no matter what.

“Chuckwagon drivers are rookies until they finally ride in Calgary. After that, you’re no longer a rookie,” he chuckles.

Most city-types don’t realize but, according to WPCA rules and long tradition, chuck wagon drivers can stay competing until age 65. As long as their arms and hands are strong, age is a non-issue.

So where will “former rookie” Evan Salmond be in 33 years? “We’ll see,” he says with a grin.

30 • July 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

they get what they pay for ...and then some! we measure how many eyeballs we reach? Probably not, but it’s an irresistible chance for Tervita to not only be highly visible, associate our brand and get international exposure during an invaluable, 10-day event, but we are an Alberta-founded company and we genuinely respect and enjoy our heritage.”

Although the Stampede Chuckwagon Committee’s Mark Damm explains that the sponsorship and exposure of the chuckwagon canvases is the core of the idea, he acknowledges that the appeal for the corporate sponsors also gets some potent value-added bonuses for their investment.

“Canvas sponsorship is really a complete experience,” he says, still in pitch-mode. “Of course the company is buying the right to that canvas for the full 10-night run of the event, and all the announcements, the liners and more. But it is tremendous schmoozing opportunity for the company.

“Each night, they can bring 42 clients, suppliers and guests into their VIP tent and go ‘behind the scenes,’ into the barns with the sights, (the smells) the sounds and a chance to speak with drivers and look at the horses.”

Each year, successful chuckwagon canvas auction bidders unanimously agree: they get what they pay for ... and then some! BiC

It’s an attractive retail marketplace • Retail Real Estate

Chinook Centre

it’s an attractive retail Marketplace With vacancy rates sitting amongst the lowest in north america and significant development projects in the planning stage or under construction, Calgary’s retail real estate market continues to be poised and active. Interest from national and international retailers is expected to continue as the city grows and additional space becomes available.

BY HeaTHeR RaMSaY

W

also indicated that the single-family benchmark price was hile real estate markets in various sectors across $453,900, pushing pricing just above the peak pricing seen Canada continue to endure shifts and strain, indiin 2007. At the same time condominium sales saw an 11 per cations are that Calgary has continued to buck cent increase over the previous year, prompting officials to the trend. As most regions in the country fell by doubledeem the market a “seller’s market.” digit rates from levels at this time last year within residential The retail sector in our city has also been demonstrating real estate, Alberta has continued to see reasonable sales a buck to national trends. According to industry experts, growth. In fact, within the residential and retail sectors spethe market is very active and there is cifically our city is still leading the pack significant and ongoing interest from and according to industry experts the national and international retailers. momentum is likely to continue.

Of particular interest is the significant On May 1 of this year, the Calgary Real investment of large retailers from the Estate Board issued a release indicatUnited States. Target was first out of the ing that single-family home prices had chute and opened new stores late this reached a new high, which when comspring in the Calgary market, and Norpared to the previous year were up by dstrom has quickly followed suit and is nearly two per cent. They attributed the scheduled to open their first Canadian increase to tightening inventories, net location in fall of 2014. migration, the strength of the economy, Harrison Gallelli, business developrising wages, low interest rates and spement manager, real estate, with Calgary cifically the limited number of homes Economic Development, explains that in the lower price market. The release Harrison Gallelli, business development manager, real estate, with Calgary Economic Development

www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY July 2013 • 31

It’s an attractive retail marketplace • Retail Real Estate

“Alberta consumers benefit from no sales tax, and Calgary’s young population with a median age of 36 also positions us strongly within the most desirable retail demographics.” ~ Harrison Gallelli the Calgary retail market demand continues to remain high.

“There is clearly confidence in our city’s future. Not only are we seeing substantial investment from international retailers, but also groups such as Cadillac Fairview who are in expansion mode. This past spring they announced that they are working to place additional first-to-market retailers in a 40,000-square-foot availability at their Chinook Centre mall. These are significant and encouraging activities for Calgary,” says Gallelli.

Currently availability rates have been reported at 2.4 per cent, and reports from the fourth quarter of 2012 indicated an average net lease rate just below $29 per square foot. With a diverse selection of retail inventory, including neighbourhood shopping plazas, boutique shopping areas, strip malls, power

centres and large regional enclosed shopping centres, there have been rate escalations as high as $275 per square foot.

“Economically, Calgary’s personal disposable income per capita and retail sales per capita tell an impressive story of profitability for our local retailers. Forecasts for the second quarter of 2013 project that Calgary retail sales per capita could reach $19,700, compared to the overall Canadian average which is closer to the $13,800 mark. The same forecast for personal disposable income, projects that our city is approaching $46,500 per capita, again substantially higher than the Canadian average which is forecasted at $31,500,” explains Gallelli.

“In 2012 we scored as the highest retail sales per capita in Canada, just shy of $19,000. Alberta consumers benefit from

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It’s an attractive retail marketplace • Retail Real Estate

Our leader of tomorrow, today and yesteryear.

Calgary Retail Real Estate Snapshot (Third Quarter 2012) Total Inventory (square feet) • northwest 5,500,000

• southeast 2,000,000

• Centre north 1,200,000

• south 10,700,000

• northeast 7,600,000

• southwest 4,500,000

• Central Business District 6,500,000

• Under Construction 829,760

Total Market Retail 38,000,000

• Vacancy rate 2.4 per cent

SoUrCe: BarClay STreeT real eSTaTe

Congratulations Alida Visbach.

Ph. 403.268.8500 www.HeritagePark.ca

no sales tax, and Calgary’s young population with a median age of 36 also positions us strongly within the most desirable retail demographics. The Conference Board of Canada reported that our city has held the second highest average annual growth in wages and salaries per employee over the past 10 years (2003-2012) at 4.9 per cent, and has consistently held the highest wages and salaries per employee in Canada since 2000.”

Having the most millionaires per capita in Canada and the highest commercial food service sales per capita, also directly contributes to high sales volumes.

There is currently a broad selection of new developments with significant retail components under various stages of development within the city and surrounding areas. Be it proposal stage, phased projects or those under construction and ranging from 35,000 to over one million square feet, there is clearly demand for retail space and there will be no shortage of it in the next few years. Significant new inventory is coming online and range from stand-alone developments to mixeduse and street-front projects.

Albeit most of the locations are situated throughout suburban districts in Calgary, there too are projects being planned for and in various stages of development that will add to the overall retail inventory of the city, including the East Village and Victoria Park districts. According to Calgary Economic Development, that also includes projects and development along Stampede Trail.

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

“As the phases of these various projects are complete, Calgary will continue to open doors for new opportunities and retailers of various size and scope, in our attractive retail marketplace as we have continued to see high demand for a number of years now,” says Gallelli. There is confidence that future inventory will continue to supply the demand of our growing city, its population and interests, while also complementing other real estate and development projects throughout the city. Those areas of interest include the highrise residential developments within the beltline Victoria Park area which will be centred around a community grocery store and other select retail offerings.

With increasing momentum within residential and retail real estate markets in Calgary, there is reason for growing confidence in markets and these sectors. Tightening resale inventory paired with the influx of those moving to Calgary and the expanding services and retail options can only spur further growth and occupation of square footage. According to experts within the residential and retail markets there is continued optimism. Calgary is a desirable location to live, work and play.

“With retail developments such as those within Victoria Park and area that will service the redeveloped, high-density residential hubs and a number of established inner-city communities that are in transformation and revitalization, we anticipate exponential growth.

That will no doubt quickly earn attention and recognition on an international level,” explains Gallelli. BiC

Honouring Calgary’s

Visionary Business Leaders

www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY July 2013 • 35

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Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Calgary’s

Visionary Business Leaders

Look and Move Ahead

BY JOHN HARDY

I

do it. Looking at their business plans, their pern business, and most other aspects of contemThe Judges formance and their growth, they certainly know porary life, the adage has never been more how to make things happen with their businesses relevant. When the going gets tough…the and with their employees.” tough get going!

According to judge Dave Zimmel, Vice PresiIn good times and despite unexpected and dent, Private Enterprise with MNP LLP, “Many quirky challenges, Calgary’s dynamic Business of the nominees showed so much of the superb Leaders of Tomorrow stay focused, follow their business savvy and great spirit that is so prevabusiness plans and continue as gung-ho and lent in Calgary. As a Leaders of Tomorrow judge, respected Calgary business success stories.

I think it’s particularly important for nominaBusiness in Calgary is proud to tell the intertions to convey a family-ness or a personal-ness esting and inspirational Calgary stories of the Mike Carlin that makes them and their business different 2013 Business Leaders of Tomorrow. from the competition.”

They are stories of positivity, bright ideas, “The nominations showed tremendous energy,” drive, determination, creative resourcefulness, said judge Dan Doherty, President of D3 Strategies taking chances, exceptional people skills and Inc, “and it all speaks to the fact that Calgary’s relationship talents, much underrated hard work, economy business sector has become diversified. just a hint of luck and a dog-with-a-bone attiOne of the common aspects of the nominations tude to grow and always do better. was a thorough understanding of their commuIt’s hard to measure success. It’s even harder nity. It’s definitely one of the keys to success. to define.

The nominees had solid awareness about being From the Leaders of Tomorrow who supply Dave Zimmel involved in their community, regardless how the skilled crews for major Calgary construction economy may be doing at the moment.” projects; Leaders of Tomorrow who create One of the several nomination categories and personalized and dazzling custom home and criteria the judges were asked to review was workplace designs; Leaders of Tomorrow who “Nominee Qualities:” a) how do the nominee’s drill for oil; who do vital air quality, mould and high standards relate to him/her and the busiasbestos inspections; to Leaders of Tomorrow ness? b) how does the nominee demonstrate with a wonderfully infectious passion for the leadership while overcoming obstacles? And c) Rockies; those who create ingenious and effihow is the nominee an independent leader? cient IT solutions and those who got to court All three judges were unanimous about one to litigate, mediate and negotiate for clients – Dan Doherty aspect of the nominations: their commitment to the focus to achieve success is a common thread giving-back to the community and that this group among all of the 2013 Leaders of Tomorrow. makes Calgary a better place to live and work.

Again this year, the judges faced a challenge Business in Calgary appreciates and congratulates the with thick folders of nominations from a fascinating cross2013 Leaders of Tomorrow and showcases their entrepresection of Calgary business leaders. neurial spirit, positive attitude and achievements. Their “Reviewing the nominee applications for this year’s list stories will interest, intrigue, inform and, no doubt, inspire was genuinely exciting,” said judge Mike Carlin, with BMO Calgarians to always look and move forward. BiC in Calgary. “They are all entrepreneurs and clearly have a tremendous vision about what they want to do and how to

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Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Birol Fisekci Company: Bordeaux Properties

I

n his valedictorian speech at the Haskayne School of Business, Birol Fisekci reminded his graduation class that they were part of a group with the highest of ethical standards that he hoped would never be compromised.

The goal continues to drive Fisekci’s business decisions and success. Every day, he lives the conviction that business decisions are never simply about numbers. It’s employees, colleagues, community and industry that are parts of the process.

He cofounded Bordeaux Properties and its affiliate Bordeaux Developments, which manages joint ventures or acquires interests in land development and housing projects, with three business partners.

The group of companies now includes Bordeaux Developments, Baywest Homes and the recently launched Market Street Homes and it’s one of the few in the industry that is employee-owned, which results in high employee engagement and investment.

“We acquire interests in undeveloped land, typically in partnership with existing landowners seeking our development expertise,” he explains. “With our team of land planners, engineers, construction managers, marketers, and financial managers, we ensure the process of developing land runs smoothly and fulfils its best potential in all aspects of development: approvals, servicing, construction, and sales, maximizing returns while protecting against downside risk.”

People are a Fisekci and a Bordeaux priority. “Focus on people first,” he says. “Customers, employees, stakeholders, consultants, shareholders - they ARE the business!

Products, services and strategies constantly evolve, so success over the long term is a result of utmost respect and kindness for people.

“And be authentic,” he emphasizes. “Know who you are and what you can deliver.”

A favorite mantra of Fisekci and his team is that “more great minds mean better ideas” never to take the spotlight and openly give credit for everyone’s input.

Birol Fisekci is solidly committed to giving back to the Calgary community and continues to be involved with many community and charitable causes: a key organizer of a $250,000 donation for the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, he spearheaded the Building Hope for Kids Gala, Bordeaux sponsored the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts, the building of a new rural RCMP office requested by the community and many other community involvements.

Fisekci is also actively involved with Urban Development Institute (UDI) and sits on two working committees.

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Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Susan & Holly Brattberg Company: Brattberg Group of Companies

D

espite their tremendous business success and experience, Susan and Holly Brattberg – sisters, best friends, business partners and the two youngest graduates of the Haskayne School of Business Executive MBA Program – define themselves as social entrepreneurs.

“We have the business skills and passion to run businesses that genuinely help people,” says Holly Brattberg. “Changing peoples’ lives is our motto but it’s much more. We help people achieve more in their lives based on gaining skills and meaningful employment.”

The sisters have a remarkable and long family history and involvement with Alberta education, from their great grandfather being one of Alberta’s first school trustees to their grandmother and mother both being teachers and their family having operated vocational schools across the province. Today the sisters value life-long learning and believe that education is the key solution for long-term sustainability of the economy as well as individual growth and success.

The divisions of the Brattberg Group of Companies (Academy of Learning, Digital School, Global eTraining and Complete Corporate Training) are sought-after and respected for innovatively helping individuals and organizations reach their learning and development goals.

Even during Calgary’s 2007-2008 economic boom, as the vocational business suffered mostly because under-qualified people easily found employment, Susan and Holly Brattberg used creative marketing and developed new corporate training opportunities to keep the family business afloat. Their resourcefulness also happened to launch their first start-up: Complete Corporate Training. An increased demand for skills training prompted the company to launch Global eTraining – a revolutionary approach to online technical training.

Today, the Brattberg Group encourages innovation and collaboration among its more than 100 employees. “[We are] committed to genuinely helping people pursue their dreams and to value life-long learning,” Susan Brattberg says with professional pride.

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Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Tony M. Messer Company: Caliber Planning

I

n 2007, when Tony Messer took over as President and CEO of the company which became Caliber Planning, there were many positive and effective changes made.

He renamed the company to better reflect the precision and accuracy he wanted the company to be known for. He had a vital vision and tremendous experience in the sophisticated and complex fields of commercial and industrial security services to help clients secure camps and job sites, manage access and provide road monitoring and assure clients protection of assets, lives and the environment.

Messer’s background and 20 years of experience as the City of Calgary’s Coordinator of Disaster Services were invaluable to set the Caliber Planning vision and business model to create effective, accurate, user-friendly management programs using the best people, ideas and technologies available in order for Caliber to provide emergency management solutions and protection services to the oil and gas industry and various other industrial and public sector clients in Alberta, throughout Canada, and in the Northern U.S. Today, Caliber Planning is very much in-demand and offers a broad range of the latest industrial protection and security services, including: corporate level ERPs; sour well site specific drilling and/or completions ERPs; HVP pipeline ERPs; corporate area site specific and facility emergency response plans; rapid flare notifications for wells, pipelines and batteries; proprietary emergency response management software; drug and alcohol canine detection services and specialized teams of trained safety consultants to help Caliber clients develop and monitor corporate safety programs.

Messer credits the superb skills of Caliber’s highly-trained staff and their diverse experience in emergency management, security and planning. “The Caliber personnel have practical oil and gas industry experience and they know emergency management. They understand the workings of the asset they protect,” he says.

The company’s President and CEO leads by example when it comes to giving back and involvement in the Calgary community. He introduced the Caliber staff to volunteering at Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids and the Terry Fox Foundation. He initiated blood donations and Caliber is now a proud member of Partners for Life.

3

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Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Randy Hawkings Company: CanElson Drilling

C

anElson Drilling Inc. has a simple focus for an enormous job: to cost effectively drill wells with excellent rig equipment with motivated people working productively and safely for the world’s top oil companies, resulting in top-tier performance for shareholders. The respected Calgary-based drilling and rig manufacturing company achieves its focus every day, with three uncompromised guiding principles: health, safety and the environment.

With the vision and dynamic leadership of President and CEO, W. Randy Hawkings, CanElson’s major growth spurt happened because it was able to grow organically, building their own rigs. “Part of what we do best is our inhouse project management. Building our own rigs allows better control on quality and cost of the entire project,” he says.

The company has also made several acquisitions, taking on rigs owned by various other companies and expanding outside of Canada to places like South Dakota and Texas in the United States and has also acquired four rigs in North Dakota, where expansion capabilities have been well published. At the moment, CanElson is working in the Permian Basin of West Texas where demand is also high but, Hawking pointed out that “we’re focused more on the Americas, because we still have a lot of quality opportunities to explore. We’re opportunity driven, whether the opportunity is domestic or international.”

As Hawkings highlighted, “It’s an absolute must that we fulfill our commitment to doing what we agree to do, when we say we will get it done, that we take pride in consistently and efficiently delivering quality drilling services and that we accept nothing less for our customers than the best that we would want for ourselves.”

CanElson is very much in-demand and operates 31 rigs with about 18 men each and more than 600 employees overall.

CanElson strongly believes in being a part of the communities in which it operates by supporting a variety of local charities and community events that are most important to those communities, as well as ones that are important for the company’s employees, customers and vendors.

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Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Saundra Shapiro Company: Compassionate Beauty

S

aundra Shapiro’s “Aha!” moment happened in 1996.

“When I was the owner-operator at Beaners Fun Cut for Kids, I became close to many of my clients. One in particular,” Shapiro remembers vividly. “Giah came into the shop and confided in me that her ovarian cancer was back and she would again endure physically and emotionally devastating cancer treatment. That Sunday we closed the store, dimmed the lights, put soft music on and I lovingly shaved her head. While I was doing it, I wondered what her choices were. Where else could she have gone? How must it feel to sit in a small salon with absolutely no privacy and suffer through the indignity of having her head shaved?

“Some women must do the best they can in the privacy of their own bathrooms, but they won’t likely have sterile equipment. That’s when I realized that I wanted to do more for women afflicted with cancer.”

A few years after that first situation, Shapiro sadly lost her best friend, Louise, to cervical cancer, but walking with Louise through her final journey and the lack of private and basic salon services available to help her friend maintain her dignity, confidence and comfort during her cancer treatments, turned out to be the spark for the business model for her company.

Louise and Saundra had talked and dreamt of a spa-like centre where women could meet, pamper themselves, find support and be cared for while losing their hair and enduring other ravages of treatments. It was those difficult conversations with her friend Louise that became the foundation for Compassionate Beauty.

Since 2005, Calgary’s Compassionate Beauty has been providing women with the support, products and services to maintain their comfort and body image while going through cancer treatment and, often, on to survivorship.

From facials to manicures and massages with privacy and comfort, Compassionate Beauty has sympathetic, nurturing and knowledgeable staff specially certified and fully trained in their specific field.

Louise would be proud!

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Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Marvin DeJong Company: DeJong Design Associates Ltd.

T

he Marvin DeJong success story is by design.

DeJong Design Associates (DDA) continues to earn community acclaim and awards for creating dynamic residential and recreational properties. The DDA edge (and what may set them apart from other design companies) is the DDA rapport and collaboration with clients to create personalized and unique spaces that exceed client imaginations and actually enrich their lives.

Communication and collaboration are vital aspects of the DeJong design process and client relationships. The designers are like guides to help the client through the complex and often technical design and regulatory process.

Communication and collaboration is crucial during the construction phase, especially because the DDA team represents the client, not the contractor, to make sure all details are done according to the plan and budget.

“Your home is so much more than where you hang your hat,” DeJong says with enthusiasm. “Your surroundings are an expression of you, so it should be a reflection of your best life. Because every dream has the potential to be the place you call home.”

Few Calgary businesses genuinely focus as much attention and credit for “team work” as the unique DeJong Design Associates and the value and appreciation for “the team” originates at the top. Marvin DeJong thrives on the creative input of the talented DDA staff and constantly credits the company’s achievements and success as being a team effort.

Marvin DeJong takes the popular morale-boosting business practice of team building to exciting new heights. According to his (delighted) staff, the team has enjoyed a tour of the iconic Smithbilt Hats where each staffer was given a custom-made Stampede hat, a staff shopping night at Chinook Centre followed by dinner, a creative and fun pizza and painting night. DeJong recently treated his entire team to a Las Vegas weekend.

DeJong and the DDA staff consider community causes a vital part of doing business in Calgary and are actively committed to partnering with organizations that enhance Calgary’s health and vitality and improve the quality of life for all Calgarians.

On a routine basis, DDA donates funds and personal employee time to various local charities, including Inn from the Cold, Ronald McDonald House (Southern Alberta), the Stephen Lewis Foundation, All for Humanity and more.

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Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Dennis French Company: DF Technical & Consulting Services Ltd.

D

ennis French is a unique, busy and very much-in-demand technical specialist in the Calgary, Edmonton and Grande Prairie areas. French and his highly skilled DF Technical & Consulting Services staff are focused on asbestos monitoring, mould investigations, indoor quality testing and workplace exposure sampling.

French started the small consulting company solo in 1998, doing mould inspection and general indoor air quality inspections. After steady growth, he added one employee; and then environmental awareness and technology combined to trigger tremendous demand.

Today, DF Technical & Consulting Services has grown to 17 employees in three locations and French is constantly looking to find staff with the sophisticated, specialized skills to provide the company’s needs.

“Our inspection and management staff are highly trained and constantly updated on the latest issues and solutions and, unlike some other companies, they are superbly qualified and able to make timely decisions in the field to the project and cost-effective benefit of the client. In this business, expert but prompt decisions are vital.”

The list of commercial needs is constantly growing. DF Technical & Consulting Services now includes asbestos containing materials (ACM), moisture monitoring, mould assessments, industrial hygiene and occupational monitoring services and indoor air quality (IAQ), which involves complex skills to determine the often specific indoor environment problems and solutions.

French explains that in 15 years, his technical and consulting services have become essential services. “Indoor air quality problems have been proven to have long-term effects on health. The air we breathe in our homes and our workplaces can cause health and wellness issues as well as negatively impact our overall enjoyment of life.”

The DF Technical & Consulting Services staff are very active in the community they serve, including the Firefighters Burn Treatment Society, Crimewatch, various police associations, and community-based children’s sport teams. Dennis French is a member of more than eight industry-related associations.

Platinum Partner

Gold Partners HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA

Photo by Ewan Nicholson Photography.

Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Hugh Porter Company: Digitex

N

ow more than ever, businesses of all sizes have IT issues and need state-of-the-art, time sensitive and effective solutions. That is basically what Digitex does, but with a special, competitive difference.

Digitex is Western Canada’s premier choice for office business IT solutions and it continues to build on their reputation for providing the highest quality customer service and the most up-to-date solutions for companies throughout western Canada.

But the Digitex competitive edge difference is customized IT solutions.

“Each individual business works the way it needs to work,” says Digitex President Hugh Porter. “Our job is to integrate systems and processes into the business’ work flow, not to change it. Our Digitex experts take time to learn and understand how the individual office works and they tailor-design solutions that don’t disrupt day-to-day operations. One of the special things we do is deliver a customized and fully integrated solution. The business will not have to change the way things are done. We just help make it more efficient.

No two offices are the same. That’s why each Digitex solution is custom-designed to work seamlessly with a specific business’ existing IT set-up.”

“When you’re a smaller, locally-owned business like Digitex, you have to have something that separates you from the billion dollar companies that are the competition,” Porter explains. “Putting the customer first, thoroughly understanding the client’s specifics needs and creating specialized solutions are at the heart of the Digitex business philosophy.”

Instilling values of high service standards, customer understanding and the latest IT expertise has earned tremendous success for Hugh Porter and Digitex. It’s the philosophies which have sparked Digitex to grow exponentially during some challenging economic times. From 2008 and into this year, while some of Digitex’s competitors were cutting back, Digitex grew from an $8 million company to a more than $20 million company. This success was built on exceptional and customized IT solutions, with offices in Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton and Kelowna.

They work hard to remain current and relevant, and in addition to the core IT solutions, they constantly create and offer new software products and managed services.

Digitex is active in the community with groups like the Salvation Army by donating equipment and providing maintenance and service.

Platinum Partner

Gold Partners HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA

Photo by Ewan Nicholson Photography. Furniture provided by Contemporary Office Interiors Ltd.

CANON CANADA INC. CONGRATULATES

HUGH PORTER DIGITEX CANADA INC.

on his Leaders of Tomorrow Recognition

Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Alida A. Visbach Company: Heritage Park Historical Village

W

estern history is not only fascinating, interesting and a connection to Calgary’s past for Alida Visbach, it is a passion!

The dynamic and driven CEO of the iconic Heritage Park came to Calgary when the once-popular facility was tired and run down. Although it was a favourite place for local families a generation ago, attendance was drastically down.

Coincidentally, it was a hectic but exciting good time to take over as Heritage Village CEO and to be overseeing the largest expansion in the Calgary Park’s then 48-year history.

Since her arrival the place has doubled in size and has been restored to its popular former glory. The Park is now a big draw for a new generation of Calgary families.

Heritage Park Historical Village is an acclaimed, first-class tourist attraction and a year-round education, catering, and convention facility. It has been called Canada’s largest living history museum, proudly showcasing restaurants, shopping and the world-class Gasoline Alley Museum where you can learn about how automobiles changed culture. Activities include riding the authentic steam train, the antique midway and interacting with other touches of the old west.

Heritage Park has close to 200 full-time staff and 800 volunteers. Less than 14 per cent of its operating budget is covered by a City grant. The rest is self-generated.

The $65 million renovations and expansion did the trick. Paid attendance is way up and, thanks to effective marketing, there’s a big spike in ‘after hours’ traffic: wedding parties, graduations and corporate meetings.

Visbach focuses her wealth of tourism experience to the sales, marketing and operations of Heritage Park. Building relationships is critical to her success.

Visbach says that Heritage Park is again a place to relax and have good fun, but must stay relevant. “There’s a huge demographic that thrives on communications and social media. We have a Heritage Village app for smart phones so users can point at any building and instantly get detailed information on their phone.

“What a great place! And what a great job,” Alida Visbach beams. “Every day is something new and exciting. I don’t think I’ve ever had a job where I could get up every morning and be excited to come to work.”

Platinum Partner

Gold Partners HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA

Photo by Ewan Nicholson Photography.

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Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Charlie Locke Company: Lake Louise Ski Area (LLSA)

T

he Lake Louise Ski Area (LLSA) is not just a world-renown tourist destination.

It is a vital part of Charlie Locke’s heart and soul and eight-day-a-week life.

The cliché has never been more meaningful or fit better: 12 months a year, Charlie Locke eats, breathes and lives the Lake Louise Ski Area.

When he’s talking business (which is most of the time) he’s talking the Lake Louise Ski Area. When he’s with friends, at a BBQ, on vacation, or on a flight or in a restaurant, Charlie Locke is talking and bragging about the Lake Louise Ski Area.

When he has a bright idea, which is often, it’s about the Lake Louise Ski Area.

His intense knowledge and familiarity with the area and his enthusiasm, honesty and integrity are legendary.

The Lake Louise Ski Area, 57 kilometres (35 miles) west of Banff, is acknowledged as a world-class ski resort and as one of the Top 50 resorts in North America, according to Ski Magazine.

With 4,200 skiable acres, (139 marked ski runs and back bowls on four mountain faces) Lake Louise is one of the largest ski areas in North America, with a unique layout allowing families and groups of all abilities, from beginner to expert, to enjoy skiing together.

Even in the “off season” Charlie Locke’s proud piece of paradise is popular.

“The spectacular scenery from the walking paths or high above in the year-round sightseeing gondola, with panoramas of glaciers, natural springs, wildflowers, wildlife and even glimpses of grizzly bears.”

As a unique business operation, LLSA was owned and operated by the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) company. A few years ago, Locke, a former owner of the ski area, exercised a buy-back option, reacquired majority share, and came back as the resort’s president and operator.

Locke believes that trust and teamwork are key factors to success and that an effective leader must be hands-on.

Because he encourages his managers to follow understanding in all aspects of the ski resort, Charlie Locke is often busy among the resort’s 400 employees, directing parking lot traffic on busy mornings, picking up litter around the lodge or selling tickets at guest services.

“I absolutely love everything about this place!”

Platinum Partner

Gold Partners HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA

Photo by Ewan Nicholson Photography.

Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Shannon Warren Company: Matrix Labour Leasing Ltd.

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atrix Labour Leasing continues to turn the business cliché of “it’s all about people” into a solid, Calgary business success story.

After all, “people” is what Matrix Labour Leasing does and “people” is what sets Matrix apart in Calgary’s construction industry. The formula is both simple but intense and challenging: the reliability (and often immediacy) of providing top quality and highly skilled trades and labour for virtually any client project.

The Matrix relationship with Calgary construction clients is based on hardearned and solid trust, dedication, reliability and experience.

Matrix crews can be seen working on the Southeast Stoney Trail (SEST), which is the largest single highway project in Alberta history. They are also active on the west extension of the LRT lines in Calgary’s southwest. Matrix carpenters and other skilled workers are at the massive East Village project and several other Calgary construction projects.

Shannon Warren is the determined and energetic founder and president of Matrix Labour Leasing and his 11 years of respected and outstanding expertise in all aspects of the construction business have earned a solid Calgary reputation for Matrix Labour Leasing.

“We hire nothing but the best as our crews have a wide range of skills to effectively handle and complete any task or project,” Warren says. “In the construction business, a crucial part of meeting client needs is being accessible at all times and consistently great communications. That’s a must and it’s one of the factors that makes Matrix different.”

“Looking after our employees is the key to success,” he says. “This business is not about profit, it’s about people and quality. The copycats come and go but it is usually their lack of concern for employees that fails them.”

From day one, Matrix has been involved in the community with charitable giving of time and money, forging long term relationships with Kids Cancer and the Fire Wagon Chuck Wagon (raising money for the children’s burn ward) and with Dreams Take Flight.

Platinum Partner

Gold Partners HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA

Photo by Ewan Nicholson Photography.

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Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Troy Sedgwick Company: REC Media Inc.

I

n the fiercely competitive and ferociously creative world of advertising, there’s a lot of talk about advertising that reaches the “grass roots” and “local community” markets.

Troy Sedgwick, President and CEO of REC Media Inc. not only did something about it, his drive and ingenuity have turned it into a Calgary business success story.

Whether it’s signage of all kinds (rinkboard panels, interior wall billboards, ice surface advertising, zamboni sponsorships, lobby display panels, sports field billboards and even the popular marketing activity of product sampling) in community and municipal recreation and athletic facilities (local hockey arenas, soccer and baseball fields, curling rinks, etc.), REC Media is the only company in Canada that is singularly focused on advertising in local rec facilities.

In the past 18 years, due primarily to Sedgwick’s flair and vision, REC Media has grown to become the largest company of its kind in Canada, grossing nearly $2 million in annual sales, with offices in Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto, and affiliations throughout Eastern Canada.

REC Media has placed ad campaigns in more than 1,400 “local” facilities coast-to-coast, helping to spread the message for local-focused advertiser clients such as McDonald’s, RBC, Chrysler and Re/Max and others; and local matters, a lot. Specializing in community/local level advertising for its clients, REC Media outperforms all NHL facilities in Canada.

With the pace of creativity, pitching and coordinating rec facility advertising and the competitiveness of the business, Troy Sedgwick sticks to a simplified but vital business philosophy: “Put people ahead of profits, treat others according to the ‘golden rule’, look after the client’s needs first and the bottom line takes care of itself.”

Sedgwick is actively involved in the Calgary community, as a mentor to students with the Haskayne School of Business Mentorship Program and, together with his wife, they organize and sponsor Feed the Hungry meals for the community’s less fortunate.

Platinum Partner

Gold Partners HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA

Photo by Ewan Nicholson Photography.

Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Lyle Richardet Company: SysGen Solutions

S

ysGen Solutions Group founder and President, Lyle Richardet, makes it sound so simple. “SysGen is a client-focused IT consulting organization, committed to providing unmatched customer service, comprehensive network support and innovative solutions. Defined by our personal and focused approach to client services, SysGen understands the vital role technology plays in your business and we’re dedicated to ensuring optimum network performance.”

Richardet openly admits that the actual business plan was born from street experience. Established as a grass roots start-up in 1995, the original model was centric to providing service and support for the document management industry.

“As a SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) operating from a residential office, we catered to high volume printing, facsimile, content management programs and technical services. Nine years later the company changed focus to become a network consulting practice catering to the 5MB market.”

Today SysGen still provides document management solutions, although its core practice has shifted to computer network consulting. Transitioning the business required a methodical approach, a completely new business plan with lots of financing.

As Lyle Richardet colorfully explains, “the secret sauce was our personalized approach to the service experience and SysGen has expanded with the times and is responding to industry needs.”

SysGen now provides cloud computing, infrastructure-free, internet-based network services, storage and data management services; virtualization (centralized virtual networks), servers and operating systems, network administration (support of all aspects of network design and maintenance), and site audits with complete infrastructure reviews including recommendations.

Lyle Richardet openly admits that community involvement is the cornerstone of his business. In the earlier days of SysGen it was support of smaller initiatives like local fundraisers for kids and cancer research. For two years it was support of Opportunity 45, a not-for-profit organization focused on re-employing the mature worker and currently SysGen supports the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC).

Platinum Partner

Gold Partners HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA

Photo by Ewan Nicholson Photography.

Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

John Gibson Company: Tervita

T

he busy, productive and state-of-the-art twenty-first century has made Tervita a timely and indispensable operation.

Tervita is a “new” (re-grouped from some well known industry names like CCS, Hazco, Concord and Beck) environmental and energy services company with a solid and distinguished 25-year history.

Tervita is a dynamic company with tremendous industry experience and expertise and more than 4,000 dedicated employees with a single but vital mission: to create a better future through global leadership in environmental and energy solutions and to provide the energy industry a comprehensive suite of services covering every stage of the production lifecycle, from development to reclamation.

Quite the ambitious target, but the simple Tervita answer is: “we care for our world.”

“Through innovation, science, knowledge and experience, Tervita works with its clients, communities and all levels of governments to maximize responsible and sustainable development of resources, demanding safety, enhancing efficiency, minimizing environmental impact,” according to John Gibson, President and CEO of Tervita Corporation and an industry executive who leads with a vision, perspective and standards that influence the way employees, customers and the public view his company.

He expects each individual employee to be an environmental steward and always operates with integrity. His leadership revolves around collaboration and innovation.

Gibson thrives on the belief that good ideas can come from every level within the organization. His primary value is to protect life – the safety of people and the environment. His high and stringent standards for safety continue to create a Tervita culture around safety and working to reduce safety incidents to zero.

His personal and professional vision is that no one at the company gets injured – ever. His message to all employees is that if they are not safe, nothing else matters. “No job in the company is ever too important that we can’t take the time to do it safely.”

Platinum Partner

Gold Partners HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA

Photo by Ewan Nicholson Photography.

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Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Shashi Behl Company: Twisted Goods and Joy Drop

S

hashi Behl thought flair, style and some refreshing difference would make for a good retail store, and she was right. Her daring idea caught the attention and interest of shoppers in Calgary and Saskatoon.

Behl says it best. “For the past 12 years, Twisted Goods has been filling the homes and hearts of shoppers who are hungry for something that screams ‘take me home, now!’ We search the globe for great, funky gifts.”

Despite the reality that retail is a ferociously competitive world of business, Shashi Behl’s personal and professional spirit and sense of adventurous fun continues to translate into an unusual Calgary success story.

“With no money and just my idea to bringing street front to the mall, I wanted to open in a smaller market (like Saskatoon) on purpose,” she explains, “to learn what retail was like and to see how consumers respond before hitting up Cadillac Fairview and bigger mall managements.”

After more than 12 years of gradually developing a market and earning a “quirky” retail reputation, her three Calgary-area Twisted Goods stores are extremely popular and offer some of the most unique gifts and trends with items like wine accessories, jewelry, wall art, paper goods and what Behl calls “sassy handbags and decadent home decor.”

Behl credits the Twisted Goods advantage of being accessible, small, bringing in trends as soon as she sees them, and the store’s ability to turn over inventory quickly.

Her flair for the catchy and refreshing continues to drive her successful business.

She good-naturedly explains that her stores “do NOT have the straight goods” and excitedly adds that they carry “nothing you need and everything you want!”

There’s a serious business laugh when she mentions, “Twisted Goods has so much unique and interesting things that loitering is encouraged!”

Aside from dynamically growing her successful retail business and planning new stores, Behl is actively involved in the business and charity aspects of the Calgary community, from having been a CYBF Board Member, volunteering with Women in Motion and the YWCA women’s shelter, she is an active member of EO Calgary and a Board Member of the Calgary Run For Water.

Platinum Partner

Gold Partners HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA

Photo by Ewan Nicholson Photography.

Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Zul Verjee, Q.C. Company: Verjee & Associates

T

he skilled and professional legal backgrounds and expertise of the Verjee & Associates lawyers have a wealth of experience about litigation, mediation and arbitration strategies and procedures.

Although their work continues to earn Calgary’s respect for several reported decisions from the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta and the Alberta Court of Appeal, over the past several years, Zul Verjee and his team of lawyers have developed a thriving practice in the areas of both oil and gas litigation, partnership issues and employment litigation.

Verjee & Associates continues to act for accounting firms, other law firms, energy brokers and corporate offices as well as their solid experience in private arbitrations and mediations.

Through their relentless focus on client success, the superb Calgary law firm continues to provide integrated legal solutions to complex business issues.

The individual lawyers have diverse backgrounds and areas of specialty and as a solid team they are widely respected for their depth of industry knowledge and for being responsive, efficient and easy to work with. “Success is measured by the relationships you make, the people you meet and the friendships you develop,” says Verjee.

One of the firm’s competitive edge differences is the flexibility and skills of a boutique firm that can still deliver the effective results of a large law office.

Zul Verjee is the principal member of the firm and during his 18 years of practice in the insurance and commercial litigation fields, Zul has been involved in a number of complex litigation matters, appearing often before the Alberta Court of Appeal and the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench. He has also overseen trials involving a variety of issues, including general liability claims, commercial disputes, complex personal injury claims, fatality claims, fire losses, construction losses, interpretation of wrap-up liability policies and S.E.F. 44 insurance coverage claims.

The staff of Verjee & Associates are all involved and give back to the Calgary community in various ways. Zul is a dedicated and active member of the education, non-profit and youth sports sector of his Calgary community and as a father of four boys, he engages in their extra-curricular activities by coaching sports and mentoring youth.

Platinum Partner

Gold Partners HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA

Photo by Ewan Nicholson Photography.

Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Jory Lamb

Company: VistaVu Solutions

V

istaVu Solutions is a leading business management software provider with ambitious goals: to apply a tremendous wealth of industry experience, systems, tools and tailored software solutions to help oilfield construction, pipeline construction, oilfield product manufacturing, well servicing, distribution and rental companies fully integrate their business operations and accelerate their profitability.

And VistaVu is right on target, meeting most goals.

With operations in Calgary, Houston and Denver, VistaVu has been serving the unique and specialized needs of the energy service sector with enterprise software solutions since 1996.

“Our team is dedicated to helping our customers become more efficient so they can better maintain control of their business, manage their operational processes and drive their growth,” says VistaVu founder and President Jory Lamb. “We work with our clients to customize SAP solutions to meet their exact needs, including SAP Business One, SAP Business ByDesign and SAP Business Objects.”

VistaVu is also the developer of FieldVu – the industry-popular energy services field management software that extends the capabilities of SAP Business One to meet the specific needs of energy service companies.

Lamb’s five core values still guide VistaVu on every consulting assignment: integrity, growth, service, commitment to excellence and passion.

As VistaVu staff and many clients know well, one trademark Jory Lamb phrase is “I don’t know what I don’t know.” Lamb is someone who always faces challenges head on and routinely calls on members of the VistaVu team with different areas of expertise to be part of suggesting ways to deal with and execute an effective solution.

VistaVu is a committed member of the community and, under Jory Lamb’s leadership, the company supports Calgary’s charitable programs including the Bea Fisher Centre, United Way, Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter, Inn from the Cold and the Calgary Humane Society. Involvement in these programs includes a $20,000 cash donation, volunteer work, and donating necessities such as winter clothing and toys for the needy during cold winter months.

Platinum Partner

Gold Partners HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA

Photo by Ewan Nicholson Photography. Furniture provided by Contemporary Office Interiors Ltd.

Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Bob Robinson Company: Westcor Construction Ltd.

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estcor is a full-service General Contractor and Construction Manager servicing Calgary and the surrounding southern Alberta area and it functions with a relatively simple, bold but uncompromised mission statement: “every client should believe that their project is the most important one and that the Westcor management and employees are solidly committed to providing the highest levels of customer service and cost effectiveness while demonstrating excellence in safety and integrity.”

The remarkable fact of business life is that, like its President and CEO Bob Robinson, Westcor not only talks the talk but walks the industry walk.

Robinson’s dynamic blend of realistic optimism has led Westcor from a company with three employees to more than 50, and a respected leader among Calgary’s midsized general contracting firms. Loyal and repeat customers are a testimonial to the Westcor growth and success.

Westcor’s quality assurance and quality audit programs are administered and implemented on all projects and are structured to provide Westcor’s clients with assurance and confidence that their products and services are of high quality, that they comply with the contractual and regulatory requirements, and products will be supplied on time and on budget.

Two of Robinson’s core beliefs still remain as Westcor’s competitive advantage: 1) “Don’t do anything that is not an added value benefit to the client; 2) Steadfast relationships with sub-contractors are essential to the success of all projects.”

Being plugged in to the community, helping Calgary Health Trust, Calgary Southwest United Soccer Association, Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Liver Foundation, Child Find Canada, Community Drug Awareness, The Mustard Seed Ministry and numerous others – are Westcor priorities and personal musts for its respected chief executive Bob Robinson.

Platinum Partner

Gold Partners HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA

Photo by Ewan Nicholson Photography. Furniture provided by Contemporary Office Interiors Ltd.

Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Bravin Goldade Company: Westcreek Developments

B

ravin Goldade, President and CEO of Westcreek Developments Ltd. has a simple but uncompromisingly precise vision about the homes his company builds: “dynamic, vibrant communities people can call home.”

One of Calgary’s most respected and successful new home builders and developers, Goldade is animated and speaks with an infectious personal and professional passion that “Well designed homes should not be homogeneous but a reflection of the uniqueness and the differences of the families who live there. Consistency is important, but not cookie-cutter sameness.”

Although Goldade’s daily calendar is hectic – from on-site meetings, marketing and sales decisions, developing dazzling show homes to the many details and demands of Westcreek’s new and sprawling LEGACY community (4,100 single family new homes and 2,900 multi-family new homes) which was launched this April – he is focused on design, appearance and the look of the community.

“We put a lot into our entries and we believe in timeless designs. Real stone and precast concrete entry features. They don’t go out of style for centuries.”

Goldade does not take success for granted. “In 1997 I didn’t have the cash, so I started small, brought in some investors and we built all over Calgary, like Amber Woods in Airdrie, Aspen Stone and 800 homes in Evergreen. Now that Legacy is off and booming, I’m thrilled and not so nervous about the $50 million financing and the $30 million cost of the land.”

Westcreek has now grown to 12 head office staff and hundreds of contractors and sub trades and is working with some of the best builders in Calgary to make Legacy happen.

He stays very hands-on about the look of the community and does not hire out architectural designs. “We are extremely conscious about detailed drawings, ‘sameness’ is unacceptable.”

Westcreek is also very involved in the Calgary community with various causes such as the Alberta Children’s Hospital, Kids Cancer Care Calgary, Hope Thru Homes Lottery, Jewish Family Services and numerous others.

Platinum Partner

Gold Partners HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA

Photo by Ewan Nicholson Photography. Furniture provided by Contemporary Office Interiors Ltd.

CONGRATULATIONS

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FOR BEING A LEADER OF TOMORROW

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The Modern-Day Wonder Woman she-dev·il (sh d v l). n A She Devil is someone who is smart, confident, hot inside and out. Doesn’t take $^#& from anyone and always does what is best for the betterment of society regardless of rules or regulations.

A She Devil is the good side of evil!

S

tealing from the creativity gods to give to the masses and saving Alberta from production extinction is exactly what She Devil Productions is doing. And the person behind this passionate collision of minds is not Diana Prince but Diana Liptak.

As the face and founder of She Devil Productions, Diana knows how to capture your attention. “Advertising is about creating emotions and when you trigger an emotion, it becomes memorable – and then you’ve got something,” says Diana. “Strong brands builds businesses ... ineffective brands undermines success.”

Just 12 months after starting the Alberta-based production agency, Diana has aligned herself with some of this city’s most influential movers and shakers.

In just one year, Diana and her team have worked with the likes of Debra Ross, a guru entrepreneur, recognized as one of Business in Calgary’s Leaders of Tomorrow; Jackie Hickson, one of Calgary’s top fashion experts; Gerry Forbes of CJAY 92 and Ron Dickison, the founders of Creative Talent Bank; Jan Hudec, Canadian Olympic downhill ski race champion on his latest high-speed adventure – an optometry clinic out of Bankers Hall; Joey O’Brien, the brainchild behind the resurrection of Fortress Mountain and various oil and gas companies as well as developers and contractors.

Her latest forte into the entertainment side of the business pairs her up to help launch a new record label destined for the charts. She Devil is doing branding and promotions for Rodney Phipps, president of Phaymis Records, and also creating marketing strategies for some hot new Alberta talent like Kalsey Kulyk, a rising star in the world of country music. As well as creating unique, eye-stopping music videos for emerging recording artists.… How many hats can one girl wear and make them fit?

But the show doesn’t stop there. She Devil has even been signed as the principal agency for APRA, the Academy of Production and Recording Artists, and is in the process of creating a new television campaign that will be launching shortly.

Diana Liptak

Photography management by Charles Hope

i

n

is a She Devil

She Devil Productions Upper Level – 205 11 Avenue SE | 587.353.5741

www.shedevilproductions.com facebook: She Devil Productions Linked In: She Devil | Twitter: @She_DVL

By Mary Savage

Amongst all, Diana somehow finds time to provide corporations with ‘lunch and learns,’ educating and helping corporate Calgary ignite their internal culture with respect to the critical aspects of corporate branding.

She Devil has recently partnered with Shawn Shewchuk, author of Change Your Mind, Change Your Results, to produce a television show and when Diana is not pursuing the ‘next big thing,’ you will find her in the recording studio where she is the voice of national radio campaigns like Hockey Canada, Burnco, Calgary Jewellery and various other retail accounts and audiobooks.

Diana’s creative gears are always engaged. “We are continuously elevating the quality of audiovisual products that are generated in the Calgary marketplace,” she notes. “We have world-class facilities and talent in Alberta and many companies are starting to realize the calibre of what’s available here – it is becoming very clear that they no longer need to go to Vancouver or Toronto for high-quality and ingenious campaigns.

“At She Devil we don’t just think outside the box, we burn it! We really like to push the limits. We work with clients from all industries and our goal is to make them stand out.

We create multifunctional campaigns, we look at global trends and cultures, and we know how to make something go viral,” adds Diana.

Little wonder the She Devil has taken the city by storm.

As an example of their signature style, She Devil has taken one-dimensional logos and brought movement, sound and emotion to it. Their approach is smart and slick, but more importantly it’s memorable. Their creative process combines all of the human senses – carefully packaged for delivery excellence.

To capture the essence of She Devil’s overall thought process is near impossible: it has to be seen, heard, felt and experienced. It is unbridled passion and energy – in the making – and it’s an audiovisual experience that leaves you wanting more.

Outside the workweek, She Devil’s unrelenting quest to help local talent has spawned the first annual Shoestring Film Award – designed to help local filmmakers elevate their craft.

Last year, Ron Devitt won a $50,000 post-production package that allowed him to work with the She Devil team through APRA and The Beach to polish his winning entry.

Devitt then went on to submit the finished version in the 2012 Prairie State Film Awards in Chicago, Illinois and the short film garnered a top prize for best sound.

Diana’s latest passion project, still in its infancy, is the creation of a cartoon-like character that will facilitate the She Devil persona. She wants to change the traditional view of the She Devil being malicious, rather quite the opposite … a great juxtaposition of Robin Hood and Wonder Woman … encouraging youth to stand up for themselves and bring their visions to light through collaboration rather than segregation. i.e.: The She Devil persona will appear on T-shirts with statements like “I bully, bullies” – I am a She Devil.

When Diana is not brainstorming, teaching, pitching or researching a new idea, you will find her zooming around town on her motorcycle – clad in She Devil bike gear that she designed. And during the winter months, you’ll find her ski racing. “I have always enjoyed the ‘need for speed’ and the way I live my personal life is also how I drive my business,” she adds with an air of boundless passion and enthusiasm.

She is a She Devil.

Leaders of Tomorrow 2013 • Cover

Leader of Tomorrow:

Jason Ortt

Company: Wolf Custom Homes

W

olf Custom Homes builds more than some of Calgary’s most uniquely spectacular new homes.

Every day and with every project, Wolf Custom Homes builds on its reputation for excellence. Excellence of custom-design, excellence in attentive personalized service and cooperation and the excellence of skilled professionals.

“From the planning stages to completion, the process of building a custom home can be detailed and demanding,” says Jason Ortt, President and founder of Wolf Custom Homes. “Avoiding some of the avoidable stresses actually makes it an enjoyable journey for our clients. One aspect is that we listen! We listen for the home owner’s wants and needs, we listen for the major concerns and the many details and little things. The home owner’s expectations matter the most.”

“We decided early-on that Wolf will aim to be a premier Calgary builder where clients could come if they were looking for something special, something outside-the-box and where they would be assured uncompromising, respectful and personalized ‘concierge service’. That’s what the custom home owner deserves and that’s what they get from Wolf!” Jason says, adamantly.

He is fiercely proud of the skilled Wolf team and credits much of Wolf’s growth to their hard work.

The Wolf philosophy, which Jason instills in staff and trades, is that although building a custom home (on time and on budget) is extremely complex and may have occasional challenges, how the challenges are managed makes a big difference.

In less than 10 years, Wolf Custom Homes has earned an exceptional reputation and become known as one of Calgary’s most sought-after builders. Jason is very gratified about the ultimate measure of his company’s success: “Wolf is growing thanks to some great referrals.”

Wolf Custom Homes gives-back to Calgary and has been involved with The Canadian Diabetes Foundation, Breast Cancer, STARS, Community Safety and other such organizations.

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Photo by Ewan Nicholson Photography. Furniture provided by Contemporary Office Interiors Ltd.

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Your vision got You this far.

Your Your vision vision got got You You this this far. far.

Where you go from here?

Where Where dodo do you you gogo from from here? here?

The of aa true true leader theability ability toembrace embrace today’s The mark The mark mark of a true of leader leader is theisisability the to embrace to today’s today’s challenges head on while uncovering opportunities challenges challenges headhead on while on while uncovering uncovering opportunities opportunities to toto shape a successful tomorrow.

The mark of a visionary, shape shape a successful a successful tomorrow. tomorrow.

The mark The mark of a visionary, of a visionary, however, is defined defined by aa leader’s leader’s ability tocapitalize capitalize onthose those however, however, is defined is by a by leader’s ability ability to capitalize to on those on opportunities while effectively using their available resources opportunities opportunities whilewhile effectively effectively usingusing theirtheir available available resources resources do so.

Our national national scope andlocal local focus positions leading to doto toso. doOur so. national Our scopescope and local and focusfocus positions positions leading leading organizations andvisionaries the visionaries visionaries behind them –for forsuccess, success, organizations organizations – and––the and the behind behind themthem – for–success, no where business takes you. no matter no matter matter where where business business takestakes you. you. proudly congratulates the2013 2013 Leaders Tomorrow.

MNPMNP proudly congratulates congratulates the 2013 the Leaders Leaders of Tomorrow. ofofTomorrow.

We celebrate achievements andanticipate anticipate thepositive positive We celebrate youryour achievements achievements and anticipate and the positive the impact onbusiness our business business community. impact you’llyou’ll havehave on our on our community. community.

Contact Zimmel, Ca,CPa CPa(iLL), (iLL), CMC at403.537.8416 403.537.8416 Contact DaveDave Zimmel, Zimmel, Ca, CPa Ca, (iLL), CMCCMC at 403.537.8416 at or dave.zimmel@mnp.ca or dave.zimmel@mnp.ca dave.zimmel@mnp.ca

Crestview Electric

Crestview Electric Your vision got You this far.

Where do you from here?

Celebrates 25goYears

By Mary Savage

The mark of a true leader is the ability to embrace today’s challenges head on while uncovering opportunities to shape a successful tomorrow. The mark of a visionary, however, is defined by a leader’s ability to capitalize on those opportunities while effectively using their available resources to do so. Our national scope and local focus positions leading organizations – and the visionaries behind them – for success, no matter where business takes you.

MNP proudly congratulates the 2013 Leaders of Tomorrow.

We celebrate your achievements and anticipate the positive impact you’ll have on our business community.

Contact Dave Zimmel, Ca, CPa (iLL), CMC at 403.537.8416 or dave.zimmel@mnp.ca

The team at Crestview Electric. Photo by Mary Savage.

F

rom his newly constructed second story corner office, Tim Engel reflects on 25 years of building a wellrespected business – the challenges as well as the rewards. His demeanor and leadership style is confident, progressive and determined, and after spending a few minutes with Engel, the layers of his commitment and vision start to surface.

Crestview Electric Ltd. is a well-established, highly successful business and at its core you will find a group of individuals that are both empowered and accountable. The employees take pride in their work, they are passionate and there is an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction. Much like Engel’s philosophy, the entire company works with a steadfast determination to achieve slow but steady growth.

Crestview Electric | 25th Anniversary | 1

Crestview Electric

Crestview Building

Over the decades, Crestview has worked throughout western Canada, although the majority of their work has focused on Calgary and the surrounding communities. They have helped bring infrastructure and communities to life via numerous institutional, commercial, industrial and residential projects as well as maintaining the electrical systems once the buildings are complete.

They take great pride in their long-standing customer relations, many of whom have been with Crestview from their inception. All businesses have to start somewhere and for Crestview, it reaches back to 1988 when Engel and Wes Smith became partners – working in the field by day and Engel’s makeshift office basement by night.

“Economically speaking, it was not an ideal time to start a business,” recalls Engel, president, “but from the first day we opened, we received a lot of support. There were probably 20 – 30 people who called us with work and we hit the ground running.”

Prior to starting Crestview, Engel and Smith each brought over a decade of experience to the partnership. They had worked predominantly in the commercial field, but they also had experience in industrial and residential, so they had the

expertise to accept any electrical contract. “We completed the work that came our way and in the beginning, about half of the jobs were commercial while the other half were comprised of industrial and residential contracts.”

Crestview’s first job took the two-man team to Inglewood to rewire a 100-year old house of a homeowner that was akin to a hoarder. “Some of the rooms were so full of stuff that you couldn’t open the door,” remembers Engel. “It was hard work, but we weren’t in a position to turn down a job,” he adds.

During the early years, Engel and Smith had their share of problems, particularly during the first year. One such example would cause many start-ups to rethink their business plan. About six months into launching Crestview and shortly after hiring their first apprentice, they sent him to refuel the work truck one afternoon.

Turns out their apprentice was side swiped at an intersection, hitting the truck’s gas tank. The truck burned to the ground along with all their tools. “We have always been very resourceful and over the years we have overcome many obstacles that would otherwise discourage many startups,” says Tim.

Crestview Electric | 25th Anniversary | 2

Crestview Electric

Calgary Zoo Enmax Conservatory

Ambrose University College

Left to right: Joey Daley, Tim Engel, Ryan Engel. Photo by Mary Savage.

After their first year, they moved to a small bay in the Foothills Industrial Park and stayed in that same location for over 20 years. As the company grew, they expanded into the adjacent bay and over time, the operation gradually took over four bays.

In 2005, Smith retired from the business and Engel bought his shares, making him the sole owner. “Wes and I worked together for about 16 years and there were never any major issues between us. We both had full access to do what was needed in order to run the business,” says Engel.

“We both strived for the betterment of the company and we’ve always been very diligent about looking after our customers. There were days when we didn’t always agree, but the issues were resolved and it was an excellent partnership,” he adds.

By 2010, Crestview had outgrown their space again and they either had to expand into a fifth bay or move to a larger facility. Engel decided it was the right time to construct their

own building and last year, they moved into their new office on the southeast edge of the Industrial Park.

Today the company employs about 120 people that work from a contemporary, two-story building that provides about 8,000 sq. ft. of office space and an additional 7,000 sq. ft. warehouse.

And after 25 years, Tim attributes the company’s success to all the employees – from the apprentices and journeymen to the office staff. “It’s our people that have made us successful,” notes Tim. During the late 1990s and while the company continued to grow, Crestview hired a few people that have proven to be key in their operation. In 1997, Tim’s son, Ryan, joined the company and today he looks after the commercial division.

Another key hire was Joey Daley who joined Crestview in 1998 and oversees the small business division. “Both Ryan and Joey are excellent leaders and bring a lot of experience to the company,” says Engel.

Crestview Electric | 25th Anniversary | 3

Crestview Electric

Heritage Park Gasoline Alley

Crestview Building Lobby

On the administration side, Marcelle Vallee, joined the company in 2009 and has worked in nearly every internal department. As the office administrator, her wealth of company knowledge combined with her work ethic has contributed to the overall growth of Crestview and she is an integral person within the organization.

“Our company works very efficiently: it’s all done on time, on budget and we have very few problems. We have open communication, our employees are well trained and very personable – they understand the importance of first impressions and they are very aware of their conduct and professionalism while completing a contract,” he remarks.

“When you look at all the other electrical companies in the marketplace, it seems a lot of them have previous Crestview employees within their organization and they are well respected,” he adds. “When it comes to our people and our processes, we are very strong in the industry. Consequently, we have many long-term employees and customers, and we are proud of our reputation.”

Conduit work at Cranston Sobeys

All in a day’s work…

Crestview provides all aspects of electrical services from commercial and institutional to industrial and residential, but they also offer specialty services that are not readily available with other companies.

They carry a full line of instrumentation equipment that encompasses technical and data communication capabilities, ranging from power analyzers to thermal and data testing equipment. Crestview provides a complete service and that separates them from their competitors.

“Many of the smaller companies can’t afford to buy the specialty equipment, but we’ve been around long enough and we’ve invested in the company to provide some of our bigger customers with these services. They want specific information when it comes to trouble shooting, power surges and like scenarios, and we are able to determine what’s causing these problems or issues,” says Engel.

Over the years, Crestview has built many partnerships in the institutional sector and as a result, they have an excellent track

Crestview Electric | 25th Anniversary | 4

W

hen the Crestview employees are not in the field, you will likely find them inside the Crestview classroom, which is one of the only electrical companies in the City to provide ongoing, in-house classroom training. When the plans for the new building were drafted, the classroom was included by design as part of Engel’s long-term vision.

Unlike many companies that have a safety officer or safety division, Crestview takes a different approach.

“We bring the experts to Crestview and train our employees for certification because safety helps ensure programs and efficiency within the company. Additionally Crestview is COR certified and every employee

record. “About half of our projects are designated as L.E.E.D. and we are heavily involved with recycling – from wire and ballasts to lamps. We recycle the majority of materials that are found on a job site,” he adds. “Most of our customers are onside with these programs and we tend to take on projects that are high in the L.E.E.D. orientation.

A landmark project that Crestview completed took them to Heritage Park where they worked on the entire expansion – from Gasoline Alley to the out buildings and the parking lot. Other noteworthy projects around town also include the Edge School and Sports Facility, the IKO Shingle plant, Shoppers Drug Mart distribution warehouse, the Calgary Zoo Enmax Conservatory, the Calgary Stampede Agricultural Building renovation, Ambrose University College and residence, numerous fire halls and City of Calgary projects as well as over 30 new schools and recreation facilities.

Additionally, Crestview completes a lot of sensitive and time-restrictive work. “We work in high security areas of a building and the work is usually completed on a tight schedule. Sometimes our employees will work around the clock

Wishing you continued success as you celebrate 25 years in business.

From all of us at

is trained in First Aid, lift training and related safety aspects,” he says.

“Another training mechanism we provide brings the apprentices into the office where we teach them how to read plans and complete estimates,” adds Engel.

“It’s important for them to see how things work in the office as well as the field, and the training program has worked extremely well.”

“When we hire someone new, we prefer to start with a clean slate, teach them our processes and they tend to stay with us for a long time,” he adds. “The majority of our employees have been with us since they started in the trade.”

to complete the job, but you’ll never hear them complain,” remarks Engel. “The work is not too technically challenging anymore; the challenge is always meeting the customer’s timeline.”

Much of Crestview’s work is repeat business and comes from longstanding relationships. “We’ve received excellent feedback from our customers. We have an open book policy with our clients and that has created a lot of trust,” observes Tim. “It doesn’t matter where we go or what we do; when we leave a site, the customer is always happy. We haven’t become successful overnight. It’s been a process to gradually work with our clients, keep them happy and achieve slow, but steady growth.”

Looking forward, Engel is optimistic that the future is bright. “We are not going to change the way we do things.

It took us 25 years to arrive at this point and as we continue to grow, we will probably become more technical, which will make us stand out from the other contractors. The more technical expertise we have, the greater the knowledge and advantage we can offer,” Engel notes.

As Crestview Electric celebrates their 25th anniversary, they wish to extend a heart-felt ‘thank you’ to all the business partners, suppliers, customers and employees that have contributed to their success. On a personal note, Tim Engel also extends a special ‘thank you’ to his wife and daughter for all of their support over the years. •

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Crestview Electric | 25th Anniversary | 5

Congratulations

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Wishing you many more years of prosperous growth.

Happy 25thAnniversary!

All of us at Guillevin and Leviton extend warmest congratulations to Crestview Electric as they celebrate 25 exceptional years in business. We W look fo f rward to being a part of your continued success in the years to come!

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Crestview Electric | 25th Anniversary | 8

Moving Dirt for 45 Years

By Mary Savage

T

he first time Andy Surkon climbed into the cab of a bulldozer, he was 17 years old. It was also a moment in time that foreshadowed his career, though he didn’t realize it. By the time Andy was in his late 20s, he had completed an overseas term with the Army, received his ticket as a welder, was married and had started a family with his wife, Denise. And now he was about to become self-employed – moving dirt.

He started Kon Construction Ltd. in 1967 with one bullbull dozer and moved dirt from ‘sunup till sundown,’ while Denise looked after the books and raised their four kids.

By 1974, Kon was incorporated and they had landed their first big subdivision job: grading the site for the Red Carpet Trailer Park in southeast Calgary. The business had carved out a well-respected name for itself and contracts contincontin ued to come through the door, but Andy and Denise kept the operation small.

For the first seven years, the couple did all the work themselves – running the business from their home office.

Andy subscribed to a few simple principles: you don’t expand unless you’ve got the money in the bank and you ‘reap what you sow.’ He believed in hard work, honest busibusi ness dealings and a genuine commitment to the customer.

Since the late 1960s, Kon has survived the peaks and valval

The team at Kon Construction. Photo by Mary Savage.

leys of Alberta’s economic landscape – learning, growing and evolving as they built a more efficient operation. Kon has expanded and contracted to meet market demand and its longevity is evidence of the family’s deep-rooted comcom mitment to the business and the industry.

“In construction, we are the first to feel any shift in the economy and it’s a very volatile industry. There are so many factors that affect our business and when you’re able to survive for as long as we have in this industry that says a lot about the company,” expresses Carrie, the youngest of the four kids.

During the late 2000s, Andy retired from the daily operaopera tion, although he still keeps a hand in the business and visits the Calgary office from time to time.

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Kon Construction | 45th Anniversary | 1

Over the course of 45 years, and as fate would have it, all four siblings have worked for Kon, and today, the second generation is planted firmly at the helm – a proud accomaccom plishment given that only about 30 per cent of family-run businesses succeed to the second generation.

Integrating the Second Generation During the late 1970s, Andy and Denise’s three sons started to work for the business while still in high school. They helped out in the field, in the shop and ran equipment. By the late ’80s they all found themselves in managing positions while their little sister cleaned offices at Kon after school. Her dream was to attend uniuni versity and earn a degree. Although all the kids grew up surrounded by the family business, Carrie had set her sights on a different path, yet just like her father, she was 17 when she climbed aboard and operated her first piece of heavy machinery.

While the brothers worked full time with their father, Carrie earned a degree in business. During the early ’90s and shortly after graduation, she was living in Edmonton and found herself drawn back to the family business, runrun ning the office that she helped to open in the late ’80s.

“Over the years, we have persisted when many people would have thrown in the towel. We have worked very hard

One of Denise’s fondest memories, from the early years, found her visiting Andy in the field. She would load their three sons into the car and deliver a hot lunch while the boys climbed aboard the dozer to keep their father company.

and it’s been the family unit, along with the help of Wayne Chabot, operations manager, who joined us in 2008, that has kept the business alive – it wasn’t the lenders or finanfinan cial institutions,” remarks Carrie.

“We operate very much as a team. My second oldest brother Craig, along with Wayne, our superintendent, Tim Bibe (with Kon for over 20 years), and myself work closely together, but we recognize that all of our staff play an important role in our success,” she adds.

“And that’s the package that people get when they hire Kon. We are not a group of people who go home at the end of the day and forget about the work,” she says. “You can never truly leave the work – it’s 24-7. We have been successful because of our beliefs; anybody can move dirt, but our belief in achieving success – colcol lectively – has kept us going.”

As the siblings look to the future, they are optimistic Kon will continue Heavy Equipment to see steady growth, they are not Rentals & Sales afraid of new challenges and they are TOLL TOLLFREE: FREE: 1-877-796-7223 1-877-796-7223 slowly starting to integrate the third DIRECT: DIRECT: 403-968-4468 403-968-4468 generation.

“We have a very unique work Most of our equipment is located in our yard just outside of Calgary environment that is both challengchalleng ing and rewarding,” adds Carrie. “We Congratulations to Kon Construction on their 45th Anniversary! have passion and a commitment to each other, to the business, to our customers and our parents.” •

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Kon Construction | 45th Anniversary | 3

AE Security Celebrates 30 Years

By John Hardy

Office and showroom purchased in 1999

Above and bottom right: the team at AE Security

T

he sign over the door and on the trucks may say “AE Security,” however they are actually in the peace-ofmind business. AE Security has been one of Calgary’s most respected and premier home, business and commercial security companies for 30 years.

It was founded in 1983 by Randy Larkam, who brought in his daughter Elisha Walsh and Chris Rubak as shareholders to add to the already dedicated, knowledgeable and dynamic family.

“Not only is the latest technology tremendous and exciting,” says Larkam, “but it gives our customers so many new and sophisticated features they not only need, but more importantly want. Like remote arm and disarming as well as arm/disarm notifications and video clips emailed to their cellphones, video technology, card access, going online to open the front door, rekey their own access cards and more.

“Often nowadays it’s so much more than a ‘security system.’

It’s a communication – information – technology service.”

While AE utilizes the most up-to-date and state-of-the-art technology, Larkam is genuinely proud that the truly unique AE difference is their superbly trained and qualified AE staff. This includes their expertise with various residential and commercial security technologies as well as their long-term experience.

“We’re one of the longest serving privately-owned Calgaryarea security service companies. We provide our clients over 120 years of combined experience in the security industry, with a personalized touch,” Larkam explains. “No voicemail is used during business hours. For the most efficient response and reliability, you need to be able to reach a live person. And you do, every time.”

“We make sure that the AE staff has the latest information

and can quickly assist our clients. Most importantly, our clients call in and always speak with a real person who is a trained professional, who can help and not just say ‘check the manual.’”

For 30 years, AE Security has unconditionally maintained an intentional personalized and simple touch about their installations and service. And it’s still reflected in the original motto, which is as much a part of the AE promise today as it was when the doors first opened 30 years ago: “Large enough to serve you; small enough to know you!”

For the home, security systems will give the entire family the peace of mind they deserve, with keypads and backwards compatible automation home controllers. Beyond the best door, window, motion and glass-break detection AE also provides, freeze, fire, flood and CO gas protection with 24-hour monitoring, police and/or guard dispatch and response.

Now you can get an email or text when your child disarms the security system after school and even get a video clip attached. Not only can you control your alarm from your smartphone or PC, now you can also control locks, thermostats and lights as well.

Your mother can live in your family home longer because she wears a two-way voice pendant that she can use to talk to the monitoring centre in an emergency even when she is outside gardening.

For business, AE Security provides complete end-to-end solutions, from simple storefront intrusion to ULC-listed fire alarm monitoring and burglary systems that integrate video and access control for retail, commercial, industrial and complex warehouse distribution environments.

Their web-hosted fully-integrated access control systems let

AE Security | 30th Anniversary

www.aesecurity.ca • (403) 531-1555 you manage single or multiple buildings from most Internetconnected devices. You can let someone into your office or cancel a dismissed employee’s access immediately right from your smartphone. The system can also email or text you whenever all or specific staff members enter your office after hours.

It’s the solid reliability and trust that makes AE Security the customized security services provider for more than 15 Calgary area car dealerships, most Calgary area Staples stores and most of the security work for the Towns of Okotoks and Airdrie.

The up-to-date, experienced AE professionals are extremely skilled when it comes to helpful and personalized in-home or workplace consultations. They listen to specific needs, and then they develop and propose a customized security design plan and arrange every detail of the installation.

“Would you like to unlock your deadbolt with a four-digit code and automatically disarm your system, turn your thermostat up and turn on the foyer light? Or maybe you would like to control the security system at your cabin from your smartphone and turn up the heat before your arrival,” Larkam smiles.

“Honeywell has a Connected Home solution that adapts to your family’s changing needs and customizes to your lifestyle.”

Especially in today’s security-conscious life, trust and reliability matter ... a lot!

AE Security staff are licensed professionals ensuring integrity, quality, reliability and trust. AE Security has been a First Alert and a Honeywell Authorized Dealer for over 10 years, is certified by the Underwriters Laboratories of Canada and is a 30-year Calgary Better Business Bureau accredited business.

Thirty years of loyal and satisfied referrals and word of mouth are the ultimate reference. AE Security – “You’re Safe with Us!” •

Congratulations, AE Security!

We wish you many more years of success.

Phone (403) 279.5531 • Fax (403)279.7648 Inland Pipe, a division of Lehigh Hanson Materials Limited.

Congratulations to AE Security on 30 years of success!

Congratulations on your 30th anniversary!

THANKS FOR 30 YEARS OF KEEPING AN EYE OUT!

SecurTek is proud to be partners with AE Security in providing monitored security solutions to their customers since 1999. We would like to congratulate AE Security on their 30th Anniversary and recognize them for their accomplishments and outstanding customer service.

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WHERE CALGARY COMES FOR FORD. AT DEERFOOT AND DOUGLASDALE • (403) 253-2211 www.WOODRIDGEFORD.com

AE Security | 30th Anniversary

Celebrates 30 Years!

By John Hardy

Y

our roof is an investment that will not only increase the overall aesthetics and value of your home, but also gives you the assurance your home is well protected for many years to come.

There are so many things to think about when making a roofing decision. The best materials and products? Durabilty?

Although there is no such thing as “stupid questions,” some basic questions need to be answered. Safety? Warranty? Building codes and ventilation? The cost? How long will it take?

With over 30 years of experience, Bricor Roofing is able to take these factors into consideration and help you make an informed decision on the right product for your home.

Corey McLellan, the owner and president of Bricor Roofing is an extremely personable and hands-on professional who, excitingly, urges people to ask questions. “Today’s consumers are savvy. Whether it’s during a roof inspection, getting a quote or after they assign us a job – people have done their internet homework.” But McLellan genuinely wants you to ask quesques tions: about the aging signs of shingles? About the pros and cons of different products? About recycling the old shingles?

Bricor’s customers have appreciated that proactive and friendly approach for 30 years. Bricor Roofing is a Calgary based and family owned company that has been doing roofing

and re-roofing in the Calgary area since 1983.

The 30th Anniversary is a confirmation of Bricor Roofing’s trust, earned from the uncompromised three decades of reliable, professional and quality roofing work that gives loyal Calgary customers the assurance their home is well protected for many years to come.

“My father, Barry McLellan, started the business in 1983 and wanted to make sure it was unconditionally a family business, so he named it after my brother Brian and me,” says expert roofer, overall people-person and Bricor owner Corey McLellan.

Because roofing is so much more than just removing old shingles and putting up new ones, the Bricor employees are superbly trained and skilled specialists who understand the Building Code, the materials, the tools, the pitch and roof angles, the techniques, the correct ventilation standards and placements and the proper structural support according to safety and building code standards.

“The three-tab roof shingles that were popular for a long time are almost dinosaurs” Corey McLellan says. “Now there are new, laminated/architectural shingles, the same cost as the old three-tab ones, and are much more aesthetically pleasing with a fibreglass core so they won’t curl.

“We are small by design,”” McLellan says with good-natured

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Bricor Roofing | 30th Anniversary

www.bricorroofing.com | Call 403.720.3582 for your free roof estimate!

Left to right: Corey McLellan, Tanya McLellan, Ian Blair, Bruce Anderson, Barb Padwicki.

Photo by Nancy Bielecki.

One of the Toyota vehicles from Bricor Roofing’s fleet of company trucks.

Photo by Kim Hogan.

pride. “I quote and inspect absolutely every job and I make sure I’m involved in everything we do. That’s one of the ways we can keep personalizing every job we’re asked to do.”

Whether it’s the straight, honest and informative initial inspection and quotation of your roof, all the way to the skilled Bricor professionals doing the neat and efficient removal of your old roof, to the meticulous installation of your new roof, Bricor Roofing are the experts you can trust.

Although Bricor installers are seasoned professionals who strictly adhere to safety regulations and are fully covered under Workers Compensation, ask about Bricor’s solid certifications and vital $2,000,000 liability insurance to ensure that your home is protected. Don’t forget: without the proper liability insurance, any problems are homeowner responsibility. Bricor Roofing carries a respected 10 year workmanship warranty in addition to the manufacturer’s warranty. Bricor is a proud member of the Better Business Bureau, Alberta Allied Roof Roofing Association, and ECCO Pave – recycling your discarded shingles to be reused to build and maintain Alberta’s roads and keeping those old shingles out of Calgary’s landfills.

Solid professionalism. Quality and reliability. Trust. A 30-year Calgary area history of expertise and exceptional service; and the Bricor Roofing slogan which has, long ago, become a job description for Bricor staff: “Our pride of workmanship, is your pride of ownership!” •

CONGRATULATIONS ON 30 SUCCESSFUL YEARS!

IT’S ALWAYS BEEN CANYON CREEK TOYOTA

Bricor Roofing | 30th Anniversary

25th Anniversary

By John Hardy

I

t takes a lot of industrial, engineering and technology skills and experience to be known and respected as THE pump experts.

And after 25 years of the most up-to-date expertise, innovative and customized pump system designs and outstanding commer commercial and residential service, Chinook Pumps Ltd. continues to earn its reputation as one of Canada’s premier pump experts.

Although Chinook Pumps has been renowned for water well systems – including sewage, sumps, submersibles, jet, turbine, pond, waterscape, irrigation and positive displacement pumps and controls or systems as well as parts and service for all domestic and municipal applications – a diverse range of custom engineered products for various applications have also become one of the many Chinook Pump specialties.

“There have been so many exciting changes in the 25 years since the business started,” says founder and owner Tom Hill.

“Especially when it comes to the latest in technology and electronics. And we are proud that the key to the Chinook Pumps success and the main component of our service are the staff.

They make all the difference and set us apart.”

The constantly upgrading and up-to-date staff enables Chinook Pumps to offer clients more than 200 years of combined experience, knowledge and service expertise when it comes to the gamut of existing pump equipment as well as the everchanging new technology.

Although Tom Hill explains that he and his skilled Chinook Pumps staff are called on for various commercial and residential assignments – from engineering, assembly, troubleshooting, diagnosing and service for pumps of all types – the Chinook

Tom Hill, founder and owner. Photos by Kim Hogan.

Pumps research and development team are often asked to design and work on customized and new systems, such as the Chinook constant pressure system, the 12-volt jet pump and Chinook’s industrial-patented 12-volt transit mix pump.

One of the other features that make Chinook Pumps unique: all the design, engineering and machining is done in-house.

“We understand the industry – we understand how things work, how they are supposed to work and some of the common and unusual problems. Our staff is always doing upgrading seminars about the newest systems and we are up to date with the terrific new technology.”

Wholesale Distributor of Pumps and Water Systems since 1975

lations on 25 y u t a ea gr n rs!

Co

the PUMP professionals Alberta’s Goulds/Xylem products distributor “Congratulations Chinook Pumps!”

Edmonton 9840 – 47 th Ave. Ph: (780) 435-5919 Fax: (780) 435-6019 E-mail: edmonton@aquateck.com Calgary 2410A – 2nd Ave. S.E. Ph: (403) 272-0052 Fax: (403) 272-0998 E-mail: calgary@aquateck.com

Sego Industries Inc. 3905 14 Avenue N Lethbridge, Alberta T1H 6P6 Phone: 403-328-1770 • Toll Free: 800-565-8430 • Fax: 403-328-1445 www.segoindustries.com • Email: sales@segoindustries.com

Chinook Pumps 25th Anniversary

www.chinookpumps.com Phone: (403) 243-3310

Positive and appreciative word of mouth continues to not only grow the business but enhance the Chinook Pumps reputation for being the most skilled, reliable and best there is!

Some days, when Tom Hill has a rare moment to reflect and remember back to 1988, he vividly recalls simpler times and starting his personalized service business from the basement of his home.

Word (and satisfied customers) spread Hill’s reputation, quickly earned success and suddenly Chinook Pumps had to expand and move to a 2,000-square-foot shop.

Fast forward to 2013, it is the Chinook Pumps 25th anniversary and the dynamic Chinook Pumps staff is busier than ever, working out of a 10,000-square-foot Calgary shop.

“Sump pumps used to be very occasional in homes and on farms,” Hill says. “Today, especially with the heavy downpours in the Calgary area, sumps pumps are almost necessities and commercial pumps are almost a science.

“And we do everything in-house, no contracting out. That’s why it’s so important that our Chinook Pumps professionals be qualified and capable of servicing and custom-building any scal-

®

12015 – 152 Street Edmonton, AB T5V 1G4 Ph: (780) 474-7440 • Fax: (780) 474-3454 Toll Free: 1-888-474-7441 www.norwescocanada.com • info@norwescocanada.com

Manufacturer of: • Water storage tanks up to 12,000 imp. gal.

• Water hauling tanks • Chemical tanks • Secondary containment basins • 100, 300, 500 & 1,000 gallon double wall tanks

Congratulations Chinook Pumps Ltd. on your 25th Anniversary!

able solution, from the various basics to the many special and specific needs of our commercial and residential customers.”

Customized and specialized commercial consulting and service is something else that sets Chinook Pumps apart. In-house designed, engineered and manufactured Chinook Pumps systems and equipment is currently being used by Alberta’s oil industry as well Chinook-designed pump systems installed and being used in Iran, Iraq, Cuba and Kazakhstan.

The tremendous Chinook Pumps expertise and services are much in demand, the dynamic and innovative skills and talents of the Chinook staff combined with the many advancements in all aspects of pump systems and technology and the loyalty and response from Chinook’s residential and commercial customers make for a very special 25th anniversary for Chinook Pumps Ltd. Positive and appreciative word of mouth continues to not only grow the business but enhance the Chinook Pumps reputation for being the most skilled, reliable and best there is! •

Maple Ridge, BC Canada - Ph 604-420-4332 Fax 604-942-4950 • Toll Free 1-800-595-2632 • www.mancorp.ca

Congratulations Chinook Pumps!

We value our relationship and wish you continued success!

Proud Distributor of:

Chinook Pumps 25th Anniversary

The Family vs. The Family Business • Succession Planning

The Family vs.

The Family Business

BY JOHN HARDY

M

ost families have them. Good times. Tough times.

Ups and downs. Sentimental moments. Situations.

Problems. Secrets. Hoarded family treasures no one ever liked. Family that inspire pride and family that embarrasses. Family favourites who everybody loves, quirky family who nobody can forget and forgettable family who nobody remembers.

It’s just that some family situations and problems are different (usually bigger) than others.

Take the Shaws, the Molsons, the Westons, the Aspers, the McCains, the (ATCO) Southerns, the Sobeys, the Irvings, the Bentalls, the Bronfmans, Stan, Flo and the rest of the (Sunterra) Prices and the lesser-known and flying-under-theradar Canadian plumbing, trucking, law firm, engineering, restaurant, car dealership, manufacturing and golf course family businesses.

What they have in common can sometimes set them apart.

Determination, guts, drive, daring, struggle, risk, failure, a whole lot of smarts and savvy, leadership, adapting to change (and a morsel of charm) are what usually distinguishes business owners from employees.

But, as corporate, legal and accounting history shows, eventually the makings of the second and third generations ultimately determine the fate of a family business. Despite the mush of family ties, the second and third generations who may have paid their dues in the field, in the shop, driving a fork lift, been an assistant to the assistant, shuffling files, getting along with staff, making deliveries and other grunt work but second and third generations who likely never had to struggle, risk or fail.

Maybe no longer the Shaws, the Molsons, the Irvings or the Westons, but a vast majority of contemporary family business owners are confident (and assume) that the same family will control their business in five years.

96 • July 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

Left to right: David Bentall, David Zimmel and Joe Lougheed

Unfortunately too late, precedent and statistics can be a jolting reality check. Fewer than 30 per cent of family businesses survive into the second generation; 12 per cent are still viable into the third generation; and maybe three per cent of family businesses are still in business by the fourth generation or beyond.

Unbiased, no ulterior motive research shows that family business failures are invariably traceable to one common factor: a lack of calm and carefully thought out family business succession planning.

“Family businesses are complicated, mostly because of the dynamics of a family,” says Dave Zimmel, vice-president, Private Enterprise with Calgary’s MNP LLP – Canada’s seventh largest accounting and consulting firm with 70 offices and 3,000 employees from B.C. to Quebec. “The emotional sides are critical. Fair versus equal, mom versus dad, feuding siblings, parent-child estrangements and sometimes estranged spouses.

“While a business is about bottom lines, efficiency and effectiveness, it requires that the patriarch or matriarch and the family t-a-l-k and communicate,” Zimmel emphasizes.

“Too often it just doesn’t happen, but it is all on the table whether people want to talk about it or not.”

While the family business histories and statistics underscore a glaring need for the input of accountants, consultant and lawyers about succession planning strategies and options, they can also create superficial and misleading stereotypes.

“When hearing stats like ‘70 per cent of family businesses fail in the second generation,’ some people get instantly judgemental and conclude that something must be wrong with the next generation,” observes David Bentall, a much in-demand family business consultant and seminar speaker and the author of Leaving a Legacy: Navigating Family Business Succession.

The Family vs. The Family Business • Succession Planning

“They don’t consider the possibilities that those generalized stats include family companies which were sold, family companies which participated in an IPO or some family companies where family either didn’t have aptitude or interest in the business.”

Bentall probably has more first-hand experience in the highs and lows of family business succession than anyone else in the province. He is the grandson of patriarch Charles Bentall of the Bentall Group and its Dominion Construction which built many major downtown Vancouver buildings since 1911. Bentall himself experienced a traumatic transition in the late 1980s that fractured the powerful family empire and, by his own admission, “the family business situation deteriorated into a fractured wasteland of broken relationships,” and ultimately, abruptly and painfully ousted him from being heir apparent and stripped him of a lifelong dream to lead the family business.

It was followed by another family business transition when Bentall and three siblings bought Dominion Construction.

He ran the company (which went on to build the Vancouver landmark GM Place) and eventually Bentall negotiated a third and smooth family business transition when he sold the company to his sister and brother-in-law in 1998.

“Having been part of three separate family business succession arrangements in my own family,” he nods with some sentiment, “I speak from much experience that avoiding difficult issues simply doesn’t work. Families need to talk. Avoidance may feel safer but sooner than later, it leads to tragedy.”

Some family business succession stats are refreshingly positive. Family companies tend to outperform non-family companies; the average lifespan of all companies is about 12 years while the average lifespan of family businesses is 24 years; and, for various reasons, it is documented that family-controlled businesses last longer and earn more money that privately owned and run companies.

“Success planning is a process, not an event,” explains Joe Lougheed, a fourth generation Calgarian (yes, son of beloved former premiere Peter Lougheed) and a respected lawyer and partner at Dentons Canada LLP, specializing in general corporate law, private equity and corporate governance. “There must be an overall plan for owning and managing in the long term. Nominally successful business people are intense negotiators and executors who do a great job. Sometimes family members just can’t do that and they need to bring in a third party, family business coach or advisor.”

As Bentall cautioned, sometimes it gets to be too much about money. “Too often family members get pre-occupied with the complicated financial planning aspects of family business succession planning. Proper and effective succession planning is preparing the next generation for the demands, pitfalls and options of future management.”

The financial and tax planning parts of the succession planning process may be the most basic because most it is cut and dried and well documented. “Most well planned successions include drafting a will, ways to minimize taxes,

maybe spousal roll overs, estate freezes, deemed dispositions, minimizing and deferred taxes and the use of trusts,” Lougheed itemizes.

As solidly experienced and respected succession planning consultants like MNP coach and preach on many occasions, it is management succession planning of the family business that requires the all-important focus of four key departments common to all businesses: administration and finance, operations and customer fulfillment, sales, and marketing.

Most professionals and consultants agree. One key, hard core but often overlooked part of succession planning of a family business is fair market valuation. Many business founders come to the end of their careers, genuinely proud of the business, but with grossly unrealistic expectations of what an outsider investor’s offer will be. Even with the cushioning advice and analysis of a qualified valuator, the exercise creates practical and emotional stress.

It’s just one reason why, for most family businesses, planning for succession may be the toughest and most critical challenge the company may ever confront.

If done right, succession planning can also be a potent occasion to maximize opportunities and create a multi-generational institution that not only enshrines the founder’s vision and values long after they step aside, but helps address issues related to not only the ownership succession but vitally important management succession planning and sometimes overlooked leadership development.

Management consultants and academics agree: leadership accounts for a big share of any organization’s success.

According to the internationally respected Wharton School of Finance, “between 15–25 per cent of a corporation’s profitability is determined by the leadership skills and character of the chief executive.”

“Families are wise to not give the business to the kids.

Have them buy it!” MNP’s Zimmel says, emphatically. “If they have skin in the game it makes a huge difference. It not only gives them a more blunt and balanced view, but it forces them to earn their stripes. The kind of person you’re going to be is the kinds of people you are associating with, the kind of books you read and the problems you deal with.”

Sometimes taking nest egg money out of the equation helps achieve better succession planning clarity. “I encourage families to take the elder generation’s retirement money and put it outside the family business,” Bentall suggests, “so the kids can have the opportunity to run the company without risking mom and dad’s retirement.”

The federal government’s Canada Business Network offers useful advice for family businesses: • Start succession planning five years before the owner’s retirement and involve the whole family.

• Outline the options: transferring to a family member, selling to a partner or an employee or finding a buyer.

• Most importantly, get professional help. A succession planning advisor, a financial planner, an accountant, a lawyer or all four. BiC www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY July 2013 • 97

The Entertainment Expense Lobby Keeps Pushing • Golf

The Entertainment Expense Lobby

Keeps Pushing

BY JOHN HARDY

O

nce upon a federal government time – seven years before the Atlanta Flames moved north to become the Calgary Flames; when a 31 year old Jack Nicklaus ruled the golf world and four years before Tiger Woods was born – Ottawa was lobbied, nudged and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was convinced to ban golf expenses as corporate tax write-offs. The logic was mostly the warped impression that golf is an elitist game for a very small fringe of wealthy people who don’t need any additional tax breaks.

The 1966 Royal Commission on Taxation ruled that businesses were abusing the system by writing off golf vacations and recreational play. By 1971, a sweeping tax reform singled-out golf and barred companies from writing off anything golf-related.

Somehow, 42 golf-discriminating years later, another lobby is asking, suggesting, proposing and gradually convincing contemporary MPs, the Finance Minister and even the Prime Minister that golf is indisputably a mainstream game (the country’s most popular recreational activity, according to Statistics Canada) and deserves as much allowable expense status as Flames, Oilers and Canucks games, theatre tickets, wining and dining in pricey restaurants, Stones concerts and three token-hours of real estate seminars on a one week tax write-off Caribbean cruise.

At the moment Canadian businesses can deduct 50 per cent of a meal, Flames tickets or other entertainment expenses (including tax and tip) from their taxes, as long as the event and expense can be shown to have helped to earn income.

Unless it is a quirk of the still lingering 42 year old Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) logic, any expense incurred for use of a golf course (membership, initiation, cart rental or greens fees) may not be claimed for tax purposes.

“As an industry, we have been and are still getting steppedon unfairly,” says Jeff Calderwood, CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association Canada (NGCOA). “No one else would tolerate it, so why should we? It’s widely accepted that a golf game is a very effective and valuable way to

98 • July 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

do business. That’s why many business people, from senior management to sales reps, routinely do lots of business on the golf course.”

The group is pushing the lopsided comparison that the same business people can and routinely do, expense Flames and Stampeders games or Ziggy Marley tickets at Jack Singer, where, by comparison, not much business is done and income earned, but they’re allowable expenses.

Insiders, outsiders and management consultants with or without biases agree that the four or five hour direct and captive audience face time on a golf course is much more personalized and potent for genuinely “doing business” than sitting in The Saddledome or the Max Bell Theatre.

After 26 years of disallowing any golf related business expenses, Canada’s tax-policy numbers crunchers have relented a bit about golf expenses. In 1997, tax rules begrudgingly allowed meals and beverages consumed in the clubhouse as eligible for a 50 per cent tax deduction—the same deduction that’s allowed for most other popular business entertainment expenses like hockey games or pricey schmoozing in chi-chi restaurants and bars.

The vast majority of Canada’s 2,400 golf courses are small businesses, and the NGOAC and the PGA of Canada are in a chorus with the unarguable discussion points that the Canadian golf industry is being unfairly punished because of an outdated and stereotypical view of the sport.

Their crusade is the documented and vital Canadian fact – not opinion – that primarily small-business people run Canada’s golf industry. Of the approximately 2,400 golf facilities across the country, only about 200 are private clubs. Forty years ago, it was a different story.

What the well-organized and well-connected small business golf course owners are pushing for is a level playing field with other allowable “entertainment businesses expense” opportunities with which they must compete.

With the dynamic rallying push from Calderwood and their Association, Canada’s golf course owners are making the case that it would be a big boost for golf course business

The Entertainment Expense Lobby Keeps Pushing • Golf

Jeff Calderwood, CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association Canada

Reto Steiner, president of the National Golf Course Owners Association Canada and owner of the Woodside Golf Course in Airdrie.

and actually generate additional taxes while having a very marginal (if any) impact on the country’s total tax revenues.

Tax consultants and numbers crunchers have calculated that allowing the expense could be close to revenue-neutral.

“In a $254 billion budget, this would be the equivalent of a rounding error, maybe $20 million in lost revenue, if that,” Calderwood says with cynical frustration.

Government officials neither confirm nor deny the calculation, but say it would be difficult to guesstimate actual lost revenue figures since deductions for golf have not been a factor in their calculations for more than four decades.

“Look, it’s a drop in the bucket! roars Reto Steiner, the current NGCOA Canada president and the gregarious, wellknown owner of the Woodside Golf Course in Airdrie. “It is overdue time that especially the federal government understand and recognize the evolution of golf. Maybe 42 years ago, 90 per cent of golfers belonged to private clubs. Today it’s exactly the opposite. About 90 per cent are public course golfers and many routinely take clients to tournaments.”

“This spring the NGCOA sent letters to all Members of Parliament, asking for their review and urging overdue amendments to the Income Tax Act to at least allow business expense deductions for guest and cart fees when business people entertain clients on the golf course,” Calderwood explains, professionally ready for battle.

The timing is perfect. There is a surge of business being done on the golf course, and Canada’s golf course owners, as well as a group of parliamentarians calling themselves the All Party Golf Caucus (a growing number of MPs from across Canada), have joined strong and convincing forces to make the case for rescinding the hopelessly dated, 42 year old ban and finally allowing golf as a legitimate business expense.

Every chance he gets, Calderwood rouses his more than 2,400 members into lobbying action, organizing hearings and meetings in Ottawa, sending notices, posting reminders on the NGCOA website and even offering coaching and

downloadable website resource materials for members to make direct contact and keep pushing their local MPs for action.

“Meeting face-to-face with an MP is the most effective method of advocacy available and now is the perfect time to reach out,” he says. “MPs are always willing to meet with people, especially business people, from their riding. It only takes about 20 minutes to meet with your MP, factually explain the issue and ask for their support. It will happen!” the Association’s energetic CEO says with positive conviction. “The question is political timing.”

Behind the legislative assault is an industry that has long targeted the law. The last attempt to revoke the measure fizzled in 2008, when a global financial crisis threatened to sap Canada’s finances. The effort to repeal the golf’s entertainment expense law seemed a low priority at the time.

Canada’s economy has recovered better than most other industrial countries and while Prime Minister Stephen Harper has promised to slash expenses to balance the budget, he has also pushed through a number of big corporate tax cuts and a series of smaller tax-relief measures.

“It’s not about the dollars,” says Calgary’s Reto Steiner with an exasperated shrug. “It’s more about the optics than about the numbers. It’s about the government considering golf an elitist sport and basically it’s about fairness and not discriminating between one form of entertainment and another.” BiC

“…many business people, from senior management to sales reps, routinely do lots of business on the golf course.” ~ Jeff Calderwood

www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY July 2013 • 99

How Do I Hit The Ball Farther?

G

olfers want to hit the ball farther, but how often do you hear: “Swing Slower?” Does this make any sense at all? The reason golfers slow the golf swing through the impact zone is to compensate for mistakes in their golf swing. If you slow your swing down, then you will have a little more time to make the corrections necessary to make contact with the ball. So, in that respect, slowing down the swing is good advice. However, if you want to hit it farther, you need to learn how to swing faster. But you can’t swing faster if you do not have some sound fundamentals.

For this tip we are going to focus on one swing fundamental: the swing path and its relationship with speed.

A very common mistake we see at our academy is golfers trying to guide the golf club straight back on the target line and then straight through the target line. This breaks the free flow motion of the swing and decreases club head speed dramatically. It also puts the club on a path which is outside/in and crosses the target line which creates shots that pull to the left with a closed clubface, or the ever-popular slice to the right with a square or open clubface.

This outside/in path contributes to golfers’ slower swing speeds in order to compensate to make some contact with the ball. So, speeding up the swing is pointless, unless you have a clear understanding of path and are able to improve your path through the impact zone.

The only time the club head should appear on the target line is about an inch behind the ball and an inch through the ball. The rest of the time the club head follows a path inside the target line. (Fig.1) In golf we get so focused on trying to guide the club straight back and straight through the target line, that we break our swing and create very little speed.

To illustrate our point, we would like you to consider a baseball swing. The bat is parallel to the ground and the target line (in this case) is straight over the pitcher’s head. If you tried to visualize this target line in the impact zone (the way golfers see a line through the ball) and guided your bat straight back on this line, and then straight through on this line in the follow through you would find you have no swing at all. Try it.

To correct this, set your club out in front of you parallel to the ground and prepare to swing it like a baseball bat. (Fig. 2) Now swing it back and through as though it was a baseball bat, with freedom and no concern for this target line. Do this several times and try to make the swish sound louder and louder. This will get you back to swinging a more natural swing motion, and the swish will tell you if you are creating any speed.

Now angle your posture down so it is like a low pitch. Make the swing from this position trying to generate the same swish sound.

Now angle your posture down farther so that your club is now on the ground and you are in your golf Figure 2 starting position. Make the same unguided swing from this position as if the pitch was on the ground.

Now from your golf posture feel the same freedom you had with the baseball swing. You will have an improved path and will be creating more club head speed. Now, you also need some other sound fundamentals like a square clubface to make this work, but begin with getting some freedom back in your swing first.

Scott Orban, Chief Operating Officer Figure 1

Watch video golf tips regularly at www.mckenziemeadows.com.

ENVY REALLY IS GREEN.

Two glorious courses gently carved from the best of Mother Nature.

Holes that will challenge your nerve and ones that leap your game to another level.

Fine dining that is an unexpected welcome. And service unmatched within the realm of an 18 hole day.

Is it any wonder that others envy our resorts?

But you can find it all waiting for you.

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

Book your tee time or make reservations at SilvertipandEagleRanch.com or by calling 1.877.877.3889.

silvertipresort.com

eagleranchresort.com

www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY July 2013 • 101

JULY 2013

Small Business Week Organizations of all sizes can benefit from getting involved with Small Business Week

BY CATHERINE STONE

S

mall Business Week, which runs from October 20 to 26, pays tribute to the contributions that small and medium-sized businesses with less than 100 employees make to the Canadian economy. In Calgary, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce is the go-to source for all events and activities relating to Small Business Week in the city.

Aside from celebrating small businesses, the Chamber recognizes that Small Business Week has a number of opportunities that both small and large companies can benefit from. Small businesses can learn, network and socialize with their peers, while large businesses have the perfect chance to connect with a small business audience through a number of event and program offerings.

Nominate an awesome small business The highlight of Small Business Week is the Small Business Week Awards. Nominations are now open and small businesses with less than $5 million in revenue are encouraged to apply by August 30, 2013.

This year’s Small Business Awards has five categories: the Innovation Award, the Customer Service Excellence Award, the Community Involvement Award, the Environmental Stewardship Award and the Breakout Business Award. Businesses that are shortlisted in their nominated category have the opportunity to be considered for the prestigious Small Business of the Year Award. Being short-listed for any one of these awards is a great way to gain valuable public exposure that has been known to attract new employees, customers, and business partners – and leads to an increase in sales.

If you want to nominate a small business that’s doing amazing things, visit www.SmallBuisnessWeekCalgary.com

102 • July 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce is the go-to source for all events and activities relating to Small Business Week in the city.

The Small Business Week Expo gives businesses the opportunity to display their products or services, discover new businesses and network with others in Calgary’s business community. The event typically attracts up to 200 attendees and sells out quickly.

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 David Allen Bill Brunton Eva Friesen Guy Huntingford Rob Lennard Dilan Perera Linda Shea Paul Waddell Management Adam Legge, President & CEO Michael Andriescu, Director of Finance & Administration

Sponsor a Small Business Week Award The Small Business Week Awards is the largest event in Calgary that celebrates the accomplishments of small businesses and savvy entrepreneurs. Coming in as a sponsor of an award is a great way to gain exposure to this valuable market segment. As a sponsor, your company’s name and logo will be featured prominently on SmallBusinessWeekCalgary.com, which was viewed last year by 6,000 people. Your company name and logo will also be included at the awards ceremony, which is attended by up to 200 people.

If you’re interested in sponsoring an award, contact membership@calgarychamber.com.

Host an event or learning workshop Once again the Calgary Chamber has partnered with ATB Financial to launch SmallBusiness WeekCalgary.com, which is the single, largest touch point for events and activities relating to Small Business Week in Calgary. This website lets larger companies who either offer services useful to small businesses or are interested in hosting an event relevant to a small business audience to post what they are doing online where it will get noticed and attended by the right type of people. It – quite simply – is the easiest way to get directly in touch with the largest small business audience in Calgary.

If you have something to post, visit SmallBusinessWeekCalgary.com/events.

Kim Koss, Vice President, Business Development Rebecca Wood, Member Services Manager

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 calgarychamber.com

Showcase your company at Small Business Week Expo The other highlight of Small Business Week is the trade show expo, which is held before the Small Business Awards ceremony on Thursday, October 24. This event gives businesses the opportunity to display their products or services, discover new businesses and network with others in Calgary’s business community. The event typically attracts up to 200 attendees and sells out quickly.

If you’d like to book a trade show booth, contact events@calgarychamber.com.

www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY July 2013 • 103

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

AltaLink AltaLink is Alberta’s largest regulated electricity transmission company. Our transmission system is the essential link that connects homes, farms, businesses and industries to the electricity generated across Alberta. Electricity generated from thermal energy, wind power and hydro is transported at high voltages over long distances through transmission lines to substations, which lower the voltage so electricity can be delivered safely to homes and businesses via distribution lines.

Our more than 600 employees are committed to maintaining top quality and reliable electrical transmission services for Albertans, and to providing innovative technical and financial solutions to enable Alberta’s growing electricity market.

Learn more at Altalink.ca

Bantrel Bantrel is a leading provider of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services in Canada. Since our inception in 1983, we have delivered end-to-end solutions for some of Canada’s most challenging and complex energy projects – safely, on time and to the highest degree of quality. In addition to our core business in the oil, gas and chemicals industries, Bantrel also provides EPC services to clients in the power, mining and metals industries across Canada.

From our offices in Calgary and Edmonton, our experienced senior management team leads the execution of a wide variety of resource-related projects in Canada. With long-term relationships with some of the biggest producers in the energy industry, including Suncor Energy, Shell, Husky Energy and ConocoPhillips Canada, we are well-positioned to engage in more promising and innovative projects, large and small.

Learn more at Bantrel.com

Pengrowth Energy Corporation Pengrowth Energy Corporation, headquartered in Calgary, is a dividend-paying, intermediate Canadian producer of oil and natural gas. Our corporate strategy is to use funds from our existing conventional operations to sustain our current dividend and to fund a portfolio of low decline and long reserve life assets aimed at supporting production and a long-term stable dividend. Pengrowth has created a history over the last 25 years of consistently paying a dividend to our investors.

We are committed to maintaining our dividend while investing in long life, low decline assets for the future.

Pengrowth’s assets include the Swan Hills light oil, Cardium light oil and Lindbergh thermal bitumen projects. Pengrowth’s shares trade on both the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “PGF” and on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PGH.” Learn more at Pengrowth.com 104 • July 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

MEETINGS + CONVENTIONS CALGARY INTRODUCES AMBASSADOR PROGRAM Meetings + Conventions Calgary (MCC) introduces their Ambassador program to the city of Calgary. MCC’s Ambassador initiative will be branded “Calgary Champions” and is designed to encourage the selection of Calgary by professional organizations of all kinds for their national or international conference needs. Leading figures in diverse fields will act as ambassadors for the city, who will highlight both the range of expertise available in the city and the diverse facilities that Calgary can offer to large international conferences. As there is a competitive bidding process involved in the selection of sites for international conferences, the Calgary Champions plan will provide Calgary with an edge over its competition by exemplifying the broad array of interests and amenities the city can provide.

The Ambassador program is currently being used by such organizations as the Japan Tourism Agency, a leader in the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) rankings, and the initiative promises to help cement that country’s importance for the international business community. Closer to home, Vancouver and Quebec City have recently launched successful Ambassador Programs. Gold Coast Tourism of Australia has begun utilizing a similar plan in order to boost their ICCA rankings, and generate new revenue. A fundamental aspect of this boost is a desire on the part of ambassadors to create interest and growth within their respective areas.

Calgary’s Ambassadors will be drawn from all walks of professional life, from medical doctors to local celebrities in order to attract the widest range of professional associations to the city. These individuals will not only be leaders in their respective fields, but also within the community. Though the program looks to invite professional organizations to the city, the expected influx of revenue will ultimately be beneficial to the community at large. The diversity inherent in the Calgary Champions plan will benefit multiple facets of both Calgary’s business and cultural communities.

Meetings + Conventions Calgary will be able to offer resources to ambassadors that will help to bring major conferences to the city. The organization will provide support in various areas of the process of securing conferences, from the early stages of identifying potential interested parties, to funding assistance and training for ambassadors, and identification of appropriate venues that suit each individual conference’s needs. MCC’s broad array of services for meeting and event planners are provided on a complimentary basis. The combination of MCC’s expertise in the MC & IT market and the ambassadors’ expertise in their respective fields will help to make Calgary a desired destination for a wide array of international conferences.

For additional information on the Ambassador Program or to learn more about Meetings + Conventions Calgary please visit the MCC website at www.meetingscalgary.com.

Meetings + Conventions Calgary is a partnership between the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre and the Calgary Hotel Association.

calgary-convention.com www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY July 2013 • 105

Accelerating Entrepreneurs

BY MICHAEL FOTHERINGHAM, RESEARCH MANAGER, CALGARY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

…entrepreneurs themselves are taking the lead to collaborate with other entrepreneurs and helping early-stage companies to move forward.

S

upporting entrepreneurship has been a growing theme in how communities rethink economic development post-2008 recession. The Government of Canada declared 2011 as the ‘Year of the Entrepreneur,’ recognizing the critical role of entrepreneurship in securing Canada’s ongoing economic recovery and prosperity. Since then, there has been a lot of grassroots activity where entrepreneurs are organizing, sharing ideas and supporting one another in meaningful ways. Calgary has not been immune to this global trend, particularly in the area of technology startups.

At first blush, Alberta and even Calgary aren’t the first place that pops to mind when you think of tech entrepreneurs.

Once you scratch the surface though, pockets of elite entrepreneurs, seasoned investors and passionate students pop up left, right and centre. Surprisingly, the Canadian government lists Calgary as having the country’s largest concentration of entrepreneurs and the highest number of technology startups per capita, according to the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service. What’s encouraging of these recent developments is that entrepreneurs themselves are taking the lead to collaborate with other entrepreneurs and helping early-stage companies to move forward.

One such local example are the folks at AcceleratorYYC. AcceleratorYYC is an entrepreneur led co-work space tailored to the unique needs and challenges of early-stage tech startups and is based in the creative Inglewood retail community along 9th Avenue SE. Startups who have become members of the community space have received: • Mentorship from industry alumni, entrepreneurs and executives • Daily interaction and collaboration with like-minded entrepreneurs and startups

106 • July 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

• Ongoing education and financial support from industry partners • Opportunities to connect with potential customers, partners and investors Because of groups like AcceleratorYYC, there is a blossoming provincial tech startup scene that is best accounted for in the success of the AccelerateAB annual conferences. In 2011, a group called The A100 was formed to unite these pockets by giving a banner to the seasoned vets of the Alberta tech ecosystem. To show off this new organization, a small event was planned in July 2011 in partnership with The C100, a similar community group based in San Francisco that represents some of the most experienced tech talent to ever come out of Canada.

What was originally expected to be a casual event for 100150 people, exploded into a sell-out conference of over 350 attendees and one of the first true community gatherings for Alberta’s tech ecosystem. With a ruthless focus on putting entrepreneurs first, AccelerateAB surged again in 2012 with 475 attendees with mentors and investors flying in from San Francisco, New York, Montreal, Toronto, Redman, Vancouver and elsewhere.

In Calgary this July 11 during Stampede, AccelerateAB will be gathering again in what is sure to be one of the biggest tech gatherings in Canada. This sector has a lot going for it and is an excellent complement to the other established industries in Calgary. Calgary Economic Development is excited to support the development of local entrepreneurs and is currently housing EPIC YYC in the Global Business Centre where social enterprises are being supported. For more information on the conference, please visit: http:// accelerateab.com/story.

Destination Calgary in 2020 – Part Three

BY STEWART MCDONOUGH

T

his is the final of a three-part series on what Calgary will look like in 2020 as a tourism destination. At Tourism Calgary’s Annual General Meeting on April 23, 2013 Destination Calgary in the Year 2020 was released.

The document is available in full in the industry section at visitcalgary.com. In this article we outline what Calgary will look like in 2020 through a tourism lens – new developments and how they interconnect.

• In the year 2020, we estimate that visitors will spend $2.07 billion on tourism products and services in Calgary.

• We will host 3.9 million overnight visitors annually.

• Calgary’s annualized hotel occupancy will be 70 per cent with a $175 average daily rate.

• Municipal taxes supported by the visitor economy will be $77 million.

Calgary’s East Village will be a reality, rejuvenating and expanding our destination’s core. New attractions like the architecturally iconic National Music Centre and Central Library complement new hotel accommodations, gathering places and walking pathways. The East Village will connect, for the first time, a newly renovated Fort Calgary to the downtown. Combine these developments with a new Agrium Western Centre, Youth Campus and Riverfront Park that the Calgary Stampede is introducing and the once bare land that isolated Fort Calgary in the past will fill in with a clustering of products and experiences that add to visitor activity.

We can imagine that in 2020 visitors will be able to walk along the new RiverWalk system that will take them from Kensington Village over the Peace Bridge, along the Bow River, through Eau Claire and Prince’s Island and into East Village. From there visitors will be able to explore Bridgeland, the Calgary Zoo and TELUS Spark Science Centre using the St. Patrick’s Bridge or continue along the RiverWalk to Inglewood or around Fort Calgary and Stampede Park to the Talisman Centre.

The Calgary International Airport will open a new terminal in 2015 doubling the size of the 2012 site. The opening of Canada’s longest runway in 2014 will satisfy Calgary’s air transportation needs for at least the next 20-30 years. The new international terminal with international

customs transfer areas will offer our visitors world-class retailers and restaurants. New air access to Asia and South America will allow us to take advantage of the emerging tourism economies of Brazil, China, South Korea and India.

Our airport is projected to be serving 20 million passengers in the year 2020.

Calgary will have 15,365 hotel rooms available in 2020.

This is an additional 3,500 hotel rooms or 29 per cent growth in room supply in eight years. The majority of this growth will continue in the northeast (more than 1,500 rooms) and downtown (more than 1,400 rooms) areas of the city. We expect the introduction of a new luxury brand hotel into the Calgary market in the next decade.

Calgary will need to identify and develop a handful of major festivals/events that create international or continental awareness for the destination by 2020. These five events will be demand generators expanding our reach into all of our markets. The Calgary Stampede is already there, but what are the other five events that can create greater awareness of Calgary and drive international attendance?

By 2020, Calgary should see a new Nordic centre, summer luge and aerial acrobatics facilities at WinSport. The new panda and lemur exhibits at the Calgary Zoo will draw crowds to the same level or beyond those witnessed during the 2012 launch of the Penguin Plunge. International Way into Forest Lawn will see the development of the new International Cultural Centre. The re-enactment of the Treaty 7 signing will be a new annual event profiling our western and First Nation’s heritage. And Heritage Park will have opened its new “Famous Five” Interpretative Centre on their property.

These changes and more are on the horizon for what has been Canada’s fastest growing urban tourism destination over the past two years. Political, community and philanthropic leadership will be critical in order to see the city’s potential realized in the next decade. As past Tourism Calgary Board Chair George Brookman pointed out, “We need more Guy Weadicks.” This is a city well known for a maverick past and entrepreneurial present, which gives us tremendous optimism for what Calgary will look like in 2020. To see the full report, please go to visitcalgary.com/industry.

www.businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY July 2013 • 107

Commercialization Centres a

Valuable Resource for Alberta’s Oil and Gas Sector Technology innovation key to addressing market needs

BY ANDREA MENDIZABAL AND MEGHAN OCKEY

C

algary is a hotbed of entrepreneurial spirit and success. It leads the world with 123 international energy company headquarters, sees more than $20 billion in international capital being invested into energy companies, and one in 13 jobs are within the energy sector.

As Alberta’s oil and gas sector continues to evolve, the industry faces the challenges of achieving core business objectives while complying with changing regulatory and environmental standards. Research and innovation in the energy sector, and the deployment of new technologies, can be key in successfully meeting these challenges.

“Invention is just the beginning of the journey,” says Peter Garrett, president, Innovate Calgary. “New inventions must address market needs better than competing technologies and in a manner that allows for the creation of a viable business venture.”

Innovate Calgary is a full-service organization offering technology transfer and business incubator services to researchers, entrepreneurs and businesses within the advanced technology sector. With 30 years supporting the technology community, they continue to build relationships within the oil and gas and energy sector through a focus on technology commercialization.

Commercialization centres facilitate the deployment of new technologies resulting from research and development conducted in both academic and private environments. They bring technology licensing and business building expertise

108 • July 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

to the table, proving to be a valuable resource to the energy sector’s need for innovation and for technologies that solve specific needs or improve processes.

“The resources, financing and expertise are here,” says Alex Raczenko, entrepreneur-in-residence at Innovate Calgary.

“We have to galvanize the entrepreneurial community to help us be a leader in innovation for the energy sector and a leader at targeting innovation by harnessing the wealth of ability that already exists in this province.”

Innovations that address market needs are becoming increasingly attractive as industry looks to establish competitive advantages, create more efficient ways to extract, improve efficiencies and minimize environmental impact.

“The energy industry is beginning to gain a greater understanding of the opportunities that new technologies bring,” says Garrett.

As the global energy industry becomes more dependent on new technology, partnerships and strong collaboration between commercialization centres and the energy sector represents a valuable opportunity for Alberta to diversify its economy and lead the way with the commercialization of technology to meet growing demands.

To learn more about Innovate Calgary and how it supports new and emerging technology, or to view a wide range of new technologies available for licensing, visit innovatecalgary.com.

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David Parker • MarketingMatters

MarketingMatters

BY DAVID PARKER

C

lient wins are always a reason to celebrate in our advertising community and Tag Advertising has won its fair share of late resulting in the addition of more staff.

Lethbridge’s Park Place Shopping Centre – celebrating its 25th anniversary – awarded Tag AOR status. Centre general manager Kevin Brees says, “We wanted something awesome to celebrate our anniversary and Todd Sloane and his team delivered on their commitments made in the pitch meeting.”

Tag has a good deal of shopping centre experience and was also recently awarded AOR for Sunridge Mall that will include a complete rebrand for the Calgary centre.

They follow on the heels of winning Currents Windermere in Edmonton, that city’s newest shopping centre.

Tag has also been given the nod from the Alberta division of the Canadian Mental Health Association for a new social awareness campaign and Calgary Real Estate Board has retained Tag’s creative and strategic services for an upcoming campaign to create awareness and excitement for its new professional awards.

And Tag has started work on a website refresh for architectural firm Toker and Associates.

Shaping up to be a great year.

•••••••••••••• Hard to believe it is 10 years since Larry Bannerman took over what was Parallel Strategies and renamed it Trigger Communications. Since then he has kept a staff of 38 very busy with some very exciting and creative works.

Newest additions to staff are account supervisor Amy Russell, formerly with Karo Group, and Brittany Dusseldorp, a new account coordinator who relocated here from Ontario.

In other staff news Doug Walker, who has been working under the title of director channel strategy for the past couple of years, has been appointed as Trigger’s managing director.

Trigger was responsible for Kal Tire’s 2012 winter campaign that won an IABC Gold Quill Excellence Award that was presented a couple of weeks ago in New York City.

And it keeps reining in new accounts.

Latest additions to the client roster are Brookfield Properties it is helping with brand strategy, and the Calgary Public Library Foundation, created to help shape and promote an evolving library experience that will be spearheaded by the construction of the new Central Library in East Village.

•••••••••••••• Heather Douglas, best remembered for the great job she did as president of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, has resurrected her Strategic Public Affairs company and armed with spiffy new business cards designed by Calgary-based The Design Centre of Canada is busy helping new clients.

One of the first in her growing portfolio is Sunesis Consulting, a leading governance and compliance consulting firm specializing in internal control evaluation and enterprise risk management. Douglas is helping Sunesis with new strategies and delivering a new website.

fication under the new Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada and MacLaren McCann has been contracted to create a brand positioning campaign for the new organization.

The Calgary office has also picked up the digital business for TransCanada PipeLines and will be managing its important online media presence.

Ric Fedyna and his team are also puffing their chests out with the win by client Bayer CropScience of Best of Show and more awards than any other organization in the Canadian AgriMarketing Association show.

Three Bayer videos are among the seven Applied Arts winners in the upcoming Design Annual; others were for self-promo work and a wine package design.

•••••••••••••• Paul Paynter, former head of the British Trade Office and more recently business development manager at Calgary Economic Development, has joined KPMG as its new senior marketing manager – energy.

•••••••••••••• After 11 years as partner and vicepresident at National Public Relations, Maureen MacDonald has gone client side as the new director of corporate communications at SAIT Polytechnic.

She will use her experience in delivering hands-on client service, including development/implementation of strategic communications plans to serve SAIT as it begins a new chapter following its big growth phase under new president and CEO David Ross.

•••••••••••••• The Certified General Accountants of Alberta, the Certified Management Accountants of Alberta and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta are working towards uni-

Parker’s Pick: Jump Studios demo reel for Karo Group – you have to watch it.

110 • July 2013 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | www.businessincalgary.com

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Bow Valley College means Service.

Congratulations Sharon, on your ACCC Distinguished Service Award!

The Association of Canadian Community Colleges recently honoured Sharon Carry, President and CEO of Bow Valley College with its Distinguished Service Award. This award recognizes Sharon’s tireless efforts in being a voice for the vital role that colleges play in the social and economic development of Canada. Her leadership has helped Bow Valley College become an international leader in workplace essential skills development.

bowvalleycollege.ca 345 – 6 Avenue SE, Calgary