BIC November 2014

www.businessincalgary.com

NOVEMBER 2014 $3.50

Honouring

Calgary Greatness Calgary Business Hall of Fame Junior Achievement celebrates the 2014 Calgary Business Hall of Fame Laureates

David Johnson

The Calgary Skyline Tells a Story

PM41126516

Gordon Stollery

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(posthumously)

The

Hot

Market

Clayton Woitas

Ca lga r Se y C ha pa cti m o ge n be 85 r

Rick George

Success has never tasted sweeter.

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Meet Jacqueline. Like 14 per cent of business owners that plan on making a real estate investment in the next two years*, she had a big-picture vision. When she outgrew the commercial kitchen in her basement, Jacqueline stayed the course—finding the right partner to expand her chocolaterie.

ATB’s expert advisors understood—and believed in—Jacqueline’s vision and helped grow her business. Today, she’s in a commercial facility with two stores. And we couldn’t be happier to support her, one hand-crafted chocolate after another.

Learn more about Jacqueline at atb.com/WeGrowAlberta

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BUSINESS ACCOUNTS І CASH FLOW І FINANCING І KNOW-HOW *Findings from ATB Business telephone survey of 300 randomly selected Alberta Small & Medium-sized Enterprize owners/operators, published in ATB Business Beat, February 2014.™ Trademarks of Alberta Treasury Branches.

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PROFILE

Speaking in Support of the Homeless

By David Parker

(L-R): Ken King, Alan Norris, Jay Westman, Tim Hearn, Sam Kolias, Bob Hamilton, Craig Hill, Deputy Chief Trevor Daroux

Bob Hamilton

S

ports and health have been the major focus of Bob Hamilton’s volunteer service to this community for many years, but now he has taken a new and equally keen interest in the needs of the homeless as a member of the RESOLVE Campaign Cabinet.

The retired vice-president of RBC Financial Group is board chair of Winsport, on the Calgary Sport & Tourism board, is a past board member of the Calgary Stampede Foundation, the Children’s Hospital Foundation, and has helped raise $700,000 at a gala for the Children’s Wish Foundation. But he admits he knew little about RESOLVE until his friends Tim Hearn and Bill Sembo invited him for a coffee and chat.

Hearn, chairman of Hearn and Associates, and Sembo, retired vice-chairman of RBC Capital Markets, introduced Hamilton to RESOLVE, a collaboration of nine social service agencies raising money from the private sector to build affordable rental housing for 3,000 Calgarians.

After Hamilton was made aware of the huge shortage in Calgary of affordable housing and the economic benefits that would result by giving people a roof over their heads and then providing them with the social supports to help them deal with the issues that led to homelessness in the first place — he was an instant convert.

It is estimated that the cost to our public system to help a high-needs Calgarian experiencing homelessness can be over $55,000 per year. Providing appropriate housing can

reduce that cost to approximately $34,000 per person a year.

This approach, called Housing First, reduces the cost and strain on healthcare, police, emergency services, the justice system and corrections.

Hamilton is the kind of guy who is “in for a penny in for a pound” and enthusiastically became a member of the RESOLVE Campaign Cabinet, along with Hearn, Sembo and 16 other top community leaders.

He found he was alongside quality people he knew well and could instantly trust, believe and relate to in discussing the business side of the issues, as well as confirming his expectation that the campaign had experienced and dedicated staff.

He sees his role in the Cabinet as speaking on behalf of the homeless to further educate civic and government contacts on the community benefits of the cause. The provincial government is already well onside with the issue of affordable housing projects in Calgary; it has committed up to 70 per cent of the funds for some of the RESOLVE projects, over and above the $120 million fundraising goal for the private sector.

“I’m also impressed with the way RESOLVE has been able to bring together nine different agencies that recognize the power of collaboration and the efficiency of one combined fundraising effort,” he says.

RESOLVECalgary.ca

RES

RESOLVE is a partnership of nine leading social service agencies with one simple goal: building affordable rental housing for 3,000 homeless and vulnerable Calgarians. We’re working directly with Calgary business and community leaders to put roofs over heads and end homelessness in Calgary.

Get involved at RESOLVECalgary.ca

We’d like to recognize our Cabinet of business and community leaders for helping make RESOLVE a reality.

Honorary Patrons: Dick & Lois Haskayne Steve Snyder Betty Ann Smith

Alan Norris, Chair John Brussa Trevor Daroux Stephanie Felesky Charlie Fischer Jim Gray Bob Hamilton

RESOL-3551_BUSINESS_IN_CALGARY_AD_7.875x10.75_SEPTEMBER_10_FINAL.indd 1

Tim Hearn Craig Hill Ken King Sam Kolias Ann McCaig Grit McCreath Bryan Pinney

Bill Sembo Michelle Thrush Mac Van Wielingen Chris Wallace Jay Westman

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Four Alberta Brokers Make It to Canada’s Top 30 Insurance Broker List

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he second-annual Top 30 insurance brokers in Canada, as chosen by Insurance Business magazine, has been announced, and the country’s best are represented from the Atlantic to British Columbia’s west coast.

“We called on the insurance industry to put forward their very best for our Top 30 Elite Broker list,” says Tim Duce, president and CEO of KMI Publishing and Events. “And they responded in strength. Those brokers and insurers who answered the call to our survey are truly representative of the best that Canada has to offer.”

Locally, two of the four top Alberta Brokers are from the same firm, Renfrew Insurance. They put in impressive numbers to rise to the national stage and make the Top 30 list:

Sam J. Feldman Renfrew Insurance (Calgary, AB)

Chris Sikorski, CRM Renfrew Insurance (Calgary, AB)

The top five brokers: - 5,541 total policies written; - 2,671 total clients; - More than $12 million in revenue

Top 30 broker totals: - $22.4 million in revenue; - An average revenue of $681,202 per broker

“I invest a significant amount of time getting to know the client and their business. Placing their business is just the beginning of that relationship in which I spend the time necessary to develop their trust and develop open lines of communication. Doing so allows me to match the needs of my clients; provide the proper coverage, terms and conditions, with the insurance supplier.” ~ Chris Sikorski

The advantages of using a broker can be demonstrated by the high level of dedication shown by those who made the Top 30 list. Sam J. Feldman, senior vice president of Renfrew Insurance Ltd. in Calgary, has been a top producer of the month many times over, and in the top three for most valuable producer.

“My mentor taught me years ago that to be successful, you must come into the office at 4:30 or 5 a.m. to get all your paperwork done for the day,” says Feldman, who placed third among the Top 30. “Then, when 8:30 came around, you were ready to be on the road.”

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Supporting the visions of entrepreneurs one story at a time

Contents

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Volume 24 | Number 11

On our cover…

PUBLISHERS

Pat Ottmann & Tim Ottmann

EDITOR

John Hardy

COPY EDITORS

Calgary Business Hall of Fame Junior Achievement celebrates the 2014 Calgary Business Hall of Fame Laureates

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS Jessi Evetts

ADMINISTRATION

NOVEMBER 2014 $3.50

ART DIRECTOR

Cher Compton cher@businessincalgary.com

www.businessincalgary.com

Lisa Johnston & Nikki Mullett

Nancy Bielecki nancy@businessincalgary.com Kim Hogan kim@businessincalgary.com Melissa Arthur info@businessincalgary.com

Honouring

Calgary Greatness

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Richard Bronstein Frank Atkins David Parker Lonnie Tate

45

Calgary Business Hall of Fame Junior Achievement celebrates the 2014 Calgary Business Hall of Fame Laureates

THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS Colleen Wallace Cassandra McAuley Andrea Mendizabal Parker Grant Dan Cooper

ADVERTISING SALES

Evelyn Dehner evelyn@businessincalgary.com Renee Neil renee@businessincalgary.com

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The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents of any advertisement, and all representations of warranties made in such advertising are those of the advertiser and not of the publisher. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, in all or in part, without the written permission of the publisher. Canadian publications mail sales product agreement No. 41126516

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The

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Clayton Woitas

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(posthumously)

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The Calgary Skyline Tells a Story

Gordon Stollery

lga r Se y C ha pa cti ge on mb e 8

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Legendary foundations of Calgary success

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www.businessincalgary.com 14 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

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Supporting the visions of entrepreneurs one story at a time

Contents

|

Volume 24 | Number 11

36

THIS MONTH’S FEATURES 30 • Reverting The Hot Market to bidding wars

By Colleen Wallace

36 • Canadians The Art and Science of Financial Planning are living longer – and it’s expensive

By Colleen Wallace

52 • Alberta Canadian Manufacturing is Underrated – Canada’s third-largest manufacturing province

By Dan Cooper

60 • Could The $113-Billon Crime be just a corny password

By John Hardy

64 • Downtown The Calgary Skyline Tells a Story is Booming – and Looking Good!

By Parker Grant

64 REGULAR COLUMNS 18 • ByIt’sRichard not Leonardo DiCaprio’s Fault Bronstein 20 • BySupply and Demand and Environmentalists Frank Atkins 22 • By Whither Golf?

Lonnie Tate 85 • Leading Business 89 • Current The Calgary Report developments for Calgary Telus Convention Centre, Tourism Calgary, Calgary Economic Development, and Innovate Calgary

94 • Marketing Matters

By David Parker

16 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

COMPANY PROFILES 69 • Celebrates Barclay Street Real Estate 10th Anniversary 77 • Celebrates Weatherguard Metals 10 Years

30

Prairies 2014 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year

Bill McCaffrey MEG Energy Calgary, Alberta

You defy gravity.

Keep soaring!

Congratulations to our Prairies winners! ey.com/ca/EOY

Business-to-Business Products and Services

Al Side Side Group of Companies Grande Prairie, Alberta Business-to-Consumer Products and Services

Brent Zettl Prairie Plant Systems Inc. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Oil and Gas

Bill McCaffrey MEG Energy Calgary, Alberta Professional and Financial Services

Laurie Goldberg People Corporation Winnipeg, Manitoba Real Estate and Construction

Radhe Gupta Rohit Group of Companies Edmonton, Alberta Technology and Communications

Emerging Entrepreneur

Regan Davis, Bailey Epp, Stephen Glanville STEP Energy Services Calgary, Alberta

Š 2014 Ernst & Young LLP. All Rights Reserved.

National presenting sponsors

Energy Services National silver sponsors

National print sponsor

Prairies sponsors

Quinn Holtby Katch Kan Ltd. Edmonton, Alberta Manufacturing

EY is a proud supporter of entrepreneurship

Mike Fata Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods Winnipeg, Manitoba

Jory Lamb VistaVu Solutions Calgary, Alberta Special Citation — Social Entrepreneur

Shaun Loney BUILD and others Winnipeg, Manitoba

It’s not Leonardo DiCaprio’s Fault • Richard [title] • Bronstein [section]

BY RICHARD BRONSTEIN

It’s not Leonardo DiCaprio’s Fault

C

redit Premier Jim Prentice, who like the biblical Daniel, acted with dispatch to tame some fierce political lions laying in wait for him. In quick order the new premier ended our anguish over license plates, saved the Michener Centre, got rid of government airplanes and made some decisions over flood mitigation projects.

That was fast work. Now comes the hard part.

First he has to get elected, then solve Alberta’s growing infrastructure deficit, instil common-sense management practices at Alberta Health Care and finally, find a way to build oil pipelines to coastal ports – at this stage any coast will do.

The first two tasks are matters any competent government should be able to handle if it puts its mind to it. Getting pipelines built looks more and more like it will require divine intervention.

For the life of me I just cannot see how Enbridge will ever get cooperation from British Columbia First Nations and general public approval to build its proposed route to Kitimat. Premier Prentice vows he will throw himself into this issue and I take his word. But it just seems to me like there is a massive groundswell of opposition once you cross the Continental Divide.

And that’s not the only problem, as we appear to be entering a period of great uncertainty over the future of oil.

The most recent forecast by the U.S. Energy Information Administration – its base-case scenario – predicts light crude prices hovering at the US$92 a barrel over the next three years, but rising to approximately $140 a barrel by 2040.

That’s probably good news by Alberta oilsands producers.

But their low-price scenario says world prices could fall to $70 by 2016 and remain stuck there for some time.

Existing oilsands producers will likely survive that situation by becoming more efficient, but if those prices hold it could snuff out new investment.

Some analysts use the term “peak oil demand” to signify a possible new reality shift. Until now global oil consumption has been steadily rising. But what happens if oil consumption levels off, while at the same time unconventional production increases? It will mean a glut of oil and downward pressure on prices.

18 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

The possibility of peak demand stems from two main factors: slower economic growth in the developing world, mainly China, and the advent of more muscular global climate change policies.

I think the September climate change summit at the United Nations was finally a step in that direction. Up to now the various international climate change protocols have not been effective because they were premised on the idea that there had to be one plan for all, or there would be no plan for anyone.

The recent New York meetings seemed to change this sterile approach and adopted instead a “coalition of the willing.” And that starts with China and the United States, who collectively, by a long, long shot, are the two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases. (2013 emissions: China 9,977 and the U.S. 5,233 million tons each of the world total of 36,131 million tons. Canada is 503 million tons.)

If the U.S. and China act, as they pledged, to unilaterally reduce their carbon footprint, it will help pull the rest of the world to do the same.

For oilsands production to grow and contribute to the Canadian economy, both Prime Minster Harper and Premier Prentice will have to find ways to hitch their horses to this new reality. There are really only two routes to follow – increase the price of carbon emissions and invest in renewable energy sources. Both Ottawa and Edmonton are laggards at both.

If we don’t start “greening” our oilsands in meaningful ways, we will never escape the wrath of Leonardo DiCaprio and the growing international movement to shut in our resource. Forget about pipelines to offshore markets, forget about billions of dollars of oilsands expansion plans, and forget about new schools and other important infrastructure in Alberta.

You can get upset and rant all you want about why should we listen to a flashy Hollywood star on an important issue like energy production. Instead I think we should be thanking Leonardo DiCaprio for using his power as a storyteller to remind us that the train is leaving the station and we still have time to get ready.

If we don’t get it right, Alberta’s economic future may not look too rosy. BiC

Wo o d Auto m ot ive G ro up

Okotoks Ford

A

s the wind blows into Okotoks from the Rockies, a giant Canadian flag ripples above the Ford Lincoln dealership.

“It’s a country feel out here,” says Frank Allen, general manager, Okotoks Ford Lincoln. “We try to extend country-type service and values, yet we are still supercompetitive with the city inventory.”

As Ford Motor Company celebrates a century of producing cars on the assembly line, Okotoks Ford Lincoln is celebrating the success of their new home.

Gerry Wood, president, Wood Automotive Group Frank Allen, general manager, Okotoks Ford Lincoln Last December, they moved out of their 35-year-old, 9,000-square-foot building, into a new facility on the same property. More than triple the size, the new dealership With winter coming, snowdrifts won’t be a concern for features a spacious 10-vehicle showroom, a community room customers taking delivery of their new vehicles. Salespeople and a drive-thru service area. are able to show off all the features in comfort, in one of the With the new building comes new employees. Okotoks dealership’s two new delivery pods.

Ford has already doubled their staffers, and projects a total Even the waiting area is more comfortable, where clients of 75 to be working on site by early 2015. enjoy a fireplace, a coffee bar and a big-screen TV, while “I’m hiring new people practically every week,” says Allen. windows offer a view into the service area.

The new staff is needed for every aspect of enhancing the Known for their location in the heart of Okotoks, it made customer experience. With 20 state-of-the-art service bays, sense to stay on the same property. the dealership has doubled its service capacity. Meanwhile, “We built this building to serve our customers better,” says the old building is still in use, home to a new quick lane, Allen. “We’d outgrown our other one. We had to build a bigoffering speedy oil change and lube service. Clients can come ger facility so we could look after the customers we were in as early as 6:00 a.m. selling cars to.”

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Supply and Demand and Environmentalists[title] • Frank Atkins • [section]

BY FRANK ATKINS

A

s I have said more than once in this column, the study of economics is nothing more than learning supply and demand. On the most basic level, you and I, as consumers, wish to buy certain goods.

Businesses supply these goods to meet our needs. Think of what would happen if a business produced a good that nobody wanted. They would not stay in business for very long. (Unless the government buys the product, which happened in the 2008 downturn).

I continually tell this to my students, and they seem to understand the words, but I do not think that they quite get the concept. In my mind, the problem is that when we look at the behaviour of individuals, a great many people do not behave as if they understand basic economics.

A perfect example of what I mean can be found in the oil and gas industry.

We, as consumers, demand energy to heat our homes and run our cars. The oil and gas industry responds to this demand by supplying this energy. If we did not demand this energy, the oil and gas industry would go out of business pretty quickly. Given this, why is the environmental movement always going after the oil and gas industry as the bad guys? It is the consumers that ultimately drive this industry with the demand for energy.

If you believe that consumption of fossil fuels is ruining the environment, you should realize that most of the carbon emissions that are supposed to be so bad come from the tailpipes on the cars of consumers. Often the

Supply and Demand and Environmentalists people driving the cars are the same people protesting the oil and gas industry. This includes individuals from the environmental lobby who often fly great distances to protest the

to the well-being of the oil and gas industry. This would seem to me to be an indicator that Mr. Gore and Mr. DiCaprio do not understand basic economics.

If you believe that consumption of fossil fuels is ruining the environment, you should realize that most of the carbon emissions that are supposed to be so bad come from the tailpipes on the cars of consumers. use of fossil fuels. This is what I mean by individuals do not behave as if they understand supply and demand.

Perhaps Druh Farrell was correct when she stated that the laws of supply and demand do not hold anymore. (See my column in this publication, June, 2008).

It turns out that Druh Farrell and the environmental lobby are not the only people who do not understand economics.

High public profile individuals who publicly speak out against the oil and gas industry, such as Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio, do not appear to understand economics either. These individuals are quick to chant the mantra that oil is bad. However, both of these individuals are large, some would say excessive, consumers of the products that they state are bad. By the act of buying and consuming these oil products, they are contributing

20 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

Rather than agreeing with Druh Farrell, it may possibly be true that the majority of the population does not support the extreme environmentalist view of the grave dangers of carbon emissions. Here is a casual observation consistent with this hypothesis. On the weekend that the new iPhone 6 was released, there were also marches in support of the upcoming United Nations summit on climate change.

Based on press reports, I would bet that more people lined up for the iPhone 6 for hours than participated in the march in support of the United Nations summit. BiC FraNk atkINS IS aN aSSoCIatE proFESSor oF ECoNomICS at thE UNIvErSIty oF CaLgary, a SENIor FELLow at thE FroNtIEr CENtrE For pUBLIC poLICy aND a mEmBEr oF thE aDvISory BoarD oF thE INStItUtE For pUBLIC SECtor aCCoUNtaBILIty.

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whither golf? • Lonnie Tate

BY LONNIE TATE

Whither Golf?

I

follow the news about golf being in decline. Some say that the sport will fall apart because of the decrease in rounds played. I doubt that.

Rather, the golf world is changing. Facilities that understand the changes and tailor their service delivery models to meet new golfer expectations will prosper.

Unfortunately, there will be some casualties. But overall, the sport is doing just fine. I can tell you my story and in the telling, some of the reasons for change become evident.

This year, we did not rejoin our golf course. We miss some of the camaraderie with friends; we haven’t missed golfing at the club.

My wife and were among the first to join the Glencoe Golf and Country Club in 1984. Like many people who are members of clubs, we thought we had “made an investment.”

We have come to realize we didn’t make an investment, we threw some money at the club; the money was a sunk cost.

Like most folks, we had an emotional attachment to the club and confused that with having made an investment. Once we came to the sunk cost approach, a lot of things became clearer.

We are retired. Five years ago, we bought a modest place in Palm Springs with a 27-hole golf course. Between the two of us, we play 150-plus rounds in perfect weather and course conditions. We found our Calgary club became secondary to the California place. It may seem obvious, but we came to understand that golf is way better when played warm. We are both pushing 70; we creak and groan more than we once did – warm helps.

In California, if it is not nice, we don’t play … there are lots of nice days. We gravitated toward that view in Calgary.

Now everyone here knows if you do not play in suspect weather, you are not going to play a lot. So we were playing less because we adopted the California attitude. And our cost per round kept climbing. Last year, we were above $200 per round and there were a lot of inclement days in there. It got us wondering.

22 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

The Glencoe Forest course has been closed for three years for renovations. The 2013 flood didn’t help. We could not take guests, so … we golfed elsewhere. Interestingly, it was this factor (more than any other) that got us thinking.

Ultimately, we came to the conclusion that for us, there was a better answer for golf.

There are benefits to public golf. Getting into pluses and minuses of the public courses we play versus those of the Glencoe (or any private club) would be counterproductive.

There are 10 courses within our motoring range that meet or exceed our expectations.

Here are some features we find important: the courses are comparable in both design and condition to private clubs; we can book tee times seven days in advance; we like 9 o’clock – our tee times have been either 9:00 or 9:09; driving time is normally less to the public course than to the Glencoe (we live in the beltline); we are treated like royalty (being a pay-for-play place will do that); and, we play in four hours (there is real, no-nonsense marshalling).

Make no mistake, these places are not country clubs. But they are damn good golf courses. There are lots of F-150 pickups in the parking lots; I’ve never seen a Maserati or Aston Martin. On-course service is great … what can you do to a hotdog?

Then there is the cost. The favourite place my wife and I play charges $121 for the two of us Monday through Thursday (add $10 for Friday to Sunday). That includes a GPS golf cart and GST. Others are more; all are less than $200. When friends invite us to the Glencoe, the cost will cross $300.

My former course, the Glencoe Golf and Country Club, is a fine place and there are many parts my wife and I miss.

But it is not much a stretch to compare our situation with a 40-something couple looking for 10 to 15 rounds of golf a year.

There are alternatives. That is the new golf. BiC

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off the top • News

Tell Leonardo DiCaprio to Bring his Friends to the Capital Region Hardly a month goes by without a visit to Alberta from a celebrity environmentalist these days. And we’re not talking B-list celebs here … we’re talking some of the most recognizable figures on the planet. Neil Young, Leonardo DiCaprio and James Cameron are the cream of the A-listers, and all of them have stopped by Alberta ostensibly to “research” the Alberta oilsands but often do little more than express outrage.

We’re getting to know the routine very well. A few weeks ahead of the visit, a California- or New York-based publicist starts spreading the word about the trip, usually planned in conjunction with an ill-informed U.S.-based environmental group like NRDC. Opinion leaders on social media, oilsands supporters and critics alike, erupt. The celebrity flies around the mine sites, meets with the First Nations leaders who oppose or are critical of oilsands development, and flies home to California or their sprawling ranch in Montana.

A documentary film may or may not be made.

Some Albertans react to celebrity pop-ins with righteous indignation. After all, it’s rude to visit someone’s community armed with scant information and technical knowledge and tell them how they should or shouldn’t make a living. And yes, Leonardo DiCaprio is a flaming hypocrite. If we all lived like Leo does, the world would be in a heap of trouble.

But after a recent tour of Alberta’s Industrial Heartland with a delegation of Atlantic Canadian manufacturing firms, I’m thinking we need to host more celebrities – not less.

It’s not common knowledge that there’s a lot going on in the Industrial Heartland, but one needs to take a good look around with an expert like Industrial Heartland Association

The reality is the celebrities are trying to do the right thing and make the world a better place. It would be better, however, if they were better informed and actually worked with industry instead of against it.

executive director Neil Shelly to understand the magnitude of the development in the region.

In the Industrial Heartland, the molecules in natural gas are being smashed and rearranged in order to make a variety of products sold around the world. There are more than 40 companies creating fuels, fertilizers, power, plastics, petrochemicals and more to provincial and global consumers.

The plastics manufactured in the Heartland region are used extensively for food wrap and preparation, which keeps food from spoiling so we can feed more people with less land and fewer emissions. New polymers used to replace heavier metals in vehicle and aircraft designs get their start right here in the Capital Region. In fact the new and highly efficient Boeing 787 aircraft is made of carbon fibre composites that are mainly composed of petrochemical-based resins. These advanced materials significantly improve the plane’s fuel efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint.

Leo DiCaprio should appreciate this stuff. Products created in the Industrial Heartland that began as (gasp!) fracked natural gas or bitumen are shipped to Asia to build the components that go into smartphones. It’s not widely known, but Leo supplements his movie income by serving as a TV pitchman for Chinese cellphone, television and MP3 giant Oppo Electronics. Yes, the work done in the Capital Region literally helps put food on Leo’s table.

Albertans are learning to take celebrity pop-ins in stride, and that’s smart. The reality is the celebrities are trying to do the right thing and make the world a better place. And they have a right to express their views and advance any cause they like. It would be better, however, if they were better informed and actually worked with industry instead of against it.

And while we have poked fun at these high-flying celebs, Alberta industries still take stakeholder concerns seriously and work in good faith to address legitimate ones. Albertans are the best in the world at developing the energy and related products civilization needs and we’re committed to getting better at it. As long as that continues to be true, we have nothing to fear from celebrity pop-ins.

So Leo, come on back to Alberta and bring some of your famous friends. But this time make sure you stop in at the Industrial Heartland and see where your cellphone components start out. BiC

Josh Bilyk, president, Alberta Enterprise Group

businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY November 2014 • 25

off the top • News

Another Exciting First in Fulfilling the East Village Retail Strategy CmLC sells land for new commercial space along riverwalk to create innovative village-style project In 2007, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) began a transformation in East Village – one that has changed the way Calgarians are thinking about downtown living and inner-city life.

CMLC’s vision for East Village has taken another huge stride forward with the sale of development parcel M2 – a quarter-acre (10,872 square feet) lot immediately east of the historic Simmons Building along the newly redeveloped RiverWalk – to Calgary’s XYC Design and Development.

“M2 is a highly visible site, and even though it’s small, it will have a huge presence in East Village,” says Kate MacGregor, president of Calgary-based XYC Design and Development, who also works as an architectural designer with nArchitects in New York City.

With degrees in civil engineering and architecture, MacGregor comes by her passion for development honestly: as a fifth-generation Calgarian, her family has been building and developing projects in Alberta for decades. After working

Proposed M2 Commercial Development, by XYC Design+Development, overlooking RiverWalk. Credit: CMLC

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at architecture firms in New York, she founded XYC to bring world-class architecture to challenging, prominent sites here at home. She is committed to bringing the best in contemporary design to Calgary’s next generation of buildings, and has assembled a talented team based in Calgary and in New York.

“The prominent location is ideal for what we intend to develop – namely, village-style retail space with restaurants along the ground level and unique office space above.

This won’t just be an amenity for the neighbourhood, it will be a destination for all Calgarians,” says MacGregor.

“Kate and her design symbolize the energy and vision that are transforming East Village,” says Michael Brown, president and CEO, CMLC. “Her fresh ideas and eagerness to contribute to the evolution of Calgary – her hometown – are contagious.

“Beyond that, Kate’s project represents an important step toward our realization of the East Village retail strategy, which envisions a complementary mix of ‘village format’ retail and ‘urban scaled’ retail across a total commercial footprint of 411,500 square feet.”

The project by XYC Design and Development will yield between 17,000 to 20,000 square feet of village-format retail and office space that fronts onto RiverWalk and the beautiful Bow River. Restaurants on the main floor will spill out onto RiverWalk’s public promenade, to create an engaging, vibrant building.

XYC Design and Development is currently finalizing files for their development permit application, which they expect to submit early in the new year. Says MacGregor, “We’re searching for tenants who appreciate the value of great design, and are excited to be a part of the coolest new neighbourhood in Calgary,” Imagined as a mixed-use, amenityrich master-planned neighbourhood in the downtown core, East Village will be home to more than 11,000 residents upon completion in 2027. With local amenities like RiverWalk, St. Patrick’s Island, the new Central Library, National Music Centre and an urban shopping centre, East Village has become a highly desirable neighbourhood in Calgary’s downtown core. BiC

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the hot market • Real Estate

The

Hot

Market

Reverting to bidding wars

BY COLLEEN WALLACE

A

lthough final, year-end numbers will not be crunched for another month or so, and Calgary real estate, like other facts of Calgary life, is about more than just money (prices), 2014 is winding up an action-packed year for the real estate business in Alberta, and particularly in the Calgary area.

It is a year of interesting real estate trends, the increasing impact of technology, some record numbers and new ways of doing things, for realtors and consumers alike.

Most Canadian real estate boards (like Calgary’s CREB) only track resale home activity. But in September, Statistics Canada announced record-setting, bullish news about Calgary’s booming new home real estate market. In July, according to New Housing Price Index, the Calgary area had the biggest year-over-year spike in new home prices in the entire country.

30 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

Although it will not be included in CREB’s year-end summary of Calgary resale listings, prices and sales activity, new home prices in Calgary rose by 6.9 per cent compared with the much more modest 1.4 per cent Canadian new home price average.

Traditional market factors like migration, jobs and unemployment rates, interest rates and vacancy rates always impact real estate, to the good and the bad. Thanks primarily (not exclusively) to the oil and gas sector, there is heavy migration of people moving to Calgary, lots of jobs, low unemployment and a strong economy.

Calgary realtors are buoyed by nothing but good news – not only how the key factors have impacted the area’s 2014 real estate prices and activity but how they combined to create new trends and even stretched the Calgary real estate season.

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the hot market • Real Estate

“Calgary wages are higher than the Canadian average, there is a real variety of good jobs,” says CREB president, Bill Kirk. “The real estate market has been very consistent and there is a definite upward trend. For the first half of the year, there was very low vacancy and we were headed toward a seller’s market. And then prices went higher.

But now I’m fairly sure we are headed into a balanced market.”

According to fall-to-fall results, sales are up 11.6 per cent and the 2014 Calgary average MLS sale price is up 5.7 per cent to $482,113.

CREB president, Bill Kirk

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32 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

the hot market • Real Estate

“Provincially and even nationally, Calgary was as good as it got this year and turned out to be a hotbed of its own.” ~ Brad Kopp As a basic formula, it takes about 18 months for one or more of the key factors to show up as a change in the real estate market. Calgary’s continued population boom, combined with the low vacancy rate, has abbreviated the delay period and the impact is being noticed in about one year or less.

And while the local real estate peak season used to be April and May, the positive market factors are now keeping the Calgary real estate season busy from April until October. In fact, an unofficial look at CREB numbers show the highest fall prices ever.

“Most of the province seems to be strong to stable,” says Brad Kopp, president of the Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA). “Provincially and even nationally, Calgary was as good as it got this year and turned out to be a hotbed of its own.”

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the hot market • Real Estate

Natalie Scollard, communications coordinator with the Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA)

AREA does not get involved with the tracking of detailed vacancy, listing and sales stats in specific Alberta markets, but it is vitally plugged into Alberta real estate and represents 10 regional real estate boards and more than 10,000 individual realtors.

Kopp points out one significant 2014 change in the way Alberta realtors and their clients (buyers and sellers) now do business. It’s formally called the Exclusive Buyer Representation Agreement, and although many Alberta realtors have been using various types of buyer’s agreements, one formal version is now a provincial regulation, introduced this July.

“The implementation and transition went as smoothly as can be expected,” Kopp notes. “It brings clarity to the buying and selling arrangement. It lets the buyer know what service they will get from the agent and it documents that the agent is working on behalf of the buyer.

“It’s a big change in the way our 10,000 realtors do business and there are adjustments to be made in the way business is done.”

Natalie Scollard, communications coordinator with the Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA), agrees that some Alberta real estate brokerages were already using their own version of the agreement before it was required, this past July.

RECA is the independent governing authority that sets, regulates and enforces standards for real estate brokerage, mortgage brokerage, property management and real estate appraisal professionals in Alberta.

“There really hasn’t been much pushback about it and no specific complaints,” she explains. “We have the occasional call from consumers or a contact on the website to clarify aspects of the agreement and the form. Buying a home is a significant consumer transaction and the Buyer’s Representation

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the hot market • Real Estate

The most unofficial but cyclically popular strategy in hot real estate markets is the consumer concept of “bidding wars.”

Unless in private conversation, professional realtors don’t acknowledge “bidding wars” and innocuously refer to them as “multiple offers.”

Agreement is a helpful consumer protection with the various responsibilities spelled out in writing.”

A few consumer-driven trends, common in most “hot” real estate markets like Calgary, Toronto and Victoria, have also become popular aspects of local real estate selling and buying life in 2014. Neither CREB nor AREA feel comfortable with official comment. Both groups are governed by and comply with formal definitions and protocols that do not include consumer trends and strategies.

The most unofficial but cyclically popular strategy in hot real estate markets is the consumer concept of “bidding wars.” Unless in private conversation, professional realtors don’t acknowledge “bidding wars” and innocuously refer to them as “multiple offers.”

Informally, many seasoned real estate pros explain that with multiple offers, there are invariably two winners (the seller and the buyer) and multiple losers.

CREB doesn’t and couldn’t comment on multiple offer deals because it has no details about multiple offer situations.

The board factually and meticulously tracks only details like specific listing and sale prices of Calgary real estate.

But with Calgary real estate prices and tight listings, many realtors privately vouch that “bidding wars” are becoming common in Calgary real estate. BiC

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the art and Science • Financial Planning

The Art and Science of Financial Planning Canadians are living longer – and it’s expensive

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“S

mart people do dumb things with their money!”

It’s an accusation. It’s a shame! It’s a challenge.

It’s motivation, inspiration and it’s a solid, factual and somewhat preachy fact of life.

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bestselling self-help book, Moolala.

There is a strange mistaken, misinformed and unfortunate assumption about Sellery’s money logic and advice, and the glut of self-help financial planning and money advice from the small army of Canadian money gurus and advisers: either they are shilling for investments, pitching retirement planning, or both.

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the art and Science • Financial Planning

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Financial planning advice is not limited to people thinking about or nearing retirement age. It’s just that, from Calgary, Red Deer, Victoria and Medicine Hat to Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Gander, it’s unfortunately the only age group that’s paying attention.

What a shame! Maybe it’s a generational thing. Or maybe it’s consistent with our insatiable weakness

Bruce Sellery, professional speaker, workshop leader, coach and author of the bestselling self-help book, Moolala.

for procrastination, at any age. But the most relevant and important financial planning wisdom often gets misconstrued as last-minute panic and retirement planning.

Reams of Canadian stats echo the same-old/same-old generational attitude and mistake that, with or without good advice and common sense, a vast majority of money-earners do not plan ahead, at least far enough ahead. And most financial planning

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the art and Science • Financial Planning

(if it happens at all) only kicks in at some worry point, slightly or way over the hill.

Many financial planners warn that it’s impossible to retire without a million dollars stashed away. The impartial jury is out, but some suggestions counter that most Canadians retire on much less.

The financial industry frequently crunches numbers to

show that the average Canadian needs to replace 70 per cent of their working income for retirement.

Actual contemporary stats show that replacing 50 to 60 per cent of working income, combined with about $11,900 a year from old age pension and CPP, still makes for an adequate retirement.

Although it’s usually private and not talked about, some

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the art and Science • Financial Planning

Although it’s usually private and not talked about, some 50-plus-year-old Canadian boomers count on selling their home to help fund their retirement and then downsize.

50-plus-year-old Canadian boomers count on selling their home to help fund their retirement and then downsize.

Given that real estate represents 42 per cent or more of an average Canadian family’s total assets, it’s not a surprise that 28 per cent of boomers have plans for using the sale of their home to help pay for retirement.

The common response is adjusting lifestyles, cutting back and downsizing.

That logic also comes with a practical catch and some caution. Even with a decent financial planning strategy and some savings, the unavoidable and sometimes harsh reality of life is that, once a person has become used to a certain lifestyle and standard of living, downshifting, downsizing

and downgrading – no matter how determined – may be wishful thinking and lead to let-downs.

Last year, the Canadians surveyed in Sun Life Financial’s annual Unretirement Index overwhelmingly said plans to retire by age 67 are more of a fantasy than a reality. The poll tracks a discouraging but documented reality that, due to the roller-coaster economy, the impact of low interest rates on any carefully stashed away savings and, mostly, the sudden 50-plus realization that people are now living longer, Canadians may need to work longer to afford retirement.

According to the Sun Life poll, despite traditional retirement clichés, fewer than 26 per cent of Canadians actually believe they will retire by 67. Another 32 per cent

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the art and Science • Financial Planning

“Financial planning is a process of creating strategies and managing life goals. Now we’re finding out that more than 60 per cent of Canadians have unrealistic expectations.” ~ Robert McCullagh

of respondents said they anticipate doing part-time work past 67. And 15 per cent say they are undecided.

The survey also found that 63 per cent of those polled felt a need to work past 67 out of necessity, compared with 37 per cent who said it will be because they want to.

The Society of Actuaries calculates that there is an 81 per cent chance that one or both members of a 65-year-old couple will live to age 85, and a 58 per cent chance that one or both will make it to age 90.

Actuaries and financial planners even use simple math to emphasize that, based on contemporary life expectancies, Canadian retirement is projected to last an average of 19 years, maybe more. Factoring-in current levels of savings

and nest eggs, the jarring warning is that the average Canadian will run out of retirement money, just over halfway into their retirement.

“Nearly 80 per cent of people mistake financial planning for investments,” says the respected, Calgary-based financial planner Robert McCullagh at Benefit Planners and the former chair of Advocis – The Financial Advisors Association of Canada, the oldest and largest voluntary professional membership association of financial advisers and planners in Canada.

“And it’s not! Financial planning is a process of creating strategies and managing life goals. Now we’re finding out that more than 60 per cent of Canadians have unrealistic expectations.

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the art and Science • Financial Planning

Financial planner Robert McCullagh at Benefit Planners and the former chair of Advocis.

“Financial planning is about budgeting, credit management, debt, RRSPs, TFSAs and retirement. There should be a balance between lifestyle, debt repayment and saving for the future. Tax is a normal part of every dollar we earn. The rest should be one of those three.”

McCullagh cites various examples and he singles out debt and subtle irresponsibility when it comes to a need for sensible planning and smart money management. “For example, there are business owners who don’t have an enduring power of attorney. And fewer than seven per cent of people in Alberta have a will! How smart and responsible is that?

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“And we see a lot of people who are willing to take debt into retirement. The importance of getting rid of debt, whatever it takes, just can’t be stressed enough. Debt is giving up cash flow of the future.”

Bruce Sellery also suggests that it comes down to basic but misleading math, and minimizing what he calls crushing and crippling debt.

“It’s an entirely generational thing and the trick is to calculate and guesstimate how much money you will need.

As average people, most of us have a problem with reality.

For RSPs, do a basic but honest calculation of how much you will need. The number is big and it will shock you.

“On the flip side, especially in a booming, high-growth and employment area like Calgary, the big issue is that young people are making huge sums of money, they spend it and life is good. If it grinds to a halt tomorrow, how would life be? It’s not like the big money is stashed away in investments and nest eggs.

“Especially after middle age, credit should not be considered an option. At the moment, credit may be easy but it crushes hopes and dreams. No matter what the rationale and logic, paying 19-plus per cent interest that most credit cards charge just doesn’t make any financial sense,” he

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the art and Science • Financial Planning

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“It’s an entirely generational thing and the trick is to calculate and guesstimate how much money you will need. For RSPs, do a basic but honest calculation of how much you will need. The number is big and it will shock you.” ~ Bruce Sellery warns with many specific examples and calculations.

Sellery’s logic and perspective are interesting and refreshing because, bluntly, he has no axe to grind. He is not a financial adviser, he does not represent a financial institution and he has no financial products to sell. Sellery is simply an independent thinker, author and speaker with a background in both the corporate world (Procter & Gamble) and as a business journalist (CTV).

“Although we seem to pay more attention to money as we get older, we’re largely oblivious to our personal finances. When the young family needs money or when someone is creeping-up on retirement, the principles are basic and never change: you can either increase income or reduce expenses. That’s it!”

All underscoring the fact that financial planning is personal and it is both an art and a science. BiC

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honouring Calgary greatness • Cover

Honouring

Calgary Greatness Legendary foundations of Calgary success

BY JOHN HARDY

I

t’s recognition. It’s high praise. It’s honour. It’s a tribute.

And although “fame” may be a slightly misleading term, “Hall of Fame” has been accepted as an ultimate honour and tribute bestowed by a group, a sport, an industry or a community.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio pays tribute to legends like Tina Turner, Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra and Rod Stewart.

Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame (in Calgary) includes figure skaters Elizabeth Manley, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, race car driver Gilles Villeneuve, champion curler Russ Howard, boxing great George Chuvalo and hockey icon Wayne Gretzky.

The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York has enshrined game legends like Reggie Jackson, Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken, Jr. Every year, the Junior Achievement of Southern Alberta (JASA) Business Hall of Fame in Calgary honours the lifetime achievements of southern Alberta’s most distinguished citizens and outstanding individuals. People who have helped shape our province through their business success, their entrepreneurial spirit and philanthropic contributions.

In past years, the Business Hall of Fame has inducted Alberta legends such as Clive Beddoe, J.R. Shaw, Stan Grad, Max Bell, Dave Werklund, Bud McCaig, Richard Haskayne, John Forzani and others.

This month, JASA Business Hall of Fame – the permanent exhibit in the Bankers Hall, East Tower – will induct four more Calgary business legends: Rick George, David Johnson, Gordon Stollery and Clayton Woitas.

Business in Calgary spoke with George, Johnson, Woitas and a family member of the late Gordon Stollery for personal comments about the Calgary business market, the Calgary community and their thoughts about being inducted into the Business Hall of Fame.

Fascinatingly but not surprisingly, although achievement, some notoriety, wealth and success tend to be common threads among Hall of Fame inductees, it is not the qualifications, wealth or success of the person that earns the honour of being a Business Hall of Fame inductee.

It is the essence of the person. It is attitude, character, drive, determination and a palpable passion for business, community and life in general.

businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY November 2014 • 45

Photo by Ewan Nicholson Photo Video.

honouring Calgary greatness • Cover

“The message for young entrepreneurs is: understand who you are, have a moral compass and strong ethics.” ~ Rick George

Rick George

“F

ind something you love to do. Learn all about it from the ground up. Whatever it takes, understand how it all works. When you work hard, things always happen.

Business, especially in Calgary, is full of opportunities,” says Rick George with high energy and positivity.

When it comes to “things happening” and business being full of opportunities, he speaks from much direct, personal experience.

During two decades at the helm of Suncor Energy, George oversaw the successful transformation of a small privately held oilsands company with a valuation of $1 billion to Canada’s largest integrated energy company with a public valuation of over $50 billion.

For his leadership in the development of Canada’s natural resources sector, his commitment to sustainable development and for his tireless efforts to provide economic opportunities to aboriginal communities, George was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in 2007.

In 2008, he was inducted into the Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame.

“There’s no doubt about it,” he emphasizes. “Technology 46 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

has redefined the oil and gas industry and continues to dramatically change everything. Not only fracking and horizontal drilling but the speed at which we drill and the length of wells, reducing energy input and every other aspect of the oil and gas business.

“The market must be viewed as a big, global picture.

Global demands are increasing, not from countries like the U.S. but developing countries like China and India. They are just starting to increase their standard of living.”

As Rick George has been throughout his distinguished career, he is positive and enthusiastic about business and about Calgary.

“The message for young entrepreneurs is: understand who you are, have a moral compass and strong ethics. Don’t believe in written job descriptions because jobs are what you make of them. Look for void spots that you can fill and fill them,” he suggests. “Being successful is not as complex as some people make it seem.”

The sharp and driven business executive, Calgary father of three and grandfather of four has been married 42 years and admits to being “constantly wired” and hooked on skiing, golf, fly fishing and vacationing with his family.

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honouring Calgary greatness • Cover

“…the effort you’re willing to put in equals the return.

And the really important skill is adaptability. The only thing you can count on is change.

Nothing stays the same. You must be ready to adapt.” ~ David Johnson

David Johnson

D

avid Johnson is a gutsy, focused and unconditionally honest business executive ... who admits he was wrong!

With 35 years of diverse experience in the oil and gas industry, including a background in production, reservoir evaluation and operations, Johnson remembers that “about 20 years ago, I had run several companies but the oil and gas business was not in good shape. Growth was not visible.

The sizes of the plays were diminishing. Pool discovery potential was poor. I felt that it was a sunset industry with a discouraging future. And I even considered recommending that my two sons not go into the business.

“And then the technology revolution happened. Horizontal drilling and microseismic technology were game-changers and altered the potential of the industry. I was very happy to be wrong,” he shrugs with a broad smile. “And it just so happens that my two sons did choose the oil and gas business. My oldest son is a geologist and the other is a petroleum engineer.

“Young people just building their career, whether it’s oil and gas or any other business, should focus on the level of their intensity, because the effort you’re willing to put in equals the return. And the really important skill is

48 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

adaptability. The only thing you can count on is change.

Nothing stays the same. You must be ready to adapt.”

Married for 41 years, the father of three and grandfather of six is upbeat and openly admits that his measure of success is family. “It’s the great satisfaction of my life. Successful people must have balance, and be satisfied with their life, as a total.”

Johnson, a former SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) grad, credits his business success with allowing him the opportunity to give back to the Calgary community he loves.

He continues to serve on the boards of several companies and he is active in various community and charitable groups. Johnson is a tireless booster of the United Way of Calgary and Area. He personally donated $5 million to the SAIT Promising Futures Campaign to create the SAIT Trades and Technology Complex, where one of the buildings – the Johnson–Cobbe Energy Centre – has been named after him and his close friend and colleague, Murray Cobbe. Johnson was also awarded the SAIT Distinguished Alumni Award.

And now an inductee into the JASA Business Hall of Fame.

“I am enjoying the leisurely retired life, with lots of stimulus,” he grins.

honouring Calgary greatness • Cover

Gordon Stollery was passionate about Alberta and believed in giving back to the community through mentorship and support of entrepreneurs and artists.

Gordon Stollery (posthumously)

H

is friends called him Gordo!

But Arthur Gordon Stollery was a true oil and gas industry pioneer, an exceptionally gifted business leader and executive, a consummate dad (lovably outnumbered by seven daughters) and a gregarious man of many passions.

His primary business focus was starting oil companies such as Highpine Oil and Gas and, throughout his career, Stollery was either founder, investor or director of many Alberta-based companies including Morrison Petroleum, Canada Fluorspar, GridIron Drilling, Valiant Petroleum, AGS Energy and others.

His other passions sometimes rivalled his tremendous stature and achievements in the oil and gas industry.

Stollery continued his family’s stewardship of Angus Glen Farm in Ontario, breeding thoroughbred horses and eventually redirected the company to focus on breeding horses in Kentucky, where he successfully ran a breeding operation.

Gordon Stollery was an accomplished, professional-level golfer. His love of the game inspired him to develop the prestigious Angus Glen Golf Club in Ontario and oversee development of the Angus Glen residential community.

But his true love was family!

“Being together with family came before everything else,” says his daughter Lindsay. “My father was the most

gentle but hilarious man. He didn’t like being the centre of attention but he was constantly joking, lovably silly and loved pulling pranks and telling one-liners.

“He always impressed on us the importance of family and being close. He wanted us to get along and a lot of the things he did was about our family being together. There are seven daughters, from 18 to 43, and we’re still close!”

Three years ago, Gordon Stollery died from a massive heart attack while vacationing in the Bahamas. Lindsay Stollery has a lifetime of memories that best describe the essence of her successful and respected father.

“When I was newly out of university, my father let me ‘shadow’ him for six months. He took me to board meetings and golf meetings. What struck me was how observant he was and how understated but gravitational he was to everyone around him. As a dad he was my ultimate leader and mentor because he fostered my growth and independence. He would educate and guide me but he always allowed my freedom of decision.”

Gordon Stollery was passionate about Alberta and believed in giving back to the community through mentorship and support of entrepreneurs and artists. He was also a proud sponsor of the chuckwagons at the Calgary Stampede.

“My father lived life to the fullest, grasped every moment and, most of all, he was fun to be around,” Lindsay Stollery smiles. businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY November 2014 • 49

honouring Calgary greatness • Cover

“It takes balance, in career and personal life.

Find out what your passion is and then – go for it!” ~ Clayton Woitas

Clayton Woitas

D

espite 40-plus years of distinguished experience and an admired reputation in the oil and gas industry, particularly in the areas of acquisitions and natural gas exploration and production, being acknowledged as Saskatchewan Oilman of the Year and one of Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People, 66-year-old Clayton Woitas is amused and proud that his son says that he’s not mature enough yet to be a grandfather.

“I am very fortunate that early in life I had the opportunity to find out what I like in a career. From the beginning, I have loved what I do. It doesn’t get much better than that,” smiles the successful and respected oil and gas industry executive.

In business, and in his beloved Calgary community, Woitas keeps hectically busy. He was founder, chairman, president and CEO of Profico Energy Management and a director, president and CEO of Renaissance Energy.

Woitas has been Encana’s chairman since last year and is also chairman and CEO of Range Royalty Management (a private company, acquiring royalty interests in western Canadian oil and natural gas production). And he is also a director of Gibson Energy, a public oil and gas midstream company, and several other private energy-related companies and advisory boards.

50 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

“Technology has transformed the oil and gas industry from geology-base, wildcatter exploration to a measured science. At times I think we’re pushing technology to the limit but the industry is so limitless and exciting.

“Success is not as complicated as some people think,” he explains with good-natured caution. “It takes balance, in career and personal life. Find out what your passion is and then – go for it! Keep your head up. Don’t micro-analyze things. And never go into anything half hearted or you’ll get half-hearted results.”

Woitas is an enthusiastic Calgary booster and underscores the tremendous career opportunities in Calgary. “It may sound corny but you can accomplish anything you want as long as you work for it.”

In addition to his numerous (and time-consuming) business responsibilities, Clayton Woitas gives his time and donations to Calgary causes like the Glenbow Museum, Alberta Cancer Foundation, the University of Calgary and others.

“I’m an admitted workaholic but I also relax well. I play poor golf, travel is a passion and so are several glasses of red wine. And when my son finally thinks I’m mature enough to be a grandfather, I’m pretty sure I’ll be ready.” BiC

Thank you to the generous sponsors of the 2014 Calgary Business Hall of Fame Lead Sponsor

General Reception

General Reception

Laureate Announcement Luncheon Sponsor

Governor’s VIP Reception

Laureate Video

Laureate Video

Laureate Video

Laureate Video

Rick George

David Johnson

Clayton Woitas

Gordon Stollery

Todd Poland

First Vice-President, Investment Advisor

Gala Production

Aboriginal Community Partnership Table

Rural Region Partnership Table

Volunteer Partnership Table

Volunteer Partnership Table

Canadian manufacturing is Underrated • Manufacturing

Canadian Manufacturing is

Underrated

Alberta – Canada’s third-largest manufacturing province

BY DAN COOPER

A

recent, heated panel discussion about Canada’s weak and sluggish manufacturing and export image, even compared to countries other than the U.S. and China, became overheated when one frustrated panellist blurted: “Does Canada even make stuff anymore?”

The answer is not only absolutely “yes,” but Canadian manufacturing and exports are actually a modest and proven growth sector.

While economists and business insiders know better, the notorious difference between perception and reality, combined with the irresistible trend of consumer negativity and misinformation, it’s a common and naive North American consumer moan and groan about outsourcing and that “everything these days is made in China, India or Taiwan.”

Some government policy bashers and chronic Canadian cynics have gone as far as to chant the warning that Canada is being deindustrialized.

The sky-is-falling scares about Canada’s deindustrialization have been around since the late ’90s, with catchy criticism and warnings about Canada becoming a nation of hamburger flippers and call-centre operators. Meanwhile, the charts, graphs and stats show that while various manufacturing sectors (as most businesses) do have cyclical slumps and recoveries, all in all, Canadian manufacturing and sales are 52 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

stable, in good shape and steady contributors to Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP).

The Canadian manufacturing sector covers 21 industry groups that produce goods for both industrial and consumer use. Last year, the manufacturing sector accounted for over 1.7 million jobs and close to 11 per cent of GDP ($166 billion).

It’s undisputable that manufacturers are major contributors to the Canadian economy, employing Canadians in a wide range of industries including petroleum, coal, aerospace, automotive, forest products, information and communications technologies, food processing, pharmaceuticals, primary metals, shipbuilding and more.

Canadian manufacturing is also an important source of innovation and global competitiveness. The sector is comprised of thousands of companies in advanced manufacturing utilizing the latest in automation, robotics and biotechnology.

Last year, manufacturing was responsible for 47 per cent of all business enterprise R&D investments, which contributed to the creation of world-class, high-value products and processes. In addition, many large manufacturers anchor economic activity in their respective communities.

The hard-core business facts and figures not only reflect

Canadian manufacturing is Underrated • Manufacturing

The hard-core business facts and figures not only reflect a positive story but reference the serious to the sublime about what Canada provides for the world.

a positive story but reference the serious to the sublime about what Canada provides for the world. Everything from clothing, canola and wheat, cars and car parts, chemicals, machinery and equipment, electronics, the robotic Canadarm on the International Space Station, ice wine, lumber, potash, petroleum and coal products and widgets to Ryan Reynolds, Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Neil Young.

On the business-impacting serious side, Statistics Canada showed mid-year numbers that Canadian manufacturing sales actually outperformed analyst and economist expectations and grew by 1.6 per cent, to almost $52 billion.

The detailed numbers also show that actual manufacturing sales rose in 11 of 21 Canadian industries, representing

about 60 per cent of the country’s manufacturing sector.

Despite fringe negativity and frequent gloom-and-doom warnings about Canadian manufacturing, the figures beg to differ and rebut the rumours and whining about the demise of Canadian manufacturing as grossly exaggerated.

According to a Statistics Canada report, “The Canadian Manufacturing Sector: Adapting to Change,” year-toyear numbers and comparables document that Canada’s manufacturing sector has not been in a major slump, shows no warning signs of an impending slump and, in terms of volume of output, Canadian manufacturing production as a share of the economy has really not changed very much in almost half a century.

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April 22, 2015

Host Misha Glouberman Communication expert, teacher, and author

April 22, 2015

Unthink Erik Wahl Internationally recognized graffiti artist, author and entrepreneur

April 23, 2015

Give and Take Adam Grant Award-winning teacher, researcher, and professor at Wharton School

hriaconference.com businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY November 2014 • 53

Canadian manufacturing is Underrated • Manufacturing

Manufacturing is undisputedly a vital component of Canada’s economy.

One legitimate and traditional wrinkle is that a large share of Canada’s manufacturing is based in Ontario and Quebec.

Not as much a crusade as an information, education and motivation blitz, Alberta is now ambitiously proactive about the provincial role and value of manufacturing.

The Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Alberta (CME), the provincial division of Canada’s largest trade and industry association, recently released a manufacturing action plan titled Manufacturing Alberta’s Future: Driving Investment, Growing Exports and Creating Jobs.

It says: “Alberta manufacturing generates nearly $75 billion in annual sales accounting for 8.5 per cent of provincial GDP and 25 per cent of all provincial exports,” according to CME findings. “Since 1992, manufacturing sales in Alberta have risen by 331 per cent compared to 127 per cent growth for Canada as a whole. That growth has made Alberta into Canada’s thirdlargest manufacturing province.”

David Plante, vice-president, Canadian Manufacturers &, Exporters, AB-NB/PE Divisions

Provincial stats show that although a wide range of manufacturing industries are active in Alberta, the three dominant ones are petroleum refining (about 28 per cent of manufacturing sales) petrochemicals and other chemicals (17 per cent) and animal processing, vegetable oil and other food products make up 16 per cent.

The CME is dynamic and driven about Alberta manufacturing, although manufacturers in the province continue to struggle with labour shortages and costs, discouraging regulations, high energy prices and an uneven playing field not only with Ontario and Quebec but also with global competitors.

To try and do something proactive about it, the CME together with its strategic business partners and a coalition of associations, surveyed and held various roundtable discussions with the aim of understanding manufacturers and their priorities for success going forward.

Some CME key action areas are: enhancing the image of manufacturing, supporting diversity, investment and innovation, increasing the quality and quantity of the labour pool,

Josh Bilyk, president, Alberta Enterprise Group

54 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

creating a globally competitive business environment and expanding valueadded exports.

“So many Alberta companies have such a can-do attitude when it comes to making things,” says the enthusiastic and upbeat David Plante, vice-president, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, AB-NB/PE Divisions. “There’s no getting away from it. At the end of the day we have to make things. As simple and as very complex as that.

“The CME understands how vital manufacturing is to Alberta’s economy and we are now on a mission to help businesses and everyone else in the province not only understand but do something about it,” he explains.

“One good and relevant provincial example, oil and gas extraction, is the main driver of economic activity in Alberta, but we are only capturing a fraction of the economic potential of those resources. Only about 30 per cent of the manufacturing that supports oilsands development comes from within the province and only 47 per cent from Canada overall.

“Policy action is needed to improve local participation in energy supply chains because the opportunities are tremendous.”

Canadian manufacturing is Underrated • Manufacturing

David Plante says manufacturing is attracting more and more young people.

“There’s a metamorphosis happening in manufacturing. It’s not only due to technology but intellafactoring, no longer just making widgets but it’s about providing customers full value.”

The CME estimates that there could be as much as $1.8 trillion in oilsands investments on the way between now and 2030. If Alberta can increase the local share of value-added manufacturing that supports those investments, it could create billions of dollars of economic activity and thousands of Alberta jobs.

“There are certainly Alberta issues and challenges,” Plante points out.

“Alberta’s manufacturers believe that provincial and municipal governments are not supporting growth.

“The biggest challenges compared to our major trading partners include the market not recognizing the value of local content, high input costs like energy, labour and transportation, high tax rates, to poor infrastructure to get goods to the Canadian markets.”

Plante is confident that change and boosting Alberta manufacturing is not only possible but achievable.

“CME’s goal is to work with member companies, governments and other supporting networks to implement our defined action plan focused on these core elements with the aim of supporting the goal to double manufacturing output to $150 billion and exports to $50 billion by 2020.”

Positivity and being proactive to boost manufacturing seems to be an exciting Alberta business trend.

Another business-focused and positive Alberta group is also on a mission to boost Alberta business.

Seven years ago, some Alberta business leaders got together to create the Alberta Enterprise Group (AEG), an ambitious business advocacy organization with a broad and focused mandate to make Alberta a better place to live and do business.

Part of AEG’s multi-target business goal is to beat the drums about the vibrancy and importance of Alberta manufacturing.

“It doesn’t hurt to aim high,” roars the high-energy AEG president, Josh Bilyk. “Over the years, both collectively and as individual members of AEG, we have succeeded in sharing Alberta’s story with the world. And we’ll keep doing it. We effectively communicate the benefits of doing business in our province; we positively inform the public and policy-makers on complex and challenging issues facing business in Alberta.

“Especially with sectors like manufacturing, we must share facts and information to ensure the full message

and the right message gets out, across Canada and globally. It’s an everyday job to reshape perceptions,” Bilyk urges.

One refreshingly proactive AEG program brings together business leaders from various fields from throughout Canada, the U.S. and beyond, to network and get a showand-tell, first-hand understanding about opportunities and ways to do business in Alberta.

This September, AEG hosted some 30 delegates of the Atlantic Metal Working Association (AMWA) whose members consist of machining and fabrication firms in the Maritimes.

“Most of these people have no idea of the scope and magnitude of all the business opportunities in Alberta,” he says with interest. “They have no idea about Alberta’s volume of activity and our diversity. It’s an eyeopening experience and their reaction is overwhelmingly positive.”

David Plante says manufacturing is attracting more and more young people.

“There’s a metamorphosis happening in manufacturing. It’s not only due to technology but intellafactoring, no longer just making widgets but it’s about providing customers full value.” BiC

businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY November 2014 • 55

TOWARDS SELF-REGULATION The Evolution of the Human Resources Profession in Alberta

HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA

Evolution of the HR Profession Successful organizations have always depended on high-performance teams. However, the current market constraints in Alberta are making it more challenging to recruit and retain top talent. As a result, the role of HR professionals – who operate on the frontline of Alberta’s labour market - is paramount for successful business strategy execution.

What used to be a job assigned to those who were “people persons” now requires an ability to navigate employee and employer relations, a strong grasp of employment standards and labour laws and the ability to think about a company workforce for the long-term and define, forecast and solve relevant talent deficits.

HR professionals and practitioners fulfil a variety of roles and job functions to help companies achieve their business goals.

Job titles may include Organizational Effectiveness Manager, HR/Safety Manager, Employee Relations Specialist, Talent Acquisition Specialist, HR Coordinator, Learning and Development Specialist, Payroll Administrator, Benefits Advisor and many more. They incorporate a broad range of activities including: professional practice, organizational effectiveness, staffing, employee and labour relations, total rewards, learning and development and occupational health, safety and wellness.

“

The current market constraints in Alberta are making it more challenging to recruit and retain top talent.

”

The CHRP Designation The Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) is a nationally recognized designation in the field of human resources. Established in 1990, it is the gold standard across Canada for HR competence and skilled practice.

The designation indicates to employers and the public that an individual has acquired a requisite level of knowledge and skills within the field of human resources and holds themselves to a higher standard of ethical practice.

Dedicated to strengthening and promoting the HR profession.

To earn the CHRP designation, candidates must hold a Bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited post-secondary institution, pass the National Knowledge Exam and possess at least three years of professional-level HR experience, including one year of Canadian experience. Through their exam and experience, candidates must demonstrate competency in nine functional areas and five enabling areas relevant to the HR profession.

A CHRP must also undertake on-going professional development to retain their designation – just like other recognized professions.

The CHRP requires 100 hours of professional development every 3 years, including experience in at least 2 of the 5 categories. In order to ensure compliance, CHRPs submit professional experience logs and HRIA audits 3% of submitted logs every year.

“

Established in 1990, it is the gold standard across Canada for HR competence and skilled practice.

”

HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA | www.HRIA.ca

All Alberta CHRP’s adhere to rules of professional conduct, a made-in-Alberta code of ethics, an annual good character attestation and a requirement to carry professional liability insurance when in independent practice. Should a CHRP fail to uphold these standards, the HRIA administers a twelve-member Discipline Committee which includes a non-CHRP to ensure greater transparency of disciplinary measures. HRIA uses a panel system to process complaints, investigate and determine corrective actions, where necessary. In last five years, 14 complaints have been received, 8 dismissed, 5 resolved by alternative dispute resolution and 1 voluntary cancellation.

HRIA Today The Human Resources Institute of Alberta (HRIA) is the only certifying body for the Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP) designation in Alberta. We are a member-driven organization that represents the voice of human resources professionals in Alberta.

HRIA is dedicated to strengthening and promoting the human resources profession.

“

Founded in 1984 5,900 members at the end of 2013

A member driven organization that represents the voice of human resources professionals in Alberta.

3,100 certified members (CHRPs) 3rd largest HR professional association in Canada Representing Alberta’s 6th largest non-health profession

”

31%

Membership - Company Size Small Organizations

12%

Medium Organizations Large Organizations Self-employed

Revenue Sources Job Board and Certification

19%

Member Dues

32%

Chapter and Member Services 37%

Top 3 Membership Categories Oil and Gas Public administration and government Professional, scientific, and technical services

Conference

25 20 15 10 5 0

HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA | www.HRIA.ca

24% 22%

31%

23%

Self-Regulation In 2014, the Human Resources Institute of Alberta (HRIA) will be applying to the Alberta Government to become a self-regulated profession. We will essentially be asking the provincial government to grant us the privilege to govern ourselves and set the expectations for others wanting to join the profession.

“

Self-regulation is the cornerstone to becoming a recognized profession.

”

If we are successful, it will signify a vote of confidence in our ability to put professional independence ahead of self-interest and commit to protecting the public interest above all else.

The achievement of self-regulation is the cornerstone to becoming a recognized profession. It signals to the business community, the government and the public that they can put their trust in HRIA to ensure HR practices in Alberta meet the highest standards and have confidence that CHRPs are qualified, competent, and ethical. As the only certifying body in Alberta for the CHRP, HRIA will also ensure a continuous level of professional development for CHRP’s in order to maintain consistent high standards.

Why Are We Doing This?

Much has changed since the Human Resources Institute of Alberta (HRIA) incorporated itself under the Societies Act. The human resources profession has changed significantly over the past 30 years with a renewed focus on actively managing the workforce, better talent recruitment techniques and an increasingly tight labour market.

In response to these challenges, we want the human resources profession to be governed by a professional regulatory act instead of one designed for community groups and charitable foundations. We need the legal tools available in a professional regulatory act so that HRIA can regulate the human resources profession to respond to an increasingly tight labour market and a progressively international All of these improvements are geared workforce.

“

towards ensuring that the HRIA remains focused on upholding the highest standards of practice and ethics.

For more information and to submit your feedback please visit: www.hria.ca/self-regulation

How Will the Public Benefit?

”

Certified members of the HRIA are ready to take on the additional responsibilities of self-regulation and putting the protection of the public first and foremost in the oversight of the profession.

CHRPs recently voted 94% in favour of applying for self-regulation with the understanding that the protection of the public will be the focus of this endeavour.

The HRIA has been updating its processes including the introduction of a new Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct. The disciplinary functions of the HRIA have been modernized and aligned with the best practices of similar professional associations. A new procedures manual, formal tribunal training and new recruitment to increase the breadth of experience as well as knowledge on the Discipline Committee have been implemented.

All of these improvements are geared towards ensuring that the HRIA remains focused on upholding the highest standards of practice and ethics to ensure that members place the interests of the public at the heart of their human resources practices.

HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA | www.HRIA.ca

the $113-Billion Crime • Security

The $113-Billion Crime Could be just a corny password

BY JOHN HARDY

E

ureka! In the high-risk age of compromised and corrupted databases, malware, resourceful and brilliant hackers, phishing, keystroke logging, encryption, algorithms and other sophisticated, high-tech cybersecurity strategy, sometimes the breach culprit is just an old-fashioned, cinchy or corny password.

Of course it’s inevitably more complex and complicated than that, at every level.

From personal identities, bank accounts, cash flow and private medical information to sales figures, client lists, business plans, formulas and the massive big leagues of sensitive government information and vintage espionage.

James Bond was never after money. Stacks of money and piles of diamonds be damned. Bond would scale walls, drive over cliffs, blow up things, commandeer speedboats, spaceships, submarines and camels and invariably duke it out with the villains, just to get some secret information.

But some things never change, despite fabulous and life-altering technology.

Ridiculously generalized, the thieves and villains are still after three things: steal money, steal information or to do harm. Sometimes, all three.

The popular and well-worn cliché is accurate and true: technology continues to be a life-changer and makes everything easier, even for thieves and villains.

Just as today’s banks, businesses, lawyers, accountants, stores, hospitals and even governments no longer stash sensitive and restricted information in locked filing cabinets inside huge, bulky vaults, today’s spies and thieves no longer have to commandeer speedboats, spaceships, submarines and camels.

Besides, other than the lingering tradition in some bank branches, unsuspecting, vulnerable targets in The Bow, AHCIP offices, big-box stores and

60 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

Dr. Paul Lu, professor, computing science, associate chair for undergraduate studies, faculty of science, University of Alberta.

the $113-Billion Crime • Security

the Foothills Medical Centre don’t even have safes or vaults.

The information is sealed (saved) and stored in cyberspaces.

Calgary’s state-of-the-art spies and thieves no longer have to scale walls, drive over cliffs or blow up things to access and steal information. It is notorious common knowledge that they can be ho-hum and puttering … at the kitchen table, camped in the next padded cubicle or huddled at a cramped and wobbly table with a paper-cupped Caramel Macchiato.

Technology is so life-altering and fabulous that it even makes cybercrime easier.

“Cybercrimes and cybersecurity are very big issues in business today. It’s a very real risk and growing,” warns Dr. Paul Lu, professor, computing science, associate chair for undergraduate studies in the faculty of science at the University of Alberta. “In many ways, it depends on the nature of the business.

“Big companies, governments and banks are solidly secure and have many layers upon layers of the latest, most foolproof protection protocols available. The private sector and other businesses probably don’t.”

Especially in the past year or so, the conversation about cybercrime, hackers and cybersecurity invariably referenced recent high-profile cyber breaches at Target, Home Depot or the celebrity hacking of Apple’s iCloud.

Lu prefers to use a much smaller, normal and hypothetical example. “Like a neighbourhood candy store. How much sensitive personal data would the candy store have? Probably none. But, a lot like Home Depot and Target, the candy store does have a huge and active credit card Internet connection with various banks. And the bad guys always look for the weakest, unsuspecting links.

“That’s why they don’t hack into Home Depot’s database.

They’re not after the store’s business,” Lu explains. “They just want access to the store’s thousands of credit card numbers to either instantly run fraudulent transactions or, most likely, to sell off the thousands of credit card numbers to third parties.

Suddenly, and often without knowing about it, consumers have additional, new credit cards in their name, charges for purchases they never made and maybe even a mortgage they may never know about until it’s too late.”

Tech experts and cybersecurity consultants explain and caution that every year, if not every day, more cyber attackers are detected. The harsh but undisputed fact is: the criminal hackers who infiltrate, access, attack and exploit our cyber systems are more sophisticated and expert than ever before.

No doubt about it. Hackers are investing in their crime skills. Consultants urge that savvy Calgary businesses and consumers should urgently invest in their security skills. businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY November 2014 • 61

the $113-Billion Crime • Security

“Let’s face it! Information is a commodity. And hackers are more and more sophisticated, especially with new algorithms for data mining. With today’s tremendous connectivity, there is lots of information to be hacked out there.” ~ Dr. Marina Gavrilova

big, clunky PC tower and flimsy flip “Last year, I heard a speaker at a phone. Today’s employees almost security and privacy conference who assume that the boss is perfectly OK said it’s not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ with using personal smartphones and there will be a security breach in most tablets at work. companies,” according to Dr. Marina More and more companies provide Gavrilova, associate professor and mobility as a perk. A major North head of the Biometric Technologies American HR survey found that Laboratory, computer science, at the productivity spikes in workplaces University of Calgary. where staff are fee to use devices that “Let’s face it! Information is a are comfortable for them. commodity. And hackers are more “When it comes to business cyber and more sophisticated, especially breaches, BYOD is more of a factor with new algorithms for data mining. than ever,” Lu emphasizes. “The Most small businesses, consumers and horses have left the barn. Companies stores are easy targets for information must consider their options and thieves. And hackers link into other Dr. Marina Gavrilova, associate professor and head of the Biometric adapt. What are the best ways to limit sources for more information like Technologies Laboratory, computer science, at the University of Calgary. access and minimize the risks?” names, addresses, dates of birth from Besides, IT consultants point out Facebook, LinkedIn and others. that, at home or at work, desktops and laptops are not as “With today’s tremendous connectivity, there is lots of vulnerable, because they are more likely to have installed information to be hacked out there.” antivirus and anti-malware software.

According to reported incident stats, hacker attacks of Canadian consumers and Canadian businesses are so rampant and hard to control that the federal government Disturbing stats also reveal that: actually amended the Criminal Code of Canada to better • More than 60 per cent of Canadian mobile technology protect Canadians from identity theft. users are not even aware about security programs It is not only a Calgary problem but a Canadian and global readily available for smartphones and tablets. epidemic for which there may be no easy answer or cure.

• Only 25 per cent of smartphone users have basic and Last year, the various situations of cybercrime cost free security software.

Canadians a staggering $3 billion, according to the 2013 • More than 32 per cent have experienced cybercrime in Norton Report, done by the U.S. software giant Symantec the past year.

Corporation. The report also cites that about seven million Canadians have been victims of cybercrime in the past year. Globally the cost of cybercrime has risen to an The cyber experts have some caution incomprehensible $113 billion.

The dramatic rise in cybercrime is partially attributed to and valuable advice for BYOD users: increased use of mobile devices and open Wi-Fi networks.

• Always password-protect your smartphone and tablet The authors of the Norton Report tracked mobile technology and download security software on all your mobile (tablets and smartphones) and BYOD workplace trends devices. for enabling and accelerating personal and work-related • Don’t shop or do your banking online while using a free cybercrimes.

Wi-Fi network in a coffee shop or other ‘open’ public Ten years ago, getting a company laptop and BlackBerry places. was considered a thrilling bonus upgrade from the routine, 62 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

the $113-Billion Crime • Security

Constructively simplifying a very complex, high-tech situation, Paul Lu, Marina Gavrilova and other cyber experts agree that a significant cause of many cyber breaches is ease of access.

“Cybersecurity is a culture, not a technology or a department,” Lu says as undisputed fact, not opinion.

“It’s been proven that a majority of cybercrimes on companies are inside jobs. Everyone is potentially a risk.

From the disgruntled junior clerk to senior management who usually have unsuspecting wide open access.

“One password accessing everything is an invitation for disaster. Every time you add another way to access the company’s network, it heightens the risks.”

He mentions the well-known computer security concept of “principle of least privilege.” It refers to granting access only to information the person needs. “Do managers really need open access to all of the company’s information?”

It may lead to touchy office politics and possibly bruised feelings but, does the chief marketing officer really need access to the company’s monthly profit and loss statements and does the director of HR really need access to client lists and sales strategies?

“In Calgary and throughout North America, there is a big push to come up with better systems for security, especially when it comes to access,” says Gavrilova. “It’s all about network security, encryptions and password security. And the rights and permissions to access the company’s database.

“The safeguards and protocols can get complicated and expensive and some mid-size or smaller businesses may choose to bypass all the fuss. Generally, in most companies, passwords are much too easy,” the Calgary computer expert cautions. “Almost one-third of breaches happen because companies do not follow basic password security protocols, leaving employees free to choose the passwords they want.”(*see below) Sometimes professionals in the booming business of cybersecurity and detection warn about various popular and common ways to gain access to cyberspace information.

Cyber thieves (hackers) are more skilled than ever and can exploit vulnerabilities in software and hardware: • By tricking people into opening infected emails or visiting corrupted websites that infect their computers with malicious software (malware).

• Taking advantage of people who don’t follow basic cybersecurity practices like frequently changing passwords, updating antivirus protection and using only protected wireless networks.

• Accessing a computer and stealing or distorting the information stored on it, corrupting its operations and programming it to attack other computers and systems to which they are connected. BiC

Study on Passwords A study of recent cyber breaches based on popular and cinchy-to-hack passwords warns about: • password • 123456 • 12345678 • qwerty • abc123 • iloveyou • master • 123123 • 654321 • superman • trustno1 • 111111 A curious wrinkle about cybercrime in the private sector workplace is hesitation and concern about the possible impact on company reputation, and creating doubt and worry in the perception of investors, clients, suppliers and competitors. The situation is a bit like the unspoken and unwritten “just don’t talk about it” bank policy when it comes to reporting bank robberies.

A baffling, 2014 Statistics Canada report surveyed 17,000 private Canadian businesses. Out of 1,020 businesses that admitted experiencing some type of cyber breach in the past year – fewer than 260 actually reported the crime.

Apparently technology is such a potent gamechanger that it has morphed cyber breaches to be the new shame some businesses would rather not talk about.

businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY November 2014 • 63

the Calgary Skyline tells a Story • Architecture

The Calgary Skyline Tells a Story Downtown is Booming – and Looking Good!

BY PARKER GRANT | PHOTOS AND RENDERINGS COURTESY OF DIALOG

T

he Calgary skyline is a constant and dazzling work in progress.

“The look” is either a prominently pitched or subtly noticed Calgary branding and it is also a reliable barometer of how Calgary is doing.

Unlike some downtown areas, Calgary is esthetically and architecturally attractive, dynamic and appealing. It’s a mix of sleek and modern and vintage, heritage and traditional.

And as with other vibrant and booming downtown areas, Calgary has its share of conflicting public opinions about the chronic construction it takes to develop the constantly evolving skyline.

The boosters positively brag and rave about “the cranes in the sky” reference as a reliable visual about downtown development activity.

One Calgary commercial real estate professional compares and differentiates the meaning and value of “the cranes” spotting the skyline of downtown Calgary and the cranes in downtown Toronto. Development logic explains that a majority

64 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

of downtown-Toronto cranes are for residential, highrise condo projects. The good news is that most of Calgary’s downtown cranes are for big commercial, office projects, emphasizing businesses locating in Calgary and potent indicators of Calgary’s vibrant economy, jobs and growth.

Not everyone is a fan of all the downtown construction.

Some are annoyed, complain and grumble about constant inconvenience, noise, commotion and detours.

Unlike most residential subdivisions with specific rules and bylaws about what styles, models, shapes and colours must be built on which lots, there is no homogenous master plan about the development of Calgary’s downtown and ever-changing skyline.

In fact, for some surprising but little-known architectural reasons, Calgary’s downtown is an architect’s dream. Aside from basic architectural and building code standards and mandatory city approvals, there are very few restrictions and it’s every architect, designer, developer and company for themselves, when it comes to the size, the shape and “the look”

the Calgary Skyline tells a Story • Architecture

Brookfield Place rendering

TELUS Sky rendering

of the buildings that continue to reshape Calgary’s downtown.

Although some major downtown area residential projects – like The Guardian, the two skyscraper condo towers in Victoria Park, and The River, Calgary’s ultimate luxury residential development in Mission, right on the Elbow River – are adding to the downtown landscape, the two latest, breathtaking and colossal Calgary downtown architectural wonders will be the shimmering 58-storey (236m/774ft) TELUS Sky commercial and residential building and the massive 56-storey (247m/810ft) and 41-storey dual towers and glass-enclosed central pavilion of Brookfield Place.

Both downtown projects are slated for 2017 openings and will be the newest jewels on the spectacular Calgary skyline.

Give or take varying municipal restrictions, it’s the way modern (mostly North American) skylines grow. From Vancouver, Chicago, Toronto and Houston to Montreal, Los Angeles and Calgary. The biggest. The shiniest. The most architecturally striking. The most artistic and dazzling. Or just the newest.

While being “the tallest” may get vague mentions in tourist brochures or a buried line on Wikipedia, being the tallest is friendly and informal bragging rights for duelling companies and architects and also a notch of corporate branding prestige.

And it’s not all about giant glass skyscrapers. The informal, exciting and Calgary-boosting downtown architecture battle predates The Bow, TELUS Sky and Brookfield Place.

The quest to be the biggest, the newest, the tallest and the best in downtown Calgary dates back about a century.

Calgary’s downtown evolution and architecture has been a strangely cyclical growth pattern with action-packed highs, and almost dormant lulls.

The early (1910) start was the classic and ultra traditional “tower” architecture of the Grain Exchange Building, the Fairmont Palliser Hotel and the Elveden Centre.

Then downtown development ground to a halt until the early ’70s, when a 20-year highrise and skyscraper architecture boom started. It’s when many of the well-known downtown office buildings like First Canadian Centre, the Canterra Tower and others were built.

After another 10-year lull, the late ’90s sparked a bigger, taller, glitzier, glassier, shinier downtown architecture boom, which still continues today.

According to basic architectural and office building standards, 100 metres (328 feet) is the popular measure. The Calgary skyline has been visibly changing for more than 20 years. Today there are 56 downtown buildings taller than 100 metres.

For now, The Bow – with 58 stories and 236m/774ft – is not only the tallest on the Calgary horizon, it’s the tallest in Western Canada and the tallest office building in Canada, outside of Toronto. The second tallest is the 53-storey, 215m/705ft Suncor Energy Centre, followed closely by Eighth Avenue Place I with 49 storeys and 212.3m/697ft.

By size and trivia comparison, the Calgary Tower is businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY November 2014 • 65

the Calgary Skyline tells a Story • Architecture

TELUS Sky architect Doug Cinnamon, principal with DIALOG

TELUS Sky rendering

191m/626ft but is not technically ranked because it is not considered a “habitable building.”

As Calgary-based architects and architectural firms from around the world huddle over their drafting tables, compasses, triangles and scales with newer and more dazzling ways to enhance the Calgary skyline, they are especially revved about the freedoms of designing for downtown Calgary.

As various architects enthusiastically point out, Calgary is an area where they can be virtually limitless with their creativity and designs.

Unlike some municipalities, which have strict bylaws and building code limitations about style and types of buildings, particularly about frontage and height – Calgary has no restrictions about height and size. Calgary does have one quirky height restriction that prevents any building from casting a shadow over the Bow River and on city hall, with winter months being exempt.

So, for architects working on new downtown Calgary buildings, the sky is literally the design limit.

While that makes architects and the tax-collecting city happy, there is a practical downside. The new and future stunning superstars of downtown Calgary architecture may already be having a negative effect on the downtown landscape.

The newer, the fancier, the more dazzling showpiece skyscraper giants may be bumping the not-so-new, the notso-big and not-so-fancy existing downtown office buildings into second-class or lower status when it comes to office space supply, demand and square footage rate categories of commercial real estate leasing.

As Bankers Hall, Suncor Energy Centre, the TransCanada Tower, the Nexen Building, Jamieson Place and The Bow ready 66 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

for the cranes and trucks and small armies of workers with hard hats, work boots and orange vests and three years worth of detours and commotion to make TELUS Sky and Brookfield Place happen, the dynamic Calgary skyline continues to grow.

The Architect’s Perspective

It’s no secret that the sheer planning process for a 750,000-square-foot (TELUS Sky) to a 2.8-million-squarefoot (Brookfield Place) building is mind-bogglingly complex with multi levels of consultations, proposals, approvals, permits and dizzying layers of details, it can be a very, very long time before the skilled magic of an architect puts lead pointer, holder and triangles to paper.

Both Brookfield Place and TELUS Sky are working with DIALOG – the Calgary-based and fully integrated architectural, engineering, interior design, urban design and planning firm.

When the initial consultations and negotiations are complete and agreement clauses and signatures are in place, architects start their magic and create the parti – architectspeak for the character and the look of the concept design.

TELUS Sky “As soon as we started to develop the parti, we envisioned an elegant concept and design solution that effectively married TELUS’ desire to have a dual-purpose tower that transitions from office space in the lower half to residential on the top half,” explains Doug Cinnamon, the enthusiastic and superbly creative architect and principal with DIALOG. He has exceptional flair and extensive experience designing office buildings for Calgary’s downtown core.

the Calgary Skyline tells a Story • Architecture

Brookfield Place architect Martin Sparrow, principal with DIALOG

Brookfield Place rendering

Calgary’s huge TELUS Sky project is an achievement of superb team work, consisting of Westbank, TELUS, the Bjarke Ingles Group (BIG) in Denmark, DIALOG and Allied Properties REI. The building is designed by BIG and DIALOG is the local architect.

Cinnamon’s description, combined with his genuine excitement and tone, underscores his passion for architecture as an art, as well as a science. “The form of TELUS Sky is incredibly unique and as transparent as possible. The design is form-driven, working organically from the inside in.

The building will be 58 storeys high, getting slender as it gets taller, with a customized twist in the middle, where it transitions from office to residential.”

According to Andrea Goertz, TELUS chief communications and sustainability officer, “Calgary is a key market for us and how our brand is represented in Calgary is vital. The TELUS branding is ‘the future is friendly.’ We have a fresh concept, strong on nature imagery and focused on health and wellness.

“So we challenged our partners to come up with an artistic expression of our brand that not only reflected our company but also Calgary’s expression of art.

“We consistently raise the bar on ourselves,” she explains.

“And before we finally decided on the look for TELUS Sky, we carefully reviewed and considered about 25 design proposals.

“When you walk into TELUS Sky, it will be a warm, friendly and relevant feel, with open spaces. You won’t see a bold logo and, unfortunately, there will be no critters,” Goertz chuckles, referring to the enormously popular TELUS ad campaign featuring tree frogs, monkeys, pot-bellied pigs, parrots, rabbits and other animals to make technology seem friendlier.

Brookfield Place More than a dazzling skyscraper, Brookfield Place will be a full-block commercial/office development with two office towers and a glass-enclosed centre pavilion of approximately 2.8 million square feet of Calgary downtown space, between First and Second Streets and Sixth and Seventh Avenues.

Making Brookfield Place a reality means the company investing more than $1 billion into the downtown core and creating some 1,300 construction jobs.

Some are already calling the project a sprawling, architectural feat.

“Brookfield wanted a beautiful, interesting and exciting property that would be timeless and enduring, with an emphasis on how the building ‘lives’ in the city,” raves brilliant, Calgary-based architect Martin Sparrow, principal at DIALOG. Sparrow has a tremendous wealth of Calgary experience and particular expertise in sustainable design in the commercial and institutional sectors.

The architectural design is a collaboration between FKA London and DIALOG in Calgary.

“Brookfield Place will be spectacular,” he says. “A full city block, a little larger than half an acre, that will be a multitenant office complex and a significant public plaza. It will definitely be one of the largest, most comprehensive office projects in Canada,” he says with pride.

“The two towers will have an imposing and sophisticated look. Two beautiful, glass sculptures, with curved corners, gently tapering upward and a glass pavilion in the middle.

I honestly think Brookfield Place will be a defining moment in Calgary’s skyline and architectural design.” BiC

businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY November 2014 • 67

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Celebrates

10 Anniversary th

The team at Barclay Street Real Estate.

Barclay Street Real Estate • 1

69

V

isible from the busy bullpen corner office of Bar Barclay Street Real Estate headquarters in Calgary is the street that inspired the company name. After existing for decades under a different calling card, the company rebranded 10 years ago as Barclay Street Real Estate, choosing a name that represented the local community.

Gregarious, passionate and animated, David Wallach was one of the founding partners who helped engineer the

Barclay Street recreation. Today he is the Owner and President, leading a commercial real estate brokerage firm specializing in leasing, investment sales and property management. As the company celebrates its 10th anniversary, Wallach credits his team as the reason for the success. “Our team members care about one another and our clients. We call ourselves the Barclay Street Family. We pull together when things need to get done and work to ensure every client is happy. I am proud to say that the team cares about the client relationship beyond the sale.”

While it can be tough to find just the right people to fit into a corporate family, Barclay Street has excelled in this facet. Potential recruits to the Barclay Street team go through an extensive hiring process including online brokerage tests. Not just anyone can work for the well-known Calgary company – they need to be top in their profession with a constant focus on serving their clients to the best of their ability. The company’s reputation is always on the line – most of Barclay Street’s clients have been with them for years and the majority of their new clientele comes from referrals.

www.paragon.ca | 403.235.3860

Congratulations, Barclay Street Real Estate, on your 10th Anniversary!

We wish you continued success.

Barclay Street Real Estate • 2

“We hire personalities, not bodies,” says Wallach.

“That is something that we are doing right. People stay here for two main reasons – they like our culture and the way we do things.”

Over the decade, the team has doubled in size, while the office has expanded geographically. Approximately 50 people work in three different locations operating under three divisions – property management; administration; and the brokerage for investment sales, industrial, retail and office leasing. Barclay Street has an office in Edmonton and recently opened a second location in southeast Calgary focused on industrial leasing and sales.

As with any growing entity, change is inevitable. The economic climate of 2009 led to restructuring of the company which formed a stronger and smaller closeknit team of professionals. This also resulted in the future expansion of all of its services and divisions. In a half-decade, Barclay Street has added its property management division and now manages about two-million square feet of commercial space. The company previously had very minimal presence in the industrial and retail commercial markets, but now boasts two of the strongest retail and industrial teams in town.

Three years ago, Barclay Street broadened its global presence by joining the international commercial real estate organization, TCN Worldwide. The commercial network provides affiliation between privately-owned brokerages. With this association, Barclay Street can service clients in over 200 markets while still providing local expertise through the consortium. As a member of

David Wallach, Owner and President.

the world board, Wallach recently attended their biannual conference in September. “It’s sharing information, referring business to one another as well as joining forces to pursue international business,” he explains.

According to Wallach, Alberta is a good place to be.

“Not all silos work simultaneously as well as the others,” says Wallach, reflecting on the current market and dif different departments within Barclay Street. “For example,

Congratulations to Barclay Street Real Estate on 10 Years!

Wish you continued success in the future.

Yankee Valley Crossing, Airdrie

West Winds Square Suite 203, 5112 – 47 Street NE, Calgary, AB T3J 4K3 403.250.5650 | bri-mor.com Barclay Street Real Estate • 3

“We like to connect with our clients. We don’t text them or tweet them or what’s up them. Go and meet them face to face, belly to belly. That’s how you build relationships and get deals done. There’s nothing that can replace body language in negotiations.” ~ David Wallach office is a little bit slower today than industrial. Retail is OK – if we had more inventory, we’d do more deals. Investment, from time to time, slows down. You have some silos that work strongly enough to maintain the others and it is always a shuffle as the market changes. We have to work a little harder. Tough luck,” Wallach laughs. “Not every year is 2006 and 2007, when we got spoiled.”

He’s a big believer in human connection to build client relationships. “We like to connect with our clients. We don’t text them or tweet them or what’s up them. Go and meet them face to face, belly to belly. That’s how you build relationships and get deals done. There’s nothing that can replace body language in negotiations.”

This client-centred focus is obviously paying off as Barclay Street Real Estate received the 2014 Consumer Choice Award for Business Excellence in Southern Alberta, in the Commercial Real Estate category. The award is determined through a third-party market research company and presented to an elite group of business owners and entrepreneurs. It is considered the most distinguished award for business excellence in Canada.

“We were not even aware that there was such a survey,” says Wallach. “It’s a very humbling experience, but it is probably the best way to know that we are marching forward in the right direction and keeping our clients satisfied.”

1.888.318.6485 | 1720 Bow Trail S.W. Calgary, AB | www.gslchevcity.com

Congratulations Congratulations to Barclay Street Real Estate on your 10th Anniversary!

We wish you continued success.

Barclay Street Real Estate • 4

www.ronmor.ca

Coming soon: The Infinity at Marda Loop

Congratulations to Barclay Street Real Estate.

Wishing you continued success.

Congratulations Barclay Street Real Estate, on your 10th Anniversary!

We wish you continued success!

www.steckmar.com

calgary 403.698.3333

www.klrid.com

Altus Group Altus Group congratulates Barclay Street Real Estate on their 10th anniversary.

We are proud to provide decision making analysis and property tax management to support Barclay as they continue to grow.

> Property Tax Consulting

CONGRATULATIONS Barclay Street Real Estate!

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project management

Barclay Street Real Estate • 5

interior design

graphics/branding

In the hushed conference room overlooking the bustle of Stephen Avenue, water is served in a glass with the slogan “Local Expertise Matters.” Barclay Street is one of the largest locally-owned commercial real estate businesses operating solely within Alberta.

“I think the advantage we bring, being locally owned, is we can make decisions on the spot. It’s a small ship, easier to manoeuvre. You don’t have to go to Toronto, to Montreal or to Chicago to make a decision.”

Ironically, Wallach has travelled thousands of kilometres to appreciate the value of local business ownership.

Born and raised in Israel, 15 years ago he realized he didn’t want to live there any longer, even though he had his own company – an insurance brokerage – and was the President and General Manager of a professional basketball team.

“We’d rather watch CNN than be on CNN,” he says with a wry smile.

With no ties to Calgary, he chose to move to Alberta, along with his wife and three children, after researching the globe for the best locations for business opportunities.

“When we got here, I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to open a business.”

Wallach meticulously planned his immigration to Canada with an advance scouting trip, making sure he was doing everything by the book. But when he officially moved to Wild Rose Country, he wasn’t legally permitted to hold a job. The government had lost his medical exams.

“I had a period of time, 10 months, where I couldn’t work. It gave me an opportunity. I remember I told my wife that the real estate here is really booming. I should look into it.” He immediately decided to take his Realtor’s course and get a Broker’s license.

Not only did he have no real estate experience whatsoever, he had other things working against him. “The way I speak now is probably like Shakespeare compared to how I spoke 15 years ago. I had a terrible accent, much worse than today. My thinking was in Hebrew and I had to translate it. Now I think in English. When you come here, the first few years, you think in your old language.”

As Barclay Street has flourished, so have the company’s efforts in the community. Barclay Street contributes to Canadian Fallen Heroes, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Calgary’s Sled Island and Heart & Stroke’s Big Bike Ride, among others.

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations Barclay Street Real Estate on being part of Calgary’s collaborative energy for the past 10 years

Barclay Street Real Estate on your 10th Anniversary; we wish you many more decades of success.

403.262.9200 | millarforan.com

403.243.4020

Congratulations to Barclay Street Real Estate on their 10th Anniversary!

www.calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com

Congratulations to Barclay Street Real Estate on this 10 year milestone. Wishing you many more decades of success in the industry.

Barclay Street Real Estate • 6

gdiservices.ca

Looking back at Barclay Street’s history.

“It’s important to give back to the people who are not as fortunate as you are. It makes the community we serve stronger.”

In the future, Wallach’s eyes are on a bigger market share, but he has no plans to expand beyond Alberta’s borders. Instead he wants to focus on growing

his departments already in operation and one of his top priorities is to expand the Barclay Street office in Edmonton.

“We’ll focus on what we know, focus on what we do best, improve all the time, hire the best people and grow as opportunities come.” •

info@barclaystreet.com

HH

www.barclaystreet.com 403.290.0178

Congratulations on celebrating your 10 Anniversary. We wish you continued success and continued growth. th

HH

nwhp.ca | 1.888.366.NWHP

Congratulations to Barclay Street Real Estate!

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Commercial & Industrial Property Management Leasing and Development

Barclay Street Real Estate • 7

Local Expertise Matters When it comes to the real estate of business, local expertise matters.

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When it comes to your next real estate venture, trust the local team.

info@barclaystreet.com | 403.290.0178 www.barclaystreet.com

The team at Weatherguard Metals.

Photo by Melissa Arthur.

Celebrates 10 Years

By John Hardy

E

our clients when it comes to the quality of our work and our safe practices.”

Wheaton explains that wall systems are a key component (about 60 per cent) of Weatherguard’s business, 25 per cent are roofs, and approximately 15 per cent commercial flashings.

The Weatherguard client base tends to be 75 per cent commercial, 15 per cent industrial and about 10 per cent residential.

The expert Weatherguard project management team manufactures, supplies and installs a diverse line of the latest pre-finished metal cladding, panels and roofing systems, as well as customized flashings in a wide variety of colours, gauges and profiles for a broad range of commercommer cial and industrial applications.

Jason Wheaton explains that – from supplying, customized manufacturing and installation – the emphasis is one-stop service. “We do it all,” he says with enthusiasm and pride.

“We pride ourselves about being a ‘one-stop shop,’ because our staff fabricates, manufactures, installs and services.

Weatherguard Metals | 10 Years | 1

very day, on every job site, the skilled Weatherguard Metals professionals earn Weatherguard’s respected company reputation, and prove that people are the true competitive edge and the Weatherguard difference.

“Whether it’s cladding, roofs, composite panels, flashings and eaves troughs, we manufacture and customize,” says the gung-ho and friendly Jason Wheaton, president and owner of Weatherguard Metals.

“But our reputation and success is built on installation and timely service. For our clients, time is money. So we do whatever it takes to get the job done properly, efficiently and always on time. Timing and scheduling are priorities.

“Our Weatherguard staff is up to date and has more than 100 years of combined experience. We are uncomuncom promisingly service-driven and our crews are committed to completing each job to the highest industry standards.

“And we do aim pretty high,” he chuckles with an infecinfec tiously charming Newfoundland lilt. “We work hard to achieve nothing less than 100 per cent satisfaction from

77

Projects

High Country GM Dealership - High River, AB

Weatherguard Metals | 10 Years | 2

Quarry Park - Calgary, AB

Stantec

Miller Ag Building

“Being a one-stop shop gives us an edge and it is one of the keys to the company’s success.”

He speaks from the heart about the hard-earned growth of Weatherguard Metals and he also speaks from more than 21 years of his professional experience with commercial, industrial and residential clients in the Calgary market.

Weatherguard Metals was established in 2004 and continues to earn its solid industry and client reputation for being an expert and sought-after manufacturer and installer in Calgary, throughout Alberta and Western Canada.

“Looking after our clients’ needs is what it’s all about,” he says with conviction.

The Weatherguard “menu” of specific services is diverse.

It targets the individual and special needs of the company’s loyal commercial, industrial and residential clients.

Weatherguard installs and services various metal cladclad ding systems. Pre-finished metal cladding is available for all commercial and industrial applications. The popular Calgary-based company also manufactures and installs standing seam metal roof cladding in 12-, 16- and 20-inch widths for both commercial and residential applications.

One of the unique Weatherguard Metals features is its mobile, roll-form equipment which enables the timely

Champagne Condos - Calgary, AB

Prince of Peace Manor - Calgary, AB

efficiency of creating continuous length roof sheets onsite – saving time, allowing for customization as well as eliminating the possibility of leaks.

Because specific and custom flashings are designed and manufactured right in the company’s 10,000-square-foot Calgary facility, Weatherguard is the exclusive supplier and installer of metal flashings to several area roofing contractors and a supplier of pre-finished metal flashings and trims to various other area trades.

The ability to custom design and create virtually any flashing shapes and sizes is a key factor in Weatherguard’s flexibility to provide reliable metal flashing installation and metal work services for any size project.

With more than 20 years experience, Perry George headsup the company’s aluminum composite panel division, which is another vital aspect of the Weatherguard difference: the design, manufacture and installation of composite panpan els, made with precision, in a broad range of finishes and suitable for both new and retrofit applications.

Another important example of the company’s diversity is supplying and installing energy efficient, foam-insufoam-insu lated panels that increase operational performance and reduce maintenance costs. With a lightweight design, they

Airdrie Fire Hall, Chinook Winds

Nisku Syncrude Building

are available in several profiles and finishes, and provide wide and creative flexibility.

Weatherguard also has crews designated for the repair and maintenance of metal cladding, roof systems, eaves troughs and other miscellaneous work related to metal building construction.

Jason Wheaton is passionate and invariably speaks with pride, enthusiasm, respect and often emotion about the company’s staff. He credits the Weatherguard staff for much of the Calgary-based company’s reputation and success.

“We now have a total staff of 65 and they are excellent and very service-focused,” he raves. “A lot of our staff have more than 20 years experience in the metal fabrication and installation field. Alberta is a boom market for metal products and, particularly, when it comes to professional installation.

“But the busier the business gets, the more challenging it is to get qualified, skilled labour. Weatherguard is fortunate that we have our ‘back East connection.’

They are a crew of about 21 skilled and terrifically hard-working installers from Newfoundland who have an amazing work ethic and expertise. They have tremendous expertise with the installation of metal roofs, flashings and cladding.

“They are very much part of our company-family and they are invaluable in delivering the high-quality service our clients expect and deserve. Every year, they come to Calgary and raise the bar of what we do and how we do it.

“And that’s vitally important for our success because our clients rely on us for our specialty of installation.

The fact that we have up-to-date, skilled and experienced installers sets us apart,” Wheaton points out.

He acknowledges that there is some limited competition in the Calgary area but he is quick to add that it is mostly friendly competition. “Besides, whatever competition Weatherguard may have is mostly

Congratulations to Weatherguard Metals on your 10th Anniversary!

Calgary | Edmonton | Vancouver

Toll-free: 877.868.2571 | Calgary: 403.243.7567 | total-r.com

Weatherguard Metals | 10 Years | 3

Specialists in insulation solutions for the commercial / industrial metal cladding and pre-engineered metal building markets in western Canada

“Effectively servicing our clients is unconditionally the most important aspect of our business. And we refuse to compromise quality for volume of work.” ~ Jason Wheaton

Weatherguard Metals | 10 Years | 4

manufacturing, not installation. And we have more installers, service technicians and field people than any area competitors.”

“Another important Weatherguard difference is the company’s vital COR certification – granted by the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations to recognize the highest standard of a fully implemented health and safety program.

“Also, since each project is custom manufactured in-house, using our state-of-the-art CNC fabricating equipment,” he details with pride, “it makes it possible for Weatherguard to accommodate standard and special client requirements.”

Wheaton mentions another component of Weatherguard’s uniqueness and competitive edge – the C&C panel machine builder. It is a $300,000 high-tech manufacturing machine that specializes in specific panel wall systems and enables Weatherguard Metals to supply the needs of key area clients like GM Canada dealerships and Imperial Oil in Calgary’s campus-style Quarry Park.

“We can control almost every aspect of our business, but we do have one somewhat delightful dilemma,” he says with a broad smile. “One of our biggest challenges is controlling growth. So we are very selective with our bids and we are careful to only sell what we can service and only take on as much work as we can handle.

“Effectively servicing our clients is unconditionally the most important aspect of our business. And we refuse to compromise quality for volume of work.”

Wheaton shrugs and grins that they also can’t control

the sometimes brutal Calgary weather. But, luckily for Weatherguard, it is a non-issue.

“Working with metal for roofing, cladding, composite panels and flashing is not like the work of some other trades like stucco roofing shingles and bricklaying,” he explains. “Weather is rarely a factor for our crews. We work year round. Last winter was extremely cold and there was about six weeks of rarely above -30 C. Our crews kept working.”

Jason Wheaton is extremely enthusiastic and gung-ho about Calgary and the solid and dynamic Weatherguard Metals profile and reputation in the Calgary market.

Although the popular company continues to earn the satisfaction and respect of its clients with state-of-theart and often customized materials and the Weatherguard competitive edge of skilled and specialized installation, Wheaton underscores his company’s determination to embrace the latest products, techniques and technology.

“I have worked in Calgary for more than 20 years and worked my way up through the ranks. I am very positive and excited about our Calgary market, its potential and the company continues to build solid relationships. And our business is very market-driven.

“It is now way more diversified,” he says. “ It involves specialized products. The design and installation now includes special software, AutoCAD and specialized skills.

It’s all part of ensuring that our Weatherguard clients get nothing but excellence when it comes to product, installation and service.” •

www.weatherguardmetals.ca | 403.203.9304

Bon Ton Meat Market

Hand-crafted excellence.

Bon Ton is proud to be your Consumer Choice Award winner for 14 years in a row 14 -time winner

Finest Q uality p roducts Old Fash and ioned p ersona lized service , guara nteed.

Our friendly experienced staff are always around to help make sure any customer will be a returning customer.

Prestige would like to thank you, our customers, for 25 successful years in business. We look forward to working with you over the next 25 years! www.prestigerailings.com

403.282.3132 | 28 Crowfoot Circle NW www.bontonmeatmarket.com

2777 Hopewell Place NE Calgary (403) 250-1020 • Toll Free: 1-800-382-8502

82 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

Red Rose Florist

W

hat makes a flower shop successThe knowledgeable and talented staff ful? Service! That’s what Barry Matthews, owner of Red Rose Floknow the flower business, and they know rist in Calgary, has learned in his many years in business. “You give the customer excellent what flowers mean to their loyal customers. guaranteed service and superior quality and they will return as loyal customers, year after They pride themselves in fresh flowers daily year.” Flowers express emotions. They light up a day, they gladden a heart, or they say “I and same-day delivery. love you” or “I’m sad for you.” Red Rose staff knows that flowers touch people’s hearts. particularly helpful. They service corporate accounts Red Rose Florist in Calgary is once again a recipient of and help businesses that rely on them for displays for the Consumers’ Choice Award. The store is open extended large conventions and shows. Or it may be an attractive hours making it convenient and simple for customers to arrangement for a busy office reception area. Staff also shop, seven days a week. The knowledgeable and talented help clients for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, staff know the flower business, and they know what flowers holidays, special parties and funerals. mean to their loyal customers. They pride themselves in Red Rose Florist is located at 2004 Centre Street NE in fresh flowers daily and same-day delivery.

Calgary and is open seven days a week, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The staff at Red Rose Florist – many of whom have Telephone 403-276-1184 or visit www.redroseflorist.ab.ca. been with Red Rose Florist for more than 20 years – is

Thank you for recognizing us as Calgary’s #1 Employment Agency 1.855.266.7030 | TPD.com Open 6am to 9pm, 7 days a week!

www.redroseflorist.ab.ca People | Partners | Performance

2004 Centre Street NE, Calgary, Alberta

403-276-1184 businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY November 2014 • 83

Leading Business Connecting to solve business challenges

NOVEMBER 2014

The Importance of Secondary Suites for the Calgary Business Community Calgary has one of the lowest rental vacancy rates in North America. Secondary suites provide more affordable housing for renters, while helping homeowners with hefty mortgage rates.

What are Secondary Suites?

Generally speaking, a “secondary suite” means a standard basement suite in a stand-alone neighbourhood home.

The City of Calgary defines secondary suites as “self-contained living spaces consisting of a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen located within or on the same property as a single-family home.”

Why are Secondary Suites Important for the Calgary Business Community?

Calgary is a city in the midst of a labour shortage and affordable housing crisis, and cities that lack adequate housing find it difficult to attract and retain labour.

Young professionals with talent and potential are forced to look to other cities for career opportunities because of high housing costs. In 2011, Calgary homeowners spent 30 per cent or more of their total household income on housing costs. Secondary suites offer Calgary the opportunity to alleviate some of the effect of high housing costs, while making home ownership more viable for many Calgarians.

• Secondary suites are more affordable, making labour more willing to move to Calgary, which benefits the business community and workforce.

• Implementation can boost Calgary’s economic wellbeing by equipping a growing labour force with attainable homes, and more affordable housing options means more disposable income that can be invested back into the economy.

• When there is little available housing it drives up housing costs. These increased costs in turn put pressure on wages to constantly increase. Secondary suites will help alleviate wage inflation, helping Calgary’s employers.

While there are many compelling arguments in favour of the legalization of secondary suites, the cost for Calgary’s business community of not implementing new affordable housing strategies is equally as convincing: without adequate housing, businesses cannot attract the skilled labour it needs. As a result, Calgary’s vibrant business community begins to lose its competitive edge, and new businesses are deterred from developing, which may result in economic stagnation.

Although the secondary suite debate is an issue that has a great effect on the business community in Calgary, it really is an issue that affects and should be a concern to all Calgarians. businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY November 2014 • 85

2014 Board of

Directors

Chamber Member Spotlights

Executive Chair: Leah Lawrence, President, Clean Energy Capitalists Inc. Immediate Past Chair: Joe Lougheed, Partner, Dentons Canada LLP

The Calgary Chamber is proud to represent many Calgary businesses large and small; this month we are highlighting some of our industry leading members.

Chair Elect: Rob Hawley, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Second Vice Chair: Denis Painchaud, Director, International Government Relations, Nexen Inc. Vice Chair, Finance: Bill Brunton, Chief Communications Officer, Calgary Board of Education CEO: Adam Legge, President and CEO, Calgary Chamber

Directors David Allen, President, Calgary Land, Brookfield Residential Properties Inc. Carlos Alvarez, Audit Partner, KPMG Lorenzo DeCicco, Vice-President, TELUS Business Solutions Rob Hawley, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Wellington Holbrook, Executive Vice-President, ATB Financial Guy Huntingford, Chief Executive Officer, Urban Development Institute

PATTISON Outdoor Advertising PATTISON Outdoor Advertising is Canada’s largest out-of-home advertising company, serving over 100 markets from coast to coast. PATTISON is constantly developing products to meet the changing lifestyles of Canadians and the evolving needs of advertisers and marketers. Their products include billboards, bulletins, street-level units, transit advertising, airport advertising, mall advertising and specialty niche products such as elevator advertising.

National in reach and local in focus, PATTISON Outdoor Advertising is committed to understanding the markets they serve and providing every advertiser with quality service and professionalism.

For more information visit PattisonOutdoor.com.

Bruce Okabe, Chief Executive Officer, Travel Alberta Phil Roberts, Vice-President, Axia NetMedia Corp Linda Shea, Senior Vice-President, AltaLink Mike Williams, Executive Vice-President, Corporate Services, Encana Management Adam Legge – President and CEO Michael Andriescu – Director of Finance and Administration Kim Koss – Vice President, Business Development Scott Crockatt – Director of Marketing and Communications Rebecca Wood – Director of Member Services Justin Smith – Director of Policy, Research and Government Relations

CIBC With nearly two centuries of history, CIBC is one of Canada’s leading financial institutions and was ranked as the strongest of the major banks (publicly traded) in North America by Bloomberg Markets. CIBC is focused on meeting client’s needs today and into the future to help them keep pace with the ever-changing market. Whether a business is just starting out, expanding or well-established, CIBC has the right combination of business solutions to help manage day-to-day banking, enhance cash flow and maximize savings and investments. CIBC business advisers work with clients to understand their goals and provide financial advice for success.

For more information visit CIBC.com.

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

Casola Koppe Architects Casola Koppe Architects is a service-oriented firm that brings creative, logical and market relevant design solutions to every project. Successfully completing numerous commercial, retail, industrial and institutional projects over the past 15 years, Casola Koppe Architects is an experienced team of architects, designers and technologists with expertise in a wide range of architectural services for several building types. Casola Koppe prides itself on being highly effective in working with communities and planning and building departments and is always looking to improve methods of service delivery by aggressively researching and investing in emerging technological trends. Casola Koppe prides itself in offering valuable and relevant market input so that clients receive the best possible design and construction to meet their individual business needs.

For more information visit ckarch.ca.

86 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

NEW Vehicle Rental Location at the Fort McMurray Airport!

businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY November 2014 • 87

The Hidden Tax that Keeps Electricity Bills so High

The Calgary Chamber recommends that the city pursue reform that would see franchise fees calculated on the cost of delivery and level of consumption only, providing for a more stable and predictable way of raising revenue, as well as additional clarity for the rate-paying public.

Keeping the cost of doing business down is a priority for the Calgary Chamber. Plummeting temperatures aren’t the only thing keeping energy bills high these days; a hidden tax, called the franchise fee, is also contributing substantially. This fee provides the city with windfalls of money that doesn’t get a lot of discussion and the Calgary Chamber is working to see it get a fundamental overhaul in the city’s new budget.

What are Franchise Fees?

In essence, a hidden tax that every Calgary resident and business pays monthly that can provide funding bonanzas for the city.

Any municipal government in Alberta, by virtue of certain provisions in the Municipal Government Act, has the authority to collect a fee from utility companies (e.g.

Enmax, Atco) in return for the right to access municipal property in order to operate and maintain distribution systems. Thereafter, these utility companies have the right to file an application with the regulator to recover the cost of these fees from their customers, which they invariably do. It’s not an insignificant amount either; in 2012, franchise fees made up eight per cent of the city’s total revenue, over $230 million.

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Franchise Fee Reform A franchise fee model based, in part, on the underlying cost of electricity and natural gas has three chief disadvantages: • The model exacerbates high energy costs for all ratepayers, in particular businesses with aboveaverage energy use.

• As a revenue stream for the city, the model is demonstrably unpredictable (2008 was a particularly egregious year).

• The current model is indifferent to the principles of budgetary transparency.

The Calgary Chamber recommends that the city pursue reform that would see franchise fees calculated on the cost of delivery and level of consumption only, providing for a more stable and predictable way of raising revenue, as well as additional clarity for the rate-paying public.

THE CALGARY TELUS CONVENTION CENTRE TURNS 40 THIS MONTH! On November 15, 2014, the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre (CTCC) celebrates 40 years since it first opened its doors in the heart of Calgary’s downtown business district. Officially opened by the Right Honorable John Diefenbaker, the CTCC, originally named the Calgary Convention Centre, was the first full service convention facility in Canada. During its first year of operation the Centre hosted 350 events with over 90,000 delegates. The North Building was officially opened in May 2000 and hosted its first Convention, the World Petroleum Congress, taking its place as a world class venue for international industry gatherings. After 40 years as an integral element in Calgary’s international reputation for hospitality and economic growth, the CTCC now hosts approximately 600 events annually with over 300,000 delegates in attendance from a diverse range of industries operating in a global marketplace.

An updated economic impact study completed in 2013 showed that, on average, non-resident attendees spend $329 per show day for accommodation, transportation, entertainment, meals and retail purchases. This resulted in total direct non-resident expenditures of $34.3 million and an additional contribution of $19.1 million in GDP. Calgary’s downtown convention facility is not just an economic driver for the city, it is a place of learning, of celebration, and a community gathering place. As a venue for local, national, and international events, the CTCC attracts delegates and guests for industry meetings and conventions, educational forums, charity fundraisers, and graduation ceremonies.

In the summer of 2014, the CTCC reached out to Calgarians to share in their 40th year celebrations with a range of public awareness events. Via a social media campaign on Twitter, the Centre reached over 100,000 followers with information about the CTCC, its history in Calgary, and the local businesses that have been, and remain, such an important part of Calgary’s community.

“The Convention Centre belongs to Calgarians and we wanted to share our 40th Anniversary,” says Heather Lundy, Director of Marketing at the CTCC. Lundy explains, “Our celebrations included distributing a range of themed food and swag around downtown. We’re celebrating Calgary, and not just the Convention Centre.” Sharing the interesting history of the city’s downtown core and the Centre’s place in that history, Lundy says, “Our ’40 Year Stroll’ map showcases some fascinating facts about our city’s rich heritage.” She adds, “The maps are popular, but the Village ice cream, Jelly Modern Donuts, and Marriott muffins, were really appreciated by Calgarians.” Recognizing all aspects of hospitality is important to any celebration!

Calgary in 2014 is a very different city than it was when the Centre opened in 1974. Evolving to meet the needs of a dynamic and expanding local and international clientele, the CTCC has been and will continue to be crucial to the city’s growth and development.

calgary-convention.com expandthecentre.ca businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY November 2014 • 89

Telling

Calgary’s Story

W

hen it comes to storytelling about Calgary in a global business context, it’s not what you say, but how you say it that matters.

Outside of Calgary, we are considered a one-industry town. However we are thriving in many sectors, including transportation and logistics, finance, emerging technologies, creative industries and manufacturing – all of which play significant roles independently and in relation to the energy industry. Sharing the story of our many talents and opportunities is key in demonstrating how diversified our economy really is.

Calgary also continues to face challenges as it relates to the labour force – which is interesting when you consider the influx of people across Canada and internationally moving to our city each year. With unemployment hovering around the five per cent mark for the past few years, employers continue to struggle with balancing growth and chronic shortages, increasing demand for technical skills, and natural attrition of an aging workforce.

In comes Calgary. Be Part of the Energy. Originally developed as a labour and business attraction campaign to invite people from around the globe to be part of our community, it became the brand message, and an invitation, of Calgary’s promotional agencies. The energy is not just a nod to our natural resources, but refers to the vibe of our city which is global, collaborative, social, creative, entrepreneurial and innovative. Calgary’s story is one of a growing, vibrant city brought to life by its people and activities.

Earlier this year, Calgary Economic Development conducted perceptions research in several cities across Canada to understand if the views of Canadians are changing. Specifically, the study looked at perceptions about Calgary from students and professionals – would they choose Calgary as a place to study, live, work and make a life? Well here is the good news – Calgary is increasingly seen as a great place to live, work and make a life. Canadian perceptions are improving, but the reasons as to why are what caught our attention.

As expected, economic opportunity ranked fairly high, as does the reputation of Mayor Nenshi. But the single most influencer on improving Canadian perceptions of Calgary is around what friends and family members who live in Calgary tell them about the city.

90 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

With that in mind, Calgary Economic Development is preparing to launch a fall national labour and business attraction campaign. Using Calgary. Be Part of the Energy as the platform, this campaign will engage Calgarians to collaborate on the story told to Canadians and the world about our city.

The integrated marketing campaign launches in late October featuring an advertising and media relations campaign. Both bepartoftheenergy.ca and LiveinCalgary. com will be refreshed and will launch with a new look and feel. Life in Calgary magazine will see further distribution in targeted markets and Mayor Nenshi will lead a labour and business attraction tour with some of Calgary’s most notable and leading employers.

And of course, the program will include a social media campaign so that Calgarians can share what ‘being part of the energy’ means to them using hashtag #yycenergy. This is an opportunity for all Calgarians to tell their story, which is really our story. As a proud Calgarian, the onus is on every single one of us in this great city to tell Calgary’s story by inviting friends, family and followers to be part of the energy.

Creating the Right Connections

BY CASSANDRA MCAULEY

I

n an effort to continue to strengthen its effectiveness as Calgary’s official destination marketing organization, Tourism Calgary continues to evolve. In response to industry feedback, Tourism Calgary recently announced a new partnership-based structure, replacing the previous membership model.

Primary amongst the changes, collaborative marketing initiatives with Tourism Calgary are no longer dependent on membership. This change allows for customization of promotional choices, and affordable rates for marketing investments. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, the new model features more marketing opportunities, meaning flexibility and tailored options for partners.

Examples of marketing opportunities available through Tourism Calgary include access to award-winning marketing programs through regional and cooperative campaigns and connection to visitors through digital marketing, publication inclusion and convention and event listings.

Tourism Calgary’s marketing initiatives have incredible reach to the more than five million annual visitors to the city. Under the new structure, partners also have access to Tourism Calgary’s image gallery, market research, online calendar postings, partner directories, industry updates and educational and networking opportunities.

For businesses not interested in marketing opportunities, but wanting to support the tourism industry, the option of a traditional membership remains available. An annual membership offers a voice, voting privileges, industry updates and information, event invitations, access to research and more.

Tourism Calgary is Calgary’s destination marketing organization. Representing the tourism industry, and more than 580 members and partners, Tourism Calgary brings the world to Calgary and Calgary to the world. Tourism in Calgary contributes over $1.6 billion annually in economic impact to the local community and employs one in 10 Calgarians.

Operating as a not-for-profit organization, Tourism Calgary is the authoritative source for tourism-related knowledge, information and services in Calgary. Focused on promoting and selling Calgary as a destination of choice for leisure travel, and an outstanding host city for sport and culture events, Tourism Calgary also acts as a liaison between tourism-related organizations and industry hotels, restaurants, attractions and service providers, offering services like familiarization tours, site inspections, promotional materials and referral services.

Become a partner today. Learn more about the benefits at visitcalgary.com/industry-members.

businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY November 2014 • 91

Enterra Technologies Inc. Intuitive, quick access to environmental data for the energy industry

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BY ANDREA MENDIZABAL

P

rior to beginning industry projects such as drilling a new oil well, installing pipeline or reclaiming a site, energy companies must gather critical environmental data in an effort to help minimize environmental impacts.

Key information that needs to be collected can include details on sensitive wildlife in the area, the composition of soils, the existence of nearby water wells, and more.

Current methods for gathering this data requires countless hours of manually collecting information for specified sites from a variety of sources and databases, and compiling that data into a single report.

A Calgary-based startup company is looking to simplify that process. An environmental consultant and recent MBA graduate from the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business, Adam Martinson, has certainly had his share of countless hours spent scouring databases and websites, collecting and compiling information for various energy projects.

“There had to be a better way to automate this and make it more efficient and cost-effective,” says Martinson, president and co-founder of Enterra Technologies Inc. Enterra is a web-based platform that was born out of a desire to radically change the interface between the energy industry and access to environmental data. The tool aggregates environmental data from several sources and databases, in varying formats and outputs, into a single, quick and efficient location.

“Let’s say you need an environmental report to drill a new oil well. Enterra allows you to do a search on that location, you select the environmental information that you need to know, and then in a few clicks you have that preliminary environmental report,” says Martinson.

“Instead of taking a consultant five to 10 hours gathering that information from various sources, with Enterra, it’s in one location, ready within seconds, and at significantly less cost,” he says.

An additional key advantage of the tool is that it can be used to gather environmental data for multiple sites at once.

“If there are 50 locations that need to be reclaimed and you need to do a water well search and a site search for all 50 of them, with just a few clicks of the mouse, you’re done,” says Martinson. “Manually, it would take many hours or days of work to collect all of that information.”

92 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

Adam Martinson, president and co-founder of Enterra Technologies Inc., delivers his pitch to Calgary’s advanced technology community at Innovate Calgary’s Tech Showcase 2014 this past September. Photo courtesy: Innovate Calgary.

While primarily targeted at the energy industry for planning and reclamation, Enterra also has the potential to be used across multiple disciplines ranging from mining and forestry to hydro projects and even urban developments.

Enterra is currently in beta mode, receiving feedback from users, and will be entering a fundraising stage to take the tool to the next level, with a full commercial launch in early 2015.

“We’re really looking to ramp up our service, expanding out of the beta phase and have a more robust product,” says Martinson.

To learn more about Enterra Technologies Inc., visit www. enterratech.com.

To learn more about Innovate Calgary and how it supports new and emerging technology, visit www.innovatecalgary.com.

G IN L AT FU BR NG ES LE NI U 4 CE EA LOG 197 M A E DI INC S

ca lg ar yco nv en tio n. co m

LET’S MEET THE FUTURE TOGETHER

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIPS FORGED C C EL EX REA EBR SI CH T A NC A IV TI E 1 NG E NG 9 7 ES 4

THANKS, CALGARY, FOR BEING PART OF

E CO O 4 BRA 0 NN F G Y TI EC LO EAR NG TI BA S ON L S

CE L

marketingmatters • David Parker

Marketingmatters

BY DAVID PARKER

L

ois Lockwood, president of Scout Communications, has been ranked among Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneurs in this year’s PROFIT/Chatelaine W100 listing – actually in the top half.

A busy lady, she is celebrating her company’s 10th anniversary with aggressive changes to the way it does business, under Scout Communications Group.

In Calgary her head office at the corner of 13th Avenue and 4th Street SW is home to Scout Communications which handles research, strategy and traditional forms of advertising; Scout Research which is responsible for web design, interactive custom apps and contact, social and online advertising; and Scout Media which buys both traditional and online advertising.

Lockwood opened a Toronto office a year ago headed by vice president and former Calgarian Julie Copithorne that is looking for organic growth as well as acquisitions.

Scout has made a nice niche for itself in handling union clients; from the Calgary office it has a very research-based approach in advising and helping CUPE 38, AUPE and HSAA. Much of its work will continue to be in the residential and commercial real estate sector that currently includes Excel Homes and Gardner Ranch.

•••••••••••••• Quarry Park by Remington Development Corporation is a wonderful example of how a live, work, play community should be designed.

Todd Fraser of Tandem Marketing

has handled all of its marketing since it was a brownfield dream and he has just completed a marketing program including digital executions, print advertising and a sales centre implementation for Quarry Park’s next residential phase – The Gates – that offers great views of the Bow River.

•••••••••••••• Rapid growth and expanding staff necessitated a move by Strut Creative from its character space in Inglewood to equally cool new beltline digs in the Notre Dame building on 17th Avenue.

One of Strut’s newest service offerings is brand journalism, a hybrid of marketing, public relations and journalism that is proving to be a powerful content marketing tool for companies. To add strength to its team Strut has hired two former RedPoint Media writers, Lynda Sea and Abbey Miller, as well as account coordinator Jessica Greschner and designer Adam Zhu. It is also making a name for itself outside of the province. Its probono CodeSearch program developed for the Missing Children Society of Canada has been officially endorsed by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and is being launched in Toronto.

And the PR team is winning clients from Toronto with Tilley Endurables and DRIcore Products.

•••••••••••••• The Karo Calgary office has done a great job in rebranding Wild Rose Brewery helping it to achieve record sales and growth throughout Alberta.

Its new mixed case of three unique IPAs called The Bitter Truth means more bottles to the recycling depots and that’s where Karo is also busy.

It has produced a new campaign called Love to Recycle for the ABCRC to help businesses and organizations find beverage recycling resources. Karo‘s

94 • November 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com

role was to develop messaging that increases awareness, and encourages participation by driving people to a website that helps organizations start or grow a recycling program.

A new project for Chris Bedford’s team was to assist Tim Richter of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness launch a fundraising concert entitled Band Together. The first will take place in Vancouver in November featuring Blue Rodeo.

Vertica Resident Services is a whollyowned subsidiary of Great West Life (GWL) Realty Advisors, a multi-residential property management company that manages rental apartments in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario and now moved into the West.

It has hired Karo to promote three new projects here; one in each of Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

And thanks to its expertise in tourism marketing Karo Group has been named agency of record for Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization, primarily within its Toronto office but supported by Karo in Calgary and Vancouver.

•••••••••••••• I was honoured at a toast/roast in the Crystal Ballroom of the Fairmont Palliser where one of the speakers was Sharon Carry, president and CEO of Bow Valley College. At the conclusion of her words she announced that the college had kindly offered to fund a public relations scholarship in my name. Thank you.

Parker’s Pick: You have to hand it to Nordstrom for the amount of coverage it received for its Chinook Centre opening.

YOUR TIME HAS COME. TO REACH HIGHER. TO CRUSH THE BARRIERS STANDING BETWEEN YOU AND VICTORY. WE’LL HELP MAKE IT HAPPEN. BECAUSE THE WORLD NEEDS YOU.