Lambton Shield - January/February 2019

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

LAMBTON SHIELD

WHERE LIFE LEADS HIM Liwordson Vijayabalan, the Chamber’s Entrepreneur of the Year, is focused on making his community better (and richer)

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MARILYN

GLADU

MP, Sarnia-Lambton 519-383-6600 Marilyn.Gladu@parl.gc.ca www.marilyngladu.com

LAMBTON SHIELD INSIDE THIS ISSUE 4

Bringing Dreams to Life

7

Delivering Innovation and Energy to a Local (and Export) Market

13

From Industry to an Organization Where 'Power of Work' Continues to Change Lives

A CAREER OF STORYTELLING CONTINUES TO REFLECT THE LIVES WE LEAD

I

n the wake of an extremely positive response to our debut print issue, and the privilege we had in distributing “fresh off the press” copies at the 2018 Outstanding Business Achievement Awards gala, it became clear that a follow up (which you are now holding) would be more than a natural fit.

And here we go.

For my entire adult life, storytelling has been both a passion and a career, so exploring how representatives of the companies at this Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce event came to this point in their careers was something of a natural to me.

Still, I’ve found myself being continually energized whenever I sit down and have conversations of this sort, even as I understand those interviews are just the beginning of the writing process.

Of course, it’s work.

But it’s the kind of work that fuels a passion that I’ve come to appreciate over the years.

15

Bringing Safety Home

And as we set our sights on a monthly Lambton Shield magazine, I also appreciate (with anticipation) that there are so many more stories to be told as we continue to explore this great community where we have chosen to work, live and play.

19

'Break-Fix'? Not So Much

I hope you’ll continue to share these stories and, perhaps, even let us tell yours one day.

Till next time!

21

Defining 'Outstanding' In Several Categories

25

Honest, Credibility, and You!

26

Delivering Good to the Community

29

Connecting With Customers in a Growth Industry

Lambton Shield is owned and operated by 1886917 ONTARIO INC. and published both in print and online at WWW.LAMBTONSHIELD.COM. DESIGN AND PRODUCTION BY: CR Creative Co. Ltd. of Wyoming, Ontario.

EDITORIAL CONSULTANT: L. Sheridan ON OUR COVER: Liwordson Vijayabalan, winner of the Chamber’s Entrepreneur of the Year.

J.D. Booth Editor and Publisher jd@lambtonshield.com 519-466-2811

NOTING WITH A SENSE OF PRIDE HOW THIS YEAR’S OBAA STORIES TAKE SHAPE

W

hen we heard about plans to highlight the winners of our recent Outstanding Business Achievement Awards, we were nonetheless delighted to provide an introduction to this second print edition of the Lambton Shield.

As you will note throughout the pages in your hands, Lambton Shield has expanded what the audience at the October 12 OBAA event could possibly have known about many of the winners featured here.

We especially note with interest this issue’s cover subject, Liwordson Vijayabalan, a Chamber Member, whose firm was contracted to provide a complete makeover of the Chamber’s website—www.slchamber.ca—and who, at our February 17, 2019 Annual General Meeting has agreed to be our keynote speaker sharing his journey of success.

Throughout this issue, there are a collection of feature stories highlighting a few of our OBAA winners, plus a complete list of honorees, making this issue a definite keepsake as far as any “friend of the Chamber” is concerned.

While you enjoy this issue with the rest of us, I hope you’ll also consider exploring all that membership in our evolving organization can mean for your business. We’d love to hear from you.

Shirley de Silva President and CEO

PROUD MEMBER

Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce sdesilva@slchamber.ca

WWW.LAMBTONSHIELD.COM • 3

S

ome of us start an entrepreneurial journey later in life.

For others, it may not come at all, with most people preferring to work in an organization where there’s at least a modicum of predictability, of security, or at least the expectation of a regular paycheque and work hours that are conducive to something other than work.

And then there are people like Liwordson Vijayabalan, who’s been exercising his entrepreneurial muscle since he was 14 and now, at age 22, was the winner of the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year honours at the 2018 Outstanding Business Achievement Awards.

Vijayabalan, who was born in Scarborough to immigrant parents from Sri Lanka, had already found his way to Sarnia, moving here with his mother (who spoke no English at the time) and two younger siblings.

What does a entertain himself?

14-year-old

do

to

Vijayabalan—we’ll call him Li, the name his friends use over Liwordson—started a YouTube channel, teaching himself how to create, edit and distribute content, all with an idea somewhere deep in his psyche that this was the way things would be done in the future.

Today he credits his father—a musician who “acts like one” Li says with a chuckle—for his creative genes.

With a son of his own now, Li is also very much determined to create his own path, including building a team who he also calls friends.

BRINGING DREAMS TO

life

For Liwordson Vijayabalan, Enterpreneur of the Year award is recognition of even bigger things to come.

4 • LAMBTON SHIELD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

The organization he continues to build started out as Tomorrow Media, since rebranded to TMRRW Inc., which has offices in the former Taylor’s Furniture building at the corner of Cromwell and Christina St. N. in downtown Sarnia.

But let’s rewind just a bit, back to those early YouTube days.

“I understood even then that the internet was the place to be,” says Li of his exposure to a platform that continues to grow, and which has become an integral part of modern culture.

In the process he ended up building his own computer so he could record, edit and learn

how to make them as good as a YouTube video could be in 2010.

Well, maybe there was a little bit more to it, but not much more.

Asked whether those early YouTube creations are still online, we get a lightning fast response:

Li knew each of the crew, including Pedregosa (the marketer), Lewis Menelaws (the coder), and Jason Neung (the photographer), had their own specialty.

“I truly hope not,” Li says with the kind of laugh those who know him are accustomed to hearing.

Two years after that, he and a high school friend—Graham Pedregosa—launched an apparel company that turned out to be highly successful, arguably one of the most successful youth entrepreneurship projects of its day.

Even so, the venture—Victor Apparel—was short lived, not because of any financial constraints but the reality of what happens when one of the partners goes off to university and the other has a newborn son to consider.

The university bound one was Pedregosa, who has since returned to Sarnia, recently taking his first (unsuccessful) stab at municipal politics.

For Li, the next step, as a 16-year-old, was to pursue other ways to engage an audience, embracing hip-hop as one of the steps—mainly on Facebook, which at that point was a platform with basically no way of making money for creators like him.

“Now, Facebook is full of videos but at the time, people didn’t do that,” he recalls.

And let’s face it: Li is one persuasive guy.

“They all said ‘okay, let’s do it.’”

By the following February 2016 they were in business, having taken out rented space not too far away from where they are today, the top floor of the former Taylor’s Furniture building we referred to earlier.

Li is also “self-aware” in understanding the strengths and weaknesses when it comes to work, which is why the team approach he has embraced is so important to any future success.

“I have a history of procrastination and when I’m the only one involved, I tend to let myself down,” he says. “But when there’s a team of people, it anchors me and I’m motivated.”

Indeed, Li says he feels more like a shepherd than a boss.

“

The story of how TMRRW Inc. came to be starts when Li approached the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnershipand subsequently connected with Fraser Parry, the organization’s senior business counsellor.

But Li could see where the social landscape was going and one thing was for certain: he wanted to be in on a process of helping companies and brands find themselves on the internet.

The story of how TMRRW Inc. came to be starts when Li approached the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership and subsequently connected with Fraser Parry, the organization’s senior business counsellor.

Receiving one of the first grants as part of a Summer Company program, Li hit something of a snag when he realized a selfemployment path was not at all what he was hoping to pursue.

“In a one-person operation, I could only generate when I’m working,” said Li. “What I wanted to do was something more than what I myself could do. I wanted to be a business.”

Telling his counsellor that he wasn’t going to meet any of his agreed upon milestones might have been a little awkward, but Li pursued, sitting down with his friends during Christmas break 2015 for a discussion around what they could do together.

With Li the acknowledged leader in a tightly-knit pack of friends who had gone through school together, he had a proposal.

I said ‘guys, quit your jobs and we’ll start a company,’” Li recalls.

”

“There’s a little tug here and there,” he adds. “People come to you and ask what we should do and I tend to have the answer when the time comes. And, after all, we’re equally invested—as partners, not employees.”

Still, when Li ends up suggesting they go in a particular direction, others tend to follow.

Since their launch, TMRRW has been involved with several notable projects, including the development of a new website for the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce, and a new site for Imperial Theatre, among others.

Li is also engaged in building a co-working space in the lower level of the building, a project that is still being developed as the market demand solidifies.

Looking ahead, Li sees even greater times ahead for the company he founded with his friends.

“It’s an awesome thrill, doing this,” he said. “That to me is fun.

Showing people what you’re capable of, not just talk, is key.

I also love making change, love building things. It’s fun but it’s still lots of work.”

Spoken like a true entrepreneur.

Point your smartphone camera to this QR Code to hear our full interview with Liwordson Vijayabalan.

You can also go to: http://bit.ly/liwordson

WWW.LAMBTONSHIELD.COM • 5

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DELIVERING

INNOVATION and ENERGY TO A LOCAL (AND EXPORT) MARKET

AG Event Graphics is ‘here to stay’ as a jumping off point to even greater things ahead

W

hen we think about exporting, the advantages of being so close to the international border as Sarnia-Lambton would certainly come to mind.

That fact certainly crossed the mind of Guy Langevin, whose AG Event Graphics was once located in Vaughn, north of Toronto.

Now located on Robinson St. in Sarnia, Langevin’s business stood out among nominees for the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Business Achievement Awards in the Exporter of the Year category, a fact that’s not surprising considering his story.

Originally from Montreal, Langevin had worked in the signage business, developing his craft in the Ottawa market before moving to Windsor for one of the most obvious reasons: a relationship that lead to a marriage.

In Windsor, Langevin was working for someone else, although he went on his own in 1996, and eventually moving to Vaughn where he and a partner spent the next 10 years following a flow of work that was driving the business.

It was there that Langevin received a call from someone with the Canadian government, which had been contacted by Greece as part of its hosting of the 2004 Summer Olympics.

“There was something of a ‘call to arms’ from the Greeks, who as the Olympics were looming closer, couldn’t get a lot of the work done in the kind of work we had become known for doing,” Langevin recalls.

WWW.LAMBTONSHIELD.COM • 7

It was clearly one of those opportunities that Langevin sees, even now, as being pivotal to the development of his business.

“I pass on some, largely because we’re rebuilding the company,” says Langevin, who is the sole owner of AG Event Graphics.

“There wasn’t a large enough company in Greece to do what was needed,” says Langevin, who ended up doing all the large format graphics for the entire event.

That reality has resulted in limited opportunities that he has pursued in the last five-to-seven years.

In fact, Langevin’s firm was the only one that made the trip to Greece, a necessary precursor to the awarding of a significant contract.

“None of my competitors went, so that was key,” he adds.

What followed is, in hindsight, completely predictable and understandable to someone who has come to “ride a wave” connected to events with “games” in their title—the Pan Am Games, Commonwealth Games and so on.

One example of an opportunity Langevin decided to “pass” on was next year’s Pan Am Games, which will take place in Lima, Peru in late July/early August 2019.

“

What is key to Langevin’s present and future business is his ability to scale while still serving both the local market and beyond the border.

“Typically, the people who work in those events end up going to other venues,” added Langevin.

“Your name keeps coming up, which gives you the opportunity to pick and choose as opposed to taking it all.”

Langevin points to criteria such as proximity to resources at a particular event, the volume of business, and the capacity his business would have at any given time.

”

“The South American market is difficult to operate in without boots on the ground,” said Langevin. “If you can’t find a partner company, it’s more challenging.”

That said, he is not without a sense of adventure, having had an operation in Mexico City and actually living there for four years.

Langevin also, in his decision process as to what projects he will take on, says he leans heavily on Global Affairs Canada, the government organization that is able to guide him (and others of course) on which countries are friendlier to do business in than others.

“The Canadian government does a really good job in every country,” adds Langevin. “It really comes down to how much risk you want to take as a company and how far you want to extend yourself.”

WE DON’T NEED RECOGNITION FOR STICKING TO OUR ZERO-HARM MINDSET. BUT IT STILL FEELS NICE TO RECEIVE IT. Thank you to the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce and the community for honouring us with the 2018 Health, Safety and Environment Award for environmental, health and safety performance.

Learn more about safe and sustainable waste management at TerrapureEnv.com

8 • LAMBTON SHIELD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

DOCKET #: 14900

FILE NAME: 14900-Terrapure-OBAA_Ads

PROOF #: 01 ARTIST: JC CLIENT: Terrapure

DATE: November 13, 2018 10:04 AM TRIM AREA: 7.375” x 4.854”

Not surprisingly, one of the “friendliest” of countries to deal with is right next door, although Langevin isn’t without taking care.

“Americans are similar except that the volumes are greater, and they’re demanding and less forgiving.”

So what brought him to Sarnia-Lambton, an area where he’d never done business before?

That part of the story began as he was coming out of the Great Recession that began in 2008. His lease was ending on the property in Vaughn and Langevin made the decision that he would do a complete exit plan, effectively going out on his own once again.

The target was being close to the border and Langevin admits that it was Windsor that was, at first, the most likely home for what became AG Event Graphics and related companies (more on that later).

“I had lived there, I knew I could sustain myself, and the business would be augmented by the U.S. business, so it wasn’t a bad launching point,” he says.

Then he started doing some calculations—one being the 40 minute drive to the U.S. border (the Windsor business centre is actually southeast and traffic can be a problem).

“There were just a whole lot more ‘cons’ than ‘pros,’” says Langevin.

The next logical spot was SarniaLambton and Langevin set up shop in Point Edward, occupying space that was originally a Beer Store and then a printing company that had closed up shop.

“We wrap all day long and we’ve done it for the last 10 years,” notes Langevin. The result was him bringing the product to what he says wasn’t previously a competitive wrap market.

“It adds more to what we do,” says Langevin. “As far as the competition is concerned, we’ve added to the concentration in the marketplace and everybody wins in that kind of market.”

Among other products and services are various soft signage applications, including textile flags, branded tents, and so-called “step and repeat” walls, also known as backgrounds (think photos that are taken of celebrities at film festivals and you’ll get the idea).

He has also taken a lead in providing “truck kits” to transport companies that need graphic packages for their fleet and truck tarps—both hard and soft material—that Langevin says almost every truck manufacturer looks to his company as an expert provider.

What is key to Langevin’s present and future business is his ability to scale while still serving both the local market and beyond the border.

“

...another part of his growth plans are making sure the people who work there have the technical cross-training that he says is essential.

Eventually, that being January 2, 2018, the Robinson Street facility, with its 20,000 square feet of space well able to have him consolidate three separate locations he’d eventually taken up, became what is expected to be his long-term base.

He credits the BDC for finding the spot, putting him in touch with a commercial real estate agent who then hunted down the landlord and made the deal.

When Langevin first landed in Sarnia-Lambton, he began, as any newcomer would, to scope out opportunities for making an impact.

One of those was in vehicle wraps.

In fact, Langevin says the AG Event Graphics business is about 65% export.

Today, Langevin is working on a rebranding effort for the business, starting with AG Event Graphics as the “umbrella” name.

“Basically, we’re looking at how to manage the name of the company,” he says. “Everyone knows me, but it’s more than just me. It’s the business.”

He acknowledges that there are people working as part of a team— now 15 but likely to be 25 by the end of this winter—that would like the business to succeed beyond his involvement, even to the point where he would be able to take on a project on the other side of the world.

”

Under the kind of “sorting” that’s taking place, AskGuy.ca becomes an online ordering platform for items like trade show graphics, yard signs, and the hundreds of “one of” projects the firm handles on a regular basis.

Another “brand” is Huron Signs, which is a full-service sign business, with one recent example of work done by that division being an electronic sign at Abram Refrigeration & Sheet Metal on London Line.

“The feedback from the community was that wraps were expensive and they don’t last,” recalls Langevin.

“We offer lawn signs for their everyday business—the stick in the lawn items—and Huron Signs does the large sign with an LED message board.”

That seemed more than a little odd, given his experience in the Greater Toronto Area where that business is “very cost effective for the amount of money you’ll spend and they last up to five years.”

Other existing businesses being brought into the overall rebranding experience are Roll Top Digital, which provides fleet graphics and truck tarps, and Detroit Custom Wraps.

At the same time, local customers were telling him that vehicle wraps would last two years at best and the quality was never as good as they expected.

There’s also another brand that Langevin hasn’t quite worked out from a naming standpoint but the focus there will be architectural finishes and commercial tint services, including security films, for surfaces on doors, desks and walls.

WWW.LAMBTONSHIELD.COM • 9

Langevin anticipates his growth trajectory—he’s currently booking $2.5 million a year—to include sales of about $10 million by 2025, with about 45 employees by then.

“It’s a healthy number and necessary for this market,” he says.

For that future to play out, Langevin says initiatives like the tech cluster that organizations like Innovation Bridge and the SarniaLambton Economic Partnership are pursuing will be critical.

“One of the criteria we had in moving here was a big pipe,” says Langevin, referring to the fibre optic service that is spreading through the area.

And another part of his growth plans are making sure the people who work there have the technical cross-training that he says is essential.

“We like to maximize our daily production and having tech-savvy people is a part of that,” he notes.

One of the latest innovations Langevin is looking at implementing is what he says is one of the largest 3D printing machines currently available.

“Part of that business will be to augment our 2D printing operation but the prototype market is also a big opportunity for us. Imagine a machinist being able to prototype a part from a CAD file. That would be a couple of hundred dollars versus a couple of thousand.”

Which is quite the future and another answer to a question Langevin has been asked dozens or even hundreds of times in his career: “Hey Guy, what can I do with this?”

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10 • LAMBTON SHIELD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

WWW.LAMBTONSHIELD.COM • 11

FROM INDUSTRY TO AN ORGANIZATION WHERE

‘POWER OF WORK’

CONTINUES TO CHANGE LIVES Chamber’s Member of Year has taken on the mantle of volunteerism.

12 • LAMBTON SHIELD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

D

ave Watson has had a good life. A very good life.

It’s one reason why, several years ago, he set out to show his son how “not everyone is as fortunate as he is.”

The father and son team did so at first by volunteering on the “bun run,” a program operated by a local bakery that saw bread that was surplus to its operation donated to the Inn of the Good Shepherd.

“We’d also go to the Women’s Interval Home and then, if we still had some left over, to the Huron House Boys’ Home,” recalls Watson, winner of this year’s Member of the Year award, given to him by the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce at its Outstanding Business Achievement Awards gala, held on October 12.

Today, Watson is president of Goodwill Essex-Kent-Lambton, the charity that has its headquarters on Wellington Street and for whom he heads a volunteer board of directors.

“There was an opening on the board,” he recalls, referring to a call made in 2002.

Within two years, he was president and has been in that role ever since.

“

It’s an organization that gives people the tools they need to be successful. And the ‘power of work’ is at the heart of what Goodwill does.

”

His volunteer life, and certainly one reason he won Member of the Year honours, has become one of the biggest parts of Watson’s life, with the story including he and his son delivering food to the Inn and subsequently serving dinners and lunches before running into the stark reality of full-time work and, for his son, school.

That’s when Watson got the call to serve on the Goodwill board.

But what drove him to take on a significant volunteer role in the first place?

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“The process was definitely easier than dealing with the banks.”

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Let’s start at the beginning.

Watson’s family ran Watson Cycle and Marine, a bicycle repair shop that had branched out into outboard motors from a location originally at Mitton Street and Davis before they expanded and then moved to a spot on London Road, just west of Lambton Mall Road.

“We were out there just as they were starting to build the mall,” he recalls.

Watson was just 16 when his father died and his mother, not being comfortable in continuing with the business, subsequently closed up shop.

519-383-1371 109 Durand Street, Sarnia, ON N7T 5A1

WWW.LAMBTONSHIELD.COM • 13

Dave went to work on the construction of the Polysar plant, joining the company after and eventually, with the NOVA Chemicals acquisition, working in the warehouse, first as a chemicals and catalyst clerk.

When the company installed SAP, an Enterprise Resource Planning software platform that was gaining in popularity, Watson took on a role as the “material master,” the one who oversaw the naming of everything the company bought and sold.

Watson retired from the organization in 2009.

Again, we come to the point where Watson, keenly aware of his having a life that has blessed him beyond what some others have experienced and already having demonstrated that fact to his son through volunteer work at the Inn and elsewhere, was clearly “in the mode” for wanting to continue that sense of giving back.

“It might be something I picked up along the way,” says Watson, remembering his parents—“they worked hard”—and realizing that the life he had was a pretty comfortable one and not one that was enjoyed by everyone in the community.

And while his role as president of Goodwill EKL is largely a governance one—helping to direct and oversee the organization—he does have the chance to “take off the president’s hat and do other things.”

Indeed, he’s been known to volunteer anywhere between 20 and 40 hours a week at Goodwill.

One of the projects he took on was dealing with e-waste, the electronics that people find themselves not quite knowing what to do with after a new product is purchased or the original just wears out or otherwise stops working.

“I was able to research the companies that were dealing with the e-waste, making sure they were reputable and that they were doing what they should be doing,” says Watson, keenly aware of the need to protect the Goodwill name.

“Once we got that going, we were able to see it become successful and turn it over to the business,” he adds.

For Watson and others at Goodwill, “success” is defined as being able to create a job and, if the return goes beyond simply covering costs, to turn that surplus into further workforce development efforts.

He also recalls a project involving refurbishment of computers that would eventually be returned to good use in the community.

That effort eventually expanded to the point where it became part of a program involving the donation of medical equipment and even bicycles, taken to El Salvador in shipping containers and set up by volunteers to make sure the items were in good hands.

Watson also pointed to a program involving Lambton College students in the Information Technology Professional program who were coming in for volunteer hours at Goodwill.

Eventually, Goodwill turned over the refurbishment duties to the students and today, Watson serves as a member of the program’s advisory committee, helping to ensure the curriculum meets the needs of the industry where the students will ultimately work.

Watson acknowledges that the e-waste program has slowed down, largely he says because most of the backlog has been removed from the system.

14 • LAMBTON SHIELD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

But the need for organizations like Goodwill for volunteer help, as Watson points out, continues.

He also points to the documented health benefits of volunteering, including a study by researchers at the Bloomberg School of Public health at Johns Hopkins University that found older adults who participated in a youth mentoring program made gains in key brain regions that support cognitive abilities important to planning and organizing one’s daily life.

Watson says he was in the mindset for volunteering when he connected with Goodwill, which has become his charity of choice.

“I’m here to stay,” he adds. “It’s an organization that gives people the tools they need to be successful. And the ‘power of work’ is at the heart of what Goodwill does.”

As a member of the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce through his association with Goodwill, Watson values the networking opportunities, including the monthly Business After 5 events.

When he’s not volunteering, getting on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle and heading down the road is something he likes doing, either alone or with others.

Watson’s advice to others who may be hearing the call when it comes to adding volunteering to their lifestyle?

“Find something that inspires you, something you believe in, and try it out. There are hundreds of organizations locally that could use the help. There is no shortage of opportunities out there.”

Good advice from the Chamber’s 2018 Member of the Year.

BRINGING

SAFETY

HOME

Local firm keeps focus on working safe, earning Chamber award in the process.

F

or Terrapure Environmental’s 14 employees based out of the firm’s Scott Road facility, 2018 was a great year—and not just for having won a Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Business Achievement Award in the Health, Safety & Environment category.

It was the second year for the firm having won recognition, that being last year’s Innovation award at the Chamber event.

But this year was also one of growth as Terrapure Environmental acquired a service company that branch manager Aaron Kilbreath says is complementary to what the firm he joined 10 years ago.

As a result of the acquisition of Envirosystems, which locally is based in Corunna, Kilbreath is leading both local organizations and a total of approximately 80 employees in all.

There are also plans in place to move the Terrapure operation to the EnviroSystems location in Corunna.

Winning the last OBAA award from the Chamber is something Kilbreath and his team see as being a validation of a culture that values safety above all else.

“We obviously operate in a hazardous business, managing hazardous materials,” said Kilbreath, who grew up in Sarnia before heading off to Wilfrid Laurier University, where he earned a degree in political science.

“The people who work here aren’t processing nice things,” he added. “We have a bunch of different customers, and within that, conditions change so we have to be careful. In that respect, it’s great to be recognized for that and we appreciate the award.”

For Kilbreath, after graduation he was able to secure a job in sales out of Owen Sound.

But in the back of his mind, and that of his wife, who he has known since they were together in grade eight, returning to Sarnia was always a goal.

That journey included meeting someone who he’d been trying to sell tires to in his role as branch manager of the tire shop where he worked.

“He flipped it around and started interviewing me for a job at an environmental services company,” Kilbreath recalls.

That job included a substantial amount of driving—60,000 kilometres a year—from a home base in Guelph and a territory that included all of Ontario, excluding the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

WWW.LAMBTONSHIELD.COM • 15

“I was selling tires one day and waste services the next,” says Kilbreath.

As part of his training in the industry he came to understand that looks can be deceiving, at least from the outside of a building.

“I had a base book of business, but there was quite a lot of cold calling involved,” he said. “One day, the person who was training me pointed to a building in a kind of strip mall and asked if that was a place that I would stop in. I didn’t think so, but it turned out it was a huge source of environmental waste—a huge ink warehouse. What I learned was that every business has waste and they need the kind of services that we provide.”

Eventually, Kilbreath’s boss in Guelph took a job at NewAlta, a firm that in 2015 spun off its industrial services business to create Terrapure.

Not long afterwards, Kilbreath was connected to the job opportunity that lead him to Sarnia.

“I had to go through the interview process, but it was a natural fit for me,” he said. “I gave my notice on Boxing Day and started in January.”

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He calls coming home to Sarnia a no-brainer and began work at Terrapure as a sales representative before eventually becoming branch manager.

In Sarnia, Terrapure’s business includes a site model where it takes specialized equipment to a customer site, processing the waste by removing water, typically achieving between 80-90% volume reduction, then taking what’s left—the sludge—off site to be properly disposed.

The oil is recovered and the water goes back to the customer to be treated with its own systems.

With the acquisition of Envirosystems, Terrapure now has another service that fits nicely with its overall mission and which represents part of its growth strategy.

“Envirosystems handles industrial cleaning through high pressure water as well as chemical cleaning,” notes Kilbreath. “Now with the coming together, we can go in with the right equipment, clean out the tank and process the waste water. It’s now a one-stop shop.”

16 • LAMBTON SHIELD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Todd Moser, president and CEO of Terrapure, said the acquisition creates “a more comprehensive and resourceful organization to serve our blue-chip customers across the country with a broad and diverse suite of resource recovery and environmental solutions. This makes us an undisputed leader in the Canadian market.”

Envirosystems has over 1,000 employees and 25 locations across Canada to serve a diverse customer base.

“

additional value to customers in every key industry vertical, coast to coast.”

We obviously operate in a hazardous business, managing hazardous materials. We have a bunch of different customers, and within that, conditions change so we have to be careful. In that respect, it’s great to be recognized for that and we appreciate the award.

“There are many similarities between Terrapure and Envirosystems that make this alliance a great fit,” added Moser. “The businesses of the two organizations are highly complementary and provide services to a common set of industry sectors with a shared focus on health and safety excellence, innovation and technical development, and customer service. By coming together as an even stronger Canadianbased business, Terrapure will be well positioned to provide

There will be an eventual rebranding of Envirosystems to Terrapure, although the former owners of Envirosystems are retaining the catalyst changeout business as well as its U.S. specialty industrial services businesses. Those parts of the business are being rebranded as Maviro, which will be headquartered in Houston.

”

In the meantime, Kilbreath says having the Chamber recognize the achievement of Terrapure Environmental employees’ attention to detail when it comes to health, safety and environmental practices is a

—Aaron Kilbreath, Branch Manager

welcome affirmation of its direction.

“Being safe doesn’t stop,” he said. “It’s where we have been so successful in the past and maintaining that sense of mission will continue. If you don’t work safe, you’re not going to be working for long.”

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18 • LAMBTON SHIELD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

‘BREAK-FIX’?

NOT SO MUCH

He attended Saint-FrançoisXavier, Sarnia’s French language high school.

And beyond that?

As is the case with at least a few technology focused talents in the world (think Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg as notable examples), Berube really didn’t see the need for further formal education.

Having already taught himself the tools needed to keep advancing down the road, Berube sees himself as the type of learner who is very much hands on.

“I didn’t feel where I was at the time that I needed anything else,” he says today. “I’m not putting down school at all; it’s just I think it’s not for everyone.”

Tech company has embraced a service model that aligns its values with those of its clients.

W

inning any of the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Business Achievement Awards categories is no small feat but being the first to take home a new award—Tech-Novation—is particularly special in the mind of Mat Berube, co-founder of LEADWAVE Technologies.

A co-winner (along with the City of Sarnia) of the inaugural award, Berube has called Sarnia home since he moved here as a nine-year-old from a small town 20 minutes from Kapuskasing, Ont. Even before arriving here, Berube recalls an early love of computers, so much so that he had asked his parents at the age of six or seven if they would get him a Commodore 64, one of the earliest “home computers” that at least some of our readers will remember.

“

What Berube did do was build a career as a networking professional, adding some web design and building PCs (when that was something people actually did).

He’d build software applications for the Windows world, taking on jobs with larger companies, designing and selling software, all working either as a sole proprietor or with various IT firms.

At one of those jobs, Berube met Aaron Weir, which became one of the steps in a natural progression that became LEADWAVE Technologies.

We focus on what we believe we’re the strongest at doing and stick with that.

”

That was 2006 and “back then,” Berube notes, there weren’t a lot of companies that were focused on the small business market, which was what LEADWAVE was eyeing as its target.

“We were looking at companies that would be typically looking at suppliers outside Sarnia for what they needed,” he said. “They figured no one here would have the expertise for what they needed.”

If not, ask your parents.

They figured wrong.

What the young Berube got instead was a television set, the result of a teacher telling his parents that he would get bored with a computer.

Within a couple of years, LEADWAVE had grown to the point where it was ready to take its first leap into the kind of business it is today, acquiring the server and desktop support part of an established business.

Clearly, that was wrong.

Berube finally did get his own personal computer when he was around 12, going to work in teaching himself BASIC programming, which was the start of a path that he remains on today.

What Berube and Weir left behind was the web design business “that we wanted nothing to do with.”

WWW.LAMBTONSHIELD.COM • 19

That comment triggered a follow up question which was “how come?”

That resulted in a fundamental flaw that LEADWAVE realized they needed to correct.

Berube has no hesitation in explaining.

“If we’re saying to you that this is the ideal solution, for example a firewall that will protect your systems from malware, we’re lying to you if we say it’s okay for you to use your own solution,” said Berube.

“In all likelihood, the decision is being made on the basis of cost, but not the most value for our client base.”

“There’s a lot of managed services providers out there that will try to do everything,” he says. “They’ll do web design, software, accounting package integration. Everything. That’s not what we do. We focus on what we believe we’re the strongest at doing and stick with that.”

We’ve just heard the term “managed services” but it wasn’t always that way for LEADWAVE. Indeed, it was early on when the LEADWAVE founders saw they had just had one of their strongest months from a revenue perspective.

And then they quickly realized that the only reason for that surge was that their clients were suffering during that same period.

What LEADWAVE had been founded on was a so-called “break-fix” model of IT support, with a fee structure that counts on problems occurring if the computer services company is to make a profit.

“We both realized that was not the way to deliver a good customer experience,” says Berube. “We survive on our customers and if the only time they see us is when something goes wrong on the system, it’s not a good alignment of values.”

So LEADWAVE changed direction, gradually (depending on the definition of that word) moving its client base away from the “break-fix” model to the flat monthly fee that is known as managed services.

And what about push back from clients who had become accustomed to the “old way” of doing business?

“

With what’s now in place, every client gets a standardized offering, one that has the added benefit of having every one of the 13 people working at LEADWAVE trained on standardized systems.

“In this model, you’re basically giving me the keys to your IT,” adds Berube. “I’m both responsible and accountable but what that also means is that we’re not going to allow someone to put in place an inferior anti-virus system that will infect the entire system.”

Again, the limited amount of pushback on the new model had the effect of “sorting” LEADWAVE clients.

“We’ve had to say to some that we can’t work with you anymore and you’re better served by one of the other IT companies in town,” Berube added.

It’s about changing our business in ways that will develop new ways of providing value.

Berube admits that at first there was some of that, but he makes a powerful argument that the flat fee way of doing business is ultimately one that is in the best interests of both the client and the company.

“We used to do a la carte,” notes Berube. “But under the managed services way of doing things, now if our clients’ systems weren’t operating at full potential, if we didn’t do our job properly, it would cost us. So it’s in our best interest to ensure that the systems run well all the time.”

That “alignment” of interests began to produce the kind of results that Berube and his team have come to appreciate.

But it’s also become a way of making sure the value equation behind IT services remains balanced.

“What we’re saying is that we’re not for everyone,” Berube adds.

“Our clients are companies that have between 10 and 200 people and we don’t play outside that field.”

What Berube is confident of is that the systems LEADWAVE install and maintain create the best value for their clients.

Much of that has come with a “tweaking” of the original managed services model that had given clients the option of choosing among what LEADWAVE would deliver.

20 • LAMBTON SHIELD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

”

Today, LEADWAVE, even in the wake of having won the Chamber TechNovation award (shared with the City of Sarnia), continues to innovate on how it delivers services.

“We’re always trying to be ahead of the game,” said Berube. “Part of that is attending IT conferences but it’s also about maintaining the services that we provide.”

And looking ahead?

Berube acknowledges that the industry, already moving at breakneck speed, is poised to change even more with services migrating to the Cloud (although he’s personally not a fan of that word).

“It’s about changing our business in ways that will develop new ways of providing value,” he adds. “If we’re not maintaining equipment, where else can we add value. That’s more of a business analyst role and less technician work.”

Even so, Berube doesn’t see his “sweet spot” changing (the 10 to 200 employee target for his client base).

“We’ve always just grown based on our own path, not on what others are doing to grow their business. They have their own success and their own reasons for what we do. Our case is to focus on a service delivery model that works, adding our personal touch and our customer experience along the way.”

In telling that story, Berube makes one last point: that it’s the Sarnia business community that has made LEADWAVE so successful.

“Our clients are Chamber members and our addressable market is in the Chamber. We’ve been members of the Chamber since day one and it’s great to be recognized and see that we’ve built something that people have come to appreciate.”

DEFINING

‘OUTSTANDING’ IN SEVERAL CATEGORIES Chamber winners continue to set the bar.

COOL PLACE TO WORK

BUSINESS LEADERSHIP

Winner: EXIT Realty Twin Bridges

Winner: Judith Morris, Lambton College

EXIT Realty Twin Bridges believes that selling real estate should be both high tech and high touch. For the Realtors that have a choice of working anywhere in Sarnia-Lambton, putting their careers on the fast track is something for which EXIT and its “cool to work here” attitude continues to receive top marks.

For Judith Morris, getting up every day and providing the kind of leadership her colleagues at Lambton College have come to rely on is something she’d say is just part of the job. But Judy is nothing if not ordinary in the level of passion and vision that has become her calling card. Simply put, a true leader is someone that people will want to be around. And at Lambton College that someone is Judith Morris.

WWW.LAMBTONSHIELD.COM • 21

TECH-NOVATION Winners (tied): LEADWAVE Technologies and Corporation of the City of Sarnia Just a few years ago, the City of Sarnia took a hard look at its IT capabilities and began heading down a path of innovation when it comes to bringing value to its citizens. And LEADWAVE Technologies, a private sector provider of managed IT services since 2006, continues to set new standards of innovation. It doesn’t happen very often, but this year there were two winners in a brand-new category—Tech-Novation.

Bluewater Hearing was the OBAA winner in the “Customer Service—Business” category.

See feature story on LEADWAVE Technologies elsewhere in this issue of Lambton Shield.

MARKETING & PROMOTIONS Winner: PM Entertainment Group & Foundation (Bluewater BorderFest) If PM Entertainment Group & Foundation is a name you’re not familiar with, it won’t be for long. Headed by Mark Perrin, the organization is the driving force behind Bluewater BorderFest, a three-day festival that has a growing number of music fans—locally and well beyond Sarnia-Lambton—clamoring for more. And a big part of the growth comes from a vision for innovative marketing and promotion activities.

Lambton College CEO Judith Morris (pictured) won in the “Business Leadership” award category.

EDITOR’S NOTE: As this issue was going into production, Perrin was named the new executive director of Tourism Sarnia-Lambton, although he will remain a director of Bluewater BorderFest.

HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENT Winner: Terrapure Environmental Being the kind of steward that sees environmental excellence as something worth investing in, not just for the economic benefit, but for its lasting effect on the people who share the resources we depend on for life itself is something most of us gravitate towards.

The Chamber turned to Terrapure Environmental as one of those ‘bright lights’ and salutes the excellence this organization provides in the area of Health, Safety and Environmental Leadership.

See feature story on Terrapure Environmental elsewhere in this issue of Lambton Shield.

Dave Duguay of Bluewater Coffee Company (pictured second from left) won in the Customer Service—Individual category.

NON-PROFIT Winner: Sarnia Community Foundation Setting itself apart as the kind of organization that connects people who care with the people and nonprofits that are doing the most good, the Sarnia Community Foundation gives donors a flexible and practical way to show their support for causes they care about right now or in the future. Whatever your interest they’re here to help you make a difference. Which is a key reason this vibrant organization was declared Non-Profit of the Year.

See feature story on the Sarnia Community Foundation elsewhere in this issue of Lambton Shield.

Lambton College won the “Social Responsibility” award category.

22 • LAMBTON SHIELD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE— BUSINESS Winner: Bluewater Hearing It’s been 14 years since Nashlea Brogan launched Bluewater Hearing, her inspiration being her own journey with hearing loss. Now an audiologist herself, Nashlea, her sister Michelle and their team continue to offer tailored solutions to others who have hearing challenges. Bluewater Hearing is now three clinics strong, and the Chamber’s Customer Service award winner.

INCLUSIVITY Winner: Helen Lomax, Pathways & Transitions Helen Lomax may be the principal of Pathways & Transitions but she also calls herself vice president of enthusiasm, something she takes extremely seriously. Now the winner of the Chamber’s Inclusivity award, Helen—also a columnist with Lambton Shield—believes in the talents of the people with whom she connects and works with them to help them achieve personal and professional goals. She sees the good . . . and the promise of even better things . . . in everyone with whom she connects.

AGRI-BUSINESS Winner: Podolinsky Equipment Ltd. There’s no doubt that when it comes to business categories that keep Sarnia-Lambton growing, agri-business comes near the top. And one of the leaders in keeping members of the farming community in tip-top shape comes in the colour green. Yes, we’re talking about Podolinsky Equipment, a proud John Deere dealer and one of the most recognized faces in this key sector. And now, the Chamber’s Agri-Business of the Year.

See feature story on Podolinsky Equipment Ltd. elsewhere in this issue of Lambton Shield

EXPORTER OF THE YEAR Winner: AG Event Graphics There’s a very good chance that you’ve already seen some of AG Event Graphics innovative and creative signage around town. But if you’ve been elsewhere, including the U.S., AG Event Graphics is also making a mark as its reputation for quality, creativity and attention to detail spreads beyond our borders. Clearly one reason why this growing business is the Chambeer’s Exporter of the Year.

See feature story on AG Event Graphics elsewhere in this issue of Lambton Shield

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Winner: Lambton College Bringing value to a community isn’t just about generating economic vitality, although that’s certainly a part of what Lambton College has delivered over the years. The Chamber recognized the commitment to raising the bar when it comes to social responsibility, looking to Lambton College as a beacon for the future.

We featured a key example of what lead to this award in our debut print edition, a story about Enactus Lambton College, the group that recently won a World Championship for its work in Zambia.

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR Winner: Liwordson Vijayabalan, TMRRW An early story about Liwordson explained how he doesn’t like doing things the conventional way. But that’s okay, because Liwordson, now the Chamber’s Entrepreneur of the Year, says it’s doing things in an off-beat but focused way that has made him so successful. And if you think someone in their very early 20s puts him at a disadvantage, think again: he has been editing video since he was 11 and began his first business selling urban athletic wear at age 16.

See feature story on Liwordson Vijayabalan elsewhere in this issue of Lambton Shield

CUSTOMER SERVICE—INDIVIDUAL Winner: Dave Duguay, Blackwater Coffee Dave Duguay was a sales representative back in 2010 when he and his wife Alyssa visited her family in Sarnia. While here, he met the original owners of Blackwater Coffee Company,. And the rest, as they say, is history. Some might say Dave is obsessive about coffee (which he is) but the real proof of success is how customers keep coming back for more, day after day.

MEMBER OF THE YEAR Winner: Dave Watson, Goodwill Heading the board of directors for Canada’s oldest organization carrying the Goodwill brand is Dave Watson, someone who sees retirement—something he did formally from Nova Chemicals nearly a decade ago—as just another opportunity to do more for the community he loves. What’s next for Dave? For starters, savouring this moment as the Chamber’s Member of the Year.

See feature story on Dave Watson elsewhere in this issue of Lambton Shield.

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Winner: NOVA Chemicals NOVA Chemicals is one of the most visible firms in our area, dedicated, as its mission says—to help shaping a world where products vital to our health and happiness are even better tomorrow than they are today. With values that include being responsible, passionate, innovative and collaborative, NOVA desires to the leader in innovation, enabling its customers to deliver products that make everyday life healthier, easier and safer.

CHAMBER CHAMPION Winner: Franco Filia, The Co-Operators In an award selected by a group of past-Chamber Chairs, Franco Filia (a past Chair himself) was selected as someone who exemplifies a distinctively positive contribution to everything that represents excellence and commitment to the Chamber movement.

WWW.LAMBTONSHIELD.COM • 23

OUR THANKS TO THE

Sarnia Community Foundation STARTS WITH YOU! For more than 33 years now, the Sarnia Community Foundation has been instrumental in providing the ‘fuel’ that non-profits throughout our region have used to energize their organizations.

It’s thanks to the ongoing commitment of hundreds of individuals in harnessing the power of the Foundation that has made this all possible.

And now, with the presentation of ‘Non-Profit of the Year’ honours at the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce 2018 Outstanding Business Achievement Awards, we salute the Sarnia Community Foundation for all it does—now and in the future!

HONESTY, CREDIBILITY and you!

By Helen Lomax, Vice President of Enthusiasm, Pathways & Transitions

H

ow do you think others would describe your credibility today – strong, average, poor, none? Do you even think about it?

Unfortunately, we hear a lot about fake news in our world today. Do you believe everything you hear or read? Hopefully not. Are you always honest in your communication with others?

Hopefully the answer is a resounding YES! This is what will build and strengthen your creditability in both your personal and professional worlds.

Politicians, news media, even large corporations appear to be tapping into fake news as a way to sway people into certain beliefs.

It works – until they get caught! Take the giant Volkswagen organization admitting that they devised a way to get around emission testing. Wouldn’t it have been money well spent to ensure emissions were reduced rather than trying to fool us that they were complying with regulations?

Many people in our society have also lost faith in our political system and elected officials. We have many strong, hard working individuals representing us, but there appears to be a small number of individuals who will “bend the truth” or simply omit to provide us with certain details until long after something could have been done. Unfortunately, this tars many people with the same brush, even if undeserved.

So let’s look at you. Do you work to gain success and build relationships through whatever means will get you what you want?

Do you honestly answer questions from others even though it may not be what they want to hear? Do you stand behind your beliefs and support others when they are trying to move forward and doing the right thing? Do you own up to your mistakes and take ownership not just for successes, but also for some things that don’t work as planned?

Reaching out to others in an inclusive, respectful, sincere way helps to build individual relationships and also communities. Never underestimate how much impact you can have on the world around you. Ideas and dreams that are shared could very well become reality.

When we treat ourselves and others well, amazing things can happen.

So be honest, build your credibility every day, continue to learn and grow, listen to others with an open mind and share your brilliance to improve our world!

WWW.LAMBTONSHIELD.COM • 25

One of the funds being administered by the Sarnia Community Foundation is the Blue Eyes Big Heart scholarship that was set up by Laurie Alderton in memory of her son Josh, who died in a car accident. Pictured are, from left, Karen Hunter, now executive director of the Chatham Women's Home, Laurie Alderton, scholarship recipient Jordan Pisiak, and Jane Anema, executive director of the Sarnia Community Foundation.

DELIVERING GOOD TO THE COMMUNITY

Sarnia Community Foundation stands out for its vision and focus 26 • LAMBTON SHIELD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

BY THE NUMBERS...

Since its first grants were made in 1985, the Sarnia Community Foundation has given more than $4 million in grants to over 150 agencies that provide services and hope to those in need in the community.

Some of those grants in the past 10 years were responsible for: • More than 3,000 children being able to take part in swimming lessons, art projects and other recreational activities.

• Creating a fully accessible computer station at Pathways Health Centre for Children • Seniors being able to access local programs to learn to cope with vision loss • Mental health programs being expanded and housed within the community • The John Howard Society establishing a clothing bank to provide their clients with a fresh start in the community and being able to expand their First Nations programming • 30 babies from low income families sleeping in new cribs (continued next page)

...TOUCHING HEARTS • Enhancements to the Wyoming Splash pad.

• Families living with ALS being able to access needed equipment to support a loved one • The International Symphony Orchestra purchasing performance risers

E

very organization needs—or should have—a vision for what it considers “success.”

For the Sarnia Community Foundation, that vision is, at least in part, the desire to create a place of belonging where people and ideas flourish.

But it’s the “how” that has really set the Foundation apart, and one reason that it won the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce 2018 Outstanding Business Achievement Award in the Non-Profit category.

• The redevelopment of Kenwick on the Lake

Working with individuals, groups, charities, and companies who have an interest in making the community a better place to live, work and play, the Foundation, which was founded in 1982 (its first day of operation was January 1, 1983), has set out to establish and sustain permanent funds that will support registered charities and other eligible recipients now and into the future.

• 50 special needs children working with volunteer tutors

Over the years its funds have grown, both in number and value, from one fund and total assets of just over $2,000 in 1983.

• The Caring Hearts program at St Joseph’s Hospice touching many more clients

By 2008, the Foundation had a permanent base of 30 active funds valued at $1.5 million and today it has grown to 105 active funds valued at $7 million.

• Education programs for diabetes being expanded throughout Lambton County • Providing accessible chairs for Stroke Recovery patients

• 100 students being supported in their educational journey with a scholarship • Lambton Seniors Association expanding the Handyman/Handywoman program • Providing funds for accessible bleachers at the Brigden Fair • Expanding the Visiting Artists in the Schools program for Gallery in the Grove • Providing funds for Rayjon’s Social Justice Education program • Providing start up funds for the Mobile Market and snack pack programs at the Inn of the Good Shepherd • Benches on the Howard Watson Nature trail • Dementia Direct and the Mindful Music Project being offered to families and clients struggling with Alzheimer’s • Habitat for Humanity buying tools to build houses and the first youth build

But officials, including executive director Jane Anema, will point out that it’s the “giving back” numbers that really tells the compelling story.

In the past five years alone, the Foundation has given back nearly $1.5 million through grants and scholarships. In 2018, it invested more than $250,000 in health, education, the arts, children and youth, seniors, the environment and social issues throughout Lambton County.

“

In 2018, the Sarnia Community Foundation invested more than $250,000 in health, education, the arts, children and youth, seniors, the environment and social issues throughout Lambton County.

”

• Low income families receiving First Aid training • Supporting volunteer drivers for the Canadian Cancer Society • The Streets of Sarnia Project being completed • Lunches 4 Learning having needed kitchen equipment

There are also short-term projects being supported and managed by the Foundation on behalf of donors and agencies, including the building of the Dow Centre for Youth, the start-up of the One Tomato Project, Noelle’s Gift, and Sarnia Gives.

• Furnishing the resource centre in the Good Shepherd’s Lodge so that clients would be able to find jobs and housing.

The Foundation also handles funds for fire hall redevelopment in Petrolia, the Cardiac Rehabilitation program that is now housed in the North Lambton Community Health Centre, and the Wyoming Ball Park redevelopment.

• Purchasing resources for a lending library to assist families with autistic children

As Jane Anema adds, new ideas are always welcome.

• Providing funds to expand Skill and Drill programs in Forest, Petrolia and Brigden

“We’re looking for ways that people can build the community of tomorrow and we do that by helping groups incubate the idea, find funding, assist with receipting, and help ensure the new organization is on the path to success.”

WWW.LAMBTONSHIELD.COM • 27

One of several reasons for the Foundation’s success is its local status in the community it serves.

“We take a long-term view, but can respond to short-term needs,” says Anema.

With deep roots, the volunteers connected with the Foundation are anything but shy in their passion.

One way the Foundation is able to multiply the impact of gift dollars is by pooling them with other gifts.

“Our volunteers are our connector to the community,” said Anema.

“One small donation makes a difference when it is added to another small donation and another and another,” notes Anema. “A promise not to spend the gifts we’re given but steward them for the future is the cornerstone of our financial operation.”

And even though the size of the board of directors is mandated by the legislative act under which the Foundation was created, there are numerous volunteer opportunities to work on Foundation committees, help in the office and with special events.

“We’re grateful for the energy and enthusiasm all our volunteers give us,” Anema added.

Another reason for its success is a “by design” philosophy that brings donors to the table as community builders, working closely with them to align their philanthropic vision with the needs of the community.

“While our preference is to work locally,” notes Anema, “we give grants to any charitable entity recognized by the Canadian government on the advice of a donor.”

The Foundation also identifies long-term needs and opportunities throughout Lambton County, investing in solutions that let local services and agencies guide their own future, and offering background support (both financial and administrative).

One interesting example is that the first donation of $25 is still at work making the community better for everyone.

“

Our grants are investments in the many areas that support quality of life in a community,” she said. “that includes all aspects of the arts, culture, education, the environment, health, recreation and social services—as well as the emerging issues that affect our community.

As Anema explains, the Foundation takes a broad and inclusive view of what a community is, providing grants to the widest possible range of organizations and initiatives.

“Our grants are investments in the many areas that support quality of life in a community,” she said. “that includes all aspects of the arts, culture, education, the environment, health, recreation and social services—as well as the emerging issues that affect our community.”

Even with the growing number of funds and organizations or individuals behind those initiatives, there is a keen sense of individualization in how donations are managed.

“We take a highly personal and flexible approach,” says Anema.

“Every donation is valued for its contribution to the community and we give donors the opportunity for anonymity or community recognition. It’s very much their choice. What we also do is work to structure a donation for the maximum tax advantage.”

Again with flexibility in mind, the Foundation is able to build permanent funds for donors and community agencies as well as funds that can respond to immediate needs, helping the community as needed.

28 • LAMBTON SHIELD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

”

“That first donation has been joined by donations both large and small, creating an endowment pool that continues to grow annually,” said Anema.

Gifts to the endowed funds in the past four years have totalled more than $3 million.

Another area of strength for the Foundation is its commitment to diversity, which takes shape as donors from all walks of life are part of a process for stimulating new ideas, building participation and strengthening community philanthropy.

Transparency in its operations, the Foundation is accredited by Imagine Canada for demonstrating excellence in five key areas of charitable operation.

“We connect with other charities and community foundations across our network to ensure we use the best practices in the sector,” adds Anema. “Every member of the community can access our services, read our financial statements, and be a contributor to the community development we strive to create.”

There’s also a sense of community vitality being built here.

“We celebrate that through our grants, with each new fund that is established and through our annual Day of Celebration,” said Anema.

The most recent event took place in September 2018.

“We work hard at creating possibilities and then making them a reality,” said Anema. The cooperative spirit that builds community is evident in our support for other charities and their programs and we’re grateful for each and every donor that chooses to give us their time, talent or money.”

And then there’s the support of the business community that helps the Foundation continue its good work.

“We’re grateful for local businesses that have supported us as we have worked for the good of the entire community,” adds Anema.

Today, Valiquette and her brother Patrick, the sales manager, along with their cousin Jason, who is service manager, are at the helm of a thriving but complex family business that not only has adapted but continues to do so in an industry that is constantly evolving.

We talked about much of that, starting with the route Patrick and Deanne took to get to where they are today.

“We both took different paths,” notes Valiquette, who has been working “off and on” at the dealership since she was 13.

Graduating from Brock University where she earned a degree in international business, she took the coop route at school, working three stints at General Motors in nearby St. Catharines in jobs involving manufacturing and finance.

When she graduated she came back to SarniaLambton, working with the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership before joining Royal Bank as a senior account manager, a role she had until March 2013 when an opportunity came up at Podolinsky—“the need for some leadership” as Valiquette describes it.

CONNECTING WITH CUSTOMERS IN A GROWTH INDUSTRY As Agri-Business of the Year, Podolinsky Equipment Ltd. is staying true to its roots

A

s we sat down for a chat with Patrick Podolinsky and his sister, Deanna Valiquette, it was in the wake of the firm the pair help lead—Podolinsky Equipment Ltd.—having won the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce Agri-Business of the Year award at the Outstanding Business Achievement Awards gala.

We began by talking about how this family business took shape.

“A lot of people are surprised that all three generations of our family still work here,” notes Valiquette, operations manager of an enterprise that began 54 years ago when Ann Podolinsky opened its doors with her husband.

Her brother, in addition to his role at the store, continues to farm, an occupation he first took to at the age of 14, working every day for the next seven years.

“They had enough help here at the time,” he says, a playful chuckle in his voice.

Having graduated from Petrolia’s Lambton Central Vocational Institute, Podolinsky headed to the University of Guelph, earning a degree in business agriculture and then taking on a job with a seed company, where he worked for the next five years.

Today, with brother, sister and cousin Jason involved in key roles, there’s an understanding of the complexity an operation like Podolinsky Equipment has come to embrace, especially given the seasonal nature of the enterprise.

That’s required the firm to take on other brands in addition to its core John Deere business, even with all its lines—varying sizes of farm tractors, golf-related equipment, lawn and property maintenance, and even categories like skid steers.

Also a recognized powerhouse in snow machines, Podolinsky has sold the Arctic Cat line for some 13 years and about 18 months ago, added the Polaris brand to its inventory.

But this business is not just about moving product, a point that Patrick Podolinsky makes—ironic considering his role as sales manager.

“People see the big combines and tractors on our property, but most people who work here aren’t in sales,” he notes. “They’re in parts and service and people forget about that.”

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Indeed, very much like an automotive dealership where a balance between sales, service and parts is critical to a healthy bottom line, Podolinsky does all three and does each with the kind of commitment and attention to detail that keeps customers returning.

“You need all three to be successful,” notes Patrick.

For Deanna, it was the experience working in coop positions with General Motors, that she points to as being foundational for the work she does now at the family business.

“Learning to work with people, to manage people, lead a team, set performance targets—all of that was important,” she says.

“It’s helped me in dealing with people which is why I’ve taken on that HR related role here.”

She also pointed to lessons learned around marketing, all related to her international business degree.

“

Her retort is simple.

“You don’t have to go to agriculture school to get a job in this field.

You can be a marketer or get into service.”

For these members of the family and others who are part of the 60 or so people who work here in the “high season,” the business— considered a fairly large store among its peers in the area— remains one that both Patrick and Deanna have embraced with a passion.

...a balance between sales, service and parts is critical to a healthy bottom line, Podolinsky does all three and does each with the kind of commitment and attention to detail that keeps customers returning.

“You laugh now but the idea of international business was new at the time,” she adds, smiling. “Today, it’s just business.”

Patrick acknowledges that the lessons learned, not just at university but on the job selling seed to farmers, were critical to his current role at the dealership.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without that education and the accelerated development afterward,” he said.

In the winter, the work shifts over to maintenance, with growers taking on preventive work, although there’s the snow machine work that’s also a focus of an operation that is pretty much busy year-round, depending on the interest of various customer segments.

And then there’s what Deanna Valiquette calls “meeting season”—the time when various conferences become opportunities, essential in a business where technology is ever changing and driving competitive advantage in the industry.

Those courses—John Deere, for example, calls its program John Deere University—are not without a cost.

“We pay for everything,” says Deanna, without a hint of regret in her voice. “It’s all continuing learning, through peer groups, product training, conferences. There’s never a dull moment when it comes to learning.

That “keeping up” is especially important in the dealership’s Precision Ag business, an increasingly important category that includes hardware and software that allows farmers to document, with the kind of precision that’s reflected in its name, that will deliver improvements in yield and overall performance.

Still, there are challenges, which both brother and sister and others in the business have come to understand as a matter of fact.

“One of our greatest is that there’s not a lot of people expressing an interest in getting into farming these days,” says Deanna.

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That’s especially, but not exclusively, the case with Patrick, whose background in hands-on farming translates into being able to relate to those whose business is, quite literally, growing.

“Farmers are the best group of people you could work with on a daily basis,” he says, noting that it was when he was at the tail end of his seed business career and found himself dealing with spreadsheets that he longed for the day when he could walk the fields and help farmers solve their problems.

Looking to the future, both are also excited to see the kinds of changes that are coming, especially around technology.

“There are already tractors that will text you if they need something done,” notes Patrick.

Changes in the industry are undoubtedly going to eclipse even technology that’s currently available.

“In the end, we’re going to continue to support our customers in different ways,” notes Deanna. “We’ll be more predictive than reactive, calling them when the tractor is going to have an issue. And the tools we’re using are becoming more and more electronic.”

All told, it’s a fascinating business, one for which Podolinsky Equipment Ltd. is at the top of its game, as evidenced by its 2018 Agri-Business of the Year award from the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce.

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