Ottawa Business Journal 20150105

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PINING FOR SUCCESS Marketing and design firm Jackpine has already established an impressive list of customers, but its founders say their goals extend far beyond the balance sheet > PAGES 12-13

January 5, 2015 Vol. 18, NO. 4

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Trendy topics

Three Ottawa experts reveal their predictions for the next big things in the region’s technology sector in 2015. > PAGES 2-3

Plenty to celebrate

Tourism officials say the leadup to Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017 should bode well for local businesses.

Kivuto’s chief operating officer, Rick White, says the Ottawa company is a leader in an education space that is poised for massive growth. PHOTO BY COLE BURSTON

Software firm steps out of the shadows

> PAGES 4-5

From its new home in the Market, Kivuto is on a mission to make its name known

Canada Post Publications Mail: Agreement No. 41639025

After 15 years in the capital, low-key education technology company is no longer content to fly under the radar > PAGES 10-11

THE ESSENTIAL EMAIL UPDATE FOR OTTAWA BUSINESS LEADERS COMING JANUARY 2015

TECHNOLOGY Six trends to watch in 2015 Ottawa’s tech experts predict a ‘tsunami’ of innovation in video, mobile and other key market sectors

BY ALEXIA NAIDOO SPECIAL TO OBJ

D

espite some hurdles, many observers say Ottawa’s tech sector has had a banner year in 2014.

We’ve seen major deals and significant growth, both in numbers of tech employees and tech companies.

Steve Langford, vice-president of marketing at one of Ottawa’s leading high-tech incubators, Wesley Clover International, says he is seeing occupancy rates “as good, if not better, than what some people might think of as the glory days of high tech.”

So what will 2015 bring for the sector?

Here are six trends to watch for:

‘TSUNAMI’ OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP Ottawa is a city full of up-and-coming business stars who are likely to build entrepreneurial momentum in 2015.

“This whole idea of entrepreneurship is a tsunami that is flooding across the world. And entrepreneurship as a career choice is something that we’re starting to see get a lot of traction in Ottawa,” says Bruce Lazenby, president and CEO of Invest Ottawa.

Ottawa’s post-secondary institutions

based ride-sharing service that debuted in Ottawa last fall), where they go into a market that is arcane, that has sat on its laurels for 10, 20, 30 years, and not innovated.”

Ottawa can excel at B2B companies because of the earlier revenue and the validation from selling a product in stages.

“I think you’ve got a bunch of really cool companies in town that are going to be able to take their technology and disrupt some of the traditional B2B stuff,” says Mr. Flick.

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now offer entrepreneurship programs, and incubators and accelerators such as L-Spark, the HUB and the Code Factory all support the creation of new tech enterprises.

“Ottawa is really waking up to this idea that entrepreneurship is a career choice,” says Mr. Lazenby.

B2B DISRUPTION Jason Flick, CEO of You.i and a board member of The Ottawa Network, a local organization aiming to foster innovation among entrepreneurs, academics and government agencies, thinks one of the big trends is going to be the evolution of B2B businesses.

“But the new norm,” he says, “is going to be the Ubers (the San Francisco-

“When I talk about cloud computing, I talk about all that goes into that from the monstrous big shared server farms to the software companies and service companies that offer these software-asa-service and infrastructure-as-a-service (products),” says Mr. Langford.

Cloud computing will remain a big focus in Ottawa, certainly in 2015 and likely beyond as more and more companies begin to embrace it.

“A lot of the things that once upon a time IT groups were tasked with bringing in, building and maintaining, and housing are now available from bestin-class suppliers,” says Mr. Langford.

“That will absolutely continue with the momentum it’s gained.”

JASON FLICK. FILE PHOTO

“People are working on some bigger opportunities, thinking about how to do things differently, and coming out of their shells.

Entrepreneurs in the city are showing a “bold spirit to innovate.”

– BRUCE LAZENBY, CEO OF INVEST OTTAWA

VIDEO: ‘THE KILLER APP’ “If you think about one of the biggest things people do, it’s watch content, and that’s all going to change,” says Mr.

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“I think it’s very exciting times for Ottawa to be able to leverage the fact they know how to build things and they can do it cost-effectively. It’s scary for some, but it’s going to show who can innovate and who can’t.” – JASON FLICK, CEO OF YOU.I Flick. “Everybody knows that Netflix is changing the world and the whole way people are going to view content.”

Now U.S. cable giant HBO is also planning to go direct with its content.

Meanwhile, there are billions of TV advertising dollars out there.

“If you look at video as the killer app, how can you use it to sell, promote, and push ad content?” asks Mr. Flick.

“So I think that’s going to be a big piece. You’re going to see video show up everywhere,” he says, adding that Ottawa has a history of excelling at this kind of development and is well positioned to take it to the next level.

EVOLUTION OF MOBILE The year 2015 is likely to see the

more application firms and startup companies that are seizing the new opportunities.

BOLD INNOVATION “People are working on some bigger opportunities, thinking about how to do things differently, and coming out of their shells,” Mr. Lazenby says, adding entrepreneurs in the city are showing a “bold spirit to innovate.”

He cites the innovation complex slated to open at Bayview Yards next year and the Centre of Excellence for Next Generation Networks that launched in November as examples of cutting-edge initiatives designed to cultivate more creative thinking in the city’s business community.

He also sees a growing move toward “massive collaboration” among postsecondary institutions, the private sector and the public sector.

“I think it’s very exciting times for Ottawa to be able to leverage the fact they know how to build things and they can do it cost-effectively,” says Mr. Flick.

“It’s scary for some, but it’s going to show who can innovate and who can’t.”

emergence of ever more powerful smartphones and tablets while developers continue to push the boundaries of mobile.

“The phones are getting bigger, they will support more applications, they’ll have more horsepower, and the applications themselves will likely access servers that are hosted up in the cloud, whether it be for messaging or for individual productivity applications – anything from banking and payment apps to sales management and engagement,” says Mr. Langford.

The big communications companies in Ottawa are investing heavily into R&D for the network architecture that enables these technologies. Around these big companies are more and

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TOURISM

“We don’t want to lose market share in terms of our core visitation from the Toronto area and the Montreal area … We’re very top of mind in those markets.”

— OTTAWA TOURISM’S JANTINE VAN KREGTEN

Birthday buildup a boon for capital?

Tourism officials maintain ‘positive’ outlook leading up to Canada’s 150th in 2017

BY ADAM FEIBEL adam@obj.ca

O

Jantine Van Kregten of Ottawa Tourism sees good things ahead in 2015. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

ttawa’s tourism industry leaders say they’re “fairly positive” about what’s to come for the sector in 2015 – even though their big focus is two years down the road.

While the capital prepares for Canada’s 150th birthday bash in 2017, there’s plenty happening around town leading up to the big celebration, says Ottawa Tourism’s director of communications.

“We’re looking fairly positive for 2015,” says Jantine Van Kregten. “Of course we’re building to the crescendo that is 2017 … but we still have to do our work because we want people to come in 2015 and 2016 as well.”

New attractions this year are expected to draw domestic and international attention, such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Tulip Festival’s unveiling of a new monument to the Netherlands, and the Canadian Museum of History’s anniversary exhibitions dedicated to Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope and the signing of the Magna Carta.

The Canadian tourism industry as a whole is “performing well, except against inflation,” according to the Tourism Industry Association of Canada’s annual report for 2014. International tourism to Canada is on the rise, with a 1.5 per cent increase in visitors for 2013 compared with 2012, according to the World Tourism Organization, but TIAC says Canada should be growing its sector more rapidly to match

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s your team reflects on the year past and gets down to work for the year ahead, take time to consider your corporate social responsibility strategy.

How can your organization do more to support the community and worthy charities beyond just making cash donations?

This is a question the team at Hydro Ottawa asked itself when creating the Brighter Tomorrows Fund. It’s a powerful example of what an organization can do when it levers its strengths to focus on the triple bottom-line: profit, people and the planet.

The Brighter Tomorrows Fund helps frontline agencies mitigate their energy costs, so that more of their budgets can be directed to helping those in need. The Fund is created by matching dollars from employee donations for Hydro Ottawa’s United Way workplace campaign.

“We wanted to find a way to engage our staff and tap into the expertise of our organization to do

something meaningful for worthy causes,” said Dan Séguin, Hydro Ottawa’s Manager of Media and Public Affairs. “It’s an approach we think can be duplicated by other businesses across Ottawa.”

Since 2011, Hydro Ottawa has invested almost $530,000 in 50 not-for-profit projects through the Brighter Tomorrows Fund. Here are two examples.

HOT MEALS FOR TROUBLED YOUTH AT OPERATION COME HOME Operation Come Home (OCH) works with homeless youth to keep them from becoming homeless adults, with school and work opportunities, housing, outreach and clinical support.

The agency serves breakfast and food bank products to about 450 at-risk and homeless youth each year.

Hydro Ottawa provided $7,545 for the purchase of energy-efficient commercial appliances, such as a refrigerator, stove, dishwasher and freezer. The new appliances allow

OCH to prepare hot meals for youth, at a lower energy cost, and store perishable food items donated by the food bank.

“Hydro Ottawa is an excellent example of how to support not-forprofits in an innovative way,” said Elspeth McKay, Executive Director of OCH. “The value of this project to OCH was the ability to re-direct funds that would have been spent on hydro costs to providing more services to at-risk and homeless youth.”

LIGHTING THE WAY AT SHEPHERDS OF GOOD HOPE Shepherds of Good Hope is one of Ottawa’s largest not-for-profits dedicated to helping our community’s poor and homeless. Services include temporary shelter, supportive and transitional housing, a soup kitchen, and grocery and clothing programs.

Hydro Ottawa provided $42,660 for the Shepherds of Good Hope to replace 370 old magnetic ballast light fixtures at 256 King Edward Ave., its

main shelter. The new lights are LEDs, which have dramatically higher energy efficiency, are free of toxic materials, and increase clients’ safety, comfort and mood.

“It’s reduced our electricity bill at 256 King Edward by 66 per cent,” said Deirdre Freiheit, CEO of Shepherds of Good Hope. “This has allowed us to direct more of the funds from our donors directly to our programs, to our clients and to the greater community in need that we serve.”

A VALUED PARTNER OF THE UNITED WAY “Hydro Ottawa has found a thoughtful and inspired way to reflect its business strengths, and engage its employees in

its corporate social responsibility efforts with local charities,” said Michael Allen, CEO of United Way Ottawa. “It is helping frontline agencies with energy use, conservation and sustainability challenges that can represent a substantial capital expense, but are otherwise difficult to address without drawing on the resources that should be used to help those in need.”

Hydro Ottawa’s Séguin adds that as businesses start to develop budget priorities for 2015, it’s important to consider the triple bottom line: “How can you turn your organization’s strengths into a philanthropic endeavour that will engage your whole team and make a meaningful difference in our community?”

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the global annual rate of five per cent.

The capital itself should expect modest tourism growth in 2015, according to the Conference Board of Canada. Its year-end report predicted a 1.4 per cent increase in visits, with the main source of growth coming from emerging markets such as China, India and Mexico, as well as more U.S. tourists expected than in 2014.

Still, more than 80 per cent of visitors to Ottawa come from other parts of Canada, a fact not lost on local tourism officials.

“We’re interested in both sectors,” says Ms. Van Kregten. “We don’t want to lose market share in terms of our core visitation from the Toronto area and the Montreal area … We’re very top of mind in those markets.”

In 2014, the city saw a “fairly marked increase” in leisure traffic and local hotels had “modest” gains in occupancy, says Steve Ball, president of the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association. He says the industry has experienced a positive bump from the recent reinstatement of the destination marketing fee, which sees three per cent of participating hotels’ room fee revenues levied to Ottawa Tourism.

“We measure and monitor this very carefully and we’re seeing direct results from this, and it’s an important part of our future success,” says Mr. Ball.

The sector took a hit to its room inventory with several recent hotel closures, including the Holiday Inn on Cooper Street, the Quality Inn on Rideau Street and the Minto Suite Hotel. Mr. Ball says others have picked up the slack, but the OGHA still looks forward to new properties taking their place.

The association will also take a deeper look at consumer behaviours and “disruptive technology” in the industry amid a revival of the sharing economy driven by the likes of Airbnb, he says.

The San Francisco-based lodging rental website reported a 125 per cent increase in guests staying in Canada in 2014, according to the Financial Post. The company, which opened its first Canadian office in Toronto this fall, has sparked concerns among some regulatory authorities over tax and permit requirements.

Mr. Ball says for the OGHA, it’s about making sure hotels don’t suffer unfairly in comparison to renters whose use of Airbnb frees them of many of the hotel industry’s constraints and responsibilities.

“It’s important that the playing field is level so that members of my organization … aren’t put at a disadvantage to the new sharing economy that has none of those obligations,” he says.

Another potential setback for Ottawa’s tourism sector in the next little while is construction, says Ms. Van Kregten. Several major renovation projects are scheduled for the leadup to 2017, including extensive makeovers of the Canada Science and Technology Museum and the National Arts Centre.

“In order to look (our) best … that means perhaps scrubbing up a bit,” she says. “I’m looking at that as short-term pain for long-term gain.”

e he o tth s n s tto i n m i 2 2m

COMMENTARY Going global, fast and smart Ottawa is the best place in Canada to start a company.

But when it comes to sustaining that growth, Jeffrey Dale says, the city too often falls short This is my third opinion piece in a six-part series on the changing local economy. It will focus on the role of the private sector in fostering strong economic growth in the region.

MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2015 OBJ.CA

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PUBLISHER Michael Curran, 238-1818 ext. 228 publisher@obj.ca SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENT OF SALES Don Mersereau, 238-1818 ext. 286 CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Terry Tyo, 238-1818 ext. 268 EDITOR, PRINT CONTENT David Sali, 238-1818 ext. 269 david@greatriver.ca EDITOR, ONLINE CONTENT Tom Pechloff, 238-1818 ext. 291 editor@obj.ca COPY EDITOR Krystle Kung CREATIVE DIRECTOR Tanya Connolly-Holmes, 238-1818 ext. 253 creative@obj.ca

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n my most recent column in November, I talked about the importance of the federal government as the capital’s largest single employer.

Still, as vital as the public service is to this city, it’s time to debunk the myth that Ottawa is nothing but a government town.

In actual fact, the local economy is driven by private enterprise, which falls into three categories: market-based, export-based and tourism companies.

Our market economy is our internal economy – that is, where we shop, live and spend our money. The more money that is spent in our city, the more our economy thrives. That growth is fuelled by exporting companies, tourism and the federal government.

Overall, the city’s market-based economy is doing well. Since its success is based largely on our export economy’s success, I’ll focus my thoughts there.

Let me begin with startups. Ottawa is the best place in Canada to start a company – period.

Whether you run a locally focused business, a social enterprise or a technology company with big dreams, Ottawa is the place you want to start.

The capital’s multitude of world-class universities, colleges, hospitals and research labs help fuel innovation that seeds new ideas as well as the talent to start new companies.

Startups also have access to great entrepreneurship programs at our educational institutions (such as the University of Ottawa’s Startup Garage and Carleton University’s Lead to Win), grassroots support and mentoring (including organizations such as the HUB and Startup Ottawa) and incubation and acceleration spaces that nurture companies during their critical development phases (for example, Invest Ottawa and L-Spark).

In addition, there are numerous government programs and agencies

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Leo Lax is managing director of L-Spark, one of the city’s many tech incubators. PHOTO SUBMITTED

as well as Crown corporations that financially support startups, such as the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program, the Business Development Bank of Canada, the Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax Incentive program and Export Development Canada.

While Ottawa and Canada as a whole might be great places to start a business, we are not as successful at building our startups into globally competitive companies.

A recent study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development showed that Canada had the best record among the OECD member nations surveyed for creating high-growth companies (defined as businesses whose revenues or

employment increases by at least 20 per cent a year) that are less than five years old. But when the organization looked at eight-year-old companies, Canada dropped from first to last place in sustaining growth.

Clearly, Canadians are great at launching startups. But when it comes to sustaining them, we too often fall short.

A little over a decade ago, in the heyday of Silicon Valley North, Ottawa was the home base for a number of large, thriving tech companies, including Nortel, Mitel, JDS and Newbridge, which employed a total of nearly 40,000 people.

Today, those companies and their successors employ fewer than 10,000 workers in Ottawa. More importantly, most of the senior management positions at those firms have been moved out of

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READ IT AND REAP: Ottawa’s tech sector is starting to rebuild its anchor companies, and the industry now employs more than 75,000 people.

But we have yet to make up for the exodus of talent and capital over the past decade. the city – a brain drain of valuable talent.

Indeed, many of our star companies have been sold to foreign firms. But that is not always a bad thing: it creates new opportunities for entrepreneurs and it injects new investment capital into the market.

Ottawa’s tech sector is starting to rebuild its anchor companies, and the industry now employs more than 75,000 people. But we have yet to make up for the exodus of talent and capital over the past decade.

As our tech companies transition from hardware-based products to the new reality of software and services, firms that have relied on just a few hundred

customers are having to find and support thousands of clients to attain a similar level of success.

A big challenge for these companies is that Canadian businesses tend to be very cautious and careful about how they grow.

Local and national markets are too small to create sustainable companies.

In order to grow our economy, we need more businesses to expand into international markets.

Former TD Bank chief executive Ed Clark sounded the alarm recently, telling TD shareholders that Canada’s noncommodity exports have declined over the past five years, with more than 50 per cent of the country’s exports being driven

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by fewer than 50 companies.

Naysayers also argue that Canada lacks the depth of management talent to grow great companies. I believe they are wrong.

Canada – and Ottawa in particular – has a deep talent pool that has gained valuable skills and experience from starting companies of its own or working for the likes of Nortel, JDS, Newbridge and Mitel. We need to get this experience working in new startups with a mandate to grow internationally.

However, many of our most promising young companies are reluctant to bring in senior talent to help them grow.

Instead, they rely on their existing talent pool, and in so doing are not learning from the people who have the most international experience and contacts.

I have had the opportunity to travel and work in the United States, Europe, South America and Asia. I’ve witnessed firsthand the hard truth of the matter – Canada’s international competitors are expanding more aggressively and with more success than we are.

The federal government has recognized Canada’s vulnerability in export markets. It has launched its Global Markets Action Plan to put in place trade

agreements, programs and services to help Canadian companies go global.

Export Development Canada and federal departments such as Foreign Affairs and Trade and Development Canada have practical programs, services and financial supports to help our businesses. However, in my experience, most companies that need their services don’t know they exist or how to take advantage of them.

Ottawa needs a strong private sector to foster sustainable economic growth.

The key is for our companies to go global, fast and smart.

As Mr. Clark told a recent business audience, “Do not cross the border other than in your best suit. You’ve got to be really, really good.”

Thank you to all the readers who have commented on this series so far. I thoroughly enjoy receiving your opinions and suggestions. Please keep them coming!

Jeffrey Dale is the director and co-founder of the Odawa Group as well as the former president of the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation.

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Telfer runs six conferences through the year. The next, taking place on January 31, will take a hard look at Horrible Bosses, and the critical lessons to be learned from poor leadership.

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“We are trying to present fresh ideas, offer new approaches and explore emerging trends, through a forum that generates discussion,” said Greg Richards, Telfer’s MBA Program Director. “For current students, our alumni and the community at large, we want to provide unique, value-added learning and networking opportunities.”

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If you’re a small to medium-sized tenant looking to lease an office near the Brookstreet Hotel, virtually all roads will now lead to KRP

Cornering the north Kanata market KRP Development Group’s $69M deal likely to spark rent increase in March Road corridor

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major real estate firm’s purchase of a north Kanata office portfolio has the potential to change the face of the west-end office market in 2015.

KRP Development Group’s $69-million acquisition of a seven-building, 411,000-square-foot office portfolio currently administered by Colonnade Management will give the real estate arm of the Terry Matthews business empire control of 50 per cent of Kanata’s total commercial market.

While that’s not a true monopoly, the deal effectively leaves KRP in possession of virtually all the quality vacant office space in north Kanata.

In addition, almost 85 per cent of the remaining empty space not in KRP’s control is located in only four buildings –

near the Brookstreet Hotel, virtually all roads will now lead to KRP. Already Cresa has seen the new owners scupper deals at their new two owned by Morguard, one by Gilmore holdings where the rents fall below what Printing and one by the Regional Group.

KRP considers to be in line with the new These buildings range from 45,000 to realities of the market. This is a sure sign 106,000 square feet and account for a of the new landlord’s intent to leverage large portion of Kanata’s current vacancy its “micro-monopoly” sooner rather than rate, but they are simply too large to be later. easily divided for smaller tenancies.

As a result, Cresa is predicting that A quick look at the remaining space average Kanata rents will rise from the reveals some startling facts. Not counting current rate of about $12 per square Kanata south, including all the buildings foot to as much as $15 in the next 12 clustered near the Canadian Tire Centre, months. We are also expecting to see a and the four big buildings mentioned corresponding drop in the amount of free above, less than 60,000 square feet of rent and cash incentives. vacant inventory remains for small to This process could be accelerated, medium-sized tenants to lease – a measly depending on how quickly the federal 3.36 per cent of the remaining space government takes occupancy of the available in the March Road corridor.

2.3-million-square-foot former Nortel In short, if you’re a small to mediumcampus it purchased in 2010. With the sized tenant looking to lease an office feds having publicly stated their intent to

2015

POST-BUDGET BREAKFAST The highly-anticipated federal budget will be released in a matter of weeks. What will it mean for business?

What will it mean for Canada? What will it mean for Ottawa?

MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2015 OBJ.CA

Darren Fleming is a managing principal at Cresa Ottawa, which tracks real estate trends in the capital region. He can be reached at dfleming@cresa.com.

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move 8,500 National Defence employees to the campus starting late next year, it’s a good bet the market will continue to tighten after those workers move in.

The good news is that even as the north Kanata market catches fire, there are still great deals to be had in other parts of the west end and in more central parts of town.

The downtown market is especially soft at the moment and, in the face of steep rent increases in Kanata, it is possible that the city’s next wave of tech startups will choose to locate near the ByWard Market or Lansdowne Park, where fierce bidding wars for tenants continue to accelerate.

January 28th, 2015

Gain insights on business, tax and economic measures and determine what it means for you.

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READER COMMENTS Time to get serious about Ottawa’s brand Re: “Business leaders want to rebrand city” (Dec. 3 on obj.ca)

Here here! Time for Ottawa to raise the bar or watch their talent go elsewhere. We are lacking and can make a big difference if we pivot our culture. Branding is not just the look, guys. Live the brand, change of culture, find the gaps ... opportunities. Let’s get serious. — Suzanne A bunch of busywork dreaming up new slogans might make folks feel better, but that activity won’t move the dial. Work with the province to offer tax-free incentives for business re-location, work with the universities to fund and commercialize research and find a way (through taxes) to get venture funds to care about Ottawa (currently they don’t). – Jimm Fox When will they ever learn? Market leadership can never be claimed: it can only be assigned by customers, competitors and industry analysts. Rebranding the city through government or promotional agencies is an exercise in PR futility. Sorry, folks, but that is reality. – John F. Tyson

COMMENTARY

Feds must step up to help Ottawa out of doldrums The ruling Conservatives and the city’s economic leaders need to join forces now to get the capital back in business This is my second opinion piece in a six-part series on the changing local economy. It will focus on the federal government’s role as a major employer and economic catalyst in the region.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014

T

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he federal government is the largest employer in Ottawa. From 2000 to 2012, the number of workers on the federal payroll grew from about 100,000 to more than 150,000.

The federal government also purchases more supplies and services from companies based in Ottawa than from anywhere else, fuelling a significant amount of the city’s private-sector employment.

It has a rich history of creating economic growth in the capital in other ways as well. It was the commercialization of research and ideas from the National Research Council and other federal institutions that helped make Ottawa a global technology leader through the creation of companies such as Computing Devices, Mitel and many others.

Indeed, up until a few years ago, the federal government was a steady and reliable linchpin of our economy. Ottawa had been through federal cutbacks in the past, but for the most part they did not have a lasting negative impact on our economy – that is, until 2010, when the federal government got serious about reducing spending and eliminating the debt with the Deficit Reduction Action Plan.

Even in the mid-’90s, when the federal Liberals under the guidance of then-

exactly how many federal employees have been laid off in Ottawa, how much the government has cut spending on local goods and services and the impact of these measures on the city’s economy as a result.

We had mistakenly assumed that the federal government would act compassionately and be sensitive to how its restructuring would affect employees and our local economy.

Still, it is not too late for the government and local economic groups to develop programs to plan and manage what appears to be a permanent downsizing of the federal government’s employment levels and local spending. We can redo REDO. The federal government and private sector must also work together to address another issue that is stunting local economic growth.

Though Ottawa-Gatineau is the country’s fourth-largest urban region, it remains a “small” city in terms of economic diversity because its major employer does not participate in the local economy to the same extent it would if it was a private company.

For example, Ottawa’s sports teams and cultural institutions are negatively affected by federal government restrictions on sponsoring, buying tickets to and accepting invitations to games and cultural events. Yet I don’t know of a single instance in which a federal government employee or politician has been influenced or corrupted by accepting an invitation to a hockey game, concert, gala or a simple meal.

The Harper government and the private sector need to work together to implement a process that would be transparent and provide full disclosure of the events politicians and civil servants are invited to attend.

In closing, most employers will tell you “our people are our greatest asset.”

The federal government needs to show its employees that it cares about them and that they will be dealt with fairly to maintain morale and productivity. It is in the government’s – and our economy’s – best interest to have a strong and motivated public service.

Simply put, Ottawa needs the federal government, and the federal government needs Ottawa.

Next month, I will discuss the region’s private-sector companies and what they can do to help stimulate the local economy.

As always, I welcome your comments.

finance minister Paul Martin slashed more than 10,000 civil service jobs, Ottawa businesses didn’t suffer significantly. There were a variety of reasons for this, the most significant being that the government was conscientious about minimizing the local economic impact of job and spending cuts.

As part of this effort, the feds launched a program called REDO (Regional Economic Development Organization). Calian founder Larry O’Brien co-chaired the committee, which was created and funded by the federal government to develop and implement a strategy for employees to transition from the public sector to the private sector. The government cared about what happened to its employees and to the city of Ottawa.

This time around, things are a little different. While most taxpayers would agree the government needed to balance its books, as a community Ottawa was given very little information on how the governing Conservatives would manage the thousands of layoffs and the reduction of hundreds of millions of dollars of local spending.

Sadly for Ottawa, the current government has made very little effort to help affected employees transition to other jobs. In addition, it provided no information to local companies to help them understand the impact of the spending cuts on hotels, restaurants, caterers, travel agencies, Jeffrey Dale is the director and convention centres and many other firms co-founder of the Odawa Group and facilities in Ottawa that provide goods as well as the former president of and services to the government. the Ottawa Centre for Research In fact, to this day we don’t know and Innovation.

Great River Media 250 City Centre Ave., Suite 500 Ottawa, Ontario, K1R 6K7 obj.ca PUBLISHER Michael Curran, 238-1818 ext. 228 publisher@obj.ca

public and with private sector companies where economic survival means reducing costs on all fronts, including labour. A public service with “secure jobs” just doesn’t fit into that strategy. Thus, like many private sector employers, they don’t give a darn about the well-being of downsized workers. Similarly, Stephen Harper isn’t too concerned about the Ottawa economy because his home is elsewhere. Besides, we still are home to the federal government – a major employer that other provinces/cities would love to have to boost their economies.

– Loretta

Re: “Landing a good deal with airfare loyalty points” (Nov. 24) I had a similar experience earlier this year when trying to use Aeroplan points to fly to Lisbon. Flying Ottawa-Toronto-Lisbon return would have cost me over $700 in taxes, etc. I then did some research in alternative routes and found that I could use the same Aeroplan points to fly to Lisbon via Newark, N.J., and return via Zurich and Montreal and save over $600 in overheads. It meant that I had to stay overnight in Newark, but even then I was more than $500 better off. The only leg of this trip using Air Canada will be the Montreal-to-Ottawa segment. Is it any wonder that Ontarians are fed up with being ripped off by both Canadian airports and Air Canada, and are flocking to the U.S. to take advantage of cheaper flights? – Barry McKay

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Terry Tyo, 238-1818 ext. 268

EDITOR, ONLINE CONTENT Tom Pechloff, 238-1818 ext. 291 editor@obj.ca COPY EDITOR Krystle Kung CREATIVE DIRECTOR Tanya Connolly-Holmes, 238-1818 ext. 253 creative@obj.ca ART DEPARTMENT Jamie Dean, 238-1818 ext. 278 jamie@greatriver.ca Regan VanDusen, 238-1818 ext. 254 regan@obj.ca ADVERTISING SALES Wendy Baily, 238-1818 ext. 244 wbaily@obj.ca Kimberley Allen-McGill, 238-1818 ext. 299 kimberley@obj.ca Karen McNamara, 238-1818 ext. 259 karen@obj.ca Susan Salsbury, 238-1818 ext. 229 ssalsbury@obj.ca CAREER ADVERTISING & MARKETPLACE ADVERTISING SALES 238-1818 ext. 251 VICE-PRESIDENT OF OTTAWA BUSINESS EVENTS Susan Blain, 238-1818 ext. 232 susan@ottawabusinessevents.ca FINANCE Jackie Whalen, 238-1818 ext. 250 jackie@greatriver.ca SUBSCRIPTIONS/DISTRIBUTION 238-1818 ext. 248 subscribe@obj.ca PRINTED BY Transcontinental Qualimax 130 Adrien-Robert, Parc Industriel Richelieu Gatineau, QC J8Y 3S2

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Great River Media Inc. and may not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. Publisher’s Liability for error: The Publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions in connection with any advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of monies paid for the advertisement.

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Re: “Feds must step up to help Ottawa out of doldrums” (Nov. 24)

Our politicians in power are only concerned with funding their tax cut promises and to get re-elected. They will do or promise anything to achieve those goals. They are also aligning themselves with the general

Service key to restaurant survival Re: “Food for thought” (Nov. 24)

People focus on economy and other reasons for restaurants closing. How about bad food or terrible service, which creates a lack of interest for people to come or return? The experience one has at a restaurant says it all and places that know how to (deliver a good one) thrive in any economy. – Milan Topolovec

Makerspace hits the mark

Re: “Entrepreneurs set to make their mark at new uOttawa facility” (Nov. 21 at obj.ca)

Makerspaces are 21st-century shop classes that promote experimentation, creativity and collaboration. Kudos to the University of Ottawa for taking this bold step in giving students access to modern digital fabrication tools such as 3D printing. This is how you inspire innovation. – Luc Lalande

NEVER MISS AN ISSUE. Get the digital edition

Yves Gadouas

Title:

Canada, Grain Merchant, Eastern l Richardson Internationa

WHAT IS RICHARDSON & SONS LTD.?

Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Richardson & Sons Ltd. is a privately held, familyowned, Canadian company. Founded in 1857, it has expanded and developed into an international, multi-enterprise corporation. The firm manages successful operations in agriculture and food processing through Richardson International, financial services through Richardson Financial Group, wealth management and investment services through Richardson GMP, property management through Lombard Place Limited, and oil and gas exploration through Tundra Oil & Gas Limited.

Of note, Richardson International is Canada’s largest agribusiness, consistently recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, employing over 2,500 employees across Canada and the United States.

WHAT IS AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT RICHARDSON & SONS LTD.?

When asked to share an interesting fact about Richardson & Sons Ltd., Yves Gadouas, Grain Merchant for Richardson International, Eastern Canada, explained that in 2006, it was decided that the Winnipeg International Airport would be renamed Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport in honour of the influential businessman and pioneer of Canadian commercial aviation. James Armstrong Richardson was the grandson of the founder of James Richardson & Sons Ltd. Yves added, “In 2010, Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh were the first passengers to arrive at the James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.”

HOW IS RICHARDSON & SONS LTD. INVOLVED WITH THE SENS? Richardson & Sons Ltd. holds a pair of season tickets in Section 120. They provide them to their local agricultural business customers, mostly farmers and grain elevator operators, to thank them for their business.

“The tickets are a great way for us to show our appreciation for our customers’ business.” said Yves.

09 OBJ.CA

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MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2015

Public service doesn’t fit feds’ strategy

rld o W e h t o t s d e e s il O and

Fed up with skyhigh airfares

SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENT OF SALES Don Mersereau, 238-1818 ext. 286

EDITOR, PRINT CONTENT David Sali, 238-1818 ext. 269 david@greatriver.ca

ain r G ’s a d a n a C g in r e v li De

TECHNOLOGY Kivuto’s ‘coming-out party’ After 15 years of flying under the radar, one of Ottawa’s most successful software firms no one knows is ready to make its presence felt

BY DAVID SALI

david@greatriver.ca

I

t’s a cutting-edge local tech company that has drawn comparisons with its much more famous e-commerce counterpart, Shopify, and even occupies the same downtown office its bigger, brasher cousin once called home.

So why hasn’t anybody heard of Kivuto?

“Up until recently, we didn’t really need to have a local Ottawa presence,” said Rick White, the firm’s vice-president and chief operating officer, during an interview at

Kivuto’s new digs at 126 York St. After 15 years in the capital, the company formerly known as e-academy has finally decided it’s ready for its closeup. Kivuto, whose turnkey platform delivers software, subscription cloud services and digital textbooks to businesses and educational institutions, introduced itself to the wider world in early December when it hosted EdTech, a two-day summit on the future of education technology.

“This conference is kind of the comingout party for Kivuto,” said Mr. White, who began his career in high tech as an engineer at Mitel more than three decades ago.

Until recently, Kivuto focused on offering an easy-to-use system for colleges and universities to provide software such as Microsoft Office to students.

A couple of years ago, it started branching out to other business sectors, and this fall, it began distributing e-textbooks to students at Algonquin College. Kivuto’s platform automatically recognizes what classes each student is taking and downloads all the necessary course material to users’ accounts

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“We think this is a wave that’s going to hit the Ontario colleges, so we’re kind of making our name known,” said Mr. White. “There’s not a lot of competition in the educational space for distributing software. We’re kind of the Goliaths in that space. This new space of actually distributing not just software but also textbooks is quite an interesting new wave.”

Glenn MacDougall, director of learning and teaching services at Algonquin, said Kivuto’s system saves on overhead and cuts expenses such as shipping costs.

But the main advantage is it ensures everyone has access to all necessary course materials – which is important because surveys show up to 30 per cent of students can’t afford all the books they need. Students now pay a fee for e-textbooks as part of their tuition, but it’s about half what they used to shell out at the campus store.

For some programs, that’s a savings of almost $500 per semester, Mr. MacDougall said.

“We’re taking a bit of a hit on the profit side of things, but … by providing all of our students with the resources, we’re going to see a huge impact on student success and retention,” he said. “If we can keep students in school, they do better and we do better in the long run.”

The school is also one of the 60,000 educational institutions around the world that uses Kivuto’s platform to deliver software to students.

“We’re customizing delivery to the individuals and I think that’s having a positive impact on the student experience,” Mr. MacDougall said.

Kivuto, which changed its name in 2012 in an effort to reflect its broader customer base, moved into Shopify’s former ByWard Market headquarters from its former home on Wellington Street in mid-November.

At 16,000 square feet, the new office is about the same size as the old headquarters.

KIVUTO: THE FACTS

FOUNDER AND CEO: Ram Raju FOUNDED: 1997 in Halifax as PowerKnowledge MOVED TO OTTAWA: 1999, changed name to e-academy NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 85 ORGANIZATIONS SERVED: More than 60,000 NUMBER OF DOWNLOADS PER YEAR ON SIGNATURE PLATFORM: More than 32 million LANGUAGES SPOKEN AT HEADQUARTERS: About 30

But Mr. White said the new space is much more efficient, with extra features including a 5,000-square-foot annex Kivuto will use to host public events such as EdTech. The company also freed up room to launch an incubator for firms specializing in education technology.

The incubator, which has space for about four startups and 13 people, last month welcomed its first tenant, electronic notebook maker Wipebook.

“We wanted to make sure that we could interact with the community, and part of the interaction … was to be able to interact with early-stage startup companies that had educational technology-based products,” Mr. White said. “If they want to get the message out into the educational community, we can help them.”

The new entrepreneurs will also bring fresh ideas to the workplace, he said.

“A lot of our staff have been with this company most of their careers and it gives them an opportunity to think outside the box,” he said. “We can mutually benefit. We can help them distribute their products into the education sector, and they can add value to our platform.”

Mr. White added he believes the education technology space, which drew nearly $750 million in venture capital financing in the United States alone last year, is on the cusp of explosive growth.

“This is really the Internet moment, I think, for education,” he said. “It’s exciting to be there.”

“We wanted to make sure that we could interact with the community, and part of the interaction … was to be able to interact with early-stage startup companies that had educational technology-based products. If they want to get the message out into the educational community, we can help them.”

— RICK WHITE, VICE-PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, KIVUTO

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Kivuto’s vice-president and chief operating officer, Rick White, says the relatively little-known firm is a “Goliath” in its field. PHOTO BY COLE BURSTON

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MARKETING

Jackpine’s staff includes, from left, Matthew Stella, Anthony Parrazano, Liam Mooney, Alliy Brown, Taulant Sulko, Nader Shureih and Clayton Powell. PHOTO BY COLE BURSTON

Jackpine founders fired up Fast-growing marketing and design firm feels right at home in heart of Chinatown the simplest conclusion,” says Mr. Mooney, the company’s CEO and creative director.

“Don’t overdecorate it. Make it right. Good uch like the tree for which it is design doesn’t come with an instruction named, marketing and design firm manual. We spend a lot of time thinking Jackpine Digital was born out of about how we can do that and arriving at less-than-ideal circumstances. that simple, simple endpoint.”

The Ottawa company’s namesake has Warming to the topic, the perpetually cones that open only in intense heat, enthusiastic 28-year-old entrepreneur usually from a forest fire. From the ashes extends the metaphor a bit further. of that destruction comes new life.

“This is not a good economic time to Jackpine’s co-founder, Liam Mooney, start a company. It’s opportunity through says that as strange as it might seem at decay.” first blush, that pretty much sums up his Putting a positive spin on words like fast-growing firm’s approach to business. decay and destruction would probably “We called this thing Jackpine because be a struggle for most of us, but not design is a destructive process arriving at Mr. Mooney. Throughout an hourBY DAVID SALI

MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2015

david@greatriver.ca

OBJ.CA

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long conversation with OBJ, Jackpine’s articulate, energetic CEO tells the company’s story with a passion that’s so genuine it’s hard not to believe in his dream.

Sitting in the back lounge of the firm’s office in the heart of Chinatown, he and business partner Clayton Powell, Jackpine’s chief operating officer, insist their mission isn’t just to make money – it’s to help build a community.

If that sounds hokey, well, you’ve never met Mr. Mooney.

“We had the skills,” he says. “We knew that Ottawa needed a (marketing and design) studio where culture and community could flow from

and be a genuine contributor to the neighbourhood. We knew that collectively there existed the ability to do something amazing right here in the neighbourhood.

This is our neighbourhood. This is where we live. It matters to us.”

So far, Jackpine appears to be succeeding.

In less than two years, it has evolved from essentially a one-man operation based in Mr. Mooney’s apartment to a bustling enterprise with about 20 employees. Mr. Powell, who handles most of the administrative tasks, is predicting year-over-year revenue growth of between 200 and 300 per cent.

Jackpine now provides web design and

TECHNOLOGY. HR. MEETING PLANNING. LOCAL BUSINESS LISTS. Read the digital edition of OBJ’s specialty magazines. Visit OBJ.CA and click on “Magazines.”

“We knew that collectively there existed the ability to do something amazing right here in the neighbourhood. This is our neighbourhood. This is where we live. It matters to us.”

– JACKPINE CEO LIAM MOONEY

marketing services to a roster of clients that includes some of the city’s most powerful companies, including Claridge Homes, as well as some of its most buzzworthy newer businesses, such as Beyond the Pale Brewery, SuzieQ Doughnuts and Union 613 restaurant.

But in the early days of 2013, revenues were scarce. Jackpine had no seed funding and few customers.

Eventually, however, it was no longer practical to run the company out of Mr. Mooney’s apartment. Well aware that renting and furnishing an office isn’t easy without money, he and Mr. Powell were forced to get creative.

“What we found right away was people were interested in helping us,” Mr. Mooney says. “It was like, ‘Hey – if we ask for something, we can get help.’ That’s really cool.”

The pair put an ad on Craigslist offering to exchange design services for office space. That’s how they found

their first real home, a townhouse on Young Street in Little Italy. It came with no furniture or supplies, but that didn’t matter.

“We wanted the place that looked the best – the most compelling,” says Mr. Mooney. “We’re a design studio. Who’s going to want to work with us if we’re in the basement of some dingy (office)?”

Undaunted, the partners bartered for furniture with another neighbourhood store. Then one day while chowing down at a nearby eatery, Beech Street Burger, they hit on a plan to work for food.

“They had just opened up,” says Mr. Powell. “Over a little bit of a conversation with the owner, he was convinced that a website was the way to go.”

The owner agreed to let Jackpine design the restaurant’s site. In return, the Jackpine staff got free food. The result was doyoulikeburgers.com, which catapulted Beech Street Burger into the top spot on Urbanspoon’s local rankings – and kept

Jackpine’s workers well fed.

“We would go there basically every day and eat hamburgers for lunch,” Mr. Mooney says with a chuckle.

“We learned a very sound business principle,” adds Mr. Powell, 32. “If you don’t ask, you won’t receive. You have to know how to ask, of course.”

Ultimately, the burger joint didn’t last, but Jackpine was starting to hit its stride.

The company eventually outgrew its Little Italy headquarters and moved to its new home on Somerset Street last summer.

The office, located amid a busy block of Chinatown stores, has a rustic feel. The sign from a former Chinese medicine and acupuncture clinic down the street now adorns the main workroom. Artfully designed Argentine movie posters from the ’40s and ’50s line the walls. An old street light – which someone on staff bought for $30 at the Great Glebe Garage Sale – rests in a corner.

It’s a bit rough around the edges, but

somehow it works. It feels homey, not flashy, which is fitting for a company that rarely even looks at prospective employees’ resumes, preferring instead to hire based on face-to-face meetings and the recommendations of friends and coworkers.

“It’s a lot about fit and feeling and intuition,” says Mr. Powell. “And it’s working.”

The business is “stacked on the creative side,” Mr. Mooney says, but the administrative side needs more support, he concedes. Buoyed by the company’s association with firms such as Claridge, Mr. Powell is anticipating Jackpine will reach seven-figure revenues in its third year.

“We want to make sure all the pieces are in place for when we do hit that mark,” he says.

Still, amid all the challenges of building a business, one thing never changes, says Mr. Mooney: it’s the creative process itself that keeps fuelling the fire that leads to new growth.

“It’s a very delicate process and we help (customers) move through it,” says Mr. Mooney. “We love that. This is the coolest job in the world.”

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Jackpine CEO Liam Mooney (left) and business partner Clayton Powell say they love working with their “hypertalented” team. PHOTO BY COLE BURSTON

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THE LIST

MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2015

Company/ Address/Phone/Fax/Web

Largest commercial real estate brokers (Ranked by number of local commercial agents) Local commercial agents/ National agents

Local offices/ National offices

15 400

1 19

5

1999

Shawn Hamilton, vicepresident and managing director

14 240

5 120

6

2002

Kent Browne, broker of Commercial leasing; industrial; retail; multi-family; apartments; land record and owner Russ Perkins, broker and manager

13 1

5 1

5

2004

Ralph H. Shaw, CEO, broker of record

13 412

1 37

5

1992

Kelvin Holmes, managing Leasing - landlord and tenant representation; investment sales; real estate director management services; corporate solutions; valuation and advisory services; project management; consulting

13 14

1 2

14

1998

1 16

6

2009

Nick Pantieras, broker of record Sam Firestone Aik Aliferis Steve Lerner, principal brokers Alain Desmarais, senior managing director and broker of record

2 1

1

2008

Philip Zunder, president Commercial real estate sales and leasing including office, retail, industrial, and broker of record hotels, apartment buildings, retirement homes, land and syndication.

1 N/A

2

1969

Jacie Levinson, broker of Real estate sales and leasing; property management; financial services; record construction and development

1 14

4

2007

Michael Church, managing director and principal

1 N/A

1

1958

Steven Gordon, president Corporate real estate services; property and asset management; land and and CEO development; investment consulting; industrial/commercial/investment brokerage; appraisal and asset reports; assessment and property tax administration; project management

1 3

5

2009

1 N/A

1

1989

Darren Fleming, managing principal and broker of record Martin Aass, managing principal and broker Joel Freedman, broker of record, SIOR

1 N/A

5

1940

Robert Pugh, broker and Commercial sales; leasing; tenant representation; investment properties sales manager

1 8

3

2010

Ransome DrCar, vicepresident

N/A N/A

N/A

2002

Kent Browne, owner and broker of record

1 0

1

2004

Randall B. Stevenson, president and broker of record

Investment sales; commercial leasing; property management; market research and consulting

1 N/A

5

2000

Jason J. Kukk, president and broker of record

Sale and acquisition of investment properties including single buildings and portfolios; syndication. Apartment building specialists; sales and leasing of retail, office, industrial, commercial and institutional; property management; consulting.

5 20

10

1994

Ross Webley, president and broker of record

Tenant representation; office, industrial, commercial, land and retail leasing; investment sales; advisory and consulting services; business sales

1 0

50

1987

Steve Ramphos, broker of Full-service property management and commercial real estate. record and president Jason Shinder, principal and broker

1 19

1

1959

Roger Casagrande, senior Tenant representation; office and industrial leasing; investment sales; retail vice-president sales and leasing; client advisory services and consulting; land sales; project and facilities management.

1 2 3 4 5

CBRE Ltd. 333 Preston St., 7th Fl., Preston Square, Tower 1 Ottawa, ON K1S 5N4 613-782-2266/613-782-2296 cbre.ca Royal Lepage Commercial 165 Pretoria Ave. Ottawa, ON K1S 1X1 613-238-2801/613-238-4583 royallepageottawacommercial.ca Century 21 Explorer Realty 23-2525 Carling Ave. Ottawa, ON K2B 7Z2 613-253-4253/613-257-2593 century21explorer.ca Colliers International 930-340 Albert St. Ottawa, ON K1R 7Y6 613-567-8050/613-567-8035 colliers.com/ottawa Primecorp Commercial Realty Inc. 301-275 Bank St. Ottawa, ON K2P 2L6 613-722-2020/613-722-9898 primecorp.ca

6 7 8 9

Cushman & Wakefield Ottawa 12 700-99 Bank St. 397 Ottawa, ON K1P 6B9 613-236-7777/613-236-5958 cwottawa.com Decathlon Commercial Realty Corp.

11 17 Saddlebrook St. 6 Ottawa, ON K2G 5N7 613-725-7170/613-228-0650 decathlon.ca/Ottawa CLV Realty Corp.

10 485 Bank St. N/A Ottawa, ON K2P 1Z2 613-728-2000/613-728-1107 clvrealty.com Avison Young Commercial Real Estate (Ontario) 9 Inc. 275 1301-155 Queen St. Ottawa, ON K1P 6L1 613-567-2680/613-567-2671 avisonyoung.com The Regional Group of Companies Inc. 7 1737 Woodward Dr., 2nd floor N/A Ottawa, ON K2C 0P9 613-230-2100/613-230-9880 regionalgroup.com Cresa Ottawa 6 310-130 Slater St. 52 Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2 613-688-7200/613-688-7201 cresa.com/ottawa Metro Suburban Realty Ltd. 6 302-370 Churchill Ave. N. N/A Ottawa, ON K1Z 5C2 613-723-2222/613-723-2345 metro-sub.com Coldwell Banker Rhodes & Co. 5 100 Argyle Ave. N/A Ottawa, ON K2P 1B6 613-236-9551/613-236-2692 cbrhodes.com Jones Lang Lasalle Real Estate Services Inc. 5 1004-275 Slater St. 85 Ottawa, ON K1P 5H9 613-656-0145/613-288-0109 jll.ca Royal Lepage TEAM Realty 5 200-1335 Carling Ave. N/A Ottawa, ON K1Z 8N8 613-725-1171/613-725-3323 teamrealty.ca Barclay Commercial Corp.

4 530 Industrial Avenue, Ground Floor 4 Ottawa, ON K1G 0Y9 613-739-3989/613-739-4079 barclaycommercial.com Cancorp Realty Inc. 4 5-2100 Thurston Dr. N/A Ottawa, ON K1G 4K8 613-233-3333/613-248-8131 cancorprealty.com Coldwell Banker Commercial First Ottawa 4 Realty 150 1749 Woodward Ave. Ottawa, ON K2C 0P9 613-728-2664/613-728-0548 ottawacommericalproperties.com District Realty Corp.

4 50 Bayswater Ave. 0 Ottawa, ON K1Y 2E9 613-759-8383/613-759-8448 districtrealty.com DTZ Barnicke* 3 1300-340 Albert St. 320 Ottawa, ON K1R 7Y6 613-232-1215/613-232-2136 dtzbarnicke.com

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Local support Year est. Local CEO or staff in Ottawa designated broker

Services offered Tenant representation; office, industrial and retail leasing and sales; investment and multi-residential sales; consulting/client advisory services; project management; appraisal; property management

Full service. Retail and office leasing; land sales; commercial and industrial sales and leasing; agriculture; mortgage financing.

Commercial real estate broker and advisory firm serving institutional, public and multinational corporate investors, private owners, major space users, developers and lenders.

Full brokerage services including office, industrial and retail leasing; land, multi-family and investment sales; property tax consulting; appraisal; project management; lease administration; market research; advisory and consulting services

Full-service commercial: leasing; office/industrial/retail; Multi-residential, apartments; asset management; property management; mortgage brokerage; investment sales; appraisal; project management; valuations

Strategic planning; transaction, project and relocation planning management; facilities management; workforce and location planning; portfolio/lease administration; capital markets; supply chain management; sustainability; sublease and disposition All aspects of sales and leasing of industrial, office and retail properties; land and building sales; investment sales; leasing; subletting and consulting

Project and facility management; lease administration; national brokerage solutions; tenant representation; office/industrial leasing; investment sales and management; retail sales; leasing and investments; land sales; multiresidential investment

WND = Would not disclose. *Did not respond - 2014 data

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14 Should your company be on this list? If so, please send details to research@obj.ca. This list is current as of January 5, 2015 by Ottawa Business Journal. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced by any method in

whole or in part without written permission by Ottawa Business Journal. While every attempt is made to ensure the thoroughness and accuracy of the list, omissions and errors sometimes occur. Please send any corrections or additions by e-mail to research@obj.ca. OBJ lists are primarily compiled using information provided voluntarily by the organizations named. Some firms that may qualify for the list are not included because the company either failed to respond to requests for information by press time, because the company declined to take part in the survey or because of space constraints. Categories are drawn up in an attempt to gather information of relevance to the Ottawa market.

Research by Patti Moran. Please send questions and comments to research@obj.ca.

FOR THE RECORD People on the move Jim Anstey has joined the employment and labour law practice group at Nelligan O’Brien Payne.

Mr. Anstey will represent employers and employees in wrongful and constructive dismissal claims, grievance arbitrations, human rights proceedings, employment standards proceedings and occupational health and safety prosecutions.

Patrick Twomey has joined Ross Video’s XPression graphic team as marketing product manager.

Prior to joining Ross Video in 2014, Mr. Twomey worked with a range of broadcasters, including NBC Olympics, CNBC and CBS Sports.

Contracts

The following contains information about recent contracts, standing offers and supply arrangements awarded to local firms.

TPG Technology Consulting Ltd. 887 Richmond Rd. Description: Professional services Buyer: DND $2,158,209 DRS Technologies Canada Ltd. 700 Passadium Dr. Description: Electrical and electronic assemblies, boards, cards and associated hardware Buyer: DND $1,844,728 CAE Inc. 1135 Innovation Dr. Description: Human factor support for maritime-based research Buyer: DND $1,840,000

ESRI Canada Ltd. 1600 Carling Ave. Description: ADP software Buyer: DND $855,445 Systems for Research Corp.

300 Earl Grey Dr. Description: Electron microscope Buyer: DND $765,591

Description: Militarized diesel snowmobile, one passenger Buyer: DND $461,895 Eclipsys Solutions Inc. 411 Legget Dr. Description: ADP software Buyer: Royal Canadian Mounted Police $423,100 Integra Networks Corp.

1730 St. Laurent Blvd.

Description: ADP input-output and storage devices Buyer: DND $377,250 Lockheed Martin Canada Inc. 501 Palladium Dr. Description: Antennas, waveguides and related equipment Buyer: DND $372,544 Intergraph Canada Ltd. 1600 Carling Ave. Description: ADP input-output and storage devices Buyer: Parks Canada $371,302 Defran Inc. 55 Breadner Description: Firecode upgrade Buyer: PWGSC $350,098 Integra Networks Corp.

1730 St. Laurent Blvd.

Description: ADP input-output and storage devices Buyer: DND $338,139

Advanced Chippewa Technologies Inc. 802 Nesbitt Pl. Description: ADP software Buyer: Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development $261,996 Neptec Design Group Ltd. 302 Legget Dr. Description: Cast concept studies Buyer: Canadian Space Agency $244,852

Aonix Advanced Materials Corp. announced that Jim Roche has been appointed chairman of its board of directors. Mr. Roche is a veteran of the local technology and manufacturing industries.

Jennifer Conley has been appointed chief advancement officer by Empowered Networks Inc. 1 Hines Rd. Description: Technology architect level two – CA clarity professional Buyer: DND $202,496 TRM Technologies Inc. 280 Albert St. Description: Business transformation architects, level two Buyer: Justice Canada $202,134

Vayyoo Inc. 350 Terry Fox Dr. Description: Computer systems security Buyer: PWGSC $242,950

Alderson-Gill & Associates Consulting Inc. 655 Highland Ave. Description: Evaluation of the Youth Justice Initiative Buyer: Department of Justice Canada $186,563

Valcom Consulting Group Inc. 85 Albert St. Description: Senior life cycle management specialist Buyer: DND $238,251

Promaxis Systems Inc. 2385 St. Laurent Blvd.

Description: Intermediate technician Buyer: DND $167,587

Intergraph Canada Ltd. 1600 Carling Ave. Description: ADP software Buyer: DND $237,051

PLP Technologies Inc. 47 Pheasant Run Dr. Description: Communications security equipment and components Buyer: DND $162,540

DEW Engineering and Development ULC 3429 Hawthorne Rd. Description: PI – Deployable environmental field labs Buyer: DND $225,602

TeraMach Technologies Inc. 1130 Morrison Dr. Description: ADP input-output and storage devices Buyer: DND $294,468

Stoneworks Technologies Inc. 2212 Gladwin Cr. Description: Automatic data processing equipment, system configuration Buyer: DND $215,943

DEW Engineering and Development ULC 3429 Hawthorne Rd. Description: Various spares Buyer: DND $281,724

Promaxis Systems Inc. 2385 St. Laurent Blvd.

Description: Senior life cycle management specialist Buyer: DND $215,509

EMCON Emanation Control Ltd. 360 Terry Fox Dr. Description: Communications security equipment and components Buyer: DND $160,041 Amcan Technologies Inc. 1041 Gladstone Ave. Description: Specialized shipping and storage containers Buyer: DND $158,697 Broder Electric Ltd. 14 Grenfell Cr. Description: Emergency generator installation,

Carleton University. Ms. Conley will be responsible for leading alumni relations, development and advancement communications.

Building 49 Buyer: Agriculture & Agrifood Canada $155,895 Marcomm Systems Group Inc. 29 Antares Dr. Description: Replacement of door and window alarm systems Buyer: Correctional Service of Canada $155,808 Totem Offisource Inc. 1 Promenade du Portage Description: Meeting tables Buyer: PWGSC $155,726 EMCON Emanation Control Ltd. 360 Terry Fox Dr. Description: Communications security equipment and components Buyer: DND $138,380 Lar-Mex Inc. 5509 Canotek Rd. Description: CBUS room SB236A and B136 Buyer: PWGSC $131,042 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 99 Bank St. Description: External auditing services Buyer: Royal Canadian Mounted Police $129,272 EMC Corp. of Canada 555 Legget Dr. Description: ADP software Buyer: DND $124,480 2Keys Corp.

1550 Laperriere Ave. Description: ADP input-output and storage devices Buyer: DND $122,322 Cummins Eastern Canada LP 3189 Swansea Cr. Description: Generator maintenance

Buyer: PWGSC $114,326 Motorola Solutions Canada Inc. 360 Albert St. Description: Technical/ vocational training Buyer: PWGSC $113,000 Oracle Canada ULC 45 O’Connor St. Description: ADP software Buyer: PWGSC $112,306 Modis Canada Inc. 155 Queen St. Description: Communications services Buyer: PWGSC $110,000 Rutherford McKay Associates Inc. 56 Sparks St. Description: Communications services Buyer: PWGSC $110,000 Forest Communications Inc. 68 Pellan Way Description: Communications services Buyer: PWGSC $110,000 Zenith Translation Inc. 33 Gendron Description: Communications services Buyer: PWGSC $110,000 EMCON Emanation Control Ltd. 360 Terry Fox Dr. Description: Communications security equipment and components Buyer: DND $109,882 Alcatel-Lucent Canada Inc. 600 March Rd. Description: ADP input-output and storage devices Buyer: DND $109,134

15 OBJ.CA

DEW Engineering and Development ULC 3429 Hawthorne Rd.

The Ottawa Real Estate Board has elected a new board of directors. The new executive will be 2015 president David Oikle, past-president Randy Oickle, president-elect Shane Silva and vice-president Rick Eisert. Newly elected board members are Josée Biggs, Dwight Delahunt, Margie Hooper, Sarah Kiraly, Brian Sakkau and Dennis Tarrant. Returning

MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2015

Lowe-Martin Co. Ltd. PO Box 9702 Description: Printing and assembly of various material (manuals, posters) for Elections Canada Buyer: Office of the Chief Electoral Officer $1,130,000

Dr. Daniel F. Muzyka has been appointed vice-president and chair of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. He comes to the position from the Conference Board of Canada, where he was president and CEO.

directors are Maz Karimjee, Martin LaRose and Ralph Shaw.

Norton Rose Fulbright Canada announced the admittance of two of its Ottawa lawyers to the partnership. Daphne Fedoruk specializes in employment and labour law, and Alison FitzGerald specializes in international arbitration, international trade and business ethics and anti-corruption.

THE ESSENTIAL EMAIL UPDATE FOR OTTAWA BUSINESS LEADERS

COMING

MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2015

JANUARY 2015

OBJ.CA

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