Ottawa business journal 20160229

Breakup advice THE TENANT’S ADVANTAGE

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Local startup introduces web application to help users represent themselves in divorce cases > PAGE 4

February 29, 2016 Vol. 19, NO. 9

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UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE MARKET WANTS uOttawa engineering students learn the keys to business success

BY LEO VALIQUETTE

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

oming up with an innovative idea is one thing.

Understanding what it takes to turn it into a viable product that will get market traction is quite another.

Since 2007, The University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Engineering has helped its students understand what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur with a variety of competitive events.

One of these is the Prizes in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Entrepreneurship Concepts (EC-PEI) competition. Graduate and undergraduate students compete to develop the strongest business plan, under the guidance of seasoned mentors and coaches.

Seventy per cent of the evaluation is weighted toward having the most complete and rigorously thought out business plan. The actual commercial viability of the product or service isn’t critical. But tell that to the eight finalist teams that squared off on Feb. 9 before the judging panel.

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“YEAR OVER YEAR, THEQUALITY OF THE PRESENTATIONS AND MARKET OPPORTUNITIES HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY. IT’S A TESTAMENT TO THE EFFORT THE FACULTY OF ENGINEERING IS PUTTING INTO PROMOTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP TO ITS STUDENTS.”

— STEPHEN DAZE, DOM HERRICK ENTREPRENEUR IN RESIDENCE AT UOTTAWA’S TELFER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

GRASPING THE KEY TO COMMERCIAL SUCCESS

Rachel Cohen

It was clear that these enterprising students understand the importance of soliciting the input of the marketplace in product development. In fact, some of these teams already have working prototypes and plans for full commercial launches.

It was an impressive showing all around, said event judge Stephen Daze, Dom Herrick Entrepreneur in Residence at uOttawa’s Telfer School of Management.

“Year over year, the quality of the presentations and market opportunities has increased dramatically,” he said. “It’s a testament to the effort the Faculty of Engineering is putting into promoting entrepreneurship to its students. And it’s encouraging to see the caliber of our next generation of entrepreneurial leaders.”

But in the end, the judging panel had to make some hard choices. Along with Daze, the panel included Joe Irvine, Director, Technology Transfer and Business Enterprise at uOttawa, Luc Lalande, Executive Director of uOttawa’s Entrepreneurship Hub, and Rowland Few, Founder and CEO, The Sales Desk Company.

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Above: Midia Shikh Hassan Left: Stephen Daze, Rowland Few

makes it easy for a healthcare professional to remotely monitor and manage a treatment program. The second-place prize was $3,000.

Third Place: LetUsLearn (Midia Hassan, Richard Appiah-Kubi): LetUsLearn is an app-based rehabilitative and education platform designed for kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders. It features modules developed by a multidisciplinary team of therapists, along with customized programs of treatment and support for parents. The third-place prize was $2,000.

From left to right: Zaid Qureshi & Jeff Byles

AND THE WINNERS ARE …

Second Place: M&R Health Care (Carlos Hollman, Rachelle Rowat): M&R has developed a therapeutic heating and cooling pad for physiotherapy and pain relief, combined with an app that

OISS (Ottawa International Student Service – Rachel Cohen, Muzi Li): A web-based service and social network that helps the hundreds of thousands of foreign students who come to Canada each year get settled.

GET INVOLVED

To learn how you can get involved in the Faculty of Engineering’s various student competitions as a competitor, judge or mentor, please visit https:// engineering.uottawa.ca/entrepreneurship/studentcompetitions or contact Dr. Hanan Anis at hanis@ uottawa.ca

Helping Hand (Kristina Djukic, Remi Landry Yuan): An affordable 3D-printed exo-skeleton to aid people with lost grip strength and hand mobility, such as from arthritis.

Volux (Richard Scott, Jeev George, Alex Wilson): A renewable energy venture aimed at helping municipalities cut infrastructure costs by powering street lights with wind turbines.

What’s in That? (Kyle MacMillan, Matt Smith): A app-based business that teams with local restaurants to make it easy for people with food sensitivities and allergies to find safe menu options.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

First Place: GameStrat (Tunch Akkaya, Marvin Reyes): GameStrat uses a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform to give professional sports coaches the powerful data analytics they need to improve team performance and gain a strategic edge on the competition. It replaces piles of paper and cuts the hours coaching staff spend after a game dissecting each play. The first-place prize was $5,000.

OTHER PROJECTS

Parkin (Jeff Byles, Jacqueline Brand, Zaid Qureshi): An app-based business in the spirit of Airbnb and Uber which allows homeowners to offer their driveways for paid parking.

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www.engineering.uOttawa.ca

LAUNCH PAD Do-it-yourself divorce law made easier With most people choosing to represent themselves in divorce cases, an Ottawa startup has launched a web app to guide users through the process

BY ADAM FEIBEL adam@obj.ca

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

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here are more than a few eyebrowraising statistics when it comes to divorce in Canada.

For example, the most recent figures indicate that nearly half of all marriages in this country will ultimately end in divorce.

Even more interestingly from a business perspective, the majority of those who get divorced choose to represent themselves rather than hire a lawyer.

That’s where the creators of a web application called Thistoo see a major market opportunity. Ottawa-based law technology firm Miralaw has designed the app as a virtual lawyer that will guide users through the legal process of divorce.

According to the Law Society of Upper Canada, anywhere from 50 to 70 per cent of family law litigants are self-represented in Ontario. In other parts of North America such as California, the figure can be as high as 80 per cent, the company says.

“There are some pretty startling statistics about family law,” says Samuel Witherspoon, the 30-year-old founder and CEO of Miralaw. “The biggest … is the number of people who self-represent, who don’t use a lawyer.”

The company started in 2014 as a legal analytics firm focused on using court data to predict legal outcomes based on previous cases. After extensive datacrunching, the firm narrowed its focus to family law, an area of highly predictable outcomes.

“Judges in family law very rarely deviate from what the law says,” Mr. Witherspoon explains. “It’s almost impossible, so there’s really not a lot to fight about unless you’re in a really, really unique situation.”

Thistoo pulls information from users’ files, analyzes them and then guides users through their divorce using four core pillars: plan, organize, agree and resolve.

The objective is to get each person to move through those steps individually.

The app is designed only to support an uncontested divorce, and the bulk of divorces are resolved fairly amicably and without a major disagreement, Mr. Witherspoon says. In more contentious cases, the company will pair clients with lawyers and mediators.

Shortly, the firm will also roll out an artificial intelligence feature that will take a user’s profile and provide the nearest three matches to historical case data to show the user what his or her situation will

CHANGE LOG THE BETTER SOFTWARE COMPANY STARTS YOUTH PROGRAM The Better Software Company, in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa, has launched the “B” Better Foundation, a youth entrepreneurship program designed to teach young people how to start their own business. It takes place over eight biweekly sessions on subjects such as business plans, marketing and branding, social media, sales, public relations and pitching, each featuring guest speakers. To conclude the program, participants will have a chance to pitch to an expert panel, and two winners will receive access to mentors and a $1,200 bursary.

“Judges in family law very rarely deviate from what the law says. It’s almost impossible, so there’s really not a lot to fight about unless you’re in a really, really unique situation.”

GNOWIT LAUNCHES GOOGLE ALERTS ANALYTICS PLATFORM Ottawa-based web-monitoring and intelligence company Gnowit, one of OBJ’s Startups to Watch in 2013, has introduced a new product that promises to make Google Alerts more useful by employing “smart filtering” to analyze, aggregate and visualize users’ results in order to better organize the data, reduce time spent monitoring individual results and get a better big-picture understanding of the topics. The firm launched the free service on Jan. 28.

– SAMUEL WITHERSPOON, FOUNDER AND CEO OF MIRALAW

look like based on past cases.

“They can see, ‘If I do choose to fight it, what is the actual outcome going to be from court versus if I just settle,’ and the honest answer is that 99.9 per cent of the time there is no difference, and that’s what judges time and again communicate,” Mr. Witherspoon says. “There’s a perception that you can litigate and get a better deal in some way, when in reality all you do is spend your money on legal fees.”

Last year, the company launched MiraExchange.ca, an online transfer system for legal documents, after Ontario’s Rules of Civil Procedure changed on Jan. 1, 2015 to allow for electronic document exchange. Mr. Witherspoon says that product didn’t have enough value-added elements on its own, so now it’s used as the back end of Thistoo, doing the document exchanges that are required to make the app work.

Miralaw currently employs 10 people

at its Ottawa headquarters. Right now, the Thistoo app is only available in Ontario, but the company plans to expand into the rest of Canada as early as June. Mr. Witherspoon says he projects revenues of roughly $1.9 million a year for the app, which introduced paid features on Feb. 19.

Miralaw’s financial backing is currently led by Miralta Capital, a venture capital firm based in the Montreal area, with additional funding from angel investors such as lawyers and businesspeople, predominantly in the Ottawa area.

Mr. Witherspoon says there’s more than just a profit motive behind the service. Self-representing litigants who don’t understand the divorce process have placed an unnecessary burden on divorce courts for far too long, he explains.

“There’s just so much opportunity in family law to help people improve their access.”

L-SPARK’S SECOND COHORT OVERSUBSCRIBED After 175 applications and 14 finalists’ pitches, Kanata-based business incubator L-Spark has chosen nine companies for its second cohort, one more than the eight it originally planned to take. The successful companies will move into L-Spark’s offices for four months, where they will have full access to key resources and experienced mentors. The 2016 cohort features Amplify, BidFoundry, Buildmetric, EssayJack, Fitchek, Friendefi, Intelocate, Optimity and TitanFile.

LOCAL STARTUP PAIRS WITH OTTAWA TOOL LIBRARY Ottawa-based father-son manufacturing startup Onshoring Ventures, launched by local entrepreneur Kevin Ford last February, donated two collapsible wooden work benches to the Ottawa Tool Library last month to be used in the library’s new workshops called Tool 101.

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Invest Ottawa, whose CEO Bruce Lazenby got the two firms working together last fall, covered the cost of one of the benches.

Ottawa Tool Library co-founder Bettina Vollmerhausen told OBJ the donation was exactly what the facility needed to host the workshops.

SHOPIFY CEO URGES FEDS TO DROP STOCK OPTION TAX PLAN Shopify chief executive Tobias Lütke says the federal government’s proposed tax on people who make more than $100,000 in annual stock option gains will hurt startups and innovation, as reported by the Canadian Press. Mr. Lütke says the proposed tax would make it more expensive for new companies to attract talent and would have made it more difficult to start his company. Finance Minister Bill Morneau said details about the plan are coming soon.

EVENTS CALENDAR CAN CANADA BECOME AN INNOVATION NATION? WITH KEVIN LYNCH Tuesday, March 1 at 7 p.m.

Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr. Info and registration at carleton.ca/fpa/ events BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL GREEN TEAM Thursday, March 3 at 7:30 a.m.

Mountain Equipment Co-op, 366 Richmond Rd. Info and registration at envirocentre.ca/ carbon613events

HOW SMALL BUSINESS FITS IN THE BIG PICTURE Tuesday, March 15 at 12 p.m.

Collabspace, 70 Bonguard Ave. Info and registration at eventbrite.ca

Ottawa’s Next Trade Mission to India

STARTING ON ETSY Monday, March 21 at 12 p.m.

Invest Ottawa, 80 Aberdeen St. Info and registration at investottawa.ca AC WOLVES’ DEN Wednesday, March 23 at 11 a.m.

Algonquin College, 1385 Woodroffe Ave. Info and registration at eventbrite.ca MARKET RESEARCH TECHNIQUES AND RESOURCES Wednesday, March 23 at 6 p.m.

Ottawa Public Library: Main branch, 120 Metcalfe St. Info and registration at biblioottawalibrary. ca/en/program FROM IMPOSSIBLE TO INEVITABLE WITH AARON ROSS Wednesday, March 30 at 6 p.m.

National Arts Centre, 53 Elgin St. Info and registration at eventbrite.ca TEDX KANATA 2016 Thursday, March 31 at 3:30 p.m.

The Brookstreet Hotel, 525 Legget Dr. Info and registration at tedxkanata.com

by Bruce Lazenby, President and CEO, Invest Ottawa

It is also a market that requires a fair degree of relationship building to forge trust and demonstrate serious intent.

Organized outbound missions help to open doors and establish credibility much faster than venturing into this vast market on your own. The world is a competitive place and in order to sell to some of the biggest companies in the biggest countries, you need to meet them first hand.

That’s why in April of this year, Ottawa is organizing another t the beginning of trade mission to India, led February, Invest Ottawa by our Mayor, Jim Watson. and a handful of local In support of key priorities companies joined a delegation to India, led by Premier Kathleen established by the city, this trip will focus on the following three Wynne. Along with other Liberal areas of opportunity: trade, MPPs, municipal leaders and education and tourism. It aims representatives from postto: establish key linkages that secondary institutions, the improve access delegation to this global covered four market; identify cities in less opportunities than five for days–$98 Our services help collaboration; million worth and further of partnership Ottawa-based strengthen agreements were announced companies expand political ties with Indian on the first day overseas and decisionalone. makers. With a introduce foreign wide range of India represents international tremendous companies to business opportunities for Ottawa Canada’s capital. expertise, Invest Ottawa companies. It will be a key has the potential participant on to become the this trip. Our third largest services help Ottawa-based economy in the world by the companies expand overseas and next decade. According to the introduce foreign companies to International Monetary Fund Canada’s capital.

(IMF), the outlook for shortterm growth is also positive as Please indicate your interest the Indian economy represents in participating by contacting a ‘bright spot’ in the global Krista Kreling at Krista.Kreling@ economic landscape. India also ottawa. Staff from the mission topped the World Bank’s growth planning team can address any outlook for 2015-16 for the first questions you may have. And time, with an economic growth reach out to Invest Ottawa at rate of 7.3 percent in 2014-2015, any time. We are always happy and projected growth rates of to help.

7.5 to 8.3 per cent in 2015-2016.

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MARKETING

“They can’t do online advertising, so having images of Snoop with their T-shirt on and going to certain things like the NBA (all-star game), it starts to really allow them to not break the rules and get their brand out there.” — OTTAWA ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE GORDON McMILLAN

Tweed and Snoop Dogg’s joint partnership earns kudos Smith Falls marijuana producer’s branding deal with hip-hop star could be smart move, advertising execs say

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

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weed Marijuana’s new deal with weedsmoking rapper Snoop Dogg is a hit with marketing experts who say the partnership has already generated plenty of free publicity for the company and could pay off handsomely if the drug is legalized.

The Smiths Falls-based medical marijuana producer announced earlier this month it has inked an agreement that will

YOU

Snoop Dogg. PHOTO PROVIDED

give it exclusive rights to some of the Long Beach, Calif., native’s “content and brands” in exchange for cash and company stock.

The three-year deal has an option to be renewed for two additional years.

Local branding executives and professors praised Tweed for finding a creative way

it’s already looking ahead to a day when it’s available to a much wider market. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed his government will legalize and regulate the sale of the drug in Canada.

“Presumably, some of the individuals who are looking at the medical marijuana situation might appreciate the connection with Snoop Dogg, but it seems to me that it’s a pretty specific reference to a broadening to raise its public profile, adding the firm of what legally will be allowed in the future,” is clearly preparing for the day when said Mr. McMillan, whose firm came up marijuana is legally available to everyone. with the Tweed name. “That seems to be the For example, Snoop’s Instagram account direction things are going, obviously, so it featured a photo of him in Toronto wearing a probably makes sense to do this.”

Tweed T-shirt during the NBA all-star game Michael Mulvey, an assistant professor festivities, an image that was seen around of marketing at the University of Ottawa’s the world.

Telfer School of Management, said he thinks “There’s some very specific (advertising) the association with Snoop could be a “step restrictions for the medical marijuana forward and a step back simultaneously” for growers,” noted Gordon McMillan, CEO Tweed. and chief creative officer at the Ottawa “When you make a partnership with a marketing and branding agency that bears celebrity as prominent as Snoop Dogg is, his name. you’re certainly going to get on the radar and “They can’t do online advertising, so you’re going to get some attention,” he said. having images of Snoop with their T-shirt “Clearly, this is a step into the anticipated on and going to certain things like the NBA recreational use market. This really helps (all-star game), it starts to really allow them put Tweed not just on the national stage but to not break the rules and get their brand out also on the international stage as a player in there.” the game because they’re dealing with an While Tweed is currently allowed to sell international celebrity.” its product only for medicinal use, he said At the same time, Mr. Mulvey said, the

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deal could present a “branding issue” for Tweed, which has worked hard to cultivate an image as a reputable provider of pain medication, albeit an unconventional one.

“Their biggest challenge was trying to establish legitimacy as a medically endorsed pain medication or treatment,” he said, noting Tweed’s overriding message to date has been “much more serious in tone, it was professional, it was very scientific with lab coats and rubber gloves and all the trappings of a pharmaceutical model.”

That image now appears to changing, he suggested.

“Where does Snoop’s value lie? It’s the epitome of a lifestyle,” he said. “The hiphop lifestyle is part of the meaning that he brings to the table – the chillin’ in California, lounging by the pool – that’s a big part of the brand identity that Snoop brings to the table, and I think that the cannabis offering is sort of along for the ride there.”

Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, has had well-publicized brushes with the law in the past. Though he’s now a successful entrepreneur with his own cannabis line in Colorado and a marijuanafocused venture capital fund, that old “badboy” image could alienate some customers, Mr. Mulvey said.

“I wouldn’t want to make a forecast either way for Snoop as a particular case, but anytime you deal with celebrity endorsers, there’s always that volatility. You’re exposing your medical brand to some of that risk.”

Jayne Van Dusen, co-ordinator of Algonquin College’s brand management graduate certificate program, agreed the alliance with Snoop appears to “make sense” for Tweed on some levels. But, she added, it could also backfire.

“Are they going after markets that are really into Snoop Dogg and perceive themselves a bit like him or living that lifestyle? If so, that makes a lot of sense,” she said. “But … as marijuana just becomes another product out there, audiences will be quite diverse. Not all of those segments are really going to respond to that kind of personality for their brand.

“Marijuana’s becoming, it would appear, more legitimized and more socially acceptable. I just wonder what that’s going to do for a mid-life woman who decides she will try this medical marijuana for her fibromyalgia or something. Is she going to relate to Snoop Dogg, or would she prefer to buy into something that’s got a brand persona like Coach bags or something?”

Mr. McMillan acknowledged there are “pluses and minuses” to working with someone like Snoop, but he thinks the upside far outweighs the potential pitfalls.

“Just the nature of his career, he’s been a little bit of a natural bad boy,” he said. “From that point of view, it kind of protects (Tweed) a little bit because if he says something that’s a little outrageous, consumers are already, ‘Well, that’s Snoop Dogg. Of course that’s what Snoop would say.’ It’s quite different than a situation like Tiger Woods, let’s say, where his reputation was built around a certain expectation of good behaviour.”

S O OS T T S S E E r r

he to tthe s to iin ns m 2 m 2

COMMENTARY What sustains him, Nasr Salib says, is a philosophy based on “giving clients the wow treatment, not being greedy, not cutting corners and putting God in front of me.”

Great River Media 250 City Centre Ave., Suite 500 Ottawa, Ontario, K1R 6K7 obj.ca TELEPHONE Phone: 613-238-1818 Sales Fax: 613-248-4564 News Fax: No faxes, email editor@obj.ca PUBLISHER Michael Curran, 238-1818 ext. 228 publisher@obj.ca CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Terry Tyo, 238-1818 ext. 268 terry@greatriver.ca 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

opening his own business.

After that, business exploded for the “Egyptian with the magic hands,” Mr. Salib says today with a laugh.

His operation now has 27 locations across Ottawa and eastern Ontario, including dispensaries that mix potions, lotions and other medicines for patients who frequent the clinics as well as the general population. Next on his to-do list?

Expand to Toronto and Mississauga.

Pro Physio and Sport Medicine Centres has more than 350 employees, including 24 sport doctors and orthopedic surgeons, plus a physiatrist and a rheumatologist on call. And they can each own a piece of the clinic in which they work. A therapist, for example, can own 10 per cent of a new clinic, a share that can climb to as much as 40 per cent over time.

Each clinic stands on its own two feet, but the management company makes sure they all get referrals from doctors and insurance companies, a major source of business.

It also helps that Pro Physio and Sport Medicine Centres is on the right side of history. As Canada’s population ages, manager immediately asked if he had a business has nowhere to go but up. business plan.

Canada Mortgage and Housing “Why, yes, I do,” Mr. Salib replied, Corporation says Ottawa has 103,000 pulling out a Tim Hortons napkin on seniors out of a population of about which he’d sketched out ideas for his own 900,000, and it projects that number to clinic. increase to 232,000 by 2031 – meaning The bank manager laughed, but she residents aged 65 and over will make up did offer to call her superiors in Toronto 22 per cent of the total population, nearly and ask for a line of credit for him in the double today’s proportion. amount of $150,000. Mr. Salib replied, “The company is very profitable,” Mr. “No, $75,000 is fine,” afraid that he’d be Salib says, “and has good management turned down for the larger amount. and infrastructure.” What sustains him, Rather than build his clinic from he says, is a philosophy based on “giving scratch (a costlier and lengthier process), clients the wow treatment, not being Mr. Salib talked two family physicians into greedy, not cutting corners and putting subletting a couple of rooms to him on God in front of me.”

Bank Street. The first Pro Physio and Sport His main marketing vehicle has been Medicine Centre was launched a short word of mouth, and not just by having time later on Nov. 25, 1995. patients spread the word – his wholesale There was a problem, however: he clients (insurance companies and doctors) had no patients, and he didn’t feel right talk up the business, too. about going after his clients from the old clinic. But then he got a break – one of Bruce M. Firestone is founder of the his former patients found out about his Ottawa Senators and a broker at new location and took out an ad in a local Century 21 Explorer Realty. Follow daily newspaper congratulating him on him on Twitter @ProfBruce.

Physiotherapist’s bold prescription for success Egyptian immigrant has parlayed a $75,000 bank loan into a thriving business with nearly 30 locations – and he’s not done yet

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

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s an immigrant to Canada from Egypt nearly three decades ago, Nasr Salib needed to find work in his chosen field of physiotherapy to support his wife and two children.

But after seven years working at a private clinic where Mr. Salib had helped increase volume from two to 100 patients a day, he was escorted off the premises by an angry owner. His sin? He’d had the temerity to ask if his efforts had earned him a shot at partner.

So with just $2,000 in his bank account and a Renault car worth $400, Mr. Salib wasn’t sure what to do next. One thing he did know was that he loved Ottawa – it was his hometown now, a peaceful place where people of all faiths are welcome.

As it turned out, he wasn’t going anywhere except Tim Hortons. He didn’t tell his wife he’d been fired, and instead he got up every morning, got dressed and went to “work” at the doughnut shop.

After a few days of Tim’s coffee, he went to Scotiabank without an appointment and asked to see the manager. The

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21,000 CANCER PATIENTS ARE TREATED EVERY YEAR AT THE OTTAWA HOSPITAL

TOH HAS 300 RESEARCHERS DEDICATED TO CANCER

MORE THAN 200 CANCER-RELATED CLINICAL TRIALS ARE UNDERWAY

PEDAL POWER Robert Merkley’s family business has deep roots in the community, originally starting out in Casselman in 1895. Mr. Merkley, the President and CEO of Merkley Supply – a major masonry supplier in the Ottawa area – says the move to Ottawa happened in 1927 when his grandfather bought a brick plant in Billing’s Bridge.

Mr. Merkley’s first major foray into fundraising took place in the 90’s. He helped organize an annual baseball tournament for CHEO in response to the compassionate care his family received after his eldest daughter was hospitalized on Christmas Day in 1989.

Today, Mr. Merkley is known for his charitable work for many organizations and also as a co-founder of THE RIDE, a one-day road cycling fundraiser for cancer research. It’s one of The Ottawa Hospital’s biggest fundraising events and it’s raised more than $10M for cancer research in just six years. It is the most successful

single-day cancer fundraiser in Eastern Ontario, but the idea was actually imported from Toronto.

Ottawa developer Roger Greenberg introduced Mr. Merkley to Toronto’s Ride to Conquer Cancer and registered a team.

“That year, 2008, I started training in January,” describes Mr. Merkley. “I lost about 30 lbs. in the process. It was one for the bucket list.… it’s a very euphoric moment when you cross the line.”

The euphoria gave way to an idea. Their team had raised $88,000 for a Toronto hospital, so why not do the same in Ottawa?

Claude Des Rosiers of Boone Plumbing, Mr. Greenberg and Mr. Merkley “put their heads together” with The Ottawa Hospital and came up with an outline for an Ottawa race event. Ride The Rideau was born.

In the first year, organizers hoped to attract 300 riders and raise $750,000. In the end, 350 riders raised $928,000 for cancer research.

Why cancer? Because “everyone knows someone who’s fought it, battled it, or succumbed to it,” says Mr. Merkley. “It’s universal, and it’s a terrible disease.” He’d lost a close cousin to cancer a few years earlier and was devastated to lose someone so vibrant and young. In fact, Mr. Merkley’s fundraising efforts have become more personal than ever. His wife Susan was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last year and is currently receiving treatment.

In addition to supporting research, THE RIDE helped fund the purchase of equipment such as the CyberKnife – a non-invasive

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

THE RIDE

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683 RIDERS 294 VOLUNTEERS

$219.44 AVERAGE DONATION AMOUNT

$10.6M RAISED OVERALL 7,872 DONATIONS RECEIVED

$1.8M RAISED IN 2015

* Data is from the 2015 edition of THE RIDE

MR. ROBERT MERLEY, PRESIDENT AND CEO, MERKLEY SUPPLY. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON alternative to surgery for treatment of both cancerous and non-cancerous tumors – and the opening of the Centre for Innovative Cancer Research (CICR).

This fundraising success is a result of having a dedicated team in place, but the other part of the equation is deceptively simple: making face-to-face connections with potential donors and riders. Mr. Merkley says his forte is fundraising and recruiting and that knowing a lot of people in the industry certainly helps.

This year’s RIDE is taking place September 11 and Mr. Merkley will once again be taking part.

He describes it as a transformative experience for many of the riders.

“Part of it is the challenge: ‘Can I do that?’

When you cross the finish line and you’ve spent hours training, hours fundraising, you’ve raised a good chunk of money… it’s a really great feeling.”

He notes that an interesting “side effect” of doing THE RIDE is the good health that follows.

Many of the riders just keep riding, whether it’s for charity or as part of their own health regimen.

“Probably a third of the people who did THE RIDE are now doing spinning classes, getting exercise, and are staying in shape,” says Mr. Merkley.

There’s no doubt that the benefits of participating are far-reaching.

“It’s gratifying that we have an event that’s enjoyable. It’s healthy, it’s extremely well run by The Ottawa Hospital, and the costs are very low.

It gives you a great sense of accomplishment and the money really goes to life-changing research and innovation. You can’t beat that.”

This is the fifth part of an ongoing series about The Ottawa Hospital. Look for the evolving archive on obj.ca.

THE OTTAWA HOSPITAL

— SPONSORED CONTENT —

“EVERYTHING WE’VE RAISED HAS GONE TO GROUND-BREAKING RESEARCH AND REVOLUTIONARY EQUIPMENT.” — ROBERT MERKLEY, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF MERKLEY SUPPLY LTD. AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE RIDE. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

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EMPLOYEES’ CHOICE AWARDS 2015-16 THE RECIPIENTS • • • • • • • • • •

EMPLOYEES’

CH AIRCDES AW

CALCULATING ENGAGEMENT • • • • • • • •

What makes Ottawa’s top workplaces great

O

ne of Canada’s hottest user interface software makers, a high-profile accounting firm and a leading management consultant organization are part of the eclectic group of companies that are among Ottawa’s top employers, according to their own workers.

In total, 10 companies are being honoured with Employees’ Choice Awards, a program organized by Ottawa Business Journal, the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce and Nepean-based employee survey firm TalentMap. To participate, local organizations are

Is my work challenging?

Am I proud to tell others about my employer?

Am I optimistic about the future of my organization?

Am I willing to put forth extra effort?

Does my organization inspire me to do my best work?

Would I recommend my employer to others?

Does my job provide me with a sense of personal accomplishment?

Is there a connection between my work and the organization’s objectives?

Employees’ Choice Award recipients were honoured at a cocktail ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Marshes Golf Club. For more details and photos from the event, go to obj.ca.

invited to launch confidential employee engagement surveys, which measure their perceptions of managers and senior leaders, opportunities for personal and professional growth and overall job satisfaction.

Participating organizations must have at least 20 employees and achieve a statistically relevant response level. The recipients are selected based on hundreds of employee surveys.

“There is no better way to find Ottawa’s top workplaces than by directly asking their employees for feedback,” says OBJ publisher Michael Curran.

“These employers have found creative ways to connect with their employees and achieve enviable levels of engagement.”

After nearly 15 years of producing such surveys, TalentMap founder and president Sean Fitzpatrick has turned the art of employee engagement into a science.

For many employees, he says, job satisfaction comes from being able to visualize a clear career path.

While some steps employers can take are easy, such as highlighting job openings internally, for example, he says managers must also make it clear to

employees that ultimately it is up to them to take responsibility for their own careers.

“The onus is on both sides,” he says. For employees, that means asking questions, talking to managers, networking within the organization and figuring out how to get things done.

At the same time, the best companies play an active role in encouraging and assisting their workers in that process.

This year’s Employees’ Choice Award recipients are clear proof of that.

“By working together, employers and their staff build better businesses,” Mr. Curran says. “It’s a win-win for everyone.”

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

BDO CONGRATULATES OUR SUCCESSFUL CFE WRITERS We are pleased to recognize our local professionals who passed the 2015 Common Final Examination (CFE). This is a significant step towards becoming a Chartered Professional Accountant in Canada. We salute you for your hard work and determination, and look forward to your further achievements as valuable members of our team.

People who know, know BDO.SM Assurance | Accounting | Tax | Advisory

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A Hundred Answers Decisive Technologies Grade A Martello Technologies MNP LLP Pleora Technologies ProntoForms RealDecoy Sciemetric You.i TV

L to R: Samuel Brouillard, Jonathan Bourgon, Patric Ranger, Frédéric Desnoyers

Ottawa 613 739 8221 www.bdo.ca

Manotick 613 692 3501

EMPLOYEES’ CHOICE AWARDS 2015-16 ‘One culture’ right answer for consulting firm

S

ince his company’s last Employees’ Choice Award two years ago, Sean Murphy has made a “fundamental change” to the way people and teams work at A Hundred Answers – and he’s glad to be recognized for it.

“In our last go-around at this, I framed the discussion as a bunch of communities within the organization that operate with different cultures,” says Mr. Murphy, managing principal and CEO of the management consulting and systems integration firm.

“The way we’ve evolved since the last time has been that we tried to do a better job creating one culture across the entire organization.”

In the past, a project would have remained the task of a specific team even The staff at A Hundred Answers does frequent community work. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON if not all the required expertise was there, he says. Now, it’s about bringing together to bring its staff together for fun and the company currently works with the people from different teams who fit the philanthropy.

Snowsuit Fund of Ottawa and the Kanata project’s required skill sets. That’s allowed Every month a team member is tasked Food Cupboard, sponsors the University the company to operate as a larger team with hosting an informal social event of Ottawa’s aboriginal student scholarship even on smaller projects, he says. for the company. And every quarter, the and participates in the Hope Volleyball “When we talk about celebrating firm picks a new initiative to be part of its Summerfest, the Terry Fox Marathon our wins ... we’re really celebrating as a corporate social responsibility program. of Hope and the Heart and Stroke company, and that’s something that’s In February, for example, employees Foundation’s Big Bike campaign. been quite transformational for us.” spent a day making sandwiches at the Mr. Murphy says his company lays out A Hundred Answers also uses frequent Ottawa Mission. a “transparent” expectations framework social events and community work In addition to the Ottawa Mission, and cultivates open communication

among its staff so that everyone knows what’s happening in the company – and can see what they need to do to succeed.

But when it comes to building a great workplace, the main reason it works as well as it does is because the people A Hundred Answers hires believe in what the company stands for, Mr. Murphy says.

“Our underlying philosophy is finding great people ... and having them continually engaged in the work that we do,” he says. “We’ve been able to attract and retain really good people that want to be part of that vision.”

– Adam Feibel

A HUNDRED ANSWERS Founded: 2009 Employees: 59 ECAs: 2 What it’s doing right: • Celebrating individual or team wins as an entire company • Maintaining a “transparent” expectations framework • Regularly participating in charity work for corporate social responsibility • Giving individual employees the lead on social events

‘Camaraderie’ key to Decisive’s success

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Decisive Technologies says it works hard to create a family feeling. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

feeling in the office.

“You hear a lot of laughter around here,” he says.

It’s an approach that goes beyond the firm’s Ottawa headquarters. Every year, Decisive Technologies brings in the staff from its satellite offices in Calgary, Halifax and Quebec City to take part in the company Christmas party.

Mr. Harrison says it’s just another way to keep building that team spirit.

– Jacob Serebrin

DECISIVE TECHNOLOGIES Founded: First started in 2001. The current management team joined the company in 2010, buying it out a year later. Most of the company’s growth has come since then.

Employees: 30 ECAs: 1 What it’s doing right: • Giving employees room for growth • Creating real team spirit

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Fostering professional growth is another big focus for Decisive Technologies.

Technical staff are given the opportunity to take any training programs they want, Mr. Harrison says. The goal is to create a team that can work for any company while creating an environment that will keep them at Decisive Technologies.

There’s also room for non-technical staff to develop their skill sets, he says.

People hired as receptionists have moved on to jobs in accounting and inside sales.

Investing in people just makes sense, Mr. Harrison says, because “our employees make us what we are.”

Creating a happy work environment in the office itself is also a priority.

“We try to make it a home away from home,” he says.

Decisive Technologies often hosts training programs for its customers. Mr. Harrison says that when people from other organizations stop by, they often ask if the company is hiring because of the

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

usinesses often talk about building a team. But Joey Harrison, the executive vice-president of sales and marketing at Decisive Technologies, says his company has actually done it.

“There’s a lot of camaraderie here,” he says.

Employees at the database solutions company are encouraged to work together, Mr. Harrison says, rather than in silos. Managers don’t have offices and instead work at desks among the staff, who are encouraged to provide input on business decisions.

The idea is to get employees to buy in to the company’s vision. Mr. Harrison says it’s working.

“I think everybody feels invested in (the company),” he says.

Employees even have a say in who gets hired.

“When we bring on new people, we want to make sure that they fit,” Mr. Harrison says.

The result, he says, is an office where “everybody genuinely gets along.”

EMPLOYEES’ CHOICE AWARDS 2015-16

Fussball games and paintball outings are just some of the “crazy stuff” that keeps employees smiling at Grade A. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

‘Weekly Huddle’ helps tech advisers make the grade

F

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

ifteen minutes a week can make a huge difference when it comes to ensuring employees are happy, engaged and, as a result, successful.

At least that’s the case at Grade A, where the so-called Weekly Huddle has been central to the IT service and support firm’s corporate culture. It is a 15-minute timeslot reserved each week to showcase employees’ accomplishments and kudos from clients, talk about current projects

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and potential new customers and keep everyone up-to-date on company news.

“Really, it’s a time to give them thanks for the hard work they do,” says Mat Lafrance, co-founder and president of Grade A. “Recognition is a big deal.”

Mr. Lafrance says that philosophy has paid major dividends.

In years when Grade A’s staffers were more than 95 per cent satisfied according to internal employee satisfaction surveys,

the company saw direct increases in customer referrals, he says. In 2015, for example, when employee satisfaction was at an all-time high, the company gained 43 per cent more new clients from referrals than they had gained the previous year.

To date, the company has created more than 350 service agreements and serviced more than 40,000 customers with its after-sales computer support and

technology advisement.

“Not only do you get your staff engaged, (but) your customers are happier, (and) they want to know the crazy stuff you’re doing. They like the story, and then they also spread that story,” says Mr. Lafrance.

Some of that “crazy stuff” has included paintball outings, rock climbing, squash, Friday evening video game sessions – and, of course, parties.

In the lunchroom every day, employees also see a big-screen TV that displays positive feedback they’ve gotten from clients recently.

“If you really want great customer service, your staff have to be completely engaged,” says Mr. Lafrance, adding that the firm’s corporate culture was modelled around Google’s human resources practices and philosophies.

The company now employs 52 people – up from 34 in 2013, when Grade A won its first and most recent Employees’ Choice Award. Two employees are marking their 10-year milestone in 2016.

Mr. Lafrance says that as the firm grows, it’s important to establish “clear and defined career paths,” so that every team member feels like they have a future with the company. That helps the employee and the company, he says, because the longer someone remains with Grade A, the better they get to know their customers and vice versa.

“At the end of the day, a happy, highperforming staff beats process and strategy any day,” Mr. Lafrance says.

– Adam Feibel

GRADE A Founded: 2002 Employees: 52 ECAs: 2 What it’s doing right: • Holding frequent employee appreciation and recognition events • Keeping staff happy and highly engaged • Establishing “clear and defined” career paths

EMPLOYEES’ CHOICE AWARDS 2015-16 Plenty of ‘energy’ at Martello

B

ruce Linton knows all too well the angst that can come with being in the software business.

Unlike car manufacturing, for example, it’s not always easy to stand back at the end of the day and say, “This is what I built.” The process happens in fits and starts, and it can be a long time, if ever, before an initial idea comes to fruition.

That why the president and CEO of Kanata’s Martello Technologies says providing employees with constant feedback is so important.

“Software is an abstract art,” says Mr. Linton, whose firm makes performance management software for Mitel unified communications systems. “You’re creating something that is difficult for most people to fully appreciate and understand what you’re working on. It’s very difficult to know,

Martello’s executives strive to keep customers in contact with company staff. FILE PHOTO

did I do a great job? Did I build something people need? Have I fulfilled some specific expectation?”

To that end, the company’s software engineers have “daily scrums” where they talk directly to clients to make sure Martello’s products are meeting their needs and find out what areas could be tweaked or upgraded.

While at many companies such discussions are theoretical, Mr. Linton says, “Ours are real. That’s what gives the energy to everybody.” It’s easier to create a positive work environment, he adds, if employees

are doing “real work for real end users.”

It must be working. Not only did Martello just receive its first Employees’ Choice Award, the company also topped OBJ’s list of Ottawa’s fastest-growing companies last spring, with three-year revenue growth of more than 600 per cent.

So while the firm does offer many of the typical perks of the tech world such as exercise programs and team social events, Mr. Linton says what really matters to Martello’s staff is that they are part of a dynamic organization that is delivering practical software solutions to thousands

of clients.

“Fifteen, 20 years ago, a lot of the work environment stimulus was intended to be that open kitchen and those things, which are all great,” he explains. “Those are nice, but it really is, at least for our sector … what (employees) are looking for is a place that isn’t just a concept but has actual traction. The charge in our atmosphere has been driven by getting over the hump and generating profit. That really is a positive thing in the workplace.”

He says the company’s success has sparked “a chain of events that results in meaningful work done for real clients in an environment that’s pleasant. I think all those things kind of went together quite well this year.”

– David Sali

MARTELLO TECHNOLOGIES Founded: 2009 Employees: 22 in Ottawa; 28 overall ECAs: 1 What they’re doing right: • Offering employees constant feedback • Making sure staff feel like they’re part of a growing success story with a significant upside

Expanding their horizons Potential has no peak The partners and principals of Collins Barrow Ottawa are pleased to congratulate the firm’s successful CFE (Common Final Examination) writers, Andrew Gaasenbeek and Caroline Beaudoin.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

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6697_CBOttawa_BusinessJournal_Final.indd 1

2016-02-08 1:11 PM

EMPLOYEES’ CHOICE AWARDS 2015-16 MNP ‘a happy place to be’ for staff

G

oing through a merger isn’t easy for any business, and it can often have a big impact on morale.

But that doesn’t seem to be a problem at MNP LLP’s Ottawa office, which is receiving an Employees’ Choice Award just 14 months after the company merged with well-known local accounting firm McLarty & Co. “It’s really gratifying to know that even though we went through a major transition, it has turned out really well for everyone, including all of our employees,” says Lynn Honsberger, a co-founder of McLarty & Co. and now a partner at the merged professional services firm.

She says much of that has to do with the similarities between MNP’s culture and the office’s culture before the merger, including shared values such as flexibility and building morale by having fun.

“One of MNP’s written values is ‘fun is important,’” Ms. Honsberger says.

Having fun is particularly important around tax time, she says. The office goes out for an activity to kick off the busy season and everyone takes a half-hour to an hour-long break every day to play a

equivalent to opportunity.”

The firm also offers flexible work hours, a popular perk with employees, Ms. Honsberger says. Staff can also bank overtime during the busy season and cash it in for long weekends and shorter workdays when business is quieter.

There are also a number of part-time employees who work a few days a week during much of the year or take the summers off but increase their hours during the busy season.

“It’s a real win-win,” Ms. Honsberger says. “We have more people when we need them the most and people who need to spend more with family can take time off.”

– Jacob Serebrin

MNP Founded: The office was founded as McLarty & Co. in 2003 and merged with smiling,” she says. “It’s a happy place to be.” MNP LLP at the end of 2014.

Merging with a company that has a Employees: About 50 in Ottawa presence across the country has also ECAs: 1 provided the staff with more room to What it’s doing right: grow in their careers, she adds.

• Creating an environment focused on “Because we’re now part of a larger fun and hard work firm that has more services offered, they • Providing flexibility to employees see more opportunities for themselves. who want to spend more time with And because we’re part of a firm that is their families during quieter times growing very fast, they see growth is really of the year

Shared values help keep morale high at MNP’s Ottawa office. PHOTO PROVIDED

game together.

“We know we’re going to be really busy over the next few months; let’s have fun doing it,” Ms Honsberger says.

In a profession where people tend to work by themselves at a computer, building that sense of community is particularly important.

“It’s the kind of environment where you walk around the office and people are

‘Transparency’ a source of pride for Pleora

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

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leora Technologies says employee engagement starts with giving workers all the information they need to succeed.

“I think what makes Pleora unique is how transparent we are with our employees, so they know exactly what’s going on,” says Jean Moss, the vicepresident of human resources at the video interface developer. “Transparency with respect to our financials, transparency with respect to our customers, the good, the bad and the ugly, we share all of that.”

It’s not just so employees know what’s happening at the firm, she says. It’s also about showing them they are helping to drive the company’s corporate strategy.

“As an executive team, we felt it was extremely important to share all of these things with the employees because they can have some fantastic ideas,” she says.

“If we’re not informing them of all these things, how could they come up with suggestions? So we figure, if we arm them with as much information as possible for them to be effective in their roles, but also to step outside that box and also bring ideas forward, that’s what innovation is all about.”

Ms. Moss says that level of transparency also helps encourage collaboration among employees, leading to new and better ways of doing things.

“Innovation isn’t just about innovative products, it’s also about innovative processes,” she explains.

For example, Pleora is currently implementing what it calls “workout sessions.” Pioneered by General Electric, these are meetings at which employees can bring up any problems they see in the organization, discuss possible solutions Pleora Technologies wants to ensure its employees are in the know. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON and present them to a senior executive who has to approve or reject them on the spot. decision to hire you. We’re going to Programs like this require the do everything possible to make you executive team to have a great deal of successful, and part of making you trust and confidence in its staff, Ms. Moss successful is that trust.” says. Consequently, the firm’s rigorous – Jacob Serebrin hiring process requires candidates with more than just a high level of technical PLEORA TECHNOLOGIES skill.

Founded: 2000 “If you don’t match our value set here, Employees: 62 we won’t hire you,” Ms. Moss says.

ECAs: 1 But once that hiring decision has been What it’s doing right: made, she says she likes to stick by it.

• Trusting its employees “We basically trust until proven • Encouraging them to bring forward otherwise,” she says. “We’ve made the new ideas and new processes

EMPLOYEES’ CHOICE AWARDS 2015-16 ProntoForms puts trust in its team

I

t might sound like a bit of a contradiction: a workplace where employees can rise quickly up the ranks of a company that takes pride in a relative lack of hierarchy.

But it’s a winning formula that works for ProntoForms.

The Ottawa-based mobile form solutions provider makes for an attractive employer, especially to young people, because it’s a rapidly growing firm in a fairly new industry sector, says Mark Scott, the company’s vice-president of marketing.

“You get to be autonomously responsible for important projects,” says Mr. Scott. “There’s a lot of trust put into our team.”

At the same time, it’s not a workplace that relies on pre-established procedure manuals and rigorously regimented employee-manager feedback rituals in order to guide employees through their careers, says the firm’s head of organization development, Elizabeth Walker.

“We’re not that kind of company. We’re a place where it’s like, ‘Welcome, join in.’

potential to assume senior roles fairly quickly, he says. But the company is also a welcome change for mid-career and more seasoned hires who are looking to get out of a larger firm and into a smaller one where they’ll have more input into decision-making, Mr. Scott adds.

Employees also know they’ll get to work alongside ProntoForms’ major business partners such as AT&T, Apple, Samsung and HTC, he says.

“The ability to work with top-10 global brands as part of the work that you do …

I think that’s another thing that attracts people who aspire to build a really strong portfolio,” he says. “That brand association is really valuable.”

– Adam Feibel

ProntoForms prefers to maintain an informal office atmosphere. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

PRONTOFORMS

… There’s a dynamism and an informality of it that just says, ‘You are now welcome here to shine.’ … We’re not stifling ideas based on hierarchy,” she says.

“We’ve seen some young people taking on responsibility that’s well beyond what they might have imagined and that they would ever have an opportunity (to do) at a larger company.”

Indeed, ProntoForms has done plenty

Founded: 2001 Employees: 79 ECAs: 1 What it’s doing right: • Trusts new employees with a high level of responsibility and opportunity • Listens to and implements good ideas regardless of position • Builds a staff that matches the energy of its dynamic founder

of hiring. When Ms. Walker joined the company in 2013, there were just a couple dozen people on the payroll. Now, its head count is pushing 80.

Mr. Scott says a good hire is able to match the energy and enthusiasm of ProntoForms CEO Alvaro Pombo, who founded the company in 2001.

Newly graduated and early career hires are attracted to ProntoForms by the

Doing good can be good for business Hydro Ottawa turns e-billing drive into CHEO fundraiser

H

17 Hydro Ottawa’s Go Paperless campaign raised $90,980 for the Max Keeping Fund for Kids at CHEO

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convenience and security of e-billing. The target was 100,000. Enrolment in the PreAuthorized Payment Plan also exceeded its target.

As a result, $90,980 was donated to the Max Keeping Fund for Kids. The Fund helps families cover medical expenses related to their child’s medical care, such as travel, lodging, or specialized treatment or equipment.

“Hydro Ottawa thought outside the box, and came up with the e-billing program that makes life more convenient for its customers while raising money for the families who need CHEO,” said Jacqueline Belsito, VP, Philanthropy & Community Engagement at the CHEO Foundation.

“When a company uses this type of forward thinking and integrates customer service with its fundraising efforts, the result is often a win-win for them and the children and youth at CHEO. This is definitely the case with Hydro Ottawa’s e-billing program and we can’t thank them enough for this commitment to CHEO.” When looking at how you can change your organization for the better, consider how you can encourage staff and customers to jump on board by supporting a worthy cause.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

ow can you benefit your business by benefitting the community?

Hydro Ottawa has found a way in its effort to reduce operational costs and paper waste by encouraging customers to switch to e-billing.

For the past three years, Hydro Ottawa has run its Go Paperless campaign. In the 2015 edition, which ran from AugustDecember of last year, the utility donated $5 to the Max Keeping Fund for Kids at CHEO for each customer who switched to e-billing. Hydro Ottawa even donated another $5 for each customer who also registered for the Pre-Authorized Payment Plan.

“It really was a win-win-win from our perspective,” said Bryce Conrad, President and CEO of Hydro Ottawa. “It helps us to cut our costs, it reduces our environmental impact, and the proceeds went directly to an organization that is the heart of this city.”

Given CHEO’s place in the hearts and minds of residents, it probably shouldn’t come as any surprise that the latest Go Paperless campaign was a runaway success. At the end of 2015, Hydro Ottawa had 102,007 customers, or about 31.5 per cent of its customer base, enjoying the

EMPLOYEES’ CHOICE AWARDS 2015-16 Culture of caring helps RealDecoy thrive

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ealDecoy says its corporate culture can be summed up in one word: caring.

“Caring sometimes gets the bad rap of being soft,” says Geoff Waddington, the company’s chairman and executive vicepresident. “It doesn’t mean that at all; it means that we treat each other with respect but we hold each other accountable and we work really hard at being the best we are.”

For the company, which helps major brands optimize their e-commerce, site search and online content operations, it’s a highly personal approach.

“We take into account that we’re hiring the whole person,” Mr. Waddington says.

“One of the challenges that I have is that a lot of traditional management is built around treating people as interchangeable cogs. Perhaps that was true at the turn of the (20th) century … but, for us, you take out a person and there’s a hole that can never be filled quite the same way.”

Giving employees an opportunity to learn and grow is a high priority at

RealDecoy.

“That’s the focus from the moment they arrive,” Mr. Waddington says.

“It carries on through their whole career.

We try to give people challenges in the work they do and we also have things such as a $1,200-a-year learning budget that people can spend on whatever they feel is going to advance their learning.”

It also helps to have employees who see the big picture, says Richard Isaac, the company’s president and CEO. “We are a great place to work because we have a very focused business vision.

Everybody in the company knows what we’re trying to achieve and where we’re trying to go,” he says.

He says that creating an environment where people are able to do interesting work and see their contributions actually make a difference for customers is also a big part of what drives employee satisfaction at the company.

“One of the things that’s really going to impact people’s morale and people’s

RealDecoy’s staff are focused, but also know how to have fun. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

happiness in their job is that they’re doing something that has significant impact on whoever they’re doing it for,” Mr. Isaac says.

“They need to be able to look at it and, at the end of the day when they go home, they need to be able to say, ‘I did the following things today and this is how it helped the business I work for move forward and this is how it helped my customers move forward and achieve greater things. And they couldn’t have done it without me.’”

– Jacob Serebrin

REALDECOY Founded: 2000 Employees: 80-100 ECAs: 3 What it’s doing right: • Valuing learning • Seeing employees as individuals and encouraging them to realize the value of their work

2015

MAYOR’S FARROW DREESSEN ARCHITECTS INC becomes

DREESSEN CARDINAL ARCHITECTS INC

POST-BUDGET BREAKFAST

Building on decades of experience and a spirit of innovation and collaboration, Toon Dreessen is pleased to announce the following evolutionary changes to the firm: Evelyne Cardinal, Steve Lajeunesse, and Derek Ruddy will join Toon as partners, and the firm will now be known as...

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?

Hear from the Finance Minister

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Bill Morneau

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Wednesday, March 23 2016 | 7:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.

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

Tickets available at ottawachamber.ca.

While our commitment to quality, service, timeless and creative architectural solutions remains the same, our firm’s leadership will change beginning February 1st, 2016. We look forward to sharing the evolution of our firm and our vision for excellence with all of our clients - past, current and future.

Visit architectsDCA.com to learn more about our firm, its partners, staff, and expertise.

15thannual

April 3prd 210na.dm& . - 4 .m. at EY Centre

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Ottawa’s Biggest & Best Kids Show / Expo SO MANY REASONS TO ATTEND • LEGENDARY CHILDREN’S ENTERTAINER FRED PENNER

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Kidsfest Ottawa supports our charity partner

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

THANK YOU TO OUR VALUED PARTNERS

19 OBJ.CA

EMPLOYEES’ CHOICE AWARDS 2015-16 ‘Nimble and responsive’ approach pays off

N

ew employees at Sciemetric Instruments might wonder at first whether the people who work there are having too much fun.

Whenever the Ottawa-based international firm’s marketing director, Linda Moran, introduces new hires, she tells them they could end up wondering what kind of funny business their colleagues will get up to next.

But she says that although jokes abound at the 35-year-old company, which deals in analysis, optimization and defect-detection technology for assembly lines in the manufacturing industry, it’s just the face of a workplace culture that’s built on peer support and personal development.

“There are a lot of jokes and funny stuff, but everybody’s always very helpful,” says Ms. Moran. “It’s a very open culture, Sciemetric. It’s a lot of fun. We have a lot of people who have worked there a long time, but we also have a lot of fresh blood to keep things interesting.”

She says the company makes sure to hire people who are passionate about what they do and then give those people a long rope to “explore beyond our traditional job line.”

Employees are encouraged to learn new skills from within the company, including information transfer sessions between departments, and also from outside courses for which the firm covers the costs.

“If there’s something that interests you, you are able to explore it,” says Ms.

via live streaming.

It’s a chance for staff to learn from each other’s presentations – which are mostly about work but also include some extracurricular activities such as a kickboxing demonstration, for example – and to meet with customers.

CEO Nathan Sheaff also holds a special session with newcomers on staff.

The company has a very low attrition rate, says Ms. Moran. She actually left Sciemetric for another opportunity after about five years with the company, but returned only two years later.

“That workplace culture brought me back,” she says.

– Adam Feibel

SCIEMETRIC INSTRUMENTS

Sciemetric Instruments gives staff plenty of training opportunities. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

Moran.

An exceptionally thin management layer, with very few vice-presidents, allows the company to be creative in how it does things, Ms. Moran says, and that attitude has made the company “nimble and responsive.” It’s what has propelled Sciemetric into becoming a small yet global company, she says, with offices in the United States, the United

Kingdom and India and a customer base that includes Ford, whose vehicles are all tested using Sciemetric’s technology.

The company’s main team-building event is SI Week, which brings staff together from around the world every year to share “professional, personal and technical knowledge,” says Ms. Moran.

Sciemetric flies in many employees to Ottawa, while others join in from abroad

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Empowering employees helps to drive growth at You.i TV

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hen Ian Durant joined You.i TV last July, he quickly realized it wasn’t your typical tech company.

“What struck me about working here is just the positivity and everybody being passionate about what they do,” says Mr. Durant, an HR business partner at the fast-growing Ottawa firm, which specializes in designing user interface software for clients such as Adobe and Sony. “I think that’s been a big part of our success so far.”

You.i founder Jason Flick has been involved in nearly a dozen startups in his career and has come to learn that “great technology, great market opportunities and great location don’t matter nearly as much as having the right people on the

bus,” Mr. Durant says.

To that end, You.i covers all the bases when hiring, something it’s been doing a lot of lately in a growth spurt that has seen the firm double its head count to more than 130 over the past year.

Every hire is initially screened by a group of about nine staffers that includes technical experts and people who are well-versed in the company’s culture.

Recruiters then chat with potential job candidates over the phone before further interviews are conducted via Skype.

Finalists are brought in for face-to-face discussions with managers and experts from within the department as well as another supervisor from a different division in an effort to bring as many perspectives as possible to the process.

Founded: 1981 Employees: 55 in Ottawa; more than 100 worldwide ECAs: 1 What it’s doing right: • Offering strong peer support and opportunity for internal and external learning • Maintaining a thin middlemanagement layer • Encouraging employees to explore beyond their job descriptions

do have input into a lot of things.”

Once a month, the company’s senior management team gathers all the employees together to discuss You.i’s progress “right down to sharing financial results,” Mr. Durant says. “That’s not something you see very often at a private “A big philosophy of ours is hire slow company. A lot of companies would and fire fast,” Mr. Durant says. be worried about people sharing that Once employees are on the job, they information outside the walls, but I think are given every opportunity to offer input there’s an inherent trust there. I think and suggestions on everything from that’s really important.” how a product can be better designed Of course, life at You.i isn’t all work to how it should be marketed, he says. and no play. A staff member offers free Mr. Flick encourages staff to contact yoga sessions at the office every couple him personally via instant messaging or of weeks, while the company’s active e-mail, and he usually responds within social committee regularly hosts events an hour or two, Mr. Durant says. such as video and board game nights and “A lot of companies say that they team-bonding sessions at venues like the want that (input), but then when the Funhaven entertainment centre. ideas float up to the top, they either get Last fall, the firm celebrated ignored or they never get put into place,” Oktoberfest with beer, German sausages he adds. “Here that’s not the case. The and an oompah band (naturally). And empowerment aspect of it is huge. You when Star Wars: The Force Awakens hit have people who are right at the bottom theatres in December, You.i treated every of the totem pole, so to speak, who really employee and a guest to a ticket at the

EMPLOYEES’ CHOICE AWARDS 2015-16 first screening.

“That was kind of cool,” says Mr. Durant, who estimated more than 100 staff showed up to catch the latest instalment in the Star Wars saga. “At the end of the day, it was an expense, for sure, but it was well worth it in terms of the goodwill that we got.”

Company employees even get trophies and T-shirts when a major project they’re involved in is completed. It’s all part of a continuous effort to ensure everyone at You.i knows how integral they are to the firm’s growing list of accomplishments.

“We try and celebrate success as much as possible,” Mr. Durant says.

– David Sali

YOU.I TV Founded: 2008 Employees: 134 ECAs: 1 What it’s doing right: • Encouraging employee input and interaction with top-level executives • Hiring people who are a good fit with company culture • Offering regular social events such as game nights, movie outings

CEO Jason Flick (far right) leads an ever-growing team of employees at You.i TV, one of Ottawa’s hottest tech firms. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

HURRY! NOMINATE ONLINE TODAY! Online nominations close on Thursday, March 31, 2016

Visit fortyunder40.ca for more information!

#Ott40

Are you under the age of 40 and a business achiever in Ottawa?

It’s your time to shine!

Nominations are now open

FORTY UNDER

We’re looking for 40 young leaders who exemplify business success, professional expertise, and community giving.

NOMINATE YOUR COLLEAGUE. NOMINATE A CLIENT. NOMINATE YOUR SPOUSE. NOMINATE YOURSELF! (There is no disadvantage to self-nomination; nominees are encouraged to participate in the process)

21 OBJ.CA

2016 SPONSORS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

for the 2016 Forty Under 40 awards

THE LIST Company/Address/ Phone/Fax/Web

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

University of Ottawa – Telfer School of Management 55 Laurier Ave. E. Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 613-562-5731 / 613-562-5164 telfer.uOttawa.ca Collège La Cité 801 Aviation Pky Ottawa, ON K1K 4R3 613-742-2483 / 613-742-2479 collegelacite.ca Algonquin College Corporate Training 1110-340 Albert St. Ottawa, ON K1R 7Y6 613-727-7729 / 613-232-2065 algonquincollege.com/corporate Algonquin College School of Business 1385 Woodroffe Ave. Ottawa, ON K2G 1V8 613-727-4723 / 613-727-7790 algonquincollege.com Sprott School of Business, Carleton University 810 Dunton Tower, 1125 Colonel By Dr. Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6 613-520-2388 / 613-520-4427 sprott.carleton.ca Willis College of Business, Technology & Healthcare 85 O’Connor St. Ottawa, ON K1P 5M6 613-233-1128 williscollege.com Herzing College East / Herzing College West 408-1200 St. Laurent Blvd.

1825 Woodward Dr. Ottawa, ON K1K 3B8 / K2C OP9 613-742-8099 / 613-742-8336 herzing.ca/ottawa

No. of students trained locally (2015)

LARGEST BUSINESS SCHOOLS (RANKED BY NO. OF STUDENTS TRAINED IN 2015)

No. of local employees or faculty

Key local executive(s)

On-site training?/ Custom rates?

Major clients

Areas of specialization Accounting; finance; human resources; management; MIS and analytics; marketing; finance, business analytics, entrepreneurship and innovation, management consulting; executive MBA; MHA; executive education; joint MBA and law programs; PhD in management

Y

Federal government departments and agencies; Canadian Police Association; The Ottawa Hospital; Champlain LHIN; not-forprofit organizations; private sector companies

6,485

212

Francois Julien dean

5500

1270

Lise Bourgeois president

Y N

Finance; marketing; business administration; fastHRSDC; Montfort Hospital; Hawkesbury Gentrack programs; continuing education; nursing; eral Hospital; Ottawa International Airport; City police services; culinary arts; skilled trades and of Ottawa; CMHC; Federal government apprenticeship

4500

60

Hugh Wright (manager of corporate training)

Y Y

Federal, provincial and municipal governments; Business; defence; construction; environmental and private sector; not-for-profit organizations. facility management; public safety and security

3600

150

Dave Donaldson dean

Y Y

Post-secondary students; business and industry

85

Jerry Tomberlin dean

Y y

Alcatel-Lucent; Bell Canada; Canada Border Services Agency; CHEO; CIBC; City of Ottawa; IBM Canada; Ottawa Police Services; Public Health Agency of Canada; Public Works and Government Services Canada; RCMP

28

Rima Aristocrat president

Y Y

Cyber and network security; mobile software Sophos; Fortinet; Check Point; federal, provin- developer; executive business administration; cial and municipal governments; private sector; bookkeeping; accounting; payroll; finance; human not-for-profit organizations resources; entrepreneurship; marketing; social media; OHS; business skills for IT professionals

25

Dave McCormick campus president

Y Y

Medical Pharmacies Group Ltd.; Computers for Schools program at Industry Canada; Fortinet; Innovapost; CIBC; Nova Networks; Bairn Croft Business; technology; healthcare; legal Residential Services; Ottawa Heart Institute; Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre

2800

295

285

THE LIST THE LIST

Business administration; accounting; materials and operations; marketing; HR; international. Applied degree: e-business supply chain; law clerk; office administration; accounting; SME; sport business; market/business intelligence Bachelors of commerce and international business; MBA; Master of accounting; PhD in management; co-op, internships; employer services; entrepreneurship; management research; executive and professional development programs

LARGEST BUSINESS TRAINERS LARGEST LARGEST BUSINESS BUSINESS SCHOOLS SCHOOLS (RANKED BY NO. OF STUDENTS TRAINED IN 2015)

(RANKED BY NO. OF STUDENTS TRAINED IN 2015) (RANKED (RANKEDBY BYNO. NO.OF OFSTUDENTS STUDENTSTRAINED TRAINEDIN IN2015) 2015) (RANKED BY NO. OF STUDENTS TRAINED IN 2015)

On-site No. of local No. of students training?/ No. of On-site Company/Address/ employees or trained locally Custom No. of On-site No.of of On-site No. On-site students No. of local training?/ Phone/Fax/Web faculty (2015) Key local executive(s) training?/ rates?

Major clients Areas of specialization students No. students No.of oflocal local training?/ students No. of local training?/ Company/Address/ trained employees or Custom Company/Address/ trained employees or Custom Company/Address/ trained employees or Custom Company/Address/ trained employees or Custom Phone/Fax/Web locally (2015) faculty Key local executive(s) rates?

Major clients Areas of specialization Learning Tree International Sue executive(s) Armstrong Y Federal and provincial government deCorporate, instructor-led training for IT professionals Phone/Fax/Web locally (2015) faculty Key rates?

Major clients Areas of Phone/Fax/Web locally62 (2015) faculty Keylocal local executive(s) rates?

Major clients Areas ofspecialization specialization Phone/Fax/Web locally (2015) faculty Key local executive(s) rates?

Major clients Areas of specialization 2300-160 Elgin St. vice-president of sales and Y partments; Canadian financial institutions; and managers.

More than 180 courses in topics such University of Ottawa – Accounting; finance; human resources; management; University of Ottawa – University of Ottawa – Ottawa, ONofK2P 2N8 –/ 613-237-4588 marketing telecommunications; technologyand firms as project management, Agile, communication skills, University Ottawa Telfer School of Management Federal government departments Accounting; fi human resources; management; Accounting; finance; nance; human resources; management; Accounting; fi nance; human resources; management; MIS and analytics; marketing; fiSQL nance, business anaTelfer School of Management Federal government departments and Telfer School of Management Federal government departments and learningtree.ca ITILand certifi cation,marketing; SharePoint, server, IT security Telfer School ofE.Management Federal government departments and The 55 Laurier Ave. Francois Julien agencies; Canadian Police Association; MIS analytics; fi nance, business anaMIS and analytics; marketing; fi nance, business anaMIS and analytics; marketing; fi nance, business ana6,485 212 Y lytics, entrepreneurship and innovation, management 55 Laurier Ave. E. Francois Julien agencies; Canadian Police Association; The 55 Laurier Ave. E. Francois Julien agencies; Canadian Police Association; The and big data.

55 Laurier Francois Julien agencies; Canadian Police Association; The Ottawa, ONAve. K1NE. 6N5 dean Ottawa Hospital; Champlain LHIN; not-for6,485 212 Y lytics, entrepreneurship and innovation, management 6,485 212 lytics, entrepreneurship andMHA; innovation, management 6,485 212 YY lytics, entrepreneurship and innovation, management consulting; executive MBA; executive education; Ottawa, 6N5 dean Ottawa Hospital; Ottawa,ON ONK1N K1N 6N5 dean Ottawa Hospital;Champlain Champlain LHIN;not-fornot-forOttawa, ON K1N 6N5 dean Ottawa Hospital; Champlain LHIN; not-for613-562-5731 / 613-562-5164 profi t organizations; privateLHIN; sector companies consulting; executive MBA; education; consulting; executive MBA;MHA; MHA; executive education; consulting; executive MBA; MHA; executive education; joint MBAplanning/mapping; and law programs; PhDexecutive in management 613-562-5731 / 613-562-5164 profi t organizations; private sector companies 613-562-5731 / 613-562-5164 profi t organizations; private sector companies MCO Business Group Inc. 30 2000 Richard Bett Y WND Career outplacement transition/ 613-562-5731 / 613-562-5164 profit organizations; private sector companies joint telfer.uOttawa.ca MBA and law programs; PhD in management joint MBA and law programs; PhD in management joint MBAmanagement; and law programs; PhD inplanning; management telfer.uOttawa.ca telfer.uOttawa.ca 880 Taylor Creek Dr. president Y change retirement team telfer.uOttawa.ca Collège La Cité Ottawa,La ONCité K1C 1T1 / 613-728-5298 building;marketing; leadership;business time management; communicaFinance; administration; fastCollège Collège La Cité Collège La Cité 801 Aviation Pky HRSDC; Montfort Hospital; Hawkesbury GenFinance; marketing; business administration; fastFinance; marketing; business administration; fastmco.ca tion;programs; confl ict; work/life balance; diversity; harassment; Finance; marketing; business administration; fastLise Bourgeois Y track continuing education; nursing; 801 Aviation Pky HRSDC; Montfort Hospital; Hawkesbury Gen801 Aviation Pky4R3 HRSDC; Montfort Hospital; Hawkesbury Gen801 Aviation Pky HRSDC; Montfort Hospital; Hawkesbury GenOttawa, ON K1K 5500 1270 eral Hospital; Ottawa International Airport; City track Lise Bourgeois Y programs; continuing education; nursing; Lise Bourgeois Y track programs; continuing education; nursing; coaching; talent management; project management Lisepresident Bourgeois YN track programs; continuing education; nursing; police services; culinary arts; skilled trades and Ottawa, ON K1K 4R3 5500 1270 eral Hospital; Ottawa International Airport; City Ottawa, ON K1K 4R3 5500 1270 eral Hospital; Ottawa International Airport; City Ottawa, ON K1K 4R3 5500 1270 eral Hospital; Ottawa International Airport; City police 613-742-2483 / 613-742-2479 of Ottawa; CMHC; Federal government president N president policeservices; services;culinary culinaryarts; arts;skilled skilledtrades tradesand and president NN police services; culinary arts; skilled trades and apprenticeship 613-742-2483 of 613-742-2483///613-742-2479 613-742-2479 ofOttawa; Ottawa;CMHC; CMHC;Federal Federalgovernment government 613-742-2483 613-742-2479 of Ottawa; CMHC; Federal government collegelacite.ca apprenticeship apprenticeship Performance Management Consultants 30 5000 Dan Hamilton Y Federal, provincial and municipal governInterpersonal skills; oral and written communications; apprenticeship collegelacite.ca collegelacite.ca collegelacite.ca 109-858 Bank St. Corporate Training vice-president Y ments; Crown corporations and agencies; management development; leadership; project and Algonquin College Algonquin College Corporate Training Algonquin College Corporate Training Ottawa, ON K1SSt. 3W3 / 613-569-1333 non-profits and NGOs; high tech; manufactu- event management; performance management; Algonquin College Corporate Training 1110-340 Albert Hugh Wright (manager of Y Federal, provincial and municipal governments; Business; defence; construction; environmental and 1110-340 Albert St. 1110-340 Albert St. pmctraining.com ring; transportation; retail; health care organizational development; change management; 1110-340 Albert Ottawa, ON K1RSt. 7Y6 4500 60 Hugh Wright Y Federal, provincial and governments; Business; defence; construction; environmental Hugh Wright(manager (manager of Y Federal, provincial andmunicipal municipal governments; Business; defence; construction; environmental and Hugh Wright (manager of YY Federal, provincial and municipal governments; Business; defence; construction; environmental and corporate training) of private sector; not-for-profi t organizations. facility management; public safety and security and Ottawa, 7Y6 4500 60 Ottawa,ON ONK1R K1R 7Y6 4500 60 customer service; administrative human Ottawa, ON K1R 7Y6 4500 60 613-727-7729 / 613-232-2065 corporate Y private facility management; public and corporatetraining) training) privatesector; sector;not-for-profi not-for-profitttorganizations. organizations. facility management; publicsafety safetyskills; andsecurity security corporate training) YY private sector; not-for-profi organizations. facility management; public safety and security 613-727-7729 / 613-232-2065 613-727-7729 / 613-232-2065 resources; personal effectiveness 613-727-7729 / 613-232-2065 algonquincollege.com/corporate algonquincollege.com/corporate algonquincollege.com/corporate algonquincollege.com/corporate Algonquin College School of Business Business administration; accounting; materials and Intersol Group Ltd. 27 275 Marc Valois Y WND Behavioural interviewing; customer materials service; Algonquin College School of Business Business administration; accounting; and Algonquin College School of Business Business administration; accounting; materials and Algonquin College Business administration; accounting; materials and 1385 Woodroffe Ave.School of Business operations; marketing; HR; international.

Applied 300-205 Catherine St. president and CEO facilitativemarketing; leadership; group facilitation;Applied leadersDave Donaldson YY Post-secondary students; business and 1385 Woodroffe operations; HR; international.

1385 Woodroffe Ave. operations; marketing; HR; international.

Applied 1385 Woodroffe Ave. operations; marketing; HR; international.

Applied Ottawa, ON K2GAve. 1V8 3600 150 degree: e-business supply chain; law clerk; office Dave Donaldson Y Post-secondary students; business and Dave Donaldson Y Post-secondary students; business and K2P1V8 1C3 / 613-567-1504 Dave Donaldson YY Post-secondary students; business and hip communications; leading change; managing dean industry Ottawa, 3600 150 degree: e-business supply chain; clerk; offi Ottawa,ON ONK2G K2G 1V8 3600 150 degree: e-business supply chain; law clerk; office ce Ottawa, ON K2G 1V8 3600 150 degree: e-business supply chain; law clerk; offi ce 613-727-4723 / 613-727-7790 administration; accounting; SME;law sport business; dean Y industry dean industry intersol.ca //613-727-7790 dean YY industry employee performance; project management; 613-727-4723 administration; accounting; SME; 613-727-4723 613-727-7790 administration; accounting; SME;sport sportbusiness; business;online 613-727-4723 / 613-727-7790 administration; accounting; SME; sport business; algonquincollege.com market/business intelligence collaboration; strategic and operational planning algonquincollege.com market/business intelligence algonquincollege.com market/business intelligence algonquincollege.com market/business intelligence Sprott School of Business, Carleton University Alcatel-Lucent; Bell Canada; Canada Border Bachelors of commerce and international business; Sprott School of Carleton Alcatel-Lucent; Bell Canada; Canada of and international business; Sprott School ofBusiness, Business, Carleton University Alcatel-Lucent; Bell Canada; Canada Border Bachelors ofcommerce commerce anddevelopment; international business; Sprott School of Business, Carleton University Alcatel-Lucent; Bell Canada; Canada Border Bachelors of commerce and international business; 810 Dunton 1125 Colonel

By Dr. University Services CHEO; CIBC; City ofBorder Ottawa; Bachelors MBA; Master of accounting; PhD in management; Institute ofTower, Professional Management 25 Nathaly Pinchuk Y WND Agency; Management training and HR manageJerry Tomberlin Y 810 Dunton Tower, 1125 Colonel Services Agency; CHEO; CIBC; City Ottawa; Master of PhD in management; 810 Dunton Tower, 1125 ColonelBy ByDr. Dr. Services Agency; CHEO; CIBC; Cityof ofPublic Ottawa; MBA; MBA; Master ofaccounting; accounting; PhD management; 810 Dunton Tower, 1125 By Dr. Services Agency; CHEO; CIBC; City of Ottawa; MBA; Master of accounting; PhD inin management; Ottawa, ONAmbleside K1S 5B6 2800 85 IBM Canada; Ottawa Police Services; co-op, internships; employer services; 2210-1081 Dr.Colonel executive director Y ment; recruitment; supervisory; assessment; trainer Jerry Tomberlin Y Jerry Tomberlin Jerry Tomberlin YY dean y Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6 2800 85 IBM Canada; Ottawa Police Services; Public co-op, internships; employer services; Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6 2800 85 IBM Canada; Ottawa Police Services; Public co-op, internships; employer services; Ottawa, 2800 85 IBM Canada; Ottawa PolicePublic Services; Public co-op, internships; employer 613-520-2388 / 5B6 613-520-4427 Health Agency of Canada; Works and entrepreneurship; management research; executive Ottawa,ON ONK1S K2B 8C8 / 613-721-5850 accreditation programs andservices; courses dean y dean dean yy 613-520-2388 / 613-520-4427 Health Agency of Canada; Public Works and entrepreneurship; management research; executive 613-520-2388 / 613-520-4427 Health Agency of Canada; Public Works and entrepreneurship; management research; executive 613-520-2388 Health Agency of Canada; Public Works and entrepreneurship; managementprograms research; executive sprott.carleton.ca Government Services Canada; RCMP and professional development workplace.ca / 613-520-4427 sprott.carleton.ca Government and sprott.carleton.ca GovernmentServices ServicesCanada; Canada;RCMP RCMP andprofessional professionaldevelopment developmentprograms programs sprott.carleton.ca Government Services Canada; RCMP and professional development programs Willis College of Business, Cyber and network security; mobile software Priority Management 12 2600 Paul Yuck Y Federal and provincial government agencies Tools, techniques and training solutions to enhance Willis College of Business, Willis College ofBusiness, Business, Willis College Technology & of Healthcare Cyber mobile software Cyberand andnetwork networksecurity; security; mobile software Cyber and network software Sophos; Fortinet; Check Point; federal, provindeveloper; executive business administration; 301-11 Rosemount Ave. and departments; Export Development Caproductivity in thesecurity; areas ofmobile priority and workload Technology &&St. Healthcare Technology Healthcare Technology & Healthcare 85 O’Connor Rimapresident Aristocrat YY Sophos; Fortinet; Point; provindeveloper; business administration; Sophos; Fortinet;Check Check Point;federal, federal, provindeveloper;executive executive business administration; Sophos; Fortinet; Check Point; federal, provindeveloper; executive business administration; 295 28 cial and municipal governments; private sector; bookkeeping; accounting; payroll; fi nance; human Ottawa, ON K1Y 4R8 / 613-729-7814 nada; Home Depot; McDonald’s Restaurants; management, project, sales, customer service, nego85 O’Connor St. Rima Aristocrat Y 85O’Connor O’Connor St.5M6 Rima Aristocrat 85 St. Rima Aristocrat YYY Ottawa, ON K1P president 295 28 cial governments; accounting; fi human 295 28 cialand andmunicipal municipal governments;private privatesector; sector; bookkeeping; bookkeeping; accounting;payroll; payroll; nance; human 295 28 cial and municipal governments; private sector; accounting; payroll; fifinance; nance; human not-for-profi t and organizations resources; entrepreneurship; marketing; social media; prioritymanagement.com/ottawa VHA Home HealthCare; Canadian Nuclear bookkeeping; tiation, communication and strategic planning.

Ottawa, ON president Y Ottawa, ONK1P K1P5M6 5M6 president Ottawa, ON K1P 5M6 president YY 613-233-1128 not-for-profi t organizations resources; entrepreneurship; marketing; social media; not-for-profi t organizations resources; entrepreneurship; marketing; social media; not-for-profi t organizations entrepreneurship; marketing; social media; OHS; business skills for IT professionals Laboratories; TVO; VitalAire; Circle du Soleil resources; 613-233-1128 613-233-1128 613-233-1128 williscollege.com OHS; OHS;business businessskills skillsfor forIT ITprofessionals professionals OHS; business skills for IT professionals williscollege.com williscollege.com williscollege.com Herzing Akendi College East / Herzing College West 6 400 Shaun Illingworth Y Government; technology; media; wireless;for User experience research; user experience design; Medical Pharmacies Group Ltd.; Computers Herzing College East Herzing College West Herzing College East///Herzing HerzingCollege CollegeWest West Herzing College East 408-1200 St. Laurent Medical Pharmacies Group Computers for Medical Pharmacies GroupLtd.; Ltd.; Computers for GUI design; usability testing 2-375 Richmond Rd. Blvd. partner and managing Y financial; serviceatproviders Medical Pharmacies Group Ltd.; Computers for Schools program Industry Canada; Fortinet; 408-1200 St. Laurent Blvd.

408-1200 St.Laurent Laurent Blvd.

408-1200 St. Blvd.

1825 Woodward Dr. Dave McCormick Y Schools Industry Canada; Fortinet; Schoolsprogram program at Industry Canada; Fortinet; Ottawa, ON K2A 0E7 director Schools program at Industry Canada; Fortinet; 285 25 Business; technology; healthcare; legal Innovapost; CIBC;at Nova Networks; Bairn Croft 1825 Woodward Dr. Dave Y 1825Woodward Woodward Dr. / K2C OP9 DaveMcCormick McCormick Y 1825 Dr. Dave McCormick Y Ottawa, ON K1K 3B8 campus president Y 285 25 Innovapost; CIBC; Networks; Croft 285 25 Innovapost;Services; CIBC;Nova Nova Networks; Bairn Croft Business; Business;technology; technology;healthcare; healthcare;legal legal akendi.ca 285 25 Innovapost; CIBC; Nova Networks; Bairn Croft Business; technology; healthcare; legal Residential Ottawa HeartBairn Institute; Ottawa, campus Y Ottawa,ON ONK1K K1K 3B8///K2C K2COP9 OP9 campuspresident president Ottawa, ON K1K 3B8 K2C OP9 campus president YY 613-742-8099 / 3B8 613-742-8336 Residential Services; Ottawa Heart Institute; Residential Services; Ottawa Heart Institute; Residential Services; Ottawa Heart Perley and Rideau Veterans’ HealthInstitute; Centre 613-742-8099 613-742-8099///613-742-8336 613-742-8336 613-742-8099 613-742-8336 herzing.ca/ottawa Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre herzing.ca/ottawa herzing.ca/ottawa herzing.ca/ottawa WND = Would not disclose.

Should your company be on this list? If so, please send details to research@obj.ca This list is current as of February 25, 2016. © 2016 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 attempt to gather information of relevance to the Ottawa market.

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

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THE LIST

LARGEST LARGEST BUSINESS BUSINESS TRAINERS TRAINERS (RANKED BY NO. OF STUDENTS TRAINED IN 2015)

FOR THE RECORD People on the move

REAL ESTATE

recognizes organizations for their workplace diversity and inclusion programs. The winners are selected by editors at Mediacorp Canada, who judge municipalities for their commitment to reflect the diversity of their communities in their workforces.

Kyle Van Schie has joined Soloway Wright LLP as a litigation lawyer in the firm’s employment, labour and public law, commercial litigation, insurance law and personal injury practice groups. Mr. Van Schie completed his Juris Doctor at the University of Ottawa.

FOR SALE:

Gas bar, restaurant, convenience store, 3 apartments, prime corner location, 1.45 Acres., 14,000 Cars per day, asking $999,999.00

Richard Quigley has been given a 12-month contract to be the first managing director of the Innovation Centre at Bayview Yards. Mr. Quigley brings 20 years of business experience to the role.

Dun & Bradstreet announced the appointment of Dan Scharf to the position of account executive, federal government. Mr. Scharf has more than 30 years of experience in sales and service of knowledge management, business intelligence and technology, primarily to the federal government.

Hats off

Bruce Hudson, Sales Representative 1-613-276-7012 Coldwell Banker Rhodes & Company Brokerage Joshua Reyes, owner of LVD Fitness and a student at Carleton University, has been named the 2016 Ontario champion in Enactus Canada’s student entrepreneur awards. Enactus Canada is a Canadian student leadership development organization.

Dominic Thomas, vice-president of business consulting for Kinaxis, has been selected by Supply & Demand Chain Executive magazine as a 2016 Provider Pro to Know.

The award recognizes executives from supply chain service providers who are helping prepare companies for the supply chain challenges of today’s business climate.

EFFICIENT FRENCH WITH ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE New Sessions Start: March 7 & 14, 2016 GROUP CLASSES PRIVATE COURSES AT YOUR CONVENIENCE ONLINE COURSES Non-profit organisation and official language test centre since 1905.

REGISTER NOW: www.af.ca/ottawa | 613-234-9470

Ottawa Business Events, a partnership between the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Chamber Of Commerce, is pleased to announce the appointment of Don Mersereau as Vice­President, Sponsorship and Sales.

Don’s background includes more than 30 years in Sales, Sales Management and Sales Training. Additionally, he has spent many years as an entrepreneur and highly successful restaurateur. He has worked in a wide range of industries throughout his career including heavy equipment, financial services, real estate and waste management. While running his sales training firm he had the opportunity to work with companies of all sizes from startups to Fortune 100. In that role, he travelled extensively throughout North America and Europe.

Most recently, Don was in the role of Senior Vice President of Sales at the Ottawa Business Journal. He now joins Chantal Calderone, Director of Operations, and Karlen Herauf, Senior Manager, at Ottawa Business Events, where he looks forward to continuing work with his many contacts as well as making new ones.

Don can be reached by phone at 613.236.7029 x 124 or email at don@ottawabusinessevents.ca.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

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Clearford Water Systems has been ranked in the top 10 in the clean technology and life sciences sector on the TSX Venture Exchange 50.

This ranking recognizes a group of top market performers from among the 1,791 companies listed on the Toronto Venture Exchange as of Dec. The Ottawa chapter of the 31, 2015.

International Association of Business Communicators Halogen Software has received took home two honours at the two awards from Canada’s Top 100 association’s 2016 Chapter Employers recognition program.

Management Awards. In addition to The company was named a 2016 an award of merit in professional Top Employer for Young People and development, IABC Ottawa also one of the National Capital Region’s accepted an award of excellence in Top Employers for cultivating an community involvement. exceptional workplace culture and applying forward-thinking human Janice McDonald, president of resource initiatives. the Beacon Agency, has been awarded the 2016 Chair’s Award Emil Petriu of the School of of Distinction by Women in Electrical Engineering and Communications and Technology, Computer Science at the while Pythian CEO Paul Vallée has University of Ottawa has been been named the organization’s awarded the Synergy Award for Diversity Champion of the Year.

Innovation in the category of small The awards recognize leaders and and medium-sized companies for his achievers in the digital economy work with longtime industry partner for their efforts to advance and Larus Technologies. The award, inspire women in technology and presented by the Natural Sciences communications. and Engineering Research Council of Canada, recognizes university and For the fifth consecutive year, the industry collaborations that stand City of Ottawa has been named as examples of best practices of one of Canada’s best diversity effective partnerships. employers in a competition that

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SMART MONEY MOVES FAST Own for Less, Rent for More.

Taking a wait-and-see approach to investing in Capital Hall condominium near Carleton University will cost you. Ottawa’s 2015 fastest selling condominium is riding the wave of demand for quality student housing. If you act quickly you can still take advantage of this emerging real estate opportunity.

F

rom leading Ottawa developer Ashcroft Homes, Capital Hall is a text book study in higher return: furnished condominiums with amenities designed for studying, lounge, 24-hour concierge, housekeeping services, bike storage, ground floor retail zone with grocery, coffee shop and more. Capital Hall is located in Little Italy a short 4 minute O-Train ride to Carleton University, closest of any available condominium.

Studies show students will pay more for better amenities and the best location demands the highest rents. Capital Hall gets top marks on both key criteria,

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Class Notes:

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• Turnkey Investment • Property Management • 3-Year Set Rental Rate Assurance • Fully Furnished • Cleaning Services • 24-Hour Concierge • Close to University Campus • Experienced Developer

probably why this opportunity is going fast.

Investors are attracted by the security of owning real estate with a steady base of demand.

With the growth of university enrolments, as well as the increase in international students studying in Ontario, student targeted condos have become hot properties, particularly for real estate investors. Many student housing projects offer complete rental and property management on site, making the investment totally hands-off, perfect for busy or out-of-town investors.

Fully furnished condominiums

179990

$

from

RENTAL & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT INCLUDED BY

Market watchers note that this is one segment that allows the individual investor to realize institutional level stability and returns, two major upsides. That is not to say that institutional funds aren’t investing in the student-aimed real estate market along with individual investors, ensuring growth. Last year, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board invested over $2.4 billion in UK student focused residences and has established a proprietary rental gateway organization, reportedly planning to focus on growing this market in the UK over the foreseeable future. This January 2016, it was announced that the CPPIB has formed a joint venture to purchase $1.4 billion in US student housing to the tune of 13,000 beds across 18 communities with 4 more in development.

Canada is a highly desirable destination for the huge numbers of international students from China and South Asia seeking to obtain foreign degrees. Their parents with resources insist on quality accommodation as well as on-site safety for their child.

The student housing trend is not projected to abate anytime soon.

All the key factors are in place for success; built-in, renewing,

medium-term, necessary, and recession-proof rental demand backed by high quality educated tenants often backed by family or government financial support.

Why Carleton University Students need Capital Hall With just 3,600 residence beds on campus for about 28,000 Carleton students, competition is fierce. Carleton University’s campus is essentially on an island, making this the only major North American University with this unique geographical constraint. This leads to an average commute of 25 minutes for Carleton students struggling between substandard rentals and classes through Ottawa winters.

Capital Hall is located at 101 Champagne Avenue South, an easy 4-minute commute to Carleton University. A direct outdoor path leads from the building to the new O-Train for a fast one-stop ride to the campus - with free train passes included with Carleton tuition.

Download a FREE Student Condo Buyers Guide

CapitalHallCondos.com