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Stories and photos by Caroline Phillips
EVENT
Family businesses feted at Arnie Vered Dinner
MONDAY, MAY 22, 2017
While we’ve all heard stories about family businesses gone bad (think McCain Foods and its bitter succession feud), family-owned firms are the bedrock of communities and the backbone of economies. They were also the focus of a celebratory dinner held at the Château Laurier on May 6 and presented by Family Enterprise Xchange (FEX) Ottawa. The second annual event is named in honour of Arnie Vered, a revered community leader who was also president of his family’s property development and management company, Arnon Corp. Sadly, Vered lost his 15-month battle against pancreatic cancer in July 2014, leaving behind his wife, Elizabeth, and their six children (one of the daughters, Ariel Vered, led the dinner guests in a toast). Some 160 attendees filled the Laurier Room for a four-course dinner, emceed by prominent broadcaster, writer and entrepreneur Mark Sutcliffe. Presented that night was the 2017 Family Enterprise of the Year Award to Keynote Group, an Ottawa firm that specializes in employment services for small to mid-sized private companies. Keynote Group is owned by husband and wife James Baker and Donna Baker. They’re originally from England but know a thing or two about risks: They jumped on a plane 11 years ago to come to Canada, a country they’d never set foot in before. They live out in Navan with their two boys, ages six and three.
Elizabeth Vered, wife of the late Arnie Vered, is surrounded by her daughters, from left, Jordana, Alexandra, Ariel and Danya, with Danya’s husband, David Glick-Stal, at the Arnie Vered Dinner held at the Château Laurier on May 6.
James Baker and his wife, Donna Baker, from Keynote Group were this year’s recipients of the Family Enterprise of the Year Award at the Arnie Vered Dinner.
Elizabeth Vered is flanked by Stephen Bleeker, president and founder of Assurance Home Care, and his wife, entrepreneur Janice McDonald (the two families have grown children who are dating one another).
Grant Walsh, director with KPMG Familiy Enterprise, and his daughter, Danielle Walsh of Walsh Family Business Advisory Services, are on the board of advisers for the Ottawa chapter of the Family Enterprise Xchange, which hosted the Arnie Vered Dinner.
Jim Burton, chairman and CEO of PPI and chair of the Family Enterprise Xchange Foundation, with Susan St. Amand, founder and president of Sirius Financial, at the Arnie Vered Dinner.
Since starting their business 20 months ago, they have already scored a bunch of awards. Keynote Group was a recipient of Best New Business honours at the 2016 Best Ottawa Business Awards. It also landed both New Business of the Year 2017 and Young Entrepreneur 2017 honours at the West Ottawa Board of Trade awards gala. Keynote Group grew by about 300 per cent last year and has launched two more businesses. It’s on track to shoot up another 600 per cent this year. The award, said Baker, “recognizes that we’re doing something right and that, as a couple and as a family, we’re on the right path.”
In the crowd were family members from such notable business clans as the Greenbergs, Taggarts, Vereds and Westeindes. Will McFall from the familyowned Burnbrae Farms was a keynote speaker, along with industrial psychologist Lisa Miller. There to welcome everyone was Danielle Walsh, president of her own consulting company specializing in assisting family-owned and operated businesses with management and ownership succession. She’s also president of the Ottawa chapter of the Canadian Association of Family Enterprise.
“Family businesses really are the backbone of our economy, and they deserve to be celebrated and congratulated,” said Walsh, noting they contribute to about 60 per cent of the Canadian gross domestic product, employ more than half of the Canadian workforce and contribute more than 55 per cent of all charitable donations. – caroline@obj.ca FOR MORE ON THE EVENT, CHECK OUT CAROLINE PHILLIPS’ VIDEO AT OBJ.CA
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