Robert Simmonds Fall 2016

A C h r o n i c l e H e r a l d C u s t o m P u b l i cat i o n

Beaverbrook Art Gallery

As residents look on, art history is being made in New Brunswick

Robert Noël

The long road to becoming Atlantic Canada’s top sommelier

It takes two, baby

Trust, teamwork key for business couples who want to succeed

New Brunswick’s startup hotspot Fredericton takes innovation-first approach to new business development

ISSUE 16

Software Testing that Makes a Difference.

STYLE

PLATO Testing is training and employing a network of Aboriginal software testers to address the underemployment of Aboriginal Peoples and the growing tech talent shortage across Canada.

Learn more at www.platotesting.com/about

CONTENTS 004 Paul’s Notebook 006 Upcoming Events Check out our exciting lineup of in-store events

022 Atlantic Canada’s startup capital Fredericton takes innovationfirst approach to new business development

008 Fall 2016 & Winter 2017 FEATURE BRANDS Apparel, shoe and accessory collections for men and women available at Robert Simmonds

031 Beaverbrook Art Gallery As residents look on, art history is being made in New Brunswick

010 Services We offer one-stop shopping for the well-dressed man and woman

Style

Profiles 013 It takes two, baby Trust, teamwork key for business couples who want to succeed

034 Off to college Paul Simmonds finds new-found respect for Eton after visit to Sweden

food & drink 041 Robert Noël The long road to title of Atlantic Canada’s top sommelier 044 Loving local New Brunswick Cheese & Beer Pairings

Auto 047 Big, bold & ostentatious American luxury storms back with Cadillac’s CT6

036 The sartorial savvy of David Myles Musicians with style are few — Roxy Music’s Brian Ferry, the late David Bowie and the Beatles epitomized it; David Myles is doing that in Canada

Empowered by

Visit us at www.platotesting.com & www.pqatesting.com

ROBERT SIMMONDS / 3

Paul’s Notebook As we make our way through another successful year, we are very excited about what fall and winter have in store for ourselves and, most importantly, our loyal customers.

As always, the top fashion designers from Canada and around the world are helping us fill our shelves with a fantastic assortment of cozy, comfortable, quality merchandise that we know you will enjoy.

And we continue to work with many of our exclusive vendor partners to provide the best selection of superior products available in our trading area.

We are also thrilled with the content of this, our 16th issue of Robert Simmonds magazine, as we have tasked our editor, writers and photographers with covering some of the high points of our great region — they have succeeded!

Whether it’s an exciting new Fredericton startup; married couples working together to be successful; a multi-award-winning musician who also happens to rock his wardrobe; or the amazing expansion of our Beaverbrook Art Gallery; we are sure you will find something interesting to peruse in the pages that follow.

Family owned and operated since 1998 on King Street in Fredericton, we have grown from a 1,000-square-foot men’s suit shop to more than 5,000 square feet of retail space that now also features women’s and urban wear.

None of our success over these 18 years would be possible without the support of our fantastic clients and vendor partners or our engaged Robert Simmonds’ team and the tremendous leadership they have given to our business.

I hope you enjoy your magazine and be sure to drop by to see what we have in store for you this fall and winter.

See you soon!

MICHAELKORS.COM

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Upcoming Events

HUGO BOSS CANADA INC. Phone +1 905 739 2677

Events

Check out our exciting lineup of in-store events Men’s Coppley & Samuelsohn event

Sept 17-24, 2016 Special incentives on Custom made clothing

Coppley representative Michael Moroz

Sept 21, 2016 Michael Moroz will visit to answer any custom & style questions

Women’s coat style event

Sept 23 & 24, 2016 Cinza Rocca representative will be here to assist you in choosing the perfect winter coat from Italian maker Cinza Rocca

Twig & Feather sweater & knits event Oct 15, 2016 Canadian designer Jenn LeBlanc

Customer Appreciation Event Nov 17, 2016 Thursday all day

Robert Simmonds Magazine Published by: Herald Custom Media Chairman and Publisher: Sarah Dennis President and CEO: Mark Lever Vice President, Business Development: Jeff Nearing Vice President, Advertising: Alex Liot Vice President, Digital: Mark Harper Director, Client Marketing: Jennifer Punch Account Executive: Wanda H. Priddle wpriddle@herald.ca Editor & Project Manager: Todd Gillis Design Department Manager: Julia Webb Graphic Designer: Tanya Madden Photographers: Mark Hemmings, Joy Cummings, Perry Jackson, General Motors Canada, Eton, Robert Noël, Riley Smith, Hiep Vu, 123RF Contributors: Mark DeWolf, Kelly Taylor, Todd Gillis, Wayne Blanchard, Scott Higgins, Gary Wollenhaupt

Photo: joy cummings

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© The Chronicle Herald 2016 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systems or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission from the publisher.

The Chronicle Herald 2717 Joseph Howe Drive PO Box 610, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 2T2 902-426-2811 TheChronicleHerald.ca Printed by: Lowe Martin Group www.lmgroup.com Cover Image: Mark Hemmings www.markhemmings.com On the Cover: Stephen Kopp & Monica Adair Clothing provided by Robert Simmonds

HUGOBOSS.COM

Brands

Fall 2016 & Winter 2017

FEATURE BRANDS Apparel, Shoe and Accessory Collections for Men and Women Available at Robert Simmonds Clothing

Women’s Collections

10 Days Adriano Goldschmied Alembika Armani Jeans Brave Belts Brax Canada Goose Cinzia Rocca Citizens of Humanity Claudia Nicole Codello Scraves Cole Haan Daniel Wellington Eileen Fisher Elie Tahari FreeCity Free People Intimates G-Star Gillian Julius Hue Tights Hunter J/Slides Jenny Bird Jiffy Steamers Kate Spade New York Clothing Kate Spade New York Handbags Lack of Color Lisa Todd

Men’s Collections L’Occitane Mackage Maui Jim Mavi Michael Kors Clothing Michael Kors Footwear Paige RAILS Rebecca Minkoff Saint James Sam Edelman Sarah Pacini Secrid Wallets Skinny Shirts Smythe So Pretty Cara Cotter Sorel Spanx Stuart Weitzman Suzi Roher Theory Tumi Twigg & Feather UGG Australia Velvet White & Warren Wyldr

Abbey Neckwear Adriano Goldschmied Alberto Allen Edmonds Armani Jeans Bench Craft Billy Jealousy Boot Rescue Boss Green Boss Orange Brax Bugatchi (socks) Bugatti Calvin Klein (undershirts) Canada Goose Canali Citizens of Humanity Cole Haan Coppley Daniel Wellington Dion Donald J. Pliner Eton G-Star Gran Sasso

HUGO James Perse Jiffy Steamers John Varvatos Lacoste Luigi Bianchi Marcoliani Maui Jim Mavi Michael Kors (watches) Mizzen & Main Peter Millar Robert Graham Robert Talbott Ron White Samuelsohn Sanyo Saxx Secrid Wallets Sorel Tateossian Ted Baker Tokens & Icons Tumi

Photo: 123RF

Made with pride in Canada.

Coppley.com

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Services

Services STYLE

Services

We offer one-stop shopping for the well-dressed man and woman

R

obert Simmonds Clothing is noted as the place to shop in downtown Fredericton for the latest styles in high-end fashion.

As a local independent retailer, our mission is to provide an “Excellent Experience, Every Time with Engaged Employees.” We pride ourselves on being clothing solution experts while providing our clients with access to some of the world’s favourite brands, complementary services and style suggestions.

STORE INFORMATION

Robert Simmonds Clothing 400 King Street Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 1E3 Corner of King and York under the black canopy

Store Hours

Monday – Wednesday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Thursday – Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Phone: 506-455-2500 Fax: 506-455-4550 Email: info@robertsimmonds.com www.robertsimmonds.com

facebook.com/Robertsimmondsclothing

FASHION EMERGENCY

Have a last minute interview, airport lost your luggage, spilled coffee on your tie before your big meeting, or found a run in your hosiery?

We have all been there. Call us and we will help.

We can deliver to your office or book an appointment. No need to stress.

WARDROBE CONSULTATION

This service, for both men and women, is tailored to your particular needs and budget and is offered at no additional cost. Our clothing solutions experts will assist you with your wardrobe planning, closet purging and offer suggestions for any occasion. We help you make style decisions that you won’t regret and that you’ll enjoy for years to come.

For an appointment for a private session, please call 506-455-2500 or email us at info@robertsimmonds.com

OUR RETURN POLICY @robert_simmonds

Robert Simmonds

Robertsimmonds400

STAY IN TOUCH

We want to let you know about special events, sales and promotions. Whether it is by mail, email, Facebook, or telephone, make sure your contact information is updated in our computer system. See a sales associate next time you are in or email info@robertsimmonds.com and we will get you connected.

Photo: 123RF

TAILORING

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Your purchase will be custom tailored to suit you in a timely manner by our Master Tailor, Tony Dableh. Tony can adjust your older items so that they can be worn and enjoyed anew.

His work is done to perfection every time.

We offer a complete refund or exchange within 10 days of purchase on all regular-priced merchandise in original condition, with proof of purchase.

Please review your sales slip for details. All exchanges are final sale. Merchandise on sale is final sale. No exchanges or refunds are accepted on sale merchandise. The following lists of items are also final sale for hygienic reasons: beauty products, jewelry, hats, hosiery, sunglasses, watches, or undergarments. All Canada Goose products are also final sale.

GIFT CARDS

The perfect gift is the one that always fits.

Robert Simmonds Clothing gift cards can be purchased in any denomination and they never expire.

GIFT WRAPPING

If you are buying for any special occasion, Robert Simmonds Clothing offers gift wrapping.

Just mention it is a gift and we will be happy to wrap it for you.

LEGAL ATTIRE

Prefer by appointment. We are an agent for a legal-wear company. You will be measured by qualified Robert Simmonds staff. Your legal garments will be custom made for you. There is a six-week turnaround time. Please call our store at 506-455-2500 or email info@robertsimmonds.com to schedule an appointment.

TUX RENTALS

We are an agent for tuxedo rentals from Freeman Formalwear who provide a large selection of tuxedos. Our tuxedo prices are the same as every agent across Canada, but we provide the services you’ve come to expect.

Our in-house tailor can make any last-minute alterations to your rental. Please call our

menswear department to book appointments or email us at info@robertsimmonds.com

ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES

MEN’S MADE-TO-MEASURE

For men who find off-the-rack garments a difficult fit or who enjoy expressing their individual style by selecting exclusive patterns and fabrics, made-to-measure suits, blazers, trousers, and dress shirts may well be the answer. Appointments preferred.

FUR STORAGE

Keep your fur looking new by storing it in Robert Simmonds Clothing fur vault. The vault is a specially-designed environment with carefully controlled temperature and humidity.

This is Robert Simmonds Clothing’s 16th issue.

We would like to thank all of our advertisers for contributing to the growth of Robert Simmonds Magazine. If you would like to advertise in our magazine, please contact Cassandra Blackmore at orders@robertsimmonds.com or 506-455-2500 Named “Best boutique for head-to-toe style for any season, budget, or person” by magazine.

Title Subtitle

By Author Name

Office Suite Rentals In Prime Downtown Location www.taymax.ca 400 King Street, Fredericton, N.B. E3B 1E3 P 506 455 2520 | F 506 455 4550

ROBERT SIMMONDS / 11

PROFILE STYLE

Made in Italy

SARAHPACINI.COM

It takes two, baby Trust, teamwork key for business couples who want to succeed

By Scott Higgins Clothing provided by: Robert Simmonds

12 / ROBERT SIMMONDS

ROBERT SIMMONDS / 13

PROFILE PROFILE

PROFILE Adair says that for passionate architects, simply getting the job done is never enough.

She repeatedly refers to architecture more as an art than a science. With this positive and forward-looking mindset, she found that her day-to-day job charged her life with a genuine creativity. She also discovered that Kopp mirrored her own almost radical dedication to creating great structures.

“From the very beginning, we challenged each other to give the most we could to the profession and to the world, really,” Adair says.

“It wasn’t just about completing the daily tasks assigned to us. Stephen instilled in me the desire to try harder, to do something great each day.

Today, that means being great architects and great parents, living a great life.”

Married in 2008, Kopp and Adair currently have two children: four-year-old Hugo and 18-month-old Valentino. The great life both Kopp and Adair refer to means that those kids are not only included on routine business trips, but were actually raised at the office.

“Our children were always part of the architecture life, and we consciously made the decision that architecture would be a family activity,” says Kopp. “We set up a playhouse at work and our co-workers helped us raise our babies. Everything worked out and everyone who knew us understood why including the kids was important to us.”

When asked if theirs is a successful marriage, both Kopp and Adair caution against trying to define the word ‘success’ too quickly. In their case, they prefer the word ‘fortunate.’

“Being a great architect isn’t about big cities, but about creativity and striving to do better every day,” says Adair. “I’m fortunate to have an incredible and supportive partner who makes me think bigger.”

“And I am fortunate to have found a driven partner who I can trust and confide in, whether we’re at work or at home,” says Kopp. “We allow each other to be at our best. I believe that’s a pretty decent definition of a successful partnership.”

Photo: Mark Hemmings

14 / ROBERT SIMMONDS

Designing a relationship from the ground up Power couple: Stephen Kopp and Monica Adair Company: ACRE Architects Current residence: Saint John, N.B. Business type: Architectural In business since: 2009 Our mantra is: “We allow each other to be at our best.”

Architects Stephen Kopp and Monica Adair — co-founders of ACRE

Architects in Saint John — first met in school while studying architecture at the University of Toronto. Like most new graduates, they went their separate ways within days of receiving their diplomas and began looking for work.

When a position came up at big-league architecture, interior design, engineering and urban planning firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) in New York City, both Kopp and Adair applied for the job. Unable to decide between the two passionate architect grads, SOM hired them both. Within a few weeks at the firm on Wall Street, Kopp and Adair began working closely on all kinds of innovative projects.

“I don’t think we would be together today if we hadn’t been hired together,” says Adair.

“Under long hours and tight deadlines, we discovered our true compatibility. And, most importantly, we learned to rely on each other.”

“The important conversations can take place at home or at work, whatever is necessary at the time.

No topic exists in isolation.”

Photo: joy cummings

H

ow many times have we heard of marriages that suffer under the continuous pressure caused by the difficult exercise of career building?

Late nights at the office and days away from home and family have been blamed for literally millions of divorces since the beginnings of the industrial age.

In the face of ever-increasing demands at work, career-related disconnects between husbands and wives happen every day.

However, a few of this province’s power couples say they have written the recipes that strengthen their relationships and build their businesses at the same time.

How is it done? Often enough, they apply the rules of a successful marriage to the office.

In doing so, they build the vibrant businesses that have changed New Brunswick’s professional landscape.

– Joyce MacEachernon Power couple: Keith McIntosh and Joyce MacEachernon of PQA Testing ROBERT SIMMONDS / 15

PROFILE Computer programmer Keith McIntosh and civil engineer Joyce MacEachernon founded Fredericton-based

“Of course, not all the decisions are made from nine to five,” says McIntosh.

“The important conversations can take place at home or at work, whatever is necessary at the time. No topic exists in isolation.”

“There’s no rule against speaking about work at home, but we do need to get away from work once in a while,” MacEachernon adds. “We did, eventually, find that balance between work and home.”

Home life for the McIntosh and MacEachernon household includes three older children: Kaleigh, 21, who is studying political science at Carleton University in Ottawa; Will, 19, who is studying forestry at UNB; and Catriona, 14, who is still in junior high school. Although Kaleigh has done some marketing work at the Plato project to enhance her understanding of the federal government’s Truth and Reconciliation initiative, the kids are encouraged by their parents to test their skills where possible and choose their own professional paths.

McIntosh and MacEachernon have, likewise, put in place a number of safeguards that make working as a married team more survivable over time. McIntosh says he and his wife try, on most occasions, to work separately as independent decision makers.

At the same time, MacEachernon says keeping things loose and as light as possible is necessary to keep their relationship fresh.

“I think being together 24/7 would be too much, honestly,” says MacEachernon.

“Because we trust each other to make the right decisions, we are able to stay out of each other’s hair most of the time.”

Still, McIntosh and MacEachernon agree that working on the same project — together or separately — has been good for their relationship.

“It’s been important for me because I understand more about the pressures Keith faces on a daily basis,” says MacEachernon.

“And I find we have more in common,” McIntosh adds.

PROFILE PROFILE

Power couple: Keith McIntosh and Joyce MacEachernon Company: PQA Testing Current residence: Fredericton, N.B. Business type: Software development In business since: 1997 Our mantra is: “We trust each other to make the right decisions”

Photo: Joy cummings

Professional Quality Assurance — or PQA Testing — in 1997. Back then, there were only a few high-tech companies in the area, and it took the couple long hours and maximum effort to get the small software testing company with no business plan off the ground.

Growing steadily instead through a process McIntosh describes as “the quick exploitation of suddenly emerging opportunities,” PQA Testing now boasts 102 employees in five offices across Canada (Fredericton, Moncton, Halifax, Calgary and Vancouver).

PQA was also the foundation company that spawned Plato Testing, a training initiative focused on Aboriginal youth that aims to fill vacant high-tech jobs across Canada.

Soon after McIntosh established PQA, MacEachernon left her position as a civil engineer at the New Brunswick Department of Transportation to help her husband get the business off the ground. With an ongoing goal of establishing numerous long-term, sustainable jobs in New Brunswick, McIntosh and MacEachernon plan to grow PQA two to three fold in the next three years.

MacEachernon — as PQA’s director of special projects — is responsible for knowing, basically, how her husband thinks. That allows her to make important decisions for McIntosh when he is away from the office.

It also allows her to run their household smoothly.

“Whatever comes up, I address it,” says MacEachernon.

“This is an intense business, and it takes a lot of hands-on work to keep it growing,” says McIntosh. “Fredericton is a great place to network and learn to run a business, but we are somewhat detached from the rest of the world. So, I travel constantly. I can only focus on the job at hand when I know that Joyce is here to support the business, and it helps to know the situation at home is stable, too.”

That requires an ongoing dedication to fine-tuning the couple’s relationship between their professional and personal lives. Unlike Kopp and Adair, McIntosh and MacEachernon work hard to put their personal and professional lives in separate boxes, as much as possible.

Whether real or artificial, life’s all about support

16 / ROBERT SIMMONDS

ROBERT SIMMONDS / 17

PROFILE

Changing lives under the knife Power couple: Dr. Nach Daniel and Dr. Josée LeBlanc Company: East Coast Oral Surgery (Moncton) and Fredericton Oral Surgery (Fredericton) Current residence: Dieppe, N.B. Business type: Reconstructive surgery (facial)

Photo: Joy cummings

In business since: 2006

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Our mantra is: “Business success requires a healthy home life.”

ROBERT SIMMONDS / 19

PROFILE

Photo: Joy cummings

away. When he’s home, he does a lot of the fatherly things most other men do, such as helping the kids with their homework and encouraging them to start thinking about career paths. He also does general repairs to the home and helps his wife with the housework.

LeBlanc doesn’t complain about Daniel’s long work hours caused by his medical and teaching duties. Instead, she makes it her mission to support her husband in his efforts to make New Brunswick a better place to live for people who have been severely injured and disfigured as a result of accidents or diseases. “At the office, I do whatever I have to do to help the operation run smoothly,” says LeBlanc. “That lets [Daniel] focus on his work.”

Daniel says he has no doubt that the strength of the relationship between he and his wife is the real cornerstone of a thriving home and a growing business.

“The type of work I do requires a healthy relationship at home,” says Daniel. “Josée gives me the support I need to build a good life for all of us.”

Oral and maxillofacial surgeon Dr. Nach Daniel and his wife, dentist Dr. Josée LeBlanc, opened East Coast Oral Surgery in Moncton back in 2006. They already had two children at that time, so the couple decided from the very beginning that LeBlanc would focus on home and family while Daniel focused primarily on building the business. It’s the same understanding they live by today, although there is still a bit of crossover between home and work.

“Things are so busy at the office that we don’t usually have time to talk about personal things,” says LeBlanc. “When we are at home, our focus is on the kids. Still, we do occasionally talk about work at home.”

When Daniel does return to his house after 20 / ROBERT SIMMONDS

a long day’s work, he often seeks out LeBlanc’s opinion on business decisions that he has to make. For example, after Daniel met an oral surgeon named Martin Bélanger, he began thinking about the future of his fledgling Fredericton office. After bouncing the idea off of his wife, Daniel made Bélanger his business partner at Fredericton Oral Surgery.

“This is an extremely demanding business, and I value input from Josée,” says Daniel.

“I trust her and I respect her, and she also understands the staff. She sees things from a different perspective than I do, and I need to know what she thinks.”

Perhaps LeBlanc sees things differently from Daniel because she is a wife and mother.

She’s also an employee in her husband’s business. This — along with Daniel’s sometimes

erratic and always taxing emergency surgery hours — makes LeBlanc the most accessible and approachable point of contact between front-line workers and the boss.

“It’s probably a good thing that we are not partners in the business,” says LeBlanc.

“I think I better understand my co-workers and what’s important to them. And my understanding of my husband’s goals helped make the Fredericton office a good workplace.”

As mentioned earlier, LeBlanc must also understand her four children so she can assure that her home is a good place for them. Three boys — 14-year-old Olivier, 12-year-old Alexis and 10-year-old George — and their four-year-old sister Anabelle look to their mother for guidance when their father is

It’s all about trust and teamwork Although our three couples disagreed on how much exposure to a high-pressure office environment is healthy for a marriage, a family or even a business, all agreed that trust between partners is vital to moving forward toward a single, positive goal.

Trust, as discussed above, appears to be made up of at least three different ingredients.

First, all of our couples suggested that trust must be solidly rooted in credibility, or the belief that the other partner will do as he or she says. Basically, the success of our couples — who talk things over before they make decisions — suggest that a person who routinely makes decisions without accepting meaningful input from their partner will probably not succeed.

Second, partners in business and life must know their mates are loyal to the end goal of the exercise, which is, basically, the establishment of a strong entrepreneurial creation and an ample and stable home or family life. In other words, they need to buy into the plan and remain devoted to the overall purpose of the exercise.

Finally, all six of our professionals see their partners as competent enough to make correct decisions most of the time. A serious lack of basic knowledge, past experience or understanding of the end goal means that a decision maker will not be capable of making a correct judgment. This puts the strain of responsibility mainly on to one partner, with the other partner unable to make a meaningful contribution. This destroys trust and can ruin most entrepreneurial efforts, especially where couples are involved as major players.

Beyond trust, another recurring theme among the couples was a complete dedication to teamwork. In this case, teamwork means the ability of each partner to accept the part they must play in the larger effort of creating an ample and fulfilling life. Here, the goal of commercial success is a difficult one to attain, but when each partner plays their parts correctly, commercial and domestic success is the result.

To be an effective team, both partners must respect each other and work to be both good followers and good leaders.

One characteristic of this in parents is their ability to encourage career exercises for their children without forcing them into one direction or another.

Among each of the couples above, we see an overriding respect for the children’s career choices that suggests that respect between partners is strong.

For business couples who want to succeed in New Brunswick, trust and teamwork must lead the way.

400 King Stre et, Fre de ricton, Tel. 506 455 2500

UPERFIT WINTER

www-alberto-pants.co m

ROBERT SIMMONDS / 21

PROFILE

PROFILE

F

rom Fredericton to Reston, Va. to Boston, Chicago, Toronto and beyond, Phillip Curley wants to pay for your parking.

What started three years ago as a pay-byphone service for parking in Atlantic Canada is rapidly growing into an international high-tech concern, and all of it is centred on what your car is doing when you’re not in it.

His HotSpot Merchant Solutions provides retailers, restaurants, hairdressers — basically any merchant where your need to pay for parking could discourage your business — with a fast, convenient way to validate your parking using beacon technology and your smartphone.

Scott Everett is taking pages from Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick for his business, using artificial intelligence to automate quality control in manufacturing facilities around the world.

Eigen Innovations uses sensors, infrared cameras and mountains of data to track manufacturing processes and provide instant notification something’s gone wrong and stop production before a significant number of faulty products has been created.

Peter Goggin and Rishin Behl want to spy on your farm. It’s not corporate espionage, it’s analytics. Resson Aerospace combines data acquired from drones, in-field sensors and weather stations with swarm robotics and advanced data analysis to give large-scale farms a picture of crop health and solutions to optimize production. It has garnered the attention of global food giant Monsanto, which recently joined a US$11 million Series B investment in the company.

What brings these diverse New Brunswick companies together is they all started in the last few years, they all started in Fredericton and they all highlight Fredericton’s growing status as one of the best areas to launch a high-tech startup. And all can thank a program at the University of New Brunswick called Planet Hatch, which incubates, houses and nurtures startup companies, setting them on a path to success.

Atlantic Canada’s startup capital

HotSpot Merchant Solutions

Fredericton takes innovation-first approach to new business development

Photos: joy cummings

By Kelly Taylor

22 / ROBERT SIMMONDS

Validating parking can be a major hassle for merchants, restaurateurs and service providers.

Typically, customers must park in a designated area, there’s often paperwork and it’s easy for customers to forget to ask.

So, what if you had a system that works with any parking provider — street parking, garages, parkades, surface lots — and requires nothing

Phillip Curley of HotSpot Merchant Solutions

ROBERT SIMMONDS / 23

PROFILE

24 / ROBERT SIMMONDS

Eigen Innovation

Photo: joy cummings

more than tapping a smartphone to a sensor, or even less than that in some cases?

That’s the vision that prompted Phillip Curley to drop out of civil engineering and launch HotSpot.

HotSpot’s system is the very embodiment of simplicity. It’s crazy cheap for businesses, and is practically seamless. You, the consumer, download Curley’s app on your smartphone, and the businesses you visit use Bluetooth beacon technology to automate the validation process.

At the basic level, you would tap your phone to the sensor when paying for your purchase.

At more advanced levels of service, you don’t even do that. The beacon then automatically bills the merchant’s credit card for your parking, notifies either the parkade or parking enforcement officers your parking is paid and away you go.

For some of his clients, all you have to do is be there. The Bluetooth beacon recognizes your presence and registers the validation automatically.

Curley said it’s all about giving merchants control over the validation process. “It lets the business say ‘Yes, you,’ and ‘No, not you.’”

For example, a tap system lets a retailer, if it wishes, pay for parking only for customers who actually make purchases. But a restaurant may want to have the validation automated, with the beacon automatically registering a customer’s presence via Bluetooth. It can even be set up so the customer has to be in the establishment for a set period of time before it registers.

The best part? His service is so inexpensive, it’s hard to say no. It’s only $7 a month, plus whatever parking fees are involved. “We have lots of customers,” he said of how it can be profitable.

Fredericton, it turned out, was the ideal location to launch his company, he said.

“The city decided it had to differentiate,” he said. “Fredericton isn’t that big, so instead of competing on scale, it competes on its openness to innovation.

“Locally, it’s been a good little business for the last three years,” he said. “But now, we’re expanding internationally, with a couple of test businesses in Asheville, N.C., Columbia, S.C., White Plains, N.Y. and Reston, Va.” From these test markets, Curley wants to expand into major metropolitan areas, including Boston, Chicago and Toronto.

His business model mirrors that, to an extent, of Fredericton’s. “It’s not the biggest, but we’re well-educated among cities in Atlantic Canada, and we use our limited scale to test projects that work locally and then move them outside Atlantic Canada,” Curley said.

PROFILE

“I think the proximity of the University of New Brunswick, which has engineering and computer science faculties that focus on innovation, as well as partnering with business to do research that can lead to commercialization, was part of the Eigen story for sure.”

– Scott Everett

You have to be a real nerd to know off-hand where Eigen got its name, so here goes: Eigen is a mathematical reference, one the company has adopted with the meaning “one of a kind.”

But what happens behind the sign on the door is so much cooler than that. And, like HotSpot, Scott Everett’s company has thrived in the high-tech incubator called Fredericton.

“My early work experience was in industrial environments, and I saw opportunities to improve process control and advance industrial automation,” Everett, who holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, said. “This led me to research how artificial intelligence could be leveraged to achieve new efficiency breakthroughs.”

Everett said the city played no small role in helping Eigen become a world-leader in process control.

“I think the proximity of the University of New Brunswick, which has engineering and computer science faculties that focus on innovation, as well as partnering with business to do research that can lead to commercialization, was part of the Eigen story for sure,” he said.

“In addition, there is a strong sense of entrepreneurship in the region that has led to other successful start-ups.

“Some of those resulted in high-profile acquisitions and exits, injecting new rounds of talent and even more innovation.”

Greg Picot is Everett’s director of product development. He said Eigen’s process is proving profitable for clients, who are able to save considerable sums of money by moving from executing quality control after production, to doing so during production.

“What a lot of factories did in the past . . . quality control was a very manual process.

They may have waited until the part was completely manufactured and then did destructive testing,” he said. So after running a certain number of parts, they might take one or two completely apart, and if they found a defect, it meant the entire run was a write-off.

What Eigen offers instead is a process where its staff learn the factory’s process inside-out, from the people working on the floor. Then, it installs sensors, computers and infrared cameras, and taps into any data provided by computerized manufacturing equipment. After a period of time, Eigen’s cloud-based processor is able to build a picture of what the factory’s data looks like when everything is running correctly.

ROBERT SIMMONDS / 25

PROFILE Are plastic injection moulds running at the right temperature and pressure? Is a robotic drill drilling in the right spots? Is there enough vacuum where needed? Are finished parts the correct weight? If one of the data points is off, the operator is alerted.

“What’s unique is we realize the real experts are the people running the process on the factory floor,” Picot said. “We walk the factory floor. The net result is we can develop a solution that’s easy for them to use, and they can feel as though they’re in control.”

Eigen has grown to providing solutions for a number of customers in North America and in Europe. Its primary focus is automotive; at this point, the company deals with parts suppliers upstream of actual assembly lines, but over time, Picot said Eigen’s goal is to pay its dues and work up the chain. The brass ring would be installing its systems on a vehicle assembly line.

Picot said customers subscribe to Eigen’s services, paying an on-going fee that incorporates the cost of any Eigen-supplied technology involved.

Because Eigen is privately held, a picture of the company’s success has to be a little circumspect. Picot said it’s grown to 20 staff, has attracted the attention of global partners Cisco Systems, Siemens and Dell Computers and has customers as far away as Copenhagen, Denmark. There, Per Aarsleff A/S uses Eigen’s system to validate the quality of its cured-in-place pipes, a system that lets the Danish company renew larger underground pipes from the inside, without digging them up. Because the pipes aren’t dug up, they can also only be inspected remotely, which is where Eigen comes in.

In December 2015, Eigen competed among 3,000 companies around the world to earn one of six coveted spots at Cisco System’s Internet of Things World Forum in Dubai, U.A.E. At the forum, Eigen’s factory-floorfirst approach locked down third place.

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PROFILE

PROFILE

“With our analytics, we move from a full-field analysis to a metre-squared analysis.

It’s predictive and near-real-time analysis of a farmer’s field.”

– CEO Peter Goggin

28 / ROBERT SIMMONDS

Photos: joy cummings

Resson Aerospace When you garner the attention — and money — of one of the world’s largest agrifood corporations, it’s a good sign you’re on to something. Resson, which started alongside Eigen and HotSpot at Planet Hatch, recently announced a US$11 million investment from such partners as Monsanto and McCain Foods.

CEO Peter Goggin called the placement “the biggest investment in software in Atlantic Canada’s history.”

In the past, farmers monitored their fields themselves, walking among the rows of wheat, corn, sunflowers and canola. That’s one thing when the farm consisted of a back 40 and a front 40, but it’s another thing altogether when a large operation might cover multiple sections and tens of thousands of acres.

Goggin, co-founder of Resson, said there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes technology and computing power that drives the business, but at its core, it’s about helping large-scale farms solve their problems in the most economical, most effective way.

“There’s a lot of opportunity where a farmer might think there’s a disease or pest on his field. He might spray the whole field, and that’s a significantly high cost,” Goggin said. “With our analytics, we move from a full-field analysis to a metre-squared analysis.

It’s predictive and near-real-time analysis of a farmer’s field.”

Core to Resson’s work is RAMAS, which stands for Resson Agricultural Management Analytics System. It’s software that takes the reams of data collected about a farm — from drones, in-field sensors, weather stations —

and processes it using machine learning (a form of artificial intelligence) and swarm robotics. The result is a very detailed, very specific analysis of a farm’s condition.

McCain Foods is a significant, long-term client, as well as recently joining as an investor.

Goggin was born and raised in Fredericton, and did his undergrad and master’s degree in business at the University of New Brunswick.

His business partner, Rishin Behl, was born in India, won the Intel World Science fair in 2007 and eventually landed in New Brunswick.

Goggin credits the New Brunswick business environment for helping Resson grow through access to financing, networking and mentorship.

“There’s a real focus to help sustain growth and innovation for Atlantic Canada companies.

“There are financial resources and general resources to help our company not only get started but also to compete on a global aspect.”

Was it possible without the help?

“I think we could have done it, but it would have taken a lot longer, a lot more effort and we would have made a lot more mistakes,” he said.

Resson also announced the opening of an office in San Jose, Calif., but vows to remain a New Brunswick-based company.

A city committed to innovation While all three companies can thank Fredericton’s innovation-first approach to new business development, they can also thank each other. Goggin said they came up through the ranks together and learned as they went.

“We’ve been in the trenches with Eigen and HotSpot. We’ve seen the effort and resources

presented and had the opportunities to travel to Boston and Silicon Valley and get out and promote our companies and the region.

We’re poised to put Fredericton on the map.”

All of this is music to the ears of Krista Ross, CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce. She sees the success of Eigen, Resson and HotSpot — and a host of other startups such as TotalPave, Smart Skin Technologies and others — as the payoff for the city’s dedication to helping foster innovation.

“If you were to back it up, it really started with the University (of New Brunswick) and the research work done there,” she said.

“The university and the business community collaborated to help solve problems.”

That led to the creation of Planet Hatch, essentially a startup nursery, and Ignite Fredericton, an economic development agency with the mission to make the city the startup capital of Canada.

Ross said Fredericton isn’t the largest city in New Brunswick, but has the largest of the province’s chambers of commerce, with 950 members. It is also one of a few chambers in Canada to offer a startup membership rate, which gives fledgling companies full access to chamber benefits at a reduced rate.

She said the city’s commitment to innovation is wide-ranging, from the collaboration between the business community and university to the city’s status as having the lowest cost of gigabit connectivity in Atlantic Canada.

“I think it’s very positive, very optimistic, and not just in the IT sector, but with a lot of interesting startups looking for opportunity and creating their own opportunities,” she said.

“Fredericton has a very entrepreneurial culture, and that has served us well and will continue to serve us well.”

ROBERT SIMMONDS / 29

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Art Elevates • Uplifts • Exhilarates • Enriches • Refreshes How do your walls inspire you?

Beaverbrook Art Gallery As residents look on, art history is being made in New Brunswick

By Scott Higgins

Personalizing homes for the uniquely you Let’s talk gallery78.com F REDERI C TO N , N B

30 / ROBERT SIMMONDS

ROBERT SIMMONDS / 31

PROFILE

PROFILE

Photos: joy cummings

I

n June, Fredericton’s legendary Beaverbrook Art Gallery opened after a four-month hiatus caused by the creation of the Harriet Irving Gallery space and the renovation of public areas adjacent to it.

This small portion of a multiyear, property-wide renovation has resulted in an updated visual arts exhibition venue in the heart of New Brunswick that current director/CEO and chief curator, Terry Graff, refers to as “uplifting, exciting, comfortable and accessible.”

And changes at the gallery aren’t over yet.

Founded in 1959 by Canadianborn businessman William Maxwell ‘Max’ Aitken (1879–1964) — the first Baron Beaverbrook — the original single-structure complex stood for more than two decades as New Brunswick’s official art gallery before the first minor renovations took place in the mid-1980s.

32 / ROBERT SIMMONDS

But the current activity at the site — first conceived by former director Bernie Riordon in 2005 and discussed more seriously seven years ago during the Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s 50th anniversary — truly is art history in the making.

It was in 2009 that Riordon; then-deputy director Terry Graff; chair of the board of governors Allison McCain; chair of the capital campaign, Jamie Irving; and several others began discussing the idea of a major expansion.

It took only a few months of dialogue between board members and competing architects to plan the multi-phase expansion in detail.

Riordon, newly retired from the Beaverbrook Gallery’s director’s chair, made it his new profession to line up funding commitments from both public- and private-sector players that would allow the multi-million dollar project to begin in earnest.

After only a few months of meetings with federal government officials, enough money had come in through Riordon’s efforts to begin work on Phase 1.

“This project is the fulfillment of a dream I envisioned years before,” says Riordon, the gallery’s director emeritus. “I believe the realization of this dream will unlock the full potential of the Beaverbrook Gallery and build on the rich legacy of our founder.”

With funding pouring in from both public and private sources, the modular project was originally designed to take place in three major phases. Phase 1 became known as the Revitalization Project. Costed out at $3.75 million and funded by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the Department of Canadian Heritage, Phase 1 was completed in December 2010.

As a result of the Phase 1 effort, the 50-year-old Beaverbrook Gallery received a number of modern improvements. Most noticeable to visitors was the transformation of 3,500 square feet of storage area into open exhibit space, a new climate control system, an outdoor sculpture garden and new flooring in portions of the old building.

Behind-the-scenes additions included an expanded loading dock and all-new storage vaults.

Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s $13-million Phase 2 expansion — which broke ground in September of 2015 — will, when finished in June of 2017, create what Terry Graff describes publicly as “a landmark example of contemporary architecture in Atlantic Canada.”

Championed by lead architect Talbot Sweetapple of the Halifaxbased firm MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple, Phase 2 is basically a 14,000-square-foot, three-storey

exhibition and education wing.

The master design — now referred to as the Pavilion — will be clad in local Dorchester stone. It will house two floors of programming space, four new galleries, new vault space, an artist-in-residence studio, a multi-purpose theatre and a café. It will also house a special gallery dedicated to the late Spanish artist Salvadore Dali.

The highlight of that space will be Dali’s huge painting entitled Santiago El Grande, in what Graff describes as its best light.

“This is such an aspirational project, with the goal of adding positively to public life in Fredericton,” says Sweetapple. “All the gallery board wants is to get the project done right the first time.”

The creation of the Harriet Irving Gallery in the original building was also part of Phase 2.

Formerly the British Gallery, the Irving space was paid for by industrialists Jim, Arthur and John Irving.

The foyer, front desk and gift shop have been redesigned to match that gallery and better serve guests. Graff says the former High Gallery has been altered for greater functionality and accessibility.

“Simply put, there were too many steps,” says Graff. “It’s very much a 21st-century design, where form and functionality work together. As a result, everybody can be accommodated.”

Phase 3 — a stand-alone building that Sweetapple describes as a 20-foot-long, two-storey stone bar — would connect to both the pavilion and the original gallery.

Designed to hold an expanded gallery shop, archives, conference room, offices and a few new gallery spaces, the building is currently being referred to by planners as “optional.”

“At this point, there’s been no definite decision made to proceed,” says Graff, who quips that even a Phase 4 expansion is now being discussed. “But Phase 3 really is the big dream for the gallery. The main idea here is to complete the big picture.

“What we’re really doing here in Fredericton is enriching the quality of life for everyone.”

“This is such an aspirational project, with the goal of adding positively to public life in Fredericton.”

– Terry Graff, director/CEO and chief curator

ROBERT SIMMONDS / 33

STYLE

Off to college Paul Simmonds finds new-found respect for Eton after visit to Sweden

By Gary Wollenhaupt Photo: eton (supplied)

S

ome of the world’s finest shirts are designed in the small town of Gånghester, Sweden. Founded by David and Annie Pettersson in 1928, Eton shirts can today be found in 49 markets at some of the world’s most exclusive stores, including Robert Simmonds.

Recently, Paul Simmonds attended Eton College, toured the company’s headquarters and examined the design and production process and learned more about the heritage of the company.

Eton shirts, ties and scarves are featured in a store-within-the-store set up at Robert Simmonds, with three different lines in four different fits available to suit any style and desire.

“It’s a premier dress and sports shirt,” Simmonds says. “They have branched out into the casual element because contemporary sports wear is gaining ground. Their No. 1 seller is a spread collar shirt that fits nicely underneath a sports jacket or looks great untucked with a pair of jeans.”

34 / ROBERT SIMMONDS

In Sweden, Simmonds saw the European approach to comfortable business wear.

“We saw a lot of slim jeans rolled up at the bottom with a nice Eton shirt and nice Eton tie and a sport jacket,” he says. “That tended to be an iconic uniform of the Swedes and throughout Europe. It was a very refreshing way to wear a tie.”

The life of an Eton shirt starts with highquality Egyptian cotton spun into yarn and woven into fabric in Italy. The company designs the fabrics in house and the patterns are transmitted electronically to production facilities in Sweden or Romania, Estonia and Lithuania.

The shirts of the Red Line are treated with a proprietary non-iron finish, which is wrinkle resistant and perfect for travel. Unlike other no-iron finishes, Eton uses an organic process that leaves no chemical trace.

“We sell to a lot of business clientele who travel all over the world,” Simmonds says.

Eton offers classic solid colours, stripes, plaids and denim shirts, and also creates unique fabrics found nowhere else.

For a polka dot shirt, most shirt manufacturers would print the dots on a solid shirt. Eton actually weaves the dots into the shirt so they are permanent and of the highest quality.

“Eton has a dedicated following and generally, once a person tries an Eton shirt, they buy them over and over because they’re happy with the quality and the fit of their product,” Simmonds says.

Eton has developed its own factory process and machinery, using automated racks to move shirts through the different processes.

Even though each Eton shirt is made from 45 different parts and sewn with 12,000 stitches, production time for a shirt can be as little as 100 minutes.

While he had always been a fan of Eton, Paul’s experience at the headquarters gave him a newfound respect for the company and its products.

“They exude quality and process everywhere you go, and their people are diverse and unique and committed to the company, which is represented in their products,” Simmonds says.

“The company culture is amazing.”

STYLE

STYLE

The sartorial savvy of David Myles Musicians with style are few — Roxy Music’s Brian Ferry, the late David Bowie and the Beatles epitomized it; David Myles is doing that in Canada

By Wayne Blanchard

Photo: riley-smith

Photo: hiep vu

Y

36 / ROBERT SIMMONDS

ou likely know the music of David Myles. Chances are you’ve heard tunes like ECMA Song of the Year Simple Pleasures or have one of his 10 albums.

If you’ve seen him performing, you’ll know he’s a sharp dresser. Suit, shirt, tie . . . he wears it well. Yes, this cleverly creative singer and songwriter, originally from New Brunswick’s capital city, is sartorially savvy. But that didn’t happen by accident.

“Every time I go to Fredericton,” he says, “I stop in to see Paul at Robert Simmonds. And I usually go with my dad, who has been shopping there for years. It’s been an amazing experience getting to know nice clothes, but also to learn what really, really great customer service looks like. Josh, my drummer from Toronto, went in and when he came out he went

David Myles’ latest album, Here Now, is available on iTunes davidmyles.com/herenow

‘What was that?! That was such an amazing experience.’” (laughs) Though he’s an arbiter of style, David is keen to confirm that he doesn’t shop simply for the sake of stuffing his wardrobe. “I’m not a big shopper. I don’t want a huge guitar collection, I don’t have tons of clothes, but the things I have are nice. And I use them. I tour a lot, so I play my guitars all the time and I wear my suits every night. I like things that last.”

In January, 2015, David was named 2013/2014 Touring Artist of the Year. And with So Far, an album of stripped-down re-recordings of previously released songs being his first release in America, touring will likely take him south sometime soon. But he doesn’t envision coming home with a new wardrobe.

“I go into clothing stores in the big cities, and there are very, very few where you find someROBERT SIMMONDS / 37

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one with an eye even close to Paul’s. Within a couple minutes he sees your style, senses your personality, then he’ll put something together and . . . you know, I could spend hours looking around and never see that combination. He’ll hand me a jacket. ‘Try this.’ And it’s a perfect fit. He’s onto what the new suits and colours are and where things are at. His skill is at a level that, honestly, I’ve never seen elsewhere.

Another important person at Robert Simmonds is Tony Dableh. A great tailor is part of the combination of having a great suit, a suit that works.”

David admits that there is a risk of getting too comfortable. “Yes, that’s where that other person comes in. I tried a really slim-fitting Hugo Boss suit. It seemed much too extreme, but Paul said, ‘No, this suits you and fits perfectly.’ I took it home, wore it a bit and went, ‘He’s totally right!’ It’s good to have someone push you a little outside your comfort zone and into those pieces you might not necessarily try.”

38 / ROBERT SIMMONDS

Though currently into the music of Roger ‘King of the Road’ Miller and a longtime fan of Prince, you won’t see David dressed like either.

“I like what I’m wearing to be reflective of the music,” he notes. “When I tour that record I often wear that suit. It’s part of the look for that creative period in my life.” He pauses before stating matter-of-factly: “Clothing and confidence are really tied together. Prince was one of my heroes. He wore incredibly bold clothing. This guy was five foot two but looked like a giant on stage.”

Despite being on the road six months of the year, David never shirks from his ideal of looking sharp. “Clothing has become an important part of what I do. I love putting on a show, and I like the idea that suits suggest a level of respect for the audience; it’s a special event. That process of tying my tie, ironing my shirt, slipping on my shoes . . . I put on the suit and it’s showtime. It’s me setting myself up mentally to get on stage . . . to be the entertainer.”

Still, despite so much touring, so little time to think about anything other than his music, and only occasional visits to Fredericton, defining where to go stylistically when he steps through the doors of 400 King Street is less daunting for David than one might think.

“I email and call Paul, send him photos of things or colours I see. He knows I have this indeterminate style . . . kind of old skool but forward leaning. I want contemporary but love the traditional rules, the fact that certain things make a suit work. The type of shirt, the type of tie, the way the coat is tailored . . . but I want it to be hip, to be a newer look, a newer colour.

If I go in with a limited amount of time, Paul can direct me. He has an eye on what’s coming into the store and has a sense of my style. I actually only buy clothes from Paul. He is a big part of what I wear.”

ROBERT SIMMONDS / 39

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Robert Noël The long road to title of Atlantic Canada’s top sommelier

By Mark DeWolf

Photos: supplied

I

t’s an unlikely journey, to go from growing up on the picturesque island of Lamèque, located off the northern tip of the Acadien Peninsula, to one of Canada’s most prominent sommeliers, but that’s just what Robert Noël did.

Noël is the twice reigning champion of the Atlantic Canadian sommelier competition, and has placed as high as fourth in the national competition held bi-annually by the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers.

In fact, he’s never been beaten in any Atlantic Canadian sommelier competitions, which require experienced sommeliers to test their knowledge of the wine world, service skills and ability to correctly identify wines and spirits served in a blind tasting format.

In the last regional competition, Noël went so far as to correctly identify the two spirits served in the blind competition not only to region but correctly identified the producer of each.

40 / ROBERT SIMMONDS

Robert Nöel sits at the top of his trade

Noël’s accomplishments are no small feat, considering Northern New Brunswick is by no means a centre of wine in Canada. In Montreal, the top of the trade are regularly invited to three or more complementary tastings a week, but outside of the Le FestiVin de Caraquet — Northern New Brunswick’s annual wine festival — Noël has very few opportunities to taste wines with other sommeliers.

Despite Caraquet not even being a blip on the radar of Canada’s culinary world, gastronomy has always been in Noël’s blood. His mother had a sideline catering business and members of the family have been in the lobster business for decades (his father was a lobster fisherman).

“I originally thought I’d be a lawyer,” said Noël. “I did a couple of degrees with that intention but then I took a break and went to the l’Université du Québec à Montréal where I earned a degree in hospitality management.

I had contemplated being a chef but I soon realized that’s a lot of work for not a great pay ROBERT SIMMONDS / 41

FOOD & DRINK cheque. With a hospitality management degree I got to combine my love of food with my business sense.”

Following his time in Quebec, Noël moved to Alberta to improve his language skills; while there, he worked at a number of prestigious fine-dining restaurants, including stints at 4-Diamond and 5-Diamond properties in Alberta and British Columbia.

“As a 20 year old in Northern New Brunswick, as you can imagine, I wasn’t drinking a lot of wine…”

– Robert Noël

“As a 20 year old in Northern New Brunswick, as you can imagine, I wasn’t drinking a lot of wine but, while working with a Quebec-born Maitre D’ in Alberta, I was given the opportunity to taste a lot of wine,” he said. “They and I soon realized I had a very good palate.

It all started from there.”

Following his time in Alberta and at the celebrated The Wickannish Inn, a Relais & Châteaux property in Tofino, British Columbia, Noël spent time working on a small cruise ship in the Caribbean.

But the warm waters of the Caribbean lacked the lure of the North Atlantic.

Noël returned home in late 2002. A chance meeting with the head of human resources for Alcool NB Liquor while working catering events at his local liquor store, led to a seven-year stint with the local liquor monopoly, where he became the face of their wine program. While there he hosted Table d’hôte, a 28-episode food and pairing series on Rogers TV and wrote for numerous publications.

There came a time when the outspoken Noël’s time had run its course at Alcool NB Liquor.

42 / ROBERT SIMMONDS

“I made the decision to leave there and open déjà BU! I could only do some much,” he said.

“I had a vision of what I wanted to do at NB Liquor and had touched everything I wanted to do.

At the time I wanted to stay in New Brunswick and the stars aligned to open the place where I wanted it. It was always one of my dreams. I opened a big-citystyle restaurant in a small place.

“I have been recognized by a lot of magazines and programs, including The Food Network

Canada’s You Gotta Eat Here and have welcomed celebrated sommeliers Elyse Lambert (5th World Best Sommelier, 2016), François Chartier (author of Taste Buds and Molecules), and Véronique Rivest (World’s 2nd Best Sommelier, 2013).

Currently working on a new project for déjà BU!, Noël is also preparing for the next Atlantic Canadian sommelier competition and plans to finish his sake sommelier course.

And if that weren’t enough, Noël plans on taking the Master Sommelier exam, with the end goal of achieving his Master Sommelier certificate. Less than 300 people in the world have passed the exam in 40 years, testimony of the incredible skill set required by top sommeliers.

No doubt, Noël will one day join the list and set the bar even higher for Atlantic Canada’s sommelier community.

ROBERT SIMMONDS / 43

FOOD & DRINK

FOOD & PROFILE DRINK

Loving local New Brunswick Cheese & Beer Pairings

Photo: 123rf

By Doug Watling & Mark DeWolf

Photo: perry jackson

44 / ROBERT SIMMONDS

About charcuterie: Charcuterie is a broad term applied to aged, cured and processed meats preserved without refrigeration. Pâtés and many other preserved meats fall under charcuterie’s umbrella and offer unique possibilities for food and beverage pairing.

Dry cured pork sausage and a smoky, firm cheese. The classic cheese of choice in this case is smoked Gouda, widely available in most grocery stores. Various sausages from smaller producers can be found at farmers’ markets and specialty food merchants.

Our choices for local products are La Ferme du Diamant’s pork-based Country Style Dry Sausage (Saucisson Sec de Campagne)

and Armadale Farm’s firm/creamy Smoked Gouda.

Pairing: A British-style ale such as Picaroons Best Bitter.

A terrine or paté and a flavoured or spicy cheese.

Food outlets generally offer a range of patés, varying from mild to pungent. Herbed and spiced cheeses are also widely available in a variety of flavours and styles.

For a local touch, pair La Ferme du Diamant’s Duck Terrine with Red Wine and Pistachios with Au Fond des Bois Tomme au Poivre or Tomme au Cumin, goat’s milk cheeses with some real bite.

Pairing: A great match to German-style lagers with a little hoppy heft, like Pump House Brewery’s Oktoberfest.

Cured meats and aged cheddar Cured meats of all descriptions, including classic cured hams like prosciutto and Spanish Serrano, have made their way onto local shelves. Aged cheddars are a Canadian specialty. Armadale’s Extra-Old Cheddar and Diamant’s Jambon de Bourgogne are excellent local examples.

Pairing: A rich, darker beer like Big Axe White Birch Porter would make a substantial accompaniment.

Photo: 123rf

T

he artisanal cheese and beer movement is in full force in New Brunswick.

Here, we’ve highlighted three New Brunswick producers making fine artisanal cheeses and charcuterie.

Fromagerie Au Fond des Bois, located near Rexton, specializes in goat cheese.

La Ferme du Diamant is a St.-André Leblanc firm making 45 different products ranging from sausages to paté, to an array of cured meats.

Armadale Farm is a 20-yearyoung Roachville firm that makes gouda, havarti, cheddar, edam, and a variety of other dairy products, all from their own herd of milking cows.

ROBERT SIMMONDS / 45

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AUTO

Big, bold & ostentatious American luxury storms back with Cadillac’s CT6

By Kelly Taylor Photos: general motors canada

F

or much of the 1960s and 1970s, American luxury was fairly well-defined. If it wasn’t the big fins and long trunk of the 1960s, it was the long hood, long trunk and low greenhouse of the evil 1970 Lincoln Continental Mark III as seen in the horror flick, The Car. Big, bold, ostentatious, unforgiving. It lasted a short while, at least until the energy crisis, when big and bold gave way to legendary flops such as the Cadillac Cimarron, a rebadged version of an even worse car, the Chevrolet Cavalier.

When you pin your hopes for the future of your luxury brand on the worst car in your budget brand, you know things have clearly gone astray.

And while Cadillac has clearly turned itself around, with impressive cars such as the CTS, XTS and ATS, missing has been the luxury of big like in the ’60s. Enter the 2017 CT6.

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ROBERT SIMMONDS / 47

AUTO It’s two inches wider and nearly 10 inches longer than the CTS. It’s got five inches more rear legroom than CTS and is available with a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V-6 that delivers 404 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque.

With a top price of nearly $100,000, it’s clear its target is such cars as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7, as well as the upcoming Lincoln Continental.

There are three engine choices, starting with a 2.0-litre turbo four that drives the rear wheels. While it may seem odd to put so tiny a motor in a vehicle that’s 17 feet long, the mill turns out 265 horsepower at 5,500 r.p.m. and 295 pound-feet of torque at 3,000 r.p.m. Getting up to speed will not be a problem.

For buyers wanting a little bit more, a 3.6-litre V-6 ups the power to 335 hp, but drops the torque to 284 pound feet. For the fastest CT6, there’s the twin-turbo 3.0-litre V-6. Both V-6 engines are

in all-wheel-drive models, and all engines are mated to an eightspeed automatic transmission.

If you have four wheels, why do only two of them turn? It’s a question that’s had mixed answers since the 1990s, but has added application in a vehicle this long.

It’s available here, as an addition to the CT6’s active chassis system, which uses Magnetic Ride Control to adapt to road conditions. This system monitors suspension movement 1,000 times per second, and instantly varies the viscosity of the car’s shock fluid with a magnetic field.

To get the topline CT6 requires choosing one of the V-6 engines, which grants you admission to the Platinum trim level. This is the one to get if you really like your kids, or are unlikely to be your own driver.

This not only upgrades the front seats, the rear seats are treated like CEO territory, with eight-way power adjust, heating and ventilation, as well as recline.

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There are three engine choices, starting with a 2.0-litre turbo four that drives the rear wheels.

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AUTO The Platinum also raises the bar in toys, naturally, with a 34-speaker Bose Panaray sound system replacing the eight- and 10-speaker systems on the lesser models.

You’re wrapped in luxury with aniline leather, heated steering wheel, a reconfigurable head-up display, adaptive full-speed-range cruise control and the Cadillac CUE information and media system with navigation.

A stylish dash, with a mix of carbon-fibre and wood accents, punctuates a spacious interior, and is arguably Cadillac’s best dash yet. A large touch screen dominates the centre of the dash, with a control panel below for the four-zone climate control.

Cadillac doesn’t refer to the interior as having been designed: rather, it says the seven available interior combinations have been “curated.” There are custom stained exotic wood, custom carbon-fibre accents and Galvano chrome accents. My favourite might be the cinnamon-coloured leather with black accents.

As is standard on luxury vehicles, the CT6 greets you after dark by sensing the approaching key fob and lighting puddle lamps, tail lamps and headlights to improve visibility.

The safety systems on CT6 are also expected at this price level, with available night vision, lane keeping assist and warning, pedestrian collision mitigation and surround vision.

If needed, and if so equipped, the CT6 will also brake for you if you don’t.

The starting price of the CT6 is just a hair more than $61,000 for the 2.0-litre, rear-drive model, rising to $99,700 for the 3.0-litre, twin-turbo Platinum model.

Big, bold and ostentatious: American luxury may have taken a holiday, but it’s back.

If needed, and if so equipped, the CT6 will also brake for you if you don’t.

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