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MIKE LAZARIDIS,
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Balancing the seasonal recreational
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• Local perspective on foreign investment
• A tale of two saints
• Homegrown start-up
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TERRY REIDEL, page 17
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
SERVING BUSINESS IN WATERLOO REGION AND GUELPH | VOLUME 30, NUMBER 2
On the cover: Braun’s Bicycle
CONTENTS
COVER STORY
Anywhere They Want to Go
................................................18
PO Box 248, Waterloo ON N2J 4A4
Tel: 519-886-0298 • Fax: 519-886-6409
email: editor@exchangemagazine.com
BY JON ROHR
Balancing the seasonal recreational bike
business
Editor in Chief
JON ROHR
jon.rohr@exchangemagazine.com
Editor
PAUL KNOWLES
paul.knowles@exchangemagazine.com
FEATURES
Feature Writers
PAUL KNOWLES, JON ROHR
Foreign Investment:
Local Perspective on a Global
Issue ......................................26
Contributors
MELANIE REIST, ED ARBUCKLE,
SUNSHINE CHEN
BY PAUL KNOWLES
Waterloo Region is a major beneficiary of FDI
Creative Director
SUZANNE KELLER
suzanne.keller@exchangemagazine.com
Making a Difference ............38
BY PAUL KNOWLES
Photography
EXCHANGE, UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO,
COMMUNITECH, GRCA, PIRAK STUDIOS,
HOME HARDWARE STORES
A tale of two saints
Advertising Sales
JOHN HOBIN
519-886-0298 x305
john.hobin@exchangemagazine.com
PLEASE RECYCLE,
GIVE TO A FRIEND
EXCHANGE magazine is a regional business publication published by Exchange
Business Communication Inc., CEO Jon Rohr. Eight issues per year are distributed to each company in Kitchener,Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, and area as
determined by Canada Post Business Postal Walks. Subscriptions are available for $85.43. Send cheque or money order to Exchange, PO Box 248,
Waterloo ON N2J 4A4. Attn: Circulation Department. Back issues are available for $12.00 per copy. Phone: (519) 886-0298 x 302
Fax: (519) 886-6409. ISSN 0824-457X Copyright, 2012. No part of this
magazine may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.
8 | www.exchangemagazine.com
BUILDSCALE INC.
homegrown start-up,
page 14
TONY LEA, page 46
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FROM THE EDITOR
DIVERSITY AND
VITALITY
An amazing variety of enterprises
t times, I am
amazed at the
breadth of the stories
we cover in this magazine – all of them generated within our local
region. This edition is
a really good example
of the diversity and
PAUL KNOWLES is editor of vitality of our commuExchange Magazine. He is
nity.
an author, public speaker
There is Jon Rohr’s
and executive director of
article about a veneraNew Hamburg Live! email:
ble local business,
paul.knowles@
Braun’s Bicycles, a
exchangemagazine.com
company that is seeing
significant growth and success even as
this family firm starts to employ the
fourth generation of the Braun clan.
There’s the article on Michael Litt,
founder of several start-ups including
Vidyard, a young man rooted in the
region but comfortable in the boardrooms of California and New York. In
truth, if you want to regain some confidence about our local economy, you simply have to read Exchange and note the
number of successful start-ups and
entrepreneural achievements reflected in
our pages.
There’s the article about the significance of Foreign Direct Investment, one
of dozens of pieces I have been involved
in over the years that takes advantage of
the incredible amount of expertise and
seasoned wisdom we have in this community. It makes the job a lot easier
when people like John Tennant and John
Jung are willing to take the time to give
thoughtful answers to complex questions.
In fact, this month alone we cover
some recent and relevant comments by
key leaders like Mike Lazardis, Terry Reidel, and Vic Degutis.
And at the same time, there is the
“Making a Difference” feature in its traditional place in the back of the magazine,
this time an article about a not-for-profit
volunteer organization that contributes
so much to the health and safety of our
community.
by PAUL KNOWLES
DOUG FREGIN, RESEARCH IN MOTION CO-FOUNDER, MIKE AND OPHELIA LAZARIDIS AND
STEPHEN HAWKING AT THE U OF W’S QUANTUM-NANO CENTRE, page 16
DEPARTMENTS
From the Editor .......................... 9
Executive Files ..........................36
PAUL KNOWLES
ED ARBUCKLE
Diversity and Vitality
Doctors, drugs and disability
From the Publisher.................. 10
From the Ground Up ................40
JON ROHR
SUNSHINE CHEN
Parallel Pathe for this Digital Age
City-Country
Business Monitor .................... 12
Fifteen Years on the Cutting Edge; Community Leaders Honoured with Jubilee
Medal; Almost a Million Bucks Over the
Dam; St. Mary’s Hospital Receives
$250,000 from Manulife LPGA Classic;
Velocity Launches New Entrepreneurship
Program; Homegrown Start-Up; X-Quote;
A Commitment to Move and Improve
Oktoberfest Launches Vision 2020; Engaging Speaker Parlays Power of Story Telling;
Xquarterly; “The New Normal”; Undercover Coo “Learned A Lot”; “A New Chapter is
Emerging”
Watercooler ................................42
COLUMNS
Business and the Law ............ 34
MELANIE REIST
The realities of releases
MAUREEN COWAN, ONE OF 14 QUEEN’S
JUBILEE MEDAL RECIPIENTS, page 12
A
X
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 | 9
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
PARALLEL PATH FOR THIS
DIGITAL AGE
Too many times advancement is thwarted by old practices
founded in a “no love for change” paradigm.
by JON ROHR
It's great to see that Waterloo and Area still has
some serious chutzpah when it comes to expanding
the innovative and collaborative tradition it has
become synonymous with. The launch of the Mike &
Olphelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre, at the University of Waterloo, as the Lazaridises were joined by
Stephen Hawking, is but one more stepping stone to a
future of innovation in Waterloo Area. In a interview
with Mike Lazaridis, he so perfectly parallels this new
beginning to his early beginnings as a student at Uni-
JON ROHR is publisher of
Celebrating 60 years
Exchange Magazine for
Business, editor of exchangemagazine online and
president of Exchange Business Communications Inc.
email: jon.rohr@
exchangemagazine.com
exciting times ahead.
So what's different in today’s Quantum-Nano
realm? Is it simply that government and non-government organizations (NGO) have a much better understanding and appreciation of the economic gains that
come from growth through innovation. It's amazing
what is possible when a shared, open, and encouraging attitude exists.
No where is that attitude more important than with
our leadership. Leadership starts at the Owner Operator and Director level. Those individuals, whether corporate stakeholders, community stakeholders on notfor-profit boards, or elected politicians, all have a
responsibility to be forward thinking, responsive, and
innovative when it comes to meeting the challenges of
the local and global market place. It’s important to
have the talent to draw on. Directors like Terry Reidel,
who I had the pleasure to interview for the announcement of the new local Chapter for Institute for Corporate Directors, fit that bill. Reidels involvement in the
Exchange has nurtured an information sharing environment integral to the community.
versity of Waterloo in 1979/80. For it was then that
Mike and his fellow classmates were introduced to Fortran, email and networks. Tools that over time they
would develop and enhance. It would take 15-20 years
for their technology vision to become accepted, coveted and used as the new communication tool, by the
likes of Bill Clinton, Bill Gates as well as Bill Brown. A
secure communication tool, that to this day is
Obama’s preferred communicator, as he navigates the
world’s most powerful and influencial nation.
For the next 10 years the Blackberry was marvelled
at by all global movers and shakers. Consumers and
competitors took notice. It took the next eight years for
others to catch up to Lazaridis’ technological innovation and displace the BB as the mass’s preferred smart
phone. All said and done, it was long innovative cycle.
One that lasted 33 years but isn’t over. The new QNC is
destined to run a parallel path. And that makes for
timely launch of this new Chapter is a excellent step in
sharing the challenges needed to navigate future
growth at a leadership level.
Quite frankly, If we are going to grow we need to
improve governance, in business, NGO’s and Government. We need to be willing to examine the policies
and use the tools that will permit sound innovation in
all sectors. Too many times advancement in governance issues is thwarted by old practices supported by
old mindsets with a “no love for change” paradigm.
What is becoming more evident is that every sector
needs to focus on innovation. If we are to improve as a
society, our systems need to be checked and changed.
Policies and the masters who pull the strings have historically thwarted innovation in governance. In a brave
new world, we must have a easier mechanism to
rewrite standard practices of out-dated systems. Only
then will society advance.
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your guide to
intelligent philanthropy
If you are a Financial Advisor, Law Professional,
Corporate Sponsor, Estate Planning Professional or
Corporate Director this is important to you.
START THE LEGACY CONVERSATION
In 2012 Exchange Magazine and LEAVE A LEGACY™ partnered in to create Legacy
Giving for our community, Waterloo Region and Wellington County. Our goal is to share
how donors in our community have made impactful outcomes through legacy gifts.
Legacy Giving is a wonderful community initiative, which is helping raise community
awareness and is a great tool for organizations to use in talking to clients about the
impact of leaving a legacy.
This year, it’s your opportunity to get involved and start the
conversation around Legacy Giving and help generate
more gift giving.
By participating in the Legacy Giving program, your brand and image will
appear in the May 2013 issue of Exchange Magazine. The best way to accomplish this is
to sponsor a legacy story and share the benefits of legacy giving.
Legacy Giving 2013 will be distributed by Canada Post to over 18,000 offices in Waterloo Region and Wellington
County and will also be featured as a special on-line feature through Exchange Magazine (a readership of over 120,000 readers).
HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED
1. Lead and sponsor a Legacy Profile or display your own message with a display advertisement – ask one or several of
the charities you support to partner with you and feature a philanthropic story or display advertisement. If you don’t want to
sponsor the full amount, group together and share the cost with several other stakeholders. Sponsors of stories will receive full
recognition for their participation in your chosen organization’s Legacy Profile. Display ads are profiling and highlighting your
service. Both have advantages, both will get you noticed.
2. Talk to vested stakeholders – Board Members, marketing groups who look after philanthropic gift
giving. Collaborate on a legacy story and promote legacy giving to our readers.
Cost for a Legacy Profile is $2,755, a rate discounted more than 50% from Exchange Magazine’s
regular profile rate. This rate is only for this annual special philanthropic publication.
For more information or to secure your Legacy Profile, please contact:
GILLIAN FLANAGAN | gflanagan@kidsability.ca | 519.886.8886 ext. 1350
JON ROHR | jon.rohr@exchangemagazine.com | 519.886.0298 x301
For more information and rates on the 2013 Legacy Giving Guide go to
www.exchangemagazine.com/Leave-a-Legacy-2013
Space Reservation Needed by December 20, 2012
THE 2013 LEGACY GUIDE IS A COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY INITIATIVE BETWEEN:
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BUSINESS MONITOR
FIFTEEN YEARS ON THE CUTTING EDGE
tember with an open house for member companies.
“As a 1968 ad campaign once said, ‘You’ve come a long way baby,’ and that
sums up how we feel at Communitech looking back at 15 years of progress,” said
Iain Klugman, CEO of Communitech. “It’s been a lot of hard work and even more
fun putting Waterloo Region tech on the map with the help of a hugely supportive community.”
Communitech decided to host its member companies, who are the mainstay of
the organization, for its 15th anniversary, showcasing the services offered which
companies can avail themselves of – everything from an active events roster to
value-added speaker programs, to special entrepreneur events and specialized
mentoring programs for startups. Some of the front runners in Waterloo tech include: Canada’s largest tech company, Research In Motion; Canada’s largest software company, OpenText; Canada’s largest satellite company, COM DEV; one of
the world’s top producers of visual technology displays, Christie Digital Systems
Canada Inc.; and Canada’s largest eLearning company, Desire2Learn. The sector
also includes over 400 startups, hundreds of small-medium enterprises, and
large enterprises with presence around the world.
PHOTO: COMMUNITECH
ommunitech, a technology organization that began as the brainchild of a
C
handful of Waterloo Region technology leaders and now serves a community
of nearly 1,000 technology companies, celebrated its 15th anniversary in Sep-
Scott Murphy, whose company Data Perceptions is celebrating 19 years, shares a conversation with
Laura Richards, of RIM Corporate Philanthropy, at the Communitech 15th anniversary party.
Community Leaders Honoured with Jubilee Medal
Assisting MPP Michael Harris (shown second from right) in presenting The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medals was Waterloo Region Police Chief Matt Torigian (at left in photo). Members of the RCMP added
to the pomp and circumstance. Recipients included, starting third from left, Brent Thomlison, Jason Ball, Paul Knowles, Garo Bostajian, Dr. Laurie Sellers, Michael Kennedy, David Kuhn, Chattar Ahuja,
Mandy Bujold, Charles Foy, LuAnn Snyder, Kelly Meissner, and, missing from photo, Maureen Cowan and Alvin Sararus.
standing individuals and reward them for their commitment and selfless dedication to our community and those in need.Tonight’s recipients come from all walks
of life and have served our region in a number of unique ways, like supporting the
arts and culture, developing educational programs, improving health care, providing spiritual guidance, building strong local neighbourhoods and keeping our
community safe.
“The contributions of these individuals, and others like them, have truly made our
community into the success it is today.”
community leaders, including several prominent in the Waterloo ReFMedalourteen
gion business community, received The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee
at a ceremony hosted by Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Michael Harris. The
event took place at the Waterloo Region Museum. The Jubilee Medal is created
to mark the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the
Throne as Queen of Canada.
MPs and MPPs have been invited to nominate recipients, and similar ceremonies
are being hosted throughout the country. Harris commented that the medals were
presented to honour “outstanding citizens who have helped build our country
through excellence in their field and sustained contributions to their community.”
He added, “I’m honoured to have the opportunity to recognize these 14 out-
Almost a million bucks over the dam
Gravel Association will help a new
hydro facility planned at the Park Hill
Dam in Galt.
The project is in the planning phase
and is expected to cost between $7
and $8 million to build. It will double
the GRCA’s hydro production capacity.
The Park Hill Dam is located in downtown Cambridge (Galt). It is one of 31
operating dams owned by GRCA. Originally built in 1837 to create a mill
pond, the Park Hill Dam is a run of the
river dam, where water flows across its
surface. It was identified as a strong
candidate for the installation of a
hydro generating station at the west
end of the dam. It has the potential to
generate an estimated $920,000 annually in revenue.
Once the loan to construct the dam
has been paid off, the funds from
hydro generation will go towards a
range of conservation projects, such as
tree planting, outdoor education, land
acquisition and habitat restoration.
Pictured from Left: Moreen Miller, Malcolm
Matheson, Ruth Prior, Dan OHara, Sara Wilbur
and Tony Iacocca stand in front of the dam.
12 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m
PHOTO: GRCA
innovative partnership with the
AtionnGrand
River Conservation Foundaand the Ontario Stone, Sand and
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Page 13
BUSINESS MONITOR
TO THE MOON VIA NEW HAMBURG
ntario Drive and Gear, the New Hamburg company that has successfully –
O
and perhaps surprisingly – launched a successful space technology arm, has
produced the newest version of their Lunar Rover.As part of the Nepec Rover Tea,
which brings together the industry’s leading technology experts in developing a
new Lunar Exploration Light Rover, ODG is at the cutting edge of Research and Development.
Engineer Daniel Wolley, of Mechanical Engineer Space Robotics Program at ODG,
is shown is the most recent iteration of the lunar vehicle. Testing of the prototypes is carried out both at ODG headquarters in New Hamburg and more intensively, in Hawaiian volcanic craters that mimic the moonscape that will be the
eventual home to the rover.
The Lunar Rover project has now been underway for four years; other partners
in the effort include Com Dev Canada, McGill University, NGC Aerospace and
Northern Centre for Advanced Technology.
VELOCITY LAUNCHES NEW
ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM
PHOTO: EXCHANGE MAGAZINE
eloCity at the University of Waterloo has launched its new program, VeloCity
Vamong
Campus. VeloCity Campus is designed to boost entrepreneurial awareness
students interested in transforming their ideas into businesses. A panel
ST. MARY’S HOSPITAL RECEIVES
$250,000 FROM MANULIFE LPGA
CLASSIC
PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
he Manulife Financial LPGA Classic
Tceeds
has presented $250,000 of profrom the June 2012 tourna-
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LPGA
charities,” said Nicole Boivin, Senior
Vice President and Chief Branding and
Communications Officer at Manulife
ment to the St. Mary’s General
Financial.“We chose St. Mary’s as our
Hospital Foundation.
charity partner because of their strong
local roots, their commitment to volAs the official charity partner, the St.
unteerism, and their work to help imMary’s General Hospital Foundation
prove the quality of life and health of
receives a portion of the tournament
residents in the region.”
proceeds to enhance the hospital’s
volunteer program and support its
Since St. Mary’s first began providing
Cardiac Care Centre, while providing
cardiac care in 2001, Manulife Finanthe opportunity to raise awareness
cial has been one of the Regional Carabout the importance of women’s
diac Care Centre’s key philanthropic
heart health.
partners; contributing more than $2.5
million to support patient care.
“Manulife Financial is one of Waterloo Region’s largest employers and we
“Manulife has been a vital partner in
are so pleased this world-class tourenabling St. Mary’s to become one of
nament has benefited one of our comthe province’s preeminent providers of
munitys most important local
cardiac care,” said Peter Sweeney,
President of the St. Mary’s
General Hospital Foundation. “We’re thrilled that
they have continued to invest in the heart health of
our community. In addition to promoting heart
health, Manulife Financial
and St. Mary’s Hospital
share a common commitment to volunteerism
which makes this charitable partnership a great
fit.”
St. Mary’s General Hospital has worked hard to
develop programs that
have meaningful impact
for volunteers, patients
Hugh Morrow, CEO and founder of Sports Properties International, and their families. Volunwhich stages LPGA tournaments, including the Manulife Classic.
teers at St. Mary’s con-
of notable speakers kicked off the launch with unique and diverse insights on entrepreneurship. Panelists included Andrew Cross (Founder, Goose Chase Adventures), Mike Kirkup (Director, VeloCity), Matthew Miner (Co-founder, Lumos) and
Assaf Weisz (Co-Founder, Venture Deli), with all discussion moderated by
Prashanth Gopalan (Founder & Curator, TEDxUW).
VeloCity Campus will host weekly seminars and workshops that will help students
build their entrepreneurship portfolio. Topics will include pitch coaching, lean
business canvas, marketing and customer acquisition.
Asaaf Weisz, left, investor, Venture Deli, and Mike Kirkup, Director, VeloCity & Stuent Innovation at
University of Waterloo, at the VeloCity Campus launch.
tribute nearly 40,000 hours of support
every year, in more than 100 different
volunteer programs ranging in areas
from retail operations to patient support.
“This is the first time that an organization has pledged funds to support
volunteerism as a strategic role within
the hospital,” said Don Shilton, President of St. Mary’s General Hospital.
“It’s an innovative, forward-thinking investment that will enable us to take
our vision of volunteerism to new
heights.”
“Raising money for charity and making a lasting impact on local communities is one of the main objectives of
the LPGA and its tournaments,” noted
Richard Kuypers, Manulife Financial
LPGA Classic Tournament Director.
“The community response we received
in Waterloo Region was incredible for
a first-year tournament, with over
66,000 spectators and 1,400 volunteers, and we are excited that because
of this community support, we are
able to help out a great cause like St.
Mary’s.”
The inaugural Manulife Financial
LPGA Classic, held at Grey Silo Golf
Course this past June, was a resounding success. Shining a global spotlight
on Waterloo Region, the tournament
received community-wide support and
1,400 volunteers invested their time
and talent to the event. Over 66,000
spectators lined the fairways to watch
the world’s best female golfers compete for the beautifully handcrafted
glass trophy.Texas native Brittany Lang
birdied the par-5 18th hole three
straight times in an exciting four person play-off to become a Rolex FirstTime Winner and earn the $195,000
first-place cheque.
Tickets for the 2013 Manulife Financial LPGA Classic are now on sale.
Those interested in volunteering for the
2013 tournament can visit
www.manulifeclassic.ca.
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PART FIVE OFA FIVE-PART SERIES ON START-UPSTHAT HAVE CHOSENWATERLOO REGIONASTHEIR LAUNCHING PAD
Michael Litt
is much made of start-up companies and young entrepreneurs that miTneedhere
grate from elsewhere to Waterloo Region, where they find the resources they
– financial, human, educational, mentoring, the whole gamut.
Michael Litt was just a bit ahead of that entire entrepreneurial pack, because
although he has experience in the traditional cyber-centres like Silicon Valley,
he’s a Waterloo Region boy, born and bred.
Litt, whose company Buildscale Inc. manages his own innovations like Redwoods
Media and Vidyard, says, “A lot of guys my age, they want to get the hell out of
their hometown, but I see Waterloo as second to almost none in terms of location to start a business in North America. Obviously, New York is a rising tide,
there are a lot of great companies coming out of New York, but the cost to start
a company in terms of the talent you can get.... [while Waterloo] is an amazing
place. We’ve got a ton of people.”
Litt is a start-up veteran who developed Vidyard as a fourth-year design project
14 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m
PHOTO: EXCHANGE MAGAZINE
HOMEGROWN START-UP
at the University of Waterloo. That particular enterprise has been described as
“You-tube for business,” and has attracted seven-figure funding from Silicon Valley investors, including YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim.
Red Woods Media, a separate brand, pre-dates Vidyard by about a year. Litt explains that “Red Woods Media is a business that started in my bedroom in my
third year of university. I had worked for a local tech company that is quite large,
and I had contracted a business to create some videos to help explain the installation procedure for a software tool they’ve created.”
Litt had known several successes before he reached the age of 25, but for this
young entrepreneur, that was not enough. He says, “Success is within the idea
holder, I suppose. For us I think there’s always the next milestone, so success is
always one milestone away and then you hit that and you have a moment of ‘this
is great’ when you hit this milestone within the timeframe you allotted for yourself, but then it’s, ‘look at the next one’. I think as an entrepreneur it’s like, goal,
goal, goal.”
Litt explains the genesis of Vidyard: “In my fourth year I needed to do a design
project to graduate and I wanted to do something in software. I decided to build
an analytics platform on top of this video hosting protocol because the original
goal was that we could sell more videos if we knew what worked in video. You’d
almost say video content is a combination of art and science, and so our creators
understand the art and this platform that determines how much the viewers
watch, what they like... and so if we could bring both of them to the table it was
a compelling sales message and would sell more videos... What we found was
that platform in itself was enticing to people who had made their own videos for
their businesses and were constantly making video blogs, so we started to roll that
out as extendable product.
“Moving into 2011, we decided that it was a business worth raising some money
for – just because the scaling opportunity was there. So we started talking to
people locally – that goal was not actually raise cash, it was to ask these guys
for advice and it blew them away that we were actually generating revenue and
have this big opportunity.”
Litt soon learned that raising money is sufficiently challenging that you want to
marshall your resources wisely.That, he says, is one of the good reasons to locate
a start-up in Waterloo region. “In Silicon Valley, an engineer costs you about
$120,000, and there are no government incentives and so when you look at the
numbers it’s roughly – this is being conservative – three times cheaper to run a
development team in Waterloo, which means you can last for three times longer
with the funding you received or build something that’s three times bigger in terms
of a team.”
And funding does exist here, too. Litt says casually, “We try to include some
Canadians that are around in funding. In Canada, the investor rate might be a little bit lower but a lot of people try to get funded too early and if you have customers and traction, you have social proof and a proper plan for scaling, you’ll
have no problem getting money here.”
Litt loves his work; he’s still pumped about VidYard, which he describes: “Vidyard
is an easy way to get your video on your website at the very, very basic level. It’s
like a YouTube for businesses. Where YouTube kinda falls short now, we pick up
the slack and we collect a subscription payment model from the business that’s
based on the number of views, the features that we provide and the bandwidth
that we allocate. It’s evolved into a business intelligence tool that’s around videos.”
He’s a born collaborator, arguing for cooperation and transparency as the key
to success.“I tend to be super transparent, wear my heart on my sleeve,” he says.
“If I can bounce ideas off of you ... I feel like I’m always learning stuff from people. Everybody’s a potential user; I might as well tell them what we’re working on
and see how the feedback comes.You’ve gotta be open to share and let people
share with you and I think that’s part of the success of this area – being born and
bred here, that is part of the region has done.... I mean, in Waterloo I know all the
startups, the companies, I’ve communicated with everybody at some level.”
XQuote
“Economies don’t run on energy, they don’t run on capital, economies run on
ideas. So the work on innovation, the work of coming up with new ideas, is
some of the most powerful, some of the most fundamental work we can do in
an economy.”
- Andrew McAfee, Principal research scientist at the Center for Digital
Business, at the MIT Sloan School of Management
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PHOTO: PIRAK STUDIOS
A Commitment to Move and Improve Oktoberfest Launches Vision 2020
Miss Oktoberfest 2011 Brittany Graul is surrounded by 2012 contestants vying for this years honour. On either side of Graul, is Kitchener-Waterloo Executive Director Mark Kreller (l) and Oktoberfest
President Vic Degutis (r). Degutis comments (below) on the efforts to develop a long-term vision for the venerable Festival. Immediately left of Degutis is, unknown to her at time of photo, 2012 Miss
Oktoberfest Ambassador Lindsay Coulter.
ow in its 44th year, the Kitchener/Waterloo Oktoberfest has successfully comN
pleted another festive nine days where Neighbors and visitors shared
Gemütlichkeit. Vic Degutis, President of the not-for-profit organization, was more
ditional Miss Oktoberfest pageant, separated from the traditional US pageant
model. In the past, the pageant included swim suits and gowns, and drew on
North American talent, but for the last nine years the focus has been within 80
km, thus creating a more localized competition that focused on interpersonal
skills, and presentation skills.
In addition, came the launch by the board of a plan to develop a new vision for
the year 2020. This was endorsed by the board and presented to the city councils and Regional council and the advisory board, says Degutis. “The seed was
planted and we’ll start the process later this calendar year. For the past five years
we were focused on cleaning up our house, getting everything in order and ensuring we have a promising future. Now this 2020 vision is going to set what that
future looks like.”
than delighted with the outcome, as he sensed “a lot more community engagement, and community celebration, which is ultimately to me the most important
part of Oktoberfest.”
This year marked the coming to an close of a five year examination of the festival, “where we evaluated the festival, the structures, the governance, the strategic planning processes, and the focus on branding.This year was about providing
more depth and consistency of our activities.” Degutis adds, “over all sales were
up,” but final figures were not available at publication deadline..
This year security at the fest halls was a top priority. Working in cooperation with
the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), and the Waterloo Regional Police, the festival created its first templated security plan. Every festival
was required to fulfill the security plan and more significantly the AGCO was asked
to approve and endorse it.
Change is not new to the organization. As far back as 2003 when organizers,
aware of the community’s concerns and the escalating expense of running a tra-
XQuarterly – www. xquarterly.ca
ENGAGING SPEAKER PARLAYS POWER
OF STORY TELLING
2012 Center for Family Business AGM
held at Bingemans the end of September.
“The power of story telling,” says
Weber, “communicates how people
are, and what their relationship is to
their recipient.”
Most business communication is devoid of human interaction, he says. But
a good story teller has a degree of
confident humility, and if a story is told
right, it becomes memorable, and
builds a lasting connection that
evokes emotion by tapping into the
Mark Weber, a man with a story.
core interest of the subject. In contrast, a poor story is dry, over-complicated and tells too much about the
speaker rather than connecting with
the audience.
During Weber’s presentation he listed
a number of techniques that would
help an individual with their story
telling. Key aspect include asking yourself what is awesome about your business, what you’re proud of, and how
would you tell your children about your
business.
Story telling works because of the
emotional buy-in from the listener
when a analogy is used to communicate the message.
PHOTO: EXCHANGE MAGAZINE
ark Weber says, “to engage peoM
ple takes a story.” It was his message to the 100 attendees at the
• According to a survey conducted by
TNS, the Canadian Consumer Confidence Index dropped slightly, from
98.6 to 98.0, which is not enough
to represent a statistically significant
change from the previous month.
• The Present Situation Index, which
measures how people feel about the
economy right now, dropped slightly
from 100.8 to 99.6, but not enough
to erase the major jump in confidence in September.
• The Expectations Index, which measures people’s outlook for the economy six months from now, saw a
small decline from 100.2 to 99.4;
significant, but not enough to erase
gains made during the past month.
• The Buy Index, which measures the
extent to which Canadians feel that
now is a good time to purchase a
“big ticket item” such as a car or a
major household appliance, is the
only one to show a directional rise
in October, from 93.9 to 94.5. October represents the fourth month in a
row in which the Buy Index is up.
• More Canadians have no personal
(non-mortgage) debt (26% in 2012,
up from 22% in 2011), according to
the 2nd Annual RBC Debt Poll. On
average, Canadians carry $13,141
in personal debt, up $84 from a year
ago, with Ontarians carrying the
most debt ($15,361) and Quebecers with the least ($10,171).
• While 40% of Canadians describe
themselves as “comfortable” with
their current personal debt level
(compared to 45% in 2011), 34%
admit their debt level causes them
anxiety (32% in 2011).
• 76% of Canadians feel they are in
better shape regarding their personal debt than their friends and
neighbours (75% in 2011).
• For Canadian boomers, the road to
retirement may include a stop as a
small business owner. A recent TD
Canada Trust survey found more
than half of boomers (54%) have
started or considered starting a
small business prior to retirement
(15% and 39% respectively).
• Rising disposable income and a
growing population will boost restaurant sales in Canada by an annual
average of 4.1% over the next five
years. According to the Canadian
Restaurant and Foodservices Association, commercial restaurant sales
(excluding foodservice sales at institutions and accommodation) will
jump to $61.7 billion a year by
2016 – up from $52.9 billion.
• Canada is the second most tax competitive country among 14 major
global economies, after India, and
took the top spot among mature
markets, according to KPMG.
• Statscan says federal science and
technology spending for fiscal year
2012/2013 is anticipated to decline 5.9% from 2011/2012 to
$10.9 billion. This decrease represents a return to more normal levels
as a result of the conclusion of federal stimulus spending.
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PHOTO: EXCHANGE MAGAZINE
“THE NEW NORMAL”
A host of eager dignitaries joined Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis and Stephen Hawking at the ribbon cutting for the Quantum-Nano Centre at the University of Waterloo.
Mike Lazaridis speaks with the media at opening of
University of Waterloo’s Quantum-Nano Centre
nance to investments, to medical hisOn University of Waterloo
tory and work up. Everything will be
Students
digitally stored and transmitted and
When I came [to University of Wateryou’ll be able to have that with you at
loo] in 1979 and 1980 we had email,
all times. But it’s going to require a
using email in school, using email to
whole new paradigm in terms of secucommunicate with other research inrity. Because it’s going to change.
stitutions around the world. We had
Today we take security for granted,
computers and operating systems, we
businesses take it very seriously, govhad networking – now this is 1980, I
ernments and military take it very sedoubt most of us knew about the inriously, but as consumers we are just
ternet, or about email till the late
discovering what it means to have all
1990s.
our personal and private data potenSo that’s the exposure we have as
tially vulnerable.
students at University of Waterloo. We
were exposed to a future, we were
On the Smart Phone
shown what was possible, what to look
The smart phone industry is a transforward to, and that’s what drives us
formation that continues. If we were
to really learn and understand. What
saying that the whole industry was
is happening now is the same thing,
going to become “smart phone’ ten
we’re having difficulty grasping quanyears ago, people couldn’t believe it.
tum physics, it’s a very complex disciToday we’re talking about how quickly
pline, or nanotechnology, the study of
can we finish the transition to smart
the ultra small. The students who are
phones globally and it happened very
coming here, to them, this is somequickly.
thing they are learning and to them,
On the Net
it’s the new normal. So you can imagI think that there is so much new
ine when they graduate and go into intechnology available, I think that as
dustry what will happen in the next 20
the networks become faster and more
years. The students are graduating
ubiquitous, I think that when we have
from Waterloo, with all that science
more power in our hands and in our
and engineering background, and they
pockets, I think then what’s going to
went out and infused their knowledge
happen is, we are going to start taking
in industry, across Canada, in the Rethis technology for granted and that’s
gion and Silicon Valley.
when it becomes magic. There is a
On the Future Consumer
saying that says any sufficiently adTen years from now, I see unimaginvanced technology appears like
able powerful computers that are very
magic. And I think we are within a few
smart. I see a communications netdecades of that.
work that we will take for granted, it
just always works. I see our personal
On the Past Projecting to
privacy, something that will become
the Future
very dear and important to us and this
We’re half way in our journey. All the
new quantum cryptography will play
things that we’re exposed to today, my
an important role.
classmates and I were exposed to 30
years ago. And look at it today, we
On a Whole New Paradigm
don’t even recognize it. Just think
Think of it this way.We’ll get to a point
what’s going to happen 15-30 years
where you’ll be able to do everything
from now.
digitally. From voting to banking to fi16 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m
On the Reason for the QNC
QNC is more than the building, QNC
is two institutes, Quantum Computing,
which is the bold ambition for Institute
of Quantum Computing, and nanotechnology which is the bold ambition for Waterloo Institute for
Nanotechnology.
And those two institutes operate
under the QNC building.What’s important is that it’s in the middle of the
campus, and you have all these other
faculties; the idea was to bring all the
faculties, and all the strength of the
University to focus and outshine, and
compete in this very competitive world
that is coming in Nanotechnology and
Quantum physics.
We’re trying to build the Bell labs of
the 21st century; if you were to read
the history books and talk to the people that were there, one thing you will
realize is that there were chance encounters. It was their open door policy, they weren’t allowed to close the
doors in their offices.
Its a simple thing, but why is that important? When you’re a young engineer or scientist and you go to a Bell
Lab, and there is the guy who wrote
the book on Quantum Physics or communication theory, it’s intimidating to
knock on their door, but if it’s open
and they catch you and say “hey come
on in,” that breaks the ice, and it’s that
interaction that inspires students to
work really hard.
The number one thing for students is
to collaborate; individual discipline
has honed its own capabilities and experience but it’s the intersection between these.
We’re going to have an insight that we
believe is going to be unique in the
world. Breakthroughs that we’re making in quantum computing, quantum
operations is going to help us fabricate better nanotechnology. And we
think that is our unique competency,
in what we’ve built here and that’s
been the strategy over the last
decade.
Undercover COO “Learned a Lot”
ome Hardware Stores Limited‘s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating
H
Officer, Terry Davis, went undercover to learn more about the day-to-day operations of Canada’s largest independent, Dealer-owned hardware, lumber, building materials and furniture cooperative.The transformation was featured in the fall
premiere of W Network’s Undercover Boss Canada on September 6.
Undercover Boss Canada follows executives as they leave the comfort of their offices to go undercover alongside their staff. Each episode features an executive
who is transformed into a frontline worker with a covert disguise and a convincing back story. Working alongside their employees, each “boss” embarks on an
often emotional journey as they struggle to learn new skills not required at the executive level and discover the effects their decisions have on others, the perception of the company, and who the unsung heroes of their workforce are. Most
importantly, they learn how to apply what they have gained from the experience
– both for their company and for themselves.
“The experience going undercover with Home’s staff has been extremely rewarding and enlightening," said Davis. "I've always known that Home Hardware is a
family of special people who are passionate about their work and the customers
we serve, but to have the opportunity to forge these special relationships and see
first-hand what happens on the front lines has brought me a new appreciation for
our people and the role they play in our business and in their communities."
In the premier episode,Terry Davis tried his hand packing orders in Home Hard-
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BUSINESS MONITOR
“A NEW CHAPTER IS EMERGING”
PHOTO PROVIDED BY HOME HARDWARE
launch celebration, to acknowledge the successful completion of a two year trial
period where a beta South Western Chapter of The Institute of Corporate Directors, (SWCICD) received official status as a full fledged Chapter of the National
Institute of Corporate Director Association.
Two events were held to celebrate the newly acquired status, one in Kitchener,
October 30 and the other London, October 31.The SWCICD membership level attained during the trial period surprised both National members, and local organizers, as it out-performed their expectations.
The Institute of Corporate Directors has been around for quite some time says
Reidel.The national organization has chapters operating in Vancouver, Calgary,The
Maritimes, and Toronto, located in the epicentres of activity in Canada.
It exists as the result of increased attention given to directors from a diverse
group of stakeholders with vested interest. The attention is basically the result of
economic times, as directors are more or less being heaped on in terms of their
governance activities, their responsibilities, and their obligations to shareholders.
The National Association began a few years ago, says Reidel, to gather directors
in one place, so they can talk about the issues of the day, talk about the problems that they’re having; they can educate themselves in a much more efficient
way and they can have some sort of focal point, where a lot of this education
gets done.
Readers can only accept that topics discussed at this level, in these forums, are
extremely relevant to leaders and the subsequent responsibility to stakeholders
they take on.
The SWCICD Chapter came about as the result of a number of local directors,
who were also affiliated with the Toronto Institute and/or have taken courses
through the National Institute.These local directors wanted to discuss their home
town issues, while some simply found the drive to Toronto for 7:30 am meetings
pretty tough to do.
As a result an upstart group of 10-12 directors got together and said, “I think we
have a big enough group that would be interested in having a chapter closer, in
South Western Ontario.” So they organized one, setting up their own sessions, which
were keep similar to the sessions been held in Toronto and other jurisdictions.
Will the real Terry Davis please stand up? Home
Hardware’s “Undercover Boss” at his St. Jacobs
office, left, and in disguise on the job, above.
ware’s Wetaskiwin,Alberta Distribution Centre, working on the manufacturing line at
the company’s Beauti-Tone Paint and Home
Products facility in Burford, Ontario and
doing his best to provide top-notch service
to customers at Payzant Home Hardware
Building Centre in Lower Sackville, Nova
Scotia and Geerlink’s Home Hardware
Building Centre in St. Thomas, Ontario.
After the show was aired, Davis called it “an extremely valuable experience for
me. I learned a lot. There were a lot of things I did that I have never done before.
Parts of it were the hardest things I have ever done. I never would have gotten that
experience in any other venue. I not only learned about the jobs that people did,
I learned about the people themselves.”
He added,“It was extremely rewarding to see that other people care about their
jobs as much as I care about my job. That will stick with me forever.”
PHOTO: EXCHANGE MAGAZINE
There is innovation occurring in this town. A new chapter is emerging, I mean
“Ontario
that quite literally.” That’s the word from Terry Reidel, Co-Chair, South Western
Chapter of the Institute of Corporate Directors. He was speaking at a
Terry Reidel, Co-Chair South Western Ontario Chapter of the Institute of Corporate Directors
“We did a hell of a job,” say Reidel, “we attracted 90 people to our sessions [in
Kitchener], as much as they do in Toronto, and I think national is relatively impressed, so now we’re being recognized as a Chapter.”
“Issues drove the formation of this Chapter,” he says. “When you went down to
those sessions, there were a lot of the topics that were sort of Bay street topics
... mega, mega corp stuff and all the issues that they have. We don’t have those
kind of issues – sure, we’ve got the RIMS and Open Text, and some of those, but
overall ours are smaller issues, similar issues, but smaller issues ...What we want
to do is make the sessions much more relevant to our market place.”
“The structure of the Southwestern Ontario Chapter is unique among the Institute’s other Chapters. Because of the fact that we’re in South Western Ontario, we
have two sessions instead of one.” They group the sessions as Day 1 and Day 2,
Kitchener & London respectively. They cover the same topics, and offer many of
the same panelists. Each session attracts anywhere from 60 to 100 people in
Kitchener, and between 50 and 80 in London – so you’ve got 120 people coming out on a consistent basis, three or four times a year.
Reidel makes a point of saying “It’s not just the for-profit community, its the notfor-profit community that is in it too. Topics the directors chat about include topics like say on pay for personal compensation, and how do you make a board
more effective in terms of their ability to connect with the C-suite? Other compensation issues – how do they pay themselves, their people and who approves
them, how do they get back in control, if they get out of control.Those are the kind
of topics that we are trying to put on and attract people to come in a chat about
them.”
“Ultimately, what we’re trying to do, is to make for a better governed, for profit
and not-for-profit community.” Reidel further states that there are directors who
feel pretty much out there, and are on their own. He emphasizes that through this
group, they have the ability to connect with other directors and talk about the issues of the day, including the issues that they may be having personally. “It’s a
pretty good networking thing.”
Membership consists of both volunteer directors and compensated directors.
“The not-for-profit area really has only volunteer directors who are doing it out of
the goodness of their heart, and sometimes they’re getting heaped on, because
they are trying to do the responsibilities as well as they can, and sometimes there
are issues. As for the for-profit directors, there are topical issues coming out all
the time,” Reidel says, “mostly chasing us from the States.”
The new chapter is still sort of fledging, making sure that the three or four sessions per year are relevant and topical. They annually have a “come on out and
network, nothing formal, just let’s get together and network. ”
The last double session occurred October 30 & 31, 2012, at the Tannery and
London Club, respectively. The discussion surrounded content related to what the
directors’ responsibilities are when mergers and acquisitions happen.
As a seasoned director, Reidel finds the discussions at the sessions to be really, really good. And he should know – he sits on a number of local boards including as Chairman to the Com Dev Corporation Board, and as a director on
Linamar Corporation Board, Guaranteed Company of North America, (which is a
insurance company connected with the Cowan Company), he’s on the Cowan Insurance Group Board, the Cowan Group Foundation, Capacity Waterloo Board
and Grand River Conservation Foundation. He speaks fondly of all experiences,
citing unique industry challenges as a stimulating attraction.
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ANYWHERE
THEY WANT
TO GO
BY JON ROHR
Balancing the seasons of the seasonal business
hat do you call it when you come across an 86-year-old family retail business, one
with three generations still working in it? A business with a solid retail history, that
has shown innovation in product placement and outstanding customer service. A business
where the third generation has executed a business expansion, spawning three new
stores, and a major new product stream, all with relatively little risk and lot’s to gain.
What do you call that type of business? I call it – rare.
And that’s exactly what twin brothers Roger and Robert Braun are – rare. Both are successful entrepreneurs who defy that infamous business folklore that curses third generation ownership.
Robert and Roger have been running the family cycling shop for the past eight years,
but they are not prepared to coast on their success. For three generations Braun’s Bicycle
Shop has been everything a business success story should be. They have just completed
their major expansion that has seen them grow from one store in 2005, to four stores in
2012. In addition, they have opened a new flagship store that is customer friendly and
better equipped: the Kitchener store, recently relocated to what General Manager Robert
Braun describes as “more authentic location” for a business 80 to 90 years old.
“More authentic” is one of the terms he and Roger put on their business development
wish list. The two created that list, a vision of what their new location would look like and
how their enterprise would operate. They considered the kind of space they would
need/want, and what would be the best attributes to support the brothers’ vision.
The Brauns have always been in the active lifestyle bike business. Until now, the brothers have had to deal with a store with three levels, so they know for certain wheels don’t
care for stairs.
Both agreed a one level location was a tremendous advantage, but that wasn’t the
main reason for the move. When the store was located on Scott Street Kitchener, they
had 16,000 square feet on three levels, with furnace rooms and lots of stairs.
Their new property, at 405 Nyberg Street, Kitchener, has a operational space of 18,200
sq. ft., of which they only use 11,000 sq. ft. – a considerable difference and savings in
space. The building has a 12 ft ceiling, ideal for a multitude of uses from warehousing
inventory to providing open space in the showroom, showcasing cycling paraphernalia
W
18 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m
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COVER STORY
Roger, left and Robert Braun
Founder of Braun’s Bicycle Gordon Braun
Second generation owners Mae and Willard Braun
N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 | 19
PHOTO: JON ROHR
“Customers were coming in
getting their skates sharpened
and asking for a stick, some tape,
mouth guard, or new gloves. So
we started going ‘hmmmm’.”
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COVER STORY
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20 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m
including newer and antique old bikes
and trikes.
The space also includes a corner to
show off the Braun Family Dynasty
Cycling Memorabilia, including a meeting
room and nostalgic museum.
Roger is the older of the two (by 16
seconds); he looks after the store front
and displays, and sales and servicing
staff all report to him. “Younger” brother
Robert acts as General Manager and
manager of administrative and office
functions. He has a staff of seven or eight
reporting to him, including one of the
previous owners – his mother Mae.
Other items on the wish list included
lots of parking, and a location near outdoor trails. It took 1.5 years to find the
location that matched the list.
Braun’s first location, on Frederick
Street, opened in the bustling city of
about and, along with Mae, helping out
the boys.
The main reason for the expansion
was that they were going to be adding
two more stores. The Scott Street location wasn’t designed to handle growing
operations, let alone act as a distribution
centre.
It was the fall of 2010, when Robert
and Roger acquired their third store in
Cambridge; their model for bike operations was expanding not only their brand
but also their service standards and product backing.
“We manage everything from the
Kitchener location – the buying, the product distribution, administration, payroll
and all that. We found when we added
the third store, in Cambridge a year and a
half ago, we really were not configured
physically to handle the extra product
Surprisingly, what the two found was that each community has a
unique local identity and because of that uniqueness, purchases
different things from a bike store.
Kitchener in 1925, only nine years after
Kitchener changed its name from the City
of Berlin to Kitchener. Since its launch
Braun’s has relocated three times prior to
their current move to Nyberg Street.
The reason for moving driven from the
final stage of the brothers’ growth strategy.
In 2005, the brothers – who had recently taken over the family business – made a
decision to increase their work load, and
to generate additional sales. They purchased a location in Guelph, approximately 30 minutes from their Kitchener location. For six years they operated in downtown Guelph. During the last few years
they relocated the Guelph store as a result
of ongoing construction around their
downtown location.
The move added work to their operations. But it didn’t seem to tax them at
all. As a family business, they had each
other to fall back on. But more influential
than lucky was that their mother, Mae,
refused to stay home. “She’s a great help”
– both Robert and Roger joke about their
mother’s need to work. During the photo
shoot for this story, we were told that to
this day she still comes in at least once a
week. When asked why, she replied with
a smile, “to help the boys out.”
Their father Wilfrid Jr,. son of the
founder Willy Braun, is very proud of his
close knit family. He now comes in when
he needs access to his new shop the boys
put in, where he can be found messing
and organization. When we used the
space, pre-eight years ago, it was a single
location.”
The two considered changing their
existing space, but in the end, the two
decided it was going to cost too much to
retrofit the building for what they needed.
So they searched and found a ideal location. It sat on 7/8 of an acre, had a 18,200
sq. ft. building, was all one level, and
boasted a 50 car plus parking capacity, the
second item on the list. As a bonus, it just
happened to be located at the head of the
Iron Horse trail, a old trail system that is
The fourth generation of
Brauns - Jessica and Aaron
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COVER STORY
Three generations of Braun bike expertise
designed as a people connector for walking, running and cycling. It takes riders
through central Kitchener, Waterloo, the
St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market and continues
all the way to Village of St. Jacobs. “What
could be better?” the two asked.
“As we looked at the property , we saw
people would come by and park their
cars in the lot,” says Robert with a grin.
“They would get their bike off the car rack
and go biking.”
The two had found their home. Nyberg
was a natural destination for urban bikers. No crystal ball needed here: bikers
were embedded into the location and
they would make it work... but first, due
diligence. What they noticed was a great
number of people walking, jogging
cycling. “That’s what we really are all
about,” says Robert, “an active lifestyle. If
we could locate along one of the primary
resources to outdoor recreation, then that
would be fantastic.”
Their new space is remarkable. “Every
inch of the 11,000 sq. feet used has some
aspect of fun to it. We have vertical
height like we never had before,” Roger
comments. A team of volunteers spent
months preparing and painting. Once the
store opened, to leverage the location
near the trail, sales staff encourage customers to take a test ride right down the
trail.
Another unique attribute is their
indoor test track. It circles the perimeter
of the main showroom, alongside the display of wall mounted bikes and the family
museum. When customers shop, they can
test ride outside or test ride inside. It’s a
simple and effective sales tool.
The new location is in constant animation. “Most retail stores are rectangles,
found in a strip building, whether it’s in a
downtown or strip mall, or out in the suburbs,” says Robert. “Usually it’s a cigarshaped box with no character. With this
space, we’ve got character, we’ve brought
greenery in, park benches, a waterfall,
fireplace, atmosphere, we’ve put a whole
display of antique bikes and trikes along
the ceiling, just to give it that character.
Eventually we’re going get some placards
built, to kind of explain it all.”
The oldest thing displayed in their family collection is a tricycle from the 1880s;
the trike looks more like one of those
modern lay down bikes. It has pull push
rods to make it steer, and pedals that you
reach by laying out, over the frame. “We
have all kinds of old bike parts on display, were really playing on our heritage
side,” notes Roger.
Cycling heritage – the Braun family
tree – is one differentiation the brothers
believe they have over competitors. The
Bicycle Trade Association of Canada has
ranked them as the fifth oldest bicycle
store in Canada. And Braun’s Bicycles
Kitchener is one of few that still has a
founding family operating it.
They’re now into their fourth generation. Both owners have children working
in the office and on the sales floor. During peak times the family business has 45
employees working between all stores.
Running a cycling business is very seasonal. “We’re so strong in the good
weather,” says Robert, but in the off sea-
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N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 | 21
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COVER STORY
son, winter, not so much. He says that off
season revenue sales are approximately
1/10 of the good weather business.
To offset that annual sales imbalance,
Braun’s has been sharpening skates for
nearly 50 years. They stopped for about
25 years, then, when the brothers took
over, started sharpening skates again,
“just to fill in the off months of our business cycle.”
The decision was an unexpected eye
opener. The two young entrepreneurs
discovered that their customers were also
very active in Braun’s off season. They
found that they needed to stay in shape,
get some low impact cardio, and keep up
with their active lifestyle.
It quickly surfaced that a lot of Braun’s
regular customers were playing hockey in
the winter months and some summer
customers, who were originally hockey
players in the winter, were riding bikes to
stay in shape during the summer. It was
all good.
“Customers were coming in getting
their skates sharpened and asking for a
stick, some tape, mouth guard, or new
gloves. So we started going ‘hmmmm’,”
says Robert.
Roger said customers were walking
22 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m
into the bike shop, getting their skates
sharpened because they appreciated the
quality of the sharpening. “We’re like a
barber, you’re only as good as your last
shave or sharpen,” adds Robert. Sharpening is going so well that three years ago
the two invested in brand new Blackstone blade sharpener, a skate sharpener
that tapers out the edges of the blade
proving greater control. Almost everyone
who tries it, won’t go back.
Both are successful
entrepreneurs who defy that
infamous business folklore that
curses third generation
ownership.
The past eight years has good enough
for the brothers to expand their foray into
hockey. In June of this year, the two
bought the Elmira Sports Store, which
was all about hockey. Their plan is to
continue with the hockey and in the summer sell bikes.
Previous owner Patrick Kyte stayed on
and acts as the store manager. Kyte is
known as Mr. Hockey in Elmira, the go-to
guy for information. “Now he’s part of our
team and manages the hockey buying
aspects of our new business and expansion.”
The location works well for their
cycling customers too. The Mennonite
community are huge customers of
Braun’s, says Robert. “They are very
happy that we are now up in Elmira,
because they used to come down to the
Scott Street location” says Roger, who
works together with Kyte and is anticipating the brothers’ first sales during the
hockey season.
Within the next two years, Robert and
Roger plan to roll out hockey into the
three other stores. “By 2015, we’ll have a
full line of hockey gear. Currently all three
stores carry some hockey supplies, but
the only store that sells protection is the
Elmira store. “Kitchener and Guelph offer
accessories and supplies, but we don’t do
protection,” they do skate sharpening,
and sell sticks. There are big plans for the
new hockey section at the Kitchener
store. The expansion calls for a dedicated
hockey room.
To make the transition easy, Braun’s
Bicycle partnered with a hockey buying
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COVER STORY
group, Sport Excellence. The new hockey
division will operate as Braun Sport
Excellence, a hockey store within the
bicycle store.
Plans are in place to expand into the
other stores, but for the 2012-13 season
the brothers will only offer their complete
product line at the Elmira location.
“Slowly we’ll add full hockey to the others stores, one at a time, we’ll do them
right,” says Robert. “Kitchener will be the
first to fully convert, the Elmira store is
already hockey and will get bikes, Guelph
has a little pro shop, next season Kitchener will have full protection and we’ll
roll out to the rest of the stores after that
conversion.”
Robert clarifies Braun’s position on
adding hockey to their very successful
cycling outlet. “We’re not out to do the
most hockey equipment in the market,
we’re supplementing our down time and
we’re telling our existing customers we’re
going to give you the same kind of excellent service in hockey as you get in bikes.”
What comes along with adding new
product lines is education. Roger and his
staff currently have a job exchange program set up with Elmira store. The objective is to expand product knowledge and
hire/train a hockey/bike knowledgeable
staff.
When Roger hires staff, one question
he asks is if the applicant can work at all
four locations. In addition, Robert adds
that employees need to lead active
lifestyles, they need to ride bikes, play
hockey, or play other sports, but generally have an active lifestyle.
Both Robert and Roger have been in
the bike business to some extent for the
last 30 years. During the last eight, and
especially in the last two years they have
found something very interesting about
their business. “We thought that what sold
in one store would sell in all the stores.”
Surprisingly, what the two found was
that each community has a unique local
identity and because of that uniqueness,
purchases different things from a bike
store. “So we’re now stocking stores
more specifically to the store location,”
says Roger. “Some stores have more of a
urban flavour, some stores do more high
end, other sell more kids’ products. We’re
starting to stock and promote that way.”
Different communities, developing
trends and transportation needs are all
influencing the bike business.
Waterloo Region’s public transit strategy aims to put more people in fewer cars.
Practical complements to bus transit are
bikes. In the future, the Region’s Light
Rail system is to carry some sort of special platform for bikes. The Region is
turning its urban centers into walkable,
and ridable destinations, linking public
transit with other forms of commuting.
“So when you think about it, part of
our strategy was to be right by users. Our
flagship store is right at the start of the
ness. During that same period, McGraw
Hill publishers published a case study on
Braun’s online store with a photo of
Robert on a bicycle with a laptop. The
photo appeared in the Grade 12 school
textbook.
Eighteen years later, as a testimony to
the need for bricks and mortar sales,
The two found a ideal location at the head of the
Iron Horse trail, a old trail system that is designed as a people
connector for walking, running and cycling.
Iron Horse Trail, the GRT is going right by
our front door. The LRT will have stations at Borden/ Ottawa and Mill St.,
which is just a few blocks away. Its perfect,” says Robert.
The launch of their expansion and
foray into hockey is fitting for a company
who throughout history has always
stayed current and connected with their
customers.
In 1994, Braun’s Bicycles established
one of the first online presences in
Waterloo Region; there were only 12 at
the time. In 1995 the federal government
did a study on the Braun’s online busi-
“Larry and crew were
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direct online sales make up only 2-3% of
the company’s revenue. But that’s OK. –
online sales pay for the online presence,
but the real gains come from advertising
information about products and pricing
with customers at home, on their time.
This supports in store sales, as when a
customer comes in with a print out of
what they want.
The Braun brothers are riding an 86year history to ever-expanding success. It
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C O R P O R AT E PR O F I L E
The Power of Lifestyle
Medicine...Don’t just
survive, thrive!
eart Disease, Diabetes, Obesity, High Blood Pressure,
Cancer, Osteoporosis, Dementia? Dr. Mike Sehl is
passionate about the prevention of chronic disease. Sehl
believes prevention works if given half a chance. He often encourages
his busy patients to take just a small slice of their business success
and focus it on their health.
It’s all about making choices. Healthy choices. He knows if the
right choices are made, it can extend the individual’s lifespan
and can enhance the quality of that life…. and isn’t that what we
are all after? Sehl says: “Don’t you want to know where you
are at with your health or more importantly, what you can do
about it?”
Sehl is a former emergency room physician and
hospitalist who has seen, far too often, the dramatic
and often tragic results of poor choices.
And that’s why he has dedicated his time
and energy to found the Institute of Lifestyle
Medicine, in Waterloo. “I came to
understand how powerful knowledge
and prevention can be. When
given the information and the
blue print to the necessary
H
Dr. Greg Lusk, Chiropractor; Shannon Geil, Executive Assistant; Barb Conroy, Registered Nurse; Lisa BauerLeahy, Executive Director; Zach Weston, Exercise Physiologist; Caroline Valeriote, Registered Dietician;
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C O R P O R AT E PR O F I L E
changes, people can make progress to reverse previous negative health
risks.” There is no argument - change isn’t easy but at the Institute of
Lifestyle Medicine there is a process to make it happen and a team to
support you.
AIM Institute of Lifestyle Medicine offers a “Comprehensive Annual
Health Assessment”, a complete medical and physical assessment that
takes place in one half day. When health issues are identified the
medical team coordinates follow up with local specialists. This service
includes on site tests such as blood work, vision, hearing, spirometry,
radiology, ultrasound, metabolic testing, ECG stress test, body
composition via the high tech Bod Pod and the physician exam. The
result of the comprehensive health assessment is a personalized health
report. Biometric markers are tracked to help the client focus on the
change needed. The service began by matching the GTA competition,
but has further developed its own specific enhancements and is
supported with local follow up programs focused on sustainable
lifestyle change. “It’s complete and convenient, all under one roof, and
here in Waterloo so you don’t have to give up a full day to go to Toronto,”
says Sehl.
Currently, a number of Waterloo Region companies are sending their
corporate leaders to the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine, including
insurance companies, legal firms , accounting firms, and hi-tech
companies. Corporations know their executives are busy and want to
minimize business risks and ensure the health of their key business
leaders. Sehl estimates that 40% of their clients are people new to the
concept of annual health assessments, but virtually 100% are new to the
untapped value that prevention plays in our overall health.
The “Lifestyle Health Coach” program is the customized action plan
that can follow a comprehensive assessment. It runs for 3, 6 or 12
months, whatever it takes to create and sustain the change you need
for a healthier life. Some clients are referred by their family physician,
others self refer directly into the Lifestyle Health Coach program. It
doesn’t require a membership and components are covered by
extended health benefits.
The multi-disciplinary team, at the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine,
shares the same passion and vision as its founder. The team includes
an exercise physiologist, registered dietitians, a naturopath, a yoga
instructor who gives private sessions, a physiotherapist, a chiropractor
and a registered massage therapist. At AIM Institute of Lifestyle
Medicine “our whole lifestyle medicine team exists to help people make
the right choices, to educate, empower and encourage them and to help
them if they fall off… that’s our passion.”
“We really are unique in Canada in what we’re doing,” says Sehl. It’s
a holistic, integrated and inclusive response to a life threatening reality.
Sehl says, “Inactivity has become the public health threat of the 21st
century.” Sehl points to some dramatic, scientific evidence that more
people are dying world wide because of sedentary lifestyles than
because of smoking. A recent article in the medical journal Lancet says
that if everyone, world-wide, did the recommended amount of physical
activity, it would prevent 5.3 million deaths a year; getting everyone to
quit smoking would prevent 5.1 million.
Lifestyle medicine takes aim at six lifestyle factors that affect health:
activity, nutrition, smoking, alcohol consumption, sleep patterns and
stress levels. “Your health,” says Sehl, “is dependent on how you handle
these six choices.”
You might think that sounds like a good recipe for self-diagnosis and
self-treatment. However, the rising trend of obesity and the rise in onset
of many chronic diseases clearly state the opposite. So the starting
point at AIM , says Sehl, is “doing really accurate measurements to say
where you are now. That in itself is motivation. I like to give people
numbers, because it wakes people up.”
And that’s key, because “to make change, you have to be motivated.”
Sehl notes, however, that while fear may be initially effective as a
motivator, people soon find that they are embracing healthier choices
because of the sheer joy of living a more active and higher quality of life.
Almost equally important is making change the right way. Sehl has
heard many stories of people who try diets that ultimately fail or join
gyms and then injure themselves, who run as fast as they can but don’t
seem to lose weight. At the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine, our exercise
physiologist measures your metabolism, our physiotherapist or
chiropractor assesses your functional movement before any program
is initiated. “We focus on safety in terms of exercise and minimize the
time required to get results. We provide individualized information so
the client can work smarter not harder.” Our registered dieticians do
not prescribe diet plans; they work with the client to assess eating
habits, and to initiate nutritional changes that will work satisfactorily
for life, not just for a specific period of self-deprivation. We want to
bring about life long change.
Sehl contends that companies would be wise to get involved,
because there are many studies that show a clear connection between
healthy lifestyles and employee performance and health care costs.
One recent American study of health care cost for 8,000 employees,
demonstrated that employees who exercised 30 minutes a day,
5x/week, had average annual health care costs of $ 1,500 or 25% less
per year than employees who did not. “From an employer perspective,
we have to focus on this more,” says Sehl. The benefits of exercise for
the individual and the corporations speak for themselves.
Who should explore the services offered at the Institute of Lifestyle
Medicine? Sehl’s a bit biased, of course, but he believes that what his team
offers will be of life-changing benefit to anyone, especially baby boomers
who want to live a healthy life for decades to come – and who doesn’t?
He says one client reflecting on his assessment, “told me everyone
should do this at least once… everyone should know about this!”
Sehl says, “it’s a great 50th birthday present.” And if you were a
decade older, it would be a make a good 60th birthday present as well.
Sehl’s goal is clear. “ We want to kick open that door for people to be
able to take control of their health. It’s never too early and it’s never
too late. Lifestyle Medicine works!”
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MOVER & SHAKERS
FOREIGN
INVESTMENT:
Local Perspective
On A Global Issue
BY PAUL KNOWLES
Waterloo Region is a major
beneficiary of FDI
o economy is an island. Perhaps that has always been true, but
there is no doubt it is strikingly important today. Our local economy is, at the same time, an international economy. The world is
our market; it is also our bank.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, interviewed on
BNN last month, agreed with this premise when he said “Foreign
Investment creates jobs and growth and it opens the doors for us to
invest over there.”
So where does Waterloo Region sit when it comes to attracting
and benefiting from foreign investment... and is there any downside
to this situation? Exchange spoke to a number of experts who are
close to this issue; the consensus seems to be that this region is a
leader in the field.
N
Waterloo is unique
John Jung, CEO of Canada’s Technology Triangle
26 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m
John Jung is CEO of Canada’s Technology Triangle. He is clear in
his view: “Waterloo Region is unique in that it punches above its
weight.”
Jung supports this position by pointing out that “We are the smallest economic population among the C-11 across Canada. We are
unique in our approach to economic development, based on collaboration and the synergies of our growing Region.”
John Tennant, now Managing Partner at W2N2 Partnership,
served in the role as CEO at CTT until 2008. He agrees with Jung’s
premise, but expresses some caution against over-confidence.
Tennant told Exchange that “Canada's Technology Triangle has
gained a greater profile, thanks in part to Research In Motion, but
also to its economic and entrepreneurial success. International
investors know they will find talent and a vibrant business environment in successful urban business clusters, so the Region should
continue to seek to differentiate itself, including the fact that it has
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N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 | 27
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MOVER & SHAKERS
outstanding institutions of higher education. Today, competition can be as much
between global cities and sub-national
economic regions as between countries.”
He adds, “But we have to be realistic.
Most international executives have limited knowledge of Canada's geography
beyond one or two major cities. Waterloo
“I’m interested in advancing
the Research and Development
capacity of the region.”
- George Dixon
Region can't take on the world alone.
When it comes to attracting and growing
FDI, Canada, Ontario and Waterloo
Region have some important pluses –
notable among them low corporate tax
rates and among the best educated pools
of talent in the world. These attributes
are recognized most profoundly by the
foreign companies that are already here.
This makes the retention and expansion
of existing foreign-controlled operations
a priority. Existing foreign investors can
be the best ambassadors.”
Jung believes that the Region has also
done a stellar job of sending “ambassadors” abroad. Not surprisingly, he credits his own organization for a major role
in this. “CTT has raised the bar for this
community with exposure through pan
regional groups (Ontario Tech Corridor,
Ontario Automotive Community Alliance,
Ontario Food Corridor, Ontario Clean
Tech Corridor, etc.) and at the federal
level through the Consider Canada Community Alliance. As well, we have gained
Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr, UW’s George
Dixon and Jamal Khokhar, Canadian
Ambassador to Brazil, during a CTT
mission to Brazil
exposure through keynote speeches and
special invitations to international events
around the globe ranging from major
conferences in Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, Russia and throughout
North America. This includes major
speeches about the Waterloo Region at
APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation), which was an excellent example of
collaboration as I, Mayor Doug Craig and
John Hiscock (Gowlings) all presented in
Keynote positions.”
Jung and Tennant agree that the region
has forged important connections in a
number of ways. Says Jung, “CTT has
pursued internationalization through the
German Committee (a system we are
looking to replicate with local Chinese
and Indian businesses and expats).”
Government/business collaboration
Jung notes that the political leaders of
the community have played a role: “The
three city mayors have all travelled abroad
with CTT on business missions, which is
important for opening doors abroad. The
Mayors and city staff participating with
CTT are receiving global exposure and
building international networks.”
One of those Mayors, Kitchener’s Carl
Zehr, has been on two trade missions on
behalf of the region. He told Exchange
that this face to face contact is crucial in
attracting foreign investment to the area.
“My experience is that while some people
are not familiar with us, when we make
our presentation, all eyes go wide open
and they begin to appreciate what we
have in this community.”
He adds, “Face to face is very important... it’s a significant advantage.”
Zehr encourages observers to be
patient with these efforts. He says, “It’s
difficult to measure value in the short
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MOVER & SHAKERS
John Tennant, Managing Partner at W2N2 Partnership
term, in fact, it’s impossible. It’s
about building relationships and
trust.” That process is especially
important in developing economic ties with Asian and other nonNorth American cultures, he
says.
Zehr says one key point that
impresses potential investors, or
companies looking to locate in
the region, is “the diversity of our
business.” He also points to pluses such as “a good work force...
there’s a work ethic in the community,” and the positive collaboration between government and
business, as exemplified in the
trade missions.
Tennant agrees with Zehr. He
says, “Diversity is always a plus
for Waterloo Region, and it can
be seen with respect to Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI). Waterloo Region probably has more
Japanese investment than any
other region in Canada. Toyota
Motor Manufacturing Canada
(TMMC) comes immediately to
mind, but other companies with
Japanese parentage beyond companies that are part of TMMC's
supply chain include Christie Digital and Maplesoft. Currently,
Japanese firms, faced with a
shrinking population at home and
a high Yen, know they need to
strengthen their presence abroad.
German investment in Waterloo
Region is also notable too. This is
important because Germany, a
manufacturing power house, is
among the strongest and most outward
looking European economies and therefore a good fit with Waterloo Region's
manufacturing traditions.”
Tennant sees important potential links
with other Asian powerhouses. He said,
“Though China and India are major recipients of FDI, the outward flow from these
“We are unique in our approach
to economic development,
based on collaboration and the
synergies of our growing Region.”
- John Jung
countries is growing as their companies
become global players. The FDI from
China may currently be heavily focused on
resources, but manufacturing investments
are already a feature, including in information and communications technologies.”
The education component
Links between Waterloo Region and
China have been forged by collaboration
between Chinese educational institutions
and Waterloo universities. On the global
scene, John Jung believes the strong reputation of the local schools is a huge plus
in attracting foreign interest. He says,
“The Region gets a lot of exposure
through its schools (University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga College), and CTT is involved with
all three post-secondary institutions in
projects abroad.”
George Dixon is Vice-President, University Research at the University of
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MOVER & SHAKERS
Waterloo. He’s also a member of the
board of Canada’s Technology Triangle,
and has accompanied CTT trade missions
abroad, including a mission to Brazil.
Dixon admits his focus is not primarily
on “getting somebody to build a factory
here,” but he does see an important link
between the universities and attracting
FDI. “One of the advantages in getting
people to locate here, is the availability of
Tennant is a passionate promoter of
FDI: “Acquisitions of Canadian companies, it is sometimes feared, may drain
our talent and technology. However, there
are Waterloo Region examples of prominent global firms that put down roots and
have grown following the acquisition of
early-stage Waterloo Region tech firms.
Google, Agfa HealthCare, Sybase, and
McAfee are among them. Once firms like
“About one-fifth of business assets in Canada are foreign controlled.
There can be no doubt that it has been important in building the
Canadian economy and the prosperity of all Canadians.”
- John Tennant
co-op students from UW,” he says. “We
have a good reputation. We have 17,000
co-op placements a year. It’s a key attraction” for companies looking for a home.
Says Dr. Dixon, “I’m interested in
advancing the Research and Development capacity of the region,” and he
believes that companies that settle in the
area will be major supporters of R&D.
In fact, it sometimes works in the
opposite order: “Often, we will have
developed a research relationship with
somebody offshore” which becomes part
of the attraction when that company
looks for a base in Canada.
Dump the negatives
“Foreign Direct Investment” can be a
phrase that carries some negative freight.
But John Tennant believes it is time to
unload the negatives, and realize the
benefits of attracting foreign financial
interest. He told Exchange, “Hopefully, we
are beyond the kind of debates about the
benefits and costs of foreign investment
that marked the 1970s and 1980s. About
one-fifth of business assets in Canada are
foreign controlled. There can be no
doubt that it has been important in building the Canadian economy and the prosperity of all Canadians.”
Tennant adds, “Studies consistently
show that foreign-controlled companies
pay higher wages and are more productive. FDI brings advanced management
practices and facilitates significant technology transfer. Exports and imports are
stimulated by intra-firm cross-border
trade. In this connection, FDI facilitates
access to global supply chains. Just over
half of Canadian exports to the US constituted related party trade in 2010, while
43% of Canadian imports from the US fell
into the same category. “
this have made an acquisition, the business case needs to be presented for them
to decide build upon it.
“We need to remember that FDI is a
two-way street. For over a decade Canadian firms have been investing more outside
Canada than foreign firms have in Canada
– not by a large margin but by enough that
Canadian foreign direct investment internationally now exceeds the stock of FDI in
Canada. This is a positive development
that demonstrates the global success of
Canadian firms. It also means any discussion of controls on foreign investment into
Canada has to recognize the Canadian
interest in policies elsewhere that welcome foreign investment.”
And Tennant lobbies for even more
openness to FDI. He asked, rhetorically,
“How open are Canadian FDI policies?
Canada likes to be believe that, with the
liberalization of its foreign investment
regime since the 1970s, it is among the
countries most open to foreign investment. This is not necessarily how others
see us. The Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development has an
‘FDI regulatory restrictiveness index’ that
scores Canada as being more restrictive
than all EU countries, the US, Peru, Brazil,
Ukraine, Korea and Mongolia. Notable
Canadian ownership limits are in
telecommunications, culture, transport
and financial services. The merits of continuing these restrictions were questioned
by the Competition Policy Review Panel,
chaired by ‘Red’ Wilson and on which
(Open Text founder) Tom Jenkins served.”
Terry Riedel is Co-Chair of the South
Western Ontario Chapter of the Institute
of Corporate Directors. He underscores
the need for local economies to have a
global focus. Riedel told Exchange:
“You’ve really got to understand what’s
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MOVER & SHAKERS
happening in the economies of Europe,
China and India, and Brazil and Russia,
and obviously North America. We always
were so North American focused. But
now, with the business being able to be
done globally, you have to worry about
that. But I see some significantly blue
skies. I think Europe will fix itself. Once
“My experience is that
while some people are not
familiar with us, when we make
our presentation, all eyes go
wide open and they begin to
appreciate what we have
in this community.”
- Carl Zehr
we get past this election in the United
States, you’ll see some activity that’s
going to be helpful there, and if the Americans ever get their economy together
and get their whole thing in order, it will
be a boom. And I see that happening.”
Riedel added his assessment of several
emerging economies: “China is really
strong, regardless of the fact that they
from time to time said that ‘our growth
isn’t quite what we thought it was going
to be,’ it’s still significant growth. India’s
big, you need to be in India.”
Need for vigilance
Tennant warns that all is not entirely
rosy on the FDI front. He says, “In Canada,
total levels of inward FDI have followed a
pattern similar to the global trend. The
main increase in FDI in Canada however
is evident in the resource sector, while the
share of manufacturing FDI has declined
from 43.5% in 2000 to 31.7% at the end of
2011. On top of that, for the last decade,
the share of US FDI in Canada has
declined. The FDI from the US and in
manufacturing remain the largest categories respectively but both have dropped
relative to others. These are trends that
cast a shadow on Ontario and the Waterloo Region. In response, Waterloo Region
and other southern Ontario communities
need to re-evaluate how their strengths
align with what foreign investors are
looking for, while looking to additional
countries as sources of FDI.
“All operations in Canada – domestic
and foreign – face a strong competitive
challenge from the US where the dollar
has depreciated over the last decade
against not only the Canadian dollar but
other major currencies including the Euro
and Yen. This means that companies in
the US are a force to be reckoned with.”
Jung is quite positive about FDI and the
local scene, but also recognizes some
causes for vigilance. He told Exchange,
“Canada’s share of global FDI inflows has
been fairly stable since the 1990s—when
global FDI flows really started to take
off—and the country still attracts a
greater share of FDI than its economic
size warrants.”
He lauds the continued collaboration
with government, saying, “Groups such
as the Tech Corridor and the Consider
Canada Community Alliance show that
governments across Canada see FDI as
very important,” and he notes that “Canada is one of the safest countries to invest
in among the G7 and has the soundest
banking system.”
But Jung also says, “Despite Canada’s
robust health, there is always room for
improvement. We need more targeted
resources. There needs to be a better
understanding of the value of FDI at the
local governmental level.”
Jung commented on both opportunities
and dangers related to FDI, although he
clearly sees the former as vastly outweighing the latter. He told Exchange,
“One way we become 'more vulnerable'
to countries like the US is the strong
value of our dollar. This reduces export
demand which inhibits GDP growth.
However, there is another side to this – a
strong dollar can also provide the basis
for longer term growth to the extent that
it allows businesses to import capital
goods and technology from abroad which
is made cheaper by our strong loonie.
Down the road, this could translate into
increased productivity. It is also the case
that a strong dollar may enable Canadian
businesses to attract/retain talent from
abroad (a reverse of the 'brain drain'
problem we faced when we had a weak
dollar).”
He also noted, “A more subtle problem
associated with our relatively strong position compared to the US and Europe is
that it could make Canada and its policymakers more complacent that they
should be. Now is the time that we should
be investing in education, innovation and
other drivers of productivity that will contribute to future economic growth. Consoling ourselves that we are doing OK
won’t be enough to see us through once
the rest of the world recovers.”
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BUSINESS AND THE LAW
THE REALITIES OF
RELEASES
Best practices are essential to avoid problems following dismissal
by MELANIE REIST
MELANIE REIST, Employment
Lawyer, Mediator; morrisonreist .com, @Melanie_Reist
n dismissal situations, employers understand the
importance of obtaining a signed Release from the
employee. Releases are meant to insulate companies
from further claims and liabilities (and litigation) arising from the employment relationship and/or its termination. Best practices require, at a minimum:
I
consider the terms of the employer’s offer (typically a
week).
Over the years I have seen many cases where
employers have put pressure on employees to sign a
Release on the spot in the dismissal meeting.
In the recent Ontario wrongful dismissal action of
Rubin v. Home Depot Canada Inc., the Court looked at
whether a Release signed by Eric Rubin on the date of
his dismissal should be set aside and Home Depot
liable for damages representing 20 months earnings,
instead of the 28 weeks offered and ostensibly agreed
to by Mr. Rubin. Mr. Rubin was 63 years old.
Mr. Rubin had been employed by Home Depot since
1991. On July 28, 2011 he attended a meeting which he
assumed was a normal business meeting. It lasted a
few minutes. Mr. Rubin was told that his employment
was being terminated that day. At the meeting, he was
The Judge found the approach used by Home Depot, taken as a whole, set out to take
advantage of the vulnerability of Mr. Rubin.
• A carefully drafted and comprehensive Release
which references a variety of potential areas or
causes of action including, but not limited to, claims
under the Employment Standards Act, the Human
Rights Code and at common law;
• The release contain a statement that the employee
has had an opportunity to obtain independent
advice;
• The employee is given adequate time to review and
presented with a termination letter which offered 28
weeks pay in lieu of notice. Home Depot went on to
state in the letter that the offer exceeded their obligation
under the Employment Standards Act. While technically
correct, it only offered 1/4 week more (the Act, required
that 27 3/4 weeks be paid). The legislation required that
Mr. Rubin be paid twenty seven and three quarters
weeks in combined termination and severance pay.
To obtain the benefit of the offer, Mr. Rubin was
OVERFLOW
36 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m
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BUSINESS AND THE LAW
required to sign a Release. He did so right
in the meeting. His argument before the
Court was that he signed the Release as
he believed Home Depot’s offer was all
that he was entitled to; he was not thinking clearly and did not think he had any
options. At the time he signed the Release,
he was unaware of his common-law
rights or his statutory rights under the
Employment Standards Act. Shortly after
the meeting, Mr. Rubin came to realize
that he had made a mistake by signing the
Release and sought legal counsel.
Home Depot argued that Mr. Rubin was
in no way pressured to make a decision at
the meeting on July 28, 2011. The letter
afforded him one week to consider the
offer. He took the time to carefully read the
letter before he signed it and asked questions about his options regarding the possibility of apportioning funds towards his
RRSP. A settlement and Release can be
set aside by the Court if it is deemed to be
unconscionable. Four elements are necessary to support unconscionability:
• A grossly unfair and improvident transaction;
• The victim’s lack of independent legal
advice or other suitable advice;
• An overwhelming imbalance of bargaining power caused by the victim’s
ignorance of business, illiteracy, ignorance of the language of the bargain,
blindness, deafness, illness, senility or
other disability; and
• The other party knowingly taking
advantage of his vulnerability.
The Judge asked whether, in the circumstances, the notice provided was
grossly inadequate and ought to be set
aside. In responding that it should be, the
Judge commented, the idea that, in the
modern day, a twenty year employee,
moving to the end of his expected working life, was fired without cause, for reasons reflected in an internal reorganization of the company, would receive only 6
months notice, is far removed from what
the community would accept.
With reference to point no. 2, the Court
found that Mr. Rubin was not advised he
could take a week to think about it, or
obtain advice. More importantly, the
judge found that the release specifically
stated that the payment would be made
to him by a lump sum provided he sign
the Release by August 4, 2011. If he
delayed signing, the receipt of these
funds would similarly be delayed. If he
did not sign by August 4, 2011 the implication was that he would not be paid at
all. According to the Judge, this was, at
best, misleading as the payments
required by the Employment Standards
Act, 2000 including the 27 3/4 weeks
salary would have to be paid regardless
of whether Mr. Rubin ever signed a
Release. The Judge found that had Mr.
Rubin obtained legal advice, this would
have been explained to him, and as it
was not, Home Depot took advantage of
the situation.
In this case, the Judge recognized that
Mr. Rubin was not a high level employee
with professional training and that the
power imbalance was enhanced by the
way in which the representatives of Home
Depot dealt with the situation. There was
no evidence that Mr. Rubin was cautioned
about signing the Release that day or
encouraged to get legal or any advice.
As it relates to the last factor, the Judge
found that the offer was presented by
Home Depot in a way that was directed
to getting it signed. The letter advised
him that he was already being offered
more than he was entitled to combined
with the proposition that if he did not
sign it he would not be paid. The letter
did not say that the offer represented less
than two days more pay than he was
entitled to be paid whether he signed the
Release or not. The only real choice that
Mr. Rubin was offered was whether he
wished to direct any of the money that he
was to receive to his RRSP. The Judge
found the approach used by Home Depot,
taken as a whole, set out to take advantage of the vulnerability of Mr. Rubin. He
found that it was arranged in the expectation that it would direct, if not compel,
Mr. Rubin to sign the Release.
At the end of the day, the Judge found
the Release to be unenforceable and
awarded Mr. Rubin 12 months pay.
This case is a cautionary tale for
employers to be careful in the language
used in severance documentation and at
dismissal meetings. In particular, employers must not mislead employees or take
advantage of their bargaining position.
One clear way of doing so is to encourage employees in the termination letter
and Release and verbally in the dismissal
meeting to take time to review and consider the terms of the offer to obtain
whatever advice they feel is necessary.
Also, where a financial package exceeding the Employment Standards Act statutory minimums is offered that it be made
clear that if a Release is not signed the
employee will still be paid the minimum
statutory amounts.
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N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 | 37
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EXECUTIVE FILES
DOCTORS, DRUGS AND
DISABILITY
Cash is only a tax return away
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his is not just another article about income taxes. It’s
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T
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credit amount. For Ontario taxpayers the credit is 20%
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will give you an $18 tax refund. Don’t throw away
those medical receipts because you need them to prove
your costs to CRA and you can’t get the money back if
you don’t file a tax return.
And while we are talking about it, if there is a refund
for a family member who doesn’t pay income tax,
chances are that the credit can be transferred to another family member and that person will get the credit
and a tax reduction.
A tax credit, not a deduction
Let’s tidy up one little matter before we move on.
Medical costs give you a tax credit. They don’t give you
a tax deduction so the benefits are the same no matter
how rich or how poor you are. The benefit doesn’t
depend on your tax rate; it’s a fixed percentage of the
38 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m
As age marches on, declining health usually comes
with it. Illness eventually becomes a nightmare. Dad
starts to forget how to play euchre. Mom can’t prepare
meals any more. Someone in the family has been
struck by a long term cognitive or physical disability.
Applying for tax credits can be the last thing on your
mind but it is important for financial survival.
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EXECUTIVE FILES
Medical expenses
Let’s review what counts as a medical
expense under the Income Tax Act. We
include costs that technically are not
medical expenses but are certainly part
of the added costs that go with illness
and health care. Each category has a
long list of specified and carefully defined
expenses but any expense not included is
not deductible. Here are the broad categories:
• Payments to doctors and other medical
practitioners
• Attendant care costs
• Transportation and other travel costs
• Medical devices, therapy, training and
home renovations.
• Medications and testing
• Health care insurance premiums
• Disability tax credits
For those who are interested in digging deeper, these provisions are found
in subsections 118.2 and 118.3 and regulation 5700 of the Income Tax Act. We
don’t intend to explain them in detail;
what is important is that you know about
them and then you can get some advice
to see if they qualify?
We caution you that even CRA publications are not all that clear or up to date
but CRA publication RC4064, Medical and
Disability - Related Information, is certainly helpful.
Retroactive claims
CRA allows you to go back ten years
to claim overlooked tax credits. That’s a
huge bonus. If for example you overlooked the disability tax credit for ten
years your tax refund would be about
$15,000. Other important but less significant credits can give you excellent tax
refunds so don’t hesitate to file form
T1ADJ with supporting information.
Disability tax credit
This disability tax credit (DTC) is so
important and yet so overlooked. It provides a tax credit of about $7,400 to individuals (plus another $4,300 for children)
with long term physical or mental disabilities that impact their activities of daily
living providing the following conditions
are met:
• The impairment is severe and prolonged.
• The impairment results in a defined
level of restriction
• The impairment is certified by a medical practitioner and approved by CRA
Activities of daily living include feeding, dressing, hearing, seeing, walking
and mental functions so the list is very
inclusive. The disability tax credit qualification is also a prerequisite for other tax
benefits such as the Registered Disability
Savings Plan, an additional $10,000 in
child care expenses and a dependent
claim for a relative. Please do not overlook the possibility that this credit may
apply to you or someone in your family.
You may not think of frail parents as
being disabled but they probably are and
if so the credit applies.
Attendant care
There are several categories of attendant care under the Income Tax Act.
They are complicated, overlapping but
usually transferable to other family members. If someone in your family is in a
retirement or nursing home or a special
institution, chances are that the tax credit
is available. Without getting too precise,
the Income Tax Act defines the costs for
attendant care in the following ways:
• Attendant care
• Full-time attendant
• Full time nursing home care
• Full time attendant at home
• Group home care
• Care in an institution due to lack of
mental or physical capacity
Taxpayers who have a parent or child
in a care facility are familiar with the high
costs. There are some restrictions on the
claimable amounts but even so the tax
credit is there and can be substantial.
Dependent credits
If you are looking after someone in
your family over age 18, chances are you
qualify for one of the following credits:
• Eligible dependent (over age 18) $10,382 credit
• Caregiver - $4,223 credit
• Infirm dependent - $4.223 credit
The eligible dependent amount (for
single parents) must be claimed before
the caregiver or infirm dependent credit
and only one of the three credits is available each year. CRA effectively allows
taxpayers (through a top up provision) to
claim the eligible dependent amount over
the others if it is available.
It is not possible to discuss medical
expense tax credits here in nearly
enough detail. However, I can tell you
that thousands of dollars in such credits
are squandered every year so maybe this
article will help your family get its proper
share. Complexity is a problem but somehow you need to get beyond that. Our
website (www.finplans.net) contains several articles on medical expenses, health
care and disability.
X
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FROM THE GROUND UP
CITY-COUNTRY
The amazing accomplishments of 320,000 people on a isolated
island in the arctic
by SUNSHINE CHEN
SUNSHINE CHEN is president
of Urban Imagination &
Design Co. email:
sunshine@uimagine.ca.
fter a recent two-week visit to Iceland with my
fiancée, I came back with an interesting question in
my mind:
Could Kitchener-Waterloo be a country?
At first glance, Iceland and Kitchener-Waterloo
couldn’t be more different. Where Iceland is a country,
Kitchener-Waterloo is just a pair of mid-sized Canadian
A
plish what these 320,000 people have accomplished in
this seemingly insignificant little Scandinavian republic?
Could we build and maintain a ring road around an
entire country that is one hundred times the size of
Waterloo Region, and maintain a road network to connect a city the size of Reykjavik to villages of less than
50 people, like they do in Iceland?
Could we provide 100 per cent of the energy used to
heat and power our cities from green renewable
sources like they do, and build an infrastructure for
geothermal and hydro electricity that is generated by
hot springs and waterfalls?
Could we support both a domestic and international
airport, and operate both a domestic and international
airline like Air Iceland and Icelandair, that flies to every
major capital city in the world?
Could we live in the shadow of live volcanoes and
would we rebuild our businesses and homes again and
Could Kitchener-Waterloo accomplish what these 320,000 people have accomplished in
this seemingly insignificant little Scandinavian republic?
cities. However, a scan of some numbers reveals an
interesting comparison.
Iceland has a land area of 103,000 sq km (about the
size of Newfoundland island), a total population of
320,000 people (250,000 of whom live in the capital
city of Reykjavik), and a GDP of $14.06 billion in 2011
(according to the World Bank).
Waterloo Region has a land area of 1,369 sq km,
Kitchener-Waterloo has a population of 340,000 and
Waterloo Region has a GDP of over $21.5 billion in
2006 (according to the Government of Canada’s Invest
In Canada).The similarities in population and GDP are
interesting; however, they only make the differences
between the two that much more striking.
As we made our way around the country, I became
more and more amazed by what I was seeing in the
cities, towns and countryside of this isolated island. A
multitude of questions filled my mind, and I wondered:
if Kitchener-Waterloo were a country, could we accom-
"ACKmOW 0REVENTION 3PECIALISTS
again after they erupt and cause catastrophic damage?
Could we have survived the bankruptcy of our banking and financial system, charged and prosecuted our
prime minister for mishandling the crisis, and then put
life back together for our citizens as they have in the
last four years?
Could we sustain a music scene the size of Toronto’s
in a town the size of Kitchener and support new musicians with festivals, clubs and performance venues
until they become international sensations like Bjørk,
Sigur Rós, and Of Monsters and Men?
Could we be home to half a dozen fashion and
clothing companies like 66North, Cintamani, Zo-on
and Farmers Market, that make some of the best outdoor wear that you would find anywhere in the world?
Could we have seven universities for our students?
Could we have completed the construction of Harpa,
a $300-million concert hall (even after a bank defaulted
on its pledge to put up half the cost of the building) to
s #ROSS #ONNECTION 3URVEYS
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40 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m
A Sec
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tion of AW
AWWA
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FROM THE GROUND UP
showcase musical talents of the country
in a world-class piece of architecture and
design (cost: almost $10,000 per citizen)?
Could we help our diverse companies
and industries stay competitive, and could
we continue to do world-leading work in
aluminum production, software design,
fishing, fashion, medical research, artificial limbs, bracing and prosthetics, pharmaceutical, and food production?
Could tourists from all over the world
come and explore our natural wonders
and have the adventure of a lifetime?
Could people from across the country
or abroad come and have a pancake
breakfast with the president at the presidential palace like they did last year?
Could we have the best spa in the
world, like the Blue Lagoon Spa?
Could we have rich vibrant cities, filled
with local people and international visitors alike, enjoying historic and modern
streets that are alive with activity, colour
and life from morning ’til night filled with
gourmet restaurants, exceptional hotels,
galleries and museums that celebrate our
culture and all that makes us unique and
interesting in the world?
Could we invite people to come and be
inspired by Kitchener-Waterloo, as Iceland now does with its Inspired by Iceland campaign?
I could go on and on, but what possible use is there in imagining KitchenerWaterloo as a country and comparing it
to Iceland?
The thing is though, I’m not actually
interested in wondering if we could or
would do any of these things that Iceland
has accomplished. I know that Waterloo
Region has achieved great things and is
capable of even more. However, what I’m
really interested in when I think, ‘could
Kitchener-Waterloo be a country?’ is to
wonder what we could do and what we
could accomplish if we believed that with
just the population in our Region we
could embody and represent all that
makes Canada great.
What if we did not rely on Ottawa, or
even Toronto, to define what we think,
what we do, what we believe, what we
create, or what we’re capable of? What if
we were all that there is to represent
what it means to be Canadian in the
world? What would we dream of, what
would we aspire to, what would we hope
for, and what would we achieve to make
our mark in the world?
If 320,000 people on an isolated island
in the arctic can make a mark in the
world for themselves, what can half a
million people do in Waterloo Region?
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N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 | 41
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WATERCOOLER
HYPHEN, A FULL-SERVICE,
Mark Barfoot
rapid prototyping and environmental
testing centre, is the newest
innovation from Christie
Digital Systems Canada
Inc. The new division is
headed by Managing Director
Mark Barfoot, and is located
in the Christie worldwide centre for advanced engineering,
in Kitchener.
A release from Hyphen
states, “Hyphen has the
sophisticated technologies to
help you through every stage
of product development,
whether your goal is to test
the performance of a design
concept, reduce development
time, or improve product
quality and safety.”
KICKING OFF THE
Home Hardware 2012 Fall Market, a dinner event was held with
celebrity chef Anna Olson to award the Waterloo Region based company with the first
ever Corporate Tourism Ambassador Award.
The dinner, held at Bingemans in Kitchener, was attended by nearly 800 Home
Hardware dealers, vendors, and staff.
The event featured the first ever Corporate Tourism Ambassador Award, given by
Waterloo Regional Tourism Marketing Corporation to Home Hardware Stores
Limited for its commitment to the Waterloo Regional community for the past 48 years.
“Home Hardware Stores Limited is one of the cornerstones of the Waterloo Region
and we are privileged to award them with the first ever Corporate Tourism Ambassador
Award,” said Tracey Desjardins, General Manager of Waterloo Regional Tourism Marketing Corporation. “The semiannual trade shows have had such a positive effect on
the Waterloo Region and bring in thousands of people from across Canada to take part
in the event and also explore what the Region has to offer.”
According to the Waterloo Regional Tourism Marketing Corporation, over the past 20
years the semiannual Home Hardware Markets have generated an estimated economic
impact of $13 million in the Waterloo Region.
In addition to the award, celebrity chef, and Home Hardware’s Kitchen Expert, Anna
Olson gave the keynote speech for the evening. Olson not only spoke at the event but
also had a hand in the creation of the world class menu served at Bingemans. With
assistance from Bingemans’ Executive Chef Stewart Schmidt, Olson sourced the
menu based around the Waterloo Region’s local ingredients.
“We love welcoming Home Hardware back to Bingemans and this year we had the
pleasure of having our kitchen staff and Executive Chef, Stewart Schmidt collaborate
with Anna Olson. We have been working with Home Hardware for decades and our
recent upgrades and expansions allow us to now hold even larger trade shows, events
and corporate gatherings such as the Home Hardware Fall Market dinner,” said Mark
Bingeman, President of Bingemans.
DESPITE THE RECENT economic downturn, employment in the local automotive industry has
rebounded and employers are looking for more workers. The Workforce Planning
Board of Waterloo Wellington believes that the over all perception is that the industry is dying or dead and young workers are turning away from current opportunities.
This is creating worker shortages among local employers.
“Many local manufacturers are now having problems attracting the workers they
need because of a lack of local awareness of these employment opportunities”
explained Carol Simpson, Executive Director of the Workforce Planning Board of
Waterloo Wellington Dufferin.
42 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m
THE OPENING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO STRATFORD
CAMPUS marked a historic occasion with its
new building that will house programs
designed to support the confluence of
art, business and technology. Leaders
from the university, partners from government and industry, and students all
participated in the opening ceremony.
“The grand opening of the University
of Waterloo Stratford Campus marks the
culmination of a significant investment
in making this building and campus a
reality,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur,
president of UW. “We are very proud of
the unique partnership between the university, various levels of government,
and the private sector that mobilized a
great vision and brought us all to this
important occasion.”
“Stratford Campus graduates will
make a difference across many sectors in
Ontario where jobs and opportunities
will continue to grow in digital media,”
said Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic
Development and Innovation.
The new, 42,000-square-foot Stratford
Campus building is in itself a testament
to artful design and high-tech digital
media, with the centrepiece a threestorey media wall of 150 Christie®
MicroTiles® from Christie that comprises a complete visual display and custom
content management system. The media
wall is the tallest installation of
MicroTiles in North America. “Christie’s
innovative visual technology solutions
will play a key role in the university’s
mission to intersect technology, business
and art under the Faculty of Arts programs. A first in Canada, the Stratford
Campus is designed to create the next
generation of digital media graduates,
jobs, content and companies,” said Paul
Salvini, chief technology officer, Christie
Digital Systems Canada.
The building was enabled through the
Ontario government and the City of
Stratford, which each invested $10 million for a total $20 million for the building. The city’s full commitment to the
project included the additional expenditure of $4.5 million for the land. The
building was designed by Canadian
architectural firm ZAS Architects and
built by Bondfield Construction over the
last 18 months.
Operating costs for programs at the
Stratford Campus were contributed by
the federal government along with funding and in-kind services from OpenText.
“OpenText software is already being
used by professors doing research on
digital media applications, with more
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WATERCOOLER
innovation to come,” said Tom Jenkins,
executive chairman and chief strategy
officer at OpenText. “The programs that
will be supported at the university’s Stratford Campus are significant, and will contribute to Canada’s ability to lead in the
digital economy.”
“Today we celebrate establishing a
brand new curriculum that is important
for Canada’s future success in digital
media on an international playing field,”
said Ginny Dybenko, executive director
of the Stratford Campus. “We initiated our
graduate program last year in a temporary location. This fall, we launched our
undergraduate program in our new building with overwhelming success.”
Ginny Dybenko
The University of Waterloo Stratford
Campus currently has 98 students
enrolled in the Global Business and Digital Arts undergraduate program, and 19
students taking graduate studies in digital
media. The undergrad program initiated
this year drew a pool of 400 applications
for an original plan of 50 spaces. The
response rate to the program was so high
that the university decided to launch with
a double cohort – the largest inaugural
class for a program at Waterloo. insight
in user experience.
KITCHENER AND THE COMMUNITIES of Waterloo
region are among the Canadian municipalities whose infrastructure is at risk,
according to the first-ever Canadian
Infrastructure Report Card. This major
new study was released by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and
three industry partner organizations.
“Today’s report demonstrates the
immense challenges facing Canadian
communities like Kitchener in terms of
infrastructure,” said Mayor Carl Zehr,
past-chair of the FCM Big Cities Mayor’s
Caucus. “With significant portions of
infrastructure reaching advanced stages
of its lifecycle, without a commitment to
a long-term infrastructure plan now,
Canadian municipalities will be dealing
with an almost insurmountable problem
20 years from now.”
The report card, which surveyed 123
municipalities representing 60% of the
Canadian population, says more than half
of municipal roads are falling apart
beneath our tires. One in four roads is
over capacity, transporting far more people and goods than it was designed to
handle. And, nationally, one in four
wastewater treatment plants needs to be
upgraded or replaced to meet new federal
standards introduced this summer, at a
cost of at least $20 billion.
Without immediate improvement and
ongoing maintenance, the cost of fixing
or replacing the assets studied will
explode over the next decade.
“The report card shows that core
municipal infrastructure like roads and
water systems, assets critical to Canada’s
health, safety and economic prosperity,
are at risk,” said FCM President Karen
Leibovici. “Investments in infrastructure
over the last few years have helped, but
without long-term action we are still
headed for a crisis.”
The full report card, as well as background information and supporting documents,
can
be
viewed
at
www.canadianfrastructure.ca.
A NEW ELMIRA inclusive playground providing
sensory stimulation and accessibility for
children of all abilities had its grand
opening to the community on Sept. 29 at
Gibson Park. Kelly Meissner of Elmira
won an essay contest to receive one of
six $10,000 prizes nationwide, in honor
of Kate’s Kause (www.kateskause.com),
named for her three year-old daughter
who struggles with Angelman Syndrome
– a physical and intellectual disability.
The Together We Play contest was sponsored by Landscape Structures Inc., a
global playground manufacturer, in partnership with Shane’s Inspiration.
Interim Executive Director on a contract
basis effective immediately, until January
31, 2013.
MENNONITE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES has
successfully completed GlobalGiving’s
Open Challenge, earning them a permanent spot on the crowd-funding website.
In a matter of 30 days, MEDA received 63
donations for a grand total of $4,485
raised by donors. All of the newfound
support will provide funding for the
EDGET project (Ethiopians Driving
Growth through Entrepreneurship
and Trade), which is helping 10,000
farmers and weavers to create more sustainable livelihoods.
Sid Burkey, Chief MEDA Engagement
Officer, said “MEDA is delighted to attain
both its donor and fundraising goals for
the Open Challenge and looks forward to
connecting with this new and diverse
audience.”
THE WATERLOO REGION-BASED
Canadian Digital
Media Network, in partnership with its
nodes across Canada, has announced the
official launch of its Soft-Landing Program which enables companies to
explore and capitalize on global business
opportunities.
Participants in the pilot phase of the
program have already had success over
the past eight months and, with the official launch, CDMN announced support
for up to 20 companies to participate in
the next program round starting in January, 2013.
“The Soft-Landing Program helps digital media companies gain traction in
other countries, and it’s already having a
DIVISION OF I-A-C INC.
UPONTHE RECENTANNOUNCEMENT of the Kitchener
Downtown BIA Executive Director
Mark Garner accepting a new role as
Director of Business Development with
the City of Waterloo, which was effective October 12, 2012, the Kitchener
Board of Directors has taken action and
laid out a succession plan to ensure the
ongoing success and evolution of the
BIA.
As well, the Board announced that
Erin Young has accepted the role of
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WATERCOOLER
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major impact,” said Kevin Tuer, CDMN
Managing Director. “To date we’ve
invested $12,000 in the program, and
participating companies have already
realized $20 million in new opportunities
and sales. That’s a tremendous return on
investment.”
COM DEV INTERNATIONAL LTD., has announced a
restructuring and downsizing of its Canadian government space division, COM
DEV Canada, which is headquartered in
Ottawa with additional facilities in Cambridge, Ontario. Thirty-one employees
have been provided with layoff notices,
and the total cost associated with the
restructuring is estimated to be approximately $2 million. Ten more employees
will be transferred to open positions in
other divisions of COM DEV.
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space missions, the lack of new program
opportunities from the Canadian Space
Agency in the foreseeable future has
forced us to take action,” said Michael
Pley, CEO of COM DEV. “The funding situation on the CSA's Radarsat Constellation Mission is still uncertain and, if not
resolved in the near future, will result in
further job losses once development
funding runs out later this year. I regret
the impact these circumstances have had
on the employees who are being affected.” COM DEV Canada is the contractor
designated to provide the central electronics and AIS payloads for Radarsat
Constellation Mission. COM DEV International employs more than 1,250 people at
its five primary locations in Canada, the
USA and the United Kingdom.
THE WATERLOO REGION MUSEUM
has received a
Canada Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED®) Silver Standard designation for environment design in the
museum building.
“Throughout the design and construction of the Waterloo Region Museum, a
number of environmental features were
incorporated into the building that maximize environmental benefits,” said Tom
Reitz, Waterloo Region Museum General
Manager and Curator.
UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO AND GRAND RIVER HOSPITAL
have signed on as Observing Organizations in Sustainable Waterloo Region’s
Regional Carbon Initiative, bringing the
number of local organizations taking the
lead on environmental sustainability to
50. “With more than 50 organizations and
about 19,000 employees as well as thousands of students represented
within the RCI, it’s clear that we’re
seeing a changing mindset
amongst organizations across this
community,” says Mike Morrice,
executive director of Sustainable
Waterloo Region.
in their community.
WRHBA President Brian Campbell
said, “The over 250 member companies
within WRHBA are to be proud of this
prestigious award recognizing their collective efforts, outstanding volunteerism
and overall accomplishments to the
industry at large, none of which would be
possible without our amazing office
team.”
OPEN TEXT IS RANKED 77TH in the world with software revenue of USD $1,033.303 million
in Software Magazine’s 2012 Software
500 ranking of the world’s largest software and service providers, now in its
30th year. This is the fourth year OpenText has been included in the Software
500 and has risen in the rankings each
time, ranking 134th in 2000, 122nd in
2005, 79th in 2009, and now 77th in 2012.
OpenText CEO Mark J. Barrenechea
said, “In fiscal year 2012 [July 1,
2011–June 30, 2012] OpenText delivered
its best revenue in our 20 year history.
Revenue is up 17%, and we have consistently grown revenue for the last seven
fiscal years. During the fiscal year, we
rebuilt the leadership team, better organized the company and positioned ourselves to grow market share in the $13
billion Enterprise Information Management market. We see increasing demand
for our EIM solutions as customers are
turning their attention to a single source
of truth for all of their unstructured information.”
WILLIAM (BILL) FARRELL, Chairman of the Board,
Dare Foods Limited, has announced
the appointment of Peter Luik as President, effective October 1, 2012. Peter,
only the sixth
president
in
Dare's 120 years,
is well positioned
to lead the company at a pivotal
time in its history.
Luik joins Dare
with more than
WATERLOO REGION HOME BUILDERS’ ASSOCIA23 years of proTION has been named 2012 Local
fessional experiAssociation of the Year by the
ence in food
Peter Luik
Ontario Home Builders’ Associbrands.
Most
ation. This award is presented to
recently, he was
the local home builders’ association that
the President and CEO of Heinz Canada,
has made significant contributions to the
where he delivered outstanding annual
residential construction industry and
sales and profit growth, and consistent
raised awareness of the association withquarterly achievement.
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44 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE
A TALE OF TWO SAINTS
Tony Lea heads St. John and volunteers with St. Lazarus
by PAUL KNOWLES
ony Lea admits that “everyone knows of St. John
Ambulance.” Then he laments that they really don’t
know very much about St. John Ambulance, after all.
Both statements are probably true. Most people recognize the iconic name, but would be hard pressed to
outline the work of the organization. That’s perhaps
because St. John Ambulance does so much, all around
the world – including right here in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Lea is delighted to fill in the gaps in your knowledge
about his organization. He’s Executive Director of the
T
There’s an odd, saintly twist to Lea’s bio: when he’s
not working for St. John, he is volunteering for St.
Lazarus – in full, The Order of St. Lazarus, an ancient
organization that today, in Canada, volunteers in palliative care. Lea has been recently involved in developed “a home caregiver support program,” which helps
to answer the question, “who cares for the caregiver?”
This program provides training to home caregivers,
covering the spectrum from physical, social and emotional issues to legal and financial help. The program is
currently being rolled out in five centres in Ontario.
It seems appropriate that Lea, who heads a volunteerbased organization, also contributes many volunteer
hours himself. Lea is all about community (his volunteer
resumé runs from Waterloo Marathon Race Director to
Honourary Lieutenant Colonel of the 78th Fraser Highlanders to the board of the Kitchener Rangers). His
organization is equally community-minded.
When St. John Ambulance volunteers are the health
and safety personnel on the ground at an event like the
LPGA tournament, St. John negotiates and receives a
When he’s not working for St. John, he is volunteering for St. Lazarus.
46 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m
fee for service. But at any of the public events where
no income is taken, “we don’t charge,” says Lea.
That increases the challenge of running a charity that
has an annual budget of about $600,000. Almost fivesixth of that comes from fees charged for courses. The
remainder comes in three roughly even parts from sale
of product, donations, and negotiated fees. Lea says the
goal is for the district to reach a training revenue level
of $1 million annually.
He loves his job, waxing
enthusiastic about “challenge and change....
I’m into the training
side, into education...
we have a myriad of
activities. It’s changing all the time. It’s
like running my own
small business.” If it
is, it’s a “small business” with an incredible, life-saving and
changing impact on
our community.
X
Tony Lea, Executive Director of
KW St. John Ambulance.
PHOTO: EXCHANGE MAGAZINE
If you know someone who you feel
has made a difference in their
industry or enterprise and would like
us to consider them for a Making a
Difference article, email
editor@exchangemagazine.com
KW branch of St. John Ambulance, which also provides
coordination for autonomous branches in Cambridge,
Guelph, and Fergus.
Perhaps the simplest way to organize the wide variety of St. John services would be to categorize them as
those they do in the community, and those they do for
the community. In the community, St. John Ambulance
provides first responder first aid services at a wide
variety of community events, like the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic tournament; the International Plowing Match; and the Waterloo Air Show. In fact, KW St.
John Ambulance volunteers provide health and safety
services at an average of 10 events a month. That
schedule keeps 50 volunteers very, very busy.
However, those 50 are only one-eighth of the 400member KW St. John volunteer roster. That’s because
while the uniformed volunteers at the public events
may be the most visible of the organization’s volunteers, those efforts are just the tip of the iceberg. St.
John Ambulance is the leading provider of a full menu
of health and safety courses – CPR training, safety
courses, first aid among them.
Lea leads a paid staff of five who. Lea served for two
years as chair of the local St. John Ambulance before
his board recruited him as the paid executive director,
a post he has held for 17 years.
St. John Ambulance is a registered charity. There
seem to be dozens of St. John programs, but Lea says
that all fall into a simple mandate: “Our mission is to
enhance health, safety and quality of life, through
training and community service.”
Lea loves to list the training opportunities offered by
St. John Ambulance. “First aid, CPR, baby sitting classes, first responder program, car seat safety program...”
and he adds, “we’ve just started a pet care course.”
There is more, of course – that was just one breath’s
worth. He continues, “advanced first aid program, therapy dog program, defibrillation, home alone course...”.
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