THE $10 MILLION BID - Exchange Magazine · 6 | P.O.Box41030,WaterlooONN2K3K0...

MAGAZINE FOR BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURS JULY/AUGUST 2007 - $4.95

REELING IN THE BUSINESSFOR 25 YEARS

EXPLORING NEW FRONTIERSFOR ENTREPRENEURS

WHEN PROFIT DOES NOTEQUAL VALUE

THE $10MILLION BID

The Memorial Cup is comingto Kitchener: good news for

hockey fans, great news for thelocal hospitality industry

INSIDE:Natural Sports

has helped fishingfans catch fish

for 25 years

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6 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m

P.O. Box 41030,Waterloo ON N2K 3K0Tel: 519-886-2831 • Fax: 519-886-6409email: [email protected]

PublisherJJOONN RROOHHRR

[email protected]

EditorPPAAUULL KKNNOOWWLLEESS

[email protected]

Feature WritersBBRRIIAANN HHUUNNSSBBEERRGGEERR,,

PPAAUULL KKNNOOWWLLEESS,, BBEENNJJAAMMIINN RRIICCHHMMOONNDD

ColumnistsJJIIMM BBRROOWWNN,, DDOOUUGG CCAATTEERR,, LLOOUU DDIIEETTRRIICCHH,,

DDAANNIIEELL EE.. GGIIRRAARRDD,, DDEENNNNIISS GGRRIIMMMM,,NNOORREEEENN MMAARRCCHHAANNDD,, RROOSSEEMMAARRYY SSMMIITTHH

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Advertising SalesLLUUKKEE KKNNOOWWLLEESS519-886-0298

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EXCHANGE magazine is a regional business publication published by ExchangeBusiness Communication Inc., CEO Jon Rohr. Eight issues per year are dis-tributed to each company in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, andFergus as determined by Canada Post Business Postal Walks. SSuubbssccrriippttiioonnssaarree aavvaaiillaabbllee ffoorr $$2299..9900.. SSeenndd cchheeqquuee oorr mmoonneeyy oorrddeerr ttoo EExxcchhaannggee,,PP..OO.. BBooxx 4411003300,, WWaatteerrlloooo,, OONN NN22KK 33KK00.. AAttttnn:: CCiirrccuullaattiioonn DDeeppaarrttmmeenntt..Back issues are available for $8 per copy. Phone: (519) 886-9953. Fax: (519) 886-6409. ISSN 0824-457X Copyright, 2007. No part of thismagazine may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

MOVER & SHAKER

The $10 Million Bid .............. 14BY PAUL KNOWLESThe Memorial Cup is coming to Kitchener:good news for hockey fans, great news forthe local hospitality industry

FEATURES

Reeling in the Business ................ 24BY BENJAMIN RICHMONDNatural Sports, now celebrating its 25th anniversary, has helped fishing fans withmany expeditions.

Making a Difference ............ 46BY BRIAN HUNSBERGERLutherwood self-employment programassists differently-abled people to start their own businesses and explore newfrontiers.

CONTENTS

SERVING BUSINESS IN WATERLOO REGION AND GUELPH | VOLUME 24, NUMBER 7

JULY/AUGUST 2007

On the cover: Steve Bienkowski, Chief Operating Officer andGovernor of the Kitchener Rangers, page 14

RANGERS:Kitchener will host the2008 Memorial Cup,page 14

PLEASERECYCLE,GIVE TO AFRIEND

LUTHERWOOD:Program assists differently-

abled people, page 46

NATURAL SPORTS:Nelson Murakami celebrates 25th anniversarary, page 24

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Our editorial line-up for this edition

is somewhat bitter-sweet.Our cover story is

certainly sweet. Wehave looked at theMemorial Cup from abusiness angle.The region will

benefit from theevent – figures like$10 million are oneveryone’s lips, fromKitchener Mayor Carl

Zehr to Rangers C.O.O. Steve Bienkowski.I found the most intriguing aspect of thewhole story to be the profit that comes tothe Rangers hockey club. The Rangers getthe same share of the profits as any of theother 19 Ontario Hockey League MajorJune A teams. So Bienkowski is clearlytelling the truth when he says, “It’s notabout us... it’s about bringing this to thecommunity, to thank our fans for the sup-port they give us.”It’s also about the love of the game; the

man who is now COO once held anotherposition with the Rangers – goaltender on ateam that played for the Memorial Cup.The “bitter-sweet” reference comes in

reaction to our “Making a Difference” arti-cle. Brian Hunsberger’s story is about theNew Frontier Program, a program of theEnterprise and Business Group of Luther-wood. It’s “a self-employment program forpeople with disabilities.”The article is well done. But it is our

second version of the piece. In the first, aNew Frontier grad was interviewed, a per-son who was grateful for the helpreceived, and ready to launch a new busi-ness. Then everyone concerned realizedthat although the new entrepreneur wasready, potential clients might not be quiteso ready to deal with someone with anadmitted disability. So our intervieweewas taken out of the story. It was neces-sary; it was also a shame. I hope someday Exchange will carry an article on thatbusiness’s success; then the story will benothing but sweet. X

DEPARTMENTS

From the Editor .......................... 7PAUL KNOWLESA Bittersweet Line-up

Publisher’s Note .......................... 8JON ROHRCapitalizing on Escapism

Business Monitor .................... 10Waterloo Most Intelligent Community; Top“Tool Box” award; XQuote; Pillerscelebrates 50 years; WaterlooRegion Top Five ranking; AGourmet Affair for 25 years;XQuarterly; Business ContinuityFacility; CFFB Gala Awards

Watercooler .............................. 38

COLUMNS

Manufacturing Methods ........ 29DOUG CATERThe Weakest Link

Building Better Boards .......... 30JIM BROWNBeyond Bored Meetings

Initiatives .................................. 32DENNIS GRIMMProductivity

Exit Strategy.............................. 34LOU DIETRICHWhen Profit Does Not Equal Value

The Faces of Philanthropy .... 36ROSEMARY SMITHImpact & Involvement

Wealth Management.............. 37DANIEL E GIRARDBlessed is He Who Expects Nothing…

Guest Column .......................... 38NOREEN MARCHANDBudget 2007

A BITTERSWEETLINE-UPOur Cup runneth over…but not in allareas of life

PAUL KNOWLES is editor ofExchange Magazine. He is anauthor and public speaker.email: [email protected]

by PAUL KNOWLES

FROM THE EDITOR

PILLERS: For half a century,Pillers has been using a special

recipe for business, page 11

JACPAC CO2:Outstanding achievementin new product design,page 10

GALA AWARDS :CFFB celebrates familyachievements, page 13

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CAPITALIZING ON ESCAPISMEnjoy your escape – and join the effort to welcome escapees here

JON ROHR is publisher ofExchange Magazine forBusiness. email: [email protected]

by JON ROHR

natural phenomenon. One example of area success isMilo Shantz’s St. Jacobs. Since 1978 the small village fiveminutes north of Waterloo has done extremely well atdefining their market, and communicating the communi-ty’s uniqueness – Mennonite heritage, old time marketswith innovative tourism features.On a grand scale, Walt Disney, a skilled urban planner,

guided by his own innate ability to marry savvy market-ing with people’s wants and needs, created a industrywhose main focus is to provide escapism to all ages. Allof it started with a mouse. Lawrence Bingeman, ofBingemans, said to me a few years ago that we shouldlook at Orlando, home of Walt Disney World Resort, Uni-versal Orlando Resort, and Sea World as a benchmark..With rumours circulating of Canada’s Wonderland mov-

ing to a place just east of Woodstock, a new Tourism initia-tive in Waterloo Region could have the makings of a futurecommunity that not only works hard and innovates forcapitalism, but also meets the human need for escapism.With the appropriate commitment, we’ve proven that

great things can be done. We’re only at the beginning,and as long as we continue to understand that, we’ll

always have the future ahead of us.Our feature, “The $10 million Dollar Bid”, highlights a

great example of how government, not-for-profits andbusinesses can and are working together to attract morepeople to our community. The payout is $10 million newdollars going to accommodations, food service, shoppingdestinations, attractions, and service stations. Given thescope and market, the Memorial Cup is a win, win, win.Other initiatives are in the works; we should embrace

the possibilities for risk and opportunities for reward –anything less will simply feed the institution of medioc-rity. Nothing is gained entrepreneurially if we remain thesame as everyone else.Enjoy your escape. X

Summer Time - oh - Summer, Summer, Summer TimeAin't nothin' better in the world, you know than lyin'in the sun with your radioEscapism - Toronto’s good old boys, Lighthouse, set

the tone in 1972. Thirty five years later, the song contin-ues to sooth the soul and calm the workplace jitters.Summer at its best – sitting around on the dock, soaking

up the sun, with nothing to do but listen to an ipod – I can’twait. The Wiki definition of Escapism is “mental diversionby means of entertainment or recreation, as an ‘escape’from the perceived unpleasant aspects of daily stress.”

Escapism is stress relief - it’s a rewiring of our dailyhabits, a diversion from everyday life for a prolongedperiod of time (hopefully more than a week) - a reboot ofour operating system. It’s an important part of our worksuccess that employers must recognize and employeesmust take advantage of.A lot is being done across the province with respect to

attracting people to communities and providing them adiversion that not only will be remembered when the holi-day’s over, but will propagate new interest that will grow,organically. To cultivate a community’s uniqueness andpackage it in a sales message, is one way to that sets alocation apart from the rest. Escaping requires an attrac-tive diversion – not necessarily an ocean, mountain or

We’ve proven that great things can be done. We’re only at the beginning...we’ll always have the future ahead of us.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

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XQuote"Immigration will ... play an increasingly important role in shaping housingdemand. Immigration has been the dominant source of household for-mation since the early 1990s,a trend that will accelerate over the comingdecade as the rate of natural population growth continues to slow."

- ADRIENNE WARREN, SENIOR ECONOMIST, SCOTIA ECONOMICS

The city ofWaterloo has been namedthe World’s Top Intelligent Commu-

nity for 2007. The honour came from“The Intelligent Communities Forum”,acknowledging the community thatbest exemplifies the development of aprosperous economy based on broad-band and information technology.At the ICF conference in New York in

May, Waterloo was recognized for itscommitment to fostering institutions,projects and initiatives that drive tech-nology innovation and share its bene-fits with the community at large.Lou Zacharilla, Director of Develop-

ment, ICF, referred to Waterloo as aNorth American community like noother. “What makes Waterloo special isthat in the heart of the technology tri-angle, the tradition of community barnraising, looking after one another fromthe very young to the very old, is keptalive today. It’s a place where peoplewake up and give thanks for the fruits oftheir works and for their good fortune.”Waterloo was one of two Canadian

cities among the prestigious list ofnominees that included Ottawa-Gatineau; Dundee, Scotland, UnitedKingdom; Gangnam District, Seoul,South Korea; Issy les Moulineaux,France; Sunderland, Tyne & Wear,United Kingdom; and Tallin, Estonia“This recognition belongs to our com-

munity – to the businesses, to theschools, to the universities and colleges,to our libraries, to our not-for-profits – allof whom look for innovative ways to usetechnology to make Waterloo a betterplace,” saidWaterloo Mayor Brenda Hal-loran in accepting the award.“There are great things happening in

Waterloo,” she added. “The Intelligent

Community Forum has helped us moreclearly recognize the collective strengthof what we have. In fact, it’s created areason for bringing people togetherwho have been able to look at thosestrengths and through collaboration,leverage them even further.”Waterloo’s nomination credits several

organizations including the universities,hospitals, libraries and schools as wellas companies such as RIM, Open Text,Sybase, DALSA and many others thatexport their products, technology andservices around the world. It also notesthe Perimeter Institute for TheoreticalPhysics,The Centre for International Gov-ernance Innovation, The Institute forQuantum Computing,The Research andTechnology Park, and the presence ofCommunitech and Canada’sTechnologyTriangle as being further reflections ofleadership as an Intelligent Community.To participate in the Intelligent Commu-

nity process,a community steering com-mittee was formed that included publicsector, private sector and not for profitrepresentatives. The submission for2007 was created by a committee thatincluded public sector, private sectorand not for profit representatives.This in-cluded: Jim Balsillie, RIM (HonouraryChair); David Johnston, President, Uni-versity ofWaterloo; Halloran; Simon Far-brother, CAO, City of Waterloo (Chair);Waterloo City Councillor Mark Whaley;Steve McCartney, President, Atria Net-works; Colleen Fitzpatrick, Centre for In-ternational Governance Innovation; DonCowan, David R. Cheriton School ofComputer Science, Computer SystemsGroup,UW; Doug Muholland,ComputerSystems Group,UW; Shirley Fenton,Wa-terloo Institute for Health Informatics Re-search, UW; Cathy Matyas, Waterloo

Public Library; Catherine Rosenberg,De-partment of Electrical Engineering andComputer Engineering, and the CentreforWireless Research,UW; Steve Farlow,Wilfrid Laurier University; Linda Fegan,Canada’s Technology Triangle Inc; MikeMcKeever, Waterloo Public Library; KenMcLaughlin,University ofWaterloo; EllenJones, Waterloo Public Library; TrudyBeaulne, Social Planning Council ofKitchener Waterloo; Vic Degutis, Water-loo Catholic District School Board; andBruce Hawkins, Garry Bezruki, MarleneCoffey, Patti McKague, and Elaine Nes-bitt, all City ofWaterloo“This recognition is recognition for the

countless ways that organizations,businesses and individuals have lever-aged technology and broadband in in-novative and leading ways throughoutthis community,” said Farbrother. “The

success of our intelligent communitycomes in part from the commitment ofour committee to research, understandand articulate how extensive our col-lective use of technology and broad-band is in this region.”In June,Waterloo hosted the Munici-

pal Information Systems Association’sAnnual Conference and Tradeshow atRIM Park. It included the first everCanadian Intelligent CommunitiesForum (CICF) as the closing session.The forumbrought together inWaterloo,

all of the cities/communities in Canadathat have been identified by the Intelli-gent Communities Forum in NewYork asbeing in either the Top 21 or Top 7 Intel-ligent Communities globally, including:Waterloo, Burlington, Ottawa-Gatineau,Sudbury, Toronto, Calgary, Fredericton,Western Valley NS, and Nunavut.

WATERLOO NAMED WORLD’S TOPINTELLIGENT COMMUNITY

L o c a l p r o d u c t h o n o u r e d w i t h t o p“ t o o l b o x ” a w a r d s

BUSINESS MONITOR

The JacPac CO2 Power System – devel-oped by Supplierpipeline Inc. of Water-

loo – has won Popular Mechanics’ Editor’sChoice Award in recognition of outstandingachievement in new product design and in-novation. The award was presented at theNational Hardware Show in Orlando,Florida in May. The award highlights “themost useful and innovative new productsfor your tool box.”JacPac’s break-through technology uses

easy-to-carry CO2 canisters as its pneu-matic power source. Popular Mechanics’editors recognized that with JacPac, com-mon air-powered hand tools are now freefrom reliance on the heavy, noisy, conven-tional air compressors.“Fast, effortless pneumatic nailing has

long been an integral part of the carpentryindustry. And, until now, you needed to lug a noisy air compressor from site tosite. The new JacPac CO2 system utilizes a compact pressurized CO2 cylinderthat you carry on your belt and that silently drives up to 500 nails on a singlecharge,” according to Popular Mechanics.Supplierpipeline is Canada’s number one manufacturer of climbing products

(ladders). Supplierpipeline is also an emerging player in the Do-It-Yourselfpower tool market with the introduction of the JacPac line in 2006.JacPac has already garnered another major award in 2007, when it was

named one of the Top 10 Tool Innovations for 2007 by Workbench magazine.Workbench, a popular publication targeting the rapidly growing DIY market,said,“...with the advent of the JacPac CO2 the inevitable extinction of the ham-mer may be at hand.”The JacPac CO2 power system comes with a cartridge, regulator and hose for

$119.99, or as a kit that includes a pneumatic brad gun for $189.99. A (re-fillable) 9-ounce cylinder costs $29.99. (all US dollars).Supplierpipeline Inc. products are marketed under internationally recognized

and long-standing brand names as Lite, Eagle, Gryphon and Jacmorr.

Waterloo is clearly leading the way –only days after the city was crowned

theWorld’s Top Intelligent Community,Wa-terloo hosted the first “Canadian IntelligentCommunity Forum” June 13,where it became clear that the“intelligent community” modelwill be extended throughoutthe province. Rose Langhout,right,an Ontario government In-formation and InformationTechnology Strategy specialist,said that development ofbroadband capability in ruralsouthern Ontario is now a prior-ity, funded by the new $10 mil-lion Ontario Municipal Rural BroadbandPartnership Program.Broadband capacity is a fundamental step in extending “intel-ligent community”cyber-potential to all of the communities of southern Ontario.Alsopresenting at the Forum was Simon Farbrother,CAO of the city ofWaterloo, inset,whochaired the successfulWaterloo Top Intelligent Community nomination program.

WATERLOO MODEL FORSOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO

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Waterloo Region ranked among topfive in North America

BUSINESS MONITOR

Piller’s Sausages & Deli-catessens Limited has

linked together 50 years ofdelicious goods and serv-ices in Waterloo.Opening as a small

butcher shop in the sum-mer of 1957, Piller’s hasgrown into one of NorthAmerica’s largest produc-ers of European sausagesand delicatessen meats.With more than 400 prod-ucts available, the com-pany has won 44 international awardsfor product quality and superior taste.Most famously known for their award-winning meats, such as Black Forestham and air-dried salamis, Piller’s hasbeen using family recipes and tradi-tional European meat processingmethods for more than five decades.The family recipes are not the only

aspect of the business that has re-mained unchanged. The Huber familyphilosophy has also stood the test oftime for 50 years. “Our family philoso-phy has always been, you have to bean honest businessman. If you giveyour word, your word is your word,” saysWilly Huber Jr., current president andCEO of the Waterloo-based company.TheWaterloo butcher shop was orig-

inally opened by Wilhelm Huber andhis partner George Piller, each withonly $500 in hand. After five genera-tions of sausage makers, Piller’s con-tinues to be family owned andoperated, with the delicatessen stillusing the same natural aging, curing,and smoking process Huber Sr. useda half-century ago.The younger generation is largely re-

sponsible for the company’s substan-tial growth into a meat processingempire, with a workforce of about560. Piller’s has kept with the chang-ing times and tastes of the consumerby releasing about 20 new productsannually. “You have to change withwhat the consumer wants.A lot of theproducts that were produced 10 yearsago are now long gone. We’re con-stantly changing our product look andproduct lineup; we’re always reassess-

ing our approach,” says Willy Huber.In the luncheon meat market, Piller’s

has faced some top competitors suchas Maple Leaf and Schneiders; how-ever, the company has emerged as amain player in the specialization ofsausages and processed meats.Asidefrom strong work ethic, honesty and atrue passion for the business, the Hu-bers believe improving products, in-creasing sales and expanding theirmarket is necessary to maintain acompetitive edge. “We’re always ex-panding. If you don’t expand and youstand still, that’s the road that leads todisaster,” says Huber.“There has alwaysbeen growth every year from coast-to-coast since 1957 – non-stop growth.”From their humble beginnings, Piller’s

has made its home in Waterloo, andhas formed a solid relationship with theRegion. “The one thing I can say is theCity of Waterloo has been absolutelyphenomenal with us.We’re very proudto be here in Waterloo,” says Huber.As the former two-person butcher

shop faces its next 50 years, the Huberfamily’s next generation of 12 has theopportunity to continue taking Piller’sto the next level.“Ultimately the choiceis in their hands.”For half a century, Piller’s has been

using their special recipe for business:two pounds of proud family heritage andphilosophy, three teaspoons of time-ho-noured values, half a cup of dedicatedwork ethic and a dash of gratitude to theRegion where it all started.

The three Huber brothers in 1957,Wilhelm(left), Heinrich and Edward. RREEGGIIOONNAALL OOFFFFIICCIIAALLSS RREECCEENNTTLLYY WWEELLCCOOMMEEDD AA VVIISSIITT by the American Consul General,

newly posted to Toronto. Shown during the event are Regional Chair Ken Seiling (front left); JohnNay, Consul General of the United States; Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr (back left); Doug Craig,Mayor of Cambridge; Alison Tasker, U.S. Political/Economic Specialist; Scott Witmer, WaterlooCouncillor; and John Tennant, CEO of Canada’s Technology Triangle.

Piller’s current management team: Conrad Huber, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs &Purchasing, Willy Huber, President & CEO, Wilhelm Huber, Founder & Chairman of the Board,Henry Huber, Sr. VP Corporate Sales & Marketing, Robert Huber, VP Corporate Marketing and Gerhart Huber, Chief Operating Officer.

Waterloo Region garnered a Top Five ranking among “Small Cities of the Futurein North America”. The award – organized by Foreign Direct Investment (fDi)

Magazine – was presented in Boston to Canada’s Technology Triangle Inc., on behalfof partners in the Waterloo Region and the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Wa-terloo. It’s the second consecutive year that Waterloo Region has fared well in fDi’s“Cities of the Future” rankings. The North American award reception was held in conjunction with Bio2007, the

major event held by the Biotechnology Industry Organization each year. The inter-national conference has been part of investment attraction initiatives for CTT Incand partners since 2003. Recognized in the “Top 10 Small Cities of the Future” category, Waterloo Region

ranked 5th overall. The Small Cities category covers communities of 100,000 to500,000 people. The area also achieved: • 2nd for “Best Human Resources”• 2nd for “Quality of Life”• 4th for “Best Infrastructure” and• 5th for “Best Development and Investment Promotion”. Courtney Fingar, Editor, fDi Magazine, says there has been far greater take-up from

North American cities to participate in the research rankings. “Waterloo impressedfDi's judges in several areas, particularly for the region's infrastructure, developmentand investment promotion, human resources and quality of life.”

fDi is a premier publication for the business of globalization and is produced bythe renowned Financial Times group of London, UK. The judging panel representedpublic and private leaders from New York, Washington and Chicago, and includedSteve Demmings, president, Site Selection Canada.

The prestigious 2007/08 competition had entries from 108 cities across NorthAmerica. Submissions were evaluated for economic potential, cost effectiveness,human resources, quality of life, infrastructure, business friendliness and FDI promotionstrategy. This year, the competition was changed from the previous survey ranking forCanada and moved to a broader North American-wide ranking among locations in theUnited States, Mexico and Canada. The ranking is based on data submitted coveringthe Waterloo Region including the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo. John Tennant, CEO, Canada s Technology Triangle Inc, says fDi’s report spotlights North

American locations that firms that are expanding or locating should carefully evaluate.“Our Top 5 ranking is yet another independent indicator of the attractiveness of our Re-gion to international business,” according to Tennant. “The high ranking for Best HumanResources is a testimony to our outstanding post-secondary educational institutionsand highly skilled talent pool. The community leadership should take pride and creditfor Waterloo's high standings in terms of quality of life and infrastructure.” Last year, Canada’s Technology Triangle took the title as Canada’s “Most Cost Com-

petitive” area and was also the location for fDi’s Global Personality of the YearAwards which honoured Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. It was the first time theawards celebrations were held in North America. The “Cities of the Future” compe-tition is now in its fifth year.

Piller’s Sausages & DelicatessensLtd. celebrate half a century

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BUSINESS MONITOR

Head chef and owner of GourmetAffair Catering, Bruce Sutherland,

has evolved his career and businessaround his combined experience infood and design. Specializing inFrench, Italian, Thai, and Europeancooking styles, Sutherland has guar-anteed his service and cuisine for aquarter-century.This catering company has become a

staple for artistic expression and flairfor food presentation, while extendingtasteful service and elegant experienceto weddings, banquets and partiesacross the Waterloo Region.Sutherland says he appreciates the

acceptance of the community in thehighly competitive business of cater-ing. “We put an emphasis on provid-ing great and affordable quality and service in the community.”Unlike some large catering businesses, Gourmet Affair is completely hands-on,

with Sutherland, personally, taking the time to meet his customers’ needs. “Fromtaking the order to cooking the food to handing them the bill, every customerdeals directly with me, so there is no confusion with a middle man.”He adds that Gourmet Affair has grown both stronger and wiser over the past

25 years. “We hope to continue growing within the Region, while remaininghands-on.” - BEN RICHMOND

Think, “unexpected moments” –those times that turn your life

upside down, moments that leaveyou down on your knees, fistclenched, looking up to sky whileit pours rain down in your face.That’s the way it feels when your

business can’t function, can’tgenerate revenue, can’t do its job,because of some freak accidentthat prevents you and your stafffrom entering what’s left of yourbuilding. Fires, chemical spills,

you name it, if the fire department or health inspector shuts you down, you’re inan immediate loss position.As a business owner/operator, that’s not the position you want to be in.In May 2007, Miro Forest and Larry Martin, two independent, innovative entrepre-

neurs, decided to partner and fill a gap they discovered in Wellington County andWaterloo Region.They have founded what’s known a “Business Continuity Facility”.“It’s a place where a medium- or small-sized business that has a major catas-

trophe, like a fire or a chemical spill, can go on 24 hours notice, and get, in effect,back into business – maybe not 100%, but they’re back up and running,” saysForest, who also operates the Waterloo Data Fortress.Forest spotted the opportunity while looking across his office yard. He noticed the

Destination Inn was undergoing some renovations and an addition. He approachLarry Martin, part owner and operator of the Inn with the concept. He suggested toMartin: “When you’re building and designing, could you keep in mind that there isthis potential to have this continuity facility designed into it from the get go?”The short answer was “yes”. Martin, with a well-known track record as an entre-

preneur who seizes a great idea, saw the opportunity quickly, not only for thebusiness side of things but also to help those in an unfortunate crisis. Martin pre-configured all of the data networking structure and the telephone system infra-structure to allow their boardroom to be used for this type of job.The facility is designed to serve small- to medium-sized companies, because

“larger companies – with millions of accounts to deal with – have this type of fa-cilities” says Forest. It’s the small- and medium-sized businesses, with one site,for whom Forest designed the program.When emergency response teams have the final say if you can get back into your

office, or you’re in the situation where the damage does not permit office use, thisfacility, located at the Destination Inn Waterloo, can become your “Virtual Office”.“You could comfortably put a maximum of 12 to 15 people here. Two companies

with five to six employees each could utilize the facility simultaneously,” says Forest.This kind of service is new. According to the Gartner Group, “two out of five

businesses that experience a major disaster go out of business within five yearsof the disaster – they never recover.” But the new Business Continuit Facility offersa way to counter that, to get a business in crisis “back up and running.”

• The Canadian economy picked upsteam in the first quarter of 2007 asreal GDP advanced 0.9%, more thantwice the pace of last quarter, accord-ing to StansCan. A slight pick-up inconsumer spending and an inventorybuild-up resulting from strong produc-tion fuelled the advance. Investment infixed capital slowed, exports eased.

• The Canadian economy recorded anannualized growth rate of 3.7%, upsharply from the fourth quarter of2006 (+1.5%), outpacing the US.

• Business inventories (excluding farminventories) increased $2.8 billion inthe quarter.

• Corporate profits posted substantialgrowth in the first quarter (+3.1%), apace not seen since the last quarterof 2005. Spurred by profits earned inthe petroleum and coal productsmanufacturing sector, partly resultingfrom rising commodity prices, as wellas by increased profits in the retailsector, corporate profits in non-finan-cial industries advanced 4.7%.

• Personal income rose 2%, helped bystrong increases in labour income,farm income, and net income fromnon-farm unincorporated businesses.

• Canadian industries slightly increasedthe use of their production capacityduring first quarter 2007, halting fourconsecutive quarters of decline. Ca-pacity utilization edged up from82.4% in fourth quarter 2006 to 83%.

• J.D.Power andAssociates reports thatCanadian-made vehicle models re-

ceive segment awards, including Toy-ota Corolla (from Toyota's Cambridge,Ontario, plant), which ranks second inthe compact car segment, and LexusRX 350 (also fromToyota's Cambridge,Ontario, plant) which ranks highest inthe midsize premium multi-activity ve-hicle (MAV) segment.

• Four Canadian plants rank in the top15 in initial quality out of the Northand South American plants studied,including Toyota's Cambridge plant.

• A new study, Caring for the Land - OurFarm Environmental Commitment,shows that Ontario's farmers are envi-ronmental leaders. Greenhouse gasemissions have been reduced by theequivalent of taking 125,000 cars offthe road through improved soil con-servation measures. Farmers havespent $600 million on environmentalimprovements and 300,000 days inenvironmental training.Over 70% havevoluntarily participated in the Environ-mental Farm Plan.

• Total value of building permits de-clined in April as construction inten-tions fell in both the residential andnon-residential sectors as well as innine provinces. Contractors took outpermits worth $5.6 billion,down 8.4%from March.The value of non-residen-tial permits decreased 18.9% to justunder $2 billion, the second biggestdecline since 1989. All three compo-nents (industrial, commercial and in-stitutional) lost ground. It was only thesecond time in the last 12 months

that the level fell under $2-billion.• In the residential sector, an increase in

the value of multi-family permits onlypartially offset a decline in single-familypermits. Municipalities issued permitsworth $3.6 billion, a 1.4% decline.

• The Canada Mortgage and HousingCorporation has released Kitchener’spreliminary housing starts data for themonth of May. Construction began ona total of 302 homes in the KitchenerCensus Metropolitan Area (CMA), anincrease of 32% from the 228 unitsstarted in the same month last year.Multiple-family home starts were re-

sponsible for the stronger new con-struction figures in May. At 206 units,multiple-family home starts (which in-clude semi-detached homes, town-houses and apartments) were up 82%from the 113 units started in May2006. A total of 96 single-detachedfoundations were poured in May, a de-cline of 17% from May last year.

• May was another record month for theKitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board,with a total of 774 home sales, a 20%increase over May 2006. May’s salesresults surpassed the single monthrecord of 713 sales set in April. The

Waterloo Region has had aGourment Affair for 25 years

A new BusinessContinuityFacility- an answer indisaster

XQuarterly – www. xquarterly.ca

Bruce Sutherland of Gourmet Affair.

Miro Forest, Waterloo Data Management.

continued on next page

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BUSINESS MONITOR

XQuarterly – continued

dollar volume of homes sold contin-ued to soar in May,up 24% relative toone year ago, to $189 million.

• Canadianmerchandise trade importsdeclined inApril, while there was littlechange in exports. Canadian exportsedged down 0.3% to $40.7 billionfrom $40.8 billion in March. Importsfell 2.2% in April to $34.9 billion.

• Canada's exports to countries otherthan the US reached $10.1 billion, a7.7% gain. Imports from those coun-tries remained virtually unchanged at$12.4 billion. Exports to the US fell2.6% to $30.6 billion, while importsfrom Canada's principal trading part-ner decreased 3.3% to $22.6 billion.

• Despite rising cottage and gas prices,the number of Canadians committedto owning their own getaway retreathas increased since last summer,with12% of Canadians planning to orconsidering buying a recreationalproperty in the next three years, ac-cording to the 2007 Royal LePageRecreational Property Report.

• However, 23% of Canadian cottageowners will reduce the number of tripsthey make to their cottages this sum-mer, while 12% of owners may con-sider selling their property if gas pricescontinue to rise.

• Travellers from the US spent a littleover $2 billion in Canada in the firstquarter of 2007,down 3.8% from theprevious quarter. It was the lowestlevel since the first quarter of 1998.Since the end of 2004, spending byAmerican travellers has fallen 19.4%.

• American residents took 3.3 millionovernight trips to Canada in first quar-ter 2007,down 6.1% from the end of2006, the lowest level in 10 years.

• Travellers from overseas countriesspent a record $2.1 billion in Canadain the first quarter, up 3.4% from pre-vious quarter.Spending by these trav-ellers has fallen only once since thethird quarter of 2004. Travellers fromcountries other than the US took anunmatched 1.2million overnight tripsto Canada in the first quarter, a 4.3%increase from the previous quarter.

• Travel by Canadians increased toevery overseas region, except SouthAmerica. On a regional basis, Europewas still themost popular destination,accounting for nearly 4 millionovernight visits in 2006. TheCaribbean was second, with almost1.6 million overnight visits.

• Canadian touristsmade an estimated842,000 overnight visits inMexico,up6.0% from 2005. At the same time,travel to the United Kingdom fell13.4% to only 778,000 overnight vis-its. France, Cuba and the DominicanRepublic were in third, fourth and fifthplace respectively. Visits to Chinasurged 55.7%, the largest increaseamong the top 10 overseas countriesvisited by Canadians.

J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 0 7 | 13

Gascho Automotive Limited receives a MilestoneAchievement Award celebrating 80 years of business.

Elliott Coach Lines Ltd. receives a MilestoneAchievement Award celebrating 60 years.

Menno S. Martin Contractor Ltd. iscelebrating 65 years of business.

Wright Lawn Care & LandscapingService is celebrating 65 years.

Trillium Metal Stamping is celebrating25 years of business.

Green Horizons Group of Farms Ltd.celebrates 70 years.

Clarke , Starke & Diegel Accountantscelebrates 35 years

Beingessner Home Exteriors Ltd.receives recogniton for 50 years

Flanagan Foodservice Inc. receivesrecogniton for 30 years

T.Weber Company Limted receivesrecogniton for 50 years

Nutritional Feed Additives receivesrecogniton for 20 years of business.

Synder Metal Fabricating Ltd. receivesrecogniton for 30 years

Centre forFamily Business

2007 Gala AwardsThe gala evening

recognizes innovation,inspiration and dedicationto building strong families

and better businesses,and celebrates anniversary

milestones.

Barney Strassburger Jr. (centre) received the FamilyBusiness Leadership Award from Dave Schnarr, Executive

Director and Jillian Weaver, Administrative Director.

Expressway Ford Ltd. receives a Milestone Achievement Awardcelebrating 25 years of business.

PHOT

OGRA

PHY:

TOM

ASZA

DAM

SKI

ExchJA07_pgs01-23 6/15/07 7:38 PM

THE $10 MILLION BID - Exchange Magazine · 6 | P.O.Box41030,WaterlooONN2K3K0...

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