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May 2014 $3.50 businessinedmonton.com

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF NORTHERN ALBERTA AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES Honours Three Edmonton Businessmen for Exemplary Careers and Continued Inspiration

JOHN LEDER

RALPH YOUNG

REZA NASSERI

The 93 Per Cent Success Story

Travel & Tourism

Across Canada and globally, Edmonton is acknowledged as a waste management leader.

The New Forestry

Because Itâ€™s There

HRIA Celebrating Excellence Awards

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MAY 2014 | VOL. 03 #05

View our elect ronic issue of this mon th’s mag azin e onlin e at www .busi nessi nedm onto n.com

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Features

Each and every month

Enjoy the warmer weather with articles about the environment, along with profiles of outstanding achievers and information to help you make summer travel plans.

Cover

OFF THE TOP Fresh News Across all Sectors.

69 E DMONTON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF NORTHERN ALBERTA AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES BY MARK KANDBORG Honours Three Edmonton Businessmen for Exemplary Careers and Continued Inspiration

Company Profiles 47 T HE WORKUN GARRICK PARTNERSHIP BY MARK KANDBORG

Celebrates 60 Years of Good Works by Design

CENTRAL CARRIERS

JOHN LEDER

RALPH YOUNG

REZA NASSERI

BY MARK KANDBORG

Keeping Western Canada’s Transportation Hub Rolling for 40 Years

FULL HOUSE RENOVATIONS

Full House Renovations Celebrates 25 Years

Features 12 THE NEW FORESTRY BY JOHN HARDY

65 ANDERSON VACATIONS Helping People Check Travel off Their Bucket List for 20 Years

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

New markets, maximizing every piece of fibre, and an urgent problem

OFF THE TOP

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Features

PUBLISHER BUSINESS IN EDMONTON INC.

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Brent Trimming

brent@businessinedmonton.com

continued

Enjoy the warmer weather with articles about the environment, along with profiles of outstanding achievers and information to help you make summer travel plans.

EDITOR Mark Kandborg

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Nerissa McNaughton

TROUBLE ON THE RAILS: ALBERTA’S BUMPER CROP MAKES WAVES

COPY EDITORS

BY RECHELL MCDONALD

Nerissa McNaughton Nikki Mullett

A record year in grain production meant a record transportation year for rail companies. Unfortunately the rail companies couldn’t meet the demand and now the government is stepping in to ensure accountability and progress.

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CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS Cher Compton

ADMINISTRATION Nancy Bielecki info@businessinedmonton.com

THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS Mark Kandborg Rechell McDonald Ben Freeland Vivian Krause

Nerissa McNaughton James Cumming John Hardy

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29 T HE 93 PER CENT SUCCESS STORY | BY JOHN HARDY Across Canada and globally, Edmonton is acknowledged as a waste management leader.

33 BECAUSE IT’S THERE | BY BEN FREELAND As Edmonton looks to up its game on the inbound tourism front, our city’s majestic backyard is waiting to be discovered.

37 MOTHER NATURE: ARE WE STILL FRIENDS? | BY NERISSA MCNAUGHTON Do we need to work on our relationship with Mother Nature?

41 H RIA Celebrating Excellence Awards

69 I T’S TIME TO PLAY HARDBALL | BY VIVIAN KRAUSE

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to circulation dept. #1780, 10020 - 101 A Ave. NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 3G2

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

Alberta’s potential in jeopardy because of the Tar Sands Campaign.

It takes high-flying talent to know talent. Thank you to our judges for lending their time and talent to select the Prairiesâ€™ gravity-defying entrepreneurs.

National sponsors

National silver sponsor

Platinum sponsors

EY is a proud supporter of entrepreneurship

Linda Hohol Director Various Boards

Darryl Levy Asif Mawji President and CEO Chief Executive Officer NPO Zero Corp. Wynward Insurance Group

Kelley Smith Consultant

Dale Wishewan President and CEO Booster Juice

Stephanie Yong Director W. Brett Wilson Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence

OFF THE TOP

NEWS FROM THE MONTH

REAL ESTATE

EDMONTON REALTORS® COMMUNITY FOUNDATION DONATES TO LOCAL CHARITIES

Edmonton is the home of many charities and non-profit organizations who rely on donations to keep their work in the community going strong. One large contributor to many of these organizations is the Edmonton REALTORS® Community Foundation. Over $3.5 million has been raised and allocated to charities in Edmonton and the surrounding areas over the last 26 years, and 2014 was another successful year. On Friday, March 7, 2014, the REALTORS® Community Foundation proudly presented 46 cheques totaling $395,000 to different charities across the city and beyond. A wide range of organizations benefit from this annual event, including community kitchens, shelters, animal programs and children’s organizations. Bob Sporel is an associate of Martin Fiesel, the regional owner of Buyer’s Choice Home Inspections. Both men had high praise for the funds raised and spirit of the March 7 presentation. “The event exemplified the power of many people within the local business community coming together for the greater good,” smiled Sporel. Individual realtors make up a massive network of business professionals in Edmonton and most large cities. These individuals are spread throughout the community and know it better than most. Every day they see neighbourhoods in trouble, new neighbourhoods springing up and communities undergoing change – both positive and negative. If there is any one business professional who could accurately convey the pulse of a city, it’s a realtor. The REALTORS® Community Foundation is well aware of the integral role realtors play in the city. Not all realtors are part of the Foundation, but their influence

MARTIN FIESEL (LEFT), REGIONAL OWNER OF A BUYER’S CHOICE HOME INSPECTIONS, AND JILL DIDLOW (RIGHT), EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE EDMONTON REALTORS® COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, AT THE FOUNDATION’S ANNUAL PRESENTATION ON MARCH 7. - PHOTO CREDIT: TATIANNA LAZOWSKI.

and power is essential to ensuring the Foundation generates adequate funding year after year for community organizations. This means the more realtors that are involved in the foundation, the more positive the financial outcome each year for the community. The good news is that the REALTORS® Community Foundation does not profess to be an exclusive club; in fact, they are all about community in every way possible. Although getting individual realtors involved with the Foundation is important, donating to the foundation to support this annual charity event is an opportunity open to everyone. Sometimes choosing a charity to donate to can be difficult because there are literally hundreds to choose from however, by taking this route you help multiple charities in your own community simultaneously. The Foundation provides several opportunities to get involved in the fundraising throughout the year, including casino nights, auctions and a motorcycle show and shine. In the past, the Foundation has had repeated success raising upwards of $350,000, even as much as $400,000 as recently as 2012. To learn more about the REALTORS® Community Foundation (Edmonton and area), visit www.re-

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

altorscommunityfoundation.com or call 780-453-9343. You can view a full list of charities supported by the Foundation at www.realtorscommunityfoundation.com/charities. If you are a charitable organization interested in obtaining a grant from the Foundation, view the applicable guidelines and download an application at www.realtorscommunityfoundation.com/forms/grants. BIE BUSINESS

TEC VENTUREPRIZE 2014 AWARDS FINALIST

The annual TEC VenturePrize Awards event is fast approaching and as always, there is an exciting pool of finalists. The TEC VenturePrize Business Plan competition (Fast Growth category) is a competition designed for general businesses. There are two additional categories that consist of the VenturePrize TELUS ICT and the provincial Student Business Plan category for post-secondary students. Entrants to the competition can be individuals, teams or a company; but they must meet several requirements including having a viable highgrowth business concept.

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NEWS FROM THE MONTH

For the Fast Growth category, the Grand Prize Winner can expect more than $80,000 in cash and in-kind services to assist them in their new business venture. This competition can be a real game-changer for a new start-up because it garners media coverage in Alberta, exposing participants to large numbers of potential investors. This year’s pool of finalists offers some unique and cutting-edge ideas with the potential to change everything from medical science to how we shop for our food. The finalists for the Fast Growth category are:

Belgravia Tech Inc. (BIT) – Edmonton

BTI has created a safe, reliable and cost effective alternative to nuclear reactor-generated medical isotopes. These isotopes are vital for timely diagnosis and management of patient treatment for many major health issues, including cancer and heart problems. The global demand for this isotope is more than 40 million doses per year, with 12 million of those currently being supplied by an aging nuclear reactor in Ontario (NRU) that will no longer be supplying these isotopes by 2016. This will cut the global supply by 30 per cent. BTI’s unique technology has the potential to provide health organizations worldwide with the means to continue offering effective quality care to heart and cancer patients.

Localize Services Ltd. – Edmonton

Localize Services is taking the “buy local” campaigns to the next level. By working closely with grocers, they have developed a unique scoring and label system that consumers can identify right on the store shelf. A product’s score can be accessed via a QR code, using a smartphone that will take the consumer to a unique page on the Localize website where consumers can see just how local a product is. If it’s a processed food, they can see if the ingredients are local, or only the manufacturer, or both. They can also determine how close to home produce, meats and dairy were sourced. This scoring system will encourage more sustainable food practices.

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Tactalis – Calgary

Tactalis develops tactile tablet computer systems that help people who are blind or visually impaired to explore, create and share images and digital media that they cannot see via a touch-sensitive interface and embedded tactile display. Tactalis’ patent pending technology opens up an unlimited world of digitized interactive tactile graphics,

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such as maps, apps, diagrams, charts, games, spreadsheets and graphs, for use at home, school, work and play. The VenturePrize Dinner & Awards event takes place on May 7 at the Shaw Conference Centre. BIE TECHNOLOGY

AQUILA DIAGNOSTICS UNVEILS NEW LIFE-CHANGING TECHNOLOGY

Design

it opens up the possibility of using a simple and highly sensitive molecular test at the point-of-care for the diagnosis of malaria and other bloodborne infections,” stated FIND’s chief scientific officer Mark Perkins. FIND’s mission is to develop costeffective but cutting-edge diagnostic tools for diseases of poverty, and with the studies FIND performed using the Accutas™ system, the numbers are all adding up to show that Accutas™ testing results are superior to the malaria testing methods currently available. Aside from accuracy, Aquila’s Accutas™ offers several distinct advantages over traditional testing methods, including the cost. Each test is a fraction (1/10) of the cost of a traditional lab test, and when it comes to working in poverty stricken nations, cost versus value is a big factor. Another important factor is portability and disposability – no wasted time waiting on lab results, risking possible mix ups or needing large and expensive equipment. It is also quick, with results being given in less than an hour and it offers multiple tests on a single platform, all from the same biological sample. The genius of Accutas™ is apparent; it will be interesting to see how this technology impacts healthcare on the front lines and what Aquila comes up with next. BIE

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May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

& DÉCOR

FINE Furnishings

From agriculture to environmental technologies, and particularly medical technologies, there is no shortage of advancements coming out of this province. One such advancement, headed by a spin-off company of the University of Alberta, Aquila Diagnostics Systems Inc., is quite literally paving the way for early detection and possible eradication of poverty-associated diseases, namely malaria. Aquila has introduced the Accutas™ Lab on a Chip technology that allows front-line health care workers to administer a malaria test, right on the spot. Much like the near instant results we can now achieve at home via a low-cost pregnancy test, Accutas™ is offering the same ease-of-use and similarly quick results, except

for the fact that it is targeting blood borne illnesses. This innovative tool offers the potential to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of children (and millions of people in general) who die each year in poverty stricken regions, such as Africa, due to malaria. Aquila’s chief technological officer, Dr. Jason Acker, believes that this disposable diagnostic tool may just be the thing to turn the tides on the war against malaria by supporting global efforts to develop malaria vaccines. Above and beyond that, however, Acker explains that Accutas™ as a template can be very useful as a diagnostic tool in other industries. “The Accutas™ malaria detection kit is the first product we will bring to market. We have other cartridges under development for the livestock, aquaculture and water testing markets that have global market potential.” Aquila Diagnostics Systems has also received the official nod of approval from the Geneva-based Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), who believe that Aquila and the Accutas™ system for point-of-care diagnostics represents a true milestone. “Although this new technology is still in development and further evaluation of the suitability of its use in endemic disease settings is needed,

DR. RICHARD BUCKLEY

Clinical Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopedic Trauma, University of Calgary

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FORESTRY

THE NEW FORESTRY

THE NEW FORESTRY New markets, maximizing every piece of fibre, and an urgent problem JOHN HARDY

dmonton is the business hub of Alberta’s solid, vital but generations-old forestry industry and sources agree: forestry is a business and an industry that is in transition, dynamically re-inventing itself and dealing with an unexpected and time-sensitive problem. Although sometimes overshadowed in PR and perception by more exciting and vogue industries like technology, oil and gas and finance, forestry is a $57 billion-a-year business that employs more than 600,000 Canadians and accounts for 12 per cent of Canada’s manufacturing GDP. The Canadian forest industry has weathered generations of highs and lows, enjoying boom times and riding out threatening social and economy speed bumps. The most recent broadsides were different. “The industry is much better off than five years ago, at the beginning of the downturn,” says the personable and knowledgeable Brock Mulligan, director of communications of the Edmonton-based Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA), “particularly price-wise and preparedness-wise. Focusing on one customer – the U.S. – just wasn’t prudent. It worked like a charm for many years but the crash of the American housing market was the key factor that made us learn a lot about ourselves. “By size, the U.S. market will likely always be a driver for much of our business, but it made us realize that we had to diversify. Forestry had to start developing other markets. Asia is not new to the industry because Japan has been a strong market for us for years but now. Several companies are building relationships and opening offices in China. “We also realized that the industry has to be smarter about our processes and our products. We needed to maximize every piece of fibre and get use and value out of every piece of fibre. Waste is no longer smart business. What

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

used to be waste products are now efficiently used as byproducts. Some good examples are residual products, like wood chips and sawdust.” The smarter and more up-to-date forestry industry now uses wood chips as feedstock for the pulp mills while shavings and sawdust go to make MDF board or are used by the mills to make power and generate heat. Mulligan also cites price as another trigger for the Canadian forestry sector’s recent adjustments. The demand slump for lumber and for newsprint was a bit of a wakeup call. So was the healthy loonie which always works out to be a challenge for not only forestry, but most heavily export-reliant industries. Regardless, the Canadian forestry industry is solid and resilient and current prices are a reflection of recovery. “Lumber prices, for example, have gone from $180 per 1,000 board feet to now $390. From 2012 to 2013, we have had about 14 per cent growth,” he points out. Although there is positive momentum, the forestry sector is by no means challenge-free. J. Craig Armstrong is president and CEO of Edmonton-based Millar Western Forest Products and the current AFPA chair. With more than 35 years of experience in all aspects of the forestry industry, he is plugged-in, eloquent and somewhat intrigued by some of his industry’s new issues. “Doing business in Alberta is great and we have a terrific relationship with our government. The nature of the business is that we must maintain a long-term access to fibre. That’s the key,” he explains. “But we now face a few challenges the industry didn’t really anticipate. Like maintaining access to people, skilled trades and the important knowledge transfer from the boomer generation, which is retiring.

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FORESTRY

THE NEW FORESTRY

“For quite a few years, the oil and gas sector, especially here in Alberta, was attracting much of the available new talent, and our industry shoulders some of the blame,” he says candidly and with some regret. “From 2007-2011 forestry was in survival mode with cut backs on funding for training and apprenticeship programs. To be blunt, we are stretched and trying to maintain our workforce. The reality is that we will need 60,000 new employees by 2020. “We’re working hard to aggressively dispel the perception that we are a low-tech, slumping industry. In fact, we have some of the most exciting technology and a superb environmental footprint.” Millar Western (MW) manufactures spruce, pine, and fir (SPF) dimension lumber for various markets, including residential and commercial construction, fencing and decking. MW’s annual lumber production capacity is over 550 million board feet with most of the company’s lumber products being shipped to customers in Canada and the U.S., with a small but growing proportion destined for Asian markets like China, Japan and India. Pulp is made from the cellulose fibres of wood chips and is the main ingredient in everyday consumer products from printer paper for the office, paper towels and disposable diapers to coated papers and cereal boxes. “As a social phenomenon there is a continuing decline, especially in the North American demand, for newsprint; and of course lumber is heavily reliant on the housing cycles. But we make a unique, high-yield grade of pulp for high-quality paperboard used for the packaging of consumer goods, which is probably 50 per cent of our business,” Edmonton’s Armstrong points out. “Two unique growth areas are printing and writing grades of paper, along with tissues and towelling. There is also significant growth in what we call ‘the absorbent pulps’ or the fluff pulps, like diapers.” With an annual pulp production capacity of 315,000 tonnes, Millar Western supplies customers in all ma-

ROBERT (BOB) SHULZ, PROFESSOR IN STRATEGY AND GLOBAL MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENT AT THE HASKAYNE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS.

J. CRAIG ARMSTRONG IS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF MILLAR WESTERN FOREST PRODUCTS AND CHAIR, AFPA.

BROCK MULLIGAN, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE ALBERTA FOREST PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION.

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

jor pulp consuming regions, including Europe, Asia and the Americas. Robert (Bob) Shulz is a professor in Strategy and Global Management and Business and Environment at the Haskayne School of Business and he agrees with Armstrong that a longterm supply of product is crucial and that there is cause for the industry to consider the staffing it will take to make it happen. “The industry is already noticing challenges recruiting new talent,” he cites. “Most contemporary university students look to careers in the Edmonton business area, not in the smaller areas where forestry happens. That could be a problem. To work in forestry you most likely have to live in rural areas, and most students today tend to drift to urban careers.” He also warns that forestry is commodity product in an industry where major retailers demand a certified sustainable supply. The supply is now seriously threatened by a factor that has nothing to do with swings in the economy or global market factors. “For the past couple of years, the Alberta forest industry has been ravaged by the mountain pine beetle. They attack trees if they are not cut down. So the cuts for lumber have been accelerated,” he explains the toughto-control curse of nature. “The pine beetle problem has been a significant problem in the past five years and the sector has been forced to do clear cutting as prevention and to also quickly remove trees that are dead.” Accelerated cutting affects sustainable supply and some mills in B.C. had to close due to lack of supply. Overcutting was necessary because of the rate of beetle infestation, but forestry researchers are optimistic that 2014 may have some welcomed good news. Winter was colder than normal and there’s hope that it has killed off the beetles. Most industry insiders and even some environmental critics agree that, whether for image, perception, profile or most importantly, the long-term viability of the forestry, the industry must unconditionally address the (often media

FORESTRY

THE NEW FORESTRY

warped) contentious issue of deforestation and aggressively stay the course of reforestation, for the health of the industry and the health of the planet. “We are managers of forests and, as a simple overview, our industry re-plants two trees for every one that we harvest. The statistics show that Canada has the highest proportion of forests that remain on earth,” Edmonton’s Mulligan explains with focused confidence. “In some countries, when settlement or harvesting occurred, the land was stripped and left gaping and bare. In Canada, lands that are harvested are re-planted.” Aside from his subjective but dynamic bias and despite the occasional flare-up of controversies, it is a documented fact: deforestation simply does not happen in Canada. Forests may just be the ultimate renewable resource and re-forestation is the process of re-establishing trees removed during harvesting. Forestry is a highly regulated and complex Canadian industry with some of the most stringent resource and sus-

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

tainability management rules in the world. In Alberta, reforestation has been the law for over 30 years. The requirements for reforestation exist in the Forests Act, Timber Management Regulation and various forest management agreements. Companies are required to start reforestation activities within two years of completing harvesting. The actual, and sometimes technical, reforestation procedures follow approved plans and are designed to meet legislated reforestation standards. Forest managers use both natural and artificial methods to regenerate harvested areas. “Leave-for-Natural” (LFN) reforestation uses the forest’s natural regeneration process to establish new trees. “Artificial reforestation” involves planting reforestation material, such as seedlings or seeds brought into the harvested area. “Our industry has a great story to tell and we put a lot of emphasis on being proactive,” the AFPA’s Brock Mulligan says with revved enthusiasm and pride. BIE

FORESTRY

THE NEW FORESTRY

In Alberta, reforestation has been the law for over 30 years. The requirements for reforestation exist in the Forests Act, Timber Management Regulation and various forest management agreements. Companies are required to start reforestation activities within two years of completing harvesting.

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COVER

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF NORTHERN ALBERTA AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF NORTHERN ALBERTA AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES Honours Three Edmonton Businessmen for Exemplary Careers and Continued Inspiration

JOHN LEDER

RALPH YOUNG

REZA NASSERI

MARK KANDBORG

www.businessinedmonton.com | Business In Edmonton Magazine | May 2014

COVER

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF NORTHERN ALBERTA AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

very spring, Junior Achievement of Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories proudly announces three local business leaders chosen for induction into the organization’s coveted Hall of Fame. The list of past inductees reads like a who’s who of outstanding citizens who’ve not only earned the gratitude and respect of Ed-

monton’s business community, but continue to inspire those whose legacy is yet to be realized. The following inductees, nominated and selected by their peers, have earned every bit of respect and appreciation that Junior Achievement’s acknowledgment represents.

JOHN LEDER W

hen most people set out for unknown territory, they follow a map. But there’s another, more organic way to explore: look around, get your bearings, find a good solid path and start moving. Keep your head up and your wits about you and soon you are making a map of your own. Also known as charting your own course, that’s exactly how you could describe the early stages of John Leder’s career. Not only did following the paths as they presented themselves keep his journey interesting, Leder reached a destination he wasn’t even looking for but it was exactly where he was meant to be: at the helm of the largest privately owned steel fabrication company in Canada. Leder’s journey began when he took a job in a small steel shop the year before he started university. But when post-secondary proved disappointing, “I just

didn’t find it challenging,” he says, Leder pulled the college rip cord and set down in another steel shop where he quickly hit his stride. “After a while, they were sending me out to fix mistakes others made,” he explains, “which was not very efficient.” Leder didn’t just define a problem, of course, he came up with a solution. “I told them we should buy a truck, instead of just sending me out in a car full of tools. My boss didn’t like the budget I came up with, so he said, ‘why don’t you buy it?’ Which is what I did.” “Then the guys in the shop started telling me I should get my welding certificate,” Leder remembers. “They said if you fail, you’ll still get a second class ticket, so why not give it a try?” He did. He passed. “It was kind of strange, because now I had higher certification than most of the other

Also known as charting your own course, that’s exactly how you could describe the early stages of John Leder’s career. Not only did following the paths as they presented themselves keep his journey interesting, Leder reached a destination he wasn’t even looking for but it was exactly where he was meant to be: at the helm of the largest privately owned steel fabrication company in Canada.

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

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COVER

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF NORTHERN ALBERTA AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

welders in the shop.” He also had his own, fully equipped truck. The journey had begun. Today, Leder’s Supreme Group has nine fabrication facilities and provides steel fabrication and installation services “throughout Canada, the Pacific Northwestern United States and, through joint venture partnerships, beyond.” With over 1,100 employees representing 14 different union locals, Leder is especially proud that his company has been recognized as one of the “50 Best Managed Companies in Canada,” receiving a coveted Gold rating. “It’s always nice to be recognized by your peers,” Leder says of the distinction, “but more than that, it encourages you to look inside your company. By just looking at the questions, you start to think about how you’re doing things, and maybe how you’re not doing things, but should be.” Leder has always believed strongly in the importance of supporting both his industry and his community. The list of associations, committees and charities he’s headed

or contributed to over the years is much too lengthy to list here. “If you don’t give back to the industry, it won’t grow,” he says. “You’ve got to be involved, and it’s the same with your community. If you’ve been blessed as a business person, or as an individual, you’ve got to learn to bless others.” John Leder’s legacy of identifying problems and coming up with solutions continues, and now extends beyond his business to his industry and his community. “We should be paying more attention to local business and the spin-off that it creates, government purchasing in particular. When you’re spending taxpayer dollars, you need to give credence to spin-off,” he says. “Buying offshore detracts from local economies. In the short term you may be paying less, but in the long run the cost to the community is greater. The steel for Edmonton’s latest bridge is coming from Korea and the steel for the arena is coming from Quebec but whether it’s cars or stationary, we need a public purchasing policy that addresses this.”

RALPH YOUNG R

alph Young considers himself very fortunate to have been introduced to the fundamentals of business at a very early age. “My father was a classic, true entrepreneur,” he says. “He built his business the old fashioned way. One deal at a time.” Like so many children born into a family enterprise, Young was presented with equal parts opportunity and responsibility. “I worked part time for him from about 10 years old, and I gained some valuable lessons. I learned about commitment. I learned that you are never too good to do what has to be done and that every job is important. I also learned the value of working with your staff and providing service to your customers, meeting and exceeding their expectations. They don’t teach you that in business school.” Which is not to say that Young doesn’t believe in the value of education, as his civil engineering degree and MBA attest. “When I answered a newspaper ad for the job of assistant to the manager in the land development division

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

at Melton Real Estate in 1971, they were really looking for someone with an engineering background. I was overqualified for the position educationally, but Stan at that time was looking to expand the business into land and commercial development and he thought that my MBA might help with the process. I think his foresight and wanting to build the company into the future allowed him to see a small role for me.” The Stan he refers to is, of course, Edmonton business legend Stan Melton, under whose tutelage Young continued to learn a great deal, especially about balancing business, community and family; something he continues to characterize as essential for success. Success is something Young can certainly speak to. A mere three years after joining the company, he was vice president of land development. Twenty-five years later he was president of what had become Melcor Developments Corporation, now one of Western Canada’s largest real estate development companies. While his personal

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JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF NORTHERN ALBERTA AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Success is something Young can certainly speak to. A mere three years after joining the company, he was vice president of land development. Twenty-five years later he was president of what had become Melcor Developments Corporation, now one of Western Canada’s largest real estate development companies.

trajectory is more than a little impressive, it’s the company’s success as a whole that Young is most proud of. “One of the things we’re very proud of about Melcor Developments and its 91-year roots is the culture we’ve collectively built,” he says. “We’ve been able to retain a family culture within a significant publicly owned company and maintain the values of hands-on management, integrity and service to customers.” That culture has resulted in some impressive numbers. “In ’71 our assets were about $11 million. Today they’re in excess of $1.5 billion. Our revenues were $7 million, now they’re closer to $300 million. Our share price has increased by a factor of 50. For an Edmonton-based company in a period where we’ve lived through some pretty dramatic economic cycles which very much impact our industry, we’re pretty proud of that. But we’re also very proud that we provide products and services that are essential to people’s lives. That we’ve developed residential communities, offices buildings, retail centres, industrial warehousing and golf courses. I think we’re in a very unique business where you can physically see what you’re producing and know that it’s

making a positive contribution to families and businesses.” Making a positive contribution is one of the things Young does best, having served as president and director of the Urban Development Institute of Edmonton, Alberta and Canada and as a board member of the Edmonton Police Foundation, the Edmonton Regional Airports Authority, the Winspear Concert Hall Society, the Citadel Theatre, the Edmonton Eskimos Football Club, the Minerva Foundation and the Rotary Club of Edmonton. He’s also proved a tireless supporter of local health and education initiatives and institutions, serving in various roles the Caritas Health Group, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions, MacEwan University and Alberta College. Last year, Young stepped down as president and CEO of Melcor and walked straight into his new position as chancellor at the University of Alberta. “One of the very pleasant roles I have now is to convocate all of our graduates and to congratulate them on their success,” he says. It seems especially fitting, then, that Junior Achievement has chosen to congratulate Young himself on his.

REZA NASSERI W

hile it’s fair to say that each of this year’s inductees owe quite a lot to this city, this may be especially true in the case of Landmark Group’s Reza Nasseri, who hails originally from Iran. “I got a job in the tourism

industry right out of high school, which gave me the opportunity to meet people from all over,” he explains. Two of these visitors in particular would prove to be very influential in the life of this young, ambitious entrepreneur: www.businessinedmonton.com | Business In Edmonton Magazine | May 2014

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JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF NORTHERN ALBERTA AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Today, his Landmark Group manufactures more than one thousand homes every year. “The sooner you understand that the real boss is the customer, the better off you are, and your chances of survival increase exponentially; but you have to have patience.”

a businessman and a professor from Edmonton. “I’d never even heard of it,” he admits, but soon he was on his way and, he says proudly, “I never went anywhere else.” It’s somewhat poetic that as Edmonton offered Nasseri a home years ago, he’s dedicated his career to building homes for us. He started Nasseri Construction in 1977 during this city’s famous boom. “The need for housing was extremely strong,” he says, “but the large established builders were buying the entire developer’s inventory, so being a very small builder was a challenge. Finding lots was nearly impossible.” But Nasseri persevered and, eventually, thrived. Today, his Landmark Group manufactures more than one thousand homes every year. “The sooner you understand that the real boss is the customer, the better off you are, and your chances of survival increase exponentially; but you have to have patience.” Having patience doesn’t mean settling for the status quo, however. This is especially true for Nasseri, who saw a way to virtually revolutionize home building practices. “Most of the industry consists of very small builders, and when you look at most homes being built you’ll see truckloads of garbage being hauled away. Wood, drywall, it’s extremely wasteful,” he says. “Sometimes the walls are up with no roof, it gets filled with snow. When it melts, the moisture causes problems later on. Contractors can’t be sure exactly what will be needed, so they have to send extra materials. That’s why they throw out so much. And they have to drive out to the site far too many times. It’s inefficient.” The problem, clearly, is that you have to build houses outside, in this climate and in a particular location. Or do you? Nasseri realized that the answer was, surprisingly, no. So he built a factory. “We started building the walls and the roof inside, taking them out to the site and assembling them there.” This isn’t the prefab or modular home that’s been gaining traction of late. Those are generally entire prebuilt structures or at least fully built walls and roofs that are simply too large to easily deliver to city lots. “We build panels. The floor and roof are in sections. We use normal trailers and cranes and can put together any shape of house. Because we’ve automated the building process, construction is incredibly precise.” Advanced 3-D modelling software tells the tools exactly how many nails are needed and where to target them. “There’s very little waste. If we build three houses a day we might generate half a truckload of excess material, compared to three loads for a single standard house; and we reuse that half load.”

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

Nasseri’s revolutionary methods are so powerful and, well, revolutionary that construction companies, organizations, educators and their students ask to tour his facility to see how it’s done. “We’re wide open, no secrets,” he says. “We’re so far ahead it would take decades for our competition to really compete with us. We want everybody else to build this way. Thirty-three per cent of North America’s greenhouse emissions come from the construction industry. If we succeed, the decline in green-house gas emissions will be huge. Forget Kyoto.” One of the many advantages of automated, computer guided home construction is that everything fits perfectly, which means drastically reduced heat loss due to air change, bringing Nasseri ever closer to the holy grail of 21st century homebuilding: net zero. “We’ve built more than 25 net zero ready homes in the last 16 months. That number will be 250 in 2016.” If Nasseri seems passionate about his vision for a cleaner, more efficient homebuilding industry, his reasons show a profound love for his adopted home. “It’s important that Alberta is not only environmentally responsible, but is also seen as that way. We have no choice in developing the oil sands, but we need to mitigate its ecological side effects. If every second house was net zero, the world would look at us differently.” BIE

One of the many advantages of automated, computer guided home construction is that everything fits perfectly, which means drastically reduced heat loss due to air change, bringing Nasseri ever closer to the holy grail of 21st century homebuilding: net zero. “We’ve built more than 25 net zero ready homes in the last 16 months. That number will be 250 in 2016.”

TRANSPORTATION & DISTRIBUTION

TROUBLE ON THE RAILS: ALBERTA’S BUMPER CROP MAKES WAVES

Trouble on the Rails: Alberta’s Bumper Crop Makes Waves BY RECHELL MCDONALD

record year in grain production meant a record transportation year for rail companies. Unfortunately the rail companies couldn’t meet the demand and now the government is stepping in to ensure accountability and progress. Albertans have been hearing a lot about the grain backlog that has occurred over the past few months since fall 2013 was a record harvest year, resulting in a bumper crop for Alberta farmers. While this is great news for agriculture and the economy, it seems to have been terrible news for the rail companies who are responsible for transporting the product to market.

www.businessinedmonton.com | Business In Edmonton Magazine | May 2014

TRANSPORTATION & DISTRIBUTION

TROUBLE ON THE RAILS: ALBERTA’S BUMPER CROP MAKES WAVES

“In the current system, there are already direct financial consequences in place when producers and grain companies do not meet their obligations.” ~ Provincial Agricultural Minister Verlyn Olson

PROVINCIAL AGRICULTURAL MINISTER VERLYN OLSON.

The backlog began when the rail companies were unable to keep up with the transportation demands that come with such an abundant harvest. In fact, 2013’s bumper crop seems to have highlighted some serious shortcomings in the rail transportation system. In lieu of this, the Alberta government has recommended financial penalties for rail companies who aren’t meeting deadlines and expectations, and while the rail companies are naturally opposed to this concept, both the Alberta Wheat Commission and the agricultural minister feel that it is necessary and long overdue. “In the current system, there are already direct financial consequences in place when producers and grain companies do not meet their obligations. There are contract penalties and restricted cash-flow for producers, ancillary fees for elevators that don’t load rail cars at the appointed time, and grain companies are also assessed demurrage on cargo ships waiting at port,” explains provincial agricultural minister Verlyn Olson. “Historically, the same cannot be said for railways when they don’t meet rail car allocation commitments. While the current order-in-council by the federal government has put temporary penalties in place for railways failing to meet minimum delivery requirements, Alberta is advocating for a long-term change to the system.”

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

It’s almost surprising to realize that everyone else in the delivery chain, including producers, are subjected to penalties while the rail companies have managed to skate by for so long free of accountability. It’s not surprising that the rail companies don’t see things this way, in fact, according to a press release by Canadian National Railway (CN) on March 7, 2014, Claude Mongeau, president and chief executive officer of CN, believes instituting penalties will only make the situation worse. In the same press release, CN sites the proposed penalties as both counter-productive and ill-advised, with Mongeau continuing on to state that “more regulation would lead to adversarial relationships within the supply chain at a time when collaboration is essential,” and that “sound policy calls for exactly the opposite: a more colloborative and commercial framework is what Canada needs to support a world-class grain growing sector.” While it does seem like the rail companies are back pedaling a bit and trying to get off the financial hook in any way they can, the real numbers behind the problem are quite staggering. CN admits that despite having employees work day and night for months to move crops, the extreme winter weather Alberta faced in 2013-2014 made it almost impossible to run the rails at full efficiency. That taken into consideration, CN also point out that even if they were

TRANSPORTATION & DISTRIBUTION

TROUBLE ON THE RAILS: ALBERTA’S BUMPER CROP MAKES WAVES

running at full-efficiency throughhowever, is quick to put these ruout the winter, there would still be a mours to rest by pointing out that backlog. Why? Because, as CN notes, the implied ‘competition’ for raillast year’s bumper crop was the bigway transport is just that, implied. gest in Canadian history, coming in at Once you get down to the logistics of more than 50 per cent larger than any things, it’s easy to see that there realother year. ly isn’t any competition between the That 50 per cent equates to around oil and agricultural industries. 10 million more tonnes of grain “The transport of crude oil by rail that needs to be exported, which is has had a minimal effect on grain extwice the amount of potash, 25 per ports. Different rail cars are used to cent more than lumber and almost transport oil and grain, and oil shipequivalent to the amount of coal CN ments tend to go south or east, while transports in a year. “No supply chain grain generally travels west. While in the world can reasonably be exthe amount of crude oil transported pected to handle a 10 million tonne by rail is growing, it currently acincrease in traffic on such short nocounts for less than five per cent of tice,” exclaims Mongeau. Alberta’s rail movement. Grain, on There has also been some discusthe other hand, accounts from 25 per sion involving the oil industry in cent to 30 per cent of rail movement.” JEFF JACKSON INTERIM OPERATIONS MANAGER - ALBERTA WHEAT Alberta, and how their increased deJeff Jackson, interim operations COMMISSION. mand for rail transportation due manager at the Alberta Wheat Comto a lack of pipeline transportation mission is also on-board with the availability has created an unprecedented demand on the governments proposed penalties, but he sees a comCanadian railway system. Agricultural minister Olson, pounded problem on the horizon. Jackson believes that a www.businessinedmonton.com | Business In Edmonton Magazine | May 2014

TRANSPORTATION & DISTRIBUTION

TROUBLE ON THE RAILS: ALBERTA’S BUMPER CROP MAKES WAVES

Jackson also points out a potential problem that few seem to be addressing at this point in the year, the fact that if this backlog isn’t cleared and fast, growers will be filling their bins all over again while the crop from the year before is still waylaid in the rail yards. He also indicates that this isn’t a fluke occurrence that the rails need to deal with now and expect to return to business as usual in the following years.

‘holistic’ solution needs to be found that will benefit all industries in need of rail transportation, because as he points out, they all benefit the Canadian economy and it’s not about one industry winning and another losing. “Canada is an export based economy and we need to be able to grow exports to grow our economy in the long run. There is no point in pitting one commodity against another. A solution to fit everyone’s growth and overcome negative things like weather occurrences must be found.” Jackson also points out a potential problem that few seem to be addressing at this point in the year, the fact that if this backlog isn’t cleared and fast, growers will be filling their bins all over again while the crop from the year before is still waylaid in the rail yards. He also indicates that this isn’t a fluke occurrence that the rails need to deal with now and expect to return to business as usual in the following years. “The rail companies need to be prepared in any year for a bumper crop. With millions of dollars being invested into research to increase yields for all crops, the plan is to increase yields each year.” So where does that leave us? Canada has two major rail companies, CN and Canadian Pacific (CP). Agricultural Minister Olson believes that “with the majority of elevators being serviced by only one rail company, we need to explore opportunities to increase competition between rail carriers as an incentive for better performance,” as a means to a long-term solution, but can it be achieved quickly enough? While CN cites the institution of penalties as a cause for adversarial relationships, that doesn’t seem to be the case amongst the rest of the supply chain who have worked

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

under threat of penalty for some time. It’s obvious that widespread accountability is needed and competition amongst transport providers will certainly help things along, but what it really comes down to is the timeline. CN discloses that it takes months to both train employees and to obtain rail cars and locomotives. If a broader range of tangible rail assets are indeed the answer, then we could see this issue being dragged out for the better part of a year as more cars and locomotives are brought online – and this is true of any rail company hoping to compete in the market. This means that without a doubt, Jackson’s prediction of a compounded backlog, which is dependent on the amount of grain that can be moved in the next few months, is unavoidable. It is important to note, however, that as of mid-March 2014, CN reported it was meeting the transport requirements set out by the government – proof that these newly imposed stipulations are having a positive effect. Alberta’s ability to produce these volumes of grain is great news for the economy. Canada is a leading exporter of a number of commodities, which means we have an export based economy. This backlog issue has damaged Canada’s reputation somewhat as a reliable exporter, and that is damage that we can’t afford to continue incurring. The majority of the parties at the table feel these penalties are a move in the right direction, but they all openly admit its only part of the solution. For long-term and ongoing success in both the supply of grain and the efficient transport of it to market, real long-term solutions need to evolve to ensure this record bumper crop represents positive change rather than a lengthy problem waiting to be exacerbated. BIE

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

THE 93 PER CENT SUCCESS STORY

THE

SUCCESS STORY

Across Canada and globally, Edmonton is acknowledged as a waste management leader. BY JOHN HARDY

rom Victoria to Halifax, Ottawa, Montreal, Beijing, London and Amsterdam, Edmonton is renowned for The Oilers, The Eskimos, the Legislature Building, being Alberta’s capital, Fort Edmonton Park, West Edmonton Mall, the world’s biggest indoor water park and ... garbage? Absolutely! Since initiating curbside recycling 26 years ago, Edmonton has earned its rank and status as a global leader in effective waste management; and the credit goes to Edmonton residents and businesses.

“We do market research and compare with other municipalities. We know what the industry standards are and we are, by far, leading the pack,” says a proud and delighted Leo Girard, acting branch manager for Waste Management Services with the City of Edmonton. “It’s really a terrific success story and it relies entirely on the cooperation and commitment from residents and local businesses.” Although Edmonton homeowners and businesses have embraced and supported the concept of recycling, some www.businessinedmonton.com | Business In Edmonton Magazine | May 2014

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE THE 93 PER CENT SUCCESS STORY

other Canadian and North American cities have been sluggish. Calgary was the last major Canadian city to offer curbside recycling. One problem may be that the vital fact of contemporary life referred to as “recycling” too often gets bogged down and garbled with confusing, misleading and intimidating techno-jargon like organics, toxins, landfill leachates, diversion ratios, GHG emissions, biofuels and bioGirard explains that Edmonton startdegradables, carbon footprint and ed its pilot curbside recycling project more. It’s unfortunate because the for single-family houses in 1986 and, idea (and social responsibility) of two years later, adopted it city-wide. recycling is common sense, straightIn addition to curbside collections in LEO GIRARD, ACTING BRANCH MANAGER, WASTE MANAGEMENT SERVICES forward and simple: re-think and suburbia, the City also expanded its WITH THE CITY OF EDMONTON. reduce how much stuff (that will pick-up program to include multifamonly rot and make the soil toxic or ily (apartment and condo) buildings in stuff that will never die) gets bull2001 and eventually recycling pick-up dozed into out-of-sight/out-of-mind for businesses in 2010. landfill sites. There is growing interest from The recycling challenge is what to across Canada and as far away as Eudo with which kinds of material to rope, acknowledging Edmonton as a minimize the need for landfills, bewaste management leader. Edmoncause the scientific reality is that it ton continues to earn rave reviews for dozing it under in a landfill does not its waste management commitment make it out-of-sight or out-of-mind. and innovation, particularly about the It creates hazards. City’s Edmonton Composting FaciliSoup and cat food tins. Empty ty and the Materials Recovery Facility. egg cartons, juice boxes and putrid Edmonton’s unique Materials Rediapers. Scraps of leftover meat, vegcovery Facility (MRF) is an almost etables, egg shells, potato and orange 6,000 square metre recycling plant peels. Those convenient Styrofoam at the Edmonton Waste Management WINSTON PORTER, FORMER SENIOR OFFICIAL WITH THE AMERICAN ENVIRONtrays from sausages and boneless MENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AND PRESIDENT OF THE WASTE POLICY CENTER Centre. MRF is capable of processing IN WASHINGTON, D.C. chicken. Newspapers, pop cans, yo40,000 tonnes of recyclables per year, gurt cups, crinkled chip and nacho bags, mangled water all the various types of recyclables collected by the City’s bottles and pizza boxes from the company lunch rooms. Blue Bag, Blue Bin and Recycling Depot programs. Research undisputedly proves that landfills account for The science of waste management is heavily focused on more than 30 per cent of Canada’s human activity-related “organics.” A modest guesstimate is that 60 per cent of avemissions of methane gas, which is 23 times more potent erage household garbage is organics and, contrary to what than carbon dioxide as one of several greenhouse gases. some people assume, organic waste is not benign. When it Recycling is an effective way to ultimately reduce methane breaks down, organics are the main creator of landfill gasemissions into the air and shrink the stealth footprint of es like methane. out-of-sight/out-of-mind landfills. Since 2000, the Edmonton Composting Facility (ECF), Landfills have always been a touchy issue for Edmonton. located on 25 hectares at the sprawling Edmonton Waste The City’s public landfill opened in 1975 with a capacity for Management Centre, has used organic waste collected 13.2 million tonnes of trash. “We never intended to be manfrom city households and biosolids as key ingredients to agers of landfill sites,” Girard points out. “As we expected, manufacture saleable compost. The ECF is the largest of the landfill is filling up and that is why our priority is deits kind in North America by volume and size. signed around processing waste rather than burying it in “We have a long range strategic plan and we have pre-set landfills. Our timing turned out to be perfect. By the midtargets,” Girard says, trying to avoid too many technicali’80s we were running out of landfill capacity and the council ties. “Edmonton now diverts approximately 60 per cent of of the day was strongly against developing new landfill sites waste from getting dumped into a landfill through the inand voted ‘No!’ So we became very aggressive about timenovative a combination of recycling and composting. We frames and, most importantly, reducing what we send to the are treating waste as a valued commodity and introducing site; and we started diverting as much waste as possible.” new processing systems.”

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

THE 93 PER CENT SUCCESS STORY

Glass sent to recycling facilities is heavier, making up three to five per cent of typical household waste by weight, and although it demands more energy to collect, haul and process it, there isn’t much use for it.

Despite impressive recycling results like Edmonton, there is invariably lingering skepticism, cynicism and there are some (often credible and qualified) contrary opinions, theories and cautions about the cost and practical value of too much recycling and high diversion ratios. Winston Porter is chemical engineer, a former senior official with the American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and president of the environmental consulting firm, the Waste Policy Center, near Washington, D.C. “I’m very much an advocate of rational recycling. People say you can’t recycle too much but it turns out that you absolutely can. Recycling for the sake of recycling is of little value, it’s invariably a waste of energy and usually expensive. If you spend enough money, you can recycle anything. That doesn’t necessarily mean you should.”

Porter cites the recycling of household glass just as one, random recycling controversy. The issue stems from the waste management statistic that the typical North American city’s solid waste stream (including trash and recyclables, aluminum and paper) generally accounts for just two per cent by weight. Glass sent to recycling facilities is heavier, making up three to five per cent of typical household waste by weight, and although it demands more energy to collect, haul and process it, there isn’t much use for it. “Despite public or private depots, the glass collected in recycling pick-ups ends up piled high and waiting for a buyer that may never happen. Glass doesn’t break down, it has no effect on air, water or soil and used glass is simply a product there is virtually no demand for. “It’s fairly

Finding that special recycling partner is easier than you think. We match organizations that want to recycle their empty beverage containers with the many compatible recycling resources and services available in Alberta. Let us help you find your perfect recycling partner today.

www.businessinedmonton.com | Business In Edmonton Magazine | May 2014

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE THE 93 PER CENT SUCCESS STORY

Critics also argue that actual environmental and long-term health benefits of recycling are often outweighed by costs such as labour and emissions from trucks that collect and haul waste to recycling facilities. cheap to make new glass,” Porter says with a knowledgeable but cynical laugh. “After all, we’re not running out of sand, are we?” Edmonton is also unique in its approach about yard waste. The City’s Leave it on the Lawn program, asks residential homeowners not to dispose yard waste as recyclable. Most North American communities do include yard waste as part of their recyclables collection programs. Porter cites collecting yard waste as “recycling’s new frontier and a perfect example when recycling makes no sense at all. Why spend $70 a ton recycling yard waste into a product like mulch, which you turn around and sell for $10 a ton?” “Of course recycling is a very local matter. There are so many variables between Edmonton, Phoenix and Atlanta and it’s misleading to try and compare apples to apples. Even though many major North American cities are setting recycling targets at 70 per cent or higher, research shows that 35 per cent is probably a reasonable level,” notes the internationally respected and outspoken waste management expert. “Trying to recycle more may be doable, but it doesn’t necessarily make sense. It may help politicians score points and it’s probably good for their image,” he shrugs, “but ultimately you have to ask: the recycling involves how much work, at what cost? And what is the actual – not assumed – environmental value?”

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

Critics also argue that actual environmental and longterm health benefits of recycling are often outweighed by costs such as labour and emissions from trucks that collect and haul waste to recycling facilities. Of the $35.36 that single-family homes pay for their monthly waste fee, just $5.44 goes toward recycling. While a majority of Edmonton recyclables can be and are resold with revenues coming back into Edmonton coffers, the provincial, national and global markets for the various recycled products fluctuate and prices vary. According to Edmonton Waste Management budgets and the return on investment (ROI) about selling-off recyclables like pop cans, glass, metals, plastic water bottles, other plastics and more, the City spends about $18 million on recyclable collections and sorting, and takes in just slightly more than $2 million. As Edmonton continues to effectively deal with various aspects of waste management, including a new state-ofthe-art facility to process solid waste into biofuels like ethanol through more enhanced processing (being built and should be operational by 2016), the City has the overwhelming support, backing and cooperation of Edmonton residents and businesses. As Leo Girard enthusiastically points out, “Our recycling and composting programs have a 93 per cent voluntary resident and business participation rate, and Edmonton has become a global leader in effective urban waste management.” BIE

TOURISM & TRAVEL

BECAUSE IT’S THERE

BEAVER LAKE. PHOTO COURTESY OF PARKS CANADA, C. WHITTY.

BULL ELK ON THE BOW VALLEY PARKWAY. PHOTO COURTESY OF PARKS CANADA.

MOUNT RUNDLE. PHOTO COURTESY OF AMAR ATHWAL, PARKS CANADA.

CASCADES OF TIME GARDEN. PHOTO COURTSEY OF AMAR ATHWAL.

BECAUSE IT’S THERE As Edmonton looks to up its game on the inbound tourism front, our city’s majestic backyard is waiting to be discovered. BY BEN FREELAND

O FEMALE GRIZZLY. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE MICHEL-PARKS CANADA.

ut of sight, out of mind. That’s how Edmontonians have generally viewed the vast tracts of wilderness, including the majestic beauty of Jasper National Park. Whereas Calgarians and Vancouverites have long felt a sense of ownership over their respective alpine backyards owing to their visibility from downtown on a clear day, Edmontonians have never felt the same sort of oneness with the mountain park due west of the city – or any other international travel-worthy destination. Sure we have our river valley, a vast tract of interconnected urban parkland 22 times the size of New York’s Central Park, but we hardly consider that to be worth flying from Frankfurt or Shanghai to witness. And yet Jasper and other alluring destinations are well within reach of our city, a fact that only seems to be dawning on Edmonton’s citizenry. www.businessinedmonton.com | Business In Edmonton Magazine | May 2014

TOURISM & TRAVEL BECAUSE IT’S THERE

PHOTO COURTESY OF ICELANDAIR.

ICELANDAIR FLYING HIGH WHEN AIR CANADA ANNOUNCED IN EARLY OCTOBER OF 2013 THAT IT WAS CUTTING ITS NON-STOP ROUTE FROM EDMONTON TO LONDON’S HEATHROW AIRPORT DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, THERE WAS CONSIDERABLY OUTCRY, WHICH TURNED TO ABJECT FURY WHEN IT WAS REVEALED THAT THE MOVE WAS A PUNITIVE RESPONSE TO EIA’S OPEN COURTING OF ICELANDAIR. WHEN THE LONDON ROUTE RETURNED TO EIA, AS PROMISED, IN LATE MARCH OF 2014, HOWEVER, BARELY ANYONE MENTIONED IT. BY THAT TIME, ICELANDAIR HAS SO THOROUGHLY CHARMED THE EDMONTON PUBLIC WITH ITS MARKETING MOXIE THAT THE NORDIC CARRIER HAD ESSENTIALLY SUPPLANTED BOTH AIR CANADA AND WESTJET AS THE CITY’S DE FACTO OFFICIAL AIRLINE. TWO MONTHS IN, ICELANDAIR CONTINUES TO CONNECT EDMONTONIANS TO REYKJAVIK AND BEYOND FIVE TIMES A WEEK, AND SEAT SALES ARE REPORTEDLY STRONG. BUT THE ROUTE HAS DONE MORE THAN SIMPLY PROVIDE NEW AND ENTICING TRAVEL OPTIONS. THE ICELANDERS’ CANNY KNACK FOR INTERNATIONAL SELF-PROMOTION HAS HELPED INSPIRE THE CITY TO RETHINK ITSELF IN TOURISM MARKETING TERMS. “ICELANDAIR HAS BEEN LOVE-BOMBING EDMONTON WITH THE MOST HIP, FRESH AND EFFERVESCENT TOURISM CAMPAIGN THE CITY HAS EVER SEEN,” SAYS EDMONTON JOURNAL COLUMNIST PAULA SIMONS. “IT SEEMS UNIMAGINATIVE, IF NOT DOWNRIGHT CHURLISH, TO IGNORE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THE RICHNESS OF EDMONTON’S CULTURE WITH OUR NEW FRIENDS.” WHILE SELF-PROMOTION HAS NEVER BEEN EDMONTON’S STRONGEST SUIT, THERE ARE SIGNS THAT THIS IS CHANGING. IN THE MEANTIME, THE CITY NOW HAS TWO NON-STOP TRANSATLANTIC AIR ROUTES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER A DECADE, SINCE AMERICAN AIRLINES HAS JOINED THE FRAY WITH EIA’S 14TH U.S. CONNECTION, THIS TIME TO DALLAS/FORT WORTH. THE TRAVEL SCENE, IF NOTHING ELSE, HAS NEVER BEEN BETTER.

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

If Edmonton has been underselling itself as a tourism destination, it’s far from alone in that department. Canada is arguably the developed world’s number-one underachiever when it comes to inbound tourism, having fallen from eighth to 18th place in global visitation ranking between 2000 and 2011. The reasons for this disconnect include Canada’s relatively high taxes and surcharges on air travel, which make it one of the world’s more expensive countries to travel to, as well as a Gordian knot of tourist visa bureaucracy that discourages visitors from outside the traditional rich western countries, at a time when the emerging markets of Asia and Africa represent the biggest growth market for inbound tourism. An equally important contributing factor has been a complacent attitude towards tourism marketing. We simply haven’t felt the need to pretty ourselves up for the world. Edmonton, in essence, is Canada’s tourism dilemma in a microcosm. An attractive, appealing city with no lack of cultural moxie and alluring destinations within striking distance, it still remains mired in the mindset of a place “nice to live in but you couldn’t be bothered visiting.” Curiously it took an airline company from a country with a similarly acute sense of being in the ‘middle of nowhere’ to awaken Edmonton to its potential as an inbound tourism destination. Icelandair’s arrival at Edmonton International Airport (EIA) – the first by a European airline since Dutch carrier Martinair abandoned EIA in the early 2000s – was greeted with a mixture of delight and envy; envy of the flair with which this lonely Nordic isle has marketed itself as a hip destination and a veritable cultural and geographic gem. While Iceland may indeed be putting us to shame in the tourism department, there are definite signs of a tourism renaissance underway in Wild Rose Country. Last year Travel Alberta unveiled its new tourism brand with the slogan “Remember to Breathe” as part of a new tourism framework aimed at increasing tourism revenue in the province by 32 per cent (from $7.8 billion to $10.2 billion) by 2020. Most refreshingly, the adrenaline-charged “Remember to Breathe” ad actually includes scenes from Alberta’s long repudiated North, albeit still not to the same degree as the South’s betterknown attractions. The most obvious tourism destination within Edmonton’s periphery is Jasper National Park, the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. However, in spite of its vastness and awe-inspiring beauty, Jasper has long played second fiddle to Banff within Alberta’s tourism picture, drawing just under two million visitors in 2012-2013, about two-thirds of Banff’s total. Nevertheless, Jasper remains Canada’s second most visited national park, and with visitor numbers having grown over six per cent since 2008, it has an edge over Banff in tourism growth. Moreover, its reputation as a less congested and commercialized alternative to Banff has led a growing number of Edmontonians to start claiming Jasper National Park as their own.

TOURISM & TRAVEL

BECAUSE IT’S THERE

HIKING TOWARD ATHABASCA GLACIER PARKS. PHOTO COURTESY OF PARKS CANADA, C. WHITTY.

This steady growth in Jasper’s popularity has coincided with a steady growth in investment in tourist attractions in Alberta’s largest mountain park. This month saw the unveiling of one of the province’s most eagerly awaited feats of architecture, the Glacier Skywalk, a spectacular cliffedge observation platform jutting out nearly 300 metres above the Sunwapta Valley. The project gained an early publicity boost after winning the Future Projects Award upon its unveiling at the 2011 World Architecture in Barcelona, and this year was ranked #5 by Travel + Leisure Magazine in the category of coolest new tourist attractions. “We’re really, really proud of it,” says Michael Hannan of Brewster Travel, the company that spearheaded the project. “It’s a wonder of design and engineering that fits beautifully into its surroundings here.” Jasper isn’t the only park that’s within easy access from Edmonton. Banff, while typically seen as “Calgary’s park,” is also easily accessible from Edmonton by way of the province’s most scenically spectacular

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www.responsiblehospitalityedmonton.com www.businessinedmonton.com | Business In Edmonton Magazine | May 2014

TOURISM & TRAVEL BECAUSE IT’S THERE

JASPER COLUMBIA ICEFIELD. PHOTO COURTESY OF PARKS CANADA, C. WHITTY.

road, the Icefields Parkway. The stunning journey takes just under four hours and passes through the Columbia Icefields, the Saskatchewan River Crossing, Peyto Lake and Lake Louise before reaching the Banff town site. Travellers who wish to fully appreciate the view can ditch their car and take a shuttle courtesy of Sun Dog Tours. A longstanding operator between Alberta’s mountain parks and the big cities, Sun Dog has, in recent years, expanded the breadth of its tour options, and now offers 19 separate tours and daytrips along with four travel packages throughout and between Banff and Jasper. Those looking to go even farther off the beaten path into the Alberta wilderness might consider a trip to the untouched wilds to the north. Wood Buffalo National Park, which straddles the Alberta-NWT border, is Canada’s largest national park (and the second largest in the world), and yet it draws only a tiny fraction of the number of visitors that frequent the mountain parks (roughly 0.05 per cent of Banff’s numbers). But even here in a land where humanity has barely made a ripple, tourism is on the rise thanks to companies like Mikisew Sport Fishing, a First Nations-

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

owned fishing outfitter based in Fort McMurray that offers fly-in fishing excursions by floatplane to isolated lakes in the environs of Fort Chipewyan and Lake Athabasca. While an excursion with Mikisew Sport Fishing definitely qualifies as ‘roughing it,’ six of the company’s outpost camps are now electrified with solar power. “There’s really no experience like it,” says founder and general manager Tim Gillies, “and we’re now market-ready to take this to the world.” The same could indeed be said of Alberta as a whole. With a tourism sector eager to draw visitors from around the globe and a provincial government keen to diversify its economy and lessen dependence on raw commodities, the province is primed for a veritable tourism boom. And with Edmonton International Airport now at 61 non-stop flight options and the city’s hospitality and ground transportation options steadily improving – as well as a wealth of natural attractions in its backyard, the once-incredulous notion of Edmonton as a tourist destination, or at least a gateway, now looks to become a reality. Now all we need is a few more Icelandairs to follow suit! BIE

FRIENDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT

MOTHER NATURE: ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?

STUDENTS ENJOY THE GREAT OUTDOORS

MOTHER NATURE: ARE WE STILL FRIENDS? Do we need to work on our relationship with Mother Nature? BY NERISSA MCNAUGHTON

he relationship started out so well. We depended on the earth for our needs and in return, we used her resources wisely. Everything we killed, harvested or took was done with an almost biblical reverence. We gave thanks and we showed respect. Then things started to change. Good old dependable nature was there for us whether or not we humbly used her bounty. We started to take her for granted, became wasteful, cut wide swaths through forests and dumped garbage in her oceans. Like any spurned friend or lover, nature had enough. Climate change, decimated rainforests, smog-filled cities and undrinkable water caused a massive outcry that peaked during the ’80s and early ’90s. We chained ourselves to trees, raised money to “adopt” endangered land and stated recycling. Now, in the new millennium, what’s our status with Mother Nature? Are we still BFFs? Would her Facebook status say “it’s complicated”? Have we worked out our relationship? Or is she one natural disaster away from breaking up with us? When asked if support for environmental issues was on the decline, Emmy Stuebing, executive director at Alberta Emerald Foundation (AEF) replied, “Absolutely not. Environmental engagement continues to grow in Alberta.” Stuebing explains, “By delivering a long-standing, well-recognized evaluation and recognition program for environmental achievements at all levels (including youth, community groups, individuals, governments and industry), the AEF is well-poised to share Alberta’s good news environmental stories. The AEF does this through the Emerald Awards, which mark their 23rd year this year. Over the past 22 years, 450 projects have been awarded Emerald Awards.” That means about 20 www.businessinedmonton.com | Business In Edmonton Magazine | May 2014

FRIENDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT MOTHER NATURE: ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?

projects per year in the last two decades that have been recognized by AEF’s Emerald Awards – and that is just in Alberta. “Alberta is fortunate to have strong support for businesses that are committed to greening their operations as well as businesses who provide green services, Stuebing continues. “Most of these businesses do so because of their own commitment to preserving and protecting our environment while working to raise the bar on environmental expectations.” This is good news indeed, but this tenuous relationship is not without its challenges. “Perhaps the greatest challenge facing businesses relates to communications,” says Stuebing. “When industry tries to share the news of their great green work, it may be written off as ‘green washing,’” (Green washing describes a company or individual that adopts a pro-environment stance for status or financial gain while not having an actual, vested interest in environmental causes.) Stuebing continues, “Like many other charitable organizations in Alberta, our greatest challenge is resources – financial and human resources. Alberta is a large province and our funding is limited. This year’s annual budget for all of our programs is just $675,000. We could certainly increase this budget by several hundred thousand dollars each year, which would allow us to reach even more Albertans! With [a very small staff ], the AEF is very much volunteer-driven.”

The AEF isn’t the only eco-business in Edmonton feeling the financial pinch. The Edmonton and Area Land Trust’s (EALT) is a nature conservatory, and as executive director Pamela Wight explains, conserving nature comes at a cost. “We have received all our lands to date by donation,” confirms Wight, “but most people don’t know it costs us about $20,000 in the first year or two just to receive a land donation. Besides the initial costs of planning studies and property repairs, we face immense challenges related to the cost of managing and maintaining these lands, including property taxes and insurance, since a land trust exists in perpetuity. We work with over 200 volunteers to accomplish many stewardship projects in the properties.” At this point, it appears that interest in Mother Nature hasn’t waned at all, but the relationship has grown and changed. We got the word out about needing to protect her, and now we’ve settled down into that role of “protector.” Maybe we are not currently chanting slogans and holding hands around trees, but despite some challenges, we are still very much rolling up our sleeves and committing to the hard work – the nitty gritty – involved in saving a great relationship. As Wight points out, volunteer work involves everything from “observing, recording or photographing species; to pulling or cutting invasive weeds; to removing old barbed

Support Ducks Unlimited Canada and put your dollars to work. By investing in conservation, DUC partners are helping to protect and enhance critical natural areas where we all live, work and play. Your support helps future generations enjoy the beauty of wildlife, water and natural resources. Our conservation efforts are guided by sound science and have delivered proven results. With over 75 years of conservation experience, you know your valuable contribution will have direct and long-lasting effects.

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105.3 million acres of habitat positively influenced 2 9,387 habitat projects completed

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In the 2013 fiscal year, DUC invested 92 per cent of all net dollars received in habitat conservation, research, public policy and education.

$6.0 million – administration

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May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

500 employees, 300 pieces of equipment and 40 facilities remediated in 10 days.

more than 450,000 kg of debris safely disposed.

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E A R T H

W A T E R

W A S T E

R E S O U R C E S

FRIENDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT MOTHER NATURE: ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?

BRAD & REBECCA RAIBEY OF THE CARBON FARMER RECEIVE AN EMERALD AWARD IN THE SMALL BUSINESS CATEGORY (2013), PRESENTED BY HON. DIANA MCQUEEN.

wire from fences … maintaining part of our website or becoming a local steward for one of our properties.” Stuebing agrees. “We see dozens of remarkable volunteer initiatives nominated for Emerald Awards each year. Sometimes it is a personal passion of an individual, who devotes their life to studying the environment or developing programs. Other times, it can be a group of concerned citizens who are working together to address a need for looking after the environment.” Let’s leave our volunteers in the field for a moment and head into the city to get the opinion of a different type of organization. It’s all fine and dandy to talk to organizations that exist solely for the benefit of Mother Nature, but what happens when we speak to a major Canadian corporation that has multiple stores in over 35 major markets? A company that provides everything from perfume, to notebooks, to batteries, to big screen televisions? With all that consumerism comes and endless stream of packaging, plastics and e-waste. Enter: London Drugs. Did you know that this behemoth of a company is so committed to green practices that one of their stores doesn’t even have a garbage bin out back? They don’t need it. They only throw out the equivalent of a kitchen bag of garbage – and that is when they produce any garbage at all. Not all of their stores have their recycling down to this level, but London Drugs, who started with recycling cardboard in the ’70s and kept adding recyclables since then, achieved 60 per cent recycled waste in 2006 and upped it to 90 per cent in their Edmonton stores as of present day. London Drugs’ “What’s the Green Deal” program flies so low under the radar you’d be hard pressed to find information about it on their main website. It’s not a secret, but it is part of the company’s mandate. They don’t trumpet the program from the rooftops, they quietly and efficiently spread the word. “In 2006 the executive decision was to recycle everything we sell,” says Maury MccAusland, retail operations sustainability

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

specialist at London Drugs. “A good majority of the customers were bringing products in (returns) and we thought there had to be a better way than to throw it in the garbage.” With that, they started recycling – everything. “Anything with a plug or cord,” laughs MccAusland. “Ink and toner cartridges, shopping bags, beverage bottles… Promoting green doesn’t always translate to sales, but everyone who know about it [the program] loves it.” So are we still friends with the environment? Definitely. Thankfully, Mother Nature is very forgiving. After all, she still gives us flowers. We may not act like good friends at times (oil spills, smog, the Industrial Revolution…) but we as individuals, non-profit organizations, governments, volunteers and corporations collectively use our talents, resources, energy and money to make sure this friendship stands the test of time. “What is interesting is how, over the past two decades, what had been leading-edge environmental commitment 22 years ago can often be seen as ‘business as usual’ today. This shows that as a society, we are all adopting environmental practices and consideration in our day-to-day lives,” says Emmy Stuebing BIE

WANT TO BE A FRIEND OF THE ENVIRONMENT? • HEAD OVER TO WWW.GREENDEAL.CA TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT’S THE GREEN DEAL. • CONTACT THE EDMONTON AREA LAND TRUST AT WWW.EALT.CA/VOLUNTEER OR THE ALBERTA EMERALD FOUNDATION AT WWW.EMERALDFOUNDATION.CA. • TYPE “MASTER NATURALIST PROGRAM” INTO THE SEARCH BAR AT WWW.EDMONTON.CA TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR GREAT “LEARN AND SERVE” PROGRAM FOR EDMONTONIANS INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT ECOLOGY, NATURALIZATION AND BEING INVOLVED IN THE STEWARDSHIP OF LOCAL NATURAL AREAS. • DON’T LITTER. • THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU THROW SOMETHING AWAY. CAN IT BE REUSED, RECYCLED OR DONATED? • MOST ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS RELY ON VOLUNTEERS FOR EVERYTHING FROM ADMINISTRATION TO FIELD WORK. CONTACT AN ORGANIZATION TODAY TO SEE HOW YOUR TALENTS CAN BE USED.

HUMAN

RESOURCES

INSTIT UHRIA T ECelebrating O F Excellence ALB ER TA 2014 Awards â€” Winners

CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE Human Resource professionals are accomplishing amazing results in Alberta workplaces. At the Celebrating Excellence Awards, hosted in Calgary on April 10th, 2014, the Human Resources Institute of Alberta (HRIA) honoured these leaders and change makers. Congratulations to our winners!

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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

2014 HRIA Celebrating Excellence Awards — Winners

COMMUNITY CHAMPION Nancy Bailes, CHRP

ancy Bailes, CHRP, demonstrates exceptionally strong community leadership values and provides support to a wide range of not-for-profit agencies and professional groups. Her passion for community support is tireless. Nancy has served on the board of directors for CUPS for over 15 years, has chaired the human resource committee of CUPS, and has been instrumental in developing board governance, corporate structure, strategic planning and performance review processes for CUPS. In addition, Nancy has volunteered with other non-profit associations. While there are others who actively engage in the community, there are few who also have Nancy’s ability to inspire and involve others to take up the cause. Nancy is a true community leader and exemplifies all criteria in this esteemed award.

RISING STAR Jessica Coulter, CHRP

essica Coulter, CHRP, has made a significant impact within the HR department of Parkland Fuel Corporation since she started with the company in 2010. She was instrumental in the launching of a new compensation program for the company, helped revamp Parkland’s bonus program which is now used for all employees, from front-line staff to the executive team, and drafted the company’s first employment equity plan. She has automated, centralized and simplified the HR department. She is a change agent bringing growth and ingenuity into the business and has a true desire and passion for new learnings within the world of human resources. With all she has accomplished so early, the sky is the limit from here!

DISTINGUISHED CAREER Dr. Melanie Peacock, CHRP

r. Melanie Peacock, CHRP, is a true advocate for the HR profession. By developing current and future HR professionals and through networking with business professionals to promote the value of the CHRP designation, Melanie has committed almost 25 years to advancing the practice of HR management, both locally and nationally. She is an associate professor of HR at the Bissett School of Business at Mount Royal University and mentors countless individuals and provides guidance to many. Through her tireless dedication she has encouraged people to engage in, and enhance, the practice of HR management. Due to her strong educational background and extensive work history Melanie displays an inherent understanding of HR and is respected for her knowledge and contributions and will continue to be a true inspiration well into the future.

2 | HRIA CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE

HUMAN

RESOURCES

INSTIT UHRIA T ECelebrating O F Excellence ALB ER TA 2014 Awards — Winners

STRATEGIC INNOVATOR AWARD BP Canada Energy Group ULC and Towers Watson

series of business divestitures resulted in staff reductions exceeding 75 per cent of the upstream workforce creating a challenging time at BP Canada Energy Group ULC in 2011/2012. Following this change BP Canada knew it had to do something meaningful to show its continued investment in its people. To accomplish this goal, BP Canada teamed up with Towers Watson as its strategic adviser and consulting partner and developed a “best place to work strategy” that examined issues, opportunities and directions for change. Together, they launched the “Elements for Life” program in 2012. This groundbreaking employee flex and wealth plan is setting the bar and showing employees – and Canada – that BP is committed to its employees and to its future success.

AWARD WINNING

FACULTY

It’s the people of an organization who make the difference. Their skills, character and values empower organizations to succeed and do great things. Mount Royal University Associate Professor Melanie Peacock, PhD, has dedicated almost 25 years to advancing the practice of human resource management and mentoring the next generation of HR professionals. Congratulations Melanie, on your HRIA Distinguished Career Award. Talented faculty like you are what makes Mount Royal not your average university.

mtroyal.ca

www.hria.ca | May | 2014 | 3

2014 HRIA Celebrating Excellence Awards — Winners

FELLOWSHIP AWARD Todd den Engelsen, FCHRP

odd den Engelsen, FCHRP, during his time on the Board of Directors to the HRIA, led the creation of a vision that brought the province together as one association. That vision inspired the organization’s strategic plan in 2011 creating a viable long-term future and a new framework that stretched the thinking beyond the association’s current role. Moving HRIA beyond a member-only service association to embracing its responsibility in serving all its stakeholders has taken the association in a new direction. The key initiatives identified in that plan – focus on marketing the CHRP and rebranding HRIA, becoming one association, and preparing for self-regulation – have resulted in lasting and significant changes. In a period of uncertainty and change, Todd’s consistent leadership and focus on HRIA’s mission, vision and values has left a lasting mark. By respecting the past, and looking to the future, he helped to shape a new reality for how the HR profession is viewed in Alberta.

FELLOWSHIP AWARD Peter Chung, FCHRP

eter Chung, FCHRP, has shown persistent and absolute dedication to the advancement of the CHRP designation and the HRIA through many decades of research, committees, projects and boards including up to this date with his work on self-regulation. Along with his areas of interest, Peter was a key member and implementer on the founding board of the HRIA and served on several subsequent boards and as president. He has been a committed and active member through diligently raising the intellectual concepts of what a CHRP should constitute in terms of HR competencies and professional practice concepts.

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE – INDIVIDUAL Doug Dickson

oug Dickson, CHRP, Vice President of Human Resources at BP Canada Energy Group ULC, is a true example of an achiever. Doug has been a catalyst of positive change in the organization following a period of significant business restructuring. In addition to delivering on promises with respect to other aspects of the employee-value proposition, he leveraged the new flexible benefits and wellness program, called “Elements for Life.” As the champion of this innovative and strategic program, Doug proved he is a trusted business partner at BP Canada. His vision has redefined the reputation of the organization that has a true and tangible commitment to its employees’ health and well-being. Doug’s excellence has changed the current and prospective employee’s view of BP Canada and positioned the company as one of “the best to work for” organizations in the industry.

4 | HRIA CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE

HUMAN

RESOURCES

INSTIT UHRIA T ECelebrating O F Excellence ALB ER TA 2014 Awards — Winners

LEADER OF THE YEAR Ray Guidinger

ay Guidinger, with Acklands-Grainger Inc., is the General Manager for the Alberta North Region. Ray lives by the words that “leadership is earned, not demanded, it is an act not a title and it is a privilege not a right”. He is a true professional who embraces the concept of employee engagement, employee development, leadership coaching and mentorship, while running the largest and most successful region for Acklands-Grainger Inc. Ray has grown the employee engagement of the team by over 22 per cent in the past five years and his secret to success is spending time understanding the issues and creating well thought out plans for addressing what is important to the team’s engagement. Ray is best described as bursting with energy, a strong business partner, an inspiring coach, a charismatic and compassionate leader and an unwavering supporter of the community of Edmonton.

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE TEAM Coalspur Mines (Operations) Ltd. HR Team

he greatest opportunity and the greatest challenge of Coalspur was being born from nothing. Coalspur is truly a new organization therefore it is not grounded in past practices or history. The team took risks, tried new approaches and approached others to provide innovative suggestions. A great example that highlights this innovative approach is the metrics model the HR team is building. They are working with the company’s leadership to understand “what does success look like” in order to build a dashboard of measurement that will help everyone understand what is important and tell the story regularly. Many organizations don’t do this work up front and this work will lay the foundation for years to come. The HR team has been instrumental in achieving organizational objectives and has met or exceeded all of the objectives identified in the HR strategy.

The trusted designation for Human Capital Leaders for today’s HR challenges. CHRP - the experts on:

Organizational Effectiveness Succession Planning Staffing / Talent Management Compensation / Total Rewards Occupational Health, Safety & Wellness

To see what a CHRP can bring to your organization visit www.CHRP Alberta.ca HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA - Your CHRP Source

www.hria.ca | May | 2014 | 5

2014 HRIA Celebrating Excellence Awards — Winners

Congratulations to all 275 of our new CHRP designation holders! This accomplishment means that you have achieved a level of professional knowledge in the HR field and are committed to upholding the ethics of the profession. Abigail Tiangco, CHRP Aileena Minhas, CHRP Alan Dar, CHRP Alana Rowe, CHRP Alex Magera, CHRP Alicia Richmond, CHRP Alisa Lin, CHRP Alison Toms, CHRP Alix Louise Day, CHRP Allison Woods, CHRP Ally MacGregor, CHRP Amanda Salopek, CHRP Amanda Tarzwell, CHRP Ameet Brar, CHRP Amy Wheatley, CHRP Andrea Gillespie, CHRP Andrea Jeannotte, CHRP Andrea Rist, CHRP Aneta Thompson, CHRP Angie Duong, CHRP Aniptal Nina Mann, CHRP Ann Hrabok, CHRP Arjan Sharma, CHRP Arron Dobson, CHRP Arthur Lee, CHRP Asma Aejaz, CHRP Aynsley Winkler, CHRP Badeia Jawhari, CHRP Bekki Leon, CHRP Beverley Kent, CHRP Bianca Krimberg, CHRP Bonnie Cheung, CHRP Bonnie Chow, CHRP Bonnie Orr, CHRP Brenda Stokes, CHRP Brenda-Jazmin Flores, CHRP Bruce Baker, CHRP Bruno Vanasse, CHRP Candice Herlihy, CHRP Cassia Lardner, CHRP Catherine Labrie, CHRP Cathy Layton, CHRP Caylee Dutnall, CHRP Celia Koehler, CHRP Charity Shonhiwa, CHRP Chelsey Copithorne, CHRP Cheryl Leske, CHRP Christina Dean, CHRP Christina Mah, CHRP Christine Koshuta, CHRP Christopher Broughton, CHRP Claire Arneson, CHRP Connor McCarthy, CHRP Craig O’Connor, CHRP Curtis Gratton, CHRP Cynthia Campbell, CHRP Cynthia Ogbarmey-Tetteh, CHRP Dan Moro, CHRP Danielle McLennan, CHRP Danny La, CHRP Darby Brewer, CHRP

Darren Phelps, CHRP Dave Wegner, CHRP David Dial, CHRP Dawn Zentner, CHRP Dazy Parmar, CHRP Debra Samek, CHRP Dennis Begoray, CHRP Desiree M. Hombert, CHRP Dionne Miller, CHRP Donna Montney, CHRP Donna Moore, CHRP Elizabeth Conway, CHRP Elizabeth Vander Hoeven, CHRP Ellen Hollinger, CHRP Ellen Huynh, CHRP Emily Allsop, CHRP Emma Brookman, CHRP Emma Ryks, CHRP Eri Fujio, CHRP Eric Fizzell, CHRP Erinn Glessing, CHRP Erma Hadzic-Atanassov, CHRP Felipe Pizarro, CHRP G. Alexander Joyes, CHRP Garett Eisenbraun, CHRP Genevieve Primus, CHRP Geoff Parsons, CHRP Geraldine Rondot, CHRP Grace Aldridge, CHRP Greg Sinding, CHRP Hayley Chivers-Wilson, CHRP Heidi Fournier, CHRP Helen Lugosi, CHRP Hypatia Lauren Fric, CHRP Irene van der Kloet, CHRP JackLynn Trifaux, CHRP Jacqueline Goebel, CHRP Jane Nabholz, CHRP Janice Phan, CHRP Jason Matshes, CHRP Jennifer Aguilar, CHRP Jennifer Charters, CHRP Jennifer Flynn, CHRP Jennifer Levy, CHRP Jennifer Mansell, CHRP Jennifer Rogers, CHRP Jessi Duffy, CHRP Jessica Parmar, CHRP Jill Shiskin, CHRP Joanne Dial, CHRP Jocelyn Chang, CHRP Jocelyn Klyne, CHRP Joellen M. Short, CHRP Joey-Lee Morigeau, CHRP Johanne Johnson, CHRP Johnathan Fleming, CHRP Judy Bromhead, CHRP Julie Gray, CHRP Julie Shaw, CHRP Justin Boyd, CHRP Kaitlin Cabat, CHRP

Kamal Kahlon, CHRP Kara Tomadini, CHRP Karolyn Fleming, CHRP Karthik Swaminathan, CHRP Kasia Delert, CHRP Kate Jeffrey, CHRP Katherine Miller, CHRP Kathleen Tran, CHRP Kayla Dallyn, CHRP Kelly Mullins, CHRP Kelly vanOuwerkerk, CHRP Kelsey Gamble, CHRP Kelsey Poxon, CHRP Kelsie Collier, CHRP Kendall Wylie, CHRP Kendra Currie, CHRP Kerry Black, CHRP Kimberley Forseille, CHRP Kimberley Gladden, CHRP Kirstin Normand, CHRP Kittima Raksarat, CHRP Krishnan Nagarajan, CHRP Krista Baumgartner, CHRP Kristan Strate, CHRP Kristen Lefebvre, CHRP Kristy Petersen, CHRP Kyla Haidish, CHRP Kyla Stein, CHRP Laura Nugent, CHRP Laura VanderVeen, CHRP Laura Waters, CHRP Laurel Niskasari, CHRP Lauren Connell, CHRP Lauren Woodman, CHRP Leah Androkovich, CHRP Leah Stewart, CHRP Leisa Haddleton, CHRP Lesley-ann Dickenson, CHRP Leslie Lalani, CHRP Leslie Proulx, CHRP Liam Taylor, CHRP Liji (Lincy) Thomas, CHRP Lindsay Naugler, CHRP Lindsay Rutherford, CHRP Lindsay Silvester, CHRP Lindsey Sara Rocks, CHRP Lisa Leachman, CHRP Lisa Marentette, CHRP Lorrie Horne, CHRP Louisa Lungu, CHRP Luella Anderson, CHRP Lyudmyla Shmygelska, CHRP M. Troy Burnett, CHRP Madusari Madusari, CHRP Maninder Bhandal, CHRP Marcia Buchholz, CHRP Marie Mineur, CHRP Mary-Ann Flood, CHRP Matthew Chapelsky, CHRP Meagan Little, CHRP Meggan Marriott, CHRP

Meghan Richer-Poth, CHRP Melissa Nickerson, CHRP Merina Soroka, CHRP Michael Sanguin, CHRP Michelle Ginter, CHRP Michelle Hamel, CHRP Michelle Young, CHRP Milo Grubbe, CHRP Mirella Paulucci, CHRP Miriam Canderova, CHRP Monika Djuff, CHRP Nadia Attah-Effah, CHRP Nancy Lee, CHRP Naresh Mahay, CHRP Narmaya Gurung, CHRP Natasha Roche, CHRP Nicole Maharaj, CHRP Nicole Neufeld, CHRP Nicole Parrell, CHRP Nicole Stratychuk, CHRP Nicole Suitor, CHRP Nora Sargent, CHRP Omar Illodo, CHRP Phil Atherton, CHRP Priya Pooranalingam, CHRP Rachael My Thanh Ngo, CHRP Rachel Shillito, CHRP Ranjit Singh Bains, CHRP Rebecca Van Ginkel Leong, CHRP Rebecca Xu, CHRP Renee Thompson, CHRP Rhonda Cooper-Burgess, CHRP Robert Stephenson, CHRP Robyn Craswell, CHRP Rubina Gilani, CHRP Ryan Stovall, CHRP Samantha Chen, CHRP Samantha Kirby, CHRP Sandi Unruh, CHRP Sandra Protsko, CHRP Sanya Lakhani, CHRP Sarah Chin, CHRP Sarah McLeod, CHRP Sarah Nelubowich, CHRP Sarah Tanouye, CHRP Scott Tarabula, CHRP Serena Fischer, CHRP Serena Musil, CHRP Shad Smereka, CHRP Shahida Abba, CHRP Shalini Bhatty, CHRP Shannon Martens, CHRP Sharon Diep, CHRP Shawn Muzyka, CHRP Sheeba Vijayan, CHRP Shelley Stadnyk, CHRP Sheri Panas, CHRP Siju Ewhubare, CHRP Sonja Brazendale, CHRP Stacey Draganiuk, CHRP Stefanie McNeil, CHRP

HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE OF ALBERTA

6 | HRIA CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE

Stefanie New, CHRP Stephanie Abbott, CHRP Steve Cyr, CHRP Steven St. Amand, CHRP Sunny Kapur, CHRP Susan Gynane, CHRP Suzanne Ebelher, CHRP Svetlana Adaikin, CHRP Tanya Cake, CHRP Tanys Betuzzi, CHRP Tara Brossier, CHRP Taryn Barrie, CHRP Teisha Iglesias, CHRP Teresa Sims, CHRP Teresa Zamonsky, CHRP Tim Kee, CHRP Tim Simper, CHRP Timothy Nickerson, CHRP Tyler Johnson, CHRP Uzma Ahmed, CHRP Valerie Vega , CHRP Vanessa Latos, CHRP Vanessa Weg, CHRP Wallace McKay, CHRP Wendy Thorne, CHRP Wing Yin (Stephane) Au-Yeaung, CHRP Wynona Bablitz, CHRP Yewande Aturamu, CHRP Zahir Jessa, CHRP Zuraida Dada, CHRP

For details on what the CHRP designation can bring to your career or organziation visit

www.CHRPAlberta.ca

HUMAN

RESOURCES

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ALBERTA

The Workun Garrick Partnership Celebrates 60 Years of Good Works by Design By: Mark Kandborg

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t’s often said that until a business has been around for five years, it can’t reasonably be described as a success. What about after 10? If you can survive that long, you’re probably on to something. At 20, you’re part of the community. At 40, you’re the one to beat. At 50, you’ve done business with succeeding generations. And at 60, well, you’ve built a legacy. This, in a nutshell, is the story of The Workun Garrick Partnership, one of the most venerable architecture and interior design firms ever to rise from the landscape of this great northern city, and they’re still going strong. Architects Dave MacGregor and Robert Rabinovitch run the firm today, and they’re of one mind when it comes to what makes the Workun Garrick legacy so enduring. “When you talk about the firm and its history, it’s not just about the passage of

time,” Rabinovitch says. “It’s about how the values and philosophies that were established 60 years ago are still very much with us today. We commit our own time and effort to the projects. That’s how the firm was established and run before we even got involved.” “One of our philosophies is that a partner is front and centre right from day one, from the interview to the final inspection,” MacGregor explains. What this means is that when you commission Workun Garrick for a project, you won’t find yourself dealing with someone off the top whom you may never interact with again. “It does put a bit of a burden on us at times, but I think that’s one of the major contributors to our success.” While Workun Garrick has designed all kinds of structures over the years, they’ve become particularly well known, you could

Dave MacGregor and Robert Rabinovitch.

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et while you or I may marvel at the visual impact of a Workun Garrick designed building or interior as we drive or walk by, MacGregor and Rabinovitch are especially interested in another kind of impact, the kind that these structures have on those who spend the most time in and around them. say, for their school work. “At last count the firm has done over 1,800 school projects in Alberta. That’s anything from a washroom upgrade to a $40 million school project, and over 400 of those, or nearly a quarter, have been done since 2000. We’ve always been known as the school architects.” “We’ve maintained that as a strong focus,” Rabinovitch says, “but we’ve branched out beyond that, certainly.” Branched out considerably, in fact, to recreational facilities, seniors’ facilities, and even condominiums. “Right now we do an extensive amount of work with the First Nations [bands], 32 of the 46 in Alberta. We’re currently building a large amphitheatre for the Fort Mackay Band, which will have the world’s northernmost cloth roof, designed by the same company that designed the Denver airport and the roof at B.C. Place in Vancouver. MacGregor and Rabinovitch speak of their award winning firm with the easy, understated tone of those who don’t feel the need to sell themselves, and for good reason. But their disinterest in blatant self-promotion can make it easy to miss something pretty important: that their work is absolutely exceptional. Just take a look at the stunning recreation area in Sherwood Park’s magnificent Millennium Place. If you already have, you’ll remember it. Or the razor-like glass and steel addition to Archbishop Mac-

Donald Catholic High School, the intriguing Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Canada Place, the University of Alberta’s state-of-theart Arctic Resources Geochemistry Lab, or the City of Edmonton’s award winning Garrick’s Capilano Fire Hall #11, whose clean lines and forward-looking aesthetic would not look out of place on a gleaming Silicon Valley boulevard. Yet while you or I may marvel at the visual impact of a Workun Garrick designed building or interior as we drive or walk by, MacGregor and Rabinovitch are especially interested in another kind of impact, the kind that these structures have on those who spend the most time in and around them. “We both have a passion for architecture,” Rabinovitch says, “but the real reward is when you go into a school and you get comments about how kids want to go to school now. It’s a building type where you feel that you’re making a difference. There’s a certain satisfaction, especially in the rural communities where the school is the anchor of the community.” MacGregor agrees. “There’s a major responsibility on our part to fulfill that. We know how important these buildings are for these areas and to the people associated with them.” This deep commitment and understanding of the importance of structures whose design you or I might take for granted is a major reason

Protostatix Engineering would like to congratulate the Workun Garrick Partnership on the occasion of their 60th Anniversary!

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that Workun Garrick regularly works with roughly 30 school boards all across the province. “They’re more than good colleagues now. They’re good colleagues and good friends.” This quality of work doesn’t go unrecognized, of course. Each year, the Alberta Chapter of the Council of Educational Facility Planners hands out an award for outstanding achievement in two categories: new school and renovation. Workun Garrick has won one or the other award 14 times - in 14 years. While some in their position might be tempted to spend an inordinate amount of time looking back to the accomplishments of their Workun Garrick predecessors or their own, you’re more likely to find MacGregor and Rabinovitch and their four talented associates looking forward to new possibilities. “I started with drawing with pencils,” MacGregor recalls, “and building physical models. I used to keep all the old company business cards because it was perfect material to make models

out of. But when you glue a piece of cardboard it becomes a very hard and fast decision. Nowadays of course, all our projects are designed with 3-D modelling software. You can show your client from day one what they’re going to get. We walk into a finished space and we’ve seen it before.” The first time Workun Garrick used 3-D software was when they designed St. Joseph’s High School in Edmonton. “You’d plug in a view and the guy would go take a two week holiday while the computer would churn out an image. It was that slow.” “Technology has been huge,” Rabinovitch agrees. “It helps us portray our vision to the client. It’s really changed the way we present our projects, and the way we work too. It’s even changed the amount of space we need for our office.” “To give you an idea of how far we’ve come, when I started, the head of the drafting pool had the electric eraser,” MacGregor remembers, laughing. “It was a tool that looked like something a

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Congratulations to the Workun Garrick Par tnership o n t h e i r 6 0 th A n n i v e r s a r y !

7301-50 Avenue, B onny ville, Alber ta T9N 2P3 • Phone: 780-826-4450 • Fax: 780-826-2275 • w w w.genmec acl.com

Congratulations to the Workun Garrick Partnership on 60 years of success!

Specializing in: • New Buildings • Building Renovations • Commercial Construction • Industrial Construction 8055 Argyll Road NW Edmonton, AB T6C 4A9 Tel: 780-436-4381 Fax: 780-437-2766 E-mail: edm@krawford.com

Construction Managers General Contractors Design Builders

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dentist would use.” But despite the changes they’ve seen in their industry, and will continue to see, MacGregor firmly believes that the core of the work will never change. “Building is building. You still pull out all the materials and put it all together.” Something else that will never change for David MacGregor and Robert Rabinovitch is their appreciation for the efforts of each member of the Workun Garrick team, past and present. “We owe our success to our staff,” Rab-inovitch says. “They’ve been with us many years and they’re extremely committed.” “When you have only 20 or 25 people, you need to have people who are highly skilled and knowledgeable, in several aspects of service. In this profession you can’t know everything, but you can really be good at one or two things. So the trick is to try to develop a team that has all of those strengths.” As if to illustrate the point by example, Rabinovitch adds a final, perfectly apt phrase: “To complement each other.”

We at Business in Edmonton congratulate The Workun Garrick Partnership on more than 1,800 school projects, an untold number of smiling kids and 60 years of building a legacy of excellence.

Suite 1200-10117 Jasper Ave NW Edmonton, AB T5J 1W8 (780) 428-1575 • workungarrick.com

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Congratulations to the Workun Garrick Partnership on 60 years!

Congratulations TWGP on 60 Great Years! From our first project through John (Scotty) McIntosh in 1957 to our current work with TWGP, we truly appreciate the longevity of our relationship.

Best wishes from all of us here at Hemisphere Engineering! Ph: 780-421-0333 • Fax: 780-421-0360 www.tri-tecinc.ca

Congratulations on your 60th anniversary! JO Engineering is proud to play a part in your success.

Congrats on 60 years!! #201, 265 CARLETON DRIVE ST. ALBERT, AB T8N 4J9 Phone: 780-460-0441 Fax: 780-460-0443 www.johnstonbuilders.net

18162 - 102 Avenue Tel: 780 486-4478 Fax: 780 483-0197 www.joeng.ca

Congrat ulat ions to t he Wor k un G ar r ick Par t nership on 60 years of success. 108, 17707 - 105 Avenue NW • (780) 452-2740

Wishing you many more years of continued success!

For k itc h e n s t h a t n o t o n ly c o ok b u t s iz z le !

780. 414. 6116 • w w w. bur nstadconsulting. com T H E

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CENTRAL CARRIERS (EDMONTON LTD.)

Keeping Western Canada’s Transportation Hub Rolling for 40 Years

By Mark Kandborg

entral Carriers is an incredibly important cog in the machine of Western Canada’s expansive transportation industry. “A depot like this creates a ton of efficiency,” says terminal manager Rendel Elock. Surprisingly, outside of this city you’ll be hard pressed to find another like it. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that Edmonton has two. “It must have something to do with our get ‘er done attitude.” Forty years ago this month, that Edmonton get ‘er done attitude was put in motion in a big way. That’s when eight enterprising trucking company owners pooled their money, bought some land and built Central Carriers’ first, modest building. They also hired a forward-looking manager by the name of Jim Brodie. “Jim was the guy who pioneered the whole model, who got it going solid and also managed the company’s growth. A large part of Central Carriers success is due to Jim’s fortitude,” says Rendel. The idea was simple enough: create a single, central depot where trucks could unload their cargo, have it moved to the appropriate bays, so that items expected in Fort McMurray, for example, would be loaded into the truck of a carrier servicing that destination, while other items would be loaded into a truck bound for High Prairie. Think of it like the centrally located Denver airport. Planes

bring travellers bound for points across the map to that hub in a seemingly endless stream. If you’re lucky enough to be one of those travellers, you deplane, transfer to another aircraft (a Lufthansa flight to Berlin, for example) and you’re on your way. You may have to wait a bit, you may have to hurry, but if the people running the system have done their jobs, the planes will be full when they arrive, they’ll be full when they leave, and you’ll be drinking beer out of a stein in a pair of lederhosen in no time. The experienced and well-trained personnel at Central Carriers have the ebb and flow of their hub down to a science; with maybe a little bit of art. “The trucks that come out of here move anywhere from one-and-a-half to two-million pounds a day. That’s 163,000 pounds per door, and we have 92 doors. That’s a lot of freight,” Elock says. “The people who work here are dedicated to the industry. They realize that you’re only as good as your last performance. If we don’t do a good job, we may not have that carrier tomorrow. Everyone here knows that. No one has to crack a whip. They know it.” Elock gives a little more detail on how Central Carriers takes complicated and turns it into efficient. “We have our own drivers attached to the depot who set up in small zones within the city of Edmonton. It’s their responsibility to know all the ship-

CENTRAL CARRIERS | 40 YEARS | PAGE 1

CENTRAL CARRIERS (EDMONTON LTD.)

Terminal Manager Rendel Elock

Rick Muir

pers and all the receivers within their zone so they can maximize their output. These workers are not paid by the hour, they’re paid by the pound, so they want to hustle and get the freight on their truck as quickly as they can and get off to the next pick up and get it done. The driver leaves here in the morning, goes out and does a series of deliveries, has lunch, turns around and starts doing a series of pick ups, then returns here at night with a full truck.” The truck is unloaded and the freight is taken down to the doors dedicated to individual carriers. “They pay us to do this service for them, but as opposed to paying a city driver by the hour, the carrier pays us by the pound. So for them it’s a great way to control costs, because as freight volumes go up, our costs go up. When freight volumes go down, our costs go down and so do those of the carrier.” Elock likes to stress the symbiotic relationship that exists between the carriers, the lease operators (drivers) and the depot itself, which ultimately makes the whole thing work. “If the amount of freight was to drop off too much and the driv-

er couldn’t make a living doing it, then of course the driver wouldn’t stick around. That’s why it’s really important that the carriers support our position in this and give us enough freight so that the drivers that are working here can continue to make livings for themselves and for their families and in turn continue to support the carriers.” As is the case with any well-designed, well-oiled and well-executed system, everybody does their part – and everybody wins. “Shippers in Edmonton have loyalties to local drivers, who then have allegiance to the carriers that work at their facility. We’re really in place because we’re supported by the carriers that work out of our facility. If I had to champion people I’d champion our employees, our city drivers and, of course, our carriers.” You’d be hard pressed to find anyone more passionate about the importance of a hub like Central Carriers or the transportation system as a whole than Elock. “When you look at how freight moves regionally, the depot is a keystone operation. That’s because almost all points in Western Canada can be ser-

CENTRAL CARRIERS | 40 YEARS | PAGE 2

Left to right: Gerry Keller – Stony Plain Transfer; Edgar Klak – Leduc Truck Service; Michael Zarhacko – Highway 28 Freightways; Melvin Hickey – Leduc Truck Service; Philip Topilika – Whitecourt Transport; Dave Lupshinski – Landing Transport; Ken McDermott – McDermott Transport; Rod Kornberger – Stony Plain Transfer. Missing: Victor Ringuette – B&R Eckels Transport; William Dowhaniuk – Vegreville Transfer.

viced directly and overnight out of Edmonton,” he says. “Calgary says they’re the geographical centre of Western Canada. They’re not. It’s actually Edmonton. Why our city doesn’t promote this harder, I don’t know.” To better illustrate his assertion, Elock pulls out a map and points to the southern half of the province. “Calgary can hit all those places overnight. Edmonton can hit all those places overnight, too.” He then turns his attention to the northern quadrant. “For Calgary to drive all the way to High Level? Prince George? Fort Nelson? Impossible. But Edmonton can do it. Obviously, it’s the same with the territories. What it comes down to is that Calgary is trying to become that economic centre, but they can’t hit the service points that Edmonton does with next day service. So this city will continue to be the geographical centre of the transportation sector in Western Canada, but it also has to be the hub. Calgary doesn’t even have a depot system. We have two of them.”

The way Elock sees it, securing what he considers to be Edmonton’s rightful place as Western Canada’s transportation hub is an important issue for everyone. “Thirty four of our doors service B & R, who run to the northeast part of the province. Mustang, who has the next largest number of doors, services Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie and all of British Columbia. Ridsdale Transport services all of Saskatchewan. These are carriers that are travelling regionally and long distances who see a tremendous value in our services because it’s one collection point. If they had to run around the city, they’d lose their efficiency and transportation rates would go up significantly. People need to get their goods. If they cost more, the economy’s going to slow down. When economists are doing their forecasting, typically they’re looking at the transportation sector,” he says. “The amount of full loads that are moving on the highway are an indicator of how much consumers are spending.”

CENTRAL CARRIERS | 40 YEARS | PAGE 3

CENTRAL CARRIERS (EDMONTON LTD.)

Clearly, Rendel Elock loves what he does, as do the men and women who round out the dedicated and experienced team that is Central Carriers. Together, they’re proud to keep those trucks moving, that freight transferred efficiently and they’re especially proud to play an important role in keeping our economy rolling. We congratulate the owners and employees of Central Carriers on 40 years of excellence.

CENTRAL CARRIERS (EDMONTON LTD.)

Congrats to Central Carriers! Here’s to another great 40 years!

13008 163 St NW, Edmonton, AB T5V 1L6 (780) 447-1610 • www.centralcarriersltd.ca

21-10405 Jasper Ave NW #713 • bsicleaningser vices.ca

Congratulations Central Carriers on 40 years!

Happy Anniversary!

Proud partner with Central Carriers for over 40 years!

201-17812 105 Avenue 780.444.2472 • www.circ.ca

3710 - 33 Street Whitecourt, Alberta T7S 0A2 Tel: (780) 778-2226 • Fax: (780) 778-2502 www.whitecourttransport.com

Congratulations Central Carriers on 40 years! “At Right Way Freightways, we believe that service and pricing are key to a successful business. We have built our business on making your business successful.”

We wish you many years of continued success!

Congratulations Central Carriers on 40 years!

Ph: 780.444.4118 • TF: 1.866.703.4730 • benefitevolution.ca

rightwayfreightways.wordpress.com

CENTRAL CARRIERS | 40 YEARS | PAGE 4

Fre i g h t d e l i ve r y t o a n y a n d a l l p o i n t s i n Ca n a d a a n d t h e U. S . A .

Full Loads | Part Loads | Pallets | Cartons | Envelopes

Congratulations Central Carriers on your 40th Anniversary! Daily Freight delivery to Sedgewick, Hardisty, Provost, AB. Macklin, Coleville, Kerrobert and Kindersley, SK and Surrounding areas. Our Edmonton Depot is at Central Carriers - (780) 447-1610. Our depot in Grande Cache services Edson, Hinton and Grande Cache. For pick ups please call 1-800-639-6768. 5323 - 50th Avenue, Provost General Freight and Oilfield/Location/Delivery Hi-Boy Service & Picker Trucks For information contact the Provost, AB office (780)753-2299 or email: freight2@telus.net

Congrats Central Carriers! FOR 40 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE. SERVING SPRUCE GROVE, STONY PLAIN & AREA 16410 - 130 Avenue Edmonton, AB T5V 1I8 • 780.447.225

CONGRATULATIONS CENTRAL CARRIERS ON 40 GREAT YEARS! BARR WEST EXPRESS W

780.674.6631 780.349.6890

General Freight Van, Deck-Express Truck Serving Westlock, Barrhead & Area

121, 625 Parsons Road SW Edmonton, AB | T6X 0N9 (800) 267-1003 • Fax (403) 243-4610 • www.amta.ca

Transport(79)Ltd.

Congratulations Central Carriers on your 40th Anniversary! P.O. Box 248 La Crete, Alberta T0H 2H0 Ph: 780-928-3989 • 1-800-422-9203 • Fax: 780-928-3680 latrans.ca • latrans@telusplanet.net

CENTRAL CARRIERS | 40 YEARS | PAGE 5

Congratulations to Central Carriers on 40 great years! Full Service Transportation Company Serving: COLD LAKE: 780-594-3003 EDMONTON: 780-447-5847 CALGARY: 403-640-6200 REDWATER: 780-942-3087 VERMILLION: 780-853-5368 LLOYMINSTER OILFIELD: 306-825-4904 LLOYDMINSTER FREIGHT: 306-825-3574 ELKPOINT OILFIELD: 780-724-4067 WAINWRIGHT: 780-842-4010 ST. PAUL - ELKPOINT: 780-645-2944 RED DEER: 403-347-4242 ROCKY MTN. HOUSE: 403-845-3616 BOYLE: 780-689-3614 ATHABASCA: 780-689-3614 CONKLIN: 780-689-3614 LAC LA BICHE: 780-689-3614 Rig Moving Heavy Equipment Picker Trucks 12-50 Ton Pipe Yards Dry Bulk Hauling Tank Moving Pilot Car Service Hot Shot Service Daily Freight Service

“Committed to Service” P.O. Box 6249 Bonnyville, AB Telephone: 1-800-661-3290 Fax: 1-780-826-4301 24 HOUR Service: 780-826-3889 E-mail: admin@breckels.com

www.breckels.com

Full House Renovations Celebrates 25 Years Tearing down the old and building up something new has worked physically and metaphorically for this unique company. By Nerissa McNaughton

arry Jaenen’s experience with home renovations goes back to his childhood. His parents were in the window business and he would go door to door providing estimates. With a natural ability to foresee a finished product, Jaenen started giving clients advice on what renovations would improve the look and value of their homes. “For years clients would say, ‘why not get into the reno business?’” laughs Jaenen. “So I did!” When Full House Renovations launched, Jaenen was the sole owner and operator. To get the jobs done, he hired subcontractors. Two years later he had enough steady work to fill a 40-hour week, so he hired his first full-time employee. As it turned out, envisioning and executing great renovations wasn’t Jaenen’s only talent. His hiring prowess was, and still is, spot on. Twenty-five years on, some of his earliest hires are still with the company. Today’s staff of over 35 employees includes custom cabinet shop workers, office staff and field workers. Garent Selby is Full Houses Renovations’ longest-term employee and has been with the company for more than 23 years. His first position was as a cabinet installer. “He’s handy!” says Jaenen. “Now he comes in at the end and can do everything! Plumbing, electrical, cabinets, finishing…. he’s good at all of it, from having grown up on a farm in Saskatchewan. The clients now actually call and ask for him by name.” Partners Ken Horhut and Greg Pointe also found careers at Full House Renovations. Horhut started as a finishing carpenter in 1997 and built his way

Barry Jaenen

Greg Pointe

Ken Horhut

into a partnership in 2005. Today he oversees all the jobs as head of the operations department. Horhut holds a Red Seal journeyman carpenter certification. Pointe was one of the owners of Woodhaven Construction and sat on the renovation council with Jaenen for multiple years. After selling his construction business, he joined Full House Renovations as a partner. Pointe is the general manager and also helps Jaenen in sales. Jaenen’s hiring philosophy extends out of the field and into the office. His office staff of nine includes many valuable positions, including a full-time controller CMA and a full-time cabinet millwork designer that works with the clients one on one to design their dream kitchen. In January 2014, Full House added a full-time interior designer that deals directly with the clients to help them pick out their selections and finalize the drawings. One solid team, inside and outside of the office, takes care of each client from project commencement to completion. “We employ our own trades and a few handselected sub-trades,” explains Jaenen. “Your typical contractor has all subcontractors, but we employ all the trades on staff as full time employees. This includes our four cabinet makers in our shop, our office staff and 20 very top-skilled trades in the field. It’s huge because you have full control of the schedule and the quality. Our workmanship is consistent.” Consistency is key for Full House Renovations. It’s what Jaenen has built his company and his reputation on. “The biggest problem is there is so much work in Alberta and that people forget

Full House Renovations | 25 Years | Page 1

Kitchen remodel before.

Kitchen remodel after.

about quality and never finish the job.” Some customers figure the contractor that is the cheapest and the fastest is the best, but they quickly learn that cheap and fast does not necessarily translate into quality. Usually, they are the cheapest for a reason. “We get numerous calls each week from people that have thrown other contractors out of their homes. In order to do good work, you have to pay a premium for labour and buy good quality products In construction, like everything else in life, you get what you pay for,” Jaenen chuckles. “If you don’t believe me, watch all those reality TV shows! We’re not the fastest, but we feel we are the best. We would put our product up against anyone in the industry. Our field staff works together as a team, which makes a difference for the finished product.” There was a time when Full House was servicing the whole city and surrounding area, but because of rapid city growth, decided to focus on select areas. Now, Full House concentrates on the west and southwest areas of the city and specializes only in select types of remodel jobs. This streamlined approached paid off. Work volume didn’t decrease, however efficiency improved.

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Part of the success of Full House Renovations comes from their unique ability to understand the needs of their clients, including the transition to being their favourite people to being loathed on site to becoming beloved again. It’s a theme Jaenen has seen played out with many homeowners. When they arrive on site they are the heroes that have come to do a beautiful, new, sparkling renovation. Half way through when the house is torn apart, money is being spent, product delays and extra work added by the client push the project deadline and the homeowners are tired of the wait and the noise, the contractors take the brunt of the frustration for the disruption in the homeowner’s lives. But when the renovation is done, the mess is cleared away and the beautiful, functional new home emerges, the Full House team gains “name our first child after you” status once again. Full House Renovations rides this wave of emotion and does their best to satisfy each and every client. “We’re in a hard business,” says Jaenen. “It’s an emotional rollercoaster.” Another reason Full House Renovations has been successful for more than two decades is because they are not afraid to move ahead with the times. “The industry has changed our business,” Jaenen points out. “Now we have access to products from all over the world. When we started, you could go to a wholesaler, order product, drive to the back of the warehouse, load the truck and drive back to the job site. Today we have the challenges of ordering that same product and waiting anywhere from two to 12 weeks for delivery. Full House used to have an ad in the Yellow Pages; now clients find us on Google. The client can now get educated online about certain things, for example ice damming and condensation inside the home. To our advantage, this helps us. Also, all the reality TV shows about renovations nightmares has made companies such as Full House more respected in the industry.” Full House Renovations opened a new division in 2011. This division (Special Projects) specializes in new homes in old areas (infills) and buying homes in established neighbourhoods, doing a complete remodel, and selling them. An infill home can take up to a year to build. Full House is presently building infills

Full House Renovations | 25 Years | Page 2

Custom Cabinet Shop.

Winner of Sam award & Alberta Awards of Excellence in Housing.

in Crestwood and Glenora; has completed infills in Crestwood and remodel and flips in both Riverbend and Valleyview. Full House is presently doing a remodel and flip in Westridge. Full House Renovations’ focus is on customer service. Greg Pointe works with the team to continually improve client interaction and satisfaction. “We used to do 120 renos a year, but have scaled back to 60 (along with our special projects) so we could remain focused and dedicated to the needs of our clients,” says Jaenen. “At Full House Renovations, it’s all about you – the client!” Jaenen is thankful for the support he’s received over the years from his wife Cathy. Pointe, Jaenen and Horhut would also like to thank all their staff for their hard work and dedication, and extend a heartfelt thank you to all of their suppliers, some of which they have been working with for more than 25 years. Full House Renovations thanks all the customers that supported them for

the last 25 years. “As I said,” confirms Jaenen, “it’s all about them. The business was built on referrals and repeat clients. We are now servicing the second generation.” So would the former window estimator change anything if he could go back in time? To that, Jaenen just smiles, “It’s been a great ride.” Congratulations on 25 outstanding years.

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OIL & GAS

IT’S TIME TO PLAY HARDBALL AGAINST THE ANTI-OIL FUNDERS

It’s Time to Play Hardball Against the Anti-Oil Funders Alberta’s potential in jeopardy because of the Tar Sands Campaign VIVIAN KRAUSE

isiting Alberta, as I did last month, one is easily impressed. It’s not hard to see why Canadians from across the country are flocking to Alberta in search of the opportunities and prosperity that they can’t find in their home province. Much of Alberta’s prosperity stems from its extraordinary natural and human potential, the oilsands and the people who develop them. To fully realize this potential, major infrastructure projects are required: pipelines and ports that can bring Alberta energy to global markets. VIVIAN KRAUSE Having researched the funding of environmental activism for more than a decade, I worry that Alberta’s potential is in jeopardy because of the Tar Sands Campaign, a sophisticated, well-funded initiative that is landlocking Alberta energy within North America. Whether it was the original intention or not, the Tar Sands Campaign continues the U.S. monopoly on Alberta oil, keeping Canada over a barrel. As Albertans know, this is no small matter. CIBC estimates that in 2012, $25 billion in oil revenue was lost because Alberta oil was sold into the U.S. below market value. The Canadian Energy Research Institute estimates that if Alberta oil is landlocked within North America, Canada stands to lose $1.3 trillion of gross domestic product and $276 billion in taxes by 2035. Raising the negatives, raising costs, slowing down or stopping infrastructure and enrolling key decision-makers is what the Tar Sands Campaign is about, according to a campaign strategy paper. Generating media coverage, a steady drumbeat of news is central to this campaign. “We need to be able to buy media to amplify embarrassing or disturbing facts about the tar sands,” the strategy says. During the first five years of the Tar Sands Campaign, the focus was on the Enbridge Northern Gateway project and the Keystone XL pipeline. But that has changed. The same groups that stalled Keystone XL are now setting their sights on the Energy East pipeline, Line 9, the

Line 3 rebuild, the Alberta Clipper (Line 67), Flanagan South and the Seaway pipelines. Equiterre, Environmental Defence, New Venture and other environmental and First Nations groups have been funded specifically to campaign against these pipelines. Over the past five years, I have reviewed more than 100,000 pages of U.S. tax returns in order to follow the money trail on the campaign against Alberta oil. Most of my research is based on U.S. tax returns because the IRS requires greater disclosure than the Canada Revenue Agency. From my research, it is evident that many of the individuals on the front line of the Tar Sands Campaign are as Canadian as I am but the big funders aren’t. The Tar Sands Campaign is heavily funded by sources south of the border. Since 2009, I’ve traced more than 200 grants from U.S. sources, totalling in excess of US$75 million for conservation initiatives and campaigns that explicitly aim to thwart fossil fuel development in Canada. In addition, I’ve traced more than $250 million for large-scale conservation initiatives (the Great Bear Rainforest Initiative, the Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative, the Sacred Headwaters Initiative and the Boreal Initiative) that aim to put more than one third of Canada off-limits to the development of oil and gas and other natural resources. Leading the charge against the Keystone XL pipeline, and now Energy East, is Bill McKibben. His campaign, 350. org, has the look and feel of an amateur, grassroots operation, but in reality, it is a multimillion-dollar outfit run by staff earning six-digit salaries. During 2011-12, the most recent year for which tax returns are publicly available, 350.org had a $2-million payroll, including $600,000 for consultants. By my analysis, the main intermediary organizations involved in funding the Tar Sands Campaign are the Tides Foundation (“Tides”) and the New Venture Fund. www.businessinedmonton.com | Business In Edmonton Magazine | May 2014

OIL & GAS

IT’S TIME TO PLAY HARDBALL AGAINST THE ANTI-OIL FUNDERS

U.S. tax returns filed by Tides show that since 2008 it has granted at least $25 million to 75 organizations that campaign against Alberta oil in the U.S., Canada and in Europe. In the U.S., these organizations have more than 2,000 employees, more than 20,000 volunteers and combined annual revenues of half a billion dollars. These numbers give an indication of the clout that the Tar Sands Campaign can draw on. Where did Tides get the $25 million for its Tar Sands Campaign? That’s not entirely clear. Tides has annual revenue of roughly $95 million from many sources. What we do know for sure is that since 2004, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation paid Tides nearly $10 million for reducing fossil fuel development in Canada. Tides also received $8 million from the Sea Change Foundation, funded by James Simons, a hedge fund billionaire, and members of his family. At least $2 million from Sea Change was “to promote awareness of and opposition to tar sands.” Another big funder of Tides is Warren Buffett. Over the past decade, his foundation, “NoVo,” has granted $28 million to Tides, including $12 million for environment and indigenous leadership. NoVo representatives do not say

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

how Tides spent NoVo funds except that they are not used in the Tar Sands Campaign. Whether it was planned or not, Warren Buffett’s rail business, BNSF, may have benefited substantially from Tides’ anti-pipeline campaign since oil shipments by rail have sky-rocketed because Keystone XL has been stalled. Until the fall of 2013, little information was publicly available about the specific activities that the Tar Sands Campaign funds. That changed when more than 2,700 covering letters on payments made by Tides were found online. I came across these covering letters unexpectedly, using Google. Among the 2,700 covering letters that I have seen, at least 70 appear to pertain to the Tar Sands Campaign. Made between June and October of 2013, these 70 payments total $3 million and were made to 40 organizations in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. From the Great Bear Initiative, directed by Art Sterritt, and the First Nations at Fort Chipewyan to the groups pushing for the EU fuel quality in Europe, Tides funds every major organization that is campaigning against the Alberta oil industry. Tides also funds the beginning of a

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OIL & GAS

IT’S TIME TO PLAY HARDBALL AGAINST THE ANTI-OIL FUNDERS

Tides has specifically funded groups to cultivate grassroots opposition and put a negative slant on public opinion about the oilsands. This is not exactly what a charitable foundation such as Tides is supposed to be doing. new campaign against in situ mining. Tides also funds ForestEthics to get Coke or Pepsi to refuse to buy Alberta oil. The push to get the European Union to pass the Fuel Quality Directive, which would disadvantage Alberta oil in global markets, is also funded by Tides through at least six organizations on both sides of the Atlantic. For example, in September of 2013, Tides, based in San Francisco, paid a numbered company in Fort Chipewyan $55,000 “to build the case for rejecting the Shell and Teck Frontier mines; participate in regulatory processes and use legal tools to increase regulations; work with groups in Europe to support the Fuel Quality Directive; and build public opposition to tar sands and pipelines.” Tides has specifically funded groups to cultivate grassroots opposition and put a negative slant on public opinion about the oilsands. This is not exactly what a charitable foundation such as Tides is supposed to be doing. The Dogwood Initiative, based in Victoria, B.C., was funded “to cultivate widespread public opposition to tar sands oil tankers and pipeline proposals in British Columbia.” It’s not all tankers that Dogwood is funded to oppose, only tankers carrying Alberta oil. Since 2009, Tides has granted Dogwood at least $US920,000. Several grants mention building relationships with First Nations and supporting their legal action against oilsands development projects. For example, Tides funded the Pipe Up Association “to build the grassroots movement to oppose the Kinder Morgan pipeline, build relationships with First Nations along the pipeline and participate in public meetings on Kinder Morgan.” The Canadian organization that has received the most funding from Tides, as indicated in these letters, is the Pembina Institute, granted $280,000 for 2013. Pembina was paid “… to advance the narrative that oilsands expansion is problematic” and “… for furthering awareness of the negative impacts of the tar sands economy.” Indeed, with the release of reports such as, “Booms, Busts and Bitumen,” Pembina is doing what it is funded to do. Since 2004, the Pembina Foundation and the Pembina Institute have been paid nearly $7 million from U.S. sources that fund organizations opposed to Canadian energy development. Another component of the campaign against Alberta oil is “Dirty Oil Sands,” an online initiative. Its newsletter, The Dirt, and its Twitter feed consistently put Alberta oil in a negative light while praising anti-pipeline activists. The Dirty Oil Sands website is registered to the New Venture Fund (“New Venture”), a charitable organization

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

based in Washington, D.C. Another website registered to New Venture is RETHINK ALBERTA, a campaign to steer tourists away from Alberta. Whatever the beef over oil, it hardly seems fair to take it out on tourism. Like Tides, New Venture executes “donor-developed projects,” keeps the books and manages payroll for projects on a wide range of issues. New Venture’s biggest funder is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which has granted at least $50 million to address college readiness and malnutrition in developing countries. For 2012, New Venture’s total revenue topped $52 million, up from $36 million the year before. Since 2009, New Venture has been granted at least $32 million to protect the environment, reduce fossil fuel development and promote renewable energy. In 2012, for example, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund paid New Venture $250,000 “to cap tar sands production in Alberta, Canada, and to reduce demand for tar sands derived fuels in the United States.” Given the influence of U.S. funders, it is time to bring them into the conversation. Dialogue with local, Canadian stakeholders is important and must remain a priority. The U.S. funders must also be brought to the table. It’s fair for Canadians to ask some rather pointed questions: Why is there no campaign against the tankers that import oil into the U.S. on a daily basis? Why no campaign against oil imports by rail? Why no multimillion-dollar campaign to cap industry expansion in Texas and North Dakota – where oil production has soared? Why is the Tar Sands Campaign only against the pipelines that would take Alberta oil to offshore markets? My hope is that a small group of forward-thinking leaders from the Alberta business community will strike up a formal dialogue directly with the U.S. funders of the Tar Sands Campaign, in particular, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Oak Foundation, Tides and Sea Change. There is common ground: we all want a sustainable future, more renewable energy, better energy efficiency and less waste. The broader group of American charitable foundations that fund the Tar Sands Campaign has more than $50 billion in assets and gives away more than $2 billion each year to a wide range of causes. They can’t be outspent. To use an analogy from baseball, this is Moneyball and Alberta might as well be sporting the uniforms of the Oakland A’s. Spring will soon be here. It’s time to play ball. BIE VIVIAN KRAUSE IS A VANCOUVER RESEARCHER AND CONTRIBUTOR TO THE FINANCIAL POST. ON TWITTER, SHE’S @FAIRQUESTIONS..

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WWW.EDMONTONCHAMBER.COM SECTION TITLE

ENTREPRENEURS AS RISK-TAKERS BY JAMES CUMMING, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE EDMONTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE @CUMMINGK

JAMES CUMMING

he entrepreneur, by definition is an individual that organizes and assumes the risk of business. How we define entrepreneurs sets the direction of the policies that create the business environment that entrepreneurs operate in. It is valuable to have a discussion about how we understand entrepreneurs and their abilities. The first part of defining entrepreneurs is simple: every individual that steps out and tries a venture is an entrepreneur. However, there is a qualitative difference between the small business person who goes to work for themselves in order to create a job, and the entrepreneur who goes to work each day in pursuit of building an enterprise that will shift, even dramatically change, their sector of the economy. The small business person is vital to our economy; the disruptive, risk- taking entrepreneur is equally important. I continue to be amazed in the quality and quantity of the risk takers I have met within the Edmonton Chamber membership. They range in size from a start-up with no employees to significant organizations still driven by the entrepreneur with millions in sales and hundreds of staff. Very often, policy and funding focuses on the technology entrepreneur. There is certainly an acknowledged ability of technology to achieve substantive market transformation and disruption; however, entrepreneurs in Edmonton are engaged in everything you can imagine including retail, technology, construction, hospitality, manufacturing... you name it, they are out there. We need to recognize and support the work of all entrepreneurs. Starting something and growing can be one of the most exciting experiences for individuals that are driven by the challenge. It is not for the weak at heart, but it can bring great satisfaction. People will do what it takes to get their dream off the ground. In the early stages, access to capital is often an issue. The venture capital market in Edmonton and Alberta is underdeveloped. Many entrepreneurs rely on friends, family or leverage on assets, such as their home as the source of capital. The strategy is a limited pool of funding and, by extension, slows business growth. Conventional funding can become the norm once stable revenue is achieved, but a functioning, fully developed venture capi-

May 2014 | Business In Edmonton Magazine | www.businessinedmonton.com

I continue to be amazed in the quality and quantity of the risk takers I have met within the Edmonton Chamber membership. tal market will increase the rate of growth and impact of entrepreneurs in our regional economy. The challenge for policy makers, our community and for membership organizations like the Edmonton Chamber, is answering the question of how to create a vibrant environment of support those for early stages of growth so entrepreneurs can achieve scaling and sustainable growth. There are other resources that need to be further developed to encourage growth. The reality is that entrepreneurs cannot grow without the help of others or without developing a team. There is a clear relationship between talent and access to capital that underpins the success rate of entrepreneurs. The Edmonton region attracted about 30,000 new people last year. Matching talent and skill sets with the right jobs remains a core problem for many businesses. The Edmonton Chamber recognizes this. Development of our workforce is a strategic priority for our organization. My experience tells me that entrepreneurs thrive on hearing of the experiences of others. This can happen through networking events, timely and relative publications or articles, speakers or just a simple conversation about common problems or successes. The Edmonton Chamber is always looking for opportunities for our members, either directly or through partnerships that will enhance their ability to grow and learn. We also will continue to advocate on issues that support an environment that allows business to grow and prosper in the region. We are passionate about being the voice of business and making sure that this is, and continues to be, a place for entrepreneurs to start, grow and thrive.

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