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Property managers BridgePort, Colonnade merge in deal Colonnade president Steve Kaminski calls ‘a good fit’ > PAGE 22
December 7, 2015 Vol. 19, NO. 3
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For daily business news visit obj.ca
Smilin’ Bernie OSEG boss says 2015 was a banner year for Lansdowne despite RedBlacks’ late-game setback in Grey Cup. > PAGE 4
Group thinking Business networking association TEC making its presence felt in Ottawa market, CEO says.
Sihem Benali, whose company Biosecrets sells vitamin-rich argan oil, says appearing on Dragons’ Den was a great way to promote her firm. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON
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Deals often don’t pan out, yet owners say being in the Den taught them valuable lessons about their firms and themselves > PAGES 12-13
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Ferguslea Senators Soirée one of the top social events of the year Ring in the New Year again with the Ottawa Senators on January 5
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2015
t’s become known as one of the hottest tickets in town. For many, the annual Ferguslea Senators Soirée presented by Bell is not just an exciting night out, it’s also one of the most luxurious social events in Ottawa. Held at the Hilton Lac Leamy Hotel and Conference Centre, it’s a special night to enjoy exceptional entertainment, exquisite food and best of all, a chance to meet and mingle with the entire Ottawa Senators hockey team – one of only two such opportunities all year.
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“In addition to having the chance to dust off your black tie garb and grab a selfie with your favourite player, it’s also an excellent networking opportunity as so many of Ottawa’s key decision makers are always in attendance.” ~ Danielle Robinson, CEO of the Ottawa Senators Foundation aromatic hand-rolled cigars, irresistible cocktails and famous leaders.
vibrant spirit, capitalizing on Cuba’s longstanding reputation as a small island nation with a big heart. Their culture encompasses influences from Spain, Africa, France, Asia and many other countries; the influence of all these settlers has left an indelible mark on Cuba’s cuisine, art, architecture, literature, dance, sport and music.”
“Ferguslea Properties Limited is honoured to support the great Cited by Mayor Jim Watson as community work of the Ottawa one of the best-organized events Senators Foundation by sponsoring in the city, the Senators Soirée this gala,” says Dan Greenberg, presents an innovative new theme the company’s president. “My wife, every year, much to the delight Barbara, and I personally feel it’s Because the event perennially sells of all in attendance, including the highlight event of the year and Senators alumni, the club’s senior one which we are, as always, eagerly out, Robinson encourages everyone to purchase tickets soon to avoid management and other local anticipating.” disappointment. “In addition to celebrities and dignitaries. For the having the chance to dust off your 2016 edition, fast approaching Cuba’s popularity as a travel black tie garb and grab a selfie with on January 5, guests will be destination for Canadians makes it an ideal theme for this year’s your favourite player, it’s also an transported to an exotic Cuban excellent networking opportunity event, explains Danielle Robinson, Cabaret, offering a chance to savour as so many of Ottawa’s key decision president and CEO of the Ottawa all the delights of this unique island makers are always in attendance. Senators Foundation. “Cuba is well republic, considered the crossroads You can treat yourself to a night known for its natural beauty as of the Caribbean. The Soirée will on the town like no other, and well as its warm people and rich evoke Cuba’s gorgeous Spanish feel good knowing that you are history,” she says. “The gala will colonial architecture, vintage cars, contributing to our foundation’s offer a generous helping of that irresistible music, tropical beaches,
efforts to help kids across the region.” Best of all, she adds, it’s a really fun night filled with fabulous food and terrific live entertainment. “To say a good time is had by all is certainly an understatement,” says Robinson. “Guests really appreciate the chance to meet and mingle with the hockey players during the cocktail reception, as well as interact with some of the Sens who serve as celebrity dealers at the just-for-fun blackjack tables,” notes Robinson. “It’s always exciting when we move into the ballroom and each player is announced as they make their grand entrance onto the main stage prior to joining one of their table guests for dinner.” Last year’s sold-out event raised almost $350,000. Funds raised at this year’s Senators Soirée will help
the Ottawa Senators Foundation continue its work focused on keeping kids physically active, mentally well and engaged in healthy activities and programs. “One of the prime missions of the Foundation is to invest in the future of our region’s youth, through educational initiatives and support programs at local healthcare organizations,” says Robinson. “Among our many initiatives are our Sens RINKS, of which there are now seven, located in Gatineau, Ottawa and Smiths Falls. We are also very proud of our partnerships with and the support we are able to offer to other valued organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa, Do It For Daron (D.I.F.D.), Roger’s House, CHEO and many others. To date, the Ottawa Senators Foundation has contributed more than $100 million to thousands of initiatives and charities throughout the National Capital Region and we look forward to continuing to make an impact on the lives of local youth for many years to come.”.” To purchase tickets for the Ferguslea Senators Soirée, please visit www.sensfoundation.com or call 613.599.0208.
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From ‘field to table’ with the LMR team New partners celebrate with Ottawa Food Bank fundraiser
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ct. 9, 2013 was a special day for Ottawa law firm Low Murchison Radnoff LLP. To mark its 75th anniversary, the team decided to give back to the community that has supported it through the years.
“We don’t just work in this community, we are a part of it and help to support it.”
A FUN TWIST ON LMR’S PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT THAT TAKES LIBERTIES WITH THE CLASSIC GRANT WOOD PAINTING, AMERICAN GOTHIC. LAWYERS ALAINA SPEC AND JEAN-FRANÇOIS LABERGE HAVE BEEN NAMED PARTNERS OF THE FIRM BECAUSE THEY ARE “OUTSTANDING IN THEIR FIELD.”
Outstanding in their field Low Murchison Radnoff LLP is pleased to welcome Alaina Spec and Jean-François Laberge as partners in the firm
Alaina Spec
Jean-François Laberge
BUSINESS LAW AND ESTATES aspec@lmrlawyers.com
CIVIL LITIGATION AND PERSONAL INJURY jlaberge@lmrlawyers.com
613 696 1312
613 696 1313
1565 Carling Avenue, 4th Floor, Carling Executive Park, Ottawa, Ontario K1Z 8R1 Phone: (613) 236- 9442 Toll Free: (888) 909-9442
lmrlawyers.com
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They even got Mayor Jim Watson involved. He declared it “Random Acts of Kindness Day” in Ottawa. The whole LMR team hit the streets, to do 75 good deeds in one day for a host of local causes and charities, including the Ottawa Mission, the Youville Centre, the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa and the Ottawa Food Bank. “It’s always been a part of our firm’s culture and a trait we look for in anyone who joins our team,” said firm partner, Douglas Smyth. “We don’t just work in this community, we are a part of it and help to support it.” So it should come as no surprise that two of the law firm’s associates who have this year achieved partner status embody LMR’s core values of giving back to the Ottawa community. Instead of just celebrating themselves, they chose to mark their achievement in the LMR fashion by doing some good for the community.
Inset is the fun twist on LMR’s partnership announcement that takes liberties with the classic Grant Wood painting, American Gothic. Lawyers Alaina Spec and Jean-François Laberge have been named partners of the firm because they are “outstanding in their field.” Call it a “field to table” theme: they’ve decided to celebrate by using social media to raise funds for the Ottawa Food Bank ahead of the holiday season, when so many families find themselves in need. LMR is donating a dollar to the Food Bank for every Like the partnership announcement gets on Facebook up to $1,000.00, between October 15 and December 14, 2015. Alaina and Jean-François will then deliver a cheque to the Food Bank. “This is just one small example of how a minor change in a usual practice can be used to help support the community,” Smyth added. “Meanwhile, don’t hesitate to make your own donation to your charity of choice this holiday season. Happy Holidays from all of us at LMR.” To donate to the Ottawa Food Bank, please visit www. ottawafoodbank.ca/donate. Find the LMR Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LMRLawyers
SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Grey Cup loss doesn’t spoil ‘great year,’ OSEG boss says Group behind revamped Lansdowne Park says city has ‘lots to look forward to’ despite lower profit projections BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca
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he RedBlacks’ magical Grey Cup run ultimately came up a touchdown short, but not even Edmonton’s lategame comeback could wipe the smile off Bernie Ashe’s face last week. “We’re all feeling pretty good right now,” the chief executive of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, the consortium that owns the city’s Canadian Football League team, said in an interview with OBJ a few days after Ottawa’s heartbreaking championship loss in Winnipeg. “It was a downer after the game, but I tell you, it’s all sinking in now. It was a really great run and just a great year. We’ve got lots to look forward to.” The OSEG partners didn’t have much time to sit back and reflect on the RedBlacks’ miraculous turnaround from expansion team doormats to title contenders, however. On Dec. 1, chairman Roger Greenberg was at Ottawa City Hall, where the first annual report of the Lansdowne Limited Partnership, a 30-year agreement between OSEG and the city, was presented to the finance and economic development committee. The report made waves for revealing that the city no longer expects to turn a profit on the Lansdowne Park project,
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Crews work to build condos at Lansdowne Park earlier this year. FILE PHOTO
thanks mainly to higher-than-expected repair costs at TD Place arena. OSEG is also forecasting a lower net return. The group says it now expects a net profit of only $4.9 million over the life of the partnership, down from its original projection of $13.4 million. The organization says it posted a net loss of $10.9 million in 2014, the first year the RedBlacks and North American Soccer League’s Fury FC took the field at TD Place stadium. OSEG says it expects to generate $109.7 million more in net revenues over the next three decades than it originally projected in 2102, thanks to higher lease rates for its retail properties, higher CFL broadcast revenues and more money from naming rights and ticket fees. However, the organization has had to fork over $53.6 million more than expected for capital expenses, including an additional $23.6 million needed to repair rust and other problems at TD Place arena and $20 million in unforeseen retail
construction costs. Overall, OSEG expects to earn $115.4 million and invest $110.5 million over the 30 years of the agreement, compared with its original 2012 estimates of $69.7 million in earnings and $56.3 million in investments. The city, meanwhile, says its original profit projection of $22.6 million will be wiped out by the unexpected repair costs at the arena. Mr. Ashe said while the news that the city wouldn’t be seeing any profit from the arrangement grabbed all the headlines, it obscured the fact Ottawa taxpayers are gaining a “valuable asset” at the completely revamped Lansdowne Park. He noted that OSEG is pumping a minimum of $1.5 million a year into a capital reserve fund to ensure Lansdowne’s buildings are maintained to a high standard. “Based on the response from (the committee), we think they got that picture,” he said. “They understand where we’re coming from.” Also on Dec. 1, the two sides settled their
dispute over the arena repairs, endorsing a tentative proposal that will see OSEG take out a loan to cover the costs. The city will guarantee the loan, allowing OSEG to get a more favourable interest rate. Mr. Ashe said a long, drawn-out battle over who foots the $23.6-million bill would not have benefited anyone. “It was really a collaboration and two partners agreed on a pretty clever settlement,” he said of the deal, which must be approved by city council. “Under all scenarios, this is better for the taxpayers.” OSEG says it has created 286 full-time jobs – higher than its original estimate of 220 – and 1,599 part-time positions at Lansdowne. Retailers, meanwhile, have created 367 full-time and 680 part-time jobs. According to the report, Lansdowne’s 350,000-square-foot retail component is now 91 per cent leased. Fifty-three per cent of those stores, services and restaurants are deemed to be new or unique in the market, a higher share than the 40 per cent called for in the original retail strategy. As for Lansdowne’s residential component, OSEG also says all 78 units at the site’s signature condo development, Vibe, have been sold, while 12 of the 155 units at the nearby Rideau condo are still available. All 47 units at Holmwood Towns have been purchased. Minto Properties, which manages the five-storey, 100,000-square-foot office building at the site, says it expects the facility to be fully leased within the next year. The Canadian Internet Registration Authority is currently the main tenant. Mr. Ashe said another bar, the Craft Beer Market, will join the list of retail tenants in early 2016. OSEG’s main goals, he said, are attracting more non-sporting events to Lansdowne and ensuring the public knows the park is open for business 365 days a year. “Making the site an interesting and dynamic destination on non-event days is a big priority for us right now,” he said. “It’s one thing in the summer when the patios are open and the sun’s shining, but we’re coming into winter and we’ve got to still make it an attraction for people.”
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Greg Evans (left) and Craig Fitzpatrick of PageCloud, which officially debuted Nov. 30. FILE PHOTO
City’s software community abuzz over PageCloud launch Made-in-Ottawa web design product that aims to ‘fix the Internet’ books more than $1.5M in sales in advance of Nov. 30 market debut BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2015
05 OTTAWA’S BUSINESS DELEGATES MEET WITH CHINESE ENTREPRENEURS AT ZDG. PHOTO VIA METRO OTTAWA
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who’s-who of Ottawa tech heavyweights broke out the bubbly at PageCloud’s ByWard Market headquarters on Nov. 30 to celebrate the city’s most-anticipated software launch in years. The fledgling firm clearly had good reason to party on the day its product designed to “fix the Internet” went live. Formed less than 18 months ago, PageCloud had booked more than $1.5 million in advance orders before officially hitting the market. According to CEO Craig Fitzpatrick, that constituted the largest pre-sale tally in the history of Canadian software development. “I’ve never seen a product strike a chord like this with the general public,” the company’s 42-year-old founder told an audience that included a bevy of past OBJ Forty Under 40 recipients and other movers and shakers in Ottawa’s tight-knit software community. The previous weekend alone, 1,700 new customers signed up to buy
PageCloud’s drag-and-drop web design and editing software, accounting for $212,000 in sales in just two days for the company that has pledged to beat heavy hitters such as WordPress, Squarespace and Wix.com at their own game. “What I’ve come to realize is that we as entrepreneurs, especially in Canada, give the big guys too much fear,” said Mr. Fitzpatrick, a 20-year veteran of the technology industry who initially started designing PageCloud on evenings and weekends out of frustration with traditional web design software he considered to be clunky and inefficient. Now a 15-person operation, PageCloud has rented a swath of space next to its small third-floor office on Rideau Street in anticipation of boosting its headcount to 50 within a year. The company has already landed more than $6 million in seed funding, attracting local investors such as Shopify’s Tobias Lütke and fellow software entrepreneurs Sam Zaid and Fred Belanger as well as U.S. earlystage investment firms Accomplice and Singularity. Continues on page 21
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t was our largest trade mission to date. Over a week, there was a whirlwind of activity for our Mayor, Jim Watson, Invest Ottawa and 15 local businesses. From the start, five major agreements were signed with Beijing’s Mayor, Wang Anshun. Two of these will have positive impacts on the Ottawa business ecosystem. A new partnership was penned with the Zhongguancun Development Group (ZDG) and its incubator in California. The Chinese incubator is already operating from the Invest Ottawa offices. This unique partnership will allow our incubation companies to fast-track technologies and stay competitive. It will also broaden the scope of opportunities for Ottawa companies by bringing ZDG’s California operation into our existing partnership. A relationship was also forged with Zhongguancun Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (ZVCA), a non-profit membership organization dedicated to promoting the private equity and venture capital industry in China, with a focus on accelerating domestic and international deal activities.
Our delegation also met with over 100 Chinese investors and entrepreneurs. The goal was to promote Ottawa as an innovation and technology hub. Chinese investors had specific interests in the wireless, communications and medical devices sectors. In the last two years, Invest Ottawa has organized ten outgoing missions to China and received about 30 incoming delegations. To date, around 120 local high-tech companies have benefited from bilateral trade, investment, and partnership activities.
NETWORKING
“I don’t think there was a meeting in my eight years as a chair where I didn’t learn something. We always learn something from the speakers, but the true value comes when there is no speaker in the room and it’s just the members.” — KEN MacLEOD, CEO OF TEC CANADA
Strength in numbers Business association TEC continues to grow its presence in Ottawa BY LEO VALIQUETTE Special to OBJ
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Ken MacLeod, CEO of TEC Canada, says members give the group high marks. PHOTO SUPPLIED
or busy executives and business owners, time is, of course, money. They can’t afford to commit themselves to an activity meant to further their professional goals unless it’s going to generate results. That’s not a problem for TEC Canada. “In a survey last year, 80 per cent of our members said their association with TEC has increased their profitability,” said CEO Ken MacLeod. “That number jumped to 90 per cent when you look at members who have been with TEC for 10 years or more.” After eight years with TEC as chair of one of the association’s local chapters in British Columbia, Mr. MacLeod took over as president and chief executive of the
national organization in April. He was in town recently to meet with the local chairs of Ottawa’s TEC groups and took some time to chat with OBJ. TEC is part of an international network of peer advisory groups. Under the association’s guidance, executives and business owners can form local chapters in which they come together on a monthly basis to discuss whatever personal and professional challenges are affecting their businesses. It’s a frank, informal and confidential environment where members are encouraged to open up and seek the counsel of their peers. Each meeting will feature a guest speaker, but the core part of the agenda is the roundtable discussions among the group’s members. “I don’t think there was a meeting in my eight years as a chair where I didn’t learn something,” Mr. MacLeod said. “We always learn something from the speakers, but the true value comes when there is no speaker in the room and it’s just the members.” Members of a group rely on each other for the kind of insight, advice and support
CONGRATULATIONS!
CORY VILLENEUVE
PARTNER AT PALLADIUM INSURANCE Representing Team Canada in the BMW Motorrad Competition Thailand – 2016
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2015
Two more reasons to work with LMR
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Low Murchison Radnoff LLP is pleased to welcome Alaina Spec and Jean-François Laberge as partners in the firm
Alaina Spec
Jean-François Laberge
BUSINESS LAW AND ESTATES
CIVIL LITIGATION AND PERSONAL INJURY
aspec@lmrlawyers.com
jlaberge@lmrlawyers.com
613 696 1312
613 696 1313
1565 Carling Avenue, 4th Floor, Carling Executive Park, Ottawa, Ontario K1Z 8R1 Phone: (613) 236- 9442 Toll Free: (888) 909-9442 lmrlawyers.com
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for which they might otherwise pay large sums with third-party consultants. In many cases, deep and lasting friendships arise through TEC. Not just anyone can become a chair or join a group. In fact, when a group comes together, it’s a process of selective matchmaking, to ensure each individual member can contribute value to his or her peers. A group is free to make its own collective decision on admitting new members. Members also can’t be in competition with each other in the marketplace. The rule of thumb is “never accept anyone into a group that you wouldn’t want to work with,” Mr. MacLeod said. He has even been in the situation where his group decided one member had to go, because the growth and success of his business had changed him in some negative ways and his values no longer aligned with everyone else’s. TEC has a rich base in Ottawa. The number of groups recently expanded to six under local chairs Tim Redpath, president and founder of marketing consulting firm Train of Thoughts, and Carlos Fox, CEO of executive coaching firm Carlos Fox Leadership. “We have two of the best chairs in Canada in Ottawa by far,” Mr. MacLeod said. “I’m really impressed with them. Passion is key. Being a TEC chair is not a job; they have to really want to invest in their members.” Ottawa’s TEC groups boast some of the city’s leading executives, including former Halogen CEO Paul Loucks and You.i TV’s Jason Flick. TEC has 89 groups across Canada, totalling 1,100 members. They represent $56 billion in economic activity and 130,000 employees. “It’s a tremendous impact on the Canadian economy and on citizenship,” Mr. MacLeod said. TEC groups are divided among four programs. TEC Chief Executive is for presidents and CEOs of companies with more than $5 million in sales. TEC Small Business often engages a younger entrepreneurial crowd from firms with sales under $5 million. TEC Key Executive is for C-suite executives below the president and CEO level. TEC Sage is for accomplished senior business leaders. A new program, TEC Inside, which focuses on creating TEC groups from among the senior teams within a single organization, also launched recently.
STAY BIG OR STAY HOME!
COMMENTARY Great River Media 250 City Centre Ave., Suite 500 Ottawa, Ontario, K1R 6K7 obj.ca
In the current highly competitive market, many credit card issuers offer attractive inducements to get new customers. These may include air travel that can be worth several hundred dollars
TELEPHONE Phone: 613-238-1818 Sales Fax: 613-248-4564 News Fax: No faxes, email editor@obj.ca PUBLISHER Michael Curran, 238-1818 ext. 228 publisher@obj.ca CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Terry Tyo, 238-1818 ext. 268 terry@greatriver.ca EDITOR, PRINT CONTENT David Sali, 238-1818 ext. 269 david@greatriver.ca EDITOR, ONLINE CONTENT Tom Pechloff, 238-1818 ext. 291 editor@obj.ca COPY EDITOR Krystle Kung ADVERTISING SALES General Inquiries, 238-1818 ext. 286 sales@obj.ca Wendy Baily, 238-1818 ext. 244 wbaily@obj.ca Carlo Lombard, 238-1818 ext. 230 carlo@obj.ca Alison Stewart, 238-1818 ext. 226 alison@obj.ca
Many happy returns Taking the time to do a little research into credit card rewards can result in significant payoffs down the road, Michael Prentice says
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2015
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redit card issuers are waging a fierce war for our business, and consumers should be cashing in. But how? I have a suggestion: take the time and trouble to determine which credit card offers the best deal for you personally and cancel all other credit cards you may have. Today it’s possible to find a credit card that offers a guaranteed return of two per cent of the cost of all purchases made on the card. That might not sound like much. But it means that you’ll get back $200 of every $10,000 in purchases made with the card. That guaranteed return may well be more than you would get on a card that dangles the bait of “free” flights, “free” travel or “free” almost everything. Until I did some research recently, I paid annual fees for several credit cards, including one that offers Aeroplan points and another that offers Air Miles. Those are two leading loyalty programs designed to steer consumers to buy from retailers that offer these points as a reward. Silly me. Do the math. I doubled my annual fees (which were $120 for each of the two rewards cards). But I gained no more benefit than I would by putting all my spending on a single card. Twice $120 is $240. And that is a big chunk out of $400 that I would earn annually if I spent $10,000 on each of those
cards and if each card offered a two per cent return on my spending. It is extremely difficult to measure the rate of return on credit cards that offer Aeroplan points, Air Miles or other travel rewards. For one thing, these rewards typically do not cover a multitude of taxes, fees and surcharges that airlines add to the ticket price. The value of such rewards also varies greatly depending on when you book a flight and how close the flight is to being fully booked. The only reliable way to know the value of your “reward” is to check how much it would cost (before taxes and surcharges) to buy a ticket for that flight on the dates you plan to travel. I made a few checks for upcoming flights from Ottawa to New York City and Miami and found wide variations in the value of these rewards. The biggest drawback with rewards programs such as Aeroplan is that they might offer only a limited selection of flights and they also might require more transfers from one plane to another. Twice in the past year this happened to me when travelling with Aeroplan points on Air Canada. My booking from Vancouver to Ottawa included waiting for several hours overnight in Toronto for a connecting flight to Ottawa. When I flew from Ottawa to California with Aeroplan
points on Air Canada this fall, I had to change planes twice, in New York City and Chicago. (I was OK with Chicago. But New York City as well?) Another reason I would prefer to earn a cash reward on my credit card is that it puts me in control. I can do the research myself on the cheapest and most convenient way to travel. When you think about it, Aeroplan and Air Miles act as intermediaries between the passenger and the airline. In theory, there ought to be savings if the customer deals directly with the airline. And certainly there ought to be savings if the customer looks hard for the lowest fare. In the current highly competitive market, many credit card issuers offer attractive inducements to get new customers. These may include air travel that can be worth several hundred dollars. I have no problem with paying an annual fee for my credit card, provided I get good value for money. My new card, the Capital One Aspire Travel MasterCard, offers a good amount of out-of-province and out-ofcountry medical insurance for my wife and me. I believe that alone is worth the annual fee of $120, since we frequently travel within Canada and abroad. So the two per cent cash back on every dollar we spend on the card is a bonus. It’s worth $200 – cash – for every $10,000 spent on the card, provided we pay off the balance each month, which we invariably do. Michael Prentice is OBJ’s columnist on retail and consumer issues. He can be contacted at news@obj.ca.
SPECIAL PROJECTS Nikki DesLauriers, 238-1818 ext. 240 nikki@obj.ca MARKETING & SALES CO-ORDINATOR Cristha Sinden, 238-1818 ext. 222 cristha@greatriver.ca CREATIVE DIRECTOR Tanya Connolly-Holmes, 238-1818 ext. 253 creative@obj.ca ART DEPARTMENT Regan VanDusen, 238-1818 ext. 254 regan@greatriver.ca Celine Paquette, 238-1818 ext. 252 celine@greatriver.ca FINANCE Jackie Whalen, 238-1818 ext. 250 jackie@greatriver.ca SUBSCRIPTIONS/DISTRIBUTION Patti Moran, 238-1818 ext. 248 subscribe@obj.ca PRINTED BY Transcontinental Qualimax 130 Adrien-Robert, Parc Industriel Richelieu Gatineau, QC J8Y 3S2 NEWS RELEASES News releases for the Ottawa Business Journal’s print or Internet news teams can be e-mailed to editor@obj.ca. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR We welcome opinions about any material published in the Ottawa Business Journal or issues of interest to local businesspeople. Only letters with the writer’s full name, address and telephone number will be considered for publication. Addresses and phone numbers will not be published, but they might be used to verify authenticity. Letters can be e-mailed to editor@obj.ca.
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READER COMMENTS Employment fee could be giant step toward tax fairness Re: “City ‘way overcharging’ for building permits: councillors” (obj.ca, Nov. 24): I do not accept the thesis that the city is “way overcharging” for building permits, since the fees seem quite reasonable under the circumstances. Where Ottawa does have a serious municipal tax fairness problem, I believe, is the long-standing failure of the city’s mayors and councillors to deal with the problem of people who commute to Ottawa to work and use municipal infrastructure but who do not pay property taxes to the City of Ottawa. These people are adding to the costs of providing infrastructure without paying a fair share to support its building and servicing, which is funded in whole or in part by property taxes. In an article published about eight years ago, I proposed that an Employment Requisite Fee be considered as a means to address the municipal tax fairness problem. The ERF concept and its variations have gotten traction elsewhere but, to my knowledge, not in Ottawa. However, it may be timely to revisit the ERF concept, since it appears that
at least a few councillors are aware of a harsh financial reality. That is, the federal and provincial governments are severely constrained financially, so if council does not wish to cut programs and service levels and does not wish to increase the property tax burden above current levels, then it needs to find an alternative revenue stream when it comes to infrastructure financing. The case for applying an ERF in the interests of municipal tax fairness may be summarized as follows. I use light rail/ transit as the infrastructure component of interest for illustrative purposes. In brief, there are thousands of people who already commute to work in Ottawa, and it is highly likely that a regional light rail/transit plan that extends to Ottawa’s outer reaches would increase that number. This situation bears directly on the city’s ability to cover the capital and operating expenses needed to build the system and keep it running. The following comments might assist the mayor and councillors to better connect and reconcile Ottawa’s light rail/transit and financial challenges.
In general, people who live and pay property taxes elsewhere do not pay property taxes to the City of Ottawa. Consequently, Ottawa taxpayers are burdened with the capital and operating costs of all the types of infrastructure (light rail/transit, as well as roads, sidewalks, traffic lights, water and sewer, garbage disposal, police, fire, utilities, etc., and their servicing), even though that same infrastructure is also used on a daily basis throughout much of the year by work commuters who pay no municipal taxes to the City of Ottawa to build and maintain those types of infrastructure. The City of Ottawa is struggling to maintain current infrastructure facilities and services, much less add to them, the senior levels of government are in no position to provide more than token financial assistance and there is a limit to drawing down reserves. What to do, which is effective, efficient, easy to implement and totally fair? I propose that one way to bring the City of Ottawa’s financial shortfall down a point or two, and perhaps address sprawl and other municipal issues at the same time, lies in applying a charge to those who work here and partake of infrastructure facilities and services but do not pay City of Ottawa property taxes. Adopting this initiative will
not totally balance the books or fully sort out light rail/transit thinking, but it is a step in the right direction. In terms of how to proceed, Google searches using terms such as levy, head tax, commuter tax and commuter fee yield thousands of references that are pertinent to this topic. As for operationalizing the procedure, the fee would be collected by employers for all employees who earn more than, let’s say, $4,000 per month, and do not pay property taxes to the City of Ottawa. A flat rate or a variable fee rate would be set by council, and employers would remit the collected fees on a monthly basis. The work commuter issue was one of my research assignments in the early 1970s while I was at the University of Kansas and consulted for the Kansas City planning department. Then and in my subsequent experience, such a fee has been found a fair, reasonable, highly appropriate and easily implemented municipal finance instrument. I suggest that the City of Ottawa adopt the ERF idea as a municipal tax fairness initiative at the earliest moment. Barry Wellar Professor Emeritus University of Ottawa
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Giving employers, students alike a competitive edge Carleton University’s co-op program connects great talent with opportunity
(FROM LEFT) JOSIE ARRUEJO, A CARLETON CO-OP STUDENT WORKING AT ORBIS RISK CONSULTING AS AN OFFICE ASSISTANT, WITH COLLEAGUES JOHN LEES, PARTNER AT ORBIS, AND KRISTIN MACRAE, MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT AND FORMER CARLETON CO-OP STUDENT. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON
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aybe your team needs costeffective help for special projects and peak work periods. Or you want to develop a recruitment strategy to build and develop future talent for your business. You’ve heard that other businesses, perhaps even your competitors, are hiring co-op students, but you’re unsure whether a student can make a meaningful contribution. A student can, if you partner with a university and a co-op program that ensures the optimal fit with the opportunity you have and the culture of your business. Orbis Risk Consulting is a company that appreciates the value co-op students add to its business. This boutique firm includes a core group of senior consultants and a roster of renowned subject matter experts. They deliver a range of audit, internal control, risk management and business performance improvement services for private and public sector organizations. Since 2012, Orbis has worked with Carleton University’s co-operative education program to hire Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts and Bachelor
of Commerce students, usually in the role of junior consultant. The firm has had success with students from diverse disciplines like public administration, international affairs, sociology and information systems. Regardless of their focus, these students all have the same things in common. STUDENTS WHO CAN HIT THE GROUND RUNNING “You must have the right student who can jump in and hit the ground running,” said John Lees, Founding Partner of Orbis. “A lot of that is personality and confidence. For the most part, these students come in wanting to make a difference, wanting to learn. This is crucial, because it’s a big investment on the part of our staff and partners to include them in senior-level meetings and all activities.” Lees and fellow Partner Darren Budd first saw co-op students as an excellent pool of talent to draw on during their busiest time of the year. A number of successes led the team to regularly take on more students. One co-op student was recently assigned as project coordinator of
a program review for an Aboriginal community. The chief put her on the spot by asking what she thought she could contribute. “She resiliently came back with great perspectives on new technologies and new ideas the community could lever to its benefit,” Lees said. “She forged great relationships with the community’s leaders and her contributions ended up influencing our final report’s recommendations.” THE CONFIDENCE TO TAKE ACTION AND SPEAK UP The trick is to ensure students are helped and supported through their integration to build their confidence. “Each student is assigned a buddy to help him or her get oriented, and develop a closer relationship with the team,” Budd said. “We find having that kind of relationship encourages co-op students to speak more frankly and ask for help without feeling anxiety about it. We want them to understand that mistakes are expected, it’s part of the process, and that we’ll work them out as a team.” Lees and Budd enjoy working with Carleton because it supports
an interview and screening process that’s comparable to any topnotch hiring strategy in the private sector. Students are given the freedom to write their own pitch letters. This gives the Orbis team a strong indicator of a student’s communication skills and the sincerity of their interest in the position. GIVING EMPLOYERS, STUDENTS ALIKE A COMPETITIVE EDGE In a competitive job market, the Orbis partners agree that having a positive co-op experience on a resume is a huge selling point for recent grads ready to start their careers, and it helps talent-hungry employers, too. “The consulting industry is a hard one to break into,” Budd said. “Grads who have already accumulated experience through a co-op placement are of great value to a business like ours. And taking part in the co-op program also offer great exposure for our business, as the Orbis name becomes known to potential new talent.” To learn more about Carleton’s Co-op program, please visit cuhire. carleton.ca
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP “From the moment your pitch airs, it’s 100 per cent bonus for you. When you think of a business, what’s the most expensive part? It’s marketing. Going on the show, it’s seven minutes of prime-time, free advertisement.” — SIHEM BENALI, FOUNDER OF BIOSECRETS
Sihem Benali, who came to Canada from Algeria with just $100 in her pocket, eventually won a spot on CBC’s Dragons’ Den. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON
Here be dragons Many would-be business mavens view Dragons’ Den as a ticket to Shopify-like success, but local entrepreneurs who’ve had their shot on the CBC hit say it’s important to keep expectations in check – and above all, savour the experience MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2015
BY ADAM FEIBEL
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teve Morrier kept his expectations low when he applied to pitch Split Tree Cocktail on the 10th season of CBC’s popular entrepreneurship series Dragons’ Den. The company, which makes artisanal tonics, cordials and syrups for mixed drinks, had only been around for three or four months at the time. Mr. Morrier figured he wouldn’t make it past the initial Ottawa audition. He had no prior business experience, having worked in the high-tech sector for 13 years before being laid off and
becoming a salesperson for two Ottawa breweries. It was the first time he had pitched his company, or any company, to an investor. “I really just wanted to practise pitching,” he says. A couple of weeks later, Mr. Morrier was asked to pitch his company once again in Toronto – this time, for the real deal. It’s a test that has made many an entrepreneur sweat. Several business owners interviewed by OBJ for this story used the same word to describe their appearance on Dragons’ Den: “intimidating.” Maybe it was Mr. Morrier’s sense of optimism and even a slight air of
nonchalance that gave him an edge. “I was not terribly nervous about it,” he says. “If I totally blew it, I’d be no worse off than when I started.” Understandably, Mr. Morrier was visibly flabbergasted when he became the subject of a bidding war between dragons Jim Treliving, Manjit Minhas and Michael Wekerle. After some consideration, Mr. Morrier went with Ms. Minhas, whom he had pegged from the get-go because of her experience and reach with her company, Minhas Breweries & Distillery. Following the due diligence period, the final agreement looked almost nothing like the one on TV. The cash-for-equity deal
turned into a cash-for-royalty arrangement, which he happily signed. “It’s pretty sweet because I’ll never have an order or a contract that I have to turn down because I don’t have the cash flow to fulfil it,” he says. For many others, the road from Dragons’ Den leads nowhere, at least in terms of investment. When the cameras stop rolling, the often months-long due diligence period often reveals cracks in companies’ business models or changed minds on either side of the deal. As reported by The Telegraph in the United Kingdom, fewer than half of the 143 successful pitches in 11 seasons of the BBC’s version of Dragons’ Den actually received any money, according to a study by Tiger Mobiles. Similar statistics aren’t readily available for the Canadian broadcaster’s adaptation, but plenty of the show’s winners from across the country have told their own stories of deals that didn’t work out in the end. (There are, of course, visible success stories, such as Balzac’s Coffee Roasters and Pür sugar-free gum.) In April, Wipebook struck a deal with Arlene Dickinson on the show’s ninth season. Ms. Dickinson, who left Dragons’ Den after that season, liked the Ottawa company’s portable, reusable notebook idea enough to invest $300,000 in exchange for a 25 per cent stake in what was then a twomonth-old firm. Wipebook had a $400,000 crowdfunding campaign under its belt, but the young company’s fatal flaw was that the three founders hadn’t figured out their shareholder structure. It was then that current owners Toby Maurice and Frank Bouchard had a falling-out with the third team member. “That was really the worst time for it to happen, because we had a deal on the line,” says Mr. Maurice. With the matter unable to be resolved in time, the deal fell through. But they say Ms. Dickinson remained open to collaborating with the company later on. “Regardless of whether the deal solidified or not, she was really good at giving out general, big-scope advice on what we should be focusing on,” says Mr. Bouchard. For example, Ms. Dickinson told them to start convincing major chains to carry their product instead of only small retailers. This summer, both Staples and Walmart signed on, just in time for back-to-school season. Also on the show’s ninth season, another Ottawa entrepreneur won the dragons’ hearts with her moving story of coming to Canada with just $100 to escape civil war in Algeria and starting a business that makes and sells Moroccan argan oil, a vitamin-rich skin and hair treatment. Sihem Benali won a $30,000 investment
Want to hear more from Wipebook’s Frank Bouchard? Join us live on Periscope @obj_news on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at noon
for 20 per cent of her company, Biosecrets, from three investors – Mr. Treliving, Mr. Wekerle and Vikram Vij – but in the months that followed, the resulting contract contained some policies and restrictions that she says were a deal-breaker. “I was a little disappointed … however, I had to make the best decision for my business, so I had to say, ‘Thank you, it’s been an amazing ride, but unfortunately with — STEVE MORRIER, FOUNDER OF SPLIT TREE COCKTAIL these conditions I’m not able to go through with it,’” says Ms. Benali. Still, even those who are unsuccessful on the show, or whose deals fall through, quite often reap tangential rewards. Some have suggested that many entrepreneurs pitch on Dragons’ Den more for the exposure than for the money. Some have said their recognition skyrocketed after their appearances, to the point that increased sales meant they no longer needed an investor. “From the moment your pitch airs, it’s 100 per cent bonus for you. When you think of a business, what’s the most expensive part? It’s marketing,” says Ms. Benali. “Going on the show, it’s seven minutes of primetime, free advertisement.” In the show’s eighth season, Nana Osei, then a fresh Carleton University graduate who had just launched eyewear firm Bôhten, pitched his line of socially responsible eyeglasses made of reclaimed wood sourced Steve Morrier (left) and Wipebook founders Toby Maurice and Frank Bouchard say Dragons’ Den gave their firms extra exposure. PHOTOS SUPPLIED from his native Ghana. The dragons quickly pounced, questioning his high valuation and flimsy sales, and after a signature tonguelashing from former dragon Kevin O’Leary – “You are going to zero with this,” he barked – Mr. Osei walked away empty-handed. Since then, Bôhten has opened a factory in Toronto, its eyeglasses are now sold in FIVE TIPS FOR PITCHING ON RELAX: This is an amazing opportunity. At out which one will be the best match. If you have 35 stores in Canada, Ghana, the United DRAGONS’ DEN FROM STEVE the very least, you will learn something about several offers on the table, go with the one from Kingdom and the United States and Mr. Osei MORRIER OF SPLIT TREE yourself and your business. Just rehearse your the dragon who is an expert in your space. says the company is on track for $450,000 in COCKTAIL: pitch over and over until you can do it in your sales this year. sleep. You’ll be fine. CHART FUTURE GROWTH: The dragons are In hindsight – which, as always, is 20/20 KNOW YOUR NUMBERS: This should be a noinvestors, therefore they want to know how they – the investment opportunity wasn’t a gamebrainer by now, but if you don’t know what your FIVE TIPS FROM SIHEM BENALI will make money. Make sure you clearly explain changer, he adds. product or service costs, what you can sell it for, a OF BIOSECRETS: your growth strategy and how they can be part “Being able to build a sustainable general idea of the size of your market and whom of this success. business that will last with or without your target customer is, then stay at home. SHOW OFF YOUR PRODUCT: You have three investment is way more important.” minutes to grab the dragons’ attention; make THREE TIPS FROM TOBY In the show’s fourth season, Ottawa’s Andi DON’T OVERVALUE YOURSELF: If you are only sure that you clearly explain what your product MAURICE OF WIPEBOOK: Marcus landed a deal with Brett Wilson that willing to give up five per cent of your company or service is and what problem it solves. Make also fell through later on. But her company, but need $500,000, then you are probably your presentation interesting and fun, and do SIZE THEM UP: Research the dragons Mistura Beauty, grew by 1,100 per cent in the being completely unrealistic. Structure your not hesitate to make them try your product. beforehand and try to respectively align them year following the show, and its products can ask so that you can get what you really need: with your business model and product. For us, now be found in hundreds of stores across a business partner with experience. If you still EVALUATE RESPONSIBLY: Be realistic and Arlene (Dickinson) was pretty much the only Canada, including Rexall and Costco. need $500,000, consider offering a combination make sure you have the sales to back up your viable option; she was going to bring the most Likewise, Wipebook’s founders say their of equity and royalty or ask for a portion as a company value. Do your homework and make value to us in exchange for equity. e-commerce firm’s revenue tripled in the loan. Know what you need the money for. sure to ask for help from experts such as two or three weeks following their Dragons’ accountants and corporate lawyers. GO WITH THE FLOW: Realize that there is an Den appearance. The company has now BE SHORT AND SWEET: Don’t take forever to entertainment aspect to the show, so you have accrued more than $1.5 million in sales in explain yourself. Define the problem. Show the KNOW YOUR NUMBERS INSIDE OUT: You have to roll with the punches. a little more than a year, and in July won solution. Explain why you are the best person to to master every single metric of your company: ProductHunt Ottawa’s award for the Best provide this solution. previous yearly sales, actual sales, projected LISTEN TO YOUR PRODUCER: If you do get Product Launch of 2015. sales, cost of goods, gross margin, net profit, selected, you will be assigned a producer; he or Split Tree, meanwhile, saw a boost in sales HOLD TRUE TO YOUR VISION: Investors customer acquisition cost, conversion rate, she can be very helpful when it comes to ironing and consumer interest after its episode aired will always be looking for the best return on repeat order rate and so on. out your pitch. I would suggest that you listen to in October, but Mr. Morrier says appearing investment, so be prepared to stick to the that person; he or she will know what pitching on the show isn’t the “magic bullet” that principles that got you to this point. Don’t be STUDY YOUR AUDIENCE: Do research about strategies work and which ones don’t. many people seem to think it is. unnecessarily inflexible but know where you are the dragons – their personalities, expertise, the “It’s given me a lot of stability and willing to compromise and where you aren’t. businesses in which they’ve invested – to figure exposure,” he says, “but there’s still a lot of legwork to do.”
“It’s given me a lot of stability and exposure, but there’s still a lot of legwork to do.”
PERFECT PITCH
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BABY STEPS AND SNIPER ATTACKS The term ‘molecular oncology’ seems to go handin-hand with jetpacks and flying cars. It may sound futuristic, but it’s the leading edge of cancer treatment and it’s happening at The Ottawa Hospital. Dr. Bryan Lo, lead scientist and medical director for The Ottawa Hospital’s Molecular Oncology Diagnostics Laboratory, opened the doors to Ottawa’s first lab devoted to treating and studying the genetics of cancer in 2014. It was during his residency that Dr. Lo became interested in inherited cancers. A research fellowship at Yale eventually lead to a U.S firm called Genentech. Herceptin, a drug used to treat patients with metastatic breast cancer, was developed there. “That was one of the most significant targeted therapies,” describes Dr. Lo. “It benefitted untold numbers of breast cancer patients.” Targeted therapy is a growing part of modern cancer treatment. Imagine dropping a nuclear bomb on a city in order to take out one bad guy. The collateral damage would be immense. But what if you could employ a sniper to eliminate that same bad guy with pinpoint accuracy instead? Targeted therapy is the sniper — it is cancer treatment that precisely
identifies and attacks cancer cells, usually while doing little damage to normal cells. Although Dr. Lo saw the development and launch of a number of targeted therapies during his time in the U.S. he had a desire to return to an academic hospital environment in Canada. “I wanted to participate with medical oncologists, in translational research, but also in the practical business of bringing these targeted therapies to Canadian cancer patients,” says Dr. Lo. “There was amazing amount of research that was going on in Ottawa, special research that really doesn’t happen in very many places.” Dr. Lo describes molecular oncology as “the business of defining a cancer on molecular terms.” It’s about what works for an individual person on a molecular level. No two cancers are alike, and when technicians look at these cancers with the latest technologies, they can identify their complex molecular signatures.
MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY 24,000
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CANCER PATIENTS WERE TREATED AT THE OTTAWA HOSPITAL CANCER CENTRE LAST YEAR
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9,000 PEOPLE ARE DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER EVERY YEAR IN OUR REGION
40%
OF CANADIANS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP CANCER DURING THEIR LIFETIMES
DR. BRYAN LO, LEAD SCIENTIST AND MEDICAL DIRECTOR, MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY DIAGNOSTICS LABORATORY. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON “We don’t yet understand all of the details but it definitely tells us that perhaps the targeted therapies need to be matched to the cancer in a much more precise fashion,” says Dr. Lo. “The technologies have enabled us to really look at cancer in a new way. That has been a very significant advance.” In layman’s terms, it means better-calibrated sniper attacks as well as more personalized treatment. Cancer treatment is already personalized to a degree, but TOH wants to get much better at it, with individualized treatment based upon information found on a molecular level. Technicians look for a particular mutation in a certain cancer gene, and then use that information to assess whether the patient will benefit from targeted therapy. Personalized medicine results in a better response in the patient and a lower incidence of side effects: side effects that can cause pain, suffering, and can even lead to hospitalization. One of the first things the Molecular Oncology lab did when it opened for business was put a dent in wait times for diagnostic testing. “The first step was a baby step,” says Dr. Lo. “We repatriated a lot of tests that were being sent out to other laboratories and now we’re able to do these tests in Ottawa. We’re able to interpret these results in the context of the pathology – and the context of the clinical information – much better because we’re all right here.” Keeping tissue samples at TOH reduces wait times, paperwork and added costs, and improves efficiencies in the clinic. It also makes it easier for clinicians to re-examine samples for additional testing if needed. The Ottawa Hospital has raised $2 of the $3 million needed for an expanded Molecular Oncology Diagnostics Lab. These funds will go towards the building of the laboratory and “nextgeneration” equipment. A new facility builds capacity for innovation, attracts leaders in the field and ultimately creates a stronger health-care system for a community. It’s also a magnet for new tech as well. “We are small, but we are really not small, because the lab is part of the TOH community,” says Dr. Lo. This is the third of an ongoing series about The Ottawa Hospital. Look for the evolving archive on obj.ca.
THE OTTAWA HOSPITAL
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I WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW THIS LAB IS FOCUSED ON THE ULTIMATE GOAL, WHICH IS IMPROVING PATIENT CARE,” SAYS DR. BRYAN LO, LEAD SCIENTIST AND MEDICAL DIRECTOR FOR THE OTTAWA HOSPITAL’S MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY DIAGNOSTICS LABORATORY. — DR. BRYAN LO, LEAD SCIENTIST AND MEDICAL DIRECTOR, MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY DIAGNOSTICS LABORATORY
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EVENTS More than 600 people turned out at the Shaw Centre last month for the annual Best Ottawa Business Awards. Among the most notable winners were the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group’s Bernie Ashe (top row, far left), who was named CEO of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Shirley Westeinde (top row, centre) and Ross Video CEO David Ross (centre of photo directly at left), whose firm was one of five to earn Company of the Year honours. PHOTOS BY MARK HOLLERON
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2015
Disaster avoided L
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ast time in the OBJ, we offered the story of Bob “Bobbie” Smith. A smart and successful businessman; he thought he had everything covered. The business was running smoothly with great employees. His Wills were up to date. His financial retirement plan had just been completed. He would soon sell the business and retire comfortably at the family cottage. Then Bobbie died suddenly. Without a business succession plan in place, the value of the business quickly eroded, and the estate had to sell family assets. Had he completed a business succession plan using the Scrivens Step by Step approach, Bobbie’s family would not be facing the significant problems it is now. What is a Business Succession Plan? Firstly, it is not an estate plan. It is a plan for the transition of your business, in total or partially, whether over a period of time, or at a precise time. It is planning for an outright sale to a third party, or a sale to key employees, or a transition to family members. It is about being continuously ready and positioned to
make the best decision for the transition of your business. What are the Scrivens steps to a Business Succession Plan? 1 We hold initial discussions and meetings. 2 If you proceed, we agree on a fee. 3 The engagement letter is signed. 4 Key people are interviewed, documents are reviewed and the analysis is performed. 5 We submit a preliminary outline of the business succession plan. 6 We deliver the first draft of the business succession plan. 7 We discuss the plan thoroughly with yourself, your accountant and your lawyer. 8 The plan is adjusted and finalized. 9 We submit a detailed step-by-step action list for the implementation of the plan. 10 Finally, we assist you, your accountant and your lawyer with the implementation. The Cost: There is no cost or obligation for the initial discussions. If there is a fit
“It is about being continuously ready and positioned to make the best decision for the transition of your business.”
Shawn Ryan, CFP, TEP Partner, Senior Insurance & Estate Specialist
and you wish to proceed, the fee is agreed upon. On average, it is around $2,500. The Time: The average engagement takes three to six months. Throughout
the process we need approximately eight to 12 hours of your time in total, and we work with your advisers. The Outcome: A custom business succession plan for you and your business. We will help you get started. To learn more about this and other strategies, please feel free to contact Shawn Ryan, CFP, TEP, Senior Insurance & Estate Specialist at sryan@scrivens.ca or call 613-236-9101.
Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall is pleased to congratulate the 2015 BOB Award winners, especially our friends and clients who have received the following well deserved recognition:
• Best Business: Martello Technologies • Best Business: Ross Video • Best New Business: Dominion City Brewing Company • Best Performance: HR, Hydro Ottawa • Best Performance: Marketing, Shaw Centre • Best Performance: Sustainability, KRP Properties • Best Deal of the Year: Real Estate, KRP Properties • Best Deal of the Year: Technology, Gigataur • #NextBigThingOTT: PageCloud • #NextBigThingOTT: Punchtime • CEO of the Year: Bernie Ashe, OSEG
For over 40 years Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall, a full-service Ottawa law firm, has been providing trusted and strategic legal advice, helping successful businesses throughout their life cycles. Let us be a part of building your powerful, strategic edge.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2015
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REAL ESTATE “We want to remain entrepreneurial. We are able as an entrepreneurial company to make decisions quickly and effectively.” — PRIMECORP FOUNDING PARTNER SAM FIRESTONE ON WHY THE OTTAWA BROKERAGE HAS REMAINED INDEPENDENT
Primecorp founders (from left) Nick Pantieras, Sam Firestone, Aik Aliferis and Steve Lerner have built a successful partnership. PHOTO BY DAVID SALI
Powerhouse brokerage heading into its prime MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2015
Primecorp founders say latest partnership will help largest locally owned firm of its kind expand its reach even further to national, world markets
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hen four Ottawa real estate brokers got together for dinner nearly two decades ago, it didn’t take them long to realize they had the potential makings of a fruitful partnership. Aik Aliferis, Sam Firestone, Steve Lerner and Nick Pantieras had all decided they were ready to move on from the brokerages at which they were then employed. Over a fine Greek meal in Mr. Aliferis’s kitchen, the idea for Primecorp Commercial Realty was born. “Probably within half an hour we knew we were in business,” Mr. Aliferis said in a recent interview at Primecorp’s downtown boardroom, his three longtime co-shareholders and friends
sitting alongside. “There was no due diligence. We all sort of knew where we were all coming from.” With a staff that consisted of exactly one assistant, the four real estate veterans launched Primecorp in 1998. Today, the firm is the fifth-largest commercial real estate brokerage in the city, according to OBJ’s Book of Lists, with about 15 brokers and a roster of clients that ranges from locally owned stores to major chains such as McDonald’s, Shoppers Drug Mart and Starbucks. The total value of the company’s deals recently surpassed the $6-billion mark – not bad for the only firm on the top-five list that is based in Ottawa.
“That’s a significant achievement for a handful of brokers,” Mr. Firestone said. Among Primecorp’s most recent notable transactions was the sale of Westmount Square, a pair of mixed-use office towers in downtown Montreal totalling nearly 330,000 square feet. The Ottawa company worked with Jones Lang LaSalle Montreal to broker a deal that saw Creccal Investments buy the iconic Westmount complex from Elad Canada. But Primecorp is just as willing to handle comparatively small transactions in the million-dollar range if the fit is right, Mr. Firestone added. “There’s no building that’s too small,” he said. “There’s no quality of building
that we’re afraid of. We’re ready to work on anything where we have a reasonable and honest client on the other side. One deal often leads to another.” Primecorp’s major competitors include international goliaths such as CBRE, Century 21 and Colliers. But unlike those companies, which have offices around the world, Primecorp has built a cross-Canada presence while continuing to do most of its business out of its modest headquarters on Bank Street. “No independent firm in Canada has done what we’ve done,” said Mr. Firestone, a former businessperson of the year medallist at what is now known as the Best Ottawa Business Awards. “We have a model that is unique. Everything is generated out of this office.” Primecorp agents have brokered deals in 55 cities across the country, including Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. But no matter where those agreements are signed, it’s always the same core group of Ottawa-based brokers who are sitting on Primecorp’s side of the table. “We’re the ones you deal with across the board,” Mr. Aliferis said. “It’s really about relationships. It keeps us inspired daily. If you can get up every day and go to work and be excited about going to work, it’s a great thing. It produces success.” Primecorp made headlines earlier this fall when it joined international consortium TCN Worldwide, a group of independent commercial real estate firms based in Richardson, Texas. TCN Worldwide’s members manage 80 million square feet of space in more than 200 markets, opening up new investment partnership opportunities for the Ottawa group. “It allows us to reach clientele around the world,” said Mr. Aliferis. The partners’ long-term goals include cementing Primecorp’s presence in Toronto, Montreal and other large national markets. But they insist they can continue to compete with the big boys while staying true to their Bank Street roots, noting they have turned down numerous overtures to join forces with multinational brokerages in the past. “We want to remain entrepreneurial,” Mr. Firestone said, explaining why Primecorp has stayed independent. “We are able as an entrepreneurial company to make decisions quickly and effectively. It allows us to be responsive to conditions.” – OBJ staff
Building Ottawa’s green energy economy
City does its part for Ontario’s Long-Term Energy Plan
M
Chaudière Falls, which lie within the old Domtar lands between Lebreton Flats and Gatineau. Soon, the Chaudière Falls will be permanently open to the public for the first time in over a century. It all began in 1889, when the Government of Upper Canada released 60 “water leases,” which granted the rights to operate hydroelectric generators at the site. Industrialists were quick to obtain these rights for their various enterprises. “Hydroelectricity generated at Chaudière Falls helped power Ottawa’s streetlights and fueled the industrial revolution, providing energy for the lumber mills lining the Ottawa River,” Clarke said. Hydro Ottawa has come to own 40 of these 60 water leases. The intent is to consolidate, modernize and optimize the power generation capacity of Chaudière Falls, while honouring the heritage nature of the existing facilities. Chaudière Falls generates enough power for 30,000 households. A new facility that’s expected to be completed in 2017 will boost that to 50,000. “That additional output will be fed to the provincial grid, helping Ontario reach
any Ottawa residents may not realize their city boasts the largest municipally owned producer of green energy in Ontario. How large? Enough green power to operate 62,000 homes each year, and that number is set to jump in 2017 with a new hydroelectric station. It’s all thanks to Hydro Ottawa’s green energy subsidiary, Energy Ottawa. The utility’s portfolio includes 16 runof-the-river hydroelectric facilities here and in upstate New York, two landfill methane gas-to-energy stations and solar installations. “Hydro Ottawa is setting a standard for other municipalities to follow when it comes to balancing the five principles of Ontario’s Long-Term Energy Plan – costeffectiveness, reliability, clean energy, community engagement, and finding ways to reduce consumption before building new generation capacity,” said Greg Clarke, COO, Generation, at Energy Ottawa. “We hope our work will continue to foster and promote a green energy economy in Ontario.” While it’s been out of sight and mind of most residents for decades, Hydro Ottawa’s crown jewel is the historic
Université d’Ottawa
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Slated for completion in 2017, Hydro Ottawa’s facility at Chaudière Falls will power the equivalent of 20,000 homes a year. its targets for a more balanced mix of clean energy sources for the province as a whole,” Clarke said. Run-of-the-river hydroelectric facilities like the one at Chaudière Falls are incredibly efficient means of generating
electricity, creating zero waste and carbon dioxide emissions. As long as they are maintained, their lifespan is unlimited. Learn more about Hydro Ottawa’s green power assets, visit its subsidiary’s website at energyottawa.com/generation/.
University of Ottawa
HELPING RESETTLE REFUGEES Two years ago, University of Ottawa law student Assma Basalamah tried to help bring her aunt, uncle and four cousins to Canada after they fled war-torn Syria for Jordan. She didn’t succeed because the refugee sponsorship process was complicated and frustrating.
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Today, Basalamah is one of 15 law students taking part in a unique course that gives them the training to help guide sponsors through the process. She’s inspired by the generosity of people who want to help refugees resettle in Canada and thrilled she can help them make a difference.
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP Innovation Centre to spotlight cleantech, digital media
ambassador Rafael Barak was among those who attended a recent open house that gave the public a glimpse of the new facility, and organizers hope to use the Innovation Centre as a meeting place to connect with embassies and international business delegations. Specific programming will be handled by Invest Ottawa, the building’s anchor tenant, while the centre’s board will be focused on providing the framework and with tenants because they’ve got to pay foundations for programming. rent,” he explained. The life sciences sector will not have a With the goal of diversifying the local huge presence at the building due to the economy and growing the city’s private amount of research already taking place sector, the Innovation Centre plans at hospitals around the city, Mr. West said, to build on Ottawa’s entrepreneurial noting the Ottawa Hospital is set to acquire and post-secondary ecosystem to help a 3D printer of its own that will allow it to startups in various stages of development. produce replacement cells and organs. For example, the facility will have a 3D The facility also plans to create printer on-site for tenants to print and programs for groups that are often develop prototypes and allow for direct overlooked in the innovation economy, digital manufacturing. the former CEO of Nordion told the Mr. West said he wants to facilitate audience. As an example, he pointed to a “collision of all the elements in the single parents, specifically single mothers, innovation ecosystem” at the new as people with great ideas who often have building. difficulty getting a business off the ground. Part of the centre’s mission will be The building will also feature a helping local startups gain greater 12-storey “light tower” with laser imaging access to international markets. Israeli that can be seen from across the city.
Industry vet says $30M facility will bring city’s major tech sectors together BY STEPHEN KARMAZYN editor@techopia.ca
T
he Innovation Centre at Bayview Yards will focus on four of Ottawa’s main technology sectors: cleantech, digital media, defence and cybersecurity and additive manufacturing such as 3D printing, chair Steve West told a gathering of local business leaders last week. Speaking at the Eggs N’ Icons event on Dec. 3, Mr. West showed off a detailed plan of the much-anticipated facility and discussed the specific sectors of the business community it will serve. “(It’s about getting) all the ingredients of innovation and bringing them together (in a) mash-up,” he said to the crowd at the Sheraton Ottawa on Albert Street.
Modelled after facilities such as Waterloo’s Communitech and Toronto’s MaRS Discovery District, the Innovation Centre is slated to open next fall at the site of an abandoned city garage. Currently derelict and covered in graffiti, the completely remodelled building will feature nearly 50,000 square feet of space and operate as an incubator and accelerator for local businesses. The first phase of the project has a price tag of $30 million, which will be split between the province and the city. The building was donated and rent will cost just a dollar a year, Mr. West noted. “And that makes a big difference for the business model … compared to a lot of other incubators and accelerators where they need to fuel their business model
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PageCloud Continued from page 5 Mr. Fitzpatrick, whose firm is gearing up for its first Series-A venture financing round next spring, said he had a feeling he was onto something with PageCloud right from the get-go. But even he never expected interest to build this quickly. Mr. Fitzpatrick is now projecting revenues north of $6 million in the 12 months after launch, well beyond what he initially anticipated. “I knew there was some magic there, but I figured (in) three or four years we’d do what we’ve done now,” he told OBJ. “Our forecast for next year was 6,000 customers. We hit that two months ago.” Still, Mr. Fitzpatrick clearly isn’t content to rest on his laurels. The company “has a
AIK ALIFERIS
NICK PANTIERAS
aaliferis@primecorp.ca
nick@primecorp.ca
PRINCIPAL/BROKER
ton of evolution coming in the next year,” he said, adding he expects PageCloud to introduce three or four over that span that are “equally profound in the way that they fix a problem on the Internet.” In the midst of the post-launch euphoria, Mr. Fitzpatrick took a moment to pay tribute to Mr. Lütke and his colleagues at Shopify with a fittingly Canadian reference, praising them for “blazing a trail in the snow” for other local tech startups. “What they did for Ottawa was amazing,” he said. “They put us back on the map. Now that they’ve done it, it sort of makes it easier for another generation to come along behind and maybe run a little bit quicker.”
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Creating value in any language
POST-BUDGET BREAKFAST The highly-anticipated federal budget will be released in a matter of weeks. What will it mean for business? What will it mean for Canada? What will it mean for Ottawa? Stay tuned for more information on this must-attend breakfast.
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REAL ESTATE Colonnade, BridgePort to become city’s leading landlord Newly amalgamated firm will focus on expanding portfolio in Toronto BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca
T
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2015
wo of the city’s leading property managers announced recently they are joining forces to become the largest commercial landlord in Ottawa. Colonnade Management and BridgePort Group of Companies said they have agreed to merge with an eye toward expanding their combined portfolio in the Greater Toronto Area. The amalgamated company, which will be known as Colonnade BridgePort, will offer a range of services, including property management, leasing, development management and asset management. “Toronto’s obviously a very large growth market for real estate,” said Colonnade president Steve Kaminski. “For us, we’re not really there yet, so it’s something that is a
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core part of the strategy, for sure.” Colonnade is currently the third-largest property management firm in Ottawa with a commercial portfolio totalling about 4.2 million square feet, according to OBJ’s Book of Lists. The new company will have a combined portfolio of about 5.5 million square feet at 90 properties in the National Capital Region, making it the largest commercial landlord in the city. Mr. Kaminski said Colonnade and BridgePort, which have a total of more than 90 employees, are “very like-minded in the way that we approach the market” and felt they had a better chance of succeeding in their Toronto expansion if they worked together. “We just think it’s a good fit,” he said. “For us, long-term steady growth is really the key. Between BridgePort and ourselves, I think
we have a much greater likelihood of good long-term steady growth.” BridgePort, which manages more than 6,000 residential properties in addition to its 18 commercial holdings, has a wide variety of tenants and prefers a buy-and-hold strategy, managing director Hugh Gorman told OBJ in a 2013 interview. “Our job is to be investors in real estate first and foremost ... I wouldn’t say we’re turners of capital for the sake of turning capital,” he said. “We’re not trying to assemble a portfolio to take it public or sell to a pension fund.” Mr. Kaminski said the company would release more details about the merger in the new year. “There’s lots that we still have to work through in terms of our longer-term strategy,” he said.
THE PLAYERS COLONNADE MANAGEMENT Key local executives: Steve Kaminsky, president; Greg Johnston, vice-president of property management Key properties: 106 Colonnade Dr.; 1150 Cyrville Rd.; 2405 St. Laurent Blvd.; 250 Tremblay Rd. Size of local commercial portfolio: 4.2 million square feet No. of commercial properties managed locally: 72 (Source: OBJ Book of Lists)
BRIDGEPORT GROUP OF COMPANIES Key local executives: Hugh Gorman, partner and managing director; Pierre Hurteau, partner Key properties: 81 Metcalfe St., 319 McRae Ave., 1600 Merivale Rd., 580 Terry Fox Dr. Local/national portfolio size: 1 million square feet of commercial; 6,000 residential units under management (as of 2013)
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WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING We have all the details wrapped for you • Currently 94%up occupied TYPES OF MERGER OR WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF MERGER OR ACQUISITION Last year was a bumper one some short lease headaches — ACQUISITION ACTIVITIES IS PLANNING IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS? without all thewith terms, good opportunity for merger and acquisition ACTIVIES IS YOUR COMPANY owner/occupier OF THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF MERGER ACQUISITION PLANNING just book now and it’sforcrossed off your list. activity inWHICH Canada. YOUROR COMPANY According to Bloomberg, ACTIVIES IS YOUR COMPANY PLANNING ININTHETHE NEXTNEXT 12 MONTHS? 12 MONTHS? Canadian firms were NOT PLANNING ANY
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involved in US$229 billion MERGERS OR ACQUISITIONS worth of transactions in IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS: NOT PLANNING ANY 2014, a 45WHICH per cent jump OF THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF MERGER OR ACQUISITION 7% S OR ACQUISITIONS from the year before and NO MERGER: HE NEXT 12 MONTHS: ACTIVIES IS YOUR COMPANY PLANNING IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS? the highest level since 2007. 96% 7% 93%buys While big cross-border NO YES NO of Canadian companies NOT PLANNINGdominated ANY headlines, such RS OR ACQUISITIONS as Burger King Worldwide’s MERGER: HE NEXT 12 MONTHS: takeover of Tim Hortons and LOOKING TO BE 96% 7%buy of Talisman 93% Repsol’s ACQUIRED: NOCanadian firms YES NO Energy, 86% LOOKING TOactually BE ACQUIRE dominated as ACQUIRED: ANOTHER ENTITY: NO acquirers in terms of dollar 86% 14% value. But according to the 70% WelchNO Ottawa Business YES NO Growth Survey, most local LOOKING TOcompanies BE said they weren’t ACQUIRE ACQUIRED: ANOTHER ENTITY: planning on getting involved in a merger 86% or acquisition 14% in 70% the near NO future. YES NO
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REAL ESTATE Commercial property market still sluggish, report says Colliers update blames uncertainty over election, economy for National Capital Region’s struggles BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca
O
ttawa’s commercial real estate market continued its slump in the first nine months of 2015, reflecting skittishness over the economy and the federal election, according to a new report from Colliers International. A total of 60 properties in the industrial, multi-family, office and retail categories changed hands from January to September, a 32 per cent drop from the 88 transactions recorded in the same period in 2014. The total value of commercial deals plummeted even further year-over-year, falling from nearly $610 million in 2014 to just over $350 million in the first three
quarters of this year – a whopping 48 per cent decline. “Much of this limited sales activity could be attributed to the uncertainty that surrounded the recent federal election, which held a great deal of influence over the future of Canada’s economy for the coming years,” said the report from Oliver Tighe, the managing director of Colliers’ valuation & advisory branch in Ottawa. The multi-family and office classes showed the biggest declines in volume, according to Colliers. Just 16 properties in the multifamily category were sold from January to September, half the number that changed hands the year before, while the average price per door dipped 10 per cent to just under $127,000.
to $198 in 2015 from $185 last year. Mr. Tighe said things will turn around eventually if the new federal government goes on a spending spree. “They’re going to be spending money and inevitably some of that money is going to get spent in Ottawa,” he said in an interview with OBJ. “Inevitably, I think the public service will increase and they will start to occupy more office space.” The news was more encouraging in the retail category, which held steady at 17 transactions through three quarters, the same number as the year before. Among the major retail transactions in the third quarter were Loblaw Properties’ $16.2-million deal to buy Mercury Court sold for $22 million. FILE PHOTO the former Hartman’s Your Independent Grocer building on Bank Street and But the report also noted that the Golpro Holdings’ $22-million purchase sector featured the largest and “most of Mercury Court in the ByWard Market notable” transaction of the third quarter, from Toth Equity. Homestead Land Holdings’ $34-million The industrial class saw the sharpest purchase of a 201-unit apartment decline in overall value of transactions, complex formerly owned by Minto at with 17 deals totalling less than $30 2750 Carousel Cres. million, down from 20 sales worth a There were only 10 transactions in the combined $81.8 million in 2014. office category, a 47 per cent drop from Mr. Tighe blamed a lack of quality the 19 properties that were dealt in the product, noting the small amount of first nine months of 2014. serviced land ready for development On the plus side, the report said, the means existing owners of industrial average price per square foot rose slightly properties are reluctant to sell them.
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s one of Ottawa’s most iconic buildings, the Shaw Centre is much more than simply a backdrop to the events it hosts. The Centre, while a beautiful and functional space, also serves as a blank canvas which can be customized in many ways to make an event truly unique. “We have a lot of tools to help you take advantage of the Centre’s many exceptional features,” says Robert Pallen, director of event technology. He and his team from Freeman Audio Visual (AV) can create stunning effects that will make your event far more memorable and inspiring. “The Shaw Centre has chosen to partner with Freeman because the firm is invested in creating customized presentation solutions that are as effective as they are impressive. “We work with clients
the room environment or contact staff for assistance. The Centre also provides the most comprehensive seamless Wi-Fi solutions customized to fit your needs. Be sure to ask about some of the unique audio-visual offerings the Freeman team can deliver, including ImaginAction™ customized widescreen video content, the SocialLIVE multimedia platform to synthesize, moderate, monitor and publish social media content during your event and the Centre’s webbased Mobile App which can be customized for your event.
from the beginning of the planning process to determine the most appropriate AV solutions for each event,” notes Pallen. Among the ways you can customize your event at the Shaw Centre is through lighting. Whether you illuminate your sets or banners with energy-efficient LED lights, or choose to implement a bold LED wall, there are many options geared to every budget.
Similarly, with scenic design and room décor there are many possibilities. “We can create unique hardwall sets, acrylic sets and even glass block panel sets with inset logos,” says Pallen. “We also offer different types of draping, including spandex sails, custom printed silks and fibre curtains that look like they have stars in them. Every set can be specifically tailored to your needs.” You can also take advantage of
the Centre’s many purpose-built features such as digital signage throughout the building, awaiting your branding, messaging or sponsors’ logos. In-house projection systems are all widescreen and HD with accompanying sound systems also built into meeting rooms so they don’t take up valuable floor space. Flexible Airwalls offer an easy way to reconfigure rooms and every meeting space has touch panels which enable clients to control
“With a team of ten in-house Freeman employees at the Shaw Centre, we can dedicate ourselves to your needs before and during your event. We have been involved with this facility since its inception and know it inside and out,” notes Pallen. “Our primary goal is to make it easy for our clients to shine.” For more information, please call 1-800-450-0077 or email info@shaw-centre.com
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17 18 19 20
Company name / Address, City, Postal Code Phone / Fax / Web Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP 2600-160 Elgin St. Ottawa, ON K1P 1C3 613-233-1781 / 613-563-9869 gowlings.com Borden Ladner Gervais LLP 1300-100 Queen St. Ottawa, ON K1P 1J9 613-237-5160 / 613-787-3558 blg.com Nelligan O’Brien Payne LLP 1500-50 O’Connor St. Ottawa, ON K1P 6L2 613-238-8080 / 613-238-2098 nelligan.ca Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall LLP/s.r.l. 1400-340 Albert St. Ottawa, ON K1R 0A5 613-238-2022 / 613-238-8775 perlaw.ca Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP 1500-45 O’Connor St. Ottawa, ON K1P 1A4 613-780-8661 / 613-230-5459 nortonrosefulbright.com Dentons Canada LLP 1420-99 Bank St. Ottawa, ON K1P 1H4 613-783-9600 / 613-783-9690 dentons.com Emond Harnden LLP 707 Bank St. Ottawa, ON K1S 3V1 613-563-7660 / 613-563-8001 ehlaw.ca Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP 1300-55 Metcalfe St. Ottawa, ON K1P 6L5 613-236-3882 / 613-230-6423 fasken.com Low Murchison Radnoff LLP 400-1565 Carling Ave. Ottawa, ON K1Z 8R1 613-236-9442 / 613-236-7942 lmrlawyers.com Soloway Wright LLP 700-427 Laurier Ave. W. Ottawa, ON K1R 7Y2 613-236-0111 / 613-238-8507 solowaywright.com Kelly Santini LLP 2401-160 Elgin St. Ottawa, ON K2P 2P7 613-238-6321 / 613-233-4553 kellysantini.com Smart & Biggar 900-55 Metcalfe St., P.O. Box 2999, Station D Ottawa, ON K1P 5Y6 613-232-2486 / 613-232-8440 smart-biggar.ca Tierney Stauffer LLP 510-1600 Carling Ave. Ottawa, ON K1Z 0A1 613-728-8057 / 613-728-9866 tslawyers.ca LaBarge Weinstein LLP 800-515 Legget Dr. Ottawa, ON K2K 3G4 613-599-9600 / 613-599-0018 lwlaw.com Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP 1900-340 Albert St. Ottawa, ON K1R 7Y6 613-235-7234 / 613-235-2867 osler.com Macera & Jarzyna LLP 1200-427 Laurier Ave. W. Ottawa, ON K1R 7Y2 613-238-8173 / 613-235-2508 macerajarzyna.com BrazeauSeller.LLP 750-55 Metcalfe St. Ottawa, ON K1P 6L5 613-237-4000 / 613-237-4001 brazeauseller.com Mann Lawyers LLP 710-1600 Scott St. Ottawa, ON K1Y 4N7 613-722-1500 / 613-722-7677 mannlawyers.com McMillan LLP 300-50 O’Connor St. Ottawa, ON K1P 6L2 613-232-7171/ /613-231-3191 mcmillan.ca Burke-Robertson LLP 200-441 MacLaren St. Ottawa, ON K2P 2H3 613-236-9665 / 613-235-4430 burkerobertson.com
Lawyers: Local/ National
Support Staff: Local/ National
174 689
295 295
86 0
WND
62 0
93 0
58 0
58 8
40 604
30 515
LARGEST LAW FIRMS (RANKED BY NO. OF OTTAWA LAWYERS)
Offices: Local/ National
Managing partner(s)/ Year established in Ottawa
Services offered
1 Wayne Warren 7
Delivers solutions to complex matters in business law, advocacy and intellectual property.
1 Katherine Cooligan 5 1952
Full service
3 Steven Pink 0 1963
Full service, including: business law; intellectual property; entertainment law; litigation; real estate and development; condo law; employment law; personal injury; estate planning; family law; indigenous law; labour law; mediation services
Anthony P. McGlynn 1 R. Aaron Rubinoff 1 co-chairs 1971
Full-service law firm specializing in: business law; commercial disputes; labour and employment law; commercial real estate development; intellectual property; immigration; tax; personal legal needs; police law; international arbitration
WND
1 Pierre-Paul Henrie 5 1984
Business law; M&A; real estate; employment/labour; Canadian/global regulatory; international trade; technology/ innovation; business ethics/anti-corruption; dispute resolution/litigation; construction; food, agribusiness; health; patents/trademarks
3 WND
1 David P. Little 6 1985
Regulatory matters; public policy; venture tech; litigation and ADR; real estate; banking; lending; IP; employment law; securities; telecommunications; privacy; marketing; labelling
30 0
WND
Jacques Emond Vicky Satta 1 J.D. Sharp 1 executive committee members 1987
Management-side employment and labour law; wrongful dismissal claims; human rights and harassment complaints; human resources training; employment contracts; workplace policies and sick leave management; WSIB; OHS; pension and benefits
28 639
17 930
1 Stephen P. Whitehead 6 1980
Communications; business; litigation; labour, employment and human rights; international trade; anti-bribery and corruption; intellectual property; competition; public law; government relations and ethics; privacy; constitutional and administrative
28 0
WND
1 Carol A. Cochrane 0 1938
Business/corporate/commercial; financing; real estate; education; civil/commercial litigation; licensing; construction; franchising; employment/labour; personal injury/disability; family; wills/trusts/estate planning; procurement; IP; trademarks
27 32
56 WND
Tara Sweeney 1 Elizabeth Maiden 2 Daniel Coderre 1946
Labour and employment law; estate planning and administration; business; debt/equity financing; insolvency/ receiverships; leasing; franchising; corporate and contract law; commercial and residential real estate; municipal/ expropriation; litigation
27 0
38 0
2 Kelly Sample 0 1986
Insurance law; business law; employment law; civil litigation and dispute resolution; medical malpractice; personal injury; real estate; estate/trust planning; sports and entertainment law; tax law; disability and compensation claims; bankruptcy
26 100
340 WND
1 Steven Garland 5 1906
Patents; trademarks; copyright and media; industrial designs; litigation; licensing and IP transactions; life sciences — regulatory and compliance; IP management and strategic counselling; marketing and advertising; domain names and Internet law
24 0
WND 0
3 Stephen Tierney 0 1982
Corporate and commercial law; commercial litigation; employment law; construction law; tax law; wills and estates; personal injury, residential real estate
20 25
16 18
1 Shane McLean 4 1997
Corporate; commercial; securities; taxation; tax planning; tax litigation; mergers and acquisitions; commercial real estate; secured lending transactions; intellectual property; licensing
18 438
46 30
1 Donna White 5 1946
IP; pharmaceutical litigation; technology; corporate finance and securities; mergers and acquisitions; taxation; regulatory law and privacy law delivering national and cross-border services
18 0
30 30
1 Joe Ulvr 1 1977
Intellectual property law firm: patents; trademarks; copyright; industrial design; intellectual property litigation; trade secrets
17 0
31 1
1 Donald Brazeau 0 1989
Corporate and commercial; employment and labour; family business; intellectual property; litigation; non-profit and charity law; real estate; tax and estate planning; and technology law. Member of Meritas Law Firms Worldwide
17 0
WND
1 Edward K. Mann 0 2003
Commercial and business law; commercial and residential real estate; commercial leasing; employment and labour law; bankruptcy and insolvency; civil litigation; trusts, wills and estates; family law; personal injury; motor vehicle accidents
15 258
21 463
1 Ron Petersen 5 1905
Full service plus Supreme Court advocacy; international trade; information technology; business law; civil litigation; estate planning and administration; competition and international trade
15 0
WND
1 Edward H. Masters 0 1878
Full service, including: aboriginal; administrative; business law; civil litigation; construction; criminal; family; real estate; labour/employment; municipal and land development; wills; estates and estate planning
WND = Would not disclose. *Did not respond to 2015 survey – using data from previous years. Should your company be on this list? If so, please send details to research@obj.ca This list is current as of August 24, 2015. © 2015 by Ottawa Business Journal. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced by any method in whole or in part without written permission by Ottawa Business Journal. While every attempt is made to ensure the thoroughness and accuracy of the list, omissions and errors sometimes occur. Please send any corrections or additions by e-mail to research@obj.ca. OBJ lists are primarily compiled using information provided voluntarily by the organizations named. Some firms that may qualify for the list are not included because the company either failed to respond to requests for information by press time, because the company declined to take part in the survey or because of space constraints. Categories are drawn up in attempt to gather information of relevance to the Ottawa market. Research by Patti Moran. Please send questions and comments to research@obj.ca.
FOR THE RECORD Contracts
Buyer: PWGSC $1,954,369
The following contains information about recent contracts, standing offers and supply arrangements awarded to local firms.
Dare Human Resources Corp. 275 Slater St. Description: Human resource services, business consulting/ change management; project management services Buyer: Citizenship and Immigration Canada $1,614,227
Ameresco Canada Inc. 106 Colonnade Rd. N. Description: Federal building initiative – Environment Canada Buyer: PWGSC $5,612,037
Nortrax Canada Inc. 189 Cardevco Rd. Description: Loaders, various configurations Buyer: DND $957,371
Mindwire Systems Ltd. 1545 Carling Ave. Description: Human resource services, business consulting/ change management; project management services Buyer: Citizenship and Immigration Canada $4,096,803
FSC Inc. 2170 Thurston Dr. Description: Expansion of the building security/CCTV system at RHQ (Ontario) Buyer: Correctional Service of Canada $930,007
Contract Community Inc. 860 Berryside Rd. RR#1 Description: Professional services/financial analysis Buyer: PWGSC $2,600,734
Seguin Morris 620 Vernon St. Description: Champlain Bridge lane control system replacement Buyer: National Capital Commission $732,706
Meyknecht-Lischer Contractors Ltd. 145 Walgreen Rd. Description: Ottawa Rideau Canal repairs Buyer: PWGSC $2,263,595
Sonovision Canada Inc. 85 Albert St. Description: Translation services Buyer: PWGSC $689,850
IBM Canada Ltd. 3755 Riverside Dr. Description: Hosted integrated pharmacy and electronic medication administration record management system Buyer: PWGSC $2,004,621
Tannis Trading Inc. 2390 Stevenage Dr. Description: Groceries – Garrison Petawawa Buyer: DND $600,000
Neptec Design Group Ltd. 302 Legget Dr. Description: Dextre deployable vision system
J.P. Gravel Construction Inc. 5440 Canotek Rd. Description: Construction – C.D. Howe demolition Buyer: PWGSC $367,000
People on the move
Contract Community Inc. 860 Berryside Rd. RR#1 Description: Application software architect Buyer: DND $311,202
GrowPros Cannabis Ventures has announced the appointments of Adam Greenblatt and Erin Prosk of Greene and Prospect to its advisory board. Together they have nearly two decades of experience in the Canadian medical cannabis industry.
Contract Community Inc. 860 Berryside Rd. RR#1 Description: Junior procurement specialist Buyer: DND $288,081
Michael Schwartz has rejoined Telesat as the company’s new senior vicepresident of corporate and business development. Mr. Schwartz will also serve on the company’s executive committee.
Contract Community Inc. 860 Berryside Rd. RR#1 Description: Level 2 network analyst Buyer: DND $229,842
Peggy Nieghorn has joined Intertask Conferences in the new role of director of business development. Ms. Nieghorn will be responsible for strategic business development planning and will be highly visible in the local community and at industry events.
Ottawa Fluid System Technologies Inc. 18-D Enterprise Ave. Description: Spare parts Buyer: Natural Resources Canada $211,526
Lynn Heaston and Russ Senior have joined Huntington Properties. Ms. Heaston assumes the role of director of property management and Mr. Senior will be controller. They come from
Apollo Property Management and The Properties Group respectively, and have 35 years experience in commercial real estate between them.
Hats off Valydate received the Ontario Going Global, Small Business Award at the 2015 Ontario Business Achievement Awards. The award was sponsored by the government of Ontario and honours the company’s successful implementation of an export strategy that has positively affected its bottom line.
JJC Inc. 228 du Merlot Description: DISC Model – personality assessment tool Buyer: Canada School of Public Service $209,820 Michanie Construction Inc. 2825 Sheffield Rd. Description: Swing space structural upgrades and overhead crane at the David Florida Laboratory in Ottawa Buyer: Canadian Space Agency $203,283
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