ROSS
EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE AND LIFESTYLE
ISSUE # 2 | SEPT 2021
MANJIT MINHAS
DARYL KATZ
DOUG PUTMAN
There is nothing permanent except change
EDITOR'S NOTE
Welcome to issue # 2 of ROSS Magazine. Seasons change. So do we.
With the weather shift, we all get front row seats to nature’s big show, the changing of the leaves, and the picturesque color palette that comes with it. This time of year often represents renewal, a time of letting go, or perhaps a shedding of the old to make way for the new.
One thing we can certainly all agree on, is that there seems to be constant changes coming at us all. Some changes come swiftly, some with little notice to navigate. Certain changes and their preparations need more time than others.
So as we hit the ground running into the new season, I hope you can take some time to settle in with this latest issue off ROSS Magazine, while you savour the falling leaves and embrace the shortening daylight.
DANIELLE ROURKE Editor-In-Chief
ROSS MAGAZINE EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR CONTRIBUTORS
Danielle Rourke Brigit Lister Danielle Rourke Cindy Stephen Mario Toneguzzi Carla Grundison
ROSSMAGAZINE.COM
Editorial Inquiries Contact: danielle@rosspavl.com
03 Editor's Note 09 Modern Mining 12 Turning Heads 19 The Changing Refuge of Home 24 Not Your Average Edmonton 28 Innovative Inspiration 46 Meet Doug Putman 50 Ingredients for Success 56 The Allure of CottageClub 62 Weathering Change
www.sundancelandscaping.ca
MODERN MINING MINING THE SPACE OF THE CRYPTO MARKET Modern Mining, a unique Bitcoin mining company, has been established in Calgary with plans to build a flagship facility in Medicine Hat using 100 per cent immersion cooling technology and the most efficient mining hardware in the world.
The company is being operated by Shawn Banack, Chief Executive Officer, Jason McCagherty, Chief Operating Officer, Ryan Chernesky, Chief Financial Officer and Sebastian Elawny, Chief Legal Officer.
“All four of us - the directors that got together - have been involved in crypto (currency) for several years,” says Chernesky. “I started in early 2017. I heard about Bitcoin years before that but like most people didn’t think too much of it. I wasn’t really computer savvy so I never got involved with it until about 2017.
“I bought some Bitcoin which then allowed me to look at the other alternative coins and I’ve been in it ever since.”
CRYPTO CONNECTIONS Modern Mining was the brainchild
“Alberta’s power supply is
of Banack and McCagherty. They
deregulated. So Medicine Hat has
were more involved in the mining
their own power supply source and
space of the crypto market.
they’re vertically integrated . . . Medicine Hat had favourable power
“The flagship facility is the first of
supply costs. We struck a deal with
its kind that we’re aware of in
them to utilize their power. It’s about
Canada. The first immersion Bitcoin
half of the cost that it would cost us
mining company,” says Chernesky.
to set up in Calgary even though our head office is in Calgary.”
“There’s a bit of trouble in the
“We believe there’s a new financial
financial system right now.
system being born. There’s a lot of
Most people don’t earn any interest at
evolution for it to go through still but
the bank. The stock market dividend rates are down. Pretty much historically as low as they’ve ever been. So where do you earn income these days?,” says
that’s why we’re so bullish on what we’re doing. We believe it’s going to be the base layer of the financial system into the future.”
Chernesky.
WWW.MODERN-MINING.CA
TURNING HEADS
BY CINDY STEPHEN
A French Chateau just off Cowboy Trail west of Calgary has turned a lot of heads the last seven years or so, cause it ain’t your regular kind of Alberta bunkhouse.
NOT YOUR REGULAR ALBERTA BUNKHOUSE
It lies unprotected by trees, prone to the curious eyes of all who pass by on the straight stretch of highway between Bragg Creek and the Trans-Canada Highway. The rural landscape around Calgary is dotted with opulent houses but this one….this one is as fantastic as it gets.
It has even commanded national attention and was profiled by Canadian journalist Jen Gerson in Maclean’s Magazine.
As it was being constructed, locals were guessing that it be a hotel because it was so close to the highway. Some social media chatter jokingly suggested it might be a prison. But the supersized country villa, standing naked on the bald prairie, is indeed a private home with a private, albeit not a secret, owner.
The sole name on title is Ernest Hon, a member of Calgary’s highly respected Hon family, wealthy investors and immigrants from Hong Kong who have poured their hearts, and millions of dollars, into redeveloping China Town and inner-city Calgary. Ernest Hon in particular, an extremely astute individual who has yet to reach his 40th birthday, oversaw the construction of The Guardian, a 44-storey condo tower near Stampede Park.
Land title documents show that in July 2015, the 80-acre parcel was valued at $1.4 million. The home was built by Jager Homes, at a then-disclosed cost of $3.2 million, with an alleged $10,000 spend in permitting alone.
Hon has not publicly confirmed who is ambling about in the single family home, which must have countless bedrooms and bathrooms. Could it possibly have a bowling alley and an indoor pool? (how else does one fill 11,000 square feet?)
What is known is that there’s a guard house, a nine-car garage, approximately seven fireplaces and the grand front entrance is defended by realistic golden horses and a shining chariot with a winged Icarus character at the reins.
To each his own.
THE CHANGING REFUGE OF HOME AMIDST A PANDEMIC
If there’s a silver lining to the global pandemic, it is this: home and family have never been so important. Home has always been our refuge, but COVID-19 has forced it to also be our workplace, our restaurant, our gym, our theatre, and our neighbourhood pub.
After the initial shock of the first lockdown, when the world was put on pause, the real estate market did
By Cindy Stephen
what no one could have predicted. It took off, because people forced to spend nearly every waking moment at home wanted a better space for
NOMADIC | 24
themselves and their family.
Big on the list of must-haves in the last 18 months are home offices or flex space on the main floor with lots of natural light. Zoom calls and online learning at the dining room table has created an incredible yearning for quiet, private spaces within the home yet around the corner from where the action is.
And despite the desire for privacy, open concept living areas with well-appointed kitchens and islands where household members can gather have become a priority.
With entertaining off the table for the most part, some semblance of a social society – even if it is with family – is simply part of human nature.
Buyers want extra living spaces away from work and learning environments in the house. Bonus rooms or finished basements and large dens for movie watching and gaming are in demand.
Outdoor, year-round living areas became a necessity for Covid-friendly gatherings. Buyers look for covered or heated decks and patios with outdoor fireplaces.
Demand plus continuing low interest rates fueled real estate sales in Canada, allowing first-time buyers to move out of crowded rentals, and condo and starter homeowners to move up to the larger spaces they craved.
"APPROXIMATELY 95 PER CENT OF BUYERS TODAY DON'T WANT TO TAKE ON RENOVATIONS. PEOPLE WANT CONVENIENCE. AND SELLERS NEED TO PRICE THEIR HOME ACCORDINGLY, WHETHER IT'S UPGRADED OR NOT. YOU CAN'T COMPETE WITH A HOME THAT'S BEEN RENOVATED." -Tanya McFarlane
Tanya McFarlane of eXp Realty in Calgary says low interest rates continue to make it easy for people to purchase larger homes that are move-in ready. With over 15 years in the business, Tanya has outstanding work ethic and industry knowledge. You can contact her for more information through the
ROSS PAVL ELITE GROUP
at rosspavl.com
NOT YOUR AVERAGE EDMONTON BY CINDY STEPHEN Canadian billionaire Daryl Katz has
Now worth an estimated $3.7 billion,
homes in Los Angeles and British
according to Forbes, Katz also owns the
Columbia, but his beautiful riverfront
Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey
mansion in inner-city Edmonton truly
League and is the driver behind the city’s
illustrates that there’s no place like home.
downtown Ice District, a multi-block entertainment and residential
Katz is chairman and chief executive
redevelopment project that includes the
officer of the company he founded in
Rogers Place Arena. The Ice District is a
1992, The Katz Group, which manages a
shining example of inner-city renewal and
vast empire of drug store and retail
urban densification.
pharmacies. He grew up in the Alberta capital, the son of a pharmacist who
His home at 4 Valleyview Point in
founded the Value Drug Mart chain in the
Edmonton’s Parkview community is touted
1970s. He attended Jasper Place High
to be the city’s largest home at 25,000
School and obtained a law degree from
square feet, with a 2020 assessed value
the University of Alberta in 1985.
of $12.43 million.
WILDLY LUXURIOUS The home overlooks the stunning North Saskatchewan River Valley and 168-acre Hawrelak Park with views of the city skyline.
The home has two swimming pools and a practice hockey rink on the adjoining lot.
Katz reportedly purchased the lot next door, tore down the existing luxury home and erected the outdoor rink for his children.
Inside, the walls of the home’s great room are dazzlingly clad in 200-lb blocks of Italian limestone with dynamic 30-foot-high windows that take full advantage of the surrounding vistas.
When Katz turned his attention state-side, his $120 million purchase of a home in Los Angeles broke the record for the most expensive home purchase ever in that city. The home itself went for $85 million with the balance going to the purchase of the contents.
His B.C. property is a carbon copy of his Edmonton residence.
Noted for his philanthropy, he and his wife have donated more than $50 million to universities and charities across Canada.
INNOVATIVE INSPIRATION
EXCLUSIVE
MANJIT MINHAS
Manjit Minhas, one of the
Innovation and
most successful and most
collaboration are
WRITTEN BY
recognized entrepreneurs in
extremely important
MARIO TONEGUZZI
Canada, has a key message
in navigating the
for business owners across
choppy waters that
the country during these
came through the
tough economic times
storm.
brought on by the pandemic.
“Understand we will get out of it but it’s important you try to get out of this stronger with understanding your finances, becoming more efficient, maybe understanding your own business better, what’s working and what’s not. And whether there’s some other potential whether that be short term or long term,” says the co-founder and co-owner of Minhas Breweries, Distillery and Wineries and a Dragon on the popular Dragons’ Den CBC television show. “But I do think it is a great time to also get rid of the distractions. We were all running on a hamster wheel before so I think it’s a great time to evaluate everything and everyone in your life. Where are your time commitments? What are your passions? What are your values? I’m an optimist through and through. This time can be a positive if looked at it that way."
“I know there’s lots of businesses that are struggling but I think it’s always important to look at the glass as half full.”
Minhas says one of the most important things for entrepreneurial success is continuous learning - you don’t think that you know it all. “I truly believe in that. I’m always learning and I make a point of it every day. I read a lot. I listen to podcasts. I talk to different people. I talk to not only people that think like me but I take opportunities that scare me, that challenge me. I do think that continuous learning is really, really important,” she says
“And I think it’s also important not to worry about what the rest of the world thinks about you, especially with women. You do what is true to you and what you really enjoy and love and that often will come out with success in one form or another. It’s important to define your own success. Everybody’s success is not equal."
“Every individual who has been successful understands that it’s the small habits that really make a big difference.”
- Manjit Minhas
minhasbrewery.com
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MEET DOUG PUTMAN BY MARIO TONEGUZZI
At a time when many Canadian businesses were shuttering their operations due to the pandemic, Canadian serial entrepreneur Doug Putman was expanding his portfolio. Through his company Putman Investments, he recently purchased Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us.
He’s also owner of T.Kettle, Sunrise Records, FYE (For Your Entertainment), Alex Brands, HMV Retail Ltd (UK), The Granite Restaurant (Bancroft, Ontario), Makin Waves Marine (Bancroft) and Everest Toys (Hamilton). Despite the brutal economic challenges out there in recent times, Putman is positive and looking at further acquisitions in the near future.
19
“I think everyone has learned how to be a lot more nimble and to do a lot more with less whether it’s less employees,” he says. “You’ve really learned how to adapt quickly and I think you just have to be prepared for anything. Obviously no one was prepared for this but I think for us because we’ve bought so many distressed businesses and turned them around, it’s almost like we’re always just used to something kind of negative or bad happening. That’s how it goes when you’re buying a business that’s not doing well."
“So for a lot of people they’ve learned they are going to have to do more with less to get through this and be leaner. " “And probably you’ve learned you can get through anything. You’ve just got to keep pushing and keep going in that one direction and eventually it will get better. We’re not fully through it yet but hopefully we are shortly.” Putman loves being an entrepreneur. Getting into new environments. Change is really important to him.
18
“I love the idea of a challenge. I love the thrill of the chase for sure - of trying to track down a deal and getting it over the line. I really love getting into the thick of a business and figuring out ways to either turn it around or make it better,” he says. Entrepreneurs have to be comfortable with some form of risk and feel really good about that. It’s an everyday thing. Successful entrepreneurs have personalities that are dedicated to what they do. Always working. Always available. “The last component I think is really important is being able to understand both sides of the coin. So when you’re negotiating for something, understanding what the other person needs and what you need and trying to find that middle ground. Everyone’s basically got to win to make the deal work."
PAGE 17
INGREDIENTS FOR SUCCESS By MARIO TONEGUZZI
DISCOVERING THE HEART OF CALGARY’S HISTORIC TRUSTED FAMILY RECIPES The ingredients for any business success are quite simple - sell a good product at the right price point and offer quality service. But many companies, like Spolumbo’s Fine Foods & Deli, an institution in Calgary for three decades, have also recognized the importance of giving back to the community.
“We’ve always had a huge soft spot for kids. As soon as we were able to at the beginning, we started picking our spots where we could help out with kids’ programs and kids’ sports. We’re really big in helping out with kids’ sports,” says Mike Palumbo, a co-owner of the popular food establishment with Tony Spoletini. “Over the years that has grown. We’re able to help out in a few more spots.
We do somewhere between 60 to 70 golf tournaments (in a typical year) for fundraising. That’s always been part of our company makeup and we’re very proud of that.
“It’s something we really wanted to do - to give back to our community. We’re born and raised Calgarians. We absolutely love this city. It’s just something we believe in.”
Spolumbo’s became a company in 1991 and started business in 1992. It moved into its flagship location in Inglewood, along 9th Avenue, in 1998. The food establishment itself is a gathering place where community is built. The folks at Spolumbo’s have always seen it that way. The two owners are often found on the main dining floor area saying hello to costumers. “What was really important to us was to make sure our customers were happy with the experience. We’re really proud of our staff who are great with people and make them feel welcomed. That’s the biggest part. Making people feel welcomed and making sure they have a positive experience so they come back. It kind of evolved into that as a meeting place,” adds Palumbo.
spolumbos.com
Words by Cindy Stephen
The Allure of CottageClub
CottageClub at Ghost Lake
CottageClub at Ghost Lake is a 92-acre gated recreational community just 45 minutes west of Calgary on Highway 1A, featuring exceptional cottage homes and year-round amenities.
This exclusive development is next to a 1,866-acre freshwater reservoir, which was created in 1929 by the damming of the Bow River. Local developer Lamont Land built the first cottages in 2010 and since then have added amenities such as an exclusive beach, a boat launch, community gardens, an extensive trail system, parks, playgrounds, and a private recreation centre.
“There’s really nothing like it in the province. CottageClub is a throwback to the good old days when kids wandered around, played and biked freely.” - Don Stengler, CottageClub project manager
Buyers will find cottage site options for almost every lifestyle and budget with no building commitment and strong architectural controls.
The fifth and final phase of fully serviced cottage sites was released in May 2021 with a limited selection of mountain or lake view lots and walkout lots.
With recreational properties sales heating up across the country, the developer is seeing interest from as far away as Eastern Canada.
“We are seeing more interest from Ontario buyers than ever before as prices are skyrocketing in Ontario, but we are also getting more interest from Albertans who are being priced out of areas like Canmore or Sylvan Lake,” says Don Stengler, CottageClub project manager.
The release of the final lots brings the total to 348 lots. Starting in the low to mid-$200,000s, fully serviced cottage sites in the final phase range from 4,600 to 7,300 square feet. Some Phase 4 lots remain, listed from the $100,000s.
All lots come with water and natural gas lines, 100 Amp power and internet fiber with no time commitment to build.
Ghost Lake allows swimming, paddle boarding and boating, making water sports like windsurfing, sailing, waterskiing, kayaking, and rafting popular pastimes.
“There’s really nothing like it in the province,” says Stengler. “With the amenities, the pricing, the building flexibility and the security of a familyfriendly atmosphere, CottageClub is a throwback to the good old days when kids wandered around, played and biked freely.”
CottageClub is 30 minutes to Nakiska Ski Resort in Kananaskis and an hour and change to Banff National Park, Sunshine Ski Resort and Lake Louise. It’s also within striking distance of several world-class championship golf courses.
Tours of Cottage Cub are by appointment only, which can be scheduled through the website at
cottageclub.ca.
IF YOU CAN'T CHANGE IT, CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE.
- MAYA ANGELOU
www.sundancelandscaping.ca
18
WEATHERING CHANGE THAT IS OUT OF YOUR CONTROL BY CARLA GRUNDISON
Everything from aging to
While we can eat well, get
actions taken by others,
regular exercise, do sudoku
there is often little we can
and other practices
do to stop or delay changes
deemed beneficial for our
that are at the mercy of
physical body and mental
time or outside influences.
aptitude - let’s not forget
We might resist or fear such
about our emotional and
changes, but becoming
spiritual well-being, which
more resilient can help us
starts with how we feel
weather them with more
about ourselves.
strength and ease.
ACCEPT YOURSELF - JUST AS YOU ARE IN THIS MOMENT
Acceptance of ourselves and our present circumstances is an important first step toward improving our well-being and own resilience to change.
When we feel down about ourselves our inner-critic gets louder, reminding us not only about our own perceived failings but it also adds a negative lens through which we view the world.
The more we can accept ourselves and see ourselves in a favourable light – perceived flaws and all – the more we can see the outside world and upcoming change with hope and possibility instead of fear.
Leave the past and future where it is - come back to the present A large part of fear and
When we bring ourselves back
resistance around change comes
into the present moment, we are
from the thoughts which take us
in a space where we can take
out of the present moment.
action instead of dwelling on things outside of our control.
Our energy goes where our
Taking action can only be done
thoughts go. If we are steeped in
in the present moment, and as
thoughts of the past or future -
such – it’s a wonderful antidote
what went wrong or should have
to fear.
been done differently, how things might turn out, etc. – we might be physically present but our energy and focus is not.
Some simple and quick ways to come back to the present: notice your physical surroundings; bring your attention to your breath; take action mindfully - whether it be taking a sip of water, picking up a pen, going down the hallway become aware of all you see, and/or hear and/or feel while doing it; this will give you a reprieve from thoughts and bring you back to the moment.
Change that is in our control – making a decision we feel good about When we get stuck in a cycle of
The thinking mind strives to keep us
trying to figure out the right
safe, even when there is no threat of
decision - overthinking, struggling
physical danger. It works hard to figure
to predict an outcome, fearing
out the best decisions using logic and
what might happen - it’s time to
facts, and often keeps us doing the
tune-in to what our intuition and
same things, sticking to the same
inner wisdom is telling us about
routines - typically steering us clear of
the situation.
change. This is not to say that we must override any warnings and take all
Connect to your intuition Our intuition is the often quiet yet strong voice of support and wisdom we each have within ourselves. But most of us tend to be more consciously aware of the thinking mind.
opportunities for change with careless abandon. The intuition and the thinking mind work together; there’s a fine balance between the two.
The intuition holds the answer that is ‘right’ for us – for our best interest and growth. We can usually tell this right answer by how it feels in our body – before we begin to think ourselves into the choice that makes sense ‘on paper.’ You know the feeling – you’ve had it before: when you made a choice and you just knew, you could just feel it was right thing to do. You felt a sense of freedom or ease in the decision you made.
One way to intentionally connect to your intuition:
take a few
minutes, take a few deep breaths, close your eyes (when safe to do so) and then ask your intuition silently or through writing in a journal for support and some answers about your dilemma.
By inviting the answer, it creates space for your intuition to be heard.
Release expectations. Intuitive messages and answers may be general and very simple, but tend to come with a sense of calm rarely found in the calamity of the overactive thinking mind.
However quiet that intuitive voice is, trust that it is always guiding you - whether through change or stillness. It is the part of you that lifts you up to keep going even when things are difficult.
Other practices that offer help navigating change and decisionmaking:
counselling and therapy, coaching, energy work such as reiki,
meditation – to name a few.
Carla Grundison is an Intuition Development Coach in Calgary, Alberta, and can be reached through
www.intuitioncontinuum.com, or on Facebook or
Instagram at @intuitioncontinuum.
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The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.
- SOCRATES
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