Volume 14 Winter 2003 Photos by Volker Seding
FlexSpace: Building A Community One Small Office At A Time
G
etting what we want when we want is pretty much what most of us spend our lives trying to do. But if you’re a small company trying to get ahead, make a good impression and keep employees happy, getting the office you want, when you want, where you want - along with the services you need to make things run smoothly - isn’t something you want to spend any time TRYING to do. You need it, now. The problem is that most small- to medium-sized businesses end up spending a lot of time on all sorts of administrative functions instead of concentrating on their core competencies. That’s where the concept of business centres starts to work its magic. Business centres aren’t by any means a new idea, but finding the right one has a lot to do with fit and finish. What does the space say about your company? What does it look like? And what can it do to make operations run smoothly? Allied Properties has just begun a project that will help to take the hassle out of running an office - whether it’s a company that’s just starting out or whether it’s a larger organization that simply needs a small downtown space away from “corporate”. That’s the idea
Flexspace is a full service facility with everything a growing company could need. On-Site services include: • • • •
Café Four Conference Areas Two Interview Rooms Presentation Equipment (high performance LCD projector) • Reception Service • Service Centre (mail, local, national and international courier services, office supplies, binding, presentation development, color copying, data input and catering)
• • • • •
Outdoor Deck Pool Table Shower Breakout Areas Study Area (workplaces that give you a little space away from your main office) • Technology Help Desk (service that helps tenants with internal networking, applications and installation of hardware and software)
behind Allied Properties’ new Flexspace. “It’s about convenience,” says Allied Properties’ Executive Vice President, Wayne Jacobs, of the 30,000 square foot space at 439 King Street West formerly occupied by TechSpace. “Allied owns and manages over 1million square feet of office space, so this is well within our field of expertise,” says Jacobs. “Obviously, we’re for permanent solutions – but Flexspace offers a temporary solution to people who are building up a downtown presence. And as they grow, we hope they will become permanent residents in our broader-based portfolio.” Occupying two floors of this King West Central address, Flexspace’s hardwood floors, ceilings lined Continued on page 2.
Inside... THE HIVE STRATEGIC MARKRTING R-SHOP INCOMING! SPACE FOR RANT CALPHALON
Front & Central
Creative Hub Growing
The Hive Strategic Marketing Inc. stakes a claim at King and Spadina Photo courtesy of The Hive.
A
spirited vibe pulses tomers could relate and through the funky identify with,” explains third-floor brick and Shaver. “It wanted to beam offices at 431 King make its entire company Street West. It’s a new agency more customer friendly.” with a new location – but the The agency researched people behind the and analyzed the airline’s breakthrough advertising, market, taking the time innovative sales promotions to meet with and listen to and groundbreaking events Canadian North’s cuslike last year’s launch of the tomers to learn what MINI, and the Miller would work for both the International Jet Tour – are corporate and the norththe same. ern culture. The result When Encore principals was a well-researched Robert Peters and Brad Weir brand positioning for the The team at The Hive Strategic Marketing Inc. celebrates a new name, decided to close Encore last airline. In addition, the new look and new location. December, the agency’s senior agency managed the tranmanagement committee got together to launch a new sition to the new brand and orchestrated a launch that agency, The Hive Strategic Marketing Inc. Former would put staff and customers squarely behind the new Encore employees and clients unanimously endorsed the look. The creative team produced the whole gamut of delivmove and, on January 6th, 2003, The Hive officially erables needed, including, print ad creative, a promotional hung out its shingle at King and Spadina. video, a direct mail campaign, radio ads and, most imporThe Hive houses full-service creative, event and client tantly, the agency designed a new look for the newly brandservices departments with 45 employees headed by parted airline – a look that embodied true northern spirit. ners Christopher Grimston, vice president, creative; On September 5th, 2002, at a moving event launch, Jennifer Lukas, vice president, events; Rick Shaver, vice Canadian North Airlines introduced its new “look” with a president, client services; and Ted Rakoczy, vice presibang – heard from Yellowknife and Iqaluit to Ottawa and dent, business affairs. Calgary. According to the satisfied client, the Toronto An impressive client list includes Canadian North agency handled the business as though it was just down the Airlines, Molson Canada, Famous Players, MINI (BMW street; taking care to ensure that the northern perspective Canada), Miller International, Brown-Forman Worldwide was both safeguarded and in context at all times. Beverages (Jack Daniel’s, Gentlemen Jack USA) and The The staff at The Hive is known for its ability to deliver – Hockey Company (CCM®) among others. deliver brand awareness and loyalty programs that guarantee Rick Shaver points to one of their more recent achievea solid return on investment; deliver larger-than-life ideas ments as an example of the “fully integrated one-stop shop” packaged in cost-effective programs; and for its superior that is The Hive. Executed under the Encore name, the cre- client service skills that deliver a program from concept to ative minds that are now working under The Hive’s banner execution in a seamless fashion. developed and implemented a complete re-branding and relaunching of Canadian North Airlines which is based in Yellowknife. “Canadian North wanted to truly bring the For more information on The Hive Strategic Marketing, company home to the north with a new look that its cusemail info@thehiveinc.com. FlexSpace continued from 1. with cables and a large fiberglass accent wall all work together to define the traffic spaces that lead to the loft’s centres of work and abodes of play. The latter of which take the form of couch clusters, a pool table and even a sizeable café with a half dozen tables and a large television squawking 24-hour news. “There’s no one else out there with space like ours,” says Christine Korda, Flexspace’s director
The King West Central Community Chronicle
of sales. The open space and the communal areas, she says, help to create a very strong sense of community. “If you’re a small company of five people, things can get pretty lonely sometimes. Flexspace allows you to be part of a something bigger.” And being a part of that community allows for tremendous networking opportunities. Korda says prospective tenants can tour Flexspace
Photo by Tony Whibley
Fashionable Furnishings R-Shop’s European-inspired furniture puts focus on quality and design
T
today, and move in tomorrow. Tenants commit to a minimum three-month lease, get as many phones, desks and Internet connections as needed, and can take advantage of a menu of additional services that are available a la carte. Looks like small companies can have what they want when they want it after all. For more information contact Chrsitine Korda at 416-644-8800.
Open since late December, R-Shop’s combination of café and furniture store offers a sophisticated, “nopressure” shopping experience.
quality,” says Heller. But R-Shop isn’t limited to retail sales. It also has commercial customers and deals regularly with the interior design trade. Open since late December, R-Shop’s 3800-square foot space has a loft feel. And with the combination café and furniture store, the sophisticated, low-key atmosphere offers potential buyers an easy, no-pressure shopping experience where they can see furnishings against a brick and beam backdrop. “We’re a people company,” says Heller explaining that R-Shop’s ambiance is designed to make people feel welcome. And part of that welcome is extended by R-Shop’s restaurant where you can dine on an Asian-inspired lunch combo and a cappuccino for six dollars. By adding a restaurant component to R-
ing!.. m . o
A recent addition to the King and Spadina neighbourhood is leading criminal lawyer Scott K. Fenton, who has moved his firm to Suite 202, 445 King Street West. A former Gold Medalist in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario, Scott obtained his L.L. B. from the University of Toronto in 1986. Scott served for several years as Crown counsel in Criminal Prosecutions at the Federal Department of Justice. After joining the law firm of Fasken Martineau Du Moulin L.L.P., Scott withdrew from the partnership in 2000 to start his own practice. With extensive experience in conducting trials, appeals, special prosecutions and advisory work, Scott’s criminal law practice is primarily focused on commercial, tax,
Inc
evya Heller sees the cluster of furniture stores opening on King Street West as an extension of the furnishings retailers on King East. “I would rather be here, though. It’s still very much a different psychology, a different vibe,” he says. Heller, R-Shop’s marketing manager, explains that King East is a well established designer-driven location whereas King West is relatively new as a retail destination. Targeting the young urban dweller with a new condo and a yen to furnish his or her place with a European flare, R-Shop, located at 433 King West, offers high quality sofas, beds, tables, chairs, stools and storage solutions all at very affordable prices. The R-Shop philosophy says that offering furnishings at a lower price makes furniture more useable, and the company’s mission statement: We put design and quality in your home, not on a pedestal, expresses exactly that. The store’s more moderate prices come, in part from controlling the manufacturing process, explains Heller. R-Shop, is the result of a partnership between two hardworking designers with nearly 15 years of combined experience designing and manufacturing furniture. The store’s factorydirect connection is reflected in its prices. Sofas, for example, run from $1000 to $3000 in styles that typically fetch $8000 at other establishments in the city. “We sell top-quality designer furniture at industry prices,” says Heller, explaining that the volume of furniture sold, also contributes to the store’s lower prices. “We’re making furniture for the owners of 350- to 750-square-foot condos. The people who are NOT prepared to spend $20,000 on furniture but demand
Shop, the owners managed to indulge their passions for food and for furniture – offering King West business people yet another spot to fuel up with a midday meal. R-Shop is poised to make an impact with condo owners, a population whose number is growing exponentially over the next few years. It will prove to be a busy month for the new store. R-Shop will be displaying at the Interior Design Show at The National Trade Centre from February 13 to 16, and shortly after that is the store’s grand opening on February 20th, an event sponsored by Hugo Boss and Bacardi. R-Shop is also glad to extend a special courtesy to any Allied Properties tenant, offering a 10-percent discount on your next purchase. The store is open on weekdays from 10 to 6 and on Saturdays from 11 to 5 (no food service on weekends).
anti-trust and regulatory crime. A frequent lecturer in continuing legal education, Scott has conducted over a hundred jury and non-jury trials and appeared on numerous appeals in the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada, including some of the country’s leading cases on search and seizure. He is co-author of Wiretapping and Other Electronic Surveillance published by Canada Law Book and an editorial board member of Corporate Liability, a journal of criminal and regulatory corporate liability published by Federated Press. Scott K. Fenton can be reached via email at sfenton@fentonlaw.ca.
The King West Central Community Chronicle
Space for Rant Coffee:
No One Knows Anything About It The long-held notion that caffeine was the active stimulant in coffee has recently come into question following the results of a Swiss study published last November in Circulation: The Journal of the American Heart Association. The baffling experiment from Switzerland, reports The Globe and Mail, has discovered that decaffeinated coffee boosted blood pressure in non-coffee drinkers as though they had been consuming a regular java. In an interview with the paper, the study’s lead researcher said they concluded that indeed, ingredients other than caffeine are responsible for the stimulating effects of coffee on the cardiovascular system. In the same month, California researchers reported finding that five cups a day may prevent memory loss in elderly women (but not men men forgot things mostly because there was a television in the room). A nutrition scientist at the University of British Columbia interviewed by The Globe and Mail explained that coffee is complex because of all the variables that can influence the chemical makeup of the drink. Beans are roasted and toasted; the drink itself can be filtered, dripped or made instantly; and, beans come from sources around the world. The Swiss study’s leader said more research is needed to determine whether people with hypertension should be advised to avoid drinking decaf coffee as well as the regular drink. For now, the study simply confirms that researchers know far less than they thought about the most abundantly consumed stimulant worldwide. Just thought you should know. Now, would you like a Biscotti with that? Brad, Actor/waiter
LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! SEND US YOUR VIEWS, NEWS, BLUES AND OPINIONS ON JUST ABOUT ANYTHING. IF WE PRINT YOUR PIECE YOU’LL RECEIVE AN UTTERLY SPECIAL, TOO-COOL-FOR-WORDS PRIZE DESIGNED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE BREATHING SPACE!
Please send your ‘Rant’ to Allied Properties, 469 King Street West, Toronto ON, M5V 3M4 or by email: memory@alliedproperties.ca
Calphalon Cooking at King West Central
M
aggie Murphy chuckles to nine students can participate in when asked to spell hands-on demonstrations. Calphalon. “We really Courses taught at the centre will have no brand recognition in run the gamut of cooking experience. Canada. When people hear From the basics, like poaching an egg Calphalon,” she says, “they ask me to and making standard sauces, to more spell it for them.” advanced specialty food courses for But brand recognition for the high accomplished cooks who want to end cookware company owned by expand their repertoire. But interestU.S.-based Newell Rubbermaid is ed students needn’t sign up for entire indeed in the cards as work begins courses. Murphy says there will also on the Calphalon Culinary Centre be a selection of a-la-carte demonA concept drawing of Calphalon’s hands-on cooking classroom, on the south west corner of King and stration classes people can attend on one of three learning kitchens to come to 425 King Street West. Spadina, at 425 King Street West. a one-off basis. “We’re launching this culinary centre and in essence, we’re “So if you want to learn to sautee or pan-sear, you don’t have to launching our brand into Canada with it,” says Murphy, the direc- take a whole series,” explains Murphy. tor of the centre, an 8000-square-foot complex catering to the The majority of the classes will be taught by the centre’s two resrecreational chef. ident chef instructors, but Murphy says a number of guest chefs The centre’s two floors will include three separate kitchens, each from around the GTA will also participate in teaching. designed to accommodate different styles of classes. A demonstraScheduled to open in the spring, the Calphalon Culinary tion hall kitchen will accommodate up to 40 students and Centre in Toronto is the second such facility in North America Murphy describes it as something like what one would see on a after one opened in Chicago two years ago. Calphalon expects to television cooking show. A hands-on classroom will be equipped entertain private parties as well as corporate groups with its with 12 individual cooking stations and is designed to allow stuunique program offerings, and plans to launch a number of these dents to work in their own kitchens following the instructions of a centres across the U.S. chef up front. There will also be a more intimate kitchen – the –Yvan Marston “back of the house kitchen”, Murphy calls it, where classes of up The King West Central Community Chronicle
www.alliedproperties.ca