WWW.BUSINESSREVIEWCANADA.COM
SEPTEMBER 2014
HOW TO HANDLE YOUR SUPPLY
CHAIN the top smartphones for business
How to Manage
a franchise
EDITOR’S COMMENT
That’s Logistics! O U R C O V E R S T O R Y T H I S issue is all about logistics. The day-to-
day management and operations of your business – your supply chain – is critical for success. Your company needs to run like a well-oiled machine and in order to do that, you supply chain management needs to be locked down. Business Review Canada tells you how. Business success doesn’t only require an efficient supply chain however; it also needs a solid management team. With this in mind, in this issue we profile Canada’s top 10 CEOs and map their path to professional stardom. We also talk franchising, content marketing and the best smartphones for business in 2014 and beyond. E NJOY TH E I S S U E !
Abigail Phillips Editor abigail.phillips@wdmgroup.com 3
CO CN OTNETN ETNST S FEATURES This month we focus on the customer experience with the latest technology 28 Marketing
Content Marketing
6 Leadership
How to Manage a Franchise
14 Finance
Supply Chain Management
20 Technology
The Best Smartphones for Business
130 NAMCOR
36 Top 10
Canadian CEO’s
COMPANY PROFILES MINING GLOBAL
ENERGY
44 ArcelorMittal Canada
128 Rock Energy
66 Kirkland Lake
138 Sharp Energy
76 Ressources Appalaches
EDUCATION
CONSTRUCTION 82 G.S. Wark Ltd. 90 Delnor Construction Limited 98 Aquicon Construction 106 Premier Building Solutions Ltd. 114 Nor-Built Construction 120 Calhoun Super Structures
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September 2014
146 Luther College 156 York Region District School Board
FOOD & DRINK
44 ArcelorMittal Canada
164 TMF Foods
MANUFACTURING 172 TT Group
SUPPLY CHAIN 180 Halterm Limited 188 Videojet Technologies
114 Nor-Built Construction
76 Ressources Appalaches
66
Kirkland Lake
120
Calhoun Super Structures
146 Luther College
5
LEADERSHIP
HOW MAN A FRAN FROM T
Franchising can be an extr model option. However, correctly in order t
W R ITTE N BY D
6
September 2014
W TO NAGE NCHISE THE TOP
remely effective business , it needs to be managed to reap the rewards.
DEANA CACUS
7
LEADERSHIP A REPORT PUBLISHED last month by Analytica Advisors claims that Canada’s clean-tech industry is growing faster than every other major sector of the nation’s economy. Analytica Advisors, an Ottawabased consulting firm, tracked the industry’s growth between 2008 and 2012 and found that the clean tech sector grew by nine percent in 2012 alone. That same year, clean tech companies directly employed 41,000 people in Canada and generated $11.3 billion in revenues. The report’s findings are based on a survey of more than 700 primarily small and mediumsized companies. Analytica projects that Canada’s clean tech sector could grow into a $32 billion industry over the next decade, directly employing up to 120,000 people by 2022. Several organizations within Canada are actively supporting development within the clean tech industry. Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) has been working with numerous clean tech companies in Canada to develop promising clean technology projects within the country. The SDTC is a non-profit foundation that finances and supports the development and demonstration 8
September 2014
MAKE CUSTOME SERVICE A TOP PRIORITY
Caption to the image
of clean technologies that provide solutions to issues of climate change, clean air, water quality and soil. Vancouver’s Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies has taken valuable nutrients from sewage treatment plants and delivered them to home gardens. The company designs, builds and sells wastewater treatment systems. Ostara’s Pearl process retrieves phosphate and
HOW TO MANAGE A FRANCHISE FROM THE TOP
ER
Y ammonia from wastewater facilities resulting in improved treatment and reduced maintenance. With help from the SDTC, the company also discovered a way to remove struvite from wastewater, leading to the development of a slow release commercial fertilizer called Crystal Green. Ostara has commercial nutrient recovery facilities in Oregon, Virginia, Pennsylvania and London.
The remediation industry plays an important role in clean tech. Ontario-based SiREM provides unique, science-based products and services to the remediation industry. The company’s focus is on the remediation of chlorinated solvents and other recalcitrant chemicals. According to their website, SiREM offers bioremediation, zero-valent iron and chemical oxidation treatability 9
LEADERSHIP
MAKE SURE YOU KNOW YOUR INDUSTRY INSIDE, OUT 10
Month 2014
HOW TO MANAGE A FRANCHISE FROM THE TOP
studies, molecular genetic testing for dechlorinating bacteria and bioaugmentation cultures. The SDTC reportedly helped SiREM demonstrate the first Canadian application of KB-1 to contaminated sites. Natural Gas is also synonymous with clean tech. Westport Innovations develops alternative fuel, lowemissions technologies to allow engines to operate on clean-burning fuels such as compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, hydrogen and biofuels such as landfill gas. The Vancouver company is the global leader in natural gas engines. Westport works directly with top global truck and engine manufacturers in North America, Europe and Asia. SDTC helped Westport take an idea out of the lab at UBC and apply it to the real world by putting 5 proto-type trucks on Canada’s busiest highway. Calgary’s Titanium Corporation creates value from oil sands waste tailings by recuperating and selling bitumen and high-value minerals and solvents while reducing the water demands of the oil sands mining industry. Due to their work at the Canadian oil sands—the second largest oil reserve in the
world—Titanium was able to develop a multi-stage process to separate zircon from the soil. Zircon is a valuable element highly sought after by ceramic tile makers. Without Titanium’s separation process, some $1 billion in commodities would be lost at the site. SDTC helped Titanium prove to oil sands operators that they can recover of 80 percent of the bitumen lost in tailings, 75 percent of the solvent and 95 percent of the valuable heavy minerals like zircon. Water is a precious resource, especially with worrisome drought occurring all over the world. Pure Technologies—also based in Calgary—is a world leader in the inspection, monitoring and management of physical infrastructure such as water, wastewater and oil and gas pipelines. The SDTC helped Pure develop two pipeline inspection tools that are currently in use around the globe in cities such as Manila, Dallas and Mexico City. Pipediver is a tool easily inserted into a pipeline that swims through pipelines to detect wirebreaks while Sahara is a small tool that can identify tiny leaks that might be missed by more invasive technology. The company is leading 11
LEADERSHIP
PLAN AHEAD AND KN WHAT YOUR END GO the way in condition assessment through the use of electromagnetics and acoustics, resulting in less water wasted and less money spent. Solar power is perhaps the most globally recognized sector of sustainable energy, yet solar 12
September 2014
installations are often quite costly initially. Toronto’s Morgan Solar team has taken it upon itself to develop solar technology using inexpensive raw materials—including $3 plastic—to make solar power more accessible to consumers. The company has
T E S L A L O O K S T O C H I N A F O L L O W I N G D E C L I N I N G Q 1 R E S U LT S
NOW OALS ARE developed the revolutionary Sun Simba Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) module and Savanna dual-axis tracker, two solar energy technologies that fundamentally change the economics of solar power through low-cost materials and innovative
panel designs. The SDTC is currently helping Morgan Solar demonstrate the efficiency of their technologies to the global market.
13
FINANCE
THINGS YOU NEED HANDLING YOUR SU
The day-to-day management of business success. Your compan machine. Business Review W R I T T E N B Y: D E
14
Month 2014
D TO KNOW ABOUT UPPLY CHAIN NOW
f your company is critical to ny should run like a well-oiled w Canada tells you how. ANA CAUCUS
15
FINANCE SEGMENT YOUR BASE. Good supply chain management requires flexible segmentation of the supply base, which allows companies to create one-on-one relationships between their customers and their supply chains. To identify the right partners, you need to be able to segment them in numerous configurations and around varying criteria. The ultimate goal is to identify the best processes and policies to serve each customer and each product. Know who your friends are. Supply chain managers need to know who among their suppliers is a partner in innovation. Identify those who can help you produce innovations in your products, services or strategies. Your procurement team should be actively seeking opportunities to improve practices, especially through collaboration with capable suppliers. A supply chain platform is essential Too many companies are still planning their purchasing using cumbersome spreadsheets that are 16 September 2014
THINGS YOU
often unreliable. Using an affordable, reliable supply chain platform will ensure that you are accessing current, accurate information. Use industry-specific software The current market is rich with supply chain software packages, and most of them require some level of customization or integration with other systems. Focus your research on systems that were specifically designed for companies in your industry. This will give you an edge, as you will have consistent access to features that make your job easier, and maintaining a smoothly-running system will establish you as an efficient company. Sort out your metrics Many of today’s companies still need to get their supply chain metrics under control. Joe Francis, executive director of the Supply Chain Council, says “Enterprise-wide balanced scorecards, cascading supply chain metrics and management dashboards can provide timely insights that help supply chain managers react to disruptions -- and opportunities -- in today’s volatile markets.” Francis
U N E E D T O K N O W A B O U T H A N D L I N G Y O U R S U P P LY C H A I N N O W
Utelize Mobile Technology recommends beginning with metrics that can be benchmarked internally and externally. It is important to understand how your performance compares to your competitors, to other industries and to best in class. Manage information properly Collecting only relevant information saves time and money. Pooling massive amounts of data and sifting out what’s useful is not an efficient way to run a business. Focus on collecting information that aligns with business objectives and provide easy
access to that information. Prioritize the ability to identify what is relevant. Keep employees involved Employees need to know how they impact the customer. A metrics plan that links shop floor metrics to customer needs and corporate objectives will help them stay aware of the impact that their work has on the business and the industry. Integrate via sales and operations planning A focused, integrated business plan 17
FINANCE
Plan ahead
includes what sales plans to sell, what operations plans to make and what finance has projected for the near future. Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) integrates customer demand, production capabilities and financial performance objectives. Consider a single supply chain solution 18
September 2014
Choosing the cheapest option and having different solutions for different locations can make things very complicated. If possible, rely on one enterprise solution that can support you in all of your service territories. It may cost more, but it may also increase your efficiency and productivity.
Monitor performance across the board A supplier’s mistake or failure can set you back considerably. It is crucial to keep track of your supply chain partners to keep from getting caught off guard. Proper monitoring involves having a system in place to measure and analyze the performance of your partners. Employ mobile technology. RFID, mobility, warehouse automation systems and warehouse management systems have all been instrumental in revolutionizing the industry. More and more companies are going paperless and relying instead on handheld mobile computers and tablets for cycle counting and inventory validation. Analyze and adjust accordingly Part of your supply chain management strategy should include analysis of which products are in high demand and which don’t seem to sell. This may seem obvious, but many supply chains simply produce and deliver without considering customer needs. Manufacturing products that customers actually want is
more important than simply keeping shelves stocked. Consistent analysis and adjustment is key. Integrate marketing expenditures into planning Supply chain software and consultant companies, such as INSIGHT, Inc., recommend considering marketing expenditures when creating your business plan. Jeff Karrenbauer, president of INSIGHT, Inc., says “Include marketing expenditures, which include costs, resource limits and anticipated demand impact of proposed marketing initiatives, into your supply chain plan to maximize corporate profitability. By doing this, companies [can] identify which marketing campaigns should be implemented and which should be avoided, the optimal target customers, channels and products for each campaign and the corresponding optimal procurement, manufacturing and distribution requirements, all in light of supply chain costs, capacities, service requirements and the max profit objective.”
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TECHNOLOGY
THE BEST SMARTPHONES FOR BUSINESS What phone will you be using for business in 2015? When so much correspondence is done on the move, having the right phone is critical to business success. We take a look at the best models available.
W R I T T E N B Y: D E A N A C A U C U S
20 September 2014
21
TECHNOLOGY HTC One M8 The M7, last year’s HTC One model, was hailed by many as being 2013’s best phone, and the upgraded version may top many reviewers’ lists for a second year running. The elegant HTC One M8 has a full HD, 5-inch display and a quad-core processer as
well as 2GB of RAM. The M8 is also HTCpro certified, which guarantees additional encryption and mobile device management tools to the handset specifically designed for enterprise customers. The phone is heavily skinned with a Sense 6 22 September 2014
overlay, making it a slick choice for presentation use. Additionally, the Android KitKat operating system offers a wealth of customization. Sony Xperia Z2 This sleek phone delivers both style
and substance. Specs include a quad-core processor, 3GB of RAM, a 5.2-inch full HD display and an impressive 20.7MP camera. Xperia Z2’s built-in noise cancelling technology guarantees clearer calls, a definite plus for those who conduct a lot of their business over the phone. Xperia business apps include those for email, calendar and contacts, allowing users to keep their work organized while on the go. Sony
has also built in a myriad of security features for businesses that keep your work secure, including protection for your device, network and storage. iPhone 5S Business people with a strong need for secure technology need look no further than the iPhone 5S. Apple offers an array of enterprise resources on the iPhone 5S with support for SSL VPN and data protection API’s, 23
TECHNOLOGY which enables third party app makers to produce fully secure compatible solutions. The 5S even has a fingerprint scanner hidden beneath the home key. iPhones also have access to an abundance of business focused software, with thousands of applications currently available on the App Store. Apple’s own arsenal of business software is now available at no charge to qualified users. Personal digital assistant Siri is also standard on the 5S.
and anything else displayed on the phone’s screen. The Note 3 is a particularly smart option for those who live to multitask. For added convenience, the user can run two apps at once side by side, enabling them to reference a document while writing an email. Although this certainly isn’t the lightest or most compact smartphone on the market, its business-friendly features make it easy to keep working even when far away from your desk.
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 The Note 3 has a supersized handset that includes a sizable 5.7-inch full HD display and its own S-Pen stylus, making it seem like a smartphone and tablet in one. The S-Pen allows you to annotate documents, emails
Nokia Lumia 1520 For those who prefer a smartphone that operates on a Windows platform, the Lumia 1520 has the highest resolution of any Windows phone device, and its 2.2GHz quad-core processor also means it’s one of the most powerful smartphones to incorporate Microsoft’s mobile platform. Built-in Office software syncs the phone wirelessly to the cloud, allowing the user to easily transition
Nokia Lumia 24 September 2014
1520
THE BEST SMARTPHONES FOR BUSINESS
from phone to computer, and the 6-inch screen makes composing and editing easy on the eyes.
business sector to ensure that handsets are completely secure, from app and platform security to device management.
Samsung Galaxy S5 The S5 boasts a versatile handset and an impressive array of features, including a fingerprint scanner on the front and a heart monitor on the back. The phone has easy-to-use email and note-taking applications, numerous connectivity options and a bright 5.1-inch display. Samsung has equipped the device with a Snapdragon 801 processor so you won’t be left waiting for items to load while engaged in a meeting or presentation. The S5 also comes with Samsung Knox, a mobile solution that Samsung designed specifically for the
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TECHNOLOGY Google Nexus 5 The beautifully designed Nexus 5 runs on an Android KitKat platform and integrates effortlessly with Google’s ever-expanding array of services. The 5 features a 5-inch display with a sharp 445ppi touch screen and a Snapdragon 800 processer.
26 September 2014
Available in both 16GB and 32GB, the device comes equipped with Google Now, a virtual assistant that offers Google search-based answers to voiced questions. Google Now also offers answers before a question is even posed by predicting the data sought based
THE BEST SMARTPHONES FOR BUSINESS
on your search history. This intuitive feature could be especially useful to those who need information fast and don’t have time to conduct extensive research.
BlackBerry Q10 If you can’t fathom the idea of using a smartphone without a QWERTY keyboard, the Blackberry Q10 is your best bet. The device features a 3.1-inch touchscreen and Snapdragon processor backed by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage as well as the advanced BlackBerry 10 operating system. The Q10 also offers excellent support for business users in regard to security, as emails and messages are all fully encrypted. Additionally, the Q10 includes BlackBerry Balance, a feature that allows the user to flip quickly between work and personal profiles on the handset so that the two can be kept separate and control over one’s own files can be maintained. 27
MARKETING
everything you need to know about content marketing The Internet is a competitive place and if you want to get your voice heard you need to tick all the boxes. Business Review Canada tells you everything you need to know about content marketing. W R I T T E N B Y: D E A N A C A C U S
28 September 2014
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MARKETING
Blog a lot
Content marketing is an innovative strategy that involves creating impactful written content that will inspire customer loyalty and increase opportunities for future business. An effective strategy will allow a business to engage with its customers while also piquing their curiosity about the 30 September 2014
company and its industry. Generally, content marketing includes articles, blogging, e-books, videos and webinars. It’s not a sales tactic, but instead a two-way communication platform between a business and its target market. Much like social media, content marketing is
not designed to sell, but it can have a substantial effect on brand awareness and positioning. More companies are turning to content marketing to increase their impact and credibility without breaking the bank. To get the highest return on investment from your content
marketing strategy, focus on the following suggestions. Maintain a blog. Hosting a blog and sharing content on your website is the easiest and most effective way to drive traffic to your site and increase your SEO ranking. 31
MARKETING Whenever a post is added to your blog, the search engines scan your site, leading to a boost in your search ranking. For continuous viewership, create a blogging schedule and post on the same days each week. In addition to at least two weekly original posts, you should share content from outside sources. This can be accomplished using news articles, studies or statistics from other pages with links to the original posts. Naturally, your commentary should be included. To alert readers of your latest posts, be sure to cross-promote your blog through your company’s social media channels. Utilize social media. Though many companies have been slow to integrate social media into their strategy, it is one of the best ways to post and share content. Social media is one of the prime marketing mediums for developing relationships with potential customers and earning their loyalty. Like with blogging, implementing a social media posting schedule will keep your marketing consistent, as you will be sharing interesting and creative content on a regular basis. 32 September 2014
Utilize social media The more views, comments and shares that your post receives, the greater return on investment your outreach will earn. Because of this, scheduling your posts during peak times is ideal. If you cannot put a team or individual in charge of this,
various companies offer social media management that will post your content at the time of day that will have the greatest impact. In addition to posting fresh content on a consistent basis, your business should be engaging with
customer’s posts to maintain positive connections. When a customer takes the time to specifically promote your company, a greeting and a thank you should acknowledge your appreciation. It makes good sense to retweet or repost their comments as 33
MARKETING
ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR FOLLOWERS ON SOCIAL NETWORKS
well. Customers should always know how much your company values their patronage, and social media shout outs are a great way to accomplish this. Add videos. Videos are popular with followers because people connect strongly to visuals. And though many companies are reluctant to use video content because it seems like a sizable undertaking, videos can be relatively easy and inexpensive to produce. With a good script, professional setting and proper lighting, a company can produce a video using free apps to create short clips that can be uploaded to your social media profiles for easy sharing. Creating a longer, more detailed video for your homepage not only positions your company as cutting edge and creative, but also gives excellent exposure. Multimedia content often appears on the first page of search results, so consumers seeking information about your business can be met with a professional introduction that has a personal touch.
Know the difference between content marketing and a sales pitch. Content marketing is not direct advertising. If a business focuses solely on promoting their company within their content, their strategy will be less effective. Most consumers are wary of advertising messages and often ignore them, so as soon as they recognize a sales pitch in your content, they automatically lose interest. Customers visit company’s websites and social media channels to learn more about a business’ realm of expertise. Provide customers with information about your sector in a fun and creative way. This is where utilizing other sources comes into play. Your posts should not be limited to your company and how great it is. Instead, talk about your industry and the reach that it has. Make your website a destination for valuable, meaningful information that can be useful to consumers. This will establish you as an industry leader and will keep them coming back for more.
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TOP 10
TOP 10
0 CEO’S CANADIAN
Written by: Deana Cacus
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TOP 10 10. Bradley Shaw, Shaw Communications, Inc. Shaw was appointed CEO for Calgary’s Shaw Communications, a telecommunications company that provides telephone, Internet and television services as well as mass media related services, in 2010. He has also previously served as executive vice president of the company and senior vice president of Operations for Shaw Cablesystems, Ltd. He has been a Director of Shaw Communications, Inc. since 1999. Shaw is credited with leading the company into the world of WiFi through his plans to build a less costly network Bradley Shaw, Shaw Communications, Inc.
that would cover key parts of the company’s operating territories throughout Canada. 9. Donald Guloien, Manulife Financial Corporation Guloien has worked for Manulife Financial Corporation, an insurance company and financial services provider based in Toronto, for the past thirty-three years. In addition to serving as CEO, he is also a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Company’s Executive Committee. He joined the company as a research analyst and worked his way up, managing the company’s global investment operations from positions in North America, the United Kingdom and Asia. Mr. Guloien has previously been named International Business Executive of the Year by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto. 8. Scott Saxberg, Crescent Point Energy Corp. Saxberg was a founder of
38 September 2014
TOP 10 CANADIAN CEOS
Crescent Point in 2001 and has been president since 2003. Crescent Point is an oil and gas company based in Calgary that focuses primarily on crude oil production in southern Saskatchewan. Saxberg has worked in the oil and gas industry since 1992, holding various positions with Shelter Bay, Wascana Energy Inc., Numac Energy Inc. and Magin Energy. Saxberg is a Member of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Manitoba. 7. Steven W. Williams, Suncor Energy Inc. Williams began his career with Suncor, an integrated energy company based in Calgary, in 2002 as executive vice president, Oil Sands and chief operating officer. He has worked in the international energy industry for over 35 years. In the beginning of his career, he worked for Exxon for 18 years. Notably, Williams is one
of 12 founding CEOs in Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Exeter University and is a graduate of the advanced management program at Harvard Business School and the business economics program at Oxford University. 6. Doug Suttles, Encana Corporation Suttles joined Encana as president and CEO in 2013 after a thirty year career in the oil and gas industry. He formerly held senior leadership roles at BP including COO of BP Exploration and Production and president of BP Alaska. There, he led BP’s response to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, reportedly coordinating BP’s drilling of a relief well to stop the Macondo leak and providing public updates for more than three months following the incident. Before joining BP, Suttles worked in production and engineering at Exxon. He has a degree in mechanical engineering from the University 39
TOP 10 of Texas at Austin.
5. Gordon M. Nixon, Royal Bank of Canada
Nixon has been the head of Canada’s largest bank for the past 11 years, acting as CEO as well as a director and chair of its Group Executive. He previously worked for Dominion Securities in both Toronto and Tokyo until the company was acquired by the Royal Bank of Canada in 1987. Nixon has been awarded the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario as well as being a recipient of Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year Award and the Canadian 40 September 2014
Business Leader Award. He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen’s University as well as two Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees. 4. Donald J. Walker, Magna International Inc. Walker is the current CEO of Magna, a global automotive supplier headquartered in Aurora, Ontario. He previously served as the company’s co-CEO as well as CEO and chairman of Intier Automotive Inc., one of Magna’s former subsidiaries. He also spent seven years working in engineering and manufacturing at General Motors. Walker is currently the Chair of the Canadian Automotive Partnership Council with the Canadian federal and provincial governments. He is also a founding member of the Yves Landry Foundation, which promotes the value of technical education. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Waterloo. 3. Chuck Magro, Agrium Inc. Prior to his appointment as
TOP 10 CANADIAN CEOS
Chuck Magro, Agrium Inc
president and CEO of Agrium, a supplier of agricultural products, in January of this year, Magro served as the company’s COO. During his time at Agrium, he has also served as executive vice president of corporate development and chief risk officer. Magro joined the company following a stint with Nova Chemicals. He began his career as a process engineer and soon took on leadership roles in plant operations management, product line management and supply chain team leadership. He has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the University of Windsor.
2. Nadir Mohamed, Rogers Communications, Inc. For the past 25 years, Mohamed has held various leadership roles at Canada’s top communications companies including Telus Communications and BC Telecom. During his time as CEO of Rogers, he has seen the company become the largest wireless carrier in Canada through its acquisition of Microcell. He also was at the helm of the company’s $5.2 billion deal for the media rights to NHL hockey. Mohamed received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia and received his Chartered Accountant designation in 1981 followed by his FCA designation in 2010.
Nadir Mohamed, Rogers Communications, Inc 41
TOP 10
1
Gerald Schwartz, Onex Corporation Schwartz is the Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Onex, a Toronto-based private equity investment firm and holding company. Schwartz founded Onex in 1983 after working at investment bank Bear Stearns and co-founding Canadian media company CanWest with a former fellow employee. Since its inception, Onex has built more than 75 businesses and has completed 450 acquisitions with a total value of approximately $50 billion. Schwartz currently serves as Vice Chairman of Mount Sinai Hospital and is an honorary director of The Bank of Nova Scotia. Schwartz is also active in numerous social and charitable
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September 2014
organizations including Junior Achievement of Toronto and The Simon Wiesenthal Center. In 2004, Schwartz co-founded the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Manitoba as well as an MBA from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration. He was given an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from St. Francis Xavier University and an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree from Tel Aviv University. Schwartz was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2004 and was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006.
TOP 10 CANADIAN CEOS
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ArcelorMittal Mining Can
World Class Performance
Steve Wood of ArcelorMittal Mining Canada G.P. discusse expansion project at its Mont-Wright mine, including major improvements and future plans to be best in class Written by: Robert Spence
Produced by: Aaron Wells
nada G.P.
es the company’s successful r investments, continuous
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A R C E L O R M I T TA L M I N E S C A N A D A
MW Mine avec sautage 46
September 2014
MINING
Expansion projects in the mining industry are no easy task. Successfully implementing new objectives into operations requires the successful planning, integration and execution. Under the helm of Steve Wood, ArcelorMittal Mining Canada G.P. is currently perfecting the skill. Founded in 1957, ArcelorMittal Mining Canada G.P. is the largest mining division of the multinational corporation, ArcelorMittal. The company has become the leading supplier of iron ore and steel in Canada, producing approximately 60 percent of the country’s total production. Expansion of the future ArcelorMittal Mining Canada G.P. currently operates two large open-
pit mines: Mont-Wright Complex and Fire Lake. The Mont-Wright mining complex is a highly systematic operation comprised of an open-pit mine, an ore crusher and concentrator facility along with a train loading system. The mine is linked by a companyowned rail to the Port-Cartier industrial complex. Located roughly 55 kilometers from Mont-Wright is the Fire Lake mine. Because of the high demand for iron ore, the mine has become an additional deposit for the ArcelorMittal to operate at. In 2011, the company undertook one of the largest expansion projects in Quebec. The project, which was completed last year, entailed expanding infrastructure at the Mont-Wright mine to increase w w w. a r c e l o r m i t t a l . c o m
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Located in Quebec (Canada), The Castech-Plessitech Group is a young, dynamic and experienced team that contains over 200 employees. Since 1931, Castech-Plessitech is present in many sectors such as : Mining, Aluminum, Pulp and Paper, Industrial, Hydro and Wind energy.
Up to 9 axles lowboy traile r; capacity of 175 000 lbs.
With its added value manufacturing services – engineering department, ferrous castings up to 40 000 lbs in all types of alloys and irons, machining of parts, welding, assemblies with lifting capacities of 100 tons, screw conveyors, finishing and painting, overload and wide load transportation, installation on site – The Group is unique. All those services are offered with excellent sales and technical support, available 24/7.
CASTECH Metallurgy inc.
PLESSITECH inc.
418 338-3171 418 338-5930 castech@castechinc.com • www.castechinc.com
819 362-6315 819 362-6970 plessitech@plessitech.com • www.plessitech.com
Since 1994, The Castech-Plessitech Group has delivered many dippers up to 79y3 in many continents: North and South America, Asia, Europe, Africa. Our dippers have demonstrated superior performances in terms of availability and fill factors, and unequaled durability in all types of mining operations and climates. Moreover, The Group offers core exchange program for dippers and buckets. We also produce the usual replacement parts for excavation dippers and shovels: lip assemblies, lip-front assemblies, lower doors and complete doors, door latch mechanism components (latch lever and latch bar), liners, bushings and pins, hydraulics and mechanicals snubbers, G.E.T. & Shrouds, hammerless C-Clamp systems, Ripple Liner PLUS , track shoes, drive tumblers, idlers, racking, etc. TM
With our vast expertise in metallurgy, Castech has developed many types of ferrous alloy that offer superior performance to abrasion wear and impact. We are proud to produce many wear parts for some of the most used crushers & mills that meet or exceed OEM’s specifications: concaves, mantles, jaws, hammers, crates, feed chute liners, etc. The Group offers installation on site.
SPIDER CAP
SPIDER ARMS SHIELDS HEAD NUT CONCAVES MANTLE
CASTECH Metallurgy inc.
PLESSITECH inc.
418 338-3171 418 338-5930 castech@castechinc.com • www.castechinc.com
819 362-6315 819 362-6970 plessitech@plessitech.com • www.plessitech.com
SUPPLIER PROFILE
The Castech – Plessitech Group is a dynamic young, but experienced, team, offering turn-key products related to foundry, machining and welding assembly. Castech – Plessitech is present in many industrial sectors such as: mining, aluminum, pulp and paper, hydro and wind energy and industrial. The Group is unique because of its complete value added manufacturing services: design and drawing, ferrous castings up to 40,000 lb in mild steels, alloy steels, stainless steels, manganese steels, ductile and grey irons and specialty and abrasion resistant alloys; machining of parts, fabrications or castings from small to large, assemblies, screw conveyors reparation or new manufacturing; finishing and painting; installation on site; and all this with excellent after sales services.
Website: www.castechinc.com
A R C E L O R M I T TA L M I N E S C A N A D A production from 16 to 24 million tons of iron ore by end of 2013. “We hit the run rate of 24 million late last year in November and things look good to make 24 million again this year,” says Steve Wood, president of ArcelorMittal Mining Canada G.P. He continues, “It’s pretty phenomenal to get those rates right after an expansion project. It’s an exciting time in terms of expansion and maximizing benefit of our investment.” Part of the latest expansion involved the commissioning of new spiral lines and a concentrating plant with additional upgrades to the railway and port in Port-Cartier. Wood believes with a few minor improvements ArcelorMittal can reach an even higher production rate. “We can see a day where with a few minor tweaks we can go above name plate capacity,” says Wood. Overall, the expansion project
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included: • Commission of new spirals line at concentrator • New trucks and maintenance shop operational • Additional rail sidings completed • New concentrator completed • New stacker-reclaimer and shiploader in commissioning • Concentrate production exceeded 2Mt in December 2013 • Shipments of 1.987 Mt in December 2013 • Costs benefiting from scale The province of Quebec is benefiting from the expansion as well. Income taxes and mining rights revenues will account for over $3 billion, which will assist the government through 2039. Quebec will also profit from increased export capacity of goods overseas, consolidation of the mining sector in general and community development.
“Our job here is to get world class levels of performance in every aspect of the business in terms of productivity, maintenance, and reliability of equipment” – Steve Wood, President of ArcelorMittal Mines Canada w w w. a r c e l o r m i t t a l . c o m
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Wherever there’s mining in Quebec and in Western Labrador, you’ll find Cat products hard at work – drilling and digging, loading and hauling, grading and dozing. You will also find a Hewitt Equipment Limited branch, providing unmatched support, expert service and integrated solutions. Superior products. World class service. One source.
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19-08-2014 13:41
Founded in 1952, Hewitt Equipment Limited is the authorized Caterpillar Dealer for Quebec, Western Labrador and the Maritime Provinces in Canada. Hewitt has the expertise to deliver the world’s largest mobile mining equipment and act as a partner to help customers achieve success in their projects. Hewitt also provides the following services: • Assessment and continuous improvement: Hewitt’s mining experts perform a wide range of evaluations on site, while assessing processes and operational performance, enhancing productivity measures and identifying gaps and areas of improvement. • Best practices implementation: Hewitt and Caterpillar have developed throughout several decades of field experience an outstanding portfolio of best practices, in areas such as Maintenance & Repair, Application Component Life and Service Contract Management. • One stop shop: Hewitt achieves important synergies, leveraged by the supply of the largest variety of mining equipment and parts, volume discounts, processes optimization, and the access to a large pool of expertise and technical resources.
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A R C E L O R M I T TA L M I N E S C A N A D A Job creation in Canada is another benefit of the expansion. Over 8,000 jobs were created during the construction of the project and another 600 permanent jobs have been implemented since the completion of the expansion. Investments To get the project rolling ArcelorMittal has invested significantly to the tune of $1.6 billion, including an array of new equipment and technology to expand the production rate and increase efficiency. “We purchased new equipment; hired additional people; increased our processing capacity; added another large line, increased our capacity for concentrate by 50 percent, and put in a new processing mill and more spirals,”
MINING
Wood continues, “We also purchased 13 Caterpillar 797 400 ton trucks to assist in moving larger volumes in less time.” The 400 ton trucks are equipped with an 18-step staircase to reach the driver’s cabin with each truck being utilized to transport crude iron ore to a breaker where it will undergo its first transformation. According to Wood, part of the expansion also included investing in its rail line to streamline production. The company railway transports iron ore concentrate from Mont-Wright to Port-Cartier and is renowned throughout the North American rail industry for its reliability and innovation. “We also wanted to amplify the capacity of our rail line so we purchased more locomotives and cars, extended some siding that
“It’s pretty phenomenal to get those rates right after an expansion project. It’s an exciting time in terms of expansion and maximizing benefit of our investment” – Steve Wood, President of ArcelorMittal Mines Canada w w w. a r c e l o r m i t t a l . c o m
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Your business partner on the Terminal Operations
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Porlier Express oers direct and intermodal integrated solutions since 1953. www.porlier.com
A R C E L O R M I T TA L M I N E S C A N A D A allows us to haul more to port, expanded our capacity to load ships by putting in a new ship loader and stacker as well as a modified conveyor. The future is all about cycle times and reliability,” says Wood. “We want to replicate what we’ve done in the past. We have some of the smartest people in the industry.” Along with acquiring the best equipment possible, technological investments were also made. “We’ve installed the best available technology in terms of planning, dispatching of equipment at mines and monitoring progress on a daily, hourly and real-time,” says Wood. “We’re in the process of perfecting it. We know where we can be and we’re working towards it.”
MINING
Port Remorqueurs
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PORLIER EXPRESS
Established on Québec’s North Shore since 1953, Porlier Express offer different services such as: terminal operations, stevedoring, railcar transloading and heavy equipment services. From our installations located at Mont-Wright, Labrador and various ports (Sept-Îles, Port-Cartier and HavreSaint-Pierre), our local and specialized teams offer you direct or intermodal integrated solutions adapted to the specific needs of the region and the industries (mining, smelter, petroleum and chemical).
With Porlier Express, you can be assured of peace of mind ! www.porlier.com (418) 962-3073
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We are a dynamic company specializing in industrial and commercial electricity Kilotech Control Inc. is the prime contractor or subcontractor in collaboration with various partners trust. As electrical contractors for over 30 years, we are able to achieve a complete product into electricity through our multidisciplinary team, while ensuring the complete satisfaction of our customers. Our reputation is that of a company that meets the initial conditions and timing of contracts awarded. Business confidence, Kilotech Control Inc. strives to continuously improve its standards and remain leaders from different donors item. We are able to perform electrical work, instrumentation and control, work line, high voltage and fiber optic, our company offers a full range of services that adapt to specific customer needs, regardless of the size of the project.
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180, RUE NAPOLEON SEPT-ÎLES, QUEBEC G4R 3M5 TEL: 418-968-3006 FAX: 418-968-4009
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A R C E L O R M I T TA L M I N E S C A N A D A According to Wood, ArcelorMittal is continuously looking to improve in all phases of operations. “Our job here is to get world class levels of performance in every aspect of the business in terms of productivity, maintenance, and reliability of equipment.” With the expansion completed, daily records show potential in system for further growth in: • First sustain 24Mt and chase the “shifting bottleneck” to maximize system potential • Incremental investments for debottlenecking as required: • Mt Wright mine optimization, Fire Lake expansion (richer ore) and crusher debottlenecking • Rail winter reclaim capability, long train capability, additional sidings
SUPPLIER PROFILE
MINING
Produits Boulettes
KILOTECH
We develop, import and distribute a full assortment of scales to service all types of scale dealers, under the Kilotech brand name. Furthermore, we also carry other quality brands such as Tanita. We focus solely on weighing and measurement products, allowing us to concentrate on a more personal level in servicing our dealers’ needs. Our front line team is ready and able to answer any questions you may have regarding weighing and measurement products. After all, they’ve combined over 50 man years of sales experience and 40 man years of technical support experience between them. We have an established network of distributors across Canada and the U.S. Website: www.kilotech.com
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PROVIDING SOLUTIONS, CREATING VALUES Applied Industrial Technologies provides solutions and creates value for customers. We supports the manufacturing and maintenance operations in every industry segment. We offer technical expertise, repair services, and a complete offering of Bearing,
Material Handling, Mechanical Power Transmission products, Fluid Power products, and Specialty products.
For more information contact us at 1-418-296-5575 or visit our website at www.appliedcanada.com
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A R C E L O R M I T TA L M I N E S C A N A D A • Additional conveyor capacity at port • Significant cost benefits from scale • Potential to expand beyond 30Mt at low capital intensity The company believes over time, with various improvements, the expansion has the potential of producing 100 million tons a year. Wood comments, “We believe there’s an opportunity to do even better. By applying some world class management techniques, training and improving productivity, we think we can hit a higher rate of potentially 27-28 million tons and
MINING
eventually more”. He adds, “Going forward, we’re continuing to work out the bugs so we’re more reliable and consistent in our production.” ArcelorMittal Mining Canada G.P. is continuously striving for excellence and accomplishes this by employing initiatives to not only reach their goals, but exceed them. With the help of employees and extensive training, the company is leading a number of teams in processes for operational excellence. According to Wood, “it helps engage employees. They’re the ones with the ideas and know
Port Chargeur de navire et homme w w w. a r c e l o r m i t t a l . c o m
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Rock-solid litigation expertise At De Grandpré Chait, we advise our clients at every stage of the litigation process before all levels of court in Canada. Whether a case goes to trial or is resolved through arbitration, mediation or negotiation, our experienced lawyers are committed to helping clients achieve the solution that best resolves the dispute at hand. Our expertise extends to a vast array of contentious issues, such as: • Construction claims and litigation • Commercial disputes • Insolvency and financial restructuring • Debt collection • Insurance and liability
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Miller Thomson’s Construction and Infrastructure Group Understanding the mining industry’s construction needs
franchise
Our Construction and Infrastructure Group is a leading provider of legal services for construction and infrastructure projects across Canada. We understand the wide range of issues facing the sector and how they specifically impact mining companies. And with more than 80 lawyers in key cities across Canada, we can provide tailored solutions to your industry’s unique business needs. Louis-Michel Tremblay lmtremblay@millerthomson.com 514.871.5421
Added experience. Added clarity. Added value.
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A R C E L O R M I T TA L M I N E S C A N A D A how things need to run. We want to take their suggestions and implement them. We’re going to do some retraining, reorganization of work and work methods so our productivity is best in class and everything is running consistently.” Though the company can’t control certain things, such as ore grade, it still provides superior service in everything it can control. “We’re benchmarking ourselves in terms of equipment availability,
MINING
utilization, productivity workforce and best practices,” says Wood. “We can’t change the ore body but we plan on being world class in everything we can control.” The company works toward ambitious goals, including their zero-thirty-thirty goal. Wood explains that this goal, “entails zero harm, 30 million tons a year and 30 dollars a ton. It’s an aspiration we work every day on. That’s what our operational excellence teams are
UB Disques d’agglomération w w w. a r c e l o r m i t t a l . c o m
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From pit to port Helping our clients realize maximum value from their investments
Our extensive experience in the iron ore industry includes: mining, crushing, beneficiation (gravity and magnetic), flotation, fines agglomeration, pelletizing, and sintering; rail, port, materials handling and feed and product blending; process and logistics dynamic simulation; market studies, and process optimization. To learn more visit hatch.ca.
CONSULTING PROJECT DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
A R C E L O R M I T TA L M I N E S C A N A D A doing – identifying the potential and engaging teams to achieve it. We don’t think we’ve reached our potential yet.” Transforming tomorrow As a leading supplier of iron ore, ArcelorMittal is also committed to setting global standards for future generations. The company strives to provide the leadership, quality and sustainability that will transform tomorrow’s steel and mining industries for the better. ArcelorMittal’s focus on sustainability reaches far beyond just Canada and the company is firmly committed to minimizing its environmental repercussions. The company has developed a sustainable development policy aimed at maintaining its international leadership position and being a strong advocate of Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM), a Mining Association of Canada (MAC) initiative. In doing so, the company works to implement corporate Environmental Management System in line with ISO 14001; actively communicate and cooperate with governments, the public and communities of interest; and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The company’s commitment to sustainable development derives from five fundamental principles: health and safety, profitability, improvement, commitment, and respect. It’s as simple as that.
MINING
Company Information INDUSTRY
Mining
ArcelorMittal is the world’s leading steel and mining company. Guided by a philosophy to produce safe, sustainable steel, it is the leading supplier of quality steel products in all major markets including automotive, construction, household appliances and packaging. ArcelorMittal is present in more than 60 countries and has an industrial footprint in over 20 countries.
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Kirkland Lake Gold Kirkland Lake Gold Maintains Standards
Kirkland Lake’s mission statement is to produce gold in a s sustainable and profitable manner Written by: Andrew Rossillo
Produced by: Bobby Meehan
ns High Grade
safe,
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K
irkland Lake Gold operates in Northern Ontario, Canada, one of the safest mining jurisdictions in the world. The Company mines one of the highest-grade ore bodies in the world at 0.44 opt (14 g/t) with massive exploration and growth potential in the immediate area. Kirkland Lake’s mission statement is to produce gold in a safe, sustainable and profitable 68
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manner such that the Company generates a return on investment for its shareholders while providing benefits to all stakeholders with the goal of improving the lives of their employees and the residents within the communities that they operate. The Company remains true to this mission statement by considering safety, sustainability and profitability in every decision they make within the business each and every day.
SECTOR
Kirkland Lake operates with the core values of safety, trust, respect, equity, environmental, teamwork and social responsibility. “We want our employees to go home in the same condition as they came to work. Subsequently, safety is at the forefront of every decision we make while all meetings start with a safety talk. In the workplace we believe in trust through honesty, commitment and open dialogue and communication,” says Kirkland
Lake’s CEO George Ogilvie. “We respect everyone’s contribution no matter how small and regularly reward and acknowledge our employees when we see good results and the right behavior. More often than not it requires a team effort to get the best results. We also treat our people with dignity. All of these values are part of how I conduct myself as the CEO so that they can cascade down into the business. Environmental w w w. k l g o l d . c o m
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Kanuck Rock Drill Services Manufactures and repairs mining products which include rock drills, component rebuilding, custom machining, mechanical drawings, manufacturing drill parts, air motors, jackleg and stoper airlegs. Owned and operated by Lawrence Beaucage. Mr. Beaucage has been employed in this industry for over 35 years. Kanuck Rock Drill Services serves the Sudbury Region, and Northern Ontario Areas.
For more information please visit our website at www.kanuckrockdrillservice.ca
WE SERVICE NORTHERN AREA OF ONTARIO, CANADA
Your Northern Ontario Provider.
North Star Linen can supply your operations with a wide range of coveralls and uniforms to suit your work environment. From high visibility coveralls, Arc Flash coveralls, to regular coveralls and uniforms, we have a great selection available for you. North Star Linen offers the Locker System to facilitate the distribution, control inventory and losses. Our weekly program also includes bins or carts to manage the soiled inventory.
Phone: 705.335.2208 I Toll Free: 1.800.461.5756 I Fax: 705.335.6875 E-mail: uniforms@northstarlinen.com I www.northstarlinen.com
KIRKLAND LAKE GOLD stewardship and sustainability is also a very important core value for us; which is highlighted in our main energy conservation program. We take our social responsibility very seriously and subsequently invest in the community and groups when the right opportunities present themselves.” A concrete example of how these values are applied to their employees includes the Company’s improved management: “I think the management here is enjoying the new management style. I encourage collaboration amongst managers and staff, support and consider new ideas or suggestions on how we can improve. Now it’s much more of a partnership and collaborative process where we determine the targets and hold ourselves accountable and responsible for our results towards our targets. And we’re constantly monitoring, giving positive recognition and feedback when we’re doing well, as well as addressing weaknesses through discussion and action planning.” Continuous Improvement Among the many factors that
MINING
help keep Kirkland Lake among the leaders in the mining industry is their dedication to continuous improvement. This includes raising cut-off grades and stopping the practice of mining incremental tonnage, which is mineralization not in any reserve and resource category, but previously was mined when encountered. Something that is unique to the Kirkland Lake Gold Camp is their high reserve grade of 0.44 ounces per ton. “Prior to my appointment, mined grades were significantly below reserve grades. This was creating an adverse effect on costs and margin. Stopping this practice has increased our calendar year grade to 0.39 ounces per ton, a significant improvement over the 0.30 ounces per ton the Company was averaging prior to January 2014,” says Ogilvie. The primary methods of achieving these particular results through continuous improvement include tighter dilution control, tighter scrutiny with onsite requests for capital (managers required to show IRR, payback and NPV’s and other justifications on capital requests), w w w. k l g o l d . c o m
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UNITED PERSONNEL CARRIERS UNITED PERSONNEL CARRIERS
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KIRKLAND LAKE GOLD and aggressively looking at new ore sources on our existing land package to feed the mill and lower costs. In addition, Ogilvie shared a particularly promising element regarding improved productivity through new equipment: “We’re looking at productivity gains in the mine department. In some areas where we should be more productive, we ordered new electricity powered equipment from Atlas Copco. Typically, all the drilling is done with handheld
MINING
drills, which operate through compressed air, which is very inefficient and not particularly effective...so once our new electric drills arrive we think in the second half of the calendar year we should see better productivity.” Operations Kirkland Lake Gold Camp has been producing for a very impressive 100 years. One of the most recent releases from the company provided details regarding why we might be able to expect 100 more.
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becker varis...
we speak your language.
Pro Filtration offers the most complete line of industrial filtration products and services on the market today. Through years of experience, Pro Filtration is able to optimize your filtration requirements, it being through our in-house expertise or our on-site visits. Our knowledge and
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experience ensues that the customer is supplied with the best product for each filtration application.
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• Collision Avoidance System • SMARTBLAST Remote Control Blasting System ENERGY DISTRIBUTION AUTOMATION COMMUNICATION TRANSPORTATION
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ABF Mines began operations in 1995 with a dozen employees working mainly in the mining sector. Thanks to its innovative vision, the company has grown steadily to remain in the forefront in the industry. Since its inception, always excels in the mining sector in industrial mechanics and was able to expand its services in related areas such as forestry , building , engineering , plumbing , electrical and welding.
138, Chemin des Boisés Val-d'Or, Québec J9P 4N7
PHONE: (819) 738-5289
www.abfmines.com
According to the report, it included near-surface mineralization within 1,000 feet of surface of 152,000 oz. gold (104,000 oz. indicated and 48,000 oz. inferred category) at 0.35 opt grade. “We believe this represents an expansion opportunity in the future; which could be mined cost effectively while the mill has excess capacity. Subsequently, one exploration drill is currently expanding the resource with a second doing in-fill drilling with the hope of having a mineable reserve in 12 months with plans to
MINING
mine the orebody at that time. All of this could be completed with minimal capex and could be undertaken quickly once given the green light due to the near surface proximity.”
Company Information INDUSTRY
Mining
Next Phase of Development The strategy for Kirkland is to return the mine to producing at its historical grade averages of 0.4 – 0.44 ounces per ton. The Company also plans to lower unit costs through scale and efficiencies and return to generating free cash flow. Once this is achieved the company will look to further increases output through self-funded exploration and development of other sources of ore from their current property position. “The Company’s share count of 70 million shares in issue, 83 million fully diluted permits that once the company’s production is steady state and generating significant free cash flow significant return on investment would be seen by shareholders,” says Ogilvie. With its new business plan in place, the Company has a strong focus on higher grade. The Company expects to return to breakeven and profitability in the next several quarters. Once profitability has been returned any future uplift in the gold price will result in a corresponding uplift in free cash flow, meaning greater return on investment for shareholders. All signs point to Kirkland Lake being a solid investment.
FOUNDED
2001 EMPLOYEES
250-499 REVENUE
$100M - $250M
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Ressources Appalac Gold mining returns to Nova
With a commitment to the local community and its people, helping put Nova Scotia back on the map for gold mining Written by: Robert Spence
Produced by: Bobby Meehan
ches
Scotia
, Ressources Appalaches is
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R E S S O U R C E S A P PA L A C H E S
Founded in 1994, Ressources Appalaches specializes in the exploration and development of mining properties in the Appalachian region of Canada. The company is primarily focused on the exploration and development of its Dufferin Mine in Nova Scotia, which is acquired in 2009. Headquartered in Quebec, the company prides itself on building a team of knowledgeable and experienced professionals that assists in providing cost-effective solutions to its Canadian projects. Ressources Appalaches strives to support local communities as well as employ local people.
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Dufferin Gold Mine Located on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia, the Dufferin Gold Mine was acquired by Ressources Appalaches in 2009 for $4 million. Since then the company has spent $4 million in exploration work including $10 million to upgrade pre-existing infrastructure to bring the mine back into production. From December 2013 to April 2014, the company purchased all of the equipment needed to start mining. “We currently employ a gravity circuit at the mine, recovering 75 percent of resources and the other 25 percent being recovered by a flotation device,� says Doug Keating,
MINING GLOBAL
mine manager at Dufferin. “We are hitting 300 tons a day and we should be able to double that by 2016.” Existing mining infrastructure on site includes permits, gravity and flotation processes, underground access, surface infrastructure in place, and accessible roads. The 100 percent underground mine is comprised of core drilling and some surface drilling for exploration purposes. In June, Ressources Appalaches announced its crushing unit and processing plant had begun processing ore at the Dufferin site. According to CEO Alain Hupe, “producing ore from a second face
at vein #1, the start of the crushing unit and gravity line at the Dufferin processing plant are all very significant steps to produce the first Dore during May. Following this milestone, we will continue ramping up production to 300 tons per day as planned”. The mine, which is currently producing 300 tons of gold per day, will yield 20,000 to 25,000 ounces of gold per year. Continuous improvements One of the company’s many objectives is supporting its local communities. The company works hard to support areas in which it operates as well as
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R E S S O U R C E S A P PA L A C H E S
give back to the community. “We strive in supporting local businesses and hiring local people,” says Keating. “Our employees here at Dufferin are 95 percent Nova Scotian and we work hard to bring jobs to the local community.” Along with hiring locals, the company is fully committed to providing onsite training and safety programs. “Our number one focus is safety,” says Keating. “We provide ongoing training to all of our employees and it
never stops.” According to Keating, hiring experienced miners has helped the company find new cost-effective measures for its operations. “One of the perks of having experienced employees is their knowledge. Our team combined has over 100 years of mining experience and has helped us find new ways of saving money and improving operations.” Although the mining infrastructures were already in place, Ressources
MINING GLOBAL
Appalaches has invested in a variety of new measures at the mine to increase productivity while reducing costs. The company has recently invested in a new efficient air compressor system and heat exchange system, all of which were presented by employees. And because the company doesn’t use any treatment chemicals such as leaching, the company can easily control its discharged water, helping the company reclaim about 98 percent of its used water.
Company Information INDUSTRY
Mining HEADQUARTERS
Quebec, Canada FOUNDED
1994
Future plans With operations in place, Ressources Appalaches is looking to ramp up production. The company is steadily implementing short-term goals to hits its projected goals for Dufferin in the next few years. “We’re planning to grow gradually,” says Keating. “Our goal by the end of 2015 or early 2016 is 600 tons of gold a day.” Currently, the company has a 95 percent recovery from its milling plant and will continue upgrading its facilities to maximize gold production. “We’ve had some early test indicators that show our recovery mill can improve from 95 percent to 99 percent of recovery,” says Keating. “We want to continue to improve on that” The Dufferin gold mine is a prime example of how Ressources Appalaches is working to bring gold mining back to Nova Scotia. “The Dufferin mine shows we can step up to the plate and make an operation viable,” says Keating.
EMPLOYEES
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https://twitter.com/ ResAppalaches
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G.S. Wark Limited Gener Contractors
G.S. Wark: Sixty and Strong Written by: Laura Close
Produced by: James Hayes
ral
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G . S . WA R K
McMaster MDCL SCCRI 5th Floor
Milestones are important for any business, marking the time and accomplishments that have molded it from its inception into the business that it is today. In 2015, G.S. Wark Limited General Contractors will reach its 60th year in business. G. S. Wark Limited has been committed to improving Ontario by providing public & private sector clients with quality built projects that are delivered on schedule and on budget. For the past six decades they have been finding ways to keep continually growing and improving its capabilities and services for their clients. 84
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Growing Projects G.S. Wark has been involved in industrial-commercial-institutional construction for decades, but the company is continuing to look for new and exciting projects to undertake. Recently G. S. Wark has been working on several projects of increasing complexity such as the Juravinski Hospital Breast Assessment Center, the Town of Oakville’s North Operations Facility, and its largest project to date – the Lewis Road Layover Facility for Metrolinx. This project has G. S. Wark building a comprehensive train layover facility that will be used
CONSTRUCTION
Oakville North Satellite Operations Depot and Patrol Yard Facility
by GO Transit, a high speed train service connecting the Greater Toronto Area to Hamilton. The Metrolinx layover facility at Lewis road project involves intense and complex industrial work from the installation of utilities and services, to building several operational facilities such as diesel filling stations and snow clearing operations as well as providing wayfinding signage. With projects under its belt such as the Trafalgar Rd. Via Train station in Oakville and Industrial projects such as the train car filling of food grade product at Bunge in Hamilton,
G.S. Wark has been building up to projects such as Lewis Rd. throughout its career. With a budget of $20 million and a 25 acre project site, Lewis Rd. is the largest single value project to date that G.S. Wark has taken on. “Coinciding with the company’s 60th year anniversary, G.S. Wark has strategically implemented processes and efficiently managed resources to attain the achievement of taking on our largest project to date.” says Project Manager Ryan Kniesz. The G.S. Wark Difference What sets G.S. Wark apart from w w w. w a r k . n e t
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SINCE 1981
Providing Concrete Foundation Walls, Commercial and Residential Forming. St. Catharines Concrete Forming Larry Sinke I Owner
stcatharinesconcrete@talkwireless.ca
Phone: (905) 384-0674 Fax: (905) 384-0676
G . S . WA R K the competition? The company prides itself on dedication to not just quality construction, but also developing quality relationships with subcontractors, suppliers, architects, clients and employees. “What differentiates us from our competition is our respectable relationships with subcontractors, as well as the diversity and variety of our subcontractors,” says Kniesz. “A big part of what we do is working with subcontractors to ensure that all tasks run as efficiently as possible, to ultimately produce a completed project of superior quality, within the scheduled timeframe. We have developed internal methods that allow us to streamline the process of obtaining tender documents and information for providing quotes to our subcontractors, which assists them by relieving the additional cost of obtaining this information via different methods or having to physically be present at our office. By using these efficient practices we are able to secure a large group of extremely diverse subcontractors for all types of work to partner with our company. In our
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contract management stage, open communication and discussions are vital with subcontractors to ensure that contracts and pricing are established properly. We then commence construction with our subcontractors on the job site.” G.S. Wark also focuses on developing relationships early on, working with several educational institutions such as Mohawk College and Ryerson University focusing on their construction health & safety and civil engineering co-op programs. “A few of our employees originally began working with for the company as co-op students. We offer these students a placement through their co-op program while they are completing their education, some of which have turned to future full time employment with the company” notes Kniesz. “By developing these relationships early on, it helps build a superior company dynamic and excellent teamwork, which ultimately leads to increased productivity and increased efficiency. This gives us a leading edge over our competitors. Having brilliant and eager young staff that are well versed in technology is what w w w. w a r k . n e t
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McMaster Innovation Park - BTECH FIT UP - McMaster Automotive Research Centre
SKEATES CONTRACTING INC. T: 905-333-3252 F: 905-333-6894 E: info@skeates.ca Skeates Contracting specializes in industrial, commercial, retail and institutional projects in Ontario, completing all facets of wall and ceiling work including: • • • • •
Light & Heavy Gauge Metal Stud Framing Gypsum Board, Finishing and Insulation Demountable Partitions / PC350 Frames Acoustic Ceilings Specialty Acoustical & Millwork Assemblies
Some of the projects we are proud to have worked with GS Wark on include: • • • • • •
Juravinski Breast Assessment Centre, Hamilton McMaster University Stem Cell Cancer Research Institute, Hamilton McMaster Hospital Biosafety Lab – Level 3, Hamilton George R. Allan School, Hamilton North Satellite Operations, Oakville Hamilton Port Authority – Pier 26 Working together as a team to ensure that we exceed our client’s expectations is what makes Skeates Contracting a competitive and successful choice.
For more information, please visit our website www.skeates.ca
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allows G.S. Wark to differentiate itself from its competitors in the marketplace. Planning for the Future Sixty years is a long time, but it’s far from the end of the road for G.S. Wark. So what is in the company’s future? “Building on a family heritage, we value ethics, excellence, safety, sustainability and mutual respect. We plan and act for the future- for the long-term good of our company.” says Kniesz. “We will continue to be selective of the projects we take on to ultimately achieve our
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Company Information INDUSTRY
General Contractor HEADQUARTERS
Ontario, Canada FOUNDED
1955 EMPLOYEES
25
company goals, visions and values. Succession planning is a major factor in G.S. Wark’s success throughout the last 60 years. As second-generation CEO, George Wark makes plans to step back into a less demanding role. “George is 60 now, and by 65 he is looking to take less of a role in the company,” says Hambly. “He has been very instrumental in the training and teaching of his staff for the succession of the company. This allows him to be able to step back and enjoy retirement while still seeing his goals, visions and values for the company remain strong and continue to grow under the G. S. Wark brand.” With that strong guidance, and the third generation already on the rise within the company, the future of both G.S. Wark and high quality construction in Ontario seem bright and secure.
REVENUE
$50 million
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Delnor Construction:
Quality and Values at Thirty Y
Delnor Construction CEO Glenn Cyrankiewicz discusses th dedication to workmanship that have shaped the company construction powerhouse it is today Written by: Sasha Orman
Produced by: Sean Bakke
Years
he core values and y into the Canadian
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In 1983, Ron Hinz and Ed Cyrankiewicz founded Delnor Construction on two principles: quality workmanship and strong relationships with clients and suppliers. Thirty years later, Delnor Construction continues to meet those goals every day as it provides high quality commercial construction services throughout Alberta and interior British Columbia. To this day, the
company strives to expand its reach and capabilities while never compromising the strong family values at its core. Committed to Safety and Quality From its inception, Delnor Construction has been a business heavily invested in values like quality, safety, sustainability and community. This is more w w w. d e l n o r. c a
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Profile Electrical offers electrical construction in the commercial, and light industrial sectors, as well as fully equipped service vehicles. Profile Electrical has successfully completed major projects for a variety of clients in the Edmonton area and across Alberta.
Tel: (780) 444 2604 Fax: (780) 481 3091 info@profileelectrical.ca www.profileelectrical.ca
Your interior specialists We have proudly worked with Delnor Construction for the past 30 years. Here’s to the future. Unit 210, 280 Portage Close
Crafting the finest quality custom millwork throughout North America for over 30 years.
Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2R6 Email: info@interspaceconstruction.ca
Phone: (780) 467-1922 I Fax: (780) 467-1933 tel: (780) 448-9084 fax: (780) 454-7160 e-mail: reception@rbkmillwork.com web: www.rbkmillwork.com
DELNOR CONSTRUCTION
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than just part of its mission statement: Delnor backs this up through membership with several organizations that vouch for the company’s ongoing commitment. Safety is crucial to any construction company – projects must be safe for the workers on the job in the present, and for the people who will be moving through the finished products on a daily basis in the future. An emphasis on safety is built into every part of Delnor Construction from training to monitoring to the presence of an inhouse corporate safety officer. That emphasis is noted with Certificates of Recognition in Alberta as well as British Columbia, assuring clients that Delnor is among the best of the best. “Safety is of course a big factor to our business, to make sure that we work in a safe environment,” says Glenn Cyrankiewicz, CEO at Delnor Construction. “We have one safety director that goes around projects and makes sure everything is in a safe manner, and that everything is done correctly, up to code and per regulations. We really put emphasis on doing a good job for people and municipalities, a job that customers
can be proud of.” Delnor Construction is equally committed to sustainability and corporate social responsibility, striving to make sustainable construction a common practice rather than an exception to the rule. With active participation in the Canadian Green Building Council, plus multiple LEED®certified employees on board at each of Delnor’s three locations, sustainability at Delnor is business as usual. Set Apart By Family Values After three decades in the business, Delnor Construction has only continued to grow its client base and thrive. Much of this can be attributed to the company’s family owned nature, with multigenerational core values like teamwork and trust that have yet to waver. “We’re a family business that has a lot of experience in these fields,” notes Cyrankiewicz. “When you have a family business like this, there’s a lot of trust in the fact that we can depend on each other, and we know our roles and how that plays into each part of the business. w w w. d e l n o r. c a
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“YOU GET THE BEST DEAL AT IDEAL” At Ideal Tile and Terrazzo Ltd. we custom fabricate stone and tile for both Commercial and Residential applications.
Phone: 780-447-4777 Fax: 780-447-4774 Email: ittl@telusplanet.net www.idealtileandterrazzo.ca
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We strive to trust each other in matters of our clients, getting work done on a timely basis, getting the job done under budget, and I think all those together make up our core emphasis and values that we look at as a day-to-day basis. We also do a very good job of working together as a team and that makes a big difference – it’s not one person but several coming together on certain issues, and for things that have to be resolved we can count on being able to work together and complete a project when it needs to completed so that schedules are met.” That aspect of the company is a strength that is poised to continue, as the next generation grows up and comes into the fold of the business. “It’s been a very good situation as far as working with both my father and son – most people don’t have that luxury the opportunity to have three generations working together, and I think when you have those values in place, it lets people know that we’re very honest and truly a company that people can rely on and work with over and over again,” says Cyrankiewicz. “We love the people that work for us, and I think that makes a big difference in our end result. We see our bottom line not only in terms of profit, but also how we handle our business with other individuals.” With these values paired with Delnor’s recognized craftsmanship no matter the project, success is in the cards for the next thirty years as well.
Company Information In 1983, two friends Ron Hinz and Ed Cyrankiewicz established Delnor Construction with the primary goal of building a business based on solid relationships backed by superior workmanship for their clients. Delnor has now been providing professional commercial construction services across Alberta & Interior BC for 30 years. Delnor began with a dedication to the commercial renovations sector and is still committed to renovations with an expanded focus on new construction.
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Aquicon Construction
Quality Workmanship Clients
Daniel Aquino, President of Aquicon Construction, discuss community and how the company has sustained its growth Written by: Lindsey Ryan
Produced by: Richard Gentile
s Can Trust
ses recent projects within the h in the industry.
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Niagara College
Aquicon Construction was founded by Mario Aquino in 1986, in Brampton, Ontario. From its origins in 1986, the company’s primary focus was on developing educational facilities for the various local District School Boards. Since then, the company’s portfolio has progressively grown to include an array of facilities spanning Sports and Recreation centres, Educational facilities, Long-Term Care facilities, Administration offices and Operations centres. At the heart of Aquicon’s methodology is their “Partnering Approach” where trade partners are 100
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encouraged to share their project ideas and expertise within their respective fields. This open-forum style of communication allows for identification and resolution of conflicts at the earliest stages of the project. Daniel Aquino, President of Aquicon Construction, explains, “Our approach from day one that set us apart is our Partnering Model. On each project, we bring together a team of experts from the different construction disciplines and strive to bring out the best in each team member by providing a platform for them to offer input and add value to the finished product.” This
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partnering approach to the business has garnered Aquicon the trust and respect of their clients and peers, and has propelled the company to new heights in successfully delivering projects of increasing size and complexity.
Council in 2013. After successfully completing their new Student Athletics Centre and Learning Commons project, Niagara College turned to Aquicon as Construction Managers for their new Applied Health Institute. The 90,000 square foot institute features Recent Projects state-of-the-art classrooms and Aquicon Construction has built over laboratories, and provides a new 300 structures in Ontario to date and home for all of the College’s applied continues to add to their impressive health programs under one roof. portfolio of projects completed. The project was a huge success One notable example being the Vale for Niagara College having been Health & Wellness Centre, a $32 completed on time and under million state-of-the-art facility for budget, meeting stringent federal sport, recreation, health, wellness, funding requirements. From the entertainment and commerce – all start of the project, Aquicon took a under one roof – the first of its kind very hands-on approach providing in the Niagara region. Developed construction guidance to the design in partnership with the City of Port team before the construction Colborne and the YMCA, the facility drawings were completed. boasts two NHL-sized ice pads, Another Greater Toronto an aquatic centre, triple gymnasia Area marquee project, Aquicon with an all-season jogging track and constructed the Brampton East six outdoor bocce courts amongst Library and Community Center other amenities. The facility was which was composed of many developed with a strong emphasis unique elements suited to the local on energy efficiency, subsequently community. “There were a lot of achieving LEED® Gold certification new types of construction that from the Canada Green Building were used on that project, a lot of w w w. a q u i c o n . c o m
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Wishing Aquicon Continued Success www.brytedesigns.com
www.goodfellowinc.com
Congratulation to Aquicon For their Achievements Goodfellow Goodlam – Glulam Laminator & Fabricator
Bryte Designs – Glulam Engineering+Drafting & Installation Bryte Designs is Goodfellow’s Engineered Wood Products & Solid Timber Ontario Representative and Engineering Office
Bryte Designs 134 Jarvis Street, Second Floor Toronto Ontario M5B 2B5 Tel. 416.638.1932 Fax: 416.638.7305 Goodlam@brytedesigns.com
AQUICON CONSTRUCTION incorporations with steel, wood framing - a lot of exposed wood framing.” explains Aquino. The east façade housed a wave wall system – the first of its kind in Canada designed to reflect the appearance of a wave from the outside of the building. Expected to be completed this fall, Aquicon is currently working on a new People Mover Bus Maintenance and Storage facility, a $20 million project, for the City of Niagara Falls. Once completed, the new facility will have a tremendous effect on the community as it will provide a service area for the bus transit system for the Niagara Falls community. The 100,000 square foot facility will comfortably accommodate parking for 40 buses inside and 48 buses outside. Safety Job-site safety is of the utmost importance to Aquicon Construction. “As far as we’re concerned there’s nothing more important than safety. Everything else takes a second seat.” says Aquino. The company makes big investments into the health and
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safety of its staff, hiring industry experts to train them on leading procedures and methods. All employees are provided training free of charge and are informed of the latest policy and legislation changes that involve health and safety on the job site. In addition to their own employees, Aquicon Construction stresses the importance of safety for all other trades and consultants working on their projects. Aquino believes it is critical that everyone involved in the field is specifically oriented to the site and aware of the safety procedures before beginning their work. Standing Apart from the Competition Aquicon Construction has made a name for itself in the industry by consistently providing quality workmanship to every project. A rarity in the industry, the company has an extremely low turnover rate. The senior staff have been a part of the company for over 20 years and have developed a great range of experience in the process. “A big thing for me is the strength w w w. a q u i c o n . c o m
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Brampton East Community Centre & Library
Besseling Mechanical is proud to have been part of the Aquicon team on a number of complex projects. We congratulate Aquicon on their past accomplishments, and look forward to being part of their continued success.
Besseling Mechanical Inc. 79 Covington St Hamilton, ON, L8E 2Y4
Phone: (905) 560-0200 www.besselingmechanical.com
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of our employees, our staff both internal and on site. We are known for our quality workmanship; we focus on a schedule and pay attention to detail, and I think that really comes from the experienced staff we have.� states Aquino. With exceptional employees and quality performance, Aquicon Construction has developed long standing relationships with its clients, many of which have returned to the company time and time again for additional projects. By maintaining a wide range of
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Company Information INDUSTRY
Construction HEADQUARTERS
Ontario, Canada FOUNDED
1986 EMPLOYEES
80
clients in various industries, Aquicon is able to stay busy even when certain markets are in a lull. Aquino explains, “A big factor to our progressive growth over the years has been our ability to diversify our portfolio and undertake different types of construction. Having expanded from mainly school construction many years ago, Aquicon is able to win business in other core sectors that may not be affected by funding slowdowns.” As the new president of Aquicon Construction, Aquino looks forward to growing the company in this next generation of leadership. He is focused on building the company’s portfolio in DesignBuild projects and exploring the viability of publicprivate-partnerships which are becoming a very popular method of delivery in industry.
REVENUE
$200 million
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Premier Building Solutions LTD Better Building Through Experience Alberta’s Premier Building Solutions wants to be the “go-to” contractor for hospitality and senior construction projects in the province. Written by: Kevin Smead
Produced by: Rich Gentile
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Masa Kokoro Calgary 2
Established in 2011, Alberta’s Premier Building Solutions is a general contractor in the hospitality and senior markets. Since its inception, the company has become a leader in Alberta and continues to grow. The company was founded as a partnership between Chuck Roberts and Ron Gehring. Combined, the 108
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duo had more than 80 years of experience in the commercial and hotel construction markets. Tragedy struck in June of 2013, though, as Ron Gehring passed away. While this was a difficult time for the company, it’s continued to provide the high-quality construction services it always has.
SECTOR
“He was a strong part of our implementation, his experience with hotels and seniors projects was instrumental in getting us started and going,” Roberts said. “Our desire is to continue on in that vein.” The Experience Advantage Even though Premier Building Solutions is a relatively new
company, Roberts and Gehring were able to hit the ground running. “The 80 years of experience seemed to bode well for us, picking up where the customer wanted us to go,” Roberts said. Premier aims to become the “go-to” contractor for senior and hospitality projects in Alberta, and only 3 years in, it’s well on its way. w w w. p r e m i e r b u i l d i n g . c a
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30 Years
in the Construction Industry
RNB Contracting is a trade contractor specializing in concrete formwork including foundations (2’ grade beams to 8’ walls), ICF foundations, concrete stairs, light standards and flat work.
Phone: (403) 597-0148 Fax: (403) 346-4193 E-mail: rsbiccum1@shaw.ca
Serving Alberta since 1985.
We provide geotechnical, material testing and environmental engineering services for: • Government
• School Boards
• Private Industry
• Commercial, industrial and residential projects
• High Rise Buildings
T: 403-291-5091 I F: 403-291-9729
Email: global.engineering@shaw.ca
www.goglobalfirst.com
Mechanical Contractors World Class Contracting Ltd. specializes in Mechanical Construction and Management Services, includes plumbing, gas fitting, hot water heating, and mechanical systems for the construction industry in Alberta.
403-346-9699
www.worldclasscontracting.ca
P R E M I E R B U I L D I N G S O L U T I O N S LT D “We pride ourselves on the ability to work with designers and builders to build what the customer needs, look for cost saving measures, and manage the projects for the appropriate budget,” Roberts said. Premier gets a large amount of business from word-of-mouth clients, though their repeat business is very high because of the quality of their work. “Once you establish a relationship with a partnership group, the expectations of what’s going to be required becomes easier,” Roberts said. “Everybody understands their role and the expectations, making it easier to deliver based on that expectation. Project to project, the owner expectation doesn’t really change much even though the project does. You’ve still got that level of accountability and service to provide, so there’s an expectation there that we continue to strive to meet and exceed.” Roberts stresses the importance of sub trade partnerships and how these positive relationships have played a huge role in the company’s success. Premier Building Solutions is also working to ensure that these
standards are passed down to the next generation of employees. Promotions are generally from within the company’s current roster of employees, which allows for holders of future management positions to know what’s expected. “When you come up through the ranks, you have a pretty good idea of what our ideals are and what our level of quality is,” Roberts explained. “We hold ourselves accountable to the owner and that starts at the laborer. All the way through the system there’s a high level of accountability and we’re very open-book and transparent in how we do our work.” Premier also capitalizes on its many years of experience in mixing its younger talent with veteran staffers. While the younger employees are eager to learn, the vets are invested in ensuring the company is in good hands for years to come. A Commitment to Alberta The vast quantities of experience present at Premier Building Solutions are helping them complete projects across Alberta. Premier w w w. p r e m i e r b u i l d i n g . c a
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has a number of ongoing projects, ranging from various hotels to senior living facilities. The company has broken ground on a five-story, 140-room Wyndham Gardens hotel at the Calgary Airport, as well as a similarly sized assisted living facility in Red Deer, about an hour and a half north. Also in Red Deer is a 100-room Microtel, a subsidiary of Wyndham, which recently crossed the halfway mark in terms of completion. The company recently completed an 83-room Super 8 motel in Lloydminster, as well as a 92-room 112
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TownePlace Suites, a subsidiary of Marriot, in Red Deer. Both projects also involved aquatic components, including pools and spa construction. Not all of Premier’s projects are larger scale, however. “We’ve done some community projects in Caroline for the Caroline AgSociety and Clearwater County,” Roberts noted. Always Planning Ahead With so many projects underway, it’s important to always be looking to the future. Luckily, Premier
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manages its business by managing in both the short and long term. This is exemplified through its commitment to sustainability. “I think we try to be a little bit visionary on the upcoming building codes,” Roberts said. “We’re cognizant of present code, but we try to be proactive in seeing where the code’s going. We try to build those kinds of contingencies into the projects so the end-user won’t be saddled with costs to either maintain a new code requirement or provide labor for a future code requirements. We try to be visionary in the way we build, so we build in some of the code requirements we see coming down the pipe.” With its strong delivery of a solid end product at a reasonable cost, Premier is soon to be a much-sought after partner for a growing number of projects. In the short term, the company hopes to maintain its strong customer base by providing its top-quality project delivery, all while fostering growth within the company and in its customer base. Premier Building Solutions is always looking for ways to improve on the time honored triedand-true methods of construction by finding and implementing new and improved products. Currently, Premier is working on some administrative upgrades. Roberts said the company is “continuing to implement advanced software to make accounting and budgeting even more accurate.”
Company Information INDUSTRY
Construction HEADQUARTERS
Alberta, Canada FOUNDED
2011 EMPLOYEES
20-40
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Nor-Built Construction
An Energy Star Certified Com Promotes Accessibility
Norbert Bolger, president of Nor-Built Construction, discus common public desire for accessible housing and how the provide accessible homes and show rooms to the commun Written by: Lindsey Ryan
Produced by: Rich Gentile
mpany that
sses the growing need and e company is doing its part to nity.
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Norbert Bolger started working in the construction business since he was 17 years old and in 1988, when he was only 20 years old, he started his own business, Nor-Built Construction. In 1991 Bolger built his first house and ever since then he has been leading the company in developing subdivisions and homes. The company builds a range of homes including attached units, townhouses and single family homes. They have even built an entire townhouse project in which every home was accessible. Bolger started building accessible homes because his daughter, Brittany, has 116
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special needs that limit her mobility and because of this, Bolger sees a growing need for accessible housing and is aware that mobility issues are more common than one may think. Accessibility Makes a Difference Accessible homes are becoming increasingly important to buyers and Bolger recognizes it as a growing market. Bolger explains that there has been a positive reaction to the accessible homes that Nor-Built is building because even if the individuals living there do not need it, if a friend or family member does it is
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important for them to be able to visit. “A lot of our clientele are older and one of the first things they notice is that there are no steps. Even if they don’t need it themselves, they say it will be perfect for their mother or aunt or dad, and more people can visit because they don’t have any steps to get in,” says Bolger. In addition to building accessible homes, the company also has an accessible in house show room for customers to pick our any interior finishes for their home. Bolger, whose daughter has cerebral palsy, recognizes that many people have or develop mobility problems
which is why he began focusing on accessible housing and sees the importance in having an accessible show room as well. The show room is a convenient one stop shop for customers and because it is all on one floor, it is easily accessible for anyone. “You can come here and pick out everything for your house without leaving and its all on one floor so if you have accessibility issues you can come here for the day and pick everything out for your place. You don’t have to worry about going somewhere that you can’t get in to,” explains Bolger.
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Continuous Improvement So why choose Nor-Built Construction? The company prides itself on being a locally owned company that consistently leaves customers satisfied with the quality of work and the experience with the employees. The company uses the same core group of partners on almost every project, which clearly demonstrates their ability to maintain positive relationships. Nor-Built also is proud to hold a certification for Energy Star Certified
Choose the windows that Better Builders use.
Homes. The company was the first of its kind to be certified energy star in Amherstburg and continues to develop energy efficient homes that pass the certification. Bolger explains, “We were the first one to be certified energy star in Amherstburg and we make sure we take care of any issues. We’ve been around for a long time so we are stable in the community and we do a lot of work in the community.” The company is very involved in the community and sponsors a miracle league team every
TM GUARANTEED ELECTRIC • Full service Electrical contractor • 24 hour service in southwestern Ontario • Over 20 years Experience • Residential, Commercial and Industrial projects
Supplying the highest quality products and service in the window and door industry for over 70 years.
Phone: 519-944-8111 Fax: 519-944-8988 www.martindalewindow.com
Tony Montaleone
485 Little Baseline Road Tecumseh Ontario N8N 2L9
519.818.5512
tmontaleone@bell.net
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year, which plays on an accessible baseball field. Nor-Built Construction has won a number of awards for their quality craftsmanship and service, including a multitude of Golden Hammer awards and GWHBA Best Home awards. Bolger was even president of the Greater Windsor Home Builders twice.
Company Information INDUSTRY
Construction HEADQUARTERS
Looking Ahead Two of Nor-Built’s recent projects are Golf View Townhomes and Meadowview Estates. Golf View Townhomes is coming to the end of its completion and is made up of accessible townhomes available in 1375 and 1400 square feet models. Nor-Built is partnering with Great Lake Properties, a company which Bolger owns half of, to develop Meadowview Estates, which will be a 146 unit subdivision made up of a mix of attached, detached and commercial space. To save time and become more efficient in the field, Nor-Built has recently began using ipads and has transferred everything to shared files so that any supervisor or project manager can have access to anything they may need while being out of the office. Bolger is looking forward to how much time and space this will save for his employees.
Ontario, canada FOUNDED
1988 EMPLOYEES
10
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Calhoun Super Structure
Family-owned business at its
Jeremy Calhoun of Calhoun Super Structures discusses th and unveils its newest product for launch Written by: Robert Spence
Produced by: Rich Gentile
es
s finest
he company’s recipe for success
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VP Series- Fertilizer
Since 1992 Calhoun Super Structures has been a family-owned business specializing in engineering and manufacturing the best steel and fabric building structures across North America. Their mission is simple: to provide excellence in all aspects of product design, manufacturing and supply with an emphasis on innovation and people. In return, Calhoun Super Structures is becoming the leader in the fabric building industry. The proof is in the name Although Calhoun Super Structures 122
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was founded by Leonard Calhoun in 1992, his two sons (Jeremy and Sean) have helped drive the business where it is today. For the Calhoun brothers, the name of the game is longevity. It encompasses everything they do - from the products they engineer and manufacture to the culture they employ within their company. “We’re a long standing, second generation family business. We’ve been doing this for 20 years and we plan on being here for another 20,” says President Jeremy Calhoun. As a family-owned business,
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First Calhoun Super Structure on Home Farm
Calhoun knows a thing or two about building structures. They built the first Calhoun Super Structure on their family farm in Ontario and continue to take pride in ownership on every building they manufacture and sell today. “When one of our customers or vendors calls they can still talk to one of the original founders – someone with Calhoun in their last name,” says Calhoun. “I think that means a lot to them and when our customers and vendors want to discuss something, they know they can always talk directly to one of the owners.”
The driving force of the company One of the biggest driving forces for the Calhoun company is their employees and their dealers. According to Calhoun, they pride themselves on not only being a family owned business but treating and developing employees like family. “I pride myself as being a coach. I build my company just like I would a hockey team or baseball team. Employees are integral part of our company. Each one needs to fill a niche where one person is weak or I’m weak. I need strong people and I hire people based w w w. c a l h o u n . c a
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VP Series- Salt Storage
CALHOUN SUPER STRUCTURES on where I’m weak at to make our business strong.” Along with developing their dealers and employees, the company is committed to treating them with fairness and respect. “The biggest thing is we respect our employees and in return, they respect us. That’s the way it needs to be,” says Calhoun. The company doesn’t stop there. Along with respect the company strives to promote from within. By doing so, the company is maintaining a low turnover rate while providing employees ample opportunity to grow from within. According to Calhoun, promoting from within is paramount for the company. “I think it’s critical for the basis of any company. If we don’t promote from within we don’t give our employees any incentive to become better. In fact, I present
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opportunities to people within the company before I go externally. Even if I know they don’t want the position, I always give them the opportunity to say yes or no.” Cornerstone of the business Providing great service is one thing but what makes Calhoun great is their experienced engineering team. “One of the cornerstones of what Calhoun does is engineering. We’ve spent a lot of time dissecting the different building codes across North America as well as a lot of researching different engineering techniques,” says Calhoun. “We want to be the best at what we do and our engineering team exemplifies that. “In fact, I’m putting the company through a self-evaluation course to become better. We’re constantly evaluating ourselves and we’re
“Although we’ve been in the business for 20 years, we’re young, we’re new and we strive to demonstrate we’re here for the long haul, – says Calhoun w w w. c a l h o u n . c a
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VP-Dairy Barn
The ‘Vanguard’ of Rigging Hardware We are a Canadian company that was established in 1960, we supply industrial rigging products and specialty steels with five locations spanning Canada. Wire Ropes & Cables
Rigging Hardware
Strands
Trailer Hardware
Wires
Mining Hardware
Chain Hooks
‘Golden U-Bolt’® Forged Clips
Chains
‘Gold Pin’® Shackles
Chain Hoists
Builder’s Hardware
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always looking at new changes to code and making sure we can maintain our level of excellence.” By having great people in place, Calhoun Super Structures is providing great products. The company has recently unveiled a new sealant they plan to showcase in the upcoming months. “It’s a rubberized coating that looks like galvanizing. It’s silver and goes over and extends the life cycle of the product,” says Calhoun. “If galvanizing is in constant contact with sand, salt and fertilizer, this sealant actually has more resistance to the
CONSTRUCTION
Company Information INDUSTRY
Construction FOUNDED
1992 EMPLOYEES
50-100
https://www. facebook.com/ SuperStructuresCalhoun
corrosive materials.” “We’re unveiling it as we speak. We’ve shown it at a couple of shows but the big roll out will be at the Public Works Congress at the end of August.” https://twitter.com/ With an emphasis on customer service, quality CalhounSS craftsmanship and client satisfaction, Calhoun Super Structures is becoming the premier manufacturer in its industry. “Although we’ve been in the business for 20 years, we’re young, we’re new and we strive https://twitter.com/ to demonstrate we’re here for the long haul,” CalhounSS says Calhoun. https://www.linkedin.com/company /5044601?trk=tyah&trkInfo=tarId%3 A1408667112893%2Ctas%3Acalho un%20super%2Cidx%3A2-1-6
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Rock Energy Rock, Reinvented
Since the company’s change of focus in January of 2012, R to become a key figure in Canada’s exploration and produc Written by: Kevin Smead Produced by: Alex Hortaridis
Rock Energy is poised ction fields.
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Rock Energy is a company that understands its position in the Canadian energy market. In January of 2012, the company went through what CEO Allen Bey calls a “reinvention.” With fresh, energetic talent and focus now specifically on oil, Rock is looking to become one of Canada’s most sought after exploration and production companies. While Rock has never been through any major financial crisis, the company realized the trajectory it 130
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was on was not the most sustainable. Seeing more opportunity in Canadian oil, Rock sold off its gas assets. Also, a capable new team was brought in to help lead in this new era. Nearly three years into this reinvention, Rock’s capitalization on the newfound momentum has paid off greatly, and appears it will continue to do so. Currently a 5,000 barrel per day company, Rock believes it can more than double this number in the next 2 to 3 years and plans on doing
ENERGY
Mantario Battery
so by making smart, calculated decisions. Rock wishes to be a lucrative, yet predictable investment that will attract investors.
ground that we can.” This has afforded Rock the ability to play it safe when it comes to tackling projects and managing finances. A Growth-Oriented Approach “Our quarter end debt is $16.8 Taking a growth oriented approach million, which is very low compared starts with Rock’s biggest focus: the against our bank line of $70 million highest possible recovery factor. and our quarterly cash flow of $19 “With the high recovery factor, million,” Bey said. “What that shows you get longest possible reserve is that we have a lot of excess debt life, lowest possible decline, which capacity that we can be flexible with ultimately yields that predictable once we find the right project. We base of production, cash flow, can deploy capital towards it, don’t and sustainability,” CEO Bey said. need to raise any new equity, and “Everything we’re trying to do is to can weather price storms.” get the most possible oil out of the Rock’s two major projects are in w w w. r o c k e n e r g y. c a
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MEETING CHALLENGES
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Every company is different, every project unique. At Weatherford, we believe in getting every job right, listening to your concerns, and working with you to meet your needs and your expectations. We don’t succeed until you do—that’s the bedrock principle of our business and the measure of our commitment. From start to finish, our resources are focused on your objectives. Contact and collaborate with us: www.weatherford.com
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southwest Saskatchewan: the Onward play in the North of Kindersley and Mantario South of Kindersley. “What’s particularly great about Mantario,” Bey says, “is we’ve got a pool producing about 3,500 barrels of oil per day right now and we’re implementing an EOR polymer flood there. Once that’s operational early next year, we’ll have about a 3300-3500 barrel per day production platform that will stay flat for the next 3-4 years. It’s a very strong foundation of cash flow.” These projects are paying off, since 2012 cash flow per share has increased more than 100 percent each year. Production per share is up dramatically as well and is expected to grow another 25 to 30 percent this year.
Allen Bey President and CEO
SUPPLIER PROFILE
WEATHERFORD
Weatherford (NYSE: WFT) is one of the largest global providers of products and services that span the drilling, evaluation, completion, production and intervention cycles of oil and natural gas wells. Weatherford is a new breed of service company—one that can provide the industry with extended products and services, more efficient operations, more powerful research and development capabilities and greater geographic diversity. Website: www.weatherford.com
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ROCK ENERGY Finding a Balance In order for these numbers to be possible, Rock Energy takes a balanced approach in two key areas: risk versus reward and aptly enough, its actual balance sheet. In balancing its risk and reward, Rock moved operations out of Northern Alberta, where drilling each well cost between $10 and $15 million, to Southern Alberta, where drill and abandonment costs were only $500,000. “Back in the old area, with $30-40 million a year in cash flow, you could drill 3 wells,” Bey said. “Today, we drill today over 60 wells a year. We have to have enough wells to make statistics work so we can afford to continue to explore.” Managing risk is important, as Rock’s focus on sustainable developments is entirely built on reliability. “What shareholders want is to know that they’re going to get paid every day,” Bey said. On the side of the actual balance sheet, Rock always aims to be below a 1 to 1 ratio of debt to cash flow on a long term basis. Despite having higher available bank lines, the
ENERGY
company still believes in keeping the finances in balance, since they need to be ready to weather a storm. “We’re pretty confident in oil prices, but we’re seeing gas prices take a pretty big dive,” Bey said. “They’re coming back a little bit now, but you want to maintain your financial flexibility in that volatile market.” A Rock-Solid Track Record Rock Energy is looking to continue to add to its already impressive asset base. While many companies are moving away from exploration, Rock is continuing successfully as both an exploration and production company. This has worked out brilliantly for Rock, as all of its current assets were exploration discoveries the company made. Not surprisingly, Rock is going to keep forging ahead with this approach. “We’re allocating $12 million to exploration each year for the next several years,” Bey said. “We’re going to take 10 shots per year and we think that’ll yield us one or two more pools, which will continue the growth of the company. Our track record on what we already w w w. r o c k e n e r g y. c a
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have done demonstrates some confidence as to where we can go.” While Rock’s previous efforts are already noteworthy, it’s the future that looks particularly bright. The company is looking to expand to 6,000 barrels per day in the next 6 to 12 months and is continuing its exploration efforts in hopes of finding its next reliable asset. In 2 to 3 years, the company hopes to hit 10,000 to 12,000 barrels per day. Eventually, Rock hopes to switch from a growth investment to a Exceptional Service Since 1986
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dividend pay model. To do this, Rock would need to hit its 10,000 barrel per day target, among other things. “We’d need to also have a corporate decline rate that’s less than 20% and make sure the management team at that point is focused on cost control,” Bey said. To get there, Rock is developing its team to be ready to tackle any future challenges the company may face. “They have to recognize it’s a risky business,” Bey admits. “They have to have a fairly decent risk aptitude. In helping to train them, there’s still a few of us old guys still here, and we’re trying to mentor them to take our positions. We’re trying to build the next generation.” Still, working toward the future at Rock is a daily process that starts with making sure its assets are in line with its philosophies. “We want to be able to get a very predictable production base and low decline rate, so we’re making sure the assets we build are like foundation stones for the company,” Bey said. “What we can do every day is make sure we make the right decisions, build the right kind of assets, and have the right foundation stones in this company so that people will always want to own it and we can continue to grow or roll it all into the next thing.”
Company Information INDUSTRY
Oil & Gas HEADQUARTERS
Alberta, Canada EMPLOYEES
30 REVENUE
$82 Million
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Sharp Energy
Fueling the East: Sharp Ener Propane Trend Sharp Energy is educating the industry on the benefits of propane as a fuel for transportation. Written by: Laura Close Produced by: Michael Magno
rgy Leading the
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Autogas Van
Sharp Energy, Inc., is the largest propane energy retailer on the Delmarva Peninsula and a subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE: CPK). Sharp Energy is a member of Alliance Auto Gas network, this is a collection of stakeholders throughout the country 140
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that include propane retailers, service centers, conversion partners a finance company and equipment manufacturers. The company currently has four public sites where vehicles can be fueled for their customers; Mike Petito, Commercial & Autogas
ENERGY
Infrastructure Pic
Accounts Manager, shared that they are looking to add a fifth public site within the next year. Sharp Energy also facilitates remote private fueling sites if that is what the client requires. Although Sharp Energy’s main service is propane sales, education is also a big part of the company’s strategic plan. Sharing the benefits of making the switch to propane allows Sharp to reach out to both interested transportation companies and companies that were not aware propane was a viable option for their operation. Sharing the Benefits of Propane One of the reasons Sharp Energy became a member of the Transportation Association of Maryland (TAM), was to share the benefits of propane.
“We have our own sales team dedicated towards the sales process and education, we have our own technical services coordinator that facilitates the conversions and does all the maintenance on existing public and private infrastructure. We’re moving forward quickly” – said Petito
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SHARP ENERGY
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TAM is an organization of transportation companies that researches and provides information on logistics and equipment. The association also brainstorms new ideas and provides a venue for study groups to discuss pertinent news and information in the industry. Sharp Energy joined TAM to help educate companies in the industry that can use propane as a fuel source in lieu of gasoline or diesel. “Education is such a big part of what we do: Reaching out to potential customers and letting them know why propane is a good choice for fuel. By purchasing propane from Sharp Energy, customers will quickly see the results of lower fueling bills, roughly 35-50%” said Petito. There are several noticeable benefits to switching to propane. It’s cheaper; you can save on average $1.25-$1.50 on each gallon by using propane as compared to gasoline. The use of propane contributes 30 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline as well. And because propane runs 105 to 110 octane (whereas gasoline runs 87 octane), there is less carbon build up on the engine and the oil is cleaner, allowing for the potential to extend the vehicle’s lifespan. The technology of producing propane powered vehicles has also greatly improved in the last several decades, meaning there are less hurdles to owning a vehicle that runs on propane. Ninetyeight percent of propane is produced in the US, which could eventually cut down the country’s dependency on foreign oil.
Bob Zola, President
Mike Petito Commercial & Autogas Accounts Manager
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Sustainable Infrastructure Sharp Energy is ahead of the curve in the industry. Currently, the majority of propane use as a fuel source for transportation happens in the West and South in the US. There is a growing trend, showing propane usage making its way up the East Coast of the US. To capitalize on the trend when the East catches up, Sharp Energy is now putting in the ground work and infrastructure in the area. “In my opinion, in about 5 to 10 years there will be the crescendo when – I don’t want to say it’s going to be the ‘norm’ – but I really feel that 144
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you will see a lot of public propane stations available to use,” shared Petito. “I honestly feel in the long term, you’ll actually see gas stations having propane on their fueling islands to compete with gasoline and diesel. We’re trying to stay ahead of the curve and be innovative about it and move forward with it.” The Future of Sharp Energy Sharp Energy has around 36,000 customers and ten offices located in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and eastern Pennsylvania. To expand their business, the company is looking to establish locations on
ENERGY
Company Information INDUSTRY
Energy HEADQUARTERS
Maryland FOUNDED
1981 EMPLOYEES
110
the western shore of Maryland and further into Pennsylvania, increasing their influence out another few hundred square miles. There are nine public fueling stations planned for the next three to five years as well. With the goal of becoming a leader in alternative fueling, Sharp Energy has dedicated personnel specifically to the cause. “We have our own sales team dedicated towards the sales process and education, we have our own technical services coordinator that facilitates the conversions and does all the maintenance on our existing public and private infrastructure. We’re moving forward quickly,” said Petito.
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$86+ million
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A Centu
Luther
College ury of Inquiry and Excellence Written by: Sasha Orman
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New High School Student Commons
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uther College was built in 1913, a school for rural Saskatchewan’s community of German Lutheran immigrants to raise their children in a tradition of academic excellence within the context of Lutheran faith and values. Its founders formed the school’s curriculum around the highest standards, placing academic scholarship and absolute freedom of inquiry within a spiritual perspective.
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Today, one hundred years after the college was founded, the demographic of Luther College is much different. Seated in the heart of Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan, Luther College welcomes a diverse mix of students from around the world and a multitude of faiths to its High School and University campuses. But as Luther College continues to grow, the original vision remains at its core.
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“If you were to take two snapshots in time – one from 1913 and one from the current year – the big differences would be that we’ve grown from an ethnically narrow institution to a much more pluralistic institution – as Regina has become a much more pluralistic and even cosmopolitan kind of community, so too has Luther College,” says Dr. Bryan Hillis, President and CEO at Luther College. “It has gone from a religiously narrow to a broader
religious perspective and, while we still talk about our Christian context as our heritage and the dominant religious system, we acknowledge the truth in other systems and are interested in learning from other systems both for sake of those systems and for the sake of ensuring we are as fully Christian as we can be. There is also definitely more engagement with the civic community, in both a religious and nonreligious sense.” w w w. l u t h e r c o l l e g e . e d u
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“But what remains at the school’s core is this emphasis on academic excellence and the freedom to explore that academic excellence in whatever way is necessary,” he continues. “We want to be as positive and as excellent in our scholarship as we can possibly be – that’s part of the Lutheran heritage, and part of what Luther envisioned.”
Architecture Interior Design Planning
An Inclusive Management Style What has made Luther College a standout in its field for the past hundred years? In addition
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LUTHER COLLEGE to its emphasis on academic excellence, much of it has to do its management style. “I think what is distinctive about our school is an acknowledgement that every member of staff and faculty has something very worthwhile to contribute – not just to their particular task at hand, but to what the school is,” says Hillis. As he explains, this acknowledgement does not just include academic staff but extends to kitchen workers, maintenance workers, and the college’s janitorial and clerical staff as well. Every member of the Luther College team is granted a voice, and is consulted when guiding the mission of the College and deciding on new investments and the future of the school. “That’s part of the Lutheran heritage: his concept of vocation was that, whatever station of life we find ourselves in, the best thing we can do in terms of service to God and to our fellow human being is to be the very best in that vocation – that in itself is a form of prayer,” explains Hillis. “So we view the input of every person in the College to be absolutely essential. These are
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the people who in many respects are working on the front line. We really do take them seriously and involve them because we can learn from each other no matter what our position in society.” But consultation is not the only factor that plays into the unique environment at Luther College. “Caring for our community is also extremely important, and then a sense of integrity and that we all trust one another to do the best we can for the College, for our students and each other – consultation, caring, and integrity are big parts of everything that we do,” says Hillis. “We know that we all make mistakes, so forgiveness is also there. We are willing and ready to forgive each other when we make mistakes, recognizing that the integrity of our college means we’re all going to work together to do better next time.” Preserving the Past, Investing in the Future Tradition is important at Luther College, but so is looking ahead and recognizing student necessities now and in the future. Luther College w w w. l u t h e r c o l l e g e . e d u
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Some of the students who live in the Luther College Residence
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Luther Invitational Tournament (LIT), an annual basketball tournament held at the High School since 1953
invests heavily in taking advantage of the latest technology to improve teaching techniques and enhance the educational experience for today’s students. “Just as important, or even more, is the training of our faculty and staff,” adds Hillis. “We give them opportunities for that training to learn the latest techniques, and encourage them to think about how they would use technology both within and outside the classroom. Probably most of our students are ahead of the faculty in terms of technology, and we want to make sure students are using
that technology for completing assignments and pushing their own boundaries of knowledge.” In addition to investing in technology, Luther College is also investing in preserving and improving the school’s infrastructure. The College just recently began the finishing touches on a $17.3 million addition to its High School campus, with plans for completion before the new school year starts on September 2. The ambitious project that involves new classrooms, a new gymnasium second only in size in the city to the University of Regina w w w. l u t h e r c o l l e g e . e d u
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University Students in the Chapel
campus , new locker rooms and washrooms, and $4 million in upgrades and renovations to existing infrastructure. Meanwhile, on the University campus, Luther College has recently invested in improvements to its HVAC system and energy consumption, and is putting away savings to be used toward upgrading the 45-year-old infrastructure of its dorm residences, ensuring that its students are housed safely and comfortably during their educational career. 154
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Looking Toward the Future It is impossible to know what the next hundred years will bring, but Luther College will be building upward well into the future. The College is planning new investments to continue the process of revitalizing its aging campuses, including a new worship and performing arts centre as well as a new cafeteria for its High School campus. Most importantly, the College is looking forward to staying true to itself and taking on and overcoming
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the challenges that the future will bring. “As the liberal arts are increasingly viewed to be of less value in society, we will have to rethink what we mean by ‘liberal arts’ and how they can be of value in the community,” explains Hillis. “I think we will also continue to be more broad and diverse in our faith understanding – our College will have to think in much more global ways and we welcome that. That’s what it means to have freedom of inquiry.” “But our mainstays, and our outstanding vision that our founders developed – those will remain,” he continues. “Academic excellence within a faith context, combined with a freedom of inquiry, has really been the source of strength for this school and I think will continue to be. How we manage that in an ever changing and increasingly secular society is going to be the challenge of the future. Where academic excellence has been confined to the liberal arts, we need to rethink how that’s going to be done; where faith is redefined in an increasingly secular society, and where organized religion is less and less of a factor in Canadian society, how will we think about what it means to be operating from a Christian context? Those will continue to be challenges for us, but there is still something outstanding about that original vision that we’re trying to live out. As long as we keep that vision, understanding that it has to evolve, we will continue to be successful.”
Company Information INDUSTRY
Education HEADQUARTERS
SK, Canada FOUNDED
1913 EMPLOYEES
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https://www. facebook.com/ LCUR1971
https://twitter.com/ lutheredu https://www.linkedin. com/edu/universityof-regina---luthercollege-10911
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York Region District Sch
York Region District School B Advancing student achievem well-being through public ed
Serving nine municipalities, York Region District School Bo education, honouring tradition, embracing the future and m Written by: Stephanie C. Ocano
Produced by: James Gilligan
hool Board
Board: ment and ducation
oard is a leader in public maintaining a worldly view 157
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Director, J. Philip Parappally
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ork Region District School Board has been part of a nearly 200-year evolution of education in Ontario, Canada. From the separation of elementary and secondary schools in 1867 to 158
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the incorporation of new trustees and staff in 1969, the board has surpassed challenges with innovation, determination and optimism. Starting the 2014-2015 school
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Richmond Hill H.S. students and staff wear pink to support anti-bullying efforts
year, the board will have 206 schools within its jurisdiction – 174 of those being elementary schools and 32 of them secondary schools. Four are new to the district this year: Beckett Farm Public School, Anne Frank Public School, Robert Munsch Public School and Tommy Douglas Secondary School, the newest high school in the region. This has been an exciting year for York Region District School Board. They launched a new Mission, Vision and Values statement earlier this year, and the Board’s first slogan – Inspire Learning! The Board’s mission is to advance student achievement and well-being through public education, which motivates learners, fosters inclusion and builds community.
“We’re really focused on the environment and looking at ways that we can be more sustainable and be better environmental stewards”
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YORK REGION DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD Focus on health, social equality Mental and physical well-being is a primary focus at York Region District School Board. “Healthy schools are really essential for students to reach their full potential,” said J. Philip Parappally, Director of the board. “It’s an important focus in our board.” Action plans that outline their commitment to both mental and physical well-being are submitted by individual schools and, upon approval, are designated as
“comprehensive healthy schools.” The board’s mental health and wellbeing leads assist schools with coordinating such plans to become a part of a larger board plan. The board has in place a Performance Plus Program that provides additional resources and supports to schools that may be experiencing social or economic challenges. These resources could include additional staff, programming support or after school programs.
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E D U C AT I O N
Going green Approximately five years ago, the board decided to take a look at their schools and determine how they could reduce their environmental footprint. “We’re really focused on the environment and looking at ways that we can be more sustainable and be better environmental stewards,” said Parappally. “We have a number of green initiatives that we work on in the schools and in the workplace,” added Parappally. “We are a part of the EcoSchool Certification Program which is an Ontario-wide program. So in the past three years, we’ve had over 180 schools and workplaces receive various levels of Ontario EcoSchool Certification for their commitment to reducing their ecological footprint and for being environmentally responsible.” The board has a designated team that oversees various activities related to the environmental sustainability work aimed to reduce waste, conserve energy and educate others on “being green.”
New leadership On August 1, J. Philip Parappally began his new position as Director of Education. The appointment followed the retirement of Ken Thurston. Beginning his education career more than 20 years ago, Parappally joined the board in 2000 as a vice principal. He quickly moved up the ranks and later served as Superintendent of Schools, prior to his promotion. “Mr. Parappally brings a strong knowledge of our board, having worked in it since 2000. He has a solid understanding of our goals and our priorities, but he also brings a fresh perspective , along with his own ideas and his own leadership skills,” said Anna DeBartolo, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “I’m confident he will provide the leadership, guidance and vision to ensure our board continues to build on our success and improve student achievement and well-being.” Upcoming developments Board staff are excited to introduce the York Region District School Board mobile app later this year. The app, currently in production, w w w. y r d s b . c a
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YORK REGION DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
will provide information about the school board and a wealth of information from contact information and addresses to breaking news and updates. “We have a website and we use
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various social media tools but the app will really make it easy for us to provide information about bus cancellations, news we want to share with our community, and information about our schools,�
E D U C AT I O N
Company Information INDUSTRY
Education HEADQUARTERS
Ontario, Canada York Region District School Board is the third largest school district in Ontario, with over 121,000 students in 171 elementary schools and 31 secondary schools. York Region students consistently perform above average in provincial testing and the Board is one of the top achievers in Ontario.
said Parappally. “It is one more way we can communicate with our students, parents and staff members.� York Region District School Board is a leader in public education, empowering students to become engaged and caring citizens of the world.
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TMF Foods (The Meat Fa
TMF Group Scales Up
With state-of-the-art production equipment and a new res TMF Foods is ready to take on the future with confidence Written by: Sasha Orman
Produced by: Sean Bakke
actory)
search and development center,
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TMF FOODS
What are your customers thinking when it comes to your product? Is it time to gather feedback, and are you ready to review the results and make a change? TMF Foods is ready. The Canadian meat processing brand has been serving foodservice and retail sectors for years, iconic brands like their award winning “Lou’s BBQ” fully cooked line up of products such as Pulled Pork, Pot Roast and Ribs among other items and “Peameal Bacon of Canada”, is taking its business to the next level with an extensive rebranding and packaging relaunch effort to 166
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capture an even greater market share and take all of Canada and beyond by storm. A New Look “In Canada, the fully cooked category still a fairly new category,” says Dameion Albanese, Executive Vice President at TMF Foods. This makes any insight into consumer opinions all the more valuable. As the company found, that even though they are the leader in its sector currently capturing 62-65 percent of the market share, there was still room for improvement. “We found that our old packaging
FOOD
was causing confusion among the consumer, there was a lot going on within the package, and that was turning people away from buying our products.� Through this extensive research and close
relationship working with marketing company Stir Communications, TMF Foods successfully launched a new look with Lou’s BBQ, featuring mouth watering graphics and simple readable packaging that just screams Tmffoods.com
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TMF FOODS quality and consistency which has been customers and understanding what the everlasting message of founder and their needs are, it’s a lot easier for us CEO Lou Albanese. to have them to come to our facility and use our kitchen as if it were their A Focus on Development own operation,” explains Albanese. The best way to understand what your Outfitted with high-end equipment customers need is to work with them like Garland ranges and flat top grills, directly, and TMF Foods has invested Frymaster double basket fryers, in a 2,500 square foot state-of-theSalamander ovens and more, TMF art research and development center Foods’ new facility allows clients that will help them collaborate with to create test menus or meal ideas clients using the same top of the line that they can recreate in their own equipment those clients would use in kitchens. “A lot of the equipment that their own facilities. we do have is “plug and play”, so “When we’re dealing with our clients have that flexibility to use our
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www.selectfoodproducts.com
FOOD
products in the setting that they have in their everyday restaurants. It also helps elevate us and bring us to the next level when dealing with top grade customers.” The new Culinary Center is also outfitted with a cutting-edge video and computer system, plus a new projector system and two 72-inch flat screen panels, giving clients options for meeting and presentation space. “A lot of our customers are always looking for offsite facilities to hold corporate meetings, and this is a great place where they can come in and do Powerpoint presentations or other large presentations to the rest of their team,” says Albanese. “They can come here and have a presentation going on one screen, and then pictures and logos on a different screen.” Improved Production Updated research and development capabilities can only go so far if they are not backed up by improvements at the production level as well. At TMF Foods, rebranding goes hand in hand with updates at every level including production.
One recent important update has been the installation of a new Curruthers shredding machine to improve the strand and definition of pulled pork, plus new TMF products like pulled beef and pulled turkey. In addition to the New Culinary Centre on the second floor of the new 5000 square ft. expansion, another update takes place on the first floor. TMF has added a brand washing station equipped with an automated rack washing system. “Before we were washing all of our racks that would go into the cookhouse by hand, which was very cumbersome and time consuming,” notes Albanese. “So we’ve invested in a wash system not unlike a mini car wash unit which was brought in from Italy. So now all of our racks go through this “car wash” which saves us time and allows us to have them back into production as fast as possible.” Growing and Evolving TMF Foods has grown substantially within the last few years, but it is not finished yet. “As of right now, we are one of the very few companies that has brand presence right across Tmffoods.com
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Canada, – we own the category, and we see huge potential for growth in the fully cooked category,” says Albanese. “Our goal is to continue growing that category and our market share within it.” In particular, TMF Foods plans to focus on building stronger 170
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relationships with their partners in both the retail and foodservice industries by delivering the best possible solutions that meet the customer’s needs. “Whether it’s restaurants or end users at home, everybody’s strapped for time,” Albanese adds. “Consumers are
FOOD
Company Information INDUSTRY
Food HEADQUARTERS
Ontario, Canada FOUNDED
1978
looking to get a delicious, high quality home cooked meal in front of their families, and restaurateurs are looking to get a quality and consistent product from order to the plate as quick as possible. This market for fully cooked products is continually growing and we will continue to grow along with it.�
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TT Group
Turning Over a New Leaf
After years as primarily a wholesale manufacturer, TT Grou brands into the spotlight of online retail and distribution Written by: Sasha Orman
Produced by: Sean Bakke
up is taking its Tender Tootsies
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Reception
When you have been in business for decades, there may come a time when you find that the status quo is no longer optimum and it’s time to pivot the company in another direction. Canadian company TT Group has found itself in this position several times throughout the years, first growing and expanding from a fun sock manufacturer to a manufacturer and wholesale distributor of several shoe brands including Tender Tootsies that capture value and comfort for consumers. Now TT Group is there again – as the world of retail and manufacturing 174
September 2014
has changed, TT Group is changing with it, shifting away from manufacturing and repositioning itself as a retailer and distributor. It’s a new challenge, but through it TT Group is hoping to reach consumers in all new ways. Finding a Presence Online “We’ve never been much into marketing – our brand name’s been around so long, we’ve mainly been just a strict manufacturer sending out good product year after year and relying on that,” says Paul Perivolaris, Vice President and Partner at TT Group. But as
M A N U FA C T U R I N G
Tender Tootsies was founded by Earl Lyons in 1942, and began as a sock company. Here we see a worker inspecting some argyle socks.
the company is shifting into the retail and distribution sectors, marketing is critical – and along with the building of its online store, scheduled to soft launch in early 2015, TT Group is building an online presence through social media. “New media is a much more cost effective way of getting to our customer,” says Perivolaris, noting particular success on Facebook. “Our retail stores are only in Ontario, but we’re a national brand and the only way we can get quickly to the rest of the country is online. We get a lot of calls from people in Vancouver and Quebec asking where they can
get our shoes, and now we’ll have a more direct way to put them in touch with our product. It’s an instant connect for our customers across the country which we like, and a relatively cost effective way of doing it for sure.” Searching for Partnerships In addition to marketing its own house brands, TT Group is also searching for the right independent shoe brands that the company can provide a distribution channel for on their online store. “We’re more looking at different partnerships, more brands w w w. t t - g r o u p . c o m
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to distribute in Canada,” says Perivolaris. “That’s kind of been our growth strategy, as little internal overhead growth as possible and more external partnerships. Our infrastructure allows us to grow fivefold. So if someone’s trying to come into Canada – why start their
Tootsies Exterior
own office, their own warehouse, and their own IT departments to service the same customers we’re already serving?” According to Perivolaris, TT Group is looking for partners with a clear and defined marketing and development strategy already in
TT GROUP
M A N U FA C T U R I N G
place, so that TT Group can operate simply in the background. “We’re all accounting based brains with a product background, but most of the partners we’re looking for have a really interesting product that they are really passionate about and can go sell it and we process it,” he explains. “That’s what we’re looking for to utilize. Internally, we want to concentrate on Tender Tootsies – it is already the biggest brand in the store, and we want to make it the house brand in Canada. I think we have a competitive advantage there, and that’s what we’re looking at.” Maintaining Relationships When a company has been around as long as TT Group, maintaining strong relationships with partners, suppliers, and clients over the course of decades is critical. At TT Group, those relationships are treated like a personal relationship. “It’s exactly the same philosophy as I have with maintaining friendships,” says Pervolaris. “I don’t talk to my suppliers any different than I talk to my customers or my employees, and we’ve had that core value through our company since our birth. I still work with people who I worked with the whole sixteen or seventeen years I’ve been here now. The buyers I deal with, I’ve grown up with. So we deal with employees the way we deal with everyone else – we’re honest and treat them like human beings. It’s not a huge strategy, we just generally empathize with their situation and hope
Paul Perivolaris Vice President and Partner at TT Group
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they do the same for us.”
Congratulation to TT Group Entreprise P.Boucher is a leather importer/exporter. Our customers are shoe/boot manufacturers in Asia,Canada and USA.
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Looking Forward to the Future After such radical changes in the TT Group structure, the company is looking forward to the future with optimism and excitement no matter what shape that future takes, whether it’s acquiring a stable of brands to distribute or being acquired into a global company itself. The most important next step is examining how to grow in this new space as a distributor and retailer through further promotion and growth. “Dominating Canada is our
M A N U FA C T U R I N G
Company Information INDUSTRY
Manufacturing HEADQUARTERS
Ontario, Canada FOUNDED
1945
goal, and then we can start to expand on our US presence in the future,” says Perivolaris. “We’ve got to reestablish in Canada first, and retail’s going to be a huge part of that but we’re going to do it in combination with wholesale. We’re going to open as many stores as we can, as opportunities come up, and going online is our big first step to see where our sales are coming from and what areas of the country are our strongest. Then maybe fill in some brick and mortar stores there as well. “It’s going to be interesting to see,” he adds. “From a product development point of view we’ve got to be a lot more clever, and just concentrate on building the brand. Without the brand we’re nothing. Tender Tootsies is a silly name, but everyone knows it and everyone likes it, keep it fun and happy and expand on that.”
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https://www. facebook.com/ TenderTootsies
https:// twitter.com/ tendertootsies
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Halterm Limited
Halterm’s CAD $20 million investment in two new container cranes is closely allied to a drive for growth, performance and process ex
CEO and Managing Director of Halterm Container Termina 20 million dollar investment in two new container cranes an improvement to match customer expectations. Written by: Lindsey Ryan
Produced by: Michael Magno
xcellence.
al Limited, Ashley Dinning, discusses the nd the company’s drive for continuous
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Established in 1969, Halterm Container Terminal Limited has made a name for itself offering fast and supremely flexible service to global shipping line customers, the masters of the largest containerships in the world. Halterm Limited is located in Halifax, Canada, a harbour with natural deep water and a perfect location to handle ultra large container ships with a terminal capability as yet unmatched by other east coast ports. Ashley Dinning, the current CEO and Managing Director of Halterm Limited, has been in the industry for 37 years and has worked all 182
September 2014
over the world. With his Business Degree, focused on Transport & Logistics, and an MBA in Maritime Management he has studied at Harvard and UCLA, bringing a deep industry knowledge and expertise to the role at Halterm. Sustainable Investments To stay ahead of the competition, Halterm Container Terminal Limited has spent 20 million dollars in the last year to install two new container cranes. These cranes can handle the largest container ships in the world and set new standards in safety and energy efficiency. They
S U P P LY C H A I N
are also cheaper to maintain. With ships steaming slower to conserve fuel as prices continue to rise, ports are under increasing pressure to provide faster turnaround times and with these new cranes, Halterm is in position to discharge and load vessels at the rate of 30 containers per hour per crane, or a massive 120 containers per hour with all four cranes working simultaneously. Technological advances have also played a role in the success of Halterm. Dinning explains that every truck that arrives with a container passes through a building lined
with camera arrays designed to capture images of the truck and its cargo from every angle. The cameras also identify the container number and the license plate of the truck so that when the truck moves forward to the Scale, or weigh station, Halterm’s terminal operating software has already updated the container records allowing for faster processing at the gate. “The unique thing for us is that while in other terminals here in Halifax and across North America, all the cameras are sitting out in the open, ours are protected by purpose-built shelters, so when it is raining or snowing our w w w. h a l t e r m . c o m
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Ron Twohig Operations Manager
cameras and equipment maintain the efficiency of our gate processes and the trucks continue to roll, despite bad weather,” Dinning explains, “This sets us apart from our competition.” Allied to the physical redevelopment of its gate processes Halterm has also installed brand new terminal operating system software so that the company and its customers can manage the container inventory and track crane and truck movements in the yard more easily. With the new software, Halterm is operations ready, offering guaranteed berth, crane and labour to its customers whenever a ship arrives. To help keep to this guarantee, an extensive preventative
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S U P P LY C H A I N
maintenance program is in place and equipment is kept at a high state of readiness to meet customer demands. The company has a very quick turnaround time for trucks in the container yard as well, averaging 18-20 minutes from the time of arrival to the time of truck departure. Compared to reports from other terminals in North America, where average truck turnaround time might be held at about an hour, Halterm offers customers clear advantages. People Management and Safety In addition to implementing a series of changes to how Halterm monitors its operations, Dinning has also expanded the employee pool to strengthen the overall skill set of the company. “I’ve created new positions here within the facility and brought leaders in their fields from all over the world to fill those positions,” Dinning continues, “By bringing in a mixture of those with talents among the existing skill sets and those with alternative experience we are actively developing our team and can actually instill new methodologies and operating practices here.” Halterm is proud of the wealth of experience among its many longservice employees and together with the mix of new people that have worked all over the world, has a great formula for supporting service delivery to its customers. Safety is also a key focus of the organization. Dinning describes one particular piece of equipment Halterm offers to increase safety in the
Ashley Dinning CEO Managing Director
“By bringing in a mixture of those with talents among the existing skill sets and those with alternative experience we are actively developing our team and can actually instill new methodologies and operating practices here”
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Snow Clearance
workplace and on the highways. He states, “We don’t want a truck leaving here with snow and ice on top of the container because it could present a real hazard if it starts to break loose as the truck is moving. To address this we have installed a snow clearing machine that truckers can use as they are departing the terminal to plow snow and ice from the roof of the container so when it joins the highway it’s as safe as it can possibly be.” Halterm continues to focus significant effort on developing its safety culture and promoting safe working practices on the waterfront.
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Continuous Improvement Halterm continues to grow because it maintains a positive relationship with the waterfront Union in Halifax, the International Longshoremen’s Association, and Dinning states that “they also value our mutual customers and are focused on understanding and meeting customer expectations.” In the last few months, the top three shipping lines in the world, Maersk Line, CMA CGM and MSC have all looked to develop larger operating alliances and Halterm is a main operating facility for two of these carriers, Maersk and CMA CGM. The company also partners with ZIM Integrated Shipping Lines, Eimskip and Melfi for mainline operations, supported by Oceanex Shipping and TMSI on the critical regional trades. Over the next three years, Dinning forecasts more than 30% growth for the company. He explains that “our three key business goals are business growth, aggressively creating commercial opportunities to generate sustainable long term value, process excellence, driving cost out of the business through operation efficiency and strategic investment, and driving performance, developing and maintaining a highly skilled commercially oriented team with a sense of urgency and a desire to play to win.” Halterm encourages its’ workforce to employ these goals and use them as their drive to provide the quality service the customers expect.
Company Information INDUSTRY
Supply Chain HEADQUARTERS
Halifax, Canada FOUNDED
1969 EMPLOYEES
150 PRODUCTS/ SERVICES
Stevedoring; Warehousing; Logistics
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Videojet Technologies In
Offering Top of the Line Code a World Leader in Coding an
Director of Product Management and Systems Solutions, J Videojet Technologies Inc. has grown to become a world le technology offers high quality Code Assurance to custome Written by: Lindsey Ryan
Produced by: Michael Magno
nc.
e Assurance as nd Marking
John Nobers, discusses how eader and how their innovating ers
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VIDEOJET TECHNOLOGIES INC.
High resolution Videojet Thermal Ink Jet Printers meet code requirements in pharmaceuticals and other industries
“What our software does is to help ensure not only that you’ve selected the right code for the product, but it also tells each downstream printing operation the exact code to put on the bottle or the aggregate case set. As a customer, you can trigger your 190
September 2014
line from one printer. You don’t have to set up another printer or punch in another number. Our software automatically sets Code Assurance in your line,” states Nobers. This provides a great value to customers both in their productivity and
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Videojet Technologies Inc. is a worldwide leader in the product identification market. They offer coding and marking solutions to customers and with over 3,000 employees and thirty direct operations around the world, Videojet provides all regions with high quality service and code assurance. Code Assurance is the Videojet comprehensive approach to centralized message management and printing control to ensure the right code is on the product or primary package and matches the secondary package, and so on through production, to confirm that shipments are labeled and packaged correctly time after time. Director of Product Management and Systems Solutions, John Nobers, explains the importance of Code Assurance in all industries and how Videojet offers exceptional services by listening to customers and assisting them in determining the best solution for their specific business. Nobers explains that “the challenge for us is that we are always looking
to enable a customer’s solutions in whatever industry they may be. Our goal is to understand a customer’s needs and help them choose the right coding technology for their packaging.” Offering Dependable Code Assurance So how does Videojet ensure Code Assurance for their customers? By focusing on some of the main challenges customers have in their coding processes, Videojet can accurately identify the solutions that best meet customers’ objectives. Since customers are always looking to provide the best for their customers, they’re looking for high code quality and productivity to make sure the right code is consistently in the right place on the right product at the right time. Videojet can offer this because their printers are designed to provide low maintenance, low intervention and high uptimes, which allow for less downtime on customers’ lines and longer run times between preventive maintenance. Videojet.com
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providing a better value. There are many opportunities for a system to fail in a production line, so Videojet prides itself on maintaining reliability. Videojet has developed technology that can identify when there is a problem within the production and notify the customer so that continued coding errors do not appear on the products. Nobers explains, “We make sure that our customers’ products are getting the marking and coding they need for
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their products and if they aren’t, our printers have the ability to provide warnings or auto shut-downs to alert the customer to take action.” Global Launch of the Videojet 9550 Print & Apply Labeler Recently, Videojet launched its newest labeler the 9550. This new innovation helps the customer reduce downtime and reduce the cost of ownership for parts while offering incredible ease of use. The ribbons on the label reels can be changed in less than 60 seconds. “That’s the type of innovation we bring to the market,” Nobers proudly states. “It’s strengthening an area where we listen to our customers when they need more. That’s the type of innovation and investment we use to bring more value to our customers and help them advance their product lines.” The 9550 was launched the first week of May and has had great success since this global launch. Continuous improvement Videojet focuses on a number of LEAN manufacturing continuous
VIDEOJET TECHNOLOGIES INC. improvement processes and employs them throughout the company’s business, whether it’s in the product development process or their manufacturing system. Employees go through a training program to incorporate LEAN best practices and are trained in Problem Solving Processes (PSP) so that they can best assist customers in getting to the root of the problem to create an effective resolution that has the greatest impact. Nobers explains that there are three very important objectives to Videojet as a company: listening to customers, enabling solutions for customers, and continuing this listening and enabling to bring value to customers’ businesses and provide the best marking and coding solutions worldwide. “We listen to our customers. I think that’s the most important thing. We listen and we take that information and turn it into value for our customers. And then within our own business, we’re always trying to optimize our process and execution. It’s critical to bring that value to our customers and re-invest in the markets and businesses that we’re in,” says Nobers.
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Company Information INDUSTRY
Coding and Marking HEADQUARTERS
Illinois FOUNDED
1960s EMPLOYEES
3,000
Videojet.com
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