published by ZX Media Corporation
COMMUNITY N W! MAGAZINE
Volume 2 Issue 1 • August 2019
DISCOVER ALBERTA’S INNOVATION ENGINE DISCOVER ALBERTA’S INNOVATION ENGINE Extending the horizon of possibilities to solve Extending the horizon today’s challenges, reaching of possibilities to solve new potential, and creating today’s challenges, reaching a healthier and more new potential, and creating prosperous future a healthier for Alberta,and andmore the world. prosperous future for Alberta, and the world.
albertainnovates.ca
A Grassroots Magazine • For Community by Community • Our imperfections make us great ! Krista Malden
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Community Connector
Kenzie Webber Master Creator
CONTENT CONTRIBUTORS VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2
GO
EX
PL
E R O
Stacy Richter
Marilyn Dyck
Jill Quirk
Tracy Beairsto
Zanika Malden
Gregory Hart
Diane Swiatek
Garry Woods
Les Mottosky
Heloise Lorimer
Jade Alberts
STEAM Team
Alberta Innovates
Hunter Hub
One-Piece IT
Koleya Kerrington
Wendy Hutchins For questions, comments or information: Creative Kenzie@communitynowmagazine.com Community Kmalden@communitynowmagazine.com Copyright 2019 ZX Media Corpoartion, Calgary Alberta Canada
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Community Now! Magazine Copyright 2018, published by ZX Media Corporation. Volume 2 Issue 1 August 2019
All rights reserved. This magazine or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher and writer.
Credit to Errorist_Artist aka Zanika Malden
From Calgary: In the spirit of respect, reciprocity and truth, we honor and acknowledge Moh’kinsstis (Blackfoot) and the traditional Treaty 7 territory and oral practices of the Blackfoot confederacy: Siksika, Kainai, Piikani as well as the Stoney Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations. We acknowledge that this territory is home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 within the historical Northwest Métis homeland. Finally, we acknowledge all Nations, Indigenous and non, who live, work and play and help us steward this land, honour and celebrate this territory. This sacred gathering place provides us with an opportunity to engage in and demonstrate leadership on reconciliation. - Wendy Hutchins
Community Now! \\ 3
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THE ONLY CORE VALUE WE NEED Les Mottosky
Innovation (and life) is inherently messy. Simplicity is a necessary principle of the process. Without it, clarity, focus, communication and execution suffer and results will disappoint. So, what if you heard there was a CBD gummy bear that, if taken daily, guaranteed you a fulfilling life of great adventure, contribution and impact? And what if this gummy was the one daily discipline required for you to remain on a rich and juicy path of personal and professional growth? What if this chewy little medicinal morsel made you a better leader, a more frequent
deliverer of high-performance results, and helped you feel like you were always “getting the job done”? If these gummies were available or free to everyone all the time, would you want your organization, colleagues, friends and family to have access to them? What if it was actually this simple? The good news is, it can be this simple. The better news is, you don’t even need gummy bears. What is this magical concept? (continued on next page) Innovation \\ 5
(continued from page 5...) It is an all-encompassing core value and it may be the only one we need to live by. This simple, two-word motto can transform our personal operating system, emboldening us to perform, connect and nourish the communities we live in. Here it is: Show up. If you’re reading too fast you may have missed that so, I’ll restate it: show up. Those two simple words may be all we ever need to do.But how? Showing up means being reliable, accountable and present to whatever comes next. It’s being prepared to serve and feeling confident that we will deliver. Living from a condition of showing up allows us to offer the specific gifts, skills and experience that are required of us in the moment. Showing up means being there for whomever — strangers, clients, partners, friends and family — in a way that they can feel seen, heard and appreciated. Showing up isn’t just for the world outside of us, however. We have to understand how to show up for ourselves too. We need to understand our own boundaries – consciously and intuitively, because it’s impossible to show up for another if we aren’t first showing up for ourselves. While this single core value is simple, it isn’t necessarily easy. There is one large caveat. We need to believe that humans have a nearly infinite ability to respond.
6 // Community Now!
We must acknowledge a huge and obscured truth that lies beyond the limiting beliefs we hold about ourselves. That truth is: we have innate capacities to personally innovate – to expand, grow, adapt and advance ourselves. With this truth understood and in place, we create the first condition for living from a place of showing up: the condition of trust - a deep unwavering trust in ourselves. Showing up requires that we consistently rely upon the reality of the nearly limitless potential each of us possesses to grow, improve, create, contribute and to simply get shit done. To live life showing up, we’re also trusting that we possess everything and exactly we need to contribute. But let’s not get it twisted. Showing up does not mean we have all the answers. Possessing “everything and exactly” we need to contribute includes having the understanding that if we don’t possess what’s called for, that is still the thing we need to contribute. In other words, we know that there is an invisible benefit to the situation our “un-contribution” provides. We just can’t see it yet. In this way, we’re also trusting the universe has another (maybe even better) plan and that we’ve done everything in our power by just showing up and being willing to contribute, even though by empirical measurement, we haven’t contributed. This idea is a little confusing, so I’ll use a personal anecdote from my own past. About a decade ago, I experienced a particularly overwhelming time in my life and career that had me feeling a devastating
In this way, we’re also trusting the universe has another (maybe even better) plan and that we’ve done everything in our power by just showing up and being willing to contribute, even though by empirical measurement, we haven’t contributed.
level of guilt for not showing up for my young children. With regularity, I was coming home from the office still on a phone call or needing to send an email. Instead of playing with the little critters who were at my feet before I could kick my shoes off, I would have to walk past them to go to my computer or lock myself in a quiet room to finish my call. The guilt I felt came from the false belief that the kids needed me to play the moment I walked in the house. When I shared this guilt with my executive coach at the time, she helped me see the painful delusion I was creating. She suggested that “showing up” at the house still in work mode might also be teaching them important life lessons - like meaningful work, keeping my word to others, or the importance of completing a task before playing. Furthermore, my coach helped me see that even though I was upstairs doing “whatever Dad does when he gets home from work”, I
was freeing them to connect and continue playing together, something children are inherently much better at than adults at doing. With this insight, one that seemed at least equally legit as my painful belief of being unavailable to them, I could now see how their lives were maybe better because I was upstairs on a device. They were able to nurture their relationship. The irony of it was that once I’d completed my tasks, I could go downstairs to play with them minus the distraction of the guilt for “not being there for them”. Now I could actually show up. (Time has proven this to be an effective approach: more than ten years later, and despite a five-year age gap between them, these two regularly refer to one another as best friends.)
(continued on next page) Innovation \\ 7
(continued from page 7...) I’ll likely never forget the freedom of that weight being lifted. It felt like I’d been carrying a 75-pound backpack full of rocks and now it was gone. I was so much lighter. This is one of the many ways I’ve learned to understand the value and simplicity of living with this core value ‘show up’. Am I perfect in practicing this? Not even close. (That’s why it’s a practice). So, when I don’t show up, I feel it and there are always unpleasant consequences and situations I need to clean up.
When I do show up, life is simpler, more exciting, more fulfilling and I’m grateful for the adventure of this one and only life. Does this idea for a single core value resonate with you? What might happen if you were to put all those other ideas, principles and core values aside for a while and tried this energizing, creatively stimulating approach to life? How do you feel about your life when you’re really showing up?
Where people, talent and ideas collide Where people, talent and ideas collide
What is the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking? The Hunter Hub is the University of Calgary’s new initiative to engage and immerse students, faculty, staff, alumni and the Canadian community in a for culture of entrepreneurial thinking, What is the Hunter Hub Entrepreneurial Thinking? challenging them with a new and bold approach to teaching, The Hunter Hub is and the knowledge-sharing. University of Calgary’s new initiative to learning, discovery engage and immerse students, faculty, staff, alumni and the Canadian community in a culture of entrepreneurial thinking, The Hunter Hub forwith Entrepreneurial was created in 2017 challenging them a new and Thinking bold approach to teaching, with a generous giftand from the Hunter Family Foundation, as an learning, discovery knowledge-sharing. interdisciplinary nucleus for activities that will support entrepreneurial student experiences, enable faculty to lead in The Hunter and Hub expand for Entrepreneurial Thinking was created in 2017 innovation, a growing community of entrepreneurial with a generousthinkers. gift from the Hunter Family Foundation, as an and innovative interdisciplinary nucleus for activities that will support entrepreneurial student experiences, enable faculty to lead in innovation, and expand a growing community of entrepreneurial Events & Programs and innovative thinkers. Innovation Reactor Program Summer Incubator TENET I2C Energy New Venture Competition Events & Programs European Innovation Academy Innovation Reactor Program Global Entrepreneurship Week Summer Incubator TENET I2C APPLICATIONS OPEN Energy New Venture Competition Falling Walls Lab UCalgary European Innovation Academy North American Innovation Academy Global Entrepreneurship Week (see our website for further details) APPLICATIONS OPEN Falling Walls Lab UCalgary North American Innovation Academy (see our website for further details)
Who is the Hub for? It’s for everyone! The innovation, social enterprise and entrepreneurial communities including: students, student clubs, faculty members, staff, alumni, Calgary and beyond. Who is the Hub for? It’s forcan everyone! Thehelp innovation, How the Hub you? social enterprise and entrepreneurial communities including: students, student clubs, faculty members, The is a safe place to try out your entrepreneurial ideas. staff,Hunter alumni,Hub Calgary and beyond. Do you want to learn what entrepreneurial thinking is? Do you have an idea forthe a business? can connect you with information on all How can Hub helpWe you? aspects of starting a business or side hustle. The Hunter Hub is a safe place to try out your entrepreneurial ideas. Do you learn what entrepreneurial is? Do you have Do you want havetoentrepreneurial expertise thinking to share? an idea for a business? We can connect you with information on all We’re always on athe lookout for hustle. entrepreneurs to share their aspects of starting business or side experiences and expertise with our students and growing entrepreneurial community. Wantexpertise to join a panel, present a workshop, Do you have entrepreneurial to share? or share your entrepreneurial journey? We’re also looking to host We’re always on the lookout for entrepreneurs to share their entrepreneurs-in-residence and mentors to help guide emerging experiences with our students and growing entrepreneurs.and If thisexpertise is you, let us know! entrepreneurial community. Want to join a panel, present a workshop, (403) 220-4425 or share your entrepreneurial journey? We’re also looking to host entrepreneurs-in-residence and mentors to hunterhub@ucalgary.ca help guide emerging Ucalgary MSC 171 entrepreneurs. If this is you, let us know! (403) 220-4425 hunterhub@ucalgary.ca Ucalgary MSC 171 Follow us: @hunterhubyyc
Follow us: @hunterhubyyc
ucalgary.ca/hunter-hub ucalgary.ca/hunter-hub
InnoTech
ALBERTA
HAS GOT SOMETHING
W
BREWING
hen most of us think of fermentation, we think of yeast turning sugars into alcohol. Fermentation, however, is just one example of a biological processes where microorganisms convert a substance into a desirable product. There are many other products that can be made and in some cases the product can be the microorganism itself. Either way, these bioprocesses are complex and rely on precisely calibrated conditions to obtain the best results. That’s where InnoTech Alberta’s fermentation plant comes in. For the past 30 years, scientists at InnoTech Alberta, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alberta Innovates, have been helping companies across Canada and the world optimize and scale up biological processes, making products that include biopesticides, probiotics, soil inoculants and more. The 10 // Community Now!
facility in Edmonton’s south is home to fermentation tanks from 16 to 10,000 L– the largest in public ownership in North America. But it’s not just the size of its fermenters that’s impressive. “We call it our Lego plant,” says Janet Marowitch, the team lead for InnoTech’s fermentation group. While traditional fermentation facilities have permanent metal piping connecting their fermenters, InnoTech’s facility uses flexible transfer lines that can be rearranged, allowing them to connect any tank to any other in the facility. That means they can find the absolute best configuration to conduct a process, rather than having to fit a process to the plant. That flexibility is complimented by the expertise of the facility’s 12-person operating team of scientists, lab technologists and plant operators. When companies approach InnoTech for assistance, they’ve usually
created a process that works at “benchscale.” The challenge is that scaling up a fermentation process isn’t as simple as just doubling a recipe. “We had one client come to us who was using V8 juice in their bench formulation,” says Marowitch, and while that might work in small quantities, you can’t fill an industrialsized tank with 10,000 litres of vegetable juice from the grocery store. Often, companies find that their attempt to grow their product stalls, and that they can’t successfully grow it past that 15-litre mark. InnoTech’s fermentation team identifies the problems, corrects them, and is then able to manufacture the product at commercial scales. In one case, Marowitch and her team were able to take a soil inoculant that a company was struggling to scale to 20 litres and grow it to 10,000 litres within just four months.
Jake Burlet, the CEO of CanBiocin, an Albertabased producer of probiotic supplements for pets, credits InnoTech with helping the company secure investment. After InnoTech successfully produced its probiotic mixture at 300 L, the company announced a successful round of funding. “Anybody that’s considering writing a cheque to support market expansion wants to have some measure of certainty that you can actually deliver on your ability to produce, and InnoTech helped us answer that question,” he says. The company is now working to develop probiotic supplements for additional species and is eyeing expansion to European markets. Given the fermentation plant’s stellar results, it’s not surprising that the facility is often fully booked, and is in continuous operation aside from breaks required for essential maintenance.
Innovation \\ 11
From Startup to Game Changer: My Path to Commercialization By Koleya Karringten https://www.koleya.ca/blog/from-startup-to-gamechanger-my-path-to-commercialization/
I
was with my young son the other day, unwinding and spending some quality time while watching a show on the Discovery Channel – one of those nature programs with a soothing British narrator. Turtle eggs were hatching on a beautiful Caribbean beach; as thousands of tiny babies raced across the sand, dodging hungry birds to reach the safety of the water, he said something like; “Just a tiny fraction of hatchlings will survive – that’s why nature ensures there are so many of them.” And it hit me – that’s just like technology companies.
There’s no shortage of brilliant, inventive ideas, and thousands of innovative companies right here in Alberta that have every chance of making it big. In the end, so few of them will succeed in that giant leap from a creative concept to a real-
world product with customer orders (and happy investors). There are so many challenges in the way – like financing, obtaining grants, finding the right employees, and getting buyin from industry. So, then what makes the most significant difference in whether a technology company will make it to market? I think I know, at least in my experience. Everyone’s heard the quote by Thomas Edison that the ‘genius’ idea behind an invention is “1% inspiration, 99% perspiration”. While it’s true that commercializing technology is an unbelievable amount of work, often 12 hours a day and 7 days a week, I think that my inspiration percentage has been a lot higher than that. It’s not just about coming up with the idea itself – but how the people around me have deeply inspired me to push harder, overcome obstacles and have true faith in (continued on next page)
12 // Community Now!
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(continued from page 12...) myself and the company.
I needed a lot of faith and backing to get ACI to where it is today. When my father, Darsell, and I founded Absolute Combustion International (ACI) together, we were both driven by a passion for making our greener, safer and more efficient combustion technology a reality. He had instilled in me his fantastic understanding of business and strong work ethic from a young age, and I mean young, he started mentoring me in business when I was only three years old. It was a dream to work together toward a common goal. He had told me when I was three; “When you become 21, we will write a business plan and go into business together”, and we did exactly that. Despite the challenges of the time, as I was now a young single mom, I started ACI with him right on schedule. I was a life-altering devastation to lose him only a decade later when I was 31 and ACI was so close to realizing its potential. After being suddenly thrown into leadership of the company, I had to navigate this new and challenging terrain without my closest ally, father, mentor and best friend. Still, people believed in me and ACI’s promise. The person who helped our vision truly come to life was Imaginea founder Suzanne West, my mentor and dear friend. Within two years of my father’s passing, she helped me commercialize our burner in the oil & gas industry through her investment, facilitating our partnerships with a large producer, helping us conduct another successful field trial, and was my advisor on critical issues like building a market and technical development. A true collaborator, she made me understand
how essential good relationships and a foundation of trust is to commercializing technologies. Suzanne lived by what she called the ‘3 ‘P’s’ – people, planet and profit, in that order. She also taught me that being an entrepreneur might be one of the hardest jobs there is, but “it’s not a zero-sum game. You can still have a life – be a mom, a wife, and a friend – and balance it all, just as long as you’re willing to work harder than you ever thought possible.” She gave me courage in what was at times an intimidating business, always pushing me never to be afraid to ask for the deal I wanted. Devastatingly, Suzanne passed away only a few years later, in a very similar manner to my father. Suzanne and her lessons are always on my mind and her kindness forever in my heart. With the support of Suzanne, my team and our incredible investors, ACI proved that our combustion technology could be a game-changer for the oil & gas industry. We burned cleaner, cut emissions and were excited about our opportunities to expand in the industry. However, with the downturn in Alberta’s energy sector, our market started to face significant economic challenges, and ACI needed to diversify or risk failing. Then, through my network, we had a unique opportunity for something I’d never imagined: aerospace.
Three years ago, ACI began a partnership with the Edmonton International Airport (EIA). Their Vice President of Operations and Infrastructure, Steve Maybee, asked us to partner with them to develop a better heating solution for airplanes in cold weather climates – a significant source of delays and added costs in aviation. (continued on next page)
14 // Community Now!
(continued from page 14...) Rare for an airport, they worked with us closely at every step of the way from concept to the final product, helping us understand market needs and strict compliance requirements. After years of hard work, we were so proud to have just announced our jointly developed product’s success and our first EIA orders. Every step of the way, the story of ACI has truly been all about people and how we will help the planet. When commercializing new technology, I think it’s essential to follow these seven relationship guidelines: 1. Find partners that share your vision and passion for the company 2. Build close and trusted relationships with your investors 3. Hire dedicated people who genuinely believe in your technology 4. Seek out guidance and advice from experienced mentors 5. Always keep your relationships with your future customers in mind 6. Cultivate strong ties with agencies who want to see you succeed 7. Create a broad network to be able to reach diverse markets Once you have these key people in place, it’s time to collaborate and work together on a strategy that will help launch your product to heights you never imagined possible. So many technology entrepreneurs wind up working day by day, just trying to keep the lights on – I understand the impulse, because running a company sometimes feels like 16 // Community Now!
putting out endless fires. However, having a clearly defined strategy aligned with your vision acts like a compass, and makes sure you’re still moving in the right direction (and not getting lost in the fray).
Another critical element is marketing you could have the most game-changing innovation your industry has ever seen, but if you can’t translate your technology to the market and get it the attention it deserves, commercialization is almost impossible. It’s so important to develop a marketing budget and focus on presenting your product the right way to the right audience. Time and time again, I’ve seen otherwise amazing companies miss this step, forgetting that technologies rarely speak for themselves, and often, decision makers are business rather than technical people. After your pitch is in place, you need expert partners to help you get the word out – I’m so happy to have a strong relationship with Energy Now, who have an incredible marketing reach in the energy sector both in Canada and internationally. As ACI looks ahead to growing success here in Alberta and upcoming international launch with our EIA partnership, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the fantastic people around me who have helped our technology get from concept to market. We could never have done it without your dedication. There were so many times when I faced the terrible idea that despite my absolute belief in our technology’s value, we might not be one of those hatchlings fortunate enough to make it to the water. But at every turn, it was the strength of people around me that kept ACI going. And now, another project I’m embarking on follows so many of the same lessons.
Blockchain is growing in application and showing incredible promise, but it’s still an early-stage technology and companies have a lot of hurdles to overcome. My company, Bitquest Corp., had success focusing on mining and education, while the non-profit Alberta Blockchain Consortium (ABC), where I’m Executive Director, took a completely different path. Our role is to help the adoption of blockchain in Alberta’s industries and build a thriving ecosystem, because when blockchain becomes major commercial technology, it’s going to be able to transform Alberta’s industries and economy for the better. Just like with ACI, the ABC’s success in helping blockchain technologies reach the market will take a common purpose, inspiration and a lot of hard work. The ABC is also my way of honoring the legacy of the woman who believed in me, my
technology and my father’s vision. Suzanne West founded the idea for the ABC, and when I was asked to take it on to preserve her legacy, I leaped at the chance. Sadly, she never had an opportunity to do more than conceptualizing the idea, but using the lessons Suzanne and my father taught me, I was able to take it from a small 400-person mailing list to a formal not-for-profit organization. Her dream is now the largest blockchain organization in Alberta with support from some of the largest national companies in Canada. My thanks go out to the Alberta Blockchain Consortium’s incredible leadership, members and supporters, who are truly helping build the future of an entirely new industry. Commercializing technology is one of the most challenging things there is, no matter what the sector. But by unifying and working together, I know that everyone will have a better chance of successfully making that difficult journey across the sand. Innovation \\ 17
INVENTING THE FUTURE Abraham Verghese said, ‘Only the future is certain because it is ours to make.’
T
By Gregory Hart
hese are important words to all of us as Alberta finds itself living out the effects of a swiftly changing present and struggling with the unease of a less certain future. If we take the lesson from Verghese, we see the option to claim a measure of control and invent the future by responding to the currents that are shaping it right now. InceptionU and the EvolveU program were created to put people in the position to invent both their own individual futures and our collective future. The programs are created to build the fundamental thinking and doing competencies that support the power of invention. To a large extent, this is anchored in the notion of design. Design in a big way. Design as a way of delivering the best possible outcome or series of outcomes against a well understood objective. It means working in a way that is always meaningful, always considering the best route to fulfill the purpose and not just mechanically checking boxes to 18 // Community Now!
get something done. Great experiences are created with meaningful work. ‘Meaningful, not mechanical’ is a phrase frequently encountered in the InceptionU programs. In order for this creation process to work, people need to build competencies like the ones listed in the World Economic Forum’s most valuable list for 2020. Critical thinking is at the top of the list and it is much more than being able to make decisions and solve problems. Critical thinking is a dependable way of making sense of anything, including (and especially) our own thinking. EvolveU programs also build competencies in creative thinking, systems thinking, and computational thinking. The EvolveU programs in particular are built around taking someone from a place where they are no longer finding employment and/or enjoyment and rapidly moving them in a new direction: a digital, computational direction.
The EvolveU flagship program produces the competencies of a Full Stack Developer in a six-month full-time immersion experience where learners engage directly with employers looking for those skills, while working in teams and on their own with a mix of technical programming learning along with experience in agile approaches to project development, collaboration skills, illustration skills (yes, everyone can draw!) and much more. The program is heading into its third cohort and has had considerable success placing people in new high-value employment. People come from all walks of life, including those with little to no formal schooling and others with PhDs. This mix of people and the attending diversity of experiences is a core component of the experience.
Programs are held in a spectacular space on the third floor of the new Calgary Central Library. InceptionU’s partnership with the Library is ideal as it creates the opportunity to extend this future-inventing culture to all corners of Calgary and beyond. It is strongly aligned with the Calgary Public Library’s intention to help people realize their potential. The program will be expanding soon with exciting opportunities outside the Full Stack Developer experience. This will give more people the opportunity to create more certainty in their futures by acquiring the competency to make it, as Verghese encouraged. If you are interested in any further information on inventing the future, you can visit the InceptionU.com website and the evolve.ca website for more information and contact details.
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INSIDE OUR COMMUNITY
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SPEAKERS
Key Note Speaker MC: Stacy Richter Jim Gibson: The Marketing Mind Partner, Thin Air Labs Bender
Les Mottosky Curious Creative and Innovation Strategist
Marilyn Dyck Executive Director of The Doorway
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Back left to right. Rylie Clare, Jaxon Smith, Ellen O'Brien, Callie Schaefer, Taylor Miles, Aimee McGrath (far right back, not in band anymore)
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Front Row Left to Right Tristin Price, Petr Dubovsky, Awab Piracha, Madeline Nanoda, Brock Brown Front Center Sam Nunoda
Ryan De Guzman
Speaker Feature
Les Mottosky;
A Curious Creative
A
s a lifelong Calgarian, Les spent his 20’s creating radio, tv and newspaper campaigns for advertising agencies. He then leveraged his strategic muscles and devoted his 30’s to creating, designing and re-defining brands. Now, as an innovation strategist, he helps organizations create the cultural conditions to generate transformational ideas with a focus on simple execution plans that lead to new paths of revenue.
What is your favorite quote and why? I love quotes. So much so that I don’t have a favorite. I do have “an apt quote for the context”. In this case, Warren Buffet comes to mind:
“An idiot with a plan can beat a genius without a plan.” 22 // Community Now!
This statement evens the playing field for all of us. It shatters the illusion that success in a field is based on talent, intellect, education or connections. The greatest investor in history and one of the most respected businesspeople of modern times believes that having a plan is the foundation for winning. To me that is remarkably - maybe even radically- freeing.
Why is it innovation?
important
to
understand
I believe innovation is not only the key to business sustainability, it’s the natural direction of life. It’s not just in our DNA, it IS our DNA. Innovation as a term seems to be used as a synonym for technological advancement: digital trinketry, software, AI, robotics etc. The ‘capital T’ truth however, is that life, the planet and every living species owes its existence to and is based on, innovation. Charles Darwin’s work revealed, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” So, to sort of answer your question, in my opinion it’s not as important to ‘understand innovation’ as it is to believe that you, we, every organization (of one or more people) is teeming with the raw, genetic material to take innovative action. All that’s required is a plan on how to free that impulse and direct it towards a result that serves customers, the organization and stakeholders. Why do you get involved with community? Ironically, I will have to answer this from the perspective of isolation. For more than a year, I’ve experienced massive disruption personally. The ancient Taoists teach that those who choose an ‘examined life’ will, between the ages of 35-50, experience a scrambling or dissolution of the identity we previously relied upon to cope. As a result of being in that dissolution, I’ve hurt people I love, let myself down, struggled at times to keep my word, failed to make a difference for many of the people around me and even dabbled in suicidal ideation. The pain of this identity crisis and shame for the results had me feel undeserving of friendship, belonging and community and so, ultimately, I’ve isolated myself.
For someone who measures success based on ‘creating transformational experiences for others’, this has been an extraordinarily painful version of growth. The most unbearable aspect has been not participating in the communities I belong to - including, at times, my family community! I’m relieved to say, I’m coming out of this right now and I’m beginning to see the gifts. And only from this experience of painful, shame-driven, reclusiveness of the past 18 months can I give a sincere response to the above question: the reason I get involved in community is to experience intimacy (deep connection) and contribute to personal transformation and growth. (continued on next page) Why do people need to look at innovation as more than technology? Technology is a result. Innovation is the broader term for adaptation - which has always been a necessity for the modern, western human. Innovation is the process to generate that result - which may or may not be technology. I define innovation as “The awareness and ability to create purposeful progress.” Awareness, because we need to understand that change is a necessity of sustainability. Ability, because an idea can come from anywhere but it will require innovation capacity (talent, a plan and the right culture) of a team to execute on it. Purposeful, because if the goal is not driven by the why, there’s a massive disconnect in the entire value chain and the chance of a commercial flop rises exponentially. Community \\ 23
What advice would you give new business owners? I’m more of a listener than an advice-giver, so I don’t think I’d have any advice to share. I would, however, offer this wish to them: I hope your business is a tool to pursue a greater purpose to serve humanity and not the personal delusion of an ego-rooted aspirational image. In my experience, every business is a candid reflection of the person accountable for the pursuit of that organization’s ‘why’. The scalability and clarity of that purpose is what creates value to those who experience it - be it customer, supplier, partner or team member. Ha! Now that I re-read this, maybe I would have some advice: Pursue a meaningful purpose. When talking about innovation you refer to curiosity - why is that? It’s foundational to the journey. Curiosity is the beginning of the innovation adventure. Every business innovation begins in the spirit of “Imagine if...?”
(continued from page 23...) Why did you start your own business? The longer response is so I could create a structure that would allow me to be curious, explore, express, connect, contribute meaningfully and to push the boundaries of creativity, leadership and innovation with others and myself. (The short answer is my pursuit of the above sentence makes me — like many entrepreneurs — unemployable! LOL!)
How do you balance work and life and family? I don’t do the balance thing very well. Instead I aim to “integration with grace”. What is one goal you have set for yourself this year for business? To serve a number of mental health charities and nonprofits in creating conditions and plans for even greater possibility and impact. Mental wellness is about to be massively disrupted and I don’t get the sense they’re prepared for this shift. (continued on next page)
24 // Community Now!
Fun Facts about Les Mottosky (continued from page 24...) Why is brainstorming and mind-mapping important for business? Both of these tools can be employed to transform an organization to become more fit for modern customer service. I would add that both brainstorming and mindmapping are useless if they aren’t with the right intent and the right strategy. We’ve known for 25 years that brainstorming — the way we understand it — is not effective. In my experience, transformational ideas aren’t born in boardrooms -BUT- they can be honed and operationalized there using a strategic approach to mind-mapping. The idea is the ‘splash’; execution is the resulting ‘ripples’. Combining brainstorming and mind-mapping is a means to steer those ripples. Why do you collect sneakers? I actually stopped collecting nearly 15 years ago. That said, I maintain a rotation of 50 or 60 pairs because they’re an art form I appreciate
• I’m a neo-hippie and healed myself of an “incurable” autoimmune disease. • My belief in Bigfoot/Sasquatch has recently been re-invigorated and I have a strategic plan to encounter one. • I’m probably the fastest 49 year old you know
on multiple levels. Sneakers have delighted me since I was 7 years old. If you could have one superpower what would it be and why? Aside from a wand to heal the damage we’ve done to the planet, I would most want an unwavering open mind. With that I believe I could connect with, relate to and make a difference for any person I meet.
Mini - Tipi Pa i nt N i g ht
Adults only
Design, Paint, Make
S u p p o rr n g I n d igeSTEAM and G e ar h e a d s: F IRST Glob a l TEA M CANADA Au g 1 3 , 6 - 9 PM J ameson ’s Pub , B rentwood NW Se pt 5 , 6 - 9PM Bla ck Swa n Ale Ho use , Ma cL eod Tr SW
YOU ARE
STRONGER
THAN YOU BELIEVE. YOU HAVE
GREATER
POWERS THAN YOU KNOW. Antiope to Diana, Wonder Woman movie
Community \\ 27
MARILYN DYCK; By Tracy Beairsto
Imagine being a youth on the verge of Adulthood. Imagine knowing that without safety, without being a part of a regular educational or workplace system where you can learn to earn a living and build a life, that you are surviving with only your wits about you and the patterns you have learned on the streets to keep you alive from one day to the next. Imagine thinking that you have no hope to ever change this life that even you can’t deny is likely going to kill you soon, believing that your soul is lost and that your future doesn’t extend beyond today. You have heard from others in your street group of a place that lets you come in on your own terms and actually be paid to take steps to change your life. Some of your so-called friends have gone there, others just laugh at you or do their best to ensure that you stay where you are because that is where they feel you should be because changing your life would be so hard and futile. 28 // Community Now!
Then one day, maybe only out of curiosity, of thinking you can game a new system, or just out of taking one last hopeful step for yourself, you go to this place. And then you meet someone. That someone at this place listens to you, understands exactly where you are and where you have been, doesn't judge you, doesn't coddle you, doesn't indulge you or look at you like you don't matter. But they ask something of you and it is totally up to you to make whatever choices you have to make to fulfill that something they ask - take responsibility for learning how to change your life by learning how to make the choices you really want to make to get back into the light of life, knowing full well that it will take time - there will be detours into the darkness again, there will be emotional moments that need courage to tear down the walls you have built, and there will be surprises - surprises to learn that you have skills and dreams and abilities and talents that you didn't even know
A Woman Who Leads and Builds COMMUNITY you had, surprises to know you are not alone but that you do have the courage to stand alone, finally believing in your own value. The person you met has had to be strong, has had to be a loving, kind, peaceful soul, who has had to have an unswerving belief every moment in you and all of those before and after you who have walked through The Doorway into a new light. That person isn't naive, that person isn't a judge, that person has taken most of her life to build a place for you to go, with all the resources that she has learned through experience you will need to take each cautious step you will take as you meet the challenges of change from the streets to a mainstream life. And the best thing she will do for you is to provide a safe refuge to think and learn for yourself, not be told, but not be cajoled or lied to either, as she knows you have already had enough of that. Real change requires a real commitment from you and she knows that too. She looks lovingly for the sparks in your eyes and in your actions that show that this change is real.
That person, the one who has helped you get off the streets, the one who has never held your hand but always held you in respect and belief, is Marilyn Dyck. She has, through her work and through being the inspiration for so many others who are part of The Doorway as employees, participants, donors and supporters, helped to change the lives of so many that have walked through that Doorway one way or the other. She has done so with grace, compassion, and a sincere, steadfast, passionate belief in the value of others. And she is one of those lights that can help us see through the darkness. She also continues to create that light through her love for her family, music and art. Even in her travels, she has found ways to continue her dedication to helping youth abroad through her international associations. She is a woman who truly leads and builds community! Thank you, Marilyn Dyck!
www.thedoorway.ca
www.thelisteningproject.ca
CRA 13140 1226 RR0001
listening to everyone
Speaker Feature
Stacy Richter;
The Marketing Mindbender
S
tacy is better known as “The Marketing Mindbender”. He has successfully led marketing initiatives in nearly every known business sector including oil and gas, ecommerce, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, professional services, finance and fintech.
What you might not know about Stacy is that… • He was once a winner of a beauty contest in Monopoly! • Stacy enjoys playing guitar and the harmonica - but not at the same time! • He performed a song he wrote and produced on the Buck Shot Show when he was 5! 30 // Community Now!
Stacy completed his Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Calgary with a double major in Marketing and Information Systems along with an Industrial Marketing minor at the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany. Stacy earned his MBA at the University of Phoenix before joining a boutique marketing agency as a Senior Associate. Within four years, he and the partners had grown this agency to six offices and more than thirty associates across North America.
Stacy has since been pursuing his venture career through acquiring and growing small to medium-sized businesses. Stacy brings his philosophy of “Ask Great Questions, Get Great Answers” to all business opportunities that come his way. You are known as “The Marketing Mindbender”, how did this name come about? It starts with my real-life superpower! In every aptitude test I ever wrote my highest scores were always in the sections where we were asked to find similarities between unrelated objects. I have become really good at connecting the dots between things that do not seem to be related. Trying to explain to people that I can easily figure out the marketing strategies that work in another industry which will work in your business became very long and boring. So, I came up with “The Marketing Mindbender”. Why is innovation so important to the marketing industry? And what does innovation mean to the marketing industry? If creativity is about doing things differently; then innovation is about doing things better. When anyone decides to start a business, they are taking on a massive responsibility for their potential clients. Starting a business is taking ownership of a problem for which you believe you have found a solution. When you have a product or service that can solve a problem for someone and improve their life somehow, you have an obligation to serve them the very best you can. That is a massive responsibility. Innovation is important in the marketing industry because we always need to find better ways to get our message to everyone
who has the problem(s) we solve. We have to find better ways to fulfill on that promise of solving the problem. This is absolutely magic when we get it right. What other areas of innovation have you gotten involved in and why? What interests you about these areas of innovation? I have become very interested in blockchain technologies and cryptocurrency. My two biggest reasons are: fascination with the size of impact these innovations will have in a very short period, and the other is “Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)”. I happen to blessed to be in the crossover generation. We have spent as much of our lives pre-internet as we have post-internet. When I look back to the start of the Internet and the impact it has had on communications, I feel that blockchain technologies and cryptocurrency will have the same impact on how we do commerce. Why do you get involved with different aspects of community? Like writing for CN? And being an influencer/ mentor for other new entrepreneurs? Taking an active role in a community has never been more important that it has today. When my parents were growing up, the milkman, the mailman and the butcher were also their neighbors. Their families spent time together at weekend BBQ’s in addition to providing services. They had a personal AND professional connection. Although the channels through which we connect have changed, the spirit is still the same. We are all here for each other. This is just a characteristic of a healthy society. The (continued on next page) Community \\ 31
(continued from page 31...)
Fun Facts about Stacy Richter:
connection to many different types of communities helps to keep my life healthy - personally and professionally (although I don’t separate the two).
What do you do in your free time?
When I am writing for CN! or
LOL! That is a loaded question because I don’t believe that I have any ‘free time’. Time is being spent with or without our permission. I love to surf. It sounds funny coming from someone born and raised in landlocked Calgary, Alberta. It is one of the most difficult sports I have ever tried to learn and also the most rewarding. I have only been surfing successfully a few times and probably swallow more of the wave than I get to surf! Those few times when I do catch a wave and ride it in is one of the most satisfying accomplishments I have ever felt.
mentoring entrepreneurs through Futurpreneur, that connection enables me to get the best of both worlds. These communities keep me connected to people and that is healthy for my person and my business.
What is your “real-life” superpower?
Read. Listen. Watch. Do.
My other real life superpower (other than being the Marketing Mindbender) is my intuition. My gut instinct is almost never wrong.
Read as many articles, books, blogs and whitepapers as you can about
If you could have a “movie” superpower what would it be? And why? I would love to be able to fly like Superman if I had a movie superpower. Not only would I be able to get anywhere I needed to be, I would never have to fly in coach again and lose my checked baggage!
32 // Community Now!
Most importantly, when my involvement in these communities helps other businesses who go out to serve millions of people, I can have a much bigger impact than I could on my own. What advice would you give to people who are interested in learning more about Blockchain and Bitcoin?
the subjects. There is so much material published about Blockchain technologies and Bitcoin and it’s still only a small fraction of what is coming. Listen to podcasts and interviews by authorities in the space. Every expert will have their own perspective and opinion about the direction of these technologies. Watch as many YouTube and TED videos as you can fit in. Blockchain becomes much easier to understand when you see a diagram along with the explanation.
Do get involved. Go to as many Meetup groups about Blockchain and Bitcoin. Get in and be a participant instead of an observer. Research the different types of wallets and exchanges and buy a small sum of Bitcoin to experiment with. Lastly, do be critical. Blockchain and Bitcoin are still emerging technologies (as far as the world is concerned) and even the experts are still learning more every day. Something that was true yesterday doesn’t mean it’s still true today. What advice can you give to new business owners to enhance their marketing and their long-term business goals? Keep it simple. First, decide ‘What part of whose mind do you want to occupy and what
do you want them to do when you’re there.’ Next, decide which bucket they fall into. There are only 3 ways to grow a business: 1. Increase average # of new clients every year. 2. Increase the average $ per transaction per client. 3. Increase the average frequency of purchases per client. When you look at the growth of a business through this lens, it becomes incredibly simple. Though there are thousands of tools and tactics available, every one of them falls in at least one of those buckets.
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Speaker Feature
Engaging with an audience. Improvising on the spot. Guiding the sound. Listening to the room. Creating the perfect melody. A definition of the GREATEST Jazz guitarists : Les Paul, B.B King, Pat Metheny...
Jim Gibson C
algary-based entrepreneur, Jim Gibson, is an active leader in the Alberta innovation ecosystem. With 30 years of experience at the forefront of technology and change as founder of six different technology startups, Jim is a passionate advocate for “paying attention” to what’s coming and providing concrete examples of how we can all be leaders and role models for change. As a published author of the 2018 book, Tip of the Spear: Our Species and Technology at a Crossroads, Jim challenges his audience to understand and respond to a new world that sees infinite possibilities meeting serious global problems head on. He is a partner with Thin Air Labs, co-founder of the Rainforest Alberta movement, former program lead of the Calgary Innovation Coalition, a mentor with the Venture Mentoring Services of Alberta, a member
of the A100, and an advisor to many local startups. Looking back, Jim Gibson says if he could do it all over again, knowing what he knows now, he would be a Jazz guitarist. How different is being a jazz guitarist from being a leader, innovator & entrepreneur? ALL are leading, inspiring, performing, creating, impacting and playing and engaging their audience while fufilling their passions. “We should be defined by our possibilities, not opportunities,” stated Jim Gibson, as he was storytelling about his experience with business, speaking and mentoring. Just as when you listen to the sounds of the soloing Jazz guitarist, listening to Jim Gibson inspires you to reflect on your approach to and within life and how you view yourself, others and the ecosystem around you. (continued on next page) Community \\ 35
What is innovation? (continued from page 35...) “The number one thing for the health of the ecosystem is its diversity and when the innovation community is complete, there will be diversity of each culture, company, community, not-for-profit and we will all be able to learn how to embrace that diversity. But first we have to address the elephant in the room - which isn’t about being a jerk, it’s about being respectful,” explained Jim. He then loops back to his book Tip of the Spear, which provides a comprehensive study of the state of technology and its impact in the near term on the fate of our species. The three Laws of Disruption at the center of the story in his book recognizes that: The slope of the technology curve is dramatically increasing; The technology genies never go back into the bottle; And our linear systems of organization are not prepared.
36 // Community Now!
Innovation isn’t about any one thing, innovation is about building systems that will create great things, creating the ability to create. How can we share and learn together better as a city and a province? I am a bit biased on the structure of the Rainforest in its intent. The intent is the great combination of structures, balanced against freedom to be and learn. So we don’t overstructure. Lunch without a Lunch (LWOL) is a great example of individuals who can come together to learn together. We need more of this. The number one thing of health of the ecosystem is the diversity. What did you want to be when you grew up, when you were a kid? When I was a young kid (<10) I wanted to be hockey player (or some form of professional athlete). In my teens, I was pretty sure I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I was surrounded by books and knowledge and so was exposed to much about the world. It made me a very curious tyke and that continued to this day as I became a writer and entrepreneur myself.
Who influenced your career path? And who has influenced you throughout your career path? I was influenced by my father initially. While he was a career banker (45 years with the Bank of Montreal), he was in fact a true “entrepreneur’s banker. He loved the entrepreneur and their stories and tried his best to help them find capital and access to money. He understood people and his great claim was that he never had a loan go bad because he gave trust and much as he asked for it in return. Most recently, my three kids have greatly influenced me as they have found success through difficult and challenging work and effort that would put most others to shame. Their “grit” has been inspiring. Finally, the person who has influenced me the most directly over the past 3 ½ years has been Brad Zumwalt – my cofounder of the Rainforest, an extraordinarily gifted and successful entrepreneur and most of all an inspiring human being that has taught me – and many others – the principles of humility, community and family and giving back to the world. I have been lucky to be connected with him.
What do you think we can do better as an ecosystem to make sure the next generation has the tools to be successful in their career paths? We need the ecosystem to give its time and talent back in the more of mentorship. We have many “advisors” who know how to “work on the car” by giving business advice but what is needed are those who have the humility, time and skills to provide mentorship to the next generation of leaders – “working on the driver” as we say. These leaders and role models also need to be eqaully matched with entrepreneur leaders who are coachable and know how to humbly surround this selves with the best.
Fun Facts about Jim Gibson: Jim moved 9 times across Canada when he was young and has lived in every major city in Canada. He has run 22 marathons and is still standing!
“Empathy is giving a shit!” Community \\ 37
EMERGENETICS CANADA INC Emergenetics Canada is a people-solutions company committed to developing positive and productive working cultures. Our signature tool, the Emergenetics Profile, highlights thinking and behavioural preferences to improve communication and drive performance Emergenetics tools and solutions transform the ways employees, teams and organizations work together. Sitting in on a workshop about work culture seems like “that course your employer would make you take” and they should! Voltaire once said “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” When you think about what Emergenetics is doing, they are asking the right questions.
“It was amazing to watch people as they read through their profiles and talked openly about how their perception of one simple thing could be so different from the perception of the same thing by the person sitting next to them,” said Krista after attending an Emergentics workshop. “To watch people think about their actions and how the way they talk to people or the way they perceive someone else’s actions can be just a communication error was really eye-opening.” Communication and understanding are key to the life and growth of any organization. Emergenectics has the tools and resources to help companies understand the improve! Reference http://www.emergeneticscanada.com/
COMMUNITY IS MORE THEN
At Mckenzie Towne Tim Hortons our customers are our friends, family and colleagues. They are our motivation, passion and inspiration. They are the reason we aspire to create a warm, friendly atmosphere to share. Having the opportunity to support initiatives within the community where we both live and work has not only helped Timbits soccer and hockey, Beavers and Scouts, schools and community associations, it has also helped us grow as individuals and be a better work community. Contributing to the success and growth of the people where we live is what makes us proud of what we do!
Thank you Mckenzie Towne Tim Hortons
JUST WHERE YOU LIVE.
28 McKenzie Towne Ave SE #7, Calgary, AB T2Z 3S7
Sponsor Highlight
Greg’s ‘WHY’ is Building Community. He believes that connection is the cure to what ails people, organizations, economies and the planet. He supports the shift to capitalism with purpose and his life's work is creating a world where everyone is enough, has enough and contributes their best. He has supported more than 50 not-for-profits, was an active sports coach for 15 years, started an award-winning corporate volunteer program while at Suncor, and has sat on a variety of boards. He also enjoys outdoor pursuits and spending quality time with his wife Marilyn, son Michael and anyone who believes in better. Greg is also Managing Director of S2S, whose ‘WHY’ is Improving Organizations. After 20 years in the energy sector, where he fell in love with strategy, Greg founded S2S. With 15 associates across Canada, and in collaboration with many partners, S2S has developed effective ways for individuals, groups, organizations, multi-stakeholder groups and even jurisdictions to improve. Simple approaches that help people build the ideas, relationships, alignment, engagement and performance that drives success. Through the course of more than 100 engagements for more than 50 clients since 2005, S2S has earned a Net Promoter Score of 9.4/10 that is supported by generous client testimonials. S2S is also looking to take its practice global in 2021.
Strategic Conversation. Action. Success!
Community \\ 39
Volume 1 Issue
2 • Sept 2018
3 • Oct 2018
e 1 Issue
Volum
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5 • De
NOW!
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Corporation
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published by ZX Media
published by ZX Media Corporatio
COMM
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COMMUNITY N
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GAZINE
published by ZX Media
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Volume 1 Issue
Volume 1 Issue
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LOOKING BACK AT
G N I L C Y C THE CITY THROUGHOUT
Opinions Mat
ter!
THIS IS HOW Join us every mon
th as we ask the
start BELIEVING in HERSELF once again, finding unity within a resurrection of CIVIC PRIDE, as we band together to achieve and succeed toward s our future!
IT STARTS
community what
we can do bette Below listen to r. community advoc ate, influencer, man Brian Cymb creator, inspirer aluk discuss what and family we can do better to debate, explore and then join us and share knowledge on Facebook about how to be better as a comm unity.
So what is Civic Pride exactly, and… exactly, what does this all mean?!?
In January we asked “what do you think we can do better as a city to bring people toge ther”
Who Do Y How Do ou Trust? You Kno w What t o 9 201 g Believe e 2 issue 1 Au Join us in Volum ? . ling cyc on complete story for a
CALGARY NEED S to FIND HER PASSION ONCE AGAIN!!! time, or perhap - Brian Cymbaluk s it was becaus e at that point, I was still walkin g on egg-shells Back on Januar waiting to y 9th of this see my Oncologist year, the day before my 61st to hear how my birthday, I was almost 2 year fight with asked by Krista cancer had gone Malden, the Found / was going? er of Community (Thankfully the Now news I got on Magazine, “what January 14th do you think was very positiv we can do e)! Or perhaps, better as a city it was simply to bring people because I was together?” trying to decide exactly what path in life I wante Now I don’t mind d to pursue, after sharing, that this selling question my company hit me over the Axe Music last head like a ton June, (after 30 of bricks! years in Calgar Perhaps it was y, and 40 years just timing?!? in Edmonton), As I told which has since you earlier, I was turning 61 left me “unem the ployed”?!? next day, Yes… the seriou and birthdays sness of this relativ have a way of ely skewin “simp g our on the surface” le perception of the question was overw world around us for a short helming, and I needed time to proper ly reflect upon 40 // Community Now!
M
Swiatek,
40 // Community Now!
Simply put… Civic pride is most easily defined as HAVIN G PRIDE in ONE’S CITY!!! Civic Pride is what brings a community together! It is the glue that makes community feel a good about where they live, work and play. PEOPLE are the HEART and SOUL of any dynamic and vibrant city, so fostering a PASSI ONATE CIVIC PRIDE in our community, is the key to ALL of US achieving a quality of life we can, and will be proud of!!! And once we do, hang on, I guaran tee you… it’s infectious!!! When I first arrived in Calgary in 2003, a sense of Civic Pride was much more prevalent! If you didn’t already live here and KNOW HOW GREAT CALGARY WAS, you heard about her prospe rity all over Canad a, and many travelled far and wide to live in “the promised land”, and to share in the SUCCESS OUT WEST!!!
and digest the opportunity and privilege to fashion an answe Sadly, over r I felt best reflect the years, the ed how ALBERTA intensely urgent ADVANTAGE I truly felt this questi has started to tarnish on was!!! and rust Apparently, that like many of the out of work time was almos t a month in Oil and Gas total… Go figure Rigs dotting … but anyway… the Alberta countr here goes!!! yside, and the MILLION-D OLLAR QUES I must start by TION… saying that anythi WHY?!? is ng of this nature is purely subjective, based solely on MY OPINI Well… the MILLI ON, and as such, ON-DOLLAR I’d greatly ANSWER appreciate if you is; (and again, don’t shoot the this is merely my subjective messenger, (ME), till you’ve opinion), but eviden at least given what tly, times have I have to changed, say a fair shake! and we face a much differe nt energy environment today, one that I feel, and yes I is arguably believe, the KEY to INSPIRING OUR CITY to DO BETTER, is to have Calgary (continued on next page) Community \\
Community \\ 65
By Diane
Founder
and Director any of the of Banbury questio Crossroads ns faced School, Est. a differen by humank 1979 t twist on ind are tim it. Who do past 30 yea eless, eve you trus rs, a delu contradicto t? How do n if each ge of info age produc you kno ry. Moreov rmation w what to es er, propag filter, as has become believe? it magnifie anda can readily ava Over the be interwo s and harn difficulty ilab le, ven with esses a trut and a lot determining facts, man h in som of it is whether ipulating gives us eone’s favo information valid reas our judg r. You are ment ons for dou is pertinen in trouble all around bt whe and t and valu the world, n you hav it breeds able…or uncertainty e as we wre bipartisa not. Thi stle with nship, pop . These que s scenario the concep ulism, scan stions are posts. We ts of “fak now bein dals, scam are also e news”, g asked s, and fore aware of political from the information ign bots posturing common that gen being sub forum, from and erate pers controversi verted and streaming on-less onli al informa suppressed serv ne tion just ices, boo manipulativ and just isn’t ava ks and doc disappearin e, hand ilable. Gov umentaries out misinfo g such info ernment . All of a rmation, rmation regimes, sudden, disinformat control, from auto books hav it is natu ion or limi cratic to e to be bur ral for us merely ted informa to wonder ned, in a to answer tion. In metaphoric who sho that ther the face uld be allo al sense. e is no goo of If wed we d to decide answer. value free 58 // Com which dom of thou munity Now ght, we are ! likely
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THANK YOU FOR A GREAT INSPIRATIONAL FIRST YEAR!! The video game industry was worth $134.9 billion in 20181 with no sign of slowing down. The growt h of gaming is being fueled by faster/cheape r hardware, increasing connection speeds and growing audiences who are willing to pay to watch professionals stream their games .
Collegiate schola rships are yet another sign that the growth of gamin g has gone mainstream. There are currently over 30 colleges and univer sities in the United States that offer schola rships for gamer s, who can earn up to $19,00 0 per year toward s tuition2. The opportunitie s appear warran ted. Wired Magazine report ed that the 2018 League of Legends World The World Championships Health Organ ization added attracted over 200 million ‘Gaming Disord viewers worldwide. er’ in its 11th This was revision of more viewership International Classi than the NCAA fication of Diseas Final Four AND the Super es (ICD11) and define Bowl combined3 s it as “a pattern . of gaming behavior (“digit al-gam An education ing” or “videoand career oppor gaming”) characterized by tunity are the impaired control romance stories over gaming, for the lure of increasing priority gaming. There given to gaming is also a siniste r side embedded over other activities to the in the culture extent that gaming of gaming. takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation Overcoming the or escalation of Addiction gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences 4 Cameron Adair .” has a pretty norma l story The classification like many boys is recognition born and raised that gaming in Calgary. addiction is preval His dad worke d in the Oil & ent though the Gas industry definition suggests that the and his mom stayed at home medical comm unity is still taking care of unclear. the family. Camer on did well in school in addition to being a committed and After dropping talente out hockey player. of high school, d Cameron’s parents requir ed him to get a job. He went through severa Then in Grade l cycles of delayi 8, Cameron started ng getting getting a job for 3-week bullied. The bullyin s, starting a job g escalated when and then he was
When Innovat ion Starts to Hurt; Overcoming Vid eo Game Addic tion
I
being chased by other kids trying to put him into garbage cans. Then the bullying got worse. Eventu ally Cameron had decided to quit playing, dropp ed out of high school and turned to video games for escape . “Gaming was a really effectiv e place for me to escape. It was a place where I had a lot more control. I was able to control my experie nce online. If I was a good player, I would have that sense prestige and people of would look up to me. I didn’t really have to worry about bullying online because I could block people or move to a differen t game or different server. That sense of control was a big part of it for me.”
By Stacy Richter
Innovation, in all its forms , is a perpetual motion integrate techno logy into every machine that facet of daily will continue to the life. Big Freeze that scientists say we are heade d towards. Society Disruption implie loves to celebrate all s that all of this of the progress progress comes at a price. that has been made to impro The romance ve convenience story of and quality of innovation is that life. The light bulb some sort of inconvenienc replaced gas lamps is removed from e , while the horse and our world. A peak buggy were disrup behind the curtain reveals ted by the steam engine, that there can in turn giving be a damaging side to rapid innova way to trains and automobiles. tion. The assembly line reduced the amount of This is not a new production time dilemma and needed to produce the car has existed ever since the and robotics will Luddites of the eventually replace most human early 1800’s were smashing -directed manuf mechanical looms acturing. in protest. The rapid chang Today we have e of innovation the internet, can leave a few scars. high speed connections and Today we are social platforms not smashing looms. The nasty changing how we interac side of innova t with each other tion shows up in other ways. daily. Selfdriving cars and This world of delivery drones high-s peed interconnectivity seem to be the next phase 24/7/365 is seen as we find new as a blessing to ‘most people’ but ways to as a curse to others .
l For tors A Too ss Innova e l t n Rele
10 // Community
1) Batchelor, J. (continued on next (2018, page) gamesindustry.biz December 18). Global games market value rising /articles/2018-12-1 to $134.9bn in 8-global-games-m 2018. Retrieved 2) Scholarships.com. arket-value-rose-t May 27, 2019, from o-usd134-9bn-in-2 (2019). Esports https://www. com/financial-aid Scholarships / 018 Scholarships for /college-scholarsh Gamers. Retrieved ips/sports-scholar May 3) Heilweil, R. ships/esports-scho (2019, January larships-scholarsh 27, 2019, from https://www.scho 18). Esports Players www.wired.com/ larships. ips-for-gamers/ Are Cashing In story/infoporn-co Big When It Comes llege-esports-play to College. Retrieved 4) World Health ers-cashing-in-big Organization. (2018, / May 27, 2019, from gaming-disorder/e September 14). https:// Gaming disorder. n/ Retrieved May 27, 2019, from https://www.who .int/features/qa/
Now!
Innovation \\ 11
to us in nicated commu ter”, “if tion are n fail fas innova fast the se in nting ”, “fail a purpo pleme with risk as serve le lly im ide tab sfu ese t place? succes e.” Th e comfor becom rets to to execut in the firs to e m sec one fro hav he u come er kin that’s the ttos: “yo ovation any oth alone, or inn you ss, for many mo ve lne ideas n, playfu won’t lea do those ginatio ves. an idea where initiati ity, ima text, but ovation t creativ per con a to the ngful inn iosity (no the pro the ide that cur t, all meani tion of concep root of be made concep the to the m e of is Fro cas a ours) on tegy. hatching There’s behavi roving iness stra cycle; the childlike and imp ovation imate bus model, of those the ult entire inn service ny ways ces the ing the is in ma inform ity influen market, Curiosity ss, curios to it ine taking able bus tomer, sustain the cus it with testing ttosky
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Lead ers Big Id , Innova to eas the P rs, and odca st by Al Some Del De time gan in 20 abou 04 th t from e term the co and th “Pod mbina cast” e com tion of came mon a podc the A term ast is oppo pple Broadc an ep rtunity iPod files ast. Es isodic which for th Rainfo sentia series ose w a user rest A listen lly of ho w digita can do lberta to. In way to ant to l audi laym but wnloa radio the gr be pa o an d in terms broadc rt of oup its also contrib order it is lik asting, ute in elf. to The e inde some but w idea Podc pend ith is as ent out th that ting a regu do da e radi the po has ha Leonar ye la like r ar nk o. st s. Ea host dcast d mix to thi multit the mo rly on or ho ed su doesn’ of “How ci was ud hor Vin an for da aut st e d then ccess s, bu of vo t have that it be ples Gelb, the Ra luntee over d claim t rath came en princi Micheal declin the bol the sev remai the infore as the r host er ha fairly ed makes live. Of riosity ning st “m s from s a genero Vinci” to ever popu the listed Cu somew with som embe throug us co , Gelb lar s human uence ofcouple e nich rship” hat po curiou ntrib like Leo hout and infl podc of ye e show . Than ution ci got in motive to think pular. ast no ars th t da Vin resurg driving from learning s ks to Over w has ough e it’s the dence tha Zi but the ence th evi aus nc ns, e th at a , its bec there . Som stio bo e past som Ventur the vo own first, ny que ’s also e of th has be ntittyre dedica luntee es, th quaas too ma . There six re the ing gu er is e en cord e r host ted eq oth lar su most for ask a big claim the m their s can bscrip popu in school for Gelb’s episod illions borrow uipment show trouble lar sh tions dence es. Al of liste s, add . ows and do dible evi and us n ebooks an ma more cre ne not th w d his the e to and po rs. e pre nloads Al D ns in his team ci’s and el Deg roll an g) st the in da Vin of questio edit th writin d post show ary of Octdob s soan has be e tempor ering (an s on th roll cr en crea er 20 ity con The to discov rwin wa e podc edits, 09 an A curios show ting po his life an id er Brent, arles Da asting d has icated launch dcasts cies”, Ch a ne phy, Petea for ed recent site. who ded the Spe ed on biogra“L since w ep ly co gin of Enlarg a new ea of hor of his is n de Fe po m od aut “The Ori bruary rs, In morni e up A Ma dcast. the e is e, that with nova Darwin, Podc ng at re Th 18 les le e har th inquisitiv as to ast”, show 8:00am ed ea rs, an and on A book: “C titled: d Big pple ch Tu . List ssic and sh theisclasu titled the ppor Podc eners esday Ideas for ted by ”. in Goo asts (fo ndard owca ted: “I can su Curiosity - the Rainfo s thos gle Pl gold staand / vily quose rmer bscrib rest A or su ious.” e who ay M still the ly iTun is hea show e pp usic. self and lberta Einstein, cur are co es), or is av in Asio ut him Albert The m lb nately orting the ntrib ailabl ed abo also podb only pas erta. A ai , believ ut in e , am n ius I in no at you ea l fe nt. gen g to : http: toan vatio ed fo n.com tale diblew ted n ecos special r the //rainf n’t cre have no ed the to create les are ystem oresta sk nam If yo ’ examp a colla lberta School Elon Mu u t d bo tha ’Ol w . ration ould dence (If those spon riosity’.) a coinci like sor of not be lorer ‘Cu to be ting it may face exp the po connec a ho rainfo Mars sur on the st, gu dcast, restpo SpaceX based greater est or gress, dcast@ re is no send es to pro sent, the an em gmai it com t and pre l.com When ail to tors pas ova of inn ity.
being thread n curios tion is force tha innova s? driving greater curiou e more driving all becom to being We’re can we If the key n how illusion. rs of ious, the tains an over yea lf con more cur and itse s, n st of stio 54 // curiou — for mo Co nitmely That que infi cation m gly un edu its min ity No tra the ture and born see w!to other at from cul ieve kse bel ing bac helps to takes a condition for. It curiosity ilable to ards us ays ava us — our s dily rew ity is alw more rea so happen of curios world ess it. It s well ls to acc king s endles too As thi t rd. new tha d some ng forwa really just nee duct goi us, we article ns and h tools. the pro in this questio lity are suc uality t there for the rea exploring d tha ial be tan ’ll high-q ent ers pot l’ we to und ational serve the sity too wanting h ‘curio l always transform One suc rket, wil tory of year his of the ma iness. ently. has a 40 of the bus it consist o apply interests actful wh imp se st tho page) the mo tors on next s that innova (continued It appear uential the 7 and infl erstood tion \\ creators Innova tury und played past cen iosity of the role cur ceable entions. irrepla int ir ing the in achiev
Community \\ 41
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TELLING IT LIKE IT IS This issue of #TellingItLikeItIs features Stephen Bruce Wong and Brad Henrie, Founders of Automation Experts. Automation Experts is something I’m fascinated with because I have no mechanical talent and I love innovation. How and why did you start your business? Stephen Bruce Wong: When I grew up, I loved Transformers. So, you could say I got into mechanical engineering to build robots. Like any other engineer that graduates in Calgary, I first got a job doing project engineering. Nothing against oil and gas or project engineering at all, but I personally didn’t find it interesting. I left to begin acquiring skills in machine design and motion control. The first thing I learned was machine design through designing and building CNC machines. Then we started learning about motion control and coding C++, Python, etc. A lot of people have a negative view of machines replacing human jobs. I know some machines have replaced human jobs, but how do machines create jobs? The view that automation replaces human jobs is blown massively out of proportion. According to a 2017 McKinsey Global Institute Study, 95% of jobs cannot be automated in their entirety. Only 5% of jobs can be completely automated. However, on average, 50% of work tasks today can be automated. So, what does all that mean? It means that job descriptions on the whole will change significantly. People will have to adapt to a closer relationship with technology as a means to be more productive.
•
What processes are dangerous or expose your staff to mechanical, chemical, or radiation hazards?
•
What processes are prone to rework?
Step 2 is narrowing those brainstormed tasks down using filters. These are things like: •
Is it a key revenue generator for the business?
•
Would automating this give you an insurmountable technological and competitive advantage against your competitors?
Step 3, after narrowing it down to just a few tasks, is performing a financial analysis. Basically, we’re just satisfying the question, if we automate this, will it give a two-year payback period? Step 4, if its worthwhile, is conducting a survey of existing technologies to determine the shortest path (without too much development) to adapt what’s out there into a package that fits the client’s specific needs. A lot of the time it’s modifying existing equipment. How will automation affect the next generation or young people today? Do you have any advice for them? Automation is just change. It brings many good things and some undesirables. My advice to someone who is just deciding on their career path is, have an awareness of what some of these technologies can do: machines, AI, robots, etc. and make sure that what you want to be when you grow up isn’t something that won’t exist (because people in Silicon Valley are already working on it). What is next for Automation Experts?
This frees up the person, for example, to do fixture design work, CAM programming or to do finishing work on the parts, but this simultaneously reduces the cost of each part.
We’re going to continue building machines and doing motion control for clients. We want to keep speaking… not to push automation but to inform people of what it brings and how we can work with it to make a better future.
There are many industries that use the products you create. Please walk us through the process of automating something a client would need?
And we have one of our own products that we’re working on but we don’t want to release that just yet.
We have a method called Targeted Automation that we follow. Step 1 is brainstorming all the tasks that could be automated. In this process, I would ask thought-provoking questions like: •
Are there any processes that become very dangerous to the operator/employee with increasing fatigue?
If you had one piece of advice for small businesses or startups, what would it be? Spend time to understand sales and marketing. Make it a life study. Without those skills, we could have been the best in the world at building machines but still have done very poorly. To learn more about Automation Experts go to http://automationexperts.ca
Jade Alberts Jade Alberts Consulting 403-771-1301 • www.JadeAlbertsConsulting.com • www.LinkedIn.com/in/JadeAlberts Business \\ 45
Trigger Warning
A JOURNEY TO
DISCOVERY I
“
What I didn’t see at the time, and actually not until ten years ago, was that most (not all) of these people drank alcohol, sometimes to excess, but they had a pretty good idea of when to stop before things got completely out of hand.”
46 // Community Now!
want to go back this time to something I touched on in my last article (Volume 1 issue 10) and which has affected me from an early age and throughout my life. There is nothing really unusual or unique about it and it is something which lots of people go through. I mention it because it gives me a deeper understanding of who I am, who I am not, and why I behaved the way I did. No need to figure out the origins of it. What I am talking about is that feeling of not belonging. That feeling of not fitting in. That feeling of being not like the others. That feeling when, no matter how hard you try, you just know that you are different. Up until I was maybe eleven years old, I don’t think it bothered me. I would go out walking or cycling by myself, sometimes for hours on end. I don’t know if I was trying to escape something at home but I was happy with my own company. If I did hang around with anybody it would be somebody who was less cool and less popular than I perceived myself to be. This wasn’t
because it made me feel better - (I’m not sure I gave it that much thought) - but because I think I felt like I didn’t have to perform in order to meet their approval. I remember three of my friends from back then. Let’s call them Andrew, Marcus and Mark, because those are their names. Andrew seemed to have permanently greasy hair which affected his face and made him spotty. Marcus had a well-developed stammer, so that every time he would speak it would take him ages to get to the end. Mark looked like an uppercase letter “D” from the side, overweight and out of shape. These were my friends and thinking back to then, I found it easy to get on with them. There was no pressure to be cool, and in any case, all the pressure in the world wouldn’t have made us cool. It was an impossible task. I remember in 1978 when I was ten, the movie Grease was released. I was in elementary
school and some of the boys in my class formed their own Belfast version of the T-Birds - white t-shirts, steel comb in the back pocket of the jeans, and of course the black “leather” jacket (which was actually PVC and from a local Sunday market, renowned for its cheap knock-off goods, the proceeds of which were believed to fund paramilitary operations); but hey, it was more important to look like Danny Zuko or Kenickie than to worry about into whose pockets our parents hard-earned cash was going. I wasn’t invited to be one of the Belfast T-Birds, not because my police officer dad knew what the PVC jacket money was funding, but because I was more like Eugene. Now you need to watch the movie again. I wasn’t cool and if I’m honest with myself, I was short, slightly chubby and with a bowllike haircut, and lacking in any, if not all, of the attributes required for T-Bird status even at elementary school level. I remember (continued on next page) Community \\ 47
(continued from page 47...)
I even had a girlfriend during those years. Several actually. These were good times. I was happy and successful, I worked hard, applied myself, and I had direction as well as a real As I got older and sense of belonging moved to the ‘big to the group. I held school’, I maintained Garry Woods, 21years of age office and positions Andrew and Marcus of responsibility at as friends, often finding myself defending school. Clearly, I had impressed my teachers. them when the other boys would be busy Maximum effort and maximum reward. What poking fun. I remember they were grateful. could possibly go wrong? During my teenage years, I grew into myself and became a little more comfortable with I went to University in England to study who I was. French and German and to continue the even now feeling isolated and not good enough. But hey, I had Andrew, Marcus and Mark to hang with. The only connection we had to Grease was Andrew’s hair.
I excelled at languages in school, earning the right at fifteen years old to spend twelve weeks working in the south of France on a building project to help disadvantaged children. Very happy memories and the kind of service I would return to later in life. Throughout my seven years at that school I was a member of a very successful rowing crew, the best in Ireland. I trained six days a week - weight training, running, circuits, and lots of time on the water. In a very positive way, I was a shadow of the guy who couldn’t get into the T-Birds. I was fit and my hair cut had changed. I still had Marcus with me, he rowed in the seat behind me. Andrew occupied the seat in front of me. Marcus gradually lost his stammer, which made me wonder at the time if it had ever really existed. Andrew still looked like he had bought his hair in Mr. Lube.
upwardly mobile trajectory of my life. People spoke like that back then. That trajectory lasted about a week. I suddenly found myself surrounded by new people - people who were super cool, people who had not grown up in a conflict zone. Even though I was only a few hundred kilometres from home, these people even looked different. I love Northern Ireland and its people, don’t get me wrong, but I always thought that the years of conflict and violence had taken their toll on the people there. There is a tiredness, a weariness etched on their faces, something that was markedly absent from these new people. They spoke with funny accents and they had different stories and experiences to share. I wanted to hear all that and I wanted to be their friend. I thought my “credits” from several years of success in Belfast would sustain me for the (continued on next page)
Community \\ 49
(continued from page 49...) whole time. They didn’t. For some reason I didn’t have what was necessary to engage their attention for long. I wasn’t popular. I was completely cut off from my home, from my familiar surroundings, my friends, my rowing buddies. Nothing was familiar to me and I had to start all over again. It seemed (looking back) that I was back in elementary school and again I couldn’t be one of the cool kids. What was I going to do? The one thing I had at my disposal that I didn’t have as a ten-year old was alcohol. Sure, I had sipped a beer or a sherry or a wine when I was underage, probably at Christmas. Now I was eighteen years old and I could do what I wanted. I did. All my new “friends” were drinking alcohol and laughing and being silly.
It seemed to make them really relaxed and popular with the girls and with each other. That was my answer. With my new ‘friend’, I very quickly became the most interesting guy there. I was the centre of attention, I had no inhibitions. I was the best dancer and the most accomplished conversationalist the world had ever seen. All in my fuzzy head, of course. I was the new kid on the block - the coolest guy on the planet. I got my ear pierced. I had to do some research around this because in Belfast, although I wasn’t living there, I knew I would go back some time. If your left earlobe was pierced, you were a Protestant, the right one meant you were a Catholic. If you had both pierced as a guy, you likely had sexual identity issues. I went for the left. Just the left. I didn’t subscribe to either faith, but I think my left lobe was bigger. I started to smoke. A packet a day, sometimes more. Of course,
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I smoked the coolest cigarettes, Camel Filters, and I lit each and every one with my Zippo lighter, usually by flicking it on my jeans. I had an image to maintain. There was nobody like me. I’m sure my friends were probably grateful that they weren’t like me. What I didn’t see at the time, and actually not until ten years ago, was that most (not all) of these people drank alcohol, sometimes to excess, but they had a pretty good idea of when to stop before things got completely out of hand. I struggled to do that and I never saw the damage that I was causing to every area of my life. Unlike when I was at school, my education at university became a very low priority. I drank more and more and I began to isolate. It seemed like the more I tried to attract and win people over, the more my behaviour drove
them away. Even the few people who did tolerate me, ran out of patience fairly quickly. Soon, I ran out of options and I decided upon the geographical solution, which was to return to Belfast. Surely things would be better there? Everything would be familiar again in an environment where I had once thrived. What I failed to take into consideration was that I was bringing Garry along with me, a very different Garry to the one who had embraced life only five years earlier.
....to continue in Volume 2 Issue 2
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Community \\ 51
IT BLOG with
ONE PIECE IT
What IT: Cost To Do Centre When or‘IT’ Profit HitsDriver? The Fan. Would In a 2019 it edition seem strange of CIOtomagazine, pay for a service half of you IT leaders never hope surveyed to use? considered The truththeir is most work people to be do a cost thatcenter, every month. an expense People of running pay for any car business insurancesimilar hopingtoto janitorial never get staff. in an When accident. hiringPeople janitorial buystaff, home forinsurance example, hoping all businesses that it (not neverjust catches smallfire to medium-sized) or gets robbed.endeavor They paytofor hire disability the cheapest insurance resources hoping available to never to get hurt. to what People is viewed also buy as adequate. health insurance Unfortunately, hoping the to never perception get ill.of adequacy leads to “technical debt”. The term “technical debt” was originally coined
Now replace grimy tables with slow sending/
by Martin Fowler to describe the cost of rework in
receiving of emails, replace an unpresentable
software development due to internal deficiencies
reception area with inadequate firewall protection,
and this term is now commonly used in business
and replace unclean washrooms with messy file
to define the consequences of choosing to delay,
archives and you have a fairly accurate picture
or even skip, required maintenance to essential
of IT services for small to medium (maybe even
services to save money in the short-term.
some large) businesses. A specialized team of IT
Going back to our analogy, the lowest cost janitorial service will provide resources adequate enough to pick-up your garbage once a week, wipe down
professionals is critical in not only eliminating technical debt, but also preventing it by acting as a major profit driver, NOT like a cost center.
sinks (breakroom and washroom), clean the toilets,
Deloitte Growth Enterprise Services 2016 poll of
as well as stock disposables (i.e. napkins and
500 mid-market executives found that IT leaders
toilet paper). In a month, you may not notice all
were responsible for 49% of technology adoption,
of the grime building up on the breakroom tables
compared to 36% in the previous year. This growth
from spilled coffee that was mostly mopped up
is not surprising when you consider the fast-rising
with paper towels, or the black scuff marks from
surge in ransomware (the office building’s mice/
the dolly used by the delivery person that drops
exterminator equivalent); ransomware is most
off packages at reception every week, or even the
prevalent with older systems or those that have
little bits of toilet paper on the washroom floor left
not been properly maintained. IT departments are
behind when someone wasn’t able to tear perfectly
becoming more strategic to ensure advancements
along the serrated part of toilet paper dispenser.
in technology are a reliable investment. In other
Wait a little longer, say six months, maybe staff that eat in the breakroom start to call-in sick after picking up germs from the tables, and your salespeople start expensing more restaurant meetings to make their presentations to clients because the reception area starts to look dumpy with scuff marks along with those “adequately” cleaned washrooms. Will
words, computers are supposed to help us to do the same work with fewer resources so that we can enjoy more profit. This can only happen if the right technology can be found to create efficiencies. A competent IT professional creates a robust strategy for adopting the right technology, at the right time to support and improve operations.
those costs be less than the money you saved in
For most entrepreneurs and mid-sized businesses,
upfront janitorial work? What happens when it
hiring the right person to handle their IT strategy
stops being just staff that notice? What if you get
can be challenging since those people are worth
mice and need to call an exterminator?!
their weight in gold (remember we are expecting
52 // Community Now!
them to help you make more money, not just ensure
year based on a fixed monthly fee rather than the
you have a working computer) and this challenge
unpredictable expenses that is more likely if you
is also made more difficult especially since most
pay as you go.
people do not really know what IT people do. A Managed Service Provider (MSP), like One Piece IT, eliminates the guess work by providing the right resources for an IT strategy. The benefits of using an MSP extend beyond infrastructure management; MSPs can also reduce your overall expenses. According to CompTIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s study, ROI and cost reduction was a driving factor for using an MSP for approximately 30% of all companies. Money saved by outsourcing can be channeled to the departments that can help to gain more customers:
Ask yourself: is your IT department run like it is a cost center or a profit driver? What changes can be made to make that transition and how can your business benefit from a more effective IT strategy? For more information on how One Piece IT will drive your bottom line, contact us at info@ onepiece-it.com. Sources: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/290941
marketing, sales, business development, etc.
https://www.datafoundry.com/blog/how-
Outsourcing also helps to establish a budget for the
managed-services-providers-make-businessesmore-profitable/
(403) 755-1761 info@onepiece-it.com www.onepiece-it.com
WE MAKE
SCHOOL OF ROCK | Calgary, Alberta 2707 - 17th Ave SW Phone: 587-353-7625 calgary@schoolofrock.com
www.schoolofrock.com
Schedule A Free Trial: https://locations.schoolofrock.com/calgary
INSPIRED BY NATURE… By STEAM Team coach Jill Quirk
“Look deep into Nature, and then you will understand everything better.” Albert Einstein Summer for an educator is a time to recharge and redefine who they are as a person. It is important for me to reconnect to myself, to get inspired by “unplugging” and fully embracing the life and the adventures of being an educator. I look to find ways to heal my imperfections and look at how to become whole again; and the answer to all of this for me is; Nature. Designers, scientists and engineers have always studied the complex structures found in Nature to create greener and more efficient products. Indigenous cultures are intertwined in Nature’s lessons, the lessons of how to build, coexist and survive. For example, we can learn a lot from our animal friend, the beaver. Beavers are the master engineers of the forest, constantly reshaping their surroundings to suit their needs to survive and coexist with other animals. How can the beauty of Nature inspire new innovations? Biomimicry is when we find inspiration in Nature for design ideas. I remember when I was 19 in 1999 and I went to Barcelona and visited the famous Segrada Familia, a basilica that began construction in 1882 and is still not complete. One example of biomimicry that the architect, Antonio Gaudi, used in the basilica is the columns that look like tree trunks branching into the high ceiling. *(see photo). The glass windows in the Segrada Familia use rainbow patterns to give an ambience as the light filters through the glass. I remembered this building gave me the same feeling that I have when I am surrounded by Nature. Your soul is fed. The Design Challenge I am currently working on for next year is; How can we use art to tell the story of the importance of people connecting with Nature? I’m thinking this is the question to 54 // Community Now!
start students off with for the year. What students
come up with will help me to guide the learning throughout the year. We as educators are constantly trying to find unique ways to connect Indigenous Ways of Knowing, sustainability /growing our own produce and innovation. Rocky View Schools has a new school in Airdrie, Alberta, named â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Farmâ&#x20AC;?. This school will have courses that will take place outside of the classroom on a real farm with the core curriculum being taught there. The school will use agricultural studies and entrepreneurial skills to meet core education requirements. Grades 9 and 10 students oversee creating this farm from scratch. All Rocky View teachers and students are invited to help and contribute to this large project. AND YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TOO! Teachers and students together are thinking of ways to promote agriculture in Alberta to help improve on sustainability as well as celebrate the Farm to Table Movement. For me, I am excited to think of ways of connecting STEAM and agriculture. I am especially excited to teach students how to grow their own food (by making unique growing systems), how to cook this food and make unique items with it.
YOUR ART IS NEEDED!!! The CN Design Challenge; How can we create art that is inspired by Nature? Or how can we use Nature to create art? For this challenge, we would like to open it up to the public and ask YOU to send pictures of your art that has been inspired by Nature. Please tell us who you are, a little about the art and especially the message behind what you have created. In September, The STEAM Team will choose their favourites and the art will get published in the next CN magazine! ALSO: please - if you have ideas/ items/ connections to contribute to the overall theme of educating the youth about SUSTAINABILITY and
INNOVATION,
jaquirk1@gmail.com
please
me
at: Community \\ 55
Falling Walls Lab Set To Kick Off Second Annual Competition!
Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking by Shea Coburn
S
eptember 21, 2019 marks the second annual Falling Walls Lab Competition at the University of Calgary. Originating in Berlin, the Falling Walls event is an international forum for the next generation of outstanding innovators and creative thinkers. Its aim is to promote exceptional ideas and to connect promising scientists and entrepreneurs from all fields on a global level. The Falling Walls event consists of four different components; Falling Walls Venture: An international platform showcasing the most promising research-based start-ups from all over the globe; Falling Walls Engage: connects those who tear down the walls between science and the public; Falling Walls Circle: An exclusive global platform for science strategists and visionaries; and Falling Walls Lab, a pitch competition on research work and business model, with competitors from each local Lab location. Finalists in the local Falling Walls Lab at UCalgary are awarded the life-changing opportunity of a trip to Berlin for the global pitch competition, meeting competitors, mentors, and industry from around the world. Why Join Falling Walls? “It is critical to think globally when developing a strategy for business; thinking in silos is restrictive, when investors could be anywhere,” says Dr. Pierre Wijdenes, 2018 UCalgary competitor at Falling Walls Venture in Berlin, “Winning the chance to attend the 56 // Community Now!
Berlin conference was invaluable in terms of the people we met and having the chance to explore the European innovation ecosystem.” Dr. Wijdenes and business partner, Dr. Colin Dalton, founded Neuraura, a brain monitoring system that provides precise electrophysiological data and an easy-touse brain monitoring platform which will significantly improve the decision-making process for neurosurgeons when treating patients with epilepsy. Together with Claire Dixon, Chief Operating Officer, the team
at Neuraura capitalized on the opportunities presented by Falling Walls. “We would thoroughly recommend applying to present at Falling Walls to any deep tech venture that is looking to have massive societal as well as commercial impact,” says Dixon. Competing in the Venture stream presents opportunities for companies who have been incorporated for five years or less and are nearing the commercialization stage of their development. The Lab stream of the competition, which is presented by UCalgary, allows for those ideas at ideation and research phase to compete for similar supports. Dr. Joseph Wang won last year’s Falling Walls Lab with his innovation, the SIMBA capsule. The SIMBA capsule is a device a patient can ingest in order to collect samples from the small intestine, an organ deep inside the GI tract which is very difficult to access even using endoscopy. SIMBA’s tech can be used to diagnose a variety of digestive disorders and challenges. Wang speaks to the usefulness of learning to pitch through Falling Walls. “My background is in engineering research and I am accustomed to pitching to an audience with the same background,” says Wang, “I learned a lot at Falling Walls about pitching a scientific idea to a business audience, and how different this experience is from what I was used to.” Dr. Wang also commented on the global nature of the event. Meeting and networking with other engineers, physicians and research scientists from across the world broadened
his view of how people are working to change the world on a global scale. Where Are They Now? In the year since Falling Walls, Neuraura has successfully achieved over two million dollars of funding through a combination of grants-in-aid, angel investment, and pitch competition success. They have also formalized a collaboration with the Alfred E. Mann Foundation for regulatory and technical support. Some other major highlights include: • Hiring five core team members. • Winning at AccelerateAB, Inventure$, Fundica Roadshow, Volition Pitch Night as well as pitching at many other events. • Securing finalist spot for ASTech awards and second place in a national engineering competition. • Planning for first in human trials in the winter of 2019. SIMBA capsule has had an equally exciting year, joining the Creative Destruction LabRockies (CDL) program at the University of Calgary to grow the business. Dr. Joseph Wang has incorporated the company and is in the process of fundraising for the first seed-round towards commercialization. The money will be used to implement prototypes, conducting clinical trials in North America and to develop the business model. How to Join Falling Walls? If you are interested in participating in the 2019 Falling Walls Lab pitch competition, please review the application here. The deadline for application is August 23, 2019. Any inquiries or comments can be directed to the Hunter Hub at hunterhub@ucalgary.ca
Community \\ 57
INNOVATION,
BUSINESS
AND
SCHOOLS:
THE CONNECTION
By Diane Swiatek, Founder and Director of Banbury Crossroads
I
“
When asked why they do things the way they do, people involved in these establishments will say,
‘It’s tradition.’ ”
58 // Community Now!
School, Est. 1979
nnovation and business seem inextricably joined. An enterprise usually begins with entrepreneurial vigor, as either the fulfillment of needs noticed in a segment of society, or the creation of needs hitherto unperceived. Both are noticed as opportunities; creativity, invention and courage are employed in the early stages, in order to take it from a dream into a reality. After initial establishment, organizations need to innovate, simply to provide quality products or services economically. In order to operate, companies need to be effective and excellent. Innovation, the quest to discover better ways of doing business, is not only pleasant for the consumer—such as suddenly having the opportunity to obtain a new iPhone—but it is
necessary for improvement. In certain fields, improvement is expected. Medicine, computer and industrial technology, environmental science, dentistry, food science, aeronautical and automobile design, energy production and other scientific endeavours are heavily invested in innovation. Science is built upon theoretical, inquisitive thinking and the constant quest to discover new information about the world, with new possibilities for living in it. Certainly, artistic ventures like filmmaking, fashion and fabric design, the perfume industry, music production, theatre, dance, and graphic design rely on creativity and innovative means of production for final outcomes.
Other organizations are based more on tradition. When asked why they do things the way they do, people involved in these establishments will say, “It’s tradition.” Schools fall somewhere in the middle. Teachers and administrators will not usually admit that what they are doing is simply following a tradition, yet much of what they do falls squarely into that category. The “modern” school system is based upon the Prussian model, preparing soldiers for the state, or the industrial model, preparing factory workers. It is only modern in that it still exists in the 21st century; its roots started in the 19th century. This is the model of (continued on next page) Education \\ 59
(continued from page 59...) having same-age grouping in large classes of approximately 30 to 40 students, in large schools of approximately 400 to 2500 students. This model was designed to be economical, and it certainly is. Providing the salary for one teacher per 30 to 40 students is much, much less expensive than for 10 students. It is a familiar model, since in factories there is one boss for many workers. In these schools, teachers still generally lecture and set the pace for academic work. They are dealing with large numbers of students. For example, it is common for high school teachers to have 400 students—they may be teaching one course to three different classes several times a week. All of this is based on tradition. Originally, of course, there was a reason for all of this structure that morphed into tradition. For instance, mass education was seen to be a need for many reasons, not only to increase the level of literacy and numeracy in order to improve the functioning of society, but also to allow for such things as a House of Commons in a democratic country. People, well, men in those days, could not perform the proper functions of a Member of Parliament if they could not read or write. The structure of schools that followed allowed a fundamental level of education for an affordable price.
60 // Community Now!
However, over the past 150 years, psychologists and neurologists have been examining the functioning of the human brain, the process of learning and child development. Much has been learned. Parenting has changed in the past 150 years, with a softer, more knowledgeable approach that is holistic and humane. Parents now expect to provide their children with “concerted cultivation” to develop their talents and their interests. They communicate with them in authoritative ways, rather than in an authoritarian or lenient manner. They have learned to understand their dietary needs according to scientific data and to relate to them in ways that increase their possibility of being visible, empowered, and securely attached to their caregivers. In general, parents value their children, providing respect, love, empathy and compassion. They definitely expect them to be safe. Then parents send their offspring out to school, where, in many cases, children feel invisible, unempowered, and unsafe, both emotionally and physically. It is not that schools create the conditions for this to happen on purpose. Certainly not. It is just that the system itself is not set up to meet the needs of individuals. It is set up to meet the needs of the many—or at least, most of the needs of most of the many. After all, it is a tall order to expect one teacher to actually address the needs of so many children at once. It is fine if children are mild-mannered and do as they are told—if they do actually sit down and be quiet. Then they might hear the teachers as they speak and do the assignments asked for. With so many children in one small space, it is important that they do what they are told—and not think for themselves—because it is easier for the adults. This sounds awful, but it fits with education in the 1800s, with what they were attempting to do and what they wanted. However, even then, some wise
With so many children in one small space, it is important that they do what they are told—and not think for themselves— because it is easier for the adults. people, like Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, and Charlotte Bronte, pointed out the flaws.
However, the cost is always higher when we pay later.
It is a curious thing that the basic structural system in schools today have not kept pace with the research on children’s physical, emotional and social development, or on how learning actually occurs. Many educators are devoted to making changes. Provincial departments of education are aware of changes that need to be made. It is an enormous system, however, and changeresistant. It takes decades to make significant changes, particularly at the secondary level. It takes mavericks in the education field to offer insight and examples. It takes a different mindset, whereby economics is not the most important factor. After all, we can either pay more now for smaller, progressive classrooms and schools, or we can pay later for adult education classes, reform schools, mediators, psychologists, and mental health workers to provide the assistance not received by the students who got lost in the crowd. It is always harder to pay now than to pay later.
Schools need business connections. The spirit of innovation, of entrepreneurism, and of kaizen—constant improvement in all aspects of organized life—is also the spirit needed in schools. Companies can offer internships to students in secondary schools, so students can ignite their interest in a career they may pursue one day. Business people can offer their services to schools as presenters on specific, curricular-related topics. They can offer the opportunity for schools to send students on field trips, to interact with the real world around them. They can fund educational projects. Yet, it is the responsibility of educators to look around and realize the need for openness to tangible, structural change and improvement. It is seen already in the business world. It needs to be seen in schools. The connection must be made from both sides, where they meet in the middle—like a bridge of concrete—only, this is a bridge of human potential. Education \\ 61
innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business We invite YOU to join our community! innovation • education community • business When Community collides with •Innovation, what happens? Inspiration is Created, Diversity•is community Seen, Curiosity comes to Life innovation • education • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business When Community Now! Magazine innovation • education • community • business launched its platform to connect & people, connect industry and storytell, an Diversity innovation • education • community •Community business Innovation extraordinary thing happened; community and innovation collided, opening new innovation • education • community • business for everyone to become engaged innovation &•opportunities education • community • business inspired. We are allowing people to explore through storytelling for the soul purpose of connecting, inspiring, innovation • education • community • business engaging and educating – together, as a community! We are providing a place for people to•becommunity open and candid, a place innovation • education • business to talk about what is happening in our cities and elsewhere our province. CN! Is creating a diverse, strong, new • business innovation • ineducation • community which brings together all those with talents innovation •community education • community • business and curiosity to talk about the why’s and the of innovation, people, education and innovation •how’s education • community • business Inspiration & business... And how these overlaps create Connections Creativity and exciting• possibilities for all! innovation • new education community • business innovation • education • community • business Business, innovation • education • community • business Education, innovation • education • community • business Leaders, Students, Innovators, innovation • education community • business Not for•Profits innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business
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Our Mission: Promoting curiosity, communication and engagement in making Alberta a stronger and better place to live, to be educated, do business, promote innovation and community celebration. www.communitynowmagazine.com Facebook: @communitynowmagazine Twitter: @communitynowma1 Publisher@CommunityNowMagazine.com