Ottawa business journal 20160425 by Great River Media inc.

Merger master Analysts say Mitel CEO Rich McBee’s latest deal will consolidate technology company’s market position > PAGES 6-7 April 25, 2016 Vol. 19, NO. 13

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U of O professor leads new program aimed at training students to build ready-formarket health apps. > PAGE 10

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Capital’s top forty OBJ and Ottawa chamber honour city’s rising business stars.

Since co-founding Punchtime with Yves Eggleston two years ago, Christian Desjardins has seen his firm’s prospects and revenues take off. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

HR startup punches ticket to success

> PAGE 13

Fledgling Ottawa company sees big future in shift to paperless timesheet technology

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L-Spark grad Punchtime, named “Next Big Thing” at 2015 business awards, is quickly gaining traction in untapped market > PAGE 4

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What does that FCC sticker on your electronic devices really mean? Ottawa plays host to 800 delegates for international symposium

MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016

ack in the ’70s, Kris Hatashita had to unplug the refrigerator to watch Hockey Night in Canada. Why? Electromagnetic interference. It’s an engineering challenge that became his career. The Ottawa entrepreneur and EMC expert is the General Chair for The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers’ (IEEE) annual Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC 2016). IEEE is the world’s largest professional association for the advancement of technology, with 400,000 members in 160 different countries. EMC 2016 is the largest international gathering of its kind for engineers, academics and business managers. It’s coming to Ottawa for first time, from July 25-29 at the Shaw Centre. The OBJ talked to Hatashita about the Symposium.

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OBJ: What is EMC? KH: Anyone who has ever taken a commercial flight has had to listen to the safety video explain that using electronic devices is prohibited during take-off and landing. Anyone who has spent time in a hospital has seen the signs prohibiting the use of cell phones. Put simply – electronics interfere with electronics. The way to prevent this is to test every electronic device – every laptop, smart phone, microwave oven, television set, electronic automobile

component and vacuum cleaner has undergone some form of EMC test before being allowed to be sold to the public. That’s what that FCC sticker you see means. It’s a multi-billion-dollar industry. OBJ: What is the EMC industry like in Ottawa? KH: Several companies here are in the business of EMC testing, like MPB Electronic Test Centre, Flextronics, and EMCON Emanation Control. Also, several government departments here have EMC requirements, such as Industry Canada, The Canadian Space Agency and DND. OBJ: What is the connection between EMC and the military? KH: The military is highly dependent on electronics for the operation of equipment and for voice and data communication. Unlike most non-military applications, an EMC problem with military equipment could be the difference between life and death. The military has several EMC test facilities in the Ottawa area. And military contractors such as General Dynamics have local test facilities. OBJ: Why isn’t more attention paid to this industry in Ottawa? KH: I think it boils down to something a professor of mine told me in class – Good engineering is 99 per cent invisible. The business of EMC has matured to the point where EMC is not something that most people

give any thought to because things seldom go wrong. In my parents’ house in the ’70s, we had a problem where the refrigerator compressor somehow interfered with TV reception. I would unplug the fridge during Hockey Night in Canada. If I forgot to plug it back in after the game, my Sunday was spent cleaning out spoiled food and melted ice cream – that might be the reason why I got into this business. OBJ: What are the highlights of the EMC Symposium? KH: The real highlight is the presentation of original research. This year, there will be more than 100 original research papers presented. On top of this there is a trade show. Every year we see new equipment and new technology being presented at the trade show – this is as exciting for an EMC engineer as COMICON is to cosplay aficionados. We are showcasing Ottawa at the EMC Symposium

as well. The main venue is the Shaw Centre. We have a gala dinner in the Trillium Ballroom. We have a reception in the Great Hall at the Museum of History. We have excursions to the Mackenzie-King Estate and to the Canadian Space Agency labs. We are really putting it on for the international visitors who are coming to the region as our guests. OBJ: What’s your role with the EMC Symposium? KH: I am the General Chair – they call me Big Cheese. I have a committee of 30 excellent people from all over North America – including 10 from Ottawa – who are pulling everything together. It’s an ongoing learning experience. I’ve worked with Ottawa Tourism to make sure that attendees are well serviced and have an array of options for socializing and relaxing in Ottawa. I’ve worked with hotel and hospitality specialists and had my eyes opened to how they see an event like this.

When you think about it, more than 800 people will be attending the event. This takes up most of the Shaw Centre right in the core of Ottawa. Most are here for five days and this represents 4,000 hotel nights and 12,000 meals. The whole event looks different from that perspective. OBJ: How does Ottawa stack up against other cities for the EMC Symposium? KH: I’ve been to symposia in Chicago, Santa Clara, Montreal and Dresden. Ottawa is a safe and clean city with a richness of culture and entertainment that matches cities five or even 10 times larger. It’s a hub of technology, the centre of government, and overall just a great place to have an international event like the EMC Symposium. Come out and enjoy the show. To learn more or to register for EMC 2016, please visit www.emc2016.emcss.org

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2016 RECIPIENTS Maria Artuso Royal Bank of Canada

Nadine Hogan Wheelhouse

Shane Parrish Farnam Street Media Inc.

Carey Assaf Kardish Health Food Centres

Graeme Hussey Cahdco & CCOC

Melissa Reeves Linebox Studio

Chris Bailey Unlimi-Tech Software Inc

Richard Isaac RealDecoy Inc.

Billy Rogers Escape Manor

Summer Baird The Hintonburg Public House

Vicki Iverson Iversoft Solutions

James Baker Gowling WLG

Mischa Kaplan Rainbow Foods

Chad Saikaley GGFL, Chartered Professional Accountants

Katrina Barclay Malenka Originals

Farhad Khan Grype Solutions Inc.

Jason Bellefleur Bellefleur Physiotherapy

Safeena Kherani ENT MDs (Safeena Kherani Medicine Professional Corporation)

Alex Benay Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation Frank Bouchard Wipebook Catherine Clark Catherine Clark Communications Inc. Jeff Clarke Inflector Environment Services Elliott Gauthier Hill+Knowlton Strategies Joe Hajjar MDS Aero Support Corporation Chris Harder Spartan Bioscience Inc.

Jeff Saikaley Caza Saikaley LLP Mark Savenkoff Carleton University Andy Scott Scott Coulson Scott

Ben Lalonde Orleans Autopro

Karen Sparks Wesley Clover Parks

Domenic Madonna D- Squared Group of Companies / D- Squared Construction Limited

Fayez Thawer Tasico Hospitality

John Mathers Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group Jonathan Milne Invest Ottawa Alex Monk Dominion City Brewing Company

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Rob Villeneuve Rebel Graeme Webster KOBLE Commercial Real Estate Inc. Alan Wehbe UTG Digital Media

Jonathon Moody Versature Nicolas Moyer Humanitarian Coalition

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LAUNCH PAD “Changing company culture can be difficult, but if you have a company where the employees value the concepts of trust, transparency and true camaraderie, it shouldn’t be an issue. People were filling in their timesheets anyway – this is just a way more convenient way of doing it.” – CHRISTIAN DESJARDINS, CO-FOUNDER OF OTTAWA’S PUNCHTIME Christian Desjardins is co-founder of Punchtime, an Ottawa startup that eliminates the need for paper timesheets. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

HR startup’s time has come L-Spark graduate Punchtime turning heads with its paperless approach to tracking employee working hours BY ADAM FEIBEL adam@obj.ca

MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016

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ttawa business owners whose workers still use paper timesheets to keep track of their hours might want to consider a new local startup that promises to make employee recordkeeping more convenient and effective. Punchtime, an L-Spark incubator graduate and one of two firms deemed the “Next Big Thing” at last year’s Best Ottawa Business Awards, is a cloudbased software-as-a-service platform that allows employees to clock in and out using a smartphone. Company managers, meanwhile, can see a list of employees working that day, with information on when and where they were working. The software stores all timesheet history, with a breakdown for each worker that includes tasks, locations, times and other notes. Human resources managers can also export that data to QuickBooks or another payroll system.

“Businesses are using more and more software to do various things like payroll and accounting. They have been for a while now, and quite frankly they’re looking to do more,” says Christian Desjardins, a 36-year-old software designer and one of Punchtime’s two co-founders. The idea came about roughly two years ago when Yves Eggleston, owner of local property development company Blueprint Builds, approached Mr. Desjardins about finding software that could digitally track his workers’ hours. Mr. Desjardins recommended a few existing options, but they weren’t a good fit. So he decided to develop a program of his own. “For the first time, the majority of labourers now own a smartphone, which makes this possible,” he says. “It wasn’t the case five years ago.” Yet 80 per cent of new clients that approach his company are still using paper timesheets, he says. Punchtime officially launched March 29 at the Terrace Youth Wellness Centre in Kanata.

“There is no need to chase down physical timesheets or to enter data manually,” Terrace Wellness CEO Terri Storey said in a media release. “That saves us a lot of money and time.” It was the startup’s first major client, but its product is already being used by about 300 employees at 40 to 50 companies, according to Mr. Eggleston, the firm’s other co-founder. In addition to streamlining timekeeping, Punchtime can help businesses achieve better costing by knowing how much time and how many people a certain type of job will require, says Mr. Desjardins. The company is also working with human resources executives from “large organizations across Canada,” a couple of whom are on the startup’s advisory board, to find out how else it can develop the software to more fully meet managers’ needs. The software costs $4 a month per employee, and the firm says installation takes only minutes. The partially bootstrapped startup had an early funding shot from an

initial seed investment round, and the company is currently working on a second seed round. Punchtime is projecting $70,000 in monthly recurring revenue within eight to 12 months, according to Mr. Eggleston. The company’s main target clients are mobile workforces with hourly waged employees, with a special interest in local businesses in their beginning stages. There has been some resistance from workers who want to stick to the old way of doing things, Mr. Desjardins concedes. And because Punchtime submits information about an employee only after he or she gives informed, voluntary consent, it doesn’t take the place of a project manager, he says. “Changing company culture can be difficult, but if you have a company where the employees value the concepts of trust, transparency and true camaraderie, it shouldn’t be an issue. People were filling in their timesheets anyway – this is just a way more convenient way of doing it.”

TECHNOLOGY Mitel’s McBee a consolidation king Kanata telecom giant’s $2B acquisition of Polycom makes firm a global leader in voice and videoconferencing markets, analysts say, giving the massive deal plenty of ‘upside’ BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

uying up companies is getting to be old hat for Mitel Networks CEO Rich McBee. But even for someone who has spearheaded several major acquisitions since taking the helm of the Ottawa telecommunications technology firm in 2011, this latest deal is a blockbuster. Mitel announced April 15 it was paying nearly $500 million in cash and $1.5 million US in shares to buy California-based video technology manufacturer Polycom, by far the largest of the six acquisitions Mr. McBee has overseen as chief executive. The deal, which still needs to be approved by regulators and shareholders of both firms, should be finalized by the fall. When the dust settles, the new Mitel

Mitel CEO Rich McBee. FILE PHOTO

will be a $2.5-billion-a-year company with a total of 7,700 employees and operations around the world. Fewer than 700 of those employees will actually work in Ottawa, but Mr. McBee told OBJ the city will benefit from

the firm’s new heft and global reach. “Ottawa continues to be a hotbed of technology and innovation,” he said. “I think that if we actually get our hands under the covers a little bit further, I think it will be good for Ottawa.” Analysts applauded the deal, arguing it makes Mitel a more diversified company by adding videoconferencing technology to an already strong roster of voice and cloud products. “From a technology perspective, they’re very complementary to each other,” said Gregory Burns of Wall Streetbased Sidoti & Company. “I think putting those two together makes a stronger offering as a combined company to go to market with.” Richard Tse, a telecommunications industry analyst at Cormark Securities in Toronto, said the transaction – the result of nearly 10 months of negotiations – makes sense in the context of Mr.

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McBee’s overall strategy of growing through acquisitions. In the past two and half years alone, Mitel shelled out $400 million for Aastra Technologies of Toronto and snapped up Texas-based Mavenir Systems for $560 million. “For Mitel, I think it allows them to continue on this consolidation path that they started when they acquired Aastra,” Mr. Tse said. Mr. Burns agreed. “I think a lot of the longer-term upside to this combination is going to be around the consolidation of the industry,” he said. “I think now they have a company with good scale and strong cash flow that’s going to be able to be that platform consolidator in the industry.” While Aastra and Mavenir were smaller companies than Mitel, Polycom is larger of the two partners in this deal.

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Before the merger, Polycom had revenues of about $1.27 billion, slightly more than Mitel’s $1.1 billion. Polycom’s shareholders are receiving a 22 per cent premium in the transaction based on stock prices as of April 5. Mr. Burns said the Ottawa firm was better-positioned to lead the new marriage by virtue of its extensive history of absorbing companies. “That’s something that Mitel has already been doing,” he said. “They have a track record of already executing on acquisitions and delivering a significant amount of synergies through those acquisitions. Polycom is just the next in that line.” Mr. Tse said he is confident Mitel’s executives are up to the task of shepherding the telecom giant through its biggest acquisition yet. “If you look at the experience they’ve had with Aastra and their ability and speed with which they surfaced the cost synergies in that acquisition, I think that should give you some comfort that this team is well-versed in acquisitions and the integration of those acquisitions,” he said. Even though Polycom shareholders will own about 60 per cent of the company once the deal closes, Mr. McBee will stay on as CEO. Mitel chief financial officer Steve Spooner will also remain in his position and will oversee the consolidation of the two firms, which is expected to save about $160 million a year in operating costs. Initial market reaction to the deal was far from enthusiastic – Mitel shares plummeted nearly 10 per cent after the deal was announced on March 15 and had dipped below $7 on the Nasdaq by the middle of the following week. That didn’t deter analysts, who were still giving the company a buy rating. “I think a lot of the upside to the deal has yet to be seen,” said Mr. Burns. “I think (Mitel) shares were way undervalued going in. Following the acquisition, I think you have a much stronger combined company with an improved balance sheet, stronger competitive position. It’s still undervalued in my view.” Mitel is taking on about $1.1 billion in extra debt from Bank of America Merrill Lynch to finance the deal, a figure that didn’t worry the analysts. “The absolute debt balance is getting larger, but more cash flow will cover that,” Mr. Burns said.

COMMENTARY Ottawa, it’s time for your closeup

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Local business leaders need to do a better job of touting city’s successes to the rest of the country and the world, Jeffrey Dale says

EDITOR, ONLINE CONTENT Tom Pechloff, 238-1818 ext. 291 editor@obj.ca COPY EDITOR Krystle Kung ADVERTISING SALES General Inquiries, 238-1818 ext. 286 sales@obj.ca Wendy Baily, 238-1818 ext. 244 wbaily@obj.ca Carlo Lombard, 238-1818 ext. 230 carlo@obj.ca

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n its first budget last month, the Liberal government announced it is going to invest $800 million in innovation, entrepreneurship and technology cluster development over the next four years. Where exactly this funding will go has yet to be determined. Over the past decade, we’ve talked a lot about innovation in Canada but have done nothing to help it and many things to hurt it. From research investments to exports, this country ranks near the bottom of most major developed countries in almost all measures of innovation. So what role will Ottawa’s tech sector play in trying to help the feds rehabilitate Canada’s sagging innovation performance? If we just sit back and wait, we’ll barely even be on the stage. Finance Minister Bill Morneau was recently in Waterloo, where he touted that city as the model for how a regional cluster can support innovation and entrepreneurship. That same week, the mayors of Toronto, Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge were all in Silicon Valley promoting the Toronto-Waterloo corridor as “the” tech cluster in Canada. I recently met with an engineer working in Ottawa who didn’t know that Shopify was headquartered here – but he knew the e-commerce powerhouse had an office in Waterloo. Even our great success stories are not as well-known as we think they are. Ottawa had better get its act together soon or any new federal funding for technology clusters in Ontario will be going to Toronto and Waterloo, with the full support of Queen’s Park. Don’t assume that I think Ottawa is better than Waterloo. Each city has its strengths, and I am a great admirer of Communitech (Waterloo’s version of Invest Ottawa) and Waterloo companies. But while Ottawa is still struggling

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Shopify’s cool headquarters are indeed in Ottawa, a fact not everyone is aware of. FILE PHOTO

to get its act together, Communitech and its supporters have a clear plan to develop the Toronto-Waterloo corridor, and they are executing it brilliantly. Waterloo companies know the plan, they know the numbers, they know their priorities and they can speak knowledgeably about them to anyone who asks. They want to grow their firms with more talent and more capital; they want better transportation between Waterloo and Toronto to allow senior talent to flow more easily between the two centres; and they want export support for their companies to grow in emerging markets. They take politicians and representatives of their companies with them wherever

they go to reinforce these priorities. Here in Ottawa, do our businesses and public officials know what our tech sector’s priorities are? Only if they’re directly involved with Invest Ottawa. The region’s tech sector is alive and well, and Invest Ottawa CEO Bruce Lazenby has been trumpeting its successes for years. But it’s the responsibility of every business leader in this city to spread the word about how Ottawa is a leading innovation economy in Canada. The city’s business leaders and politicians also need to have the facts to back up that talk, and we need to know our priorities when it comes to what we have to do to continue being successful.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR We welcome opinions about any material published in the Ottawa Business Journal or issues of interest to local businesspeople. Only letters with the writer’s full name, address and telephone number will be considered for publication. Addresses and phone numbers will not be published, but they might be used to verify authenticity. Letters can be e-mailed to editor@obj.ca.

Ottawa Business Journal is published by

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Mark Sutcliffe PRESIDENT Michael Curran All content of Ottawa Business Journal is copyright 2016. Great River Media Inc. and may not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. Publisher’s Liability for error: The Publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions in connection with any advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of monies paid for the advertisement. A guaranteed minimum of 11,000 copies per week are printed and distributed.

SOME FACTS FROM INVEST OTTAWA: • Number of tech companies: 1,700 • Number of people employed at those companies: 68,000 • Sixty-one per cent of the city’s workforce has a post-secondary degree, the highest percentage in Canada • The region has the highest number of workers with PhDs and master’s degrees in Canada at 128,000 • More than 120,000 local students are enrolled in post-secondary education

Ottawa’s two main technology sectors are telecommunications and the emerging area of software as a service (SaaS). Nortel might be gone, but the talent that made Ottawa one of the top five networking clusters in the world is still here working at places like Avaya, Ciena, Cisco, Ericsson, Mitel, Nokia and dozens of other other companies. The last three Canadian companies to go public are Shopify, Kinaxis and Halogen Software. They are all SaaS companies headquartered in Ottawa.

I recently met with an engineer working in Ottawa who didn’t know that Shopify was headquartered here – but he knew the e-commerce powerhouse had an office in Waterloo. Even our great success stories are not as well-known as we think they are Kanata’s L-Spark accelerator is an industry-leading program to scale cloud startups into international companies that is driving growth in the SaaS sector in Ottawa and beyond. The facts are Ottawa has more technology companies, more people employed in technology companies and more students enrolled in science and technology programs than Waterloo. But Waterloo companies are a lot better at telling their story than we are. Ottawa’s local MPs, MPPs and councillors need to promote the region to their fellow politicians across the province and the country. They also need to make our business needs a regional priority when the agenda is set on Parliament Hill and at Queen’s Park. I would welcome the opportunity to speak at an upcoming local caucus meeting about how we can work together to promote the Ottawa tech sector’s needs.

Our business leaders must be the driver for all of our economic priorities. I have been at too many meetings where local CEOs and entrepreneurs focus on what is wrong instead of on what we need to do to have a stronger economy. Wherever companies come from, they need the same general supports to attract and retain top talent, enter new international markets and access capital and credit facilities to support growth. They also need governments to streamline their support programs and change procurement policies to support Canadian innovation. It is up to our business community to communicate these priorities to our elected officials and other economic leaders. There are a host of ways to do this. I encourage all businesses to invite their local politicians and government officials to visit their offices for a tour and discussion. When companies

are meeting with customers and suppliers, they need to stress why they are headquartered in Ottawa or have offices here. Invest Ottawa has a great presentation on its website with helpful facts and figures on what makes the capital a great place to do business; the same website guides business leaders on how to become ambassadors for the city and help spread that message further. What Ottawa’s tech sector needs is no different than what the tech sectors in Toronto, Waterloo, Montreal or Vancouver need to be successful. So let’s talk about our successes and encourage our companies as they build internationally recognized businesses. If we don’t do it, no one else will. Jeffrey Dale is the president of Snowy Cloud and the former president of the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation.

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP Engineering a new approach to mobile health app design Local grad students set to learn hands-on development and marketing skills aimed at burgeoning market that is projected to hit $23B by 2017 BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

ead.

hen Natalie Baddour and her University of Ottawa colleague Edward Lemaire first began researching wearable devices nearly a decade ago, watches that tracked a user’s every step and smartphones that counted each calorie their owner consumed were practically the stuff of science fiction. That was 2008, way before wearables were “cool and sexy,” Ms. Baddour joked in a recent interview with OBJ. Today, thanks to a wave of wireless technology such as Fitbit activity trackers and apps like the calorie-counting MyFitnessPal, the mobile health industry

is in a full sprint. Revenues in the sector – which encompasses everything from wristbands that monitor sleep patterns to programs that connect midwives to obstetricians via cellphone – are expected to skyrocket to $23 billion worldwide in 2017 from $4.5 billion three years ago. An early trailblazer in the field, Ms. Baddour is now looking to help engineering students in Ottawa and Montreal capitalize on that market potential. The mechanical engineering professor is heading a joint effort among students and faculty from Carleton University, McGill University and uOttawa called the Biomedical Engineering Smartphone Training Program. Backed by $1.65

million in funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s CREATE program, the sixyear project aims to teach master’s and PhD students practical skills to build smartphone apps for the mobile health market. “Traditionally, students come in, they do some courses, they write a thesis, they do a lot of research, but their full set of skills isn’t always well-rounded,” Ms. Baddour explained. “We’re very good at training (students) in the hard science. It’s the other stuff that is missing.” She and the program’s team of 10 researchers hope to change that by giving students real-world experience in programming, designing and marketing apps that address clear market needs –

University of Ottawa engineering professor Natalie Baddour. PHOTO PROVIDED

and, just as importantly, that customers actually want to use. In addition to taking advanced graduate courses related to mobile health issues, participants will attend entrepreneurship workshops to help them identify market opportunities and will be trained in how to program apps and design attractive user interfaces. Continued on page 13

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ECONOMY Local companies have their say in growth survey Second edition of questionnaire set to gauge business confidence, gather views on hot topics from Uber to LeBreton Flats BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

ocal companies once again have the chance to make their voices heard on everything from taxes to transportation in the second annual Ottawa Business Growth Survey. Sponsored by the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Welch LLP, Cresa Ottawa, Gowling WLG and RBC, the online questionnaire targets

businesses across all sectors to gauge their confidence in the region’s economy and get their views on topics ranging from the development of LeBreton Flats to the legalization of Uber. “The survey is built fundamentally around measuring business confidence in the city,” said David Coletto, CEO of polling firm Abacus Data, which is conducting the survey. “That core set of questions has remained and has been on every version that we do. But we also asked questions that are in the news or are of interest to people.”

The business growth survey touches on major topics such as LeBreton Flats. FILE PHOTO

That means participants will get a chance to offer their views not only on topics including sales and employment growth, access to credit and market expectations, but also on subjects with broad implications such as what specific elements should be part of a redeveloped LeBreton Flats. Other hot topics addressed in the survey include the city’s new bylaw that legalizes Uber and other ride-hailing

services like it, next year’s Canada 150 birthday celebrations and the idea of allowing all businesses to open on most statutory holidays. The survey closes on April 30. The results will be presented at a breakfast on June 1 at the Shaw Centre. To take part in the survey, go to ottawabusinesssurvey.ca. For more information on how to attend the results breakfast, visit the chamber website.

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What does it take to become a green employer? Here’s how Hydro Ottawa has made the grade six years running

MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016

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iven the scope of your operations and your industry, what can you do to become a greener employer? The team behind Canada’s Top 100 Employers and Canada’s Greenest Employers competitions, MediaCorp Canada, looks for organizations that have a strategy. This strategy is demonstrated through multiple initiatives that are both formal and informal, and led by employees as well as management. Hydro Ottawa took this idea to heart in 2009, when it launched its Environmental Sustainability Strategy. As of this month, Hydro Ottawa’s efforts have made it one of Canada’s Greenest Employers six years in a row. “We developed our strategy after a thorough analysis of the impact of our operations on water, land and air,” said Bryce Conrad, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hydro Ottawa. “We work to reduce our carbon footprint, green

•

HYDRO OTTAWA DIVERTS MORE THAN 90 PER CENT OF ITS NON-HAZARDOUS WASTE FROM LANDFILL.

• our procurement and supply chain practices, and build a culture of environmental sustainability among our teams.” Where can you begin to become a green employer? Here are the areas of its business Hydro Ottawa focused on: • Use automation: Hydro Ottawa uses building automation systems

to more efficiently remotely monitor and manage its stations. Use the cloud: Hydro Ottawa has migrated to a virtual computer server infrastructure to cut energy costs. Manage waste: Hydro Ottawa now diverts almost 91 per cent of its non-hazardous waste from landfill. Cut the paper trail: Rationalization of printing services has cut Hydro Ottawa’s annual print costs by up to 30 per cent. It’s also actively worked to switch thousands of customers to e-billing. Tackle greenhouse gridlock: Hydro Ottawa has implemented a no-idling policy, contracted more local suppliers to reduce longdistance shipping, encouraged more car-pooling and public transportation use among staff, and begun to switch over its vehicle fleet to lower-emission hybrid and electric vehicles.

• Invest in education: Through its Leadership Development Program, Hydro Ottawa has put over 40 of its leaders through the Masters Certificate in Energy Sector Leadership, delivered by the Schulich School of Business at York University. • Work with you customers: And of course, Hydro Ottawa is a tireless advocate for many Ontario programs aimed at helping home and business owners cut their energy costs and environmental impact through lighting upgrades and other energy saving measures. This is all in addition to the fact that Hydro Ottawa is a leader in the generation of renewable energy as part of its core business. Being a green employer isn’t about doing what’s trendy or making a few token efforts. It’s the collective impact of many initiatives over time. Sit down with your team and talk about what kind of difference your organization can make.

EVENTS Forty Under 40 honours city’s rising stars

well-known journalist and community advocate and a key executive behind the success of Lansdowne Park are among the 2016 Forty Under 40 recipients. The awards, which recognize accomplished business leaders who are under the age of 40 and give back to their community, are co-hosted by OBJ and the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce. Judges included OBJ publisher Michael Curran, past recipients Iwona Albrecht of Soloway Wright, Marie Boivin of Accu-Rate, Patrick Dion of Greenbridge Consulting Group and Robert Rheaume of BDO Canada as well as Dirk Bouwer of Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall LLP and OBJ print editor David Sali. Recipients were assessed on a 40-point system, with a maximum of 20 points for business accomplishments, 10 points for professional expertise and 10 points for community involvement. The group will be celebrated at a gala at the Hilton Lac-Leamy on June 16. The 2016 recipients are: Maria Artuso, RBC Carey Assaf, Kardish Health Food Centres Chris Bailey, Unlimi-Tech Software Summer Baird, the Hintonburg Public House James Baker, Gowling WLG Katrina Barclay, Malenka Originals Jason Bellefleur, Bellefleur Physiotherapy

YOW’s flight options give you a world of choice

Ottawa with non-stop or one-stop service, to find the option that’s best for you. These foreign hubs are reachable non-stop from Ottawa:

Frankfurt – FRA

Mark Laroche, President and CEO, Ottawa Airport Authority

s it worth four more hours of your time to save $500 on a businessclass fare to Beijing by connecting in a U.S. hub? Maybe you’re cost sensitive. Maybe you’re time sensitive. Maybe you only want to fly with certain carriers and airline alliances because of the reward program. Whatever the circumstances, you need choice. The route to a given destination that’s best for you may be a non-stop flight, or it may be a onestop flight through a major Canadian, U.S. or other international hub. The Ottawa International Airport is part of a vast global network in which just about every major destination is reachable with a one-stop flight, if not a direct one. Having the larger Toronto and Montreal airports nearby helps with connecting options, but their close proximity also hampers YOW’s ability to secure non-stop routes of its own. “When planning your foreign travel, consider all possibilities out of the Ottawa International Airport,” said Mark Laroche, YOW’s President and CEO. “The more passenger volume we have out of Ottawa to airports further afield, the greater the likelihood that we can secure additional non-stop service to popular destinations.” He suggests starting with aggregator sites like google.ca/flights, or Expedia.ca. This way, you can search the full range of air travel options for destinations that are reachable from

Airline: Air Canada, which easily connects to Lufthansa’s extensive European, South Asia/India, Middle Eastern and African networks. Currently operates from YOW, summer only, starting May 19 to Oct. 28.

London Heathrow – LHR

Airline: Air Canada, which connects to other Star Alliance carriers such as Austrian, Brussels, Lufthansa, Scandinavian, South African, Swiss, and Turkish Airlines. Operates from YOW daily, year-round.

Chicago O’Hare – ORD

Airline: United, which connects to an extensive worldwide network. (Star Alliance). Operates from YOW with multiple daily flights.

Washington Dulles – IAD

Airline: United, which connects to an extensive eastern U.S. and Caribbean network. Operates from YOW with multiple daily flights.

Philadelphia – PHL

Airline: American, which connects to an extensive U.S. and European network. (Oneworld Alliance). Operates from YOW with multiple daily flights.

Detroit – DTW

Airline: Delta, which connects to an extensive U.S. and European network. (SkyTeam Alliance). Operates from YOW with multiple daily flights. “Ottawa has plentiful air access to numerous major hubs,” Laroche said. “This choice provides options and competitive pricing. Like most airports, growing our number of nonstop routes remains a priority, and the more locals and visitors use our airport, the better we can lure new service.”

13 OBJ.CA

including IBM, Kanata sleep sensor manufacturer Braebon Medical and Ottawa-based Clearwater Clinical, which makes mobile video and photography apps for the health-care sector. Other companies have also expressed an interest in working with the program, Ms. Baddour said, including BlackBerry, Microsoft and local health monitoring firm MobileWellbeing. The program also features an “entrepreneurial internship” in which a participant will spend the four-month work term building his or her own business while getting paid a regular salary. “If a student comes and says, ‘I have this great idea, I want to work on it,’ then we will support that,” she said. It’s all about teaching young engineers skills that will serve them well in the business world no matter what career path they ultimately pursue, Ms. Baddour added. “At the end of the day, what we’re trying to do is graduate students that have a certain skillset that is considered attractive by industry beyond the walls of academia.”

The journey is just as important as the destination

MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016

Continued from page 10 They’ll also shadow interns in the health profession such as doctors and dentists to get a sense of the kind of problems they face in a typical work day and whether an app might be able to help solve them. Then they’ll pitch their proposals to a panel of academics and industry experts. “From those ideas, hopefully we’ll pick out the best ones and then follow up on those,” Ms. Baddour said. The most promising concepts will undergo a trial by fire in a “design sprint” – an intensive five-day process in which a prototype app is put through a battery of tests at each stage of development and constantly refined. “You don’t want to invest too much time, effort and energy into developing a product that isn’t desirable,” Ms. Baddour said. “You want to answer those questions as early as possible in the design cycle.” About 20 students will take part in the program each year. Several corporate partners have already signed on to offer internship and research opportunities,

Alex Benay, Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation Frank Bouchard, Wipebook Catherine Clark, Catherine Clark Communications Jeff Clarke, Inflector Environment Services Elliott Gauthier, Hill+Knowlton Joe Hajjar, MDS Aero Support Chris Harder, Spartan Bioscience Nadine Hogan, Wheelhouse Graeme Hussey, Cahdco and CCOC Richard Isaac, RealDecoy Vicki Iverson, Iversoft Solutions Mischa Kaplan, Rainbow Foods Farhad Khan, Grype Solutions Safeena Kherani, ENT MDs Ben Lalonde, Orleans Autopro Domenic Madonna, D-Squared Group John Mathers, OSEG Jonathan Milne, Invest Ottawa Alex Monk, Dominion City Brewing Jonathon Moody, Versature Nicolas Moyer, Humanitarian Coalition Shane Parrish, Farnam Street Media Melissa Reeves, Linebox Studio Billy Rogers, Escape Manor Chad Saikaley, GGFL Jeff Saikaley, Caza Saikaley LLP Mark Savenkoff, Carleton University Andy Scott, Scott Coulson Scott Karen Sparks, Wesley Clover Parks Fayez Thawer, Tasico Hospitality Rob Villeneuve, Rebel Graeme Webster, KOBLE Commercial Real Estate Alan Wehbe, UTG Digital Media – OBJ staff

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THE LIST

Total funds raised for United Way Ottawa

2014 Rank

TD Bank Financial Group 45 O’Connor St. Ottawa, ON

$538,694

$425,708

2,227

Jane Duchscher senior vice-president of Ontario north and east region

Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. 415 West Hunt Club Rd. Ottawa, ON

$488,627

$360,763

1,907

Joseph P. Portera executive vice-president and CEO of eastern and Canadian divisions,

City of Ottawa 111 Laurier Ave. Ottawa, ON

$352,462

$316,214

14,000

Hydro Ottawa 3025 Albion Rd. N. Ottawa, ON

$280,053

$262,501

$700

Frank Bilodeau district vice-president of Ottawa and west Quebec

Scotiabank Financial Group 118 Sparks St. Ottawa, ON

$267,523

$231,422

1,133

Brian J. Porter

LCBO Various locations Ottawa, ON

$216,950

$215,710

600w

George Soleas acting president and CEO

University of Ottawa 55 Cumberland St. Ottawa, ON

$274,271

$199,572

$9,838

Michëlle Jean, chancellor, and Allan Rock, president and vice-Chancellor

BMO Financial Group 269 Laurier Ave. W. Ottawa, ON

$223,552

$196,794

597

Sandra Henderson senior vice-president of eastern Ontario

RBC Financial Group 90 Sparks St. Ottawa, ON

$242,337

$176,030

1,248

L. Tina Sarellas regional president of Ontario north and east

Ottawa Catholic School Board 570 West Hunt Club Rd. Ottawa, ON

$519,160

$153,678

3,601

Denise Andre director of education and secretary-treasurer

Innovapost Inc. 365 March Rd. Ottawa, ON

$252,011

$143,586

695

Andre Turgeon president and CEO

CMA/MD Physician Services Inc. 1870 Alta Vista Dr. Ottawa, ON

$200,394

$140,785

1,450

Brian Peters president and CEO

Bank of Canada 234 Wellington St. Ottawa, ON

$179,479

$136,721

1,500

Stephen Poloz governor

Bell Canada 160 Elgin St. Ottawa, ON

$135,207

2,900

George Cope president and CEO

IBM Canada Ltd. 3755 Riverside Dr. Ottawa, ON

$118,105

1,000

Dino Trevisani president of IBM Canada

Carleton University 1125 Colonel By Dr. Ottawa, ON

$123,921

$114,668

1,960

Charles Chi, chancellor, and Roseann O’Reilly Runte, president and vice-chancellor

Enterprise Holdings 2300 Stevenage Dr. Ottawa, ON

$139,849

$109,748

N/A

350

Peter Fleming vice-president and general manager, Ottawa

PCL Constructors Canada Inc. 49 Auriga Dr. Ottawa, ON

$130,859

$100,762

220

Kevin Skinner vice-president and district manager

Alcatel-Lucent 600 March Rd. Ottawa, ON

$101,717

$96,769

N/A

2,000

Alex Giosa president of Alcatel-Lucent Canada

$153,058

$89,312

14,600

Jennifer Adams director of education

MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016

OBJ.CA

(RANKED BY TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS RAISED)

Total funds raised

Name of company/Address

TOP UNITED WAY CAMPAIGNS OF 2015

Ottawa Carleton District School Board 133 Greenbank Rd. Ottawa, ON

Number of employees President/CEO

Jim Watson mayor of Ottawa

Should your company be on this list? If so, please send details to research@obj.ca This list is current as of April 25, 2016. © 2016 by Ottawa Business Journal. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced by any method in whole or in part without written permission by Ottawa Business Journal. While every attempt is made to ensure the thoroughness and accuracy of the list, omissions and errors sometimes occur. Please send any corrections or additions by e-mail to research@obj.ca. OBJ lists are primarily compiled using information provided voluntarily by the organizations named. Some firms that may qualify for the list are not included because the company either failed to respond to requests for information by press time, because the company declined to take part in the survey or because of space constraints. Categories are drawn up in attempt to gather information of relevance to the Ottawa market. Research by Patti Moran. Please send questions and comments to research@obj.ca.

FOR THE RECORD Contracts The following contains information about recent contracts, standing offers and supply arrangements awarded to local firms. TPG Technology Consulting Ltd. 887 Richmond Rd. Description: Informatics professional services Buyer: Veterans Affairs Canada $6,612,000 EllisDon Corp. and 994466 Nunavut Ltd., in joint venture 2680 Queensview Dr. Description: CM services, PCSP Resolute Buyer: PWGSC $3,270,750

Description: Non-hazardous solid waste removal Buyer: PWGSC $2,986,737 Oracle Canada ULC 45 O’Connor St. Description: Informatics professional services Buyer: Employment and Social Development Canada $2,027,146 Service Star Building Cleaning 3971 Greenbank Rd. Description: Janitorial service Buyer: Agriculture and AgriFood Canada $1,393,394 Canadian Space Services Ltd. 2336 Craig’s Side Rd. Description: Radome maintenance Buyer: DND $900,000

Fred Trottier Construction Ltd. 420 McArthur Ave. Description: AANDC 6th and 7th floor fit-ups Buyer: PWGSC $3,143,283 Progressive Waste Solutions Canada Inc. 1152 Kenaston St.

DEW Engineering and Development ULC 3429 Hawthorne Rd. Description: Ramp tow tractor (2,722 kg) and aircraft tow

and

People on the move

tractor Buyer: DND $824,926 General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada Corp. 1941 Robertson Rd. Description: Product/material – design, development, formulation, modification: science and technology related Buyer: DND $747,500

The Ottawa Senators announced the appointment of Wendy Kelley as general counsel. Ms. Kelley joins the Senators with 25 years of senior business and legal experience, having acted as the general counsel of Kruger Products and Biovail. She also spent 10 years at BMO Financial Group in legal and risk roles.

Tiree Facility Solutions Inc. 424 Parkdale Ave. Description: PPB professional service Buyer: PWGSC $565,000 Altis Human Resources (Ottawa) Inc. 102 Bank St. Description: One project manager, level 2, and two project leaders, level 2 Buyer: Department of Justice $499,613

present:

AFO pub-April-May-June 2016-v1.pdf

Cameron Bramwell has been appointed president and CEO of Annidis Corporation. Mr. Bramwell brings more than 25 years of experience in the technology industry to the role, with expertise in the leadership of both software and hardware companies operating in business-to-business marketplaces. He was formerly chief marketing officer of StarTech.com as well as president and CEO of Adlib Software. Suzanne Cyr has joined Rimikon as CEO to lead its expansion into the commercial sector throughout North America. Ms. Cyr is also the founder of executive networking firm Cyrious Connections, the former vice-president of business development at iSolara Solar Power and the co-founder of SolPowered Energy.

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Mayor’s Breakfast Series NETWORBBQ KING A unique opportunity to enjoy breakfast with His Worship Mayor Jim Watson and hear from business and community leaders about issues critical to Ottawa. Guest Speaker: The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Thursday, May 12, 2016 Location: Ottawa City Hall Registration: 7:00 am Buffet Breakfast: 7:30 am Presentation: 8:00 am

Join us for one last networking opportunity to kick off the summer!

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS: $35.00 + HST (Members) $50.00 + HST (Non-Members)

Bring your staff to mix and mingle in this laid back atmosphere, the perfect way to start your Canada Day long weekend. When: Wednesday, June 29, 2016 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM Location: Lone Star Ranch 4420 W Hunt Club Road, Ottawa, ON

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Individual Ticket: Ottawa Chamber Member: $30.00 + HST Non-Member: $35.00 + HST

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