Ottawa Business Journal August 28, 2017

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Bidding for greatness

Inside Ottawa’s galas, fundraisers and networking events

Local consultant’s AI software that guides proposal writers through RFP process is turning heads in Silicon Valley > PAGE 3

OBJ.social RETURNING THIS FALL

August 28, 2017 Vol. 20, NO. 22

For daily business news visit obj.ca

Praise for diversity

Klipfolio’s Allan Wille concedes his firm’s efforts to be inclusive in its hiring have been a challenge, but he says they are making the company stronger. > PAGES 6-7

Motorhome money Ottawa entrepreneur drives Airbnb-like RV marketplace to success pg. 4

Winning decision

OSEG lures proven fundraiser away from private-sector executive post to lead organization’s new charitable foundation. > PAGE 9

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TECHNOLOGY

Pierre-Olivier Charlebois ‘hated’ the time-consuming process of responding to RFPs, and his search for a solution led him to launch software firm reDock. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

Ottawa firm makes bid to rid clients of RFP drudgery ReDock’s cutting-edge proposal-writing software earns company coveted spot in Silicon Valley’s 500 Startups accelerator

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

they vented about how the process of writing proposals ate up valuable time that could be put to better use growing their businesses in more productive ways.

They thought AI technology might provide the answer. Three years ago, Mr. Charlebois launched a pilot project with BDO, the world’s fifth-largest professional services firm. The success of that collaboration led the McGill grad to launch reDock in the spring of 2016.

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BIG VALUE PROPOSITION “When you look at consultants, you have really high-value people who spend their time looking for content, cutting and pasting, rewriting content that already exists,” said Mr. Charlebois, 34, an electrical engineer who started his professional career at video-game giant Ubisoft.

“You have some of the brightest people that are really wasting their time doing

menial work formatting in Word and so forth.”

The value proposition that enticed BDO has since caught the eye of other major clients in the professional services and IT consulting worlds, including Ottawa-based Welch LLP. Mr. Charlebois said reDock now has nearly a dozen customers, at least three of which are companies valued at more than a billion dollars.

ReDock’s potential to capture the lion’s share of a significant global niche market and its high-profile customer base also captured the attention of renowned accelerator 500 Startups. Earlier this month, his firm was the only Ottawa outfit to gain a spot in the Silicon Valleybased organization’s latest cohort of 32 companies, which were selected from a pool of more than 5,000 applicants.

Continued on page 13

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ierre-Olivier Charlebois has managed a feat countless harried executives probably thought impossible: He’s actually making businesses enthusiastic about the process of responding to RFPs. The Ottawa-based entrepreneur says he’s come up with a secret sauce that bigname clients are lining up to buy – software that automates many of the mundane tasks involved in bidding on the contracts that keep revenue dollars flowing in.

His company, reDock, uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to “mine” data on its customers’ employees, their work history and the firms’ past projects. Its software analyzes that information and puts it into context,

helping guide proposal writers through the RFP process to ensure their bids check all the required boxes.

“A boilerplate doesn’t win you a bid,” Mr. Charlebois said. “If you just reuse something you did in the past as is, you don’t take into consideration that your current customer maybe has different needs.”

Mr. Charlebois, a Montreal native who moved to Ottawa seven years ago and launched a consulting firm, said the idea for reDock grew out of his frustration over constantly spending hours and hours tracking down information to complete proposals.

“One of the parts of the business that I hated the most was responding to RFPs,” he said.

He soon found out he wasn’t alone.

During a chat with a client who was a partner at BDO’s business consulting line,

LAUNCH PAD “I quickly realized that I’m using (my RV) two weeks out of the year. So I thought, I have rental properties – why can’t I rent out my motorhome?”

– MICHAEL McNAUGHT, FOUNDER OF RV RENTAL WEBSITE RVEZY

RVezy founder Michael McNaught says his online marketplace allows RV owners to make money off their vehicles. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

Online RV rental venture on road to success Ottawa man’s bid to turn idle motorhome into revenue source spawns Airbnb-like site for RVs with hundreds of members and bold U.S. expansion plans

BY ADAM FEIBEL adam@obj.ca

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f you’re the owner of a recreational vehicle that gets to stretch its legs for a few weeks each year but spends the rest of the time in the garage, an Ottawa startup has an idea for you.

RVezy is an online marketplace that connects RV owners with people who are looking to rent, offering an Airbnbtype service that costs renters only about half as much as a traditional RV rental company and helps offset the costs involved with motorhome ownership.

Owning a motorhome certainly isn’t cheap. A new RV generally costs upwards of $60,000, and depending on its age and other factors, it could need another $2,000 or so per year in upkeep. That’s without factoring in additional costs such as insurance and fuel.

Meanwhile, renting an RV from a dealer costs an average of $1,000 to $1,200 for a week-long vacation.

“We want to make RV travel

affordable,” says RVezy founder Michael McNaught.

Mr. McNaught, a police officer, bought his own motorhome a few years ago to use with his family.

“I quickly realized that I’m using it two weeks out of the year. So I thought, I have rental properties – why can’t I rent out my motorhome?” $8,000 IN SIX WEEKS When he put the RV up for rent online, he made more than $8,000 in six weeks.

“I thought, I’m onto something,” he says. “Why is there such a market for my motorhome?”

The only problem was that complete strangers were sending him thousands of dollars without the two sides even meeting each other, and he had no way of checking their driver’s licences or driving history.

That led to the launch of RVezy. The website has now been running for 12 months; so far, more than 300 users across Canada have signed up to rent out their motorhomes. Mr. McNaught says

that this year, the company will pay out more than $500,000 to those people.

“That’s a half-million dollars back into the economy, back into the owners’ pockets,” he says.

RVezy acts as an intermediary between owner and renter. The website lets potential renters browse through the selection of available motorhomes and find the one that’s right for them; once they do, the company then makes sure everything checks out with both the owner and the renter, and that there are no surprises on either end. There are no membership costs; RVezy charges a service fee on each transaction.

The firm has also developed an insurance product that mimics that of Uber. Once an RV is rented out, it falls under RVezy’s insurance policy; when it’s returned, it goes back under the owner’s insurance. That goes a long way in making owners feel comfortable about renting out their property, meaning they’ll be more encouraged to use RVezy, Mr. McNaught says.

The 10-person, mostly bootstrapped

company is in growth mode, doing plenty of outreach at festivals, jamborees, RV shows and campgrounds. RVezy is adding new members daily, Mr. McNaught says, adding the company will be expanding into the United States “fairly soon.”

The RV industry in Canada has “performed well” over the last five years, claiming $3 billion in revenue and annual growth of 3.9 per cent, according to a report by market research firm IBISWorld. The industry is expected to continue to grow, thanks to several factors, including the retirement of many baby boomers – a generation with high purchasing power entering a prime time for RV vacations.

But a motorhome that isn’t being used for weeks or months at a time is a missed opportunity, Mr. McNaught points out. If it’s rented out, it might even pay for itself.

He says some of RVezy’s members are making up to $30,000 a year off renting their vehicles.

“We’re actually putting money back into the everyday working Canadian’s pocket.”

STORAGE FOR LESS CHANGE LOG FILEFACETS MOVES INTO BIGGER DIGS SaaS-based privacy compliance and enterprise analytics startup FileFacets moved into a new office space this summer that gives the firm more room to continue growing. The new spot in Kanata South is 7,500 square feet, a big upgrade from the company’s 2,250-squarefoot old office. FileFacets, which landed $4 million in financing this past November, is continuing to grow its development and customer success teams in Ottawa and will also expand its European team in 2018, according to Jennifer Nelson, vice-president of sales and marketing. The startup currently has 26 full-time employees, up from 17 this time last year.

CLINICONEX LANDS $1 MILLION IN FUNDING E-health software startup Cliniconex closed a $1-million financing round this month, led by investors Wesley Clover, Calian Group and the Capital Angels Network. The new round brings the company’s total funding to $1.6 million. Also this month, the firm began a partner program with Telus Health and moved into a new office at 400 March Rd., several times larger than its prior space, in order to accommodate the company’s growth.

Indoor and Outdoor

25 minutes South of Barrhaven just off Hwy 416 near Kemptville Cliniconex says it has doubled its client count since last year. Founded in 2011 and an L-Spark accelerator graduate, Cliniconex provides patient outreach solutions that aim to improve clinic efficiency.

MEMBER365 LANDS PARTNERSHIP WITH MAJOR ASSOCIATION A partnership with a North American group is bringing hundreds of downtown management organizations under Ottawa-based Member365’s umbrella. The International Downtown Association works with “downtown champions” – business associations and local government entities such as Ottawa’s business improvement areas – across the continent, providing them with resources and industry events. The IDA announced a partnership with Member365 to provide the latter’s membership management software to its network of organizations, five of which are based in Ottawa, according to the IDA’s interactive map. The value of the partnership was not disclosed. It comes after Member365 announced in May that it had raised a $1.3-million seed round and moved from the L-Spark incubator to its new home in the Kanata North tech park in June.

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Thursday, Sept. 21 at 5 p.m.

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Starting a Business Thursday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m.

Sunnyside Library, 1049 Bank St. More information at biblioottawalibrary.ca

Digital Marketing on a Shoestring Budget Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m.

HUB Ottawa, 123 Slater St. More information at camptech.ca

Facebook for Business: 101 Thursday, Sept. 14 at 6:30 p.m.

Collab Space, 70 Bongard Ave. More information at eventbrite.ca

Startup Canada Day on the Hill Thursday, Oct. 19 at 8:30 a.m.

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MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 2017

Startup Garage Rally Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 4:30 p.m.

Innovation Centre, 7 Bayview Rd. More information at eventbrite.ca

COMMENTARY Why diversity and inclusion are so hard to get right Creating a diverse workforce is a noble goal, Klipfolio CEO Allan Wille says.

But you have to work at it, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution

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firmly believe that diversity and inclusion are good for a company. I think a company functions better when its employees are a gender-balanced, diverse lot – a dynamic mix of people of different cultures, ages and viewpoints who feel included and accepted.

At Klipfolio, we have put a lot of effort into being diverse and inclusive.

But even though I believe we are on the right path, to the extent that our employees are ethnically diverse and we have what I think is a good overall gender balance, diversity and inclusion remain something I struggle with.

Because there’s no definition of exactly what diversity is. In fact, it’s a bit of a moving target. As a result, a company never really knows when it gets there.

There is a growing acceptance of the fact that diversity is a good thing for companies, both internally for the employees and externally for the clients. (The recent diversity scandal at Google illustrates how much traction the issue has.)

An article in Forbes last year, for example, talked about how diversity fosters authenticity in a company. Companies that embrace diversity can leverage all of the components that make them unique, and this carries over positively into the way they’re able to interact with clients.

Michael C. Bush and Kim Peters, the CEO and executive vice-president, respectively, at Great Place to Work, the research partner for Fortune’s annual list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For and other best workplaces lists, put it this way in an article in Fortune last year: “At our research and consulting firm, we have gathered evidence showing that when employees look up and look to the left and right, what they see, they internalize. If they can see themselves, it gives them hope that they will be seriously listened to when approaching leaders with new product ideas, growth opportunities or simply to connect. This hope fuels increased commitment, which is needed for innovation and the attraction and retention of A-team players of all types.”

OVERCOMING HURDLES As a result, major companies around the world are making big, visible efforts to be more diverse. The Royal Bank of Canada, to pick a Canadian example, has a diversity leadership council and publishes a diversity and inclusion report.

But scratch the surface and you will find

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that companies struggle, as Klipfolio does, with diversity and inclusion.

In fact, in that same Fortune article, the authors say that too many companies don’t do diversity right.

I totally understand. Because it’s hard.

First of all, there’s no proper definition.

Are you diverse when you have a 50-50 gender balance between men and women?

What about ethnicities, age groups, religions, education levels or physical disabilities, to name a few other categories that could be counted? And how do you implement diversity?

For example, the number of Muslims in Canada is growing. Should we hire specifically to reflect changes with each census, or let it happen organically?

Second, you’ve got to make a conscious effort to hire people who are different from you. It’s not easy. There are unconscious biases to let go of.

Third, diversity is a moving target.

For example, increasingly, it’s no longer enough for a company to be diverse; there’s a growing movement to encourage companies to show that they use diverse suppliers as well. Supplier Diversity Canada, for example, is an initiative aimed at “bringing more women-owned, aboriginalowned, minority-owned and LGBT-owned businesses into corporate supply chain and government contracts.”

Fourth, diversity won’t work if it’s not accompanied by inclusion.

Hire more women? You need more women’s bathrooms. You also may need to change the way you run meetings to adapt to different styles of being and interacting.

At meetings, everyone needs to be able to feel they can contribute and be heard. As RBC puts it on its diversity and inclusion web page: “Diversity is the mix; inclusion is getting the mix to work well together.”

That’s not always self-evident.

Finally, how you view diversity and inclusion may even depend on your age.

One study by Deloitte says millennials view diversity as the blending of different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives within a team, and say it’s necessary for innovation.

Boomers and Gen-Xers, on the other hand, view diversity as a representation of fairness and protection to all – a moral and legal imperative.

The study predicts that “as millennials flood leadership ranks, their perspectives will demand a shift in traditional diversity and inclusion models.”

HOW WE MANAGE DIVERSITY Few companies are born diverse.

When you think about it, startups are usually founded by a small group of friends or people who have worked closely together. In other words, people who are similar to each other.

Klipfolio is no exception: Our founders were all white males, of roughly the same age, upbringing and education. About the only ways we differed were what we studied at university and that we were not all heterosexual.

As we grew, we had to make a conscious decision to seek out a diverse group of employees. Or did we?

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It’s not as easy as putting out an ad. Here are a few ways we’ve worked (and continue to work toward) diversity and inclusion: You can’t discriminate in your hiring.

That includes positive discrimination.

We put a lot of effort into hiring. We’ve found that we get the best results when we hire people who share our beliefs. In other words, we hire for culture – a shared belief about how we approach life, work and ethical issues. We’ve ended up with people from all sorts of outlooks, backgrounds and faiths. It’s the vision we share.

Another way to put it is that we hire for ‘why,’ not ‘what.’ We try to hire people who believe in what they are doing.

Klipfolio probably has more female employees than most tech companies in Ottawa – something I’m proud of. But I’m not sure that makes us diverse.

At first, it was hard to work toward gender parity. The simple reason: It can be challenging for any minority in a particular situation to join a team that doesn’t look like them or feel like it represents them. We were a team of white males, which likely meant that some women were reluctant to join the team.

Looking back, one of our early hires was a talented woman who has since led our support operations. I believe this aided our recruiting efforts in bringing in a few more women in our development, support and sales teams.

I am still troubled by the fact that our management team is overwhelmingly male. I would like that to change. But I can’t change it tomorrow. I have to accept this while I work on it, and so do our employees After that, female candidates walking through the office saw women already working here. And that made them more likely to accept an offer to join us.

So while some changes will likely happen naturally, you may have to force others. But that doesn’t mean setting quotas.

ACCEPT THE IMPERFECT I am still troubled by the fact that our management team is overwhelmingly male. I would like that to change. But I can’t change it tomorrow. I have to accept this while I work on it, and so do our employees.

We had one employee say she was bothered that she could see so few female role models in management.

Is a role model essential? Personally, I don’t think so. I subscribe to the view that in the absence of a leader, lead.

But on the other hand, I don’t want any

employees to feel they can’t see themselves in the management team. As far as I am concerned, there is no glass ceiling – but then, that’s not really for me to say.

This is one example of the kind of issue I struggle with. I want to make the change happen. We’ve made a lot of changes. But we’re not there yet.

The change will be physical: a prayer room for Muslims, in our case, or more women’s washrooms. (We’re happy to be building a prayer room in our new office.)

But your internal culture may also be forced to change, too. Have you always built team spirit with Friday night trips to a local bar? That may not work if you hire abstainers, or people with family obligations or people who simply don’t feel safe in the bar you’re used to going to.

You will also have to question your biases about what is and what isn’t valuable: If a woman has just spent 10 years at home

with her children, would you say she’s learned nothing in the process? Or would you say she’s developed lots of new skills such as the ability to multitask, work under pressure and handle competing demands?

The way you write your job descriptions will influence who applies. Are you looking for an “aggressive leader” or a “consensusbuilding team player?” You’ll get different results with one or the other.

So question yourself, your views and your unconscious biases – and accept that you, too, will have to change.

What’s more important than meeting any diversity quota is creating an environment that’s accepting and open.

There are lots of different approaches to building diversity and inclusion. No matter what approach, there’s no clear-cut solution and no easy way ahead. You have to work it.

Accept that you will struggle, and that the struggle will be more or less ongoing.

Accept that you yourself will have to change. Accept, also, that it’s worth it.

Because a diverse and inclusive company, a company that allows employees to be themselves, will be able to channel its commitment and its collective creativity to grow and prosper.

Allan Wille is a co-founder of Klipfolio, and its president and CEO. He’s also a designer, a cyclist, a father and a resolute optimist.

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You’re always looking for new opportunities to grow your business. That’s why MNP continues to add the best within the industry and your community, to meet all your business needs. Please join us in welcoming McDonald Thorne and Associates (MTA) to MNP. MTA merged with MNP July 1, 2017 and we are pleased to announce they have now moved locations to join the MNP team in our Brockville location.

RETAIL One year after mall’s expansion, Rideau at the centre of it all Addition of Simons, H&M and other big names has helped boost customer traffic ‘significantly’ at downtown shopping centre, GM says

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

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hough his attention was focused on his firm’s newest store in Edmonton, Peter Simons made it clear last week Ottawa wasn’t far from his thoughts either.

The CEO of the Quebec-based fashion retailer has had a lot on his plate lately – not least of which was the opening of a 90,000-square-foot outlet at Edmonton’s Londonderry Mall.

It’s the family-owned chain’s 15th location, and its second in the Alberta capital. But in an interview with OBJ from Edmonton, Mr. Simons said he was already getting excited about returning to this capital once things settled down out west.

It’s been just over a year since Simons opened its first Ottawa location at the Rideau Centre. Mr. Simons said he kept his expectations for the store’s first 12 months in check, knowing it would take some time for the brand to gain a foothold in the region.

So far, he said, he hasn’t been disappointed.

“We’ve been super happy,” Mr. Simons said. “We really felt we had to build our brand there and build our recognition. It’s exceeded what we wanted to do. We still think there’s a lot of runway, and honestly I see the store more in a longer time frame of all the infrastructure developing in Ottawa and the light (rail) and everything.

I’m looking forward to getting (the Edmonton) store finished, because I really want to come back and focus on what’s been lacking with the (Ottawa) store.”

That means making sure employees are up to speed with the company’s service culture and ensuring they’re getting the most out of technology such as an app that helps them verify inventory, provide product information

to customers and access loyalty accounts.

“There’s a whole new generation of tools, and I want to just make sure – forget the technology – that just the values are in place in terms of taking care of those customers one at a time,” he explained. “I think that’s just a question of training.”

Simons’ much-anticipated Ottawa debut was the centrepiece of the Rideau Centre’s $360-million expansion and renovation project that also included a completely revamped food court and the addition of other new fashion retailers such as H&M, Nordstrom and Zara. Since then, the mall has welcomed a new bar and restaurant, JOEY Rideau, and a flagship Sport Chek outlet among others.

In total, the downtown shopping centre has added more than 25 new retailers and 230,000 square feet of space as part of its makeover.

Mall owner Cadillac Fairview doesn’t share its sales figures, but Rideau Centre general manager Cindy VanBuskirk told OBJ in an e-mail that customer traffic and spending totals have increased “significantly” over the past year, “driven both by the completion of the redevelopment project and Canada 150 and Ottawa 2017 events downtown.”

Ottawa-based grocery chain Farm Boy is set to add to the facility’s retail mix when it opens a store in the mall’s old food court later this year. Retail analyst Barry Nabatian said the Rideau Centre is an ideal location for the company’s first downtown Ottawa location due to its close proximity to thousands of condos built over the past decade.

“That’s a huge number of people, and they’re affluent,” he said.

“Furthermore, they don’t like to cook.

They want to have a lot of premade food, and Farm Boy is excellent at that.

(The Rideau Centre’s owners) are pretty

Simons CEO Peter Simons (right) says the fashion retailer’s first Ottawa store in the Rideau Centre’s expansion wing (above) has exceeded his expectations in its first year of operation. FILE PHOTOS

“We really felt we had to build our brand there and build our recognition. It’s exceeded what we wanted to do.”

– SIMONS CEO PETER SIMONS, ON FASHION RETAILER’S RIDEAU CENTRE LOCATION

smart people. They do their studies and they came to the conclusion that they really need a food store.”

Mr. Nabatian, a director at Ottawa market research firm Shore-Tanner & Associates, said the Rideau Centre continues to rank among Canada’s top three malls with annual sales of nearly $1,000 per square foot – excluding Simons and Nordstrom, which don’t reveal figures for individual stores.

Still, he said he believes there’s room for growth as consumers become more familiar with some of the shopping centre’s newer stores and the Ottawa market absorbs the hundreds of thousands of square feet of new retail

space that has been added to the city’s inventory in the past few years.

“Overall, Rideau Centre is doing well, but not as well as they had expected,” Mr. Nabatian said. “But they need time. Too many things came on the market more or less at the same time – Lansdowne, Cabela’s outlet in Kanata, they all opened more or less in the same time frame as the expansion of the Rideau Centre. But Rideau Centre is definitely on the (rise). Things are going to get even better for them.”

Eventually, he said, other regional shopping centres such as St. Laurent, which unveiled a major remodelling a few years ago, and Carlingwood will have to launch their own rejuvenation and expansion plans or they will fall further behind. But he suggests they wait a couple of years for the impact of the Rideau Centre expansion, Lansdowne’s opening and other recent retail projects to level off.

“They have to do something, because they’ll be losing market share for sure.”

PHILANTHROPY Veteran fundraiser to quarterback OSEG foundation Owners of Redblacks, Fury and 67’s launch charitable arm led by former TD Bank exec Barresi

BY CAROLINE PHILLIPS caroline@obj.ca

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on-profit sector leader Janice Barresi has been lured back from the corporate world to work her fundraising magic on a brand new charitable foundation created by the owners of the Ottawa Redblacks, Fury and 67’s.

The new charitable arm of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group is so fresh that it has yet to decide on its official name. Yet it has successfully drafted former Redblacks hero Henry Burris to serve as honorary president and has hired Ms. Barresi as executive director. Its focus is to provide assistance to children and youth involved in amateur sports in Ottawa, with a specific emphasis on hockey, soccer and football.

Ms. Barresi had, in fact, been quite happy with her job as community relations manager for TD Bank when she agreed to meet over lunch with OSEG bosses earlier this year to learn about their plans to launch a charitable organization.

As founding executive director of the Youth Services Bureau Charitable Foundation and a former ED of Christie Lake Kids, the reputed go-getter had been singled out as the perfect choice for the job by fundraising consultant Wayne Hussey.

“They asked me if this was something I would consider, and I said, ‘Let me think about it.’ I thought about it for two seconds,” Ms. Barresi said with a chuckle. “The corporate world was fantastic and very rewarding, but this

got me back to my local roots. It’s a combination of working with our amazing sports teams that give back, and with their ownership, who is tremendously philanthropic.”

The notion of creating a charitable foundation had been on the OSEG owners’ to-do list during the first three years of operation at TD Place Stadium and Lansdowne. They picked a banner year to launch the new non-profit: The Grey Cup championship game is coming to town, the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens are marking NHL history with an outdoor game at TD Place, and the 67’s are celebrating half a century on the ice.

“We’ve always wanted to have a (charitable) foundation as part of our offerings,” Roger Greenberg, executive chairman and managing partner of the sports enterprise, told OBJ. He’s also the executive chairman of Minto Group.

‘HUGE CHARITY GUYS’ In Mr. Greenberg’s view, the new foundation is an example of OSEG’s deep and consistent community commitment. Not only is Greenberg an award-winning philanthropist, but two of his OSEG partners – John Ruddy, executive chairman of Trinity Development, and Bill Shenkman, chairman of the Shenkman Group of Companies – have been generous supporters of everything from sports to the arts to health care in Ottawa.

“We’re huge charity guys,” said Mr. Greenberg. “We always want to tie everything that we do to some kind of charitable component.”

He said he’s always been attracted to

Janice Barresi. PHOTO BY CAROLINE PHILLIPS

“The corporate world was fantastic and very rewarding, but this got me back to my local roots.”

– JANICE BARRESI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OSEG’S NEW CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION

the notion of “community investment,” a term he first heard years ago from hightech entrepreneur John Kelly. It refers to the combination of philanthropy and marketing to help charitable groups

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On September 22 and 23, 2017, meet Chef Martin Juneau, at Le Baccara restaurant.

while building up the brand of an organization.

OSEG remains proud of the volunteer involvement by its players and coaches with kids and the greater community.

“That’s what the redevelopment of Lansdowne is about; it’s about serving as role models and getting people to be active,” Mr. Greenberg explained, while also listing such anchor businesses as Sporting Life, GoodLife Fitness and Whole Foods as inspirations for healthy and active living.

OSEG arguably saved Lansdowne from its sad existence as a parking lot wasteland surrounded by crumbling infrastructure in the Glebe. It turned the property into a home for three sports teams, along with a mix of commercial, residential and community recreational space. Just this past week, thousands flocked to its TD Stadium for the Guns N’ Roses concert (Mr. Greenberg – despite being unfamiliar with the hard rock band’s music – was in the audience).

The foundation is creating its own fundraising niche that doesn’t overlap with the Ottawa Senators Foundation’s mandate to promote physical and mental wellness in kids. Some of the ideas being considered include handing out grants to charitable causes and non-profit organizations, and awarding sports scholarships to young athletes.

The board is comprised of Mr. Greenberg and Mr. Ruddy, along with OSEG chief executive Bernie Ashe. It’s also putting together a board of advisers.

“This is not a sprint; it’s a marathon,” said Mr. Greenberg. “We’re not in a hurry.

We’re here for a long time, and we’re going to work on this.”

BUSINESS GROWTH Invest Ottawa survey provides peek at new economic development priorities government or large private tech firms.

The National Public Service Digital Innovation Workshop, as the survey calls it, will look to take advantage of Ottawa’s location as the seat of the federal government, as well as its status as a tech hub, to find matches between new services and the needs of established players.

BY CRAIG LORD craig@obj.ca

A

survey sent to members of Ottawa’s business community offers a glimpse at some of the fresh directions Invest Ottawa is considering under its new president.

These include a hub for helping local startups do business with the federal government, another innovation hub at Bayview Yards and more support for midsize firms attempting to scale up.

President and CEO Mike Tremblay has talked sparingly about his priorities since taking the role last March, instead opting to first undertake a strategic review of the firm’s offerings and priorities.

The survey asks for input on the organization’s five-year strategic plan and is broken down into four sections of proposed initiatives, with respondents able to indicate how relevant, valuable,

Invest Ottawa CEO Mike Tremblay. FILE PHOTO

innovative and different from the mould the suggestions may be. None are yet set in stone, but each offers insights into the potential directions for Invest Ottawa over the next half-decade.

One of the proposals floated in the survey is a new “marketplace” wherein Invest Ottawa officials can help broker deals between Ottawa startups and the federal

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CLIENTS Few details were given about what this hub or marketplace would ultimately look like or how it would operate, but it’s a priority that makes sense considering Mr. Tremblay’s past working with public sector clients at Microsoft Canada.

Industry observers have often championed the value of having the federal government as a first customer.

The survey also indicated that midsize firms may receive more support in the future as they try to scale up. Invest Ottawa suggested specific programs for highgrowth firms to maximize their ROI and

potential economic impact on the city.

Both startups and midsize firms may also receive more support in going global, with programs to provide marketing support and foster international connections.

One of the priorities Mr. Tremblay has been open about is his desire to take a regional approach to Invest Ottawa’s work.

The survey mentions a “hub and spoke” regional model to connect disparate “innovation districts” across Ottawa and eastern Ontario. This model, Invest Ottawa suggests, will provide a deeper talent pool to Ottawa firms and extend the agency’s services across the ecosystem.

Pursuant to these goals, Invest Ottawa would seek funding for a second innovation hub at Bayview Yards with increased incubator space.

The survey also suggests better access to data would help startups “see around corners” at coming advancements, and that fostering relationships with post-secondary institutions can improve firms’ R&D efforts.

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Hydro Ottawa integrates cybersecurity into practices to guard against emerging threats

MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 2017

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reventing outages and restoring power usually invokes images of work crews clearing fallen trees and connecting wires atop utility poles. But behind the scenes, Hydro Ottawa has a highly skilled cybersecurity team protecting the city’s electricity grid.

“It used to be that physical security was the big thing, where it’s a lot easier now to look at it from a cyber perspective,” says Jojo Maalouf, Hydro Ottawa’s Manager IT Security.

“Because all a hacker needs, basically, is a computer and access to the internet to do damage.”

While the odds of an attack on the city’s power supply may seem remote, hackers have previously targeted utilities in other parts of the world. Earlier this year in

Ukraine, a malicious strain of software crippled networks, affecting a number of government offices, a major airport and several energy companies. The software also made its way to Russia, Germany and, to a lesser extent, the U.S. It’s attacks like these that Mr. Maalouf and his team work to defend Ottawa, and Canada more broadly, against.

“Of all the critical infrastructure programs or businesses, electricity is probably the most important,” says Mr. Maalouf.

“Maybe people take it for granted because, in our day and age, we always have electricity. Just think about the repercussions if something were to happen, maybe a cyber hack or something similar, where we don’t have power.”

“All a hacker needs, basically, is a computer and access to the internet to do damage.”

He points out that Ottawa, as home to many of the nation’s sensitive government agencies, is in especial need of protection. To ensure this, Hydro Ottawa has had a cybersecurity program in place since 2011.

“We’re very much on the

preventive and detective side of things,” explains Mr. Maalouf. Hydro Ottawa’s program integrates cybersecurity into all of its operations including: people, process and technology.

One way Hydro Ottawa works to prevent cyber

attacks is to have employees complete security awareness training. Mr. Maalouf points to phishing as a very real threat to their network.

Phishing refers to an attempt to glean sensitive information from a user by posing as a trustworthy organization, most often through email.

In many cases, simply clicking a link can grant malicious software access to an organization’s network.

“These types of attacks now are just the cost of doing business,” says Mr. Maalouf.

“You’d have to be naive to think that these things aren’t occurring.”

Hydro Ottawa has staked its claim as a leader in the Canadian energy sector’s cybersecurity front through engagement with both industry and government agencies.

To check out our latest Techopia videos featuring insights from Ottawa’s top entrepreneurs, go to obj.ca/techopia CONNECTING TECH IN OTTAWA

PUT DOWN THE NERF GUNS: INVEST OTTAWA ASSERTS HARD-WORK CULTURE WITH INCITE INCUBATOR

BY CRAIG LORD

ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR OWN BUSINESS SPACE? Ottawa is one of the top cities in Canada to launch, expand and grow a business.

A stable economy, well-educated population and network of supportive BIAs and economic development teams make the nation’s capital an ideal city for retailers, restaurateurs, consultants and startups.

Many entrepreneurs start developing business plans, prototyping a product or selling services from a home office or even a coffee shop.

As they grow by gaining traction in the marketplace or preparing for a commercial launch, leasing commercial office space or a storefront is the next step on the road to success.

Is your business ready to take this step?

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (right) recently visited Invest Ottawa’s newly renamed Incite incubator at Bayview Yards. PHOTO PROVIDED

LÜTKE TOPS SNAP, DROPBOX CEOS ON FORTUNE 40 UNDER 40 LIST

BY CRAIG LORD

breaker” Chance the Rapper, according to Fortune.)

The 37-year-old’s profile on the list suggests Shopify’s CEO has been relatively low-key in the firm’s success to date, but that with the company’s continual success since its IPO and having recently passed the 500,000 merchant mark, “it might be Lütke’s turn to step into the spotlight.”

This is the second Forty Under 40 award in Lütke’s name; in 2011, he was named one of OBJ’s Forty Under 40 recipients.

A duet with Chance the Rapper may still be a few years out, but Lütke still manages standing ovations from analysts with results such as Shopify’s most recent quarter, which saw the firm’s revenues jump 75 per cent yearover-year.

1.

Does the company have the right team of employees in place for its next growth phase?

2.

Are you hitting your established goals? Are you reaching milestones on (or ahead of) schedule?

3.

Are customers calling you?

Have you gained traction in the marketplace that will be a foundation for growth?

4.

Do you have the cash? Can you afford office or retail space?

What are your forecasted revenues?

The Quartier Vanier BIA has prepared several tools to help entrepreneurs across the city find the right home for their businesses.

These include a step-by-step guide to finding a location in Ottawa as well as a commercial space directory.

Visit www.investinqv.com to access these resources and learn more.

11 OBJ.CA

Fortune’s annual 40 under 40 rankings of the “most influential young people in business” features a familiar face: Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke made the exclusive list, and ranked pretty highly to boot.

The founder of Ottawa’s e-commerce darling ranked 11th on the list, behind French president Emmanuel Macron (No. 1), Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (No. 2) and tennis star Serena Williams (No. 7).

But Lütke ranked higher than some pretty prestigious company: He beat Spotify founder Daniel Ek (No. 13), Dropbox CEO Drew Houston (No. 19) and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel (No. 21); he even outranked celebrities such as comedian Kevin Hart (No. 17) and musician Chance the Rapper (No. 29). (Sorry, that’s “musician and rule

Entrepreneur Magazine has identified several milestones that indicate a business is ready for its own commercial space:

MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 2017

Invest Ottawa is hoping a new name for its incubator space at Bayview Yards will excite – or rather, incite – the types of hardworking firms it hopes to attract.

The incubator space at 7 Bayview Rd., which opened officially earlier this year, has now been formally branded as Incite.

A spokesperson for Ottawa’s economic development agency says the name is meant to convey an environment of serious work and explosive potential, one distinct from the more youthful, Nerf gun-filled cultures found in accelerator and incubator spaces across the country.

“The culture that we want to ensure is communicated to prospective companies coming into our incubator is, ‘We’re getting down to business, we’re going to work hard with you and you’re going to work hard with us to accelerate your growth to that next stage of development,’” says Sonya Shorey, director of communications and marketing at Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards.

The Incite Incubator accepts applications for startup residence yearround, including more temporary drop-in space, each with their own monthly fees.

Services include access to Invest Ottawa’s acceleration programs and entrepreneursin-residence.

Shorey says the demand for space has increased ever since Bayview Yards officially opened, meaning the organization has had to be increasingly stringent about offering space and the kinds of firms it seeks to host.

The incubator’s reputation has recently attracted international attention: Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts visited the space earlier this month. Shorey says his tour was meant to present Ottawa’s innovation centre as a model for regional economic development and acceleration spaces.

The new name is the latest refinement of Invest Ottawa’s brand under new leader Mike Tremblay, who joined the economic development agency as president and CEO in March.

Since then, Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards have been jointly operated under Tremblay’s helm, courting $1.3 million from public- and private-sector sponsorships, as well as launching the on-site MadeMill workshop and the “Work in Ottawa” campaign to attract foreign talent, especially from the United States.

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REAL ESTATE

“You look at that location, that’s really the hub of the whole LRT as far as I see it. The LRT is just going to be a huge impetus for the whole growth of the city going forward.”

— INTERRENT CEO MIKE McGAHAN, ON PROPOSED TRINITY STATION PROJECT

Ottawa’s InterRent REIT buys $14.2M stake in Bayview Station development

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

A

major Ottawa real estate investor has purchased a stake in a proposed three-tower mixed-use development at the intersection of the Trillium and Confederation light-rail lines, calling the Bayview Station area the future “centre ice” of the city’s commercial growth.

InterRent Real Estate Investment Trust said earlier this month it has paid $14.2 million for a one-third share in the project at 900 Albert St., a joint venture that also includes local builder Trinity Developments and PBC Real Estate Advisors.

“I think the LRT is going to (have) a major impact in Ottawa,” InterRent CEO Mike McGahan told OBJ in an interview.

“You look at that location, that’s really the hub of the whole LRT as far as I see it. The LRT is just going to be a huge impetus for the whole growth of the city going forward.”

The 3.6-acre site is located across from the Bayview transit station. The development proposal calls for three highrise buildings of 59, 55 and 50 stories that would feature a mix of office, retail and residential space.

Mr. McGahan confirmed that the residential component will consist of rental units. While Trinity initially said the plan would include up to 1,632 units, Mr. McGahan said that number has been scaled back to 1,000. But he added that total could change again before the project is finalized.

“It’s still early stages right now,” he said.

“It really depends on how we develop the mixed-use (component). We’re kind of going ... back to the drawing board to make sure that we do the best thing for the site.”

The proposal would also include a direct pedestrian link to the Bayview transit station, where the existing northsouth Trillium LRT line and the underconstruction east-west Confederation line will meet in 2018.

Mr. McGahan said the site’s location near the intersection of both transit lines and just down the road from the proposed redevelopment of LeBreton Flats will make the development an attractive proposition for a host of potential commercial and office tenants. Trinity is among the firms involved in the Ottawa Senators’ RendezVous LeBreton redevelopment plan.

‘SHOPIFY EFFECT’ Mr. McGahan wouldn’t offer any specifics on what types of tenants are being sought for the commercial and office components at 900 Albert, saying only that he believes tech firms will be a big part of the mix.

“I really believe we’re going to get some takeup on the tech side,” he said. “I see that whole kind of Shopify effect. I think a lot more of the tech companies are going to want to relocate downtown. And to me, this is going to the centre ice of downtown as we go forward, once LeBreton gets built out.”

Trinity Station proposal. RENDERING PROVIDED

No start date has been announced for the project, which would contain the tallest buildings in Ottawa once complete.

InterRent has rapidly grown in recent years, doubling the size of its portfolio between 2009 and 2017 to reach more than 8,200 suites in several cities.

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Continued from page 3 David Dufresne, a partner at 500 Startups Canada, said he’d met Mr. Charlebois at a few pitchfests and became intrigued by how reDock had found a “super smart” way to apply machine learning technology to an issue that was crying out for a modern solution.

“When you’re able to get a sophisticated customer to actually pay for your technology, pay for the product you’ve built, it’s worth 20 letters of intent,” he said of the startup’s relationship with BDO. “There’s so much hype right now around AI, machine learning, and to me that technology is super exciting, but mostly when it’s actually solving reallife problems. (RFPs are) a boring, old industry that is getting disrupted by new technologies.

“Bringing very clear ROI to customers is what gets me excited. I think he found the right niche, he found customers that were willing to consider it because they see very quick benefits.”

Mr. Charlebois has spent the past couple of weeks jetting back and forth between Ottawa and northern California, where he’s getting a “crash course” in fundamental business strategies such as customer acquisition and raising muchneeded capital to help his enterprise scale up.

“You have really high-value people who spend their time looking for content, cutting and pasting, rewriting content that already exists. You have some of the brightest people that are really wasting their time doing menial work formatting in Word and so forth.”

– REDOCK FOUNDER PIERRE-OLIVIER CHARLEBOIS

“I really wanted to get in the growth mindset and learn from the mentality that drives large successes in the Valley but really build a Canadian company with that,” he explained.

“My goal is not to move there at all.

It’s really to bring that expertise and that mindset to Ottawa and then hopefully be part of the thriving businesses like Shopify and PageCloud, Assent Compliance. People in the Valley, they know these companies.”

It’s still early days for reDock, which has 14 employees at its Canotek Road office and so far has funded itself through a combination of bootstrapping,

government grants and seed capital from the founder’s friends and family.

‘OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE’ The company’s monthly recurring revenues have tripled since January, and Mr. Dufresne said 500 Startups will help shift that growth into overdrive.

Mr. Charlebois “is going to learn in four months what will take any other company two to three years to learn,” he said.

“It just pushes everyone to work faster and work better. There’s a lot of collaboration that ends up happening between the different companies that are part of the same batch. It’s getting

you outside of your comfort zone, getting you surrounded by people that are as ambitious or more ambitious than you and just pushing you to the limits.”

Mr. Charlebois said he’s eager to soak up all the knowledge he can in the Valley – especially the tricks of the trade when it comes to attracting lucrative investment deals.

“We sell to enterprise, and they have really high expectations, which is great,” he said. “But when you’re on a shoestring budget, there’s a bit of a disconnect between your resources and the expectations. We’ve done a good job of being lean and going really far. Now, I think we’re ready to really grow, and that will require capital.”

He concedes that managing client expectations can be a challenge for a small company with a product that is really just emerging from the beta stage.

“AI is still in its infancy,” he noted. “It won’t solve all your problems.”

He’s hoping the 500 Startups pitchfest in October will be a turning point for the fledgling firm.

When the time comes to get in a room with potential investors, Mr. Charlebois said he’ll be ready.

“Life is a continuum. It’s really about building your network, meeting people and sharing your story.”

Rideau Street LCBO among major land sales

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131-141 Cooper St., which was purchased by a numbered Canadian company for $36.3 million, or $174,519 a room; 61 Bill Leathem Dr. in Barrhaven, which was purchased by True North Commercial REIT for $31.5 million. The building is occupied by VIAVI Solutions (formerly JDSU) and was previously owned by Minto; Mattamy Homes’ purchase of 14 acres of development land in the former CFB Rockcliffe for $27.55 million, or $1,974,910 an acre; and Westdale Properties’ $24-million purchase of the land at the corner of Rideau Street and King Edward Avenue that’s currently leased to the LCBO. The land purchase represents a re-entry into downtown Ottawa for Toronto-based Westdale Properties, which currently owns a shopping plaza on Walkley Road and a retail property leased to Fabricland on St. Joseph Boulevard in Orléans as well as dozens of multiresidential, commercial and industrial properties across Ontario.

Mitchell Cohen, Westdale Properties’ chief operating officer, told OBJ the company has no plans to alter or expand the building. “We’re happy to be a landlord of the LCBO,” he said.

– Peter Kovessy

MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 2017

espite a soft second quarter, commercial real estate experts say they’re expecting 2017 to be “one of the most significant years on record” for investment sales in Ottawa.

The local office of real estate services firm CBRE said in a report earlier this month that the investment market lost some steam in the second quarter, with transactions totalling $304.6 million.

That’s a 9.5 per cent decrease quarterover-quarter and represents the lowest second-quarter volume since 2011, CBRE stated.

However, the brokerage firm said several “large-scale” office and retail transactions are expected to close before the end of the year and give a significant boost to the city’s 2017 totals.

While CBRE did not name those properties, one of the high-profile office buildings currently on the market is the Constitution Square complex downtown.

It’s expected to be purchased by a consortium led by Montreal developer Canderel in a deal that would be one of the biggest local real estate transactions in recent history.

According to CBRE, the largest transactions by value in the first half of 2017 include: The Extended Stay Canada hotel at

THE LIST 1 2 3 4 5 5 7 8 9 10 10 12 12 12 15 15 MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 2017

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Local Company/Address commercial Phone/Fax/Web agents Web Cushman & Wakefield Ottawa 700-99 Bank St. 19 Ottawa, ON K1P 6B9 613-236-7777 / 613-236-5958 cwottawa.com Avison Young 800-45 O’Connor St. 16 Ottawa, ON K1P 1A4 613-567-2680 / 613-567-2671 avisonyoung.com CBRE 333 Preston St., 7th Fl., Preston Square, Tower 1 15 Ottawa, ON K1S 5N4 613-782-2266 / 613-782-2296 cbre.ca Colliers International* 930-340 Albert St. 14 Ottawa, ON K1R 7Y6 613-567-8050 / 613-567-8035 colliers.com/ottawa Century 21 Explorer Realty* 23-2525 Carling Ave. 13 Ottawa, ON K2B 7Z2 613-253-4253 / 613-257-2593 century21explorer.ca Coldwell Banker Sarazen Realty Brokerage 1090 Ambleside Dr. 13 Ottawa, ON K2B 8G7 613-596-4133 / 613-596-5905 coldwellbankersarazen.com Primecorp Commercial Realty 301-275 Bank St. 12 Ottawa, ON K2P 2L6 613-722-2020 / 613-722-9898 primecorp.ca Royal Lepage Team Realty 200-1335 Carling Ave. 9 Ottawa, ON K1Z 8N8 613-725-1171 / 613-725-3323 searchcommercialrealestate.ca Coldwell Banker First Ottawa Realty 2 Hobin St. 8 Ottawa, ON K2S 1C3 613-831-9628 / 613-831-9626 firstottawarealty.com CLV Realty Corp., Brokerage 485 Bank St. 7 Ottawa, ON K2P 1Z2 613-728-2000 / 613-728-1107 clvrealty.com The Regional Group 1737 Woodward Dr., 2nd floor 7 Ottawa, ON K2C 0P9 613-230-2100 / 613-230-9880 regionalgroup.com Cresa Ottawa 1000-130 Slater St. 6 Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2 613-688-7200 / 613-688-7201 cresa.com/ottawa Decathlon Commercial Realty 17 Saddlebrook St. 6 Ottawa, ON K2G 5N7 613-725-7170 / 613-228-0650 decathlon.ca/Ottawa Royal Lepage Performance Realty 165 Pretoria Ave. 6 Ottawa, ON K1S 1X1 613-238-2801 / 613-238-4583 performancecommercial.ca Coldwell Banker Rhodes & Co. 102-100 Argyle Ave. 5 Ottawa, ON K2P 1B6 613-236-9551 / 613-236-2692 cbrhodes.com Jones Lang Lasalle Real Estate Services 1004-275 Slater St. 5 Ottawa, ON K1P 5H9 613-656-0145 / 613-288-0109 jll.ca Metro Suburban Realty 302-370 Churchill Ave. N. 4 Ottawa, ON K1Z 5C2 613-723-2222 / 613-723-2345 metro-sub.com Synercapital Investment Realty 500-1376 Bank St. 4 Ottawa, ON K1H 7Y3 613-860-3500 / 613-523-2931 synercapital.ca Cancorp Realty 5-2100 Thurston Dr. 3 Ottawa, ON K1G 4K8 613-233-3333 / 613-248-8131 cancorprealty.com Devencore Real Estate Services 440 Laurier Ave. W., 2nd floor 3 Ottawa, ON K1R 7X6 613-235-1330 devencorenkf.com

LARGEST COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE BROKERS (RANKED BY NUMBER OF LOCAL COMMERCIAL AGENTS)

National commercial agents

Offices: Local / National

Local support staff

Year established

Local CEO or designated broker and title

Services offered

422

1 22

6

2009

Nathan Smith senior vice-president and managing director

Full service: office, industrial and retail leasing; land, multi-family and investment sales; property tax consulting; appraisal; project management; lease administration; market research; advisory and consulting services

593

1 14

5

2007

Michael Church, managing director and principal

Full-service commercial: leasing; office/industrial/retail; multi-residential and apartments; asset management; property management; mortgage brokerage; investment sales; appraisal; project management; valuations

400

1 21

6

1999

Tenant representation; office, industrial and retail leasing and sales; investment and multi-residential Shawn Hamilton, senior vice-president and managing sales; consulting/client advisory services; project management; appraisal; property management; capital markets; hotel services; workplace strategy; global workplace solutions; facilities management director

412

1 37

5

1992

Warren Wilkinson, managing Leasing (landlord and tenant representation); investment sales; real estate management services; director valuation and advisory services; project management; consulting

1

5 1

5

2004

Ralph Shaw, CEO and broker Full service: Retail and office leasing; land sales; commercial and industrial sales and leasing; agriculture; of record mortgage financing.

WND

4 19

4

1977

14

1 2

14

1998

N/A

13 0

13

2002

Kent Browne owner and broker of record

Commercial office, retail and industrial leasing; land and building sales; investment sales; multi-family sales

150

5 20

10

1994

Ross Webley (president and broker of record)

Tenant representation; office, industrial, commercial, land and retail leasing; investment sales; advisory and consulting services; business sales

N/A

1 0

2

1969

Mike Kelly broker of record

Real estate sales and leasing; property management; financial services; construction and development

7

1 0

7

1958

Steven Gordon (president and CEO)

Property and asset management; land and development; investment consulting; industrial, commercial and investment brokerage; appraisal and asset reports; assessment and property tax administration; project management

52

1 3

9

2009

7

1 0

1

2008

Philip Zunder (president and Commercial real estate sales and leasing including office, retail, industrial, hotels, apartment buildings, broker of record) retirement homes, land and syndication.

0

5 0

5

2002

Pierre de Varennes owner and broker of record

N/A

1 0

8

1940

Sarah Kiraly

90

1 8

5

2010

N/A

1 0

1

1989

Joel Freedman (broker of record)

N/A

1 0

WND

WND

John Hughes (broker of record)

0

1 0

2

2000

180

1 11

2

2002

Colin Sarazen CEO, broker of record

Multi-residential; retail; industrial; office; leasing; institutional

Nick Pantieras (broker of record); Sam Firestone; Aik Commercial real estate broker and advisory firm serving institutional, public and multinational corporate Aliferis; Steve Lerner (principal investors, private owners, major space users, developers and lenders. brokers)

Strategic planning; transaction, project and relocation planning management; facilities management; Martin Aass managing principal and broker workforce and location planning; portfolio/lease administration; capital markets; supply chain management; sustainability; sublease and disposition of record

Commercial leasing; industrial; retail; multi-family; apartments; land

Commercial sales; leasing; tenant representation; investment properties

Project and facility management; lease administration; national brokerage solutions; Ransome DrCar (vice-president tenant representation; office/industrial leasing; investment sales and management; retail sales; and practice lead) leasing and investments; land sales; multi-residential investment

Sales and leasing of industrial, office and retail properties; land and building sales; investment sales; leasing; subletting and consulting

Full-service commercial brokerage focused on apartment investment sales, market research, consulting and buyer syndication.

Sale and acquisition of investment properties (single buildings and portfolios); syndication. Apartment Jason J. Kukk, president and buildings. Sale and leasing of retail, office, industrial, commercial and institutional assets; property broker of record management; consulting.

Pat Langdon broker of record and senior Tenant representation; office/industrial/retail leasing management and negotiation; accounting and lease vice-president/national director administration; asset management; project management; client advisory and consulting services of business development

WND = Would not disclose. *Did not respond to 2017 survey – using data from previous years.

Should your company be on this list? If so, please send details to research@obj.ca This list is current as of August 8, 2017. Š 2017 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 Hats off

Jambudiyapura sanitation project in India was also cited.

Clearford Water Systems Inc. won the Frost & Sullivan 2017 Best Practices Award for Enabling Technology Leadership in the Decentralized Water and Wastewater Treatment Industry. The award recognizes the success of Clearford’s Fetherston project in Kemptville. The company’s

Espial has been shortlisted for two CSI Awards for 2017. The company’s Media Service Platform is a finalist in the Best Cable or Satellite IP Solution category based on being the supplier and MSI for the Tele Columbus advanceTV service in Germany. In addition, the Espial Media Service Platform and G4 STB

The following contains information about recent contracts, standing offers and supply arrangements awarded to local firms.

Thales Canada Inc. 1 Chrysalis Way Description: Arctic offshore patrol ship and joint support ship in-service support Buyer: DND $920,000,000 Louis W. Bray Construction Ltd. 308 Corduroy Rd. Description: Brighton, ON – replacement of Brighton Rd. swing bridge Buyer: PWGSC $14,868,540 Fotenn Consultants Inc. 223 McLeod St. Description: Campus master plan update Buyer: RCMP $7,200,548 Nisha Technologies Inc. 2150 Thurston Dr. Description: Panasonic Toughbooks CF-31’s Buyer: DND $3,532,758 Thales Canada Inc. 1 Chrysalis Way Description: Handle optical instruments – Victoria Class submarine parts Buyer: DND $2,861,667

Al Parsons Electronics Ltd. 1140 Morrison Dr. Description: Repair overhead and hangar doors Buyer: DND $668,383 Nortrax Canada Inc. 190 David Manchester Rd. Description: Motor graders Buyer: Parks Canada $662,907 Noble Corp.

1283 Algoma Rd. Description: Miscellaneous plumbing supplies Buyer: PWGSC $600,000 TRM Technologies Inc. 280 Albert St. Description: CDMR application architect and project manager Buyer: DND $592,250 Yves’ Security Systems Ltd. 768 Merkley Dr. Description: Cartridge 7.62 x 39 mm Buyer: DND $568,560 Banfield-Seguin Ltd. 35 Armstrong St. Description: Drug-impaired driving Buyer: Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada $565,000 Acart Communications Inc. 171 Nepean St.

The 23 rd Annual

Equispheres Inc. 343 Preston St. Description: Equipment/ machinery – design, development, modification: science and technology related Buyer: PWGSC $528,172

October 17, 2017 Ottawa Conference & Event Centre

650 ATTENDEES 50 SPEAKERS 14 SESSIONS Register Today $395 + HST* *Advance Registration Ends September 18

ADGA Group Consultants Inc. 110 Argyle Ave. Description: One intermediate risk management specialist Buyer: Directorate of Land Procurement $445,220 The Masha Krupp Translation Group Ltd. 1547 Merivale Rd. Description: Translation government contracts Buyer: PWGSC $431,156 Raymond Roofing & Assoc. Inc. 3091 Albion Rd. Description: Residences#1 and 2 – roof travel restraint system upgrades, Ottawa, Ontario Buyer: National Capital Commission $326,485

For full conference details and to register, visit

www.realestateforums.com/ottawaref

Inspire Us

The Order of Ottawa

Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology 1385 Woodroffe Ave. Description: ESU technical training Buyer: DND $300,000 Visual Planning 2015 Corp.

71 Meadowbank Dr. Description: Plastic sheeting, various locations Buyer: DND $300,000 Tannis Trading Inc. 2390 Stevenage Dr. Description: Meat, poultry, fish Buyer: DND $300,000

2016 Recipients

Recognizing outstanding service and excellence in our community Nominate a deserving resident by September 8, 2017.

Visit ottawa.ca/orderofottawa

15 OBJ.CA

DEW Engineering and Development ULC 3429 Hawthorne Rd. Description: Truck, lavatory service, aircraft Buyer: DND $1,562,117

Neptec Design Group Ltd. 302 Legget Dr. Description: Astronautics (R&D) Buyer: Canadian Space Agency $1,120,998

Description: Online advertising unit Buyer: PWGSC $565,000

MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 2017

DST Consulting Engineers Inc. 2150 Thurston Dr. Description: Hazardous materials assessment and abatement services Buyer: PWGSC $1,575,000

Telesat Canada 1601 Telesat Crt. Description: Lugs, terminals and terminal strips Buyer: Fisheries and Oceans Canada $1,540,846

Two Ottawa organizations were among the winners at Startup Canada’s annual Ontario Region awards.

IgniteAC, Algonquin College’s centre for innovation and entrepreneurship, captured the Entrepreneur Support Award, while the African Bronze Honey Company won the Social Enterprise Award. The regional winners will now be evaluated by a committee that will determine the recipients of Startup Canada’s national awards, which will be handed out in Ottawa on Oct. 19.

2017-058

Contracts

Client have been recognized in the Best Customer Premise Technology category for their work on the UMA service with Portugal’s leading cable operator.

CSI Magazine celebrates excellence in the cable, satellite, broadcast and associated sectors.

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