Datebook

REAL ESTATE

A better home for a business bureau

BY CAROLINE MURRAY

news@obj.ca

One of Hintonburg’s most beloved community landmarks, the former Parkdale Fire Station No. 11, is on the verge of being reinvented as a flexible office, meeting and event space for the Better Business Bureau’s largest regional office in Canada.

The private nonprofit organization had been searching for a building that was centrally located and filled with historic charm when it learned that the old firehall at 424 Parkdale Ave. was up for grabs. Its anchor tenant, The Urban Element culinary event studio, bid good bye to its home of 15 years last winter.

“I feel really fortunate that this space became available for us right at the time when we were looking,” said Jordan King, president and CEO of Better Business Bureau (BBB) Canada’s Northern Capital Regions and Quebec. “It’s just such a perfect fit.”

BBB is taking over the entire 4,800-square-foot, two-storey building. It has been around since 1924, back when fire engines were pulled by horses (Ottawa’s last fire horse retired from the station by 1929. His name was Bob).

The heritage designated property boasts high ceilings, exposed brick walls, polished concrete flooring, and original fire hall features such as a hose drying tower and a firefighter’s pole. The windows and doublebay doors are painted a cheerful bright red.

“This building has more character than we could ever inject into it,” said King. “It’s very iconic in the city, which is amazing. If you tell someone you’re at the firehall on Parkdale, they’re immediately, like, ‘I know that place!’ ”

The pièce de résistance is the high-end commercial kitchen on the main floor. “We will be able to host our own events,” said King while emphasizing how much he wants to foster neighbourhood inclusivity, whether that means bringing in local chefs or loaning the space out for special occasions in exchange, perhaps, for a donation to a local charity.

BBB plans to use the second floor, previously occupied by Plum Realty, as office and meeting rooms for employees and BBB members. They can come and go as they please, in keeping with current flexible workplace trends.

BBB is working with Ottawa-based design consultants Candice Wei and Mark Sanchez of Wei Sanchez Design Studio to give the interior a relaxed retro vibe that matches the nearly century-old architecture, with its red bricks with stone trim. The fire hall, which closed in 1986, is one of the last pre-1930 stations remaining in Ottawa.

The most significant change will involve bringing the hidden second bay into the ground floor space.

The Better Business Bureau had been searching for a building that was centrally located and filled with historic charm when it learned the old firehall at 424 Parkdale Ave. was available.

OCT. 13

As OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade prepare to honour a new CEO of the Year in November, we will hear from the past recipient in mid-October. Kinaxis CEO John Sicard will be the guest speaker at the biannual CEO Talk series. Sicard says the supply chain management firm is more important than ever during the pandemic. Beyond the bottom line, he argues that supply chain management has a major role to play in combating climate change. “We see it as our responsibility to be leaders in the supply chain ecosystem to help create a better future,” he said in September, when the company announced it achieved carbon neutrality. CEO Talk will take place at the popular KIN Vineyards and feature networking and an interactive question-and-answer session with Sicard. More info at www.ottawabot.ca.

OCT. 22

For local sports fans, the Mayor’s Breakfast for October will be doubly interesting, as it will feature hockey and business. The guest speaker will be the somewhat new president of business operations for the Ottawa Senators, Anthony Leblanc. Leblanc will be challenged to rebuild the team’s business operations and revenues as pandemic lingers and a fourth wave takes hold. He started his career in the local tech sector with Corel and then worked as VP global sales for Blackberry in the early 2000s. Around 2010, his career took a sharp turn towards professional sports, eventually becoming the CEO of the Arizona Coyotes. Leblanc is scheduled to speak at the Mayor’s Breakfast on Oct. 22, likely a virtual event given COVID-19. More info at www.ottawabot.ca.

NOV. 25

For OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade, the fall business season culminates in the Best Ottawa Business Awards, better known as the BOBs. The event recognizes the CEO of the Year, the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and the CFO of the Year. Plus, there are a couple dozen more awards ranging from Best Businesses, Best New Businesses, Best Performance in various categories, Deals of the Year, Newsmaker and much more. With COVID-19 restrictions, the 2021 event is expected to be a VIP cocktail celebration for a limited number of recipients and then a professional online and television broadcast co-produced with Rogers TV. Keep reading OBJ for more information.