13 minute read
Bright side of business
The Bright Side of Business is an editorial feature focused on sharing positive stories of business success. This column is presented by Star Motors, Ottawa’s original Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes Van dealer.
Ottawa catering company grew despite COVID-19, set to surpass its pre-pandemic earnings
BY NICKIE SHOBEIRY
news@obj.ca
Without a doubt, My Catering Group (MCG) is one of Ottawa’s favourite catering services, boasting clients like the Ottawa International Airport, the Museum of Nature, Ottawa Art Gallery, and even the Speaker of the House of Commons.
Founded in 2014 by Derick Cotnam, the business caters everything from corporate events and high-end weddings, to smaller get-togethers, even offering an at-home delivery option. While Cotnam has spent much of his career in the food industry — he was just 14 years old when he first started working at a pizzeria — his journey to MCG had some twists and turns.
In his early 20s, Cotnam became a sous-chef at a large restaurant in Ottawa. “It was kind of like a sink or swim scenario — I took that and ran with it,” he says. By 24, he had moved to Bermuda to work at a high-end resort. Despite the luxurious venue, staff were working 12 to 14 hours a day, six days a week.
Seeing how hard it was to find a work-life balance, Cotnam decided to completely switch industries, moving to the financial sector. Within one and a half years, however, Cotnam found that he was “not at all passionate about selling life insurance and investments,” he says.
A NEW CHAPTER
Cotnam realized his true passion was for “cooking, hospitality and entertaining people,” he says. “I just wanted to figure out a way to be able to do it for myself and with people that I really enjoy working with” — which is where MCG came in.
By 2012, Cotnam had his business up and running. For two years, he worked various restaurant gigs part-time while running MCG. “For a very long time, I didn’t really take any income from the company,” he says — but come 2014, leading MCG was Cotnam’s full-time job.
Within a handful of years, MCG was landing catering contracts like a 1200-person party for HEXO, an 800-person event for the closing of parliament’s Center Block, and a Deloitte holiday party for 500 people.
For HEXO, MCG provided a chickenand-ribs-style buffet barbecue, while at Deloitte, they offered a cheese charcuterie station, and “a raw bar where our chefs (were) shucking oysters, putting tuna crudo together in front of people,” Cotnam says.
THE PARTY’S OVER — OR IS IT?
Since COVID-19, parties with hundreds of people can feel like a distant daydream. Just before the pandemic hit, MCG had picked up a contract with the Ottawa International Airport to supply their grab-and-go-foods, creating on average $100,000 of revenue per month.
It was those numbers that made MCG eligible for the government subsidies that kept them in operation for the first part of the pandemic. “Had we not had that job, the business might not be in existence,” Cotnam explains.
To stay afloat, Cotnam and his team launched ‘MCG At Home’, a meal-delivery platform with a rotating four-course menu. Before the pandemic, Cotnam says his business was on-track to triple its 2019 revenue. As it currently stands, MCG’s forecasts already surpass what they were set to make in January 2020 — three months before COVID-19 hit.
However, with the pandemic’s current third wave, Cotnam says he’s unsure what lies ahead. “I get pretty friggin anxious about what the future is going to be,” he says. “If everything turns around with the pandemic, there’s going to be lots of opportunities — we’re going to be operating at full capacity.”
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Navigating eldercare: Is long-term care or in-home care the best choice?
The healthcare system can be confusing – especially when it comes to continued care. Making the decision to apply for either long-term or in-home care for yourself or a loved one can involve quite a bit of planning, so it helps to be prepared so you don’t get stuck in an emergency situation, says Gaye Moffett, CEO of GEM Health Care Services.
GEM provides homecare and home support services to eligible patients in the Ottawa area, and has helped several clients navigate through the continued care system.
Here are some tips from GEM to help you navigate the extended care system:
Find an advocate – or be one yourself If you’ve been told by a doctor that your loved one will soon require either long-term or homecare to meet their daily needs, it’s important to start doing your research immediately. The first decision to make is whether long-term care or homecare is the best decision for your situation – which isn’t always easy.
Ask your loved one for their opinion, as they might not want to leave the comfort of their home. If you’re planning yourself, make the decision now and choose a Power of Attorney for Health that will be able to advocate for you when the time comes. Also choose a PoA for Property to look after your finances. Your lawyer who makes your will can help with theses arrangements.
In Ottawa, there are also a high number of federal government employees that have private nursing included in their benefit plan, so before embarking on a continued care journey, check to see if some of the services are covered by your employer.
Do your homework Local applications to long-term care homes are controlled by Home and Community Care Support Services Champlain, which covers a vast geographical area including Cornwall, Pembroke and the area along the Ottawa River.
Waiting lists for long-term care homes can take years and applicants can be asked to make a decision about an available bed within 24 hours of their notification, which means you need to be prepared, says Moffett.
Although long-term care is paid for by the government, typically rent for the unit is not, with prices ranging from $1500 to $3000 a month.
Public homecare is also paid for by the government, but that too has its limitations.
GEM offers the ability to supplement government care with its services to meet the number of hours needed by a patient, allowing clients to access care quicker.
“In doing that, our services are also deemed HST exempt and that saves the person an additional 13 per cent,” she adds.
Whether you’re looking for wound care nurses, physiotherapists, PSWs, foot care nurses or have questions about extended care, the team at GEM are ready to help.
To find out more about GEM’s homecare services, visit www.gemhealthcare.com or call 613-761-7474 at any time to speak to a representative.
GEM Health Care Services Services de Santé GEM
Our Family for Yours® Notre famille au service de la vôtre®
GEM Health Care Services Services de Santé GEM
Our Family for Yours® Notre famille au service de la vôtre®
Regional Group wraps up a record-breaking year with a BOBs win
Receiving a 2021 Best Ottawa Business (BOB) Award is a tremendous achievement – and for the team at Regional Group is an additional reason to celebrate the success of the past year.
Since 1958, Regional Group has helped shape real estate in Ottawa and throughout Canada’s National Capital Region. From its humble beginnings, the business has evolved into a real estate powerhouse that offers a host of services to clients and investors — with projects ranging from land and commercial development, investment assemblies and urban infill, to the creation and delivery of complete master-planned communities.
Today, Regional is lauded as one of Ottawa’s most trusted and recognized developers. The company is made up of a real estate pipeline in the excess of $5.2 billion, with several projects in various stages of development in Ontario and Quebec, as well as a management portfolio of more than 2.9 million square feet of commercial space and 2,000 residential units.
Regional has six divisions: Property & Asset Management, Investment & Leasing, Commercial Development, Land Development, Tax & Valuation Advisory and Production Home Building via affiliated and award-winning company eQ Homes. This vertical integration is a powerful differentiator that allows the company to create value for clients through the entire life cycle of real estate investments.
In 2020, Regional Group implemented a successful succession plan, transferring leadership from long-standing CEO Steve Gordon, to third generation family-member and son, Sender Gordon, who has taken the reins, gaining industry trust and respect.
Although 2021 presented its challenges, maneuvering through the pandemic has played to Regional’s strengths. The company – known for not settling for status quo – successfully adapted its strategy in the search for new and innovative ways of capitalizing on technology and business opportunities.
Despite the uncertainty of the past two years, Regional has experienced significant growth and continued to diversify its business mix — resulting in a year of record profits and earnings.
The recent creation of a new Commercial & Multi-Family division has opened the doors for Regional to expand and flourish within the competitive market of office park and mixed-use apartment building development.
Regional also developed two purpose-built rental buildings in Greystone Village. Milieu Modern Apartments – the first of two properties – received occupancy in November 2021, providing a much-anticipated high-quality rental option for hundreds of Ottawa families.
In addition, Regional’s subsidiary and award-winning builder eQ Homes, noted a record year with over 350 new home and condo sales, the completion of four phases in master-planned communities in the greater Ottawa area and added an extensive collection of 2021 industry awards to their portfolio.
The company continues to be driven by a philosophy of integrity and embodies a culture that is creative, forward-thinking and innovative. Regional credits its success to its growing team of industry experts and recognizes the value of investing in homegrown talent.
Regional is thrilled to celebrate the success of the past year and is elated to join previous years’ winners of the Best Ottawa Business Award. The team extends congratulations to all local businesses and recipients on their achievements with a big thank you to the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Board of Trade for this honour.
Top: Milieu Modern Apartments, the first of two purpose-built rental buildings in Greystone Village, now actively leasing. Left: The Oliver – eQ Homes GOHBA award-winning Best Single-Family Home (2,000 – 3,000 sq.ft.)
How Bruyère cut costs and increased care with Algonquin’s Lean program
For decades the team at Bruyère has remained dedicated to providing high quality, efficient care to residents in the capital. Whether it’s rehabilitation, complex care or senior care, the team adheres to a set of stringent protocols to ensure the well-being of its patients.
In trying to keep up with the steady demand for healthcare services and growing need for resources, the team at Bruyère engaged Algonquin College Corporate Training (ACCT) to take a closer look at the hospital’s organizational structure in hopes of spotting – and remedying – any inefficiencies.
Bruyère embarked on a Lean project with ACCT – a program that helps teams minimize time and resource waste, with the goal of creating more efficient, aligned work processes.
By undergoing Lean Green Belt training, staff were taught how to improve patient satisfaction and care outcomes while reducing costs.
Mark Donais, a procurement coordinator at Bruyère, launched the Lean project in 2018 to gauge how the hospital’s linen distribution program could be improved.
Protocol dictates that all linens must be changed whenever a patient is discharged or moves rooms, resulting in costly linen turnover and high energy consumption, says Donais.
Sparking significant change With the quality of care at the forefront, it became increasingly important for Bruyère to prevent losses, unite multiple departments under one goal and embrace an improved process of supply chain management.
Through the support and guidance of Algonquin College’s licensed Lean professionals, Donais and his team were able to make substantial improvements to their system, surpassing the initial goal of the project.
Through Lean training and implementation, Bruyère saw financial savings and reduced staff time spent on linen services. The team was also able to learn valuable skills that will help them spot inefficiencies in the future.
“The project was so important because it impacted the productivity of several departments within the hospital,” says Donais. “It touched our warehouse team, who does the orders, our housekeeping, who remove all the linen from the patient rooms, as well as our porters and clinical teams. I even noticed a difference in my own time saved.”
Since Bruyère first began working with Algonquin College Corporate Training in 2014, 100 hospital employees have completed Lean Green Belt training, arming them with project management skills, the ability to reduce bottlenecks, improve efficiency and implement rapid change.
Photo courtesy of Bruyère COULD YOUR TEAM BENEFIT FROM LEAN TRAINING?
Algonquin College Corporate Training’s Lean programs can be delivered either as an element of a broader custom training solution or as a stand-alone program depending on your company’s needs.
ACCT offers various learning experiences: • Instructor-led sessions at your site or at Algonquin College’s professional learning centre at 700 Sussex • Virtual instructor-led classes • Independent, self-paced online learning (e-Learning)
For more information, contact Algonquin College Corporate Training at 613-727-7729 or training@algonquincollege.com or visit accorporatetraining.com
