SPRING 2017 | EDITION 53
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I N T H I S EDI T ION Open Season:
An in-depth look into ‘Seasons’ project and the grand opening of Outlet Collection Winnipeg
The Multitasking Ninja Sophie Nathanail Employee Spotlight
Getting to Know Western Surety Scott Donald offers a refreshing update on one of The Hill Companies most historic businesses
1 IMPRESSIONS
FIRST
“With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street..” ~ Dr. Seuss Marking the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss, March 2nd was “Dr. Seuss Day” important day for students in Regina, as well as across the country. Dr. Seuss Day was celebrated by students, teachers and librarians nationwide as communities came together to promote literacy through the famous work of Dr. Seuss. Harvard employees like Melissa Loos of Harvard Western Insurance (pictured) were proud to support this incredible initiative.
EDITOR’S MESSAGE
ROSANNE HILL BLAISDELL
There are many unique and wonderful aspects about working in the real estate industry. It’s a business we grew up with and one that shapes our corporate culture. On April 20th, Harvard Developments Inc. hosted and was the Platinum sponsor of the 2017 Saskatchewan Real Estate Forum. There were brokers, developers, investors, builders, planners and other professionals in attendance – illustrating a keen interest in our real estate market. It was clear that day that are all part of a greater community trying to grow our industry and learn from each other. This much anticipated Forum was held in Regina and brought together over 500 real estate professionals (30% of whom travelled from outside the province) to discuss the diversity of the Saskatchewan economy, major trends in the Saskatoon and Regina real estate markets, and how they are performing from a leasing, development and investment perspective. The forum also provided an excellent opportunity to showcase our province and the growing advantages of investing into the Saskatchewan market.
As Chair of the event, I was honoured to moderate the closing panel of Senior Real Estate Executives, including my father Paul Hill, who are doing business in Saskatchewan. George Przybylowski (the event organizer) raised a good point, that this was the first time a father-daughter duo had presented at the Forum! It was fun bantering back and forth in public, but I can assure you that Dad and I don’t plan to take our show on the road any time soon. Overall, the panelists’ views on what the future holds for real estate in Saskatchewan was insightful and cautiously optimistic. Events like this are invaluable when it comes to the power of networking, knowledge sharing and partnerships. The day inspired great confidence for not only our market, but our entire industry in the years ahead. ROSANNE HILL BLAISDELL Managing Director, Harvard Buildings Vice President Leasing, Harvard Developments
The morning panel brought perspectives from Resource based industries head quartered in Saskatchewan. Murad AlKatib from AGT, Craig Lothian from Lex Energy, Andy Keleman from Agrium and Michael Hoffort from Farm Credit Canada spoke about the challenges and opportunities in their industries and how Saskatchewan is well poised for future growth. There were numerous other engaging and thought-provoking panelists and presentations from Harvard’s own Paul Hill, Tina Svedahl and Aaron McDougall were highlights.
PICTURED RIGHT: Members of the Forum`s Closing Panel (L to R) | David Dubé - President and CEO, Concorde Group of Companies, Paul Hill - President and CEO of The Hill Companies, Rosanne Hill VP of Leasing for Harvard Developments Inc., Darin Rayburn - Chief Executive Officer, Melcor REIT and Michael Cooper - President & Chief Responsible Officer, Dream Unlimited Corp. PICTURED RIGHT: A snapshot of the crowd during one of the day’s several engaging sessions.
MESSAGE FROM MO MO BUNDON
Dear colleagues, It’s Go-Time! As you know, The Hill Companies as an organization has always prided itself on being innovative. Especially in an organization such as ours —having 13 different business units operating in many vastly different landscapes— the opportunities for innovation are always abound. One perfect example of our innovational spirit is occurring right now as you read this. An innovation that is ushering the real estate branch of our company from one era into another. An innovation that is completely revamping the way we will do business. An innovation called: Project H20. When we launched this project a mere nine months ago, we had high hopes and even higher expectations… now let me tell you, those hopes and expectations have not fallen short. It is astounding to see just how far we’ve come since we officially launched this project in September. Sharepoint has been running full steam ahead for a few months now, our new email system Microsoft Outlook has successfully been switched over, and as of March 20th the new MRI software has been fully integrated into our day-to-day operations. To celebrate all those achievements and to give employees a chance to hear more about what is to come in the future, we had a fantastic celebration on the morning of March 20th. Employees all gathered in their offices to celebrate with one another, to commemorate a very important moment in our company history, and to
acknowledge all the hard work and dedication that has gone in to getting us to this point. As with any project of this magnitude, there has no doubt been some pain points along the way. However, thanks to our hard-working and incredibly skilled project team those setbacks have been few and far between. I want to extend my sincerest thank you not only to every member of the Project H20 team, but also to every single employee who has stuck with us through this transition into a new and improved Harvard. The extra hours you have put in, your continued dedication to the project, and the unwavering positive attitude you have displayed throughout this process has not gone unnoticed. I’ve always said that we have the best people here at The Hill Companies, and it’s times like these that really reinforce that idea and prove how truly amazing our employees are. Now, the road ahead might still bring some bumps and bruises, but I promise that if we all stay adaptable and go with the flow, the final product will be worth it. Enjoy the 53rd edition of The Hill Street News!
MO BUNDON Senior VP and COO Harvard Developments Inc.
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h2o PROJECT
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THE CONSCIOUS CORNER | THE BIGGER PICTURE JANUARY HILL
Have you ever stopped to ponder what ‘happiness’ really means? We all feel it from time to time, and in our own ways. Certainly, what might constitute happiness for some, might not present the same for others. It is both bizarre and fantastic to me that happiness has the power to show up tailored to each of our adventures in life. Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘happiness’ as: “A state of wellbeing and contentment.” Alternatively, it is described as “a pleasurable or satisfying experience.” Anthropologist Ashley Montagu once wrote: “The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.”
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I love this quote...
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I absolutely agree that happiness has the ability to grab hold of us — sometimes in a moment’s notice — and take us on an exhilarating ride.
A universal dilemma, often portrayed in pop culture, is the pursuit of happiness. I feel this is best exemplified in the 2006 Hollywood blockbuster film of the same title, The Pursuit of Happyness. For those of you who haven’t seen it, the movie tells the story of a young husband, father and independent salesman —played by actor Will Smith— who loses everything and becomes forced to live on the streets. The film paints an honest and humble picture of homelessness in society — irrespective of the city being portrayed. So vivid, in fact, is director Gabriele Muccino’s depiction of homelessness, it could have been describing poverty anywhere — Regina, even. A heart-wrenching scene shows desperation at its highest, when Smith’s character, Christopher Gardner, purposely locks himself and his young son in a subway station bathroom one night, just to stay alive. Gardner mystifies as a capable, intelligent man who, like so many other people, are faced with financial constraints that seem hopeless. Without giving too much away, he is eventually presented with the opportunity of a lifetime and he takes it upon himself to suit-up, rebuild and prove himself worthy for his next act. Given what he’s been through and the losses he’s incurred, having this second chance — a ‘life do-over’ — forces him to take stock of what’s important to him, namely his son’s wellbeing. For Gardener, finding new joy in an honest day’s work in a high-energy environment, despite starting from the ground up, puts him on a new track toward reclaiming his happiness and merit as a father.
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Smith was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his role in the film which is both heartbreaking, inspiring and gives viewers a glimpse into how happiness can be sought after and found in the simplest things, under the most challenging of experiences. In essence, I feel tremendous compassion for people who are trying to do their best every day with limited resources and options, and yet who are still able to find joy and comfort in the things so many of us take for granted. For example: a warm bed to sleep in, clean clothes on our backs and food when we are hungry. Whenever I can, I try to honour their presence with simple acts of giving — whether that be donating a few dollars from my pocket, a hot cup of coffee or a sandwich, or supporting local food banks and shelters. Even a simple smile and acknowledgment of ‘hello, how are you today?’ is a compassionate gesture. When I reflect on the origin of that compassion, I am immensely appreciative of my parents who have taught me, and who lovingly remind me every day, to practice compassion for everybody I encounter — especially for those who are less fortunate than I am. May we all, like this column’s name ‘The Conscious Corner,’ suggests, strive to be more mindful of those in need of our help. And may we never be too busy, or too rushed, to miss the bigger picture.
OPEN
S EASO At the time of this interview our project team was suffering from computer issues, plumbing issues, and to top it off a pretty cold and windy day. When they aren’t doing things like crawling around the site office looking for plumbing leaks or insulating their water tanks…they somehow find some time to get work done. As Stephen Maruschak puts it, “I think sometimes the people in Regina don’t realize exactly what we do here on a day to day basis and the unique situations that we sometimes have to deal with…” It is for that exact reason that we took the time to interview our Winnipeg-based project team, and find out a little bit more about the ins and outs of the Seasons development.
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ON Q. Why would you say the media is paying such close attention to this project? A. (Stephen Maruschak, Construction Project Manager) I would say that Winnipeg began giving this project a lot of attention when it started ramping up a couple years ago. There have been pretty consistent touches from the media out here to get updates and track the progress. I think one of the major draws is the scale of the outlet mall, partnered with the fact that this is the first mall constructed in Winnipeg since the early 80s. On top of that, people have also started to realize that the site is not just an outlet mall, there will also be a hotel, car dealership, and much more. Q. In regards to the leasing strategy with seasons, are there any specific retailers were after? A. (Dan Woychuk, Leasing Manager) I think there are a couple different answers there. First off, this is a very large retail site, so early on we had to come up with a plan for what areas of the site we were going to develop and in what order. From that, we got a certain building (or five) that we planned to develop first, and with those buildings came a certain style of tenant. You might have three or four multi-tenant buildings or maybe a speciality building, and that difference can really dictate what type of tenant we go after. The other side of it is that we’ve been trying to attract some new-to-market retailers as well as a local flavour. The local retail community and local food scene is very important to people in Winnipeg, and there are some great restaurants that do a fantastic job in comparison to other chain restaurants. In the end, we really are looking to bring in a good mix of local and new-to-market tenants. ED I TI ON 5 3 - THE HI LL S TR E E T NE W S |
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Q. Give me a summary of how leasing has been going? A. (Dan) I think generally speaking the interest level is very high from retailers for this site. There is a bit of a syndrome where some retailers don’t want to be the first wave and have been waiting until May 3rd to see it open and operating before they come in. However, lots of retailers look at it as needing to get in right now, such as the Dairy Queen that opened in January. That’s why a big part of my day-to-day is sharing the vision and creating awareness in the community. The information flow has been very limited as far as official announcements on tenants goes, but that is just the nature of our business, it is very hard to share information on tenants unless a deal is fully signed and sealed. I would love to see some tenant news releases coming quick to create some awareness. Q. What builds are underway and what keeps you busy? A. (Stephen) On the overall site The Hilton Garden Inn is under construction and they’re shooting for a late July opening date. They also have a beer vendor on site opening as well which is big news because there isn’t one in the area. Next door, the Audi dealership is shooting for fall. We also have Building 14 currently under construction which will have the IHOP, which gets turned over early May. Building Nine was turned over to Dairy Queen in October, and the 2nd tenant is Pizzeria Pronto, a local franchisee who has
since opened their doors to the public. We will hopefully have one, if not two, buildings going up this spring, and McDonald’s will start building in spring as well. Overall, people are really starting to see the site fill out. Q. With a site this large and with multiple builds and contractors going on, how do you juggle the hectic schedule? A. (Stephen) For the most part it works fine. When you have two general contractors sharing a fence line sometimes there are little issues concerning the claiming of certain things which I have to referee but for the most part, it’s fine. It’s certainly not an everyday thing we have to deal with but it’s pretty regular, and as it gets more crowded on the site it will be a bigger task dealing with the coordination. Luckily, we have a lot of contractor teams working on more than one projects out here, so it helps that they are invested in multiple segments of the site. It really helps us get things done very efficiently. Q. Any major obstacles or challenges? A. (Veronica Eno, Development Manager) One constant challenge is coordinating with the City of Winnipeg. I am always working with them on any number of things that are going on at Seasons. I think in general there is a lot of city and municipal support for the project, such as our area councillor who is a huge fan of the project and does everything he can to help us out. It also helps that I was actually a consultant on this project before I came to work with Harvard… so my history on this site predates the Harvard purchase of the area, and even the previous owners purchase. That history helps me to offer some guidance to everyone because I can relay why previous decisions were made, and the context behind those decisions which really helps in dealing with the city and contractors out here. I think it may not be a secret, but definitely one of the other challenges for us here are construction costs. Between here and Regina there is just a higher cost here and that’s something we have had to deal with. We always have to try and make decisions to reduce construction costs and
to try and push the rents as high as we can to make everything work. I think the differences between Winnipeg and Regina were a little bit of a shock to everyone in Regina early on in the project. There are also just some different rules here as well: We adopted the energy code which Saskatchewan doesn’t have yet, we pay taxes on top of mechanical and electrical which Regina doesn’t pay, distribution of electrical on the site is different for us with Manitoba Hydro as opposed to with Saskpower. All of those things were/are definitely challenges to overcome. With it being a joint venture project, we also run into the regular issues that all other joint ventures run into, with a bit of a twist. Being a satellite office, and not being in the same building or even city as the other people involved in this project can sometimes make small decisions much more complicated. Sometimes we find ourselves asking “Who signs this?” Blair? Darryl? Both?” Something so simple like that can pop up and we don’t have the luxury of just popping into the office next door and asking someone.
Q. Is there an expected build out time we are shooting for? A. (Veronica) From our perspective we want to get as much done as possible by November, 2019. The City of Winnipeg is trying to implement an Impact/Growth Fee for new developments and we managed to get our site a delay for the application of those fees until November of 2019. I’ve been heavily involved in the industry debate with the city on this topic, and that impact fee might just go away in the coming years if enough support is generated against it, but in my head I would like to do as much as we possibly can before then and hopefully not have to worry about it. In the end, with all my involvement with this project over the years I really just find it awesome to get out here and look out my window and see it all happening. This used to just be a huge field and gap in the city for a long time, so I’m really excited to see this development finally taking shape.
Q. If you could give this project and overall grade? What would you give it? A. (Dan) If you want my honest take on it… Here is an out of province developer that comes in and buys a significant parcel of land and partners with a couple great partners in Forster Projects and Ivanhoe. Then they get into the outlet mall business, sell some parcels for 100’s of residential units, some hotels, car dealers and first to market retailers who are all now starting to sign deals. I think that’s a huge deal…definitely an A+.
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GETTING TO KNOW
WESTERN SURETY WESTERN SURETY AN IN DEPTH Q & A SESSION WITH SCOTT DONALD, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF WESTERN SURETY
Q: What does Western Surety do? Well, first off, surety is known to be the second oldest profession in the world, and Western Surety is the only “surety only” company that provides surety bonding to the construction industry. Construction is about 95% of revenue annually, and since we are fully federally licensed we transact business in all territories and provinces. Q: What is surety bonding? Surety bonding is essentially insurance. We have about 750 construction companies that we bond across Canada. The main two bonds we provide are: performance bonds, and labour and material payment bonds. The performance bond is essentially a third party guarantee to the owner of a project that their contract will be completed by the Western Surety contractor, and the labour and material payment bond is a financial guarantee that anybody that has contributed to the project will be paid by the owner. Those second types of bonds are generally the ones we pay out the most amount of claims on. With the flow of money and a volatile economy sometimes the money doesn’t flow down to the contractors and sub-contractors or suppliers in the project. That’s when we hear about people not getting paid, and a claim is filed. That is where Paul Bourassa (Legal Counsel) comes in, he has been handling our claims since 1977…and hopefully he will until I retire! That is pretty much what we do in a nutshell. Q: What type of background does the typical Western Surety employee have? Generally everyone on the surety underwriting side has some type of financial or accounting background. We do a thorough review of every contractor regarding banking information, financial statements, construction references, etc. so that type of background is key in performing those duties. Q: Western Surety is now 108 years old as of 2017, why has the company been able to be so successful for so long? We typically attribute that to the people that have been employed here, and the fact that we’ve had the same Hill family ownership which has always preached the hiring of good people, conservative underwriting, and stability and predictability. I think all of those things work together to
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draw brokers to Western Surety, they all know what they are going to get from us. Since the mid 1970’s we have only had three different Presidents, all of whom have had the same fundamental beliefs about what Western Surety is all about. That consistency in my mind is what makes us attractive. I’ll also plug in that if you were to do a 50 year analysis, we are probably the lowest loss ratio in the industry. Q: We obviously have a lot of people that stick around for 15-30 or more years with Western Surety, why would you say people stay so long with the company? I always go back to the people. Paul Hill hires people and lets them do their job, and I think that is a big part of why people like working here. Personally, I talk to him for an hour every month, have two board meetings a year, and then see him at the Christmas party. The people at Western Surety really have that autonomy and freedom to do their job, and not get managed into a corner. I also think that if you do a good job you are paid accordingly, and it’s a family owned, non-union business, which I like. It’s never been a difficult decision for me to stay here. Q: What is the competitive advantage that Western Surety has in the industry? Well first off I think we do pretty good for being a pretty small and niche company battling against the largest multinationals in the world: GCNA, Travellers, Intact and Zurich. However, I think the fact that employees have access to me, being the final decision maker, is huge. Most other firms often have to go to the US on large bond requests, whereas for Western Surety I am easily accessible to all employees. That access creates an ease of decision making that just isn’t typically present in other firms. I’d also say that our advantage is the stability of our people, most people working with Western Surety have a minimum of 15 years’ experience, and many have 30+ with our company. This allows the brokers to develop long and meaningful relationships with our employees.
Q: What would you say is the most important aspect of the surety business?
Q: How much do outside factors such as the economy and politics play into the business?
Definitely one of the most important things in this business is people, and the character of the people you’re bonding. At the end of the day it is a relationship business.
Well I don’t want to inject too much of my own political views into this, but our largest premium producing province is Alberta so when oil dipped and then you get an NDP government it’s sort of a double whammy. We’ve had to up our scrutiny in the Alberta sector, and we haven’t had any claims since the downturn, but we’ve also tossed out about 20 accounts. Overall, I think you have to look at each provincial outlook separately and make a directed strategy for each given situation. So in short, the amount that the economy and political landscape comes in to effect can vary widely depending on the province we are working in.
There are the 3 C’s of bond underwriting: Capacity, Capital and Character. That last C is probably the most important. We have a saying that we use here…”Look into the white of someone’s eyes”. When we go into meetings we like to look into the white of someone’ eyes and get a feel for them, really understand that character of the person on the other side of the table. Our motto is “it’s all about the people”, because as much as our business is built on financial obligations, at the end of the day we believe that before that comes a moral obligation to the people involved in the deal, and that’s what we like.
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Definitely one of the most important things in this business is people, and the character of the people you’re bonding. At the end of the day it is a relationship business. - SCOTT DONALD
How often do government policies impact your business? Since that whole Enron scandal and some of the other situations that have come to light in the media, the federal government has really enhanced their scrutiny of financial institutions. That means that the regulatory work that we now have to do has increased immensely, even just in the 9 years that I’ve been President. We’re always being eyeballed by the federal government. Another thing that impacts us is something called reinsurance. Since we are regulated by the federal government, we use reinsurance, which is insurance for insurance companies. Essentially, there is a huge pool of insurance money that is used to help with substantially large claims that insurance companies get. For example, say Western Surety took a $20 million loss on a claim, the reinsurers would absorb a big chunk of that loss to mitigate the damage it causes to our firm.
NINJa THE MULTITASKING
S O P H I E N AT H A N A I L
If you were to ask someone passing by on the street what they think of when you mention accountants, a lot of people would usually default to that stereotypical image of what accountants look like on TV…pocketprotector-wearing-with-calculators-for-hands-neverlooking-up-from-their-spreadsheet-always-chainedto-their-desk-workerbees. However, if you’ve ever met the amazing accountants we have here at Harvard, you know that image could not be further from the truth…Sophie Nathanail is the perfect example of someone who shakes that typical accountant stereotype and brings her own personal style and charisma to the profession, readily admitting that she “doesn’t quite have that typical accountant personality that people expect”. However, even though she doesn’t fit the stereotype, Sophie has still managed to thrive beyond measure in her accounting niche as Manager of Internal Audit with us here at The Hill Companies.
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EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
It all started when Sophie began her post-secondary education at the University of Regina. She decided that business was “a very practical and useful program to go into”, so she jumped in with two feet. However, when talking about her career Sophie concludes that “if you would have told me when I was a teenager that I was going to be an Internal Auditor, I would have said ‘what in the world is an Internal Auditor?’ I don’t think many people plan to be in this field from the beginning of their studies, it’s something that you just sort of fall into.” And boy are we happy that she fell into it, because after graduating and spending some time working for the high profile accounting firm Deloitte,
she made the move to come work with us here at The Hill Companies…Fast-forward a decade and Sophie is now celebrating her 10th outstanding year of being the Manager of Internal Audit for The Hill Companies When talking about what all exactly the job entails and what a typical day can look like for her, Sophie responded by saying that “because our company is so diverse, almost every day can be different for me. One day I can be over at Western Surety working on an audit of their IT and cyber security, then the next I can
find myself over at Harvard Broadcasting working in their office to understand new efficiencies. With each change in industry and company, there are different inherent risks that I have to take into account (pun intended?), and it always makes my job very dynamic and interesting. I wouldn’t say every day, but every so often I will have something thrown at me out of the blue and I really enjoy it because it just mixes things up for me.”
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Now, through all of that I think many of us would be surprised to find out there isn’t as much number crunching involved in internal audit as we may think. In actuality it offers the opportunity to be very interactive and social, as Sophie says “I don’t really look at numbers all that much, it’s more about the process of how you get from point A to point B and breaking that down and analyzing it.” Having to understand these countless different processes that occur in the many branches of The Hill Companies, Sophie finds herself always meeting and interviewing with different individuals and coworkers to gain the understanding necessary to deliver an efficient solution. This social aspect of her job is something that has aligned perfectly with her personality, as she notes that the original attraction to the field of audit was likely largely due to the social interactions it entails. This preference for jobs with high levels of social interaction has always shone through even in her earliest days in the workforce, as she continually seemed to be drawn to positions where she was interacting with people. Out of all of these early jobs, one in particular sticks out for Sophie, and that is her time spent working in a German deli through her university years. Now the high level of interaction with customers already made the position a great fit, but what really made that job stand out was the large amount of culture that was embedded into the interactions, something that has always been very important to Sophie. Many of the customers were German themselves, so through her time there she even learned to speak a bit of what she calls “German deli talk”. We can just go ahead and say that counts as fluent…making that the third language Sophie speaks, as I was very interested to find out she speaks Greek! The importance she places on culture likely stems from her growing up in a proud Greek family, as she notes that “one thing I really value is family time…growing up, Sundays were reserved for family time, and my parents were very strict on this.” Still to this day Sophie makes a point to have Sunday dinner at her mom’s house and give her son Matthew the opportunity to play with his cousins, because as she puts it “it’s just so wonderful to watch these memories in the making”. To finish things off, for those of us still left scratching our heads trying to figure out exactly what a Manager of Internal Audit really is, she has provided us with a suiting picture that perfectly encapsulates everything it is to do her job everyday…
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HAVE A ‘COLORFUL’ OUTLOOK
FERLIN RANDS & STEPHEN SAFINUK
Outlook 2013 has a new way of indicating unread messages. There’s a blue bar to the left of the message in your inbox, and the message header also appears blue.This blue is applied using conditional formatting. However, you can change both the color and font. Better still, you can write your own rules and format your emails using colors of your choice. You can assign a certain color to emails based upon who sent them, or upon which words appear in the subject line. To do this, choose View > View Settings > Conditional Formatting. You will see the Unread Messages rule and the blue color. Here you can change the font or color as you wish. You can also click Add to add a new rule. Start by typing a name for the rule in the Name box. Then click Font and choose a font and font color to apply to the email header. Finally, click the Condition button. When the Filter dialog opens, select the options that describe which types of emails will be formatted with your new settings. Click OK three times to save your settings.
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CORPORATE SERVICES LAURETTA BELIVEAU
Accountants are busy working on 2016 year end and tax files.
Recruitment will start shortly to fill Ting’s and Anna’s positions.
Auditors will be arriving in early April and setting up shop on the 21st floor Mezzanine.
Gary Thiel, Corporate Accounting’s “Man in Motion – Michelin Man” continues to ride his bike to work, in wind, rain, snow & slush (but not when its -46°). Recently Gary ran a Lululemon 80km challenge in 2 weeks. He follows STRAVA which is a kind of a Facebook for runners, bikers & swimmers which is where Lululemon posted the challenge. Gary could track his progress through the STRAVA app and his GPS watch. Completing this challenge won him free merchandise from Lululemon. Great job Gary!
Sanam Zimmer & James Nixon wrote and passed the Tax Module in the CPA program and are in the program’s final stages of obtaining their CPA designations. Given the rapid pace and scope of changes to their profession, Chartered Professional Accountants must continually maintain, update, improve and enhance their knowledge and skills in areas in which they work. Saskatchewan’s CPA’s must meet the mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements. The minimum requirement for a licensed member is: 20 verifiable hours of CPD annually for a comprehensive license (audit & reviews), and 10 verifiable hours of CPD annually for a conditional license (reviews only). The hours must be specific to the practice of professional accounting. As such, Corporate Accountants have registered for early 2017 CPD courses and will continue to do so on an ongoing basic as PD courses become available. We will see upcoming staffing changes in Corporate Accounting as Ting Meng, after 7 years in Canada has decided to relocate back to Hunam, China to be closer with her family. Ting will be with us until the end of June. Anna Hui has decided to travel and see the world after our company’s year-end. Anna’s first stop on her exciting adventure will be Prague, which is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Thank you to these two remarkable woman for their dedication to Harvard. We will miss them and wish them all the very best for the future.
HARVARD WESTERN INSURANCE HARVARD WESTERN INSURANCE BECOMES AN “EPIC” ORGANIZATION
BY J ESS I C A Y E L L A N D
On December 5, 2016, Harvard Western Insurance went live with Epic, a new brokerage management system designed to allow us to maintain all of our lines of business within a single application. The move to Epic was prompted by a need to upgrade our technology to remain competitive and keep up with our growth, and Epic will provide us with a single view of our customers and business, allow us to standardize our business operations, increase efficiency, respond to growth and expansion, and help build stronger client relationships. Our conversion process began in Spring 2016, and for the rest of the year, our six person implementation team worked closely with our vendor, Applied Systems, to prepare for the conversion process. Data preparation and configuration was the focus for the first few months, followed by a lot of training in preparation for using the new software- over 700 combined hours of training! The conversion process itself took a week, and “Go Live” day was celebrated with office lunches and a welcome package for each user. As a whole, Harvard Western Insurance is excited to see where Epic will take us into the future; with increased client service options and the capability for client facing technology, we will be able to access our clients in the way they prefer. Our improved internal processes and customer service will truly allow us to call ourselves an “Epic” organization!
SPRING SAFETY TIPS: • • • • • •
Spring brings thaw and with that shifting ground. This can lead to gas line ruptures and carbon monoxide leaks. Ensure your home is outfitted with working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. When cleaning gutters or eaves, ensure ladders are always placed on level ground and located at least 10 feet from power lines. Always service lawnmowers and power tools each spring before first use. Ensure safety guards are not damaged and in place at all times. Prior to mowing your lawn for the first time, walk entire area and remove any sticks, stones, toys or large debris that could shoot out from below the mower and cause bodily injury. Consider using non-toxic household cleaners. Vinegar and water is an effective window cleaner, toothpaste works well for polishing silver and lemon juice is a natural bleach. Never mix cleaning products. Combining certain chemicals can produce toxic and harmful gases. FROM EVERYONE AT HARVARD WESTERN INSURANCE, HAVE A SUPERB (AND SAFE) SPRING!
We’re all family.
5%
Harvard Western Insurance is pleased to offer a 5% discount to all Hill Companies employees for home and auto insurance. For further details or to request a quote, please contact one of the Harvard Western offices below, or visit harvardwestern.com 3615 Quance Street 306.757.1633
4420 Albert Street 306.584.2466
407 Broad Street 306.543.4200
Normanview 306.777.0654
Kronau 306.781.2263
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HARVARD PROPERTY MANAGEMENT NATALIE WHELPTON
Time certainly flies and it’s hard to believe we are already a few months into 2017! The weather has been amazing. It has certainly given everyone new motivation to focus and continue with the projects they have been working on and to begin new ones. Things are progressing smoothly for our HPMI staff who are diligently working toward completing the testing, report writing and data conversions to meet the deadline for the “go live” date of the Project H2O MRI Accounting system. Thank you to everyone involved for all your hard work! HPMI was pleased to welcome three new staff members in January: Jim Moore joined our Winnipeg office as Senior Property Manager. He will be responsible for leading the team looking after Harvard’s property management activities in Winnipeg. Jim is a 20-year real estate management professional and has worked his entire career in Winnipeg looking after facilities, commercial property and leasing with various organizations including Royal LePage/Brookfield LePage, CB Richard Ellis, Bentall, Manitoba Public Insurance and most recently, Royal Canadian Properties. Lars Felde also joined our Winnipeg office in the role of Project Manager. Lars has an extensive JIM MOORE SENIOR PROPERTY MANAGER background in the construction industry, HPMI WINNIPEG including a number of years working in a Project Manager position. He will oversee all capital projects, assist with leasing assumptions and preparation of capital budgets. Patrick Belisle joined the Regina Technical Services team as a Technical Support Specialist. Patrick recently graduated from the University of Toronto and holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree. His primary focus will be assisting in standardizing HPMI’s Preventative and Predictive operations and maintenance program, supporting Energy Management and Environmental PATRICK BELISLE programs and climate control systems within buildings. TECHNICAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST HPMI REGINA
On a very important note, Property Management is pleased to recognize our employees who have reached significant milestones in their length of service with the company in the New Year. Our fearless leader, Steve Enns celebrated his 25th anniversary; James McLeod achieved 20 years of service; and Kris Sennette and Terri Hillier-McIntosh both reached 5 years of service. Congratulations and thank you all for your contributions and loyalty! In closing, with PAL planning and the arrival of the auditors well underway, 2017 has started out on a hectic pace. It promises to be another exciting and busy year for HPMI.
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HILL STREET
Crossword Name:
Hill Street News
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Down Created with TheTeac hers Co rner.net Crochildren's s s wo rd Puz z le Generato r 1. Last name of famous author who Across recently celebrated his 113th Birthday 5. Name of Winnipeg's newest outlet mall 2. Harvard Property Management's new Senior 8. Gary Thiel's favorite smartphone app Property Manager in Winnipeg (Last Name) 10. 104.9 The WOLF morning show host who 3. This property management mogul recently jumped into an icy pool of water for Special celebrated his 25th anniversary with Harvard Olympics Saskatchewan Property Management (Full Name) 11. The most important 'C' of bond underwriting 4 . Sophie Nathanail is known as the multitasking 14 . Name of 10 year old who had 'being on Hot __________ 107 Morning Show' on her bucket list 6. The most recent tenant to sign on at our 17. A new app that features over 400+ radio Seasons site in Winnipeg stations, including all Harvard Broadcasting 7. 95.7 CRUZ FM's Morning Show Stations 9. A new retail development in SouthEast Regina 18. Last name of Harvard's Leasing Manager for along Chuka Boulevard Seasons 12. X92.9 won this award at the 30th Annual UNICEF Pumpkin Carving Contest 13. GX94's Tonya Cherry sold these to raise over $15,000 for local charities 15. Harvard Western Insurance's new brokerage Be the first to successfully complete the management system crossword and submit to mgeiger@harvard.ca 16. Star of the motion picture 'Pursuit of to win a Harvard Prize Pack! Happyness'
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DEVELOPMENT & LEASING UPDATE GAIL AURITI, NICOLE TEMPLETON, DAN WOYCHUK, CAM COSTLEY
REGINA
The following lease transactions have occurred during the last three months: Your Independent Grocer renewed its lease at Normanview Crossing. The 33,547 square foot grocery store has signed on for another 5 years. WINNIPEG - 201 PORTAGE
201 Portage is soon to be the recipient of a bit of a makeover. Over the coming years, development is planned for not only a brand new conference center, but also a modern food market within the Portage property. With growing competition in the Winnipeg market, this investment is designed to reestablish and solidify 201 Portage as the premier office tower in the Manitoba market.
WINDERMERE CROSSING EDMONTON, AB
The Keg Restaurant is well under construction and is tentatively scheduled to open at Currents of Windermere this summer. The Keg restaurant is 8,500 square feet and will be a fantastic addition to the existing mix of restaurants. Construction of the town square plaza continues albeit the real progress on the plaza will not occur until spring this year. Retailers are being secured for the buildings surrounding the plaza. New retailer announcement are forthcoming and will have an emphasis on new to market and boutique retailers.
The next building at Windermere Crossing is well under construction and is expected to turn over to tenants in June 2017. The new retailers at Windermere Crossing include: Sorrentino’s Restaurant, Tutti Frutti Breakfast, Freedom Mobile, General Nutrition Centre, Oxygen Yoga, Cobs Bread and M & M Meats.
CURRENTS OF WINDERMERE Edmonton, Alberta
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Located in SE Regina on Chuka Boulevard, this 21 acre development has begun site work earlier in the Fall of 2016. This food store anchored shopping centre will also have a drug store, several restaurants, professional services and quality retail offerings. Phase one will be open in the fall of 2017. We have reached an agreement has been reached with McDonalds for another freestanding restaurant. This will be our fourth deal with them over the last two years and they are hoping to be open later in 2017. Dairy Queen has leased 2,800 square feet and construction will start this Spring, along with Save On Foods and Co-op Gas Bar. Negotiations are being finalized with various other retailers totaling more than 25,000 square feet.
Harvard Developments Inc. is pleased to announce that Landmark Cinemas Canada (Landmark) will bring its premium-powered recliner seating movie-going experience to Aurora, Regina’s newest regional retail site located in East Regina. The new theatre anchor is expected to open Spring 2018. For more info visit shopataurora.ca
Horizons has gained considerable momentum on the leasing as a result of a leasing deal with a major food store anchor. There has been plenty of activity on site as crews install roadways and services. Stay tuned as announcements will come forward in the near future.
The new community of Westerra has reached some major milestones since we last updated you. All utilities (water, sewer, storm-water, gas & power), as well as streets and sidewalks for Phase One are now substantially completed. Trees and playground equipment have been installed and the community park will be ready to enjoy this summer (June opening). We are also extremely proud that Westerra will be the home to Regina’s first purpose-built, regulation size cricket pitch! Construction has already begun on the pitch and is scheduled for completion this fall. The Westerra builder group opened their show homes on November 12th and have since experienced consistent sales. Westerra’s Official Grand Opening was held on April 8th and was a huge success with a great turnout from the community. The first residents have already moved in, with seven families calling Westerra their home. We currently have over 75 homes completed or under construction. Broadstreet Properties has built two 70 unit rental apartment buildings with first tenants moving in July 2017.
LaSalle Insurance is the most recent tenant signed. They have six locations in Winnipeg and are a 25 year old company. We are working toward constructing two new CRU buildings this Spring. The big news of course is the much anticipated grand opening of Outlet Collection Winnipeg, the 400,000 sq.ft outlet mall, which will take place on May 3!
In addition to the 44,000 s.f. Winners/HomeSense that will open later this year, Grasslands will be home to an 8,000 s.f. Structube Store next to DSW opening in the fall 2017. Structube is a Quebec based furniture store carrying an affordable selection of modern and contemporary home furnishings. Although Sturctube has over 50 stores across Canada, this will be their first store in Saskatchewan.
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OUTLET COLLECTION WINNIPEG G R A N D
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Outlet Collection Winnipeg officially opened its doors on May 3rd to excited visitors from all over the region. The only outlet retail experience in Manitoba, and pre-certified LEEDÂŽ, will offer up to 100 banners, including 30 first-to-market brands in Manitoba. Among those in attendance at the grand opening event were Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman, City of Winnipeg Councillor Marty Morantz. The event was also attended by a large crowd of enthusiastic shoppers who began lining up early in the morning to take advantage of special grand opening giveaways, contests and sales. ED I TI ON 5 3 - THE HI LL S TRE E T NE W S |
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HARVARD BROADCASTING
MESSAGE FROM CAM
Radio is a local medium, reaching listeners in every corner of Canada regardless of market size. CAM COWIE Radio reaches 87% of all Canadians 12+, which translates to 27.4 million people reached each week. Time spent per listener averages at 16.6 hours per week. Nearly half of radio tuning is done at home, over a third in the car and 20% at work. How Canada Listens (Released by Numeris) profiles general radio listening patterns and habits for the Canadian market as well as large and small-medium markets. This Numeris update is done annually in January and breaks out data for ages 12+, 18-34, 35-49 and 50-64. How Canada Listens continues to demonstrate the power of radio in reaching consumers in any sized market. In the graphics that follow you’ll find just a taste of information by age group, for more detail see your friendly neighborhood Account Executive (they love to talk radio)!
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100.7 CRUZ FM & KRAZE 101.3 - RED DEER, AB
KATIE EMMETT
The Holiday Season can often be a tough time of year for many of Central Alberta’s less fortunate and unfortunately, due to the current economy, thousands more found themselves without jobs, money, or any means to put presents under the Tree, this year. Although much of Red Deer was feeling the struggling economy, that didn’t stop them from getting into the Christmas spirit! On Sunday, November 20th, KRAZE 101-3 invited all of Red Deer and Central Alberta to the Black Knight Inn for the 1st Annual Christmas Wish Breakfast. Guests were encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy for donation and in return, they would get to enjoy a complimentary hot breakfast. Hundreds showed up and raised over $20,000 for the inaugural event - all in support of Red Deer Salvation Army and Red Deer Christmas Bureau. 100.7 CRUZ FM, once again, teamed up with the Ensuite Bath & Kitchen Showroom for the 5th Annual Tubs and Toys event, also in support of the Red Deer Christmas Bureau. Tubs, sinks and display tables were filled with new, unwrapped toy donations during the month-long campaign. The event wrapped up on December 15th with Cruz’s Meg Tucker on location and with a Showroom full of laughter, tears, food and most important - TOYS! This years’ final total saw 14 tubs worth of toys collected and donated! Thanks to these incredible events that both KRAZE and CRUZ were able to be a part of, countless families were given the opportunity to have a very Merry Christmas after all.
96.3 CRUZ FM - SASKATOON,SK
ZOE VASSOS
96.3 Cruz FM’s Morning Show team of Stacie and Joel emceed a very popular annual event in Saskatoon for the very first time this year! “Swingin’ with the Stars” pairs local Saskatoon celebrities and business people with expert dancers for a fun night at TCU Place! Stacie and Joel kept the show running, from introducing each performance, having fun with the judges, and keeping everyone entertained all night! Over 900 people attended the event, raising over $140,000 for the Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation’s Rehabilitation Centre. We look forward to being involved in this event for years to come!
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GX94 & FOX FM - YORKTON,SK
KAYLA JELINSKI
For the 6th consecutive year, GX94’s Tonya Cherry & the GX94 Christmas Goodies Cookbook traveled to communities in Saskatchewan & Manitoba raising over $15,000. Collectively over the last six years, the cookbook has raised over $54,000 with all the money going right back into our communities benefiting women’s shelters, food banks and Christmas toy collections. The GX94 Christmas Goodies Cookbook is created with recipes received from our dedicated GX listeners and tested and tried by Tonya herself.
ABOVE: WITH THE HELP OF FOX FM, SANTA PAID A SPECIAL VISIT TO THE CHILDREN AND STAFF OF THE YORKTON REGIONAL HEALTH CENTRE.
FOX FM’s Santa’s Little Healers once again warmed the hearts of patients and staff at the Yorkton Region Health Centre. Santa rode in on his Yorkton Hyundai sleigh and paid a visit to the hospital a few days before Christmas delivering gifts to children, newborns and their mothers thanks to Peavey Mart. We also couldn’t forget about the staff who spend the holiday season taking care of patients and their families and brought along some coffee and muffins from Tim Hortons.
BELOW: RHEANNA CROSSES AN ITEM OFF HER BUCKET LIST WHEN SHE IS INVITED ON THE HOT 107 MORNING SHOW WITH RYDER AND LISA.
95.7 CRUZ FM & HOT 107 - EDMONTON, AB
MELANIE RAESSLER
When McDonald’s Restaurants announced that they would be testing out All-Day Breakfast in select outlets in Canada, 95.7 CRUZ FM’s Morning Show (The Locker Room) knew they had to get behind bringing the most important meal of the day to Edmonton. On January 19th, The Locker Room stayed on air for over 13 hours, from 5:30AM – 7PM, to bring listeners the CRUZ FM All-Day Breakfast Special to help encourage McDonald’s to make the All-Day Breakfast a reality. They were successful – an announcement 2 weeks later, that all McDonald’s locations in Canada WILL have All-Day Breakfast! When HOT 107 found out that Rheanna, a 10 year old girl from Edmonton who had been diagnosed with 4 brain tumors, had “Being on the HOT 107 Morning Show with Ryder in the Morning & Lisa Evans” on her Bucket List, we knew we had to make her wish come true! Not only did she join us to host for a morning, pick and play her favorite songs but we also renamed the station Rheanna 107 for the morning. We even created her own Rheanna 107 branded shirts for her family and friends!
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104.9 THE WOLF, MY92.1, 620 CKRM
REGINA, SK | TOM STASESON
620 CKRM, MY92.1 and 104.9 the WOLF are proud to have been chosen by the Regina and District Chamber of Commerce for the 2nd year in a row to be the Presenting Radio Media Sponsor for this year’s prestigious Paragon Awards. This annual awards showcase is being held April 7th and celebrates business excellence. Harvard Broadcasting has been nominated for an award in the Community Alliance category for their dedication to help build the Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon. For the 5th straight year Regina’s Rock Station 104.9 The WOLF is proud to present Queen City Rocks 2017, ready to put Saskatchewan’s best on stage. The WOLF is genuinely interested in opening up this avenue for exposure and helping to bring the “scene” together, fostering communication and collaboration between acts with the end-game of strengthening the community as a whole. The competition ran this March at the Exchange in Regina. An extreme cold warning in Southern Saskatchewan didn’t stop 104.9 the WOLF’s Michael Ball from braving the frigid temperatures and jumping into an icy pool of water then to defrost in a hot-tub. On February 8th, The “Polar Plunge” drew more than 30 divers, raising awareness and more than $22,000 for Special Olympics Saskatchewan programs across the province. MY92.1 was the proud media sponsor for “DREAMS COME TRUE - A CHILDREN’S ROYAL BALL” ... a magical afternoon for children in support of Cystic Fibrosis Research held March 4th and 5th at the Hotel Saskatchewan. This event sold-out for the 3rd straight year. Children came dressed as their favorite fairytale character, enjoyed a formal luncheon, elegant activities, crafts, dancing and visits from real princes and princesses. MY92.1’s Rustie Dean emceed the events.
ABOVE: MY92.1 WAS PROUD TO SPONSOR THE “DREAMS COME TRUE CHULIDREN`S ROYAL BALL” IN SUPPORT OF CYSTIC FIBROSIS RESEARCH
HARVARD BROADCASTING PARTNERS WITH RADIOPLAYER CANADA A free app is now available giving listeners throughout Canada access to nearly every style of music, news, talk, and entertainment content from 400+ stations on any connected device, at any time of day, from anywhere. Radioplayer – a UK based digital radio streaming service – has joined forces with Canada’s leading radio broadcasters, including Harvard Broadcasting, to bring Canadians free, easily accessible digital radio on any connected device. Launched earlier this month, Radioplayer will allow Canadians immediate access to their favourite entertainment, news, sports and talk radio stations powered by 15 Canadian radio broadcasters. Listeners will be able to access live and past radio broadcasts across the country through Radioplayer’s browser-player, and on connected devices through the iOS or Android app, including integrations with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Chromecast, and smartwatches. ED I TI ON 5 3 - THE HI LL S TR E E T NE W S |
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X92.9 - CALGARY, AB
GINETTE OIUMET
Award for Best Bribe goes to…
X92.9 is 10 years old!!
X92.9 took home the award for BEST BRIBE at the 30th Annual UNICEF Pumpkin Carving Contest held on October 27, 2016. Tyler & Lynch from X Mornings along with Kim Carson & Ginette Ouimet from the X Promo department worked together to create the “Cookie Monster” Pumpkin complete with what else but X shaped cookies!
On January 1, 2017, Calgary’s Alternative X92.9 celebrated their 10th Anniversary. In celebration, they hosted their official birthday party at the Marquee Beer Market & Stage. On Friday, January 6 listeners were invited to join in the free festivities which featured free champagne and a draw for $929 which was awarded to Erin Skochylas. Stay tuned for more exciting anniversary promotions all year long!
Canadian Cancer Society Award In recognition of leadership in the Fight For Life – Harvard Broadcasting was the recipient of the Award for Excellence in Communications. The award was presented at the Canadian Cancer Society’s 2016 Celebration of Impact awards ceremony on October 28, 2016
Sox That Rock - Sock Drive Calgary’s Alternative X92.9 hosted the first annual Sox That Rock - Sock Drive. During the month of December X92.9 invited listeners warm the soles of Calgary’s less fortunate and donate new pairs of socks in support of Inn From the Cold - a local shelter that offers shelter, sanctuary and healing to assist homeless children and their families achieve independence. Socks were collected at the X92.9 Studios as well as at our promotional partner locations; Winsport & Eau Claire Market. During the socks drives, the station was on site at one of the promotional partner locations providing cut-ins which invited listeners to drop by during the drives with new socks. For each new pair of socks donated during the drives, listeners were entered to win a prize package valued at approx $500 which was provided by our partners. A total of 584 pairs of socks were collected!
FACES IN NEW PLACES
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GROUNDBREAKING NEWS
IQBAL SUALEHIN Insurance Advisor - HWI Albert
Harvard Broadcasting Regina’s Business Manager, Angela Prokop, tied the knot with Mitch Jones on November 15th in Mexico.
BRIANNA HODGES Insurance Advisor - HWI Quance
CHERYL EHRESMAN Insurance Advisor - HWI Broad
TIM JENNINGS Operations Manager - HPMI Regina
LINDSAY WISKAR Receptionist - HDI Regina
Congratulations to James & Alysia Nixon on the December 14, 2016 birth of their second daughter Grace Frances. Weighing 5 lbs 10oz, 18 1/8” long.
JIM MOORE Property Manager - HPMI Winnipeg
RAPHAEL CEREZO Construction Project Manager HDI Regina
RANDI KINNEE Payroll and Benefits Administrator HDI Regina
96.3 Cruz FM Advertising Account Executive Patrick Lynden and girlfriend Michelle Arnott welcomed Wyatt Patrick Arnott-Lynden on Jan 1, 2017 at 5:05 pm, weighing 7lbs 8 oz. Congratulations Patrick and Michelle!
“Start with a foundation of solid values and stay true to the things you believe in” - Walter Hamilton Alexander Hill
Let’s keep in touch For story ideas and information, please contact Matt Geiger
visit our website for more information
Marketing and Communications Admin mgeiger@harvard.ca 306.777.0661
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