Talk Business

TA L K

t a l k BUSI ESS

01

BUSINESS K

A

M

L

O

O

P

S

people of influence pg 18 kamloops innovation pg 15 company chatter pg 16 HE SHOOTS, HE SOARS Steve Gainey

Bold Pizzeria

PAGE #8

1

02

w i n t e r

| 2 01 4

THOMPSON RIVER

PUBLICATIONS

TA L K

BUSINESS K

A

M

L

O

O

P

S

Talk Business is published four times per year by Thompson River Publications and is distributed through our sister publication Kamloops This Week. No part of this supplement may be reproduced without the publisher’s written permission. Unsolicited material will not be returned. The publisher assumes no responsibility for editorial information. Contact Christopher Foulds and Jessica Klymchuk, publication editors.

KELLY HALL, Publisher

OFFICE SOLUTIONS

ROB COVACEUSZACH, Director of Specialty Media

DAVE EAGLES, Photography

JESSICA KLYMCHUK, Specialty Media Editor

THOMPSON RIVER

PUBLICATIONS

CHRISTOPHER FOULDS, Editor

MALISA LAZZINNARO, Specialty Media Graphic Design

778. 471.7513

A Division of Aberdeen Publishing focused on Magazines, Supplements & Special Projects.

Heritage represents a select group of manufacturers who focus on the Corporate Office Environment. We carry a wide variety of products including:

02 | table of contents

System Workstations Seating Desks and Office Suites Conference or Work Tables Storage - Files Worktools & Lighting for workstations Interior Archetecture - Walls

02

Proud to be serving British Columbia at 5 locations: VANCOUVER SERVICE & SHOWROOM 1588 Rand Avenue Vancouver, BC V6P 3G2 (604) 689-6780 DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER 807 Powell Street Vancouver, BC V6A 1H7 (604) 688-2357

LANGLEY SHOWROOM Unit. 3650 - 204th Street Langley, BC V2Y 2V1 (604) 532-5888

KAMLOOPS SHOWROOM 1406 Lorne Street Kamloops, BC V2C 1X4 (250) 374-4231

KELOWNA SHOWROOM 2310 Enterprise Way Kelowna, BC V1X 4H7 (250) 862-3235

kcsconstructio n.ca

talking business pg 4 movers & shakers pg 6 unsung heroes pg 7

winter E DITION 2 0 1 4

03

winter EDITION Talk Business, Kamloops

2014 Kamloops Talk Business Premiere Edition.

Winter 2014

HE SHOOTS, HE Soars steve gainey pg 8

company chatter pg 16 people of influence PG 18

LET BDO TACKLE THE DETAILS ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR TAXES From small businesses to large enterprises, our scalable tax solutions can adjust to meet the needs of any growing business.

Whatever your business needs, from corporate income tax to international tax and transfer pricing — we know the intricacies of Canadian tax legislation, and how to use new tax developments in your favour. An effective tax strategy will help you eliminate uncertainties and feel confident about the future.

BDO Kamloops was pleased to welcome Shane Gales, CA, in November 2013 when he joined us upon relocating from our Red Deer, Alberta office. Shane is a domestic tax specialist and has many years of experience working with businesses in a wide array of industries.

People who know, know BDO.SM Assurance | Accounting | Tax | Advisory 300 – 272 Victoria St Kamloops BC 250 372 9505 www.bdo.ca

| table of contents

kamloops innovation pg 15

3 02 | table of contents

04

w i n t e r

| 2 01 4

THOMPSON RIVER

PUBLICATIONS

talking business THE WORD FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE RIVER KCBIA General Manager

Gay Pooler Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association

| TAL K I N G B U S I NESS

Welcome To The Festival Of Experiences

04

Downtown Kamloops was a happening place this summer.

This was the result of a number of factors.

One, of course, is that we have a beautiful downtown where people want to be; another was the KCBIA’s vision to enhance the experiences that people have downtown and to bravely embark upon a year of experimentation. We threw out the handbook and opened ourselves up to a wide range of possibilities.

The Experience Downtown Project was born, its first creation being the Festival of Experiences.

The Festival of Experiences is all about publicspace programming and citizen engagement through activity. Our goal is to capitalize on Downtown Kamloops’ assets, inspiration and potential to further create and utilize good public spaces to promote people’s health, happiness and well-being. We aim for each and every person who comes into Downtown Kamloops to not just visit, but to have an experience.

Experiences equate into emotion and the emotional bond visitors have with downtown is what will change their shopping habits. A bond with downtown will make them think of downtown when it comes to everything; living, shopping, playing and working.

We worked to bring the Experience Downtown Project to light through a multitude of public-space programming and public-engagement strategies. We thought outside the box, brought what we were doing to the streets and let the news of these activities spread organically through word of mouth and social media. As the summer progressed, it was rewarding to witness the buzz on the street and social-media networks.

• Buzzworthy experiences of 2014: We revamped our two key events of summer: Spring Festival and Merchants Market.

By keeping the most popular components, rearranging pieces and experimenting with cool new elements, the focus became about the experience.

This included bringing yoga, dance, meditation and more to the street for all festival days and spreading activities throughout various typically unused courtyards and public spaces.

During the Downtown Merchant Market, we amalgamated three days events into one gigantic car-free day. We also hosted a Street Battle of the Bands, turning Fourth Avenue into a performance plaza for the first time.

We have much under-utilized public and semi-public space downtown. A goal was to activate these spaces and turn them into “sticky places” — a place people feel like lingering.

With the addition of the City of Kamloops food truck pilot project in the summer and the existence of our Live at Lunch Music Program, it was only natural to combine the two and invite the downtown community to come out and enjoy their lunch outside.

We hosted pop-up picnics, providing live music, giant checkers, plenty of seating (bistro tables and chairs) and terrific ambiance.

The larger-than-life checkers were a hit. Once set up, it took only minutes for people to start a friendly match. Another huge hit, our Blue Piano, garnered much play and interest over the summer. The piano was donated by Western Canada Theatre, then painted with blue chalkboard paint. It was almost always in play and has garnered all kinds of media attention.

We also engaged the public through a variety of other interactive means.

Our Instagram frame was available at most downtown events and at the Visitor Info & Souvenir Shop daily. The “Kiss Me Clover” photo backdrop installed at 340 Victoria St.. did double duty promoting the B.C. Wildlife Park.

We welcomed our new Downtown mascot, Grizz, a special member of the CAP Team this year. The public loved to have their picture taken with him.

These all gave downtown guests a fun way to capture their experience and encouraged en-

gagement and organic sharing of our message and programming through social media.

Every day in Downtown Kamloops is an experience. People, businesses and organizations around us are providing experiences and things to do on a daily basis. Go online to downtownkamloops.com to find all of the wonderful things you can be engaged in daily when downtown.

NSBIA Executive Director

Steven Puhallo North Shore Business Improvement Association

North Shore Business Improvement Association For more than 25 years, the North Shore Business Improvement Association (NSBIA) has been a positive leader and voice of business in Kamloops.

As a BIA, our job is to promote our business areas and work with our neighbourhoods, as well as with all levels of government toward positive economic development, beautification projects and future planning.

Through those types of initiatives, the NSBIA was a primary agent of the solid economic and social foundation that makes up the new North Shore we enjoy today.

I am often asked: “What makes up the North Shore?”

For us at the NSBIA, it’s the assigned border of our business improvement area. This goes west to east from the airport to the North Thompson River and south to north from the Thompson River to the Bachelor Heights interchange.

It’s basically the former Village of Brocklehurst and the former Municipality of North Kamloops before they amalgamated with the City of Kamloops.

t a l k BUSI ESS

Culturally and geographically, the Kamloops North Shore is bigger than that but, for the purposes of our BIA, that’s us.

Business-improvement areas are a key component to developing and growing communities with large commercial districts.

The NSBIA is unique among other BIAs as we don’t centre around a downtown core, but encompass the airport village, Ord Road industrial area, Brocklehurst Shopping Centre, 12th Street commercial corridor, Eighth Street commercial corridor, Fortune Shopping Centre, Northills Shopping Centre and the Tranquille Market corridor.

Surrounding all of that are our beautiful North Shore neighbourhoods, parks, schools and playgrounds, sports centres and fields, along with walking paths and beaches.

It’s a beautiful spot in the best city in the best province in the best country on Earth.

It’s an exciting time for Kamloops as we move from the municipal election campaign and into a new four-year term for city council and the board of education.

There were many quality candidates and it was encouraging for us to hear so many candidates speak to the issues on the North Shore and put forward ideas on how we can continue our positive growth and community building.

We’re having another exciting year on the Kamloops North Shore.

It’s thanks to our businesses, commercial property owners, project sponsors, community neighbours and our board of directors that we are so successful.

Thank you to everyone who has been so helpful and supportive as we build on our past successes “We are the North Shore!” — and we’re excited to see what tomorrow brings.

Venture Kamloops Executive Director

Jim Anderson Venture Kamloops

Venture Kamloops Our team at Venture Kamloops works each day to provide local entrepreneurs with assistance and ideas to help grow their businesses in Kam-

| TAL K I N G b u s i n e s S

loops. In addition, we work with out-of-market investors and business people who are looking at Kamloops as a viable place to do business.

Kamloops’ reputation is one of a city that has enormous potential for resource-based industries to thrive because of our abundant natural resources, as well as a community where entrepreneurs succeed.

In the first half of 2014, our organization hosted more than 20 investors who brought new investment to seven local businesses totalling more than $2 million.

We also helped more than 100 businesses with referrals to agencies and departments that offer services specific to their needs. With the many people we meet annually, it still surprises us that there are people who don’t know what we do.

It simply means we’ve got our work cut out for us.

• About Us:

Venture Kamloops is the economic development arm of the City of Kamloops and, as such, our focus is economic development. Our mission is to create economic growth to establish the city as a premier location for business development.

This is done by featuring the city’s resources and offering comprehensive information, plus offering a full spectrum of support services to investors and entrepreneurs.

• Retention and Expansion:

resources and information on the economic picture of the community through reports and publications and by assisting with research to help businesses make informed decisions to keep their business on the right path.

• Award-Winning:

About a year ago, our advertising agency, Fresh Inc., redeveloped our website to be more user-friendly.

Included in this process was the development of a custom online Report Builder, a technology that allows people to create a customized report with the information they want. We’ve had incredible feedback from investors and business people alike, as well as receiving awards for our innovative technology. We were awarded top honours by the BC Economic Development Association for web-based marketing project and, in late September, were awarded top honours by the Economic Developers Association of Canada, again for the best web-based marketing project in the country.

If you are a business owner who needs assistance or an investor looking for some incredible opportunities, we welcome you to visit our downtown office at Seymour Street and First Avenue to see how we can help you. Our services are complimentary, so contact us to see where a conversation can take your business.

The largest percentage of a community’s businesses growth and capital investment comes from companies already doing business within a community. It is critical for us to monitor the health and expectations of these existing businesses and to also understand the perceptions that could adversely impact their growth. We work with companies to help facilitate access to programs, individuals, partners and other sources of funding to improve their chances of success.

VENTURE KAMLOOPS BY THE NUMBERS

We work with companies throughout the world to help them expand or relocate to our city.

Our process of business attraction consists of site tours, familiarization tours, trade shows and personal introductions to local business and community leaders. Lead generation is one of our biggest keys in finding the right business to complement our economy.

21,389 Number of views of VK’s promo video on YouTube

• Business Attraction:

• Supporting Role:

One of the biggest needs facing business in today’s economy is the ability to partner with those who can assist in the growth of their companies, helping with that “next step.”

Targeted market analysis on business and economic conditions, along with the promotion of Kamloops business, are some of the ways in which we take an advisory role in the business community.

• Information Hub:

Being the go-to source for business information is one of our key objectives. Our team provides

05

$0 Cost to access Venture Kamloops services $2,000,000 New investment by 20 new investors (sixmonth period in 2014)

184 Companies assisted by VK (2013) 14 FAM tours hosted by VK (2013) From China, India, France and Korea 926 Potential investors presented to by VK (2013)

5

w i n t e r

movers&shakers

BRIEFS

06

| 2 01 4

AIRPORT soars Driven by increases in all major areas of travel, passenger numbers at Kamloops Airport are up by 8.5 per cent for the first 10 months of the year.

More than 25,000 passengers used the airport in October, up nearly seven per cent from the same month in 2013.

Airport manager Fred Legace attributed increases to business and industry-related trips, as well as leisure travel.

The airport has seen a flurry of small construction activity this year, including expanded parking lot and washroom renovations.

A new executive flight centre for industrial charter passengers opened on Nov. 25.

movers&shakers

BC Hydro Power Smart Awards

06

BC Hydro has recognized 30 organizations with Power Smart Excellence Awards for leadership in energy efficiency and conservation.

Among this year’s winners are four companies that operate in and near Kamloops.

Teck Resources, which owns the Highland Valley Copper Mine, is a winner in the Power Smart Leader category; London Drugs, which has a franchise in Lansdowne Village, won the Regional Retailer Award; Home Depot, which has a store on Hillside Drive, won the National Retailer Award; and Overwaitea Food Group, which owns Save-On-Foods and Cooper’s Foods, received a Leadership Excellence Award.

The Power Smart Excellence Awards are held every other year during Power Smart

THOMPSON RIVER

PUBLICATIONS

Month (October) and recognize organizations that have participated in BC Hydro’s Power Smart programs and have made a commitment to saving energy and saving money.

There have been 218 recipients of the Power Smart Excellence Awards since 2003.

award for rooter The owner of the Kamloops Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchise received the Personal Achievement award from the Mr. Rooter Plumbing corporate office during the company’s 2014 International Convention in Orlando, Fla., in September.

Kalen Gaetz was named as a recipient of the award, which is presented each year to franchisees who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in sales, an increase in manpower or personal growth or advanced franchise development.

“Kalen constantly seeks ways to improve both his business and the lives of others,” said Bobbi Sullivan, the Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchise consultant who nominated Gaetz for the honour.

“His dedication to continue learning best practices has helped make him a highly successful businessman.”

“The determination and commitment shown by Kalen is inspiring,” said Mary Kennedy Thompson, president of Mr. Rooter Plumbing. “The high standards he sets for himself has lead to quality customer service, which is what has helped make him so successful.”

accountants qualify Eight Kamloops certified general accountants (CGA) have received their CPA, CGA designation: Carolyn Brown, Leanne Dalton, Lisa Finley, Shanna Garrioch, William Kanigan, Sonoko Morishita, Caroline Reichenback and Bailey Teteris.

“The CPA, CGA designation is earned by completing a rigorous educational program that’s designed to ensure excellent business and accounting competencies,” said Gordon Ruth, executive vice president of certifications and operations for the Chartered Professional Accountants of BC Joint Venture.

To qualify as a CGA, students must have a university degree or equivalent, 24 months of practical work experience at a professional level and complete courses through the CGA program.

CGAs must also pass a comprehensive rigorous national final exam to earn their designation.

Chamber biz awards Nov 2014 Dr. Gur Singh received the President’s Award at the 29th annual Business Excellence Awards presented by the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 1.

The award is given at the discretion of the chamberboard president and is given to someone who has made a difference in the community.

Business of the year, an award decided by the chamber board and the

Community Futures, which sponsors the award, went to Scorpion Technologies Ltd., which also received the Technology Innovator Award.

The Business Person of the Year Award went to Norm Daley of Daley and Company Chartered Accountants.

a great fellow Kamloops’ David Hallinan, CPA, FCMA has been honoured with a fellowship by the Certified Management Accountants Society of British Columbia (CMABC).

The fellowship (FCMA) designation is awarded to Certified Management Accountants in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the profession of management accounting and the community at large.

Hallinan is director of corporate services and facilities for British Columbia Lottery Corporation.

He leads a team of 22 and is responsible for providing strategic solutions and delivering professional administrative and facilities services to the organization.

Hallinan received his certified management accountant designation in 2004 and has been a strong advocate of the designation ever since.

He has volunteered in support of the CMA designation at local events since 2003 and has have been an active member of the Kamloops CMA chapter, assuming numerous roles, including chapter chairman.

In 2011, Hallinan was elected to the CMABC board of directors, representing B.C.’s central region before being appointed to the position of second vice-chair for CMABC in 2013.

In 2014, he became the organization’s first vice-chair. Active in the community, Hallinan volunteers with Overlander Cross Country Ski Club, holding the role of treasurer on the organization’s board of directors.

award for privato Kamloops’ Privato Vineyard & Winery had its 2011 Pinot Noir selected as the Top Red at the November Cornucopia food and drink festival in Whistler.

The Top 25 wines, including Privato’s 2011 Pinot Noir, were selected by a panel of 10 judges from B.C.’s wine industry, with a record number of wines entered for consideration this year.

Privato is owned and operated by John and Debbie Woodward.

Privato Vineyards & Winery is located at 5505 Westsyde Rd. It can be found online at privato.ca.

Sticky’s Candy second store Kamloops has proven to have a serious sweet tooth.

Sticky’s Candy, which opened its fist store at 196A Victoria St. W. near the downtown core in December 2013, has added a second store in Aberdeen.

The second Sticky’s is in the Aberdeen Village strip mall (across from Aberdeen Mall), right next to Popeye’s.

Sticky’s founder Robin Burnette opened the first Sticky’s in Chilliwack and now has at least 15 stores in B.C., with the goal of building the largest candy chain in Canada.

unsungheroes

t a l k BUSI ESS

National charity has local impact B y J e ssic a K l ym chuk Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities was established in 2005 to help remove the financial barriers keeping kids from participating in sports and physical activity. Since then, it has helped over 800,000 kids get active. In 2013, Jumpstart raised $20.7 million.

Research for Jumpstart found one in three Canadian families cannot afford to enrol their children in sports. Since 2005, Jumpstart has supported close to 3,000 kids in sport and contributed $226,000 within Kamloops alone.

In 2014, Jumpstart dedicated over $60,000 to the cause locally and, by September, had helped 209 kids enrol in fitness activities, from judo to dance.

Local Canadian Tire owner Jack Juusola was involved in Canadian Tire’s national board for the

Canadian Tire Foundation for Families starting in 1992 and helped develop Jumpstart. He has been a Canadian Tire dealer in Kamloops since 1985 and runs two stores in the city.

“Being an owner, you feel like the community has enabled you to be successful, so you want to give back to the community,” Juusola said. “It’s one of the things that has kept Canadian Tire successful because the dealer is involved in every community they are in.”

Jumpstart has a network of over 300 chapters comprising local organizations committed to helping keep kids active and healthy. They utilize the funds to help children who wouldn’t otherwise have the financial ability to participate in any of the 80 kinds of activities Jumpstart encourages.

The Kamloops chapter includes Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kamloops and Region, the Boys

and Girls Club of Kamloops, Interior Community Services and the Kamloops YMCA-YWCA. Jessica Gordon at Big Brothers and Sisters said many of the children who benefit from the funds come from single-parent families who are struggling to make ends meet.

“For a lot of our littles, they want to get out there and they want to do stuff, but dealing with those financial issues is tough, so having this opportunity to offer it to those littles is amazing and we do have a lot that take advantage of it,” Gordon said, adding that Juusola and Canadian Tire’s general manager Justin Mondor take great interest in the organizations and children Jumpstart is helping.

“It’s great to see that they care about being able to offer this and want to raise even more money,” she said.

District 1452 – Growing the Economy

by Bringing Yaletown to Kamloops To change how the economy grows in Kamloops, we have to set our minds to where it grows.

A new, Yaletown-styled commercial and residential district at the junction of Hillside North and McGill Road is doing just that.

District 1452 is poised to redefine the McGill corridor and establish a place where the thinkers and creators of our future economy will convene.

The property creates a new and exciting business and residential environment in Kamloops – a hip, contemporary mix of office, retail, and luxury living space. The site will be ready for business in 2015.

The District includes four well-appointed buildings offering unparalleled views and easy access to most locations in Kamloops.

District 1452 is a project by A&T Ventures Ltd., led by Jeff Arnold, and Quinn Developments Ltd., led by Frank Quinn – longstanding, local business leaders who have a strong track record of creating success where others had not envisioned it.

“Our vision is that District 1452 will represent the best of what business can look like in the future,” said Jeff Arnold, President, A&T Ventures Ltd. By design, the District will encourage conversation and collaboration within the companies and individuals who will be driving our economy in 2020. Arnold predicts, “When it’s done, it will be a commercial jewel of Kamloops.”

paidadvertisement

unsungheroes

07

08

w i n t e r

| 2 01 4

THOMPSON RIVER

PUBLICATIONS

HE SHOOTS, HE SOARS

From pro hockey rink to restaurant sink, Steve Gainey has his eye on his next goal

By Jessi ca Klymc huk When Steve Gainey opened Taco Del Mar in Kamloops, his first realization was that he had bought himself a minimum-wage job.

The million-dollar idea didn’t seem so glamorous when he was scrubbing dishes and sweeping floors — especially since, at the time, his sole occupation was that of professional hockey player.

He was a career minor leaguer with a few dozen games played in the National Hockey League and a father in the Hockey Hall of Fame. The goal of opening a restaurant franchise hadn’t included washing dishes for the first five years.

Over the last seven years, though, the younger Gainey has worked his way toward the position he had imagined. He has seen Taco Del Mar thrive, positioned a Wok Box restaurant to much of the same success and is now well on his way to franchising Bold Pizzeria — his new Sahali quick-serve eatery that is anything but a mom-and-pop shop.

He doesn’t play much hockey anymore — the last few years are the only in his life he hasn’t spent largely around the rink — but Gainey seems to be finding his footing in the restaurant game, despite the fact he never planned on being a business owner.

When he traded his hockey stick for a broom at Taco Del Mar, it was partly on sheer whim.

It was 2006 and Gainey was in Vancouver, trying to get his passport so he could travel overseas to spend another winter plying his trade on the ice. In recent years, he had played both in the American Hockey League for the Utah Grizzlies, Philadelphia Phantoms and San Antonio Rampage, and in the NHL for the Dallas Stars and Phoenix Coyotes.

The idea to open a franchise was already developed in his mind.

Seeing the success of Baja Fresh and Chipotle Mexican Grill in the U.S., Gainey had been floating the idea of bringing them across the border. His passport paperwork was incomplete and on his way back to Kamloops, he walked into a Vancouver Taco Del Mar and resumed his pursuit of opening a franchise. He never made the trip overseas.

“It was a bit of an idea and a concept and I just kind of jumped into it,” he says. “I definitely was just a hockey player for years and I didn’t think much beyond that.”

He chose to settle down and develop his second career in Kamloops in 2006, having returned to the Tournament Capital every year since he was 15, when he took part in his first of two summer camps with the Kamloops Blazers.

It was the start of Gainey’s life as a full-time resident of Kamloops — and it was also the beginning of his off-ice career.

| featured article

BOLD

08

Growing up Gainey

Gainey says he grew up largely inside the hallowed halls of the Montreal Forum, strapping on his first pair of skates at the age of five.

His father played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1973 to 1989. He won four Stanley Cups with the Habs and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.

The younger Gainey was too young to remember most of those big games, but he remembers the 1986 Stanley Cup victory parade vividly — the year his dad lifted his last Cup as a player. Gainey was seven years old and can be seen as a mere speck in an aged photograph of the parade floating by a raucous crowd lining Ste. Catherine Street.

He remembers Game 6 of the 1989 Stanley Cup final, when the Canadiens again faced the Calgary Flames — the team they had defeated three years earlier — and lost.

His father announced his retirement shortly after.

“We all knew it was my dad’s last game,” Gainey says. “So, it stood out.”

But, for the most part, growing up inside the Forum meant hours spent around the team on practice days, free chewing gum, lots of hockey tape for his friends and an endless supply of sticks to cut down to size.

“I’d go into the stick room and work on whatever, cutting down the differ-

| feature article

ent sticks of players I wanted to use,” Gainey says. “For a kid, that was pretty exciting — just to be at the rink. It was relatively normal.

It was all I knew.”

He moved a lot growing up — Montreal, France, Dallas, Minnesota, Toronto — and even more in his professional hockey years. But, during his stints in Kamloops, he managed to build a life within the community.

When he was 15, Gainey’s father and former Blazers coach Ken Hitchcock arranged to have him to join the summer camp in Kamloops. He stayed with local coaches Don Hay one summer and Mickey Fritz the next. The Blazers acquired Gainey in a trade with the Calgary Hitmen in 1995.

When Gainey moved to Kamloops that year, his eldest sister, Anna, was attending private school in Toronto. His two younger sisters, Laura and Colleen, lived in Texas, where their father was head coach of the NHL’s Dallas Stars. His mother, Cathy, had recently lost her battle with brain cancer.

During his first season with the Blazers, Gainey says, 11 of the players on the Blue and Orange’s roster were Kamloops products. The boys were all in the local school system and it helped the rest of the team feel at home in the city.

“I think that connected us to the community more,” Gainey says.

| featured article

K a m l ot ao lp ksBUSI BUSI ESS ESS

09

“ There’s traction right now, so it’s exciting to have options.There’s value in what we’ve created here.”

9

010

w i n t e r

| 2 01 4

He always stayed in Kamloops for summers following hockey season to finish his schooling. That time ingrained him in the River City community. He played four seasons with the Blazers before moving on to the professional ranks.

In 1997, Gainey was drafted in the third round — 77th overall — by the Dallas Stars, where his father had become general manager.

To him, it was a strange scenario and, in hindsight, he thinks he was probably emotionally unprepared for the pressure — calling himself permanently young at heart. Despite management feeling comfortable with the choice to draft him, Gainey says he would play it differently if he could relive it.

“Growing up, people always asked me about the pressure and I never felt it at all until I got drafted and then it changed things,” he says. “I never noticed it before but, once I got underneath him, there was that feeling and I understood what people had been asking me all those years.”

Gainey bounced around the U.S. and Europe for hockey after leaving the Blazers, but he always returned to Kamloops. It’s where he met his wife, Mikayla, and started raising a family. He has two daughters, Molly, four, and Shea, two.

With no long-term goals beyond hockey, being a franchise owner seemed like a promising idea. Since he decided to test his luck as a business owner, Gainey hasn’t played much hockey — only one season since 2008, which he split between the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL and the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs.

Gainey’s off-ice career materialized from a love for Mexican food and a gap in the Canadian market where U.S. restaurants were thriving — something he experienced first-hand while living south of the 49th.

| featured article

A Bold Move

010

Gainey’s wife, Mikayla, had restaurant experience and together they opened Taco Del Mar. It took more than a year to get the restaurant up and running and now, after learning how to manage the numbers and how to work himself out of his minimum-wage job, Gainey says the restaurant is in great shape. He and Mikayla spent the early years involved in the business at every level and worked hard to bring it up to par.

Gainey purchased Wok Box in 2012 with a much better understanding of how to run the business, though he has since sold it. It was around that time he started thinking about a new concept — a build-your-own-pizza place with a classic Italian flare.

“I think I wrote down the first thing in November 2012,” he says.

“It’s crazy.”

The initial plan for Bold Fire Inspired Pizzeria was his, but Gainey teamed up with a local restaurateur and restaurant developer, Richard Marken of Orange Gorilla Commercial Interiors, to build the details. They opened Bold in January 2014 and instantly drew a crowd.

“We had 12 people working and lineups to the door,” Gainey says.

“It was really cool to see, but it was hard.”

The concept was always to deliver a Neapolitan-style pizza — the true thin-crust delicacy of Italy — cooked crazy fast before your eyes in a 700-degree fire oven.

Bold has a distinct urban energy that took a lot of development, from the third-party marketing techniques to the basic design elements. Studio9 helped roll out the branding and Orange Gorilla helped create the artistic atmosphere with concrete floors, accents of wood and metal, a vibrant, rich colour palette and exposed ceilings.

Gainey knew he wanted to franchise Bold, so it was important to develop a unique brand that wasn’t imitated elsewhere.

They came up with the mascot, Sophia Bold, much like Jack of Jack in the Box. Her persona was inspired by Sophia Loren, Old Hollywood and 1950s Milan. Sophia is meant to be the epitome of boldness — charming, mysterious and adventurous. They went through lists of names, with Sophia Beach and Bob Bold topping the list, finally settling on a hybrid that combined femininity with the flicker of dominance “bold” inspires.

THOMPSON RIVER

PUBLICATIONS

“I think we’re just beginning to explore who Sophia Bold is and try to market with her,” Gainey says. “I think we’ve got a lot of really great stuff.”

After being open for almost a year, the move to franchise is well underway. They turned to research from Chicago-based Technomic Inc. to reflect the demand for Bold’s quick-serve style. The most recent available data show sales for the top 500 U.S. fast-casual restaurant chains increased 8.6 per cent and fast-food revenue rose 3.1 per cent in 2011. Over the same period, sales at sit-down restaurants were up 2.8 per cent.

From a franchise perspective, Chipotle is the inspiration for Bold.

The American-based Mexican food chain has outperformed in the dining category and is trading at the third highest price-to-earnings ratio of all U.S. restaurants, with a market capitalization of at least $150 million, according to Bold’s market overview. The Chipotleization of pizza is underway in the U.S. — but, according to Gainey, untouched in Canada.

The goal is to build a large footprint of restaurants across Canada by partnering with multi-unit franchisees, starting in B.C. — likely Kelowna and Vancouver.

Right now, Gainey is focused on understanding how to break down the shares into the people who want to participate — but, he’s treading carefully, holding his cards and trying to play them right.

“There’s traction right now, so it’s exciting to have options,” he says.

“If we were sitting here and it wasn’t materializing, then it would be just trying to get another one open anywhere and it would have a different feel.

“There is value in what we have created here.”

The website now invites interested stakeholders to inquire. Gainey is still trying to figure out the next best step on the path to building Bold into a bigger company, where he might have the opportunity to take a step back and ultimately work himself out of a job — his intention with all his restaurants.

“What makes it fun is there are a lot of options and a lot of big decisions,” he says. “You never know how it could go.”

For Gainey, the biggest part of doing business in the community is connecting locally. Being involved in the community, donating time and giving back financially is what drives a business, he says. Over the years, he’s supported many charities and fundraisers — from the Boys and Girls Club to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. He also wants to increase the presence of the Gainey Foundation in B.C.

| feature article

KK a m ll oot oao plp sksBUSI BUSI ESS ESS

“ I think we’re just beginning to

011

explore who Sophia Bold is and try to market with her,” “I think we’ve got a lot of really great stuff.”

In memoriam

The Gainey Foundation was founded in memory of Gainey’s mother and second-youngest sister.

In December 2006, Laura passed away at age 25 when she was swept overboard in the North Atlantic on a sail-training tall ship.

Gainey was in Kamloops when he heard the news.

“It was the middle of the night and we were on a flight three hours later,” he says. “It was hard because she was lost and it was the right thing to do to keep on looking, but I knew pretty much right away that she was gone.”

It was the second time he had to grieve, after losing his mother in 1995. Back then, he was already living in Kamloops and wasn’t used to seeing his mom every day.

“She had been sick for four years prior,” he says. “And, you have a really hard time seeing somebody who was so excited with life have such a battle.”

Together, the Gainey family created the Gainey Foundation, dedicated to funding environmental and arts programs for youth — inspired by Laura and Cathy’s love of children and Laura’s artistic side. The foundation raised $2 million in its first two years and supports the work of dozens of charitable organizations.

Although Gainey plays a part in selecting the recipients the organization helps, he has recently expressed his interest in taking take on a bigger role. He wants to use the foundation locally in Kamloops and throughout B.C. and form connections with the groups benefitting from the funds. He looks forward to being more involved.

“It’s a great opportunity that I have to participate with people who are looking for help and need help, who are doing positive things for the world,” he says.

Moving forward

For Gainey, the near future is all about continuing his success with Taco Del Mar and Bold Pizzeria, but he hasn’t forgotten about what landed him in the Tournament Capital in the first place — hockey.

Any more involvement with the game will be local, he says, likely a coaching role in minor hockey. He says he has no intentions of coaching at a high level.

“But,” he says, “never say never.”

Gainey says he has invested in Kamloops and, of all the places he has lived, he wouldn’t choose another. His focus is on the community, whether it’s with his business, his charitable efforts or his family life.

“I’ve decided to live here for a reason,” he says.

| featured article

-Sophia Bold

11

Initial Business Considerations: Some short term pain for long term gain

By Chris Cavanagh At MJB Lawyers, we often find ourselves advising clients on how to clean up or solve problems that likely could have been avoided if some proper steps had been taken initially. Understandably so, many individuals, when they initially wish to start a business or buy a business, are very concerned about the initial costs. Unfortunately, we see all too often that if these individuals would have spent a little more time and money up front properly planning and documenting their business plan and assessing risk, this would have saved them a great deal more time and money in now trying to rectify or clarify some of the uncertainties. Often the misconception is that lawyers tend to make things more complicated but our role is the exact opposite: to try to assist you in putting your business plan to paper so as to try to avoid pitfalls in the future.

Initial Considerations Clients may believe that their business idea or purchase is ‘very simple’ or ‘straightforward’. A lawyer’s role is to create inexpensive ways to help the client identify and limit potential risks and pitfalls. If all parties put their minds to the issues early on, then it is less likely that there will be a dispute about it at a future date. Some initial issues and considerations a lawyer can assist with include:

one party is at a disadvantage at that time because they have less funds available to them than another party?

• What is the proper business ‘structure’ for the parties from a tax perspective? There can be significant differences in how individuals are paid by a company or how they receive the benefits of a successful company.

A lawyer, along with proper accounting and tax advisers, can assist in the set-up and structure of a business so as to ensure the greatest flexibility for tax benefits now and into the future.

Business acquisition • Should a person buy the shares or assets of a company?

What are the differences and benefits of each?

• Should a person buy the business as an individual or as a company? What are the benefits and risks of each?

Are there tax and liability benefits of each?

• Are there certain risks relating to the company or assets that a person may not know about when they buy it?

If so, what steps can be taken to protect people against some of those risks?

Initial business creation

Addressing Disputes

• What are the specific roles and duties of each party?

Is it clear what each parties’ contribution is now, as well as into the future? What if the business needs more money going forward and one party has the ability to pay but not another?

No party wants to go to court or to fight over issues, but when the expectations or understandings of the parties end up being different and unclear, they are often left with no choice. When the two sides are so materially different and the proper documentation is not in place to clarify issues, the parties are forced to go to court or some other form of dispute resolution.

• Who has what authority with respect to the business?

Who can enter into contracts on behalf of the business?

• How does the business deal with the successes or failures of the company? Do all parties agree to continue to fund or work for the company if it continues to lose money? At what point would the parties agree to discontinue the business? Alternatively, if the business is very successful, what mechanisms are there for the sale of the business? What if one person wants to sell the business or his/her share but the other(s) do not?

• What if one party wishes to buy out the other party?

Can he/she force the other to do so? Further, what if

Planning in advance to help avoid disputes All too often individuals are very confident in the business plan or idea and believe all disputes can easily be worked out between the parties in the future. It is not a question of not trusting another party, but rather trying to prepare as much as possible for the unknown. One of the keys to a successful business is initially working with your lawyer to develop a strategy to identify issues and hopefully save you significantly more time and expense in the future.

Chris Cavanagh – Lawyer Phone: 250-372-4942 cfc@mjblaw.com

WE CAN HELP.

Richard Jensen QC

Barry Carter

Dennis Coates QC

Rob Adkin

Dave McDougall

Jim McCreight

Marlene Harrison

Darren Paulsen

Michael Sutherland

Murray Weeres

Terry Bepple

Joaquin Mariona

Luke Bergerman

Chris Cavanagh

Jessica Moon

Alicia Glaicar

For a full listing of our lawyers and services, please visit our website mjblaw.com Mair Jensen Blair LLP - Lawyers 700-275 Lansdowne St. Kamloops, BC V2C 6H6 Ph: 250.374.3161 Toll-Free: 1.888.374.3161

DESIGNED TO WORK FOR PEOPLE WHO THRIVE ON IDEAS AND INNOVATION, THE DISTRICT IS THE PLACE WHERE YOU CAN CREATE, BUILD, SELL, AND LIVE.

READY FOR 2015 Contemporary and customizable Premium quality, mixed-use, business and residential district Located at the junction of McGill Road and Hillside North

4 57,000

buildings at one, professional district

sq.ft. of office, retail, and light industrial space

20,000

sq.ft. of luxury, residential lofts

L EAR N M O R E A B O U T T H E D I S T R I C T There is an exclusive opportunity to customize your own space from a variety of open floor-plates.

Or you can view what is available from suggested floorplans and discuss options with our team.

CONTACT GARY REED

DISTRICT 1452 IS LOCATED AT...

district1452.com gary@aandt.ca 250-851-9292 ext. 232

1452 McGill Road, Kamloops, BC, conveniently positioned between the TRU Endowment Lands and Kenna Cartwright Park, at the intersection of McGill Road and Hillside North.

A high-quality project by A&T Ventures and Quinn Developments This is not an offering for sale and such offer can only be made by Disclosure Statement E&OE.

unsungheroes

t a l k BUSI ESS

THE INNOVATION STATION B y J e ssic a K l ym chuk If you’re going to fail, fail hard and fail fast — that’s the attitude entrepreneurs have to take when pursuing their ideas.

But at Kamloops Innovation, the healthy community of company startups seems an indication that given the right opportunities, entrepreneurs in Kamloops are seeing success.

The idea to bring a technology business accelerator to the city was proposed four years ago and the Kamloops Innovation Centre opened its doors in 2011. A core group of entrepreneurs wanted to bring a stronger technology economy to Kamloops and space where startups could thrive was in demand — the first companies to reside at the centre came in almost immediately. In 2012 Kamloops Innovation landed a provincial grant to start operating as a non-profit society and has been steadily increasing its capacity ever since.

It currently supports 21 star tups, from designers to software companies.

Between 2012 to 2013 Kamloops Innovation supported 25 startups — 13 founded by Thompson Rivers University graduates. It attracted $ 214,000 in investment — $ 85,000 new private investment, including venture capital and angel investments, $ 59,000 in founder investment and government grants and $ 70,000 in generating revenue. It provided and employed 10 TRU students.

Executive director Lincoln Smith and operations manager Kimberely Eibl with the community at Kamloops Innovation. The technology business accelerator currently supports 21 startups, from designers to software companies.

51 jobs

But, the concept isn’t just about providing a space for low-cost startups to find their footing. It’s about creating a community where success is enabled because of the collective knowledge those entrepreneurs share.

“It’s one of those things where it star ts to feed back on itself,” executive director Lincoln Smith said. “As we create more star tups we have more jobs, more workers.”

After two years of operation, they are finding as the system of the startup community grows the capacity to bring in new companies and have those companies suppor t each other grows. They are able to mitigate some of the risks star tups usually face, such as finding staff and overcoming star tup-specific challenges.

“One of the big things Kamloops Innovation does for the entrepreneurs in our programs is bring new techniques and a second set of eyes to their projects,” Smith said. “This can prevent them from making mistakes they may have other wise made.”

“If you look around the building, you will have companies at different stages. A company that has been running for two years has a lot of advice and mentorship they can provide to the company in the office next to them.”

Montreal-based digital agency Okam recently decided to open a western office, choosing to rent a space with Kamloops Innovation after the founders spent a few weeks working out of the centre last summer. While they could have easily rented space in Vancouver, Smith said he feels they are choosing Kamloops par tly because of the atmosphere and community Kamloops Innovation of fers.

here and being surrounded by young companies and cool things,” he said.

Kamloops Innovation suppor ts various events that are driven by the community, from tech brews, which bring together various tech companies, to star tup weekends, where entrepreneurs share their pitch ideas.

But, it also connects entrepreneurs to a larger network of experts through its par tnership with the BCIC Acceleration Network. The Venture Acceleration Program connects star tup founders with an entrepreneur in residence, a mentor who works closely with them to grow their company. The mentors are successful entrepreneurs who have star ted several innovation companies and bring a higher level of understanding the strategic moves that star tups have to make, Smith said.

“It’s a huge benefit to have somebody at that level working directly on your star tup business,” operations manager Kimberely Eibl said.

“They are super passionate about each of those companies they work with, so it’s like having a tremendous leg up.”

In the last year, Kamloops Innovation has helped introduce two new spaces that promote networking within the community.

Their co-working space can be utilized by freelancers and the resident star tups, giving ever yone the oppor tunity to work around people while pursing individual projects.

The TRU Generator — a new space in the House of Learning at the university — is a hub where students, faculty, mentors and entrepreneurs can gather to connect and collaborate to generate the next wave of Kamloops technology companies and jobs.

“Our accomplishments in the last two years make me excited about the next five,” Smith said.

“I think them choosing Kamloops has a lot to do with them working

unsungheroes

015

016

w i n t e r

| 2 01 4

THOMPSON RIVER

PUBLICATIONS

company

CHATTER Joy Factory films

OWNER AND OPERATOR: NATHAN FROESE

| company chatter

What: Joy Factory Films Inc. is a video production

016

company specializing in promotional videos, commercials and the occasional wedding film.

Our strength is capturing ideas, emotion and beauty through cinema and we strive to provide Kamloops with a high quality of video work and a price that won’t break the budget. The long-term goal is to continue to grow the company in the region and to expand and improve our production capabilities.

Who:

There are currently three employees at the Joy Factory — Calvin Kuntz, who’s in charge of editing and cinematography, Neil Manuel, who looks after marketing and graphic design, and owner Nathan Froese, who does pretty much everything else. We do video work for a variety of clients in the area, from large corporations to small businesses and individuals.

When:

The idea for the Joy Factory was born early in 2010 when two high school friends from Sahali, Nathan Froese and Joey McGarry, decided they weren’t happy with their current positions and felt Kamloops could benefit from their combined talents with Nathan (a TRU graduate) looking after all business applications, and Joey (Arts Institute of Vancouver) taking care of filming and editing. The company incorporated in May of 2010 and was run by both until Joey left the company in late 2012, leaving Nathan as the sole owner.

Why: The company was formed to help challenge

conventional Kamloops video production. We felt we could bring a new sense of creativity and passion to the market that had become used to the status quo.

How: You can find out more about the company by visiting our website at www.joyfactoryfilms.com which is essentially just our videos. We find it best to just let our work speak for itself.

Favourite project : It’s hard to pinpoint a favourite

project as we’ve done so much over the years, but there are plenty of surreal moments where we’re filming on a pristine lake, the top of a mountain or have front-row access to film an artists we’ve always wanted to see live and we can’t believe this is our job — this is what we do for a living. It’s an amazing feeling and something we never take for granted.

photo credit: Owen Imaging

| company chatter

Zinger Design DESIGNER: NICK ZINGER

WHAT: Zinger Design is a creative studio focused

on building thoughtfully crafted visual identities, logos and websites.

WHO: It’s a one-man show at the moment, which

means I do a little of everything, but my day to day is working on various design projects for clients like NRI Distribution, Oronge Boardshop, TRU and Red Collar Brewing Company.

t a l k BUSI ESS

017

up weekend last year. During that weekend, I saw there weren’t many designers and thought it was an opportunity to build a design business in Kamloops. I moved into the Kamloops Innovation Centre offices in March 2014.

WHY:

The business came out of necessity, both personal and professional. I moved to Kamloops from Edmonton last year and found that starting my own business was the only way to do the kind of work I’m good at.

HOW: You can check out some work at

CHATTER WHEN: The idea came to me after attending a start-

www.zingerdesign.com, my twitter is @zingerdesign or just send me an email at hello@zingerdesign.com.

MEET THREE STARTUPS FROM KAMLOOPS INNOVATION

Truvian Labs

FOUNDER AND CEO: DAN ERIKSON

WHAT:

Truvian Labs builds a web-mapping application that simplifies the day-to-day process of working with maps and geographic data. Our application is very easy to use, which enables a wide variety of people to directly interact with their data – something that previously required access to technical tools and lengthy training.

WHO:

The majority of our clients are small-to medium-sized municipalities and First Nations communities. We have had a lot of success in this market because we provide a level of functionality that was typically only available to much larger organizations. We are also working with organizations in the forestry, mining and oil and gas sectors who need to have an executive overview of the current state of their operation.

WHO: Early

on, Truvian established strategic partnerships that provide access to highly

specialized resources in virtualization and marketing. In addition to these partners, Truvian has dedicated employees focused on programming, design and business development. In the last two years we have hired three graduates from Thompson Rivers University including representatives from the computer science, business and microbiology programs.

Favourite project :

It is honestly hard to pick a favourite, as we work on exciting initiatives with a variety of organizations. It is always fun when I am talking with a new client, they start to realize what we enable them to do and they get really excited.

WHEN: After spending more than 10 years working

as a consultant in the geomatics field, I repeatedly saw that the tools currently available were overly complicated, making it difficult for organizations to quickly view and interact with their own data. I realized that I had the technical ability, but also a practical knowledge of how complex data could be made useful to a wide variety of people. I started Truvian in 2011, and we’ve been growing rapidly ever since.

HOW: The best place to learn more about Truvian is on our website at truvian.com, or they can contact us any time at info@truvian.com

17 | company chatter

018

w i n t e r

| 2 01 4

THOMPSON RIVER

PUBLICATIONS

018 |people of influence

p

e

o

p

l

e

O

f

I

n

f

l

u

e

n

c

t a l k BUSI ESS

e

019

CAROLYNN BOOMER General Manager, PacificSport Interior BC

Carolynn Boomer has dedicated her life to sport. In addition to being a lifelong athlete and coach, Boomer now helps connect other athletes and coaches with performance programs that help bring them closer to their goals.

Boomer lives and breathes fitness. Throughout her years, Boomer has been a multi-sport athlete, competing at various levels of volleyball, basketball and fastball. As a teenager, she played provinciallevel volleyball and attended a junior national camp. She competed in volleyball at the 2005 World Masters Games in Edmonton.

As a former Team BC and Cariboo College Kamloops YMCA when she took the job as general manager for PacificSport Interior BC. She started varsity athlete, Boomer went on to coach four with a desk and a phone in a tiny office at city years of volleyball at the University College of the hall — an old interrogation room — and was Cariboo, now Thompson Rivers University. She is thrilled to just be working to help athletes. The a NCCP Level 3 coach and a provincial referee organization had a budget of $49,000 and today in volleyball. She has been involved with Team it runs on$500,000.

Canada staf f for the Commonwealth Games, Team BC staf f for the Canada Summer Games, mission staf f for the 2015 Canada Winter Games and was the technical chair for the 2011 Western Canada “I can’t believe I get to Games. come to our offices at the As an athlete, Boomer’s ultimate goal was to compete in the 1984 Olympic Games. She never went, but working with athletes through PacificSpor t, Boomer says she is living her dream.

“I feel like I am living my Olympic dream ever y day in this job,” she said. “It feeds my soul.”

p l e f l u e n c e

paidadvertisement

n

“It’s like when Dylan Armstrong was finally rewarded with his 2008 Beijing Olympic bronze medal. You feel that you’ve played some small part in that.”

I

The stories of the passionate athletes, their dreams, their goals and the young athletes they inspire are what drives Boomer. She is a fierce advocate for the right of children to have sport in their life and develop physical literacy. Looking back on all the athletes that have benefited from PacificSport’s programs, Boomer says she loves feeling like they have helped athletes reach their goals.

f

Those partnerships include, the Province of B.C., the City of Kamloops, viaSport, Thompson Rivers University, School District 73, the Kamloops Blazers Sport Society, the City of Merritt and several local and provincial sport organizations.

O

Boomer was involved from the get-go.

As a volleyball coach, she advocated the need for athlete ser vices in the Interior. She was working as the youth and spor t director at the

o

“The 1993 Canadian Summer Games was an igniter,” Boomer said. “It showed the people the power we have when we all work together.”

e

It was the first regional centre named in B.C. as a provincial government initiative — a legacy from the 1993 Canada Summer Games hosted in Kamloops.

p

Boomer has worked with PacificSpor t Interior BC since its inception 20 years ago. The Kamloopsbased centre is connected to a network of five PacificSpor t centres and three national campuses across the province. It suppor ts 18 af filiated spor ts and 20 salaried coaches in the Interior, providing athlete ser vices, including programs and workshops, and coach development. It aims to enhance deliver y of training, education and ser vices to athletes, coaches, volunteers and specialists.

Tournament Capital Centre, to walk in and see where we’ve come as a community,” she said. “For me, I’m proud of all the partnerships we’ve built. We say, ‘It takes a community to build a champion” and it truly does.”

19

020

w i n t e r

| 2 01 4

THOMPSON RIVER

PUBLICATIONS

020 |people of influence

p

e

o

p

l

e

O

f

I

n

f

l

u

e

n

c

t a l k BUSI ESS

e

021

BRENDA AYNSLEY

Executive Director, United Way Thompson Nicola Cariboo Brenda Aynsle y has always believed that happiness is about helping other people.

When she joined the United Way as executive director in 2004 she had not only already discovered her love for making a dif ference, but also her love for helping others realize they could make a difference.

“What I really loved was seeing that light go off for people,” Aynsley said.

Prior to coming to Kamloops, she worked in the mental–health field and residential child and youth care. Her career continued at Kamloops Youth Resources (now Interior Community Services) and she later taught at the University College of the Cariboo for six years. Brenda learned fundraising, working with volunteers and business management at the Heart and Stroke Foundation. In one way or another, Aynsley was always giving back. Her role at the United Way brought all the aspects of her career together, she says.

“There’s not a day that I haven’t wanted to come to work,” Aynsley said. “I think that speaks a lot to the kind of work we do. It’s extremely rewarding.”

When she joined the local United Way, they had three staf f and raised $800,000 during their annual campaign. This, year they have six staf f and raised $2.1 million in their last annual campaign. Aynsley oversaw the shift the local United Way took to develop the community impact initiatives of the organization, taking it from a fundraising organization to align with the national movement for United Way to become a beacon for social change.

that United Way provides that experience. It has certainly has provided it for me.”

United Ways across the countr y changed their mission so they would work collaboratively with other organizations, not just to fundraise but to look at changing social conditions in communities and addressing root causes.

She is currently involved in the early stages of developing a Women’s Leadership Council in the region, a board that will direct the initiatives of female philanthropists who are dedicated to changing the stor y for women who find themselves struggling financially or who are at a transitional period. It will be different from programs that work with the marginalized, but the council is working to determine what the program will look like.

o p l e O f I n f

“I do have a vision and one of the reasons I love this work so much is I’m reminded ever y day the difference it’s making,” Anysle y said.

l u e n c e

“I really believe that, given the oppor tunity, people really do want to help,” Aynsley said. “They want to make a dif ference and I really think

e

This winter the United Way is par tnering with Kamloops This Week to help raise funds for the Christmas Cheer campaign that will suppor t the Y Women’s Emergency Shelter, New Life Mission, Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Hospice and the Sensational Soups program run by Mount Paul United Church.

For Anysley, the opportunity to spread the United Way’s initiatives even further is what makes her sure she will be with the organization for the rest of her career.

p

In Kamloops, the United Way works closely on the Kamloops Homelessness Action Plan; Access Kamloops, which connects people and resources in the community; Success by Six, an early childhood initiative dedicated to providing all children with a good star t in life; an initiative to change the face of pover ty and several more, in addition to their annual campaign.

Aynsley calls herself a lifelong learner. Through her work, she is continually presented with opportunities to learn and grow the mission of the local United Way, while staying connected to the national goals of the organization. She has held her place on the President’s Advisor y Council for 10 years.

21 paidadvertisement

022

w i n t e r

| 2 01 4

THOMPSON RIVER

PUBLICATIONS

022 |people of influence

p

e

o

p

l

e

O

f

I

n

f

l

u

e

n

c

e

t a l k BUSI ESS

023

KAREN WATT CEO, Excel Personnel

For 22 years Karen Watt has been an expert corporate matchmaker, helping candidates find their dream job and clients fill crucial positions. Her success is driven by her passion for people and her dedication to integrity, inside and outside the office.

Her employment-recruitment firm, Excel Personnel, has grown from a one-woman show to an eight person operation with clients across Canada and of fices in Kamloops, Kelowna, Prince George, Surrey and in the Yukon. When Excel looks at taking on two new employees in the coming months, its growth will have surpassed Watt’s original goal for the company.

“When you have a team that moulds together and looks after each other, you know you’ve done a good job,” she said. “I’m blessed with the individuals that we are working with.”

When Watt star ted her second career in 1992, she brought a wealth of human-resources experience with her. She had worked for the general manager and vice-president of Shaw Pipe Protection, assisting in the human-resources depar tment for the executives, and quickly learned through mentors what management wanted in their staf f. In her career, she has worked for several companies and has developed a keen skill for pinpointing people’s needs.

“I was like a sponge,” she said. “Thanks to the mentors in my life and my HR background, I was able to constantly continue to grow.”

l e O f I n f l u n c e

“Integrity is really the best thing a company can provide to their staff and to their clients. Without that, lines get blurred,” Watt said. “We stand behind what our staff say. We can fix a mistake, but we can’t fix a lie.”

e

Excel maintains a presence on over 50 job boards and is recruiting for between 30 and 70 positions at a time, ranging from quick placements to six-month searches. Watt has maintained a presence on the Acsess board, the governance body for the staf fing industr y,

p

“It’s so rewarding to see how individuals can grow when you give them a chance to succeed,” Watt said.

Watt leads b y example, building an atmosphere and trust and respect within her company as well as with the candidates and clients who seek Excel’s ser vices.

o

Today, about 78 per cent of recruits for temporar y positions will move to a permanent position within the company because Excel matched them successfully. Excel has seen selected candidates stay with companies for over 15 years.

“That’s what we really strive to do, is build relationships, not just with clients, but with affiliates across Canada,” she said.

e

Excel star ted of f recruiting for temporar y staf fing.

It later began recruiting for permanent placements for companies that wanted to outsource their human-resources depar tments. They search, select, inter view, evaluate, reference, summarize and present the top candidates to their clients.

since she started Excel, connecting her to agencies across Canada and over 6,000 members.

p

Watt came to Kamloops in 1987. When she was downsized from a corporate job, she discovered Kamloops was void of a recruitment agency.

She put her skills to work and opened Excel in 1992, first on the Nor th Shore and then moved downtown, where she has been ever since.

23 paidadvertisement