Business Examiner Peace Cariboo Skeena - May 2015

» SALES

MAY 2015

–PAGE 27

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Conference capitalizes on creating connections

PAGE 16

All-Peace is “AllReady” to tackle new opportunities in the North

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INDEX Prince George

3

Smithers 9 100 Mile House

BY JOHN MACDONALD

P

DAWSON CREEK

Private sector and First Nations groups meet to develop new business

15

Movers & Shakers 24 Communications 25 Opinion 26 Quesnel 27 Contact us: 1-866-758-2684

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RINCE RUPERT - “Developing equitable business relationships between Canada’s first peoples and the private sector.”

That was Geoff Greenwell’s response when asked about the purpose of the 2015 National Aboriginal Business Opportunities Conference (NABOC), which took place on April 28-30th.

Greenwell’s company, the 2G Group, puts on these conferences throughout BC, and celebrated the 5th anniversary of its Prince Rupert event with the closing of this year’s symposium.

“Our event brings aboriginal groups and different business sectors together, they attend to

learn about each other, network, and explore mutually-beneficial partnerships and joint-ventures,” says Greenwell.

His company identified a gap in the marketplace for an event of this kind in 2008, and held the first NABOC in Osoyoos.

The idea has now evolved into an annual province-wide series.

Currently there are four events throughout the year in Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Osoyoos, and momentum has been building.

“The Prince Rupert event was our biggest yet, there were 450 delegates representing 250 organizations, and 85 exhibitors,” he said. “ We s aw a lo t of p o s it ive SEE CONFERENCE CAPITALIZES | PAGE 8

Fast brings money and opportunity from Feds

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ORTHERN BC – 20% of Canadian Jobs are dependence on ex ports, with international trade representing 60% of the economy.

The federal government recently announced support for this component of the economy th rough various investment announcements in BC as part of its Go Global initiatives.

M i n i s ter of I nter n at ion a l Trade, the Honorable Ed Fast, made a number of presentations throughout the province.

The announcements came at chamber of commerce events and, a Go Global export workshop hosted i n pa r t nersh ip w i t h t h e C a n a d i a n M a n ufacturers & Exporters (CME) association.

T he workshops a re pa r t of

the cross-country Go Global tour held in collaboration with the CME, focused on providing small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) with tools and practical information to take advantage of international business opportunities.

Ma rcus Ewer t-Joh ns, Vice President of CME British Columbia joined Minister Fast for one of the announcements.

“Our government is committed to working shoulder-toshoulder with Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises in British Columbia and across the country to seize export opportunities and create jobs,” said Minister Fast.

He a d d e d , “ we a re bre a ki ng dow n t he si los between ou r ex por t agencies, ta k i ng

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a whole-of-govern ment approach to exporting and providing the tools, services and information that you and your businesses need to succeed.”

The workshop tour began in November 2014, and has had 18 different stops to date, attracting more than 2,000 business representatives.

One announcement was made in Nanaimo, regarding Marine Renewables Canada, who received $60,275 as part of the Global Opportunities for Associations program.

This program is focused on enabl i ng Ca nad ia n associations to help thei r members abroad.

In Victoria, Minister Fast addressed the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, where

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he d iscussed Ca nada’s Economic Action Plan 2015.

He a l so a n nou nced Invest Canada - Community Initiatives (ICCI) program funding of $11,000 for the Chamber, in support of attracting job creating investment.

Minister Fast invited participants in both the Nanaimo and Victoria events to join him on h is upcom i ng trade m ission to the Philippines, which will takes place this month.

The Go Global presentations focused on four different government initiatives for SMEs. T h e f i r s t b e i n g C a n a d a’s Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) provides businesses with ‘ground-level’ intelligence and SEE FAST BRINGS MONEY | PAGE 2

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MAY 2015

FAST BRINGS MONEY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

practical advice on foreign markets.

T CS recent ly received add it ion a l funding of $42 million over five years to expand its services. It has opened four new trade offices in China within the past few months, brining the total to 15, hou si ng more t h a n 100 t rade commissioners.

TCS has a presence in 161 cities worldw ide, 15,000 clients, w ith 14,250 of them being SMEs. T he Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) is dedicated exclusively to entrepreneurs, and offers growth, transition and venture capital, financing and consulting services to SMEs across the country.

BDC works with 30,000 clients Canada-wide, 4,800 of which are SMEs. Export Development Canada (EDC) is Canada’s export credit agency, its role is to develop and support export trade.

The crown corporation provides insurance and financial services, bonding products and small business solutions to ex port busi nesses, i nvestors a nd their international buyers.

EDC has 7,100 clients, including 5,500 exporting SMEs. The Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) acts on behalf of businesses to procure international government cont racts, ex i st i ng a s a ‘sovereig n guarantee’.

It provides contract negotiation and execution services in areas where there is a clear role for government.

Examples would be: a) emerging and developing markets where governments m ay requ i re add it ion a l capacity to

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Park Geun-hye, President of the Republic of Korea, look on as Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, and Yoon Sang-jick, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, celebrate the signing of the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement.

(PMO PHOTO BY DEB RANSOM)

undertake complex procurements and projects. b) in sectors such as aerospace and defense, which are outside of World Trade Organization agreements.

CCC h a s 2 10 cl ients, 63 of wh ich would be considered SMEs.

Minister of International Trade, Ed Fast, speaks at a Go Global event.

(PHOTO CREDIT: FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT CANADA)

The government also leads and organizes trade missions to other countries and regions, providing businesses the opportunity to showcase their products and services to key international stakeholders.

As a whole, the export industry represents a significant opportunity for businesses. T he past few years have m a rke d a m onu m ent a l i nc re a s e i n international trade potential, most recently with the signing of the CanadaEuropean Trade Agreement.

Du ri ng h is presentations M i n ister Fast talked about ongoing negotiations with India, alluding to the potential of a new free-trade agreement.

Canada will soon have free trade access to 43 countries, complimenting the ex isti ng 28 Foreig n I nvestment

Promotion and Protection Agreements.

The government remains committed to expanding on its current trade efforts, with the recent announcement of $50 million over five years to directly support between 500 and 1000 SMEs with market research and trade mission participation.

“This government’s priority is jobs and economic growth. By ensuring that Canada is a top destination for business investment and opening up new market opportunities around the world, we are creating jobs and prosperity here in British Columbia and across Canada,” said Minister Fast.

To learn more about these announcements please visit: www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca www.marinerenewables.ca www.victoriachamber.ca

PRINCE GEORGE

MAY 2015

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‘CASH MOB’ INVADES PRINCE GEORGE BOOK STORE This was no ordinary Saturday morning at the bookstore

PRINCE GEORGE CHRISTY RAY

L

aid-back Saturday mornings are perfect for leisurely browsing at the local bookstore.

On a particular sunny Saturday, the first in May, Prince George indie book shop Books and Company was buzzing with activity.

The in-store café was packed, children gathered for story time in one corner of the store, while shoppers searched through the

bargains and bestsellers, many with $20 bills in hand.

This was no ordinary Saturday morning at the bookstore. Books and Company was the site of Prince George’s first ‘Cash Mob,’ an innovative and exciting new event organized by the Prince George Chamber of Commerce and the Hell Yeah Prince George Facebook group.

A Cash Mob is a twist on the

familiar Flash Mob, which features large groups of people suddenly breaking out into a dance routine in a public place, usually to raise awareness for a particular cause or issue. A Cash Mob also involves a large group of people coming together for a common purpose, but in this case, it’s to flood a local business with shoppers.

People are alerted, usually on social media, when and where the Cash Mob is taking place, and they are instructed to spend at least $20 at the store. The purpose is to stimulate excitement and support for local businesses in a fun and social way.

Not only can the Cash Mob help boost sales on that day for the “mobbed” business, but it can also help raise that business’s profile in the community by potentially drawing in new customers. That was certainly the case on Saturday. Even though Books and Company is already a familiar cultural hub in Prince George

for many, there were a number of first-time shoppers at the Cash Mob, thrilled to have discovered this book-lover’s paradise.

Cash Mobs have been held in cities across North America, but this was the first in Prince George. The Chamber of Commerce saw that this type of event could be a good fit in our community because of the growing ‘shop local’ movement.

Groups like the Hell Yeah Prince George Facebook community have helped raise the profile of local businesses by encouraging people to celebrate and share what they love about these places online. The Cash Mob helps build on this community pride.

T he Chamber called on the community to nominate the local Chamber Member business they would most like to see ‘mobbed,’ and explain why. Based on the responses we received, it is obvious there is a lot of love for our local businesses!

Books and Company was

chosen as the location for the first Cash Mob, but it was not the only winner. Books and Company is one of the many vibrant, diverse, independent stores that make up Prince George’s downtown.

Cash Mobs are not just about boosting one business. Instead, it is our hope that these events will stimulate an interest in local shopping that will spill over into other stores in the community.

The Chamber plans to hold two more Cash Mobs before the summer. People can get involved by nominating their favourite local Chamber member independent business. Details about the next Cash Mob will be revealed on social media.

Join the mob - shop local!

- Christie Ray is Executive Director Assistant for the Prince George Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at christie.ray@pgchamber. bc.ca

CANADA NORTH RESOURCES EXPO RETURNS “The impetus was with all the projects coming up in BC.”

and safety, environmental, and engineering, to name a few.

The event also attracts exhibitors from across the country, making the ‘Canada’ in its title extremely relevant.

“These companies are coming from across the country. I would say 3 or 4 are even from the US but the majority are from Ca nada,” Cusack says. “It’s primarily a dealer/distributordriven event so many are from the Prince George area. But we also have them coming in from Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and as close as Mackenzie and Quesnel. It’s a pretty good draw.”

Cusack also believes the event has a bright future in Prince George.

“The impetus was with all the projects coming up in BC in the next ten years. There is a lot of infrastructure needed to get the actual project going,” he adds.

“We’re very optimistic in the next 8 to 10 years that it’s going to be a very strong event for Prince George.”

The CNRE will also include the first annual Northern BC Safety Conference, a Live Equipment Demo Zone, and stars of the reality show “Swamp Loggers”. www.CNRE.ca

PRINCE GEORGE NEIL O’FARRELL

F

ollowing its success in 2013, the Canada North Resources Expo (CNRE) will be returning to Prince George May 29-30 2015 at the CN Centre.

The biannual event features business and equipment exhibits from a variety of industrial and natural resource sectors, including forestry, heavy equipment, and mining, among many others.

Mark Cusack is the Executive Show Manager at Master Promotions, the company organizing the event. While he is very happy with the way the expo went in 2013 (which was also its inaugural edition), he is expecting an even bigger show this year.

“In May of 2013 we had over 8,000 visitors in two days so it was crazy busy and very good,” Cusack explains. “The response was tremendous and as a result we’re already 30 per cent larger than we were in 2013 and we still have 4-5 weeks to go yet.”

Most of the growth is from the outdoor exhibits, which will take up roughly four acres of space outside of the CN Centre. These will mostly include large pieces of heavy equipment and were very popular with visitors in 2013.

Canada North Resources Expo was a very successful event when last held in 2013 “We are going to be over 300 exhibitors for this edition. We had about 270-275 i n 2013,”

Cusack notes.

Inside the CN Centre, the exhibitors will include a variety of

industrial suppliers with somewhat smaller equipment on offer, as well as services such as health

- Neil O’Farrell is with Initiatives Prince George. He can be contacted at O’Farrell@ initiativespg.com

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MAY 2015

CELTIC CONSTRUCTION IS A GROWING CONCERN SPOTLIGHT

Dawson Creek builder does it all including residential and commercial projects

D

AWSON CREEK – Celtic Construction i n Dawson Creek is not only the little company that could – it’s the company that did. The creation of company president Carl Chandler, its success is something he is justifiably proud of.

Celtic Construction began as a new home builder. In 2009, it took on its first commercial building. Since then, the company has worked on more than a dozen commercial buildings including Joe Loomis Trucking Ltd, Rockwater Energy Ltd, Cat Finning Ltd, B & C Trucking Ltd, Trimac Transportation Ltd, and Pacific Northern Gas Ltd. Talking about his company’s rise to success, Chandler said, “We have a good team of guys and a great business community that supported me. They like how fast we complete our projects.” He added that the best feedback he gets from his customers is their recommendations and continued support. After his first Finning project in 2010, he completed a renovation to a Finning building in Fort St. John and is about to begin a new building for the company in Edmonton.

Chandler started his building career as an apprentice carpenter in 1987 in Nova Scotia. He moved to Medicine Hat in 1992 and to Dawson Creek in 1994 where he began working for Louisiana Pacific. Shortly after that, he and his brother, Kevin, began building homes in their spare time. In 1996, they built 11 homes. Each year after that, they built 5 – 8 homes, all while still working full time.

In 2006, Chandler decided it was time to make a full-time commitment to his construction business. At the time he had a crew of five full-time employees.

Today, he has 30 employees and is in the process of moving into larger quarters to accommodate

“We have a good team of guys and a great business community that supported me.

They like how fast we complete our projects.”

CARL CHANDLER PRESIDENT, CELTIC CONSTRUCTION

his expanding business. Chandler is known for a strong work ethic, as is his entire crew.

“All the guys who work with Celtic are all achievers,” he said.

“They all produce. I have five excellent lead guys.” He noted that Celtic Construction has its own crews for framing, plumbing, foundation, electrical and mechanical. The use of sub trades is minimal.

“We can shave two months off a project easily,” Chandler said, noting that having control over an entire project makes a big difference. “Our customers think we do a really good job – and we get references from them. That’s a big deal right there.”

Not only is the company growing in the amount of work it takes on, but also in the type of work it does. It is expanding its territory and doing work farther afield.

Celtic Construction offers a full range of construction services including general construction, design-build, and renovations.

It specia lizes in a ll ty pes of commercial and industrial construction projects including preengineered steel construction, conventional steel construction, masonry block, concrete construction and wood frame construction. Through collaboration between builder and client, Celtic applies its extensive construction knowledge to recommend the use of appropriate material, construction methods and the

Celtic Construction has worked on more than a dozen commercial buildings including Loomis Trucking

Celtic Construction’s new quarters in Dawson Creek are set to accommodate a growing business

Celtic Construction is poised to move into spacious new quarters latest technology to deliver an efficient product. Celtic has its own machinery and equipment as well. It manages every aspect of the building process including appropriate property selection, blueprint design and construction fulfillment.

“We have control over the job site,” Chandler said. “The whole team is used to working together. They all pull together.

Every Monday morning we have a meeting where we discuss what we’re doing for the week. That’s something you don’t have, when you have sub trades involved.

And they all know that they’re there for the same goal.”

Celtic Construction builds custom homes as well as spec homes.

With over 150 homes constructed locally, Celtic Homes is known as the largest home builder in Dawson Creek and the surrounding area. It has built high-end custom luxury homes, investment properties such as duplexes and four-plexes and affordable family housing.

Cat Rentals is one of Celtic Construction’s successful commercial projects Chandler said that the company has also begun looking to acquire land so that it can also do land development.

“We’re hoping that we can grow to where we can double our size in the next three years,” he said. “We’re a BC grown company and we have proven that we can be cost effective going to

other areas to do work. We want to continue to grow and show that even though we’re a small company in the northeast, we can produce good quality projects on time and on budget.”

Celtic Construction is at 55 Victurner Airport Road in Dawson Creek. www.celticconstruction.ca

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MAY 2015

ALL-PEACE IS “ALL-READY” TO TACKLE NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NORTH SPOTLIGHT

The large multi-disciplined industrial contractor is poised for more growth

D

AWSON CREEK — AllPeace Industrial Contractors, prides itself on being locally owned and operated. M a n agement a nd employees are driven to provide the best, safest, most reliable, cost-effective service in the BC and Alberta Peace Country.

With over 100 core employees, and growing, All-Peace is able to meet the needs of its customers safely, efficiently, on time and on budget.

A s a mu lti d iscipl i ned, i ndustria l ma i ntena nce a nd c o n s t r u c t i o n c o n t r a c t o r,

All-Peace Industrial Contractors offers civil and structural services

“We believe in building and maintaining relationships. We’re constantly out there marketing the company and meeting people. We’re can-do.”

DALE LAMOUREUX GENERAL MANAGER,ALL-PEACE INDUSTRIAL CONTRACTORS

Dale Lamoureux (left) recently received an ITA recognition award

A ll-Peace provides civil and structural, earthworks, electrica l, i nstr u mentation a nd mechanical contracting services to Dawson Creek, Fort S t. Joh n , Chet w y nd , T u mbler Ridge, Mackenzie, Prince George, Quesnel, and throughout the Peace Reg ion. It has also begun to operate farther afield in Alberta in High Level, Gra nde P ra i rie, Peace R iver and Hinton. General manager Dale Lamoureux said that AllPeace provides a full suite of serv ices to the m i n i ng, forestry and oil and gas industries as well as civil construction

sectors.

The company is known for its maintenance service in manufacturing facilities, providing trades persons for mechanical, electrica l, pipi ng a nd welding construction and repairs.

On the civil side, it also provides all of that as well as earth moving, concrete and the construction of the facilities.

All-Peace was founded three years ago by Gene Fritzel and Lee Fortier a long w ith thei r wives, Kim Fritzel and Penny For t ier. T h e t wo m e n we re wel l-k now n th roughout the contractor business when they d e c i d e d to fo r m t h e i r o w n company, starting in Tumbler R idge on a mine re-commission project.

“T hey for med t hei r ow n compa ny when they identified a need,” Lamoureux said, adding that from mining, they moved on to the forest industry in High Level, Alberta at an orientated strand board plant.

Within a year the company was staffed up to 80 employees. “ I re a l l y b e l i e v e t h a t t h e ow ners at t he t i me h ad t he right approach and the right att itude,” L a mou reu x sa id.

“T hey had a can-do attitude

and I believe that left an impression with customers-tobe. They also had networking connections. Gene and Lee had both worked with mining and forestr y customers, so they had a reputation.”

Before forming the company, Fritzel was a respected maintenance manager while Fortier had a reputation as a talented and able craftsman.

“There was a history around their capabilities,” Lamoureux said.

In August 2014, during a particular boom in several industries in the North, All-Peace staffed up to 200 employees.

Tod ay t he core nu mber sits at about 120. A nd that, sa id La mou reu x, is i n what is considered today to be a soft m a rket. He noted t h at even in today’s market conditions, A l l-Peace is doi ng wel l a nd growing.

Being local, gives All-Peace a significant edge. Customers who choose A l l-Peace k now that money spent stays in the local communities. T he dollars spent to h i re the compa ny’s professional trades people stay SEE ALL-PEACE | PAGE 6

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MAY 2015

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ALL-PEACE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Gene Fritzel is the founder and owner of All-Peace Industrial Contractors

i n the a rea where they work a nd l ive. T he ser v ic e s A l lPeace provides help industry in the Peace Region thrive. In order to have access to the best trades people in the industry, All-Peace has partnered with t he Sk i l led T rades Employment Program (STEP), which matches employers with mot ivated , t ra i ned , re ady-towork c a nd id ate s t h at a re a great fit for the jobs the company does.

All-Peace also supports the Northern Lights College (NLC)

electrical and mechanical apprenticesh ip prog ra ms, a nd their dual credit trades programs for secondary students.

NLC provides training opportunities for northern residents, who can then obtain employment and use those skills right in the Peace Region.

L a m o u re u x , w i t h a b a c kground in mill management, c o n s u l t i n g a n d s t a r t-u p s , was brought on board in 2014.

From h is poi nt of v iew, A l lPeace is poised to thrive well into the future.

“We’re an organization consisting of owners and leaders that have a real passion for the kind of work that we do. We’re

really committed to the local community and the province to employing and skilling up youth for the future. It’s one of the key values of the company. We put a lot of emphasis on people development.” He added that customer satisfaction is also a key value.

“We believe in building and m a i nta i n i n g rel at ion sh ips.

We’re con s ta nt ly out t here ma rketi ng the compa ny a nd meeti ng people. We’re ca ndo. We’re just wide open for business but, at the same ti me, we have put a n i n f rastructure in place – finance, SEE ALL-PEACE | PAGE 7

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Congratulations All-Peace Industrial Contractors

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7

MAY 2015

With its dedicated team of professionals, All-Peace is able to tackle the most challenging scenarios

ALL-PEACE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

ad m i n ist rat ion, H R , a n environmental program, quality assurance, quality control and sa fety. T here is a process i n place that allows us to check the quality of our product and services.”

Sa fet y i s a cor ners tone of All-Peace’s success. The company’s excellent track record i n s a fe t y i s h i g h l i g hte d b y its partnership with many of the top contract management compa n ies a nd sa fety associations that exist today. The company is a member in good standing with: ENFORM: T he safety association for Canada’s upstream oil AND gas industry ISN ET WOR LD: T he globa l resource for connecting corporations with safe, reliable contractors PICS AU DI T I NG: Helpi n g

companies create a safe, sust a i n a b l e p re-q u a l i f i c a t i o n program Working w ith h igh voltage electricity requires adherence to the highest safety regulations.

All-Peace’s skilled electricians and power line construction crews are professional and efficient, maintaining compliance w ith a l l requ i red prov i ncia l and federal electrical safety regulations.

To be successf u l, a hea lt h and safety program must start with proper attitudes toward injury and illness prevention on the part of both supervisors and employees. It also requires cooperation in all safety and health matters, not only between supervisor and employee, but also between each employee and his or her co-workers. Only through a cooperative effort can a safety program for all employees be established and preserved in everyone’s best interests.

A l l-Pe a c e’s ob je c t ive i s a safety and health program that will reduce the number of injuries and illnesses to an absolute minimum, not merely in keeping with, but surpassing, the best experience in operations similar to its own. The ultimate goal is zero accidents and injuries.

Several things set All-Peace apart, Lamoureux said, one of the main being its reputation.

“Right from the president on down, no matter what it is, we engage the customer. Whether it’s a safety issue, a quality issue or a technical issue – there’s no fear. If the president and CEO needs to talk to the customer, so be it. If the general manager has to talk to the customer, so be it.

Our relationships are personalized in a very productive way.

We’re very accessible. And we have a network. If we don’t have the answer to a question, we can find it. We’re very solutions

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oriented.”

Clients often give feedback that the company is proud of: “We have found your company to be very professional.

You are always looking for a solution to our problems. Your company works safely and conscientiously with a strong focus on risk. The projects you have completed to date were timely, on or under budget. Your quotes have been accurate and invoicing detailed. I look forward to our next project together and would be pleased to recommend your services to anyone interested…” a customer From another customer: “We have many contract companies signing in and out each day. We are used to seeing a pickup full of workers and one guy comes in to sign out five people. At access control we like the face to face exposure, giving us a peace of mind that everyone is fit for work that day. When one person does the signing in we lose that contact with the worker and confidence in the company that their guys/gals are indeed fit for work that day.

All-Peace guys and gals come in to meet and greet and build that confidence for us. T hey are always pleasant and respectful.

T h e y a re a m o n g t h e v e r y few that adhere to our back-in policy, follow our speed limits and call all kms on the core lodge. They let us know about visitors and deliveries and are here to escort in a timely manner. It is our pleasure to see them each day. Thank you!”

Sincerely, The ladies at site access.

AngloAmerican, Trend Mine Site

La mou reu x sa id that the compa ny i s completely a ccountable. If something goes wrong, the buck isn’t passed to someone el se. A l l-Pe ace steps in and focuses on finding solutions.

As of May of this year, Gene Fr itzel h a s become t he sole owner of the company while the other owners have moved on. A company restructuring has allowed it to move into the future prepared for upcoming opportunities.

“The future for us is to meet t h e d e m a n d ,” L a m o u r e u x said. “We’ll grow as far as the company can grow. We want to grow with the LNG projects over in Kitimat and Prince Rupert. We see us growing across the province in BC and in Alberta.” Even in a slower economy, he said that management sees the glass as half-full and will continue to do so. Recently the company built its own fabrication shop with it’s own pipe-fitting and welding division that will help it expand into other markets. “ We’ve got a d iverse cu stomer base,” Lamoureux said.

“We‘re not cou nti ng on one or two markets – we have at least six markets. We’re well underway to accessing oil and gas. When oil and gas goes into its next uptick, we’ll be ready to get a slice of that business.

We’l l have the support programs in place.”

A l l-Peace I ndust ria l Contractors is at 12069 207 Road in Pouce Coupe. www.allpeaceindustrial.ca

8

SMITHERS

MAY 2015

NORTHWEST TRADE EXPO A BIG SUCCESS

Tradeshow attendees exchange ideas and develop new business

CONFERENCE CAPITALIZE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

interaction between the delegates, it’s exciting to see all of the different connections being made.”

This year’s event began with a networking event hosted by Keller Canada and Mcelhanney engineering.

The opening ceremonies followed the next day with prayer and welcome addresses from Chief Harold Leighton of the Metlakatla First Nations, Mayor Garry Reece of the Lax Kw’alaams Band and Mayor Lee Brain of Prince Rupert.

The landmark Tslihqot Decision regarding First Nations land title received a high level of attention. An analysis on what the decision means for First Nations, businesses and the province was given by Chief Roger William of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation.

LNG also received special attention, with 6 of the major project proponents presenting progress updates.

Representatives included Donna Parker, Project Manager for WCC LNG, Marc Maeseele, Senior Project Manager for LNG Canada, Tessa Gill, Head of Stakeholder Relations at Pacific Northwest LNG, Simon Nish, VP of Sustainability at BG Canada, Andrew Hamilton, Site Development Manager at Nexen Energy ELC (Aurora LNG), and Rod Maier, Manager of External Relations at Kitimat LNG, Chevron Canada Limited.

Dan George, President and CEO of Four Directions Management Services Ltd., highlighted one of the event lunches with a keynote address.

“This conference is very high impact, the economic potential for these projects and the companies behind them is tremendous, “ said Greenwell.

Other conference highlights included: regional economic progress and building capacity upd ates f rom Fi rst Nat ion s groups around the province, oneon-one networking events, the trade show, industry tours, and a number of workshops.

‘Connecting your business with LNG opportunities’, ‘Supplier readiness: meeting health and safety requirements’, ‘Project financing and leading’, and ‘Aboriginal construction craft

worker foundation program’ were among the topics covered.

Closing out the conference was a delegate banquet dinner featuring entertainment from George Leach and Ryan McMahon.

Speaking on the value of these events, Greenwell said “attendance is a cost-effective method to interact with key decision makers and influencers from the province, and country, we even have attendees from Australia and Asia come, “We bring everyone together and put them in the same room to develop new business, and there are significant opportunities here.”

The next event in the lineup for the 2G Group is RezLAND, the First Nations Infrastructure, Land Development & Urban Planning Conference, running from June 16th – 18th in Osoyoos.

This is focused on First Nations band managers, public works managers, chiefs and councils, economic development officers and professionals from the land development sector.

Attendees can look forward to seeing high profile individuals like Chief Clarence Louie, CEO of the Osoyoos Indian Band, Ed Romanowski, President of Bellstar Resorts, and Chief David Jimmie of the Sqiuala First Nation.

Greenwell has been a Canadian resident since 1992, after spending twelve years as a senior negotiator for multinational energy companies in the Middle East, Africa, South East Asia and South America.

Since moving to Canada he has been a two-term municipal councillor for the District of Lake Country, and launched a number of different companies relating to the aboriginal sector.

One of these includes a consulting company called the Aboriginal Strategy Group LLP, in partnership with Chief Clarence Louie.

Outside of the event series, his company also offers strategic planning services relating to communication, corporate visioning, marketing, business planning, negotiating and mediation, and facilitation.

The company is also behind t he Aboriginal Marketplace magazine.

For more information please visit: www.2ggroup.ca www.theeventpros.ca

SMITHERS HEATHER GALLAGHER

T

h a n k you to ever yone who ca me out to enjoy the show, the many exhibitors, stage entertainers and sponsors who contributed to making this the biggest (and best) Northwest Trade Expo the Chamber has been involved in.

It was great fun, wonderful energy and because, for the first time ever, we had two arenas to fill people spent much more time at the Show, wandering from arena to arena to enjoy the many exhibits. This was the first year for the Outdoor Show in the Second Arena and it was a success along with many outside exhibitors and the Civic Centre had the auto dealers show and 65 other vendors.

Thanks to our car dealers for contributing to the show’s success and to the outdoor show businesses for helping us launch this aspect of the Expo.

Thanks to chamber directors who came down to help man our booth and to Susan Bundock for her tremendous efforts with organizational details. Over 3,000 people came through the doors.

Judges for the Booth Exhibit ribbons chose the Bulkley Valley Exhibition as the Best Overall Booth; Sweet Dreams Esthetics Studio for best use of the Trade Show Theme, “Double Exposure”; North Central Plumbing and Heating, Best Commercial Booth; Sullivan RV Sales for Best Retail Booth; Praxair for Best Service Booth and the Smithers Library for Best Information Booth.

Mining Week Luncheon The Smithers District Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Smithers Exploration Group, annually arranges and organizes a Mining Week Luncheon where members of both groups can meet, network and celebrate the Mining Sector. On May 8 over 120 businesspeople and representatives from various mining and exploration companies attended to hear the speakers including Mining Association of BC President and CEO Karina Brino starting off the program with an overview of the minerals industry in BC. This year the content focused on how businesses in the Bulkley Valley and on the lower mainland depend, for their success,

Heather Lytle gets a group hug CHRIS CAREAU PHOTO

on the minerals produced in BC mines. This was portrayed with a panel of local businesspeople who discussed the products they sell. Amy Bradstetter from Sedaz Lingerie spoke of material like underwire for bras and Lorie Farrell of Whistler Road Cheese Co. defi ned the ma ny meta l equipment products required to produce the cheese in the Valley. Peter Krause of McBike and Sport discussed the many metals needed for biking and skiing equipment.

The panel discussion was facilitated by SEG Director Christine Ogrizlo. Also, the Executive Di rector of Resource Works Stewart Muir presented a recent report that demonstrates how Vancouver business depends on natural resources from the rest of BC. Minerals North in Smithers 2016 While Mackenzie puts the final touches on the organization of Minerals North for this year, the working group for the organization of Minerals North 2016 being hosted in Smithers in May, 2016 is meeting regularly to take on the enormous task of bringing this exciting conference here.

The group consists of representatives from the Bulkley Valley Economic Development Association, Smithers District Chamber of Commerce, Smithers Exploration Group, Town of Smithers, Village of Telkwa and Northwest Community College School of Exploration and Mining. There are additional representatives to be named at a later date. mineralsnorth2016@gmail.com Heather Lytle receives SMART Award from BV Community Arts Council The BV Community Arts Council (BVCAC) presented Smithers Secondary School drama teacher Heather Lytle with a SMART award at the conclusion of Smithers Secondary School’s recent production of L ove’s Labour’s Lost.

The SMART award is BVCAC’s most prestigious award. It recognizes a person who in the eyes of the BVCAC directors has shown long-term commitment to their art and to the Bulkley Valley.

“We recognize and celebrate the many ways Heather’s work has impacted a wide range of community members, from her students at SSS to the broader community of Smithers, her audience,” says Miriam Colvin, president of BVCAC. Heather has been teaching in the district for more than 20 years – the last 12 in drama.

Heather has paved the way for students to perform in an annual production, alternating between Shakespeare and musical productions. This year’s production of Love’s Labour’s Lost exemplifies her innovation; the students performed the classic Shakespeare play set in the 1960s to the music of the Beatles Heather reaches beyond the stage, g iv i ng her students a chance to work with professional writers, musicians and dancers.

“Ms. Lytle exposes us as much as she possibly can,” says SSS drama student Nathan Ta y l o r. “ S h e g i v e s u s s o much to round out our theater experience.”

Part of Heather’s gift is that she actively collaborates with students, tech director Hans Saefkow, local community such as CICK Community Radio and guest artists. However, with t he SM A RT awa rd we celebrate Heather’s personal vision, drive and countless hours that makes amazing arts happen in out community. T he BVCAC commissioned another artist in the Bulkley Valley to create the award given. In this case, Mark Tworow has painted a landscape of the sun setting over Hudson Bay Mountain.

Heather Gallagher is Manager of the Smithers District Chamber of Commerce. She can be contacted at heather@smitherschamber.com

9

MAY 2015

FALLING FOR TIMBER SPOTLIGHT

Sibola Mountain Falling is an expert in BC

P

RINCE GEORGE —Sibola Mountain Falling Ltd. in Prince George has a reputation that has been well earned.

The company is one of the leaders in the work it does in the forest industry, even as far as Alberta.

Timber falling involves far more than walking into a cut block and revving up a chainsaw. It’s a high-risk occupation, said company president, Jordan Nicolussi.

“We manage that risk to make it as safe as we can for our guys – and I think we’re known for doing a very good job of that. We’re a leader, not only in our field but in the safety end of it as well.” In fact, Sibola Mountain Falling was involved in a pilot project in 2006 with the BC Forest Safety Council’s new Safe Companies program. Nicolussi noted that when the program was announced, Sibola Mountain Falling already met or exceeded all standards.

It passed the council’s tests with flying colours, becoming the first timber falling company in the original group of 16 companies to achieve SAFE certification.

The company is involved in the first phase of harvesting, coming in after a block has been engineered and surveyed. The company’s bread-and-butter is in coastal BC although it also works in the Interior and in Alberta.

Sibola’s job is to fall all the timber in the designated block, and it has to do that safely and as productively as possible.

“It’s not a matter of simply coming in and falling a tree,” Nicolussi said. “We have to ensure that we fall that tree so as to save out that tree. Trees on the West Coast are very valuable timber. If we just fall it without planning, we would likely break that tree, which could result in the loss of thousands of dollars.” He noted that the fallers’ jobs are to fall it in an area where it won’t break and also into an area where it is

We are pleased to send our best wishes to the team at Sibola Mountain Falling

“Trees on the West Coast are very valuable timber. If we just fall it without planning, we would likely break that tree, which could result in the loss of thousands of dollars.”

JORDAN NICOLUSSI PRESIDENT, SIBOLA MOUNTAIN FALLING LTD.

Sibola Mountain Falling has great expertise in working on the West Coast of BC

Jordan Nicolussi fell in love with the business while he was still in university environmentally safe – where it won’t damage streams running through the block or timber that will remain standing. Those environmental factors change from block to block and they always have to be kept in mind.

The tree also has to fall into an area where it can be safely cut into the right lengths.

“That is also a key part of the equation,” Nicolussi said. “We cut it into lengths that the client dictates. If we cut the wrong lengths, we could devalue that log by thousands of dollars. There are factors that go into the right cut for the right grade of that log, and if we don’t make the right cut, it can definitely alter the value of that log.”

Nicolussi learned the right and wrong way of falling over many years. In 1995, he was in

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Sibola Mountain Falling strives to extract maximum value for timber university, planning on med school when he decided to take a year off to earn money. A friend in the logging industry suggested he come work with him.

Nicolussi took him up on it and never looked back.

“I fell in love with it,” he said.

“I loved bei ng outside a nd I loved the hard work. You know if you’ve earned your money that day. It’s very visual: you can see what you’ve done at the end of each day. You can feel good about what you did. I loved everything about it – especially the smell of the freshly cut timber.”

In 1998, he formed his own company and worked it on a small scale until 2003 when he purchased a contract on the Queen Charlotte Islands. He was feeling pretty happy with that until the government enacted Bill 28 where it took back volume from the licensees in BC. This resulted in Sibola losing 100 percent of the cut.

Jordan Nicolussi says there are many factors to take into account when falling, including environmental factors “After that, I vowed never to put all my eggs in the same basket again,” Nicolussi said, adding that that company has grown considerably since that time to

become one of the largest in BC. In 2003, Sibola’s annual cut was 85,000 cubic metres. Today it runs at about 700,000 cubic metres. The company employs about 45 fallers, many with years of experience, and younger fallers being mentored by the more experienced crew.

Because of its size, Nicolussi said that Sibola can match the right crew to the job. They can work on f lat land or on steep slopes and with smaller diameter timber typically found in the Interior, or large diameter timber found on the Coast.

Nicolussi plans for increased growth. He said that the company is well positioned to work in the LNG industry, to increase its presence in the oil and gas industry and to grow its base business on the West Coast.

Sibola Mountain Falling Ltd. is at 321 – 1717 3rd Avenue in Prince George. www.sibolamountainfalling.com

10

MAY 2015

BABCON SHINES AT WORKING WITH INDUSTRIES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA SPOTLIGHT

Based in Quesnel, company is a full service industrial, mechanical and fabrication shop.

Q

UESNEL – Babcon Industries Ltd. has been making a name for itself in Northern British Columbia and beyond since 2005. The company is a versatile full service industrial, mechanical and fabrication company working in major industries including pulp and paper and the forestry sector.

The company was founded by Brian Bartels to focus on maintenance work for local pulp and paper plants and sawmills. Over time he purchased a shop and began doing steel fabrication work for the same industries.

When that turned out to be successful, he also bought a machine shop to do milling and lathe machining, all to support the local industry.

“When a mill breaks down, they need a part right away,” said Babcon operations manager Benno Maier. “Vancouver is six or seven hours away and Calgary is nine hours away. You need the new equipment much faster than that.” He noted that Babcon has managed to meet that need for speed as well as quality.

In 2013, Babcon purchased A PSCO Eng i neer i ng Ltd ., a

“Right now we can take on a job, do the design and provide professional engineering drawings.

We can build the piece, and we can install it as well.

Basically, we can do the whole thing.”

BENNO MAIER OPERATIONS MANAGER, BABCON INDUSTRIES LTD.

Left to right: Benno Maier, Rick McKnight and Brian Bartels continue to steer Babcon’s success well-known company working in the area of dust control in wood workshops. Maier pointed out that almost everyone in British Columbia is aware of the sawmill accidents that were attributed to dust build-up.

“We have started to sell dust control systems to the mills here in town,” he said. “They work very well and this is basically now a third leg that we stand on.” In addition, the purchase of APSCO also gave Babcon an engineering department, which makes the company a genuine one-stop goto for many industries.

“Right now we can take on a job, do the design and provide professional engineering drawings,” Maier said. “We can build the piece, and we can install it as well. Basically, we can do the

Babcon’s dust control systems are a must-have for sawmills

whole thing.” He said that being able to do everything in-house gives the company an edge, but Babcon has other advantages as well. It is CSA A 660-10 certified, a standard a company must adhere to when doing steel fabrication. It is also CWB certified, meaning that the company’s welders must be tested every two years.

“And that guarantees that you have top performance every time,” Maier said. “Your work piece will not fail and it will be built right.”

Babcon is also ISO 9001: 2008 certified, meaning it meets top international standards.

“I’m not saying we are better than anyone else,” Maier said.

“But the risk a big company takes with us is probably smaller, because they know what they are getting. We have shown the international ISO organization that we do what we say we will do.”

Babcon has worked with two major clients over the years: West Fraser Timber and Canfor.

“Based on feedback, they are happy w ith us,” Ma ier sa id.

“T hey come back with more b u s i n e s s a l l t h e t i m e ,” H e added that Babcon also works with other companies and in ot her i ndust r ies, m a nu fact u r i ng item s l i ke hyd rau l ic cyl i nd ers for a compa ny i n Vancouver. Maier also pointed out that Babcon’s basic workforce of about 40 people has

Babcon can take a project from design through to completion tremendous experience, with many having worked there from the beginning.

The plan for the future is to

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move farther afield and reach out to potential customers across British Columbia. Babcon is also poised to enter other markets in a bigger way outside the forestry sector. With LNG on the horizon, the company also plans to position itself to do work in that area.

In the most immediate future, Maier said that the company’s dust control systems have a bright future.

“We see this as a big opportunity in the next few years. The environmental regulations are becoming stricter. No one saw dust as a problem 10 years ago but it is actually dangerous. Basically, people will have to follow regulations, which will change.

From our point of view, that is our biggest immediate chance to grow our market.”

Babcon Industries Ltd. is at 2241 Campbell Crescent in Quesnel. www.babcon.ca

11

MAY 2015

CAMP LIFE THAT FEELS LIKE HOME SPOTLIGHT

Cimarron Camp Services provides comfortable quarters and good food in a beautiful setting

F

O R T S T. J O H N — “A Super 8 in the middle of nowhere.” That’s how Cimarron Camp Services Ltd. co-ow ner David Smith describes his camp, nestled in the heart of the Montney Play in northeastern BC. He and his wife and co-owner Susan Smith operate a small open camp that houses about 100 people, 1.5 hours northwest of Fort St. John. There, they not only supply accommodations, but also restaurant quality food prepared by a professional cook.

The Smiths took over management of the camp in 2002. Back then, it consisted of only a dozen beds. Susan herself grew up in a Christian farming community where feeding and looking after people was second nature. When the Smiths took over the camp, they expanded it to keep up with increased demand.

“We changed and adjusted as the industry changed,” Susan said. “In the early years, there were st i l l room s w it h bu n k beds and people shared a room.

Congratulations to David, Susan and the team at Cimarron Camp Services!

The camp is located on the 800-acre historic Federal Ranch

“Our advantage is that we offer a more personal touch.

Another advantage is that we serve really good food and we have a reputation for that.”

SUSAN SMITH CO-OWNER, CIMARRON CAMP SERVICES LTD.

David and Susan Smith provide a home-like feel at Cimarron Camp Services

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Now, the demand is for private rooms with your own bath and a queen-sized bed – just like in

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a motel. In the space of 14 years, we have seen that change.” The camp boasts menus designed

by professional chefs ensuring that the food is high quality and plentiful.

“That’s where the demand lies, so that’s what we try to provide,” Susan said. She pointed out that resource activity, particularly in the oil and gas sector, has been on the uptick, and Cimarron has kept pace. Still, it’s a small camp compared to some others that might house 1,500 men or more. Those are more like small cities, she said, whereas Cimarron has a more home-like and personal feel. The staff also adds to that feeling.

“We encourage the staff to talk and banter with the guests,” Susan said. “We ask them to make our guests feel at home – and generally we get the feedback that they do feel at home. Sometimes, we get a long-term crew who are up there for about three SEE CAMP LIFE | PAGE 12

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MAY 2015

At Cimarron Camp Services, crews can expect comfortable, private rooms

The kitchen at the camp is known for its great food

In the dining hall, crews can expect food prepared by a professional cook

CAMP LIFE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

months and we get to know them fairly well.” She pointed out that, although the companies whose crews stay at camp are Cimarron’s clients, the Smiths and the staff think of the crews as guests, and refer to them and treat them that way. She said that although she and David have run a couple of other small camps concurrently with Cimarron, these days, they focus

all their attention on one in order to make that camp experience the best one for the people who stay there.

“Our advantage is that we offer a more personal touch,” Susan said. “Another advantage is that we serve really good food and we have a reputation for that.”

The property the camp is situated on is the historic Federal Ranch, a ranch with a fascinating history that goes back over 100 years. The ranch nestles in a crook of the Graham

River, known for its excellent fishing and beautiful scenery.

The 800-acre property is also crisscrossed with good walking trails.

“It’s pretty beautiful in the summer,” Susan said, adding that, truthfully, it’s a special place year-round. And it gives guests all sorts of downtime recreat iona l oppor tu n it ies.

Some have been known to bring their ATVs to the camp and explore the surrounding area. The company has hosted a number

of industries, but 98 per cent of the clients are oil and gas related.

Susan said that with excellent management in place and longterm employees who take pride in the service they provide, she expects the camp to operate for many years to come.

“We have seen some of our staff really grow into their jobs and that has been very rewarding,” she said. “That helps provide stability. That, combined with the beauty of the location, really makes Cimarron a success.”

Cimarron Camp Services Ltd. is at 23591 Wet Creek Road, in the Upper Halfway. www.cimarroncamps.com

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13

MAY 2015

SEKO’S DESIGN-BUILD PROCESS SAVES TIME AND MONEY SPOTLIGHT

Partnering Permasteel Metal Buildings with Seko Construction provides full service

BETH HENDRY-YIM

E

DMONTON — Permasteel P rojects is a n i ndustry leader in the supply and erection of metal buildings in Western Canada. Working either directly for clients or for a general contractor, Permasteel can supply a cost effective solution for metal buildings across Western Canada.

“There’s not a community in Western Canada that we haven’t built in,” Brett Jeffrey, Business Development Manager of Seko’s Terrace BC branch said. “We’ve worked with the mining, forestry, and transportation industries.

We’ve built gas stations, agriculture and manufacturing facilities, automotive dealerships, warehouses, retail and commercial complexes, mini-storage, recreational arenas, industrial and crane buildings.”

According to Jeffrey, as Western Canada’s largest and most experienced pre-engineered steel bu ild ing design, supply and install provider, Permasteel is a certified Nucor Building Systems and Varco Pruden Building dealer.

Jeffrey says, “Permasteel takes pride in providing a design, supply, and erection service that helps many organizations provide solutions to their building needs. To do this, we believe communication is key. As the design, supplier, and erector of a major component of any project, we encourage the exchange of ideas between our team and yours, and we are responsive to your concerns.”

“But Company Owners realized they weren’t limited to preengineered steel structures,” Jeffrey said. “They had the ability to design and build the entire

Shell’s new three hangar, 90,000 square foot flight center in Victoria, BC CREDIT:BRETT JEFFREY

Brett Jeffrey said the designbuild method is the most cost and time effective CREDIT: BRETT JEFFREY

project, from concept to the finished product, so they created Seko Construction.”

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14

MAY 2015

“There’s not a community in Western and Northern Canada that Permasteel hasn’t built in.”

BRETT JEFFREY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, SEKO CONSTRUCTION

Built on ten acres, John Deere’s design build pre-engineered facility has four overhead cranes, in-floor heating and large bi-fold doors.

CREDIT:BRETT JEFFREY

SEKO CONSTRUCTION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

of course, pre-engineered steel buildings.

With main offices in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and including satellite offices in Fort McMurray, Terrace, Bonnyville and Lethbridge Seko Construction and Permasteel provide easily accessible service to its clients.

“Coordinating a project requires a knowledge and understanding of the local market,” Jeffrey said.

Jeffrey said, “Seko has many long sta nd i ng relationsh ips because its methodology and processes work. Putting representatives and offices in central communities better serves client needs by being accessible, helping grow the business and its reputation.”

Recently, Seko and Permasteel opened an office in Terrace, BC to connect their representatives with clients in the LNG, mining, oil and gas fields. Jeffrey said, “It is a growing area and with Seko and Permasteel’s knowledge of the industry, their services are

more in demand. We want to have representatives close to their clients to make the design process simpler.”

“We also just opened a branch in Lethbridge in response to specific client needs for our products and services,” Jeffrey said. “Our local representative has a background in agriculture and connections to the Hutterite communities making the design-build process much more straightforward.”

Understa nd i ng cl ient needs through this direct contact enables Seko and Permasteel to work closely with all stakeholders.

Jeffrey explained that Seko Construction’s team act as consultants as well as contracting professionals, taking a client’s idea and looking at every aspect, including the purchase of the right real estate, securing project financing, and working with their clients to provide the most efficient design. He added that the effort Seko Construction puts in up front to create the right building pays off for the client because they not only get what they want but also what they need.

Jeffrey said, “This design-build approach is the most effective construction method. It establishes costs earlier, minimizes architectural, engineering and contractor fees and reduces costly change orders, getting you into your new facility sooner.”

“We create the best design that meets our client’s wants and needs, always keeping in mind their budget. We walk the client through the whole project,” he said adding that with the team approach they get input from professionals at all levels of the building project from financing to finishing.

During the process of determining the right project fit, Seko’s team of experts examines alternate designs, materials and methods from a constructability point of view, providing options and costs in the initial stages of development and ongoing communication on the project’s progress. Part of that includes input from subcontractors and suppliers to incorporate their field expertise and cost saving ideas.

“Working together, we identify

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the most cost-effective construction methods for each project,” Jeffrey said.

This collaborative approach is in demand, especially with time and expertise-specific projects. With Northern BC growing, Seko’s knowledge and experience in this unique environment provides a very specific skill set, one honed from experience and tempered by limited time.

“We specialize in remote construction,” Jeffrey said. “In the North you have a short window of time, not only when you can transport goods, but also when you will have favorable weather.

Our teams have specialized skills for working under these conditions and are able to prepare and maintain a managed schedule.”

With the focus on managed schedules and time saving, this design-build process helped Seko create a temporary terminal building for Vancouver Airport during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

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Permasteels’ roster of projects and satisfied customers run the gamut from pubs to airport hangars to warehouse and cross dock facilities. Their diverse client list includes Jaguar and Land Rover, John Deere, Brandt Tractors, Harley Davidson, SMS Equipment and Shell Canada. They have also partnered on many flagship projects like the UBC Tennis Center, DeBeers Diamond Mines, Rio Tinto Alcan and BC Transit.

Additionally Seko has a long history of partnering with Western Canada’s First Nations communities providing expertise through building community centers, industrial, commercial projects, recreation centers and ice rinks.

Jeffrey added that Seko has a strong commitment to safety and quality management on all its projects, at each level of design and construction.

The Permasteel Group is registered with ISNetworld, an online contractor management database designed to meet internal and governmental record keeping and compliance requirements.

And it also holds a PICS Safety Registration which helps companies create a safe and sustainable prequalification program for contractors, vendors and suppliers in industries like oil, gas, chemical, pulp and paper, construction and manufacturing. And an Alberta COR certification awarded to the Company for developing health and safety programs that meet established standards as well as a membership with ComplyWorks an organization providing management solutions.

Seko Construction and Permasteel Projects is at 3224 Kalum Street, Terrace, BC. www.sekoconstruction.com www.permasteel.com

15

MAY 2015

SOUTH CARIBOO CHAMBER WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS We are westernizing our town with the celebration of our heritage with Western Week

NEWS FROM THE SOUTH CARIBOO SHELLY MORTON

A

fresh new look has come to the South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. We welcome new board members: Keith Jackson from One Another a Coffee House, Joanne Young from Creating Joy In Art, and Marvin Declare from Psalm 23 Transitional Society.

The officer positions have changed slightly with Leon Chretien coming in as the new Board Chair. Carl Gimse stepped down as Chair of the Board and is now in the position of Vice Chair.

Ralph Myhill-Jones remains the secretary and the treasurer is yet to be determined. Our other

six directors are Amanda Usher, Rainer Meyer, Rick Takagi, Nick Christianson, Craig Lee, and Roby Fry. The board meets for their annual retreat early this month to discuss the direction the board would like to take for the new term. It was in agreement that energy would be spent in promoting the South Cariboo and what we have to offer through social media. “Our Life, Your Dream”!! The campaign from the South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce will be launched in the near future.

As we gear up for the recreation and tourism season, the South Cariboo has some exciting events planned. May 11th-16th we are westernizing our town with the celebration of our heritage with Western Week.

Businesses and organizations are excited to decorate and dress up their stores for the week. The Little Britches Rodeo will start off

with the Western Week Parade 10:00am on Saturday May 16th on down town Birch Avenue. https://www.facebook.com/ 100milehousewesternweek The Chamber of Commerce is excited to be on the committee for the 50th Anniversary of the incorporation of 100 Mile House.

This week long celebration will start off with a roar on July 18th and 19th with the annual Hot July Nights car show in our hidden gem, Centennial Park.

Events will carry on right through the week to the 26th of July in the park. The entertainment line-up is still growing!

From the West Coast Lumber Jack Show to the Louisiana Hay Ride band, to a kids day and a line-up of Cariboo bands on July 24th.

Have you ever wanted to step back in time to a Drive In Movie Theatre? Follow the facebook page to see as the schedule for the week grows! https://www. facebook.com/100milehouse50 thanniversary2015 Shelly Morton is the Executive Director of the South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce (www. southcariboochamber.org). She can be reached at: manager@ southcariboochamber.org.

PATENTS HELP MAINTAIN COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE INVENTING ANNE FLANAGAN

T

here is a misconception that it costs millions to defend a patent, and on that basis, some companies decide to not patent. I have observed how not patenting can cost companies their competitive edge.

But what about the impact of patenting on the economy as a whole?

There are some that argue that the patent system stifles innovation, and therefore holds back economic growth. There are some that argue the polar opposite.

If we look back in history, we can find naysayers that seem to present some pretty compelling arguments against patenting. One such person was Michel Chevalier. He was a French economist during the second half of the nineteenth century. What is so interesting about Chevalier is that the arguments he presented back then are very similar to the arguments of today.

Probably his most significant argument was that “every industrial discovery is the product of the general ferment of ideas, the result of an internal work which was accomplished with the support of a large number of successive or simultaneous collaborators in society, often for centuries.”

His interpretation of this argument is that without the successive or simultaneous collaborators in society, these

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discoveries would not be made. I think we can agree in principle on that, however, that argument does not speak to patenting.

Patents do not preclude collaboration, nor do they stop the improvements and innovations arising from a seminal invention. Each innovation and each improvement can be patented by the inventor of that innovation or improvement, assuming that the requirements for patentability are met.

Where Chevalier was probably bang on in his arguments is that the patent system can lead to insecurity for an innovator – the fear being that they will be sued for infringement. The patent trolls have heightened this concern. This could lead to a stifling of innovation.

Note, however, that this insecurity can be minimized by detailed searches of the patent and published patent application databases, before a product is marketed or better still, when it is in the development stages.

Whether we agree or disagree with Chevalier and other naysayers, it is a wellknown fact that companies that continue to innovate to improve their product offering and to stay ahead of the competition are the most successful companies.

Without patents in place, that competitive advantage can be lost.

Anne Flanagan is the principal at Alliance Patents. She can be reached at anne. flanagan@alliancepatents.com

16

MAY 2015

100 PERCENT ABORIGINAL-OWNED GEEL ENTERPRISES IS BUILDING CAPACITY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA SPOTLIGHT

Local company making its mark in remote wilderness camps while providing local jobs and training

G

ITANMAAX — New industries are opening up i n the remote a reas of Northern British Colu mbia.

When mining exploration begins, it’s almost inevitable that companies will find themselves working in a First Nations traditional territory. When they are, it makes good business sense for them to work with local First Nations people and companies.

One of the few 100 percent aborig i na l-ow ned compa nies work i ng i n the prov i nce is Geel Enterprises Inc., a remote exploration camp manager and provider of services.

Geel provides accommodation and catering as well as generators, water systems and a full kitchen. Hereditary Chief and company president Catherine Blackstock explained that the company is only two years old, but already it is proving itself as a reliable and trustworthy

“Anyone who wants to do exploration up north is going to be working on someone’s traditional territory and so working with us creates a way to build relationships and to be respectful.”

CATHERINE BLACKSTOCK PRESIDENT, GEEL ENTERPRISES INC.

partner to the mining industry.

She added that Geel Enterprises prides itself on offering excellent customer service and being able to respond to the ongoing needs of its customers.

With its strong regional presence and network of strategic partners, the company can effectively work with customers in servicing their growing needs.

T he m i n i n g c ompa ny wa s doing exploration work on the Gitxsan traditional territory in 2012 when its camp provider closed its business.

“That created an opportunity for us to go into business rather than having just a few jobs under the other camp provider,” Blackstock said. “We went i nto it feet f i rst, got a couple of loans and purchased the existing camp in 2013.” She noted that the camp, at that time, was only set up to operate for six – eight weeks.

“We grew from there and purchased more assets. We also took over the expediting. Anything the camp needs, we’re the in-town arm to pick up what is required in the camp.” She added that the First Nation is always looking for opportunities. Wherever work is being

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President Catherine Blackstock says Geel Enterprises is ready to help build capacity done, the local Gitxsan people have to benefit, she said.

“We try to ea rn the money there and leave the money there a nd spend the money there.

For us, this was a way to be in charge of who we were going to h ire and ensu re that they were local.” During the first year in business, Geel Enterprises hired about 40 people,

some of them in part-time jobs.

Blackstock said that the area surrounding Hazelton tends to be economically depressed and jobs are precious. Geel Enterprises has created 15 full-time equivalent jobs, which is significant in Gitanmaax.

“We wanted more than just SEE GEEL ENTERPRISES | PAGE 17

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MAY 2015

Robert Blackstock is Geel’s Chief Operating Officer GEEL ENTERPRISES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16

jobs,” Blackstock said. “This wa s a g re at opp or t u n it y to jump in. Exploration is a volatile business. We’re still new and we can’t take too great a risk, but we’re hoping that any future opportunities that come up with other exploration or with pipelines, that we’ll be able to build our capacity and find a niche. We’re not going to be able to do it all on our own.

We’ll probably have some partnerships, but we want to find areas where we can grow and keep hiring more people.” She added that even i f her company works in someone else’s traditional territory, it will still focus on hiring locally and with working alongside the local aboriginal community.

B l a c k s to c k w a s b o r n a n d ra ised i n Ha zelton, BC. She has a diverse background and ex perience includ ing crosscultural awareness training, f i n a nc e, hu m a n re sou rc e s,

communications and consultation advisory services. She has worked with various levels of federal, provincial and First Nation organizations for the past 20 years.

In 2009, she received the hereditary Chief name Geel, which w a s p a s s e d d o w n f ro m h e r late uncle Walter Harris. Her brother, Robert Blackstock is the chief operating officer of Geel Enterprises. He was also born and raised in Hazelton and has worked in the forestry industry, successfully progressing from an entry-level position to sawmill supervisor. He said that the company’s community focus makes it unique.

“The goal of the company is to enhance people’s skills by having a mentor to work under or to send them to classes. With some of the joint ventures we’re planning on creating for our limited partnerships, we will have agreements in place for training. We will have mentorship programs built in.” He added that employee retention has been one of Geel’s biggest cha l lenges a nd he ex pects a mentorship program as well as strong employee support will overcome those issues.

Together with a strong team, Catherine and Robert have created a company that is poised to grow. The mining company and other contractors they are currently working with is exceptionally pleased with Geel’s crew, Blackstock said.

“They’re really excited and h appy. O u r cook wa s rea l ly great and now we have two Red Seal cooks with different styles of cooking. There are no complaints about the food. In fact, everyone’s gaining weight, I think.” She added that if the camp expands, which it may well do, Geel Enterprises is lobbying to build a recreation centre for the men working there.

Under an agreement with the mining company, Geel Enterprises provides training for its employees to bring everyone up to industry standards. Even if the current project doesn’t go forward, the workers will have the qualifications and experience to find employment elsewhere.

If the mining company does go on to the next phase, Geel Enterprises is qualified to provide camp service for up to 50 men – and that, Blackstock said – will be good for her company.

It will also mean forming partnerships, growing and building capacity.

Geel Enterprises is owned on behalf of the House of Geel, which boasts about 300 members. It’s all about jobs for the local people while also providing excellent service to Geel’s customers.

“We want to gain a good reputation,” Blackstock said, adding that Geel Enterprises is already making a name for itself. She stressed that for compa n ies com ing to the North, it’s an advantage to work with a local First Nations company. For Blackstock, it’s important to employ people from her town because unemployment is high and that makes conditions hard for families.

“We’d like to keep the jobs i n ou r com mu n it y. A lot of the community is aboriginal; anyone who wants to do exploration up north is going to be working on someone’s traditional territory and so working with us creates a away to build relationships and to be respectful. It’s a business, certainly.

The company also needs to be viable and f loat on its own.”

She sa id that the ea rly days are hard work but the employees are dedicated and strive to

make sure that the clients are happy. Geel Enterprises is also competitive in its pricing.

In the years to come, Blackstock wants to make sure that Geel Enterprises is a thriving business that supports the local economy by providing meaningful employment.

“It is a niche to be able to work with an aboriginal owned and operated company,” she said.

“We are professional, competitive and reputable. Too many ti mes we have seen projects coming into our community and we don’t get a piece of the action – so we want to make sure that we do get a piece of the action.” She recalled that SEE GEEL ENTERPRISES | PAGE 18

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MAY 2015

Geel Enterprises keeps remote mining camps operating

GEEL ENTERPRISES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

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when she grew up the forest industry was going strong and people in her community had good jobs. Today, too many are unemployed. She wants to see full employment once again.

Many families do not want to leave their homes in Northern BC. Blackstock said that families should be able to live and prosper in their homes.

“I wa nt to g ive back to my community,” she said. “T he company is going to be successful but we want to make sure that it leaves a legacy behind.”

Robert added that he wants to see strong policies built into the

company that will help it attain future growth.

“We are committed to building capacity within the company to provide sustainable service to our customers. I want our company to assist the individual in the community. When the community sees what the company is doing to contribute, we’re going to get a lot of support, not just from the community, but also from potential customers that are looking for contractors.

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19

MAY 2015

COAST INDUSTRIAL CONSTRUCTION MAKING ITS MARK IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST SPOTLIGHT

Company is a big success story in BC

P

RINCE RUPERT — Coast Industrial Construction (CIC) in Prince Rupert is arguably one of the top recent success stories in the heavy civil industrial construction sector in British Columbia.

CIC is a heavy civil earthworks company with a core competency of site development, specializing in drilling, blasting and rock excavation. General manager Finn Conradsen said that CIC’s niche is the ability to deliver its drilling and blasting program safely, without incident and to the owner/client specification and comfort. The company works on medium as well as large scale industrial and resource development projects. In 2013 and 2014 CIC provided heavy civil construction support to the Chevron proposed Kitimat LNG project, completing drilling, blasting and excavation of 600000m3 of rock, In addition, and concurrently, CIC has also been an integral part of the expansion at the Prince Rupert Port Authority –PRPA for the past 2.5 years. It has also completed works at multiple development sites, including the Ridley’s sland Road RailUtility Corridor and currently at the Fairview Terminal Phase II expansion.

CIC was founded three years ago by the Gitxaala Nation’s Kitkatla Development Corporation and by Coast Industrial Construction managing director Mark Ignas.

With the Gitxaala Nation having a majority ownership, CIC is a true First Nations company with roots in northwestern BC. Conradsen explained that the origins of the company began in 2009 when the governing council of the Gitxaala First Nation held a strategy session to discuss the need to move away from a fishing-based economy.

“The outcome was the identification that involvement in the development of the northwest BC infrastructure projects was key

CIC’s core competencies are in site development, including drilling, blasting and rock excavation

Finn Conradsen, General Manager, says that one of the company’s main goals is to employ and train local First Nation members CREDIT:TALON GILLIS PHOTOGRAPHY

to creating more opportunities for the Gitxaala Nation members.

One of the results of the session was the formation of Coast Industrial Construction. They saw the opportunity in the North Coast area and recognized the need to be a part of it. They had had the experience in their own community where large civil construction contractors came in and built infrastructure. They recognized that with the expansion of North Coast projects, there would be a niche market there for them.”

The new company appears to have moved from 0 to 60 in mere seconds. How did CIC do it?

“There was an urgent need in the area,” Conradsen said. “There was room in the marketplace for a heavy civil contractor with a First Nations background and with local experience. CIC had an SEE COAST INDUSTRIAL | PAGE 20

RAINBOW CHRYSLER IS PROUD TO SUPPLY & SERVICE CIC VEHICLES Congratulations to the team at CiC on your continued success. We look forward to a bright future with you!

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MAY 2015

CIC is currently involved in major work for the Prince Rupert Port Authority

COAST INDUSTRIAL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

understanding of the geographical conditions and the environment in which work was being completed.” He added that there is no doubt that being a First Nations company gives CIC an edge.

For one thing, the First Nations community has a huge workforce capacity. Workers train quickly and are extremely adaptable to the variety of work that needs to be done. In addition, they are eager to be involved in any new development in the area.

Increased construction activity isn’t just good for CIC, it’s also good for the Gitxaala community. In an area that often sees high unemployment, CIC is offering excellent jobs and training, not only for current workers but also for youths who will be joining the workforce in the years to come.

Conradsen called it a classic win/ win situation.

CIC also has a significant economic impact in the community.

The company returns profits to the community, which affects every member of the First Nation.

“This is a win/win that goes beyond the organization – beyond the company,” Conradsen said.

“This goes right into the entire Gitxaala community.” The win/ win even extends to the actual infrastructure work occurring in the community. Where once outside construction companies came in to do local work, CIC now handles those projects.

“T hose projects a re rea l ly valuable,” Conradsen said. “The community can see their own construction company working in their community.” And while CIC is most visible when working on large projects, it has also completed smaller ones in the northwest. In Terrace, it completed an upgrade for the Terrace Regional Airport and in Prince Rupert it completed an infrastructure project for the city’s landfill site. It has also worked on smaller infrastructure projects for the Port of Prince Rupert.

Conradsen said it is significant that it has worked for the Port on numerous projects over the past few years, He said that customers come back to CIC because of the quality of the work it does.

“We hea r it on the g rou nd through our workforce and, more specifically our superintendents and in our communications with our clients. We hear about the great quality of our work as well

CIC took on the Gitxaala Nation sewage lagoon construction project as the capability and capacity of the company.” He added that in numerous cases, newer clients aren’t aware of the full capabilities of CIC. The company

has more than 50 pieces of civil heavy workforce machinery, and in many cases, CIC staffs up to 130 people.

Conradsen said that CIC is one

Congratulations to

Coast Industrial Construction on your great success.

Congratulations to Finn and the team at Coast Industrial Construction.

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of the largest companies of its kind in the northwest and the largest in Prince Rupert itself. He stressed that CIC works across the entire Pacific northwest of British Columbia.

CIC management and staff offer generations of experience as general contractors in the Pacific Northwest. Its completed projects include industrial resource road and bridge construction, rock quarries, full-phase commercial site and sub-division development, mine site decommissioning, and integrated forest management on coastal tenures.

Conradsen said that service is key to CIC’s success. The company prides itself in providing the highest possible level of service to its clients. It is also committed to fostering a healthy and safe work environment with a team capable of tackling any challenge while SEE COAST INDUSTRIAL | PAGE 21

21

MAY 2015

CIC works on LNG projects LNG facilities on the North Coast as well as other project proponents that are proposing projects that are resource based. We also want to be part of activities in northeastern BC, particularly energy projects.”

He said that the other key goal of the company is to have the Nation members trained, certified, and working in the industry. CIC is also committed to supporting First Nation members in their ambitions. Recently CIC backed

a rock truck initiative where four members of the Gitxaala Nation purchased 40-ton off highway rock trucks. That new company is subcontracted to provide services to CIC and other construction companies.

“Our goal is to build on that and to help those who are interested to create their own companies to whatever extent they desire,” Conradsen said, adding that CIC also boasts a very successful Industry Training Authority

program that has trained and certified 18 candidates from the Gitxaala Nation as Red Seal heavy equipment operators.

“It’s been an exciting three years,” Conradsen said. “”We’ve been very busy and we’re very hopeful that we will continue to do well.”

Coast Industrial Construction is at 260 – 110 1st Avenue West in Prince Rupert. www.coast­indust­rial­construc­ tion.ca

Congratulations Coast Industrial Construction on your continued success!

Finn Conradsen says that increased construction activity isn’t just good for CIC, it’s also good for the Gitxaala community

COAST INDUSTRIAL

Coast Industrial Construction

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20

adhering to the highest standards of safety and quality.

CIC has extensive experience del iveri ng complex projects within isolated and difficult environments. Specializing in coastal projects, completing “first works” phases: stripping and overburden removal, rock work and aggregate material production for site development, as well as full phase projects. Conradsen said that the young company has serious future ambitions.

“The aim is to be directly involved with project proponents that are proposing large scale

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22

MAY 2015

West Fraser Concrete: Growing with the North Company’s diversification helps it grow and thrive

P

RINCE RUPERT — Founded in 1979, West Fraser Concrete Ltd. has been providing British Columbia with redi-mix concrete, pumping, placing and finishing services for its commercial, residential and industrial customers for 35 years. It also offers precast, rebar, aggregates and form rentals.

West Fraser Concrete’s crew of concrete contractors travels anywhere across the province, even to the remotest of locations. Vice president Trevor Meerdink noted that the company is fully equipped to handle any job, no matter how large or small the scope of the project. West Fraser Concrete has the necessary equipment, pumps and finishing crews available to ensure the entire process, from start to completion, runs smoothly.

West Fraser Concrete is known for • Ready-Mix concrete • Concrete Pumping • Contracting Crews • Placing • Finishing • Rebar • Form rentals • Aggregates • Four portable concrete batch plants • Remote concrete supply • Free estimates The company has locations in Prince Rupert and Telkwa and recently expanded with the purchase of Terrace Redi-Mix in Terrace. It has satellite batch plants in Hazelton and Houston. In addition it has four portable batch plants that travel wherever they are needed, particularly for remote work such as hydroelectric and mining projects.

M e e r d i n k ’s f a t h e r, H a n k Meerdink founded the company in 1979. He grew up in the Lower Mainland and moved to Northern BC where he began a contracting company in the Bulkley Valley.

“It came down to an issue of having concrete supplied when he needed it,” Meerdink said. “He couldn’t get a quality product so he

“We’re committed to our customers in providing a quality product in a timely fashion. We’ve had good positive reviews from our customers.”

TREVOR MEERDINK VICE PRESIDENT, WEST FRASER CONCRETE LTD.

ended up starting his own concrete business just to supply his own needs. And then it started to grow when other people started calling him for concrete as well – so he became a general supplier.”

Meerdink’s father kept both divisions going – and they are still operating as one entity today.

Asked when he got involved in the business, Meerdink said, “When I was born.”

More accurately perhaps, he started working for his father in 1994 in the batch plant in Telkwa.

From that time, he grew with the business. In 2003, he moved to Prince Rupert to take over operations at that plant. Prince Rupert has been open almost continuously since 1997, with a brief hiatus when the economy experienced a downturn. Today, the Prince Rupert operation, and indeed all the company’s operations, are doing well and anticipating continued growth.

Currently West Fraser Concrete is preparing for work on the large Phase 2 Prince Rupert Container Terminal project. The company is also poised for other major work, whether it is LNG or potash.

“It looks like things are going to take off in those areas,” Meerdink said. “Especially the LNG.” He noted that it is the company’s

West Fraser Concrete is involved in major projects in Prince Rupert diversity that has helped it not only survive for 35 years, but to actively thrive and grow.

“There have been times when Prince Rupert work has dipped and during those times, with our portable batch plants, we’ll concentrate on remote out of town work. When work picks up in town, we have the opportunity to carry on in town and service local supply work.”

In a competitive business environment, West Fraser Concrete relies on its experience, its diversity and its professional crews to provide it with an edge. It also boasts the largest concrete pumping fleet in the North with four boom pumps and one line pump.

Meerdink noted that most northern concrete companies have only one concrete pump. The company also has a bulk pneumatic and gravel truck fleet for hauling cement, fly ash and aggregates to its operations. With 36 concrete trucks, it also has the largest concrete truck fleet in Northern BC. “Most concrete companies don’t have those abilities,” Meerdink said. “Most concrete companies

West Fraser Concrete boasts the largest concrete truck fleet in northern BC in the North are just concrete suppliers. We’ve become more diverse in order to meet our customers needs.” He added that West Fraser Concrete is also well known for the quality of its work and its service.

“Our core group is very committed and highly trained.” He added that if there is ever a problem, the company makes it right quickly and efficiently. Pricing is also a factor and West Fraser Concrete’s prices are highly competitive. That said, Meerdink noted that the most important factors in the company’s

Congratulations West Fraser Concrete on 35 years of service!

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success are quality and service.

“Typically it’s the service that sells us,” he said. In addition to Phase 2 of the Prince Rupert Container Terminal, the company is also working on the Stewart World Port in Stewart and is completing a Run of the River Hydroelectric project at Harrison Lake in the Lower Mainland.

“If it’s in BC, we’ll go there,” Meerdink said. He added that he expects the company to grow as the construction industry expands in the province.

“We’re committed to our customers in providing a quality product in a timely fashion. We’ve had good positive reviews from our customers.” He pointed out that West Fraser Concrete is a family business, with his father still involved in the portable supply operations and his brother Steve Meerdink managing the company’s contracting division.

Meerdink said that as a locally owned company, West Fraser Concrete is committed to the local communities it works in and to their continued growth and prosperity.

West Fraser Concrete Ltd. is at 141 Hast Road in Prince Rupert.

3332 Earl Street in Terrace and 1205 Alder Street in Telkwa. www.westfraserconcrete.com

23

MAY 2015

COMPANY EXCELS IN HAULING FOR THE RESOURCE INDUSTRY IN BC SPOTLIGHT

Excel Transportation does the job with expertise and safety in mind

P

RINCE GEORGE - As it’s na me so aptly i mpl ies, Excel Transportation Inc. excels in transporting goods. In particular, the company and its two subsidiaries operate a service for the natural resources sectors, primarily hauling forest products for the forestry sector.

It hauls chips, hog and other residual wood products to the pulp mills, pellet plants and various other manufacturing facilities throughout the forest and oil and gas industries.

Headqu a r tered i n P ri nce George, Excel’s company owned fleet numbers 38 trucks as well

“We run a very professional organization. We offer high standards and reliable service.”

ANNIE HORNING CEO, EXCEL TRANSPORTATION INC.

as some independent contractor trucks; an additional 12 trucks are at its Houston company. Alberta is operated with independent contractor trucks.

E xcel T ra n sp or tat ion wa s incorporated by the Andersen family in 1985 and is still owned by the same family. Company CEO Annie Horning, who joined Excel in 2010, said that most employees have been with the company much longer than she has.

“It’s a very good family to work for,” she said. “They instill their

Excel’s experienced drivers meet every type of challenge family values in the company and they support people within the company, and people like that.”

She said that the owners place trust in their employees and allow them to do their best. She stressed that support for employees, even in tough times, is highly appreciated.

But it isn’t just the employe e s w h o a re l o y a l to E x c e l

– customers are as well. Horning said the company’s high professional standards set it apart. Of those standards, safety is number one.

“We have a high level safety manager on staff,” she said. “A lot of the other companies don’t.

And we run a very professional organization. We offer high standards and reliable service.” She

said that recently she met with a customer who had come back after a brief hiatus. Their feedback was simple: “If Excel says they will get it done, they will get it done.”

Excel boasts many long-term customers. “ We t r y to d o ever y t h i n g SEE EXCEL | PAGE 24

Congratulations to Annie and the entire team at Excel Transportation Inc.

Excel’s drivers have a can-do attitude

Annie Horning, CEO, says that if Excel says it will get the job done, then the job will get done

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MAY 2015

EXCEL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

through long-term contracts so that you have that relationship and you work together,” Horning said. “That’s really our strength.

We don’t like to bid on something on a cutthroat price and then try to make it work. We want to sit down with customers and review the cost of doing a job and to look for efficiencies together. We want them to know why our prices are what they are.” She admitted that the company is not the cheapest in town, but management and employees believe it is the best.

With a team of combined expertise and experience, they know what it takes to get the job done

right.

Excel hauls from grinders in the bush, these days from its own subsidiary company that does the grinding. Horning sad that Excel used to haul for its customers who did the grinding, but today Excel has its own grinding company in order to offer additional value to grinding customers. And although a great deal of what Excel does is highway hauling, there are challenges in the work year round.

The winter in particular, presents extreme road conditions.

In the spring, trucks go into mill yards that are extremely muddy. Logging road conditions can also be harsh. But Horning said that even in the middle of

Excel’s trucks haul products on highways, logging roads and city streets Prince George, the traffic that ranges from new drivers to careless pedestrians can present its own challenges. Despite that, the company’s drivers handle every problem with complete professionalism.

“We have a professional training program for our drivers that is over and above the green class 1 drivers that come out of school,” Horning said. “We also have a right to refuse work policy – if a driver just does not feel safe going out, he doesn’t.” That said, Horning noted that the drivers who have been with the company for many years and have driven through almost everything,

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simply figure the situation out and get it done.

Horning said that future plans for E xcel def i n itely i nclude growth, preferably through longterm contracts with its customers. Those kinds of partnerships are beneficial for both parties, she said. In Alberta, Excel is hauling forest products for the oil and gas industry, and although working in another industry is a good sign, she noted that it’s still hauling the product it knows best.

Over the last three years, The company has restructured to meet opportunities of the future. “ We rea l ly do m a n age t he

Carman, Harold Eckert and Charley Grover were acknowledged for their lengthy contributions to the industry.

Prince Rupert

The Neptune Motor Inn located on Chamberlain Avenue closed its doors at the end of April.

Prince Rupert Realtors, Emily Kawaguchi, Nadia Movold, Thai Pham, Dorothy Wharton, Jeff Clarke, and Mike Morse recently received MLS awards, which are handed out annually to the top 20 percent of membership.

Rezoning of the former Baptist Church on India Avenue has been approved by city council, which will allow for development of multiunit executive housing. Greenwell Asset Management plans to convert the church to 17 single-occupancy suites.

Terrace

The Terrace Downtown Improvement Area will be continuing a program that provides matching grants for eligible exterior upgrades to owners of qualifying buildings in the downtown area.

Last year the program had $20,000 and $18,900 in matching grants were distributed. This year, executive director Dennis Lissimore says they hope to take advantage of the full $20,000.

Ted Allsopp and Gareth Roberts of Hummingbird Micro Homes have plans to start a 15-20 micro home

company as a team,” Horning said. “Everybody brings something different to the table. It’s not a top-down style. We have an amazing management team. We have the best people and we really are trying to draw that out of our drivers as well – to get them to take ownership of the job that they do day in and day out for their customer. They realize that ultimately, it is their customer. If they keep that customer happy, Excel will thrive.”

Excel Transportation Inc. is at 333 Ongman Rd. in Prince George. www.exceltransportation.ca

Seedy Saturday and Community Corner/Cariboo Growers recently celebrated milestones this month.

Seedy held their 7th annual event, while the Growers and Community Corner celebrated their 5th.

community on property they have purchased by the Kalum River on Hwy 113. Allsopp and Roberts feel they can aid in meeting the community’s need for affordable housing with this new development.

Kitimat

The Keith Avenue/ Hwy 16 Tim Hortons will be getting a new access road that will cut over to Evergreen Street. The new road will be adjacent to the Great Canadian Oil Change outlet, which will be opening soon.

The Kitimat Chamber of Commerce has announced its new board directors. Directors Ron Burnett and Thom Meier remain on the board for a new two year term, Tracey Hittel, owner of Kitimat Adventures, Kitimat Lodge and Gateway Shopping, rejoins the board after one year away. Director Patrick Vezena stepped down earlier this year and has been replaced by appointee Greg Poznikoff, of McElhanney Consulting. Jessica Stinson, owner of NEST Hair Lounge, joins the board as a first time director. Derick Stinson will be this term’s chair of the board, and Wendy Kraft will be the vice-chair.

Flying Fish is celebrating their 25 year in retail this year.

Dawson Creek

The BC government has reached an agreement to buy 61 coal-mining licenses in the Klappan region, and they will be working with the Tahltan Nation to develop a management plan.

Quesnel

th

Cottonwood House historic site is now open for the season.

The Dawson Creek Library has re-opened following renovations.

Bosa Properties, the new owners

of the Dawson Creek Mall, have announced their intentions behind the facility’s construction initiative.

Two foodservice outlets will be the centerpiece of a re-launched retail concept, one of these outlets will be Original Joe’s Restaurant & Bar, the other has not been confirmed.

Williams Lake The Xeni Gwet’in Nation managed recreational camping sites are now open for the upcoming camping season. Some of which include locations at: Chilko-Taseko River Junction, Cochin Lake, Choelquoit Lake, Tsuniah Lake, Vedan Lake and Chaunigan Lake, Fish Lake, TasekoDavidson Bridge, Scum Lake and Little Eagle Lake.

Tolko Industries, Sigurdson and West Fraser Timber awarded prizes to their top drivers with the highest safety records: Dave Hooker, Tony Frizzi and Jesse Hunt. Veteran truck drivers Vic Bremner, Dennis

The Williams Lake & District Chamber of Commerce has announced the nominees for the 2015 Business Excellence Awards.

The Greatest Improvement category is sponsored by PMT Chartered Accountants, and nominees include: Chances Signal Point, Delainey’s Centre, Fraser Bevz Broughton Chartered Accountants LLP, Pink Couture Cutting Lounge and The Laughing Loon Restaurant.

The Food Services category is sponsored by RBC Royal Bank, nominees include: 4Sure Bistro, DQ Grill & Chill, Road’s End Vegetable Company, Smashin’ Smoothies, Taylor Made Cakes & Sweets, The Yellow Umbrella & Thyme for Tea, Trattoria Pasta Shoppe and True Food Services.

The Newsmaker category is sponsored by The Williams Lake Tribune, nominees include: Carey Price, Cariboo Chilcotin Child Development Centre Association, Pioneer Log Homes of BC Timber Kings and Williams Lake Studio Theatre. The Hospitality/ Tourism Award is sponsored by

25

MAY 2015

UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS –INFORMATION PRIMER FOR BUSINESS STRATEGY

U Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association, nominees include: Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association, Clearwater Lake Lodge & Resort, Elysia Resort, Gavin Lake Forest Education Centre, Gold Rush Trail - Tanya Wong, Performances in the Park, South Cariboo Garlic Festival, Thunder Mountain Speedway, Williams Lake Cycling Club - Shawn Lewis, Williams Lake High School Rodeo and Williams Lake Visitor Centre. The Community Booster award is sponsored by TD, nominees include: Willie Dye Art Walk, Williams Lake & District Credit Union and the Cariboo Chilcotin Child Development Centre Association. The City of Williams Lake sponsors the Hugo Stahl Memorial Award, and nominees include: Charlene Harrison and Dale Taylor. The Manufacturer Award is sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada, nominees include: O-Netrix Solutions Inc., Peterson Contracting Ltd., Pioneer Log Homes of BC, Purdy Cabinets & Designs Ltd., Tell - Tale Signs & Printing and Tolko Industries Ltd. The Customer Service Award is sponsored by the Williams Lake & District Credit Union, nominees include: Aboutface Photography, Adventure Games Inc., Alexander Clothing, Jewellery & Gifts, Amanda Enterprises, Awaken Day Spa & Salon, Bean Counter Bistro & Coffee Bar, BFF Fashions, CanWest Propane, Chaps Fix Auto Collision, Crates Gifts, Definition

by Deena, Dollar Dollar, Dr. Rudy Wassenaar, Heartland Toyota, J & E Gifts & Treasures, Lake City Ford - Willy Devuyst, Kornak & Hamm’s Pharmacy Ltd., Laketown Furnishing Ltd., Margetts Meat Market, OK Tire, Pink Couture Cutting Lounge, Save-On-Foods, South Broadway Liquor Store - Lynn Ball, Stampede Glass, Suzanne’s & Jenny’s, Tell -Tale Signs & Printing, The Open Book, The Realm of Toys, Total Ice Training Centre Ltd. and Western Financial Group.

Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin sponsors the overall Business of the Year award.

Chetwynd BC Hydro has awarded a contract for the clearing of the south bank of its Site C da to Paul Paquette and Son’s Contracting. The contract will create approximately 40 jobs, and includes the removal of 620 hectares of trees and vegetation, and the construction of 30km of temporary access roads, upgrading existing access roads and site preparation for bridge construction. The contract will be supported by other local companies: Young’s Mills (1980) Ltd., B.A.C.K. Ventures, Hi-Sky Enterprises Ltd. and Hustle Contracting Ltd.

Fort St. John The Lakepoint Golf and Country Club on Charlie Lake has opened for the 2015 season.

The Fort St. John Museum will celebrating its grand reopening this month on the 29th, following a period of renovations.

The 2nd Annual Spark Women’s Leadership Conference was held this month form the 12-13th at the Pomeroy Hotel.

The 8th Annual Fort St. John Community Awards were recently held at the Lido Theatre. The winners included: Taylor Devos taking the Youth Award, Jeanette & Blair Johnston receiving the Humanitarian Award, Sue Popesku getting the Cultural Award, David Rattray taking the Literacy Award, Wim Kok receiving the Recreation Award, and Eliza Stanford getting the Mayor’s Citizen of the Year honour.

Livecare has opened a new walk-in clinic inside the Pure North building on 101 Avenue. It is open from 9AM to 4PM. A new MCC Thriftshop has opened up at 10003 95th Avenue.

Prince George The Northern Medical Program Trust has announced that John Massier will be their new President. His focus will be to add different health care disciplines to the Trust, and expand the Travelling Roadshow.

The Prince George Farmers’ Market is now open Saturdays from 830AM to 2PM. After over 20 years in circulation, Aberdeen Publishing ceased publication of the Prince George Free Press on the first of May. In light of the two recent Northern BC sawmill explosions, a “risk analysis unit” has been formed

by WorkSafe BC to better predict workplace hazards.

Lowe’s has announced that it will be moving into the old Target location at Pine Centre Mall.

Nancy O’s has now reopened after a fire that started in the restaurant caused damage to the building. The fire also caused damage to several surrounding structures, ultimately claiming the building of Homework Prince George.

Decisions regarding the Imperial Metals Mount Polley restart are anticipated to occur next month.

nified communications (definition from Wikipedia) is the integration of realtime communication services such as instant messaging (chat), presence information, telephony (including IP telephony), video conferencing, data sharing (including web connected electronic whiteboards aka IWB’s or Interactive White Boards), call control and speech recognition with nonreal-time communication services such as unified messaging (integrated voicemail, e-mail, SMS and fax).

We believe that the key element to remember is in the second part of the definition which states: “UC is not necessarily a single product, but a set of products that provides a consistent unified user interface and user experience across multiple devices and media types. There have been attempts at creating a single product solution however the most popular solution is dependent on multiple products.”

When describing the multiple products mentioned in the previous definition, we are inclined to refer to the “Infrastructure Equipment” required to support the types of different media that use different devices with different operating systems on any network.

What we have seen so far in visual communication is that each manufacturer is developing their own brand of UC solutions that interact well within the enterprise’s LAN/WAN but so far there is very little compatibility with other manufacturers and even less once outside the internal LAN/WAN (unless connected using a VPN connection).

There is currently no real Business to Business (B2B) unified communication platform.

Infrastructure Equipment The overriding concept is to break down all barriers between all devices, operating systems and network. This noble concept is far from ready to allow all UC components to interact with different manufacturers and different enterprises over non-guaranteed quality-of-service packet networks with the commodity-based public internet. The challenge becomes the guaranteed bandwidth necessary for video enabled devices and equipment regardless of location and enabling HD business video quality meetings to present a real experience.

While existing copper based networks have been the standard architecture, requiring expensive managed switches, inherent cabling limitations and costly IT resources, the new fibre optic technology opens the door to a fuller realization of the UC vision. The lower cost of gigabit optical passive fibre networks opens up a new realm of infrastructure technology integration. The modular network architecture supports access control, video, security, telepresence and custom integration with

Chris Westra of Communication Connection equipment/devices.

Visual Communication Trends Personal Conferencing defined as a friend-to-friend, or private faceto-face type of visual communication (for example, Skype) does not present the range of features or reliability of a good quality image.

This category of conferencing is fine for personal communication but is not business grade.

Business Telepresence is the category we’re interested in and refers to HD business quality visual and collaborative communication. This category may start with business Audio-Visual functions leading to Telepresence grade videoconference. This category offers lots of features and delivers lifelike quality video and enough security to comply with most regulatory

requirements, using video communication that is reliable, secure and offering HD quality sound and images. Check out the industry leading technology by VIDYO. It is interesting to note the partnership with Mitel and its future integration with their telephony solutions.

Communication Service Provider (CSP): CCI is a single source telecommunications provider Many businesses cannot cost effectively achieve the human scale and flexibility necessary to properly support their technology environments. The truth is that no single individual can know all they need to know. Professional Communication Services Providers (CSP’s) offer access to teams of technical specialists that deliver the cross-sectional knowledge needed to support current and future communication networks and development.

The goal is to simplify communications, integrate services and provide costs savings. Towards this end, there is a clear advantage to having one company manage all the telecommunications requirements, systems, maintenance support and Telco.

Chris Westra is with The Communication Connection Inc. as Senior Business Development Executive.

Thompson-Okanagan

JoshHiggins Higgins Josh

SeniorMarketing MarketingAdvisor Advisor Senior

PUT YOUR COMPANY PUT YOUR COMPANY IN THE SPOTLIGHT THE SPOTLIGHT InIN the life of every business, certain stand out: certain events Inevents the lifealways of every business, always stand out: • A grand opening brandopening new building • •AAgrand • Completing a major project brand new building • •ALanding a major contract project • •Completing Celebratingaamajor milestone anniversary Landing a major contract • Spotlights are your opportunity to Celebrating a milestone anniversary • spread the word about your firm to the business community of Northern Spotlights are your opportunity to spread British Columbia. the word about your firm to the entire Contact me today to have business business community of theyour Okanagan. featured in our publication.

Contact me today to have your business featured in our publication.

To market your firm in the Business Examiner contact Josh Higgins at 1-866-758-2684 ext 124 or josh@businessexaminer.ca To market your firm in the Business Examiner contact Josh at 250-758-2684 or josh@businessto.ca

OPINION

26

MAY 2015 A division of Invest Northwest Publishing Ltd. Prince George Office 2871 Wildwood Cres Prince George, BC V2K3J4 Toll free: 1.866.758.2684 Fax: 1.250.758.2684 Email: info@businessexaminer.ca Website: www.businessexaminer.ca

PUBLISHER/EDITOR | Lise MacDonald, lise@businessexaminer.ca SALES | Shawn Bishop, shawn@businessvi.ca; Josh Higgins josh@businessvi.ca; Joanne Iormetti, Joanne@businessexaminer.ca WRITERS | Goody Niosi, Beth Hendry-Yim, John MacDonald WEBSITE | John MacDonald, john@businessexaminer.ca

ENTREPRENEURSHIP, DEMOGRAPHICS AND CAPITAL GAINS TAX REFORM IN CANADA One likely explanation for the decline, which has to-date been almost totally ignored, is the relationship between demographics and entrepreneurship

A

nu mb er of prom i nent Ca n ad i a n s, i nclud i ng Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz, have raised concerns about the state of business start-ups and entrepreneurship in Canada. There is no question that entrepreneurship is critical to a well-functioning, prosperous economy. New firms are the lifeblood of innovation, creativity, and economic progress.

While the decline in business start-ups is a worrying sign for future economic dynamism and progress, the concern has not been met with practical solutions. Capital gains tax reform is one practical possibility.

Consider first the worrying trend in Canada that the rate of business start-ups, a key measure of entrepreneurship, is declining. Since peaking in 2004,

the rate of business start-ups, as a share of existing firms, has declined by 16.2 per cent. Specifically, in 2004 there were 17.9 business start-ups (all firm sizes) per 100 existing firms. The rate has since declined to 15.0 business start-ups per 100 existing

firms.

The rate of decline in business start-ups is more pronounced for larger firms (measured by employment). For instance, the rate of decline in business startups between 2004 and 2012 for firms with 50 to 100 employees was -68.0 per cent.

Some of the explanation for this decline is not particular to Canada. That is, declines in business start-ups are also observed in other industrialized countries. For instance, over the last decade of available data (2003-2012), the United States has experienced a decline in the rate of business start-ups of 8.0 per cent.

One likely explanation for the decline, which has to-date been almost totally ignored, is the relationship between demographics and entrepreneurship.

Younger people, for example, are less risk averse and more prone to question the status quo and experiment. Such characteristics are key to the entrepreneurial process. In older populations, not only are there proportionately less young workers with these characteristics but they are typically not in positions of influence within firms.

Canada, like all industrialized countries, is experiencing an

aging of the population where a larger and larger share of the population is over the age of 65.

Statistics Canada expects the portion of those over the age of 65 as a share of the population to increase by 74.1 per cent between 2008 and 2035.

Given the importance of entrepreneurship to the economy a nd the absence of a ny serious policy options available to governments with respect to demographics, it’s critical that governments enact policies supportive of entrepreneurship.

One such policy lever is capital gains tax reform. Capital gains taxes are applied to the sale of an asset when its sales price is nominally (not adjusted for inflation) above its original purchase price. The sale price is based on the present value expected by the purchaser from the future stream of income received by the asset. However, that stream of income is subject to annual taxes. The application of a capital gains tax after the sale is a type of double taxation and worse still, it creates disincentives for entrepreneurs and firms that finance entrepreneurs.

Currently, Canada has the 14th highest capital gains tax rate among the OECD countries despite two reductions in the tax

rate implemented by the Chretien Liberals. A number of options for capital gains tax reform exist, but one that holds great policy and practical promise is the replication of a Clinton-era reform from the U.S. Specifically, the Clinton Administration created a rollover provision whereby the proceeds of a sale of an asset are exempt from capital gains if they are re-invested within a specific time period, perhaps six months. Such a reform frees up capital today that could boost entrepreneurship while deferring the eventual capital gains taxes.

Improving the incentives for, and the environment within which entrepreneurship occurs, can help mitigate the demographic headwinds currently impeding entrepreneurship, which has clear and serious implications for the economy as a whole. Capital gains tax relief offers an opportunity for Canada to super-charge entrepreneurship, and it’s worth considering.

on a larger scale, which can be achieved through the power of partnerships.

Partnerships in a business sense can be very rewarding, although there are some caveats. If you’re thinking about entering into a partnership, always try to make sure you begin negotiations from a position of strength. You probably don’t want to be partners with someone who has decided to join forces with you simply because they smell blood in the water, and they know you need their help more than they need you.

It’s always best to choose to go the partnership route when positive opportunity looms. Contrast that with being in a position where you need a helping hand or bail-out, because that will make it difficult for you to make a good deal.

Really, the only good partnerships are where both - or all – sides win. So choose partners carefully. Conduct proper risk and vision analyses to determine if you’re even going down the same path. Weigh expectations

and capabilities to make sure this really is a good fit before proceeding, because once the ink is dried on the contract, you’re joined at the hip. Separation after that point could become a very painful exercise.

When people ask for my advice about partnerships, I always seem to offer this: Pick a winner. If you have a choice in partnership opportunities, it’s always best and safest to sign on with those who have a proven track record.

That goes for organizations as well. One very successful friend shared her steps forward, noting that she joined Rotary for this reason: “I wanted to meet people that had something to teach me, and they have,” she said. “I went there to be a sponge and absorb information from them.”

There are a number of other worthwhile groups to become a ‘partner’ in like these, all for different, good reasons. The Chamber of Commerce, for example, is an excellent place to start, because while they offer networking opportunities and chances to meet other, like-minded business

people, the Chamber’s strongest suit is advocacy.

Speaking up for its members is something the Chamber can do like no other group. Raising issues that may be a problem for one or two companies who dare not address government policy or decisions in fear of retribution, is something that the Chamber is perfectly positioned to do.

When one or two concerned individuals speak up, they may not be heard and can often be ignored on the wrongful assertion that it’s just a few people. However, when the Chamber – with hundreds of members – raises an issue, it must be considered.

Any level of government would be unwise to close its ear to the city’s main voice for business.

And while doing so, if necessary, the Chamber can protect the identity of the member who raised the complaint.

Partnerships enable us to do bigger and better things, faster, than we can do ourselves. Get the right partners, and you can use your collective power to everyone’s benefit.

Jason Clemens and Niels Veldhuis are economists with the Fraser Institute and co-authors of Entrepreneurship, Demographics and Capital Gains Tax Relief, which is available at www.fraserinstitute.org.

THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS

MARK MACDONALD

M

any years ago, a clever leader provided a list of three things that are exceedingly wise in the earth.

Included within that was a rock badger.

He explained that this particularly small animal was wise because it made its home in the rocks. Simply put, it surrounded itsel f w ith th i ngs that were stronger than itself.

That principal, I believe, is one of the secrets of success, particularly in business: Surrounding ourselves with people who are smarter and stronger than we are, and complement us.

Even the most successful business owner has to realize that they need people – and customers – in order to emerge triumphant. So, as much as we may like to believe independence is the pinnacle, once we make it to the top – if we do – we’d be remiss in failing to acknowledge the people who have helped us get there in the first place.

We’re probably all aware that T E A M sta nds for: Together Everyone Achieves More. That’s a good rallying cry for staff, but it also extends out into the communities we serve through organizations that draw people together to work for the common good.

One of the benefits of being a small business owner is that, technically, we don’t have a boss to answer to. (Of course we do: it’s our customers.) But sometimes our strengths can actually become our weaknesses. While our independence and ‘smallness’ allows us to maneuver quickly and change direction on a dime, it also might mean that we won’t have as much success

SUBCRIPTIONS | $45 PER YEAR (12 ISSUES), $80 FOR 2 YEARS (24 ISSUES), SUBSCRIBE ONLINE: WWW.BUSINESSEXAMINER.CA. DISTRIBUTION: FOURTH WEEK OF EACH MONTH VIA CANADA POST AD MAIL. The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. Produced and published in British Columbia. All contents copyright Business Examiner Fraser Valley, 2015. Canadian Publications Mail Acct.: 40069240

SALES/INVENTING

MAY 2015

QUESNEL CHAMBER LOOKS FOR YEAR OF TRANSITION We move forward this year with many challenges in our sights.

QUESNEL WILLIAM LACY A new year is upon us, and as the President of the Quesnel and District Chamber of Commerce, I look forward to the challenges the Chamber faces and the opportunities we may encounter.

2015‐2016 will truly be a year of transition.

The Chamber is committed to meeting and exceeding our members’ expectations for the value of their membership. This is always our main focus, whether it means advocating with government for more supportive conditions for business, being a resource for business information and business connections, providing value‐added services like employee group benefits and, most of all, working towards creating prosperous business opportunities in this wonderful city

of ours.

With these ambitions in mind, the Chamber is committed to doing all that we can to ensure that the Chamber maintains its position as the “Voice of Business” in Quesnel, and I welcome the chance to speak with you in that regard. If you have any questions or ideas, we would love to hear from you.

We move forward this year with many challenges in our sights.

We have a motivated board with many great ideas on how to better this vibrant community and keep it continually growing.

I a m tremendously excited about working together with the Visitor Centre, our Board and our Manager as we endeavour to establish some fantastic annual events and improve the business environment in, not only our

community, but the surrounding area and the province, as a whole; such as: • Successful policy development in areas that affect us locally, provincially and federally as we have in the past on issues such as education, and government taxation.

• Re-establishing a vibrant Trade and Home Show that will showcase all the wonderful services and products this city has to offer.

• Re-inventing our Business Excellence Awards to spotlight all those wonderful businesses that are not only key aspects of our community, but are leaders throughout the province and inspire others to pursue their own dreams.

I look forward to serving you as your President this coming year. Please contact me or our Manager, if you are interested in joining our Board, one of our committees, or if you have any questions or comments about any aspect of the Chamber.

William Lacy is President and Chair of the Quesnel and District Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached through qchamber@quesnelbc.com

27

AVOID JUDGMENTAL MESSAGES

SALES JOHN GLENNON

D

from the listener. T hose responses can range from compliance (which may carry with it some degree of resentment) to rebellion, neither of which are desirable or conducive to the rapport and trust you are working to establish in a sales discussion.

Rather than tell someone what to do or how to act, you can frame the message around a helpful suggestion or a point for consideration. (See the list on the right below.)

Judgmental

Helpful

id you ever have a conver- You should…

You may find more value in… sation with a prospect who You should have…

Had you considered…? suddenly, and for no ap- You shouldn’t…

It might not help to… parent reason, became unrecep- Don’t do…

You may want to consider… tive to perfectly good advice?

You’re wrong about…

Your perspective might change if…

It happens to many salespeople. You missed the point. Have you considered…?

Shortly after we offer advice or You just don’t get it. Perhaps you should think about… insights rooted from deep per- Listen to me.

May I suggest…? sonal and organizational experiSo, using our example, if you ence, to be technically correct, we were to say to Jim, “In addition to find ourselves in a conversation what you’re doing now, Jim, you that loses momentum … or stops might find value in conducting altogether. In some cases, the some basic assessment surveys prospect even stops returning on your new hires. If you were phone calls or e-mail messages. to incorporate a simple online W h a t h a p p e n e d i n t h e s e questionnaire into your hiring exchanges? process, those high turnover Typically, the “good advice” we numbers might start to go down.” offer in such situations sounds Consider framing your advice something like this: “The prob- as a helpful, neutral partner, lem is, Jim, you aren’t conducting someone who avoids judgmental assessment surveys on your new messages. Using this approach, hires. You should incorporate a you may well find that it’s easier simple online questionnaire into to keep the conversation movyour hiring process. Then I bet ing forward, easier to make your your turnover numbers would advice accessible, easier to keep the prospect engaged as a peer, start to go down.”

Jim may not respond well to a and, ultimately, easier to close message like that. Why not? Be- the sale. cause we’re telling Jim what he Copyright 2015 Sandler Train“should” do – and that message ing and Insight Sales Consulting is not likely to be a welcome one, Inc. All rights reserved. no matter how much experience we have that backs it up. We’re telling Jim that what he’s doing John Glennon is the owner of Insight right now isn’t what he “should” Sales Consulting Inc, the authorized be doing. Even though our advice Sandler Training Licensee for the is sound and well-intentioned, Interior of British Columbia. He can it’s likely Jim will interpret what be reached at jglennon@sandler.com, we’ve put forward as an un- toll free at 1-866-645-2047 or visit welcome message of judgment. www.glennon.sandler.com That’s one of the big reasons why prospects shut down and decide to keep salespeople at a rm’s length … or even further away!

Messages t h a t c o mmunicate judgment or bias (see the l i s t on t he lef t below) BC’s #1 Choice for about what Car & Truck Rentals is right or wrong, good Open 7 Days a Week or bad, what Airport & In-Town Locations one should ICBC Replacement Rentals or shouldn’t LONG TERM TRUCK RENTALS do, and what Government Rates i s a c c e p t1-888-368-7368 able and bcbudget.com what isn’t, are likely to trigger emotional responses

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