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Sponsored Content • The Chronicle Herald Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Let’s get digital Digitization of Nova Scotia businesses key to growing provincial economy
G
SARA ERICSSON
oing digital is something many businesses have contended with since the initial COVID-19 outbreak period. It’s been discussed at length how the pandemic disrupted and closed most businesses and, when they did reopen, made them pivot with new approaches and increased flexibility to ensure they reached their customer base. Shorter hours, customer capacities and limited sales meant new strategies needed to be adopted — and fast — to foster stability and growth. This is how and why businesses that had yet to move online began thinking about it like never before. It’s also why the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, SimplyCast and Nova Scotia Business Inc. are offering support services to help Nova Scotia get digital. “Keeping business in business and employees at work creates a complete economic cycle that keeps us going to these places,” says Saeed ElDarahali, SimplyCast’s President and CEO.
The Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI) works with Nova Scotia businesses, including Ocean Sonics (pictured here), to help them increase their digital footprint and, ultimately, increase their competitivenes.
AN ALL-IN-ONE PLATFORM
El-Darahali says SimplyCast, located in Dartmouth, began crafting software to support businesses during a potential pandemic in 2017. The software company’s software solution to COVID19 challenges is in the form of a digital check-in used by businesses that uploads a customer’s contact information to a private database, where it remains until it’s sent to public health if needed for contact tracing. This program, along with its all-in-one engagement software that manages sales, marketing, communication and emergency services from a single platform, is currently being offered at no cost for Halifax Chamber of Commerce members to participate in and is something El-Darahali says everyone can benefit from. “This software allows you to digitally engage with your customers, expand your customer base, enjoy cost savings and growth. It saves time, digitizes your process and ensures fewer in-person interactions other than the service itself. This could potentially protect a good number of people,” he says. El-Darahali says digitization ensures businesses can continue to operate, while also guaranteeing better customer retention through the deployment of safe and secure procedures. This, he says, also helps the economy. “This system gives me, the customer, trust in the fact that this business has taken all possible measures to protect me, which makes me, as a client, more comfortable than shopping somewhere that doesn’t have a digital checkin,” he says. DIGITIZATION HELPS BUSINESSES AND PROVINCE GROW
This program is among the many digital support services the Halifax Chamber of Commerce has identified and connected its members to, CONTINUED ON D2
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Sponsored Content • The Chronicle Herald Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Helping Nova Scotia go digital FROM PAGE D1 DIGITIZATION OF BUSINESSES
according to Kent Roberts, the Chamber’s Vice-President of Policy, who says SimplyCast has held discovery calls with more than 60 members since launching this program in September. Roberts says Chamber members also have access to hundreds of webinars and can be connected to digital support programs offered by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) or the Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI) Digital Adoption Program. There are many supports Wendy Luther is the that exist, all with the shared President and CEO of the goal of bringing businesses Halifax Partnership. onboard with the ever-expanding digital world. Kent Roberts, the Halifax Laurel Broten, the NSBI’s Saeed El-Darahali, Chamber of Commerce’s “Businesses must build or President and CEO, says the SimplyCast’s President Vice-President of Policy, says success of small businesses improve their online presence and CEO, says going digital businesses should take in Nova Scotia also spells to retain and create new sales with supports like his advantage of digital prosuccess for the province’s COVID-19-adapted software opportunities and improve grams like SimplyCast’s economy and that going digimeans businesses can not their resilience and flexibility all-in-one digital software tal plays a key role. only succeed, but also gain to keep pace with the changplatform. NOVA SCOTIA BUSINESS the trust of their customers. ing nature of business,” says HALIFAX CHAMBER INC. (NSBI) SIMPLYCAST WENDY LUTHER Roberts. OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT AND CEO, With Nova Scotia curthe future holds, will stay in HALIFAX PARTNERSHIP THE WAY OF rently ranked eighth among place. So, it’s important for digital offerings. Canadian tech hubs, Roberts THE FUTURE our companies to establish a Broten says Nova Scotia This past year has shown us strong digital foundation to businesses can take advanthe importance of connections says things need to get digiLaurel Broten, the NSBI’s build their future success on,” tage of the NSBI’s Digital and relationships in all aspects tal — and fast — to ensure the President and CEO, says growth of businesses, the says Broten. Adoption Program, which is of our lives, from our families the economic development economy and, with them, She says nothing should designed to support them in and friends, to our profescrown corporation’s aim is to opportunities to attract new stop a business from reaching rapidly adopting digital tools sional networks. Thanks to help Nova Scotia’s economy out for help, as the mission of and innovations to support technology, we have been able people and business to the grow through helping its province. their overall market competi- organizations like the NSBI businesses succeed globally. to keep — and even make — “Having a business comis to work toward businesses’ tiveness as they recover from The switch she’s witnessed new connections. munity that is staying on top success. the impacts of the COVID-19 this past year from in-person For the thousands of soonof today’s digital trends will “Businesses have a partner pandemic. to virtual trade missions has to-be and recent graduates ensure Nova Scotia’s economy underscored the value of in the NSBI. We want them “There are very strong effrom Nova Scotia’s universigets back to a growth position digital. She says now is the to achieve success for their ficiencies associated with ties and colleges, it is often time every business should be digital trade missions, e-com- benefit and for that of Nova not what they know, but who quicker and stays there lonScotia as well,” says Broten. merce, that no matter what looking at expanding its they know that gives them an ger,” he says. edge in finding a career opportunity. They are looking to meet professionals in their field so they can start and build careers here in Halifax SPONSORED CONTENT and our province. Year after year, Halifax has successfully attracted more young, talented and diverse newcomers to the city. Twothirds of our growth in 2019 came from international migration and close to half (46 Young talent helps business adapt with creative solutions during COVID-19 per cent) of all new residents were between ages 25 and 39. We also continue to see a This year, the Halifax-based start-up positive trend in retaining our known for inventing the world’s first bionic young talent (those 29 and knee brace shifted gears completely to younger). In 2019, 365 more equip Nova Scotia’s front-line workers young people stayed in Nova during the pandemic. Scotia than left. If these trends Spring Loaded Technology hired and growth rates continue, more than 40 contractors and pumped we will be on track to reach out a whopping 50,000 face shields our 550,000 population goal over the summer to protect nurses, by 2031. food producers and vulnerable Nova With limitations on inScotians from COVID-19. person networking events A key to this quick success lay in the minds of young talent, who helped and opportunities, virtual netmanage the transition. working is more critical than “There really is no challenge that ever before. Halifax Partneris insurmountable to young hires,” says ship’s new Connector+ app Katie Arsenault, Director of Operations makes online networking easy and Controller, Spring Loaded Technology. and is a great option for busi“Our new grads are key to our continued ness and community leaders growth and innovative solutions that to meet pre-qualified young help us thrive during such a challenging talent in Nova Scotia, while time.” helping them build their local In June, Arsenault hired accounting network and find career opgraduate, Jaye O’Brien, to manage their portunities. face-shield operation. Connector+ builds on the CONTRIBUTED “In no time her skillset flourished, success of the Halifax Partnerand she was completely running the Acadia University graduate Senewa Sena joined Spring Loaded Technology last year as a ship’s face-to-face Connector shipping and receiving of face shields on Business Development Associate, and says the company allows her to expand her knowledge Program, one of the most through hands-on experience. her own,” says Arsenault. “She continues successful networking and cato evolve in our company and hiring her Arsenault says that the GTO program reer-building programs boastRICH WORK ENVIRONMENT permanently was easier with the help of is the most accessible funding program Senewa Sena is a testament to that ing an exceptional 40 per cent Graduate to Opportunity.” that they are a part of. statement. The Graduate to Opportunity (GTO) success rate of participants “It is so streamlined, from filling out The Acadia University graduate program offers 25 per cent of a grad’s finding jobs in their field. the application to receiving the funding. joined the team last year as a Business first year salary — 35 per cent if the grad With Connector+ and your We are grateful for a resource that helps Development Associate, and says Spring is diverse — and 12.5 per cent of their help, we will be able to scale us acquire and retain top talent. Our Loaded Technology allows her to expand second-year salary to small businesses, from connecting hundreds of company’s growth as a result of a young her knowledge through hands-on start-ups and non-profits who create young professionals a year in team is an indication of what GTO can experience. permanent full-time jobs for recent grads Nova Scotia to thousands. do for business.” “It is a rich work environment,” says in Nova Scotia. If you’re not already a ConWhen you are ready to hire someone Sena. “I have always felt entrepreneurial, Spring Loaded Technology took nector, I encourage you to new, consider hiring a recent grad. and now I am able to further develop my home first place for Best Youth Employer become one. And if you are, To date, more than 700 organizations interpersonal skills and start-up mentality at Halifax’s 2017 Game Changers awards you can also join Connector+. like Spring Loaded Technology have with great coaching support. My outlook ceremony. The company has always Sharing your knowledge and hired more than 1,400 recent graduates has broadened. There are more opportuniprided itself on hiring young talent. network with a young profesacross Nova Scotia using GTO funding. ties in Nova Scotia than I once thought.” “We have multiple GTO hires which sional is a small way you can Complete applications are typically “Sena has a knack for the workings gives us the edge of a younger, more make a big impact on their approved within three to five days. of a small, growing company,” says adaptable workforce,” says Arsenault. lives, your business, our city Arsenault. “We are expanding into new “From digital marketing, to sales and and province. markets, which means we have had to operations management, youth are GTO could save you money on the You can download the Confind quality hires quickly. GTO helped embedded in all facets of the company. next person you hire. Learn more at us bring someone as talented as her onto We are proud to be part of their personal nector+ app in app stores now www.novascotia.ca/GTO. the team.” and professional growth.” or visit halifaxpartnership. com to learn more about the program.
Connections matter more than ever
Grads inspire innovation
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Sponsored Content • The Chronicle Herald Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Adding to the COVID-19 treatment toolbox SARA ERICSSON
No one is untouched by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a virus that has had global implications from the beginning and one that’s seen international collaboration on research efforts to find a way to stop it. This massive scope might feel like it’s something outside of our control, but this research is, in fact, happening close to home here in Halifax. Halifax-based Appili Therapeutics is a science health-care company that is spearheading front-line research on an antiviral that has the potential to become a treatment for the virus. CFO Kimberly Stephens says Appili Therapeutics’ work on Avigan, the antiviral it has produced that is designed to kill COVID-19 in patients before they get sick, means another treatment to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic is on the horizon. “We hope that, at the end of the day, we’re successful in being able to help the world, to help Canadians and society move past COVID-19 and understand there’s another potential treatment and preventative option out there,” says Stephens. FOCUSING ON INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Appili Therapeutics was founded in 2015 after a gap was identified in the proper capitalization of life science health-care companies. Stephens says Appili is solely focused on infectious diseases, with a mandate of identifying health-care needs that exist from patient, doctor and sector perspectives, so they can work on and potentially fill the needs that exist within the space of infectious diseases. “COVID-19 is one of the most unfortunate things that can happen right now. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that it has shed light on the huge impact of infectious diseases. It’s also shown how we need companies like ourselves to be working on cures and treatments for these infectious diseases that people don’t think are as important as other headline-grabbing diseases, like diabetes and cancer,” says Stephens. The company has five ongoing projects — each searching for treatments for infectious diseases — including an antifungal as a potential treatment for cryptococcal meningitis and Candida auris, the creation of a new class of antibiotics in response to the increasing number of diseases that resist current ones and a potential vaccine against tularemia, a biological weapon 1,000 times more potent than anthrax. Their most topical research is their work on the antiviral candidate Avigan, which began as a potential cure for a separate infectious disease but was pivoted to COVID-19 research after outbreaks began occurring. The company has several ongoing clinical trials and studies, including one within participating long-term care facilities, an area identified by Appili as having the greatest need for a potential COVID-19 treatment other than a vaccine. Appili announced its first site enrolment in October 2020, with enrolment continuing until 2021. Its study has also just received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to expand the study into American long-term care facilities. “More than 80 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in Canada have been within the elderly. We wanted to spend time in looking at how to protect the vulnerable,” says Stephens. “The elderly have weaker and sometimes compromised immune systems and vaccines often don’t work for them. This is one of the reasons we’re focusing on the prophylactic study; we want to provide elderly patients with an alternative.”
Kimberly Stephens is the CFO of Appili Therapeutics. Appili is developing an antiviral candidate, Avigan, that could one day be used as another COVID-19 treatment option alongside a vaccine.
ADDING TO A TREATMENT TOOLBOX
Stephens says Avigan would be administered as a prophylactic — a drug designed to prevent a disease from occurring — upon a patient’s diagnosis to kill the disease and prevent them from getting sick. This is why Avigan is being evaluated as a viable option not only for seniors, but to reduce the severity and longevity of COVID-19 in mild to moderate cases. This would see it being used alongside a vaccine as yet another potential treatment. “We believe an antiviral is needed and that it will be one of the tools in the COVID-19 treatment toolbox,” says Stephens. Stephens says that while the biotechnology startup sector is risky and has its challenges, it is one of the most fulfilling industries she has ever worked in. And to be working on such research from Halifax is a metaphorical cherry on top of the cake. “To feel that we are po-
“COVID-19 is one of the most unfortunate things that can happen right now. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that it has shed light on the huge impact of infectious diseases.
We were made to meet this way.
Kimberly Stephens Appili Therapeutics CFO
tentially developing cures or therapies for deadly diseases that have been neglected and [that these cures or therapies] will eventually help save lives is a bit surreal and so rewarding,” says Stephens.
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Sponsored Content • The Chronicle Herald Tuesday, January 19, 2021
TRENDS
Resilient to the core The importance of strategy management and how it plays a role in success MARK FRASER PRINCIPAL, 440PARK STRATEGY MANAGEMENT
This spring will bring award season to Halifax. On the surface, this year is no different from any other. Just look at the 2021 Halifax Business Awards finalists, who sit at the top of the heap when it comes to success. These finalists should be celebrated for their ability to prevail in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. These organizations used resilience as a competitive differentiator, doing more than just staying open during a global pandemic, but also thriving in spite of it. Organizational resilience doesn’t get a lot of airtime. On many occasions, teams that have shown they can quickly adapt to meet an unplanned set of circumstances often do so through simple brute force, with people being asked to go above and beyond. This can work, but not reliably over time. Most committed employees have no issue digging in to get through a difficult time. This past spring revealed exactly how quickly independent retailers could setup an e-commerce site or how offices could suddenly operate with new technology in a completely different way. But when these moments come one right after the other, something other than a capable team using brute force is required. So, why not plan for it? The challenge is that typical strategic planning does not enable organizational resilience as much as it should. Typical strategic planning starts and stops, is owned by a boss, has steps that require handoff and is generally opaque to the larger organization (i.e. only senior managers get to see the finished product). Strategy management, on the other hand, is continuous, is owned by a team, is part of a smooth cycle and comes with full transparency (i.e. the entire company understands strategy). I admit that saying strategy management is better than typical strategic planning is a bit nuanced. But when teams organize to formulate, visualize, measure and deploy strategy using management frameworks, the results deliver both high performance and organizational resilience. I advocate for the KaplanNorton strategy management framework. This is a comprehensive framework that — when used properly — will enable the continuous management of strategy over time, allowing organizations to be much more adept at making changes more easily (at both micro and macro levels) in a shorter time frame and with a greater chance of success. If you have not heard of Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, you may have heard of their tools. They invented the Balanced Scorecard, a tool that sits in the middle of their comprehensive framework. If you already use that type of scorecard, you are already familiar with aspects of the larger framework. If not, I strongly suggest you give it a look. Meanwhile, as we look at the Halifax Business Awards finalists, consider that these organizations were not lucky, not in the right place at the right time or just happened to have a good year. They were built for this,
Most committed employees have no issue digging in to get through a difficult time.
with resilience at the core of their business. They may say they were surprised, but my guess is they were not. They planned for it. Mark Fraser is Principal at 440park Strategy Management, an independent advisory group, and is a Past Chair of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce Board. Fraser helps companies, both locally and globally, connect strategy and execution to drive better performance. Follow him on Twitter at @Mark_Fraser.
John Carruthers, FCPA, FCA
When teams organize to formulate, visualize, measure and deploy strategy using management frameworks, the results deliver both high performance and organizational resilience. Visit halifaxchamber.com/business-voice to meet the 2021 Halifax Business Awards finalists. STORYBLOCKS
Sonya Fraser, FCPA, FCA
Congratulations to our new Nova Scotia Fellow Chartered Professional Accountants
THE PRIDE OF OUR PROFESSION CPAs are known for high ethical standards, Tim Houston, FCPA, FCA
strategic insights, and their capacity to identify solutions to complex issues in today’s business world. Each year, CPA Nova Scotia honours select members, who are nominated and elected by their peers, who exemplify these attributes. The title of Fellow CPA formally recognizes members who have rendered exceptional service to the profession or whose achievements in their
Keith MacIntyre, FCPA, FCA
Leo McKenna, FCPA, FCA
careers or in the community have earned them distinction and brought honour to the profession. With pride, we congratulate this year’s FCPA Recipients.
Bethany Moffatt, FCPA, FCMA
Don Wishart, FCPA, FCMA