Business Briefs - Nov/Dec 2012 by Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce

NOV DEC 2012 VOLUME 43 | No. 11 - 12 | BUSINESS BRIEFS WERCC MAKES CANADA WIDE CASE

ASIAN-PACIFIC TRADE R&D CHANGES IN FEDERAL BUDGET WWW.WINDSORCHAMBER.ORG

Nick K. Thomas, OMP KPMG with retired OMP Tom Clark

CONTENTS

Heading towards stronger Asia-Pacific trade and investment ties

WERCC | VOLUME 43 | No. 11 - 12 | NOVEMBER.DECEMBER 2012

8-9

10-11 12

WERCC MAKES CANADA WIDE CASE

MEMBERS AND FIRMS IN THE NEWS

NEW MEMBERS

SPOTLIGHT ON OUR MEMBERS

New International Trade Crossing Support Letter

IN THE COMMUNITY

STAY CONNECTED

UPCOMING EVENTS

R&D CHANGES IN FEDERAL BUDGET THANKS TO OUR VOLUNTEERS

OUR MISSION “Leading the business community for creating regional economic prosperity.” Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce 2575 Ouellette Place, Windsor, Ontario N8X 1L9 Tel: (519) 966-3696 Fax: (519) 966-0603 Email: info@windsorchamber.org Website: www.windsorchamber.org

STAFF

Matt Marchand, President Holly Connelly, Assistant to the President Sherri Dulcamaro, Director of Sales and Marketing Igor Siljanoski, Policy Manager Marianne Burke, Event Manager Crystal Van Aspert, Finance & Office Coordinator Lindsey Rivait, Communications Coordinator Kerri Day, Membership Service Coordinator Barbara Malmberg, Event Coordinator Nahidah Malik, Customer Service and Reception

mmarchand@windsorchamber.org hconnelly@windsorchamber.org sdulcamaro@windsorchamber.org isiljanoski@windsorchamber.org mburke@windsorchamber.org cvanaspert@windsorchamber.org lrivait@windsorchamber.org kday@windsorchamber.org bmalmberg@windsorchamber.org nmalik@windsorchamber.org

ADVERTISING SALES email: adsales@windsorchamber.org

2 | WINDSORCHAMBER.ORG

ext. 22 ext. 29 ext. 23 ext. 28 ext. 21 ext. 27 ext. 25 ext. 30 ext. 31 ext. 0

The WERCC may choose to generate revenue from many discount programs and services being provided.

JOIN US ONLINE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS, COMMENT ON OTHERS, PICTURES AND LINKS, GET IN ON THE DISCUSSION WITH OTHER WINDSOR-ESSEX REGIONAL CHAMBER FANS.

Join the official WERCC Facebook page at

Follow the latest WERCC news and updates at

facebook.com/pages/WindsorEssex-Regional-Chamber-ofCommerce/125412597496221

twitter.com/WERCofC

WELCOME

Letter from the President Greetings Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce members, and welcome to a new edition of the Business Briefs. We’ve had an incredibly busy and productive few months, including the launch of our Gold Circle program, so I thought I’d provide you with a quick look at what’s been going on at the Chamber.

We’ll also be ringing in the holiday season with our multi-business Holiday Party at St. Clair Centre for the Arts on December 7. I hope to see you there! Enjoy a safe and joyous holiday season, from the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce.

I’ve been working with the Detroit Chamber and other Chambers across Michigan to make border infrastructure in Windsor-Detroit the MATT number one issue for all of Michigan. This MARCHAND was achieved in September at the sold-out PRESIDENT & CEO West Michigan Chamber Policy Forum, held in Grand Rapids. Governor Snyder attended and was very pleased with the outcome. In addition, the Windsor-Essex, Ontario and Canadian Chambers teamed up to help further advocate for the New International Crossing by getting the word to our members, friends and colleagues on both sides of the border on proposal 6. See page four for the full letter. At the Canadian Chamber AGM in September, we made a Canadawide case to simplify access to the Federal SR&ED Program, which secured support from Chambers all across Canada. Building on that success, we are holding a SR&ED Roundtable on November 13 with Jody Wipp (Research and Technology Officer, Canada Revenue Agency’s SR&ED Department) to discuss the various incentives and opportunities available in R&D. This is an important initiative for Windsor business as R&D today equals jobs tomorrow. In October, we held our first meeting of the Past Chairs advisory committee, strengthening our ties to the past and recognizing the value of our Past Chairs. It was a great meeting and special thanks to past chair Marty Komsa for sponsoring the dinner at City Grill. I am delighted to announce we’ve launched our Gold Circle program with senior Chamber leaders. At our first meeting, Gold Circle members received a briefing from former Premier Erie Eves and Jason Lietaer (former Communications Advisor to Prime Minister Harper) on government direction, analysis from an inside view and key initiatives going forward. The Chamber has developed this program to create a network that puts these Gold Circle members in a position to link with like-minded leaders and set the pace for taking our Chamber and our Region forward. So far this includes Caesars Windsor, Chrysler, Union Gas, McTague Law Firm, Media Street, KPMG, and the Windsor-Essex Economic Development Corporation. Gold Circle: it’s smart business.

Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce 2012-2013 Board of Directors Mr. Ed Miles Chair** Tax Partner Miles & Co. Chartered Accountants

Mr. Dean Clevett Director** Manager - Technical Engineering Services Canada BASF Canada

Ms. Jennifer Jones Past Chair** President Media Street Productions

Mr. Adam Davis Director President Next Dimensions Inc.

Dr. Bill Anderson Director Chair Transportation Policy Committee Professor, Political Science University of Windsor

Mr. David Diemer Director Chair, Environment & Energy Committee Environmental Engineer Dillon Consulting Ltd.

Mr. Marty Beneteau Director Publisher and Editor-in-Chief The Windsor Star

Mr. Mark Egbedeyi-Emmanuel Director District Manager Windsor/Chatham Union Gas Ltd, Windsor

Ms. Pamela Breault Director Chair Membership Services Committee Operations Manager Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex Ms. Carolyn Brown Chair-Elect** Vice President, Administration Detroit-Windsor Tunnel LLC

Dr. Janice Forsyth Director** President Foresight Management Consulting Mr. Jason Ilijanic Director Chair Finance & Taxation Committee Relationship Manager TD Commercial Banking Southwestern Ontario Region

Mr. Kevin Laforet Director President and CEO Caesars Windsor Mr. Jeffrey MacKinnon Director Partner McTague Law Firm LLP Mr. Gordon Moore Treasurer** President Moore Consulting Corp. Mr. David Musyj Director President and CEO Windsor Regional Hospital Ms. Ann-Marie Athavale Non-Voting Chair ATHENA Committee VP - Sales/Marketing Empire Communications Inc. Dr. Alfie Morgan Director Emeritus Professor Emeritus of Business Administration University of Windsor ** Denotes member of Executive Committee

Gold Circle members get private briefing on the provincial and federal landscape. Gold Circle members got a briefing from former Premier Ernie Eves and Former Communications Advisor to Prime Minister Harper Jason Lietaer. Special thanks to Kevin Laforet, President, Caesars Windsor.

We’re also hard at work on our Immigrant Investor project as well as leading the business community in discussions for the potential Mega Hospital. As always, we have some wonderful events taking place over the next few months, including our 136th Annual General Meeting and Luncheon, featuring guest speaker Tim Hudak, MPP. Many thanks to Jim Marsh, Paul Courey, and Bernie Gorski of WFT Investments Ltd. for sponsoring.

From left to right: George King (McTague), Andrea Seguin (Union Gas), Tracy Pringle (WEEDC), Jason Lietaer (Enterprise Canada), Ed Miles (Chair, WERCC), Ernie Eves (former Premier and Vice Chair, Enterprise Canada), Kevin Laforet (Caesars Windsor), Eda Cross (Chrysler Canada), and Matt Marchand (President & CEO, WERCC)

3 | WINDSORCHAMBER.ORG

R&D.LEADERSHIP

Windsor-Essex Chamber Makes Canada Wide Case to Simplify Access to Federal R&D Program The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce introduced a resolution that was approved by the chambers of commerce from around the country at the Annual General Meeting held in Hamilton, Ontario on September 22, 23, and 24, 2012. The resolution was co-sponsored by the Mississauga Board of Trade. If adopted by the Canadian government, the resolution would simplify access to federal research and development grants announced in the 2012 budget. This would have a positive effect on many of the WindsorEssex businesses who rely on Research and

Development to be globally competitive and maintain and enhance job levels for the region. Jobs and economic development are top priorities for the Windsor-Essex Chamber membership.

The Chambers are concerned that the application process for R&D grants has the potential to be onerous and therefore careful consideration to program design such as clearly defined criteria and objectives should be identified up front.

Matt Marchand, President and CEO of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce said that “Research and Development is the lifeblood for our local technology and manufacturing based sector. Ongoing investment in R&D will help secure our future competitive position in the global economy. Having the full weight of the Canadian Chamber membership is very helpful in achieving our goal.”

The resolution was created with the help of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Finance and Taxation Policy Committee.

New International Trade Crossing Support Letter As you are aware, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce has been a very vocal advocate of the construction of a New International Trade Crossing (NITC) between Windsor and Detroit. Unfortunately, efforts to build this bridge continue to be frustrated by special interests in the region. Over the next few weeks tens of millions of dollars are expected to be funneled into this “counter NITC” campaign.

This November, Michigan’s ballot will contain various proposals, including Proposal 6. The sponsors of the proposal seek to stop the construction of any new international bridges or tunnels. Promoted by special interests, this proposal would only create unnecessary red tape and could significantly delay construction on future international crossings – including the NITC.

The Michigan-Ontario region is a significant international gateway and a core component of our bilateral trading relationship. The DetroitWindsor corridor alone handles approximately 25 to 30 percent of all trade between the U.S. and Canada. This New International Trade Crossing is one of the most critical and badly needed infrastructure projects in North America.

North American companies that want a second crossing in the region must show their support. Contact Mr. Mark Butler, Communications, Windsor Gateway Project, Transport Canada for more information on how you can help. Mark’s e-mail is mark.butler@tc.gc.ca

4 | WINDSORCHAMBER.ORG

NEWS.COMMUNITY

MEMBERS | FIRMS IN THE NEWS

The Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) is encouraged by and strongly supports the recent changes to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The original Agreement was signed by Canada and the United States in 1972 to tackle water quality issues in the Great Lakes. Changes to the Agreement in 1987 brought a greater focus to toxic contaminants, especially in 43 Areas of Concern, including the Detroit River. For more information, contact Danielle Breault Stuebing, Director of Communications & Education, ERCA, at dstuebing@erca.org.

Farrow Group has acquired D & H International, Inc., a customs brokerage firm, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Rick Farrow, Chief Executive Officer, Farrow Group, says that “This acquisition is part of our ongoing strategic plan to expand our presence in the U.S., and our service to international importers and exporters.” For further information, please contact Tom Kowalski, President, Russell A. Farrow (U.S.) Inc. at tom.kowalski@farrow.com.

LucasWorks has moved to their new Windsor Head Office location at 2892 Kew Drive. LucasWorks first opened their doors in August 2004 in a single unit office at 2601 Lauzon Parkway. Recognized over the past two years by PROFIT Magazine as one of the Top 200 Fastest Growing Companies in Canada, LucasWorks’ triple digit growth has triggered the need for even more space. For more information visit www.lucasworks.ca

Motor Burger introduced a new beer, Déjà Blue, a blueberry lavender beer developed by Motor Burger that will be added to the popular eatery’s growing selection of local drafts. Once connected with Serenity Lavender and Klassen Blueberries, Motor Burger brew master, Donavan McFadden and Ed Leblang, went to work to create a beer that is aromatic with a sweet flavour of blueberry, lavender and malts. Déjà Blue is currently on tap at Motor Burger. For more information, contact Jay Souilliere at (519) 252-8003.

Spirou & Associates launched Operation Nets for Life in July 2012. To date more than $21,000 has been raised. Operation Nets for Life raises funds for mosquito nets to prevent more than 1,000 pregnant and nursing mothers and their children in Ghana, West Africa from contracting malaria, which for African children is often a fatal disease. Kim Spirou will join a team of 15 Rotarians who will travel this fall to Ghana to undertake several humanitarian projects and deliver the nets to families living in desperate and impoverished conditions. The $21,000 raised through this initiative will enable their Rotary team to purchase 1,000 nets and build a three room primary school.

Tepperman’s is pleased to announce that Masoud Negad has been promoted to Vice President of Operations & Supply Chain. In this role, Negad will join Tepperman’s executive leadership team and will have responsibility for supply chain, logistics, warehousing and home delivery for the Windsor-based furniture, mattress, appliance and electronics retail chain.

Teaming up in support of children’s health, United Communities Credit Union and Ives Insurance Brokers Ltd hosted the 10th annual charity fundraiser benefiting the W.E. Care for Kids Foundation. The event saw 144 golfers attending from as far away as Toronto as affiliates of United Communities and Ives Insurance to raise more than $29,000. For more information visit www.myunited.ca

Karen Behune Plunkett, President & CEO of WEtech Alliance is pleased to announce that Yvonne Pilon, Director of Programs & Communication will now assume the role of Vice President. Pilon has demonstrated strong leadership skills and commitment to this region and organization in its drive to accelerate innovation and technology. Congratulations Yvonne!

At the Windsor Family Credit Union’s 28th Annual General Meeting on Thursday, September 13, WFCU President and CEO Marty Komsa announced that the company is making a contribution of $500,000 to the University of Windsor’s Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation. The University of Windsor will recognize WFCU’s contribution with the naming of the state of the art Learning Centre in the new Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation. For more information, visit www.wfcu.ca

The Windsor Star wishes to sincerely thank the sponsor, volunteers, readers and individual donors for their part in making the 2012 RaiseA-Reader campaign a success. Over 300 volunteers hit the streets on Thursday September 20, raising $23,000 for family literacy. Thanks to your generosity, we have raised $60,000 for Raise-A-Reader so far this year. Congratulations to the thousands of volunteers in 16 cities from coast-to-coast for raising $1.18 million to make this year’s Postmedia Raise-A-Reader campaign a success! We are pleased to celebrate a decade of raising readers and nearly $20 million overall in support of literacy.

IN THE COMMUNITY

The John McGivney Children’s Centre is celebrating John McGivney’s 90th Birthday and honouring him for more than 50 years of service to our community, enriching the lives of many, especially children with disabilities. Please join us on this momentous occasion to celebrate the John McGivney Children’s Centre’s “Founding Father” on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 at the Ciociaro Club at 6 p.m. with Keynote Speaker Sandra Pupatello. Tickets are $90 per person and includes dinner. Please reserve your tickets or a table of 10 by calling (519) 2527281. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Please contact Ilona Schentag for details at (519) 977-2203 or ilona.schentag@jmccentre. ca.

The Women’s Economic Forum is excited to announce that it has opened a Chapter in Leamington! The first official dinner and speaker event was on October 17. For more information about the Women’s Economic Forum, please visit www.womenseconomicforum.com

5 | WINDSORCHAMBER.ORG

CHAMBER EVENTS

SEPTEMBER JOHNSON INSURANCE AFTER BUSINESS at NEXT DIMENSION

HON. DWIGHT DUNCAN LUNCHEON sponsored by

Register for all events online at www.windsorchamber.org To see more photos, visit the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Windsor-Essex-Regional-Chamber-of-Commerce/125412597496221

6 | WINDSORCHAMBER.ORG

KPMG

Heading towards stronger Asia-Pacific trade and investment ties The Canadian Chamber of Commerce welcomes today’s announcement that Canada is formally joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, a very important regional trade agreement which will support Canada’s efforts to improve its ties to the world’s fastest growing economies. “By signing on to the TPP, the federal government has taken an important leap toward securing Canada’s long-term strategic interests in the Asia-Pacific region. Opening new markets is key to Canadian competitiveness,” said Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “Canada’s market share in Asia is below potential and Canada has no full trade agreements with Asian countries yet. The TPP will provide enhanced access to a series of markets recognized as gaining importance in global trade and investment.”

“I congratulate Prime Minister Stephen Harper, International Trade Minister Ed Fast and Canadian government officials for their efforts over the past several months to ensure Canada’s formal entry to the TPP negotiations,” Mr. Beatty said. The TPP is a trade agreement, under negotiation by 11 countries, which now includes Canada and Mexico. The other members are Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam. Canada’s formal entry into the negotiations follows the completion of domestic consultations, which all TPP members are required to undertake before approving new members.

The TPP has been an impressive exercise in multilateral negotiations since the first four member states signed their agreement in 2005. With the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations stalled, countries are quickly turning to bilateral and regional free trade agreements (FTAs) to foster trade and investment opportunities, many of which are in Asia.

NiCK K. Thomas KMPG KPMG has recently undergone a change in Forum & Tradeshow this past October. “We value the Chamber and management with the retirement of Office Managing what it does, as well as our association with them on a number of Partner Tom Clark. As of October 1, Nick K. Thomas different tasks,” said Thomas. has taken over that role with the firm. Congratulations to Nick K. Thomas, Tom Clark, and the rest of the The firm provides Audit, Tax, and Advisory services staff at KPMG. The firm has a great working relationship with the and works closely with their clients, helping them to Chamber and we look forward to continuing to work with Thomas. mitigate risks and meet their strategic goals. Born and raised in Windsor and a graduate of the University of Windsor, Thomas began his career in 1988. At the time, he worked at Clarkson Gordon, which later became Ernst & Young. In 2000, Ernst & Young’s Windsor office joined KPMG. Thomas, who is married has two teenaged children, says it’s easier to find work-life balance now that his children are older. “I’m at a point in my life on a personal level, where achieving the appropriate balance is a little easier. It allows me to take this new role on enthusiastically.” Thomas has been enjoying his new position and is excited about continuing to make KPMG a great place to work and providing excellent service to their clients. “I’ve been lucky enough to work with great people in the past and learn from them. I’m trying to put my own stamp on things. I’m very encouraged because I have a very good group of people here to work with and we have excellent clients in which we have had long working relationships with.” Having great mentors has provided Thomas with a solid support system throughout his career. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have great mentors, like Tom, who I worked with for 24 years. I learned a lot from him.” Additionally, Thomas credits all the other senior partners he has worked with over the years that have helped him develop as a professional.

STAND BY ME

HELP BRING DIGNITY WITHIN REACH

Volunteers are needed to assist The Salvation Army with the annual Christmas Kettle Campaign in Windsor. For more information, or to volunteer, please contact:

519-253-7473 Ext. 220 kettles@sallyann-windsor.org

KPMG has worked with the Chamber on many events, including the first ever Windsor-Essex Leaders in Innovation Technology 7 | WINDSORCHAMBER.ORG

NEW MEMBERS

MEET YOUR NEW MEMBERS AUG - SEPT 2012

Alexa Translations Translation Services (Main Gary Kalaci President & CEO 1745 Calderwood Ave. Windsor, ON N8W 5T6 Phone: (877) 452-5224 Fax:(888) 301-0607 info@alexatranslations.com http://www.alexatranslations.com

International Health Care Providers Inc. Health Care Consulting (Main) Kelly Meloche President 203 - 3063 Walker Road Windsor, ON N8W 3R4 Phone: (519) 736-0189 Fax:(866) 227-8402 health@ihcproviders.com http://www.ihcproviders.com

Discount Savings Network Discount Stores (Main) Joshua Haddon V.P of Growth and Development 1347 Ottawa Street Windsor, ON N8X 2E9 Phone: (877) 301-9790 Fax:(519) 915-4408 info@membersonly.ca http://www.discountsavingsnetwork.com

Mayhew Office Furniture, Layout & Design (Main) Debra Kennedy-Snider General Manager 4570 Rhodes Drive Unit 100 Windsor, ON N8W 5C2 Phone: (519) 256-3141 Fax:(519) 256-6563 ingenuity@mayhew.ca http://www.mayhew.ca

Hummazing Restaurants (Main) Fadi Dandachi Partner Devonshire Mall 3100 Howard Ave Windsor, ON N8X 3Y8 Phone: (519) 965-5549 info@hummazing.com http://www.hummazing.com

time2spare Linda Webb Personal Concierge and Lifestyle Manager Phone: (519) 562-6634 linda@time2spare.ca http://www.time2spare.ca

Wickham Investment Counsel Inc. Financial Planning Consultants (Main) Jeff Pocock VP of Marketing and Business Development 1271 Victoria Avenue Windsor, ON N8X 1N8 Phone: (519) 253-8968 Fax:(905) 528-3567 jeff@wickhaminvestments.com http://www.wickhaminvestments.com Windsor Essex Mobility Group Construction Services (Main) Jan van der Woerd Senior Public Liaison Officer 2187 Huron Church Road Suite 210 Windsor, ON N9C 2L8 Phone: (519) 946-3777 jvanderwoerd@wemg.ca http://www.weparkway.ca

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR MEMBERSHIP? WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW WE ASSIST OUR MEMBERS IN ACHIEVING THEIR FINANCIAL GOALS THROUGH OUR MARKETING INITIATIVES? KNOW SOMEONE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE CHAMBER? CONTACT

SHERRI DULCAMARO

DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING

sdulcamaro@windsorchamber.org or 519.966.3696 Ext. 23

CONTACT WANT TO KNOW MORE KERRI DAY ABOUT THE CHAMBER’S MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR AFFINITY PROGRAMS AND kday@windsorchamber.org OTHER MEMBER BENEFITS? or 519.966.3696 Ext. 30

Please note,the members listed are only for the months indicated For a full membership directory, Please visit www.windsorchamber.org

Last year, over 178,000 meals were served to those in need across Windsor-Essex. We’re investing in solutions to help those in need with your help.

Give. Volunteer. Act. weareunited.com | 519-258-0000

8 | WINDSORCHAMBER.ORG

CONNECTED

STAY CONNECTED WITH YOUR MEMBERSHIP AUG - SEPT 2012 RENEWING MEMBERS Aerotek Amherst Quarries (1969) Ltd. BDO Canada LLP Chartered

Dundee Realty Management Corporation Eastside Dental Office

Accountants and Consultants

Charles Sarkis on behalf of Edward Jones Investments

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windsor Essex

Engauge Controls Inc

Brentwood Recovery Home Brown & Associates Financial Services

Essex Condominium Corporation #28 Golder Associates Ltd. HBPO CANADA

CAA Travel (South Central Ontario)

Hiatus House

Canada Revenue Agency Tax Services

Holiday Inn Downtown Windsor

Canadian Auto Stores Ltd. The Canadian Club Brand Centre Canadian Diesel CapsCanada Corporation CMA Ontario Costco Wholesale Cygnus - Cellulite & Skin Rejuvenation Clinic Inc. Dance Unlimited Inc Dave Hitchcock Chevrolet Ltd. DevMark Consulting Inc.

Hiram Walker & Sons, Ltd. HRPA of Toronto Ikon E.D.M. Services Inc. International Health Care Providers Inc. Ion Cernat (Owner/Operator) Trucking Iron Mountain Records and Information Management Kirwin Partners LLP L K Distributing Inc. Lacasse Printing Company Ltd. Laumar Computers Inc.

DNA Inc.

Lazare’s Fine Coats & Jackets at Freeds

Dr Disc Records

Leisure Trailer Sales

LucasWorks! (Windsor) Inc. M & M Designs Group Inc Miles & Co Chartered Accountants Minuteman Press Motions 1 By Windsor Theatrical Supplies Inc. Movin’ Freight Ltd. Ontario Spring & Alignment Overseas Motors Paul Davis Systems of Windsor Paws for Love Inc Penalty Box Too Inc.

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Simpson’s Fence Ltd. Sooter’s Studios Spartan Sling Manufacturing, Inc. The Summit Centre for Preschool Children with Autism Sylectus Torino’s Restaurant Town and Country Animal Clinic The Trophy Boys WAT Solutions

Phoenix Jewellers Inc.

Wayne White’s Fresh Meat and Deli

Popp Parete Russo LLP Chartered Accountants

Windsor CARSTAR Collision

Pupatello & Sons Ltd. General Contractors

Windsor Regional Hospital

Windsor Crossing

Remo Valente Real Estate (1990) Limited

WorkSmart Safety Solutions Inc

RioCan Management Inc

Windsor Essex County Family

Riverside Elevators Inc. Ro-Matt International Inc. Roman Tool & Fabricating Inc.

Wright Health Centre Inc. YMCA Zehrs Food Plus (#0521)

Royal LePage Binder Real Estate RT Precision Measurement RWDI

9 | WINDSORCHAMBER.ORG

SPOTLIGHT

SPOTLIGHT ON OUR MEMBERS NEW member

Renewing member

HUMMAZING

M&M DESIGNS GROUP

Hummazing Inc., located in the Devonshire Mall at 3100 Howard Ave., was founded in November 2011 in Windsor. Hummazing offers breakfast, flavoured hummus, salads, pitas, crepes, wrap combos, waffles, soups, and a wide variety of other delicious items. The new local company is committed to serving food of the highest quality and freshness along with providing the community with a healthy alternative. From what started as a home-based business making flavoured Hummus, Hummazing is now branching out into dips, sauces, hummus protein shakes, hummus crepes and sweet hummus. From there, the company evolved to selling flavoured hummus in the workplace, to setting up booths at events, and now is a full menu eatery filled with the Hummazing concept of putting flavoured hummus on everything from wraps to crepes to waffles and shakes.

M & M Designs Group Inc., located in South Windsor, specialize in branding and promotional products. They also carry a variety of gifts, rhinestone designs and offer large format and small business printing. The company has partnered with several suppliers and manufacturers, allowing them to provide clients with competitive prices in either small or large quantities at a faster turnaround time. They have also recently changed their website to make it more user-friendly and added new categories such as the Closeout section where clients can find great deals fit for any budget. Currently, M & M Designs is running a 10%-off promotion until the end of the year. They are also giving out 100 magnetic 2013 calendars with each order to celebrate the New Year.

Each month, Hummazing will feature a new flavour as selected from Facebook and Twitter polls. They are also looking at developing a loyalty program.

M & M Designs is happy to introduce a new referral program, where if someone refers a client to them, they will send that potential client a 15%-off gift certificate. Once that gift certificate is activated, the referrer automatically receives a $50 gas card as a thank you.

As for the future, they plan to continue offering fresh and authentic fast food in a healthy manner. They also plan to further engage and give back to the community through volunteering. Giving back to the community is a big part of the Hummazing family and its foundations, with plans to take on local community projects to help services and programs that support those in need.

M & M Designs pride themselves on excellent client service and continues to listen to what their clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs are and how they can grow as a company. They are looking forward to building the business further by adding more specialized and unique items to their current line of products, while remaining a local family owned business.

For more information, and to view the full menu, visit Hummazing online at www.hummazing.com

For more information, visit M & M Designs Group online at www.gifts-promotions.com

10 | WINDSORCHAMBER.ORG

R&D BUDGET

R&D CHANGES IN THE FEDERAL BUDGET BY Carlo Ciaramitaro, CA, Partner-Tax In March of 2012, the federal government announced significant changes to the flagship Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit program which currently accounts for up to half of federal support for R&D. Although the changes do not affect eligibility, they substantially reduce the tax benefit afforded to taxpayers seeking assistance from this incentive program. The budget also announced a number of initiatives meant to simplify and streamline the process for filing SR&ED claims. These initiatives include: $6 million dollars for the creation of a pilot SR&ED pre-approval process; increased activity with industry groups and associations to discuss emerging issues; CRA “tax alerts” to announce seminars and news; enhancement to the online self-assessment eligibility tool; and improved notice of objection process which will allow for a second review of scientific eligibility.

The changes resulted in part from the Jenkins Panel Innovation Canada: A Call to Action report recommendations. In response, the government redirected $1.1 billion dollars out of the SR&ED program into direct grant programs, such as the Industrial Research Assistance Program, and Venture Capital and government innovation procurement programs. The spring budget also hinted that further changes may be made to the SR&ED program based on other recommendations tabled by the Jenkins Panel as a means to further spur innovation in Canada. With over 20 years of experience in research and development tax, Carlo Ciaramitaro leads KPMG’s Canadian and Americas Regional Research & Development Tax Incentive practice. As well as providing general compliance and advisory services in the areas of research and development tax incentives, Carlo keeps industry, policy and tax regulators up-to-date the latest global R&D incentive programs. You can contact Carlo at (519) 251-3522 or cciaramitaro@kpmg.ca. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn.

Expenditure Type

Change

Effective Date

Contract Payments

Only 80% of contract expenditures qualify

January 1st, 2013

Capital

No longer eligible

January 1st 2014

Proxy Overhead

Proxy allocation being reduced from 65% to 55% of eligible labour

60% after January 1st, 2013 55% after January 1st, 2014

Federal Credit Rate (Large Corporations)

Reduction in tax credit rate to 15% from 20%. Small company rate remains at 35%.

January 1st, 2014

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VOLUNTEERS! A special thank you goes out to our Committee Chairs: Bill Anderson (Transportation Policy Committee) Pamela Breault (Membership Services Committee) Jennifer Charron (After Business Committee) David Diemer (Environment & Energy Committee) Jason Ilijanic (Finance & Taxation Committee) Gordon Moore (Government Relations Committee) Yvonne Pilon (BEA Committee) Thank you to our volunteers for their time, dedication, and tireless efforts. You make the Chamber the Voice of Business in Windsor-Essex! Participating on a committee is a great way to increase the value of your investment in the Chamber. Besides increasing your business contacts, you ensure your issues are addressed and become part of the Chamber’s voice on behalf of our community.

Volunteers are Chamber members who: • Want to network and meet other members • Want to be part of a team designing and delivering programs to the membership. • Contribute to the development of Chamber policy • Want to increase their own awareness of community projects, proposed legislation and how it affects their business Volunteer committees are continually active addressing issues and keeping you informed. The Chamber supports the work of numerous committees, which meet on a regular basis to monitor areas of interest and concern. These committees include: After Business, ATHENA, Business Excellence Awards, Environment & Energy, Finance & Taxation, Golf, Government Relations, Membership Services & Development, and Transportation. If you are a member and interested in getting involved in the Chamber, email Holly Connelly, Executive Assistant to the President, at hconnelly@windsorchamber.org.

11 | WINDSORCHAMBER.ORG

UPCOMING EVENTS

136TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING & LUNCHEON

TIM HUDAK,leader of the PC Party of ontario Thursday, NOVEMBER 15, 2012 LOCATION

Caboto Club 2175 Parent Ave. TIME

11:30 A.M. RECEPTION 12:00 NOON LUNCHEON 1:30PM CONCLUSION

Windsor-Essex ECONOMIC REGIONAL CHAMBER OUTLOOK OF COMMERCE LUNCHEON CRAIG WRIGHT HOLIDAY PARTY

AFTER BUSINESS WEDNESday, NOVEMBER 28, 2012 LOCATION

AMICA WINDSOR 4909 Riverside Dr. E

FRIday, DECEMBER 7, 2012

TICKETS

St. Clair Centre for the Arts 201 Riverside Dr. W

LOCATION

$10 Members $20 general admission

TICKETS

$35 Members $45 General Admission

WEDNESday, FEBRUARY 6, 2013 HOLD THE DATE

TICKETS

$60 Members (BEFORe nov.16) $65 Members (after nov.16) $70 GENERAL ADMISSION