November 05, 2014

2014 Salute to2014 Salute to

STETTLERSTETTLER& AREA& AREA

BUSINESSESBUSINESSES

Regional

Regional

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2014 Salute to Business Page 3

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Joel van der VeenINDEPENDENT REPORTER

Erin Prehn has plenty of goals on her “bucket list” — visit the Eiffel Tower, tour the canals of Venice — but winning Stettler’s Female Citizen of the Year award wasn’t one of them.

That didn’t seem to have had any impact on her reaction, though, after she was presented with the honour at the Business and Citizenship Awards cer-emony at the Stettler Com-munity Hall on Thursday, Oct. 23.

continued on page 4

Making wishes come true:Prehn named female citizen of the year

Joel van der Veen/Independent reporter

Erin Prehn (right) accepts the Female Citizen of the Year award from Guy and Danielle Mohn.


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continued from page 3 With a wavering voice

and a lump in her throat, Prehn accepted the award, naming some of the people — famous, fictional or local — who had inspired her over the years.

“Behind every inspired person is someone who lit a match,” she told the audi-ence. “I will try my damned-est to light as my fires as possible with your match.”

Presenting the award to Prehn on Thursday were Guy and Danielle Mohn,

presenting on behalf of sponsors Vortex Production Services.

Don and Bev Falken-berg had nominated Prehn for the award, based on her dedication to the community through her years of teach-ing at Stettler Middle School and her volunteer work for various groups.

Raised in Byemoor and a graduate of the University of Lethbridge, Prehn has also been involved as a coach for soccer, hockey and volley-ball, and previously served

as the middle school’s health and fitness co-ordinator.

Last year, she decided to take a one-year hiatus to focus on spending time with her family. She and hus-band Brian have three chil-dren: Mya, 7, Hadley, 5, and Clark, 3.

“I kind of wanted to take that year to soak it all in with them,” Prehn explained.

She has since returned to teaching Grade 6 students at Stettler Middle School, but has also continued with a new endeavour she be-gan during her hiatus as she sought new ground for her volunteer work.

It was an item on her bucket list — grant a wish for someone — that led her to begin working with the

Children’s Wish Founda-tion, which helps grant wish-es for children living withlife-threatening illnesses.

In the Mohns’ presenta-tion, Danielle read a letterwritten by the mother of a17-year-old boy who cameto know Prehn through thefoundation, developing aclose friendship in the pro-cess.

Hearing that letter pro-voked an emotional re-sponse from Prehn, who saidshe was taken aback to hearit read in front of a largecrowd.

“That got the lump in my throat,” she said, add-ing jokingly that she’d haveto return the favour to theFalkenburgs. “I’m going tohave to get them back.”

Female citizen of the year …


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Stacey LavallieINDEPENDENT REPORTER

This year’s recipient of the Male Citizen of the Year award is none other than Bob Willis, a man known for his dedication to the arts, his work with Alberta Prairie Railway, and for being a fel-low who gets things done.

Willis, who found out be-fore the award ceremony that he had been not only nomi-nated, but chosen, said he was “humbled.”

“I’m surprised,” he said. “(This is) not something I would have expected.”

He doesn’t know who nominated him, nor does he know on what merits, but he does confess to being a very community-oriented person with his fingers in many pots.

continued on page 6

Male Citizen of the Year: Bob Willis


Town councillor Will Brown (left) presents the Male Citizen of the Year award to Bob Willis.


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continued frompage 5

“When you’ve lived in a place as small as Stettler and been as active as I’ve been, you get some bag-gage,” he said. “Mostly good.”

The former publisher of the Stettler Independent said that his reaction to the discovery of his nomination essentially boiled down to one sentence, “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding.”

When he realized there was no kidding going on, he said it took time to sink in.

“It’s pretty lofty com-pany (among those who’ve won the award),” he said. “Those who came before...my dad was awarded it twice.”

Though the recognition is something Willis said is humbling and nice to have, he noted that he’s just one person in a very active com-munity that makes things happen.

“You never do (events and projects) by yourself,” he said. “This is a pretty good community to pull these things off. When you come to it, people come out of the woodwork to do the heavy lifting.

“So being recognized is great, but it was never done alone.”

Willis, in his decades in Stettler, has been involved in many key projects. For-merly the owner and pub-lisher of the Stettler Inde-pendent, he relinquished

ownership of the paper in 1996, 90 years after his family bought it – a year af-ter it was founded in 1905.

He once sat on the Na-tional Library Board, the organization run out of Ottawa that manages the National Library, but also helps establish library man-agement policies that go into effect across the coun-try.

His love for the arts made chairing the commit-tee behind the push for a Performing Arts Centre a natural fit, and once it was built, he managed the back-stage area for years.

When Stettler played host to the Summer Games, Willis was selected as Cul-ture Committee chair, a

task that at times found himswimming against the cur-rent.

“It’s sports,” he said. “Everyone else is worryingabout sports, about venues.I’m culture, so we’re not al-ways on the same page.”

Willis, who is now gen-eral manager for AlbertaPrairie Railways, said theculture events at the Sum-mer Games remain someof his proudest accomplish-ments.

“We had street perform-ers everywhere, concertsfor the community and forthe athletes, had the open-ing and closing ceremonies,and more. We did a goodjob there, even though weweren’t always on the samepage.”

Male Citizen of the Year …


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In print and online403-742-2395

stettlerindependent.com

Joel van der VeenINDEPENDENT REPORTER

Last week’s Business and Citizenship Awards ceremo-ny was an evening of sur-prises, but few people were more surprised than Maggie MacKenzie.

MacKenzie was the re-cipient of the Youth Citizen of the Year award, but she was in the dark about it until shortly before it was present-ed to her at the ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 23.

“My parents refused to tell me why I had to come home on a Thursday night,” said MacKenzie, 18, who now attends Rosebud School of the Arts, located about half an hour’s drive south-west of Drumheller.

continued on page 8

Youth award a surprise for MacKenzie


Maggie MacKenzie (left) receives the Youth Citizen of the Year award from Brandi Page on behalf of the Canalta Hotel.



Bernadette Jackson (left) of Wells Furniture accepts the Business of the Year award from Joyce Kiryk.

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continued from page 7“My mom texted me,” she added lat-

er, speaking to the Independent. “She’s like, ‘What are you doing on the 23rd?’”

MacKenzie received the award in recognition of her volunteer work and involvement in several local arts and church groups during her teen years in Stettler.

Brandi Page of Canalta Hotels pre-sented the award, describing MacKen-zie as “an eager, self-motivated individ-ual who brings hard work to whatever she pursues.”

MacKenzie’s mother and stepfather, Natasja and Martin Willms, were there to see her receive her award, as was her father, Shelby MacKenzie, who visited from Innisfail for the presentation.

During her high school years, MacKenzie was involved with both the Heartland Arts Troupe Society and

the Wildcat Theatre at William E. Hay Composite High School, from which she graduated this past June.

MacKenzie has continued to pursue her interest in the dramatic arts, now studying acting at Rosebud.

She was also part of the Gracenotes choir directed by Rhonda Sylvester, which features singers between the ages of 12 and 18.

As a member of Christ-King Catho-lic Church in Stettler, MacKenzie was involved in the services, first as a reader of children’s liturgy and later as a pro-claimer of the Word, reading from the Scriptures.

She also volunteered at the local health care centre, spending an hour each week with acute care patients, talk-ing or sharing a cup of coffee.

In accepting the award, MacKenzie spoke of her gratitude to local residents

for their support, and specifically to pa-trons of the arts community.

She also thanked the members of theP&H Elevator Preservation Society, forwhom she worked this past summer,giving guided tours of the historic facil-ity.

Speaking later to the Independent,MacKenzie said she has lately becomeappreciative of “how much support thiscommunity has for its young people.”

The encouragement is overwhelm-ing, she said, going on to name some ofthe local people who had inspired andencouraged her during her upbringingin Stettler.

These included choir director Rhon-da Sylvester, drama instructor DarrenFleischhacker, and members of the el-evator society, who impressed her withtheir passion for history and dedicationto the project.

Youth Citizen of the Year …

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR


From Canadian News WireSmall business activity in

Canada is lagging behind the economy as a whole, but has the potential to pick up and grow in the next five years, especially in Alberta and British Columbia which pro-vide the greatest advantages for startups, finds a new re-port from CIBC World Mar-kets.

“Looking back at the recent history, we see that small business activity out-performed the broader econ-omy in the earlier part of the recovery, but now at the more mature stage of the cycle, things are changing and small businesses are the ones lagging the economy as a whole,” says Benjamin Tal, Deputy Chief Econo-mist, CIBC, who coauthored the report with CIBC Econo-mists Andrew Grantham and Nick Exarhos. “Exports have been on the upswing, helped along the way by a meaningful drop in the Ca-nadian dollar below parity. Just as small and medium enterprises are less respon-sive to a rise in the value of the loonie, they are just as in-sensitive to Canadian dollar weakness.”

The report finds that since the recession, small businesses have been getting larger, with the number of firms with 20-49 employees up close to 18 per cent, those with 10-19 employees up by 12.5 per cent and those with less than 10 employees up by

10.3 per cent.“While economic condi-

tions have deteriorated for them recently, small busi-nesses have been contribut-ing a greater-than-normal share of hiring recently,” says Mr. Tal. “That’s partly because hiring in the rest of the economy has been muted, but small businesses have also been adding to their workforce at a greater rate than they have histori-cally.”

Small businesses activ-ity in Canada is an impor-tant part of the economy, accounting for about 40 per cent of private-sector gross domestic product.

Clearly, there are oppor-tunities for small businesses to exploit, particularly given structural factors that favour the launching and growing of new endeavours. But in-creased export and import orientation points to greater complexity in doing busi-ness, putting increased pres-sure on small business in terms of price, quality, cost control, efficiency, market-ing expertise, customer sat-isfaction and innovation, the report says.

The report identifies Al-berta as the most favorable place in Canada for a small business to flourish as it has the strongest projected growth, while also possess-ing good demographics and immigration trends.

“Those latter character-istics offer a steady stream

of future entrepreneurs and workers to drive operations in tomorrow’s small and me-dium enterprises,” says Mr. Tal. “The province does lack an advantage in export ori-entation, with a concentra-tion in Alberta’s outbound flows in larger, energy-fo-cused firms.”

British Columbia and Ontario ranked second and third, respectively, with a three-way tie for fourth be-tween Saskatchewan, Mani-toba and Quebec. B.C.’s strong growth prospects, solid urban concentration and labour dynamics suggest that smaller enterprises can exploit emerging opportuni-ties, says Mr. Tal.

While small firms in On-tario are well integrated into larger firms’ manufacturing supply chains, the province isn’t aligned to industries that are poised to see the highest growth, he notes. “It will need to work on its weaker readings on debt management to give firms the capital they need to ex-pand toward industries with brighter prospects,” Mr. Tal says.

The provinces were scored on nine macro fac-tors, with double weight added to expected economic growth given its importance:

• Economic growth - The extent to which the macro environment supports small and medium enterprise (SMEs) activity

• Urban/Rural Mix - The

concentration of SMEs inlarge urban centres. Recentyears have seen growth inSME formation in those ar-eas outpace growth in ruralareas.

• Labour Availability - The share of firms citing la-bour shortages as a source ofrestraint on their operations

• Net Exports Position - The balance of exports mi-nus imports and a measure ofsensitivity to the prospectsof a weaker Canadian dollar

• Demographics - Growth in the 33-55 year-old agegroup. This age group hasthe highest propensity tobecome self-employed andstart a business.

• Net Migration - The con-tribution of new immigrantsto growth in the labour force,with the motivation here thatnew immigrants have a high-er tendency to become self-employed.

• Sectoral Mix - The ex-tent to which the fastest-growing sectors in the econ-omy are also SME-friendly.

• Outsourcing Activity - The propensity by large cor-porations to outsource coreactivity.

• Debt Position - A mea-sure of dependence on fi-nancing and a proxy forsensitivity to higher interestrates.

The complete CIBC World Markets reportis available at: http://re-search.cibcwm.com/eco-nomic_public/download/if-20141020.pdf

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Small business activity in Canada moderating but demographics

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Lorissa Brower presents the Small Business of the Year award to Larry and Lawrence Muhlbach (centre) of Heartland Glass Ltd.

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR


Kevin (left), Traci and Jean MacDonald (second from right) of Ol’ MacDonald’s Resort accept the Stettler Ambassador Award from Malcolm Fischer.

STETTLER AMBASSADOR AWARD


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Gord Lough (left) of Stettler’s Subway restaurant accepts the Customer Service Award from Vicki Leuck.

CUSTOMER SERVICE


Congratulations tothis year’s winners.

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The staff of Q93.3 accept the Community Service Award from Scott McMurtrie (second from right) of ATB Financial. Also pictured, from left, are Jenna Witherow, Olivia Guthrie, Landin Chambers, Vicki Leuck and Alex Mykyta.

COMMUNITY SERVICE


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Barb Munholland (left) of the Stettler Veterinary Clinic accepts the Business Service Award from RBC Royal Bank’s Ron Sauve.

BUSINESS SERVICE


For further information, check us out on-line www.mmbi.ca. Our website hosts galleries of work we have done, as well

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METAL BUILDINGS INC.METAL BUILDINGS INC.

Clay andLorisa Brower

Did you know:- METALEX also has a commercial construc on division capable of design/erec on of your next shop or other commercial building?- METALEX will be producing our own high-quality Polyurethane foam panels by spring 2015!- METALEX has brought in skilled design/fabrica on/erec on sta from as far away as Mexico, Ukraine, Russia, Lithuania, and Ireland?- All erec on sta are trained to the highest industry caliber for safety?

- METALEX operates with a be er-than-industry average for safety incidents?- Alberta has some of the most stringent safety legisla on in the world?- We employ over 70 people across Alberta, half of which operate out of Ste ler?- Several employees have been here since day one (2001)?- Our smallest building takes one erector less than a day to complete?

- Our largest project to date involved 10 erectors and took nearly 3 months to complete?- Two-thirds of the me required to erect a metal building is spent on a ladder, sca old, man-li or roof?- ALL design and fabrica on is completed en rely in our Ste ler facility?- METALEX vehicles travelled over half a million kilometers last year?- METALEX can provide emergency response for buildings in case of disaster?- METALEX sta ipped over 1,000 hamburgers and smokies for customers and special events this past summer?- METALEX provides intangible employee bene ts that include me o for personal/family development including hockey, rodeo, racing, dance, music fes vals, marathons and more?

A key to our success and growth has been management’s commitment to provide quick turn-around. People familiar with the Oil & Gas industry recognize that if it wasn’t for the last minute, many projects would never get done. Our people are on a par with the military for preparedness, and ability to respond to crisis situa ons.This has forced METALEX to develop and implement solid processes designed toensure success. METALEX further invests heavily in training – Customer service, Project

Management, Leadership, Supervisory Training, and more. We develop and maintain our own quality standards in conjunc on with such industry codes as S-16, S-136, W-47, A660, which arereinforced with sta involvement, and industry audit-reviewed annually.

Some of our biggest, best and most loyal customers are here in the Heartland. There’s no ques on that Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer produce some of the nest industrial equipment in the world, but on a per capita basis, the

Ste ler region is a manufacturing dynamo. A combina on of strong work ethic, intrinsic customer service, reliable supplier-chain and git ‘er done a tude provides a lengthy list of customers that have been calling us since day one. We can’t walk on water, but we can turn a phone call into a building!

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Kevin Plante of Newalta accepts the Corporate Citizen of the Year award from Tana Nixon (left).

CORPORATE CITIZEN AWARD

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From Canadian News Wire Credit union leaders have

been on Parliament Hill urging MPs to make sure the next budget recognizes the vital role credit unions play in supporting small business, creating jobs and building communities.

In the last two months,

thousands of Canadians have contacted Finance Minister Joe Oliver telling him that credit unions need different – not preferential – treatment from Ottawa. Representatives from many of the country’s 317 credit unions plan to meet with MPs to reinforce that mes-

sage.As one of the largest

and most trusted lenders to small business, credit unions need the federal gov-ernment to recognize credit unions’ structural differ-ences and promote policies like a Capital Growth Tax Credit. This measure would

allow co-operative financialinstitutions to grow retainedearnings and produce anestimated $700 million ineconomic growth and jobcreation locally, while sup-porting more competitionfor consumers.

continued on page 18

Credit union leaders tell Ottawa

“My Credit Union Matters”


Valerie GondaSafety Advisor,Program Development& Auditor

403.740.9523www.gondasafetysolutions.cainfo@gondasafetysolutions.ca

GONDA SAFETY SOLUTIONS

Gonda Safety Solutions is a safe bet. Valerie Gonda,President of the Castor business and Safety Advisor & Auditor for the Company, founded the business in March 2013 after a personal experience in her family.Her dad fell off a ladder a few years before she decided to pursue a safety career, and recalls feeling sohelpless during his recovery. It made her realizethere was an opportunity to make a diff erence and perhaps infl uence safer choices with people.Gonda went on to fi nish training with the Alberta Construction Safety Association to achieve a National Construction Safety Offi cer designation. Her most challenging role to date was the Prime Contractor Safety Lead for the Halkirk Wind Project in 2012.Managing the overall safety performance of 300+ contractors during the construction phase of theWind Farm was defi nitely a challenge, but extremely rewarding. It was a very safe & successful projectwith only 3 minor injuries.Gonda graduated from the University of Alberta’sOccupational Health & Safety program this pastspring and is now eligible to write the CanadianRegistered Safety Professional (CRSP) exam, whichis a highly recognized safety designation amongstthe industry.Becoming a CRSP will keep challenging Gonda since training and development are continuouslyongoing to maintain this status.Gonda is also a peer auditor for the AlbertaConstruction Safety Association as well as theManufacturers Health & Safety Association. She also assists companies with developing their safetymanuals and preparing them for COR certifi cation. When she’s not customizing manuals for businesses, and taking on projects as a fi eld safety supervisor to keep the diversity. It’s a good way for her to meetnew people and build up a clientele.Gonda Safety Solutions also provides assistance with WCB claims, sub-contractor management, & ISN & Complyworks updates.

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Wares Jewelers Ltd. was named the winner of this year’s Marketing Award, presented by Bernadette Jackson. The store was recognized for its creative use of window displays.

MARKETING AWARD


Congratulations to all localbusinesses on their successes.

Thank you Stettler.We appreciate your business.

4902-51 Street, Stettler 403 742 4436


Darcy Bachman (left) presents the Product and Innovation award to Jami and Dean Lovell (right) of SolutionCorp.

PRODUCT AND INNOVATION AWARD



“Credit unions are vi-tal to the economy and are a fundamentally different kind of financial institu-tion,” says Martha Durdin, president and CEO, Credit Union Central of Canada. “By working with us and our 5.3 million members, the government has the op-portunity to promote more economic growth and more good local jobs.”

Credit unions are the only financial institution

in over 380 communities, responsible for billions in economic activity, and are among the leading lenders to small business. Credit unions are financial co-op-eratives, which means they don’t issue shares on capi-tal markets like banks do, so that on average, nearly 80 per cent of credit union capital is retained earnings, compared with less than 45 per cent for shareholder-owned banks.

In August, Credit Union Central of Canada launched the “My Credit Union Mat-

ters!™” campaign invit-ing Canadians to promote the Capital Growth Tax Credit proposal directly to the federal finance minis-ter. Thousands of emails and hundreds of post cards have been sent from credit union members in all parts of Canada.

For more information about the campaign, visit www.myCUmatters.ca and www.macaissejytiens.ca.

About Credit UnionCentral of Canada (CUCC)

Credit Union Central

of Canada is the nationaltrade association for theCanadian credit union sys-tem. Canada’s credit unionsystem is a vital competitorin the financial services in-dustry. CUCC representsfive provincial/regionalCentrals and one Fed-eration representing 317credit unions with morethan $165.6 billion in as-sets and serving over 5.3million members, outside ofQuebec. For more informa-tion about Canada’s creditunion system visit www.cu-central.ca.

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Town councillor Karen Sernecky (left) presents the Learning in the Workplace Award to Joe Huraj of Foremost.

LEARNING IN THE WORKPLACE



Alvin Kuefler (left) accepts the Heritage Award for Don’s Car Sales from Aubrey Brown, executive director of the Stettler Regional Board of Trade and Community Development.

HERITAGE AWARD

A part of Stettler’sBusiness Community

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Every day of your life you are selling yourself, nothing happens until you’re successful at doing that.

We’re all in the selling business whether we like it or not. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a lawyer or an accountant, a manager or a politician, an engineer or a doctor. We all spend a great deal of our time trying to persuade people to buy our product or service, ac-cept our proposals or merely accept what we say. Before you get better at persuading or influencing other people - you need to get better at self-motivation and selling yourself.

Here are 10 simple steps to self-motivation:1. You must believe in the product

Selling yourself is pretty much like selling anything. Firstly, you need to believe in what you’re selling. That means believing in “you.” It’s about lots of positive self-talk and the right atti-tude. The first thing people notice about you is your at-titude. If you’re like most people then you’ll suffer from lack of confidence from time to time.

It really all comes down to how you talk to yourself. The majority of people are more likely to talk to them-selves negatively than posi-tively - this is what holds them back in life. It isn’t just about a positive attitude; it’s about the right attitude - the quality of your thinking.

Successful people have a constructive and optimis-tic way of looking at them-selves and their work. They have an attitude of calm, confident, positive self-ex-pectation. They feel good about themselves and be-lieve that everything they do will lead to their inevitable success.

If you’re in a sales job or a business owner or a manager then you need to continually work on your at-titude. You need to listen to that little voice inside your head. Is it saying you’re on top, going for it and con-fident, or is it holding you back. If you’re hearing - “I can’t do this or that” or “They won’t want to buy at the moment” or “We’re too

expensive” then you’d bet-ter change your self-talk or change your job.

Start to believe in your-self and don’t let things that are out with your control effect your attitude. Avoid criticizing, condemning and complaining and start spreading a little happiness. Remember the saying of Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company - “If you believe you can do a thing, or if you believe you can’t, in either case you’re probably right.”2. The packaging must grab attention

Like any other product we buy, the way the product is packaged and presented will influence the customer’s decision to buy. Everything

about you needs to look good and you must dress appropriately for the occa-sion. And don’t think that just because your customer dresses casually, that they expect you to dress the same way. The style and color of the clothes you wear, your spectacles, shoes, briefcase, watch, the pen you use, all make a statement about you.3. Smile

No need to get carried away, you don’t need a big cheesy grin, just a pleas-ant open face that doesn’t frighten people away. 4. Use names

Use the customers name as soon as you can but don’t over do it. Business is less formal nowadays however be careful of using first names initially. Make sure your customer knows yours and remembers it. You can do the old repeat trick -”My name is Bond, James Bond” or “My name is James, James Bond”5. Watch the other person

What does their body language tell you? Are they comfortable with you or are they a bit nervous? Are they listening to you or are their eyes darting around the room. If they’re not comfort-able and not listening then there’s no point telling them something important about your business. Far better to make some small talk and more importantly -get then to talk about themselves.


Simple steps to self-motivation and more sales


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It’s best to go on the as-sumption that in the first few minutes of meeting someone new, they won’t take in much of what you say. They’re too busy ana-lyzing all the visual data they’re taking in.6. Listen and look like you’re listening

Many people, particu-larly men, listen but don’t show that they’re listening. The other person can only go on what they see, not what’s going on inside your head. If they see a blank expression then they’ll as-sume you’re “out to lunch.” The trick is to do all the ac-tive listening things such as nodding your head, the

occasional “UH-HUH” and the occasional question.7. Be interested

If you want to be IN-TERESTING then be IN-TERESTED. This really is the most important thing you can do to be successful at selling yourself.

The majority of people are very concerned about their self-image. If they sense that you value them, that you feel that they’re important and worth listen-ing to, then you effectively raise their self-image. If you can help people to like themselves then they’ll LOVE you. Don’t fall into the trap of flattering the other person, because most people will see right through you and they won’t fall for it. Just show some

genuine interest in the cus-tomer and their business and they’ll be much more receptive to what you say.8. Talk positively

Don’t say - “Isn’t it a horrible day” or “Business is pretty tough at present” or any thing else that pulls the conversation down. Say things like (and only the truth) - “I like the design of this office” or “I’ve heard some good reports about your new product.”9. Mirror the other per-son

This doesn’t mean mim-icking the other person, it just means you speaking and behaving in a manner that is similar to the cus-tomer. For example, if your customer speaks slowly or quietly, then you speak

slowly or quietly. Remem-ber people like people whoare like themselves.10. Warm and friendly

If you look or sound stressed or aggressive thendon’t be surprised if theother person gets defensiveand less than willing to co-operate. If you look andsound warm and friendly,then you’re more likely toget a positive response. Thisisn’t about being all nicey-nicey. It’s about a pleasantopen face or a warm toneover the telephone.

Before we can get down to the process of selling ourproduct, our service or ourideas then we need to beas sure as we can be - thatthe customer has bought usand that we have their fullattention.

Simple steps to self-motivation…

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According to the latest Business Barometer survey results released by the Canadian Federation of Indepen-dent Business (CFIB), small business confidence jumped 2.1 points in Sep-tember to 73.8, the highest level for the index in a year and a half.

“The level of confidence among Alberta’s entrepreneurs is up by 4.4 points since July, including another two points this month. That’s clearly a healthy jump and certainly good news for our provincial economy,” says Richard Truscott, Director of Provin-cial Affairs for CFIB.

There are a series of other posi-tive signs in the September numbers compared to August. Entrepreneurs’ hiring intentions stayed virtually the same in September, with 34 per cent of respondents planning to add full-time staff, down just one point, while six per cent were expecting to cut back, unchanged from August.

In terms of their view about the gen-

eral state of the economy, 51 per cent of entrepreneurs characterized it as “good” in September, down six points after reaching a post-recession high in August. Only five per cent described it as “bad”, same as last month. De-spite the drop, Alberta’s business own-ers maintain one of the most positive outlooks in the country on the general business environment.

Labour shortages remain the big-gest challenge for small business in Alberta. Fifty-three per cent of entre-preneurs surveyed in Alberta said the shortage of skilled labour was limiting their sales or production growth.

“Alberta’s economy appears to be running at full tilt, but the shortage of qualified labour continues to ham-string the growth and success of small-er firms”, states Truscott.

The national Business Barometer Index stayed virtually unchanged in September (65.6) compared to August (65.5). Across Canada, entrepreneurs

in Newfoundland (74.2) were againthe most optimistic about the econo-my and the future prospects for theirbusiness, followed by Alberta (73.8),British Columbia (70.9), Saskatch-ewan (68.2), Manitoba (65.8), Ontario(65.2), Nova Scotia (63.5) Quebec(60.5), New Brunswick (59.2), andPEI (53.8).

About the Business Barometer:Measured on a scale of 0 and 100, anindex level above 50 means ownersexpecting their businesses’ perfor-mance to be stronger in the next yearoutnumber those expecting weakerperformance. According to past re-sults, index levels normally range be-tween 65 and 75 when the economy isgrowing at its potential. The Septem-ber 2014 findings are based on 1,022responses, collected from a stratifiedrandom sample of CFIB members, toa controlled-access web survey. Find-ings are statistically accurate to +/- 3.1per cent 19 times in 20.

Alberta small business confi dence highest in year and a halfShortage of labour remains biggest challenge; 53 per cent identify it as a constraint


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Cash is king—it’s a common say-ing in the business world. But surpris-ingly few entrepreneurs take steps to manage their cash flow so they don’t wind up with an empty bank account and nothing to pay the bills.

“One of the main causes of busi-ness failure is poor cash flow manage-ment,” says Susan Rohac, Senior Vice President, Financing and Consulting, at the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). The good news: cash flow management is easy to improve with a few simple steps. “Getting con-trol over your cash flow helps you prepare for slow periods, plan your financing and have peace of mind,” Rohac says.

Follow these five steps to get a bet-ter handle on your cash flow.1. Profitability check

First, make sure your business is earning a reasonable profit. Even the greatest cash flow management won’t help if your fundamentals are out of whack.

Analyze each product and service separately to see whether it’s pulling its weight. Make sure your products are appropriately priced, and work to eliminate inefficiencies. Instead of just chasing sales, chase profitable sales.

In 2007, Mike Whittaker’s com-pany Bonté Foods learned the conse-quences of poor cash flow the hard way after facing large cost overruns on two major projects.

The company had to act quickly to restore its cash position. It analyzed its profitability and realized it had to raise prices to better reflect costs. Bonté also unloaded lower-margin product lines and launched an efficiency drive while tightening cash flow management.

The changes had a huge impact. Sales in Bonté’s meat division are up 36% since 2009, while gross profit is up almost 6%. “We learned to watch our cash very carefully,” Whittaker

says. “You need to always be ahead of the curve on cash flow management.”2. Do a cash flow projection

Next, prepare a cash flow projec-tion for the coming year. This is your early warning system for cash flow hiccups. Use an Excel spreadsheet or accounting software to plug in ex-pected monthly cash inflows and out-flows, including anticipated big-ticket purchases.

Use the projection to anticipate slow periods and plan in advance what to do about them. “Through the year, check your actual cash position regu-larly—once a week or month—against your projection to see how you’re do-ing and deal promptly with any diver-gences,” advises Rohac.3. Finance big buys instead ofdraining cash

One of the most common cash flow

mistakes is using cash to buy a majorlong-term asset, instead of getting fi-nancing. Even if you feel flush rightnow, you may suddenly wind up shortof cash if you experience a sudden rev-enue shortfall or rapid growth.

Use your cash flow projection toplan your financing needs ahead oftime, not in the midst of a crisis, whenbankers may be wary to lend. Rohacalso recommends matching the lifes-pan of a purchase with financing ofsimilar duration.4. Speed up cash inflows

Getting money into your businessmore quickly can save you carryingcosts on your line of credit. Some tips:send out invoices more quickly, askcustomers to pay electronically andcharge interest to slow-payers.5. Raise cash quickly in a crunch

Facing an unexpected cash flowcrunch? You can raise cash quicklyusing various techniques: approachyour bank for help; check your inven-tory and assets to see what you can selloff, even at a discount; ask suppliersor your landlord for extra time to paybills; or offer your customers a big dis-count to earn some quick sales.Many businesses ignore cash flowmanagement: survey

BDC’s Susan Rohac points out thatmanaging finances is one of the mainchallenges for entrepreneurs, comingin second after marketing and sales.The findings of a BDC survey this yearconfirm her observation:

More than four out of five entrepre-neurs (82 per cent) say they’re the onesmanaging cash flow and financing inthe company.

However, many of the entrepre-neurs don’t take basic steps to con-trol their finances. Almost half saythey don’t make cash flow projectionsand check them against actual results—a basic procedure of financialmanagement.

Five tips to manage your cash fl ow


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It is Small Business Week in Canada and In-surance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is offering its top 10 insurance tips for small businesses.

According to the Gov-ernment of Canada, there are over 1 million small and medium-sized busi-nesses in Canada, mak-ing up 99.8 per cent of all companies in the country.

“Small and medium-sized businesses are the economic drivers of Can-ada, and IBC wants to en-sure they have the neces-sary information to find insurance coverage that meets their unique needs,” said Bill Adams, Vice-President, Western and Pacific Region, IBC.

IBC’s top 10 insurance tips for small businesses include:

1. Speak to an insur-ance professional about the specific insurance needs of your business.

2. Shop around to find the right policy to fit your unique needs.

3. Review your policy at least once a year.

4. Understand your policy.

Know what your policy covers and your policy’s limits and deductibles.

If you have questions, contact your insurance representative.

5. Make sure your pol-icy’s limits are appropri-ate.

Check to see if you have the right amount of coverage for what you own and operate.

6. Look into purchasing liability insurance.

If someone were to slip and fall on your premises, you’d want to be sure you had adequate liability cov-erage.

7. Ensure that you have appropriate auto insurance

coverage.A personal car insur-

ance policy will not cover commercial use of a ve-hicle.

8. Look for ways to lower your premiums.

Some insurers offer discounts if you take ac-tions to reduce risk. Ask an insurance representa-tive about what you can do to lower your premiums.

9. Consider errors and omissions coverage.

If you are offering ad-vice to clients, you willwant to make sure you arecovered if something goesawry.

10. Contact IBC if you have further questions.

For further informa-tion, consumers can con-tact IBC’s Consumer In-formation Centre.

Insurance tips for small businesses


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- Other top concerns among the na-tion’s business owners include identi-fying income options and paying too much tax

- Three-quarters of entrepreneurs are focused on making improvements in their business operations and more than half are seeking to grow their business aggressively

- Majority of entrepreneurs do not have a succession plan in place for their business

To mark Small Business Month, the BMO Wealth Institute released a re-port which examines what keeps Can-ada’s entrepreneurs “up at night”. The study found that 60 per cent of Canadi-an business owners are concerned with being able to retire from their business, as well as managing cash flow in prof-itable and challenging times.

Other top concerns identified in-cluded:

– Identifying income options from business profit (56 per cent)

– Paying too much tax (51 per cent) – Handling the business if a key

employee quits or leaves (47 per cent) – Taking care of family members if

incapacitated (44 per cent) – Managing business succession

planning (39 per cent)The report, “Entrepreneurs: Defi-

nitely Not Your Ordinary Business Owners”, also notes that, in terms of priorities, 75 per cent of entrepreneurs said they are focused on making im-provements in their business opera-tions and more than half (56 per cent) are seeking to grow their business ag-gressively.

“Entrepreneurs face a variety of stresses, both business-related and personal, as they travel the path from growing an idea to transforming it into a viable business,” said Chris But-

tigieg, Senior Manager, Wealth Plan-ning Strategy, BMO Financial Group. “Most entrepreneurs are so focused on the day-to-day management of their businesses that they often overlook the importance of effectively manag-ing hard-earned profits and taking into consideration critical medium- and long-term priorities such as retirement and succession planning. A compre-hensive and personalized wealth plan, which includes a business succession planning component, is an important key for any business owner.”

The report outlines several wealth management considerations for busi-ness issues and personal concerns:

Income options: Being paid by salary, dividends or a bonus can have different ramifications for the entre-preneurs and the business. Varying provincial tax rate advantages and tax-deferral options should be considered.

Minimizing taxes: Combining both personal and business taxes is benefi-cial to entrepreneurs. Leaving personal funds in an incorporated business can help to minimize taxes and reduce reli-ance on lines of credit.

Insurance needs: Selecting an in-surance plan that can care for the entre-preneur, their family and their business can be challenging and require specific knowledge around risk and insurance-based strategies.

Minimizing risks: Using owner-ship structures, such as holding com-panies or family trusts, can help reduce the risk of owning a business.

Income splitting: Allotting assets or income to a spouse or other family members can be implemented to re-duce the entrepreneur’s family’s over-all tax bill.

Tax-advantaged savings plans: Individual Pension Plans, Pooled Reg-

istered Pension Plans, Tax-Free Sav-ings Accounts, Insurance RetirementPlans and Group Registered Retire-ment Savings Plans are options to helpthe entrepreneur plan for the future.

Investment management: Manag-ing the investments of a company isimportant and liquidity, risk and short-or medium-term cash needs must beconsidered.

Credit management: Accessing credit when needed is essential whenowning a business. Ensuring that per-sonal and business needs are in orderhelp keep funds available for the busi-ness.

Succession planning: An over-whelming 69 per cent of entrepreneursdo not have a formal written succes-sion plan in place. Establishing a planto ensure the orderly transfer of man-agement and ownership of a businessto the next generation helps prepare theemployees, the owner and the owner’sfamily for when the owner is no longerinvolved in the business.

“Coordinated planning and advicefrom a financial professional is es-sential for those who own a business.When an entrepreneur seeks advice,it’s important that both their businessand personal needs are addressed in aholistic approach.

This way, they can plan for a finan-cially stronger future,” said Mr. But-tigieg.

About BMO Financial Group Established in 1817 as Bank of

Montreal, BMO Financial Group isa highly diversified financial servicesorganization based in North America.The bank offers a broad range of retailbanking, wealth management and in-vestment banking products and servic-es to more than 12 million customers.

BMO Report: Sixty per cent of Canadian entrepreneursconcerned about retirement and cash fl ow issues


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What is the cost of losing a good employee? Entrepreneurs know it can be high.

At Frima Studio, a fast-growing video game maker, the challenge of at-tracting and keeping talent got harder five years ago, when a pair of deep-pocketed multinational competitors opened offices nearby. “We couldn’t compete on salary, so we decided to create an attractive workplace�one that was fun and inspiring,” says Nathalie McLaughlin, Frima’s Human Resourc-es Director.

Twice a year, Frima emulates the “Dragons’ Den” TV show and invites its employees to pitch innovative proj-ects to a panel of judges. “If we judge a project to be solid enough and to have sufficient marketing potential, we will release its creators from a few of their usual tasks so that they can devote one day a week to the development of their

amazing idea. A few months later, we review the state of the project and de-cide if it’s worth pursuing, in which case we greenlight its production and

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The array of benefits designed to make Frima’s employees’ lives easier in-cludes flexible work hours, as well as a week of paid va-cation time between the 25th of December and the New Year. The company offers employees gaming areas and an on-site gym. Twice a month, two massage thera-pists and a hair stylist also drop by.

Frima isn’t alone in turn-ing to creative ways to pro-vide employees with non-monetary rewards.

“Companies in all indus-tries—not just high-tech—increasingly see non-finan-cial compensation as vital to their growth,” says Na-thalie Gélinas, Senior Vice President, Consulting, at the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). In today’s challenging econ-omy, it’s harder than ever for many entrepreneurs to find the resources to draw in and retain skilled employ-ees, she adds. At the same time, boomers are quitting the labour market, leading to labour shortages in many fields. This means business-es are increasingly compet-ing for good workers, but they have less money to do it with.

The good news: non-fi-nancial benefits can be inex-pensive and can even boost a company’s productivity, Gélinas says. “The cost is a lot smaller than what the employer gets back. Losing an employee is very costly. Human capital is the most important resource a busi-ness has,” she says. “The ultimate challenge is to mobilize employees. Salary alone will never mobilize or retain talent over the long-

term. Businesses should be creative about finding ways to attract and engage talent.”

At Frima, the employee-friendly workplace became a beacon for smart, enthu-siastic workers who helped propel the company’s ex-plosive growth. “The key to our success is our work culture,” McLaughlin says. “We listen to employees a lot. People always talk about the customer experience. We have developed the em-ployee experience. It means people don’t want to leave.”

Frima also has a perfor-mance reward system that awards points that employ-ees can exchange for ser-vices, thus reinforcing the company’s commitment to helping employees maintain work-family balance. Perks include tax preparation, lawn

mowing, babysitting, movie/dinner combos and more. “Our office is completely different from anything else in the area. It’s really made a difference in attracting peo-ple,” McLaughlin says.

Frima’s success shows that while pay is important, it isn’t what makes employ-ees happy at work, Gélinas says. Employees want flex-ibility, trust and the chance to develop as part of a team, she adds. “We spend a lot of time listening to customers to serve them better. We also need to listen to employees.”How to compensate with-out cash

Entrepreneurs should listen to employees to learn what benefits they value and work on non-financial com-pensation constantly until it becomes part of the compa-

ny’s way of life, BDC’s Na-thalie Gélinas says. Here are three types of non-financial compensation to consider.

1 Flexibility. A flexible workplace is increasingly in demand. You can offer flex-ibility in terms of time (vari-able work hours) and space (opportunities to work out-side the office).

2 Trust. Employees like to have responsibility, work in a harmonious environ-ment and be trusted to make decisions. At the same time, you should hold employees accountable via solid perfor-mance appraisals.

Self-development. En-trepreneurs should think about how to help employ-ees develop themselves. The result will be more a produc-tive and motivated work-force.

More than money …


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Canadian News Wire

Knowing when to keep funds in your corporation can mean greater wealth ac-cumulation

If you don’t need funds personally from your busi-ness, after-tax investment income should generally be retained in your corporation, finds a new report by Jamie Golombek, CIBC’s Manag-ing Director of Tax and Es-tate Planning.

“Now is the time for small business owners to look at the taxes that arise when corporate funds are invest-ed, and whether to reinvest the after-tax income or pay it out,” says Mr. Golombek. “If you don’t need funds for personal use, there are often clear benefits to keeping af-ter-tax investment income in your business.”

When it comes to earn-ing investment income in-side your corporation, the amount of taxes paid de-

pends on the type of income earned, such as interest in-come, Canadian dividends or capital gains. Similarly, the amount you get to keep depends on how well the corporate tax system is in-tegrated with the personal tax rates in your province, he says.

In his latest report,

In Good Company, Mr. Golombek examines the tax impact on various types of investment income in a cor-poration by province, and shows that it may be best to retain after-tax investment income in your corporation due to an investment advan-tage.

“There is an invest-

ment advantage for mosttypes of investment incomein the majority of prov-inces in Canada,” says Mr.Golombek. “The larger theinvestment advantage, thebigger the benefit from leav-ing after-tax investment in-come in your corporation forre-investment.”

When there is an invest-ment disadvantage -- lessafter-tax investment incomeis available in your corpo-ration -- you are better offdistributing the after-taxinvestment income as divi-dends to yourself and/or oth-er shareholders in the year itis earned and re-investingthe remaining funds person-ally, he says.

Mr. Golombek adds that the non-taxable portion ofcapital gains should be dis-tributed as capital dividendsas soon as possible in allprovinces. Paying capitaldividends will prevent fu-ture capital losses from re-ducing your tax-free capitaldividends, he says.

Retaining investment income a good

strategy for small businesses


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Stettler Home Hardware

Stettler Independent

Stettler Vet Clinic

The Brick

The Shoe Closet & Boutique

Tom’s Boots

WISH Kitchen & Gift

2014 Shop Stettler Participants

November 13.....($250)November 28.....($500)

December 19...($1000)DRAW DATES: DRAW DATES:

UPCOMING EVENTSNovember 28 6:00-10:00pm

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree & Moonlight MadnessJoin ATCO Electric and Shop Stettler Participants for the Main Street Tree Light Up

and Family Dance. The Stettler Lightning will be there for games of shinny as well!

ATCO Electric will be serving hot dogs, pop and hot chocolate for a nominal fee to be

donated to a local charity. Come rock around the Christmas Tree with family and friends!~

Stettler Festival of LightsNovember 24 - November 29, 2014

~The Night Before the Night Before

December 23, 2014

Documents

November 05, 2014