VO LU ME 16, IS S U E 2

I N S I D E

PAGE S 16/17

The great disruptorsHeath Applebaumintroduces a disruptive series

PAGE 4 Let’s get digital!Are you a digital dinosaur?

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Putting the ‘real’ in B.C. real estateForeign buyers’ tax has limited impact

20 QUESTIONSWith Craig Elias

CREATOR OF TRIGGER EVENT SELLING™ CHIEF CATALYST OF SHIFT SELLING, INC.

BO RN: Hull, EnglandAG E: 54FA MILY: Married to Heather. Son Liam, 11ED U CATIO N: BA from University of Western Ontario; Executive MBA from University of CalgaryCA REER H IG H LIG HTS : 20 years as a ‘lucky’ sales person and 15 years as a ‘lucky’ entrepreneur

Entrepreneur Eliastaps triggers tosales success

Craig Elias has discovered a unique approach to building business over the years.

He does this by turning more prospects into loyal customers through the harnessing of trigger events to repeatedly get to the right people at exactly the right time. Elias, the creator of Trigger Event Selling™, and the Chief Catalyst of SHiFT Selling, Inc., is a highly sought-after speaker and trainer, delivering unique, compelling and relevant content. Elias helps people identify the specific Trigger Events that create demand for products or services, discover which decision makers experience the Trigger Events identified, and close more sales by getting to decision makers who experience Trigger Events before the competition. ‘‘For years you have been conditioned to believe that there is no such thing as a silver bullet in sales. We can tell you there is a silver bullet in sales, it is called ‘timing’ getting in front of the right person at exactly the right time. When you have the right timing the sale almost happens by itself – no challenges getting to the customer, understanding their dissatisfaction, presenting a solution, or closing the sale,’’ says Elias. ‘‘Every single day decision makers experience a Trigger Event that turns them from prospects into customers.’’

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Digital diagnosesBusiness Edge’s digital strategist Sarah Kirkpatrick outlines how she has helped boost Business Edge’s digital game and how she can do the same for your company.PAGE 4

Startup standardUniserve Communications CEO Nicholas Jeffery examines the startup landscape and what his company is doing to help small businesses.PAGE 6

Reid and reapReal estate writer Tim Reid reveals riveting research on real estate.PAGE 10

Applebaum’s away!Heath Applebaum begins a series on small and medium companies that are disrupting their industries with innovative approaches to business. In this issue, he looks at R&P Prints Canada.PAGES 16/17

Hire IntelligenceCheck out our regular feature on the most noteworthy executive moves across the country.PAGE 18

Path to profitsManagement consultant and journalist Len Nanjad points out that when only 41% of Canada’s ‘Top 1,000’ businesses are profitable, there is an urgent need for major change.PAGE 20

Following the leadAccording to Jarrod Stanton of Business Edge Coaching, business owners are unwittingly manufacturing the very things that bother them most.PAGE 22

Tech travel trialsBrace yourself - the freedom of bringing our laptops and other personal and business technology aboard commercial flights may be coming to and end.PAGE 26

Tofino 2017Rookie travel blogger Angela Driscoll gives us the highlights of her adventurous trip to Tofino on Vancouver Island.PAGE 28

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Green Earth’s effective, non-toxic chemicals are solution for the times

Green Earth Energy Solutions, an oil and gas chemical

supplier, is ready to expand its business by helping customers reduce costs in a safe way through green technology. Steve Matthews, the company’s president, says its proprietary chemicals are environmentally safe - non-toxic, non-caustic, no VOC’s, non-cancer causing and non-flammable and its target market includes the environmental remediation and natural resource sector. ‘‘Chemicals degrade to their natural state when exposed to sunlight, water and naturally occurring microbial activity meaning there are no spills or remediation necessary,’’ says Matthews of the company’s products. ‘‘They reduce or eliminate discharge or environmental fees. They will not damage substrate such as metal, plastic, rubber of fiberglass. They will not damage or negatively affect the molecular make-up of oil - meaning that there are no production losses. Costs reduced ‘‘There are reductions in work safe costs and worker premiums/liabilities. There is no special worker protection or equipment necessary when working with our chemicals and they work with any existing infrastructure, pumping or piping systems. No special mechanics or equipment are needed. Chemicals are made from domestically and renewable-type grown plants as well as with various natural ingredient esters and alcohol.” Matthews says the company has a number of products but it is concentrating on enhanced oil recovery/well optimization, scale removal and well-pad maintenance.

GEES is a full-service optimization firm that will manage all facets of the process from tubing replacement, plunger lift and SCADA installation to full wash chemical treatments as well as on-going treatment. Mike Hawitt, VP Business Development at Green Earth, says the firm’s blend of surfactants/solvents eliminate paraffin/asphaltene build-up as well as scale removal to enhance flow from wells. They also extend the time between treatments over the traditionally used chemicals and acids. ‘‘In tests performed with wells that had formerly required treatment every 10 days, our solutions extended the service interval to as long as six months in some cases,” says Hawitt. ‘‘They have also proven in field trials to in some cases actually improve production volumes over what had been the historical production rate/day. In those wells showing volume increases, the rate of improvement to flow had ranged from as little as five per cent to as much as 60 per cent greater production. He says benefits extend to the transportation network by reducing the buildup of paraffin and ashphaltene in pipelines, pumps and tanks again with no damage to the resource. Traditional methods of scale removal include the use of various acids that are dangerous for employees, can contaminate other fluids and require special discharge/

disposal methods and the corresponding costs associated with disposal. Safe yet powerful ‘‘Green Earth scale remover use does not require special safety gear, gloves or breathing apparatus. It is a safe way to use a product that is easily removes scale without damaging the substrates. There are no concerns of pitting on metals or creating a situation where rust can quickly form on the surface due to the now damaged metals.’’ The company says between 60 and 100 per cent of the ingredients in its scale removal will degrade to its natural state within 28 days when exposed to sunlight, water and naturally occurring microbial activity. Green Earth also has a complete line of plant-based and safe chemicals designed for in-situ remediation that destroy LNAPL and DNAPL spills at the site with no need to dig up the soil and haul it away to a landfill. For more information, interested customers or investors can visit the company website at greenearthenergy.ca or contact Larry Peters at 403-850-3570 or lkp@greenearthenergysolutions.com.

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We are are in a digital time. Full stop. S ARAH KIRKPATRICKEditor & Digital Marketing StrategistBusiness Edge News Magazine

Having an outdated website, or not having

one at all, reflects negatively on a company’s brand. Poorly managed social media platforms mean the company is missing out on vital two-way communication and related sales and customer service opportunities. Without blogs, a company will struggle with website traffic and other SEO necessities, such as organic Google rankings. It can be exhausting to keep up with it all, and if not done right it can be damaging to your business. That is why companies hire me and my digital marketing agency, Jumping Elephant. I thoroughly enjoy helping companies improve their brand perception and increase profits. After taking on the

dual role of editor and digital marketing strategist for Business Edge News Magazine, I conducted extensive research on the strengths and weaknesses of Business Edge’s digital game. Since it launched in the year 2000, Business Edge has been a print powerhouse with a decent website and a strong Linkedin presence (through publisher Rob Driscoll) but was weak overall in the social media realm. That is all changing for the better – and quickly. I developed a detailed digital strategy for The Edge that we are executing diligently. We are pumping out high-quality content on a daily basis and on a variety of platforms. Business Edge News Magazine is now on the cutting edge of marketing. As a business with deep roots in a traditional medium, they are transitioning into a completely integrated and effective option for advertising for business. An approach in which articles become shareable blogs, emails become direct messages with instant service, and print promotions now have the extended reach of the entire Internet - not limited to physical location. With the ability to offer integrated online/print

advertising opportunities in one of Canada’s top business publications, Business Edge is becoming one of the most sought-after places to advertise. And that’s not all – Business Edge is dedicated to offering useful and relevant news, insightful columns, colourful features, and business tips and information FOR FREE on their primary digital marketing channels - Facebook, Twitter, and their thriving blog. Jumping Elephant and Business Edge are breaking down barriers to offer more bang for your buck when it comes to the power of your hard-earned ad dollars. Sarah Kirkpatrick is owner of Jumping Elephant, a fully integrated digital marketing agency that specializes in digital marketing strategy, content writing, and social media platform management. We work with clients of every size and budget to create a

comprehensive marketing plan that they can implement efficiently and effectively themselves. No time to post? A block to the creative juices? Our team of experienced writers will curate original content, custom images, and integrated marketing calendars for your company pages. But management is often the hardest part! Jumping Elephant team members will manage any and all engagement with your posts, notify you of important direct messages, and do extensive outreach to reach the audience you most want to speak with. We also blog! Engaging, informative, and entertaining blogs to gain traffic, interest, tell your story, and prove that you are an expert in your field, in a professionally written and search engine optimized format that everyone will read to the end.

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GOeVisit brings online convenienceto your personal health care

Imagine getting a medical consultation anytime and from anywhere without

having to visit a doctor’s office or a hospital emergency room. Now, that is possible as Calgary-based MyCare MedTech Medical Clinic, a telehealth company, has launched the innovative GOeVisit initiative which connects a patient to a licenced medical provider on a virtual platform. “GOeVisit is about providing convenience. If you look at how we live today, how we work today, technology plays a huge role,’’ says Liz Bryant, chief operating officer of MyCare MedTech. “We do our banking online. We do our shopping online. We do our investing online. “People wanted an option to waiting in walk-in clinics and waiting in emergency rooms when they have situations that they know are not serious.’’ Bryant says a “digital disruption’’ is taking place in health care. Virtual consultations are not new. Around the world, they are set to explode and in North America they are set to increase by 800 per cent by 2020. “We always say that if you haven’t had a virtual medical consult yet, in five years you will. It will be the go-to,’’ she says. “Almost half of Canadians believe that mobile apps will make their health care more convenient. Seventy five per cent of Canadians who were polled said that they would not only use virtual health care but that there definitely should be an app for that. So we listened to that.’’ There is no fee to enroll and no fee for use with GOeVisit. The GOeVisit call centre is located in Vancouver. The virtual platform is an opportunity for people to have a visit with a medical practitioner for non-serious

illness. There are about 70 conditions that can safely be diagnosed and treated through virtual care. When someone contacts the call centre, the situation is vetted to make sure it is not an emergency and can be treated using virtual care. Basic information is taken and then the patient is placed into a virtual waiting room. A virtual consultation can take place through a computer, smartphone or tablet. If a prescription is required, it will be sent to a pharmacy of the client’s choice or free next business day delivery can be arranged anywhere in Canada through a partnership it has with Alliance Pharmacy out of Ontario. The 24/7 program, which was being developed for three years, was launched in November. As of February, there were 27 staff across Canada but that number is growing all the time depending on the need. “If you look at where people live in Canada, the majority of the Canadian population live within about 150 kilometres of the U.S. border. That means that we have a lot of remote communities. We have a lot of rural communities and those communities are not always well-served in terms of having doctors, having pharmacies that are open 24/7,” says Bryant. “So a service like GOeVisit is fabulous for those communities because it gives them just-in-time access for medical care.” Medical consults are delivered by licenced Canadian medical practitioners who specialize in the delivery of virtual care. They can diagnose, treat and prescribe for minor illnesses using proven Virtual Practice Guidelines. Also, if a patient has a family doctor, a summary of every virtual visit goes to the physician.

Bryant says GOeVisit complements the Canadian health care system, taking the burden off of emergency waiting rooms and doctor’s offices for common, minor illnesses – from colds, cough and flu, to general medical concerns, minor injuries and pediatric care. Telemedicine is a recognized code in Canada and most provinces in the country have some means to allow a clinic to bill using a telemedicine code. “We have in Canada over five million people that do not have a family doctor and what happens is that these people are going to emergency rooms and the province is being billed for emergency room visits when those people really don’t need to be there,” says Bryant. “They have minor illnesses but they don’t have a doctor to go to. If you can imagine, a bill to the province for any emergency room visit is going to be significantly higher than a telemedicine visit.” Bryant says GOeVisit also offers major cost-saving benefits for corporations, reducing prescription frequency by as much as two thirds, cutting absenteeism in half and lowering monthly drug costs up to one-third. For more details about GOeVisit services call 1-866-31VISIT, email info@goevisit.com or visit goevisit.com. For information about investing in this innovative and emerging company, email investors@goevisit.com or call Jim at 1-403-703-7488.

Liz Bryant, CEO

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Don’t get me wrong – it’s a normal aspiration

to want to grow larger. It’s instilled in us from the day we start to crawl, but mass (not size) isn’t everything. Rather, it’s the quality of the product, service and delivery that counts. I have been fortunate enough to have created numerous startups. Not all have been successful, and the failures take a toll. I’ve also run an incubator business, working to mentor and steward entrepreneurs. Trust me, the problems are the same in a small or large company. As you get bigger, we all feel the same pain; it’s just adding more zeros. Uniserve Communications has been around for more than 28 years. The company has taken everything the economy and technology one-upmanship can throw at it, and it has survived. It has clung by the tips of its fingers at times, spectacularly successful at others – but it is a small business in comparison to a Telus or Shaw, with about 30 employees at last count. Telus has 27,000.

When was the last time you got into a cab or a conversation in a café and you heard – “Oh you should switch to Telus; they are so good at customer service.” That’s pretty unlikely. As companies grow, they lose the connection with their customer base as well as the empathy for their audience and, most important, their ability to change. Interestingly, Vancouver has been ranked 15th in the world in Start-up Ecosystems by the Startup Genome and the Global Entrepreneurship Network. It is the best city for tech entrepreneurs in the country. This is up three places from last year and one place ahead of the Toronto-Waterloo corridor. The report acknowledges that Vancouver has the fewest startups of any city in its Top 20 list, but there are 800 to 1,100 “startups and shining success stories.” So, what makes Vancouver a start-up success? • Vancouver has the highest concentration of visual effects and animation studios, two of the top six video game franchises, and ranks in the world’s Top 20 Global Financial Centres. • The city’s success is linked to having diverse and entrepreneurial talent, its location as a gateway to Asia

and the West Coast, and an ecosystem that encourages interconnectivity and collaboration. • Vancouver is leveraging its unique combination of assets: Hollywood North, a strong industrial foundation, enterprise data and cloud underpinnings, and a remarkably diverse talent pool, with over half of its residents having a first language other than English. • Vancouver has more startups per capita than any other city in Canada. • Funding metrics point to the Vancouver ecosystem holding steady, not rising or sinking greatly. • Market reach is Vancouver’s strongest factor due to strong global connectedness and the world’s highest ranking in reaching foreign customers. I recently asked the Uniserve team, “What’s the IT infrastructure like in terms of supporting start-ups?” The response from our qualitative research with all the providers from the big four telecoms and all the managed service companies: it doesn’t really exist. Our research told us that no technology providers in BC could provide a bundle of everything that a 5-, 10- or 20-person company needed from their technology. So,

we are launching “Transit bundles” this month – one bundle for three different sizes of small to medium businesses, with a few adjustable options. One great price and one “throat to choke,” saving 30-40% on what a business might spend currently using several vendors. Uniserve will set up and monitor all the IT infrastructure for as little as $449/month. That’s all you’d need for a 1-to-5-person company, but we’ll be ready as well when you hit the 20-person level. Uniserve – we’re big enough to count, but small enough to care. Nicholas Jeffery spent the 1980s building global brands such as Eastman Kodak and Johnson & Johnson. A decade later, he was creating Europe’s largest web design and build group, selling at the top of the market. He then went on to buy, build and exit three Internet service providers (ISPs), including the acquisition of America’s PSINet for $9 million and selling it for $95 million two years later. Jeffery went on to work at Digital Reality, the European Bank and CBRE, at which he created the European Connected Building and Smart City practice. He joined Uniserve in March 2017 as CEO.

When a business ceases to be small, it loses something.

N ICHOLAS JEFFERY CEO of Uniserve Communications Corp.

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Page 9

Phoenixx rises to your mobile software challenges

IF you are a business wondering whether you should jump

into the mobile world, here is a stunning statistic that will make your decision an easy one to make. More than 81 per cent of the three billion worldwide web users today access the Internet from their smartphones. “This is more than a trend. Today if a business – even a very small one – is not present in the mobile world, if people can’t find your product or services, if you are not there, you are out of the game,” says David Banford, chief executive officer of Phoenixx, which specializes in mobile applications and mobile software development. “It’s not just adding a website and being present on Google. It’s much more important than this. You absolutely need to be present on the mobile world to be sure you will be seen by all your potential customers.” Banford started the company by himself in 2008, and today Phoenixx benefits from a team of 250 experts and collaborators all across Canada, including Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. He started by creating websites and providing e-commerce and e-marketing solutions for businesses, but in the last five years Phoenixx has become an expert and very strong in mobile solutions helping companies reach their target audience. Phoenixx strives to offer the best quality and rates in the Canadian IT market for web and mobile solution development. The company also provides IT consulting, digital marketing, business intelligence, cloud hosting and security services.

“Eighty-seven per cent of people are looking, searching for product and services every day from their smartphone. We decided to become a leader in mobile solutions for businesses. We invested a lot of money in research and development to create our own technological platform and technological process to be able to quickly create mobile applications for any kind of business to answer any need,” says Banford. This has become the most important aspect of its business. The advanced proprietary technology helps facilitate a much faster method than other companies to develop software solutions for businesses. This saves time and money, which is passed down to customers using Phoenixx’s services. Affordable pricing and financing plans are available. “Our goal, our mission, is to offer the possibility to any kind of business, any size of business, at any budget, to have access to this mobile world. If they don’t have access to the mobile world – if they cannot reach their potential customers on the smartphone and tablet – they lose

a lot of money every day. They lose a lot of sales. They lose a lot of opportunities,” says Banford. “So our business model is to offer a technological approach that can offer the possibility to any kind of business, even if it’s a startup or even if they don’t have money to invest in development and marketing. We have packages for any kind of budget starting as low as $99 a month. They can have a full and complete mobile solution including mobile website, mobile application for Apple and mobile applications for androids to reach their potential customers every day.” Businesses have to realize that they need to be present in the mobile world today to increase sales. Phoenixx has clients all over the world and more growth is expected in the near future. “We want to be a worldwide leader in the field. We started small, but we are growing very fast every month,” says Banford. For more information visit phoenixx.ca or email sales@phoenixx.ca.

David Banford, CEO of Canadian-based mobile software solutions provider Phoenixx. Over the last few years, David and his team have worked for recognized companies like Microsoft, RONA, IBM, Best Buy, CGI, Fujitsu and Pfizer.

Page 10

TIM REI DReal Estate ColumnistBusiness Edge News Magazine

There has been a lot of media splash and

excitement recently about the real estate market in the Metro Vancouver area. Stories abound over the market being severely affected by the recent 15% tax on foreign buyers. This tax did indeed have a temporary effect on prices for homes in the greater Vancouver area, and had a much more significant impact on areas such as Surrey, where in some examples we saw a 15% drop in sale prices (not that significant in the big picture).

Sellers and buyers held a “wait and see” stance for about a 30-day period. Once that period passed, the amount of homes on the market decreased, which in turn lowered inventory, leading to prices stabilizing and being close to the previous levels. This tax only applies to residential homes, so foreign buyers shifted their attention to commercial buildings, which has created an increase in pricing and low inventory in this space where properties are exempt. The fundamental topographical location of the Metro Vancouver area with ocean to the west and mountains to the east creates a fundamental shortage of quality development sites. Standing inventory has historically not been able to

keep up with demand as is the case with many urban centers in North America. This fundamental force is unlikely to change in this area unless in-migration drops off significantly. B.C. is in the top four regions in Canada in terms of population growth. The difference is only a few percentage points from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with Alberta topping the list. This shows that B.C. still has very strong in-migration to drive strong demand. A recent condo development in Metro Vancouver was announced and sold out in less than two weeks with 85% of those buyers being local buyers, showing that the local demand far exceeds the foreign-buyer pool. These local and foreign buyers are starting to look

to the suburbs of Vancouver, driving up prices as far away as Kelowna, which has seen strong year over year gains. Foreign buyers are often looking for a way to extricate their investment capital from their home nations. With limited options, they will continue to look at real estate in stable, safe, western areas such as Canada to invest their capital. Accounts from the front lines tell of builders and renovation-based companies alike fighting it out voraciously in bidding wars on properties, showing that the heat is still on in this market and there will still be plenty of money to me made in this region for some time to come. This is in stark contrast to what I call “common knowledge” reports by those not in the real estate business.

B.C. real estate: beyond common knowledge

R E I D A N D R E A P

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Technique Adjustment Consulting: helpingbusinesses grow from the inside out

Marcy Krafft and Tony McGrath readily admit that

their consulting business runs counter culture to the current predominant thinking in the world of business and organizations. But the married couple and founders of Technique Adjustment Consulting have established a humanity-driven approach to helping others succeed – an approach that is fueled by passion for what they do. “It starts in a belief. And our belief is that by creating healthy organizational environments, businesses and organizations can have a massive impact on the world because people spend so much of their time there, says Krafft, chief operating officer of the company. “We help organizations create the environment that allows their people to thrive, allows their people to cultivate ideas, develop leadership, uncover potential, learn how to tell their stories, and build legacies. And we think that’s all rooted in the health of the business.” “We look at different ways of helping organizations through a number of channels, primarily through mentoring. Mentoring leaders but also mentoring teams; helping with facilitating strategic planning and execution, and working on the emotional health of the business, looking at some stress management and self-care, meditation. The soft things that can have massive impact on people, which then have massive impact on the business.” Krafft and McGrath have a long history in the corporate world. When they decided to leave it, they created a business and brought it to market, but eventually left that. As they were

contemplating what to do and how to utilize the skills they learned in the corporate world for many years – Krafft as a lawyer and McGrath in the area of finance – the idea for an innovative and unique consulting business naturally came forward. Technique Adjustment Consulting was founded in 2009. “We regard this as a movement rather than a business. It’s more than a job to us, more than a business. This is a true passion for us,’’ says McGrath, the company’s chief executive officer. “The bottom line is most affected when your people are healthy, the leaders have a healthy culture, and there’s a healthy environment. Things really start to explode when you do that.” Krafft and McGrath do several things that run counter to current thinking in the world of business – thinking that has dominated the corporate world for so long. One is Zen Hour, which is a program using meditation for executives and employees, who learn to relax and breathe properly. This is important for stress management and learning to be present in the moment. It is a critical component of success, creating connections between people, and providing enormous health benefits. The company also has a human leadership project that teaches executives and other people how to access their leadership skills and how to motivate themselves and others

to create connections and energy in a business or an organization. Krafft and McGrath recognize that what they do is not for everyone, and attitudes of fear and ego are normally what prevent many from forging forward in this direction. “We understand that not every company will want to work with us,” says McGrath. “We get that. We’re not a fit for everybody. But we are a fit for leadership teams and organizations that are open to change and open to doing things in a different way.” “Open to impact. Making huge positive impact on the community,” adds Krafft. “It’s exponential because when you make an impact on one person, it affects other people.’’ The duo works with a broad range of industries from a one-person operation to established companies with up to 100 employees. Their business has grown in recent years primarily through word of mouth. Clients are from Nova Scotia to Vancouver as well as the U.S. and the U.K. McGrath works with the ATB X Accelerator incubator program and other incubators, and he is a volunteer mentor with Futurpreneur Canada. “We believe in giving, and that is something we try to instill in businesses,” he says. For more information on Technique Adjustment Consulting, call McGrath at 403-714-6024 or visit techniqueadjustment.com.

COO Marcy Krafft and CEOTony McGrath are making ahuge impact with their uniqueapproach to business.

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Elias says that for almost 20 years he was just a lucky sales guy with an incredible knack of showing up at the right time with the right people. He was a top sales person. One day that luck ended and he reflected on his success or lack of success. He realized it was not so much luck but timing. In the reflection, he realized there was an opportunity for a business in trading information on the way of being first. He started a company called Inner Sell. Elias ran it for five months and got involved in a billion-dollar-idea competition, in which he took home the top prize of $1 million US. The author of the best-selling book SHiFT! recently spoke with Business Edge. Here is an edited version of the conversation:

1. You talk about three keys to sustainable growth. Can you share with our readers what those three things are? Be first, be preferred, be chosen is really the framework around being able to grow a business from a new customer and revenue perspective. If you can nail those three things, everything else becomes a whole lot easier. From a sales perspective, if you can do those three things it’s easy.

2. Who are the best people to target as potential customers? I’m a big fan of two things. Focusing on people that have money, authority and influence to be doing it up far enough up the organization so they make decisions quickly. But it’s also those people that have recently become dissatisfied with the status quo.

3. Explain what you mean by status quo. Status quo can be viewed as people that are happy with what they have and they see no reason to change. Here’s what’s interesting. What people don’t understand is that the status quo is not just your competitors but it’s also your competition. So if a competitor does the exact same thing that you do, the competition solves the same problem or delivers the same value outcome by using a completely different product or service. For example, if you own a jewelry store your direct competitors are other jewelry stores. But your competition is any other way a guy could say to his significant other I love you - flowers, chocolates, perfume. So the competition is another way to solve the problem by using a completely different product or service that delivers the same outcome or value.

4. What turns decision makers into more motivated buyers? What happens is that the motivated buyers are the people that are in what is called a window of dissatisfaction. These are people that are unhappy with what they have. They’ve been too busy solving other problems. They haven’t done anything about it yet. And these motivated buyers are created by events that trigger their interest in doing something differently or triggers dissatisfaction with the status quo.

Sales guru recommends targeting those dissatisfied with status quo

C O N T I N U E D F R O M F R O N T C O V E R

Craig Elias once won a billion-dollar-idea competition, which came with a $1-million prize.

Be first, be preferred, be chosen is really the framework around being able to grow a business from a new customer and revenue perspective.

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5. How can readers determine the best Trigger Events for what they sell? For me what’s interesting is that for 20 years my sales managers have taught me this process called a lost sales analysis. Analyze the sales you lose, hoping, with the emphasis on hoping, you can figure how to win more. The way that I come at this problem is how do you analyze the deals that you win? How do you do a won sales analysis? And how do you ask a few key questions so you understand what was the event that made somebody want to become a customer? When did those events happen? And what was it that you have that made them say ‘I want to buy from you instead of somebody else?’ What you’re listening for . . . are verbs that describe the value of being a customer.

6. How do you get the attention of these motivated buyers? You pick up the phone. You find a way to create something which I would call a seven-second sale. How do you find a way to ask a question, or say something, in such a way that asks the question ‘how do you do that?’

7. What should people say when they talk to them? You need to use verbs that describe the value of being your customer . . . The intent is you can’t actually tell them. If you tell them you actually lose the opportunity. The right approach is to say ‘oh I would love to ask a few questions and do some research and come back and have a call in a week or two. When can we schedule that call and who else should be on that call’?

8. What about word of mouth? Research basically says that word of mouth outperforms every form of paid advertising by a factor of two. And what happens when people hear it the first thing they do is go to Google. If they don’t go to Google, they go to the number two search engine on the planet which is You Tube. What they do is search for certain keywords. For me, one of the things I love about social media is owning profiles, or in some cases domain names, related to those keywords that they might use - those two-or-three-word combinations. People aren’t on Twitter looking for you. They’re on Google looking for you. But what they do is they find your social media profile and your competition then is on page two or page three.

9. What about people that fill in forms on a company’s website? I’m a big fan of having some content, not just pricing, and filling a form. The research from MIT says that if you follow up with that person and if you phone them in five minutes or less you are 900 per cent or nine times more likely to actually talk to that person. But what you’ve got to do is you can’t sell when you get on the phone. You have to ask the right questions. And for me, the three questions that you should ask are: Did you get the email that has the information you were looking for? When you heard about us or read about us what resonated that made you say ‘hey I should check this out’? The third question should always be something like ‘hey I’m curious, what happened recently that made this content more important or more relevant? What you’re looking for is what event has recently created dissatisfaction with the status quo?

10. That helps people be first but what about being preferred? Now I’m first. Now I need to find a way to be the person that someone would rather do business with. So how do you get an advantage? How do you become the preferred vendor? What I’ve learned is people make decisions based upon emotion. And they justify with logic after the fact. What you want to do is find a way to be what is called their emotional favourites. And the emotional favourite is the person that they share information with that they generally don’t share with other people. You need to find a way to build a connection with somebody so you have something in common with them and by having something in common then you are more likely to become their emotional favourite.

11. How can social media help with that? One of the things I’m a big fan of is a term called propinquity which is the impact of nearness. I’m a big believer that when people go to your LinkedIn profile they shouldn’t learn how great you are. They should learn who you are. When they go to your Twitter profile, there should be a visual up there that somehow represents something about you so they can make this emotional connection . . . By having these things in common with people and using social media to share it you are more likely to become the emotional favourite.

C O N T I N U E D O N T H E N E X T P A G E

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12. What about at networking events? I’m a big fan of networking events. I’ve been on LinkedIn for a long time. I’m user 3,956 in LinkedIn. When you find a way to meet somebody see how soon you can find something in common with that other person. So I like to collect a business card . . . I have an application that I use that takes a picture of their business card, puts their information in my phone and sends them a LinkedIn connection request right away. And that then allows me to have their information and see the things they do on LinkedIn that I can then find the things we have in common and become their emotional favourite.

13. What can people do to convert more people into customers? The challenge that most people have is that they have all these prospects but they’re not closing the deal. And the reason that they can’t close the deal is very often people can’t justify the purchase to other people. So the challenge is helping the prospects justify the decision. They want to become your customer. You become the preferred vendor. You got them first. But now they need to justify it and the way they justify that is through an acronym that’s called RIPES.

14. Please explain RIPES. RIPES is basically the five ways that people justify a purchase either to themselves or other people. The five words that RIPES is: R stands for risk avoidance; I stands for image; P stands for productivity which you want to improve; E stands for expenses which you want to reduce; and S stands for simplicity or speed. The data basically suggests that somewhere close to 30 per cent of the time the person who is easiest to do business with was the one that was actually chosen.

15. Why is it so important to make it easier to become a customer? People these days are really busy and the more effort it is to become a customer the longer it takes. What happens all too often is someone says, ‘I’ll get to that later’ and later unfortunately ends up being never. If the customer has got five minutes, let’s do it now because you want to move them as far along in the process as you can. It’s a process that’s called first-call effectiveness.

16. Where should people get or share testimonials? My preferred place if it’s a personal testimonial about an individual it should go on your LinkedIn page. For business, you should have a testimonials page on your website. Even have those testimonials and put them on your company site on LinkedIn. Because there are more people on LinkedIn than there are going through your website. So leverage the fact that people are there. What I like about a good testimonial is if it’s from someone they already know or have heard of, that gives the testimonial even more weight.

17. What do you love about being an on-campus Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Bow Valley College for the past three years? I think I have the best job in the planet. I’m helping students come up with ideas, launch ideas, grow ideas. My job is basically how do I turn more students into successful entrepreneurs. What I love about this job is you start with people who have just an idea and there are four keys to being a successful entrepreneur. Curiosity first. Confidence. Competence. And connections. They come to you with an idea. It gets validated. Then you build some skills and teach them how to pitch. This is a new competition

Elias is currently spearheading a province-wide initiative called 150 Startups, a program in which he works with all post-secondary schools in Alberta.

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on campus and these kids are completely different people when they’re finished with the competition. And you get to be the person that starts them on that journey to becoming an entrepreneur.

18. How can readers benefit more from peer mentoring? When you’ve been an entrepreneur for awhile, it’s hard to find a mentor who can teach you. Peer mentoring is one of the things we’re going to start putting in place for the student entrepreneurs at Bow Valley College. I also do peer mentoring for TEC Canada. The power of peer mentoring is when you get to a certain level there’s not a lot of people who have done much more than you and the best place to learn is from your peers. So peer mentoring is about having these monthly meetings where you share your challenges, help each other solve problems and then hold each other accountable for the things they promised they would have gotten done in the last month.

19. Any last advice you want to share with readers? My last advice is that if you want something just ask. What’s the worst thing someone says? They say no. No does not mean never. It just means not today and don’t be shy about going back a

month later and then saying ‘has anything changed recently that makes me have more importance or more relevance?’ A really good example of this is a video if you go to Google and just type in ‘Steve Jobs just ask video’. It’s a very powerful message there.

20. Where can readers get a copy of your award-winning sales book? If people want to get a free copy of my book, they can just go to my website which is ShiftSelling.com/Business-Edge and if they fill the form we will email them back the entire book in a PDF or Adobe Acrobat format right away.

You share your challenges, help each other solve problems

and then hold each other accountable.

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INthese volatile economic times,

small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are confronted with difficult decisions. First and foremost is the challenge of balancing operating costs while intelligently growing their business. This becomes even more pronounced when examining innovative, fast-growth companies with evolving business needs. Beyond payroll, the most significant recurring expenses for SMEs is typically rent, equipment and inventory, so making affordable real estate decisions can literally make or break a business. Few can appreciate the complexities of the B2B commercial real estate world more than veteran Toronto

broker, Jonathan Brown, from Flagstone Commercial Realty, who has been helping businesses small and large for the past 18 years. “In terms of leasing space, I hear some clients with the attitude that, ‘I’m going to need it eventually, so why not rent more space now’. What happens is that they end up paying for space and never using it. That added burden and expense on an ongoing basis is the last thing a small business needs, because they need that money to grow. Generally, for smaller companies I recommend leasing shorter term, to stay flexible and squeeze into their space until they really do need more,” says Brown. A great example of this real estate adaptation is R&P Prints Canada co-owned by Aaron Rosenthal and his partner Nati Philosophe. R&P is a wildly successful screen printing and embroidery manufacturer that creates custom designs and logos on just about anything, from jackets, hoodies and t-shirts, to hats, bags, pants, or sports apparel. The company now operates from an 8,000-square-foot facility in Toronto as their business continues to expand to serve clients across Toronto,

H EATH APPLEBAUM Guest Columnist

This is the first of a series featuring small, innovative, fast-growth companies that are thriving across Canada.

On your mark, get set, growT H E D I S R U P T O R S

JUST THE FACTS R&P Prints Canada

Industry: Screen Printing and Embroidery

Founded: 2007

Number of Employees: 12 full-time employees, 5 part-time employees and a graphic designer

Size: 8,000 square foot manufacturing facility

Growth Trajectory: 250% sales growth in the past four years.

Secrets to Success: Great quality, great prices, free estimates, free local delivery, no setup fees and huge selection

Location: Toronto

Website: printscanada.com

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Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa Calgary and beyond. In terms of volume, they printed four million garments last year and expect to reach the six million print plateau in 2017 based on increasing demand as word has quickly spread. Like many legendary success stories, R&P started with a bold idea, a lot of sweat equity and a true entrepreneurial spirit. What began in 2007 in their parent’s basement, led to renting a single bedroom in someone’s house month to month in 2009, then evolved to a 1,200-square-foot facility in 2010, then a 2,500-square-foot facility in 2012. As R&P Prints has grown, they have continuously upgraded their equipment and techniques over the years requiring far more real estate. They can now print up to 12,000 clothing items a day, if necessary to deliver orders on very short notice. With 12 full-time employees, five part-time employees and a graphic designer they are taking on bigger projects by the day, and take pride in the fact that all their work is done locally, not overseas. How have they done it? Rosenthal says, “As a company we differentiate ourselves by offering greater value and quality. That means no setup charges, free shipping in Canada, fast turnaround times and unmatched quality. We are also one of the very few companies that can produce large volumes of full-colour printing (up to 13 colours) on just about any garment.”

When businesses are expanding rapidly, the temptation is to sign short term leases, but one should also factor in price. Commercial landlords often prefer longer-term leases, averaging 3-5 years, but they will offer attractive inducements to commit longer. When negotiating through a broker, businesses should know that many landlords will offer free renovations, two months of free rent, or favourable rates for the first year to gently support their tenants to grow and succeed. Commercial landlords know that most small, new companies struggle for the first 12-18 months while they gain traction and hopefully build momentum. The sad reality, revealed in a recent Industry Canada study is that 30 per cent of small businesses won’t survive longer than two years, and only half make it to five. Another real estate option for more established businesses is to consider purchasing rather than leasing space, and then renting out a portion of the unused space to a tenant to off-set some of their costs. When the business needs grow, then simply reclaim the required space. Ultimately for companies like R&P Prints, the secret to overcoming challenges is a relentless work ethic and the willingness to innovate and think differently to outsmart the bigger established players in their industries. They are the disruptors, always looking for new ways to offer greater value to their customers.

SME Commercial Real Estate Tips

1. Needs: Carefully assess your current and projected business requirements to pick the right square footage. Avoid signing a lease for more space than you need now or in the foreseeable future.

2. Location:In choosing a location, consider two things, your visibility needs (do you need to be seen by your customers), and your accessibility needs (proximity to highways, major roads, convenient for suppliers and distributors to pick-up or deliver). Properties that are in prime locations tend to pay higher TMI (taxes, maintenance and insurance) and those landlord costs translate to higher rents.

3. Timing:It can often take three months or longer to find, negotiate and renovate appropriate commercial space, so don’t wait too long, or start too early.

4. Renewal Clause:Include a renewal clause in any lease agreement so landlords cannot drastically raise the rent, forcing you to pay more or forces you to move and disrupt your business.

5. Shipping:Consider your loading dock needs (vans or 18-wheelers).

6. Hire an expert:Avoid costly surprises and work with a specialized commercial broker who knows the local market very well, and can negotiate favourable rates and terms for your lease.

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Uniserve Communications names Jeffery CEOBusiness Edge News Magazine

HIRE INTELLIGENCE

Uniserve Communications Corporation has hired Nicholas

Jeffery as its CEO. A former Director of the Data Centre Solutions group at CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm, Jeffery makes the move from London, England, to Vancouver. His wife and young family will join him in the spring. At CBRE, Jeffery was responsible for client strategy, advising data centre owners and multinational corporations on data centre acquisitions, new product developments, cloud deployments and new geography strategies. Jeffery is also considered an authority on cognitive connected buildings and Smart City solutions, and led that portfolio for CBRE in Europe. With more than 25 years of experience in telecommunications, media and technology experience, Jeffery was previously the European managing director of PSINet Europe. “I am really excited to be able to combine the telecommunications and technology capabilities with smart building and smart city strategies in such a forward-thinking city like Vancouver,” says Jeffery. “Uniserve is

perfectly placed to bring these capabilities together to take advantage of the IOT revolution throughout BC and Alberta. “From a solid base, Uniserve intends to complete the build out of a portfolio of products and services in the B2C and B2B markets and further invest in core data-centre infrastructure. I also see excellent opportunities for growth in the Enterprise IT solutions sector, and we intend to strengthen the existing team to support clients’ data security, sovereignty, storage and hybrid cloud requirements.”

Grey Group’s creative to boast Pak mentality

Grey Group Canada has appointed Helen Pak as

chief creative officer. Pak will lead creative across the group’s Canadian agencies, which include Grey offices in Toronto and Vancouver and Tank in Montreal, which was acquired by Grey Group in December. Pak was most recently CCO and CEO of Havas Worldwide Canada. Prior to that, Pak was the Canadian lead for Facebook’s Creative Shop, which she joined after more than six years leading

creative at Saatchi & Saatchi Canada. “It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Pak says about joining Grey. “They have a great roster of clients, a fantastic executive team and strong strategy and creative talent. But the work Grey has done over the years is amazing, and it’s truly world-class and competes on the global stage. Then with the addition of Tank in Montreal, they’re set up to continue to do great global work.”

Ritchie appointed managing partner at Loopstra Nixon

Loopstra Nixon LLP has named Allan Ritchie as the firm’s

managing partner and head of the executive committee. Ritchie assumes the role from Ian Scarlett, who served in the position since 2009. During Scarlett’s tenure, the

firm underwent significant expansion, growing from 16 lawyers to its current 41-lawyer team. Scarlett will return to full-time private practice with a continued focus on mergers and acquisitions and general corporate law and will serve as a member of the firm’s governing executive committee. Said founding partner Chuck Loopstra: “Ian has been a steady hand at the wheel during a period of rapid growth and expansion for the firm. The positive impact of his leadership will be felt for years to come.” Ritchie, 35, originally joined Loopstra Nixon in 2003. From 2007-2010, he worked in the Toronto office of a global law firm before returning to Loopstra Nixon as a partner in 2010. Ritchie will continue to lead the firm’s cross-border business law practice.

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Moreau pegged as president at Agropur Cooperative

Agropur Cooperative has announced

that René Moreau is its new president. Moreau succeeds Serge Riendeau, who is retiring after heading Agropur’s board for the past 15 years and serving as a director for 26 years. Moreau is a dairy farmer from Warwick, Que., who has been a member of Agropur’s board since 1998,

representing the Nicolet-Bois-Francs region. “I am gratified by the trust my colleagues have placed in me and excited about continuing Mr. Riendeau’s work,” said Moreau. “He has left us a co-operative that is in excellent shape. Agropur has seen remarkable growth in recent years and is strongly positioned to continue its development. I am honoured to be able to build on the legacy of our predecessors and I look to the co-operative’s future with tremendous optimism.”

Like what you are reading?Go to BusinessEdge.ca

for more edgy business coverage

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Reorganize. Or die.

LEN NAN JAD Business Edge News Magazine

How do you run a successful Canadian

small business? Buy a large one and wait. It is a classic joke that is not too far from reality looking at the current horizon of business health in Canada. Looking closely at the Globe and Mail’s “Top 1,000” Businesses in Canada shows that only 407 of them were profitable last year! As our local and global economies shift, creating a tremendous array of opportunity, a lot of business leaders are still waiting for things to come back or turn again to their favour. Chances are, they won’t. Countless businesses have gone through massive cuts to reduce operating cost, and many projects have “paused.” A lot of these companies, especially the larger ones, have wasted this crisis and opportunity for real change. They still experience some people being overworked, while others don’t have enough to do; managers who don’t really know how to keep their teams accountable for

results; and people in jobs where they are spectacularly average at best. Cascio & Young have been studying downsizing for decades and have shown repeatedly that “As a group, the downsizers never outperform the non-downsizers. Companies that simply reduce headcounts, without making other changes, rarely achieve the long-term success they desire.” Those “other” changes to make? Business design and organizational effectiveness. Now, before you hand this off to your top HR person, consider firing that person instead. And possibly yourself. This is work for which you, the top leader, are directly accountable. No one else. Many leaders rely on gut instinct, past experience, or what their peers are doing to make these kinds of decisions

on their own. That only gives the temporary illusion of success. Most research says it just does not work, in both the short run and the longer term. Better science applied to organization design yields possibilities to reduce cost structure (not just costs this year, but every year going forward) by about 20%, in my experience. The upside is even bigger with productivity gains of 50% faster execution on clear strategic plans. According to studies done by Ron Capelle over the past 20 years, better organizational alignment can yield efficiency gains of at least $2,500 per employee. Doing the quick math – if you still have 1,000 employees, that means you are still leaving more than $2.5 million on the table in organizational misalignment.Every year.

Redesigning on these rigorously verified principles is a lot easier to do than you might think. It takes less than a year and it feels a lot like ripping off a giant invisible Band-Aid. There is a lot of fear and hesitation at first, followed by relief, fast recovery and smoother movement afterward. If you are truly serious about immediate performance improvements and long-term, sustainable success, starting with business design is the best way to both survive and thrive. Otherwise, your business may be the next tragic joke. Len Nanjad is a management consultant working with senior leaders committed to making massive impact through their people and performance strategies. He can be reached at len@nanjad.com.

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What’s a Canadian manufacturer to do?

Wesure has done what most businesses in Alberta have

done; cut the fat and control expenses. But then what? What does a 47-year-old Alberta manufacturer with a reputation for high-quality manufacturing do? Wesure’s choice was to reinvigorate itself by upping its game and taking the opportunity to do business in a different way. Wesure started this process by looking outward at the changing Alberta business landscape to try to understand how to best serve our current customers and, potentially, our future customers. It was pretty clear that doing business the same old way was not a real option. Wesure has chosen to focus on its strengths and to build on those to provide even more value to the Western Canadian marketplace.

Sacrificing quality was never a consideration because, simply, our customers rely on Wesure for quality. Instead, Wesure has doubled down on quality assurance by making a strategic investment in having an ISO management specialist on staff to further strengthen our ISO certification and reinforce our commitment to quality manufacturing. On the column side of Wesure’s business, customers have always been viewed as valued trade partners. The strategy going forward is to enhance those relationships further by providing additional structural services like steel beams, heavy duty hangers and connection engineering by adding an in-house engineer to our staff. To complete the picture, a key

investment to enhance its capabilities is to re-equip by moving to more robotic welding and ensuring its production floor is capable of more. Another forward business tactic is actively looking for strategic alliances in the marketplace. Wesure believes that with the right strategic alliances, we can all be stronger together and far more capable of helping each other prosper and grow. For Wesure, it is really about thinking about doing business in a different way from what we have done it in the past and reaching for continued success in the future. For more information on Wesure Metal Manufacturing, call 403 279 2440, email tony@wesure.com or visit www.wesure.com.

Sacrificing quality was never a consideration because, simply, our customers rely on Wesure for quality. Instead, Wesure has doubled down on quality assurance.

By Tony FisherWesure Metal Manufacturing

Tough times call for big change

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JARROD STANTONManaging PartnerBusiness Edge Coaching Inc.

IFyou are the main contributor to the

input, make sure you start with YOU when attempting to change the output. One of the unspoken oaths that is taken when placed in the position of “coach” at any level is the pledge to say what is on your mind no matter what. I call it the truth-serum oath. Sometimes it really challenges perception around “customer service” because what the customer will often request is not always what the coach sees as the TRUE issue. How to balance the customer’s wishes and BE the coach at

the same time is a finesse-filled topic for another day. Let’s use this column to cover a few of the (sadly common) instances when the problems causing the business owner so much strife are, when forensically traced back to the roots, planted by that business owner him/herself. In short, they light and add fuel to the very fire they are seeking our assistance to extinguish. Not always a pleasant fact to point out, but a necessary one. Denial is the most often missed and devastating aspect of being below the line; a state from which no progress or growth is possible.

4 ways you might be creating the very problems you hate: 1) You ask questions that start with “Why” The problem you detest is that too many excuses are being made. My team makes excuses, my suppliers make excuses, my customers make excuses, etc. It only takes a few moments of watching these people live and in action in their business to realize the tragedy that they are not only actively training their people to be ready with excuses – they are often demanding that their people give excuses. If you ask questions that start with

“why” or “how come” – expect excuses. Period. Don’t ever expect the team to be above the line and focus on solutions, because you are conditioning them to spend their energy on their alibi. If you are feeling sick to your stomach right now, give yourself a break – it’s natural for most of us to ask these sorts of “why” questions. The question is, what are you going to do to be better in the future and change the type of questions you ask? 2) You help too much The problem you want to solve is getting your team to show more initiative and take more responsibility. See, everything you do and don’t do is training your people. When you rush in and save them when things go the slightest bit off track, you are training them. When a big sales opportunity comes in and you say, “I’ll handle this one,” you are training them. When they produce

Look in the mirror first – four ways you might be creating the problems you hate

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The question is, what are you going to do to be better in the future and change the type of questions you ask?

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some fantastic work, show it to you, and you make a small edit, you are training them. In all these examples, you are being super helpful – too helpful. Stop it. Don’t bother referencing what it says on their position description, citing what it clearly states they are responsible for, etc. Your actions and behaviours deliver the message of what their job is louder than the position description, and if you are being too helpful, the thundering message received is “This job does not require responsibility, assertiveness, or independent ideas and ability.” Once again – you are watering that weed you wish to kill. Ouch. 3) You focus on price The problem causing you pain and frustration is that you are getting too many price-focused shoppers and deal hunters. This one in particular is evidence of the fact that so often we can’t see the obvious right in front of us until it is pointed out by a third party. If you run most of your marketing and advertisements using price-focused headlines, offers and copy, and you show up to your networking events constantly referencing deal pricing, and you practise little to no question-based selling – i.e. you are an order taker – then, of course, you are going to attract price-focused shoppers and bargain hunters. In fact, your marketing is working perfectly in attracting what you are projecting. There are dozens of further paragraphs we could go through to explore getting out of price

competition, but for now let’s just stick to the core theme – they come in focused on price because you are. See how that works? 4) You talk differently to the team than you do to the customers The problem bothering you is that you feel the team doesn’t respect your leadership. You want to know what’s painful? Watching someone speak in a short, condescending, impatient, and flat-out

disrespectful way to a person on their team, and 30 seconds later watching them deal with a customer in a caring, respectful, positive, and “how can I help?” manner. Even more painful when said person has a bookcase full of leadership books from all the authorities, has attended several big-ticket leadership conferences and retreats, and prides themselves on being a leadership expert. Umm …

fail! If you speak differently to the customers than you do to the team, than you do to the (insert any human here), the chances of you receiving the respect you seek is zero. Now that we have that out of the way, put down the latest masterpiece from “leadership expert X”, and take a hard look at your integrity and consistency. This can often be hard to notice as self-awareness is not acute in all of us. Ask for some feedback.

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Is the green economy here yet?Hint: Tesla is worth $32 Billion USD

The commercialization of technological innovation is a

tremendous wealth creator. Just look at IBM, Apple, Microsoft and Google: the list of companies which have created remarkable businesses riding technological waves is endless and expanding. Apple started with computers, went big on software, pivoted to personal music devices and then Steve Jobs focused on the smart phone. In 1998, Google was founded as a search company. One among many. It evolved into a data company which sells billions of dollars a year in advertising targeted to what you want to buy. This is why Lomiko (TSXV: LMR. OTC: LMRMF) CEO A. Paul Gill believes that you don’t pick winners, you build them. At the root of most successful technology companies is an insight into a new way of doing things: a process, a material, an understanding of how a particular technology will impact the world.

Tesla Motors Inc. ($TSLA) is currently building a massive “giga-factory” that alone will consume 120,000 tonnes of flake graphite by 2020, the equivalent of five new mines. The graphite market is expected to grow by 10% per year, and Lomiko aims to develop a resource of graphite for these markets. “Graphite is a key element in the new green economy,” says Lomiko President and CEO Paul Gill. “High purity, large flake graphite is vital to the production of lithium-ion batteries, which run everything from your smart phone to electric cars. Demand increases every year, and we want to position the company to take advantage of that demand.” Beyond the obvious market that is coming for Li-ion batteries and graphite, Lomiko Technologies’ key insight is that a one atom thick layer of carbon called graphene is changing the world. From batteries to smart phones to never-wash windows, graphene is working its way into materials science and from there into the cutting edge of technological innovation across the entire spectrum of advanced electronics, fabrication, coatings, components and computing. Lomiko Technologies is a stand-alone company designed to profit from the opportunities presented by graphene and other advanced technologies.

Its roots are in Lomiko Metals, a TSX Venture listed graphite exploration company. Lomiko Metals has been involved in discovering, drilling and creating opportunity in the graphite sector. Its focus has been on graphite properties in the Province of Quebec and it owns or has options on a number of properties offering high purity, large flake near surface deposits. How to Benefit From Graphene: The Plan Lomiko Technologies will take the technology assets of Lomiko and operate as a technology company. Whether it is in the lighting industry, the graphene super capacitor space or simply as a minority shareholder in a successful graphene 3D printing company, Lomiko Technology will present a coherent, sector focused face to the investment world. In order to implement the plan, Lomiko Tech needs to finance and develop the new graphene projects and find partners in academia and the business community looking to develop and introduce new products that will benefit from the unique properties graphene has to offer. Most of all, Lomiko Technologies will be able to continue and expand its relationship with Graphene Labs. A key factor in Graphene 3D Lab and Lomiko Technologies success in the current opportunity is Graphene Labs customer base of over 10,000 companies and laboratories world-wide. Contact Lomiko Technologies at info@lomiko.com for more information, and follow developments at lomiko.com, lomikotechnologies.com or follow Lomiko on Facebook.

Graphite is a key element in the new green economy.

Lomiko President and CEO Paul Gill

BY JAY CURRIE

Page 26

Business travel technology smarts

DR. TOM KEENANBusiness Edge News Magazine

Business travelers have gotten pretty

complacent about travelling with their electronics. Need to finish that important presentation? No problem, there is power and probably even Wi-Fi on the plane. Want a friend or an Uber to pick you up at the airport? No drama, just take your phone off airplane mode as soon as you land and your ride will be awaiting. Those golden days may be ending. While it’s unlikely that we will be forced to fly naked anytime soon, and that is indeed a horrible image when applied to most business-class cabins, things are changing in important ways. The recent ban on anything larger than a cellphone aboard flights from certain countries may be just the beginning. Laptops and DVD players have always worried security experts because they have enough space to contain some pretty serious explosives. Security screeners used to make you turn them on, holding up the lines while your sluggish Windows XP booted.

Laptops still get poked and swabbed quite often, much more than other items of hand luggage. Numerous experts, including security guru Bruce Schneier, have called the new electronics ban illogical, pointing out that would-be terrorists can simply jump on a plane in a country that’s not on the list. This is why it might well be expanded. Another reason for banning laptops is logistical – it would speed up airport screening considerably. There is an economic benefit to the airlines, too. Many are ordering planes without seatback screens since people are bringing their own laptops or tablets anyway. Not only do you get to watch what you want, usually for free, the quality and resolution of many consumer devices far exceeds those aircraft screens, which are not updated often. Dumping the entertainment system also saves money – about $10,000 per screen – which could mean $3 million per aircraft. Those things weigh about 13 pounds, and lighter planes mean less fuel consumption and more profits. What will happen if security officials ban our devices? It could be a real boon to the airlines, who can

offer pre-sanitized devices for rent. Westjet, for example, will currently rent you one of their tablets for $8.99 to $10.34 per flight, plus tax. Let’s do the math. The brand new Apple iPad has just rolled out at $329 US (around $440 CAD). If you bought a whole bunch of them, I’m sure the price would come down to no more than $300 CAD each. So, rent the thing out 30 times to tech-deprived passengers and it has paid for itself, then keep earning revenue. Oh yes, if those passengers want the Internet – that will be an extra charge on the credit card. There’s another aspect to travelling with technology that relates to crossing borders. When you enter that “no man’s land” between countries, you implicitly consent to some rigorous scrutiny. In most civilized countries, a police officer who wanted to stop you on the street and paw through your smartphone would need probable cause and a warrant. At the border, it’s often “Hand it over, please.” According to a recent New York Times report, U.S. citizen “Haisam Elsharkawi was about to travel from Los Angeles to Saudi Arabia” when “officers from the United States Customs and Border Protection repeatedly

pressured him to unlock his cellphone so that they could scroll through his contacts, photos, apps and social media accounts.” They threatened to seize the phone if he refused. He let them have a look, and they examined it for 15 minutes. It turns out the U.S. border agents do not have the right to make you unlock your phone, but they can make your life very uncomfortable. For example, they could cause you to miss connecting flights, and even seize the phone and keep it for several weeks. There is also talk about compelling some people to give up their social media passwords as part of immigration screening process. As a further complication to all this, trying the “Oh, darn, I forgot my password” argument probably won’t work in the U.S. According to a recent article in The Register, “The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld a lower court ruling of contempt against an ex-cop who claimed he couldn’t remember the password to decrypt his computer’s hard drives.” So, it’s time to re-think travelling with technology. Aforementioned security expert Schenier wrote a fine and very technical piece in The

T E C H S T Y L E

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fastcodesign.com/3034196/terminal-velocity/airlines-are-tossing-seat-back-screens-here-is-why-thats-a-great-design-mo

nytimes.com/2017/02/14/business/border-enforcement-airport-phones.html

theregister.co.uk/2017/03/20/appeals_court_contempt_passwords/

theguardian.com/technology/2008/may/15/computing.security

W E B W AT C H

Guardian back in 2008 called “Taking your laptop into the US? Be sure to hide all your data first.” It advocates thingssuch as full disk encryption and hidden partitions and is well worth a read. While I rarely disagree with Bruce, I’d like to update his advice for 2017. My best suggestion is that you simply leave your laptop home. If you work for a multinational company, have them give you a computer at your destination. Or rent one. If you’re going on vacation, take a data holiday. Your smartphone is probably a pretty good replacement that will allow you to answer urgent emails, watch videos (consider a projector accessory) and read e-books. That smartphone could use some attention, too. If you have ever brought your phone in for repair and received a loaner phone, you may have noticed how easy it is to move all your contacts, photos, etc., to a new phone. The kid in the store probably did this is 15 minutes. You can, too. If

you’re willing to play ball with Google, and enable backup to your Google storage, it’s actually a quick no-brainer. So, before travelling across borders, make your phone as clean as the driven snow with a full factory reset. When you’re safely in your hotel or remote office, just log on and reload the contents. Reverse the process prior to your return trip. There is also this amazing old technology called books, magazines and newspapers. They may weigh a bit more than your electronics, but they never run out of power, and they make, I am told, excellent in-flight entertainment. Dr. Tom Keenan (@drfuture) is an award winning journalist, public speaker, professor in the Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary, Research Fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, and author of the best-selling book, Technocreep: The Surrender of Privacy and the Capitalization of Intimacy.

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Page 28

ITwas hard to imagine more

beautiful scenery than what I see in my frequent visits to Kananaskis Country and Banff National Park and just looking out the window on my drive to university in Calgary every morning. Then I visited Tofino on Vancouver Island. Even the drive with my dad from the ferry terminal in Nanaimo to Tofino was breathtaking. Each time there was a break in the forest of towering trees on the side of the highway, I could see the open water lined by majestic mountains. I had to have my camera ready at all times. Long Beach Lodge Resort, nestled in the trees along magnificent Long Beach and just outside the town of Tofino, was the perfect site for our two-night stay. We were able to take in amazing views and some of the heart-pounding activities for which Tofino is best known. As an adventure junkie, I was very excited to do a four-hour sea kayak and hiking tour through the Coquitlam Sound

Tofino 2017: adventure and luxury abound at Long Beach Lodge Resort

A NGELA DRISCOLLBusiness Edge News Magazine

T R AV E L & H O S P I T A L I T Y

out of the Tofino Sea Kayaking Company early the morning after we arrived. Under clear blue skies and on thankfully calm seas, our sweet and encyclopedic tour guide Andy Murray led us on an incredible tour filled with fascinating stories about the surrounding islands. After a stop at Meares Island for a hike to learn about local wildlife and the beautiful trees that were unlike any I had seen, we hopped back in our kayaks and regrettably headed back to where we began our tour. As soon as I got back to Long Beach Lodge, I rented a surfboard from their surf rental shop, which was conveniently right next to the beach. I ran straight out the front of the resort without even having to put my shoes back on! My full-length wetsuit kept me warm in the water, which seemed crazy for the middle of February. They say that late winter is one of the best times to surf off Long Beach, and it was an absolute

blast! The relentless waves made it very difficult for this rookie surfer, but I loved every minute of it and managed to stay up for some decent rides. As the sun began to set, I ran back to the resort, straight up to the lodge, changed out of my wetsuit and enjoyed a delicious cocktail while watching a spectacular sunset from our window seats in the lounge. My curry chicken dinner was exceptionally good as was the service throughout our stay. After an exciting day and eventful day – I would say one of the best days of my life – a glass of wine in the hot tub in the backyard of our spacious, private lodge was the perfect finishing touch to an amazing stay in Tofino. Oh, and the extreme comfort of my king-size bed in the loft was another real treat. It is a trip that I will remember forever and one I highly recommend to anyone … even if it has to be with your dad!

You can follow Angela’s next adventure to Indonesia on Instagram - @angeladriscoll (Note from the publisher: After enjoying a truly amazing vacation to Tofino on what many call the “real” West Coast on Vancouver Island, I asked my 22-year-old daughter Angela to write a 200-word sidebar to go with my main travel piece. Angela was on a much-needed, reading-week break after completing her final year as captain of the Mount Royal University basketball team, and she obliged. However, she submitted 500+ words and said it was hard to keep it that short, which literally speaks volumes about the trip. So I guess she gets the byline and I get to put my feet up and enjoy the great memories. I will just add that Long Beach Lodge Resort, with an unmatched package of luxurious rooms/cabins, meeting spaces and adventure opportunities, is an ideal location for corporate retreats/conferences/gatherings of any size.)

Angela Driscoll strolls into the surf outside Tofino’s Long Beach Lodge Resort P H O T O B Y R O B D R I S C O L L

Page 29

Box Springs Business Park BoomingMedicine Hat retail/industrial development presents compelling opportunity for investors, retailers and other growth-minded corporations

Start with that big, beautiful, red Costco sign. It’s just one among

dozens of compelling reasons to set up shop in Medicine Hat’s Box Springs Business Park, ideally situated just off Highway 1, on the city’s rapidly growing north side. Since opening its doors in 2007, Costco has served as the ideal anchor tenant for the thriving park, which sits adjacent to the town of Redcliff, although remaining within the Medicine Hat city limits. “We think Costco is the ultimate anchor tenant and a terrific draw for consumers. This store has a great following throughout the region and generates amazing volumes of traffic for the park at large,” enthuses developer/partner Darren Skovmose, who speaks for the ownership group that operates BSBP. “This traffic will benefit all future retail stores and restaurants,” Skovmose adds. “There is a wonderful spillover effect.” Also the future site of the city’s 6,500-seat Regional Events Centre, where the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers will play their home games, Box Springs Business Park serves a trading area of more than 200,000 people and is located within an easy five-minute drive of half the population of Medicine Hat and Redcliff.

The four-member ownership group, which started 10 years ago with nothing but 500 acres and a dream, has just completed an exciting growth year at BSBP, adding a Petro-Canada Travel Centre, Fox Safety and new A&W and Boston Pizza restaurants. The team is looking forward to big things with $125 million worth of construction already under way. This year, grand openings are planned for Princess Auto, the luxurious Hampton Inn & Suites and the Regional Events Centre, which will play host to trade shows and concerts as well as to major junior hockey. But the members of the ownership group are far from finished. They are open to any and all proposals, from the sale of serviced land to proposed joint ventures. “We continue to seek developers, national tenants or stand-alone businesses which have enjoyed success in similar communities,” Skovmose says. “Our company is unique. We operate our own deep-utility division and offer plumbing, heating and electrical services to our customers. In other words, we will build to suit,” he continues. “We will sell land to individual buyers and, should they require our assistance, we’ll supply them with everything they need and then hand them the keys.”

Among other high-profile tenants, the Box Springs Business Park is already home to a variety of retail and commercial enterprises, including the Bank of Nova Scotia, Penn West Energy, CO3 Energy, Canadian Natural Resources, Mattress Mattress, Snap Fitness, Kal Tire, CARSTAR and professional offices. “Since we’re situated right on the No. 1 Highway, our tenants are in a terrific position to serve travellers, especially those coming in from Saskatchewan,” Skovmose points out. “Medicine Hat is the first major centre on the main route from the east.” That includes a significant number of Americans who come north to shop from the regions in and around Havre, Mont. “We pride ourselves on our flexibility,” Skovmose says. “We’re happy to talk to land developers, retailers, engineering companies and other professional offices. There’s really nothing we can’t do. We can stand back and allow you to develop your own property site within BSBP or we can do the development work for you.” Interested in learning more? Contact Darren Skovmose directly at 403.548.5526 or by email at skovy1@gmail.com.

www.bsbp.ca

Costco is one of many big-name tenants in Box Springs Business Park, a large, fast-growing development along the TransCanada Highway.

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