BUSINESS AWARDS HALIFAX - Halifax Chamber of Commerce

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BUSINESS AWARDS HALIFAX - Halifax Chamber of Commerce
H A L I FA X C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E | J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 | V O LU M E 2 7 I S S U E 0 1

                                                                    HALIFAX
                                                                   BUSINESS
                                                                    AWARDS
                                                                                        2018
                                                                                 Celebrating
                                                                             excellence in our
                                                                                  community
                                                                                         PAGE 16

CELEBRATING SUCCESS                      OPENING THE DOORS                        HOW DID WE DO?
       Rejoicing in success         IKEA Halifax brings better living       Anecdotal information only
           of all sizes Pg 5               to Nova Scotians Pg 30                gets you so far Pg 34
BUSINESS AWARDS HALIFAX - Halifax Chamber of Commerce
DIRECTORS EDUCATION PROGRAM

CANADA’S LEADING
PROGRAM FOR DIRECTORS
APPLY BEFORE FEBRUARY 12, 2018 FOR THE NEXT
HALIFAX OFFERING

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                         current thinking about what it takes to be a successful
                         director in Canada and to gain new knowledge about how
                         directors can contribute to better boards and ultimately,
                         better business. The experience helped me to progress
                         as a director and afforded me more objectivity in the
                         boardroom. I highly recommend the program to both
                         future and current directors.”
                          ROB SOBEY, ICD.D
                          PAST CEO, LAWTON’S DRUG STORES LTD.
                          DIRECTOR, EMPIRE COMPANY LTD., DHX MEDIA LTD.,
                          SEAFORT CAPITAL, NORVISTA CAPITAL, QUEEN’S SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADVISORY BOARD

The Directors Education Program (DEP), jointly developed by the Institute of Corporate Directors
and the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, is offered nationally at Canada’s
top business schools. Since the launch of the DEP, over 4,500 directors have completed the program,
taking the first step towards acquiring their ICD.D designation.

ATTAIN YOUR ICD.D AND BE MORE EFFECTIVE AS A DIRECTOR.

                          MODULE I: March 2- 4, 2018
CONTACT THE ICD           MODULE II: May 3-5, 2018
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                          MODULE III: September 20 - 22, 2018
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education@icd.ca
icd.ca/DEP                APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 12, 2018

                          In collaboration with:

                          Jointly developed by:
BUSINESS AWARDS HALIFAX - Halifax Chamber of Commerce
Volume 27 • Issue 01                                    We’ve been thrilled with the excitement       30
  Business Voice is published 11 times a year for members of
    the Halifax Chamber of Commerce and Metro Halifax’s
                                                                                   and reception to our store opening.”
    business community. Views expressed in Business Voice
      are those of the contributors and individual members,
                                                                                   — Sue Coulet, Store Manager, IKEA Halifax
      and are not necessarily endorsed by, or are a policy of,
                         the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.

     No part of this publication may be reproduced without
written consent of the publisher. While every effort has been
     made to ensure accuracy, the publisher cannot be held
      responsible for any errors or omissions that may occur.

                      Please address editorial enquiries and
                                 changes to information to:
                                                                                                                     COVER STORY:
                            Halifax Chamber of Commerce
                                  100-32 Akerley Boulevard,
                          Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B3B 1N1
                                          Tel: 902-468-7111                                             2 18 HALIFAX
                                                                                                    BUSINESS
                                        Fax: 902-468-7333
                                 info@halifaxchamber.com
                                  www.halifaxchamber.com

                                                                                                     AWARDS
                                   Board of Directors
                                    Mark Fraser, T4G, Chair
           Cynthia Dorrington, Vale & Associates, Vice Chair
              Carol MacMillan, The Shaw Group, Past Chair

                                                Directors
                  Lori Barton, Beaumont Advisors Limited
                                      Don Bureaux, NSCC
                          Jamie O’Neill, Uprise Consulting                                                           Celebrating
                Mark Sidebottom, Nova Scotia Power Inc.
       Margaret Chapman, Corporate Research Associates                                                           excellence in our
                                       Robert Dean, MNP
                         Gavin MacDonald, Cox & Palmer                                                                community
                                 Paul Bent, CPA ICA, CD.D
                            Saeed El-Darahali, SimplyCast
                                Faten Alshazly, WeUsThem
               Stefanie MacDonald, Halifax Paper Hearts
         Captain Paul W. Forget, Maritime Forces Atlantic

                                        Chamber Staff
                          Patrick Sullivan, President and CEO
              Nancy M. Conrad, Senior Vice President, Policy
    Colin J. Bustard, Director of Finance and Administration
                         Becky Davison, Marketing Manager
             Melissa MacDonald, Communications Specialist

                            Business Voice is published by
                                     The Chronicle Herald,
          Custom and Community Publishing Department
                                   Publisher: Sarah Dennis
            Vice President, Client Marketing: Jeff Nearing
               Editor: Denise Surette • dsurette@herald.ca
                              Layout & Design: Peter Ross
                   Contributing Writers: Erin Elaine Casey
         Customer Relations Specialist: Jennifer MacLean

                                                                                                                           16
       Sales Executive: Wanda H. Priddle, Karen Publicover
                                    902-426-2811 ext. 1163
                                 Cover Photo: Paul Darrow
                   Copyright 2018 by The Chronicle Herald.
            All rights reserved. Reproduction of any article,
          photograph or artwork without expressed written
         permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.
                                    2717 Joseph Howe Drive
                               Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2T2
                                           Tel: 902-426-2811

                                                                 TABLE OF CONTENTS:
                                      TheChronicleHerald.ca

                                              Disclaimer
 Business Voice magazine makes no warranties of any kind,
 written or implied, regarding the contents of this magazine
         and expressly disclaims any warranty regarding the
      accuracy or reliability of information contained herein.
      The views contained in this magazine are those of the
      writers and advertisers; they do not necessarily reflect
                                                                 04   Events                           30 Profile:
     the views of Business Voice magazine and its publisher                                                 IKEA Halifax
                                        The Chronicle Herald.    05   President’s message
                 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40032112                                              32 Working for you
               Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to        06   New & noted
                           Halifax Chamber of Commerce.                                                34 Chair’s message
                                                                 10   Members in the news
                                                                 16   2018 Halifax
                                                                      Business Awards
                                                                      Celebrating excellence
                                                                      in our community

                                                                         BUSINESS VOICE                                              3
BUSINESS AWARDS HALIFAX - Halifax Chamber of Commerce
EVENTS

CHAMBER EVENTS
                                                                                             For a full and up-to-date list of our
                                                                                             Chamber events, please visit
                                                                                             www.halifaxchamber.com/events

     NETWORKING EVENTS:                       NETWORKING EVENTS:                     NETWORKING EVENTS:
                    12

              Networking                                                                       PRESENTED BY:
               @ Noon                            DATE: Friday, January 19, 2018               Design Marketing
                                                      TIME: 12 – 1:30 pm               DATE: Wednesday, February 21, 2018
       DATE: Wednesday, January 10, 2018
                                            LOCATION: Halifax Chamber of Commerce            TIME: 4:30 – 6:30 pm
              TIME: 12 – 1:30 pm
                                                          Boardroom                     LOCATION: 780 Windmill Road
    LOCATION: Halifax Chamber of Commerce
                 Boardroom
                                                DATE: Friday, February 16, 2018     Culture & Diversity Training
                                                      TIME: 12 – 1:30 pm                  FREE One Day Training
                                            LOCATION: Halifax Chamber of Commerce      DATE: Wednesday, January 24, 2018
                                                         Boardroom                            TIME: 9 am – 4 pm
                                                                                    LOCATION: Halifax Chamber of Commerce
                                                                                                 Boardroom
   DATE: Wednesday, January 17, 2018
          TIME: 12 – 1:30 pm
LOCATION: Halifax Chamber of Commerce                                                  SIGNATURE EVENTS:
                                                       PRESENTED BY:
             Boardroom
                                               Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon
      DATE: Wednesday, February 21, 2018         DATE: Tuesday, January 9, 2018
              TIME: 12 – 1:30 pm                     TIME: 4:30 – 6:30 pm
    LOCATION: Halifax Chamber of Commerce      LOCATION: Tempo Food & Drink,           PRESENTING SPONSOR: RBC
                 Boardroom                           1875 Barrington Street            DATE: Thursday, January 25, 2018
                                                                                              TIME: 5 – 9:30 pm
                                                                                     LOCATION: Halifax Convention Centre

                                                                                           ANNUAL STATE
                                                                                          OF THE PROVINCE
                                                                                              ADDRESS
                                                                                        with Premier Stephen McNeil
                                                                                       DATE: Wednesday, February 7, 2018

                                                                                           THANK YOU TO
                                                                                           OUR DECEMBER
                                                                                            SPONSORS:

                                                                                                  the event store

                                                                                           SAVE THE DATE!

                                                                                        DATE: Wednesday, May 2, 2018
                                                                                               TIME: 5 – 9 pm
                                                                                     LOCATION: Halifax Convention Centre

                                                                                          DATE: Thursday, June 14, 2018
                                                                                              TIME: 11 am – 8 pm
                                                                                         LOCATION: Brightwood Golf &
                                                                                                 Country Club

4                                                    JANUARY 2018
BUSINESS AWARDS HALIFAX - Halifax Chamber of Commerce
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Celebrating success
Rejoicing in successes of all sizes                                                              president@halifaxchamber.com

                                                        We’re celebrating the new, the small, the innovative,
                                                        the exporters, the big business and the business leaders.
                                                        These businesses and business leaders, like many of
                                                        our members, are an excellent example of why we are
                                                        proud to call Halifax home.”

PATRICK SULLIVAN                                 they come from different fields, areas             Take a good look at the companies
PRESIDENT & CEO                                  and expertise. They are a true reflection    featured in this issue. You’ll see some
                                                 of our business community. Not only          familiar names and you’ll be introduced

J  anuary is here and it’s time to start
   executing those plans you spent hours
                                                 that, but we get to celebrate finalists in
                                                 six different categories. We’re celebrat-
                                                                                              to a few that, maybe, you haven’t heard of
                                                                                              before. Reach out and congratulate them
developing at the end of 2017. Each new          ing the new, the small, the innovative,      on their successes, and be sure to let us
year brings an opportunity to learn from         the exporters, the big business and the      know of any successes happening in your
the previous year’s mistakes and build           business leaders. These businesses and       organization.
upon your successes.                             business leaders, like many of our mem-            I can’t wait to see you at this year’s
      The Chamber is ready and excited to        bers, are an excellent example of why we     event on Jan. 25 to celebrate. Happy
jump right into the year ahead and it seems      are proud to call Halifax home.              New Year!
like you, our members, are geared up to
do the same. Now is a great time for you
to reflect on what you’re doing and why                                                          “A look into the future economy”
you’re doing it. Start your year off strong by                                                   FEATURING KEYNOTE:
knowing what you’re spending your time
on and create value for your customers.
      At the Chamber, we’ll be kicking off
2018 with a celebration of success at the
18th Halifax Business Awards on January
25th at the Halifax Convention Centre.
                                                           March 6 & 7, 2018
The 2018 Halifax Business Awards will
showcase some of the top talent in our city.
There’s been a lot of great things happen-
ing in Halifax and we are thrilled to see                AdvantAGE: Embrace the boom
that this year’s finalists display excellence,
leadership and passion. They are amazing
representatives of the Halifax business                                                                               TED GRAHAM
                                                                                                                      Head of Open Innovation
community’s present and its future.                             CONNECTIONS                                           General Motors
      While you’re reading through this
issue, my challenge for you is to take
a moment to celebrate success in your                           EXPERT PANELS & WORKSHOPS
own organization, and in the organiza-
tions around you. I know first-hand that                        TRADESHOW
we’re often so busy working on day-to-
day tasks that we struggle to stop for a
moment and rejoice in our accomplish-
ments. Take a moment to look at what
Halifax has done well over the past few
months, (there’s a lot to choose from)
and I bet you’ll learn something new.
      With this being my second Halifax
Business Awards, I’ve realized that my                      HALIFAXCHAMBER.COM/EVENTS/SILVER-ECONOMY-SUMMIT
favourite thing about our finalists is that

                                                           BUSINESS VOICE                                                                   5
BUSINESS AWARDS HALIFAX - Halifax Chamber of Commerce
NEWSMAKERS

NEW & NOTED
We welcome our new Chamber members

ABLE SENSE                                   Zak Abbott                                  BUTTERFIELD
                                             30 Bedford Highway                          SUPPORT SERVICES
Build your e-commerce action plan
                                             Halifax, NS
with Able Sense, the plan and partner to                                                 Butterfield is a full-service bank and
                                             902-457-5930
grow your business with Shopify. We are                                                  international provider of specialized
                                             sales2@atlanticacura.ns.ca
a full-service e-commerce agency spe-                                                    wealth management and trust services,
                                             www.atlanticacura.ns.ca
cializing in Shopify strategies, custom      TRANSPORTATION –                            headquartered in Bermuda with
implementations and transformative           Automotive Sales/Leasing                    subsidiaries in the Cayman Islands,
growth. As Shopify partners since 2014,                                                  Guernsey, The Bahamas, Switzerland
we provide expert implementations of         ATTICA FURNISHINGS LTD.                     and the United Kingdom. Butterfield
Shopify e-commerce, POS and whole-                                                       Support Services (Halifax) Ltd.
                                             Voted Best Furniture Store in Halifax,      provides finance and accounting,
sale channels.
                                             Attica is an innovative design shop in      human resources, information
Aaron Whitman
1559 Brunswick Street, Suite 300
                                             Halifax’s North End. From sofas and         technology, operations, middle office
Halifax, NS                                  sectionals, to solid wood furniture,        and compliance services to support
902-442-9355                                 beds, creative lighting and decor, Attica   Butterfield’s client-facing offices.
aaron@ablesense.com                          features modern furniture and acces-        Benjamin Harris
www.ablesense.com                            sories by local and international artists   1701 Hollis Street, Suite 400
COMPUTERS, IT & TECHNOLOGY –                 and designers, both production and          Halifax, NS
E-Commerce                                   bespoke.                                    902-423-7473
                                             Suzanne Saul                                benjamin.harris@butterfieldgroup.com
ACHIEVE CENTRE FOR                           3065 Robie Street                           www.butterfieldgroup.com
LEADERSHIP & WORKPLACE                       Halifax, NS                                 FINANCE & INSURANCE –
PERFORMANCE                                  902-423-2557                                Financial Services
                                             info@attica.ca
At the heart of our workshop material
                                             www.attica.ca                               CAVENDISH BEACH
and resources lies a belief that train-
                                             SHOPPING & SPECIALTY RETAIL –               MUSIC FESTIVAL
ing, knowledge and skill development
                                             Retail (General)
changes the individual lives, communi-                                                   Cavendish Beach Music Festival, the
ties and organizations that we work with.    BEDFORD APPLIANCE                           largest multi-day music event in Atlantic
We also believe that people should be        WAREHOUSE (FORMERLY                         Canada, is back again for it’s 10th year,
able to like where they work. ACHIEVE        BEDFORD BUY & SELL)                         from July 6 to 8. Join us in Charlottetown
provides professional development                                                        to celebrate summer and country music,
                                             Since 1994, Bedford Buy & Sell had
training in the areas of leadership and                                                  while enjoying 40-plus acts across three
                                             been the go-to warehouse for top-
workplace performance.                                                                   stages. This anniversary year brings
                                             brand appliances at a fraction of
Eric Stutzman                                                                            excitement featuring top headliners
                                             the cost. Supplying customers with
62 Sherbrook Street                                                                      and the best in Island hospitality!
Winnipeg, MB                                 quality new and used products from
                                                                                         Jill Campbell
204-452-0180                                 manufacturers such as Frigidaire,           96 Kensington Road
eric@achievecentre.com                       Electrolux, Kitchen-Aid and Whirlpool,      Charlottetown, PE
www.ctrinstitute.com                         Bedford Buy & Sell is your local, fam-      902-892-5647
EDUCATION & PROF. DEVELOPMENT –              ily-owned appliance headquarters.           jill@whitecapentertainment.com
Prof. Development                            Visit our page on Yelp at yelp.ca/biz/      www.cavendishbeachmusic.com
                                             bedford-buy-and-sell-bedford.               EVENTS – Festivals/Special Events
ATLANTIC ACURA                               Della Doucette
                                             1743 Bedford Highway
Atlantic Acura offers excellent quality
                                             Bedford, NS
new and pre-owned vehicles with a red
                                             902-835-1600
carpet approach to providing highest         www.bedfordappliance.ca
degree of customer service. Come see         SHOPPING & SPECIALTY RETAIL –
why it has to be Acura, at Atlantic Acura!   Retail (General)

6                                                       JANUARY 2018
BUSINESS AWARDS HALIFAX - Halifax Chamber of Commerce
NEWSMAKERS

THE CULTURED COCONUT                         Kilby Townshend                               HOPE BLOOMS INC.
                                             950 Bedford Highway, Suite 203
Launched in 2015 by Linda Peers,                                                           Hope Blooms engages youth in margin-
                                             Bedford, NS
Coconut Goodness Food Products Inc.                                                        alized communities in actualizing their
                                             902-835-1031
was born out of a desire to create a pro-    ktownshend@ns.sympatico.ca
                                                                                           full potential and becoming positive
biotic, dairy-free kefir that could make     www.hammonddental.ca                          agents of change in their communities
a significant difference in one's health.    HEALTH CARE – Dental                          through experiential education, in cre-
The company’s product, The Cultured                                                        ating innovative youth-driven impact in
Coconut, is currently available through      HARDING REAL ESTATE                           food security, social inclusion, education
retailers throughout the Maritimes,                                                        and environmental stewardship. Since
                                             Harding Real Estate was established in
Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.                                                              2007, Hope Blooms has provided a safe
                                             May 2007, with a team of two agents,
Linda Peers                                                                                space for youth in Halifax’s inner-city
                                             owners Donna Harding and Sebastien
Halifax, NS                                                                                to grow their own food, contribute to
                                             Latulippe, while under the Royal LePage
902-229-8595                                                                               community development and produce
linda@theculturedcoconut.ca                  brand. After only three years of opera-
                                                                                           and market their own signature brand of
www.theculturedcoconut.ca                    tion, Harding Real Estate had a full-time
                                                                                           salad dressing, with proceeds going into
RESTAURANTS, FOOD & BEVERAGE –               administrator and four additional real-
                                                                                           scholarships for the youth involved.
Food Manufacturer                            tors, making it the largest group in the
                                                                                           Jessie Jollymore
                                             brokerage at that time. With the number       5527 Cornwallis Street
HAMMOND DENTAL CENTRE                        of clients and sales increasing steadily,     Halifax, NS
                                             year after year, Harding Real Estate          902-405-3890
Hammond Dental Centre is proud
                                             opened its own brokerage in November          jessiejollymore@gmail.com
to have been practicing family and
                                             2010, at 6309 Chebucto Road. The bou-         www.hopeblooms.ca
cosmetic dentistry for more than 20
                                             tique brokerage is a closely knit group of    NOT-FOR-PROFIT GROUPS –
years and caring for patients of all ages,
                                             five, which includes a Business Manager.      Charitable Organizations
from infants to seniors. We offer a wide
                                             Our brokerage is where client care is not
range of services, including bonding
                                             a single transaction event, but a relation-   ICA - IMMIGRATION
and veneers, implants, family dentistry,
                                             ship being built for a lifetime.              CONSULTANT ATLANTIC LTD.
sedation dentistry and orthodontic
                                             Donna Harding                                 Peter Cheng
treatment. An emphasis is placed on
                                             6309 Chebucto Road                            1959 Upper Water Street, Suite 1328
prevention and using the most up-to-
                                             Halifax, NS                                   Halifax, NS
date and proven techniques. We are able      902-422-5552
to service our patients in three lan-                                                      902-407-7383
                                             donna@hardingrealestate.ca                    Peter@YSYM.ca
guages, English, French and Arabic,          www.hardingrealestate.ca                      www.YSYM.ca
and we offer flexible payment options.       REAL ESTATE/CONSTRUCTION –                    BUSINESS & PROF. SERVICES –
                                             Real Estate Residential                       Immigration

                                                                        WITH 22 LOCATIONS IN NEW BRUNSWICK
                                                                              & NOVA SCOTIA OFFERING
                                                                             CAR • HOME • BUSINESS
                                                                                  LIFE • GROUP
                                                                       CALL OR EMAIL TODAY FOR A FREE QUOTE
                                                                         ON ALL OF YOUR INSURANCE NEEDS

                                                                                   1-800-838-2511
                                                                           QUOTES@ARCHWAYINSURANCE.CA
                                                                  Proud members of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce since 2011
                                                                        ARCHWAYINSURANCE.CA

                                                       BUSINESS VOICE                                                               7
BUSINESS AWARDS HALIFAX - Halifax Chamber of Commerce
NEWSMAKERS

THE LAWN GUY LTD.                           André Lalancette                            Hady Bahliss
                                            Halifax, NS                                 120 Susie Lake Crescent, Unit 20
Stephen Kamperman
                                            902-497-3861                                Halifax, NS
Fall River, NS
                                            andre@omnisafeinc.ca                        902-425-7297
902-404-8008
                                            www.omnisafeinc.ca                          hadybahlis@hotmail.com
thelawnguy07@gmail.com
                                            (under construction)                        www.rayslebanesecuisine.ca
www.thelawnguyns.ca
                                            SAFETY & SECURITY –                         EVENTS – Event Facilities
BUSINESS & PROF. SERVICES –
                                            Occupational Health & Safety
Rentals/Sales/Service
                                                                                        RESOLUTES AMATEUR
                                            ONE-SHOT PARKING                            ATHLETIC CLUB
LEGENDARY HOSPITALITY –
                                            SOLUTIONS
DURTY NELLY’S IRISH PUB,                                                                Mike Nicholls
STUBBORN GOAT GASTROPUB,                    One-Shot Parking Solutions is a             5461 Inglis Street
STUBBORN GOAT BEER GARDEN,                  Canadian parking management firm            Halifax, NS
THE ROOFTOP, ANTOJO                         based in Halifax. We are focused on pro-    902-492-8140
Serving up legendary hospitality            viding exceptional service and increased    resolutesclub@eastlink.ca
experiences since 2008, this restau-        revenue to our clients. Our leading-edge    www.Resolutesclub.ca
rant group consists of Durty Nelly’s        technology gives our clients an advan-      NOT-FOR-PROFIT GROUPS –
                                            tage. We offer visitor parking solutions,   Community Centres
Authentic Irish Pub, Stubborn Goat
Gastropub, Stubborn Goat Beer Garden,       pay and display managment, parking
                                            enforcement, revenue management             SERVICEMASTER RESTORE
The Rooftop and opening in early 2018,
Antojo Tacos + Tequila. Legendary           and mobile payment solutions.               ServiceMaster Restore is a full-service
Hospitality Group is committed to the       Joe Archibald                               disaster restoration company that
highest standard of customer service,       Halifax, NS                                 provides emergency restoration services
products and company culture.               902-818-1710                                to homes and businesses. A leading
Jennifer Kurmey                             joe@oneshotparking.ca                       provider for more than 60 years.
1567 Grafton Street                         www.oneshotparking.ca                       Alexandra Vallee
Halifax, NS                                 BUSINESS & PROF. SERVICES –                 902-209-0339
902-405-3631                                Management Consulting                       avallee@smrestore.ca
jennifer@legendaryhospitality.ca                                                        www.servicemaster.ca
www.legendaryhospitality.ca                 R & R WEALTH MANAGEMENT                     INDUSTRIAL & MANUFACTURING –
RESTAURANTS, FOOD & BEVERAGE –              Joe Romkey                                  Restoration Services
Restaurant                                  3204 Barrington Street
                                            Halifax, NS                                 SPEEDPRO IMAGING HALIFAX
MR. APPLIANCE OF HALIFAX                    902-435-1569                                Speedpro Imaging Halifax is a locally
Glen Matheson                               jromkey@randrwealth.ca                      owned visual communications company
Hammonds Plains, NS                         www.randrwealth.ca                          and part of the largest signage network
902-406-4240                                FINANCE & INSURANCE –                       in Canada, with 50 locations. No matter
gmatheson@mrappliancehalifax.com            Financial/Insurance Services                what your customized signage or graph-
www.MrAppliance.ca/Halifax                                                              ics needs, we are the creative profession-
                                            RAY'S LEBANESE CUISINE -
HOME & GARDEN –                                                                         als who will exceed your expectations
Appliance Sales/Service
                                            BAYERS LAKE
                                                                                        and deliver what you require on strategy,
                                            We are proud to have been serving the       on time and on budget!
OMNISAFE INC.                               greater Halifax metro area for more         Kevin McKenzie
Omnisafe Inc. is a professional safety      than 30 years! Our traditional Lebanese     1308 St. Margaret’s Bay Road, Suite 103
training and consulting company             dishes, made from only the finest ingre-    Lakeside, NS
specializing in fall protection, confined   dients, are proof that our commitment       902-453-0996
space entry, rescue, scaffolding and        to our customers is our highest priority.   kevin@speedpro.com
mobile aerial work platforms. Omnisafe      Come taste a meal that you won’t soon       www.speedprocanada.com/halifax
Inc. provides these consulting and          forget. We are steeped in the tradition     ADVERTISING, PR & MEDIA –
                                            of sourcing local and fresh ingredi-        Signage
education services to clients throughout
all industries. Our trained, professional   ents. Try one of our signature dishes in
instructors who have extensive training     restaurant today or give us the honor of
experience, believe that education is       catering your next event.
the most important step to achieving
a safe work place.

8                                                      JANUARY 2018
BUSINESS AWARDS HALIFAX - Halifax Chamber of Commerce
NEWSMAKERS

ST. MARGARET’S BAY                             WILLOW ESTHETICS BOUTIQUE                      INDIVIDUAL MEMBER
CHIROPRACTIC CENTRE
                                               Willow Esthetics Boutique focuses              Chris White
Our mission is to support healthy living       on offering high-quality esthetics,            Halifax, NS
for families by enhancing the natural          massage and clinical skincare services         902-219-4716
healing power of the body. Using chiro-        in a warm and inviting space in Halifax's      chrisjwhite58@gmail.com
practic care, specific nutritional support     North End. Willow’s goal is to provide
from our on-site store, self-care strat-       guests with quality treatments, product        STUDENT MEMBER
egies, massage and laser therapies and         recommendations, and expertise. With           Kavita Khanna - MBA, SMU
more. We offer cutting-edge wellness           a strong focus on natural products,            Halifax, NS
and prevention for all ages. We also           wellness and skincare health, Willow           902-446-7778
offer public education and workplace           believes that each guest has the potential     kavita.khanna@hotmail.com
presentations.                                 to reach their skincare and beauty goals.
Andrew Kleinknecht                             Michelle Carter
5715 St. Margaret’s Bay Road                   2742 Robie Street, Suite 200
Head of St. Margaret’s Bay, NS                 Halifax, NS
902-826-1088                                   902-407-9455
kleinknechta@gmail.com                         michellecarter@willowesthetics.ca
www.stmargaretsbaychiro.com                    www.willowesthetics.ca
HEALTH CARE – Health and Wellness              PERSONAL CARE & SERVICES – Spa

Are you a new member? To submit your 50-word description for New & Noted, please contact Melissa MacDonald, Communications Specialist
at Melissa@halifaxchamber.com or 902-481-1238 within the first six months of membership.

   LEADERS
   SHAPING
   LEADERS
    The Rev. Canon Dr. Jody Clarke, BA, MDiv, DMin
    Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology

    Leaders come in many forms. AST develops leaders to meet
    the theological and ethical challenges of today’s world.
    Welcome to a different kind of university. astheology.ns.ca

                                                         BUSINESS VOICE                                                                 9
BUSINESS AWARDS HALIFAX - Halifax Chamber of Commerce
NEWSMAKERS

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
How our members are growing Halifax

NEW MANAGEMENT AT
MARITIME AIR CHARTER
Big changes and even bigger things have
been in the works at Maritime Air
Charter and it is with the greatest plea-
sure that we welcome Kathleen Legge
into her new role as Director of Flight
Operations. Legge has been involved in
                                            FUTURPRENEUR CANADA ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP
commercial aviation for eight years and
                                            WITH TD BANK GROUP
started with us a year-and-a-half ago
as a line pilot. She has since held many    TD’s commitment of $500,000 over               skills and startup resources through
positions, including Company Aviation       three years will help the national non-        Futurpreneur Canada’s valuable services.
Safety Officer, Quality Assurance Man-      profit organization Futurpreneur               These services include the successful
ager, Manager of Training and Standards     Canada, provide valuable services to           Owners Wanted initiative, which gives
and Assistant Chief Pilot. Her transfer-    aspiring young entrepreneurs through-          entrepreneurs in Atlantic Canada the
able skill-set and refreshing approach to   out Atlantic Canada. The generous              support they need to turn their business
customer service has made her a valuable    contribution will allow more Atlantic          ideas into reality through educational
part of the MAC team.                       entrepreneurs to build their confidence,       and networking opportunities.

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10                                                     JANUARY 2018
NEWSMAKERS

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY                          VENOR WELCOMES
NOVA SCOTIA ANNOUNCES                         NEW TEAM MEMBERS
APPOINTMENT OF RICK GANT                      Venor welcomes Danielle Heartz, a
AS NEW CEO                                    young professional who brings passion,
With more than 25 years of experience         motivation, a strong work ethic and an
building strong relationships with busi-      intuitive personality to Venor as our
ness and community leaders, Habitat           Recruitment Administrator. As Technical
                                                                                              RECORD YEAR FOR
for Humanity Nova Scotia is pleased           Recruiter, Jack Gillis’ ability to cultivate,
                                                                                              ROYAL NOVA SCOTIA
to welcome its new CEO, Rick Gant.            develop and maintain relationships
                                                                                              INTERNATIONAL TATTOO
Most recently Gant was CEO of Boom-           makes him one of the most likeable tech-        The 2017 Royal Nova Scotia Interna-
erswork.com, where he helped take the         nical recruiters in HRM. Senior Consul-         tional Tattoo celebrated Canada 150,
employment agency from a startup to a         tant, Jackie Gilbert has established deep       the Halifax Explosion and Vimy Ridge
revenue-generating business. Gant built       and lasting relationships with clients,         this year and yielded an increase of more
his 26-year career at RBC before retir-       through her consultative and methodi-           than 10 per cent over 2016’s box office.
ing as the Atlantic Regional Director in      cal approach. Her ability to understand         “We wanted to produce a show that
2014. He has also provided leadership         what’s important and deliver on those           would act as a tribute to Canada in this
to numerous volunteer-driven associa-         key factors are paramount in achieving          banner year,” says Jennie King, Manag-
tions. One of Gant’s top priorities will be   successful results.                             ing Director. Large numbers of Canadian
overseeing the construction of Habitat                                                        and youth participants, innovative 3D
Way, the proposed 95-home development                                                         and projection mapping technology,
in Spryfield.                                                                                 new programming with a great cast
                                                                                              and events around the city helped the
                                                                                              Tattoo achieve this goal. Individual and
                                              O2 WELLNESS:                                    corporate donations rose by 10 per cent,
                                              MORE THAN A GYM                                 advertising revenue by three per cent and
                                                                                              total revenue by 15 per cent.
                                              O2 Wellness is the gym that’s rede-
                                              fining what it means to be a gym. It’s
                                              much more than weight racks and cardio
                                                                                              SERVICEMASTER RESTORE
BEDFORD BUY & SELL                            machines — it’s a platform for attaining
                                                                                              PROUD SUPPORTER OF THE
HAS A NEW NAME                                whole-body health. Inside O2, you’ll
                                                                                              RONALD MCDONALD PJ WALK
We’re changing our name! We’ve evolved        find fitness equipment unique to the            ServiceMaster Restore is proud to
over the past 24 years and now it’s time      HRM (no used equipment). You’ll have            be the presenting sponsor of the Rise
for our name to evolve with us. As of         access to expert personal trainers, meal        & Shine PJ Walk for Kids in support of
Jan. 1, 2018, Bedford Buy & Sell will         plans, sleep plans, massage therapy, spin       Ronald McDonald House Charities®
become Bedford Appliance Ware-                classes, pilates, yoga and free laundered       Atlantic, helping keep families with sick
house. We will have the same great            towels. With childminding services              kids together. Ronald McDonald House
selection, services and customer care         and 24-hour access, O2 makes opti-              Charities Atlantic serves more than
that have made us a successful fami-          mum health attainable for all. Open in          2,200 Maritime families through Ronald
ly-run business since 1994. Thanks, as        December 2017, at the Sunnyside mall in         McDonald House® and Ronald McDonald
always, for your support!                     Bedford — eat, train, sleep, be well!           Family Rooms® in Halifax and Moncton.

                                                        BUSINESS VOICE                                                               11
NEWSMAKERS

CYSTIC FIBROSIS CANADA                       CENTRE FOR WOMEN IN
FUNDRAISER NETS THOUSANDS                    BUSINESS GETS A BOLD
Cystic Fibrosis Canada is                    BIRTHDAY REBRAND                             THIRD WAVE RECOGNIZED IN
unBOWLievably excited to announce            Mount Saint Vincent University’s             THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
that the Lawn Summer Nights Halifax          Centre for Women in Business                 Third Wave is proud to be recognized
event raised more than $40,000 for           welcomed 2018 with a tip-to-toe rebrand      as one of the top-10 most promising oil
research and care for Atlantic Canadians     unveiled during its annual Holiday           and gas technology solution providers for
living with cystic fibrosis. This event      Cheer event in December. At its core,        2017 by CIO Review. The award acknowl-
wouldn’t have been possible without the      the rebrand is an emboldened call to         edges companies at the forefront of the
amazing support of our 2017 presenting       action, featuring an intrepid new colour     industry, providing innovative technol-
sponsor KPMG, partners, donors, volun-       palette, logo, and website. “The women       ogy solutions and making an impact in oil
teers and participants. We extend a big      we work with are risk takers who want to     and gas. Third Wave has focused on the
thank you to our volunteer committee         shake up the status quo,” says Executive     energy sector since 2009 and is excited to
led by Jen Fitzpatrick, and of course to     Director, Tanya Priske, of the 450-plus      continue their work in oil and gas. Their
St. Mary’s Lawn Bowls Club. To learn         entrepreneurs who make up the Centre’s       extensive knowledge and experience
more please visit the Lawn Summer            business community. “Our new brand           would not be possible without the incred-
Nights Facebook page.                        was inspired by those stories.”              ible clients they’ve had the pleasure of
                                                                                          working with in this arena.
APPILI THERAPEUTICS RAISES                   QUEEN’S MARQUE SELECTS
$3 MILLION AND RECEIVES                      WALLACE QUARRIES LTD.                        DRESS FOR SUCCESS HALIFAX
FDA AND HEALTH CANADA                        FOR FACADE                                   PARTNERS WITH SEPHORA
APPROVAL FOR CLINICAL TRIALS                 The Armour Group Limited is pleased          Dress for Success Halifax is thrilled to
Appili Therapeutics Inc., a devel-           to have secured locally quarried sand-       announce their newest partnership and
opment company focused on drugs              stone from Wallace Quarries Ltd. to          successful launch of the first Canadian
for infectious diseases, announced in        be used as the main cladding material        pilot project, Classes for Confidence, with
October 2017, that it raised $3,062,000      for the Queen’s Marque development.          Sephora, who also stands with those fac-
in a private placement financing from        This is the largest order for Nova Scotia    ing major life transitions and look for ways
new and current investors, bringing the      sandstone in more than 50 years. Wallace     to use their strengths for even greater
total equity raised since inception to       Quarries represents an important legacy      good. “The 90-minute free class takes
$7,477,000. They also announced that         of locally founded, owned and operated       place at Sephora and teaches clients how
both the U.S. Food and Drug Adminis-         Nova Scotian business. The choice of         to apply makeup for a professional, natural
tration (FDA) and Health Canada have         Wallace sandstone demonstrates Queen’s       look for job interviews that leaves our
cleared its investigational new drug         Marque’s commitment to being shaped          clients feeling confident and ready to face
applications and clinical trial applica-     by Nova Scotia’s past, present and future.   the future and is aligned with Sephora’s
tions, respectively, to conduct a clinical   Queen’s Marque will represent an almost      social impact initiative,” says Executive
trial in Toronto on their first product,     $200 million private investment in Nova      Director, Brenda Saunders/Todd.
ATI-1501, a taste-masked antibiotic tar-     Scotia by The Armour Group, with a
geting anaerobic bacterial infections.       target completion date in 2020.

12                                                      JANUARY 2018
NEWSMAKERS

                                                                                        WELCOME TO EAST COAST
                                                                                        LANGUAGE COLLEGE (ECLC)
                                                                                        East Coast School of Languages
                                                                                        (ECSL), an award-winning Halifax
                                                                                        business best known for providing English
                                                                                        training to international students, will be
                                                                                        marking its 20th anniversary this year.
                                                                                        To celebrate this milestone, ECSL has
                                                                                        changed its name to East Coast Language
                                                                                        College (ECLC). “We’ve been approved as
LOOKING FOR DONATIONS OF CPAP AND BIPAP MACHINES                                        a private career college to deliver the ACE
Do you have sleep apnea? Do you have a      patients who suffer from sleep apnea but    TESOL teacher training certificate,” says
used CPAP or BiPAP machine that you no      are unable to afford treatment. Machines    Sheila Nunn, President and CEO. “We also
longer need? The Lung Association of        can be dropped off at Lions Clubs around    offer classes in Spanish, French, Arabic,
Nova Scotia is looking for donations of     Nova Scotia, or brought to the Lung Asso-   Mandarin, and English. Our new name
gently-used CPAP and BiPAP machines for     ciation’s office at 6331 Lady Hammond       better reflects our position and longevity
our Sleep Apnea Refurbishment program,      Road, in Halifax. For more information      in the language industry.” For more
which provides assistance to low-income     on this program, visit ns.lung.ca.          information, visit www.eclccanada.com.

ZIPSURE.CA BRINGS HOME WINS MARKETING AWARD
ZipSure.ca, a Nova Scotia based             rental housing industry. “This is a great
digital insurance provider whose parent     honour for us, and we are thrilled to be
company is A.P. Reid Insurance Ltd.,        recognized as this year’s Best Marketing
was recognized at the WebCon Rental         Team. This recognition is a testament
Marketing Conference, taking home the       to the team’s dedication to providing
title of Best Marketing Team of the Year.   solutions to landlords and tenants across
The WebCon Rental Marketing Awards          Canada,” said Co-founder, and President
recognize the outstanding and innovative    and CEO of A.P. Reid Insurance Ltd.,
online marketing achievements of the        Jamie Reid.

                                                      BUSINESS VOICE                                                             13
NEWSMAKERS

                                                         RECYCLING CHAMPIONS
                                                         RECOGNIZED AT DIVERT NS
     MEET THE STARS OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AT THE..
                                                 THE .   MOBIUS AWARDS
                                                         In October, Divert NS hosted the 19th
                                                         annual Mobius Awards of Environmental
                                                         Excellence in Halifax. Businesses, mem-
                                                         bers of academia and government came
                                                         together to celebrate winners for their
                                                         efforts in recycling and diverting waste
                                                         from landfills. Divert NS extends con-
                                                         gratulations winners in the following cat-
                                                         egories: Small Business of the Year, Truro
        JANUARY 25,
                25 2018
                                        PRESENTING
                                         SPONSOR:
                                                         Veterinary Hospital; Large Business of
                                                         the Year, Marine Atlantic; Institution of
        WWW.HALIFAXCHAMBER.COM                           the Year, Bridge Adult Service Centre;
                                                         Emerging Leader of the Year, Stella
                                                         Bowles; Community Project of the Year,
      WINNERS IN SIX CATEGORIES WILL BE ANNOUNCED:       Halifax Tool Library; Innovator of the
                                                         Year, AgSeed Technologies; Hall of Fame
                  New Business of the Year               winner for 2017, David Harris. To meet
                                                         the winners and learn about the Mobius
                 Small Business of the Year              Awards, visit divertmobiusawards.ca.

                 Export Business of the Year
               Innovative Business of the Year
                    Business of the Year                 Are you launching a new business or
                                                         product? The Halifax Chamber wants
                 Business Leader of the Year             to share your story! Please contact
                                                         Melissa MacDonald at Melissa@
                                                         halifaxchamber.com or 902-481-1238.

14                                     JANUARY 2018
NEW GRADS BOOST BUSINESS
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                                                 BUSINESS VOICE                                                              15
THE HALIFAX CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE is pleased to present this
year’s Halifax Business Award finalists.
Now in our 18th year, and sponsored by
RBC, this event allows us to showcase
Halifax’s best and brightest business
leaders and entrepreneurs. Businesses and
individuals are judged by a panel spearheaded
by Gina Gale, Senior Vice-President with BDC.
We have dedicated this issue to profiling the
incredible individuals who have made it to the
finalist stage. These pages don’t do their hard
work justice, but they do provide a sample of who
these individuals are. We hope you enjoy getting
to know this year’s finalists and book Thursday,
Jan. 25 to celebrate with us.

To view the full interviews with this year’s nominees,
please visit our website:
www.halifaxchamber.com

16           Photos by: Paul Darrow                      JANUARY 2018
Thank you to IKEA
                                  for hosting the 2018
                                       finalists for this
                                   year’s photo shoot.

2 18 HALIFAX

                     Presenting
                     Sponsor:

    BUSINESS VOICE                                   17
HALIFAX BUSINESS AWARDS

NEW BUSINESS of the year finalists

                                                                                               Sponsored by:

                                                                                               New Business
                                                                                               of the year finalists
                                                                                               L-R: Sarah Andrews of Sattva Boutique,
                                                                                               Joanna Gore of Appili Therapeutics Inc.,
                                                                                               Jeff Farwell of J Farwell Sailing Co. and
                                                                                               Julie Shore of Halifax Distilling Co.
                                                                                               Not pictured: Sam Murphy, The Barrington
                                                                                               Steakhouse & Oyster Bar.

        APPILI
      THERAPEUTICS
                                                Do you have any tips for people who
                                                are thinking about starting their own
                                                business?
                                                     Surround yourself with great talent.
                                                                                               What is your proudest
                                                                                               accomplishment?
                                                                                                     The relationships we’ve built in
                                                                                               Halifax. Being in the hospitality business
APPILI THERAPEUTICS INC.                        Running a business is hard and even with       it’s important to get to know people and
                                                passion, innovation and drive, one person      make others feel welcomed. Halifax has
Who/What inspired you to open a
                                                alone does not have the entire skill-set to    made us feel welcomed and it’s a great
new business?
                                                run a successful business. It takes a team     feeling when you enter our dining room
     Drug development is a complicated,
                                                with many different talents, experiences       and see faces that have been supporting
highly regulated business that is a wonder-
                                                and skills to bring ideas to fruition. While   us since day one. These relationships
ful blend of pure science, statistics, public
                                                you may think you cannot afford to spend       with our vendors, suppliers, neighbours
health policy and finance. Appili was
                                                the time and resources to access the right     and guests are what we are most proud
formed as a collaboration between myself
                                                individuals who are brilliant and uniquely     of so far.
and an investment bank based in Toronto,
                                                talented, you cannot afford not to.
to tackle the growing unmet medical needs
                                                                                               How can we encourage youth to
in infectious disease. I am inspired by the
                                                                                               explore entrepreneurship as a
opportunity to work with like-minded
                                                                                               possible future career?
people who enjoy solving problems and
                                                                                                    Encouraging youth to explore
pushing the boundaries of our knowledge.
                                                                                               entrepreneurship is so important to
                                                                                               our community. By giving our staff the
Tell us one thing people may not
                                                THE BARRINGTON                                 opportunity to present ideas, fundraisers,
know about your business?
                                                STEAKHOUSE & OYSTER BAR                        menu changes and new job positions, we
     The gender and cultural diversity of
                                                                                               are giving them the opportunity to create
our team — our executive team is gender         Why did you choose Halifax?
                                                                                               their own projects. Our staff members
balanced and I am very fortunate to be               Our company chose Halifax as our
                                                                                               are empowered by the ability to share
joined by our Chief Financial Officer,          place to do business because of the warm
                                                                                               ideas and implement them right here. It’s
Kimberly Stephens and Vice President            reception we received from the commu-
                                                                                               important to inspire youth to take on new
of Drug Development, Jamie Doran —              nity after opening our first restaurant
                                                                                               projects in the workplace because they
experts in their respective fields — as         here. Halifax is a welcoming community
                                                                                               will be the ones to come up with the next
well as Sean McBride, Vice President            that has only grown stronger in recent
                                                                                               great idea.
of Business Development. I believe the          years. Doing business in Halifax and
varied perspectives of our team members         being part of the growth is very reward-
give us a major advantage. Our diversity        ing. It’s important for us to feel like
provides fresh insights as we develop new       we are part of something bigger than
treatments for infectious diseases.             ourselves.

18                                                          JANUARY 2018
HALIFAX BUSINESS AWARDS

HALIFAX DISTILLING CO.                         J FARWELL SAILING CO.                         SATTVA BOUTIQUE
Tell us one thing people may not               How did you get your start?                   What is one thing people may not
know about your business?                           I had several small businesses grow-     know about your business?
     The one surprising thing many of          ing up, but in particular I began booking          The meaning of the name Sattva.
our customers don’t know about our busi-       out Murphy’s on the Water’s boats for         Sattva is a Sanskrit word (the language
ness is that the distillery is owned and       lifeguard summer cruises. I soon learned      of yoga and Ayurveda) used to describe a
operated by two ladies — and even more         how to make a profit while creating a         state of mind. The state of mind that feels
astonishing to people is that one of those     unique experience. I quickly expanded         light, clear, connected and content —
ladies is our Master Distiller!                and then began a relationship with the        an intangible experience of wholeness,
                                               Murphy family. I was fortunate enough         balance and truth. We actually don’t talk
Where do you see your organization             to buy into their family business while       about this much in our business, for most
in 10 years?                                   mortgaging my home and my mother’s            people it’s just a word, but it helps me and
     Our vision is that within 10 years        home (I love my mom who believed in           my staff come back to our intention on a
J.D. Shore rum is “the” rum — everyone         me). I continued to buy more shares over      regular basis.
will be drinking J.D. Shore rum and all        time and eventually bought them out
the other rums are only a memory.              and merged with Dennis Campbell with          Where do you see your organization
                                               Ambassatours. I worked with Dennis            in 10 years?
What is your proudest                          as my partner for a few years and then             That’s a tricky one! It’s always
accomplishment?                                sold my business to him in January, 2017.     good to have goals, but this is so far
     Our proudest accomplishment is            Next up was J Farwell Sailing Co.             away, anything could happen by then.
that Halifax Distilling Co. is the first rum                                                 Right now we need a small addition
distillery in downtown Halifax. Halifax        What is one thing people may not              to our existing shop. As well, there is
Distilling Co. is the people’s distillery!     know about your business?                     opportunity for growth in e-commerce,
                                                    It’s definitely the “wow” factor.        especially connecting with the growing
What has been the biggest challenge            Most of our guests leave the tour saying,     population of conscious consumers. Then
to being a new business?                       “It was the highlight of our trip,” or        there is another store. I don’t see another
      Our biggest challenge has been           “I had no idea that this was available.”      Sattva specifically, but a sister store with
money management — having the finan-           The hands-on sailing experience is thrill-    similar beliefs and different products.
cial resources that allow the business to      ing and we’ve created products that reach     That should take about 10 years! I would
have enough product and enough staff           a variety of different markets. We believe    also like to employ and mentor as many
to satisfy our customers’ requests in a        we are bringing one of Nova Scotia’s most     people as I can. I am learning what a big
timely manner.                                 beloved traditions to visitors and locals —   impact we can have on the lives of our
                                               giving them a taste of our beautiful          staff members and the lack of retail or
Do you have any tips for people who            province.                                     fashion careers available for those inter-
are thinking about starting their own                                                        ested in staying in Halifax.
business?                                      What has been the biggest challenge
     We want to tell anyone starting their     to being a new business?                      What is your proudest
own business that they require tenacity —           Coming from a larger business of         accomplishment?
the strong ability to “keep on truckin’”       500 employees to my new business of                An unsolicited nomination for this
when all the nay sayers say what you want      eight employees, I’ve been humbled to         award is a pretty big deal. If I place, that
to do can’t be done. Follow your dream.        get back to the basics of starting from the   would definitely become my answer to
When you are following your dream, you         ground up. I have an appreciation for all     this question in the future. Another big
keep your drive — no matter how dismal         small businesses that take that leap and      one was the one-year mark of our store
things may appear at times. Soon you           go for it. Like many businesses, we oper-     on Agricola Street. At the same time I
will realize that even when you aren’t at      ate in a highly regulatory environment        hired a Boutique Co-ordinator, my full-
work, you are living and breathing your        and experience setbacks and other oper-       time employee. This was a pretty proud
dream — they are one in the same!              ational issues. We adjust, solve problems     moment. For me it was a measure of
                                               and move forward.                             success — I felt like I was going to make it.

                                                         BUSINESS VOICE                                                                19
HALIFAX BUSINESS AWARDS

SMALL BUSINESS of the year finalists

                                                                                                Sponsored by:

                                                                                                Small Business
                                                                                                of the year finalists
                                                                                                L-R: Trevor Bergmann of AeroVision
                                                                                                Canada Inc., Anita Kirkbride of
                                                                                                Twirp Communications Inc.,
                                                                                                donalee Moulton of Quantum
                                                                                                Communications, Peter MacLaren
                                                                                                of BlueLight Analytics and
                                                                                                Faten Alshazly of WeUsThem.

                                                  What has been the biggest challenge           How is your business contributing to
                                                  to being a small business?                    making Halifax a better place?
                                                        Certainly it has to be educating and         BlueLight is based in Halifax but pri-
                                                  demystifying drones. As a small business      marily works with clients across the globe
                                                  that started near the grassroots level of     and in doing so, we hope we are helping
AEROVISION CANADA INC.                            a new industry, we have struggled many        create a more global awareness of the
                                                  times to influence prospective clients that   city and the talent it possesses. We are
If you could follow in the footsteps of
                                                  the technology and services we provide        heavily involved in the startup ecosystem
a successful business, which would it
                                                  can provide tremendous value to their         in Halifax and try to hire recent gradu-
be and why?
                                                  business. Second to that would be raising     ates to help retain bright young talent in
      Elon Musk and SpaceX. They failed
                                                  capital. Many banks and private lenders       the province. At the same time, we work
repeated attempts to launch their own
                                                  still see the commercial UAV industry         with our enterprise partners to ensure
rockets — three times with the fourth being
                                                  as high-risk but we are starting to see a     that checkMARC tests are being carried
their final try, due to available capital. Even
                                                  positive shift with that perspective.         out at dental clinics around the city so
after being told the business would never
                                                                                                that people don’t need to worry about the
work and to leave space to the profession-
                                                                                                outcomes of their fillings when they visit
als, they persevered and launched their
                                                                                                a dentist in Halifax.
first of many successful flights.
                                                                                                Does your business engage youth
How is your business contributing to
                                                  BLUELIGHT ANALYTICS                           and/or immigrants? What does that
making Halifax a better place?
                                                                                                bring to your business?
     AeroVision Canada Inc. contin-               What has been the biggest challenge
                                                                                                     At BlueLight we tend to hire for fit
ues to bring the focus of the Canadian            to being a small business?
                                                                                                rather than role and one way that has
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industry                 As a small business, we are often
                                                                                                manifested is in hiring recent graduates
back to Halifax at every available oppor-         limited in our time and resources. One
                                                                                                and young talent, giving them substantial
tunity. More and more, we are afforded            of the biggest challenges of being a small
                                                                                                responsibilities right off the bat. Along-
opportunities to discuss topics such as           business with a small team is allocating
                                                                                                side providing mentoring and training,
drone regulations and tech news with              our time and resources to have the great-
                                                                                                we try to create opportunities where they
the media, and each time we try to draw           est impact. Everyone tends to wear many
                                                                                                can learn new skills and explore their
attention to the technological center of          hats and is required to constantly reas-
                                                                                                professional interests.
excellence that Halifax is becoming. AVCI         sess what they are prioritizing and how it
has also offered youth groups a chance            will help the company move forward and
to learn more about drone technology              be successful in the long run.
and how they can steer their education
towards a future in robotics and aviation.

20                                                           JANUARY 2018
HALIFAX BUSINESS AWARDS

QUANTUM COMMUNICATIONS                        TWIRP COMMUNICATIONS INC.                      WEUSTHEM
What would you say is your                    What would you say is your                     Where do you see your organization
organization’s proudest achievement?          organization’s proudest achievement?           in five years?
     Quantum Communications was                    Helping Spring Loaded Technology               We are a growing, diverse team and
founded so that we could offer personal       and Souls Harbour Mission each win a           plan to expand our team organically over
and professional service to clients. We       $100,000 prize through social media            the next five years. We see ourselves in a
know we’ve achieved our goals when            campaigns were definitely high points          couple of different markets over the years
clients continue to come back and when        for me. It was validation of my ability to     to further our growth in the regions that
we don’t just provide a service, but estab-   set out a strategy, implement it and meet      need us there the most locally. Clients
lish a relationship. The quality of our       a goal. And it felt pretty amazing to help     require agencies in-market for a variety
work is critical to this and we are proud     both organizations receive the prize, but      of services and we intend to provide the
to be one of a handful of companies and       also the added publicity and awareness         same in-markets that serve our continued
organizations (including Best Buy and         for them that came with winning.               growth and our clients’ needs mutually.
the Saskatchewan Roughriders) featured
in a national book that looked at highly      Where do you see your organization             What has been the biggest challenge
successful public relations initiatives.      in five years?                                  to being a small business?
                                                   Twirp is diversifying. Social media             The biggest challenge? We are small!
How is your business contributing to          is changing and I’m trying to keep up just     Small is defined as being nimble and
making Halifax a better place?                like everyone else. I’ve got plans for apps    quick to react, but in our industry, small
     For us, business is about being part     that will help small businesses manage         is also looked upon as being not capable
of the community and that means we            social media and plans for programs to         of handling large accounts. We have
must put our money, our time and our          help train people to manage social media       however, surpassed these challenges a
hearts into giving back. We are actively      themselves. In five years I see Twirp more     few years ago and are currently serving
involved in supporting numerous com-          as a resource hub and less a manager of        blue chip clients, along with a variety
munity groups. That may mean turning          client accounts.                               of governmental agencies taking over
up to do yoga with bunnies or being the                                                      from what was this year’s number one PR
major sponsor in a capital campaign. It       How is your business contributing to           agency and what was last year’s number
always means our role is about so much        making Halifax a better place?                 one creative agency internationally.
more than our bottom line.                         My vision sees a time when all small
                                              businesses can manage their own social         What brings customers back to you?
What has been the biggest challenge           media. We’re getting there. As younger               We thrive on building relationships,
to being a small business?                    generations come into the workforce            not clients. Unlike most in our industry we
     Learning to breathe. As a business       and start businesses, there is less and        aren’t in it to bill each hour, but we are in
owner, I feel a personal and profound         less of a need to outsource social media       it to ensure our solutions have longevity
connection to clients, employees,             management. To encourage this, a large         and are sustainable. Clients come back
colleagues and contractors. We work           part of my business focuses on teach-          because they trust us. They do because we
together on issues and initiatives that       ing small business owners how to use           have earned that through our first interac-
matter to us and to our community. It         social media. I’m doing that with courses      tion which leads to the second, and a third
can be tough to find the balance between      through the Department of Labour and           and so on, furthering a relationship that
work and everything else. I would like        Advanced Education, speaking at pro-           lasts for years to come. We have not had
to tell you I’ve gotten much better at this   fessional development conferences and          a situation where we have had to break
over time, but I’m not really sure I have.    of course, through my educational blog,        ties or walk away from a client, project or
                                              newsletter and social media profiles. I        account and we have never given them a
Why did you choose Halifax?                   have also advised several local non-profit     reason to do so either.
     I’m not sure I chose Halifax; I think    organizations and charities to help them
it chose me. Halifax is home. It’s where      win contests, sell tickets and collect         Why did you choose Halifax?
I grew up. My roots are here — I have         donations to help their clients. All of this        Halifax is home, and it will be for
friends today I went to primary school        helps to make Halifax businesses more          the foreseeable future for WeUsThem.
with. Opportunities to work elsewhere         competitive in the local, national and         We may have outposts as far as the U.S.,
never matched up to the joy of working        global marketplace.                            Europe, Asia and the Middle East, but we
and living here, a place where people                                                        will always have a foothold here on the
do have time for a cup of coffee, where                                                      East Coast. As long as Halifax is willing
they share ideas and insights, where they                                                    to have us, we can’t imagine being any-
know your name.                                                                              where else for our base of operations.

                                                        BUSINESS VOICE                                                                  21
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