Kamloops Business

An exclusive feature publication of The Daily News JUNE/JULY 2013

INSIDE CHAMBER NEWS: NAtIoNAl StANDARDS WIll HAvE loCAl BENEfItS

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Are bitcoins the future of currency or just A pAssing fAd?

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Kamloops Business is published six times a year by The Kamloops Daily News advertising department, 393 Seymour St., Kamloops, B.C. V2C 6P6. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher’s written permission.

Unsolicited material will not be returned. Publisher assumes no responsibility. For editorial information, contact Kamloops Business editor Danna Bach.

A division of Glacier Ventures International Corp. Publications Mail Registration No. 0681.

Phone (250) 372-2331

Publisher TIM SHOULTS

INSIDELincoln Smith, executive director of Kamloops Innovation Centre, hopes to balance the ups and downs of entrepreneurship by creating a supportive environment.

COVER STORY

High-Tech Hot SpotENtrEPrENEUrS KNOw hOw dIffIcULt It IS tO gEt Off thE grOUNd, BUt By PrOvIdINg SPAcE whErE thEy cAN grOw, LEArN ANd ShArE EASILy, fOStErINg StArtUPS hAS SUddENLy BEcOME EASIEr. /PAgE 10

Supervising Editor ROBERT KOOPMANS

Contributing writersJennifer Muir, Susan Duncan, Larkin Schmiedl, Sadie Cox

Manager,Specialty Publications Aj NIjjER

The Daily News is a member of the B.C. Press Council. It is published daily except Sundays and most holidays at 393 Seymour St., Kamloops, B.C. V2C 6P6.

Advertising Director KEvIN dERgEz

KEIth ANdErSON//KAMLOOPS BUSINESS

FEATURES

KCBIA Report, 28

Solid Advice, 29

Building Permit Stats, 28

Q&A, 30

Editor’s Message, 8

Tech Talk, 18

Chamber News, 20

Venture Kamloops, 25

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

Success is Sweet for Cider CompanyEntrepreneurial spirit comes out of Left Field /22

Bitcoins Gaining Currency

Women Find Fulfilment in IT SectorInformation technology no longer just a boys’ club /14

Is digital money a passing fad or is it the currency of the future? /18

Editor dANNA BACH

Mair Jensen Blair LLP - Lawyers 700 - 275 Lansdowne Street, Kamloops, BC V2C 6H6 Ph: 250-374-3161 Fax: 250-374-6992 Toll Free: 1-888-374-3161 Email: [email protected]

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Articling Student

Be Prepared for IncapacityPlanning for the possibility of incapacity is not on everyone’s list, but it should be. People are living longer and not necessarily in good health. The family demographics of an aging population, fewer children, more divorces and increasing blended families raise issues and concerns for anyone deciding the question “Who will make decisions when I no longer can?”.

In British Columbia there are seven legislative Acts that deal in some way with issues of incapacity, health care, mental health, abuse and neglect and all aspects of adult guardianship. The Power of Attorney Act and the Representation Agreement Act set out ways in which a person can plan in advance for their legal and financial care and health care respectively by making an Enduring Power of Attorney or a Representation Agreement. Under the Health Care (Consent) and Care Facility (Admission) Act it is also possible to do an Advance Directive for Health Care which provides direct instructions to health care providers in specific circumstances.

This article will deal primarily with Enduring Powers of Attorney and Representation Agreements. These documents allow you to choose who will have your legal authority to make decisions about your health care and your legal and financial matters, usually in a circumstance where you no longer have legal capacity to decide for yourself. Both documents must be made while you are legally competent. And each document can set out the extent of the authority you are granting. You should be aware that the Power of Attorney Act substantially changed and was updated in September 2011, so even if you have a pre-existing Power of Attorney (which has been grandfathered), it may be useful to have it reviewed. The new Act allows for a more complex document and imposes duties and obligations on whoever acts as Attorney, which may be important and useful to you in the context of your own

family requirements. The new Act also prohibits certain persons from acting as an Attorney.

A Representation Agreement deals only with health issues and allows you to appoint a healthcare Representative. You can name family members or someone un-related to you to act as Representatives. You can set out the specific or general limits of the health care authority. You can outline specific treatment choices in circumstances where you are terminally ill or there is no reasonable prospect of recovery. The person you appoint is required to follow your known wishes and beliefs. And you can specify when the Agreement is to come in to effect. In the absence of a Representation Agreement, the Health Care (Consent) Act mentioned previously sets out those persons qualified to act as temporary substitute decision makers to provide consent to your treatment if you are unable to do so.

In cases of permanent incapacity, if there is no Enduring Power of Attorney or Representation Agreement, it may be necessary for someone to apply to the Supreme Court for an Order appointing them your Committee in order to deal with your property and person.

The benefits of having pre-planned for your possible incapacity cannot be understated. Your age and medical condition should not determine when you proceed. Knowing you have considered and put in place basic documents to cover your incapacity, will be a comfort and assurance to you and your loved ones.

This article is not legal advice and is general in nature. You should consult a lawyer at Mair Jensen Blair LLP to discuss your specific situation.

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While I wouldn’t consider myself old, I do remember a time where there was no such thing as an IT department; a time

before anyone even used the term information technology.

Back when I first began working as a journalist, if you were lucky enough your company employed a “computer guy,” someone who, when he wasn’t busy doing his other full-time job, would help sort out why you couldn’t connect with the printer, why your emails wouldn’t send, or why the computer shut down

every time you pressed a certain key in a certain program. If my troubles required more assistance than the computer

guy could provide, or if, god forbid, he took a vacation, there was a help desk somewhere far, far away, staffed by a whole bunch of computer guys skilled enough to fix my issues remotely.

Back then, computer guys only ever responded to computer emergencies.

Things have changed. Just about every sizeable company employs skilled IT personnel — or contracts out those services. Now, successful companies realize the benefit of custom design-ing software to create efficiencies and to minimize down time.

Think about how your business works on a day-to-day basis and imagine if there were a way to make some of those time-sucking tasks go away. That’s where an excellent and creative IT professional becomes a superhero — they give the companies who hire them more time, and as every business person knows, time is money.

The information technology field has evolved so much in such a short time. IT professionals aren’t just “computer guys,” they are creative individuals, some from a programming fields, others with degrees in business, marketing, natural resource science and health care. They are innovators, and the fantastic thing about being an innovator is that you can do it from anywhere on the globe, provided there’s network capacity.

Kamloops offers everything the high-tech sector needs — network capacity, a thriving business community, a pool of potential employees through Thompson Rivers University and a low cost of living relative to other, major centres.

This is my first issue back from a one-year maternity leave and it reminded me why I love my job so much.

Stay tuned for the August/September edition of Kamloops Business where we profile the winners of the inaugural Under 40 Awards. We were astounded by the number of nominees and are just beginning the selection process.

Danna Bach is the editor of Kamloops Business. She can be reached by email at [email protected].


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Part business incubator, part business accelerator, the Kamloops Innovation Centre (or Kamloops Innovation) is all about developing

excellence in the high-tech sector and attracting technology businesses to the region.

Serving multiple roles as a resource, mentor, and partnership supporter to high-tech startup companies, the centre has adopted the benefits of a business incubator model, which traditionally helps new entrepreneurs access such things as office space, skills training and financing, and has coupled it with the merits of an accelerator program, which is more focused on business growth strategies.

“These terms get bandied around, but a lot of what we are doing in Kamloops is unique,” says Jaethan Reichel, a founding member of the centre and co-lead of iTel Technologies, which owns the building and occupies space within.

Reichel, along with a handful of seasoned high-tech industry representatives, were spurred by the idea of fostering startups in a space they could grow, learn and share, easily.

highBy Jennifer muir

KAmloops cultivAtes HigH-tecH ‘ecosystem’

Lincoln Smith, executive director of the Kamloops Innovation Centre, says programs and supports will help entrepreneurs thrive in the long term.

KEIth ANdErSON/KAMLOOPS BUSINESS

high-tech

What they’ve helped develop over the course of the past two years is something the centre’s executive director Lincoln Smith calls a high-tech “ecosystem,” where entrepreneurs can lease affordable space to do their day-to-day work and, at any given time, access programs and supports that will keep them thriving in the long term.

“Entrepreneurship is fraught with ups and downs. That balances out when there are others who have had the same situations,” says Smith. “Conversations that happen in 10 minutes can help solve problems that might otherwise take hours if someone was on their own.”

And hours are precious when starting and building a business.

Located at 348 Tranquille Rd., Kamloops Innovation’s unassuming building exterior is a contrast to the buzz of activity inside. Discussions between

company owners might happen over desktop computers or individuals might migrate to the centre’s comfortable lounge where meetings take place to brainstorm ideas or share successes.

The physical space has been renovated to include several individual offices without compromising the communal energy that keeps the place humming. The floor plan is organized to convey openness with tall glass walls and doors along a U-shaped hall-way. There are also meeting rooms on the main level available for companies’ use as well as an undeveloped square-footage on the ground level that may eventually become temporary office space for organizations with shorter-term needs. The centre also provides in-residence companies with office furniture, phones, Internet access, and even has a shower for those who wish to get in their exercise while commuting to work.

Who’s Who of KamloopS InnovaTIon

Currently, eight startup companies are in-house clients of the Kamloops Innovation

Centre, in addition to a handful of other organizations that are supported virtually. In-house clients pay a discounted rental cost for space (based on current market value), which also includes expenses such as utilities and Internet access to help keep overhead low as companies build their businesses.

They are:n MeMory Leaf: An online platform developed to share stories, memories, photos and other media with family and friends who have lost loved ones.n MeLLeM: An industrial design company that addresses product and service challenges through industrial design solutions for individual clients, as well as small and large businesses.n open GaMinG SoLutionS (oGS): Focused on the “iGaming” industry, OGS has created an online platform that helps North American provincial and state lotteries bring their products to the Internet.n Vocaba: An online vocabulary and terminology tool for secondary and post-secondary students and teach-ers, which uses flashcards and tracks progress to support learning.n truVian LabS: A web-based mapping developer focused on intuitive data gathering and management for increased usability, speed and productivity. n exoduS Media: A website and application development company providing content management, social media integration, and mobile app solutions.n care caLLer: Developer and marketer of an emergency call system used in a wide range of industries across Canada.n Spire teLeMaticS: Developer of command-and-control software that lets companies protect and manage their personnel and assets accessed from a single, online interface.

The centre is close to capacity, although additional spaces are available to high tech startups.

‘entrepreneursHip

And downs’Is fraught

WitH ups >> LincoLn smith, KAmLoops innovAtion centre



Kamloops Innovation, which is a registered non-profit society, accesses provincial and federal funding to operate and has a staff that includes Smith as well as operations manager Kimberely Eibl and communications officer Siobhan McKee.

“There is a lot of power when companies come together in one location,” says Smith. “There are new ideas, new approaches, things that everyone can benefit from.”

power of MentorShipSPart of that energy has been focused on the

benefits of mentorship.In the same way Kamloops Innovation has taken

the best of both worlds in terms of incubator and accelerator, it’s taken a multi-faceted approach to business mentorship.

By definition, a business mentor is someone who has learned what it takes to be successful in a given field, and shares that knowledge and advice with new entrepreneurs in similar sectors. As a member of the B.C. Innovation Council (BCIC) Accelerator Network, the Kamloops-based centre has access to programs and mentor opportunities that span the region and the province, as well as funded programs such as the

BCIC Venture Acceleration Program.“We are hoping to gain more support through

mentors in the region,” says Smith. “Our goal is to support the needs of a new company so when they succeed, they will also come back to help mentor others.”

Startups learn to pitch their product or service ideas among experts to identify growth, financial or partnership prospects, and can access mentors to bounce off other ideas that may be brewing. Through events and guest speakers they also build networking skills.

Mentorship happens on other levels, too, through the centre’s in-house expertise from Smith, Reichel and others that make up a high-tech advisory board.

Scott Foubister, who came to Kamloops Innovation as a young entrepreneur in its early days, is proof the mentorship process is in motion on a variety of levels. He was a physics student at Thompson Rivers University when he developed an idea for using online flashcards to help him learn vocabulary in a Spanish elective. The process worked so well Foubister decided to share it with other students and his professors, who encouraged him to consider developing flashcards for other courses, too.

Kamloops Innovation speaker Don Anderson, left, of TQM Consulting, speaks with jaethan Reichel of iTel Network, Dan Erikson of Truvian Labs and Larissa Pepper, TRU career mentoring program representative.



He eventually found his way to Smith, who helped him develop his study aid idea into a marketable business product.

“Right from the start, he helped me with the steps,” says Foubister. “I got advice on the strategy of the business and I still get his opinion on an ongoing basis.”

The experience has encouraged Foubister to mentor others through Venture Kamloops Venture Advisors program as a member of their business panel.

Mentorship also happens at the centre, colleague to colleague. That could mean one business owner may advise another on a funding or grant opportunity one day, and the next that same person may seek advice related to business operations from the entrepreneur in the office next door.

“I can run into a problem and chances are someone else has gone through that problem and can help me quickly,” says Dan Erikson, who owns the startup company Truvian Labs. “There’s a lot of knowledge that is shared even though we are all working in our niche markets.”

Erikson is also a graduate of Thompson Rivers University, from the natural resource science program, and developed his web-based mapping systems for companies to gather and analyze data through a user-friendly interface. He, like Foubister, came to the centre two years ago as one of the first few companies and has watched it grow to include both on-site and virtual members.

“It’s really a place to connect with like-minded individuals,” he says.

Other facets of Kamloops Innovation include access to research opportunities through a partnership with Thompson Rivers University as well as special events such as H4ck Nights where “tech curious” individuals come together and work on projects collaboratively or individually and gather inspiration from the group.

Smith, who divides his time between Kamloops Innovation and as director, research partnerships and enterprise creation at TRU, says access to research opportunities is also a large draw for new or existing high-tech companies that may consider relocating to Kamloops.

“With our partnership with TRU, companies coming here have access to research services that the university can provide.”

JoininG the centre’S workpLace cuLtureThere is no formal application procedure for

bringing a business idea to the centre or for accessing the space and services provided. Startups interested in learning more come pitch their ideas and are advised based on their individual needs and where they are at in the business development process.

Reichel says the process aims to be inclusive and should not intimidate those who may have a great business idea but don’t see themselves as part of the high-tech sector.

“The message we want to share to people is that even if someone doesn’t think they are a technical person, but has an idea, we are a place where people can come and ask questions. We can help people find the right partners. . . . The culture isn’t just about people using keyboards. It could be about the person holding a welding torch or someone making plastic mouldings.”

Philippe Schlesser of Mellem Design and Dan Erikson of Truvian Labs. Erikson says the centre is “a place to connect with like-mind-ed individuals.”


KB

> CAREER

Women who teach and work in the world of information technology can’t understand why girls aren’t rushing into a career they say has it all — from total

job satisfaction to high pay.And it’s a field built for many of the natural

skills women possess.“It’s also one of those careers you never want to

change once you are in it,” says Brenda Mathews, a computer sciences professor at Thompson Rivers University. “I never hear from former students that they are bored with their jobs. I always hear them say ‘I love my career so much.’ ”

Which is exactly how Lea Baxter, a software analyst,

phrases it a day later in a separate interview. “I love my job,” she says enthusiastically,

adding she hopes more women realize the IT world is so much more than gaming and taking apart computers.

Baxter originally got a diploma in information technology and knew immediately this was the field for her. She went on to work in the co-op program, which allowed her to earn money while she studied for a bachelor’s degree in computer sciences.

She works at TRU in enterprise systems where the director is Anna Machaj and the web and internal services co-ordinator is Ruth Hughes. Both women are equally enthusiastic about their career choice.

They view information technology as an exceptional field for their gender, but, like Mathews, have noticed a decline in the number of young women opting for computer sciences studies.

think it is

think AgAinboys’ A

club?

informAtion tecHnology A fAntAstic cAreer cHoice

for young WomenBy susAn DuncAn

Deb McKeown, senior developer,

IT for Arrow Transportation


“Enrolment in technology courses is up overall,” says Mathews. “But for some reason, women are not enrolling in the numbers they once were.”

Machaj calls it a missed opportunity because it’s a field where women excel. IT careers need people who are able to multi-task and are detail oriented — both of which women do well.

She recalls teaching a technology course and noticing a lack of female students in the room. In stark contrast, a few months ago she attended a conference for chief information technology officers where many attendees were women.

“Women who get into IT are almost always successful. Many attain high roles in the industry,” Machaj says.

Mathews suspects more young women would be interested in an IT career if they understood the vast area of work available in the field.

“The career path is huge — gargantuan. IT is not one- dimensional. The field allows for so much innovation. It’s not just programming or web design or sitting in front of a computer.

It’s about finding solutions for organizations to be more productive. You have to be a good communicator and you have to like people.”

It’s also a respected career because it’s essential, which also means the pay scale is higher.

“It is something that in this current day and age is key to the

functionality of a business,” says Machaj.

“It is the key to functionality of our society. Everything relies on technology. If IT stops, then business stops.”

TRU’s IT department has three distinct areas: client services, network and technical services, and enterprise systems.

Ruth Hughes, Anna Machaj and Lea Baxter work in the enterprise systems department of IT services at Thompson Rivers University.

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Baxter, Machaj and Hughes all work in the enterprise systems department of information technology services. They describe themselves as mostly coders, which means they write, implement, and enhance software that enables the end users to do something more effectively.

“Coding exists everywhere. You press a button for an elevator or get candy from a vending machine, it’s code that makes all that stuff work,” says Baxter.

“For us, we are constantly trying to improve the student experience and make it possible for faculty and staff to do their jobs more efficiently.”

At Arrow Transportation, Deb McKeown is a senior developer in the IT department, which provides the pulse for what drives the company.

“We figure out how to get from here to there in the most elegant and logical way,” she explains, and by that, she doesn’t mean mapping routes for the trucks.

“We have a business analyst (also a woman) who talks to the users about what they need and then I help to come

up with a solution to their needs. I create software that is used by the business and that can be anything that makes it easier for people at Arrow to do their job.”

She might create a software program to manage incidents or to keep track of inventory or she could review data relat-ed to speed and fuel consumption and write a report with an eye to creating efficiencies.

McKeown’s interest in her career choice has rubbed off on her daughter who, although she has a degree in engi-

neering, has now decided to go into computer sciences.

“There is a lot of variety, which is one of the things I like about the work. It’s a very creative field,” she says.

The description doesn’t fit with the stereotypical view of technology, but was used at least once by Mathews, Machaj, Hughes and Baxter as they talked about their jobs.

IT people need to be logical thinkers, with an interest in math. They also have to enjoy constant learning because if one thing is for certain about technolo-gy, it’s that it is always changing.

“You are always on the edge of what’s happening,” says Mathews. “That makes it fun and hard at the same time, because you can never just sit still. You have to constantly be learning new things and that is good for the brain.”

So if there is one piece of advice all these women would pass along to high school girls with analytical minds?

Apply your logic to the field of tech-nology. Percentages are high you will never regret the choice.

you Are AlWAys on tHe eDge of WHAt’s HAppening. tHAt mAKes it fun AnD HArD At tHe sAme time . . .

BrendA mAthews

“KB


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> TECh TALk

It’s a currency that exists only online, its value fluctuates wildly and its future is uncertain. No nation controls it and it can be

used anonymously.Bitcoins have come onto the scene

in force over recent months due to a spike in value that got the media’s attention — and many new people are “mining” for bitcoins or buying them.

The thing is, the more bitcoins people get, the fewer there are to go around. The supply of the currency is limited by design. Fuelled by an algorithm, bitcoins are generated by users solving a complex mathematical problem using computer technology. The algorithms involved are too complex for non-nerds to understand; hence the term mining — it’s tough.

“The currency is designed as such that it’s a cryptographic problem, and you have a solution to that crypto-graphic problem that requires a significant amount of machine time to solve. And so this is how the number of bitcoins in circulation is limited, is by making it difficult to generate them,” said Derek Jacoby, a 10-year Microsoft veteran who’s still involved in the computer industry.

Bitcoins are designed so that the more of them mined, the more difficult it becomes. This ensures a steady flow of the currency into the network.

“It’s still really only the fairly technically-adept that are able to participate in the bitcoin game,” said Jacoby.

And bitcoins are currently experiencing an intensification in mining. About six months ago, the difficulty increased to the point that it is no longer cost-effective to mine bitcoins on video card hardware, as was previously being done.

“It used to be the case initially that you could mine bitcoins on the general processor in your computer, and then it got more difficult. It became more efficient to write video card GPU code to mine bitcoins. And it’s now the case that that is really only barely cost effective or not cost effective,” said Jacoby.

Now, a third generation of bitcoin mining technology involves dedicated mining chips.

“The game is changing such that it’s only dedicated hardware that’s going to be able to efficiently mine bitcoins from here on out,” said Jacoby.

Another way people are mining is by being part of a mining pool, which is a group of people who combine processor resources to increase their rate of earning bitcoins.

The maximum number of bitcoins that can ever exist in the world according to the algorithm is 21 million.

gAining currencyAre Bitcoins A pAssing fAD, or tHe enD of money? By lArKin scHmieDl

According to an algorithm, the maximum number of bitcoins that can exist worldwide is 21 million.thE ASSOcIAtEd PrESS



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Says Jacoby: “We’re just starting to get bitcoins going mainstream. We’ve just seen our second major bitcoin bubble, and the bubbles are primarily caused by bitcoin investment, but also by increasing exposure to bitcoin.

“I think by the time we hit the third bitcoin bubble it’s going to be a broader adoption. And so we’re just at the phase where we’re moving out of the technophile realm to (it) being a general currency.”

He hasn’t mined bitcoins himself, but has bought some for use as a convenience currency.

“If you look back a year, really the only places you could spend bitcoin were on Silk Road.”

Silk Road is an anonymous online marketplace that’s overwhelmingly used as a market for controlled substances and narcotics, according to experts. Bitcoin makes this easy to do, as it’s a more anonymous currency.

As the currency becomes better-known, it’s becoming used for more transactions in the real world.

“Six months ago you started to see

online businesses start to accept bitcoins,” Jacoby said.

For example, there’s a restaurant in Victoria where Jacoby lives, where he can buy a hamburger with bitcoins.

Online, sites like Reddit, WordPress, Mega and Wikileaks accept bitcoins. To check out a growing list of businesses that accept the currency, see https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Real_world_shops.

As far as investing, Jacoby thinks bitcoins are a risky investment in some ways, and many agree.

“I think it is a risky buy-and-hold investment,” he said. “We see so much volatility in the market at this point — I mean we went from a $30 bitcoin to a $260 bitcoin in the space of a week. And we were back down to a $70 bitcoin at a week after that, he said of the bitcoin market in mid-April alone.

“You cannot buy bitcoins and hold them and forget about them. . . . You do need to be watching quite closely.”

The initial bitcoin algorithm was created in 2009 by a programmer with the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. The currency is now created, traded and

controlled by bitcoin users. Unlike other currencies, it does

not depend on a central bank or on any nation, and is not subject to governmental control.

Bitcoins only exist in the digital realm, and are the most successful virtual currency yet.

Several other crypto-currencies do exist, and some aim to improve on bitcoins. The two largest of these are litecoins and PPCoin, according to the MIT Technology Review.

Jacoby thinks bitcoins could be a path toward the future.

“Over the long term as we look at the risks in governmental currencies a bitcoin-like currency has the potential to really change world currency markets. The idea of a distributed cryptographic currency I think is really a game-changer in the long term.”

Even if interest in bitcoin fades away, the currency could still leave a legacy.

Since becoming a billion-dollar market at the end of March, many are speculating about whether bitcoins will be a passing fad, or “the end of money.” KB

Chamber NEWS

Canadian Chamber accreditation, member engagement on tap

national Standards Have local Benefits

bob dienoKamloops Chamber PresidentCEO and owner, Nu-Tech Fire & Safety 4-953 Laval Cres Kamloops BC, V2C 5P4www.nutechfire.com

Longtime Kamloops resident Bob Dieno has been in business since 1996 and very involved with the community as a high-school football coach and officiate, and through his activities with the Rotary Club and the

Junior Achievement Program. Dieno became a Kamloops Chamber of Commerce board

member in 2009 and is excited about his role as chamber president for 2013-14.

“It means so much to me to be president because it is a reward for all the hard work I have put in to build my business, and to be recognized as a leader in the Kamloops community by my peers is amazing,” Dieno says.

He adds that he is especially grateful for the guidance and leadership offered by past presidents Maurice Hindle and Peter Aylen.

Dieno’s major goals for the coming year include achieving Canadian Chamber accreditation and increasing member engagement.

The Kamloops chamber is already well recognized in the country for “our development of policies and for our policy development process,” says Dieno.

“To achieve accreditation will mean Kamloops is formally recognized for doing everything right and having all our policies, procedures and information held to the highest standards available for a chamber in Canada.”

Dieno encourages members to come out to the many events held by the chamber of commerce. Networking socials, business growth programs and policy roundtables are all excellent ways for individuals to take advantage of chamber membership.

“The Kamloops chamber offers so many fantastic benefits that our business community needs to be taking

advantage of,” he says.Benefits include:

p Free ways to market your business.p Connections to many community businesses.p Money-saving benefits such as fuel discounts and a group-insurance program.p Representation of issues important to the business community at all levels of government.

If you want to know more about membership benefits or coming events, stop by the new Chamber of Commerce office at 615 Victoria St.

BOB DIENO

KB



Sunridge equipment401 Sunridge Crt.250-372-0417

Cliff Loucks and Carrie Leonard have worked hard at creating a successful partnership in life and in business. The couple met in high school when they were 14 and have been together ever since.

The pair started their business in 1994 as a sole proprietor-ship with a single truck, and now own and operate Sunridge Equipment Ltd., Chamber of Commerce First Nations Business of the Year in 2012.

Leonard proudly displays the award and family photos taken at the awards gala, crediting her family for their support and their role in the couple’s success.

“If you don’t have family, and you don’t have support, then you don’t have anything,” says Leonard. “My family is my rock.”

Past work projects include transport services, paving and dyke building. They now focus mainly on supporting the local mining industry.

“We have worked hard to prove that we are dependable and reliable. Mining is our future,” said Leonard.

Sunridge Equipment currently has about 20 pieces of equipment including rock trucks, excavators, loader dozers, a rock crusher and conveyor, water trucks, dump trucks and a Bobcat. They provide trained operators for all of their equipment and can easily access any equipment required, even if they don’t have it in their inventory.

Leonard and Loucks employ a team of 19 full-time and 18 part-time employees. Staffing is partly facilitated by their relationship with the B.C. Aboriginal Mine Training

Association. At times, up to 80 per cent of staff were First Nations, with about 20 per cent of them family members.

The success of Sunridge Equipment “is an example of what the participation agreement with New Gold is all about,” says Leonard.

“We’ve been able to give back to our community — to the First Nations Education Council, to support bursaries and scholarships,” she says. “Culturally, we support the Kamloopa Pow Wow — supporting our traditions and culture.”

Leonard said her priority is to provide First Nations with an avenue to create better lives for themselves and their families and to give back to the community.

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Carrie Leonard, co-owner of Sunridge Equipment Ltd., proudly displays her award for Chamber of Commerce First Nations Busi-ness of the Year in 2012.


KB

> FAMiLY bUSiNESS

Left Field — that’s where the idea came from, so it seemed only fitting to use it as a name for the business.

The Garthwaite family, owners and operators of Left Field Cider Co., locat-ed at Mamette Lake south of Logan Lake, are a shining example of made-in-B.C. entrepreneurial spirit. There’s no better time to catch a glimpse of that spirit than on bottling day.

During the spring, the Garthwaite fam-ily — sisters Kate Garthwaite and Theresa Pedersen, along with their parents Gord and Debbie Garthwaite, are usually in the cider house by sunrise every Friday and Sunday. By 8 a.m., neighbours and friends start rolling in. Grandpa shows

up, as do aunts and uncles. They’ll crack open a cider — Left Field offers two varieties, Big Dry and Little Dry — and then the bottling begins.

This is a craft brewery; it’s a passion turned into a profitable business, and it’s difficult to remain aloof and not get swept up in the excitement as the bottles get capped, pasteurized, labelled and packaged for delivery.

The bottling continues until noon when everyone breaks for lunch and heads home. They bottle two days a week — starting at the end of February and going through to the end of April — and then they focus on getting the product to market.

Right now, cider is still considered a niche market, but that market is growing fast. According to the Association of Canadian Distillers, since 2005, cider consumption has increased by 55 per cent.

But that still makes up a tiny percentage of the alcoholic drink market, so one of the main goals at Left Field is to educate.

beAring fruitleft fielD ciDer co. uses entrepreneuriAl spirit

to finD sWeet successBy DAnnA BAcH

Above: Debbie garthwaite caps bottles of Big Dry on bottling day.At top: The garthwaite family: Debbie, Kate, Theresa Pedersen and gord.

dANNA BAch/KAMLOOPS BUSINESS




“This is real cider; a full juice cider,” says Kate, who takes responsibility for getting her family hooked on cider making. “If there’s pomegranate in it, it’s not real cider,” she says with a grin.

While she grew up on the family ranch near Logan Lake, Kate had completed a degree in international development and was working in Vancouver as a fundraiser for a non-profit when she first became hooked on true, English-style cider.

“I got a bucket in my kitchen, filled it with apples, and made the worst thing in the world,” she says.

After that, she enrolled in a weeklong cider-making course at Washington State University in Mt. Vernon, Wash., where she learned the basics of cider making from renowned cider-expert Peter Mitchell.

“I came back super passionate about cider,” she says, so she bought a screw press for the apples and set about trying to get her hands on some proper cider apples.

“Mrs. Crabtree down the road had a crab apple tree,”

she says with complete seriousness. And that batch? “It wasn’t bad.”

A short time later, Kate enrolled in an advanced course at WSU, and after that there was nothing left to do but go to England.

“Fifty per cent of the world’s cider comes from Southwestern England. So I decided I

was going to quit my job and move there,” she says. She did, and eventually she found work at a cider house.

She stayed nine months, and during that time her dad and sister took the course at WSU. When she returned home in spring 2011, they planted the orchard. They launched their first product at Penticton’s Fest of Ale in April 2012, where it won Best Beverage and opened the cider house for tastings last May.

“My dad was on board right away,” Kate says, recalling that he happily built the cider house, figuring if the busi-ness didn’t work out, he’d just convert it to a really nice shop.

During the first year they made 10,000 litres, or 20,000 bottles of Big and Little Dry, which sold out in five months. One of the biggest surprises was how much sold right from the tasting room floor.

“Some days we were selling 40 cases a day.”This year, they’ve tripled production, whipping up a

whopping 60,000 bottles.“I don’t think we thought it would take off. It really did

come out of nowhere.”Left Field is still a small business, however, with the

Garthwaite family in charge of brewing, bottling and distribution. There are plans to launch a new product this year, and the website launches in June. The cider house is open for tastings every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May through to the end of September. They aren’t licensed to serve food, but guests are encouraged to bring a picnic and stay awhile, sampling cider on the patio.

While it would be easy to get carried away by the immediate success, Kate says the growth will be much more gradual in the years ahead.

“We’re constrained by the amount of cider apples avail-able,” she says, adding that as a craft brewery, it’s impor-tant to stay small to ensure quality.

“It’s a craft product, so if we sell out it’s not the end of the world.”

Currently, Left Field products are sold in private liquor stores in Vancouver and on Vancouver Island. They can also be found in Merritt, Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton. In Kamloops, you can find Left Field at the Liquor Depot, Stags Head Liquor Store, U-District Liquor Store, Sahali Liquor and Tumbleweeds. KB


The dramatic, continuing evolution of the high-tech sector has presented a unique and varying set of challenges and

opportunities in the field of economic development. The high-tech sector offers a job-rich environment that complements any community, but at the same time, high-tech businesses have specific infrastructure needs that must be met before any company can consider startup, expansion or relocation.

Studies suggest that since the high-tech bubble burst in 2004, employment growth in the high-tech sector has

outpaced growth in the private sector by a ratio of three to one. It’s this type of opportunity that has created a high level of competition among communities vying for new business and economic growth. These communities must be prepared, however, to meet the needs of high-tech companies. Power and data lines, and skilled people are absolutely critical for these companies. Communities that lack in any of these areas will not be successful in attracting high-tech business.

At Venture Kamloops, we maintain the high-tech sector as one of our key areas of focus. We’re working to ensure Kamloops is a legitimate choice that checks all the boxes for businesses. Kamloops offers the fibre-optic network that is essential for high-tech operations. We partner with Thompson Rivers University on a number of business and entrepreneurial programs. Kamloops is also home to the Kamloops Innovation Centre (KIC), which supports and nurtures technology-based businesses.

In addition to the infrastructure, labour and creative needs, Venture Kamloops seeks input from local high-tech businesses to be sure we know what business needs to thrive in Kamloops.

Last fall we hosted the Premier’s Tech Council at a roundtable with 15 local high-tech businesses. The discussions from that day-long event gave us a clear direction in our work to make Kamloops an easy choice for business. With the challenges of attracting jobs in the high tech sector addressed, we can then focus on the opportunities.

> VENTURE kAMLOOPS

Working to Draw High Tech to CityCommunities must be prepared to meet demands of tech firmsBY JIM ANDERSON >> VENTURE KAMLOOPS

jIM ANDERSON

KB


MArCh 2013

date issued: March 1Value: $267,870builder: Martin & Ange-la J. harrichhausen. Location/work: To construct a single family dwelling at 2118 Doubletree Cres.

date issued: March 4Value: $69,960builder: Jesse J. & Amy r. Brauner.Location/work: To construct a secondary suite and finish exist-ing basement at 688 harrington rd.

date issued: March 5Value: $100,000builder: Chatters Kam-loops Ltd.Location/work: Com-mercial alteration Ab-erdeen Mall, Chatters.

date issued: March 5Value: $48,500builder: 0840250 B.C. Ltd.purpose: To finish base-ment at 2106 Double-tree Cres.

date issued: March 6Value: $600,000builder: Wrabel Broth-ers Construction Ltd.Location/work: To construct a single family dwelling at 1798 Galore Pl.

date issued: March 6Value: $420,000builder: MacFin Devel-opment Inc.Location/work: To construct a single family dwelling at 1635 Cheakamus Dr.

date issued: March 7Value: $50,000builder: rivermist hold-ing Ltd.Location/work: Site servicing, 8265 Dallas Dr.

date issued: March 8building Value: $250,000builder: Dayton Mills Construction Ltd. Delta, B.C.Location/work: To

construct a commer-cial alteration to the Westsyde Liquor Store. 3435 Westsyde rd.

date issued: March 12Value: $38,520builder: Fidanza Enter-prises Ltd.Location/work: Finish basement 813 sq ft. at 2002 Stagecoach Dr.

date issued: March 12Value: $49,522builder: Servicemaster of KamloopsLocation/work: To con-struct an apartment alteration. Fire damage at 135-254 Beach Ave.

date issued: March 12Value: $62,080builder: Blaine and Cynthia Nowoczin Location/work: To finish 1552 sq ft area within existing base-ment at 2230 Linfield Dr.

date issued: March 12Value: $25,000builder: Scott and Crystal DalkeLocation/work: To construct a 112 sq m accessory building at 5898 Todd hill Cres.

date issued: March 13Value: $16,080builder: Jason and Lara DixonLocation/work: To construct an addition at 1219 Dominion St.

date issued: March 13Value: $26,400builder: Jason and Lara DixonLocation/work: To construct a detached 22x24foot garage 1219 Dominion St.

date issued: March 14Value: $700,000builder: Snow Terra Investments Ltd.Location/work: To con-struct a new mixed use building, Commercial/residential, at 1-2049 highland Pl.

date issued: March 14Value: $454,250

builder: Tyler and Amanda honeyLocation/work: To construct a new SFD with 1695sf fin on the main, 1538sf fin bsmt, 1384sf fin upper floor, a double attached garage, 390sf cov.deck, and 152sf porch at 1774 Galore Pl.

date issued: March 14Value: $12,700builder: Mathew WardLocation/work: Addition of covered entrance and rear covered deck at 5828 Leonard Pl.

Date Issued: March 15Value: $200,000builder: Tri-City Con-tracting Ltd.Location/work: Addi-tional 4 units added at 1200 harrison Pl.

date issued: March 15Value: $265,760builder: Allen Johnson and Katherine Ferguson Location/work: To con-struct a single family dwelling with 1512 sf fin on the main, 331 sf fin in the bsmt, a double attached garage, and 120 sf deck area at 894 Grant rd.

date issued: March 18Value: $139,000builder: Metro homesLocation/work: To place a Z-240 mobile home at 176-1655 Ord rd.

date issued: March 20building Value: $20,000builder: Jim Bouw-meester ConstructionLocation/work: To construct a commer-cial alteration for City Bookkeeping, 2020 Falcon rd.

date issued: March 20Value: $36,000builder: Sun Sage De-velopments Ltd. Location/work: To fin-ish basement. (900 sq ft ), 2195 Crosshill Dr.

date issued: March 20Value: $32,360

builder: Sun Sage De-velopments Ltd. Location/work: To fin-ish a basement (809 sq ft ), 1311 Dunbar Dr.

date issued: March 21Value: $250,000builder: TLN Contract-ing Ltd.purpose: To construct a 2 storey duplex (side 1) 148-2920 Val-leyview Dr.

date issued: March 21Value: $250,000builder: TLN Contract-ing Ltd.Location/work: To construct a 2 storey duplex (side 2) 149-2920 Valleyview Dr.

date issued: March 22Value: $60,000builder: Anne GrubeLocation/work: Car-riage house at B-917 Douglas St.

date issued: March 22Value: $523,492.50builder: Mark and Les-lie SeversonLocation/work: To construct a sfd in a multi site at 2-1898 McKinley Crt.

date issued: March 22Value: $350,000builder: Wrabel Broth-ers Construction Ltd.Location/work: To construct a 1847 sq ft single family dwelling. (Unfinished basement.) at 6234 hillview Dr.

date issued: March 22Value: $186,670builder: Jordan hollo-way and Erin BruzzeseLocation/work: 725 sq ft 3 storey addition to SFD at 1491 Mt. Duf-ferin Dr.

date issued: March 25Value: $200,000builder: Mota Dhaliwal Location/work: To construct a vegetable farm storage shed at 145 haslett rd

date issued: March 26Value: $175,000builder: A&T Project

DevelopmentsLocation/work: To construct a commer-cial alteration Coast Kamloops hotel 1250 rogers Way.

date issued: March 26Value: $125,000builder: Craig Day ContractingLocation/work: To construct a 333 sq ft front addition, inte-rior alteration and 294 sq ft carport at 128 Greenstone Dr.

date issued: March 27Value: $54,798builder: Thompson Val-ley restoration Ltd. Location/work: To construct a duplex fire repair at 938 Fernie rd.

date issued: March 27Value: $500,000builder: Stonewater Group of Franchises Ltd. Location/work: Com-mercial alteration, Mr. Mikes, 1200 Summit Dr.

date issued: March 27Value: $158,600builder: Apex Construc-tionLocation/work: To construct a duplex (side 1) Unit 9-2592 Crestline St.

date issued: March 27Value: $158,600builder: Apex Construc-tionLocation/work: To construct a duplex (side 2) Unit 10-2592 Crestline St.

date issued: March 27Value: $158,600builder: Apex Construc-tion Location/work: To construct a duplex (side 1) Unit 7-2592 Crestline St.

date issued: March 27Value: $158,600builder: Apex Construc-tion Location/work: To construct a duplex (side 2) Unit 8-2592 Crestline St.

> bUiLDiNg PERMiTS


APrIL 2013

date issued: April 2Value: $117,480builder: Mark & Tanya Sherwood Location/work: To construct a 891 sq ft 2 storey addition to SFD at 6745 McIver Pl.

date issued: April 2Value: $45,000builder: Pleausre Pools Pluspurpose: To construct an inground pool at 2094 Glenmohr Dr.

date issued: April 2Value: $283,230builder: h.K.r. Build-ers Ltd.Location/work: To construct a single-fam-ily dwelling. Unfinished Basement at 1790 Coldwater Dr.

date issued: April 3Value: $125,000builder: Metro homesLocation/work: To place a mobile home at 130-2401 Ord rd.

date issued: April 3Value: $90,000builder: Malcolm homes Ltd.Location/work: To construct a commer-cial alteration at 540 Victoria St.

date issued: April 3Value: $8,000builder: harold & Te-resa AtkinsonLocation/work: To construct a concrete retaining wall at 46 St. Paul St. W.

date issued: April 4Value: $78,400builder: 0963376 BC Ltd.Location/work: To construct a commer-cial alteration at 1420 hugh Allan Dr.

date issued: April 4Value: $150,000Location/work: Com-mercial alteration to restaurant, Oriental Express, 1166-8th St.

date issued: April 4Value: $297,613builder: P. Goldade homes Ltd.Location/work: New M.F.D at 39-3665 Westsyde rd.

date issued: April 5Value: $70,000builder: Eagle homes Ltd.purpose: To site a mo-bile home at 15-7805 Dallas Dr.

date issued: April 5Value: $450,000builder: Clinton hilliardLocation/work: To construct a SFD Finished Main floor and Loft at 2077 Pala-Mesa Pl.

date issued: April 5Value: $150,000builder: David Matiaspurpose/Location: To construct a fire repair and 300 sq ft 2 storey addition at 775 Stew-art Ave.

date issued: April 8Value: $65,000builder: Pleasure Pools PlusLocation/work: To install an in ground 16x32 swimming pool at 6648 Chukar Dr.

date issued: April 8Value: $50,000builder: A&T Project DevelopmentsLocation/work: To construct a commer-cial alteration at 929 McGill rd.

date issued: April 12Value: $257,275builder: Snow Terra Investments Ltd. Location/work: To construct a single fam-ily dwelling. 621 sq ft unfinished first storey at 1957 Galore Cres.

date issued: April 16Value: $9,200,000builder: A & T Alpine Construction Co. Ltd. Location/work: 101 residential units at 755 Mayfair St.

date issued: April 16Value: $50,400builder: Cody Labounty Location/work: Single family alteration to fin-ish 720 sq ft above ex-isting attached garage at 1258 Pleasant St.

date issued: April 17Value: $100,000builder: Cherry rV Park (1998) Ltd. Location/work: Plac-ing foundation for mini storage buildings F, G and h at 7530 Dallas Dr.

date issued: April 17Value: $400,000builder: randy Dillman purpose: To construct a 3-storey single-fam-ily dwelling. Finished basement level at 1647 Galore Crt.

date issued: April 18Value: $200,000builder: Con-Ex Civil Contractors Ltd. Location/work: re-taining walls on future lots 16 to 19, 2000 Qu’Appelle Blvd.

date issued: April 18Value: $180,500builder: Stahle Con-struction Inc. Location/work: To con-struct a commercial alteration at Northills Shopping Centre, The Dollar Tree, 700 Tran-quille rd.

date issued: April 18Value: $288,440builder: Fulcrum Devel-opment Inc. Location/work: To construct a new single family dwelling at 176 Fernie Pl.

date issued: April 19Value: $254,950builder: Becker Con-structionLocation/work: To construct a SFD. Finished basement at 2112 Doubletree Cres.

date issued: April 19Value: $375,000builder: Wrabel Broth-ers Construction

Location/Work: To construct a single fam-ily dwelling. Unfinished basement level, 1750 Galore Pl.

date issued: April 19Value: $77,000builder: A & T Project Developments Location/work: To construct a com-mercial alteration. SPA PUrE, 106-1150 hillside Dr.

date issued: April 24Value: $288,440builder: Fulcrum Devel-opment Location/work: To construct a SFD. Finished both floors including a 639 sq ft suite, 1763 Galore Pl.

date issued: April 24Value: $263,560builder: Commercial Building & Contracting Ltd. purpose: Commercial alteration, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, 700 Tranquille rd.

date issued: April 24Value: $267,400builder: Prime BuildersLocation/work: To construct a single fam-ily dwelling 236 sq ft unfinished first storey at 8702 Badger Dr.

date issued: April 24Value: $238,570builder: BJC Enter-prises Ltd. Location/work: To construct a 3 storey single family dwelling. 1072 sq ft unfinished basement but paid as finished with this per-mit, at 1061 Latigo Dr.

date issued: April 25Value: $175,000builder: Drobot Con-struction Location/work: To construct a duplex (side 1). Addressing will be changed when updated in the system for the second unit3140 Mara rd.

date issued: April 25

Value: $175,000builder: Drobot Con-structionLocation/work: To construct a duplex (side 2). Addressing will be changed when updated in the system for the second unit, at 3140 Mara rd.

date issued: April 26Value: $325,000builder: hemlock Con-struction Ltd.Location/work: To construct a single fam-ily dwelling. 944 sq ft unfinished first storey at 1715 Galore Pl.

date issued: April 29Value: $149,160builder: romi AroraLocation/work: To construct a commer-cial alteration at Jae healthy Lifestyles, 102-795 McGill rd.

date issued: April 30Value: $3,616,000builder: Trophy Enter-prises Ltd.Location/work: To construct a 53 unit seniors apartment. 5-storey residential Apartment Part 3 complex building per 3.2.2.45 Combustible, sprinklered at 154 Vernon Ave.

date issued: April 30Value: $5,000builder: Archie Con-tracting Location/work: To construct a commer-cial alteration at 444 Victoria St.

date issued: April 30Value: $500,000.builder: ridgeline Builders Location/work: To de-molish and rebuild new 2 storey SFD at 6504 Chukar Dr.

date issued: April 30Value: $95,000builder: Pronto Enter-prises Ltd.Location/work: To install a swimming pool at 4729 Aspen Park Dr.

> bUiLDiNg PERMiTS


> kCbiA REPORT

At the recent BIA-BC Conference, there were three keynote speakers who inspired us all to look at our downtown

spaces with new eyes.Vancouver entrepreneur Mark Brand

demonstrated that businesses are a vital part of the neighbourhood. They can and should be involved in social solutions. Brand stressed the impor-tance of persistence in searching for viable programs or projects. Don’t give up if some fail; his first attempt at a work program failed, but he learned from it and now has a suc-cessful program employing those with employment barriers.

From a different angle, Brent Toderain spoke on urbanism — city planning and urban design. He had much to say about creating a livable and complete downtown; however, two theories really stood out. First, the importance of having pedestrian-oriented streets as opposed to “traffic sewers” as Toderain put it. The other point was about downtown infill and how increasing density in the core areas is vital to its success.

Roger Brooks was an inspiring speaker who is an expert in creating a vibrant destination. Brooks’ company, Destination Development International, surveyed 400 successful downtowns and downtown districts throughout the U.S., Canada and Western Europe to identify the 20 most common ingredients for success.

The first red flag for me was when Brooks told me that he got lost trying to find downtown Kamloops. Way-finding signs for our downtown are obviously inadequate. The KCBIA has identified this as a priority but it just jumped several notches.

Signage in general is one of the 20 ingredients. On a tour of Victoria Street, Brooks noted a distinct lack of blade signs on businesses. Blade signs are perpendicular to the store front, as you are walking down the sidewalk you can see them along in front of you. Signs on the facia of buildings can only be seen from the opposite side of the street.

Another ingredient is the concept of bringing store window displays onto the street. Brooks recommends that the first two feet adjacent to a storefront be used as a continuation of visual merchandising — not sale racks, but attractive displays.

The final suggestion is to concentrate improvement efforts in a small core area first. Focus on creating critical mass in just a few blocks. The surrounding areas will follow and the entire downtown district benefits.

Three Experts, Three visions to Strive Forfresh ideas for improving downtown and urban livingBY GAY POOLER >> MANAGER, KCBIA

gAY POOLER

We view tourism as one of our economic opportunities that provides us with employment and revenue.

The Tk’emlups territory represents an authentic experience that attracts visitors from around the world.

As one of the main motivations of travel is cultural, we encourage resi-dents and visitors alike to visit the Secwépemc Museum and Heritage Park at the junction of Highway 5 and 1. It will give you a deeper under-standing of our people, our culture and our past. A look at the guest book from our museum demonstrates the global reach and impact this single facility has. The popular travel web site TripAdvisor.com rates it as the second most popular attraction in the Kamloops area after Sun Peaks.

We all know the amount of tourism revenue generated locally by the Rocky Mountaineer. The tourists it brings to our region and money they contribute to our economy is important. In addition, this company recently opened a new, state of the art, maintenance facility on TIB reserve lands. This, too, is an important source of jobs and revenue for our communities.

From Aug. 2 to 4, the Kamloopa Powwow will again attract many thousands of visits to our region. This is a major regional cultural event that also attracts tourists from every continent.

The travel and tourism industry is highly competitive and will require sophisticated marketing and co-operation to promote aboriginal tourism products and services and especially our own Secwépemc territory.

We will have to engage local and government organizations into our vision for the tourism industry. We share a pride for our beautiful land and want to encourage everyone to see what an amazing place it is to live, work and play.

In our view, participating in authentic experiences is a key product that we can offer tourists that aligns with and com-plements the Tournament Capital concept. We would like to see a hotel established on our reserve lands and there are several ideal locations that have development potential. We have opportunities for fishing and guiding experiences that we are currently exploring.

We can all welcome tourists to our region by sharing our knowledge, making new friends and taking some time to share the beauty, history and culture we have to offer.

> ACROSS ThE RiVER

aboriginal Tourism Benefits RegionExperiences give visitors deeper understanding of first NationsBY SHANE GOTTFRIEDSON >> CHIEF, TIB

SHANE gOTTFRIEDSON

KB KB


As a business owner, manager or supervisor do you care what your staff think of you?

Interesting question and it leads to the next question: Do you think profitability or performance is affected if your staff like or don’t like you?

It is one thing as a boss to say to me, “I don’t really care what my staff thinks of me as long they do their job.” However, that statement still does not rule out whether you are missing the opportunity to be more profitable or more productive by ensuring that your staff do like you, or more importantly, trust you.

The classic quote, “people don’t leave organizations, they leave their boss” rings true for this situation.

I would be the first to concede that leadership is not always a popularity contest; however, the evidence is overwhelming that if your staff don’t trust you then your bottom line is suffering.

Remember what it was like for you back in the day when you had a boss you didn’t trust? Remember how much that affected your performance?

If you are a leader and you have little or no trust from your staff, you are leaving money on the table.

Chances are your staff does not trust you if:p You have high employee turnaround.p You’re dealing with conflict on a daily basis.p You have upset customers.p Work that is being completed is sloppy.p Work has become more and more stressful for you.p There is little communication between you and your staff.p There is pressure from your own boss to perform better.

If the above sums up your reality as a leader, then unfortunately, your employees don’t trust you.

There is no easy solution. Most leaders in these situations default to implementing more processes and systems, or blame their staff, thinking that this will fix the problem. But as some of you have discovered, it is pointless if you have little or no trust.

The first step to building trust is to look at changing the behaviour of the leader.

Consider getting some leadership training or working with a leadership coach and go from there. Remember the problem stems from the behaviour of the leader, therefore that is the first place to start.

Shane Jensen, MA, ACC, CEC, is the senior principal for New Quest Coaching & Consulting. To learn more please see www.newquestcc.com.

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Do You Care What Staff Thinks of You?Gaining trust from employees will help the bottom lineBY SHANE JENSEN >> NEW QUEST

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KB


> Q&A

Graycon Group102 - 1361 McGill roadKamloops, V2C 6K7

If you’re tired of dealing with pushy IT salespeople only interested in meeting a product quota or IT help that leaves you even more confused

than you were, then it’s time to get real. That’s what you’ll find at Graycon Group — straight up, no-nonsense IT solutions.

Q: What services do you provide?“We provide a range of services from

help-desk support to improving work-flow and managing IT assets. The help desk was launched in Kamloops this year and that’s a really important service to be able to offer our customers. For organizations that already have an IT team, we’ll do infrastructure assess-ments and security assessments — sort of a report card for a business in terms of what their IT department is doing.

Q: How can the right IT equipment save money?“Our biggest approach is a proactive

approach to IT rather than a reactive approach. Being reactive is costly. If you’re proactive, you can plan and typically you’re not spending reactive money and wasting it.”

Q: Does incorporating IT require a business to have tech-savvy staff?

“No because if an organization doesn’t have an IT department, we’ll be that extension for them and provide them with information about when different pieces of equipment are going to need replacing and help them budget for that cost.”

Q: What makes Graycon different from other IT companies?

“We focus more on the business rather than just their IT needs. We’ll determine what their business goals are, what their future looks like, what their market is, who their partners are and position ourselves as more of a consul-tant in the business side of things. We take a look at where they are missing

achieving goals and wrap IT around it to help them achieve those goals.”

Q: What is your advice for people looking for ways to save money and increase efficiency?

“The first step would be to understand how their IT is currently managed. We look at all aspects within the business to come up with ways for them to manage IT better and that’s typically where we find cost savings.”

Q: Can you describe your “Karmic” approach?A. “Karma is one part of our four-part

balance score card which also includes client satisfaction — making sure our clients are happy, Grayconian satisfaction — if our people are happy, chances are our clients will be happy, and sustainable profitability — making money while we’re doing it, because of course, that’s why we are all in business. Karma is how we carry ourselves in our day-to-day lives, within the community and in our work lives—in everything we do.”

Grayconian Measures

Jim HArt of grAycon group focuses on Businesses, not Just tHeir tecHnicAl neeDs intervieW By sADie coX

jim Hart, Interior sales manager at graycon group on Mcgill Road, says “if our people are happy, chances are our clients will be happy.”


KB


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