Mary Teresa Bitti,
Financial Post Published: Monday, February 02, 2009
There is good news out there. And this year's Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies demonstrate you don't have to look hard to find it. While headlines warn of economic upheaval, this year's winners are thriving.
That's because they anticipated market challenges and prepared. "Even two years ago, companies were building contingency plans in the event of economic softness," says John Hughes, Deloitte partner, private company services, and national leader of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies Program. "These companies are close to their customers, close to the market -- they are always searching for information. So they have a good sense of what challenges are coming."
They've also considered all possibilities. "Because they are Best Managed companies, they do this scenario planning regularly," Mr. Hughes says. "They are continually evaluated. They are even helping their customers develop strategic direction."
Since 1993, Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies program has recognized excellence in Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $10-million. Companies are assessed on their overall business performance, sustained growth and the efforts of the entire organization. It includes executing a core vision, creating stakeholder value and excelling in the global economy. The evaluation process pairs applicants with coaches from Deloitte or CIBC Commercial Banking, who provide professional advice and counsel on the presentation. An independent panel of judges selects the final 50 annual award winners.
This year's winners are making the most of their strong balance sheets and cash reserves, seeking out opportunities to merge, partner with and acquire companies that will help them domestically and internationally. The emphasis is on smaller operations that need little investment and add revenue and margin to an-already healthy business. This is why the overriding theme for this year's Best Managed companies is "cautiously opportunistic."
"While there is an emphasis on growth of products and service lines, Best Managed companies are looking to acquisitions to improve their productivity and efficiencies for the long term," says Peter Brown, managing partner of Deloitte's private company services practice nationally. "More than ever, talent will determine a company's ability to win in its market -- and Best Managed companies realize this.
"Best Managed companies are building and rewarding the skills that foster unique ideas to improve operations and sales."
The Best Managed program has become a valuable Canadian network of entrepreneurs and management teams that aids Canadian business by allowing leaders to share valuable lessons. "Our vision for the program as we look to the future is to create a harbour for Canadian businesses to learn through the Best Managed Companies' strategic evaluation process and to make Canadian businesses, and more importantly the people who run them, more successful,"
Mr. Hughes says.
"The power is in the network. Deloitte, in concert with Best Managed program partners CIBC Commercial Banking, Queen's School of Business and the National Post, is compelled to further the Canadian business imperative to help Canadian businesses flourish in the global economy."
ASL Distribution Services Ltd.
Alliance Energy
Atrahan Transformation
BBA Inc.
Barrie Metals Group of Companies
Conestoga Cold Storage
CCI Thermal Technologies Inc.
Clark Builders
Conestoga-Rovers & Associates
Cooke Aquaculture Inc.
Desjardins Healthcare Group
GHY International
Diamond and Schmitt Architects
G.A.P Adventures
Genesis Hospitality Inc.
George Kelk Corp.
Govan Brown & Associates Ltd.
Grand River Foods Ltd.
Harris Computer Systems
Groupe Distinction Inc.
Great Western Containers Inc.
Industries Canatal Inc.
Klick Communications Inc.
Klohn Crippen Berger
Miralis Inc.
Marsan Foods Ltd.
Les Industries Mailhot
NORPAC Controls Ltd
O'Regan's Automotive Group
OnX Enterprise Solutions Ltd.
Partner Technologies Inc.
Quantum Murray LP
PolyCello
R.V. Anderson Associates Ltd.
Radialpoint
Rescan Environmental Services Ltd.
S.A. Armstrong Ltd.
Spitz International Inc.
All Weather Windows Ltd
Veritaaq
Walker Seeds Ltd.
Summer Fresh Salads Inc.
Apex Distribution Inc
Associated Engineering Group Ltd.
Day & Ross Transportation Group
Deca Cables Inc.
Engineered Air
Nuheat Industries Ltd.
Rowan Williams Davies and Irwin
Steam Whistle Brewing
Asher Ullah
www.homesforgta.com
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Transition firms take off during downturn
Transition firms take off during downturn
By Elizabeth Howell,
Ottawa Business Journal StaffWed, Feb 11, 2009 1:00 PM EST
Hamid Rahbar. (Darren Brown, OBJ)
Demand for career coaching, advice picks up as economy pitches downward
With many of the big American banks merged or fallen and the auto industry tanking as it waits for government support, the ripple effects of the fall of these titans are starting to batter the Ottawa employment market.
Venture capital is extremely hard to come by. With cash flow drying up, companies are making hard choices between layoffs or survival – and thus far, the choice has been clear. As reported on OttawaBusinessJournal.com last week, Ottawa-Gatineau shed 5,800 jobs last month alone.
And that's where career transition firms are stepping in, stepping up their business in the process.
"Organizations such as ours get a higher number of calls (during economic downturns), both from an information perspective and for inquiring just in case," says Craig Dowden, who manages the Ottawa branch of Andre Filion and Associates.
"As well, as we have individuals who are affected and they need our support and primarily the concern is, from the organization, to ensure that their (ex-) employees (have) somewhere to assist them."
A recent article in the New York Times indicated career transition firms there experienced a 75-per-cent jump in business in 2008.
The approach at Andre Filion remains the same whether it's hard economic times or not, says Mr. Dowden. The company evaluates a client's next potential job as one that must jive with the firm's lifestyle, rather than grabbing the first opportunity that comes along.
But organizational expert Ann Max of Productive to the Max says there's one thing she'd never advise a client to do right now: start a new business cold, without a job as backup should it fail.
"You need to look at recession-proof businesses," she says."I don't think people understand this recession.
"I just spoke with a client this morning (who was) saying it's affecting their inventory, their supply chain. It's affecting things they don't even realize."
That being said, the approach of career transition firms goes beyond simply revamping resumes. Coaches sit down with clients and evaluate their lifestyle, goals, and how to modify their lifestyle to reach those goals.
The process can be so complicated – and requires such a discerning eye – that Ms. Max says almost anyone can benefit from seeking professional help in this regard.
This is especially true of the battered high-tech industry, struggling in the region since last spring when Dell laid off most of its employees at its Ottawa call centre.
With the technical demands of high tech, representatives of Vitesse Re-Skilling says most clients going through job transitions need to take formal training of some sort before switching.
Vitesse's business has also been booming lately, says Hamid Rahbar, the organization's president and chairman.
"Clients should realize that they need to be reskilled," says Mr. Rahbar. "They can achieve it through different ways; one of them is to go back to university or do self study, or go somewhere and have a chance to have hands-on experience"
Asher Ullah
click here
By Elizabeth Howell,
Ottawa Business Journal StaffWed, Feb 11, 2009 1:00 PM EST
Hamid Rahbar. (Darren Brown, OBJ)
Demand for career coaching, advice picks up as economy pitches downward
With many of the big American banks merged or fallen and the auto industry tanking as it waits for government support, the ripple effects of the fall of these titans are starting to batter the Ottawa employment market.
Venture capital is extremely hard to come by. With cash flow drying up, companies are making hard choices between layoffs or survival – and thus far, the choice has been clear. As reported on OttawaBusinessJournal.com last week, Ottawa-Gatineau shed 5,800 jobs last month alone.
And that's where career transition firms are stepping in, stepping up their business in the process.
"Organizations such as ours get a higher number of calls (during economic downturns), both from an information perspective and for inquiring just in case," says Craig Dowden, who manages the Ottawa branch of Andre Filion and Associates.
"As well, as we have individuals who are affected and they need our support and primarily the concern is, from the organization, to ensure that their (ex-) employees (have) somewhere to assist them."
A recent article in the New York Times indicated career transition firms there experienced a 75-per-cent jump in business in 2008.
The approach at Andre Filion remains the same whether it's hard economic times or not, says Mr. Dowden. The company evaluates a client's next potential job as one that must jive with the firm's lifestyle, rather than grabbing the first opportunity that comes along.
But organizational expert Ann Max of Productive to the Max says there's one thing she'd never advise a client to do right now: start a new business cold, without a job as backup should it fail.
"You need to look at recession-proof businesses," she says."I don't think people understand this recession.
"I just spoke with a client this morning (who was) saying it's affecting their inventory, their supply chain. It's affecting things they don't even realize."
That being said, the approach of career transition firms goes beyond simply revamping resumes. Coaches sit down with clients and evaluate their lifestyle, goals, and how to modify their lifestyle to reach those goals.
The process can be so complicated – and requires such a discerning eye – that Ms. Max says almost anyone can benefit from seeking professional help in this regard.
This is especially true of the battered high-tech industry, struggling in the region since last spring when Dell laid off most of its employees at its Ottawa call centre.
With the technical demands of high tech, representatives of Vitesse Re-Skilling says most clients going through job transitions need to take formal training of some sort before switching.
Vitesse's business has also been booming lately, says Hamid Rahbar, the organization's president and chairman.
"Clients should realize that they need to be reskilled," says Mr. Rahbar. "They can achieve it through different ways; one of them is to go back to university or do self study, or go somewhere and have a chance to have hands-on experience"
Asher Ullah
click here
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Ontario look into harmonizing GST and PST
Ontario weighs tax blending
McGuinty says province will look into harmonizing GST and PST, as business groups push for action
Feb 08, 2009 04:30 AM
Robert Benzie
QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU CHIEF
NIAGARA FALLS – Ontario will aggressively explore harmonizing the provincial sales tax with the federal GST to help businesses battle the recession, Premier Dalton McGuinty says.
Speaking to 250 Liberals at the party's provincial council meeting here, McGuinty vowed to make his administration more business-friendly by slashing red tape.
"We in government need to help by making investments in workers, technologies and research more affordable," the premier said.
Later, McGuinty told a news conference "there seems to be an emerging consensus around harmonization. I'm not committing to doing it, but I just think we owe it to ourselves to take a good, long hard look at that."
Business groups and the federal government have pushed Ontario for action on the harmonization front for years.
"The Ontario Chamber of Commerce has put forward a position that says you absolutely must harmonize the GST and the PST," McGuinty said. "That's a tough thing to do politically, and we take a revenue hit. All previous governments have shied away from that. We need to give that a very serious look, for example."
In a 102-page report tabled last month, the chamber of commerce implored Queen's Park and Ottawa to blend the 8 per cent PST and the 5 per cent federal goods and services tax as soon as possible.
Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland have done so, and federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has urged Ontario to follow suit.
Such a change would see Ontario businesses become more productive and save about $100 million annually, and it would cut down on paperwork, but the costs of many goods would rise. That's because some items are currently taxed federally and not provincially – including books, children's clothing, feminine hygiene products and heating fuels.
The province also believes harmonizing the taxes will cost it money because the PST would be removed from manufacturers' purchases of machinery, equipment and other things not subject to GST. Officials say this cost to the provincial treasury is more than would be recouped by the PST being added to GST-taxed items.
McGuinty said Ontario could not harmonize its tax with the GST without a large infusion of money from Ottawa.
"Consumers will be affected by this and our treasury takes a hit in the billions. In the past, when provinces have decided to move forward on that they ... have struck a deal with the feds," he said.
Although the premier suggested the taxes couldn't be blended in the province's March budget, he said it is not a pie-in-the-sky scheme.
"It's something that we're going to take a close look at, but I'm sure that as we pursue this conversation with businesses there will be some other things they might want to talk about as well," said McGuinty.
"Those are the kinds of things that we might begin to address" in the budget. "But it will take more than just one budget and one initiative to enhance the competitiveness of our businesses."
McGuinty said any harmonization agreement was not a "quid pro quo" with Ottawa, which has responded to Ontario's demands for an auto bailout, a regional development office for southern Ontario and enriched health transfers.
"It's something that's been bubbling in the background for a long time and other parts of the country have already adopted harmonization when it comes to PST and GST. One thing that I can say for sure is we can't do this without federal support," he said.
Progressive Conservative MPP Tim Hudak (Niagara West-Glanbrook) told reporters it was "time for Dalton to get off the proverbial pot on this issue."
"There's no doubt that the provincial sales tax punishes business investment," said Hudak. "We need to ensure, however, that this is not going to put another weight on the backs of consumers already struggling with high taxes and high energy costs under Dalton McGuinty."
Coutesy: Globe and mail
Asher Ullah
Sales Representative
Re/Max Active Realty Inc Brokerage
www.homesforgta.com
McGuinty says province will look into harmonizing GST and PST, as business groups push for action
Feb 08, 2009 04:30 AM
Robert Benzie
QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU CHIEF
NIAGARA FALLS – Ontario will aggressively explore harmonizing the provincial sales tax with the federal GST to help businesses battle the recession, Premier Dalton McGuinty says.
Speaking to 250 Liberals at the party's provincial council meeting here, McGuinty vowed to make his administration more business-friendly by slashing red tape.
"We in government need to help by making investments in workers, technologies and research more affordable," the premier said.
Later, McGuinty told a news conference "there seems to be an emerging consensus around harmonization. I'm not committing to doing it, but I just think we owe it to ourselves to take a good, long hard look at that."
Business groups and the federal government have pushed Ontario for action on the harmonization front for years.
"The Ontario Chamber of Commerce has put forward a position that says you absolutely must harmonize the GST and the PST," McGuinty said. "That's a tough thing to do politically, and we take a revenue hit. All previous governments have shied away from that. We need to give that a very serious look, for example."
In a 102-page report tabled last month, the chamber of commerce implored Queen's Park and Ottawa to blend the 8 per cent PST and the 5 per cent federal goods and services tax as soon as possible.
Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland have done so, and federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has urged Ontario to follow suit.
Such a change would see Ontario businesses become more productive and save about $100 million annually, and it would cut down on paperwork, but the costs of many goods would rise. That's because some items are currently taxed federally and not provincially – including books, children's clothing, feminine hygiene products and heating fuels.
The province also believes harmonizing the taxes will cost it money because the PST would be removed from manufacturers' purchases of machinery, equipment and other things not subject to GST. Officials say this cost to the provincial treasury is more than would be recouped by the PST being added to GST-taxed items.
McGuinty said Ontario could not harmonize its tax with the GST without a large infusion of money from Ottawa.
"Consumers will be affected by this and our treasury takes a hit in the billions. In the past, when provinces have decided to move forward on that they ... have struck a deal with the feds," he said.
Although the premier suggested the taxes couldn't be blended in the province's March budget, he said it is not a pie-in-the-sky scheme.
"It's something that we're going to take a close look at, but I'm sure that as we pursue this conversation with businesses there will be some other things they might want to talk about as well," said McGuinty.
"Those are the kinds of things that we might begin to address" in the budget. "But it will take more than just one budget and one initiative to enhance the competitiveness of our businesses."
McGuinty said any harmonization agreement was not a "quid pro quo" with Ottawa, which has responded to Ontario's demands for an auto bailout, a regional development office for southern Ontario and enriched health transfers.
"It's something that's been bubbling in the background for a long time and other parts of the country have already adopted harmonization when it comes to PST and GST. One thing that I can say for sure is we can't do this without federal support," he said.
Progressive Conservative MPP Tim Hudak (Niagara West-Glanbrook) told reporters it was "time for Dalton to get off the proverbial pot on this issue."
"There's no doubt that the provincial sales tax punishes business investment," said Hudak. "We need to ensure, however, that this is not going to put another weight on the backs of consumers already struggling with high taxes and high energy costs under Dalton McGuinty."
Coutesy: Globe and mail
Asher Ullah
Sales Representative
Re/Max Active Realty Inc Brokerage
www.homesforgta.com
Sunday, February 1, 2009
An Outburst of Action in an idle Market - Detached house in Toronto listed for $559,000, sells for $611,000 in January
CAROLYN IRELAND
From Friday's Globe and Mail
January 30, 2009 at 12:00 AM EST
Julia Lewis knew she had to brace homeowner Lucy Ivens for a deep freeze in Toronto's real estate market at the start of January.
Ms. Lewis was helping her long-time friend to ready her house in the Annex neighbourhood for sale after Ms. Ivens moved into a seniors' residence.
"She was aware of the economic turmoil," says Ms. Lewis. "I tried to sit her down and explain it could take a long time."
So, after Ms. Lewis warned Ms. Ivens that the house might take as long as three months to sell, the Victorian semi-detached on Brunswick Avenue hit the market on a Friday with an asking price of $464,000. By Monday morning, offers had started rolling in. Later that evening, Ms. Ivens had received seven bids and sold the house for $492,000.
Enlarge Image
Despite the sluggish market, a few bidding skirmishes have popped up in Toronto recently. One house was listed at $559,000, selling for $611,000 after seven days on the market in January.
"She was overwhelmed," says Ms. Lewis of her 90-year-old friend. "She was very happy at the end."No one was more surprised than broker Elden Freeman of Freeman Real Estate Ltd., who listed the house. He had not set an offer date because bidding wars had become so rare in Toronto.
"The intention was not to get multiple offers — we were totally shocked."
After a dismal fall stretched into a bleak December in Toronto's housing market, many agents were nervous about what January might bring.
But, while the market continues to be sluggish in some areas, a few bidding skirmishes popped up in the opening weeks of 2009, agents and homeowners report.
In a survey of 23 Toronto markets, Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd. found that the average price of a detached bungalow dropped 8.2 per cent to $411,483 in the fourth quarter of 2008, compared with the same period of 2007.
Two-storey properties surveyed dipped by 6.8 per cent year-over-year to $513,417 during the fourth quarter.
Cheri Dorsey McCann of Sutton Group-Bayview Realty Inc. says open houses have been booming so far this year. She has sold five houses this month after selling only two during the fall.
Sellers of a three-bedroom detached house near Yonge and Lawrence received multiple offers on a house listed for $669,000.
The sellers are move-up buyers who didn't want to purchase another property until they knew how much they would receive for their existing property.
"They're upgrading," says Ms. McCann. "We negotiated a long closing. Now they can buy and feel comfortable."
Joanne Gludish of Royal LePage Real Estate Services recently sold a house near Kipling and Eglinton for 112 per cent of asking after the house was on the market for one week.The house was listed for $324,900 and sold for $365,000. More than 50 parties toured the three-level backsplit, which Ms. Gludish was aiming at first-time buyers in her marketing.
Back on Brunswick, Mr. Freeman listed a detached house in December for $559,000 and was surprised when it sold for $611,000 after seven days on the market.
"It was insane," says Mr. Freeman of the bidding war during the holiday season.
The house did not show well, he says, because the same owner had lived there for 60 years and accumulated a lot of belongings.
But in the spring of 2008, the semi next door, with no parking, sold for about $900,000.Mr. Freeman says the house listed for $559,000 had more than 100 people looking at it despite the fact that he didn't set up a website for it or have interior photos taken.
"There are buyers out there," he says.
He says bidders figured they could pay about $600,000 for it, invest $150,000 or $200,000 in fixing it up and still feel that they were ahead of the game compared with the high price paid for the renovated semi in the spring.
"It attracted amazing attention," says Mr. Freeman.
The broker says that he sometimes has trouble persuading sellers that they should list their houses for less than their neighbours received in late 2007 and early 2008. He doesn't want to take on the time and expense of listing a property at an unrealistic price."The values have come down. I'm sorry. People have to get that through their heads."
Ms. Lewis says she decided to list Ms. Ivens's house with Mr. Freeman after spending several months researching house sales in the Annex.
The house is a charming Victorian with lovely period details, but it has not been renovated.
Ms. Lewis figured that would be appealing to buyers who do not want to pay for another owner's outmoded improvements.
She had previously interviewed several agents and was advised that the house could sell for between $475,000 and $530,000."Knowing that the market had gone down, we decided not to price it higher," she says.
Ms. Lewis did not want Ms. Ivens to have to continue paying for insurance, maintenance, taxes and utilities while she was living elsewhere.
She also decided to have the house ready for the first week after New Year's, figuring that many other sellers wouldn't have their houses ready until later in the month."Those who are thinking of buying are starting to look," she says. "I feel that you get a bit of a jump."The strategy paid off, she believes.
"There was a market here for a house like this."
Asher Ullah
Click for deals you are thinking for
www.homesforgta.com
From Friday's Globe and Mail
January 30, 2009 at 12:00 AM EST
Julia Lewis knew she had to brace homeowner Lucy Ivens for a deep freeze in Toronto's real estate market at the start of January.
Ms. Lewis was helping her long-time friend to ready her house in the Annex neighbourhood for sale after Ms. Ivens moved into a seniors' residence.
"She was aware of the economic turmoil," says Ms. Lewis. "I tried to sit her down and explain it could take a long time."
So, after Ms. Lewis warned Ms. Ivens that the house might take as long as three months to sell, the Victorian semi-detached on Brunswick Avenue hit the market on a Friday with an asking price of $464,000. By Monday morning, offers had started rolling in. Later that evening, Ms. Ivens had received seven bids and sold the house for $492,000.
Enlarge Image
Despite the sluggish market, a few bidding skirmishes have popped up in Toronto recently. One house was listed at $559,000, selling for $611,000 after seven days on the market in January.
"She was overwhelmed," says Ms. Lewis of her 90-year-old friend. "She was very happy at the end."No one was more surprised than broker Elden Freeman of Freeman Real Estate Ltd., who listed the house. He had not set an offer date because bidding wars had become so rare in Toronto.
"The intention was not to get multiple offers — we were totally shocked."
After a dismal fall stretched into a bleak December in Toronto's housing market, many agents were nervous about what January might bring.
But, while the market continues to be sluggish in some areas, a few bidding skirmishes popped up in the opening weeks of 2009, agents and homeowners report.
In a survey of 23 Toronto markets, Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd. found that the average price of a detached bungalow dropped 8.2 per cent to $411,483 in the fourth quarter of 2008, compared with the same period of 2007.
Two-storey properties surveyed dipped by 6.8 per cent year-over-year to $513,417 during the fourth quarter.
Cheri Dorsey McCann of Sutton Group-Bayview Realty Inc. says open houses have been booming so far this year. She has sold five houses this month after selling only two during the fall.
Sellers of a three-bedroom detached house near Yonge and Lawrence received multiple offers on a house listed for $669,000.
The sellers are move-up buyers who didn't want to purchase another property until they knew how much they would receive for their existing property.
"They're upgrading," says Ms. McCann. "We negotiated a long closing. Now they can buy and feel comfortable."
Joanne Gludish of Royal LePage Real Estate Services recently sold a house near Kipling and Eglinton for 112 per cent of asking after the house was on the market for one week.The house was listed for $324,900 and sold for $365,000. More than 50 parties toured the three-level backsplit, which Ms. Gludish was aiming at first-time buyers in her marketing.
Back on Brunswick, Mr. Freeman listed a detached house in December for $559,000 and was surprised when it sold for $611,000 after seven days on the market.
"It was insane," says Mr. Freeman of the bidding war during the holiday season.
The house did not show well, he says, because the same owner had lived there for 60 years and accumulated a lot of belongings.
But in the spring of 2008, the semi next door, with no parking, sold for about $900,000.Mr. Freeman says the house listed for $559,000 had more than 100 people looking at it despite the fact that he didn't set up a website for it or have interior photos taken.
"There are buyers out there," he says.
He says bidders figured they could pay about $600,000 for it, invest $150,000 or $200,000 in fixing it up and still feel that they were ahead of the game compared with the high price paid for the renovated semi in the spring.
"It attracted amazing attention," says Mr. Freeman.
The broker says that he sometimes has trouble persuading sellers that they should list their houses for less than their neighbours received in late 2007 and early 2008. He doesn't want to take on the time and expense of listing a property at an unrealistic price."The values have come down. I'm sorry. People have to get that through their heads."
Ms. Lewis says she decided to list Ms. Ivens's house with Mr. Freeman after spending several months researching house sales in the Annex.
The house is a charming Victorian with lovely period details, but it has not been renovated.
Ms. Lewis figured that would be appealing to buyers who do not want to pay for another owner's outmoded improvements.
She had previously interviewed several agents and was advised that the house could sell for between $475,000 and $530,000."Knowing that the market had gone down, we decided not to price it higher," she says.
Ms. Lewis did not want Ms. Ivens to have to continue paying for insurance, maintenance, taxes and utilities while she was living elsewhere.
She also decided to have the house ready for the first week after New Year's, figuring that many other sellers wouldn't have their houses ready until later in the month."Those who are thinking of buying are starting to look," she says. "I feel that you get a bit of a jump."The strategy paid off, she believes.
"There was a market here for a house like this."
Asher Ullah
Click for deals you are thinking for
www.homesforgta.com
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