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EDMONTONIANS MAY 2007

n my January column, I recounted arather bizarre, embarrassing incident at WestEdmonton Mall. To review quickly, I wasshopping with Dr. Ollie when I spotted a store

of interest across the mall from where we were. As Iheaded toward it, I suddenly found myself having whatI described as a “Metamucil moment”—flying throughthe air into a pond, in my overcoat no less. Afterreporting it to security, they reviewed their tapes andinformed me that I wasn’t paying attention. Of coursenot! I was looking for a store ...not thinking that themall is full of water hazards. I’m still upset.

My column generated a number of phone calls and e-mails from folks who had suffered the same fate. Oneguy fell in at Christmas, dumping an armful of gifts. Isthere a class-action lawsuit here for some smartlawyer?

April was a culinary experience this year aswe sampled different traditional meals. First, wecelebrated Jewish Passover with Stan and DorisSmorden who served Matzo with lots of fruit andMatzo-Brie which we all enjoyed. Stan had invited ourRicky’s breakfast group Al Bryant, George Reid and,last but not least, Al Butt who finally got a job. He’sproject managing a large plant in the Leduc area.

Two days later, I partook in Dr. Ollie’s familyUkrainian breakfast. My mother-in-law HelenTriska—aka Baba—prepared the food, which wasblessed by a priest. It was a gathering of the clan:Brother-in-law Wally Triska with son Nickolas madeit from Vancouver… and Angelene showed off 10-month old Gideon. It put four generations of Triskastogether for the first time.

My family joined us Easter Sunday at our condo—all15 sat down for one of Dr. Ollie’s fabulous meals. Hownice it was to have our very busy families together. Iwas especially pleased that my son Cam made the tripfrom Vancouver.

The Edmonton Flying Club is celebrating its80th Anniversary this year—a long time for anybusiness or organization to be around. The club hastrained thousands of pilots over the decades, includingthrough World War II. Many of the pilots who fly youto your vacation destinations probably got their basicand IFR training at the club. There was a time when Iwould go to the cockpit for a quick visit with a pilot Ihad met at the club. With the new security rules, thatdoesn’t happen anymore.

About 400 people belong to the Edmonton FlyingClub which is run by a group of 50 sustaining membersand an 11-member board of directors—of which I am

one. A couple of weeks ago, at the annual generalmeeting, we had our celebration. The cake was going tobe cut with a seven-foot Samurai sword, but it was a bittoo long, so we used a shorter one. It was fun. Pilottraining is very popular at the present time for a coupleof reasons: many of the pilots are facing retirementfrom major airlines, and the current economic boommeans both business and personal aircraft arefashionable.

John Ough has had his ups and downs. Anumber of years ago he was involved in a horrendouscar accident, not even sure he would walk again. Wellhe did, and now he gets around with more braces thanthe Low Level Bridge. He’s also been very involvedwith Employabilities as its president. The group trainspeople with disabilities to become employable in thebusiness marketplace. He also runs a little businesscalled First Class Card which gives subscribers a 2 for1 discount on golf and entertainment, covering mostAlberta courses, with some in Saskatchewan andBritish Columbia tossed in. For more information, callJohn at (780) 448-9676 or have a look at his web site,www.firstcards.com. If you’re a golfer, you’ll save thecost of the card in no time.

Someone with the city is working for theirmoney. The Visitors Information Centre on GatewayBoulevard has been chosen as the platinum winner forthe 2007 RV West Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards.Readers were asked to e-mail the magazine and tellthem who and what they liked best in the NorthAmerica RVing world. That’s a big world. Over 1,400nominations were received and the award was based onthe top-10 votes overall in 13 categories. Edmontonwas chosen the favourite Visitor Information Centre—quite an honour, congrats. The centre has been open 20years and 1.6 million folks have dropped by.

My longtime friend George Reid owns DialTravel at the south end of the High Level Bridge in theGarneau Theater building. The building has been soldby the folks who have owned it since it was built 61years ago. George figures this could mean a heftyincrease in rent which his travel business probablycouldn’t afford. George hasn’t had a lease in manyyears—rent increased by mutual agreement. The goodold days, no lawyers.

Anyway, George is moving to a building he owns onWhyte Avenue, upstairs at 10548 - 82 Avenue. The staffhis customers have come to trust will be there. I canverify they’re good: we used them to go to Italy andthere were no hitches in the arrangements. His business

has changed to telephone orders and the Internet somaybe the high profile isn’t needed as much any more.You can book at www.dialvacations.com. Makingchanges as drastic as this at any age is stressful, butGeorge is handling it very well—he’s 87 years old.He’s much older than I am, just wanted to make thatclear.

There’s a very good article by Lawrence Herzogabout the Garneau building in his book It’s OurHeritage. It’s an important part of our history. I justhope the new owners don’t screw it up by puttinganother damn condo on the site.

Did you see it? Dr. Ollie and I debuted on CityTVa couple of weeks ago. We were the so-called celebritychefs on the Your City show. It was short but welledited. It was fun to work together in the kitchen—though it looked like Dr. Ollie did most of the cookingand I got to make clever remarks and enjoy the fruit tartshe prepared. I found it curious that I looked older thanmy Edmontonians photo. Thanks to producer Rhondaand camera guy Nate.

The Glenora Rotary Club had a fund raiserfor Edzimkulu, A Society for Children of Aids. Theclub has taken the responsibility for providing money,medical, dental assistant and help in the person ofmembers spending time working in the small SouthAfrican village of Ndawana. I wish I had more room todo justice to the marvelous things the Glenora RotaryClub is doing there. Of the money raised, 97 percentgoes to the Changing Lives program. Susan Green ischairing this and serves on many other committees, likeNorthlands to which she was recently appointed.

If you hurry, you can still get tickets for the12th Annual Esquao Awards on Thursday, May 3rd.The event is sponsored by the Institute for theAdvancement of Aboriginal Women, founded byMuriel Stanley Venne. She describes the 21 honoureesas the “angels among us.” Audrey Poitras, president ofthe Métis Nation of Alberta will be welcomed into theCircle of Honour. Other elders in the Circle include Dr.Colleen Klein, former Senator Thelma Chalifoux,Grand Chief Rose Laboucan, Honourable EthelBlondin-Andrew and MLA Pearl Calahasen. CallKim Ziervogel at 780-231-1873 or e-mail [email protected] for tickets andother details. √

Call Muggsy Forbes at 780.482.4545 or e-mail [email protected]

II

FUNNYpompous & unfair

By Muggsy Forbes

Celebrating 80 yearsThe Edmonton Flying Club — not me

EDMONTONIANS MAY 2007 3


quarter of a century ago, when Leroy “Bus”Fuller put his middle name to the first Earlsrestaurant in Edmonton, he introduced thepublic to casual dining in a relaxed

atmosphere. Over the years, he has led the way in this genreof hospitality, creating four distinct restaurant concepts in77 locations in Western Canada and the U.S. Known for itsinnovation and imagination in food and wine selection,Earls is embarking on yet another adventure—as you’dexpect—in a big way.

Here’s the idea: Forge great relationships with yoursuppliers and, in turn, they become “family”. And familylooks after family. It’s how the chain has always donebusiness. Since Earls opened it doors, Bridgebrand, anational food supplier, has satisfied its culinary needs. Itdoesn’t stop here. Earls has always had the same steaksupplier... and the same poultry supplier. But, in the winearena, there have been few serious partnerships. Until now,that is.

George Piper, an Earls founder, has built a reputation asan innovator in wines. He is a walking encyclopedia ofwine knowledge and has applied what he knows to Earls’extensive and varied wine list. Now he’s going a stepfurther by partnering with select vintners, domestically andinternationally, to present the Earls Discovery series.

His initial focus was on Oliver, BC, the Wine Capital ofCanada. He put out a few feelers to see if there were anywineries willing to partner for 10 years, supplying Earls,Joey’s and the Cactus Club with their products. Vincor—

owners of Inniskillin,Jackson-Triggs, SumacRidge and HawthorneMountain Vineyards—was first through thedoors, willing to step upto the plate.

According to Piper, theidea is simple: Thevintners have a greatlaunching board to testtheir wines in small lotswhile at the same timeallowing the restaurants tooffer great tasting wines ata reasonable price. Win-win.

And what a launchingboard it is. The three chainscombined serve about amillion customers each month. That’s 12-million a year—wherever would you find a larger consumer test market forwine?

A 10-year deal is not something you enter into lightly.Earls chose their vintners by doing a blind tasting—some470 wines were tasted over the course of a week. Theydidn’t want to be influenced or swayed by knowing whoproduced the wine. Wines were picked solely on taste. Thenthey sat down and discussed partnering.

Piper says we can look forward tosome exceptional Zinfandels, CheninBlanc and an exclusive Malbac, insmall lots from Inniskillin. Earls isalso partnering with the winery toplant more vines, verticallyintegrating its own vineyard, anddeveloping wines that will carry itsown labels.

Now the good news for theexisting long term suppliers is thatthey will continue to be embracedas “family”. Currently, Earlsoffers 12 different OkanaganValley wines. In fact Quails Gate,a 10-year supplier, is plantingmore vines to meet EarlsGewurztraminer needs.

What the consumer is left with is an expanded winelist that’s constantly evolving. And, for any wine lover,that’s an exciting and excellent concept.

Piper is on a mission to educate patrons. “What we wantto do is to put wine on the lips of our customers. Wine isstill intimidating to many people and we want to give theman opportunity to taste. Hopefully, they’ll discover a wholenew world of taste and come back for more.”

This wine program certainly puts Earls in a wholedifferent league in the culinary world and customers wintoo. Cheers to that. √

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Earl, meet Oliver!So much wine… so little time.

(Clockwise from lower left) The week-longtasting challenged the palates of Claudia Owen, Caroline Smart,

Dustin Dockendorkf, George Piper, and guest wine

writers Anthony Gismondi and David Schofield.

George Piper,

Earls director of

wine experience

4



FOUNDERDICK MacLEAN

MAY 2007Vol. XVIII

Published by 399620 Alberta Ltd. on the first day of eachmonth at 333, 10240 - 124 Street, Edmonton, Alberta,Canada T5N 3W6. ©All rights reserved. No part of thispublication may be reprinted or reproduced in any formwithout written permission from the publisher.

Manuscripts: must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Edmontonians is not responsible forunsolicited manuscripts.

All stories Copyright ©Edmontonians

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40023292Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:Circulation Department333, 10240 - 124 StreetEdmonton, AB T5N 3W6Email: [email protected]

SHARON MacLEANPublisher and Advertising Director

Telephone: 780.482.7000Fax: 780.488.9317

e-mail: [email protected]

INSIDEFUNNY, POMPOUS AND UNFAIR80 Years Old? Not me/Forbes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2OKANAGAN FEATURESEarl, meet Oliver/Berry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Wine capital/O’Toole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Osoyoos Indian Band/O’Toole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

POLL STATIONSummer vacations/Banister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

COVER STORYMusical score/McHugh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Magic happens/Deters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

THE TRANSFORMERSSeeking balance/Hanlen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Status-quo—not/Brost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10First impressions/Bradshaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Adrenaline & Serotonin/Williamsen . . . . . . . . . . . .10

LEADERSHIPReligion and politics/Rayner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

EDMONTONIAN IN EXILEHeart smart/Edmondson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

BIZINTELMedia Minute/Hogle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Civic Buzz/Norwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12BizIT/Michetti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESSChinese agriculture/Lockhart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

MY E-SPACESassy sales tips/Rayner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

MAKING MONEYLearning from the best/Hiebert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

CORPORATE ETHICSOrganizations become political/Somji . . . . . . . . . .14

LIVELY LIFESTYLESAbsolute Bodo/Bodo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

BARB DETERSEditor

[email protected]

COLUMNISTSLinda Banister

John BerryLinda Bodo

Tom BradshawLes Brost

Janet EdmondsonMuggsy ForbesSteffany Hanlen

Ron HiebertBruce Hogle

Cheryl LockhartGreg Michetti

David NorwoodErin Rayner

Nizar J. SomjiColin Williamsen

FEATURE WRITERSBarb Deters

Don HillRick Lauber

Peter Drake McHughMichael O’TooleMarg. Pullishy

PHOTOGRAPHERSTerry Bourque

Nancy HaywardRocco MacriRussell Work

GRAPHIC PRODUCTIONRage Studios Inc.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Michetti Information Solutions Inc.

THIS MONTH’S COVER

George Blondheim at his dream studioPhoto by Rocco Macri

No. 5

1818YEARS

C E L E B R A T I N G

pringtime always turns our attention to holidays, festivals,and outdoor activities. We asked Edmontonians about theirplans for summer travel and their thoughts about summeractivities and recreation in Edmonton.

ARE YOU PLANNING TO TRAVEL THIS SUMMER?

First, survey participants were asked if their summer plans includedany travel. About two-thirds (65 percent) of respondents indicated thatthey had plans to travel for holiday purposes. The most commondestination is British Columbia, with 31 percent of respondentstraveling to this location. Twenty-nine percent planned on travelingwithin Alberta, while 14 percent indicated their plans includedvisiting other parts of Canada. Almost one-quarter of respondents (22percent) plan to visit south of the border, with 19 percent travelinginternationally.

WHAT’S THE BEST VACATION SPOT IN ALBERTA?

Next, respondents were asked to identify the most unique and funvacation spot in Alberta. While many different locations wereidentified, the most commonly cited locales were Jasper (21 percent)and Banff (17 percent). A further 11 percent did not specify butsimply mentioned the mountains. Drumheller was mentioned by 11percent of respondents.

WHAT IS EDMONTON’S BEST SUMMER ACTIVITY?The focus shifted to Edmonton when survey participants were askedto name the best summer activity in the City. Perhaps not surprisinglyin Edmonton, 42 percent cited the festivals. One-tenth thought golfwas the best summer activity in Edmonton, while six percent saidspending time in the City’s parks was at the top of their list. Fourpercent felt spending time in their own backyard was tops.

Edmonton has often been called the Festival City. Respondentswere asked whether they had attended or planned to attend six ofEdmonton’s prominent festivals. Almost two-thirds (60 percent)planned to attend Capital Ex & Ed Fest (formally Klondike Days).More than half (54 percent) were going to take in A Taste ofEdmonton, 49 percent the Heritage Festival, 47 percent TheInternational Fringe Festival, and 45 percent the International StreetPerformers Festival. Only 15 percent planned on attendingEdmonton’s Folk Music Festival. The most commonly mentionedidea for a new festival was a children’s festival, mentioned by twopercent of respondents.

SHOULD MORE BE DONE TO ENHANCE THE RIVER?It is not uncommon during the summer for many Edmontonians tolook to the North Saskatchewan River as a source of recreation.Survey participants were asked whether more should be done to makethe North Saskatchewan River a source of recreation. Fifty-eightpercent agreed that more should be done. These people spoke abouttaking advantage of this beautiful natural asset in our midst. Otherssaid that making enhancements would help show off the river valleyand would be good for tourism.

Just over a quarter (26 percent) disagreed with the notion of doingmore to make the river a source of recreation. Respondents spokeabout keeping the river and valley as natural and untouched aspossible, and about the dangers associated with the river, includinghealth impacts. The possible expense of enhancing the river was seenas a major deterrent for a number of respondents. √

The Poll Station surveyed 100 City of Edmonton residents on thetopic and, while the results of the research are not statistically reliable,they do provide a qualitative indication of what Edmontonians arethinking.

Linda Banister is a certified management consultant and the owner ofBanister Research and Consulting Inc., a full service provider ofmarket research and program evaluation services. Want a questionincluded in the Edmontonians Poll? Contact Linda at 780.451.4444or e-mail at [email protected]. Visit www.banister.ab.ca.

STATIONSS

With Linda Banister

PollPollPe

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Perc

enta

ge

31%

21%

17%

11% 11%

29%

14%22%

19%

Said they plan tovacation in

British Columbia

Said Jasper was thebest spot to vacation

Said Banff was thebest spot to vacation

Said Drumheller wasthe best spot to vacation

Said the mountains werethe best spot to vacation

Said they plan tovacation in

Alberta

Said they plan tovacation elsewhere

in Canada

Said they plan tovacation in the

USA

Said they plan totravel internationally

EDMONTONIANS MAY 2007 5


ommercially available toilet tissue is notsoft to the touch!” complains Jon Zwickel,executive vice-president of Bellstar Hotels& Resorts. “We got samples and took them

home and said to ourselves, ‘If you’re paying $300 a nightin a four-star resort, would this be an issue?’”

Such are the vexed choices and after-hours research thatnecessarily confront anyone involved in the southOkanagan’s latest environmentally-friendly destinationresort development. The Oliver Wine Village—first tautedin 2001, and soon to emerge from the complexities of duediligence et al—aims to provide a true haven for value-added wine lovers and agro tourists that will rival themajor wine experiences available in California, Australiaand South Africa.

Andy Philip, projectconsultant with Co-operatorsDevelopmentCorporation, theprincipal real estatedeveloper on the WineVillage project,explains the rationale:

“It really stemsfrom the town ofOliver itself and theirdesire to createsomething that helpsto put them on themap and live up tothat name: The WineCapital of Canada.” AsPhilip points out,Oliver, despite itsmany great wineries,has so far lacked thepremiumaccommodation andother amenitiesnecessary to presentthe town as a true wine resort destination.All that looks set to change by 2009, as theambitious, multi-phase Wine Villageconcept starts to take tangible shape in whatit is hoped will be a radical re-branding ofthe entire region.

In the town core, a premium hotel and spa are planned.Wine enthusiasts will be able to visit a wine interpretivecentre to learn in depth about the magic of the grape, whilea culinary arts centre and new riverfront residentialproperties add a missing dimension to the nation’s winecapital.

“We’re calling this our jewel in the crown,” says LesLawther, economic development officer at Oliver andDistrict Community Economic Development Society(ODCEDS). “We are the Wine Capital of Canada,” heexpounds. “Around Oliver is the rural area which holdsabout 19 wineries now, with anotherfive or six in the permitting stage. Sowe’re also putting together anagricultural resort, which would bethe first in North America.”

For city slickers among us, theterm “agricultural resort” mayinduce a little nervousness. We areassured, though, that tiptoeingcarefully between suspiciouslybucolic-looking patties of darkmatter is not what Lawther has inmind. Instead, tasting wine served bythe winemaker, picking cherriesfrom the tree, and sampling localwild boar paté are among the charmsto be offered in the context of theregion’s enchanting landscape.

Lawther even envisions a newlegislative process and governancemodel whereby official agriculturalresort areas would be given the samestatus as mountain resorts, such asWhistler, in terms of provincialrecognition, promotion and benefits.

Ed Romanowski, CEO of Bellstar, the hoteldevelopment partner in the project, could himself beregarded as a veteran of agro-tourism, having dabbled inthe field through his Edmonton-based company RoyalTours in the 1980s.

“Agricultural tourism has always been a big part of whatCanada is all about,” says Romanowski. “It just hasn’tbeen in the forefront. Clearly, viticulture (the study ofgrape growing) is more dominant in the domestic market.It touches the average consumer more than, say, grainfarming or cattle ranching in the sense that we’re enjoyinga bottle of wine. I think the average consumer, from atourism point of view, would have trouble embracing thecattle industry.”

Philip anticipates that Alberta buyers and visitors will bea major factor in the future of the Oliver Wine Village andits agricultural extension—and not just for the attractionsthat have typically drawn them to the region for decades.

“I’ve come from the beverage alcohol business,” Philipexplains, “and in my 15 years in that business, I’vewatched the Alberta market evolve dramatically frombeing a very domestic beer and core spirits driven marketto being much more wine savvy.”

Bill Irwin, formerly an executive director for the BCgovernment’s all season resort program, is now a

consultant charged with moving forward the AgriculturalResort concept and championing it in the corridors ofpower.

“What makes Oliver and area unique,” Irwin points out,“is it has not been undermined in terms of uncheckeddevelopment. It’s in a relatively pristine state… theagricultural rural community and even the downtown area.It’s going to be an opportunity to plan this and get it rightbefore allowing development to occur. It’s hard to do thatwhen communities have evolved ahead of the planning.There are not too many places where you could step in andput together an agricultural resort plan and initiativewithout having to deal with some decisions that are alreadycompromised.”

Lawther is resolute in his summing up. “In the face ofthe onslaught on agricultural land, we’re trying to getacross the message of let’s eat locally, do the best we canwith the whole greenhouse gas emission process,contribute to a community that’s going to do it right…that’s sustainable, but allows development to take place.We don’t want to be Anywhere North America. We’restanding our ground against the homogenization that’staking place.”

The Value Added Tourist is what the town needs,according to Lawther. The “VAT” is evidently your touristwho isn’t coming to stay in a camping ground and isn’tbringing an RV. “Value Added Tourists have deep pockets,”Lawther enthuses. “They’re high equity people. That way,the tour buses will not be coming in and it’ll be a morediscreet tourist experience—wine tourism, agro-tourism,ecotourism, adventure tourism—but in keeping with thisdemographic that’s coming through.”

Coming through, also, will be a multitude of skiersas the nearby Mount Baldy resort progresses with itslong-term expansion plans and new infrastructureupgrades bring casual traffic within the aromaticfootprint of the Oliver core.

“One of the main access roads to Mount Baldy isgoing to go right by the front door of the WineVillage,” says Brett Sweezy, president of Idaho-based Winter Recreation, the parent company ofMount Baldy Ski Corporation. “So we’re going tobe pushing 70 percent of our ski visitors throughthat core Oliver access road. Ten years from now,

that could be 70 percent of a couple of hundred-thousand annual visitors coming up to the mountain thatcurrently aren’t going by there.”

In the meantime, Sweezy has his own logistics to keephim occupied for the next 15 or so years as he phases inthe stages of Mount Baldy’s growth.

“You can’t wake up one day and say, ‘I’m going to bea resort destination,’” he chuckles, contemplating theambitious escapade that lies ahead. “I don’t hold to the‘if you build it they will come’ strategy. Every time I doan expansion, I know it’s going to take one or two yearsto really reach the visitors that I want to see there. Soinstead of dropping $30 million at the resort andbuilding three lifts and two lodges, my preference is to

do one lift and get that informationout there and let people start talkingabout it… then in the following year,do another lift.”

In terms of property investmentopportunities, Sweezy is not justtargeting affluent buyers as he plansfor a family-oriented resortexperience.

“It’s not going to be about 6,000 to10,000 square-foot homes that arecosting $1.5 million. I see us having asignificant amount of 1,600 square-foot cabins and 2,000 square-foothomes that, just because of their size,become more affordable.”

Sweezy is also looking at putting amountain top lodge into the resortthree or four years from now. “Wehope that will be a signature locationfor wineries and restaurants that areopening in the valley to work with usto use that facility to promoteeverything that’s happening in thesouth Okanagan.” √

“C“C

The Wine Capital of Canada–Living up to the name

By Michael O’Toole

Wine Village SitePhotos by Russell Work

Artists rendering

here’s always a certain guilty trepidation aboutcalling someone’s cell when you’re not evensure which international time zone the personis in at any given moment. Still, Clarence

Louie, the charismatic Chief of the Osoyoos Indian Bandhas already had me scrambling, unsuccessfully, to reach thephone at 11.00pm in the middle of Much Vibe and last-minute tax return agonies. I suppose I should feel noremorse at disturbing him somewhere between the southOkanagan and Melbourne, Australia, where he’s due toaddress the Indigenous Economic Development Conferenceon the theme of embracing business opportunities.

As anyone familiar with the wine, development ortourism industries in the Okanagan Valley will know, ChiefLouie is one of the main linchpins of high profile projectssuch as the Mt. Baldy ski resortexpansion, Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort& Spa, and the nascent Oliver WineVillage and Agricultural Resort. All ofthese initiatives involve long-termbusiness partnerships with the OsoyoosIndian Band and lease agreements for theuse of its land.

Chief Louie, though, is himself at thehead of a small business “empire” in theregion. Through the Osoyoos IndianBand Development Corp (OIBDC), theOliver-born, business-driven Chiefpresides over nine thriving enterprises,including Nk’Mip Vineyards, Nk’MipCanyon Desert Golf Course, and Nk’MipCellars—North America’s onlyaboriginal-owned winery. With corporaterevenues likely to exceed $13 million thisyear, he has a compelling story and isfrequently asked to tell it, both at homeand abroad.

“It takes money to do anything. Health,education… they all cost money,” ChiefLouie declares from what might be anairport executive lounge. “The OsoyoosIndian Band hopes to create more jobs,make more money and be part of thegrowing economy in the south Okanagan.We’re always a partner with the towns ofOliver and Osoyoos in anything to dowith the grape and winery industries. It’sa win-win anytime there’s [a development] of quality thatdeals with attracting more tourists to our region.”

It’s an outlook which has won numerous local admirersfor the 2006 Order of British Columbia recipient and hiswhole organization.

“They’re good neighbours,” explains Bill Irwin, formerexecutive director for BC’s all-season resort program. “Wehave a very common economic approach to dealing withthe opportunities and challenges that the area presents.”

The point is confirmed enthusiastically by Les Lawther,economic development officer at Oliver and DistrictCommunity Economic Development Society (ODCEDS):

“When we moved forward with the Oliver AgriculturalResort concept, the first signatory to that memorandum ofunderstanding was Chief Louie.” Lawther also applauds thefact that the Osoyoos Indian Band provides hundreds ofjobs at its various business enterprises and is, therefore, oneof the region’s largest employers.

Brett Sweezy is president of Idaho-based Winter

Recreation which is currently expanding its Mount Baldyski resort in the south Okanagan. The Osoyoos Indian Bandhas a 2.5 percent stake in the resort, in addition to being thelandlord of 10,000 acres of territory required for theongoing expansion project. Tough business negotiationsaside, Sweezy has twice faced the somewhat dubiousdistinction of following Chief Louie on the speakingplatform, including—as he good-naturedly recalls—anuncomfortable occasion at the Town of Osoyoos’ annualgeneral meeting.

“Clarence came out and spoke. He’s a very vibrantspeaker. I’m not trying to diminish my own qualities, butthere’s no way that we compare. He has a different messageto share and he can get away with that message. I think it’sgood that somebody’s conveying the stuff that he’s saying.

But when you follow Clarence on a podium, it’s harder.He’s out there and he’s such a positive ‘Why aren’t you inmy stores?... I’ve never seen you at any of my OIBbusinesses’ sort of speaker. He definitely takes a differenttack than somebody else would in front of an audience.”

Jon Zwickel, executive vice-president of Bellstar Hotels

& Resorts, developers of both the Spirit Ridge and theOliver Wine Village projects, has extensive experience innegotiating and dealing with the OIBDC. It was ChiefLouie who first approached the developer five years ago toexplore a potential business link-up. “In fact,” Zwickelexplains, “the OIBDC has now made an investment and is ajoint venture partner with Bellstar in Spirit Ridge Resort,rather than just being our landlord and host.”

So is it true, as some reports have suggested, that theOsoyoos Indian Band drives a hard bargain, given that it’sholding the trump card of tens of thousands of acres ofprime land? Bellstar’s founder and CEO, formerEdmontonian Ed Romanowski, seems to nurse noresentment:

“I ask the corollary question, which is: ‘Why should theybe any less business driven than any otherbusiness organization?’They should beprudent, they should apply appropriate duediligence, and they should endeavour to getthe best deal. And I find the OIB to beexcellent business people. Above all, you cantrust them and they’ll stick to their word.”

Accolades for the popular Chief from thedevelopment community have become almostcommonplace in the years since he waselected to his current position in 1985, whenhe was still in his mid-twenties. How, then,does he regard the experience of dealing withhis civic and commercial partners?

“Well, we have a pretty good businessrelationship,” Chief Louie makes clear. “Theonly other thing is that, like most FirstNations, we have unsettled land questions andjurisdictional issues outside of business,although they do affect business. In businessnegotiations, everybody tries to protect theirside and advance their case.”

He freely accepts the necessity for give andtake in the interest of common progress;caution, though, is not entirely absent from histone. “When you’re dealing with FirstNations, you’ve got this long, bad history ofrelations [with] provincial, federal andmunicipal governments,” he reflects.

As for his status as a role model with apowerful message of economic self-reliance,the graduate of the universities of

Saskatchewan and Lethbridge is happy to let his impressiverecord speak for itself:

“You know, I guess the proof of that can be seen by thenumber of visits we get from First Nations across thecountry, and the amount of times I get asked to go out thereand sell the Osoyoos Indian Band story. And now I’m off toAustralia, as we speak, to tell the story.”

Chief Louie concedes, of course, that both his style andhis pro-business policies—seen by some as a threat tocultural traditions—have attracted a certain degree ofcontroversy over the years, not least from other FirstNations groups. He insists, however, that economic self-sufficiency is an essential component of cultural survival.

“Everybody receives criticism. I don’t know a person thatwalks on water and has 100-percent approval. Of course,you take in reasonable, legitimate feedback and you discardthe rest. You know what?” he quips, but perhaps with aserious subtext, “If Don Cherry can be criticised, anybodycan be!” √

6 EDMONTONIANS MAY 2007

Proof__1________PROOFED BY:_______________________________________________CHANGES MADE:__________________________DATE:_________________

TT

for the man with a different message

Accolades almost commonplaceBy Michael O’Toole

Chief Clarence LouieNK’Mip

Bellstar’s Ed Romanowski

7EDMONTONIANS MAY 2007


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or the eclectic George Blondheim, this is a homecoming. But, in Edmonton, thereis no band… no pennants… and no one has yet cued the trumpeter. Nonetheless,it is a homecoming worth noting. He has returned home to do business—thebusiness of music, the art of recording.

The ‘been-there, done-that’ musician/impresario/composer/producer/businessman haschosen to return to his roots after a lifetime of plying world routes looking for one morechallenge in the impossibly difficult world of the composer. A musical gun for hire or asensitive poet? Perhaps, a bit of both. Around the world, 30 million people hear his musiceach month. Some of them are even here in Edmonton. He is a man who had to leavehome to have success follow him back.

At 50, George Blondheim is one of Canada’s most notable musicians. If you called him amusical genius, he would be mortified but his record speaks reams. He is recognizedinternationally as a film and television composer, conductor, arranger, music director andproducer of pop/rock/country and jazz music. Centennial Celebrations, he was here…Mark Messier fund-raiser, he scripted the musical celebration… Ralph Klein Tribute, hecomposed the original score… Heritage Hockey Classic, he was the music director.

TV Guide once gushed; “His résumé reads like a short novel having performed andwritten virtually all styles of music in Canada, the USA and around the world. His film andTV composing credits include a Genie and two Gemini’s for such films as Bye Bye Bluesand The War between Us to such American blockbusters as The Jewel of the Nile and 91/2Weeks, and the hit TV series DaVinci’s Inquest.”

He has worked with artists from Nana Mouskouri to Cheech and Chong… from BobHope to Chubby Checker… from David Foster to Marvin Hamlisch… from Don Felder ofthe Eagles to Mason Williams… the list goes on. If he drops his little black book, pick it upand auction it off on eBay.

His series of concert recordings with symphony orchestras have led to otheropportunities. His piano performances are described as “innovative, wildly energetic andsurprise the listener with his sensitive maturity.”

He has conducted the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra,Toronto Festival Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Hamilton SymphonyOrchestra, and others too numerous to mention. Over and above his own performances,Blondheim has arranged symphonic concerts with artists such as Tom Cochrane, JannArden, Spirit of the West and k.d. lang.

Over the years, he has lived and worked in Los Angles, Paris, Japan, the deep south ofthe USA, Toronto, and Vancouver where he still maintains a pied-a-terre. A recipient of theQueen’s Canada 125 Medal for his contribution through music to Canada and the world,Blondheim also was awarded the Alberta Centennial Gold Medal in 2005. He has been

spokesperson for and contributes his time andtalent to charity fundraisers.

Blondheim has been hooked on orchestrassince he saw Procol Harum performConquistador with the Edmonton SymphonyOrchestra in 1971. It went on to be a worldwidehit. It was arguably the birth of symphonic rock.

The Edmonton of his boyhood was alwayswinter but never quite Christmas. He longed tobe gone… to step out from behind the wheatcurtain… to explore the world of his musicaldreams. It was not going well. The University ofAlberta music program didn’t want him and,when Grant MacEwan College accepted him intoits music program, he never did graduate—heremains its most internationally famous non-graduate... the subject of a lot of buzz around theworld.

UNCONVENTIONAL AND UNIQUEHe has bought his dream studio east of the city,near Sherwood Park. On the way out in hisclassic Mercedes 560 SEC—not quite a Germanstaff car but with all the toots and whistles thatcame much later on other luxury cars—we glidethe gently rolling parkland. “I like the fact that itsurvived,” Blondheim says of his luxury ride.

We arrive at a surplus, disused Canadiangovernment weather station. The neighbors call it“the bunker.” In fact, it is a weather station with adifference… with charming country views, and astate of the art studio, ready to shake up themusic scene in Alberta.

It houses B&W Entertainment/Retrogram Recordings, and it is open for business, as anumber of Edmonton musicians have already discovered.

For miles around the soft rush of the prairie wind keeps time with the dancing trees ofthe vast Alberta horizon. It is not the frenetic rush of Los Angeles tail-backed metal trapped

FF

��By Peter Drake McHugh

usical scoreBlondheim is back

Musician, impresario, composer, producerGeorge BlondheimPhoto by Rocco Macri

or a man who is so about music, George Blondheim is incredibly visual.He can actually see the notes he writes. His mind takes him beyond therealm of sound to create a mosaic for the senses.

That Bernie Zolner is on the same wave-length is a godsend… andaudiences are the beneficiaries of their collaborative genius. Magic

happens.Case in point: Symphonia Masonica. Never heard of it? You will. Commissioned

by the Grand Lodge of the Alberta Freemasons to commemorate its provincialcentenary in 2004, the symphony in three movements premiered at the WinspearCentre for Music. It was unlike anything patrons—and the Edmonton SymphonyOrchestra—had ever experienced.

This groundbreaking concert evoked emotions that swept through the audience likean electrical charge. Enhanced by massive video screens that projected inspiringimages throughout the performance and an unrivalled light show that danced to thebeat, the music filled the concert hall like never before. That’s what you get when youcombine their talents with those of Don Metz of Aquila Productions.

In another departure from the norm, the entire audience—armed withcomplimentary recorders, slide whistles, harmonicas, drum skins and sticks—wasinvited to make its own music… to fully participate in its own symphonicpresentation of Steelcraft & Coast Interactive. What a rush!

But wait there’s more. One patron put it this way: “James, George and Berniebecame a triangle of excellence in that hall…” That reference would be to artistJames Picard who stood elevated above the choir and in front of the Davis concertorgan creating a massive painting. The finished piece, inspired by the music, was a

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Magic happens

Magic happens

FFBy Barb Deters



in a sea of tar and cement, nor is it the easy chicand confidence of Vancouver or the apple blossomart of Japan, but it is home: These are the Canadianprairies on the threshold of Edmonton and, for aninquisitive hare staring at the floor to ceilingwindows, there must never have been a morecurious site. Could anything be more sublime? It isboth unconventional and unique—much like itsowner.

Four thousand square feet of dedicated musicspace on seven acres of solitude to work in filmand TV and to write good music. At its centre is awell-used grand piano, surrounded by walls ofelectronics and acoustical marvels under 19-footceilings. Part home, part studio, all business. Norecording session today, we have time to talkbetween phone calls and Blondheim checking hiswatch for his next appointment. The phone rings: abass player in Calgary with studio experience.Could he send a sample? “Absolutely,” saysBlondheim. “Always good to know what talent isout there.”

There is never a discordant note. He is of boththe analogue and digital worlds, as comfortablecomposing as playing. He does have concerns forthe future of music. Pop tart “idol” productions are“…a poor, pale production of American tastes,desires and economics,” he opines.

Gradually, he relents. When asked about theeffects (if any) of current fads like Canadian Idolet al ,without batting an eye he responds,“Canadian Idol is to music performance whatpond hockey is to the NHL.”

The man is a fan of every music genre. He willlisten to Rap with the same concentration as asymphony orchestra. Jazz, country, heavy metal—all part of his vocabulary. An eclecticism hebelieves came naturally to him listening to radio inEdmonton. “In those days you would listen to onestation and get a feeling for all types of music andthat is missing today.” He recalls listening toCHED radio in the ’70s when he heard everythingfrom Ray Stevens, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder toCharlie Rich all in the same top 40. “You wereexposed to every type of music and that can onlymake you better… I learned to wear many musicalhats.”

For his studio, he looked near Vancouver and inQuebec, but his long-time friend and business

partner said something like, “You can take the boy out of the prairie but…” Blondheimadmits, “He really made me think about my life. What do I want to do? Sure, I could besomewhere else but it is a world of circumstance: This property being available and mybusiness partner opting for Edmonton, and my being from here coupled with this

wonderful studio popping up. It was a perfect storm of entrepreneurship and opportunity.”He does not add that it is also a bit of an odd-couple scenario with business partner BernieZolner: He eschews the limelight whereas Blondheim has learned to handle the publicexposure.

Both men are adamant that Edmonton has a sound of its own and music made heredoesn’t have to sound like music from everywhere else. “When you are inspired by Olds,Leduc and the Rockies, your take on the world is different and that’s just fine,” Blondheimsuggests. His mentors would be jazz musician turned senator Tommy Banks and highschool music teacher turned politician Gene Zwozdesky. But his language literally sparkleswith the many people who have made the local music scene possible, even viable.

The list is long and eclectic—a catalogue of talent that had to be sold to internationalaudiences. Blondheim says that part of the business is still most difficult. But he and Zolnershare the philosophy that the sound of Alberta music is unique—whether country, hip hop,symphonic or rock. “We don’t have to make country music like Nashville or Austin. Wemust do it our way… go with our own sound.

“Every musician here owes a huge debt to Ian Tyson. He’s proof that when you singabout what you know, the world will listen.

“Of course, you must have talent. You must have quality both of performance andtechnology, and you must be willing to sell yourself in the worldwide market. Being nearlygood enough is not good enough and you will fail.”

Blondheim sees his business filling a gap. “We like to look for people who have thetalent and perhaps need packaging. The bar for talent has been raised tremendously byworldwide competition. It’s up to the musician to raise his or her game. Music is thebackdrop of life. More music is being heard today than ever before.”

He is shifting in his seat again. Another topic. “As well as talent and knowledge, someacademic training is necessary… but nothing will tell you the truth like a lot of clapping orbooing.”

He has three rules for up-and-coming talent. First: “Do it because you love it;” second:“Make certain that it is good;” and third: “If you haven’t done your homework, you arewasting your time.

“If you want to be a star, chances are you will fail… but, if you commit to be the verybest musician/performer you can be, there is every possibility you will succeed.”

Blondheim truly believes that, “music is part of the quality of life and must be nurtured.If not, you not only lose the music, but you risk losing the essence of culture.”

Studio time has been booked and a group is arriving from Vancouver. Time to leave.Parting thoughts?“I have friends in Europe and Los Angeles,” Blondheim concludes, “and they understand

that Edmonton is ready to move onto the music map in a big way. Their quality of life is nobetter than mine. We have the talent… we have the production… we have the promotion...we have the technology. Now, we just have to put it together.

“I’m very happy to be home.” And he really means it. √

His early mentors—Tommy Banks and Gene Zwozdesky

u

a

symbolic representation of the Masonic culture.But Blondheim is quick to point out that great works take time, something the

professional community has to accept and embrace. He and Zolner are in the thirdre-write of Symphonia Masonica, and plan to re-record for release in the next year.

The publicity-shy Zolner wrote the introduction to the event in the SymphoniaMasonica program. It is the embodiment of what fuels the collective passions ofZolner and Blondheim.

“There are certain occasions that bring to mind the nature and position of art within ourcommunity and its deep connection with the identity of our culture. Art lives on as atestimony and a legacy towards future generations…

“…the people of Alberta are capable of contributing to the grand cultural legacy of theworld.

“To achieve our equal position as contributors and not just consumers of the great legacyof human civilization, we must pause every so often to put aside our worries, our fears andthe daily stress inflicted upon us by the modern world. We must stop and smell the flowersof art that spring from the inspiration that we, ourselves, give to our artists through simplyliving together and thus sharing our hopes, our triumphs and our tragedies.” √

Photo by Vivienne Agius

Creative trio: Bernie Zolner, George Blondheim and James Picard.



t’s amazing how a first impression can affect abusiness relationship. Jared does a lot of work onthe phone where that first impression is createdsolely on the sound of his voice—an expressive

baritone that carries a great deal of confidence. However,some drawbacks are keeping him from attaining the truepotential of his dynamic voice. Jared speaks in a shortclipped style with excessive pace—fast, short and abrupt.The wonderfully rich tone is trapped in the lower registerthat may sound manlier but can be perceived as dark orsinister.

Then there are Jared’s word and sound choices. He is aself-proclaimed user of “The F-Bomb”—somethingKrista hopes to keep out of two-year-old Kenzee’svocabulary. Because of the sounds used—fricative… openvowel… plosive—in this particular four letter word, it canbe a great stress reliever. In business, it is just notacceptable. We still live in a society that looks at users ofprofanity as unable to express themselves in a morearticulate way. In laymen’s terms, it can make a collegegraduate sound like a high school drop out. Adding to thisare Jared’s contractions of words ending in “ing”. Whilef@#king nothing will diminish you, f@#kin’ nothin’ willexclude you from all but the simplest of conversations.

Eliminating these negative traits will improve not onlythat first impression but allow Jared to express himself ina way that will be appealing to a wider audience.

Spend anytime with Krista and you will discover thatshe is a very bright, intelligent, caring human being.Unfortunately, like Jared, Krista can be perceived as lessthan she is, but for very different reasons. Krista hasdeveloped a habit of using verbalized pauses—the umsand ers that indicate that the brain has turned off but themouth is still running.

Krista also has some breathing issues that make hercome off as soft-spoken. This is not a negative trait unlesspeople have trouble hearing you which may be interpretedas a lack of confidence. In Krista’s case, that just is not thereality. Of course, this could have something to do withher pregnancy—it’s hard to breathe when someone ispushing on your diaphragm! I will incorporate breathingwork that will help improve her volume to increase hercredibility. While this breath work will be of great benefitto both their voices, it will do wonders for Krista duringthe natural childbirth process.

I plan to instruct both of themutilizing Sounds of Executive StandardNorth American English. √

Tom Bradshaw is the head of theAcademy of Voice & Speech.Contact:[email protected]

By Tom Bradshaw

IIBy Colin WilliamsenBy Les Brost

ared and Krista Hope are a dynamiccouple with a head start on many of the‘Echo generation’. Both have a diversesports background, come from solidfamilies, and understand the power of

coaching and mentorship. Krista is a certifiedmassage therapist from small town Alberta andfor many years ran her own business. She isnow pregnant with their second child. Jared isa certified personal trainer and real estateinvestor with a strong portfolio. Together theyare the parents of Kenzee Mae, a beautiful 2 ½year old daughter.

They are now looking to transition theirlives from one of hectic, self employed parentsto a life of balanced partnership.

On the outside, it all looks pretty good… fit,attractive, successful…why would they needthe Transformers?

If you had met Jared back in 1996 when Idid, it was a different story. He was drafted bythe Toronto Maple Leafs when he was 18.Shortly after, he suffered a series ofconcussions that lead to his imminentretirement from the game that he loved and thelife he knew. Hockey is often seen as just agame or purely entertainment, but it’s aserious business, a social structure and a wayof life.

Despite coaches and support staff who try toprepare young athletes for ‘life after’, mostathletes still believe ‘it’ will never end. It ismoney, exposure, perks and even the intensecommunity network provided by teammatesand anyone in or surrounding the industry.When this very tight, insular world eventuallyends—through injury or otherwise—it can

take years or even decades to put the pieces of alife back together. Jared had it all (in somepeople’s minds) and it was taken away veryquickly.

I was Jared’s skating coach when he played for theEdmonton Ice of the Western Hockey League in the1990s. Back then, he was as cocky and brash as anyplayer I had ever worked with. Granted, he wastalented and his team had high hopes for him but hisconfidence bordered on arrogance. Maybe that’swhy we hit it off. I have a tendency to work wellwith highly motivated people who already believethey are the best. He definitely fit into that category.When he was forced to retire from hockey, we losttouch. When I would run into him occasionally, Iobserved, from a distance, that his soft skills—callthem communication or people skills—were not allthat honed.

Zoom ahead to 2001. Jared had met the lovelyKrista Kjhemus playing co-ed volley ball. Hethought she was cute… she thought he was a bit of adud.

Soon, for personal reasons, Jared would spend18 months and $30,000 to attempt to re-enter theworld of Pro Hockey. He actually earned a tryoutwith the Hamilton Bulldogs, made the team thenturned around gave the jersey back, got on a plane,came back to Edmonton, asked Krista to marryhim and put the hockey dream in the past.Complete. Done. He quit: This time on his terms.

So where are they now and why this Transformers’experience?Visit www.edmontonians.com forSteffany’s advice to the couple. √

Steffany Hanlen is a personalperformance coach whoconducts “The ChampionSeminars.” [email protected]

admit I was a bit skeptical about the Hopesas potential Transformees when Steffanyfirst introduced them. Did they simply seethis as an interesting experience that would

give them profile and exposure in Edmontoniansmagazine or were they ready to work?

Those reservations were gone—completelygone—after our second meeting. Jared and Kristaare prime candidates for the Transformers’ process.

What changed my view? Krista and Jaredrecognize their need for change. They sense thereare chunks of their lives that are not as good asthey can be… that “things” are getting in the wayof greater business and personal success.

Recognition is the first step in effective conflictmanagement. While important, it doesn’t get youanywhere if you choose not to take action. Toomany folks opt for the status quo, failing torecognize that in business—and in life—you eithermove forward or you go backward.

It takes courage to admit that yourcommunication skills and your degree of self-knowledge need an upgrade. That courage is whatmakes Krista and Jared so special. They know thatthey have set out on a challenging path, confrontinghead-on the powerful inner voices driving theinsecurity and fear presently getting in their way.

The Hopes will also learn about the “couplescommunication trap”. The “trap” is the assumptionthat effective communication automatically happenswhen couples live together, share parenting, andhave a good sexual relationship.

That’s a good start, but it’s not enough. In Jaredand Krista’s complex world, the competition fortime and energy is fierce. All too often their needfor honest, effective and intimate communication issacrificed to work, family and social obligations.They will learn to “pay their relationship first”when it comes to time and energy, and to scheduletime for meetings with each other—just like theydo for business or family obligations.

The Hopes have chosen to move beyond theirstatus quo. Good things happen when ability andcommitment meet opportunity.That’s why I look forward to beingpart of the transformation of Jaredand Krista Hope. √

Les Brost is head of Southern StarCommunications.Contact: [email protected]

II rista is calm as a subtle ocean breeze…Jared is like a tsunami awaiting its nexttarget—the epitome of polar opposites.Thank goodness their Eastern mind-

body types are relatively similar, even though theirhormones are at the opposite ends of the spectrum:Krista’s is serotonin—the calming hormone that helpsus remain on an even keel and drops us into a deepsleep; Jared’s is adrenaline—the ramping hormonethat keeps us moving at supersonic speed whennecessary. These hormones have a direct connectionto the Hopes’ inherent genetic mind-body types. Aswe peer further into the microscope of geneticuniqueness, we will determine how this influences thecouple’s ability to engage and connect with each otheron a much deeper level.

For Krista, her primary mind-body type influence isWind—she is a doer which is quite evident when yousee how well she juggles everything: taking care oftheir new home and their daughter, while managingJared’s travel schedule and the accounting for his realestate investment portfolio. Moreover, she is currentlyin her last trimester, expecting their second child. Hersecondary mind-body type influence is Fire, theelement that pertains to being a leader. Krista is aWind-Fire type… a doer and a leader.

Jared is making the transition from being a personalfitness trainer to pursuing his passion in real estateinvestment—prompted, in part, by his growing family.Jared also displays wisdom far beyond his 29 years,displaying a wealth of business savvy.

For Jared, his primary mind-body type influence isFire—he also is a leader. He makes things happen bytaking the necessary action to produce the results hedesires in his life. His secondary mind-body typeinfluence is Wind, the element that pertains to being adoer. Jared is a Fire-Wind type… a leader and adoer—the exact opposite of Krista.

Understanding each other’s genetic uniqueness—inherent mind-body type characteristics—will assistboth Krista and Jared to be able to engage andconnect with each other on a deeper level, as well aslive their lives with moremindfulness and at a higher level ofawareness.

Visit www.edmontonians.com forColin’s specific recommendations. √

Colin Williamsen is the president of TheWellness Coaches Inc. Contact:[email protected]

KK

By Steffany Hanlen

JJ TransformersC R E A T I N G C H A M P I O N S O F B U S I N E S S

The Hopes: Jared,Krista and KenzeeMaePhoto by Terry Bourque



ur family is familiar with the tragedies ofheart disease. My father-in-law had hislast heart attack at 52, leaving his wife tofinish raising four teenaged sons. One of

those sons had his first heart attack in his twenties,and died at the age of 47. Another son recently hadangioplasty. An infant nephew died during heartsurgery; a niece had three cardiac surgeries before shewas two. One of our own children was misdiagnosedby a young GP with a major, four-site heart defect,leading to a week of anguish, until the pediatriccardiologist reassured us that it was an innocentmurmur.

So I was happy to be seated next to the RightHonourable Don Mazankowski at a dinner last monthto learn firsthand a bit about the Mazankowski AlbertaHeart Institute, which will open in Edmonton inOctober. The former deputy prime minister was adelightful dinner companion… enthusiastic about thisworld class facility which will focus on all servicesfrom disease prevention to the most complex patient

care… and humble about his part in its creation. Hetold me he tried for two years to convince the “powersthat be” to name it after someone “more worthy of thehonour”. They correctly ignored him.

I told Mr. Mazankowski a bit of our family history.He was confident that each of those people wouldhave lived longer and healthier lives had such afacility existed. Not only will the institute provideacute care for children and adults, but it will alsoallow research and technology advances to beimmediately applied to those who would benefit.There will be a congenital heart disease programproviding lifelong care to children born with heartdisease. The institute will also house the AlbertaCardiovascular and Stroke Research Centre—ABACUS. There will be major focus on prevention ofheart disease through education.

Whether we live in Edmonton or Calgary, it isreassuring to know that we will have this outstandinginstitution available to make the lives of our family,and yours, better. √[email protected]

Edmontonian Edmontonian IN EXILE

By Janet Edmondsonin Calgary

OO

By Don Hill

have a story to tell you, a modern dayparable.

In the grim days following 9/11, mediaintelligence about the extremists responsible for the

terror was pretty spotty. At the time, I was national host ofCBC Radio One’s religion show. The very thought thatthere might be a radical branch of Islam was news to mynetwork colleagues in Toronto.

In the scramble to get a grip on President Bush’squestion, “Why do they hate us?” I interviewed anacknowledged expert on Islam, Bernard Lewis. He was inNew York.

As our conversation unfolded, a profile emerged about thehijackers and their objectives. Dr. Lewis’ depiction of thefanatics’ intentions sounded oddly familiar.

“Are we fighting with the bikers of Islam?” I asked. Dead silence. “That’s one way of putting it,” he said, after a raspy

chuckle. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.” What I learned right then and there is belief matters. And

to not understand what others believe – what other cultureshold to be true and proper – creates the conditions forconfusion at best, and in the extreme, catastrophe.

Religion matters, too. It matters a great deal. The Latinroot of the word says as much: religion means ‘to bindcommunity.’

Religion and politics have always been in closecollaboration, especially here in western Canada. Prairiepolitical movements—both the CCF (CooperativeCommonwealth Federation), the parent of today’s NDP, andSocial Credit, the political dynasty that lasted for over 30years in Alberta—were built with religious principles and,in particular, the workings of the ‘social gospel’.

There were two distinctive streams that flowed out of thesocial gospel movement of the early 20th century. Thecourse charted by Tommy Douglas, a Baptist minister, theCCF premier of Saskatchewan and the father of universalhealthcare in Canada is well-known to this day. ReverendDouglas’ government embodied the social gospel principleof “I am my brother’s keeper.”

Reverend William Aberhart, the Social Credit premierof Alberta during the Depression years of the 1930s markedthe second tributary of the social gospel. “Bible Bill”Aberhart and his successor Premier Ernest C. Manning,the father of Preston Manning, regarded themselves asstewards of the people. They believed the primary role ofgovernment was to uphold social and community valuesthrough prudent management of the province’s finances andresources.

So what has the social gospel got to do with our present-day politics? Lots.

There is evidence that a third stream of the social gospelis now in play.

A couple of years back, I had Preston Manning on myprovince-wide radio phone-in show. I was intrigued by hisresponse to a question about the environment, following anotherwise unremarkable speech he made in Red Deer.

“I don’t think Albertans are getting the governance thatthey deserve,” he said. And, when I prompted him to furtherexplain (because he did leave things hanging a bit),

Manning volunteered that, given the history of rapid-firepolitical movements in the West, the ‘environment’ mightwell be the rallying point for a new style of leadership and anew political party “that has yet to reveal its name,” he said.

Manning also hinted that whatever the party might callitself, there was a very goodprobability ‘it’ would be the nextpolitical dynasty in the province.

I sense the environment maywell be the third tributary, thenewest stream of the socialgospel, alongside social andcommunity concerns long-associated with the movement.

BELIEF AND CULTUREReligion—as a way ofknowing—is very often the basisfor how people governthemselves around the world. Toignore religion, to push it to themargins of society does notmake it go away. Like a river that goes underground,religion tends to resurface no matter what you do to blockits progress.

I strongly disagree with Richard Dawkins, the scientistand avowed atheist who recently declared in his best-sellingbook The God Delusion that religion is akin to a mentalvirus, a malignant disease that ought to be eradicated.

Several years ago, Dr. Dawkins visited the BehaviouralNeuroscience Laboratory at Laurentian University, where Iam an adjunct researcher. After exchanging pleasantries, Ienquired if Dr. Dawkins had investigated meditation, forinstance, the type associated with major religions such asBuddhism which, to my way of thinking, is more a ‘scienceof mind’ than religion.

He frowned. There is a lot to be learned from contemplative

practices—especially if you are in a leadership role.

The expression “damned ifyou do and damned if youdon’t,” is the basis for a ZenBuddhist koan, a riddle, whichmust be solved before movingon to another challenge.

“If you answer my questionincorrectly,” a Zen masterinstructs, “I will hit you with astick.” And “if you answer itcorrectly, I will hit you with astick.”

What’s the answer?Hint #1: the koan is really a

question about your leadership.You can’t dodge it.

Remaining silent—“dynamic inaction,”as one clever fellowput it—is promptlyrewarded with asharp and instructivethump. Think of thispuzzle as you mightwhen businessshifts ground andthe future of yourenterprise demandsan immediate, yetpurposefulresponse; donothing and youget whacked.

Hint #2: Zenkoans are counterintuitive to conventional

ways of thinking. When I hosted the religion show on CBC Radio

One, my perspective was constantly upended byextraordinary ideas. I was challenged to set aside mypersonal worldview as the baseline of all things goodand proper. To understand wisdom traditions, I learnedto empathize with the ontology I was investigating,even if it meant surrendering to it for the moment; I

had to suspend my beliefs about how things ought to be.Hint #3: Imagine I am now holding the stick. And I’m

telling you—yes, you—if you answer my questionincorrectly or correctly, you will get hit with it.

The answer is right in front of you… right now.Take the stick. √

Don Hill is a ‘thought leader’ at the Leadership Lab andLeadership Development at the Banff Centre. He is also anaward-winning writer and broadcaster with a largefootprint on the Internet. Listen to his radio series InspiringLeadership, a 20-part documentary on contemporaryleadership and the challenge of leading in the 21st Centuryevery Saturday morning at 8 AM on the CKUA RadioNetwork.

For more details visit: www.ckua.com andwww.appropriate-entertainment.com

II

What happens when youmix religion and politics?

Tommy Douglas

Richard Dawkins

Preston ManningPreston Manning



Radio is big business in Edmontonwhat with 23 stations—more than anyother Canadian city on a per capitabasis. The three Standard stations(The Bear, EZ Rock and CFRN) arenow all part of Montreal-based AstralMedia which controls 81 AM/FMstations, the most in Canada. Secondis Calgary-controlled Corus (CHED,CISN, CHQT, Joe FM) with 50commercial stations.

CHED has long dominated the AMratings with its news/talk format, butCBC, CFRN 1260 and CKUA provideexcellent alternatives. As far asmusic is concerned, Edmonton FMand AM stations, including French,Aboriginal and multi-cultural,provide an incredible range fromwhich to select.

That’s why I’m constantly channel-roaming in my car, flicking between

AM and FM depending on my moodand what’s available.

It was on one of those occasions afew weeks ago, I picked up CHEDSports Director Bryan Hall on hisafternoon show. I was somewhat

shocked when I heardhim proclaim that hesaw no need to playnational anthems atsporting events. That,of course, wouldinclude Canada’sincredibly beautifulnational anthem notbeing played at homegames for the Oilersand Eskimos… northe U.S. nationalanthem in CanadianNHL cities when

American teams are visiting.I couldn’t disagree more. Who will

ever forget the Oilers’ fight for theStanley Cup last year, and theresponse from our fans in singing OCanada with love, passion and gusto.

So much so that PaulLorieau stoppedsinging and simplyheld his microphoneout so televisionviewers could see andhear our fans proudlyrendering O Canadawith the emotion itdeserves. Thatphenomenaltelevision footage gotworld-wide attention.

I’ll never forgetbeing in Don Ho’s

Honolulu nightclub during the heightof the Vietnamese War. It was packedwith 2,000 noisy U.S. military onleave, drinking up a storm. Gail and Iwere present with other Albertanewsmen and their spouses. Hoasked if there were any Canadianspresent and we all stood up.Accompanied by his 25-piece band,he proceeded to sing all verses of OCanada to a hushed audience,illustrating the incredible esteem hehad for Canada and Canadians.

Former Saskatchewan LieutenantGovernor Dr. Linda Haverstock feltso strongly about the singing of OCanada when she held office that sheadvocated legislation to have it sungin all their schools at least once aweek. Some Edmonton and Albertaschools already do that. Too manydon’t.

As for the Edmonton Oilers andEdmonton Eskimos, I wish both ofthem greater success in theirrespective next seasons. But I trustthe singing of O Canada will remaina tradition at all home games forboth teams—as well as all otheramateur and professional events forthat matter—with or without theapproval of good, but misguided,friend Bryan Hall. √

Bruce Hogle is the formernews director at CFRN TVand recently retired head ofthe Alberta Press Council. [email protected]

Edmonton’s condo marketcontinues to explode. Activity isn’tconfined to any one area of the city,although the most high-profileprojects underway or proposed are inthe downtown core. It’s almostimpossible to maintain an up-to-datelist of what’s going where or when,but I thought it would be helpful tohighlight a few of the downtown andnear-downtown condominiumprojects.

The Icon, Towers I and II:Construction of the sold-out, 30-storey Tower I of this high-profileproject on 104th Street just north ofJasper Avenue is well underway, andthe 35-storey Icon II is expected tocommence in May or June. Developedby Langham Properties, it hashelped set a new level of design forEdmonton condos and will be awelcome—and prominent—additionto the downtown skyline.

The Aurora: This $325 millionproject will redefine a now derelictarea, populated largely by empty lotsand a few industrial buildings,immediately north of downtown. Thefirst phase, a joint project of CarmaDevelopers and Urban LandmarksMaster Builder, will comprise a 23-storey, 187-unit condo tower and a 58unit four-floor townhouse structure.So named by the developers becausethe design will represent the AuroraBorealis, or Northern Lights, it willeventually include six towers, rangingfrom 17 to 28 stories, and fivetownhouse buildings from three tofive stories.

City Council has already re-zonedthe land to allow for the development,removing a 15-storey height limit toallow taller, slimmer towers, withmore green space and pedestrian-friendly spaces. Overall, the Aurora ispart of a major city plan to rejuvenate

the entire area north of the downtowncore, from 97th to 116th Streets. If allapprovals are obtained, constructionof the first phase could start this fall.

The Uptown: This latest projectfrom True North Properties billsitself as a “low-density” highrise,containing just 54 suites on 15 floors,on 117th Street south of Jasper. Withsignificant amounts of glass and aninteresting exterior treatment, it is far

removed architecturally from some ofTrue North’s earlier projects, likeGrand Central Manor. The developerhas also assumed responsibility forViva City, a 14-storey condo alsounder construction, just below the lipof the river valley on 104th Street,north of 98th Avenue.

The Venetian: Another relativelyupscale project from Abbey LaneHomes, developers of the exclusiveOne River Park in Old Strathcona,this six-floor, 145-suite condo is onthe former site of the Sidetrack Cafeon 112th Street.

Alta Vista South: ChristensonDevelopments, a company I creditwith spearheading the renaissance of

the downtown core, has begunconstruction on a 12-floor buildingvirtually identical to the completedAlta Vista North. Its 14-storey RiverVista on 97th Avenue, near thegovernment centre, is nearingcompletion.

Q on 105th: A city developmentpermit has been issued for thisstriking 22-storey condominium toweron the southwest corner of 105th

Street and 104th Avenue,directly across from theeastern wing of GrantMacEwan College. Designedby Brinsmead ZiolaKennedy architects (whoalso did the Icon, Omega,and Aurora condos, amongother structures) and from thesame partners who recentlydeveloped the 18-storeyParliament on 109th Street,the Q promises to transformthe area, replacing a vacantlot with a welcome additionto the warehouse districtskyline.

Founders Ridge: This 25-storey tower with townhousesat its base will occupy thenortheast corner of 105thStreet and 98th Avenue. ThisBCM Developments’ projectwill significantly (andpositively) alter thestreetscape of the hill,

replacing a number of old, admittedlyderelict, houses. Hopefully, it willlaunch in the very near future. BCMis also telling us to watch for its 22+-storey Jasper East development,Corner 1 Towers, on Jasper Avenueat 95th Street. No word on when thatwill become a more tangible project.

Illuminada II: Now underconstruction at Jasper and 118thStreet, this 12-floor, 46-suite condo isdirectly west of Illuminada I,identical in height but different inappearance. Offering walls ofwindows and private balconies, thenew tower will be clad in stucco andglass. WAM Development Group isalso constructing another condo

southwest of its Illuminadas, onVictoria Promenade overlooking theriver valley, above Victoria GolfCourse. Little has been said of thisbuilding, but rumour is that it will bebetween six and eight stories high, isultra-luxurious and has sold outprivately without the necessity ofmarketing. As well, look forIlluminada III, also on Jasper, in thefuture.

Other condos are under or aboutto commence construction in thedowntown core: the 12-storeySerenity from Urban Landmarks onJasper Avenue at 117th Street;Panache on Twelfth, a four-floorstructure across the street from theVenetian; Maxx; Zen; and Neo mid-rise condos, all from BCM Develop-ments along 105th Avenue; and Gateson 117th by Tessco, Inc. also on105th.

We’re keeping our fingers crossedthe owners of the historic, fire-damaged Arlington—a completeeyesore on 100th Avenue and 106thStreet—will proceed with its new 20-storey tower. There are some minordesign quibbles but, done right, thiscould be one of the best residentialinfill projects the downtown has seenin a long time. Also look for BellamyHill Tower, a striking 32-storey towerfrom Edmonton-based Trans AmericaGroup. Immediately south ofEdmonton House, the tower wouldadd considerable interest to the city’sskyline.

These are just samples from thedowntown core, but many infill andredevelopment projects are in theworks throughout the city, fromCentury Park to Strathearn to 142ndStreet. All in all, theysignal a majortransformation ofEdmonton’s urbanfabric. √

David Norwood is afreelance writer/[email protected]

edia Minutewith Bruce HogleM

INTELINTELBizBiz

ivic Buzzwith David NorwoodC

Oh O Canada

The Uptown

Bryan Hall



Who doesn’t like Google?Easy. The newspaper, magazine and

book publishing business, that’s who.In case you didn’t notice, more

traditional print publishing is going the“Way of the Web,” meaning lessemphasis on the “touchable” style ofyesterday and more on electronic“push” delivery via regular e-mail withlinks back to the main website.

While most established publishersagree with this, their standard reply is:“Sure this will happen, but not soon.”Yeah right. Talk about classic denial.

I’ve got news for them—it ishappening… right now. Look for 2007and 2008 to be huge transition years forthe publishing business as advertiserscontinue to move more to the web forrevenues.

A good analogy can be found in thecomputer book publishing sector.Remember all those big, fat $89 “how-to-do-this-in-Excel” glossy publicationswe used to purchase? They’re notaround anymore because, if you needthe answer to a technical problem, you

get very timely, detailed replies bysimply Googling the question.

Now, Google is moving into anotherarea once dominated by print. This time,it is telephone directory assistance andYellow Pages that are under siege. Inearly April, Google Inc beganexperimenting with the use of speechrecognition on telephones where callerscan ask for location information. U.S.callers dial 1-800-GOOG-411 and cantest a free voice-activated service calledGoogle Voice Local Search

(http://labs.google.com/goog411/)A practical use? Simply call them and

ask for the all the Chinese food deliveryplaces in your area. A few seconds lateryou get a list; most likely via a textmessage on your cell phone.Somewhere in all of this will beadvertisements of some kind.

It doesn’t stop here. You librariansbetter start dusting off your résumés,too. Read up (sorry!) on Google’s plansfor the Library of Congress and you

will see what I mean. No wonder manymagazine publishers call Google thenew Evil Empire because next to them,Microsoft looks like Ghandi.

Speaking of India, with a major DellInc. technical support centre here inEdmonton and another big one inOttawa, why do I have to talk tosomebody in Bangalore, India to helpme solve problems?

Ditto for the very questionable techsupport at Lexmark and especiallyEdmonton-based, Intuit, which also

have their phone support in Asia. Nowpersonally, I don’t care where the phonesupport is. I just want to talk tosomebody (on a good quality phoneline) who can speak English, understandmy question and doesn’t interrupt mebefore I explain the problem in full. Isthis really asking too much?

Memo to tech companies: Fortelephone help, have two levels oftechnical support; one on NorthAmerica and one somewhere else. You

can even charge for the North Americanservice and people will pay for it. Or,take a page from Hewlett-Packard’sOn-line Chat service where a customerservice rep is always available to yakwith you about your problems.

Finally, there are several reasons whythe uptake on Microsoft’s Vista andOffice 2007 has been so slow. First,most people, either at home or inbusiness, won’t buy Vista until theyneed a new computer and, second, theyare a bit confused by the various SKUsor offerings from Microsoft—Ultimate?Professional? Business? Home? Last butnot least, the technical vendorcommunity itself is not fully behind ityet. They haven’t taken enough time tolearn the new operating system.

Of all the Microsoft operating systemsreleased in the past 15 years, themigration/acceptance/adoption of Vistahas been the slowest yet. The fastestadoption was in the mid-1990s whenWindows 95 was first released. √

Gregory B. Michetti of theAlberta-based systemsintegration firm MichettiInformation Solutions, Inc.can be reached viawww.michetti.com

iz IT 101with Greg MichettiB

Denial, Delhi and Dell

ith all the emphasis onglobal warming andenvironmentally safeinitiatives, sun protection

is of growing interest. Anyone with kidsremembers the slip-slop-slap campaign inrecent years encouraging us to coverourselves from the harmful effects of thesun.

This month’s young entrepreneur was“the kid with the lemonade stand.” Hisbusiness acumen started with lemonadestands, then snow shoveling and grew into aretractable screencompany when he wasin high school. Workingonly in the summers inthe beginning with hisfather and uncle,Landon Croome usedto go door-to-door onhis roller bladesdelivering flyerspromoting the sleek,space saving retractablescreens. That was sevenyears ago. Now he is thesole owner of the soonto be re-brandedMainstream Screens.

The Edmonton-basedcompany specializes inretractable and sun reflecting screens for thehome. Landon says installing Mainstream’ssun protection screens on your windows willkeep out the heat and still allow air flowthrough, so there is no reason for an airconditioner in the Alberta climate.

Now 24 and a recent graduate from GrantMacEwan’s accelerated generalmanagement studies program, Landon has awell established market, a booming housingeconomy, and a new contract to sell hisproducts through local Costco locations.The impending growth is almost palatable.

When I asked Landon what he “needed”to be an entrepreneur and to face this kindof growth, without hesitation he said“patience… tons of patience because it’s notlike a 9-to-5 job where there are problemsand other people take care of it.” The second

thing he has in spades is vision. Young bymany standards, he has one of the clearestvisions I have yet to encounter. As with anycareer, business opportunity or life ingeneral, the only thing set in stone is thatnothing is set in stone, and yet without astrong vision a company is rudderless andlacks momentum.

From a marketing standpoint, MainstreamScreens frequents all home and renovationrelated trade-shows in the Edmonton area aswell as relying heavily on word-of-mouth,and what I call targeted community

marketing. When thecompany installs a screen, itlets other homeowners in thedirect area know. Landonbelieves in the power ofendorsement marketing…that people trust those whohave had the “experience”with the product. This willincrease throughMainstream’s involvementwith Costco.

With this new exposure, anew office/warehouse spaceand a season that is fastapproaching, Landon alsofeels that it is time to re-brand. The company namegrew from his father’s

plumbing business and served as a steppingstone for the young entrepreneur. The screencompany can now carry its own weight, butneeds to identify itself as a separate entity…possibly with a new name, new promotionalmaterial and an updated web presence.

For Erin’s Top Three, and her businessQ&A visit www.edmontonians.com √

Erin Rayner is presidentof ED Marketing andCommunications Inc. Youcan submit marketingmaterials for review;suggest youngentrepreneurs to beprofiled; nominate a Top Three; or ask abusiness developement question.Contact [email protected]

raveling to Cuba inmid-winter is not aboutwater sports and getting atan. Red Associates

Engineering is one of many Canadiancompanies doing business in the Caribbeannation.

An embargo on Cuba has prohibitedAmerican businesses from trading orconducting business with Cuban interestsfor many years. As the Cuban governmentand other businesses on the island lookedelsewhere for goods and services, eyesturned naturally north toward Canada,generating significant opportunities forfirms in this country. This is precisely howRed Engineering got its start in Cuba.

Following a crane accident at one of itsCuban mining sites, SherrittInternational contacted an Americandealer to inspect the damage. Due to theembargo, it was unable to go down on itsown and referred Sherritt to RedEngineering. One thing led to another andnow, two or three times a year, RedEngineering personnel travel to Cuba,usually for two weeks at a stretch, toinspect all of Sherritt’s equipment at its oiland gas and mining sites. They also workwith local staff to educate them on cranesafety and maintenance.

Working internationally in this way is

almost risk-free for Red Engineering.“We invoice the Canadian firm

and get paid in Canadiandollars.Except forthe

internationaltravel, it is really

no different thanworking with our

Canadian clients,” reportsDarin Richards, co-owner of Red AssociatesEngineering.

In a similar fashion, itwas contracted by Calgary-

based EnCana to annuallyinspect and maintain its cranes

in Ecuador. When EnCana soldto a Chinese consortium led by the

China National Petroleum Company,Red Engineering’s contract was retained.Much of the work remains the same butthe cheques (always in American dollars)now come from China rather thanCalgary. However, working in thesometimes politically unstable nation canbe quite a bit different than working inCuba, where Canadians are viewed veryfavourably.

“We have to take out kidnap insuranceon our staff there,” Richards says. “Whileour people are very well protected and inno real danger, there have been someproblems in the past for other Canadianworkers in the oil industry, though theywere working deep in the jungle.Employee safety and well-being is ofutmost importance for us and our staffwould not be there if we felt there wasany real danger.”

In today’s environment where it can bevery difficult to retain employees, Richardsand his business partner Barry Besuyenhave found that the international exposureis a draw for some engineers. Theyappreciate the chance to work and interactwith foreign colleagues.

As I can attest, traveling to foreigndestinations for business is never asglamorous as it sounds, but it is a welcomechange from regular routines foremployees, and traveling to a warmweather destination is a treat when thetemperature drops belowzero. √

Cheryl Lockhart ownsInternational StrategiesLtd., specializing inexport-related planningand marketing. E-mail:[email protected]

WW

For Young Entreprenuersmy spaceEBy Erin Rayner

GREA

TER EDMONTON

INTERNATIONAL BUSINE

SS

TTBy Cheryl Lockhart

Landon Croome

RISKDowngrading



MAKINGmoney

hese days, anyone who is really accomplishedseems to be cashing in on that skill by writing abook. This is especially true in the field offinance and investing. Every year, I write an

article on what I consider to be the best financial reads ofthe year. Surprisingly enough, I get more feedback on thiscolumn than any other. So here is my list of favourites fromthe past 12 months.

The Only Three Questions That Count by Ken Fisher.Fisher isn’t a wannabe. He runs a global money manage-ment firm that has over $30 billion in assets, is ranked 297on the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans, and is oneof a very small group of investors who outperforms themarket year after year. He is consistently ranked first as themost accurate market forecaster in America.

This book really makes you think outside of the box. Hetears down conventional market myths on which many ofour investment decisions are based, and shows how to dothe research necessary to find out things that others don’tknow. If I had to pick one title off this list as a must-read,this one would be it. It actually teaches you how to thinkstrategically.

More Than You Know–Finding Financial Wisdom inUnconventional Places by Michael J. Mauboussin. Thecommonality of all the books on this list is that their authorsare not wed to convention. They think outside the box andthat is what has made them so successful. That comes fromnot only writing about investing, but actually using thestrategies and investing real money in them to prove thatthey work. Mauboussin is one of those guys. His financialcredentials include being the chief investment strategist atLegg Mason as well as being an adjunct professor at theprestigious Columbia Business School.

This book looks at such diverse areas as horse racing,human psychology, sports, casino gambling and biology.Mauboussin believes that many of the best strategies oninvesting come from outside the field of finance. This is agreat book, but definitely not a light read.

The Little Book of Value Investing by Christopher H.Browne. The biggest complaint that newbies to theinvestment world have is that most of the how-to books oninvesting are so complicated that it takes a PhD in finance

to understand them, or they are written by people that havea staff of analysts that will do the huge amounts of calcu-lation grunt work for them. This is the clearest, easiest tounderstand book on investing I have ever read. It explainshow to uncover value stocks trading at 66 cents on thedollar, and then how to screen them using his 16-pointchecklist. He also gives invaluable information on how toavoid fads and apply techniques that greatly lower your riskof losing money. Browne is a managing director at TweedyBrowne Co., the oldest value-investing firm on Wall Street

with one of the best long-term performance track records.Poor Charlie’s Almanack by Charles T. Munger. Warren

Buffett is the person that most people associate with theincredible investment track record at Berkshire Hathaway.Very few know that the business is co-managed with hispartner, Charlie Munger. He may be less well known, but isevery bit Buffet’s equal.

The Almanack is a collection of his best quotes, talks andideas. It focuses on making you a better investor bybuilding decision models that really help to drill down tothe essence of why an investment is or isn’t worth owning.

Real Estate Investing in Canada by Don R. Campbell.There are very few books on the market for the averageinvestor that approach buying real estate in a systematicway. Campbell teaches you how to know when markets areovervalued… how to approach bankers and arrangefinancing, negotiate with the vendor, recognize and sellwhen the real estate market is fully priced… and how to

analyze a property for its profit and cash flow potential. Thebook is written by a Canadian author who is 100 percentfocused on the real estate markets in this country, not thosesouth of the border.

The Investment Zoo—Taming the Bulls and the Bearsby Stephen A. Jarislowsky. Very few stock market guruscall Canada their home. He is not only one of the best, buthe is one of ours. The firm he founded half a century ago,Jarislowsky Fraser, manages $49 billion dollars worth ofmoney for Canadian institutions and individuals. Hisinvestment philosophy and ethics are based on honesty,integrity and hard work. He explains how to use theseprinciples to make financial decisions from a Canadianperspective. Nice guys don’t have to finish last in business:Jarislowsky is living proof.

And for those who have already made their fortunes, thisbook should serve as inspiration on how to make the worlda better place. Leaving Microsoft to Change the World byJohn Wood. The author had a career that was on the fasttrack at Microsoft. That all changed when he took avacation to go trekking in Nepal. While visiting a mountainvillage, he was appalled at the lack of books in the localschool library. He promised the people that he would find away to bring books to this isolated community, and do whathe could to break the cycle of poverty by promoting basicliteracy. This turned out to be a life-changing event for him.

In the year 2000, Wood started Room to Read. Since thenthis non-profit organization has donated 1.2 million booksto schools and libraries in underprivileged countries,established 2,600 libraries, opened 200 schools and sent1,700 girls to school with scholarships. Changing the worldis usually just a cliché—this guy is actually doing it.

These are great books. Enjoy! √

Ron Hiebert, a Director, InvestmentExecutive with ScotiaMcLeod, teachesinvestment classes at Grant MacEwanCollege. The author of Wealth Buildingcan be heard on CFCW radio (790 AM)Sundays from 8 to 9 a.m. on his show,Making Money. Contact him [email protected]

TT

Learning from the bestBy Ron Hiebert

The more that you read,The more things you will know.

The more that you learn,The more places you’ll go.

~ Dr. Seuss

ften as I meet individuals, especially thoseinvolved with larger companies or incommunity or faith-based organizations, Ihear the comment “things have become too

political”… or “I do not want to be involved [or toparticipate] because of the politics.” Even worse, theseindividuals become unwilling to do what is right for theorganization for fear of repercussion.

Interestingly, there are two basic reasons why so manyorganizations become political:

Selectively sharing information within the organiz-ation. The people who have the information share differentportions of this information with different people, all inturn using it as a basis of power and control.

Lacking the courage to make difficult choices or toresolve key issues, particularly at the risk of hurtingsomeone’s feelings. Instead, individuals camouflage andsugar-coat information in the name of political correctness,leading to misinterpretation and assumptions that end upcreating confusion and helping no one.

Over time, I have found that “political” organizationsend up essentially dysfunctional as their people spend moretime speculating on and sharing “privileged” information(or rumours) while their leaders spend more time findingways to manage and control the information.

With cheap enabling technology, it has become far easierfor information to travel and be accessible. This addssignificant complexity to those organizations attempting totightly control the information, who they share it with andhow it is used as a basis for managing their organizations.

The solution to this is simple: Develop an organizationthat includes “candor” as one of its key managementprinciples. In Winning, author Jack Welch discusses this inthe chapter titled The Biggest Dirty Little Secret inBusiness. He suggests that “lack of candor blocks smartideas, fast action, and good people contributing all the stuffthey’ve got. It’s a killer.” In his analysis, Welch found that

less than 20 percent of his audience received honest,straight-between-the-eyes feedback that tells them exactlywhat they have to do to improve and where they stand inthe organization.

If candor enables smart ideas and fast action, why don’torganizations promote it and make it part of their culture?One of the definitions of politics—“to deal with people inan opportunistic, manipulative, or devious way, as for jobadvancement”—provides a powerful explanation as to whyindividuals in leadership lack the desire or foresight toinclude candor in their culture.

A related challenge that plagues most organizations isthe reluctance of individual members to speak theirminds. It goes back to their upbringing, when theirparents protected them by censoring information thatwas deemed as inappropriate for a child, regularlyreminding them “If you can’t say something nice, don’tsay anything at all.”

With this reluctance to speak one’s mind, it is ofteneasier to let things slide… to ignore or work around hardissues without truly addressing them… to make decisionsonly when forced. This unwillingness to face hard issuesoften manifests itself in organizations at various phases ofre-organization, going from one model to another and backagain—all the while losing opportunities and not makingthe meaningful cultural changes necessary to truly moveforward.

In community-based organizations where leaders areeither appointed or elected, the lack of candor can result indeclining commitment and increasing apathy, especially inyounger members. The cynicism generated from selectivesharing of information does little to promote communitybuilding. Unfortunately, many leaders see it as a means toretain their power and control, which further exacerbatesthe situation.

The solution to all this is simple and it has to start at thetop. Organizations have to:

Share all information broadly, fairly and honestly.straight up with no camouflage or additives. If seniorleadership engage in candor, it will flow right down theorganization.

Engage the organization. Whether as an employee or amember of a specific community organization, peopledeserve to be engaged, to be able to contribute and make adifference.

Base individual relationships on candor between anemployee and their supervisor or peers, and withinindividual groups.

Get rid of the task force approach to defining thevision or strategy. Leaders need to have the courage todefine the vision and enable the task force to workcollectively on the execution.

Simplify the decision making process. Eliminateunnecessary processes that are aimed at retaining control.

Reward based on results, not process or control.Individual behaviours are determined by the incentiveprocess, and designing an incentive package that rewardscandor and penalizes control will go a long way.

It takes courage to speak your mind and deal with hardissues with candor and openness. But when an issue ishandled with honest, straight-forward and candid dialogue,it is amazing how easy it becomes… how quickly andeffectively you can move the strategy forward and achievethe desired result.

I’m sure the question in your mind is, “How does anindividual who has been promoted (or appointed) to theirhighest level of incompetence survive atthat position?” Well, someone needs tocandidly deal with them. √

Nizar J. Somji is the founder and CFOof Matrikon Inc., an internationalcompany which specializes in integratedindustrial intelligence solutions.

By Nizar J. SomjiWhen organizations become political

OO

ETHICScorporate



s I told you acouple of monthsago in my column,it all started four

years ago with my obsession for astone kitchen sink. After monthsof wrestling with obstacles andsetbacks, the limestone basin wasfinally installed, proving to beworth every bit of the struggle. Ithas become the heart and soul ofthe kitchen and the triumphantresult inspired me to give the restof the kitchen a facelift.

At first, I thought just replacingthe countertops and backsplash would bring the balanceof the kitchen in sync with the sink. Brazilian granitehad been selected for the arched sink backsplash, soadditional stone was ordered for the tops. Eventually,the plan was to renovate the entire kitchen but, in orderto keep costs manageable, I decided to get the ‘Cuisineof my dreams’ in stages.

The following week, when the stone suppliertemplated the counter tops, he informed me that it wasnot as simple as tearing out the old tops and replacingthem. Stone weighs considerably more than Corian orArborite so the existing cabinet’s old bones wouldrequire beefing up to accommodate the additional load.Maybe this piece-meal philosophy of revamping thekitchen wasn’t such a good idea after all.

While cabinet shopping I had an epiphany. With allthe mess of tearing out the old cabinets, I might as wellrip out the 1970s sunshine ceiling and update it. Wehad lived under the glare of an airport landing striplong enough; task lighting; low voltage pot lights andunder cabinet lighting would create a softeratmosphere. One realization led to another. We spendmost of our time in the family room and kitchen—whynot make it the hub of the house bycombining the two?

Now I was on a roll. The galleyshaped kitchen had always felt longand narrow; removing the wallbetween the family room andkitchen would integrate the two andcreate a wider kitchen with theaddition of a raised bar area thatwould extend into the family room.Why not take the chill off winterevenings with a fireplace? Dinnerguests usually congregated in thekitchen—a larger gas cook top andwarming oven would accommodateperiodic Sous-chefs who helpedwith meal preparations. And, thepièce de résistance, an epicureanluxury: the Pot Filler tap right at thestove to fill pots, woks and kettleswithout sloshing them across theroom from the sink. Wow, this newkitchen would surely be the‘Cuisine of my Dreams’. But,getting there was another story…

In the ensuing seven months Ispent a great deal of time wonderingif I really needed the kitchen of amaster chef. Initially, I thoughtescaping the tyranny of the kitchen

somewhat appealing. Myhusband pooh-poohed the idea of eating out everynight. “You’ll be sick of it in a week or two.” Theobsession lasted four days before I started devisingways of preparing meals in the microwave. Thetemporary lack of running water in the kitchen forcedus to wash dishes in the bathroom sink. Soaps andtoiletries were gradually replaced by stacked plates anddish detergent. The living and dining rooms becamemini-storage units for boxes and containers filled witheverything but the kitchen sink.

Month five. Working from home had becomechallenging. The dogs and I were relegated to theconfines of the den where I lined the bottom of theclosed door with towels to escape the fine dust settlingin on every horizontal surface in the house. At leastonce a day, the dogs would escape their imprisonment,but I could always locate them by the trail of footprintsin the dark hardwood floors. Exhausted, the vacuumcleaner finally blew up and was immediately replacedwith an industrial strength shop vac that could suck therivets off a 747. Weekends were spent washing anddusting until I could no longer write my name in the

grunge. I started to fray aroundthe edges. The days hadbecome a blur of phone calls,early morning starts, lastminute decisions and PledgeDust Mitts.

Month six. The cabinetsarrived and the bare roombegan to resemble a kitchenagain. I was able to put awaythe pots, pans and plates thathad flowed into the rest of thehouse. The new cook-toprequired amplified ductingvented straight from the range

to the roof—putting the flue right through the center ofan upstairs bedroom. Ouch. After the four-burnermasterpiece—complete with grill and griddle—wasinstalled, I buffed the fingerprints off the stainlesssurface and jubilantly placed a large pasta pot under thepot filler, eager to prepare our first home cooked mealin months. Problem: The natural gas hadn’t beenhooked up. A week later, it finally fired up… for oneglorious day before it conked out and a repair tech hadto re-adjust the ignition device. The Venetian glasspendant lights for the bar area arrived in pieces, and Iwas informed those shades were no longer available.Double ouch.

Month seven: Cabinets installed… stove working…new lighting… toasty fireplace warming the cockles ofmy heart. The kitchen was about to come together inone final, thrilling pinnacle—the granite counters wereto be installed. At first, the counter guys would be anhour late, then three. I killed time by hanging a fewpaintings until the installers arrived to lay down thepolished Citrus Lapidus. I noticed one of the seamsdidn’t butt up. “No problem, Ma’am. We’ll just grindthe stone to even out the two sides. Oh, don’t worry…

there won’t be much mess.” By the time the crew left, the

room was fogged-in and thepaintings wore a mask of finegranite powder. Through clenchedteeth, I swore unrelentingly as Iwiped, washed and waxed yet onemore time. Exhausted, I fell intobed that night dreaming of sautéedonions, freshly baked olive breadand sizzling Angus steaks. Withouta kitchen this long, I felt deprivedand disoriented, not to mention sickof takeout.

Truth be told; the final result wasworth every tear and broken nail. Thekitchen is absolutely gorgeous—indeed, it is the ‘Cuisine of myDreams’. It’s been four months sincethe last tradesperson left thepremises… Hmmm… the masterbedroom could do with a bit ofremodeling. How quickly we forget. √

Go to www.edmontonians.com forAbsolute Tips and more information.

Contact Linda Bodo [email protected] or visit absolutebodo.com.

AAwith Linda Bodo

LIVELYlifestylessink yncS

BEFORE

BEFORE AFTER

AFTER



Pigs get fat,hogs get slaughtered

A variation of this saying is pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered. We see manyexamples of this in our work. For instance when a business is experiencing growthand the owner is starting to reap the rewards of hard work, risk-taking andentrepreneurial skill, the owner may decide to sell at a price based on financialresults which have been stimulated by an overheated economy and record highs.If he doesn’t get the price he feels he deserves he may not consider offers thatvalue his business on what the purchaser considers to be sustainable numbers andcontinue in his business. If the market softens as it has in Alberta over the last sixmonths, chances are his results will drop significantly and buyers may get nervousabout the entire marketplace. This will be reflected in the price they are preparedto pay for the business as multiples start to slip.

The hog also appears in cases where a business is being purchased byentrepreneurs who can operate the company but don’t have the necessary cashto buy it independently. There are many potential partners who are willing toprovide the equity to close the deal in exchange for partial ownership and a say inthe business. If the entrepreneurs are unwilling to share ownership, the dealcannot close. The entrepreneurs end up with 100% of nothing rather than asignificant ownership position of a properly financed operation.

In another case we were asked to evaluate a business that an owner wascontemplating selling. We determined a probable selling price using traditionalmethods and our understanding of the local marketplace. At the same time, acompetitor from out of country also offered its services and suggested a value forthe business that was significantly higher than what the market was currentlypaying. They also required a large deposit upfront before they would begin workon the transaction. They won the assignment based on their promise to deliver anextraordinary purchase price. A year later no offers have been received on anoverpriced business; the owner is frustrated at the lack of activity and is out hishefty deposit.

Part of our role is to manage the pricing expectations of both the buyer and theseller. If you would like some no nonsense advice about your business pleasecontact me for a confidential discussion or e-mail me [email protected].

with Stephen W. Kent, CA(780) 441-6793

ACQUISITIONS, DIVESTITURES &

CORPORATE FINANCE

Edmontonians May07

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