OCRI has been supportive of and involved with the economic refresh activity by City staff although not directly involved with the steering committee. The organization fulfills a leading role in economic development for the region including the entrepreneurship centre, global marketing (investment and trade activities in Ottawa and abroad) and regional innovation activities in addition to other OCRI activities for members.

Leading the way for Ottawa, OCRI fully supports the bolstering of key economic development activities in the region. Investment has decreased over the past few years and fallen far behind investment by other cities and regions. More investment will result in a more diversified local economy with strong international success.

Key economic development initiatives include the creation of strong ecosystems in the areas of: international trade and investment, entrepreneurship, and clusters (including cleantech, life sciences, wireless/mobile applications and digital media). (See our KBI white paper response for more detail.)

Talent is a key focus area for Ottawa. While we have high quality, local talent with many students graduating every year from our universities and colleges, we need to increase STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) participation to meet the demands. Strategies must be implemented to attract, engage and retain talent in Ottawa. Leadership and early entrepreneurship education are also key focus areas. (See our Talent white paper response for more detail.)

OCRI is a leader in providing a full range of commercialization and investment resources to companies across knowledge-based industries to accelerate their growth in the global marketplace. This includes support for startup company creation through Entrepreneur’s Edge, Lead-to-Win, Exploriem and other programs. OCRI works to bring capital to the region through investment in high potential emerging technology leaders in Ottawa.

OCRI programs and services touch many business people and youth in our community. Because of the broad range of services, it is difficult to fully understand the value that OCRI brings to the community. OCRI partners with the City of Ottawa to deliver a number of services to the community which I have outlined below. Key OCRI services that support Ottawa’s economic development include:

Entrepreneurship Centre

• Helps entrepreneurs make informed business decisions while starting or growing their businesses (seminars and workshops on management, legal and accounting)
• Youth focus via programs like Ottawa Innovation Challenge, Junior Achievement, Canada Youth Business Foundation, Summer Company and others;
• Operates resource centre at City Hall, kiosks in Orleans, Barrhaven and Kanata.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

• Delivers Entrepreneur’s Edge series for entrepreneurship training;
• Delivers TalentBridge which engages entrepreneurial engineering students in work terms that develop marketing, sales and business management skills and connects students with supportive mentors from the local knowledge-based sector.

Global Marketing

• Provides assistance for export-oriented businesses seeking to market products and services internationally;
• Provides support for in-bound and out-bound trade missions with emphasis on Asia, Europe, U.S. and Latin America;
• Active founding member of the Ontario Technology Corridor (Ottawa, Toronto, Waterloo, London and Niagara) which was established for joint marketing abroad;
• Supports Ottawa’s established and emerging knowledge-based clusters (Photonics, Wireless, Software, eBusiness, Contact Centres, Life Sciences, Cleantech, Security and Digital Media.)

Investment and Commercialization

• Provides business advisory services, business acceleration, market intelligence and mentoring to build the next wave of knowledge-based companies;
• Hosts the annual Ontario Venture Summit (OVS) to showcase companies to qualified investors;
• Actively supports community-based initiatives including: Lead to Win, Exploriem, TiE, and The Ottawa Network.

Community Leadership

• OCRI hosts and chairs the Innovation Leadership Team;
• OCRI chairs the Ottawa Technology Round Table for industry, academic and research institutions, and federal, provincial and city governments;
• OCRI CEO is a member of the Tourism Leadership Team;
• OCRI contributes to the Digital Strategy Round Tables at Industry Canada.

OCRI is a diverse and dynamic organization that aims to be responsive to the needs of our local business community. If you are interested in learning more about OCRI and the many ways that our programs, services and individuals contribute to the economic well being of the city visit our website www.ocri.ca, stop by the Entrepreneurship Centre at Ottawa City Hall or get in touch with one of our program managers.

©2010 ocriblogs.com. All Rights Reserved.

These young, bright and qualified entrepreneurs can help you spend more time relaxing in the sun, and still manage to cross some of those things of your summer “to-do” list! And remember, every company on this list is run by a student entrepreneur who, with the help of the OCRI Entrepreneurship Centre and the Government of Ontario, is spending their summer working hard so you don’t have to.

For more detailed information on any of the companies you see listed please visit Ottawa Youth’s blog page or  the Entrepreneurship Centre’s website.

Landscaping Services

Keep it Green Landscaping
Proprietor: Adam Morris
Landscaping services
goingtogms@hotmail.com

Lawn Rangers
Proprietor: Kieran Hooey
Lawn maintenance business
kieranhooey_24@hotmail.com

Natural Creations Garden Design and Maintenance
Proprietor: Claudia Reid-Musson
Garden Design and Maintenance Company
claudiareidmusson@hotmail.com

GoForIT General Home Maintenance
Proprietor: Vivianne Fortin
Landscaping services
skiviv@msn.com

Deck & Fence Construction

Clifford Interlocking
Proprietor: Steven Clifford
Stone interlock company
sclif020@uottawa.ca

Empire Decks and Fences
Proprietor: Siavosh Noruziaan
Deck and fence building company
s.noruziaan@gmail.com

Window Cleaning / Painting Services

Colour Wheels
Proprietor: Nicholas Turco-Gwozdowski
Painting & servicing bicycles
nturc086@uottawa.ca

SuperShyne Window Cleaning
Proprietor: Ghalib Alibhai
Graffiti Removal Company
galibhai@gmail.com

Graff-Off
Proprietor: Shawn Kisielius
Graffiti Removal Company
savearthroughplay@gmail.com

©2010 ocriblogs.com. All Rights Reserved.

Summer Company is an exciting opportunity for enterprising students, 15 to 29 years old, to start and run their own summer businesses. Now in its ninth year, the province-wide program will help over 500 young entrepreneurs launch and manage successful summer businesses across Ontario. Participation in Ottawa increased by more than 75 per cent last year and the program continues to get more and more popular each year. Summer Company, delivered through OCRI’s Entrepreneurship Centre, is an initiative of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade designed to help young entrepreneurs develop, plan and execute a successful business venture.

As a Summer Company entrepreneur, students will receive hands-on business coaching and mentoring from business leaders in the community. It could be the start of something big!

Participants are eligible for up to $3,000 to ease start-up expenses including $1,500 awarded upon the successful completion of the program and return to school. Students are selected based on the quality of their business plan and their personal commitment to their vision. In addition to the funding, these young entrepreneurs will receive strategic business assistance as well as one-on-one support and advice from mentors as part of the Summer Company Program. Carefully selected mentors work closely with each student and share their unique insight and expertise. This year’s list of mentors includes a banker, accountant, lawyer, sales professional, marketer, strategist, etiquette advisor, former summer company participant, and successful local entrepreneur.

Click here for more information about the Summer Company Program or contact Diana Martinez, Youth Business Advisory at OCRI’s Entrepreneurship Centre by phone at 613 580 2424 ext 22704 or via email at dmartinez@ocri.ca.

©2010 ocriblogs.com. All Rights Reserved.

The awards celebrate excellence in the areas of research, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership, strategic partnerships and student accomplishments. New categories this year include the Research Award, Health Innovation Award and Student Entrepreneur of the Year. Nominations for the 11 categories were solicited from Ottawa’s business and education community last December. A record number of nominations were reviewed by the Society of Collaborative Opportunities and Advancement of Professionals (SCOAP). In addition, Exploriem’s Fastest Growing Bootstrap Startup Award was presented early in the evening.

“The award finalists represent key executives, business leaders, thinkers and strategists,” said Claude Haw, President and CEO, OCRI. “Again this year the quality and caliber of the nominations was excellent and the numbers have increased. The impressive accomplishments of this evening’s winners demonstrate a city that fosters world-class talent, innovative products and successful companies.”

After a stellar year for his team and technology, Iain Christie, President of Neptec, explains why the company is so pleased to be recognized as a 2010 OCRI Award winner. “As recipient of the Product of the Year award, Neptec’s team of scientists and engineers are honoured to be recognized by OCRI and the prestige it brings to our company, locally and internationally. The work OCRI does for the Ottawa technology and research industry is critical to ensuring that Ottawa remains competitive. We congratulate all finalists in the 2010 OCRI Awards.”

The 2010 OCRI Awards recipients are:

OCRI Company of the Year presented to DragonWave
In recognition of DragonWave’s leadership position in the high capacity packet microwave sector, exponential growth and continued global expansion combined with their commitment to Ottawa which raises the profile of local innovation and talent.

Next Generation Executive of the Year presented to Jason Flick, You i Labs
In recognition of his impressive track record and current involvement in the development of one of the Canadian Innovation Exchange’s top 20 innovative companies.

Strategic Partnership of the Year presented to QNX and Alcatel-Lucent
In recognition of their combined efforts and success transforming a car into a first-class citizen of the Cloud which garnered immediate and overwhelming international media coverage in 2009.

Most Promising Startup of the Year presented to Telepin
In recognition of the success and impact of Telepin’s Cayman mobile transaction infrastructure software and the company’s ability to raise funds to support their growth.

Product of the Year presented to Neptec, TriDAR
In recognition of Neptec’s latest space hardware, TriDAR, designed and manufactured in Ottawa and used in space on the Shuttle Discovery.

Service of the Year presented to UBM TechInsights
In recognition for the company’s holistic approach to intellectual property management and its services that bridge the legal and technology worlds on more than 1,800 projects for over 200 clients.

Research Award presented to:
Dr. Robert Korneluk
In recognition for his leadership and contribution to the ApoptoGen team and their work in the field of programmed cell death and cancer research.
Dr. Duncan J. Stewart
In recognition of his many discoveries in vascular biology and genetic engineering as well as his pioneering new therapies that enhance the repair functionality of cells.

Health Innovation Award presented to Dr. Pierre Cardinal, CRI Critical Care Education Network
In recognition for the revolutionary impact of CRI on the delivery of critical care education resulting in measurable improvements in critical care including reductions in incidents, including deaths, in Ottawa and elsewhere in the country.

Student Researcher presented to Razib Iqbal, University of Ottawa
In recognition of his research in P2P adaptive video distribution and his compressed-domain adaptive video streaming system, called Dag-Stream, which allows for adaption, authentication and encryption of video on the fly.

Student Entrepreneur presented to Muhammad Arsalan and Atif Shamim
In recognition of taking their award-winning research to the next level, now in the early stages of commercialization with industry giants lining up as possible suitors.

High School Innovation presented to John McCrae Secondary School – Web 2.0 Site
In recognition of three teachers’ development of a user-friendly website with a wiki front page that improves efficiency for administration and staff, but also serves parents and students.

Exploriem’s Fastest Growing Bootstrap Startup presented to Telepin
In recognition for their rapid success and significant top line growth.

-30-

About OCRI:

Leading the way for Ottawa, OCRI is the city’s economic development agency. OCRI is the rallying point to bring business, education, research and talent together to create the winning economic conditions that allow Ottawa’s knowledge-based companies to thrive locally and compete globally. At OCRI we promote sustainable economic development to maintain our high quality of life. For more information on OCRI visit our website at www.ocri.ca and for more information on the Ottawa Region please visit www.ottawaregion.com. In 2010, Ottawa was named one of the world’s top seven intelligent communities by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF).

For information contact:

Kim Cunningham
Manager, External Communications
OCRI
Office: (613) 828-6274 ext. 256
Cell: (613) 851-0768
kcunningham@ocri.ca

©2010 ocriblogs.com. All Rights Reserved.

Thanks to the great people at the City who knew where to get the most current and relevant information re: connectivity and city initiatives and all the other companies in town who are charging ahead with innovative partnerships and programs that help create skilled talent and strive to see them employed in knowledge-based jobs we were able to put together a really impressive proposal.

So, now we’re Top7, awaiting the arrival of representatives from the selection committee for a two day tour of our great city before the final announcement of the Intelligent Community of the Year in New York City in May. 

Just in case you don’t know how many super projects are on the go here’s a rundown of the projects we chose to highlight – there were many more that didn’t make the cut (we were limited to 25 pages)… Ottawa’s Rural Broadband Project, Abbott Point of Care’s Microelectronics Apprenticeship Program, Algonquin’s Game Development Program, Carleton’s VSIM lab, Digital Inclusion programs at the Ottawa Public Libraries, OCRI’s Entrepreneurship Centre satellite kiosks,  Special Education Allocation of laptops to students with Learning Difficulties at Ottawa Carleton District School Board, Lead to Win, City of Ottawa’s 3-1-1 Contact Centre, BizPal, Algonquin’s Virtual College, TalentBridge, High School Technology Program, Passport to Prosperity, Focus on IT (FIT), Wesley Clover’s Affiliate Program and Winning Innovative Networks for Schools (WINS). Like ICF said in their summary, there are almost too many programs in place to list them all!   If your favourite project wasn’t on the list – let me know so we can consider it for the next time.

Regardless of the outcome of the May announcement we should all be really proud! 

©2010 ocriblogs.com. All Rights Reserved.

A few other questions were also on point such as “what are the top 2 things a start-up needs to know to really succeed” and “what’s more critical – getting a product out that may have a few glitches or waiting and polishing it to near perfection before you take it to your client.” Pat addressed all these and more in his 45 minute presentation at OCRI’s Technology Executive Breakfast (TEB) this morning.  With eight start-ups in as many years under his belt and dozens more in his repretoire, it was sure to be a very informative and entertaining morning.

There are five things that must happen for any company– start-up or not — to be successful. 

First of all, you must become a “category of one” in the mind of your customers. This entails effective marketing, value positioning, and doing everything you can to win the crucial “bake-off” – especially if you know you deserve to win.  Pat used a great variety of examples that we could all relate to when he explained value positioning and the case of present mode of ops vs future mode of ops (PMO vs FMO). Citing his favourite business book and the evolution of the cable excavator to the back hoe as well as the FIDO phone that makes calls and sends texts to the I-Phone with 9,500 apps he demonstrated that the value of your product must meet and exceed the expectations of the target customer base.   Winning the ever critical technology “bake-off” is a make or break it opportunity for your company. Pat’s experience with BelAir clearly showed how important it is to know your value and position it correctly and then how to rally the team to go back and fight to win.

Adapt and adapt again. Be prepared to fine tune and adjust your approach to make your interface work and increase the impact in order to produce a real solution for your customers.

Simplify the confusing functionality of your technology. Very few people need to know all the bells and whistles that make it work. The black box does more than you think – it can simplify the way you operate, simplify the installation of the application,  present the solution to your customers in simple way, and transform into what everyone likes and appreciates – an easy button.

Scalability is key.  Being a small company, a start-up or a company with a product but no scale inhibits your ability to compete on a global scale.  There are ways around this.  Find a strategic partner or a number of them that can increase your output in order to meet client demands or entice a big brother to take you on. It may takes some coaxing  and baiting with evidence of business and significant returns because big brothers (or companies with scale but no product) don’t typically search out little brothers but the results can be big. Just ask BTI who teamed up with Fujistu in order to deploy massive quantities of product.

Execute.  All great plans must be executed well if they are going to make a difference.  First, the team must be in total alignment and then all efforts must be focussed.  If the team can’t work together – they can never be aligned. You need agreement to align at all stages of the process which has three parts 1) Vision (where are we going), 2) Current Reality (where are we now) and 3) The Plan (how do we get there). It’s a tough job, but it is the CEO’s responsibility to get  everyone to buy-into the alignment concept including the board, the team, the investors and the partners. Once you’ve established that everyone is on the same path, all your efforts, tactics, approaches must be in clear focus to be effective and efficient.  Pat recalled his SiGe experience which showed how important it can be to have a leader with excellent technological skills coupled with fantastic people skills in order to rally the team and align the efforts.  Product lines may need to change, approaches may be tweaked but when the alignment and focus is bang on and the chemistry among the players is solid you can pretty much count on improved performance. Just look at SiGe whose revenues  increased from around $67 M in 2007 to almost $100 M in 2008.

As Pat wrapped up, he explained that he’s learned many more lessons than he could ever cover in a short presentation and that there is always more learning to do.  No matter what business you’re in or what customer you are after, his five key pointers can always apply but admitted there could be more that work.  Teamwork, alignment, chemistry, flexibility, he certainly covered all the bases and in direct response to Mary’s question he added that sometimes you just need to fire someone. 

Great presentation! Looking forward to the next TEB.

©2010 ocriblogs.com. All Rights Reserved.

For as long as I can remember, I have always had keen interests in an eclectic mix of areas from fashion to construction, event planning to medicine. If I liked it, I just appended it to the growing pile of things that I had an interest in.  As a young child I was exposed to a variety of things that may have been contributing factors. For instance my mother’s sewing, my father’s home renovation projects, family socializing and talks with my family about stable career choices. These exposures in combination with being the eldest child provided ample opportunities for me to ‘get my feet wet’ and try new things. I am happy that I took my formative years to develop my skill set, but I can vouch that it wasn’t always an asset, especially where choosing a degree was concerned.

In my latter years of high school I was convinced that I would complete my undergrad in biomedical engineering and then consider medical school. Obviously that isn’t what materialized, but I did try out the engineering world for a little while. Little did I know what a crazy situation I’d be in when I realized after two years that it wasn’t the right avenue for me to pursue. I had worked so hard to get there, then I was faced with having to choose a new path, but which one do I choose? Career stability was a factor that obviously had to be weighed into the equation, but I really was in a fix as I was unable to choose just one area to develop a career. I felt I was sacrificing a passion in one area for the sake of a career in another. In the end, all worked out well as my bachelor of information technology, focused on interactive multimedia and design, perfectly melds my largest and primary interests of: technology, creativity and business.

Now with graduation just under a year away thoughts of my first full-time job keep popping up. Which area do I go into? How long should I stay in that field? Some inspiring videos, included below, by Stanford University professors Carol Bartz and Randy Komisar have proved that my eclectic mix may be beneficial in the career world. Professor Bartz discusses how setting a foundation is key in the early years of your career. The formation of your career should be shaped like a pyramid over time. It should start off broad and with time refined to your ideal profession. Which makes logical sense since by the time you settle into your niche, you would have tested the other avenues to be sure you are going where you want to go. As she mentions in the video, if you keep trying to climb the vertical, corporate ladder as you get closer to the top you’re bound to fall because you have no foundation. All that is holding you up are two stakes in the ground. Professor Komisar further supports this argument by detailing the journey through his career and how he is so well equipped now because of the extensive knowledge he gained from all of the positions he has held over the years. Although it may seem glamorous to run up the corporate ladder as soon as you land your first job you have about 40+ years of your life to work, so what’s the rush?

Pyramids, Not Ladders – Carol Bartz

The History of a Virtual CEO – Randy Komisar

©2010 ocriblogs.com. All Rights Reserved.

Initiative is universal and intrinsic, it is something that can’t really be fulfilled unless it truly comes from within. So if we all have it, why don’t we all take advantage of it?

Why is it that some  of us need that ‘someone else’ to push us and/or keep us motivated while others will attempt to conquer the world on a whim, without consulting anyone. What is it that makes some of us so sure of ourselves that what we are setting out to do will work out? Then one can think that initiative isn’t just one-sided, but a multi-layered; a concept that is truly fulfilled with a special combination of attributes.

Take for instance Kunal Gupta, an Ottawa resident and University of Waterloo student. In his tender, early twenties he has made bountiful accomplishments, but what strikes me the most was his initiative to create: Impact. Impact Entrepreneurship is a student-run, non-profit group that has brought together students with entrepreneurial interests and spirit. Through networking, unique conferences and initiatives this group of people have made a mark in the entrepreneurial world, simply because of Kunal’s initiative to start a group like this. I had the pleasure of meeting Kunal once, in my early days of Impact. At the time I never realized how remarkable he was, his simple and relaxed vibe could have fooled anyone. Now that I have been involved with Impact for a couple of years, and am embarking on my own personal projects I would love to have the opportunity to meet with him and discuss what really made him go ahead and start Impact. Surely he didn’t think it would become Canada’s largest, student-run, non-profit organization in just a few short years. What inspired him? What made him think it was an idea that would ‘fly’? How did he go about starting it? Was he confident enough in his endeavor that he didn’t need to consult anyone? What were his doubts? What did he need to learn? With all these questions, it’s only natural to then ponder that initiative isn’t just made up of ‘coming up with an idea and running with it’. It takes determination and motivation to keep it going, it takes confidence to believe in your idea. It takes marketing and strategy to sell your idea to others, it takes customer relations to win people over, it takes networking and people skills to build a repertoire revolving around your concept. Now initiative doesn’t sound so simple, does it?

The funny thing about initiative is that even if you don’t have all the pieces of the puzzle, you can always learn. In my personal opinion I think the principal components of initiative are:

• Having the intrinsic motivation to get off your butt and start it
• Having determination to fulfill it
• Believing in your idea, 100% whole-heartedly because if you don’t believe in it how are you going to win over the others?

Since we all have a bit of initiative in us, and the entire world is not made up of angry people with the right attitude and a hunger for delivering the idea, anyone can take the initiative to do anything. Where there is a will, there IS a way.

With his own mobile solutions company, Polar Mobile, Kunal Gupta I’m sure is more than just your typical ‘busy bee’ to answer my simple questions, but it really would be interesting to find out about his initiative, first hand.

©2010 ocriblogs.com. All Rights Reserved.

When I was in elementary school we used to have “library class” once a week.  At first it was when the librarian would read us a story and as we grew older it was when we would be taught mundane skills that we only realized were important later on:  how to use an index, find a book in the catalogue, read an atlas…..etc.  Now I wonder with online searches, digital catalogues, and GPS’s if the newer generation still learns this in library class.  Is there even a library class anymore?   (I’m already sounding like that older generation I promised I would never be who preaches “in our day, we were taught to…)”  

The point is, stealing two terms I thought were right on from the TEB Fuel Industries event with Warren Tomlin and Mike Burns, there are the digital immigrants and the digital natives.

My father was worked in computers since the 70’s .  I remember the first time I accompanied him to an IBM store when I was five.  Think cartoon animation when hearts would pop out of the characters eyes – the focus of my father’s adoration being the new line of BM PCs of 1988.  So long story short, I’ve had a computer in my household since I was five.  But I still know how to use a phone book (great example at TEB was a tween who doesn’t know how to use the yellow pages.  Why would she, she’s been using the online yellow pages all her life).  I’m used to paying for knowledge, and books and movies and music (well the music not really – work with me here).  I am a digital immigrant.

I think those born with the internet in their house at the age of five are the digital natives.  Different set of skills, different set of needs, different learning curves, and different attention spans.  And a new sense of how much things should cost.

There is a really interesting presentation, Disruptive by Design (note that transistor example – a great story of entrepreneurship and risk and taking a leap of faith) given by Chris Anderson, editor -in-chief of Wired Magazine about the changing economy.  Historical business models show inflation increasing the price products.  The current disruptions and sense of entitlement that the internet has brought us has turned that model on its head.  Now we want things to be free.  If you don’t offer it for free, another business will.  It’s not just social media like facebook and twitter that are facing this problem: financial services, games, real estate listings, music, movies, tv shows, newspapers, expert advice whether it be from doctors or beauticians. 

Freeconomics.  Now the trick is to it satisfy the masses and still make a profit.  That will be interesting to watch out for.

©2010 ocriblogs.com. All Rights Reserved.

We are getting so many phone calls about the event – but I think folks are already in vacation mode and believe that September 24 is far enough away.  Well, in some aspects it is – it is after summer vacation – it is another school year…. but it is only 3 months away and 2 of those are July and August!  This is a great event with an amazing lineup and Donald Trump will actually be here in Ottawa talking to the business community.  Those that have booked are calling us to ask how they should set themselves up, what is the most strategic place to be on the floor etc!  They are very keen and have jump-started their organization to be ready for September 24!

One connection made between you and another exhibitor at the “water cooler” on the tradeshow floor can transform a business.  Just like this story….

Earlier this year, a potential development partner backed out of a deal because of the economic downturn (they didn’t understand the unprecedented and continued growth happening in the Kemptville area).   Westerra Homes approached a local business lawyer earlier this year to see if he had any contacts that would assist with the land development.  He was referred to a contractor in Embrun who was a recent acquaintance of the lawyer. The contact knew of Kemptville and believed in the project. A partnership was formed which allowed the infrastructure and servicing to begin for Phase I.  The municipality required security worth several hundred thousand dollars to support the land servicing work. Westerra’s commercial banker referred them to an existing developer located just 30 minutes west of Kemptville to assist in this regard. A partnership was formed and the project is now underway.

The power of multi-jurisdictional networking within the region resulted in two separate partnerships that enabled the start of a development that will generate more than $20 million in economic activity for Eastern Ontario and recurring property tax revenue of ~$200,000/year for the municipality of North Grenville.

Remember – just one new contact or one new piece of information can make a difference for a business and its community.

See you in September!

©2010 ocriblogs.com. All Rights Reserved.