After talking with a number of members, here is what I have concluded. The breakfast offers a different level of engagement, people are there to network in the purest sense of the term. For some, the interaction is with companies that they would have never known existed. For others, it’s the opportunity to meet with people who don’t normally attend OCRI events. You should know the crowd at the Members’ Breakfast is not made up of the usual suspects.

In addition to meeting with members, another common thread is the opportunity to meet and connect with OCRI’s senior management team. When you combine that with the opportunity for new members to say a few words about their company, you can see why it gets that “best event” tag.

The next Members’ Breakfast is August 25, if you haven’t been to one maybe it’s time.

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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.

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Since the start of the Canada’s Top 10™ Competition, winners from across ICT, Life Science and Cleantech have raised more than $600 Million in investment to really take their companies to the next level and become global players. Have a look at some past winners like Bel Air Networks, I Love Rewards, Variation Bioscience, Bioniche, and Paradigm Technologies or Menova Energy and you’ll know what I mean. These companies all had similar traits that made them catch the eye of investors, strategic partners, and customers – the Competition, its partners and sponsors, and its jury members including angels, venture capital and private equity investors from around the world, was just the catalyst to help get them in front of the right people at the right time.

What do winners receive for this prestigious honour of being named a winner? I’ve already mentioned that winners are chosen by investors that may have a direct interest in digging deeper into the companies they chose. Even more important than that however are the targeted road shows and events that winners will have a chance to participate in. In addition to a one day dedicated coaching session with partners and sponsors to get them ready to raise capital, other events where we will showcase the Canada’s Top 10™ winners of 2010 will include the Banff Venture Forum, the National Angel Capital Organization Summit, and a host of targeted investment and partnering events in Silicon Valley, Boston, New York, Washington and locations in Europe. All for winners and alumni of the Canada’s Top 10™.

So what are we looking for in this year’s competition? First of all, applicants need to be raising funds in the next 12 months of $1M or more and must fall in to the broad categories of ICT, Life Sciences and Clean Technology. Technologies should be validated and there should be a defined market opportunity and path to market. A sales plan and a strong management team round out the high level categories. Keep in mind that an independent jury of investors makes the final decision based on their collective agreement on investing in an applicant. Think syndication in its simplest form with investors at least agreeing on the best investments.

I am looking forward to the road ahead and to seeing all of the applicants over the next two months. The competition is open now and will remain open until August 20, 2010. Winners will be announced in early September. You can find more information at www.topcanadiancompanies.com .

See you on the road.

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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

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OttawaReads absolutely took off this spring thanks to the involvement of various individuals and organizations including: Marc Hurtubise, principal of École Rose-des-Vents; Pauline Laneville, literacy resource teacher; the five generous volunteers who were supported by Andre Charlebois, director of the Charles-Emile Claude Multipurpose Centre for Seniors; and Linda Newman, Program Manager OttawaReads, OCRI.  This initiative was made possible through the development of a special project, led by the Charles-Emile Claude Multipurpose Centre for Seniors, which received federal funding to bring OttawaReads to Cornwall.

This first season is just the beginning of a great adventure in reading. Students in the first and second grades of Rose-des-Vents School were delighted to mingle with volunteers who helped them read for a predetermined period, two times a week, during the month of May. Our volunteers, Aline Fleury, Madeleine Laflamme, Jeannine and Robert Lemire were completely dedicated to guiding the children through entertaining reading exercises and the students reciprocated by trying hard and having fun!

We mustn’t forget to thank our team seamstress who crafted custom book bags for all our volunteers. It added a personal touch to a program that will be remembered for a long time!

Congratulations to all and good luck with Cornwall’s new community project.

If you are interested in learning more about OttawaReads (which is available in both official languages), becoming a volunteer or introducing the program to your community, please contact Sheila Jenkins, Program Manager, OttawaReads , (613) 828-6274 ext. 237, sjenkins@ocri.ca.

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LectureOttawa a pris son envol ce printemps grâce à la participation de diverses personnes et organisations y compris : Marc Hurtubise, directeur de l’école Rose-des-vents, Pauline Laneline, enseignante-ressources d’alphabétisation, les cinq généreux bénévoles qui ont été soutenus par André Charlebois, directeur du Centre Charles-Émile Claude, centre polyvalent des aînés et Linda Newman, gestionnaire du programme LectureOttawa, OCRI.  Cette initiative a été rendu possible grâce à l’élaboration d’un projet spécial, dirigé par le centre Charles-Émile Claude, centre polyvalent des aînés qui a reçu un financement fédéral pour mettre Lecture Ottawa à Cornwall.

Cette première saison est  le début d’une grande aventure de la lecture.  Les élèves de première et deuxième année de l’École Rose-des-vents ont été ravis de se mêler aux bénévoles qui ont aidé à lire pour une période prédéterminée, deux fois par semaine durant le mois de mai.  Nos bénévoles; Aline Fleury, Madeleine Laflamme, Jeannine et Robert Lemire, Aline Roy ont consacrés leur dévouement à l’orientation des enfants dans leur lecture en effectuant des exercices et réciproquement les élèves ont pris plaisir à travailler avec ardeur et joie.

Nous ne devons pas oublier notre équipe de couturière qui ont préparé des sacs de lecture personnalisé pour tous nos bénévoles.  Cette initiative a ajouté une touche personnelle à un programme dont on se souviendra pendant longtemps!

Félicitations à tous et bonne chance à ce nouveau projet communautaire à Cornwall.

Si vous êtes intéressés à en apprendre plus au sujet de LectureOttawa (qui est disponible dans les deux langues officielles), devenir bénévole ou introduire un programme dans votre communauté, s’il-vous-plaît communiquez avec Linda Newman, Gestionnaire des bénévoles dans l’éducation et LectureOttawa au 613-828-6274 poste 135 ou par courriel lnewman@ocri.ca.

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Next week marks the first time I am bringing the Conquer the Invisible process to Ottawa and I am excited. Business people from Halifax to Vancouver have known what it means to Conquer the Invisible and I can’t think of any place more important than in our nation’s capital. Now, thanks to OCRI for their logistical support and event management expertise, I am really looking forward to a great event and sharing ideas that can help you see things in new ways that will make big differences to you and your organization.

My dream is that people who make decisions that affect our world, make those decisions from a place of authenticity rather than survival. It feels better for the people making the decisions and the rest of the world is better off too. What better place to introduce these concepts then in Ottawa.

And it is good for business. Almost every day I hear about people who are creating new and expanded business because of Conquer the Invisible. Recently, someone shared with me how they just raised a first round of financing for $2million to launch a new hi-tech company – an impossible dream just a few months ago. Another has their financing in place and is in the final rounds of negotiations to launch a new mutual fund company – directly as a result of seeing things in a new way because of the Conquer the Invisible program. Another is putting together a team of high profile individuals to bring change to our health care system. None of these things were possible just a few months ago and now they are a reality.

When people can see with clarity and make decisions with confidence and calmness, extra ordinary things can happen. When people can step out of being busy and into doing things that are meaningful and purposeful, not only does extra ordinary happen, it feels good.

I love helping people make meaningful difference in the world. I have worked with hundreds of executives and the most significant impact I can have is to help them Conquer the Invisible. I measure my success by other people’s real results and I am looking forward to meeting you on July 15 so that we can Conquer the Invisible together.

Barry

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In Cambridge - a beautiful historic location

Conversations in the hallways and in the streets during my first day of meetings in Cambridge were dominated by one topic, the rather poor showing of the England Football team in the World Cup and their loss to and elimination by Germany the day before. You could not turn on a radio or TV or pass someone in the street without hearing national disgust at the game and the terrible state of football in the UK now that it had been taken over by the financial interests of club football. Sounded like the comments in North America about the NFL, NBA and NHL. Welcome to the world of professional sport.

I was meeting my colleague Terry Mughan at Anglia Ruskin University to discuss an open innovation project that we were working on with other North European cities, but our conversation got slightly sidetracked. The new coalition government in the UK had come down with its emergency budget and one item involved the cutting or elimination of funds to the Regional Development Agencies (RDA’s). The cuts would be greatest in the regions of England doing well, London, the Southeast and East England, the location of Cambridge. The project that we were working together on was likely to be affected. Terry indicated that several other projects affecting initiatives to ensure Cambridge competitiveness would also be affected.

Entrance to Robinson Hall

What turned out to be cathartic for me was being in picturesque Cambridge on a sunny day and trying to right the wrongs of the world. Terry and I got into a discussion on globalization and how public policy was still trying to desperately catch up with our post financial crisis world or even the tech crash of earlier this decade. The UK was looking to take the standard path: the areas around London were doing well, areas like the midlands and the north were doing poorly, therefore send the money to the regions not doing as well and let the prosperous regions fend for themselves. Standard redistribution of wealth. Now we were talking about one of my favourite topics. The unfortunate necessity in wealth redistribution is that you have to have wealth to redistribute.

For at last 50 years, the driving force of the modern Canadian economy has been the Toronto-Montreal-Ottawa triangle. A fact of life in Canadian public policy has been to let Southern Ontario survive, it is doing well, and see how the government can help the rest of Canada’s economy catch up, often using the tax revenue from Ontario. Obviously, the UK has some of the same issues. Since both Terry and I are involved in knowledge-based industries and how they compete and survive (albeit coming at the question from different perspectives), we got into the discussion.

Both Ottawa and Cambridge are exporting regions, dominated by knowledge-based and highly innovative and entrepreneurial companies. Both regions are examples of the new economic reality: we compete globally and the vast majority of revenue is generated from exports. We have to be constantly adjusting to retain our competitive edge. We have as many or more alliances with like regions in other countries than with regions at home. The standard national policy response in crisis periods is to throw money at the regions in need and let the less affected regions fend on their own, as is being considered in the UK now. But the UK is also looking for an export led recovery, depending on regions like Cambridge.

And here we have the dilemma. You have the high performing regions battling it out in a global economy with an ever changing competitive environment. Yet, they are not to be supported. How does public policy establish the national framework that supports their Cambridges and Ottawas to achieve those export related goals at an international level and yet not have it appear at the national level that support is being given to the haves. As I talked to other companies throughout the week, this theme kept resurfacing. Strategies were being developed to solidify Cambridge’s global reputation, and yet these could be forgotten as the national government responded to regional disparity concerns. The investment needed to keep that export engine turning is often relatively small. There is not the big dollar, ribbon cutting opportunity of new factories or hundreds of jobs.

Every once in awhile, it is great to break out of the churn of daily business, and debate the larger challenges of our business. It is also great to hear that we were not the only region facing the challenge of responding to international competitiveness in the face of old public policy concepts. It will be interesting to see what country will understand this new dimension of national policy and respond.

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Take for instance Ontario’s feed-in-tariff program , which is a comprehensive, guaranteed pricing structure of renewable electricity production.  At .80 cents/Kw, it is an easy conversation to have with a potential foreign investor. Add in the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credits and you have the makings of a winning formula.  This brings me to my recent trip to Intersolar Munich, June 9-11.  

Intersolar Expo is Europe’s largest international trade fair for solar technology. It focuses on photovoltaics, solar thermal technology and solar architecture. All the movers and shakers in the cleantech industry attend this show and so too did the Ontario Technology Corridor (OTC) delegation. OTC is a consortium established in 2003 by OCRI, the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance and Canada’s Technology Triangle. In recent years, both the regions of London and Niagara were added – representing Canada’s ICT strength and most recently cleantech.  OTC’s main mandate is to attract businesses to Ontario. The collective strength of the OTC gives each region an unparallelled global competitive advantage. 

Prior to our visit to Intersolar, we were able to secure 60 meetings with businesses that may consider expansion in North America.  We garnered this type of interest largely because Ontario’s feed-in-tariffs are so lucrative.  Couple this with Canada’s economic stability, other tax incentive, excellent skilled workers and a great quality of life and you have a recipe for potential investment.  Of the 60 companies that we met with, five have agreed to stop in Ontario on their way to Intersolar San Francisco in July.

We look forward to welcoming them to OTC territory and giving them a first-hand view of what each region has to offer.

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For the full presentation – visit our archives.

Key takeaways regarding the Internet of Things include the basic fact that it is FUN but has serious implications for the way you do business, develop policy and adjust proceedures.  There’s no shortage in information and no rules as to what data is relevant – each product, company, idea is unique.  The Internet of Things is based on REAL services that are available NOW and provide VALUE.  As the Internet of Things continues to evolve on a daily basis, Evan stressed that the “rules of engagement” must make consumers comfortable in order to be successful. 

See you in September at the season opener.

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