I was asked by the federation to speak at their yearly conference, held this year in Tallinn amidst unbelievably well preserved 13th century buildings. It is quite the setting!

The topic was the model that the OCRI Entrepreneurship Centre uses in the delivery of SME services to our client groups. An interesting fact is that while Small Business Centres in Ontario total 57, and serve an overall population base exceeding 12 million, in Finland they have over 417 local associations, 21 regional based centres and 49 trade centres serving a total membership base- country wide of approximately 90,000 businesses. 98% of these have less then 10 employees.

Finland‘s total population sits at around 5.2 million

Our strength and strategic alliances within the youth sector, as well as the ability of the EC to work quickly and effectively with private sponsors to support not only some of our funding requirements but also to act as key strategic partners in industry- is a novel concept for many of these centres. Being state-run limits, at times, their overall ability to act in an entrepreneurial manner- the hands-are-tied approach does not often instill confidence in the aspiring entrepreneur simply looking for help and advice.

A nugget of learning taken from the conference, and from my new Finnish friends- is their focus on the selling, and succession planning of and within SMEs. Where we have a “youth, starting and growing” focus, they include ‘selling’ to the mix as more and more businesses are requiring help in succession.

Our web site -and the strength of our domain- was a hit and was our forthcoming model for growth -iProfit (using a web 2.0 platform as a complement to face-to-face mentoring).

Some contacts outside the realm of the EC were developed and passed along to the appropriate OCRI personnel-..

Great trip- experience- people!

Kittos,

Micheal Burnatowski

For Canada’s cities competing globally in the knowledge based industries game, some of Canada’s greatest strengths are our greatest challenges. Canada has some great international icons: our red coated mounties, our spectacular mountain ranges typified by the Canadian Rockies and our wide open spaces symbolized by the moose. Who hasn’t seen these images and they are great for our tourism industry.

Also from Canada comes the telephone, insulin, the digital telephone switch and the Canadarm. Unfortunately these are far less known than the mounties, mountains and moose. In an era of global business competition, our tourism image is at odds with that of the innovation nation.

DFAIT has launched a program to give foreign Heads of Mission (Ambassadors and High Commissioners assigned to Canada) a look at the strength of our economy. Trips had already been made to Calgary, Toronto and Montreal when the idea of showing them the other side of the Nation’s Capital was made. Given the close working relationship between OCRI and DFAIT, OCRI was approached with the idea. And so the journey began.

Opening briefing at the Foreign Affairs building on Sussex Drive in Ottawa.

The OCRI team of Kelly Daize, Marysabel Gonzalez and yours truly was introduced to Albert Galpin of Canada’s Chief of Protocol Office. Let me just say that experts in economic development are not necessarily attuned to the fine points of diplomatic protocol, nor to the patience required.

This looked easy. We had the itinerary for the Montreal tour. A nip here, a tuck there and voila, the Ottawa tour. Not quite.

First came dates. With summer fast approaching and schedule conflicts galore in the time between, target dates were soon reduced to either the weeks of May 5th or May 12th. Montreal had included a Mayor’s reception, a visit by the Premier of Quebec and a talk by a senior Federal Cabinet Minister. Six weeks away, these people aren’t busy, a piece of cake! No mention yet made of the companies we are to visit.

We were dealing with Mayor Larry O’Brien’s Office on another matter, so his Chief of Staff Eric Lamoureux referred us over to Kathy Bowles of Ottawa’s Protocol Office. The good news, the Mayor holds an annual reception for the Heads of Mission, the bad news, it was scheduled for the last week of May. After considerable negotiation and resolution of scheduling conflicts, Kathy came back saying that it was possible the evening of May 13th. Great, this could kick off the Tour and the dates were set May 14,15. Not! It looked like those dates were not possible for Federal officials, so Albert suggested let’s go back to the week of 5 May, could I contact the Mayor’s Office. Not a call I wanted to make! You want to know a secret, I didn’t bother. I knew the answer. I waited 24 hours and said that unfortunately it was impossible.

Just to make things interesting, we also learned about this time that Amr Al-Dabbagh, the Governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) was coming to visit on May 13. Makes you feel like an Air Traffic Controller at O’Hare airport.

On to the real stuff, the site visits. Canada wanted to show off Canadian technology and innovation. We looked to our areas of strength and decided on digital media (nice flashy stuff), our historic telecommunications strength (world leading technology, a no brainer), medical devices (health is an issue everywhere) and garbage (whattttt!). Come on, everyone has a garbage problem and the Ottawa company Plasco Energy has a unique solution.

We ended up with a fantastic line up: Fuel Industries, Magmic Games, Research in Motion, Nortel, BreconRidge Manufacturing, the National Research Council, Plasco Energy Group, EMS Satcom and Abbott Point of Care.

We also had to get around, so we were asked to recommend a luxury coach rental company. Our suggestion: OC Transpo, our Municipal Transit Authority. That rated, “You want us to put Heads of Mission on a City bus and then take them to a Municipal Dump, did you ever take Diplomacy 101!” When we scraped the Office of Protocol off the ceiling we explained that Ottawa has an excellent Transitway system that will not only simplify logistics but demonstrate an innovative solution to municipal transit in urban areas. Our Plasco pilot demonstrates how you can incinerate municipal waste without harmful by products and by creating electricity.

Not only did we keep the buses and the Trail Road Waste Facility in, but Canada’s Minister of the Environment, John Baird, agreed to join the tour at the landfill site, travel on the bus, and join us for lunch. Unfortunately, Canada’s Opposition Party would have none of this, introducing a snap vote in the House of Commons just before the Minister was due to leave. He voted, missed the site visit and bus ride, but made lunch at the Brookstreet Hotel. You can’t win them all!

Was it a success, of course with OCRI, DFAIT and the City of Ottawa on the job, how could it not be! As we had suspected, most of the Heads of Mission had never seen the technology side of Ottawa and were surprised by its depth and diversity. Many had rarely been out of the City core and it provided them with a feeling for Ottawa, and Canada outside the world of National government and international diplomacy.

They were impressed by our dedicated transitway system and how it got people around. Nothing feels better than zipping by single occupant vehicles stuck in rush hour traffic.

The Heads of Mission board the buses.

Garbage is indeed every nation’s challenge. Plasco offers a solution that not only replaces the need for landfill sites but creates energy. The exuberance of the CEO Rod Bryden and Minister Baird demonstrated our corporate capability to develop sustainable solutions and the Federal government support for those innovative solutions.

Rod Bryden explains Plasco’s demonstration unit in Ottawa.

The youth, creativity and energy of our digital media sector were clearly evident. Fuel and Magmic definitely provided the “wow”.

Canada’s national flagships RIM and Nortel gave them a glimpse of the future. These companies operate in arguably the most competitive sector in the world. And they win, not by resting on their laurels, but by keeping ahead of the pack.

Manufacturing in Canada is dead, I don’t think so. BreconRidge and Abbott illustrated how sound business plans, technology and talent can produce solutions for global markets and provide manufacturing jobs here.

The visit to the Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre at NRC showcased a central part of the local infrastructure that keeps Ottawa at the centre of the Photonics industry. EMS Satcom reaffirmed Ottawa’s R&D and high end manufacturing capabilities.

The group visits the National Research Council (NRC).

And the Brookstreet Spa will see a spike in appointments.

It only goes to prove that public transit and garbage can impress! We received nothing but positive comments from the over 60 attendees on the tour. They strongly indicated that this should be an annual event and that we should do a similar tour for the Commercial Attaches. So much for learning the “NO!” word.

(Michael Darch is the Executive Director of OCRI Global Marketing)

May 5 saw a boisterous crowd turn out for the Consumers’ Choice Awards 2008 for Ottawa. The awards honour local businesses that are voted by consumers as the best of breed. These are companies that provide exceptional service to their clientele. The polling is done by Leger Marketing.

Just last week, Ottawa was declared the best city in Canada to live, work and play by Money Sense Magazine. The companies accepting the awards represent what makes Ottawa great. Most were family owned businesses. All contribute to the city not only through their exceptional service and commitment to the consumer, but also through their community activities. Many were multiple year winners, Laurysen Kitchens, Craig & Taylor and Associates and The Fish Market Restaurant.

The awards were presented by an array of local celebrities including Mayor Larry O’Brien, Provincial Cabinet Ministers Jim Watson and Madeleine Meilleur and Federal Cabinet Minister Gordon O’Connor. Highlight of the evening was the awarding of Woman of the Year A-Channel’s Anchor Sandra Blaikie, Man of the Year Executive Director of the Youth Services Bureau Alex Munter and Business Person of the year OCRI’s own Jeffrey Dale. I note that Jeffrey joins quite an elite group Ted Turner (Atlanta 2000), Clive Beddoe (Calgary 2002) and Ron Zambonini (Ottawa 2003).

I mentioned earlier that the crowd was boisterous. Awards dinners aren’t all presentations, one of the entertainers was an impersonator Tracey Bell. As Liza Minnelli, she had the whole crowd up singing New York, New York, including the leg kicks. As Marilyn Monroe, she sang Happy Birthday to an ex-president, no not an ex-president of the U.S. but an ex-president of one of the winning companies. Her Cher was fantastic, this time getting a chorus line of women, up on the stage to dance with her for the song Believe.

Michelle Scarborough from OCRI, Jeffrey’s daughter Rebecca and my wife Linda made their chorus line debut. Another lady, I didn’t get her name, tried to take over the show!

Well done Ottawa: many deserving companies and lots of fun. Yes we are number ONE!

John Chambers made a stop in the capital last week to give us a glimpse of how the world can make better use of technology to increase productivity. He was a fantastic speaker. Not only did he have a riveting topic and personality, he moved freely around the theatre and interacted with many of the attendees. This was a fantastic event that opened my eyes to the possibilities that exist with the advancements in today’s technology.

Throughout the presentation he mentioned a scenario where we could watch a Senator’s hockey game and create our own replays from any angle in the rink while trash-talking relatives and friends who were too busy cheering an opposing team. How fitting the presentation ended with a Sen’s jersey. Though he didn’t put it on, he did graciously accept it. 

The subject matter would seem complicated for those not familar with the inner workings of the Internet revolution, especially when it comes to business. Chambers was able to express his thoughts and ideas in very simple terms, while spending the extra time to play with his audience. I must admit that I too played along with Chambers, often stopping to think that he is one of the greatest business and technology-based minds that I have come across. My view is shared by so many who have crossed paths with the extraodinary visionary via attending his lectures, seminars, etc.

I was pleasantly surprised that Chambers was able to discuss the future of the world wide web. I guess this stems from a university course taken where a professor “professed” that the Internet is uncontrollable. Chambers was definately not talking about controlling the “net”, but simply how business will help to transform it to accelerate innovation and productivity.

His speech was indeed a breath of fresh air and it would be my pleasure to hear him speak again.

Winners (left to right): Dr. Andy Adler; Dr. May Griffith; Dr. Syed Sattar; Dr. Claire-Jehanne Dubouloz and Dr. Francisco Diaz-Mitoma.

On Monday, September 24th, members of Ottawa’s Life Sciences community came together to celebrate the achievements of five outstanding award winners. I am always reminded of why we do this event, when I see the joy and the thanks on the winners faces.

The night was a resounding success which finished with inspiring words from Dr. Sattar. Dr. Sattars colleagues are always commenting on the fact that though he is retired, he works harder than ever. To this he responds with words from poet Edna St. Vincent Millay “My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends – It gives a lovely light!”

I am hoping that many people will take Dr. Sattar’s inspiring words and continue to strive to be a light in our community. For more information about the award winners visit www.ocri.ca/achievement.