Innovation + Job News

An airplane hangar that was used to build mosquito bombers during World War II has been turned into a rock climbing gym at Downsview Park, one of four new businesses to set up shop at the park's burgeoning Sports Centre during the past year.

True North Climbing owner John Gross says the space was perfect for a climbing gym -- its high ceilings with windows at the top allow space for climbing equipment and lots of natural light. But even better, the steel construction of the hangar allowed the construction of a stalactite suspended from the 36-foot-high ceiling.

As of its opening day in mid-April, the gym has hired three full-time and 17 part-time staff, according to Gross. For the recreation industry, Downsview's Sports Centre has seen a mini-employment boom in the past year. "It's still kind of a secret," Gross says, "but I think we've hit critical mass now -- four new businesses have opened in the past year and people are becoming aware that we're all up here."

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: John Gross, owner, True North Climbing

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Ten finalists are in the running for the Toronto Community Foundation's $50,000 Green Innovation Award seed grant to be awarded Friday night (April 23) at the Toronto Green Awards. The finalists, who were chosen from among 127 submissions, faced a panel of judges to make presentations earlier this month.

The list of finalists and more information about the awards are available at the TCF's website.

The awards are funded by the TCF's Vital Toronto Fund (and, according to an email from the TCF, particularly thanks to the donations of the John & Christine Currie Foundation, the Helen McCrea Peacock Foundation and the Adrian & Reta Hudson Fund). Award winners will be announced at the Green Toronto Awards ceremony on April 23, 2010 at the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place. The public is welcome to attend the ceremony, which begins at 7 p.m.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Simone Dalton, Media Relations Officer, Toronto Community Foundation

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A $15 million innovation initiative launched April 19 in Oakville by the Federal Government's Economic Development Agency will help Ontario small- and medium-sized businesses partner with Colleges and Universities to bring innovative products and services to market. At the launch, federal minister Gary Goodyear said that the Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative would drive jobs and the economy.

The initiative will allow smaller businesses that would like to innovate to partner with post-secondary institutions who can help them with research and bringing new products to market. The funding will go to educational institutions that offer, according to an announcement, "services focused on improving innovation, productivity and commercialization to help individual businesses with pre-commercialization activities. These activities may include: product and process applied research; engineering design; technology development; product testing; certification; and pilot testing as well as proof-of-concept work for a partner business."

Almost immediately, the move was applauded by representatives of the academic community. Polytechnics Canada, a national alliance of publicly funded colleges and institutes of technology, called the new program an "innovation game changer."

Nobina Robinson, CEO, Polytechnics Canada says that this pilot project is significant for her members in that it recognizes the role community colleges play in driving practical innovation and developing the economy. "The reason [community colleges] do research is to help companies and to give our students hands-on experience," she says, not to rack up credits as is often in the case with universities. "It's applied science, applied technology, appllied health, and what you see is the federal government saying they're going to give us the capacity to help companies and advance the economy."

In a release, Polytechnics Canada chair John Davies called it a win-win. "Everyone will benefit -- companies, Ontario colleges, students and graduates -- as well as the economy."

Those interested in applying can find information and applications at the FedDev website.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Nobina Robinson, CEO, Polytechnics Canada; Office of the Honourable Gary Goodyear

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In the wake of the success of Avatar and Sherlock Holmes, virtually every media commentator agrees that the future of the film business is in 3-D. But as the industry attempts to explore the storytelling potential of what is essentially a new medium, the local film industry finds itself facing an adjustment to a new type of production.

A series of initiatives, including Sheridan College's research project at Pinewood studios, are set to ensure that the GTA becomes a hub for 3-D filmmaking. The latest of these launches with a presentation April 23 at the Cinespace Studios in Toronto: 3D FLIC, a $1.4 million research project out of York University.

"The really interesting things will start to happen when people figure out how to use this technology," says Nell Tenhaaf, York University's research lead on the project. She says that the 3D FLIC project brings together partners from academia and various corners of the industry to explore technology, techniques and content. "We're trying to take on the whole package."

Tenhaaf agrees that the GTA is well-positioned to become a global hub for this new dimension of filmmaking. She says that many of the project's partners, including Cinespace film studios, have driving business and jobs as a key goal. "Certainly... that's what they want, to keep the studios full. We've always been a centre for film production," she says, noting that traditionally Toronto's attractiveness as a production centre varies from time to time based on the strength of the currency and the status of certain tax advantages. "If you have a solid expertise base, that makes you very attractive." Setting up that expertise base in 3-D is what this initiative is all about.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Nell Tenthaaf, Associate Dean, Faculty of Fine Arts, York University

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This week, JumpPoint, a data management services company based in Mississauga, launched a new website that includes an interactive message board and a company blog. It is the formal launch of a re-branding for the company that President and CEO Glenn Mowat says is based on growth and a love for work. "We're living in an era of unprecedented growth opportunities in North America, and we're really set up to take advantage of that. And, as far as our team goes, we're also trying to build the company all of us have always wanted to work for."

And there are more and more people's desires to take into account in the second half of that mission: Mowat says the company has grown its workforce by about 30 per cent in the past six months, and expects to grow even faster in the immediate future. According to the company's website, they are hiring now.

Originally founded in 2007 as gloPlug Limited, the company was branded as GPL Solutions and recently rebranded as JumpPoint. Mowat attributes the company's rapid growth to the company's focus on "providing enterprise solutions to mid-market-sized companies" -- an emphasis aided by the entrepreneurship experience of JumpPoint's senior management. "A lot of our team have run businesses in the mid-market ... so we're offering them our experience -- what we've lived and breathed, and we're offering solutions we wish we'd had, and that we'd like to have."

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Glenn Mowat, President and CEO, JumpPoint

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Jacob Travis was working as a headhunter for the solar energy industry when he attended the CanSIA conference last December. "The were 2,500 people there, and I had a lot of the major solar companies asking if I could find them people for two jobs: Design engineers... and project managers." When he went looking as a recruiter, Travis found a sever shortage of qualified people in Ontario.

As Ontario's world-leading feed-in tariff system reaches implementation, we'll need a lot of qualified people to build and install sustainable energy infrastructure -- a shortage identified by CanSIA in a three-year market survey. That's why Travis set up the Ontario Solar Academy to fill the skills gap. Working from a hotel, the Celevland-and-Toronto based Travis set up a website and recruited an instructor. The first month's class in February saw its 28 spots filled in two weeks. A class of 25 in March sold out too, and Travis says the April class's 25 slots are almost full.

Demand is so high -- and only likely to grow -- that the Solar Academy has secured a lease on a facility on Vaughan to be a permanent home as the company expands in May.

So far, Ontario Solar Academy employs three people in Toronto on a contract basis. Travis expects to see substantial hiring as the new facility opens, and excitedly rhymes off a list of upcoming initiatives, including an apprenticeship program launching this month, an alumni network and a new affiliated company, Ontario Solar Solutions, of which he says, "Our business is to support other solar businesses." And right now, it looks like the number of solar businesses will only continue to grow.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Jacob Travis, Director, Ontario Solar Academy

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North Toronto book lovers already mourning the loss of the Don Mills location of McNally Robinson might be dismayed to see that Type Books has closed its Forest Hill location at 394 Spadina Road. But they can breathe a sigh of relief, because the store is closed only temporarily (as Bert Archer reported on Yonge Street last month) -- in three weeks Type will open a new, expanded location just down the road at 427 Spadina Road.

Type spokesperson Becky Toyne says that since the company's founding, having a community events space has been an important part of Type's mandate, and the tiny Spadina Road location that just closed was not large enough to accommodate events. "The owners joked that it was a 'book-tique,' since it was smaller than a boutique," Toyne says. "We realized that since you basically couldn't fit more than three people in the shop at the same time, we needed to move to a bigger location."

At the same time, Type has added two new staff members to accommodate their growth: Toyne, who handles media relations part time, and former McNally Robinson employee Sarah Ramsey.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Becky Toyne, media spokesperson, Type Books

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Chris Nguyen, 27-year-old co-founder of TeamSave.com, came up with the inspiration to found his website while planning his wedding. "we realized that one dress would cost a certain amount, but that 1,000 dresses were much cheaper. So I thought, how do I supply that volume discount to the consumer market?"

He and his co-founder Lee Liu had already successfully launched and sold their first web startup (jobloft.com) in 2007, so they began researching a new initiative. Online, they encountered a few group-buying sites (such as groupon.com and webpiggy.com), but say they saw gaps in the business strategy.

So last week, the pair launched TeamSave.com, which offers products and services at deep discounts for a limited time -- potential buyers are encouraged to spread the word about the sale via social networks in order to get enough buyers to make the transaction go through. Already, the site is seeing a 40 per cent increase in its traffic. Before the end of the month, the pair anticipate launching apps for the iPhone, Blackberry and Android -- an innovation Nguyen is excited about. "Not only will you be able to shop on your phone, you'll be able to redeem your purchase on your phone. We believe the smart phone is here to stay, so we expect that to be a big part of our business."

The company is housed in Ryerson University's spanking new Digital Media Zone, an incubator of sorts designed to help students and graduates bring concepts to market. Nguyen says the environment there is incredibly helpful to a product like his, and also credits MaRS for providing strategic advice.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Chris Nguyen,Co-Founder, TeamSave.com

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Sempa Power announced a partnership with the Ontario Clean Water Agency this week to create a pilot project to demonstrate the "capacity for water systems to provide demand-based ancillary services... to Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (OIESO)."

"By opening up the market to demand-side innovation, Ontario's IESO has turned the page for the next generation of smart grid services. Sempa is pleased to work with OCWA to exhibit how Ontario's water and wastewater resources can be a valuable tool in provincial energy management and the adoption of sustainable energy," said Sempa president and CEO Ron Dizy in a release.

Sempa was founded in 2004 to find ways to reduce energy use in buildings, and patented the Hybrid Heating System. According to spokesperson Holly Dillinger, the company currently has 20 employees, six of those in the GTA. Based on the anticipated success of the pilot project, the company plans to more than double it's workforce in the near future to 45.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Holly Dollinger, Sempa Power

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When it opened last December, Quinn's Steakhouse & Irish Bar didn't do any marketing or publicity at all. And as spring began, they still didn't advertise. "We did a soft launch to make sure we could work all the kinks out of our innovative kitchen system," says bar manager Kelly MacLonen. The kitchen -- and its staff -- serve both the steakhouse and its sister restaurant, Shopsy's Deli.

Both are part of a family-run string of restaurants that includes the Irish Embassy and PJ O'Brien's. But despite the publicity-free "soft launch," business has been good. Five months after opening, the restaurant employs a staff of about 50, and this week launches a series of ads and a publicity campaign. "The kinks are gone. We're ready to start aggressively seeking new business," MacLonen says.

The restaurant pitches itself as an affordable steakhouse with an excellent, decently priced drinks menu (including 144 whiskeys).

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Kelly MacLonen, Bar Manager, Quinn's Steakhouse & Irish Bar

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Gennum, a Burlington-based data communications, semi-conducter and connectivity company, has announced a slew of new products in recent weeks, including five new optical video modules and 3G cable modules.

Dr. Franz J. Fink, the company's president and CEO, says that the new products are the evolution of a new strategy the company has been working on for three years. "We're moving very rapidly to expand our portfolio of industry-first, industry leading products," he says. He expects to bring more new products to market in the next 12-15 months.

Founded in 1973, the company was traditionally a broadcast semi-conductor leader. It's strategy over the past three years has been to grow the high-speed data transmission side of its business. According to it's most recent quarterly earnings report, the strategy has been working -- in 2006 data transmission represented only 25 per cent of its sales, whereas today it is 45 per cent. Fink expects that share to be more than half in the near future.

The company employs more than 425 people worldwide, about 250 of those in the GTA. After three successive quarters of double-digit sequential revenue growth, the company is expanding its workforce. According to its website, they are currently hiring for 26 positions in the GTA (and more in its other offices across Canada and around the world).

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: Dr. Franz J. Fink, President & CEO, Gennum

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The Thorncliffe branch of the Toronto Public Library re-opened on April 13, after being closed since December 2007. The newly opened library has a staff of 9.58 "full-time equivalents," according to TPL communications officer Edward Karek, and features a host of expanded facilities and services.

The extensive two-year+ renovation was conducted by Levitt Goodman Architects Ltd. and Phillip H. Carter, and doubles the size of the location to 10,000 square feet to serve one of Toronto's most densely-populated communities.

According to the TPL website, other features of the renovation include "many exciting enhancements for the public to enjoy:

• Longer hours: Monday to Thursday from 9 am to 8:30 pm, Friday and Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm., an increase of 11.5 hours per week.
  
  
• A library that is easier to use: Complete barrier-free access to the building including the front entrance, all collections and lounge areas, community rooms, a family washroom and express check-in and check-out.
  
  
• Toronto Public Library's 3rd KidsStop: A literacy rich interactive centre where parents and caregivers learn about the importance of developing pre-literacy skills in their children.
  
  
• Expanded technology: 21 public access computers (a 91% increase), free Wi-Fi internet access and a CD listening station.
  
  
• More to enjoy: Over 11,000 new books, CDs, magazines and DVDs.
  
  
• Your home away from home: Comfortable reading lounges for adults and children, a vibrant teen zone with a large screen TV.
  
  
• More meeting space for the community: A bookable meeting room and a study room."

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Edward Karek, Communications Officer, Toronto Public Library

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Systems and data management provider Veeam Software announced this week that it is opening its first Canadian office in Toronto, to join its headquarters in Columbus, Ohio and international locations in the UK and Australia.

"It's no secret that Toronto is a huge hub for computing companies and technological infrastructure," says Canadian regional manager Nate Haddad, who is heading up the new office, "and we see that there hasn't been a company like ours here to adequately service that market, in Toronto and Canada."

The office opens with a staff of three, who will serve Veeam's existing Canadian customer base of 300 and drive, Haddad says, "exponential customer growth and local market penetration." The company is looking to open a Western Canadian office sometime in the near future, and to expand its R&D operation in Montreal. As for the regional headquarters in the GTA, Haddad says he expects the staff to grow as the company adds clients and hits revenue targets in the coming months.

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: Nate Haddad, Canadian Regional Manager, Veeam Software

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As part of what he calls a "cradle to cradle" strategy, Jim Ecclestone, president of funiture manufacturer Calstone Inc in Scarborough, has implemented a zero-waste strategy to take back and reuse all of the products it manufactures.

"Every day in the paper you read about global warming," Ecclestone says, "and I had to start thinking about the kind of company we'd be in 25 years," when his children are in charge, he says. A manufacturer of institutional furniture, Calstone has been in business since the mid-1980s. Recently, however, its drive to sustainability was spurred on when York University asked the company to take back some of the (still perfectly usable) furniture it had purchased due to a renovation. "We looked at it and turned it apart and it was as good as new -- we were able to reuse about 80 per cent of it in brand new products," he says.

That led to the current initiative, which pledges that 0 per cent of Calstone's products will end up in landfill. The company will take back every product it sells (paying a $15-per-item fee) and reuse all elements of the product. It's part of a larger strategy that includes recycling rainwater, a heat exchange system, and a living wall. Ecclestone says the company hopes to reach a zero emissions target for its factory soon.

The sustainable growth isn't just good citizenship, of course. Ecclestone says that in reusing perfectly sound materials he's able to save on manufacturing costs. And besides that, his company's green credentials make their products all the more attractive to potential buyers. A new contract to supply all of Pitney-Bowes' furniture, for example, can be partly attributed to sustainability. The company reached a low of 28 employees after the financial crisis of 2008, but saw employment grow by eight staff members last year. Ecclestone expects to hire significantly more employees in 2010.

"Trying to put a dollar value on what green initiatives have given us -- it's a little early," he says. "But all signs are that it's a big positive for business."

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Jim Ecclestone, President, Calstone Inc.

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IMAX -- the Canadian large-format film company based in Mississauga -- was born out of the cradle of so much Canadian innovation, Expo '67, when a small group of entrepreneurs decided to make a single, giant-screen projection system. The first permanent screen was installed at Ontario Place in 1971, and the technology has waxed and waned in popularity ever since.

But with the development of IMAX 3D and the tipping-point popularity of films that capitalize on the technology such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland, business has been booming. The IMAX corporation recorded its first profitable year in three years in 2009, a year in which its stock price nearly tripled and it increased box office revenue for its films by 225% over the previous year. And that, company president Richard Gelfond pointed out in a recent interview, is in a year when most of the Avatar revenue was not yet included. "Avatar played a crucial role in increasing brand awareness with consumers. So people who've never been to IMAX before went for the first time to see Avatar. And it's early, but the evidence is they're coming back again..." he told The Motley Fool.com.

As it adds new screens across North America and around the world, it is poised to grow even more. All that growth means more jobs at the head office. The company is hiring three new staff members immediately.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: IMAX Corporation; The Motley Fool

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