Calgary Business Podcast

Growing up, most kids have their mom to tell them to clean up their room or do their homework. Bryan’s mom went a little further. She let the “creative” side of the Bell family unleash in the unfinished basement of their family home in Ontario; that became the foundation for helping companies plan their corporate events.  After 31 years, Bryan continues to hold the creative torch as his mothe...

When it comes to real estate, I always remember the line “Location, Location, Location”. In today’s world of social media and traditional media, it is difficult to get the attention of anyone, let alone a real estate buyer. It is Jared’s view that when it comes to location and attention, you “…cannot have one without the other…”   Although I later learned (from Google) that this line com...

This episode is the 6th episode in which students from the Haskayne School of Business, at the University of Calgary, engage in a Q&A session with an industry expert from the business community.   In this episode, MBA students, Sudeepta Mohapatra, Kavya Piduri and Nadia Lachman are joined by Patty Miller, CPHR, providing expertise in HR, Business Consulting and Business Coaching.&nbs...

Jeni shared the origin story of Project “Projekt” after I stumbled upon the creative work of Keli Pollock on Instagram. Keli happens to be the Creative Chair for “Projekt” which is a new platform for “of-the-moment” art and design and its first "Project" include projecting selected artwork from 60 local artists outside of the Glenbow Museum during the Chinook Blast in February 2021.   To...

Priyanka, and her husband, Robin, have a passion for food including creating unique blends (or “Fusion Food”) to share with their growing food community. Through her company, the Gourmet Pantry, Priyanka aims to support locally grown and sourced gourmet products prepared by small, family-owned businesses by making them more accessible to consumers through her e-commerce platform. This includes fre...

It is one thing to work for a company working on cool projects for global companies like NASA but it is another to work for a company that at the same time, seeks to maintain a strong internal culture to motivate its staff. One example is the creativity around using Slack to allow its diverse work force to learn another language in one room, chat with their European colleagues in another or relax...

This episode is a natural extension of the Q&A podcast sessions with Master of Management students and industry experts that preceded this episode.  Candace Moody shared the origin story, in her capacity as Director, of this very young Masters program that started in 2019. The Master of Management is geared towards non-management students that participate in a robust 10-month program whic...

This is the 5th episode in a series I started in which a trio of students, from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary, and an industry expert from the business community, engage in an open Q&A discussion session.  In this episode, Master of Management students Dora Tamas, Shamus Westra and Cassidy Sullivan are joined by entrepreneur, angel investor and technology st...

This episode is the 4th episode in a series I started in which a trio of students from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary and an industry expert from the business community engage in an open Q&A discussion session.  In this episode, Master of Management students, Amit Patel, Maxwell Chen and Aditya Bhandari, are joined by entrepreneur, angel investor and tech exp...

Kendra provided a unique perspective on how many Calgarians take (or have taken) the Rocky Mountains for granted and yet within 90 minutes from the Calgary International Airport, you can have a wild and safe experience that is readily attainable. As Kendra further pointed out, Covid has made us slow down and re-examine what is important to us including family, friends and the close proximity of th...

Zane Novak has several decades of business experience (from construction to oil & gas to family estate services) and non-profit work (from volunteer activities with children to providing strategic direction for elderly support services) which he plans to draw upon if successful in his campaign to be elected as the Mayor of the City of Calgary in the October 2021 elections.  To learn more...

Since 1997, Inn from the Cold has been helping Calgary families at risk of being homeless by providing supportive housing and emergency shelter. In addition to housing, Inn from the Cold works with local partners to provide food, clothing, education and other basic necessities.  To learn more about the work of Tim, Jennifer and their colleagues at Inn from the Cold, click on one or more of th...

Shona Reilly brings a high amount of energy and true passion to the Trade Acceleration Program (or “TAP”) that is designed to help entrepreneurs, startups and business owners with exporting their goods or services outside of Canada.  Get the tools, connections and knowledge you need to take your business into new markets. The TAP team understands the challenges businesses are facing and is av...

When does blockchain technology became ubiquitous like making a Zoom call on your laptop or settling your credit card statement using a mobile app? Maybe when your digital identity remains with you when you change jobs? At least, that is just one of the use cases that the TerraHub team are executing using blockchain technology. It is clear that after chatting with the founder, Dan Giurescu, this i...

From an ATB sponsored hack-a-thon in early 2020, the Arbor business has quickly evolved such that the team is ready to disrupt how consumers shop — not just in Canada but across the globe. Arbor is a social impact platform that aligns a consumers spending habits with their values by providing information on a company’s ethics, its product cost, and its product accessibility. The Arbor Index will p...

This episode is the 3rd in a series I started in which a trio of students from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary and an industry expert from the business community engage in an open Q&A discussion session. In this episode, Master of Business Administration (or MBA) students, Jagbir Randhawa and Bo Feng, are joined by angel investor and venture capital founder, Matt W...

David did a terrific job walking through (or actually talking through) and describing many of the merchants, businesses and restaurants that comprise the Victoria Park BIA (or Business Improvement Area). There is a lot to unpack in this episode which included a number of “quotations” some of which David took personal credit for and another in which he was quick to provide accolades to John F Kenne...

Technology continues to democratize many day to day business functions and payroll is no exception. In fact, the Avanti Software team has managed to move a lot of the day to day functions from the Human Resource managers desk into the cloud. As Dave and Amin described “…our clients no longer need the filing cabinet…”  To learn more about the work of Avanti Software and how they have “Democrat...

Connor and Jacob have combined their passion for photography and videography with formal training in digital marketing, communication, cinematography and multi-media in a company that is well placed to help small businesses improve their digital footprint and maybe learn some basic principles that are deemed common knowledge to them both.  To learn more about the work of Connor and Jacob and...

When Guillermo Chan decided to name his animation, design and illustration studio “Broken Pencil”, it was his view that art helps to heal the mind of stress and anxiety because “…we are all a little broken in some way…” To get a first hand look at Guillermo Chan’s creativity with drawing and animation, click on one or more of the links below: §§§ Broken Pencil Studios: Website | https://www.broken...

To find out more about the activities of Oscar Bonilla Jr and Malka Labell, click on one or more of the links below: §§§ Herbal Goods Website | Herbalgoods.ca Instagram | @herbalgoodsco Oscar Bonilla Jr on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscar-bonilla-jr-742401b4/ §§§ Malka Labell on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/malka-labell/ Green Green Generation company | https://greengencompan...

Susan combines a 23-year career as a BMO Nesbitt Burns wealth advisor with a customized approach to providing financial advice to individuals and their families. Susan seeks to have “money conversations” clients and potential clients that are “relevant” to their situation and circumstances. In a world that is continually “Cash-less”, that conversation will differ if it is with your child deciding...

Liz Small and her daughter, Chloe, have taken the idea for a food truck, which originated from her late husband before he passed away, and made it a reality.  They offer Calgarians freshly-made soups and baked potatoes, sourced from local Alberta Farms and suppliers. When Covid lockdown scuppered their launch plans for the venture, it required a shift from their planned school and office deli...

It is comforting to learn that amongst the advancement of technology in the field of graphic arts, particularly with the suite of tools available from Adobe, Alyssa O’Connor learned to work with offset printing machines and ink during the 2-year program she attended at SAIT. Combine that with a knack for scrap booking as a child, there is real charm in the work of AO'C Designs and the approach Aly...

Mike likes to focus on trends that meet the customer needs. As a 20-year old, Mike started with his “Grow Kit” in 2016 to allow consumers to grow cannabis in their home. That startup earned him an appearance on CBC’s Dragon’s Den  In 2019, Mike decided to offer electric bikes to Calgary consumers when he started EVT Bikes, an electric bike that is great for students to make their way around c...