Category / Business & tech

by Krystle K.

Constant job-hopping may cost you career opportunities

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published on the Ottawa Business Journal website.
Nov. 7, 2006

Click here to view this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.

Tired of your job already and getting itchy feet? You may want to think carefully before changing your job too quickly, a new survey reports.

The survey by financial recruitment service company Robert Half Finance & Accounting says chronic job-hoppers may be overlooked for future opportunities. Eighty-eight per cent of chief financial officers polled rated the length of time a job candidate has spent with previous employers as Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

Solectron to shut down Kanata facility

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Breaking news story published on the Ottawa Business Journal website.
Nov. 7, 2006

Click here to read this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.

Manufacturing company Solectron will be closing down its facility in Kanata early next year, eliminating nearly 400 jobs.

A senior executive told the Ottawa Business Journal that the U.S.-based firm would be shutting down the plant in February or March of 2007, putting 247 permanent workers and 147 temporary employees out of work.

Solectron’s director of EMS operations Lucie Dastous confirmed in a phone interview that the Kanata facility Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

‘Above and beyond’ no big deal for tourism award winner

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published on the Ottawa Business Journal website.
Oct. 25, 2006

Ginette Pion, grand prize winner of the Ottawa Tourism Stars of the City campaignGinette Pion, grand prize winner of Ottawa Tourism’s Stars of the City campaign (Image supplied)

Ginette Pion never thought she would win an award for taking the time to help a customer get ready for a special event.

But Ms. Pion, who is the manager of the Femme de Carrière outlet in the Rideau Centre, walked away with the top prize in Ottawa Tourism’s Stars of the City campaign at last night’s award ceremony, as well as an award in the Above and Beyond category.

She was nominated for spending three hours helping a customer shop for the perfect outfit and accessories for a gala dinner, then going with the customer to look for shoes at another store in the mall, booking a hair appointment, and even driving the customer to the hairstylist and taking her new outfit to be tailored in time for the event.

“The only thing I can say is: wow. I’m overwhelmed,” Ms. Pion says, adding that she doesn’t actually remember the woman who nominated her because she and her staff regularly help out customers in the same manner.

“I always teach my staff to go above and beyond… I’d like people to do the same for me,” she says.

She explains that she often takes tourists and people who aren’t familiar with the Rideau Centre around the mall and goes on her own time to drop off altered outfits at customers’ homes, even driving to Montreal once to hunt for a white suit for a customer’s wedding. Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

New Sprott dean aims to boost business school’s reputation

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Ottawa Business Journal newspaper and website.
Aug. 14 2006

Click here to view this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.

Dr. Bill Keep will become the first dean at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University this January.Dr. Bill Keep will become the first dean at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University this January (Image supplied)

As Dr. Bill Keep prepares to step into his new role as the inaugural dean of the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, he says he is looking forward to picking the brains of the business school’s faculty and putting it in the same league as the heavy-hitters.

“I want students to know that (Sprott) is not just an option, but a very attractive option,” he said in a phone interview from Connecticut, where he is currently serving as a marketing professor at Quinnipiac University.

Dr. Keep’s appointment was announced Aug. 4, but he will be joining the Sprott School of Business full-time in January. The appointment is the latest move by Carleton University after it made the decision last December to raise Sprott to full faculty status.

“Sprott has got a really good core faculty, and raising the school to faculty status looks like the beginning point, but it is really the result of years of work,” Dr. Keep said, adding that he believes the school will be able to develop more of a name for itself in its new position.

“I don’t know yet what that reputation will be for, but the kernels are within the faculty,” he said. The incoming dean says he’s eager to meet with the acting dean of the school, Professor David Cray, as well as with associate deans and staff, to discuss the future of the school.

Professor Cray said Sprott already has several interesting programs – such as its research programs in international business, and its Centre for Social Marketing, which deals with marketing for non-profit organizations.

However, he agreed with Dr. Keep that the school’s new faculty status will help bring awareness to these programs and allow for the growth of more research. Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

Bank Street construction hits biz harder than expected

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Ottawa Business Journal newspaper and website.
Aug. 7 2006

Click here to view this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.

Although provisions have been made to accommodate pedestrian traffic while Bank Street is under construction, small- and medium-sized businesses in the area say they are really feeling the pinch.

“The summer is usually the busiest time, but now it’s even slower than in the winter time,” says H. Agour of Shawarma Laguna. “I can tell it’s slower (even with only a few days of construction).”

The five-block stretch between Laurier and Wellington has been closed off since July 31. The move is part of $3.6-million project to reconstruct Bank Street’s underground water and sewage lines, and improve the appearance of its sidewalks north of Queen Street, according to Richard Holder, the senior project manager for infrastructure for the city.

“We’ve been involved with the Bank Street BIA for several years,” he says. “We’re very much aware (of the disruption to business) and have delayed construction until as late as possible.”

The business improvement area’s executive director, Gerry LePage, says the business community has been enjoying Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

eBay mixed blessing for collectibles market

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Ottawa Business Journal newspaper and website.
July 31, 2006

Click here to view this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.

Kurt Hamnes of Miraj Trading says eBay has proven to be both a rival and a useful sales outlet for the sports cards and collectibles store.
Kurt Hamnes of Miraj Trading says eBay has proven to be both a rival and a useful sales outlet for the sports cards and collectibles store.
Photo by DARREN BROWN for the Ottawa Business Journal

With the worldwide collectibles market booming, many entrepreneurs are finding success buying and selling collectors’ items online, thanks to the electronic marketing phenomenon that is eBay.

But local businesspeople caution against giving up your day job to invest full-time in Beanie Babies and rookie sports cards.

“The market is constantly changing, and you can’t count on something selling for a decent price,” says Inma Services owner Petr Maly, one Ottawa entrepreneur who does make a decent living using eBay. “The biggest obstacle is figuring out what’s coming in (in popularity).”

Mr. Maly has been selling consignments of antiques and collectibles on the auction site for eight years. However, despite his success as an online merchant, he warns that the collectibles market can be a tricky one to manoeuvre.

“You have to have a lot of knowledge, and you have to think ahead,” he says, explaining that it’s often difficult to predict which collectors’ items will sell at any time with only a general knowledge of the market.

He says eBay has played a large role in shaping this volatile market, with varying effects on the prices of collectible goods. Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

Cards can be costly on the road

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the March/April 2006 edition (Vol. 6, Issue 3) of Ottawa Insight.
April 2006

Anne Cottingham prepares for another trip.
Anne Cottingham prepares for another trip.

OTTAWA – Summer is nearing, and Anne Cottingham is planning a trip to Europe after graduation.

One thing she says she’s never considered when preparing for travel, however, is what transaction costs may be incurred with each different kind of payment method.

“I just think, ‘OK, I’m going,’” she says when asked if she’s thought about whether it’s best to use a credit card, debit card, traveller’s cheques, or to buy foreign currency. “It’s not something I’ve really looked into.”

Cottingham has just returned from Vancouver and was in New York City in late February. She says she plans to indulge her newly discovered passion for travel even more once she has finished her fourth year at Carleton University.

It’s an expensive hobby, to be sure; Cottingham says she spends about $500 to $1000 for a short-term trip like her New York weekend jaunt, excluding the cost of travel and lodging.

She adds she brought $200 USD in cash for her New York trip, mainly for cabs, meals and some stores. For the most part, she used her credit card and didn’t use her debit card much at all. Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

Privileged pets

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the March/April 2006 edition (Vol. 6, Issue 2) of Ottawa Insight.
March 2006

Gillian Pearlstone says she spends about $1,800 a year on each of her dogs.Gillian Pearlstone says she spends about $1,800 a year on each of her dogs.

OTTAWA – Gillian Pearlstone buys bottled water and natural foods for her pets, and occasionally brings them in to the Natural Pet Foods store in Ottawa’s Westboro community for massage or reiki therapy.

Pearlstone, who is the proud owner of two cats and a dog, says she spends about $1,800 a year on her dog and about half that amount a year per cat. Along with her own pets, she also pays for the upkeep of the two or three dogs she fosters every couple of months.

“They’re my children,” she says. “I’d rather spend a lot on food than on vet bills.”

Pearlstone is one of a growing number of pet owners who spend thousands of dollars each year on their furry companions. Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

Beating heart disease

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the March 2006 edition (Vol.6, Issue 2) of Ottawa Insight.
March 2006

OTTAWA – Success in the biopharmaceutical industry has always depended on which company comes out first in the frantic dash to get products approved, patented, and on the market.

It’s a high-stakes race, especially in the huge market for drugs which fight heart disease – the number-one killer in North America – and Liponex Inc. of Ottawa is hoping to be the winner in producing one of the first “good cholesterol” increasing drugs in the world. Continue reading →

by Krystle K.

Centretown businesses strike gold with Chamber of Commerce awards

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Business section of Centretown News.
Dec. 9, 2005

Michael Koudsi is the president of Sugar Mountain and bronze medallist for the Businessperson of the Year award
Michael Koudsi is the president of Sugar Mountain and the bronze medallist for the Businessperson of the Year award.
Photo by ANDRÉ FECTEAU for Centretown News.

Centretown’s businesses are getting recognition for their contribution to the Ottawa business community in this year’s Ottawa Business Achievement Awards, winning the gold in four of the six categories.

The community was honoured with two silver and two bronze wins at the Dec. 1 ceremony.

Local companies credit their success to Centretown’s busy location in the heart of the city.

“The exposure we get in Centretown is greater than if we were in the outskirts of the city,” says Michael Koudsi, president of Sugar Mountain and bronze medallist for Businessperson of the Year. “We’re right in the middle of the action.”

Businesses of different sizes and sectors from across Ottawa were nominated for the awards, which were organized by the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce.

Nominees were evaluated on business growth, job creation, customer service, research and development and community involvement.

“It does represent a wide cross-section,” says Gail Logan, president of the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a celebration of businesses across the community.”

Logan calls the awards ceremony the “Academy Awards of business,” and says businesses often use the honour of being a finalist to promote themselves.

She adds the awards bring attention to local industries which can be ignored in Ottawa, and focuses on the government and the technology sector.

Koudsi’s candy franchise is one example of how many Ottawa businesses are experiencing great growth and success in the national market. Continue reading →