Calgary Business Podcast

Andrew combined his time away in Italy with watching a ton of YouTube videos to become a creative and “certified” videographer in the Calgary community.  Learn why clients approach the Vek Labs team when they require video content for their business.  §§§  Vek Labs website | https://www.veklabs.com/  Vek Labs on Instagram | @VekLabs  Vek Labs on Twitter | @VekLabs  Vek Lab podcast titled “Vek Cast” link | https://anchor.fm/vek-labs  Andrew Peloso on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpeloso/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

From working in the car rental business to investing in a chaffeur / car driving franchise in Calgary, Rahul found himself and his team in the front-line of helping Calgary citizens navigate their grocery shopping needs  in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis.  §§§  To find out more, click on the link to the podcast or find Rahul and his Driverseat Calgary franchise from one of the links below:  To call for service | 1-587-355-5905  To email for service | calgary@driverseatinc.com  Driverseat Inc website | https://driverseatinc.com/  Driverseat Calgary web link | https://driverseatinc.com/locations/driverseat-calgary/  §§§ Driverseat Calgary on Instagram | @driverseatcalgary  Driverseat Calgary on Twitter | @DrvstCalgary  Driverseat head office on Twitter | @DriverseatFirst Rahul Kumar on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahul-kumar-99b5197/  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

Karen talked a lot about the resilience of Calgary as a community and its long history of volunteering and giving; that history will go a long way to help those in (more) need during the Covid-19 crisis. Karen feels that humanity and humility will be key principles that will help to re-build the community when the pandemic passes.  §§§ To find out more about Karen and her work, click on the links below:  Karen Ball & Associates website | http://www.karenball00.com/  Karen Ball on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenball00/  Karen Ball on Twitter | @Kay_B --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

What a pleasure it was to chat with Kamea about community, security, data, blockchain, small business and how it is likely Covid-19 will lead to “hyper localism” once the global pandemic affords a return to (quasi) normal.  §§§  To find out more about Intelli Network, click on the links below:  Intelli Network website link | https://intelli-network.com/  Intelli Network on Twitter | @Intelli_Network  Kamea LaFontaine on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamea-aloha-lafontaine-2b23934/  Calgary Crime Stoppers (Kamea is on the Board of Directors) | http://calgarycrimestoppers.org/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

In another story of executives that pivoted from Oil & gas, Gord and his wife, Deborah, took the initiative to invest in an F45 personal fitness franchise. The Covid-19 crisis resulted in an unexpected pivot into the virtual fitness world which the F45 Kingsland team appears to have adapted quite well.  §§§  To find out more about F45 Kingsland and their initiatives to move on-line, click on the links below:  F45 Kingsland website link | https://f45training.ca/kingsland/home  F45 Kingsland on Instagram | @F45_training_Kingsland  F45 Training on Twitter | @f45training  Gordon Bristow on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordon-bristow-41786917/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

Eric pivoted from oil and gas to caring for dogs to creating a food and beverages ordering app for amateur sports teams.  Eric’s “thirst” for innovation and creativity lead Eric to start a new Instagram site called “@yyctakeoutspecials”. Not satisfied with drawing attention to restaurants that are open for take-out and delivery during the Covid-19 crisis, Eric decided to start a charitable initiative to feed 50 families for Easter weekend. Imagine that they will be feeding 69 families instead?  §§§  To find out more about Eric’s companies, click on the links below:  PostGame website | https://postgame.menu  PostGame on Instagram | @postgame_app  PAWS on website | https://www.pawsdogdaycare.ca  PAWS on InstaGram | @pawsdogdaycare  PAWS on Twitter | @pawsdogdaycare  Eric Yeung on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/yeunge/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

From its original construction in 1912 to its major refurbishment in 2001, THE GRAND has been hosting a variety of performing arts and creative events over the past few years.  As Tony explained “…in the post Covid-19 period, we will see a resurgence in live performances…THE GRAND will play an active role in the Calgary arts community…”  §§§  To find out more about THE GRAND, click on the links below:  THE GRAND website | https://www.thegrandyyc.ca/  THE GRAND on Instagram | @thegrandyyc  THE GRAND on Twitter | @thegrandyyc  Tony McGrath on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomcgrath/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

This was a terrific discussion that covered various forms of technology that Jeff and his team recommend for clients to adopt when solving basic and complex problems. This includes virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality, artificial intelligence (AI) and data visualization. Of course Covid-19 formed much of the discussion in terms of remote access to client facilities to student education to slower WiFi due to increased connections from home.  §§§  To find out more about VizworX, click on the links below:  VixworX inc website | https://vizworx.com/  VixworX on Twitter | @vizworx  Jeff LaFrenz on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefflafrenz/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

From making his own beers in the basement to opening a hard liquor distillery months before the Covid-19 crisis changed the course (temporarily) of their activities, Mark Freeland and his partners are now making hand sanitizer for healthcare workers and other front-line individuals providing essential services in Calgary.  §§§  To find out more about Two Rivers Distillery, click on the links below:  Two Rivers Distillery website | https://tworiversdistillery.com/  Two Rivers Distillery on InstaGram | @two_rivers_distillery_yyc  Mark Freeland on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-freeland-a23b6425/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

Frustration with trying to repair garage door opener lead to Guillermo co-found ICwhatUC to help businesses and consumers avoid costly “service” calls. A similar challenge with ensuring hockey dads could find suitable sticks for growing boys lead to the formation of Raven Hockey. §§§  To learn more, consider clicking on the links below:  ICwhatUC website | https://www.icwhatuc.com  ICwhatUC on InstaGram | @icwhatuclive  *** Raven Hockey website | https://www.ravenhockey.com  Raven Hockey on Instagram | @raven_hockey  Raven Hockey on Twitter | @raven_hockey  *** Guillermo Salazar can be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillermo-salazar-ab47241/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

This was a dynamic interview whereby Scott highlighted his recent article on LinkedIn “Adaptive Ideation during a Crisis” and how isolation will foster innovation. Scott expressed his views on how many people will “shift to trust” after the crisis. He shared his experience attending the Gary Vaynerchuk “Inside 4D’s” seminar in New York. Finally, Scott is writing a book which will likely feature a compilation of ideas from his 25+ years in business.  §§§  Groundswell Marketing website | https://www.groundswell.marketing  Groundswell Marketing on InstaGram | @groundswell.marketing  Groundswell Marketing on Twitter | @groundswell_m  Link to the Groundswell Marketing Podcast | https://apple.co/2JP4K9c  Scott Martin can be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottadammartin/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

This is an amazing story that started with me seeing a post on LinkedIn! I really don’t want to spoil the surprise of my listeners.  §§§  To learn more about Jared and his cleaning business, click play!  Then consider visiting the website of Picture Perfect Cleaning | https://pictureperfectcleaning.ca/  Picture Perfect Cleaning on InstaGram | @pictureperfectcleaning  on Twitter | @PicturePerfectClean  Jared Sarbit can be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-sarbit-9604a329/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

Janis has taken what she learned from her own running injury “Runners Knee” to teach, train and educate others on how to focus on their own individual body movements to improve their wellbeing — whether or not they are athletes.  §§§  To learn more, visit the website of My Body Couture | http://mybodycouture.com/  My Body Couture on InstaGram | @mybodycouture  Janis Isaman on Instagram | @janis.isaman  My Body Couture on Twitter | @MyBodyCouture  Janis Isaman can be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jisaman/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

From a real life hurricane experience in Grenada as a child, Micah Louison created a real business solution to a global social issue linked to natural disasters. Micah and his team are gathering research to help communities better plan and manage temporary facilities and supplies during emergencies.  §§§  To learn more, visit the website of Home in a Bag: https://www.homeinabag.com/#  On Twitter: @myhomeinabag  Micah Louison can be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micah-louison-683907154/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

Andrea shared her experience in the insurance sector which included comments on various risks such as cybersecurity and ransomware and local catastrophies like the Calgary floods of 2013 and the forest fires in Ft McMurray. Andrea also shared some thoughts Covid-19 crisis that may be of benefit to business owners as they navigate through these uncertain times. §§§ To learn more, visit the website of Collis Insurance: https://collisinsurance.ca/ Collis Insurance can be found on Twitter: @collisinsurance Collis Insurance on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/collis-insurance-services-group-inc./ Andrea Collis can be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreacollis/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

In another remote podcast to ensure social distancing requirements are met, Jesse Brown walked through his real estate tech (or “PropTech”) solution for the commercial real estate industry. Jesse also had some practical suggestions on what he and the KnoGeo team are doing to manage through the initial stages of the Covid-19 crisis  §§§  To learn more, visit the website of KnoGeo: https://www.knogeo.com  KnoGeo can be found on Instagram: @knogeo  Consider visiting the KnoGeo blog on Medium: https://medium.com/knogeo-3d-data-technologies  Jesse Brown can be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-brown-95504b91/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

This is the 4th remotely recorded episode since the Covid-19 crisis mandated social distancing.  To learn about Lindsay's  ability to design engagement rings, visit the website of Luxura Diamonds: https://www.luxuradiamonds.com/  Luxura Diamonds on Instagram: @luxuradiamonds  Lindsay Jones on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-stapon-jones-60373533/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

This is the 3rd remotely recorded episode after the Covid-19 crisis mandated “work from home” for non-essential business activities. Brett and his “good team” have created a legal SaaS (software as a service) that helps match legal freelancers across Canada to provide affordable legal help to small and medium-sized businesses across Canada.  §§§ Website of Goodlawyer: http://www.goodlawyer.ca/ Goodlawyer on Instagram: @Goodlawyerinc  Goodlawyer on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodlawyer.ca  Goodlawyer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goodlawyer/  Brett Colvin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettrcolvin/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

This is the second podcast episode that I remotely recorded subsequent to social distancing becoming the norm across Canada and the globe. Mitch is a Petroleum Engineer that has pivoted from oil and gas into entrepreneurship. Only months after launching the Rviita energy tea, Covid-19 has required Mitch to once again “pivot” and manage his business through the current crisis.  §§§ Website of Rviita: https://rviitalize.com/  Rviita on Instagram: @reviitalize  Rviita on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rviita-inc/about/  Mitch Jacobsen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitch-jacobsen-p-eng-89277649/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

In my first podcast since Covid-19 forced social distancing and mandatory work from home requirements, Toni Desrosier joined me on the podcast to provide background on her business, Abeego, and fruitful discussion on how the Abeego team are managing through the early days of the crisis.  . §§§ . Website of Abeego: https://canada.abeego.com/  Abeego on Twitter: @abeego Abeego on Instagram: @abeego  Abeego on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/abeego/  Toni Desrosier on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonimdesrosiers/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message