Calgary Business Podcast

In a forever changing world, changing the way we approach the relationship we have with our cars is exactly what the Communauto team have done since the early 1990’s! Imagine that Adrianna and her team only started operating in Calgary in the summer of 2020? With over 3,300 vehicles in the Canadian fleet, the 150 units in Calgary represents tremendous opportunity for growth in the years to come!  To find out more about Communauto and their car sharing business, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Communauto website | https://communauto.com/  Communauto (Calgary) on Instagram | @communauto_yyc  §§§  Adrianna Rangeloff on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianna-rangeloff-110a69204/  Communauto on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/communauto/ §§§ RideSharing | Marketing | Branding | Staycations | Small business | Branch operations | Awareness | Innovation | Market opportunities | Carpool | Connecting People and Business | Find a Ride | Vehicle Marke

When a business has been around since 1945 (or 75+ years) there is a reason: personalized customer service, community-oriented focus, paying attention to detail and shifting their business activities, when appropriate, appear to have been successfully passed to Sheldon Fishman and his wife, Tasha, from the founders, Lily and Jack Fishman (grand-parents of Sheldon) and second generation owners, Rosa and Benny Fishman (parents of Sheldon)  To find out more about Fishman’s Personal Care Cleaners and their current initiatives to “clean” the Calgary community, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Fishman’s Personal Care Cleaners website | https://fishmans.ca/  Fishman’s on Instagram | @fishmansyyc  §§§  Sheldon Fishman on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheldon-fishman-11194562/  Fishman’s Personal Care Cleaners on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/fishman-s-personal-care-cleaners/ §§§ Drycleaner | Small business | Entrepreneur | Family-owned business |

Momentum Calgary has been helping individuals, entrepreneurs, startups and small business since 1991 by providing training, advisory, mentoring, coaching and even access to micro-loans.  Momentum is a change-making organization that combines social and economic strategies to reduce poverty. Momentum is the organization behind the Be Local Network - a Calgary network of community-focused businesses. To find out more about the activities of Jeff Loomis and his team at Momentum Calgary, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Momentum Calgary website | https://momentum.org/  Momentum Calgary on Instagram | @momentumcalgary  Momentum Calgary on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/momentumcalgary/  §§§  Jeff Loomis on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jloomiscanada/ §§§  Be Local Calgary | https://www.belocal.org/  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

Claudio provides inspiration for young and old; athletes and business people; celebrities and common folks. From his early experience as an 8-year old visiting Three Rivers Stadium for the first time to his most recent podcast with legendary race car driver, Mario Andretti, Claudio repeatedly referenced to his Italian roots and the life lessons passed on from his mom and dad. Claudio truly brought his “A-game” to this podcast!  To find out more about Claudio and his Pittsburgh-based activities, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Claudi Reilsono website | https://www.claudioreilsono.com/  Claudi Reilsono podcast | https://claudioreilsonoshow.podbean.com/  Claudi Reilsono on Twitter | @ClaudioReilsono --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

Judith may no longer “hold the broom” when it comes to the day to day cleaning the premises of her residential and commercial customers, she does not “sweep anything under the carpet” when it comes to understanding the key fundamentals to succeed in her cleaning business.  Judith focuses on education (staff, customers, community), customer service (including ensuring trust) and the use of technology (both affordable and practical) that could really transfer into virtually any small business — not just the cleaning industry  To find out more about Judith Virag and her business, Clean Club Calgary, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Clean Club Calgary website | https://www.cleanclubcalgary.com/  Clean Club Calgary on Instagram | @cleanclubcalgary  §§§  Judith Virag on LInkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/judith-virag-72b4775/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

What happens when three female high school students get together to compete in an international Technovation competition? This is not a riddle. They learn real life skills around creating a business plan, coding and developing an app for BETA testing, preparing a pitch deck and presenting to a panel of judges. As if that was not sufficient, the girls are seeking to remove the stress that many high school students feel upon graduation and that burning questions "what to do next?"  Their website, Joy to Job, seeks to connect students with professionals from various disciplines and sectors to help in making that “what next” decision.  To find out more about “Joy to Job”, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Joy to Job website | https://joytojob.com/  Joy to Job on Instagram | @JoytoJob  §§§  International Technovation Competion website | https://technovationchallenge.org/  Western Canada High School website | https://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/westerncanada/Pages/default.aspx --- Send in a voice messag

While working in the construction sector, Jordan and Daniel saw an opportunity in 2018 to help small businesses with their storage of spare parts, light industrial equipment and dry goods (including alcohol-free beverages). They started with taking on a 10,000 square foot warehouse that has since grown to approximately 40,000 square feet today.  Daniel and Jordan place a lot of value on their customers and staff and along with being ready to adopt new ways of conducting their business, feel these will be key to their future success  To find out more about Trade Space, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Trade Space website | https://www.gotradespace.com/  Trade Space on Instagram | @GoTradeSpace  Trade Space on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/gotradespace/  §§§  Jordan Tetreau on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordantetreau/  Daniel Delgado on Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldelgadorod/ --- Send in a voice message: htt

The famous expression “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” pretty much sums up the work of Barry Lawrence and his company, Bastion Safety Solutions. Mix in years of experience with some Blue Chip industry players, a strong sense of the industrial work place and the latest in technological advances and it is easy to understand why companies choose Barry to meet their health and safety training and related needs.  To find out more about the work of Bastion Safety Solutions, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Bastion Safety Solutions  Website | https://bastionsafe.com  LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/bastion-safety-solutions/  Twitter | @bastionsafe §§§  Barry Lawrence on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/bastionsafetysolutions/ §§§ Health & Safety | Industrial operations | HSQE | HSE | Construction Industry | Training | Education | Learning | Awareness | Oil & Gas | Occupational Health & Safety | Leadership Training | WHMIS

Jannette Festival and her team at NorthernStar have created a real community in Calgary, in Alberta and across Canada comprised of hospital and healthcare workers, mothers and infants that benefit from breast milk that otherwise would not have been readily available had she not taken the decision to pivot from her career in oil and gas.  The serendipity of her decision to get a nursing degree led Jannette to work at the Foothills Hospital which lead her to visit a milk bank facility in Austin, Texas to finding mothers to donate their milk.  There are a few other stages in between that Jannette shared during our chat.  To find out more about the NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank website | https://www.northernstarmilkbank.ca/  NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank on Instagram | @northernstarmilkbank  NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/northernstar-mothers-milk-bank/

Healthcare is such an important part of everyone’s life and when chronic illnesses such as cancer arise, Shaneel Pathak and his co-founder, Cory Kapser, want to ensure that each individual has the data that is relevant to them as they seek to manage through the process. This includes using the ZoeInsights app to track, graph, analyze and view trends in your symptoms, activities and health data.  To learn more about ZoeInsights, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  ZoeInsights website | https://www.zoeinsights.com/  ZoeInsights on Instagram | @zoeinsightsapp  ZoeInsights on Twitter | @zoeinsights  ZoeInsights on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/zoeinsights/  §§§  Shaneel Pathak on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaneel-pathak/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

Ellen Parker not only owns and manages a public relations and media business, she lives it! From her relentless charity work in the community and schools to helping small businesses manage through the Covid crisis to having a solid understanding of the nuances of each ot the main social media platforms, Ellen  really relates to what is happening with her public: the Calgary community.  To learn more about Ellen Parker and her team at Parker PR and Parker Media, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Parker PR website | https://parkerpr.ca/  Parker PR on Instagram | @parkerpr  Parker PR on Twitter | @parkerprca  Parker PR on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/parkerprca/  Parker PR on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/parker-pr-corp./  §§§  Ellen Parker on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-parker-8653378b/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

Kevin’s 17+ years with Sturgess Architecture has clearly gone beyond the 3D CAD drawings, the cladding of a city building or the fence surrounding a house. His ideas on community, connecting, combining old and new (social media, technology), spatial awareness, Covid and creativity, training and learning and even issues of climate change, provides a real indication that the firm he has taken over from Jeremy Sturgess, takes into consideration the 4 decades of history that preceded him.  To learn more about Sturgess Architecture (_SA), click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Sturgess Architecture website | https://www.sturgessarchitecture.com/  Sturgess Architecture on Instagram | @sturgessarchitecture  Sturgess Architecture on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/sturgess-architecture/  §§§  Kevin Harrison on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-harrison-2b1a471b/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

“You had me at Chocolate” is one of the key phrases when you visit the website of Dwarf Stars and it is clear from the photos of the Pumpkin Seed Butter Cups on their Instagram page why that phrase exists!  Kathryn has done her homework when it comes to understanding the key ingredients in the Dwarf Stars vegan and allergy-friendly chocolates and it seems that she is helping others to gain such knowledge through regular postings on the company blog.  To learn more about Dwarf Stars, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Dwarf Stars on Instagram | @dwarf.stars  Dwarf Stars on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/dwarfstarsco  Dwarf Stars on Twitter | @dwarfstarsco Dwarf Stars Website | https://dwarfstars.ca/  §§§  Kathryn Kozody on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kkozody/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

It appears that the “Sober Curious” movement has become a thing in Calgary and the founder and CEO of Sexy AF Spirits (AF stands for “Alcohol-Free” in case you are wondering) wants to ensure your “Liquid to Lips” experience is amazing without the “next day” side affects.  To learn more about Jo-anne and her Sexy AF Spirits business, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Sexy AF Spirits on Instagram | @sexyafspirits  Sexy AF Spirits on Twitter | @sexyafspirits  Sexy AF Spirits Website | https://sexyafspirits.com/  §§§  Jo-Anne Reynolds on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sexyafspirits/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

In my view, Andre really takes the “personal” side of being a Personal Financial Planner seriously and he does this by continuously asking his clients to think of two personal questions: (1) Where am I? and (2) Will I be okay? In fact, a lot of our chat frequently reverted back to these questions whether it was Covid, market volatility, Crypto-currency or small business digitation.  To learn more about the work of Andre and Dentro Financial, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Dentro Financial website | https://dentrofinancial.com/  Dentro Financial on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/dentro-financial/  §§§  Andre Degagne on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/andre-degagne-00aa8019b/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

Jeffery (also known as Jeff or JP) has been “Open” with startups and founders for a long time, dating back to his days as an internal IT / dev guy for the Loblaw’s grocery chain. In those days, Jeffrey used his server room to meet with startups that “pitched” their ideas for the Loblaw ecosystem; fast forward a few years and now Jeffery and his Open People Network (“OPN”) team use Zoom, YouTube, Podcasts and social media to bring entrepreneurs and investors together.  Jeffery did get on the end of the Kaboose, drove down Route 15 and made a HardBoot before he landed on the OPN gig!  To learn more about the work of Open People Network, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Open People Network  Website | https://opn.ninja/  LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/openpeoplenetwork/ Instagram | @openpeoplenetwork  Twitter | https://twitter.com/Opeoplenetwork  Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/Opeoplenetwork/?_rdc=1&_rdr  YouTube | http://bit.ly/2MZz

From a Grade 9 science project to an MBA assignment and ending in a business plan to help provide a second income to Canadian farmers, Victoria Ross and her Agro Systems team are currently helping both farmers and craft brewers by transporting spent grains from the beer producers to be used as feed stock for farm animals.  To learn more about the work of Agro Systems Inc, click on one or more of the links below:  §§§  Agro Systems website | https://agrosystems.ca/  Agro Systems on Instagram | @agrosystemsinc  Agro Systems on Twitter | @aGRO_Systems  Victoria Ross on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-ross-417b9b110/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message

The Venture Mentoring Service of Alberta (VMSA) follows the MIT framework set in place in the year 2000 to provide free mentoring advice to entrepreneurs from volunteer mentors. The MIT program has 100+ organizations like VMSA across North America and other global locations, that matches local entrepreneurs with seasoned mentors from their local community.  As Chris Doble, the project manager for the Calgary-based entity, outlined during our chat: “…the primary focus of the VMSA is to provide leadership advice and focus on the individual and less on how to operate their business…”  §§§ To learn more about the work of Venture Mentoring Service of Alberta (VMSA), click on one or more of the links below:   Venture Mentoring Service of Alberta (VMSA) website | https://www.vmsalberta.org/  VMSA on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/vmsa/  Chris Doble on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-doble-976b017a/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/messag

Finding a fresh salad for lunch inspired Jon Karwacki to join with Derek Rucki to create “Inspired Go”, a tech enabled platform to order fresh salad — at work. When Covid hit, Derek and Jon found that their customers, although working from home, still needed to eat. That inspired them to change their method of ordering from text messages to a mobile-enabled app.  Two key partnerships ensure they have a reliable fresh food supply (via Star Produce) and timely delivery (via Routeique).  Entrepreneurial minded students from Mount Royal University (which Derek is an alumni), use of social media (Facebook and Instagram) and constant communication with customers (email and newsletters) appear to be recipe to scale across Canada (now in YYC, YVR and YXE)  §§§ To learn more about Inspired Go, click on one or more of the links below:  Inspired Go website | https://inspiredgo.ca/  Inspired Go on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspired-go/  Inspired Go on Instagram | @inspired.

Graeme Math, and his co-founders Jeff Weaver and Kevin Black, are seeking to democratize HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) for the small to medium sized oil & gas, mining and industrial companies that may not be in a position to engage full-time HSE experts. Combining years of practical experience, a mobile-enabled technical platform and a focus on data management, InUnison ensures it clients are fully compliant with health and safety regulations. Also, by automating much of the manual paperwork associated with key processes, InUnison clients are able to free up their HSE staff to work on more value-added and higher impact activities. §§§ To learn more about InUnison, click on the links below: InUnison website | https://inunison.io/ InUnison on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/inunisontech/ Graeme Math on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/graeme-math-a0732555/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/allen-wazny/message