Since the 2020 onset of the pandemic, the cost on the world economy has been almost beyond calculation. One way to think about it is what progress might have taken place had COVID not happened. World Bank GDP projections before COVID had the global economy set to expand at about 2.5 percent in 2020, bringing the world’s economy to about $86 trillion.

Instead what happened was that the world’s economy contracted by 4.3 percent in 2020. When compared to what should have been, it’s a lot worse – the difference is more like a 6.6 percent loss of GDP. That adds up to about $5.6 trillion lost.

The only comparable impacts to COVID were the Great Depression and the two World Wars.

And these enormous numbers pale against the toll on human lives. The World Health Organization has the number of people infected with COVID at 458,479,635 confirmed cases and out of that number 6,047,653 people have died from the virus. This number is now starting to approach about half of those who died in World War I.

While these numbers are staggering and we are reeling from the destruction the virus has inflicted, we are also left with questions. What comes next? What will the new normal look like?

To be honest, these questions are almost too big to answer. Countries in the west are lifting mask mandates and lockdowns have not occurred for some time. People are also starting to show more optimism that the worst of the pandemic is over.

The Pew Research Center asked experts from a wide range of fields including government bodies, non-profits, technology, and think tanks what they think what life may be like in 2025. About 86 percent of respondents said it will bring some kind of change and most of those felt that digital life will continue to evolve, bringing both good and bad. But with that said, 47 percent said that life would get largely worse, while 39 percent said they thought things would be largely better.

From the Pew survey, Douglas Rushkoff, media theorist and author, wrote, “2025 may be a whole lot more local in spirit and local in practice. As global supply chains falter and reveal their structural inadequacies, people will come to depend more on locally produced goods. This will also mean fewer ridiculous, meaningless, valueless cubicle jobs, and more time spent actually creating value. I’m thinking simple, real tasks like growing food, building houses, teaching kids, healthcare and providing energy.”

When it comes to technology, farming, construction, education, healthcare and power generation, these are sectors that will continue to tilt and thrive.

The truth is, we are really just starting to pick up the pieces left by this pandemic. So maybe a good place to start is thinking about the some of the basics. Are the changes that occurred during the pandemic going to continue? Will we go back to stores or continue to shop online? Have we changed the way we think about money? Will people go back to the office? What about getting around on public transit or traveling for vacations? And how do we feel about getting together, whether it’s going to a ballgame or conference for work?

In a lot of ways the pandemic ended up being a big accelerator of trends that may have been just starting to take off. For instance, online shopping was trending up by 2019 but now more traditional brick and mortar stores are on the decline and delivery trucks are stopping everywhere to propel cashless, online shopping.

People quickly jumped on their devices to go shopping when COVID struck. Sheila Santana, an assistant professor at the Harvard Business School, noted the substantial change in the way businesses work and how their customers interact with them, namely the abandonment of using cash. After the initial shutdown from the pandemic in 2020, in Santana’s words, there was “an enormous jump in the percentage of U.S. retailers that were effectively cashless.” Cashless means that transactions were conducted through credit, debit, or mobile. In March of 2020, about eight percent of businesses were cashless; just one month later in April that number jumped to 31 percent.

And although the percentage of cashless transactions shrank back to 20 percent, it has consistently remained higher than pre-pandemic levels ever since. The convenience and relative security of cashless transactions could see them become the norm in the future.

Things have also changed in terms of where people make their money. During the pandemic about 89 percent of people who could work from home did just that, either full-time or in a hybrid format.

In 2021, Global Workplace Analytics, a consulting firm based in California, surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. workers, 90 percent of whom said that they were as productive working remotely as they were in the office. On top of that, 84 percent said they would be happier if they continued working remotely, with more almost 40 percent of them saying they would take a five percent pay cut in exchange for working remotely at least part of the time.

Now, as employers try to cajole people back into the office, many companies are rethinking how to use the traditional office space and are weighing the actual advantages of having everyone there all the time. Finding the balance for everyone may be a real challenge. Companies are going to have to rethink what work looks like for people, especially as they try to recruit and retain talent that has gotten used to working in their sweatpants from home or other remote locations.

Beyond the day to day activities of work, after two years of COVID it’s also hard to imagine things like sales conventions again. Telling someone that they have to go to a large event may make them think twice.

Joanne Dennison, adjunct professor at Boston University’s School of Hospitality and Meeting Planning, thinks that large events will work differently than they did in the past. “I think almost everything will have a hybrid component,” she said to BU Today. “They may not have the 3,000 or 5,000 people event; maybe they’ll do east coast and west coast events. I foresee people being reluctant to go to meetings that involve many people.”

Hybrid components also offer the advantage of casting a wider net. People who wouldn’t want to travel to take in an event will likely be much more open to signing up for conventions that are shared over the web.

The large events that have bounced back the fastest have been entertainment-based and held outdoors. That has favoured festivals and open air concerts. In 2021, Garth Brooks had the fastest sell-out of a stadium, with 50,000 seats in Utah’s Rice-Eccles stadium selling out in less than 30 minutes.

And the same goes for sporting events. While there are some mixed results over various leagues, there was a pent-up demand for sports and not a lot of concern for the numbers in a crowd. For example, attendance for Michigan University football averaged 108,763 fans in their 2021 NCAA season. Super Bowl 56 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles was held in the same way it was before the pandemic, a sell-out stadium at sky-high ticket prices.

What may change is the way things happen in the stands. Why can’t people order their food using their phone, or for that matter know when the bathrooms are not full? Not only would these changes enhance the experience, they can also reduce the amount of close contact – even at an event with thousands of people in attendance.

One of the industries that took it on the chin during the pandemic was transportation. Whether it is public transport or vacation travel, people stayed home in droves. It was so bad that at the low point the New York Subway ridership was just eight percent of what it was before the pandemic.

Coming out of the pandemic, public transit is facing a number of hurdles, from shrunken revenue to low ridership and difficulty attracting new riders, and it remains to be seen how people’s travel patterns will change based on how much they have to go to an office, or even go out to get groceries like they have in the past.

For the travel industry, the news was equally grim. According to Fortune, the travel industry lost $4.5 trillion in 2020 and 62 million jobs were cut worldwide.

But people do want to travel, even if they are starting off cautiously. In a CNBC article, Tripadvisor spokesperson Elizabeth Monahan described how people get back into traveling. “Tourism recovery typically begins locally. Travelers tend to first venture out closer to home, and visit their local eateries, stay local for a weekend getaway or travel domestically before a robust demand for international travel returns.”

What is probably a good bet is that contactless check-ins are likely here to stay as more companies invest in the technology behind both bookings and travel.

And when we get to our destination, accommodations may look different as well. Traditional hotels may begin to look more like private villas, booking entire floors at a time with staff monitoring common areas like pools. The rooms themselves may sit unoccupied for several days while they are disinfected, so hotels may have to rethink their model. And peer-to-peer accommodation sites are showing trends that people are booking for longer-term stays.

These changes really just scratch the surface. We are only starting to see what the post-pandemic world will be like. We can hope that despite all the bad things that happened over the past few years, we can keep some of the good things that we learned during this unprecedented time.

The post The New Normal<p class="company">Changing Consumer Trends</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Across Canada, cities and communities were affected, including Niagara Falls, Ontario, one of the world’s greatest tourism destinations. Facing its share of economic challenges in the past, including 9/11, SARS, Mad Cow Disease, H1N1, currency fluctuations and weather issues, COVID-19 has been the worst of all.

Fortunately, Niagara Falls, Ontario is under the leadership of long-time Mayor Jim Diodati, who keeps proving strength comes from getting up again and again, as many times as necessary. Diodati was first elected in 2010, beating out the incumbent. Victory followed again in 2014, when he secured an impressive 84.5 percent of the vote.

Establishing a reputation for himself as a doer instead of a talker, his third race for Mayor in 2018 was very different. Mere months before the election, Diodati was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Despite this, he continued to campaign while undergoing extensive chemotherapy.

In typical Diodati style, he not only made a full recovery, but was elected mayor for the third time.

Down, not out

“It was beyond devastating,” is how Diodati describes COVID’s impact on the region. “After five years of back-to-back, exceptional tourism seasons, 2020 rolls around and basically turns the taps of tourism off for two years. And in Niagara Falls, the importance of tourism is right up there with oxygen.”

About 40,000 men and women in the area depend on tourism for their livelihoods. Typically, 50 percent of the tourism revenue that comes into Niagara Falls is from the United States, and all that stopped with border closures and the resulting confusion over vaccine passports, masks, and quarantining. Canada’s number one leisure destination saw attractions shuttered, in-person dining affected, and significant, money-draining business forced to close. In a short time, the 14 million tourists welcomed annually dried up.

Concentrating on solutions instead of problems, Diodati and his trusted team at City Hall soon implemented initiatives, including addressing businesses directly. The strategy was swift, effective, and struck at the heart of navigation through the COVID crisis. Restaurants, unable to offer regular capacity indoor seating, were allowed to expand their patios with no permit or licensing fees. The turnaround was swift, just 24 hours. And in some cases, they were permitted to open patios on public roads to get customers. “We closed roads down, and we allowed them to open on public sidewalks,” says Diodati. “Business operators had the opportunity to make money, but in a safe way, following provincial COVID protocols.”

Recognizing many businesses and homeowners were suddenly short on cash, City Hall said anyone behind in taxes — a significant revenue generator — would have the interest cut by more than half, six percent instead of 15 percent. Penalties were removed. Although there were some provincial and federal relief efforts such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), Diodati believed more help was needed at the local level.

Despite losing billions of dollars in lost economic opportunity because of the pandemic, Niagara Falls is seeing positive signs. More and more people are vaccinated. Mask mandates and provincial restrictions on capacity are changing. This past Valentine’s Day and Family Day weekends were busy, and Niagara saw a spring break which was even better than 2019’s, pre-COVID. Although it’s too soon to say when the economic engine will be completely up and running since Niagara’s big tourist season doesn’t start until July/August, recent indications are positive, revealing pent-up demand and travellers eager to start leisure activities once again.

Open for business

After being housebound for over two years, many people, especially Americans (who represent 50 percent of revenue) are eager to visit Niagara Falls again. For months, U.S. tourists were confused about coming to Canada because of misinformation and lack of communication at the border. “We need a strong education campaign, and we also need the federal government to come in on it to help market Canada as a destination open for business,” states Diodati. “We need that message to be clear.”

While Niagara Falls will undoubtedly attract visitors from the province this year — especially with incentives like the Ontario Staycation Tax Credit — Diodati says his team will soon reach out to Americans in traditional day markets like New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio, educating them about crossing the border and once again coming to the area.

Attractions have always been a draw, and few were bigger than death-defying tightrope walker Nik Wallenda. Ten years ago, the daredevil fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming the first person to cross Niagara Falls on a high wire, perilously spanning the 1,500 foot long gap over the unforgiving waters of Horseshoe Falls. When reaching the other side and asked by customs agents what the purpose is, Wallenda replied, “to inspire people around the world.”

Wallenda did more than inspire others: he shattered multiple records, with over a billion people tuning-in worldwide to witness the historic feat. This June 15 marks the 10-year anniversary of Wallenda’s landmark achievement. Over 100,000 people showed up to watch the crossing live. In touch with Wallenda and other partners, including the mayor of Niagara Falls, New York, Diodati is looking at a fitting event to make the anniversary date in Niagara Falls. “We see this as one city divided by a border, and we know what’s good for one side is good for the other,” he says, “so we are looking at a partnership to co-promote the 10-year anniversary, and that will be one of many things we are promoting.”

Whether it’s making family memories, a romantic couple’s getaway, or friends getting together for a good time, many are looking for an excuse to return to Niagara Falls. Many of us take it for granted, not realizing the importance of the Falls economically, culturally, and even emotionally. “Globally, it’s a much bigger brand than Toronto. It’s the biggest brand in Canada, and it’s not even close,” remarks Diodati. “I like to say we’re the Coca-Cola of municipalities.”

Having traveled the world, at times with Ontario Premiers, Mayor Diodati has heard firsthand just how remarkable Niagara Falls is from people in other nations. Marketing the brand, he says, is vital. “It’s like McDonald’s, they always lead with the Big Mac, and Canada needs to lead with Niagara Falls. There are a lot of great things to see and do in Canada, but you lead with the one that’s going to get the door pried open, and then you sell the rest. We are making sure we are marketing, letting people know we are open for business, enticing our American friends to return, and all the attractions are up and running. We’re operating on all cylinders.”

South Niagara Hospital development

A visionary with his eye on the future, Diodati realizes the coming years will see Niagara Falls as a tourist destination and a great deal more. Fed up with living in crowded centres, many are moving to the area for its outstanding quality of life and amenities ranging from affordability to scenery, leisure activities, restaurants and attractions, and more.

Realizing Niagara is fast becoming a popular place to live, significant investments are being made, such as the new South Niagara Hospital. Destined to become a center of excellence, the $1.2 billion facility will be built in South Niagara Falls, where growth is taking place. With 468 beds including critical care, complex care and medical surgery, the hospital will become the first in Canada to receive WELL® Certification, which takes a holistic approach for everything from design to operations. Once completed, the facility will serve 231,663 residents with many of the population coming from Fort Erie, Welland, Pelham, Port Colborne, and other areas. Both Infrastructure Ontario and Niagara Health have issued a request for proposals to design, build, finance, and maintain the new South Niagara hospital.

In fact, there are many reasons to move to Niagara Falls. It is close to the American border, making it easy to fly out of Buffalo. Sports fans can attend NFL games in the U.S. or CFL in Canada. With a pleasant microclimate, Niagara is also home to 130 wineries, 35 golf courses, shopping, attractions, fishing in the Great Lakes, and hiking on countless trails. “The nice thing is the dichotomy of a smaller community where everybody knows each other and helps each other shovel their driveways,” says Diodati. “We get 14 million visitors a year, and have the amenities of a much bigger city, so you get great offerings, great restaurants, and great attractions.”

And to make getting around easier, the GO train is being relaunched with 11 trains per day, breaking all Metrolinx projections — and it is right in Niagara’s downtown. Rezoning is incentivizing major development in some areas that have lagged. The $140 million entertainment centre, completed at the beginning of COVID and right across from Fallsview Casino, is set to open. “We’ve got the studies that show that will bring us a minimum of an extra million people per year here,” comments Diodati, adding that they are also in the midst of a global expression of interest for an operator of the airport, which will see it taken to the next level.

“We’ll be able to get international travellers landing right here in Niagara, which is a 15 minute drive to the Falls. We are doing all of these things concurrently.” This includes a massive initiative: bringing an international university to downtown. “We expect all of these things to happen, so it’s not going to be just a game changer; it’s going to change everything. There’s a lot going on, we’re really excited about it, and it’s definitely going to change the channel on Niagara Falls,” says Diodati.

“Tourism is very, very important, but we are expanding many other [sectors] to give us a more balanced approach to our economy and prepare for all the people moving here… You can see the community is changing, becoming more multicultural, and people from different areas are moving to the Falls now.”

Future goals

Maintaining a positive attitude throughout his personal challenges and the pandemic, Mayor Diodati is a fighter, and plans to run for a fourth term in the October 22 election. There is much to be done, and he admits to feeling shortchanged in his third term, dealing with cancer and the delays caused by COVID. “I want to put it back in high gear, ride around the track, get these things done, and then pass the torch to someone else,” he states. “I’d like to be around for another term if the people would have me, finish projects off and see them become successful.”

Cancer-free for three years, Diodati is grateful for his family, friends, and team at City Hall. “I’m surrounded by an amazing team — a lot of people that have many more talents than I do — and I always say, ‘surround yourself with people smarter and better than you, and you’ll be successful.’ I always joke that it’s not too hard for me to do, I can always find people who are smarter and better. And I don’t see it as a threat; I see it as a blessing that these people are going to help me, and together we are going to row the boat.”

When asked about his legacy, Diodati immediately says: “There are three kinds of people: the ones who watch things happen, the ones who make things happen, and the ones who ask ‘what happened?’ and I like to be one of the guys making things happen, empowering people, catching them doing things right, and encouraging them to make things happen and dream big.”

Over a decade ago, some naysayers said Nik Wallenda inching his way on a two-inch wide tightrope across the raging Falls would never happen. Diodati and his team pulled it off. It is a lesson he teaches his three children: don’t fear failure, but embrace it and see it as a teacher. “Whoever fails the most will learn the most, and whoever learns the most will succeed the most. And failure is not the opposite of success; it’s an important part of success, so I tell my kids all the time: do not fear failure, but embrace it as a teacher. Even my cancer – I don’t see it as a curse; I see it as a blessing. Instead of me complaining that the kids ate all the food in the fridge and there is nothing left, now I’m grateful my kids are healthy enough to eat all the food in the fridge. So you take a different perspective on things and learn to be grateful. I’ve always been grateful and been an optimist, but this helped me move the needle further, to be much more of these things.”

The post Coming Back Stronger than Ever<p class="company">City of Niagara Falls, ON</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

The expansion was driven by its desire to better serve its big clients, many of which have adopted a decentralized business model that spans the country.

“You might have an interior design firm in Toronto and a project management firm in Calgary working on a project in Vancouver,” notes COI Chief Sales Officer Geoff Lambert.

The company is now positioned to “support project management, commercial real estate, and interior design teams across the country,” he continues.

Incorporated in 1968, the firm now has operations in Calgary—where the head office is located—Toronto, Winnipeg, Mississauga, Edmonton, and Vancouver. While it does not have branches in Quebec or Atlantic Canada, it has partnered with dealerships to carry out projects in these regions. The company has done projects as far afield as the Northwest Territories, shipping furniture to the Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife over ice roads.

Contract furniture refers to non-residential furniture. It is the difference between a comfy couch in a family room that is ideal for loafing and a more officious-looking bench in a corporate lobby. Contract furniture is typically reliable, durable, and designed for people in skirts, suits, and other office attire, says Lambert.

The main product categories the company carries are seats, desks and workspaces, tables, storage, accessories, walls, space dividers, and commercial flooring. Furnishings are intended to support office staff in different spaces, from meeting rooms to video conferencing areas, welcome lounges, and private workstations.

He compares the firm with the automotive industry’s distribution model. “We’re the distributor, the servicer. We do the workplace planning and strategy, and we have agreements with the manufacturers to distribute their products,” he explains.

While COI works with over two hundred vendors, it has an exclusive supply partnership with venerable furniture manufacturer Herman Miller. Herman Miller just made a corporate acquisition of its own, in the form of furniture firm Knoll. A new entity called MillerKnoll, was formed from this purchase last year. COI also has an exclusive arrangement with the Maars Living Walls firm and carries brands such as Geiger, Nemschoff, and HAY.

The company mainly serves the office, healthcare, education, hospitality, and home office sectors. Of these, office furnishings are the biggest revenue generator. ‘Office’ in this context, is somewhat of an all-encompassing term that can include post-secondary institutions and healthcare.

The company complements its comprehensive product line-up with excellent customer service. “There are no other contract furniture dealerships that have the scope that we do in Canada. That’s what we believe is our unique differentiator and offering—our ability to support clients across Canada,” says Lambert.

Services include space planning and design, project management, relocation and change management, installation, delivery, and asset, and inventory management. Once the furniture has been delivered and set up, a COI employee can visit the customer to provide training and ergonomic assessments.

The company operates showrooms that display various wares, but due to COVID restrictions, moved to virtual tours and web-based presentations. The company can create 3D videos that offer a detailed, panoramic view of proposed office interiors for clients.

The “visualization component,” as Lambert calls it is an important service that allows customers to envision “the function and flow of a space,” before any furniture is installed.

“We’re able to provide the ability to walk through the built space before it’s built. What that gives you is a sense of how much space you have. What it’s like to sit at my new desk. How far the desk is from the coffee machine, proximity to different amenities in the office, et cetera,” he explains. “Everybody likes to see what they’re going to get before they make a major financial investment.”

Contemporary Office Interiors is a strong supporter of the ‘Living Office’ concept, a design approach espoused by office furnishings company Herman Miller. “The office in the past was a static thing. In the past, you had your eight-foot-by-eight-foot cubicle that had your printer, landline, computer monitor, and everything that you needed,” states Lambert. “You didn’t have to leave for the rest of the day.” By contrast, the Living Office idea recognizes that work patterns have changed, with employees toiling in a more interdependent fashion and moving about the office. The Living Office model also rejects a one-size-fits-all design approach. A law firm, for example, might require private spaces to ensure confidentiality, while other companies might prefer a more open, communal work environment.

“Living Office is really founded around the idea that the office is a changing and dynamic place. We want to set up the office to be able to flex. The office breathes like a living organism; it can get bigger or smaller. It can change in its capacity. We may want to adapt [the office] as our organizational needs and goals change,” he continues.

In a traditional office interior, creating new spaces might entail knocking down drywall and removing insulation in a disruptive process that generates significant waste. By contrast, the company’s demountable wall systems—pre-fabricated portable partitions—can quickly transform rooms with minimal fuss or environmental impact. COI is looking to develop its demountable wall business.

In the same spirit, it sources products that are manufactured “in a very sustainable way. I look at a sustainable product not as how recyclable is it at the end of its life, but does it have a long life? It might be one hundred percent recyclable, but if it only lasts five years, it’s not really a sustainable product,” says Lambert.

COI prefers manufacturers that operate net-zero facilities. This eco-friendly ethos extends to shipping and packaging, a major source of excess cardboard and Styrofoam. “We want to make sure things are shipped and packaged in a sustainable way,” he notes. “It’s a value of COI to minimize our environmental footprint as much as possible.”

Clearly, clients like this approach because COI has worked on several high-profile projects. For example, it has supplied furnishings for the head office of a rapidly growing tech firm, Absorb Software and growing hospitality companies like The OEB Breakfast Co. “We outfit all their locations across Canada. We’ve got a long partnership with them,” he states.

The company counts the University of Alberta as “a great partner,” according to Lambert. “We’ve done everything from their student residences to classroom spaces and causal and community spaces.”

Another assignment saw COI working on the interior of the Teck Acute Care Centre at BC Children’s Hospital. This project emphasized colour, natural light, and playful imagery in patient rooms, kid’s spaces, and areas for families to stay.

COVID has presented major challenges for all companies in North America, COI included. Lambert proudly notes that it “did not execute any layoffs at any of our locations, related to the pandemic.”

COVID accelerated a trend for remote work, with employees instructed to stay away from the office. The trend allowed the company to leverage its expertise in home office décor. Lambert ticks off a list of important design elements for a productive, comfortable home office, starting with a good chair.

“I spend more time in my office chair than on my mattress. It’s where I spend most of my waking life,” he points out.

He recommends suspension chairs made from materials that keep your body cool while dissipating heat. Good lighting is vital because “long-term eyestrain in a poorly lit space can lead to gradual damage to our vision.”

Having a monitor arm to raise your laptop to eye level, meanwhile, means you do not have to look down all day, straining upper back and neck muscles, he continues. And a height-adjustable desk allows remote workers to sit or stand, active movement being good for health and circulation.

COVID aside, Lambert says “finding great talent” is the biggest challenge at the moment. “We have a new young leadership group that is the next generation of COI. Our highest priority is finding the best available people that suit our culture. [People who] are responsive and personable to our clients. We’re in the business of making great places to work for everybody else, but we want to have a great workplace of our own.”

As for the future, the company is excited about enhancing its status as a national contract furniture provider. “Our goals are really to expand our service offering to cater to organizations that we support nationwide. [Offering] things like a single point of contact for all your locations across the country, an inventory management system, and really bringing [together] what is typically a localized offering,” he says.

The post Big Expansion Means Enhanced Client Service<p class="company">Contemporary Office Interiors (COI)</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

The company opened its first clinic in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, in July 2008, and in August 2014, the founder sold Massage Addict to Fraser Clarke, an experienced leader with a history of growing membership-based health and wellness companies. At the time of sale, Massage Addict had 28 locations open with massage being the only therapeutic treatment service offered — at a discounted price — but with Clarke came a new management team and a path and vision for substantial growth.

After significant market research and numerous client, therapist and franchise partner surveys and in-person focus groups, the new management team launched a three-pronged growth strategy that included national expansion — opening clinics in key strategic markets from coast to coast; a premier provider model — migrating from a discounted pricing model while still providing an extremely attractive value proposition to members and new clients; and an approach focused on holistic wellness.

“This meant authentically evolving from a single service to offering multiple therapeutic services and related products to help Canadians resolve their symptoms and conditions, namely pain management, stress, anxiety and injury recovery,” explains President Caroline Kolompar.

That strategy proved an impressive success. Today, Massage Addict boasts more than 100 clinics located across the country, and is proud to offer four therapeutic services for clients to choose from: massage therapy, reflexology (added in 2018), acupuncture (added in 2019), and chiropractic care (added in 2020). In addition to those therapeutic services, Massage Addict also now fits custom orthotics (as of 2021) and offers topical pain management products.

“Our complement of services was carefully selected to support the needs of the Massage Addict client,” says Kolompar. “Unlike a spa, Massage Addict clients visit primarily for pain management, stress, anxiety and injury recovery.”

The company’s vision statement — to be the premier provider of therapeutic treatments in Canada and beyond — continues to guide its growth, a goal that’s unquestionably being realized as Massage Addict continues to expand its therapeutic wellness services: its 100th clinic opened in 2020, and there are more upcoming in 2022.

That milestone 100th clinic — which opened its doors in October 2020 — is fittingly located in St. John’s, Newfoundland, birthplace and home location of the company’s current Chief Executive Officer and Owner, Fraser Clarke.

“Our expansion plans include opening more clinics in order to help more Canadians,” adds Kolompar. “We will have 123 by the end of 2022, with further growth in 2023 and beyond until the company covers all viable markets in Canada — approximately 200 clinics.”

Therapists practicing at Massage Addict currently help 75,000 Canadians per month. As the company continues to grow, and the therapeutic services offered continue to increase as a preferred choice amongst Canadians for their health and wellness routine, Massage Addict expects to see more than 150,000 clients per month.

“As our clinic count grows, we will continue to focus on our four therapeutic services: massage, acupuncture, reflexology and chiropractic care,” says Kolompar. “With that said, we continue to study the market and survey clients, therapists and franchise partners to identify additional therapeutic services that all stakeholders would like to be available at Massage Addict.”

As the company also considers new potential treatment options, it will remain committed to ensuring all products or services are within the scope of helping Canadians with pain management, stress, anxiety or injury recovery.

As massage migrates from its previous misperception of simple relaxation practice to one with proven and worthy health benefits, it’s worth noting how that change ties in with the notion of self-care in general: looking after your overall well-being, both mental and physical, is essential, and massage plays an important role.

“I think the biggest change over the years with regards to self-care is that what was previously known as ‘complementary therapies’ are now fundamental to Canadians’ preventative and acute care,” says Kolompar of services such as massage, acupuncture and chiropractic care. She adds there are many reasons for how and why the notion of self-care has changed over the years.

“Over time Canadians have developed a greater awareness and understanding of the long-term health and wellness benefits of paramedical services versus just thinking about them as a special occasion ‘pampering’ experience,” she says.

That awareness and understanding is coupled with increased access to high-quality, convenient and appropriately priced paramedical services — Massage Addict alone treats 75,000 Canadians per month, a triumphant display of access that was significantly more difficult and inconsistent just 10 years ago.

“There’s a sweeping change in the attitude toward actively managing your mental and physical wellness — something that was discussed continuously through the pandemic,” Kolompar says. “As Canadians, we’re lucky to have paramedical services funded by employment benefits.”

That fundamental shift in thinking is seen every day in Massage Addict clinics across the country, she adds.

“According to our internal surveys, 83 percent of Massage Addict clients visit for pain management or relief from stress or anxiety or injury recovery, and more than 80 percent of our client base is repeat clients.” Pretty impressive stats, and ones that speak to not only the popularity of massage, but its actual need as treatment for a variety of both physical and mental issues.

But along with the successes have come the challenges, and the ongoing pandemic plays a significant role.

“COVID and all subsequent variants has been a challenge for us, as it has for almost every business,” Kolompar says. “With that said, being part of the regulated healthcare industry ensured that we were allowed to stay open, other than a three-month period starting in March 2020.”

When COVID first hit in early 2020, the Massage Addict team immediately took a step back and asked themselves a very simple question: How do we help all our stakeholders through this pandemic? This included clients, franchise partners, therapists and, of course, the head office team, says Kolompar.

“For each of these stakeholders we developed communication plans that included weekly updates and programs specific to their concerns or programs that could help during lock-down,” she shares.

As an example, clients were sent guides on stretching, how to stay pain-free while working in the kitchen — not always an ergonomically friendly space — and how to lower stress levels. For therapists who consistently communicate how important continuing education is, Massage Addict partnered with the Dexterity Online Learning program to provide free online continuing education courses for a variety of different treatment techniques. The company also provided step-by-step how-to guides and links to all the government programs available for contract workers.

“Most importantly, once reopened, we ensured that all stakeholders knew and understood that safety and sanitation was the primary concern,” says Kolompar. “Our development of sanitation and social distancing protocols, the contracting of a third party ‘deep clean’ of all clinics, and the use of PPE for clients and therapists ensured that clients knew we were a safe place to receive much needed treatments, and therapists knew they were in a safe place to treat.”

Massage Addict’s commitment to sanitation and safety was uncompromising, she adds, and since reopening the company has seen a “flight to quality” by both clients and practitioners.

But those aren’t the company’s only impressive accomplishments: Massage Addict has achieved numerous major milestones in the last five years.

“I think the most important is that as a company we provided support and guidance to all our stakeholders during the last two years, which have been difficult for everyone,” Kolompar says. “The result is that we emerged an even stronger brand with a stronger sense of community.”

That stronger brand will lead directly to approximately 200 clinics nestled in communities throughout Canada, all with the same consistent, quality client experience, one of the many attributes that continues to place Massage Addict ahead of the competition.

“There’s a lot that sets us apart from similar companies, but fundamentally one of our core differences is that we listen to all stakeholders when developing new initiatives for the brand,” says Kolompar.

New developments begin with a full spectrum of research for market, client, therapist and franchise partners that helps define how the initiative either offers more choice to existing clients and/or will help more Canadians through authentic business model evolution, such as when the company added additional therapeutic services beyond just massage. In fact, Kolompar believes the company can only be successful long-term when all stakeholder needs are understood and respected through each and every step of evolution, and to date, this philosophy has been the cornerstone of the success of the Massage Addict brand.

“Massage Addict is a professional and safe clinic for several disciplines of practitioners to practice and opportunities for franchise partners to have successful, long-term, locally owned small business, which are the heartbeat of communities across Canada,” she says.

In the coming years, Massage Addict looks to continue its growth and success, while helping clients achieve their desired goals.

“It’s extremely important for us to stay true to our strategic vision and follow that specific path to continued growth,” Kolompar says. “If I had a looking glass into the future I would say that Massage Addict will continue to be Canadian’s largest provider of multiple therapeutic services and related products, all through one membership and thereby offering choice, quality and convenience to help Canadians manage their pain, stress, anxiety and more.”

The post Kneadful Things: Putting the Rest in Stressed<p class="company">Massage Addict Inc.</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems (Kongsberg PCS) acquired MultiCam in August 2021. The acquisition came shortly after Kongsberg PCS became a standalone business, bought by private equity company OpenGate Capital on April 1, 2021. “We really wanted to quickly expand the Kongsberg PCS business and the significant adjacent markets where Kongsberg doesn’t operate—where MultiCam does operate,” says Kongsberg PCS CEO Stuart Fox.

MultiCam specializes in industrial cutting solutions including Computer Numerical Control (CNC) router, laser, plasma, waterjet, and knife cutting machines, “whereas Kongsberg PCS has really been focused in the graphic arts, sign display, printed media, commercial print,” Fox explains. “So the attractiveness of MultiCam was its complementary nature of the business they are in.” In addition, MultiCam operates a manufacturing facility in Dallas, Texas that will benefit Kongsberg PCS. “Really there are some great opportunities and synergies,” Fox says.

By combining both companies’ strengths, the team will “develop a product roadmap that is absolutely second to none in the industry today,” says MultiCam Digital Finishing Product Manager, Mark Packman. “Kongsberg was actually the leader in the packaging industry and MultiCam was one of the leaders in the print service provider market space. Now we can merge not only the technologies into each of our systems, but now take on a much broader scope of the marketplace.”

The team has taken the time to ensure a smooth transition for all parties, carefully managing “how we will take two companies’ technologies, knowledge, skills, and manufacturing base and really leverage our journey going forward,” Fox explains. Merging talent and technology is not simple or straightforward, but the payoff will be well worth the effort. “Really, that’s what the customer is going to benefit from, [the] combination of two technologies from two companies with many, many years in business and knowledge within the teams,” Fox says. “It’s a bag of opportunities.”

“One of the great things about coming together as one company is we have a vast level of expertise in all sides of our digital finishing, our routing, as well as our fabrication,” Packman adds.

Router Product Manager, Russell Boudria, says that the last year “has been a whirlwind, a very exciting time for MultiCam to join strengths with Kongsberg, [which] is a world-class manufacturer with strength in the European market. Combining our strengths in the Americas is an excellent tag team. It was very interesting during our collaborations; there was very little product overlap at all.”

The Celero 4 Series Flatbed Cutter and Router is an excellent example of how Kongsberg PCS and MultiCam have come together to produce a product that draws from the best of both companies. “That’s our latest innovation,” Packman says. Manufactured in MultiCam’s Dallas facility and specially engineered for today’s fast-paced printing industry, the Celero Series is composed of advanced flatbed cutting systems with cutting capabilities for both rigid and flexible substrates, as well as roll media. This series is known for its accurate, smooth motion and ease of use, making it ideal for both large and small businesses, and is customizable to fit specific needs.

Released in 2021, Celero 4—the latest in the series—boasts the capabilities of previous Celero models while adding additional advantages to meet customers’ latest needs. The Celero 4 “maintains our auto knife changing capabilities which nobody else in the marketplace has,” Packman says, while simultaneously reducing labor cost and waste. The new model is specially designed to accommodate wider materials to meet the demands of the market, particularly in Europe. And, the Celero 4 “fits a price for performance that allows it to compete against lower priced units that are much less productive [as well as] much higher priced units, which are at the same performance level,” Packman says.

“It really is a collection of some of the great technologies that MultiCam has been developing over the previous years,” Fox adds. “We have a very sharply focused product for the customers and that’s something that I think also echoes the two businesses—the MultiCam and the Kongsberg businesses—coming together, that we really are customer-focused. We want to bring solutions that answer customer needs or problems and not just technology solutions… They really have to answer a customer need.”

The Apex5R is another innovative, newly available product. “That’s the next step forward in the Apex family of routers,” Fox says. “[It’s] really exciting if you look at the very broad portfolio that MultiCam has in routers, from entry-level, classic machines through to the latest and greatest in the 5R.” Introduced in 2021, the 5R is “going to be shipping its first units this year and so we are really excited about some of its capabilities,” Boudria adds.

The Apex5R builds on MultiCam’s popular APEX router product line. Designed with the production environment in mind, the latest model delivers remarkable speed, market-leading precision, powerful spindle options, and reliability. The most advanced router the team has built so far, it is able to significantly raise productivity for increased efficiency and higher profits, Boudria explains. Speeds exceed 4,500 inches per minute (IPM) with a 200 percent increase in acceleration over its predecessors. The Apex5R also boasts an ergonomic workstation paired with a generous 24” screen and comes fully integrated with productivity features, from surface probe and auto calibration sensor to motorized auto-height dust boot. The product can take on tough materials including thick aluminum plate and extrusion, industrial plastics, and even advanced materials such as fiberglass and carbon fiber—without lowering productivity or quality. “5R has the most expanded capabilities for multiple materials,” Boudria summarizes.

Company leadership is excited to continue to bring together the strengths of Kongsberg PCS and MultiCam to create the best possible products for the market. In fact, at the time of this interview, the R&D teams of both businesses were slated to get together the following week—one of many meetings where they will combine approximately 80 years of engineering experience. “MultiCam has great knowledge and great skills—how to manufacture components, steel assemblies, design them in-house,” Fox says. “Kongsberg has a different philosophy when it comes to tooling. They’re different designs, they look different. Bringing the teams together is really going to be an enjoyable but big task, to really then take the best technologies and make them address customer needs. So one of the big goals going forward is to really bring the two technologies together.”

The company’s focus will extend to customers in addition to product development. “As a team we want to really put the customer front and center and focus on improving service, extending the range of training that can be offered to customers, and [providing] training as well for the Kongsberg and MultiCam teams in both sales and IT,” Fox says. “We really want to grow the business and actually have a new culture for both businesses as they come together… It means we are going to have better products going forward, more innovation, newer technologies.”

The team has already started development on the next generation of products. “We have on both sides some really nice work going on today on some technologies that we’ll bring in the future,” Fox says. “So we’ve already started projects where we can drive businesses going forward with newer and more customer-focused machines for the future.”

The post Merging Talent and Technology<p class="company">MultiCam</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Unfortunately, opportunities in the forestry industry began to dry up and the brothers decided to move into fencing and security around 1999. After focusing on perimeter security solutions, the company grew to provide more advanced and complex solutions as well as to become a general security integrator with projects all over the world.

Co-founder and Vice President of Business Development Collin Sloan credits his father with guiding the steps of the company. As a construction manager for a large engineering firm, Ed encouraged his sons to work in the construction market and to add security capability, project management, and construction management to the company’s considerable repertoire. SSG has been a family affair since the beginning, and this identity has driven its momentum ever forward.

SSG’s team sports wide-ranging capabilities including in-house design and construction management. The company’s solutions range from cameras, barrier controls, and crash- rated protection to various automated gate systems with access control. Its controlled systems managing team can design and deliver customized solutions to match any client site requirements while drawing on varied experiences to serve multiple industries.

The company’s clients are in fields from U.S. embassies to military projects, Fortune 500 clients, professional sports arenas, hospitals, and more. Its unique specialty comes in its work with crash-rated barrier systems, with its solutions requested by clients like oil and gas refineries, the Department of State, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

To complement its customized solutions, the SSG offers client training that exceeds any other in the industry. Training is coupled with a robust support process after the client takes over. Whether they require equipment refurbishment, replacement, or repair, clients can be assisted with all phases of security.

SSG finds itself in the “anti-terrorism quadrant of the security industry,” as Sloan describes it, a market constantly in need of stopping power and secured locations. This piece of the market came to prominence in the 1980s for overseas military deployments; however, in the wake of 9/11, these solutions needed to be implemented domestically. Sloan notes that the company has run into a lot of equipment that was installed directly following 9/11 and is now over twenty years old and will continue to require service.

SSG has played a role in delivering these projects and designing the systems that came from the military and embassy sectors and moved into the critical infrastructure, large venues, and oil and gas installations, and arenas.

SSG continues to move toward becoming a full-service provider in its field. Previously, the company would jump from million-dollar-plus project to million-dollar-plus project but, when issues arose after project completion, there was no service group to take care of the clients. A service component was recently introduced to serve clients after these projects and deal with additional small-to-medium-sized tasks that clients need to have taken care of, particularly clients in technology fields. This forward-facing customer service was in the works for the last few years but, unfortunately, was somewhat delayed by the events of 2020.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has made travel difficult to the dozens of American states covered by the company, it has allowed it to work with clients on a broader, regional basis. Thanks to its track record in large project service and maintenance, SSG has experienced real success as a security solutions provider, deepening relationships along the way through concentrating its work closer to home.

Strengthening relationships applies to both its customers and its staff. Sloan describes the company as a shallow organization in that there are no levels of bureaucracy in its structure so employees of any level can speak to upper management at any time. He enjoys speaking with technicians, fabricators, and especially new employees to get feedback from them on projects and company offerings. “People have a good sense that they can make a difference inside of the group.”

As a contractor dealing in construction-based solutions, SSG always concerns itself with safety, especially when it comes to installing its equipment. Sloan says that pedestrians are injured by security systems every year so there is a focus on making the systems as safe as possible for customers and workers alike while remaining effective in their ability to stop and secure.

Relationships with customers are key to understanding and fixing some of the company’s most pervasive challenges. Sloan mentions that some customers can be unfamiliar with the equipment that SSG installs and specializes in, which has led to a need for education so its projects can be designed, installed, and maintained correctly. “We don’t want to educate via bad experiences but through good understanding,” he emphasizes. The company trains and educates customers, engineers, architects, and contractors.

SSG has over one hundred employees with many projects in different regions, and the security industry requires hiring a lot of people for a particular project. To meet this, SSG has signed agreements with labor unions in some regions which have provided a more consistent source of labor over the past three to five years and given it the ability to train and use workers long-term, which is much preferable to temporary hires. Workers on long-term contracts are also easier to form lasting liaisons with, in turn leading to a greater quality of work over a longer period.

2021 was its largest year of business on record, with 2022 promising to be even bigger. The company expects to grow in sheer size, as well as in its projects and customer relationships. To coincide with its more regional effort, it will install local teams in several states to provide the full-service relationship for which it has become known.

Sloan says that the company is concentrating on areas across the western United States, especially in areas like Denver, Seattle, San Jose, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. These areas will see general expansion and inclusion of these development teams, with additional growth projected for the company’s base of Boise, noted by Sloan as one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. Just as its hometown grows, Sloan Security Group promises to continue its own growth to offer the best security solutions in the industry for clients that have come to expect the best from the family business.

The post A Family Business Taken to New Heights<p class="company">Sloan Security Group</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

When it comes to sales and marketing, larger budgets and experienced sales and marketing teams don’t always equate to better outcomes. Even some of the largest companies aren’t effectively converting dollars spent on marketing into sales.

Sure, you need to spend money to make money, but it is important to do so wisely by targeting the right audience, in the right place, at the right time. It is imperative to calibrate your budget and determine how best to get your products, services and your specialized value proposition in front of prospective and existing customers in a way that makes sense for your company and your brand, and there are many ways to make the most of your marketing spend.

Where to start

An effective marketing strategy is one that is relatable and takes into consideration who the customer is, where they are and how they use your products or services. It could be as simple as spending more during seasonal peaks by running seasonable promotions and if time is of the essence, or it could be a good time to outsource to consultants or freelance specialists to help you meet your short term goals and double down on what works. But first, it’s important to determine what works.

From the outset, companies must determine a clear brand identity to communicate to customers. This is a simple first step that will have set the tone for your first impression and the future of your customer relationship.

Further, the best marketing campaigns strike a balance between sales and marketing, as well as customer experience. According to Salesforce, 80 percent of customers surveyed said that their experience with the company or the brand was just as important as the products and services offered.

Digiday found that 65 percent of customers have cut ties with a brand over a single poor customer service experience, so optimizing the customer experience must remain a priority. This begins online.

Optimizing your online presence

One of the best pieces of advice for small- and medium-sized businesses is to reach customers where they are, and in the digital era, they are online. A survey conducted by GE Capital Retail Bank found that 81 percent of retail shoppers conduct online research before buying, while Salsify identified that 77 percent of shoppers used their mobile device to search for products.

HRC Retail Advisory noted that 59 percent of shoppers used mobile devices in store to compare costs, deals and coupons, so the ability to shop in store is still important, but there is a direct correlation between in-store and online presence.

The internet is accessible and affordable for small- to medium-sized businesses with limited time and budgets. A good online marketing strategy could begin with something as simple as developing a business page on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Yelp, low-cost, high-reward platforms that reach customers where they are.

But remember, if you do choose to have a social media presence, be sure to monitor posts, stay active and remain engaged and responsive. You may even hire a dedicated staff member to do so.

Another invaluable resource that can add a lot of value for minimal costs is a user-friendly, mobile-enabled website that includes up-to-date information about your hours, location, contact information, offerings, and an online ordering platform, where possible.

Your website can include interesting landing pages and interactive and engaging content like blogs, educational content, training videos and shared content and should be optimized with keywords and backlinks to improve your Google ranking.

To stay ahead of the competition, small- and medium-sized business owners should be encouraged to conduct a content audit which includes an overhaul of their website content and marketing strategies to ensure their content is up to date and accurately communicates the unique selling proposition (USP) of their products or services offered.

Taking these steps can demonstrate that you are the authority or expert in your field and that you have adapted with the times. An out-dated webpage is sure to be a point of frustration for many customers who rely on your website as a first impression and could be the difference between a lead and sales.

Beyond the webpage and social media, which are simple starting points, effective email marketing strategies are also a sure-fire way to maintain and strengthen relationships with existing and prospective customers.

It is imperative to create numerous channels through which you can encourage customer engagement and feedback. Positive customer feedback can be highlighted for others and negative feedback can identify gaps in service that need to be addressed.

Traditional marketing is not dead

Online marketing alone, however, will not suffice when it comes to making the most of your marketing spend. Most effective marketing strategies are omni-channel in nature, which means taking advantage of traditional marketing channels in addition to online platforms. According to VendHQ, the cost of not being omni-channel has been found to be 10 percent in lost revenue.

Print advertising, broadcast advertising, billboards, transit ads and digital signage are still viable ways to reach consumers in the market, as are direct mail campaigns. And never underestimate the power of the telephone. Phone campaigns have higher conversion rates versus other forms of engagement, as does word of mouth advertising.

Further to integrating online and traditional marketing approaches, small- and medium-sized businesses should never overlook the value of data. It’s not just about collecting data using both online and omni-channel platforms, but utilizing it to know your audience demographics and needs and how their behaviours impact your sales. Analytics tools are plentiful and are truly invaluable as they help to inform your strategy.

Collectively, these tactics can be just as effective for small- and medium-sized businesses with smaller budgets to optimize their marketing spend and increase visibility to both prospective and existing customers enabling them to compete with even the largest competitors.

Whether your customer base is local, national or international, it’s not just about how you sell your service, but also how you present the value proposition you offer and in the digital era, there are many ways to do so.

The future is bright

Despite the challenges posed by COVID, many businesses have found a way to survive and thrive during the pandemic by adapting and innovating their marketing approach. This includes transitioning to online ordering and alternative pick-up and delivery arrangements such as curb-side delivery. This transition would not have been possible without a strong technological foundation.

According to a survey conducted by Capital One Business between November and December 2020, 53 percent of small business owners reported that financial growth of their business was stable or better than pre-COVID and 67 percent of respondents were confident that their business would return to pre-pandemic levels in terms of ROI in 2022, which demonstrates that many small business owners were embracing their new realities and remaining agile in the face of adversity.

It is a great time to streamline and automate processes where it makes sense to do so, utilizing new data capabilities, such as new customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and increase the focus on the direct value services and products offer to customers in terms of solutions. This will equate to a winning marketing strategy that will increase your ROI and convert leads into sales, regardless of the size of your operation and your budgeted marketing spend.

The post Small Budget, Big Results<p class="company">Making The Most Of Your Marketing Dollar</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

The company’s two divisions make a logistics powerhouse that consists of warehouse operations via Hanover Terminal Inc. and trucking solutions via RH Crawford Inc. Combined, both organizations provide over 150 years of industry experience and expertise.

Hanover Logistics’ founding President Kurt Dietrich began his early career in the banking industry and developed a working relationship with the original owners of Hanover Terminal Inc. Dietrich seized the opportunity to buy the company as the original owners were approaching retirement. Hanover Terminal, Inc. was acquired by Dietrich as a 140,000-square-foot building in Hanover, Pennsylvania. Four expansions and forty plus years later, the company now owns over 1.2 million square feet of prime third-party logistics space conveniently located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

As a family-owned business, Hanover Logistics focuses on remaining service-oriented and balanced in its growth. “When we commit to our customers, we commit all the way,” Dietrich says, a philosophy entrenched in the history of the business.

The transportation division of Hanover Logistics, RH Crawford Trucking was founded in 1932. Dietrich purchased RH Crawford Inc. in 2006 from long-time business partner, mentor and friend, Bob Crawford and the Crawford family. It became the in-house trucking carrier for Hanover Terminal and would eventually become half of the Hanover Logistics business model and brand.

The future success of RH Crawford was made possible by hiring key individuals like Wayne Rice, Vice President of Operations, to grow it and form a merger that would benefit both sides of the business. Now, with nearly 100 owned trucks in its fleet and a quarter more owner operators, the complementary sides of the company tie together to make Hanover Logistics the exceptional full-service provider it is today.

The company’s drivers are frequent recipients of Safe Driving Awards, including commendations from the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association for numerous years of safe driving. Hanover Logistics’ leadership team share sentiments of pride while seeing the company’s drivers compete and net industry awards. Rice says, “Skilled and reliable drivers are the lifeblood of the logistics industry. What separates us is our employees. There is not one person in our organization that is more important than the other. It takes each of us working together to be successful.” Hanover Logistics’ trucking division RH Crawford is celebrating its 90^th year in business in 2022.

Pride in its people

Hanover Logistics employees are strongly dedicated to both the logistics industry and the company itself. The company attributes its success to tenured team members who have retired after 40-plus years of service in addition to new employees offering valuable insight and perspectives. Warehouse Manager Patty Smith adds, “The leadership of the company often recognizes that the key to success is our team members. They know that without the solid foundation of the hard-working staff, we could not deliver the quality service levels that we do to our customers. This is often a key selling point when speaking with prospective clients.”

Likewise, Hanover Logistics continues to work to make its employees feel heard and valued. When commenting on what makes working for Hanover Logistics unique, many employees state the importance placed on feeling and being treated like family in the atmosphere of a family-owned business. Shelly Mentzer, Accounting Manager, comments that, “Every employee here is a ‘Contributor’ regardless of their position. Our approach is to treat people the way [we] want to be treated.”

Included in that family atmosphere are special opportunities such as being part of Make A Wish Foundation team fundraising events, driving competitions, company picnics, and the infamous Hanover Christmas Party. To meet the needs of its valuable employees, the company also increased available work hours by implementing a third daily shift, an addition that helped employees in need of flexible hours. “The difference is you are not just a number here. Each and every one of us matter,” says Mentzer.

Since its previous feature in Business in Focus in early 2020, the company has enjoyed its share of well-earned recognition within the logistics industry. Since 2008, Hanover Logistics has been designated as a top 3PL (Third Party Logistics) cold storage provider by Food Logistics Magazine.

Beyond the awards and recognition, the company’s charitable efforts are of great importance to the organization. Ongoing commitments to non-profits such as the above mentioned Make-A-Wish Foundation bring the Hanover Logistics team together to serve those in need within the local Hanover and logistics industry communities.

Supply chain woes

Post-pandemic supply chain issues are currently more challenging as companies are struggling to ship from overseas, causing raw material shortages. This has made manufacturing difficult, which contributes to further challenges and delays in production. However, the logistics industry is still seen as very strong amid the ongoing supply chain issues.

The expansion of production lines worldwide, paired with the need to place inventories close to plants and customers, has benefited the warehousing industry. Challenges also exist for the trucking portion of operations as a shortage of experienced drivers and increasing fuel costs persists. It seems that this challenge may be with the industry for a while if wages and employment packages remain as competitive as they are at present. As a small business, Hanover Logistics prides itself on offering attractive benefits like health packages and schedule flexibility, along with the warmth and personal touch that only a family-run business can offer.

In addition to a strong workforce, shifts and upgrades in technology are driving both the warehousing and trucking industries forward. As Hanover Logistics looks to its future, it is investing in improved technology in warehousing and trucking management, especially with new warehouse management systems (WMS). The changes are based on automation – although not limited to that – software-to-management workflows, and billing automation.

For the long haul

Hanover Logistics’ continued expansion is thoughtfully calculated.

The company plans to expand and build on its service shops, enabling it to increase service to truckers who need help and to expand the trailer pool for parking purposes. The company is also reviewing plans to expand its warehousing footprint to help accommodate market demands and customers’ needs. The goal will always be to grow in a methodical manner, while providing the service its clients value and rely upon. Kevin Davis, Director of Operations, remembers owner Kurt Dietrich’s philosophy of keeping one’s debt low and continuing operations through difficult times. This philosophy has encouraged company leadership to focus on sustainability even in downtimes.

Dietrich and Davis agree this is how a business plans wisely, and why it is that Hanover Logistics is confident about the future of its operation. Businesses will always need a tested, reliable partner, and the team at Hanover Logistics is determined to offer its services for the next century and beyond.

The post Robust Logistics Solutions for the Long Haul<p class="company">Hanover Logistics</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

A one-stop shop, ABCO’s team works with customers at all stages, from initial system design to construction, automation, tear-down and decommissioning.

Active in many areas of warehouse automation including Garment on Hanger (GOH) systems, distribution-center design, conveyor-system maintenance, pallet racks, permit facilitation, and stockroom optimization, ABCO Systems has earned its reputation as a respected systems integrator for material-handling equipment across the United States.

With its hub in Belleville, New Jersey and a location in Ontario, California, ABCO recently opened its newest facility in Pennsylvania. A staff of 44 across all locations, plus subcontractors, brings decades of experience to handle the distribution center needs of all customers.

Ultimate solutions

“We design and build distribution centers based on specific needs and specific requirements of each individual customer,” says Chief Executive Officer and Principal Seth Weisberg. “We don’t manufacture anything, but we’re with dozens of manufacturers to ensure our end-users are getting exactly what they need.”

Much more than a provider of automation systems, ABCO creates storage solutions that increase client efficiencies, and are custom-tailored to meet their specific needs.

As the company says on its website, “Even if your business has a storage solution currently in place, it might not be as efficient as it could be. It doesn’t hurt to revisit your options and see where improvements can be made.”

From warehouse automation to pick modules, from ABCO’s GOH Systems to Storage Solutions, and from warehouse mezzanines to warehouse safety, ABCO is there to help. The company often becomes engaged when clients are looking for a new building, helping them find the structure that will suit their purposes. And when customers are staying put but realize that their facilities need optimizing, they so often also reach out to ABCO.

Experience and more experience

Before Seth Weisberg came on board in 2003, ABCO was in business for over 30 years under the hand of Seth’s father, Michael Weisberg.

Prior to 2003, Seth had been working in project management in the IT Department of PricewaterhouseCoopers for about six years. One day, receiving a call that his dad was ill and that the business needed help, Seth’s career path took a new direction, and he came into the family business.

“We decided to rebrand the business and open up our services to provide greater and more in-depth opportunities for customers,” says Seth of the company, then in Carlstadt, New Jersey, which was renamed ABCP Systems LLC.

He found that his years of experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers were a tremendous asset personally and professionally. “It helped me immensely,” he says, adding that his time with the multinational professional services firm gave him real-world experience and confidence.

Soon after he joined the company, ABCO began broadening its services into automation. Until that point, the business had focused mainly on Garment on Hanger, which was stationary, but now it began providing customers with full-service solutions. These encompassed design and engineering, including e-commerce, multi-level pick modules, and a varied array of automated solutions such as print and apply, inbound sortation, outbound sortation, and product movement throughout facilities.

Today, ABCO’s wide range of services includes distribution center safety, design, automation integration, conveyor system design, preventative maintenance programs and conveyor repair, and pallet rack removals and purchases.

Rise of e-commerce

To customers, ABCO Systems is more a partner than a business. Working hand-in-hand with clients big and small, ABCO’s commitment to finding the right customized solutions remains unsurpassed. By helping customers maximize storage solutions through professional, streamlined distribution center design, clients not only operate much more efficiently than before but are of course more profitable.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, many sectors of ABCO’s business were on the rise. With more people doing online ordering over the past two years, the growth in the sector has become significant. E-commerce has skyrocketed. Taking on projects ranging from $250,000 to $2 million, ABCO’s services and solutions see clients realize their vision from inception to completion.

By taking on smaller projects, end users can enjoy some of the benefits of automation without breaking the bank, allowing them to see the value and benefits of these systems. And, of course, if they choose to do so the systems can be made larger. “Most times when we are building, it’s with the thought that we will be expanding into it,” says Weinberg.

Even with the rise of e-commerce, ABCO maintains that its focus remains on automation, with storage being part of the equation. “The focus of this company is working with the data and helping companies understand the best methodology for distribution,” says Weinberg.

“Most companies are really, really good at what they do, but they don’t necessarily have the experience with distribution that we have. So if we can help them reduce their costs and create efficiency at the same time, it’s a huge win for them.”

True sustainability

Many companies talk about sustainability and recycling for the good of the planet, but ABCO has been putting this into practice for years. Just by implementing a metal recycling plan, ABCO has reduced the amount of energy it consumes by a dramatic 72 percent, compared to virgin ore mining.

In 2019, the company recycled over 2.3 million pounds of steel; the next year ABCO recycled another 1.5 million pounds.

“We recycle probably 10 tons of steel a month,” says Weinberg of the company, which re-purposes older systems and recycles components as part of its eco-friendly business model. “That’s always been a focus.”

Recognizing that warehouses and distribution centers can be dangerous places to work, ABCO Systems also dedicates an enormous amount of time and effort to safety and safety protocols. This includes everything from the company’s safety specialists conducting complimentary assessment calls with clients to discuss their warehouse set-up and concerns, from rack backs and safety netting to warehouse safety products such as bollards, guard rails, and column bars.

“We have an in-house safety officer, safety protocols, and we’ve got our safety manual,” says Weinberg. The company also hosts safety meetings every Monday.

Doing it right

With next year marking the 20^th anniversary of ABCO Systems, the company plans to acknowledge the milestone – and keep growing. Gaining most of its business through word-of-mouth referrals, ABCO recently hired a full-time marketing manager to promote its products and services.

Making the 2019 and 2020 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing businesses, the team at ABCO looks forward to the future and continuing to serve the warehousing, storage, and distribution-center automation needs of all its customers. In 2021, the company did $63 million in sales. By 2025, ABCO expects to achieve $100 million in sales.

“Our focus is on full-service, full-design systems for our customers,” says Weinberg. “We want to be the company people call when they realize they can do it better. We’re not just going to help them install steel; we’re going to help them install it the right way to move product in their facility.”

The post They’re Here for One Thing – to Get your Distribution Center Sorted<p class="company">ABCO Systems</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Valley Equipment Ltd. is Atlantic Canada’s #1 Truck & Trailer Team, headquartered in Hartland, NB with locations in Salisbury, Fredericton and St. Leonard, NB, and under the banner of North East Truck & Trailer in Truro and Dartmouth, NS, both part of the Cook Family Group of Companies.

Valley Equipment serves loyal, longstanding customers who appreciate the highest standards of service. Clients include transportation companies ranging from small to medium to the region’s largest national and international carriers; municipal fire departments; and in New Brunswick, the Department of Transportation, which purchases its various snow plow trucks.

In addition to superb service, the company provides its customers with their pick of leading brands of new and used trucks, trailers, chassis, tires, and parts. As an authorized dealer for new and used Freightliner and Western Star trucks, both leaders in the industry, Valley Equipment can provide a trailer suited to every job from such leading brands as MAC, Utility, BWS, Lode King, Trout River, and Stargate, along with Max Atlas Chassis, and has been an authorized dealer for Michelin Tires for over 50 years.

Clients have access to the largest parts inventory in Atlantic Canada and qualified technicians who are committed to excellence with Elite Support Certification, and who can service Class 6, 7, and 8 premium trucks.

The company’s dealerships and service locations are strategically located. The Hartland location is well positioned close to the Houlton, Maine-Woodstock, NB border crossing, with traffic entering New Brunswick and returning to Maine on Interstate 95. The Salisbury location is advantageous as it is located on Rte 2 of the TransCanada Highway, just 20 minutes from Moncton, the Hub of the Maritimes, as all traffic going to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland from the rest of Canada and New England has to pass by there. The Truro location is similarly well placed as Truro forms a hub for Nova Scotia, while the Dartmouth location is at the port which receives and delivers container shipments from across the Atlantic. (Note, Dartmouth is now officially integrated into the Halifax Regional Municipality or HRM).

Recently, Valley Equipment purchased JML Garage Ltd., a trailer and truck repair shop in St. Leonard, NB, another strategic location as it is in the centre of the northern NB logging business and catches traffic heading to and from Quebec and Fort Kent, Maine. In the spring, there are plans to break ground in St. Leonard to build another Valley Equipment location housing another Western Star/Freightliner dealership.

Meanwhile, VEL Nationalease, a division of Valley Equipment, offers short- and long-term trailer rentals including dry van and reefer storage, available in tandem and tridem configurations, at the Hartland, Salisbury, Truro, and Dartmouth locations.

We learned all this and more in a wide-ranging interview with President Peter Cook and his son Caleb, Vice President of Truck Sales, in which they talked about the company’s beginnings, its business philosophy, growth, the benefits to consumers that come from dealing with a family-owned business, and other Cook Family Group holdings, including a major recent acquisition across the border in Maine.

A rocky start on the road to success
Valley Equipment is truly an inspiring success story that nearly didn’t happen. The company was formed in 1964, when a group of Hartland area farmers joined forces to launch a full-service dealership supplying agriculture, lawn care, forestry, and industrial equipment. Early on the company purchased a local John Deere franchise which encouraged them to construct a new facility in 1966.

But a decision by John Deere in 1969 to separate their existing dealer networks into two divisions — one selling industrial and forestry equipment and the other farm and lawn care, with Valley assigned only the farm and lawn care lines – put the fledgling company in a precarious position. Prior to 1969, it had been “just getting by” according to Peter, but this change saw sales volumes drop and things going south very quickly.

One of the owners, Joseph Palmer, who was also President of Day & Ross, one of Canada’s largest transportation companies, bought out the other farmers and offered Raymond Cook, Peter’s father, the position of General Manager in 1970.

Hoping Raymond could turn the company around, Palmer offered him a small starting salary, which included a five percent ownership share per year if he could meet the targeted profits — which he did, increasing sales to $620,000 in the first year.

Year after year, Raymond continued hitting his targets. In the second year he became 10 percent owner, in 1975 purchased 40 percent of the shares, and in 1978 purchased the remaining 50 percent, becoming the sole owner.

Always looking for ways to grow the company, he added the Hayes Truck lines in 1971, and in 1972 was awarded the “Golden Grizzly Award” as the top Hayes truck salesman in Canada. Over the years he added other lines including Freightliner Trucks, Michelin Tires and Utility Trailers.

Family-owned businesses
Peter Cook recalls, “Dad brought me in to work on the first day. I was just 11 years old, so I’ve always worked in the business. I was an only child and if I wanted to spend time with him, I had to work with him. I worked all through my teenage years and did everything. I started on the ground level in the company, painted, ran errands, and even cleaned the floors.”

By age 16, he was selling lawn mowers and making deliveries. After attending Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB, he returned to work alongside his father, taking over as President when Raymond passed in 2014.

Today three of Peter’s sons are involved in the business. Ben is Vice President of Trailer Sales; Caleb is Vice President of Truck Sales; and Bryce works in accounting, while Connor, the youngest, is pursuing a business degree at Mount Allison University and plans to pursue a working career within the family business.

The Cook family is extremely close-knit, Peter says, “something my mother and father instilled in me growing up, and a trait I hold true today. My wife Patricia and I enjoy time at our cottage, and spending time with our boys and their families, which include four cherished grandkids under the age of seven. We enjoy all that rural New Brunswick has to offer; we love to snowmobile, hunt, boat, and fish together.”

A belief shared by Raymond and Peter Cook is the importance and value of diversification. In addition to Valley Equipment and its sister company, North East Truck & Trailer in Nova Scotia, the Cook family owns car dealerships including Valley Honda and Connell Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, both in nearby Woodstock, and Covered Bridge Farms. Named in recognition of the longest covered wooden bridge in the world, which connects Hartland with Somerville across a 1,282-foot span of the St. John River, the 2,500 acre farm is dedicated to growing over 1000 acres annually of chip stock potatoes.

In total, the companies including Valley Equipment provide 265 people with employment. “I’m proud to say I treat employees like family,” Peter says. “We have very little turnover and a lot of them have spent their entire career here. We have many who have been with us 25 and 35 years and even a few 40-plus-years people.”

“People here are a name and not a number and I don’t like to hear people saying they work for Peter Cook. I say no, you work with the Cook family to improve things. I believe in that philosophy. I don’t want employees or anyone to think I am better than anyone else and I never ask anyone to do anything I wouldn’t do myself.”

Certainly, maintaining positive relationships with employees is of great benefit to any business. “Long-time employees know customers’ needs,” he says. “That promotes their trust and loyalty, and it works because we do have loyal, long-standing customers. Many have been purchasing here since 1970.”

Another advantage to being a 100 percent family-owned business is that “it allows us to make quick decisions in the marketplace and often jump ahead of changes in the industry. Also, it means there are no shareholders looking to turn a quick profit, so we are able to reinvest all we can into the growth and sustainability of all our holdings.”

Adds Caleb, “there are no closed doors and no ‘corporate stuffiness’ here.”

Rolling across the NB-Maine border
At present, everyone is excited about the acquisition by the Cook Family Group of Freightliner of Maine, also a privately-owned company and Freightliner dealership. This company is headquartered in Bangor, with locations in Auburn, Houlton, Waterville, and Westbrook, and has 130 employees.

The good news is that employees will all be keeping their jobs, the management will continue to run the company in the way they had been, and Freightliner of Maine will retain its name, which Cook assured the employees in a letter sent to all of them.

In it he wrote: “Our intention will be to keep all of Freightliner of Maine Inc.’s current locations and divisions running as they currently are and allow all of you to continue to do what you do best, servicing our customers.” He goes on to praise the outgoing owners, Joe Cyr and Brenda Thornton, who have been at the helm since 1992, and “who have mirrored our same business philosophy.” Referring to the employees, he wrote: “You are the backbone of this wonderful opportunity and I truly believe we will grow and prosper together. I thank you for your years of service to Freightliner of Maine, Inc. and I cannot wait to have you all as part of my family.” What’s most touching about this personal letter of welcome is that it’s signed simply, “Peter.” Not President, not CEO, not owner – just Peter.

Speaking on behalf of the Cook Family Group, Caleb explains, “This is a major acquisition for us and our biggest one yet. It gives us more stability because along with our multiple locations on the east coast of Canada, we will now have Freightliner of Maine’s current five locations to better serve all of our customers.”

The Cook family is already expanding Freightliner of Maine’s footprint by opening a new Western Star/Freightliner location in Fort Kent. Caleb shares that, “We felt there was an abundance of customers who have been loyal to our brands in that area, and we believe a dealership there will suit their needs.”

The group has also purchased a Western Star franchise in Maine from another company, Daigle & Houghton, which was an International and Western Star dealer combined. “They sold out to another company, and we’ve bought the Western Star side of their business. That will now go with Freightliner of Maine, which gives us almost the entire State of Maine for both Western Star and Freightliner dealerships and service. This is a big win for us,” says Caleb.

He concludes, “I’m sure they are going to teach us some tricks of the trade and maybe we will teach them some of ours. Both sides of the border will benefit from the knowledge that each of us has about doing business. It’s truly a win-win for everyone.”

The post Always Ready to Roll<p class="company">Valley Equipment</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.