An inclusive workplace celebrates diversity and recognizes the value of every individual, irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Pioneering companies understand both the benefits and challenges championing diversity can bring, and are adept at navigating these complexities. Leading firms like IBM, Salesforce, and Accenture have long been recognized for their efforts in creating LGBTQ+ friendly environments, setting benchmarks for inclusivity in the corporate world.

IBM has a long history of inclusivity, being one of the first major companies to include sexual orientation in its equal opportunity policy in 1984. The company supports its LGBTQ+ employees through inclusive benefits and public advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights. This commitment has resulted in high employee satisfaction and a strong reputation in the tech industry. IBM’s proactive stance on inclusivity serves as a benchmark for other companies striving to create an inclusive environment.

Salesforce is similarly renowned for its commitment to inclusivity. The company offers comprehensive healthcare benefits that cover gender-affirming treatments and surgeries. It also has active LGBTQ+ employee resource groups (ERGs) that foster community and advocacy within the organization. Salesforce’s inclusive policies have not only attracted diverse talent but also enhanced its reputation as a forward-thinking and compassionate employer. Its approach demonstrates that inclusivity can be woven into the fabric of a company’s culture, leading to greater employee satisfaction and loyalty.

Accenture has also consistently been recognized for its inclusive workplace policies. The company has implemented programs and policies that support LGBTQ+ employees, including gender-neutral restrooms, inclusive language in company communications, and support for LGBTQ+ events and causes. Accenture’s efforts have not only improved employee morale but also positioned the company as a leader in inclusivity, attracting a diverse range of clients who value these principles.

Indeed, employees who feel valued and included are more likely to be engaged and loyal to their employers. According to a report by the Human Rights Campaign, 46 percent of LGBTQ+ workers remain closeted at work, which can lead to lower engagement and higher turnover. Inclusive policies can help mitigate this, fostering a more committed workforce.

A diverse team also brings varied perspectives, which can lead to more innovative solutions. A study by McKinsey & Company found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity were 21 percent more likely to outperform their peers in profitability. Although this study focused on gender, the principle applies broadly to all forms of diversity.

Inclusive businesses can also attract a broader customer base. The LGBTQ+ community represents a significant market segment with substantial purchasing power. According to LGBT Capital, the global spending power of the LGBTQ+ community is estimated to be around $4.7 trillion annually. Companies that visibly support LGBTQ+ rights can attract and retain these customers more effectively.

World Kindness Day, celebrated on November 13, serves as a global reminder of the importance of kindness in all aspects of life, including the workplace. Kindness in leadership involves empathy, understanding, and support for all employees, and inclusive leaders who prioritize kindness create environments where individuals feel valued and respected, regardless of their background or identity.

Leaders can set the tone for their organization by demonstrating kindness, empathy, and inclusivity in their actions, and can inspire their teams to follow suit. From gender-neutral restrooms to comprehensive anti-discrimination policies, leaders can create an environment where everyone feels safe and valued. Recognizing and celebrating the diversity within one’s own team can be achieve through special events, training sessions, or simply acknowledging important dates like Pride Month or World Kindness Day.

Of course, while the many benefits of inclusivity are clear, leaders often face challenges in balancing inclusivity with client expectations. Centering LGBTQ+ inclusivity can sometimes alienate certain customer segments. The key is finding a balance that respects diversity while accommodating different viewpoints.

Open and honest communication with clients about the company’s values and commitment to inclusivity can help set expectations. This transparency can build trust and respect, even with clients who may hold different views. For example, companies can clearly outline their diversity and inclusion policies in their mission statements and client communications, ensuring that all stakeholders are aware of their stance.

While maintaining core values, marketing messages can be customized to resonate with different audience segments. This doesn’t mean compromising on inclusivity, but rather highlighting different aspects to appeal to various groups and equipping your team with the skills to navigate conversations around inclusivity. Sensitivity training can also help employees interact more effectively with all clients and colleagues.

Leaders can emphasize common business goals and shared values that transcend specific differences. Focusing on the quality of products or services and the mutual benefits of the business relationship can help navigate potential conflicts. By highlighting the universal benefits of inclusivity, such as increased innovation and market reach, companies can find common ground with clients who may initially be hesitant.

Empirical evidence supports the advantage of inclusivity in terms of profitability and employee retention. A report by the Boston Consulting Group found that companies with above–average diversity scores reported 19 percent higher innovation revenues. This suggests a direct link between inclusivity and financial performance.

A survey by Accenture revealed that 42 percent of consumers walk away from brands that don’t align with their personal values, while 21 percent are willing to pay a premium to support brands that do. This willingness to support inclusive companies highlights the growing consumer demand for businesses that reflect their values and priorities.

The Center for American Progress, in its piece, The Costly Business of Discrimination, reported that replacing an employee costs approximately 20 percent of their annual salary. Inclusive workplaces, in reducing turnover, can significantly lower these costs. Moreover, inclusive companies often see higher employee loyalty and satisfaction, contributing to long-term stability. The Center also highlighted the price paid for workplace discrimination: $64 billion, an amount that “represents the annual estimated cost of losing and replacing more than 2 million American workers who leave their jobs each year due to unfairness and discrimination.”

“A significant number of those workers are gay and transgender individuals who have been treated unfairly simply because of their sexual orientation and gender identity,” reads the article, citing a recent survey that reveals that 42 percent of gay individuals have encountered employment discrimination at some point in their lives. Transgender workers experience even higher rates of workplace discrimination and harassment, with a staggering 90 percent reporting instances of harassment, mistreatment, or discrimination at work, or taking measures such as concealing their identity to avoid such treatment. This includes 47 percent who reported adverse job outcomes, such as being fired, denied employment, or passed over for a promotion because of their gender identity.

In today’s economic climate, discrimination is a harmful, unnecessary, and costly distraction. Businesses cannot afford to discriminate against gay and transgender individuals if they aim to outperform their competition. Economic challenges are exacerbated when employers let personal prejudices override their financial interests. Therefore, businesses should implement commonsense measures to ensure all employees are evaluated based on their capabilities and skills, not on irrelevant characteristics.

As leaders, fostering an inclusive and kind workplace is not just about compliance or ethics; it’s a strategic move that can drive growth and innovation. By celebrating LGBTQ+ inclusivity, acknowledging World Kindness Day, and navigating challenges thoughtfully, businesses can create environments where everyone thrives. The benefits are clear: enhanced employee engagement, diverse perspectives leading innovation, and expanded market reach.

The post Elevating Modern Workplaces<p class="company">The Importance of Inclusivity</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

These systems are critical to the health and wellbeing of communities around the world, and the more robust global food systems become, the more expansive the cold storage systems must be to ensure food safety and availability that satisfies demand. And, locally, this has become a challenge.

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), as of October 2023 there were 900 refrigerated facilities across the U.S., a number that is slowly dwindling despite the addition of millions of square feet of new space each year and growing demand for cold storage. More importantly, this represents only a fraction of the global cold storage demand, a market that Research and Markets has valued at more than $190 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach more than $400 billion by 2033 as demand continues to grow for this critical infrastructure.

Highly specialized infrastructure
Cold storage facilities are highly specialized facilities that are designed to specification, purpose-built to store commodities at controlled temperatures and climates. Designs differ and temperatures can range between -20 degrees Fahrenheit to 55 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the need. Cool facilities are often used for food items with a short shelf life like produce or non-frozen dairy products, while freezer facilities are used for foods that require sub-zero temperatures and can facilitate longer holds on the inventory. These facilities are typically located proximate to the food production facilities of origin and are designed to specification, so they could include a variety of freezing methods like blast freezing or others.

There are also hybrid facilities that are designed to handle products across the board. These larger, integrated facilities are likely to be found near major population centers and serve as a major hub for the vendors small and large who depend on them.

In most cases, cold storage facilities are not owned by those whose goods are temporarily stored within them. Most of these facilities are public refrigerated warehouses (PRW) that are operated by third-party logistics (3PL) players to supplement the demand.

In the cold storage world, third-party warehousing and logistics providers are an important part of the equation, especially as e-commerce platforms continue to grow in popularity. In addition to the space itself, they offer inventory control and management, fulfillment services, labeling, packaging, and other value-added services to ensure that products make it to their destinations.

A vulnerable system
As international food sources are increasingly used to offset the lack of domestic food supply, paired with the growth of global e-commerce networks, demand for which grew during the pandemic, the need for critical cold storage infrastructure is at an all-time high. As a result, demand continues to outpace supply.

Interruptions to supply chains during the pandemic were a good indicator of how volatile our global economy is and how insecure our global supply chains can be. This period also emphasized the need for stronger domestic supply chains to be able to withstand blips in global supply.

Pent-up demand is further increasing reliance on 3PL companies who are also driving demand for space to keep up with the needs of customers. This is true of cold storage infrastructure as well as logistics providers, which pushes up prices, with less than truckload (LTL) shipping costs inching closer to being on par with leasing the entire vehicle.

Other challenges that exist are damaged equipment, particularly refrigerator doors, which can impact the seal and thus temperature control, condensation buildup, microbial growth, and heat exposure, resulting in damaged goods, major losses, and potentially even illness. Foodborne botulism, in particular, is a paralysing illness that progresses rapidly with potentially fatal outcomes, and the best way to avoid this is proper refrigeration and proper processing. In the United States between 1994 and 2021, there were 37 identified cases, four of which resulted in death. 13 of these cases were the result of inadequate commercial refrigeration while others were caused by actions inside the home, which demonstrates the value and importance of adequate refrigeration infrastructure and storage.

A costly endeavor
While the market has cooled post-pandemic, mostly in terms of construction starts slowing due in part to factors beyond the market’s control, the volume of these facilities must continue to grow to try to sustain growth in demand. As it stands, only two percent of industrial stock in the United States is cold storage. To make matters worse, a significant percentage of the limited cold storage infrastructure in the United States is outdated, with aging or obsolete infrastructure and equipment, inadequate insulation, and ineffective refrigeration systems, all of which contribute to higher energy use and greater operational costs.

And, when it comes to costs, building cold storage isn’t a simple or inexpensive task. These facilities require specific building requirements, including innovative floor systems and infrastructure that take a great deal of time and money to achieve. This is on top of the major costs associated with securing land and maintaining these facilities, which have been exacerbated by high interest rates. Whether investors choose to renovate existing properties, convert dry warehouses—which is not the easiest given the specialized building requirements of cold storage facilities—or build to suit, they are facing high costs.

Then, there is the problem of rents in a highly competitive market. Costs for cold storage facilities vary based on location, building size, internal specifications related to the foundation and type of freight being handled, and other factors, but typically range from $200 to $400 per square foot. Most activity has been in the 75,000 to 100,000-square-foot range.

The costs of a facility with a subzero freezer are much different than that of a cold warehouse. According to Cushman and Wakefield, a typical cold storage facility needs a minimum of three to four megawatts of power and more often than not, while it takes less time to retrofit an existing facility, it is often easier to build from the ground up.

Given these conditions, the market has been of particular interest to investors, developers, and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) who are quick to snatch up available product in the market and are driving speculation around the development of buildings to create new supply. To date, millions of new square feet are underway, much of which is already pre-leased.

On the matter of speculative development, there was a spike between 2020 and 2022 when pandemic supply chain issues highlighted the insufficient existing infrastructure during a period of low interest rates and favorable rents, which incentivized the development of new buildings. This has changed with higher interest rates but remains an important part of the market. Of course, these players have the available capital to incur the risk that comes along with these highly specialized, niche investments, the high construction costs, which include state-of-the-art technologies, and the high interest rates and long lead times.

Balancing supply and demand
The cold storage market certainly faces its share of challenges, but it is also a beacon of opportunity. Smart investors can take advantage of the growth that is taking place, but it will take a significant amount of time and investment.

High costs are not only impacting the supply of cold storage facilities, but also the demand for them, as fresh produce becomes further out of reach for people who are struggling financially, and demand grows for the convenience of frozen foods for families and restaurants alike to keep costs down. According to the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), food operators are increasingly turning to frozen food to overcome supply chain issues and labor shortages. As a result, the global frozen food market has been growing steadily. The frozen food sector was valued at $297.47 billion in 2023 and is expected to exceed $430 billion by 2032, which will certainly continue to drive demand for cold storage facilities.

These services require a robust cold storage infrastructure to ensure foods and other temperature-controlled goods are safe throughout the journey, and this will require a great deal of investment to ensure the critical facilities and logistics are in place to satisfy demand and keep the population fed and safe.

The post The Cold Storage Dilemma<p class="company">Managing Demand for Critical Infrastructure</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

The answer is (drrrrrumroll!) Thompson, Manitoba, which hosted the games in 2018, and because of its success, its sizeable arena (home of the Norman Northstars, a member of the U-18 AAA Hockey League), and its proximity to Mystery Mountain Winter Park, a ski hill north of the city, has been approached by the Province of Manitoba to do it again in 2026.

“We can handle whatever’s thrown at us,” says Mayor Colleen Smook, “and that’s exciting. In 2025 we’re hosting the Provincial Firefighter’s Challenge. In the past, we’ve hosted the provincial Tournament of Hearts curling bonspiel, and most recently we hosted a northern conference on transportation.”

It’s this calm, capable, ‘can do’ attitude and sense of camaraderie among the citizens of Thompson, in its strategic location in the Arctic corridor, that has powered the nickel mining town to grow and prosper as a transportation hub.

“I think the key to prosperity and moving forward is working with the people,” says Smook, who has served on the city council for 10 years and as mayor for the past six. “Our issue is that we don’t sell ourselves on the good things that are happening. Especially now, coming out of the pandemic, we have been able to put provincial and federal dollars into our community to attract people, investors, and more businesses and services. I think it’s important for people to know what’s happening here, and why it’s a great place to live and do business.”

Unique nickel reserves
After 10 years of exploration for nickel deposits in northern Manitoba, Inco Ltd. discovered a major ore body in the heart of the boreal forest, 761 km north of Winnipeg and 32 km southwest of Moak Lake, in 1956. Following an agreement between Inco and the Province of Manitoba to develop the area and build a rail link with the Canadian National Railway, the town was founded the following year and named after Dr. John F. Thompson, Inco’s chairman at the time.

The newly developed city, constructed by thousands of workers, sprang to life in 1961, coinciding with the formal opening of the mine, the second largest nickel-producing operation in the world after Inco’s Sudbury, Ontario mining operation.

The nickel mines are the city’s single largest employer to this day, employing underground miners, millwrights, electricians, mechanics, and accounting and management staff, and are now managed by Vale Manitoba Operations, a division of Vale Canada, a subsidiary of Brazil-based owner Vale.

“They are a good community partner,” Smook says, referring to the company’s assistance in developing parks, supporting construction of Thompson’s new pool, and funding the City of Thompson’s purchase and implementation of asset management software.

Currently, Vale is working on some big projects, having invested over $300 million in drilling in the last few years to define the exact area where they will hope to extract more ore. “They have worked at the 5,000-foot level in the past, but this will be at 7,500 feet. They think it’s worth it, and recently they hired 50 more people who they’ll train,” Smook adds.

Growing the hub
While the nickel mines continue to play a vital role in Thompson’s economic development, its importance as a northern transportation hub has grown.

Thompson has a population of around 13,000, about half of whom are Indigenous. The city provides services to another 50,000 people living in small communities throughout northern Manitoba. Thompson has become the region’s downtown, with goods shipped out to those communities and people coming into the city to avail themselves of its diverse services—retail, dining, healthcare, education, and recreation.

The city is served by VIA Rail which operates a passenger train from Winnipeg to Churchill—an ecotourism destination on Hudson Bay that is home to polar bears and beluga whales—and by the Hudson Bay Railway, which owns and ships freight along the railroad that links The Pas to Churchill and passes through Thompson. Other ground transportation companies serving Thompson include trucking companies Gardewine and Manitoulin Transport.

Smook is excited about the completion of the $35 million Miles Hart Bridge replacement over the Burntwood River on the north side of the city and is looking ahead to the new $120 million Thompson Airport, set to be completed in 2025, as the culmination of a 20-year effort—and key to the city’s success as a service hub.

Flying in and out of the airport are passenger airlines Calm Air, Perimeter Aviation, and Wings Over Kississing. They provide essential services, connecting Thompson with Winnipeg, while smaller planes supply services to 12 small outlying communities, some of which are only reachable by air except for during the winter road season from January to March. North Star Air, a cargo airline, flies supplies from Thompson throughout northern Manitoba and into Nunavut.

“They can carry anywhere from 7,500 to 10,000 pounds, depending on where they are going,” Smook says, “and they typically go out seven times a day. During the pandemic when things were backed up and other airports were down, our airport barely skipped a beat. We might have gone down to 80 percent capacity, whereas everyone else was down to 20 percent. This is one of the reasons we’re ready to have people move here, because the transportation services they need to do business are all here.”

Federal, provincial, and Indigenous partners
Thanks to grant proposals that originated before the pandemic, the Mayor and Council have realized some huge recent successes in terms of renewing and revitalizing the city’s all-important infrastructure.

In 2021, the city had $87 million worth of new capital projects approved for federal and provincial infrastructure funding. $40 million is earmarked as road renewal funding for 20 km of streets, while $47 million will go toward a water and sewer main renewal project. These five-year projects, which recently completed their third construction season, recognize Thompson’s important role in the North and are critical first steps toward a sustainable future, according to Mayor Smook. “Thompson is bigger than just the people who live within city limits. We are the Hub of the North and people across the region rely on our infrastructure year-round.”

A major project just getting started which will change the footprint of Thompson is the result of a partnership between the City and the Keewatin Tribal Council, which represents 11 First Nations of Northern Manitoba. In 2023, KEDC Corp, the tribal council’s economic development agency, acquired 89 acres of forested land adjacent to the northern portion of the city and the Burntwood River.

Over the next seven to 10 years, the agency plans to build an office building for the Keewatin Tribal Council, a health centre, a hotel, and a conference centre, followed by plans to construct 384 housing units, which will include some affordable housing, assisted living, and personal care home spaces.

In a 2023 press release announcing the agreement, Smook says, “Northerners know that cooperation is the key to progress and that working together is the best way to achieve the goal of prosperity for everyone. Northern Manitoba benefits when Thompson is doing well, and the local economy will benefit greatly from the Keewatin Tribal Council’s significant investment in the long-term growth of the city.”

In the same release, Keewatin Tribal Council Grand Chief Walter Wastesicoot noted that the project is both a way for northern First Nations—which have many citizens who live in Thompson and others who visit for shopping, recreation, and healthcare—to take charge of their economic future and to ensure that Thompson continues to provide the facilities and services that the entire region relies on.

Better for business
In support of local business, the City of Thompson offers a Financial Assistance Program as a way to mitigate the costs of development and upgrades for property-owning private businesses. This program is designed to subsidize a portion of the city’s property tax increase associated with the development of vacant land or upgrades to existing facilities, with the amount that can be subsidized dependent on the type of development.

Re-development of an existing property is eligible for a deduction of 100 percent of the assessed increase in the first two years and 50 percent in years three, four, and five, while new development is eligible for a deduction of 50 percent over five years. To be considered, the property must be zoned as commercial, commercial/residential, or residential with five units.

Living the life
Thompson has much to offer for its residents and visitors alike. Outdoor enthusiasts will be attracted to the range of activities the area affords—hunting and fishing, both downhill and cross-country skiing, boating, snowmobiling, golf, riding stables, and a variety of wildlife to be seen, including caribou and moose.

In town, there are two arenas for skating and hockey in the Thompson Regional Community Centre, which is connected to the independently run Burntwood Curling Club. Currently under construction next door is the new Thompson Regional Aquatic Centre, a $42.6 million facility which will feature a six-lane, 25-metre pool with one accessible lane, a beach-entry recreational pool, and a sauna.

Several new restaurants have recently opened, including The Club, a restaurant and lounge with golf simulators; Chili Chat, an Indian restaurant; and Popeye’s Chicken, a franchise operation. In addition, there is the Ma Mow We Tak Friendship Centre, which operates a restaurant, offers Indigenous-focused programs, and has worked with the City of Thompson to develop an affordable housing complex for seniors. Retail outlets include Giant Tiger, Canadian Tire, Wal-Mart, Safeway, and Family Foods.

Families considering relocating and pondering the educational options will find much to like at R. D. Parker Collegiate. This local high school has undergone a recent $13 million expansion including a new $7 million music room, as well as roof and building envelope upgrades, and offers vocational as well as academic programs. Mayor Smook’s seven children are all graduates of R. D. Parker Collegiate, and she notes that some of the school’s graduates are now in various leadership positions both in Canada and abroad.

There’s also the University College of the North, a post-secondary institution offering Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Education degrees, among other programs, and the University of Manitoba’s Northern Social Work Program.

So, with a great sense of Thompson coming together in the light of these many recent achievements, will the Mayor and her Council take just a little time to rest on their laurels? Mayor Smook is ready with a resounding no. “We’re still working behind the scenes, and this is just the start of more good things coming to Thompson.”

The post The Hub of the North<p class="company">City of Thompson, Manitoba</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Located just 71 miles (114 km) northwest of Houston, Navasota provides many of the benefits of living in a big city but few of the headaches, like traffic congestion. With connections including Texas State Highway 105 passing east-west through the center of the city, Texas State Highway 6 running north-south, and the recently opened Texas State Highway 249 with a northern terminus just a few miles east of the city, Navasota is a city of easy access.

“That new corridor has generated a tremendous amount of traffic, and that’s what’s driving a lot of the commercial activity,” explains Development Services Director Lupe Diosdado. “A lot of those folks are heading up to Texas A&M University, especially during football season. That’s shown that the traffic counts in that area are way above what was projected.”

Even though Highway 249 only opened a few years ago, there are already plans to expand the buzzing 49.4-mile (79.5 km) roadway.

Open for business
Highly accessible and much less congested and expensive than Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, or Austin, the City of Navasota has much to offer residents, visitors, and businesses alike. Along with its nearby interstate highways, Navasota has available land for development, a business park, and its famous historic downtown. Close to airports, colleges, and universities, Navasota boasts many perks, but without the steep price tag of other major centers.

“One of the big things for us is where we are positioned, between Houston and College Station,” comments Taylor Hughes, Marketing and Communications Manager/Public Information Officer. “We’re seeing lots of traffic coming to our town—traffic that goes into downtown as well, not just the major highways. Residential development is increasing, and we’re seeing lots of growth.”

Along with a growth in small, locally owned businesses, the city of Navasota is seeing an increase in larger companies coming to the area, including multinationals like Domino’s Pizza and coffeehouse chain Starbucks.

Railroad District
The city’s fabled historic downtown is known as the Railroad District, a nod to its 170-year-old heritage, which still hears the trains pass through daily. With the charm of its late 19^th and early 20^th-century architecture, the Railroad District is a popular place for locals and tourists alike.

Encompassing Navasota’s downtown central business district, a recently completed signage project included all-new street signs delineating where the regular town is versus the historic downtown. The project also includes a large monument sign with new branding. There is more work to be done, says Hughes, adding that the city is pursuing grants to support further streetscape improvements such as wider sidewalks, planter boxes, and decorative lighting. Everything in the area is booming, with Hughes and Diosdado expecting the remaining work to be completed in the next two to five years.

Navasota also boasts several landmark spots, including the legendary P.A. Smith Hotel. Originally built in 1876, the limestone structure was one of the first buildings along the railroad tracks. Historically speaking, the building served as a hotel for just 14 years and then became a residence for its namesake, teacher and businessman Phillip Aurene Smith, who also constructed and managed the Navasota Opera House. Surviving a major fire, a caved-in roof, multiple owners, and various attempts to resurrect the property, it remained abandoned until 2017.

The building was purchased by husband-and-wife Stephen and Janice Scheve, and the couple lovingly oversaw the revitalization of the 148-year-old hotel, which had fallen into disrepair. Five years of renovation later, the building is now an AAA four-diamond hotel combining vintage décor and finishes with up-to-date technology for its guests. “The hotel’s been completely renovated inside, with guestrooms, event space, a speakeasy bar, restaurant, coffee shop—all of those elements,” says Hughes.

The move also signaled the confidence of the Scheves, who invested a sizable amount and over four years of their lives into the project. Stephen and Janice represent two of many business investors who spotted and acted on the potential of the city of Navasota, its charm, and its many enduring qualities.

Speaking of speakeasies
One of the city’s most notable spots, hidden on the second floor of the P.A. Smith Hotel, is Hamer’s Speakeasy. The bar is named in honor of legendary Texas lawman and ranger Frank Hamer, who led the posse that tracked and killed outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934.

Cleverly hidden behind a sign stating, “Dr. Wilson’s Office,” Hamer’s Speakeasy is steeped in Prohibitionist-Era décor, and famous for its smoked old fashioneds, legendary whiskeys, and timeless cocktails.

Located at 111 S. Railroad St., the hotel is near the Red Board Tavern & Table at 117 S. Railroad St. Renowned for its scratch-made American dishes crafted with a French influence, Red Board “provides a gourmet casual experience,” and a lengthy wine list, and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The P.A. Smith Hotel, Hamer’s Speakeasy, and the Red Board not only serve as testaments to Navasota’s enduring history, but also to its future.

Driven by growth
The city is also experiencing an increase in retail businesses and restaurants, and recently welcomed a new Jack in the Box restaurant along Highway 105. One of the many reasons for this growth is the large number of residential lots for single-family homes that have been recently planned (more than a thousand), are under discussion, or will be constructed shortly.

For research-based businesses, manufacturers, and technology-focused companies, the city is also home to the Navasota Business Park. One of the key companies in the area is Heat Transfer Research, Inc. (HTRI), a worldwide leader in process heat transfer research, technology, services, and software for the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries. And with its proximity to key universities like Texas A&M, Sam Houston State University, and more, the city is poised to attract complementary research, development, and tech companies.

Whether it’s exploring the iconic Railroad District, discovering the carefully restored P.A. Smith Hotel, or enjoying new restaurants and retail spaces, Navasota offers a vibrant and inviting atmosphere. As the city continues to balance historic charm with modern growth, it stands out as a unique blend of small-town hospitality and entrepreneurial opportunity. Its accessibility, ongoing development, and rich cultural history draw residents, businesses, and visitors alike to experience its evolving story.

With its sights set on sustainable expansion and community enrichment, Navasota is well-positioned for a bright future as a Texas city where tradition and innovation meet.

The post Where Business and Timeless Charm Meet<p class="company">City of Navasota, Texas</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Linking companies and communities within the Chippewa area with resources for economic development, CEDC also provides site selectors, businesses, developers, entrepreneurs, and talent with the information they need in their search for exceptional growth prospects and opportunities. To stimulate the region’s economy by providing a solid economic climate that attracts and retains people, companies, and new investments, CEDC is committed to supporting and facilitating economic development and further enhancing the county’s outstanding overall quality of life.

Infrastructure and opportunity
“Some of the things we’re tasked with are to help existing businesses expand and recruit new investment,” says Charlie Walker, President and CEO. “We’ve been helping entrepreneurs start up for quite a long time. One of the initiatives we use is our BEAR program. This Business Expansion And Retention program helps solidify our economic base of manufacturing and agriculture by helping them improve their supply chains and reduce input costs. Because we’re situated in a great place within the Midwest, many local companies take advantage of our interstate access to major markets. As for rail, we have top tier service from both the Union Pacific and the CN Railroads, which give us a great opportunity to promote the region with some added agricultural value, transload abilities, and intermodal access.”

He adds that Casey Hedrington, Economic Development Specialist, has also been leading the effort to establish the Chippewa County region as a BDOZone (Bioeconomy Development Opportunity).

“We were fortunate last year where we applied for a full business development grant through the USDA, and were awarded funds to help establish another economic development tool for the region,” explains Hedrington. “We hired Ecostrat, a company out of Canada that helped CEDC establish Wisconsin’s first BDOZone. They looked at aspects of biomass available in our area, they certified our ‘regional readiness’ for bio-manufacturing, helped us position the region for global connections, and marketed Chippewa County to the growing influx of clean energy opportunities.”

Hedrington worked hand-in-hand with Ecostrat to set up a committee of local farmers and businesses within a 75-mile radius to assist in the project. This resulted in looking at corn stover—stalks, leaves, and corn cobs left in fields after harvest. “Our thought was that we can use it for more value-added products such as bioplastics,” he says. “That’s one of the biggest things in our area.”

Ecostrat, after much analysis, issued a BDOZone Rating for Chippewa County. Ecostrat essentially gives a rating, like a credit rating, with Triple A being the best. Chippewa received an A due to various factors. “We have good infrastructure not only for trucking, but our location is not far from international airports, along with rail access,” Hedrington says. “Charlie also saw an opportunity for something to be done using pre-existing rail and pre-existing infrastructure, and since it’s just off the highway, it’s great for trucking and it’s already zoned industrial.”

This A rating sends a clear and powerful signal to bio-based developers and investors worldwide that the Chippewa County area is “bio-manufacturing ready.” These ratings enable CEDC to credibly signal and promote key local bio-manufacturing “success characteristics to bio-based developers and investors around the world. ‘AAA’, ‘AA’, ‘A’ and ‘BBB’ ratings put an internationally recognized, credible “bullseye” on the best areas to build and operate new bio-based manufacturing plants. They help attract new bio-based manufacturing plants to the places where they are most likely to succeed by reducing input volume risks.

“In the end, it’s just a neat way to reduce cost and reduce the risk of a bioproduct,” adds Walker. “We’ve already done the analysis, so we know that because we looked at a variety of factors, including the volume of corn stover and access to markets with rail, the highway, and labor. Add to that Chippewa County has two certified State of Wisconsin industrial parks; we have the product for the next project-inputs, infrastructure, talented workers, and properly zoned land… we are well positioned for growth.”

Bridging the divide
According to Hedrington, these factors play a crucial role in Chippewa’s ability to connect agriculture with manufacturing. He explains that this approach provides an opportunity to benefit the local community in other ways, leveraging its strong rating to establish a manufacturing rotation plant. This setup enables efficient collection of products, transportation by rail or truck, and timely delivery to their destinations.

“We’re hoping that would bridge the gap between agriculture and BDO and food manufacturing. Chippewa County’s rich agriculture has been vital for food production and influences food trends. Chippewa County continues to embrace ‘farm-to-fork’ practices, sourcing locally for better taste and lower environmental impact,” Hedrington says. “Chippewa County food manufacturers are leaders in sustainability via optimizing water use, reducing waste, and using green energy, positioning them to be leaders in eco-friendly food production. CEDC works to leverage traditional farming with modern technology, which helps ensure a sustainable future for food manufacturing in the area. Chippewa County’s food manufacturing growth continues and the BDO economy has the potential to open additional opportunities. It’s an option for each one to help the other. Bringing more manufacturing to the area brings jobs and a better economy. Business brings business!”

Fueling growth sustainably
Reliable electricity is essential for any local business or industry. It powers agriculture and manufacturing machinery, tools, and computers, making operations smooth and efficient. Chippewa County is well served when it comes to power. The region has Xcel Energy, which is known nationwide, along with a variety of Electric Co-Ops; Baron Electric Cooperative, Chippewa Valley Electric Cooperative, Clark Electric Cooperative, Dunn Energy Cooperative, and Eau Claire Energy Cooperative are all supporters of CEDC and its economic development efforts. Power is a big concern to be factored in in any sector, and particularly in agriculture.

“Our relationships with Xcel Energy and the Co-Ops are great. They work hard to help our business parks throughout the Chippewa region and are prepared for new business expansions and opportunities,” says Walker. “We’re proactive about that to make sure that that power product is available for these agriculture businesses that can take advantage of the BDOZone.”

Putting down roots
When it comes to the various programs and incentives CEDC has in place to help businesses, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s two certified industrial parks are among the most significant. “We also do land buy downs, tax increment financing, and industrial development bonds,” Walker explains. “We’re in an opportunity zone, and then the BDOZone on top of that allows a company to get better financing on their bonds if they’re going to do major projects. And with current higher interest rates, that’s always attractive.”

As for challenges, Chippewa has faced issues similar to those of many communities, says Walker, including wanting to encourage the youth workforce to remain in the Chippewa Valley.

“We have what’s called a farm work ethic,” he says. “One of the things that rural communities face is trying to keep the labor of the young folks on the farm. With the Ag industry, more people are leaving and aren’t going into farming. Without farming, you can’t have these types of projects.”

To help remedy that, CEDC works closely with its farms and promotes the importance of Ag. For the last two years, the organization has been working to host Farm Technology Days, the largest farm show in Cadott, Wisconsin, centered on promoting the advantages of automation and technology on the farm and encouraging youth and the next generation of farmers to stay on the farm.

“That’s a threat that all rural communities are having,” Walker says. “Farmers are having a difficult time finding that next generation of farmers. So we put in some strategies to help, helping our community college and our universities in the region, all working to help the Ag industry and keep that talent pipeline going.”

It’s an issue found across all industries and one that must be addressed early to educate students about the variety of possibilities available to them for potential future careers.

“We started organizing STEAM Night and career fairs in the middle schools and working with the local school districts, because the sooner our future talent starts understanding what’s available to them as they go through high school, the better,” says Walker. “Students are more aware of the local job possibilities. For the last three years, we’ve had a great network for that, and Wisconsin and our local high schools have one of the best state high school intern programs in the country. We’ve got some great internship programs at the high school level, and then, of course, the college level with Chippewa Valley Technical College.”

Wisconsin’s University system is “one of the best in the country,” he adds, and part of that ties into Ag and the BDOZone approach. Another advantage of the Chippewa BDOZone is that there is the UW Stout, UW River Falls, and UW Eau Claire all within 40 miles of the zone.

“We have area universities within close proximity of the Chippewa BDOZone,” he adds, “so that’s one of the assets it looked at—our talent pipeline—during the risk assessment period and found the community has implemented programs to reduce the problem of future worker availability. Starting career exposure earlier is a huge key to keeping kids interested in manufacturing and trades, because a lot of them just don’t know the opportunities and advantages that are out there.”

Looking ahead, looking abroad
CEDC envisions success in its attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) with its BDOZone targeted at those companies that need a bio-agriculture footprint in the United States. “FDI is a huge opportunity for Chippewa,” Walker says. “We have companies from Japan, Britian, and Germany that invest in local manufacturing. A lot of folks don’t know that within the BDOZone is diverse agriculture. Milk and grain crops contribute significantly to the agricultural sales profile of the zone. Forage production of alfalfa, hay, and corn silage provides a solid feed base for the dairy and cattle industry. The area ranks high in goat and poultry production. Specialty crops such as maple syrup, Christmas trees, fruits, and vegetables also play a vital economic role. The top five agricultural export markets are Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, and Korea, representing 66 percent of total exports from the state. Mexico is up over 3 percent. Germany (No. 6) is up nearly 27 percent and Australia (No. 7) is up 36 percent. Wisconsin exported to 135 countries in the second quarter of 2024 and Chippewa County wants to become a bigger player in the export arena.

“We have our target on foreign direct investment—which is what Casey’s really been working on, getting the word out—and that’s why we’re excited to highlight our competitive advantages.” Notes Walker, “There have been over 170 FDI projects announced in Wisconsin from 2014 to 2024 that span diverse business sectors such as industrial equipment, real estate, and food and beverage processing. Wisconsin has a strong history of FDI, with top sources including Switzerland, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan, and CEDC is working to bring more FDI to the Chippewa Valley and the Chippewa BDOZone will certainly help that effort.

All in all, he says, the area is simply a smart place to invest. “The BDOZone incorporates an opportunity zone and a tax increment finance district, and you have the certified shovel-ready parks, you have the railroads, you have access to the markets. It’s just a great place to look for Ag expansion.”

The post Changing the Future of this Wisconsin County<p class="company">Chippewa Economic Development Corporation</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Founded in 2007 by Clay and Christina Foutch, a couple from Beaverton, Oregon, the business has unique roots. Clay, a process engineer at Intel, brought a talent for process development and continuous improvement, skills that have significantly shaped Home Matters. Christina, an occupational therapist, wanted to use her therapy skills to help others. Driven by a shared interest in starting a business together, they saw a need in the Beaverton market for high-quality in-home care for seniors.

In 2010, Jeffrey Giedt, now Home Matters’ Chief Executive Officer, met Clay, who shared his distinct approach to the home care industry, blending his background as a process engineer. Captivated by the idea of building a thriving business centered on serving others, Giedt, after much research, agreed to establish an agency in the Arizona market. They shared best practices and supported each other’s growth until 2019, when Giedt had the good fortune of receiving an offer to sell his business.

“I sold my agency, and Clay and I talked about integrating the best of what he was doing in Beaverton with what we were doing in the Phoenix area and creating a playbook for a franchise organization that could help new entrepreneurs interested in serving seniors to create a successful business,” Giedt says.

A vital part of this playbook involved nurturing the company’s culture. “Creating a culture that gives us the ability to serve seniors in an effective way while also serving our caregiving team on a daily basis is crucial,” says Kristi Edwards, a Home Matters Caregiving Franchise Owner. “We’re continually considering how the choices we make and the actions we take allow our caregiving team to better serve seniors in our area.”

For Edwards, this mission includes removing obstacles for her caregiving team and ensuring they have all the tools needed to perform their job effectively. “We also believe in doing well by doing good,” she adds, describing her and her team’s active community engagement, such as participating in the Alzheimer’s Association and serving on the Commission on Aging.

In the past, keeping a senior at home long-term was not always feasible, but with state regulations and structured agencies like Home Matters, society is now better positioned to meet this need. While nursing homes used to be the primary option, today, well-vetted caregivers and structured procedures make in-home care a viable and often preferred alternative.

“In seniors’ lives, things are changing on a daily basis, and having the ability now to address those things and be proactive in care is allowing them to stay home longer,” says Edwards. “Ideally, I think almost everyone would want to stay home long-term.”

AARP’s extensive research has revealed approximately 92 percent of seniors prefer to remain at home and age in place during their golden years, Giedt adds. “It’s the same thing we see when we’re out talking to people’s families—the majority of seniors want to stay where they’ve been comfortable the majority of their life in familiar surroundings at home. That’s one of the gratifying areas of this business, as we get to help people do that.”

Home Matters’ care offerings can vary by state. For example, California does not allow medical care, but Home Matters provides comprehensive non-medical support, from companionship and meal preparation to transportation. For seniors who are bedbound or require hygiene assistance, the organization is well-equipped to support them.

The company also serves as a valuable resource in the senior medical space, connecting clients with necessary services. “Even though our responsibilities in California are strictly non-medical, we have a nurse on staff. This ‘nurse-guided care’ approach is a core philosophy of ours,” says Giedt. “Having a nurse with clinical and medical knowledge and education enables us to identify some of the warning signs of the aging process. “It puts us in a position to provide a higher level of care.”

Advanced technology has significantly enhanced Home Matters’ ability to support clients with various needs, enabling proactive and improved care, says Edwards. From a local agency perspective, technology provides vital client information 24/7. “In the past, agencies like ours used to only have limited information from the time we were physically with the client. But what’s happening when we’re not there?”

Technology has allowed the company to address the inevitable changes seniors face and be proactive versus reactive, allowing them to stay in their homes longer while also improving care outcomes.

“UTIs are very prevalent in seniors, and they can be missed initially, because the senior dismisses it and thinks they’re going to be fine, or if they do have some cognitive impairment, they may not be able to verbalize what they’re experiencing,” says Edwards. “Technology has allowed us to identify things such as a UTI that could eventually lead to falls, delirium, or even death.”

An early alert system enables prompt medical attention, helping to address mobility declines or confusion around medication. “If someone were to fall, we would be able to intervene very quickly and get them the help needed.”

In essence, technology is making a huge difference in the very way home care is provided. “Technology fits into that beautifully, because it’s giving us tools we’ve never had before,” Giedt says. “The industry has traditionally been slow to adopt technology, but when we developed our franchise model, we made technology a core focus, regularly evaluating and implementing the best tools available.”

Home Matters has adopted a system that monitors the well-being of seniors 24/7, establishing a baseline for each individual’s normal activity level and detecting any deviations. “We’re all going through the aging process,” says Giedt. “And for some seniors those changes are happening quicker. When we were blind to them before, we were always reactive. But now we have the data, and the system will tell us when these small changes are taking place.”

This example of the Purpose-Driven Care model goes beyond basic safety and sustenance, addressing the five keys of aging: physical activity, mental engagement, connection with loved ones, and maintaining a sense of purpose. “As we age, sometimes the younger generation doesn’t always appreciate the fact that this person has lived this long, beautiful, amazing life, and they have a lot to offer, and their sense of purpose can be lost,” says Edwards. “But it’s essential for well-being. It could be their faith, relationships, or hobbies, but maintaining their strong sense of purpose is really important, along with infusing fun into their care plan.”

Mental health is also a priority, particularly for seniors aging in isolation. Home Matters assesses potential clients’ mental health, helping those unable to leave their homes stay socially connected, often by working with community resources. “We engage in constant dialogue with clients and their families in how we can better improve their mental health and overall well-being,” Edwards shares.

“Ensuring clients get out of bed every morning and have something to look forward to, something purposeful to them—that really makes a big difference in their ability to thrive,” Giedt adds.

For those involved in Home Matters, this mission is personal. “We all have a heart for seniors,” says Edwards. “If someone’s heart isn’t in the right place, and they’re not getting into this business because they genuinely care and want to see seniors thrive and live their best lives, Home Matters may not be a good fit for them.”

Reflecting on her own growth in the business, Edwards appreciates the strong corporate support that has facilitated her success. Giedt agrees, praising her efforts: “Kristi has done an outstanding job of not only creating that culture of success and assembling a great team, but growing a thriving business focused on serving seniors. We’re incredibly proud of her.”

The post Doing Well by Doing Good: Home Care that Matters<p class="company">Home Matters Caregiving</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

There are many advantages to membership, and at the top of the list is community. “What our members value is being part of a community of like-minded individuals,” says Chief Executive Officer Jason Lee. “You can share your triumphs, your challenges. It makes you feel a part of something. There can be a sense of isolation for business owners, especially those who are starting off for the first time. It can be pretty daunting,” he says.

“The value of an association is to be able to join other individuals and groups who are doing the same thing. You can provide feedback, guidance, mentorship, that type of thing.”

Another key benefit “is being able to speak with a unified voice,” he states. “Being a part of an organization where we are speaking on behalf of the industry and having members be a part of that, I think is important. [There] is a mutual element in the fact that our members help us bring a broader voice, whether it’s based on geographic dynamics or their expertise, their personal interaction with government, and how policies would impact them on the federal and state level. It’s that synergy of membership and us as an organization working together and being able to provide that strong voice.”

Membership is also good for business. “We’ve seen that members who join HCAOA tend to have 45 percent higher revenue,” Lee says. “While most individual agencies pay $888 in dues each year, we’ve calculated that they receive about $200,000 in member benefits.”

Educational opportunities are another important benefit of membership. For example, HCAOA hosts the National Home Care Conference each year, “a great opportunity for educational sessions on things like AI, scheduling, how to support your caregivers. That conference really encapsulates a lot of the value [from HCAOA membership]. You’re getting the education; you’re getting the networking.” This year’s conference took place in October, in Seattle/Bellevue, Washington.

In addition to the national conference, the association has state chapters that convene regularly. “We are set to launch digital communities for each state in 2025 so our members can connect and collaborate on advocacy, business, operations, or any topic with ease year-round. We are always looking for ways to better support our members and believe this will be a great addition to an already robust list of member benefits,” says Lee. “In our state chapters, our members can coordinate on the local level about issues that impact their businesses, such as regulatory requirements and operational resources. A number of them have in-person conferences, pretty much all of them have virtual meetings, and so, again, it’s an opportunity to connect with your peers, learn from each other, hear from regulators and other key speakers, and to learn from those moments.”

Currently, a key federal issue the industry is tackling is the Medicaid Access Rule. “As you can tell from the name, the goal is to create more access to care,” Lee says. The rule’s 80/20 provision requires 80 percent of Medicaid payments to be used for wages and no more than 20 percent for administrative costs. “It’s one of those things on paper that sounds great, but [is] challenging when you get into the details,” Lee shares. “There are few states, if any, that can withstand that kind of ratio. When you talk about 20 percent for administrative costs, that includes training, background checks, all of your retention elements,” he explains. “All that would be thrown into the 20 percent, and that’s not much to work with. So our concern is, one, it could potentially put agencies out of business; or two, to stay in business [agencies will] pull away from the rural areas, underserved communities, and focus more on the large cities. We’ve heard that from our members, and clearly that’s the opposite of what you want to see happen.”

HCAOA is taking an active approach to remedy the situation. “We’ve been working with CMS,” Lee says. The association is also working with other entities within the sector. “We’re going to have ongoing conversations. They understand the challenges. At the same time, you can understand that they’re not prepared to roll back the provision themselves at this point, but they are listening. They want to know what the impact is on the state level.”

The association stands behind some of the provisions of the rule. “There are other parts of the Medicaid Access Rule that we support,” he affirms. “Quality measure sets, things like that, that are important and would be new, but we think this 80/20 provision would undercut that. So, there’s a bill on the House side that would remove the 80/20 provision and the other provisions that we think are good would remain intact. We continue to provide advocacy in that regard.”

The association has enjoyed success at the state level recently. “Our state chapters have led the efforts for increases in Medicaid rates in Georgia, Washington, and West Virginia, which are long overdue,” says Lee. “We’ve seen that lag behind inflation for so long. We hope other states will follow suit.”

The association supports Connecticut’s and Maine’s efforts “to set industry standards for a license to help improve delivery of in-home care to clients. One place where we’re providing education and, to a certain degree, opposition, is a domestic worker bill in New Jersey, as well as a separate bill which has a lot of auditing requirements.” HCAOA is working to prevent any unintended negative consequences of the bill that might occur. “We’re having different conversations. We’re meeting with, for instance, the Executive Director of Legal and Regulatory Services at the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development as well as the Acting Director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs—again, providing education and trying to explain, ‘here are the potential negative impacts that might occur in the homecare industry if you were to impose this,’” Lee explains.

The association is eager to get members’ feedback in order to promote solutions and secure the future they envision. “We are listening,” Lee asserts, and a recent industry survey is helping HCAOA understand how to best represent members moving forward. “We’re trying to do outreach to make sure what we present resonates with our membership, and I’m always keeping an open ear and an open door for our members to make sure that they feel they can reach out to me and provide feedback and let us know [what] is really helpful.”

One issue about which members express concern when considering the future is the workforce shortage. “Our hope is that we can build out a robust workforce within the industry,” says Lee.

A promising area to watch is how the industry will leverage technology. In the future, “There are so many things that can be done with technology to make [life] easier for our members, the caregivers who work for them, the families we serve.” Take AI, for instance. “There are ways—even if somebody’s not in the home—to track if a family member has fallen. Technology can provide an alert.”

In addition to keeping people safer, AI could provide people with company. “We talk to Alexa and whatnot,” he points out. “You could easily see AI being part of the companionship element to provide an additional touch point with those in need, clients who may want some more interaction. You can’t replace an in-person interaction, but you could see how AI could complement that and give them another avenue of communication,” he explains.

“There are a lot of things coming down the pipeline that are incredibly exciting and will really make the industry vibrant,” he summarizes, “and so, with HCAOA, we want to promote that and find solutions as much as possible.”

From providing community, to advocating for the industry, to leveraging future technologies, the association is committed to representing its members and building a better home care sector both today and into the future.

The post The Voice of the Industry<p class="company">Home Care Association of America</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Named for Eos, the “rosy-fingered” Greco-Roman deity and the personification of the dawn, Eos Lightmedia harnesses the power of light to help its clients “step into a new dawn.” Positioned as a premium brand, it continues to push the boundaries of design with light and sound to create architectural spectacles that elevate spaces, places, and experiences that leave a lasting impact.

Power of light
Where this story begins is with the acknowledgement that vision is the first point of experience. By leveraging the latest in interactive lighting, audiovisual, and systems controls, as well as the creative drive of the talent within its ranks, Eos Lightmedia helps its clients and their end users test the limits of their imaginations.

As Founder and Principal Designer Douglas Welch notes, “We actually named the firm Lightmedia because we recognized at the time that the future of the industry was this convergence of technologies of lighting, theatrical lighting, architectural lighting, audiovisual systems, big digital screens—that the technologies were going to cross over and although we couldn’t see into the future, we tried to anticipate it.”

The company evolved out of the recognition that the procurement and integration of lighting systems was an industry challenge rather than a niche specialty, and as such, the company identified ways to expand its offerings and capabilities to meet the industry’s needs. Building on its experience in lighting design for museums and themed attractions, the firm dedicated itself to the supply, integration, and maintenance of these advanced lighting and audiovisual systems to become a full-service design-builder and design-integrator of lighting controls and automation, audiovisual systems, custom interactive software applications, lighting programming services, remote management, technical support, and lifecycle planning.

As Director of Strategy Shireen Khimani explains, “We want to make sure that we’re being good stewards for their spaces in the realm of technology,” a sentiment that was reiterated by Director of Special Projects Scott Hendrickson who notes, “We’ve taken that sense of building something that can last to all aspects of technology.”

This level of specialization is what truly elevates Eos Lightmedia’s offering, and the timing of its launch also coincided with an important paradigmatic shift that was taking place in the industry at the time. Hendrickson, who joined the firm just over a decade ago as a lighting designer and programmer, draws attention to the fact that at that time, “It was this excellent time where lighting started to become computer-driven. With the advent of LED technology, the relationship between lighting and audiovisual systems started to become closer and closer.”

Layering experiences
This technological evolution enabled Eos Lightmedia to expand its value proposition for clients by creating layered experiences, augmented reality, and projection mapping, allowing the team to undertake larger projects with a more challenging scope, including more immersive themed projects.

“If you want to draw someone into a museum experience, you need to be at the same level as the rest of the competition. We incorporate the way creative technology is integrated in marquee themed attractions, like theme parks, and use it to create impactful immersive experiences at any scale, in many different environments,” Hendrickson explains. “So, designing real interactive elements where folks can be a part of the experience.”

Clients are thus able to see beyond their visions to more innovative, interactive spaces and experiences. From Hendrickson’s perspective, this enables them to “paint with a bigger canvas. You can try something that’s never been done before because that’s mostly what we do: things that have never been done before. And it does give people the confidence to dream a little bit bigger.”

Artistry illuminated
There exists an insatiable curiosity at Eos Lightmedia that fosters innovation, evident in the company’s efforts to create “new ways of interacting with light and technology.” As Hendrickson explains, “There’s an investment at the firm level to celebrate innovation, and that’s something I don’t think that a lot of firms have.”

With its head office in Vancouver and integration facility in Orlando, where the team supports customization, rack building, testing, and assembly activities, the company’s reach is as expansive as its impact. It supports these ends by investing heavily in research and development, software development, and control systems design, as well as modelling technologies like BIM, Revit, pre-visualization, and rendering to become a single source for its clients’ needs.

This understanding that extends beyond its specialty to include the construction aspect of projects has made Eos Lightmedia invaluable in the market and has catalyzed its growth and its ability to undertake landmark projects around the world.

“We bring a very personal touch to every project. If a project needs help, we will fly out there to ensure that quality is met and managed,” says Hendrickson. From projects for the Smithsonian and the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame to the Wanuskewin Heritage Park in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Eos Lightmedia is proud of what it has done for clients around the world.

Sharing stories
Among the notable projects in Eos Lightmedia’s portfolio are projects for Indigenous communities across Canada and the United States, where the storytelling dynamic becomes very rewarding for the firm. “It’s an important story that we have the opportunity to help tell. It’s helping amplify communities and voices that have been historically under- and misrepresented that makes these projects special—helping communities have voices and shedding light on histories and cultures that had previously been shadowed in the museum and cultural sector,” says Hendrickson.

Projects of this calibre are possible because of the expertise, collaboration, and passion of the team at Eos Lightmedia, whom Welch credits for much of the firm’s growth. “The enthusiasm for the work that we do is also the catalyst for growth, and I would like to think that our clients pick up on that and respond to it.”

Adds Hendrickson, “I think we have a high quality of touch. We have a lot of passion. We have a lot of internal training, and we are blessed with a lot of employee retention,” a consequence of the culture that has been fostered at Eos Lightmedia, which extends from its own people to its clients and end users.

For him, the most important thing is that, “whether that’s the end user who gets to go to a museum and be inspired by the work that we’ve done, or whether that’s a client who gets to go home happy at the end of the day that their stuff was delivered on time, or whether it’s building sustainable, manageable careers,” Eos Lightmedia is up for the challenge.

Acknowledging that this rewarding work is incredibly challenging, the goal moving forward will be to continue to push the envelope and to create the most immersive experiences in themed entertainment. This approach will see the firm continue to invest in its people and its capabilities and stay at the leading edge of technological changes—even those that move at the speed of light.

The post Where Extraordinary Innovation Shines Bright<p class="company">Eos Lightmedia</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Catalyst provides crews and pumps for energy companies in the Permian Basin, a region straddling southeast New Mexico and West Texas that contains abundant oil and natural gas deposits. The firm has also been thinking about expanding into new locales as it tweaks its flagship product.

For the second-generation Vortex Prime, the company has “enhanced and optimized certain aspects of the technology. We were really proud of what we made, and we’re continuing to support that technology, but we saw the opportunity to improve on certain aspects of it. That’s probably been the biggest technological change at Catalyst in the last ten months or so,” explains Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Seth Moore.

Vortex Prime is used for hydraulic fracturing—fracking—a method of breaking up underground rock formations through high-pressure blasts of sand, water, and/or chemicals that are pumped down a wellbore. Once the rock has been penetrated, underlying natural gas and oil deposits are extracted. While fracking is not new, Vortex Prime, launched in 2022, was the industry’s first pumping system to feature direct-drive turbine technology. Pumps on the solution are fitted to military-grade turbines that are powered by natural gas.

The self-contained system offers up to 15,000 pounds per square inch of pressure and 25 barrels per minute per pump unit, depending on configuration. It produces 40 percent fewer emissions than traditional fracking fleets.

Vortex Prime also offers a speedy set-up time of two days, rather than four days for a standard fleet, and fewer cycles, which means less fuel consumption, less manpower, and fewer trips to and from the worksite. The system requires six to eight pumps as compared to 20 on a conventional fleet, reducing space requirements by over 50 percent. And its compact size means it can be used in tight quarters that conventional fleets cannot access.

The new, improved version, which will be released shortly, is also more reliable and safer than its predecessor, according to Moore. “We were able to upgrade some of the components [to have] more reliability under harsh working conditions,” he says. “We don’t always operate in the most pristine environments; the roads we travel aren’t always the smoothest, so having components that live up to the demands we put them through is really important.”

Vortex Prime has always been a safe system, but “a lot of the components have been configured in such a way to [ensure an even] higher degree of user safety,” adds Moore.

The company still manufactures the Vortex Prime system pump in Odessa and emphasizes rentals over sales. “We build it in-house. We feel we can build the quality in. We can control the build process better that way. We have a team of dedicated manufacturing professionals, most of [whom] worked in the field and have run the equipment,” he says. The company worries that quality might diminish if it handed over production to an outside firm.

As a pay-for-service business, Catalyst contracts its equipment and personnel to energy companies for fracking assignments. Its crews travel to the customer’s site, set up the Vortex Prime or another system—the company also has traditional diesel and dual fuel pumps on hand—and assist with hydraulic fracturing work. Catalyst has an ongoing partnership with GD Energy Products (GDEP), a firm that has been involved in the oil and gas equipment business since the Victorian era. The Vortex Prime system is currently fitted with a Thunder 5000 pump from GDEP, with 5,000 referring to the maximum horsepower of which the unit is capable.

“We continue to partner with them; it’s been a good partnership,” says Moore. “There are other players now that have technology that probably could compete with the Thunder 5000, where that wasn’t the case several years ago… but I still think we have the highest horsepower density of any technology available as far as horsepower per square foot of space.”

At the time we last spoke, Catalyst was entirely focused on the Permian Basin. While the region still offers an enormous amount of work for hydraulic fracturing firms and industry service providers, the company has broadened its horizons. “There’s been so much interest in what we’re doing outside the Permian Basin,” Moore says. “There are discussions about providing our service in other oil and gas basins [with clients] who see the value in what Vortex Prime brings to the table.”

More evaluation needs to be done, but Catalyst is at least pondering the possibility of opening new branches outside the Permian Basin. “If we go to the Northeast, we would have a branch somewhere in that area. If we go to the Rockies or outside the U.S., we would need a place” to establish operations, he explains.

Certainly, Catalyst has faced some major challenges recently due to developments in the natural gas and oil sector. “The market has really been saturated with excess capacity in the last 12 months,” Moore explains. This excessive capacity has meant less work for the company. Corporate consolidation within the Permian Basin has led to downsized fleets which has hurt it too. And the company is faced with another, rather unique problem: “We’re a victim of our own success. We’re much more efficient today than we were a year ago, from a pumping perspective and a pumping hours per month perspective. So, it’s taking fewer fleets to do the same amount of work that it took a year or two ago,” he says.

The number of personnel at Catalyst has fluctuated since the previous profile when the company had 185 employees. It currently has “close to 140 employees,” and is hiring again, Moore says. There are some job-specific positions, but in general the company looks for new hires with a good work history, a continuous improvement mindset, and a collaborative spirit. “I tell everybody, frac is a team sport. It requires all departments, everybody working seamlessly in order to meet the efficiency demands that are required,” he explains. Catalyst has no intention of sitting on its laurels, as evidenced by moving ahead with enhancing its already impressive Vortex Prime solution.

Unsurprisingly, Catalyst cites innovation as a key company value. Other values prized by this team are integrity, respect, creativity, accountability, safety, communication, competition, and partnership. Keeping abreast of industry trends is also imperative, which is why Catalyst is paying close attention to the emerging trends known as simul-frac and e-frac. In a simul-frac process, two horizontal wells are utilized concurrently to enable simultaneous fracking.

“Simul-frac is continuing to grow… There are some efficiencies with simul-frac, where you’re fracking two wells at the same time. It requires fewer people and accomplishes more in the same amount of time,” states Moore.

E-frac refers to a pumping process that relies on electricity, not diesel or gas. While e-frac fleets produce fewer emissions and use less fuel than their conventional counterparts, they require onsite electrical generators to meet their high energy needs. Since it is a direct-drive system powered by natural gas-fed turbines, Vortex Prime does not require standalone electrical generators, switch gears, variable frequency drives, or similar components.

Vortex Prime is less complex, with fewer moving parts and more robust components than an e-frac fleet. Many e-frac components were designed for use in static sub-stations, not portable pumping systems that have to be transported on rough roads, Moore points out. As a result, “componentry life is greatly reduced, which drives a big operating expense for e-fleets that we don’t have. I think e-frac has its place,” he adds. “When it can tie into a micro-grid and get power, I think it makes sense, but when you have to generate your electricity onsite, and you have to move a generator set and all that associated componentry, it doesn’t make sense from a cost perspective or an efficiency perspective.”

Going forward, the company has to decide whether to expand its reach beyond the Permian Basin, the region where the company has earned its reputation. Regardless of how that decision plays out, Moore says that Catalyst will “continue to be an innovator, continue to offer world-class service, and continue to be viewed at the forefront of delivering the most efficient technology from an emissions, safety, and fuel savings perspective.”

The post A Texas Firm Enhances its Pioneering Pump<p class="company">Catalyst Energy Services </p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Back in the day, offices were far from portable, with workers using IBM Selectric Typewriters weighing in at almost 40 pounds, massive fax machines, and desktop computers with monitors the size of an old television. In a short time, open-plan workers began complaining about distractions and too much noise. Even making phone calls proved problematic, with staff having to find quiet places free from interruption.

Technology changed what a workspace could be. Typewriters gave way to lightweight laptops and tablets, desktop telephones were replaced by Smartphones and headsets, and fax machines became largely obsolete. And yet many office spaces remained unchanged for years—until COVID-19 struck and we learned how to make a workspace at home.

Once the pandemic was over, many businesses expected stay-at-home workers to flock back to their desk jobs. But after years of working from the comfort of their homes, many refused, and millions of square feet of space in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, and other major centers remain unoccupied. For companies locked into long-term leases, the situation became dire.

Sensible solutions
Serendipitously created in 2018 by co-founders Morten Meisner-Jensen and Brian Chen, New York City-based ROOM started with a single product, the Phone Booth.

Described by the company as “a personal space for solo phone calls, virtual meetings, and focused work,” the stylish Phone Booth has a small desk and allows occupants to work in an environment free from distractions and noise. No one knew at the time how much the pandemic would change how the world works, or the many benefits of ROOM’s Phone Booth and other products to follow.

Meisner-Jensen and Chen were looking at addressing modern workspace challenges: too little privacy and excessive sound in open offices. “70 percent of U.S. companies have migrated into open-plan seating or open-plan workspaces, and everybody was having challenges with too much noise and lack of privacy,” says Meisner-Jensen. As it turned out, ROOM’s unique Phone Booth was just the beginning of helping to solve multiple open-office issues.

Soon after launching ROOM and winning their first clients, Chen and Meisner-Jensen realized that excessive noise and lack of privacy in the office were symptoms of a far greater problem: building workspaces. Creating permanent offices is inflexible, as business needs keep evolving while fixed construction doesn’t.

“With customers coming to us, we quickly saw they were occupying spaces that no longer fit their needs, but they were locked into them because fixed construction is expensive, slow, and very disruptive to the work environment,” says Meisner-Jensen. “It requires moving people out, fixing up the space, and moving them back in again, which means most companies stay in their interior environments until they decide to leave that space and go into another one.”

Changing needs
COVID-19 changed everything, from how we interact with one another to how we shop, order food, and where and how we spend our 9 to 5 lives. Many of us still work from home at least a few days a week, and for commercial real estate owners, this has proven to be an enormous hurdle. With fewer employees coming in, many companies now need less space, not more, and this has forced building owners to re-think leasing terms.

From a business perspective, the demand for short-term leases in commercial real estate has been increasing rapidly over the last five to 10 years. Post-COVID, that demand sped up even more. “Most companies don’t even know what their space is going to look like two years from now, let alone five or 10,” comments Meisner-Jensen. This has created a situation where renters want more flexible terms before committing to office space. It has also put pressure on commercial real estate owners for tenants requesting build-outs—the landlord can’t invest thousands of dollars if the next tenant will only be there a year or two. Landlords also must hedge their bets on not only what the next tenant needs, but what the next five or six tenants will expect, since all requirements are different.

“Modular architecture allows landlords to build with modularity and flexibility in mind so they can keep reconfiguring the space between tenants, and landlords can offer the market more competitive short-term leases instead of traditional five- to 10-year leases,” Meisner-Jensen explains.

The real need, and the real answer
When ROOM introduced the Phone Booth, the intent was to solve issues of noise and lack of privacy. The company soon realized that its innovative product was addressing a multitude of problems, including the cost and inconvenience of building workspaces on-site, and the multiple tradespeople needed, including carpenters, electricians, drywallers, and painters.

Creating actual offices is expensive, time-consuming, inflexible to change, requires building materials, and is not environmentally sustainable. Instead of disrupting workers for weeks while an office is being built, ROOM’s products are shipped flat and ready to go. Assembling a Phone Booth takes under an hour, while small, medium, or large meeting rooms require just a few hours, with minimal disruption.

Modular architecture is now a viable, affordable, and efficient alternative to interior construction. Best of all, modular construction, unlike fixed construction, is flexible to change with the needs of the tenants. These considerations are just what building owners and landlords need right now to attract tenants.

“If the last five years of global pandemic, supply chain crisis, and financial instability has shown us anything, it is that it’s incredibly difficult to predict the future,” says Meisner-Jensen. “We need to design for the multiple different futures that can unfold, and that is essentially what modular architecture allows. That is what our products allow you to do as a business. It allows you to build for something today, but so you can adapt to future needs, because we effectively don’t know what those will be.”

The old days of long-term leases are fast disappearing, and worker expectations have permanently changed. If businesses want to stay in business, they need to adapt.

“If you are truly trying to attract the right talent and build dynamic workspaces where people want to come in, you need to build a multitude of different work environments,” adds Meisner-Jensen.

Smart and sustainable
Along with the Phone Booth, ROOM’s offerings include larger products such as the Focus Room, Meeting Room, and Open Meeting Room. As well as being soundproof, these well-planned spaces can be outfitted with 180-degree cameras for seamless video conferencing.

Like regular offices, everything is thought out, from HVAC to lighting, temperature, layout, colors, textures, and more to ensure optimal use of space and comfort. All soundproofing material is derived from recycled plastic bottles. “For every single Phone Booth we sell, we recycle more than a thousand plastic bottles,” says Meisner-Jensen.

ROOM’s meeting rooms are designed for ready-to-use, out-of-the-box functionality. This includes lighting, sound for different use cases—including readings, meetings, or presentations—distance to the screen, and placement of speakers and microphones. Wires are designed to be hidden, yet accessible. “Everything is designed with intention and purpose,” says Meisner-Jensen.

Since ROOM’s products are prefabricated, they are designed and manufactured with purpose for the optimal user experience. Instead of simply creating a basic box, ROOM works with an interior designer, product designers, engineers, acoustics experts, and specialists in airflow and ventilation. In contrast, businesses making a conventional office space from scratch are unlikely to put so much attention into every detail.

ROOM’s products last more than 20 years—far longer than the average lease—and can be reconfigured repeatedly on the same floor plan. Best of all, they are manufactured to be easily disassembled and reassembled elsewhere, so there is flexibility within existing floor plans and future offices. Since they are factory-made, there is none of the waste that comes from using materials like wood.

“Modular construction is affordable to buy, fast to deploy, and flexible to change over time,” Meisner-Jensen says. “Traditional construction involves an architect or designer coming in and trying to figure out what companies need for the next 10 to 20 years; modular construction allows you to come in and ask what’s right for the company now, and keep changing with the needs of the occupants.”

From a sustainability perspective, modular outshines permanent construction. Drywall is made to last 50 to 70 years, but in the U.S., it is torn down on average every five to seven years. Being non-recyclable, millions of tons are hauled to landfill every year. Since ROOM’s architecture is built not only to last but to be reconfigurable, customers can avoid the multiple cycles of demolition where drywall ends up in a landfill. This is more economical for the business and more sustainable for the planet.

“That was one of the things that got us excited early on about this concept,” adds Meisner-Jensen. “Not only were we able to improve workspaces and give companies more flexibility; we were also capable of actually doing something that had a positive impact on the planet.”

Here, there, and everywhere
In just a few years, ROOM has earned the trust of—and business from—A-to-Z clients of all sizes, including Adidas, Airbnb, Apple, Disney, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, The New York Times, META, Microsoft, NASA, Pepsi, Samsung, Starbucks, Uber, Wayfair, WeWork, and Zoom, to name a few.

These businesses, and many others, view ROOM products from a practical and sustainability perspective. Choosing sustainable is usually more expensive, and businesses pay a premium. The reality, however, is that ROOM’s products are more affordable than traditional construction.

Conventional construction needs a contractor coming in, taking measurements, and bringing in materials and trades. The cost of building a phone booth in New York City is easily $15,000 to $20,000; a ROOM Phone Booth is $6,000. “So there is a very interesting aspect here where, for once, the more sustainable alternative is also the more economical alternative. And you can take the Phone Booth with you when you move.”

Sustainability, lack of office disruption, lower cost, ease and speed of assembly, longevity, and the ability to change or take your soundproof space with you are just a few reasons customers are choosing ROOM.

“The reason we became popular is because we solved a massive problem for companies,” says Meisner-Jensen. “Everybody had migrated into open offices. There’s no good way—in a Day Two setting after move-in—to apply traditional construction because it’s very disruptive to the existing work environment. For the most part, these companies are relying on using their workspaces every single day. So to vacate the premises and come in and rebuild something is highly distracting, and most people end up not doing it. We come in at 9 a.m. and you can have your first meeting at noon. It’s a seamless experience.”

The post Transforming the Bricks and Mortar of Business<p class="company">ROOM</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.