arcade et action - Allied Properties REIT

PRINTEMPS 2011
Le magazine des locataires du Fonds de placement immobilier Allied Properties
QUÉBEC CITY • MONTRÉAL • TORONTO • WINNIPEG • KITCHENER • CALGARY • VANCOUVER • VICTORIA
14
ARCADE
ET ACTION
Le Studio Berzerk : un loft qui déborde
d’idées de jeux électroniques
10
Aerokom: Spécialistes du
marketing dans l’aérospatiale
16
Shelly Purdy:
Toronto
designer
starts with
a ring
20
Yuzu à Québec
s’aggrandit
PLUS
Ubisoft Vancouver • Silver
Jeans Co. • Garderie à la
Cité Multimédia
MONTRÉAL
CITÉ
MULTIMÉDIA
:
ouverture d’une garderie dès cet été.
Avec l’arrivée des beaux jours, les parents
qui travaillent à la Cité Multimédia
auront aussi le plaisir d’accueillir une
garderie pour leurs enfants. Géré
par Kids & Company, fournisseur de
services de garderie comptant plus de
30 centres au Canada (Ontario, Québec,
Nouvelle-Écosse, Alberta et C.-B.),
l’établissement offrira de grandes salles
de jeux lumineuses et remplies
d’équipements pour tous les âges. Les enfants seront encadrés par
des professionnels de la petite enfance qualifiés.
L’espace intérieur a été conçu pour favoriser l’apprentissage de la
langue, des bases de lecture, des arts, de la musique, des mouvements
et de la socialisation. Le site bénéficie également, comme tous les
centres gérés par Kids & Company, d’un terrain de jeux extérieur.
LA GARDE DES ENFANTS : UN IMPORTANT FACTEUR DE STRESS
Les problèmes de garde d’enfants sont un des premiers facteurs de
stress de la vie moderne.
C’est pourquoi certaines entreprises comme CIBC, CBC, Deloitte,
l’Université McGill, Telus et RBC se sont alliées à Kids & Company.
Celle-ci offre aux employés la garantie d’une place de garderie dans
les six mois qui suivent l’inscription de l’enfant et ne facture pas de
frais supplémentaires en cas de retard des parents en fin de journée.
C’est ce que la fondatrice du groupe Victoria Sopik appelle « les
soins familiaux flexibles ».
LA GARDERIE DE DÉPANNAGE Autre atout : en cas d’imprévu,
Kids & Company propose une garderie de dépannage à laquelle les
parents ont accès quand ils veulent.
« Nous offrons aux parents la tranquillité d’esprit de savoir qu’ils
sont à l’abri de tout problème si leur gardienne est malade ou si
leur organisation habituelle fait défaut », explique Victoria
Sopik, également mère de huit enfants. Ce programme
est également très apprécié par les parents d’enfants
d’âge scolaire les jours de perfectionnement
personnel des enseignants ou durant les vacances.
Le centre , qui sera situé au 111 rue
Duke, est le deuxième à Montréal. Il
comptera 60 places pour des enfants
âgés de la naissance à l2 ans. Le
premier centre a ouvert ses portes en
2008 et se trouve au 1100 boulevard
René Lévesque Ouest.
Pour en savoir plus, veuillez
consulter le site à l’adresse
www.kidsandcompany.ca ou
communiquer avec Debbie au
514-876-0009.
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 2
Cité Multimédia child care facility
scheduled for summer opening
Just in time for the warm weather, parents working at
the Cité Multimédia will be able to sign up their young
ones for a spot at the child care opening this Summer
at 111 Duke Street.
Operated by Kids & Company, a national daycare firm
with more than 30 centres across Canada (in Ontario,
Quebec, Nova Scotia, Alberta and B.C.), the new location
will feature large, bright, cheerful playrooms filled with
age-appropriate equipment and materials and staffed
by ECE and ECA-qualified teachers.
Also part of its offering is the company’s back-up
child care program where parents can access last minute
care for their child whenever they need it.
The 111 Duke Street site will be Kids & Company’s
second Montreal location, and will have spaces for as
many as 60 children from infant up to 12 years.
Above: A typical Kids & Company play area.
Allied Properties REIT Vancouver Acquisition
Adds a Third Ubisoft Studio to National Portfolio
Vancouver
• Cambie St. in Vancouver
• 100 employees
• Worked on Pure Futbol and
Academy of Champions.
Quebec City
Montreal
• Boul. Charest Est in Québec City
• 300 employees
• Worked on Prince of Persia, Battle of Giants and
collaborated on Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
TORONTO / - With the recent acquisition of its first Vancouver building,
Allied Properties REIT is now housing three of gaming giant Ubisoft’s
four Canadian studios. Until the announcement last summer that Toronto
had attracted a fourth Ubisoft studio, Canada only had three of the video
game developer’s 24 in-house production locations.
Founded in the mid-’80s by five French brothers, Ubisoft is now one
of the largest entertainment software developers and publishers in the
world with annual revenues of close to a billion euros. It has the second
largest development force in the world, employing some 6,400 people,
about 5,350 of whom are dedicated to production.
Rather than outsource and create partnerships with smaller existing
firms, which is a more common approach, Ubisoft bet on the use of
internal development from the start. With major studios in Romania,
China and Canada, and smaller ones in 13 other countries, each team
works to develop specific projects in their entirety, cranking out between
three to four titles a year each.
The Montreal studio was Ubisoft’s first in Canada and the abundance
of talent and technical know-how saw it yield one the company’s
top-selling games of all time: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, which sold
some 22 million units.
The 2,000 employees who work out of the Montreal space now make
it one of the largest single development studios in the world, producing
top titles like the Prince of Persia and Assassin’s Creed franchises.
The second largest Ubisoft studio in the world is in Quebec City.
Its 300 employees put out around two to four projects a year and have
worked on Prince of Persia, Battle of Giants and collaborated on Assassin’s
Creed Brotherhood with Montreal, Singapore and Annecy (France).
As for Vancouver, its 100 employees have laid claim to successes such
as Pure Futbol and Academy of Champions.
• Boul. Saint-Laurent in Montreal
• 2000 employees
• Works on Prince of Persia and
Assassin’s Creed franchises
Un troisième studio Ubisoft s’ajoute
au portefeuille d’Allied
TORONTO / - Grâce à l’acquisition de son premier édifice à
Vancouver, Allied Properties REIT abrite maintenant trois
des quatre studios canadiens de Ubisoft, le géant du jeu
électronique. Jusqu’à l’été dernier lorsque Ubisoft a
annoncé que Toronto allait accueillir son quatrième studio
canadien, le Canada ne comptait que trois des 24 studios
de production interne du concepteur de jeux vidéo.
Le studio de Montréal est le premier de Ubisoft à
s’être implanté au Canada et grâce à ses prodigieuses
compétences et à son savoir-faire technique, il est à
l’origine d’un des jeux Ubisoft les plus populaires de
tous les temps : Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, vendu à
quelque 22 millions d’unités.
Les 2 000 employés des bureaux de Montréal font de
ce studio de développement un des plus grands du monde,
produisant des titres comme Prince of Persia et Assassin’s
Creed. Le deuxième studio de Ubisoft par la taille est
installé à Québec. Ses 300 employés réalisent deux à
quatre projets par an et ont participé à la création de
Prince of Persia et Battle of Giants. Ils ont aussi travaillé
à la conception d’Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood en
collaboration avec Montréal, Singapour et Annecy (France).
Quant aux 100 personnes de Vancouver, elles
sont une partie du succès de Pure Futbol et Academy
of Champions.
ubi.com
3 • SPRING 2011
[RETAIL]
THE COFFEE LAB
With a selection based on bean growing seasons and weekly roasting sessions,
Toronto’s Sense Appeal brings some truly fresh brew to King West Central.
By Yvan Marston
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 4
“
“The process of roasting
is based in science. It’s a
matter of controlling and
manipulating variables.”
– Peter Adamo
When it opened in November, Sense Appeal, a partnership
between Adamo and Robert Rota, saw line ups thanks to a
successful social media campaign and free coffee giveaways.
This early February morning also proves busy because
Sense Appeal’s Facebook page has just hit a milestone of 300
likes. At every 100, on its way to reaching “a bajillion,” the
500-square-foot shop lodged in what was formerly a barber
shop gives away free americanos all day. But what’s interesting
about this free coffee is that it is good. Really good.
COFFEE BY TERROIR Two and half years ago, Adamo was a
sommelier at Hockley Valley Resort north of Toronto when
the chef asked him to pair the right coffee with a dessert.
“I really had no idea about coffee, so I contacted the
Green Beanery [one of the largest coffee and coffee equipment retailers in Canada] to learn more,” says Adamo, in a
baritone you’d expect from his tall and lanky frame. He
began learning about the growing regions and bean styles
and how geography, geology and climate all come to bear
on this, the world’s second most traded commodity.
“Wine is an agricultural product defined by its terroir,
so maybe I can apply some of my understanding of this
to coffee,” reasoned Adamo. He travelled to Central and
South America as well Australia. He learned about the
varietals farmers were planting based on soil types and
built a network of independent growers.
Much like a market fresh menu, the great white sheets
hanging from the 19-foot ceilings at Sense Appeal change
as different bean types become available. Fresh beans can
be warehoused for five months at the most but once they
are roasted, they come straight to the “lab” and form the
week’s selection.
“Flavours take time to develop usually over the course of
a week depending on the way the coffee was processed,” says
Adamo who typically roasts several varieties off site every
week. Sense Appeal actually began as a commercial supplier
of high quality roasted coffee, supplying many of the city’s
five-star establishments.
SCIENCE OF THE ROAST Adamo began roasting over a year
ago. Properly obsessed with trying to perfect his home roasting
technique, he was in traffic one day when he spotted a
flatbed truck carrying a Diedrich IR12, a refrigerator-sized
commercial roaster. He decided to follow it and when he
connected with the owner, a deal was struck and Adamo set
about learning the intricacies of commercial roasting.
“The process of roasting is based in science. It’s a matter
of controlling and manipulating variables,” explains Adamo
who contacted a geneticist friend for tips and even sourced
a research paper on volatilities in coffee roasting.
Months of trial and error, and careful documentation
using scientific methodology (hence the periodic table
inspired coffee names and packaging), led to a handful
of reliable roast profiles that would form the CS, B, HN
and S beans.
As for the space itself, the millwork is finished with
roughhewn, 100-year-old Ontario barnwood, and the tall
ceiling and expansive windows keep the bar area from
feeling too compact. Indeed, it’s a great place for cupping a
quick shot of espresso, but any lingering is best done in the
lobby space of 96 Spadina where the café also has several
tables and chairs spread over two levels.
senseappeal.com
For every 100 new likes on Sense Appeal’s Facebook page, the
500-square-foot shop lodged in what was formerly a barber shop
gives away free americanos all day.
5 • SPRING 2011
TORONTO
KING WEST CENTRAL, TORONTO / - Coffee geeks
rejoice: you have a new king. Peter Adamo has taken his
sommelier’s palette and keen interest in the science of
roasting coffee beans to build his very own “lab.” Some,
however, might know it simply as Sense Appeal. It’s an airy
corner of 96 Spadina’s lobby manned by enthusiastic baristas
happily steaming and pressing brews (no drip coffee here)
for a public that extends well beyond the building tenants.
[FASHION]
COMPLETE COLLECTION
Having covered bottoms, Silver Jeans Co. opens a Montreal design studio
to focus exclusively on men’s and women’s tops.
By Yvan Marston
AVE DU PARC, MONTREAL / - There are
boxes stacked three high and racks of women’s
and men’s tops lined up in front of the 10-foothigh factory windows in the loft space this team
of six has easily outgrown.
Giovanna De Capua sits partially obscured
behind a rolling rack of samples destined for a
trade show in Las Vegas next week. She is on the
phone, patiently scheduling time for her Internet
provider to set up the network in the new space
at 6300 Parc Ave that she and her designers will
move into next week.
Growth has been brisk for this Silver Jeans Co.
design office that was established in Montreal
only two years ago as part of Winnipeg-based
Silver Jeans Co. plan to expand its offerings from
mid luxury jeans to a more complete collection
that includes tops.
“The Schmata industry is really big in
Montreal, this is where you are going to get the
talent,” says De Capua, who in the last 15 years
has worked for a number of other brands,
including Dex, Groggy and Jack & Jones.
In April of 2009, De Capua was approached
by Silver Jeans Co. president Michael Silver to
manage the design studio for the company’s tops.
CHANGING MARKET Recognized as an innovator,
Silver and design director Allan Kemp established
the Silver Jeans Co brand in 1991 with the release
of a unisex pant with a 24" leg opening called
the “Big Guy”.
That was in the early 1990s, when Levis’
dominance over the jeans market began to
wane as designer brands such as Parasuco and
Hollywood Jeans gained a foothold. Ringing
in at the $100 price point, Silver Jeans came to
be known as a reliable mid-luxury brand and a
favourite among women for its attention to fit.
The vast sourcing capabilities of Silver Jeans
Co.’s parent company Western Glove Works
allows the brand to offer premium European
denims milled specifically for the brand, such as
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 6
marketed in the 1970s when a Cartersville,
Georgia, jeans salesman named Hal Burgess
had a flood in the hotel room where he was
storing his jeans.
He rented the hotel pool for the day to wash
the flooded jeans and when they shrunk, Hal
decided to market them as ’pre-washed’
jeans, selling them two sizes smaller than
they were initially labeled.
Le studio montréalais de
Silver Jeans Co., se consacre
exclusivement à la création de
hauts masculins et féminins
AV. DU PARC, MONTRÉAL / - Il y a deux ans, Silver Jeans
Co., société de jeans basée à Winnipeg, a ouvert un studio
à Montréal dans l’idée d’élargir sa collection. En plus de
ses jeans de catégorie « luxe intermédiaire », elle souhaitait
proposer une gamme de vêtements plus complète, comprenant notamment des hauts. Ces deux premières années
ont été marquées par une croissance très rapide.
Italian Candiani or Australian Brad Mills, at an extremely
competitive price point. And that has made Silver Jeans a
favorite among North American retailers like Nordstrom,
Macy’s, The Buckle and over 500 specialty stores nationwide.
« À Montréal, l’industrie du vêtement est très importante
et c’est un puits de talent », explique Giovanna De Capua,
qui ces 15 dernières années a travaillé pour différentes
marques – Dex, Groggy et Jack & Jones.
TOP CHALLENGE Silver’s demographic tends towards
young adults and it seeks to provide a more complete
collection by designing tops. But tops are difficult,
explains De Capua.
“Designers can come up with something really cool,
but will it sell?” she asks, explaining that her role is to
bridge the gap between what is designed and what the
buyers / retailers will want to order.
Her team works on four collections of a year. The major
collections are Spring and Fall and these can encompass as
many as 60 pieces. The two smaller collections are the high
Summer and holiday releases. These are meant to freshen
up stock, peppering existing retail with a few new looks.
Currently, the Silver Jeans collections are designed
around its marketing concept of The Family: a group
of friends that form a surrogate family and in which
potential buyers may recognize aspects of themselves
and their lifestyles.
C’est en avril 2009 que Giovanna De Capua a été
contactée par le président de Silver Jeans Co., Michael
Silver, pour diriger le studio de Montréal.
« Les créateurs peuvent imaginer un vêtement très
chouette, mais se vendra-t-il? », demande-t-elle en ajoutant
que son rôle est de faire le lien entre ce que l’équipe crée
et ce que les acheteurs ou les commerçants auront envie
de commander.
Son équipe dessine quatre collections par an. Celles de
printemps et d’automne sont les principales, elles peuvent
compter jusqu’à 60 articles. Les collections d’été et de
vacances sont plus restreintes et ont pour but d’ajouter une
touche de fraîcheur aux stocks existants en agrémentant
la collection de quelques nouveautés.
SILVER BUYER Silver Jeans buyers, explains De Capua, are
typically 15 to 40 years old with the bulk of the buyers in
their 20s. And the brand does particularly well in Alberta
and B.C. as well as in smaller urban markets in Ontario.
Recognized for its fit and quality of finish, Silver jeans
tend to appeal to its female buyers through its price point
as a mid-priced luxury brand.
The tops market, however, is less brand-driven and
much more competitive, explains De Capua. “A woman
will buy one pair of jeans and four tops, for example.
And she’ll spend $200 on the jeans and $20 on the top.”
In the end, it’s a strategy game, she says. An experienced
team uses market research to make educated guesses as to
what is the right combination of quality and price.
“For women, it’s always going to be about fit, style
and price point, in that order.”
Giovanna De Capua (third from right) and the Silver Jeans Co.
Montreal design team.
silverjeans.com
7 • SPRING 2011
MONTRÉAL
PRE-WASHED JEANS were first
[LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE]
LAND POWER
After 40 years of weaving together cultural interpretation, geography and
firm has become the region’s own force of nature.
By Yvan Marston
EXCHANGE DISTRICT, WINNIPEG / - Where the
Assiniboine and Red Rivers meet, a sheltered bowl, formed
by a three-meter-deep depression in the ground, pays tribute
to 7,000 years of culture and tradition. Eight sculptural steel
armatures surround the bowl, each reaching skyward to
define precise sightlines for visitors to view specific stars.
This is the Oodena Celebration Circle. It is part of The
Forks, a gathering place for thousands of years and easily one
of the most important historical places in Western Canada.
The Forks receives hundreds of thousands of visitors every
year, and while much of it celebrates heritage, the Circle
reaches deep into the notion of spirituality and place.
“Cultures have been coming to this place since glaciation.
[The Circle] looks at what it means to find a place on this
earth that builds on shared experiences of wonder and
engagement with our surroundings,” says Glen Manning, the
principal in charge of urban design with Hilderman Thomas
Frank Cram Landscape Architecture and Planning (HTFC).
CULTURAL LANDSCAPES It would be easy to see this as mainly
an aboriginal site, but HTFC founder and firm principal
Garry Hilderman thought of the Circle as a reflection of all
the cultures that have congregated here over millennia.
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 8
“The trick,” explains another firm principal, Monica
Giesbrecht, who specializes in education, healthcare
and recreation design, “was to do all this in a way that
was elegant and that would be compatible with a broad
cross-section of spiritual beliefs.”
To that end, the site is imbued with a reverence for the
natural elements of earth, fire, water and sky. That’s one of
HTFC’s true strengths, explains Manning, understanding
and interpreting a place’s cultural landscape.
REGIONAL EXPERTISE Forty years ago, Hilderman was
a one-man firm working from his attic sorting out the
complexities of a master plan for Whiteshell Provincial Park,
which covers 2,792 square kilometers of the province’s east
border. Still recognized as a leader in regional-scale landscape
architecture and planning, HTFC now occupies 6,000
square feet over two floors at 115 Bannatyne Ave East in
the Exchange District.
Some 30 people fill the space and collaborate in areas
such as historic site restoration and interpretation, urban
design and revitalization, waterfront planning and First
Nations projects.
WINNIPEG
The Oodena Celebration Circle at the
Forks celebrates the space’s power as a
gathering place for thousands of years.
TOP HONOURS Garry Hilderman had a busy
November. Fresh from the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce
Business Awards, where Hilderman Thomas Frank Cram
took top honours for outstanding small business of the year,
he was off to Rideau Hall in Ottawa to receive the Order of
Canada for his 40 years of working to create and develop
Manitoba parks, historical sites and environmental projects
– both as a landscape architect and volunteer. And in
February, the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects
bestowed the firm with its National Honour (the top award)
for their work on the Red River Floodway.
urban design, this Winnipeg landscape architecture
“We mainly practice in Manitoba and Northwestern
Ontario, where we developed an expertise in prairie and boreal
forest landscapes,” says Manning, adding that in terms of staff
and projects, HTFC is the largest pure landscape and planning
firm in the region.
WINNING WORKPLACE With some years counting as many
as 180 projects on the boards, HTFC has a breadth and depth
of experience that is atypical. It is often called upon for its
expertise in recreation planning, regional land use and even
treaty land entitlement work.
“Our collaborative approach, in some ways came from our
work with aboriginal groups,” explains Manning. HTFC’s
method was not to charge into a remote community with
big ideas and lofty plans, he says. Instead, it engaged in a
collaborative process.
“Rather than being product oriented, we are process oriented,”
adds Giesbrecht. “You can’t just jump to solutions. They just
won’t be successful unless you work with the community.”
That collaborative spirit is also how it functions internally.
In fact, its workplace culture helped the firm win top honours
for outstanding small business from the Manitoba Chambers
of Commerce last year.
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS Expanded over two floors and
connected by an internal staircase, HTFC is a hive of activity
as current projects continue to develop and shape the region
that lies beyond these walls. Near The Forks, Upper Fort Garry,
a historical site being reclaimed from a Petro Canada station,
a parking lot and a curling club, is to be re-imagined as a
heritage park and interpretive centre. Also at The Forks,
Giesbrecht is working on the Variety Heritage Adventure Park.
Then there’s the Centennial Concert Hall’s Steinkopf
Gardens, whose stepped courtyard is being re-interpreted
to improve its accessibility. Still more regional jobs, like
revitalizing Kenora’s waterfront, and planning work for
northern communities such as York Factory First Nation
will change how these communities use their resources.
The firm is also engaged in preparing a management plan
to protect the outstanding natural and cultural values of a
34,500-square-kilometer tract of boreal forest and waterways
bridging the Manitoba and Ontario borders. Known as
Pimachiowin Aki (the land that brings life) it has been
nominated a World Heritage Site.
htfc.mb.ca
9 • SPRING 2011
[MARKETING]
AIR SUPPORT
Fledgling Montreal communications firm finds its niche supporting
Quebec’s growing aerospace industry. By Yvan Marston
ATLANTIC AVE., MONTREAL / - Regional and
“It’s an industry that is absolutely fascinating and somewhat
business jet sales may be temperamental and defence
underserviced when it comes to communications and
budgets tightening, but planes still have to fly and they
marketing,” says Hébert, whose company Aerokom provides
need parts to do that. Despite the
a range of services, from writing
headline grabbing attention of the
and design to public relations and
big makers like Bombardier and
event management.
The Canadian aerospace industry
Boeing, much of Canada’s aerospace
What began as a one-person
employs more than 80,000
industry is comprised of parts and
consultancy three years ago has now
Canadians and since 1990, industry
services firms. And it is growing.
become a six-person shop servicing
sales have more than doubled,
“It’s an extremely specialized
an industry that generates some
reaching $23.6 billion in 2008.
industry,” says Mélanie Hébert.
$23 billion in annual revenues
“One company, for example,
through its global reach, according to
– Source: Aerospace Industries
distributes parts around the world
the Aerospace Industries Association
Association of Canada
for one type of helicopter.”
of Canada.
Hébert has become something of a
“What makes it so interesting
specialist herself, using her masters in
is that the client relationships are
intercultural communications and her business background
international – you have to know what is going on everyto provide marketing services to a handful of fast-growing
where,” she says, adding that travel is no small part of the
parts distributors.
attraction she has to the industry.
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 10
Aerokom.ca
Une jeune agence de
communication montréalaise
trouve un créneau dans
l’aérospatiale au Québec
Si les ventes d’avions sont par nature incertaines et les budgets
de défense en baisse, une chose est sûre : on ne peut se passer
des avions et ils ont besoin de pièces détachées.
« C’est une industrie extrêmement spécialisée », explique
Mélanie Hébert. « Par exemple, c’est une seule entreprise qui
distribue dans le monde les pièces d’un hélicoptère particulier.»
Mélanie Hébert s’est elle-même spécialisée en mettant à profit sa
maîtrise en communication interculturelle et son expérience en
entreprise pour proposer des services de marketing – rédaction
et conception, relations publiques, gestion d’événements – à
certains distributeurs de pièces détachées en pleine croissance.
Il y a trois ans, elle était seule dans son agence de conseil,
qui compte aujourd’hui six personnes et s’emploie à servir une
industrie générant, selon l’Association des industries aérospatiales
du Canada, quelque 23 milliards de dollars de revenus annuels.
C’est grâce à un emploi au gouvernement qu’elle s’est
découvert un intérêt pour le conseil et qu’elle a donc créé Zone
Interkom, une agence spécialisée dans le marketing destiné aux
domaines de la conception industrielle, des ressources humaines
(secteur technologique) et des agences gouvernementales. Par
la suite, un de ses contrats l’a conduite à recréer le site Web de
Rockland, une firme québécoise de logistique et de service dans
le secteur de l’aérospatiale. C’est ainsi qu’est née Aerokom.
L’année dernière, la fusion avec MHD a fait passer le nombre
d’employés de 7 à 100 personnes, une équipe chargée de
s’occuper entre autres de la flotte des Hercules C-130 de l’armée
de l’air néo-zélandaise.
« Le rôle d’Aerokom est aussi de mettre en place des réseaux
de communication, par exemple par le biais de repas d’affaires
ou de salons professionnels, le but étant de trouver le lieu adéquat
et de donner les bons outils à nos clients », affirme Mélanie
Hébert, qui a récemment participé à des missions commerciales
en Haïti et au Mexique avec la Chambre de commerce de Québec.
Plus de la moitié des 400 entreprises aérospatiales canadiennes étant installées au Québec, le siège social d’Aerokom,
au 400 rue Atlantic à Montréal, est très bien situé pour élargir ses
activités dans un secteur classé au cinquième rang mondial et
considéré comme un des plus grands acteurs dans le domaine
de recherche et développement au Canada.
11 • SPRING 2011
MONTRÉAL
Prior to opening a retail art gallery/framing business in
Montreal a few years before this endeavour, Hébert spent
five years living and travelling throughout Europe, Asia,
Australia, and Israel. But her retail operation was a little
too stationary for the energetic blonde whose quick
smile and affable manner made her a natural in the
world of communications.
A short stint of government employment sparked her
interest in consulting and she formed Zone Interkom
to work on marketing challenges for industrial design,
tech human resources and government agencies. But one
fateful job led to a web site redesign for Rockland, a
Quebec-based aerospace logistics support and services
firm, and Aerokom was born.
A merger last year with MHD saw Rockland grow
from seven people to over 100 with major contracts such
as supporting the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s fleet
of C-130 Hercules aircraft.
“Aerokom’s role is also to establish channels for communication, whether that’s an embassy dinner or whether it
is a trade show, it is about finding the right venues and
giving clients the right tools,” say Hébert, who has taken
part in trade missions to Haiti and Mexico with the
Chambre de Commerce de Québec.
With more than half of Canada’s 400 aerospace
companies located in Quebec, Aerokom’s Montreal
headquarters at 400 Atlantic are well situated to further
serve an industry ranked fifth among its global peers
and considered one of the largest contributors to
Canadian R&D activities.
Photos: Aston Industries
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 12
CALGARY
[RESTAURANT]
SOCIAL LIFE
A former 1912 Tango cellar in Calgary is reanimated and reinvented
into a ‘serious’ lunch spot, corporate bar and nightclub.
By Yvan Marston
SIXTH AVE. SW, CALGARY / - One hundred years
HISTORIC FABRIC Soldiers had threatened to demolish the
after it opened as a dining and dancing hall, the lower
establishment unless the German name was removed from the
level space of the Lougheed building once again pulses
electric sign outside. Before matters could escalate, the building
with the rhythm of an energized Saturday night.
superintendent cut the power to the lights and locked the
door. Though the Cronns were not heard from again, the
Under the oak corniced ceilings and atop the original
name
persisted for some years before the place became the
terrazzo floors, as many as 350 patrons, ranging in age
city’s
first
jazz club in the 1920s. Then it languished for a
from 25 to 50, take in this underground scene. And
time
before
the Loughheed building was restored in 1998.
Witold Twardowski couldn’t be more pleased.
Further work on Sociale’s space was completed for its recent
“This is working the way we hoped. It’s a destination,”
opening,
but not without significant challenges.
says the mind behind some of Calgary’s other destinations,
including The Ranche, Cilantro, Teatro and Mescalero.
“Mainly it was getting the infrastructure to work within the
space
without disturbing the historic fabric,” says Twardowski,
“This” is Sociale Bar & Grille, and it is in fact a joint
explaining
that the electrical and ventilation all had to be
effort that has Twardowski partnering
brought up to modern standards.
with Elizabeth Panonko and Eron Forseth
to revitalize the space that the city once
NEW MED CUISINE Interior firm
knew as Cronn’s Rathskellar (German for
Hribar Design wasn’t trying to
“If
you
can
get
a
lunch
restaurant in the basement of a city hall),
do 1911 when it conceptualized
and more recently as the Penguin Pub
crowd, happy hour,
the space, he says, and while the
below Monty’s Deli.
dinner and then the late
restored ceiling and floors offer
an aura of days gone by, the
night,
you’re
hitting
it
‘HITTING ALL FOUR NOTES’ Now the
three white marble bars, backlit
8,000-square-foot space, spread over two
on all four notes”
with frosted glass, work as light
levels – a 1,200-square-foot tapas bar
– Witold
boxes to introduce a modern
on the street level mezzanine and a 6,800Twardowski
aesthetic
into the mix.
square-foot dining space for 140 down
below – is finding its place as a ‘serious bar
A D.J. upstairs usually features
with serious food. Seriously,’ as Twardowski puts it.
a conga or sax player and downstairs is a mix of danceable
beats. As for food, chef Kenny Kaechle calls his menu new
“If you can get a lunch crowd, happy hour, dinner and
old world and sets about rethinking a Mediterranean style
then the late night, you’re hitting it on all four notes,”
of cuisine with entrees like a Chorizo crusted wild salmon,
he says, explaining that he was attracted to the project
BBQ pork flatbread, and tapas like beet and apple salad
and the space because of its “juicy” background.
and Merguez sausage and meatballs.
When it opened in 1912, Cronn’s Rathskellar was
“It’s a corporate bar, but not bar food. There’s no chicken
known as a place to Tango, still something of a risqué
wings
and nachos here,” says Twardowski.
dance at the time. It was a downtown hotspot that closed
three years after opening when its German owners were
socialecalgary.com
forced out one dramatic night during World War I.
“
13 • SPRING 2011
[ENTERTAINMENT]
GAMING ATTIC
High atop a Quebec City neighbourhood sits a loft full of 80s retro
gaming ideas and a team dedicated to bringing these concepts to life.
Welcome to Berzerk Studio. By Yvan Marston
NOUVO ST-ROCH, QUEBEC CITY / - In the Internet’s
multichannel universe, content creation is a good place to be.
Just ask Simon Lachance and his cohorts who founded
Berzerk Studio, a small independent game developer.
Based in Quebec City’s technology hub in Nouvo St. Roch,
Berzerk specializes in the creation of Flash games, that is,
interactive media created for online and mobile devices using
Adobe-owned Flash software. And in two years, the trio has
become one of the top earning independent Flash gaming
developers in the world.
ADDICTIVE AND FREE Easily accessible, often addictive
and usually free, Flash games range from simple 2D puzzles
to stylized 3D multi-player first-person shooters, and there
are tens of thousands of them available with developers
releasing new ones all the time.
It takes Berzerk’s six-person team about three months to
move a game from concept to completion. “But our record
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 14
was three weeks,” adds Lachance who likens independent
game development to being a musician.
“You can make your own music, or you can be a studio
musician,” he says, explaining that in Flash game development,
revenues are derived usually in one of two ways. Either you
develop a game you think people will want to play and then
sell it to a gaming site that makes its money from ads, or you
work for a client developing a game around a product as part
of a viral marketing strategy.
The latter is called ‘servicing’ and it is what Lachance,
Etienne Jean and Marc-Antoine Jean (no relation) were doing
before they founded Berzerk.
“We preferred to make our own original stuff than to
work for hire. We wanted to work without any limits or
constraints,” says Lachance.
PLAYING THE MARKET Of course they have to design
what the market demands, but having become a top-selling
berzerkstudio.com
BERZERK’S TOP 3
DOWNLOADED GAMES
BERZERK BALL
Wind up and smack a
geek through Berzerk
land to earn money
and level up.
GUNBOT
You’re a robot with a
gun and a beetle for a
sister. Find an artifact
and blast everything
that moves for points.
TRAP MASTER
As the dungeon’s
monster master, use
your fireballs and fangs
to keep the treasure
hunters from the doom
chest.
LE MONDE DU JEU
Le Studio Berzerk : un loft
de St-Roch qui déborde d’idées
de jeux électroniques
Parmi les multiples créneaux
qu’offre l’univers d’Internet, celui
de la création de contenu est un
bon filon. Pour s’en convaincre,
il suffit d’en parler à Simon
Lachance et aux deux associés
avec lesquels il a fondé Berzerk
Studio, un petit créateur de jeux
indépendant.
Basée au sein du pôle technologique de Nouvo St-Roch à
Québec, Berzerk se spécialise dans la création de jeux flash, média
interactifs accessibles en ligne ou sur le réseau de téléphonie
mobile et utilisant le logiciel Adobe Flash. En deux ans, cette
équipe à trois têtes est devenue un des premiers développeurs
de jeux flash indépendants au monde.
ADDICTIFS ET GRATUITS Facilement accessibles, souvent
addictifs et gratuits, les jeux Flash sont divers et variés dans
leur niveau de sophistication et ils sont surtout très nombreux :
il en existe des dizaines de milliers et de nouveaux sont créés
continuellement.
Pour créer un jeu du début à la fin, les six personnes de
l’équipe de Berzerk nécessitent environ trois mois. « Mais notre
record est de trois semaines », explique Simon Lachance en
ajoutant qu’il existe dans leur secteur deux manières de fonctionner.
Soit on développe un jeu et on le vend à un site de jeux en ligne
qui tire ses revenus d’annonces publicitaires, soit on travaille pour
un client dans le but de créer un jeu autour d’un produit dans le
cadre d’une stratégie de marketing viral.
C’est cette deuxième option qui était la spécialité de Simon
Lachance, Étienne Jean et Marc-Antoine Jean (pas de lien de
parenté) avant qu’ils ne fondent Berzerk.
« On a préféré développer nos propres créations originales
plutôt que de travailler pour un client. On voulait travailler sans
limites ni contraintes », affirme Simon Lachance.
UN MARCHÉ VRAIMENT MONDIAL Bien entendu, il faut
créer des jeux en fonction des demandes du marché. Mais ça,
l’équipe de Berzerk semble savoir le faire intuitivement. En moyenne
les jeux Berzerk sont utilisés chacun de 8 à 12 millions fois. Ils
sont également traduits en japonais, en espagnol et en russe.
Forte de la popularité de ses créations, Berzerk vient de se
lancer sur le marché de la téléphonie mobile. Elle propose
d’ailleurs déjà une application iPhone. Prochaine étape : des jeux
pour le marché mobile de Windows et Android qui pourraient
éventuellement être importés sur des consoles de jeux comme
la PS3 et l’Xbox.
15 • SPRING 2011
QUÉBEC
developer in a marketplace with 6,000 registered
developers, they appear to have an intuitive understanding
of what that is.
On average, a Berzerk game gets played 8 to 12 million
times and their wares have been translated into Japanese,
Spanish and Russian. Indeed, it’s a global marketplace
and from the confines of its cozy Quebec City studio,
Berzerk can sell a single title some 20 times to clients it
has never met. Most of the transactions work through
a gaming industry site called Flashgame License, a
marketplace where independent developers can meet
buyers.
With a solid reputation for developing games that
attract attention, Berzerk is moving into the mobile
marketplace having already developed an iPhone app.
Building for the Android and Windows mobile market is
next on the list, and they are trying to build their games so
that they can ultimately be imported into gaming consoles
like PS3 and Xbox, should the opportunity arise.
[JEWELRY]
DIAMOND MIND
Known best for her jewel-encrusted bridal designs and ‘achievement’ rings, Toronto
goldsmith Shelly Purdy combines whimsy and skill to bring authenticity to her work.
By Yvan Marston
KING WEST CENTRAL, TORONTO / For a lot of
people, a ring can be the start of something, but for Shelly
Purdy, it’s the start of everything. To her, a precious metal
band is blank canvas.
“Most of my collections start with a ring. I love sculpting,
carving this wax [form to make a ring] by hand,” she says
from her Spadina studio with a enthusiasm that is hard
to ignore.
In 2007, this successful Toronto-based jewelry designer
re-organized her small retail business into a one-woman
enterprise when she found herself doing more administration
and sales and less actual goldsmithing.
MORE PERSONABLE SERVICE Known mainly for her
bridal designs and ‘achievement’ rings (stackable rings
women buy themselves to mark life events), Purdy had a
chance to re-assess how she was doing business and wanted
to move forward pushing two agendas: one that saw her
hone her craft and the other that saw her give more
personable service.
And you’ll find both on her Facebook page. Here, several
images of her work and frequent posts have allowed her to
connect with buyers from Israel, England, Switzerland and
across Canada.
And if you want to know how she made something, just
ask her. She’s always online, and is prone to flights of fancy,
like sending one customer updates on a ring project using a
Spiderman action figurine as a prop.
“I have a crazy brain. It was a late night,” she says, shaking
her shoulder-length blond hair with a self-deprecating laugh.
But the client loved it and the touch of personality that
comes from working directly with this craftsperson gave the
entire transaction authenticity. And authenticity is what
Purdy is selling.
She learned her craft at nearby George Brown College,
graduating in 1987 and moving through a succession
of apprenticeships over the next three years until she
developed her own animal series that she sold to Birks.
When the national jewelry chain folded only months
later, she continued to sell to retailers eventually chosing
to re-examine her business.
SECOND-STOREY RETAIL It was time to go at it alone.
As a second-storey retailer, she began to make a name for
herself as a talented designer of engagement rings and
caught the eye of the nascent Canadian diamond industry.
Until the 1990s, finding diamonds in Canada was just a
notion. But when the Ekati diamond mine in the Northwest
Territories opened the door, Purdy was among the designers
courted to use its diamonds. Coincidentally, Purdy had been
reading the non-fiction account of how the Ekati diamond
find came to be. Before she could even finish the book, she
found herself on a plane to tour the open pit mine.
WHAT SUITS HER CLIENTS She worked with Ekati using
Canadian diamonds in her collections for a long time, and
while she stills uses mostly Canadian stones, she works with
what best suits her client.
Canada is now the third largest producer of diamonds in
the world and with the infrastructure to process those stones
in Ontario and the Northwest Territories, it has the capacity
to rival diamond buying destinations like Belgium and Israel,
according to Mining Weekly.
With access to a larger market, Purdy sees herself in a position
to further serve her clients. Trust she says, is a big issue when
people are buying jewelry. There’s not a lot of markup on large
diamond work, so the price is the price, she explains.
“I’ll tell you the truth based on what I know because I
want you to be awesomely pleased and to tell all your friends.
That’s how I do business.”
shellypurdy.com
Above: Shelly Purdy’s recently launched royal collection features engagement
rings with crown settings inspired by tiaras; and for men, gold and sterling
bands featuring regal lions or the monarchy's fleur de lys. Above right: Gothic
letter cufflinks; and bull terrier rings from her early collection.
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 16
TORONTO
17 • SPRING 2011
[MARKETING]
Suivez le guide!
Par Yvan Marston
AVENUE ATLANTIC, MONTRÉAL / - Exacto
Communications, firme montréalaise spécialisée en
marketing et en relations publiques, offre un vaste éventail
d’expertises dans l’exécution de chacun de ses mandats.
Cependant, son réel succès réside dans la qualité du service
offert aux clients.
Lorsque Benoît Allaire et sa sœur Marie-Josée ont embauché
leur personnel pour leur nouvelle agence de communications
intégrées à Montréal, ils étaient certains d’une chose : ils
voulaient des serveurs!
« Pas tout à fait, explique Marie-Josée, qui évolue dans
l’industrie des relations publiques depuis plus de 15 ans. Que
ce soit de l’expérience en restauration ou de n’importe quel
autre type, c’est l’exercice de servir directement une personne
qui donne de la valeur ajoutée. » Sur les 12 employés de la
firme tous possèdent dans leur parcours professionnel de
l’expérience dans l’industrie du service.
EXPEDITION MARKETING Pas facile la vie d’un spécialiste du
marketing de nos jours admet Benoit Allaire. Les entreprises
disposent plus que jamais de différents moyens pour faire passer
leur message. Pour lui, Exacto devient en ce sens, une sorte de
guide pour le client.
« Toutefois pour que les gens suivent le guide, ils doivent
lui faire totalement confiance, une confiance qui ne s’acquiert
qu’en proposant une stratégie solide, une exécution parfaite
et un service irréprochable », explique-t-il.
Dix ans auparavant alors à l’emploi de Bombardier, Benoit
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 18
brûlait d’impatience de retourner à ses anciennes amours :
l’entreprenariat. Dans les années 90, il créa une entreprise de
vêtements d’expédition, Paradox (vendue depuis). C’est là
qu’il s’est découvert une passion, non pas pour le vêtement,
mais pour la stratégie de marque et toutes les tactiques qui
lui sont dédiées.
DUO FRÈRE ET SŒUR « Nos carrières se sont souvent
entremêlées », explique Marie-Josée. Spécialisée en communication de produits de consommation, Marie-Josée a évolué
au sein de plusieurs entreprises dont le Ritz-Carlton, le Conseil
canadien de la fourrure et Edelman Relations publiques.
Lorsque Benoit s’est lancé dans l’aventure Exacto, Marie-Josée
est vite devenue sa référence en relations publiques. Par la force
des choses, leur association leur a alors paru toute naturelle.
C’est donc en 2004 qu’ils ont joint leurs forces respectives.
« Ce que je voulais créer était une sorte de coffre à outils
pour nos clients. Notre spécialité, c’est la stratégie. Donc,
que nos clients viennent nous voir pour nos compétences
Internet, événementielles ou graphiques ou pour nos services
de relations publiques, ils auront de toute façon accès à la
totalité de ces compétences », explique Benoit.
Exacto, qui compte parmi ses clients Reebok, Permacon,
Bombardier, Wines of Chile et Wines of South Africa, s’est
vite sentie à l’étroit dans ses premiers bureaux du 6300 avenue
du Parc. En novembre dernier, l’entreprise a emménagé
dans des bureaux plus spacieux à la même adresse et au
même étage.
Exacto.ca
MONTRÉAL
GUIDE SERVICE
At the heart of this Montreal marketing
firms success lies a simple truth about
the value of good service.
When Benoit Allaire and his sister
Marie-Josée were hiring staff for
their new Montreal-based, full
service communications agency,
they were certain of one thing:
they wanted waiters.
Well not exactly, explains
Marie-Josée. Tall, blue-eyed and
blond, she has been plying the
public relations trade for more
than 15 years and knows all too well the value of responsive service.
“It could be restaurant experience or whatever, it is the exercise of serving
someone directly that holds tremendous learning value,” she says, adding that
all 12 staffers at the seven-year-old strategic marketing and communications firm
Exacto have some grassroots service experience in their work background.
EXPEDITION MARKETING Life is complicated for a marketer these days, says
Benoit, there are more ways to move your message than ever before and he sees
Exacto as a kind of guide.
“But to get people to follow you, you need them to trust you, and trust comes
from providing good strategy, flawless execution and excellent service,” he says.
Ten years ago, Benoit sat behind a desk at Bombardier longing to get back to his
entrepreneurial roots. In the 1990s he ran an expedition clothing company called
Paradox (it was since sold) where he discovered a passion not for clothing design
but for developing brand strategies and all the tactics that go with it.
At that time, Marie-Josée was working for the Canadian fur council, Benoit’s
company was sourcing wolverine fur to trim parka hoods because of its ability to
shed frost. Following an expedition, she organized a press conference to raise
the profile of her brother’s brand.
Marie-Josée
BROTHER-SISTER TEAM “Our careers often intertwined,” says Marie-Josée
whose experience includes work for Ritz-Carlton and for Edelman Montreal as a
consumer brand specialist.
When Benoit set out on his own again to form Exacto, he often sought his sister’s
council. Working with her seemed a natural fit, so the two joined forces in 2004.
“What I wanted to create was a sort of toolbox for clients. We are based on
strategy. So whether you come to work with us for our web, event, print, or PR
skills, you will essentially have access to that 360-degree thinking,” says Benoit.
Benoit
Servicing clients like Reebok, Permacon, Bombardier, Wines of Chile and Wines
of South Africa, Exacto quickly outgrew the space it had taken up at 6300 Ave
du Parc and moved to larger quarters on the same floor with a complement of
10 staff in November last year.
The growth, explains Marie-Josée, was a function of responding to client needs.
“We wanted to stay true to our promise of service,” she says.
19 • SPRING 2011
QUÉBEC
YUZU se transforme pour devenir le nouveau
resto-bar de Nouvo St-Roch
NOUVO ST-ROCH, QUEBEC / - Yuzu est un des restaurants préférés
du quartier. Depuis son ouverture en 2002, les gens d’affaires s’y ruent
le midi. Et grâce à son décor à la fois sobre et branché, le restaurant peut
aussi facilement plaire à ceux qui veulent passer une soirée en tête-à-tête
à déguster des cocktails accompagnés d’une délicate assiette de sashimi.
Mais l’heure est au changement. Au printemps, Yuzu souhaite briser
les traditions en se présentant sous un angle un peu nouveau, celui
du resto-club.
« Nous avons toujours su créer une ambiance « lounge », mais
aujourd’hui nous souhaitons offrir une ambiance confortable, propice à
la consommation et où les gens désirent poursuivre leur fin de soirée.
L’objectif est simple : être LA destination restaurant qui offre une
ambiance de club », explique Steve Morency, président de Gestion Yuzu.
Pour lui, les sushis resteront à l’honneur et un nouveau menu verra
le jour où la qualité et la variété seront au rendez-vous, bref un menu qui
conviendra à tous. Mais tout sera dorénavant servis dans un lieu rénové
et agrandi qui accueillera 115 personnes assises au lieu des 70 actuelles.
C’est vers 21 h 30 que Yuzu prendra une ambiance « club ». Les
lumières se tamiseront progressivement, un DJ se mettra aux platines
et des projections ajouteront à l’ambiance visuelle.
En fait, avant même que les banquettes VIP soient terminées, l’équipe
de Yuzu commence petit à petit à introduire une ambiance « club »
à ses soirées.
« Nous souhaitons faire participer nos clients à cette transition, en
espérant qu’ils trouveront ce changement intéressant. Nous produirons
ainsi un effet de bouche à oreille qui sera notre meilleure publicité »,
conclut Steve Morency.
yuzu.ca
St. Roch’s newest resto-club
As it is, Yuzu has become something of a neighbourhood
favourite. Since it opened in 2002, it has been a
busy business lunch spot whose stylish and sober décor
transitions easily to evening seatings where intimate
tête-à-têtes can linger into the night over cucumber and
basil martinis and plates of Tasmanian trout sashimi.
But change is in the air and this Spring, Yuzu expects
to expand its footprint and its attitude by re-introducing
itself as a resto-club.
“We have always had success creating a lounge
ambiance in the restaurant, but now we want Yuzu to
be a place where people can really finish an evening,”
says Steve Morency, president of Gestion Yuzu.
At about 9:30, Yuzu’s vibe will move to more of a
club atmosphere. Lighting will dim progressively, the
live DJ will take to the turntable and artistic projections
will add areas of visual interest throughout the space.
“We want to engage our current clients in the
transition and word of mouth is the best way to market
this,” says Morency.
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alliedpropertiesreit.com • PRINTEMPS 2011
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Rédacteur en chef: Yvan Marston • Graphisme: Gravity Design Inc.