Collisions YYC

*Please note, this was recorded in the “Good Old Days” before COVID19Join me as I chat with Nicolas Beique, Founder & CEO of Helcim Inc.Nicolas brings the journey of a start-up to the conversation, comparing the challenges he faced back in 2007 when he founded Helcim Inc. to the challenges innovators and entrepreneurs face today. Helcim Inc. is a Calgary-based company that empowers businesses with their merchant services and business software. At first, it was a company of two with a few clients in an "oil-and-gas" city. Today, the Helcim Inc. team has grown along with their clients in a city that is coming together for a brighter future. In this episode, Nicolas shares his perspective on the start-up culture in Calgary and sheds light on the indicators that make him optimistic on the road that lies ahead of us.

As we continue to adjust to this new normal, many of us are still adjusting as we try to balance both our work lives and our personal lives from home. Luckily for my guest Chantal Milloy, co-founder and COO of Levvel Inc., balance is her business.Levvel Inc. offers a range of services focused primarily on staffing, organizational and change management, making Chantal's expertise very relevant today. In this episode, Chantal discusses change management in the face of COVID-19, the importance of setting our employees up for success, the need for transparency as leaders and the work Levvel Inc. has been doing to help others through this unprecedented time.

It is now week four of working from home, a drastic, unexpected change in our day-to-day lives due to the COVID-19 crisis. Many of us weren’t as prepared as we’ve liked to have been, and are doing our best to keep things productive in this disruptive time. My guest Jan Nighswander and her team at J.Nighswander & Associates Inc., on the other hand, have been hard at work providing their human resources experience to help navigate their clients through this unprecedented situation. For this episode, Jan shares what the past few weeks have been like as we work through this crisis from home, what we can do better as leaders and how to show-up, especially given the uncertainty of not knowing what the future holds.

When Kevin and I started this podcast, our goal was to create a conversation on the economic transformation of Calgary so that we would all get on the same page in the face of the economic downturn that was impacting us all.Today, we shift our focus to the rapid digital transformation that’s happening to get businesses through COVID-19. As Executive Vice President of Longview Systems, Kevin leads his team to create efficient systems for businesses to operate during these unprecedented times. Now, more than ever, leadership is key as many of us have moved from the office to the home office with such short notice. If you’re still working out the kinks for you and your team to work efficiently in this “new-normal”, this episode is a must-listen.

Join me as I chat with Marc Stachiw, President of the Alberta Wind Energy Corporation (AWEC).Marc brings his expertise in renewable energy to the conversation on change, specifically on the efforts from the AWEC to create lasting sustainability for future generations in our province and across Canada. Before his role as President at AWEC, Marc’s career has always revolved around renewable energy, back when it seemed to be, in his words, a "hippie left wing industry". But today, as more industries are developing ways to integrate renewable energy into their operations, that old stereotype is fading away. During this episode, Marc and I discuss this change in attitude, and how renewable energy is a great opportunity to push the transformation of Alberta forward.

*Please note, this was recorded in the “Good Old Days” before COVID19Join me as I chat with two key players at Routeique - Mike Allan, President & CEO, and Sari Waldman, Client Engagement Manager.Usually, on this podcast, my guests and I keep the conversation going on what transformation might look like from an economic perspective. For this episode, however, I discuss the transformation that has already occurred in customer satisfaction with Mike and Sari of Routeique, a cloud-based software platform that manages delivery logistics for supply chain management. As we live in an age of same or next day product delivery, consumers are factoring in immediacy when it comes to their buying decision process. As a result, fast delivery has become a factor for supply chain organizations to thrive in a very competitive market. During our conversation, Mike, Sari and I discuss how the team at Routeique recognized this consumer habit and responded to it with their global platform, leading them to become a Calgary success story.

Join me as I chat with Tim Cruz, Co-Founder and Director of AI & ML at Calgary AI Club.Tim brings his wealth of knowledge for artificial intelligence to the conversation around change, explaining its potential to transform our city and help us navigate the COVID-19 crisis. As a co-founder of the Calgary AI Club, Tim brings curious thinkers in our city together to discover how AI can solve human problems, both on a local and global scale. During our conversation, Tim takes us through the world of AI and discusses ways it can be used to understand and, to a certain extent, predict the global impact COVID-19 will have on us as we continue to push forward to a brighter future.

In this episode, I discuss the importance of connectivity in the time of Covid-19 with Guillermo Salazar, Co-Creator of ICwhatUC, a customer self-service support application that uses smartphones and augmented reality to simplify customer-driven experiences.Up until two weeks ago, Guillermo and his partners had a product that represented a solid idea with huge potential to shift how we work. Now, it’s an essential one as more businesses are looking for ways to continue their workflow during social distancing and isolation. Guillermo walks us through ICwhatUC, its potential to transform customer-driven experiences for your businesses and offers up an olive branch if you need help to stay connected as we all continue to work forward.

Join me for another edition of Collisions YYC Current & Critical, a high-intensity series where I sit down with local leaders to discuss current topics affecting Albertans.In this episode, I am joined by Jay Palter, Chief Engagement Officer at Jay Palter Social Advisory, as we discuss the idea of social networking during the COVID-19 crisis. Since 2010, Jay has successfully guided many business leaders and their companies to build their brand and relationships through social networking. So naturally, his insight on getting the most out of our social networks in a time of social distance is critical. During our conversation, Jay touches on some strategies we can use to keep our social networks strong and the value that’s come with it as we all get through this period of adjustment together.

Join me for another edition of Collisions YYC Current & Critical, a high-intensity series where I sit down with local leaders to discuss current topics affecting Albertans.In this episode, I discuss Teck’s decision to abandon the Frontier Project, a $20 billion-dollar mining construction project in Northern Alberta, with Iggy Domalgaski. As CEO of Tundra Process Solutions, an Alberta based distributor of industrial process equipment, Iggy is closely tied to the current and future state of our economy. While the news of Teck’s decision first came as a shock, Iggy wonders if it was an inevitable conclusion. During our conversation, we get to the bottom of why this happened and the possible impact on our international reputation regarding whether or not Alberta, and Canada for that matter, is truly open for business.