You will quickly find that one of Guelph’s strengths is our collaborative spirit.

We began 2013 on a high note with an Economic Summit partnering with the Ontario Chamber of Com-merce and our neighbour, the County of Wellington. This event brought together key business sectors, community organizations, three streams of education, and three levels of government to set short- and long-term priorities and quick wins for our community.

Our community’s economic development strategy, Prosperity 2020, is a collaborative initiative that ensures Guelph’s economy is competitively positioned to 2020.

The knowledge shared at the Economic Summit will inform the allocation of

community resources to build a great city. Innovation

Guelph, Guelph Chamber of Commerce, and University of Guelph’s Catalyst Centre support innovators and entrepre-neurs, and with the City’s

new Enterprise Division, work together to attract new

talent, investment and jobs to Guelph as well as establishing

industry-academic collaborations. New collaborations in primary health

care are leading the way to innovative advancements in patient care and the co-ordination of health, social and community services to deliver better outcomes for people, and more cost-effectively.

Guelph has distinguished itself as a national leader in many ways. We are

well recognized for our green initiatives and leading community energy plan. We have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, have been recognized as one of the safest cities in Canada and continue to receive high livability scores. We are also acknowledged as Ontario’s research and innovation cluster for agri-food with more than 150 agri-food related organizations.

City Council approved a new mission statement in 2012 to anchor its corporate strategic planning – to build an exceptional city by delivering outstanding municipal service and value.

Our mission drives us to be the best run city in Canada. This means “doing business differently” so we can meet the challenges ahead, attracting new investment, talent, and jobs to our growing city.

Come check us out!– Karen Farbridge, Mayor

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G u e l p hp e r s p e c t i v e 3

Publisher, CeOSteve Montague

ViCe-PresiDeNTEd Martin

exeCuTiVe eDiTOrBruno Ruberto

meDia exeCuTiVeLinda Eccles

eDiTOrialBen Benedict

Perspective™ Guelph was produced independently of the City of Guelph. Contents are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the written consent of Perspective Marketing Inc. The publisher is not liable for any views expressed in the articles and opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or the City of Guelph.

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A MessAge FroM The MAyor

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G u e l p hp e r s p e c t i v e 4

Canada recognized for commitment to food safetyWhen media attention is given

to food products recalled due to E. coli or other contamination,

it is easy to forget that Canada is internationally recognized for its rigorous and disciplined scientific approach to food safety. The Safe Food for Canadians Act (S-11) [“SFCA”] introduced at the end of the summer of 2012, and now awaiting royal assent, proposes to make the approach even stronger by targeting unsafe food practices, increasing penalties and streamlining and adding consistency to licensing and registration in the food industry.

The SFCA is a response to the 2009 Report of the Independent Investigator into the 2008 Listeriosis Outbreak (the “Weath-erill Report”). The federal government ordered the Weatherill Report, which ultimately proposed 57 recommendations to strengthen the food regulatory system in Canada. The goal of SFCA is to address all 57 recommendations.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act (the “Act”) established the Canadian Food

Inspection Agency (“CFIA”) in 1997. The Act consolidated inspection and

enforcement activities of various federal government departments. It did not, however, consolidate the acts and regulations created by all those federal departments and currently, the Canadian food industry is regulated by a myriad of different acts and regulations created over decades by various governments.

The SFCA is an evolution of the original vision that led to the CFIA and

provides sweeping changes to Canada’s food legislation by repealing the Fish Inspection Act, Canada Agricultural Products Act, Meat Inspection Act and those provisions under the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act that apply to food. The repealed legislation is now consolidated under the SFCA, and purports to provide a more effective and robust platform for the CFIA to govern all food, regardless of commodity types.

It purports to strengthen traceability to allow for more effective and timely food recalls. It allows for powers to register and licence importers. The consolidation should allow authorities to be more efficient in targeting high risk areas and offenders. Its impact will be felt by packagers, manufacturers, vendors, importers and exporters of food commodities including meat, fish, and other agricultural products.

Further, the SFCA purports to benefit the Canadian food industry by reduc-ing red tape for Canadian producers by providing clear, more consistent licensing,

inspection and enforcement laws. Also, the SFCA allows for increased enforcement and harsher penalties for offenders. The current maximum penalty will jump from not more than $250,000 and six months imprisonment, or both, to not more than $5 million and two years imprisonment, or both.

The Food and Drugs Act and its regulations will continue to play a significant role in food legislation governing food safety and labelling, and is unaffected by the SFCA.

The SFCA aims to instill increased confidence both domestically and internationally in Canadian food, and align Canadian laws more closely with the trade requirements of our largest trading partners allowing our producers to be more competitive.

Time will tell whether or not these goals will be accomplished and Canada will maintain its internationally recognized approach to food safety. - Thomas WR Manes,partner at Miller Thomson LLP.

Thomas WR Manes

Guelph is a beautiful community, well-educated, creative, located in one of the strongest economic

regions of Ontario and, with the Hanlon Creek Business Park, represents one of the last great development values in the heart of Southwestern Ontario.

The Hanlon Creek Business Park is a public private partnership, with the City of Guelph and Belmont Equity Partners Inc. owning properties north of Laird Road as part of Phase I, Cooper Con-struction Limited developing the largest parcel owns Phase II south of Laird Road, while the City and a private land owner are in partnership on Phase III.

Jim Mairs is the Senior Business De-velopment Consultant/Assistant Manager with Economic Development, Finance & Enterprise Services at the City of Guelph.

“We’ve been in the planning and development phase of this park for a long time. It’s now zoned, graded, serviced, and ready for immediate sale and develop-ment,” says Mairs, pointing out that both new and existing companies continue to invest and grow in Guelph.

Mairs also points out that Guelph has competitive employment land prices and development charges in comparison to other communities within the GTA, with a strong focus on attracting companies in the Agri-Food, Clean Technology, and Advanced Manufacturing sectors. A new full interchange at Hanlon Expressway (Highway #6 North) and Laird Road, scheduled for completion in Fall 2013, provides easy access in and out of the park and to Highway #401 located five minutes to the south.

“Lot sizes can be sub-divided to suit to meet individual business needs” says Mairs, adding “urban design guidelines will provide for a quality development that protects investments made by purchasers.”

Ken Nevar is President of Cooper Construction Limited, a third-generation family-owned Canadian construction and real estate development company. In 2007, the purchase of 180 acres in Guelph on the Hanlon Expressway made Cooper the largest industrial land developer outside the GTA. “We’re trying to reach potential users and industrial real-estate brokers

because we have fairly huge blocks of land available for new projects with ready access to Highway 401 where users want to be,” says Nevar.

“Since we began developing lands in Guelph, we’ve built a 125,000-square-foot facility that is fully leased, as second site at 180,000 square feet completed in 2012 that is fully leased and we are half way through constructing our most recent facility that is 40 per cent pre-leased so we’re having a good response.”

The popular properties are designed for local businesses looking to grow as well as national and international industries looking for value based locations.

“It’s about pent-up demand,” explains Nevar. “When we started our buildings, they were the first modern structure in over a decade or more. It made a lot of sense to be looking in Guelph.”

David Kemper is President and Managing Partner with Belmont Equity

Partners Inc. with a focus on small and mid-sized business looking to develop their own property on their schedule.

“We’re about two-thirds sold of our lands with 13.74 acres remaining that can be divided to a client’s specific configura-tions from one to 8.6 acres,” says Kemper. “We got involved because ultimately we believe Guelph is an affordable place to do business and we wanted to be involved in adding our expertise in growing that local economy and attracting new businesses.”

For more information or to purchase city-owned land, contact Jim Mairs, City of Guelph by phone at 519-837-5600 ext. 2821; email at jim.mairs@guelph.ca or visit Hanloncreek.com. You can also contact developers directly through David Kemper, President & Managing Partner, Belmont Equity Partners Inc. at 905-614-4228 or Ken Nevar, President, Cooper Construction Limited at 905-829-0444 or www.coopercon.com.

hAnlon Creek Business PArk…

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G u e l p hp e r s p e c t i v e 5

““We got involved because ultimately we believe guelph is an affordable place to do business and we wanted to be involved in adding our expertise in growing that local economy and attracting new businesses.”

one of the last great development values in the heart of southwestern ontario

“We’ve been in the planning and development phase of this park for a long time. It’s now zoned, graded, serviced, and ready for immediate sale and development.”

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G u e l p hp e r s p e c t i v e 6

The University of Guelph is world renowned for its research and teaching in Agricultural and Biological Science. Recent advancements, global need,

as well as an ever increasing need for commercialization have manifested into several new research centres. The University of Guelph’s Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre (BDDC) and the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO) are placing Guelph and the University of Guelph front and centre as Canada’s Bio-Hub.

Bioproducts Discovery and Develop-ment Centre researchers study ways to turn soy, wheat, corn, and perennial grasses like Swichgrass and Miscanthus into resins, polymers, and tough fibres to make bio-based plastics and bioproducts to produce biodegradable and bio-based consumer products. They also investigate new crops for use in composite materials to eventually reduce our dependency on petroleum-based products.

Their first product is the multi-purpose “biobin” storage unit, available through Home Hardware stores. The University of Guelph licensed the technology to Competitive Green Technologies.

Amar Mohanty is a professor in University of Guelph’s Department of Plant Agriculture and School of Engineering, holder of the Premier’s Research Chair in Biomaterials and Transportation, and BDDC director.

“Bioproducts are the wave of the future,” says Mohanty. “The creation of innovative green biomaterials-based solutions will create a sustainable competitive advantage for businesses in our province and beyond in the fast-growing bioeconomy.”

Under Mohanty’s directorship, researchers at the BDDC have devel-oped biomaterials containing 25 to 100 per cent bio-based content. They aim to develop new biomaterials with as much bio-based content as possible, while improving cost and performance.

“Agricultural residues can be incor-porated into manufactured products in place of petrochemicals,” says Mohanty. “In addition to agricultural residues, the co-products and byproducts from biofuel industries were undervalued in the past.

Today, turning them into bioproducts results in more environmentally friendly and competitive bio-resin based industrial products that can benefit farmers and consumers, as well as the economy.”

The Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO) at the University of Guelph is home to both the Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding and the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD), and currently employs over 100 researchers.

DNA barcoding technology uses varia-tions in gene sequences to differentiate species of animals, plants, and fungi in a fashion similar to the approach used to differentiate products in retail stores. Prof. Paul Hebert, Director of BIO, is the founder of DNA barcoding.

“DNA barcoding promises a future where everyone will have rapid access

to the names and biological attributes of all species on the planet,” says Hebert. “This is important for the conservation of life as well as managing species with negative impacts on human health and economic systems.”

BIO is having an impact worldwide with $150-million in international partnerships as well as hosting one of the largest biodiversity informatics platforms on the planet.

“People are interested in working with us because this technology has real world applications,” says Hebert, whose centre will do over $1-million worth of sequence analytics for partners in other nations, creating jobs in Guelph, and its business is growing. “Aside from our many international collaborations, we’re having impacts close to home targeting

students in grades 6 and 12 in 60 schools in Ontario. This may look at biodiversity in school yards. It exposes kids to barcoding, biodiversity, and genomics.”

The centre is creating opportunities for heightened research productivity through species identification, conservation management, and the impacts of spe-cies management on human health and ecosystems. The progress has propelled Guelph researchers and Canada to a position of leadership and innovation in the use of DNA barcoding technology to better understand global biodiversity.

“Our largest project will gather records for 500,000 species by 2015 and within another 10 years of that we will have completed the inventory of multi-cellular species,” says Hebert.

For more information, to discuss research projects or partnerships, visit www.bioproductscentre.com or www.biodiversity.uoguelph.ca. For information on commercialization, visit the Univer-sity of Guelph’s Catalyst Centre online at http://catalystcentre.uoguelph.ca.

Front & Centre as Canada’s Bio-hub

University of Guelph professor Manju Misra, in white, works with students in Guelph’s Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre. One of several collaborators in BDDC research, she is a leader in bio-based materials and “green” nanotechnology. Misra studies how to use biomaterials in car parts, building components, furniture and packaging.

G u e l p h 8

Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, a leader in polytechnic

education, serves approximately 55,000 full- and part-time students through campuses and training centres in Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Stratford, Ingersoll and Brantford.

Conestoga’s Guelph campus, located in the northwest end of the city, is fast becoming a provincial leader in education and training for the motive power trades, including automotive, truck and coach, heavy equipment, recreational vehicles and motorcycles.

The campus also provides a range of business-oriented programs as well as academic upgrading and career-focused programs.

As technology advances, keeping your business competitive in the global marketplace depends on your ability to develop a workforce with the right combination of skills, expertise and adaptability to address today’s needs and meet tomorrow’s challenges.

Conestoga, Ontario’s fastest growing college, provides a wide range of hands-on, leading-edge programs to address the specific labour needs of the manufacturing sector, from engineering and advanced manufacturing to welding and robotics, supply chain management and purchasing.

Project-based learning models provide students with many opportunities to gain direct experience in their chosen fields, ensuring that they’re prepared to provide solutions to real-world needs as they graduate job-ready.

Enrolment in apprenticeship and training programs at Conestoga is among the province’s top three, and degree program enrolment is the highest for any college outside of the GTA.

Conestoga College works closely with industry leaders who provide advice on curriculum, industry trends and future directions to ensure that programs remain relevant and meet the changing needs of the sector.

That connection to real-world needs has led to the development of more than 100 new programs in the last six years, as well as province-leading rates for job placement, graduate and employer satisfaction.

Programs – from apprenticeships to diplomas, degrees to post-graduate certificates, continuing education and part-time studies – all reflect Ontario’s changing job market and provide students with the skills and knowledge that today’s employers are seeking.

Applied research programs support innovation and increased productivity for industry, particularly for the region’s small and medium-sized enterprises, and contribute to regional prosperity.

Corporate training customized to meet your business needs is available on-site and at your workplace. More than 500 area employers turn to Con-estoga for training solutions that meet their workforce development needs.

Conestoga can be your training and development partner, providing the skilled work force to support your company’s growth and success in our rapidly changing world.

To find out more about Conestoga College, visit www.conestogac.on.ca

PaRTneRs fOR BUsiness anD COMMUniTy sUCCess Conestoga works with

industry leaders to ensure programs remain relevant and meet the changing needs of the sector.

ACCessing neW TeChnologies For The Agri-Food seCTor oF onTArio

Guelph is Ontario’s agri-food centre, a hub of research and development and home to many

domestic and multinational leaders in the business of growing, processing and marketing the safe, quality foods we enjoy. The city’s agri-food cluster is renowned in Canada and abroad for innovation in agricultural technology.

Supporting that innovation is the University of Guelph and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Rural Affairs, both located at the center of the agri-food cluster.

Last fall, ‘The Impact Group’, a Canadian consulting company, named the University of Guelph the ‘most inventive university in Canada’, based on two significant measures: the number of disclosures of potential inventions or technology per faculty member, and the cost of the research required per faculty. The University of Guelph came out on top on both counts.

Interestingly, 75 per cent of the disclosures were based on research funded through the unique partnership agreement between the University

and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Rural Affairs.

PlantForm Corporation, a University of Guelph spin-off company whose early research was funded by the partnership agreement, has developed a novel process to produce therapeu-tic proteins from tobacco plants. The proteins, called ‘biosimilars’ because they resemble the traditional pharmaceutical equivalent, can be produced at a more time and cost effective rate for a broad range of critical diseases than by traditional means. Recently this

innovative company caught the attention of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). PlantForm was awarded a contract for US$1.8 million for research and development of treatments that prevent illness in the case of exposure to nerve agents. PlantForm will begin work with several partners throughout North America on this 12-month project to develop new treatments through the production of plants.

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... continued from previous pageOther exciting innovations are also underway. The

Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario (ARIO) provides strategic advice on research that will ensure a prosperous, competitive, and sustainable agricultural and food sector in Ontario. A key priority is modernizing the province’s agri-food research infrastructure into integrated networks that are effective for research and innovation partners in governments, industry, and academia.

ARIO oversees the ministries’ competitive agri-food research programs, including 14 research stations, and three agricultural colleges across Ontario. Researchers also work collaboratively with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, other universities and government agencies, private industry, and farmers to carry out research. ARIO members are appointed from Ontario’s agri-food and agri-technology sectors and include farmers, agri-business, rural partners and researchers.

Stewart Cressman, ARIO’s Chair notes that Ontario’s farm and food processing sector remains the largest single manufacturing sector in Ontario, generating more than $50 billion in revenues and sustaining over 700,000 jobs. The sector continues to grow, with over $2 billion in capital investment in value-added processing in Ontario’s food, fuel, and green chemistry industries, among others.

The agri-food sector’s economic contribution comes from farm, food processors, food services and retail food. Together these contribute to a food and beverage-manu-facturing sector that is the third largest in North America. And it isn’t just the farming part of the sector that’s important in rural Ontario. Almost 25 per cent of the province’s food manufacturing businesses are based in rural Ontario, including ingredient manufacturers, specialty importers and other value-added processors, as well as essential services such as analytical laboratories, specialty packaging, storage, and transportation businesses.

“From the farm to your table, the revolution in Ontario’s food economy shows the power of creativity to transform every single sector of the economy,” says Richard Florida, Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto, and Professor of Business & Creativity at the University’s Rotman School of Management. “It’s a tremendous economic, cultural, and environmental success story that regions and countries around the world should look to as an inspiration.”

For more on the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario, visit www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/research/ario/institute.htm. For more information about investment opportunities in Ontario, visit www.investinontario.com.

innovation and partnerships in the growing agri-sectorF armers have been innovators for centuries,

but as natural resources diminish and global population increases, the demand for agricultural technology has never been greater. Fortunately

for the world’s consumers, Guelph is a leader in research and innovation as a result of collaborative and productive partnerships within the agri-sector.

One of these, the Agri-Technology Commercialization Centre (ATCC) located in the University of Guelph Research Park, is an internationally recognized business accelerator for entrepreneurs, researchers, and companies (early-stage to multi-nationals) who are growing busi-nesses in the cutting-edge field of agriculture technology.

The Centre is comprised of many valuable companies, such as Bioenterprise Corporation, Ontario Agri-Food Technologies, Soy 20/20 as well as necessary legal, financial and investment assistance.

The Catalyst Centre (CC) is the University of Guelph’s technology transfer and industrial liaison office, overseeing all aspects of the University’s intellectual property management and technology commercialization. Through their Industry Liaison Program, they partner business and researcher needs with ideal solution providers.

An important food industry partnering was announced in February 2013 when the Guelph Food Technology

Centre (GFTC), a Canadian leader in food safety certification, training, quality and technical solutions, merged with Michigan’s NSF International, a global public health and safety organization with a similar legacy in food safety and training. The organization will be known as NSF-GFTC and will remain in Guelph, helping Canadian farmers, processors, and manufacturers remain competitive with innovative solutions to improve their products and processes.

Helping to develop a highly skilled workforce for the future of agri-food sector is a provincial priority. The Institute of Food Processing Technology (IFPT) at Conestoga College was created in 2009 in partnership with the Alliance of Ontario Food Processors (AOFP). The creation of IFPT was the direct outcome of a labour study conducted by the AOFP in partnership with the Government of Ontario and Human Resources & Skills Development Canada.

For more information, visit each organization’s respective website: for the Agri-Technology Commercialization Centre, visit www.agritechcentre.ca; the Catalyst Centre visit http://catalystcentre.uoguelph.ca; the NSF-GFTC http://www.gftc.ca; and the Institute of Food Processing Technology visit http://ifpt.ca/index.php.

“fROM The faRM TO yOUR TaBle, The RevOlUTiOn in OnTaRiO’s fOOD eCOnOMy shOWs The POWeR Of CReaTiviTy TO TRansfORM eveRy sinGle seCTOR Of The eCOnOMy.”

ACCessing neW TeChnologies For The Agri-Food seCTor oF onTArio www.agritechcentre.ca

Canadian Biofuel – is providing cost-effective and sustainable biomass solutions to reduce fossil fuel dependence and greenhouse gas emissions. They have developed a unique system for the sustainable production of high quality biomass fuel pellets and briquettes using wood, feedstocks diverted from waste streams, agricultural residues, purpose grown crops and industrial bioproducts. Products are also being shipped to europe and used globally. www.canadianbiofuel.ca

Canadian Dairy Manufacturing – The entrepreneurs behind this company that produces infant formula and skim milk powder have signed distribution agreements with Chinese partners that could be worth over $680 million over the next five years.www.canadiandairymanufacturing.com

DNA Barcoding Library – improving pest and disease control, regulation of international trade and markets, and ecosystem conservation are among the expected benefits of the digital dnA “library” of Canadian plants and animals to be developed at the university of guelph. The Canada Foundation for innovation will invest more than $650,000 in the new initiative at u of g’s Biodiversity institute of ontario (Bio). This method allows scientists to identify animal and plant species using short standardized regions of genetic material and will eventually allow biologists to rapidly identify species from even a snippet of dnA. Most recently university of guelph researchers have used advanced dnA testing to confirm the content of Canadian hamburger meat.www.biodiversity.uoguelph.ca

EcoSynthetix Inc. – An award-winning renewable chemicals company producing a family of commercially proven bio-based products. The company’s lead product, eco-sphere biolatex binders, are used commercially by a number of the global top 20 manufacturers in the coated paper and paper board industry. ecosynthetix inc. went public at over $100 million.www.ecosynthetix.com

Greenfield Ethanol Inc. – Canada’s largest ethanol company is producing 600 million litres of fuel ethanol annually, helping to cut harmful greenhouse gas emissions. greenField has been producing industrial and beverage alcohol, fuel ethanol and distillers’ grains for 20 years. The company’s Cellulosic ethanol division is developing two processes for making next generation biofuel from agricultural, forestry and municipal waste. it is also producing new technology for global ethanol plants, oil from corn for fuels and industrial products and developed new food uses for corn germ.www.greenfieldethanol.com

PlantForm Corporation – The company uses tobacco plants to create a bio similar version of the breast cancer antibody Trastuzumab (trade name herceptin®), which has shown to be effective in reducing tumour size in efficacy studies in mice. Trastuzumab is slated to be on the market in 2016 as a low-cost alternative antibody. “At $3,500 per dose of herceptin®, it can cost $40,000 to treat a breast cancer patient. our plant-derived product is half that cost, meaning we can reduce that treatment cost to $20,000 for each patient,” explained PlantForm’s President and Ceo don stewart. www.plantformcorp.com

ACCessing neW TeChnologies For The Agri-Food seCTor oF onTArio www.agritechcentre.ca

Sevita International – Providing the global soy food and beverage markets with soybean research and development, to crop production and export. There has been an increased use of soy as the ingredient of choice in an ever-wider range of food products. sevita develops and owns its soybean varieties and controls crop production to maintain quality, purity and identity preservation. www.sevita.com

Smart Earth Lubricants – The company’s new eColuBe product was co-developed in Canada by Vancouver-based linnaeus Plant sciences and guelph-based soy 20/20 as an environmentally friendly substitute for popular lubricant products currently on the market for home and work use. it will create new demand for Canadian identity preserved soybeans. www.smartearthlubricants.com

Surface Green Solutions – Through research developed in guelph, an asphalt sealant called rePlAy™ has been developed from soybeans with the goal of extending the life of asphalt by up to 15 years. The product is about 88 per cent biodegradable and includes recycled polystyrene polymers. it’s being marketed as a green, environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum-based products, and is comparable in price. www.surfacegreen.ca

Weather INnovations Incorporated (WIN) – To assist growers in becoming more efficient, economical and sustainable in their water usage, the company has launched a project to evaluate the innovative integration of remote environmental sensing, mathematical modelling, crop production science and interactive online technologies. The site provides near-real-time decision support tools that can tell farmers when they need to turn the taps on. www.weatherinnovations.com

WhiteCloud Innovations – Creators of a bio-based resin system that can be used in standard manufacturing lines such as particleboard. The product is formaldehyde free, cost competitive, stronger and clear of VoC’s for both factory workers and facility stack emissions. Many of the chemicals are derived from local plant material and each board contains a substantial amount of recycled plastic from the agricultural waste stream, diverting hundreds of millions of pounds of discarded material this year alone. “We are proud to be a part of leading edge forestry, agriculture, manufacturing and environmental practices that are intrinsically ours,” says WhiteCloud President, Catherine Tredway. “With the supply chain and world distribution locked in place, it looks like we will make a significant mark in global construction products and transportation industries during 2013.” www.whitecloudinnovations.com

WoWBuTTEr Foods – A safe alternative to peanut butter in schools has been developed with soybeans. WoWBuTTer was designed and developed to protect the millions of children and adults who suffer from life-threatening peanut and nut allergies. it was also developed as a nourishing and tasty alternative for non-allergic consumers, as well. www.soybutter.com/wowbutter.html

Innovative Companies You Should KnowThese exciting agricultural technology companies are among the many that have successfullly used the agri-Technology Commercialization Centre to grow their businesses.

D o you have an agricultural technology? Do you need help to bring your innovation to market? The

Agri-Technology Commercialization Centre of Guelph has everything your innovation needs – all under one roof.

Located in the University of Guelph Research Park, the Agri-Technology Commercialization Centre (ATCC) is an internationally recognized business accelerator for entrepreneurs, researchers, and companies who are growing businesses in the field of agricultural technology. The Centre provides a single point of contact for specialized industry knowledge and market expertise that helps companies at any stage find capital and grow their businesses.

The ATCC offers unparalleled access to networks of resources and expertise including: partnerships with 17 universities, 18 commercialization organizations, more than 40 farmer/ producer organizations and an expanding network of over 500 entrepreneurs. The Centre is home to Bioenterprise Corporation, Ontario Agri-Food Technologies, Soy 20/20 as well as necessary legal, financial and investment assistance.

Entrepreneurs and companies with agricultural based technologies come to the ATCC to solidify business plans, enter new markets or innovate existing ones, fund global business trips worth millions in sales, accelerate the commercialization of research discoveries and create profitable business opportunities for agriculture producers and processors. The ATCC has worked to commercialize innovations in bioproducts (bio-fibres, bio-oils, commercial/industrial bioproducts), clean energy (biomass, biodiesel), agri-health (nutraceuticals, agri-foods), agri-waste management and many others that help establish and sustain Ontario’s leadership position in global markets.

“Our objective is to provide an all-encompassing suite of services most critically needed by agri-based businesses,” says Dave Smardon, President and CEO Bioenterprise Corporation.

GroWING PArTNErShIPSACCessing neW TeChnologies For The Agri-Food seCTor oF onTArio www.agritechcentre.ca

Agri-food and rural research programsresearch funded through the partnership agreement between the province and the university of guelph is at the heart of a dynamic agri-food innovation sector comprised of thousands of farms, farm service providers, agricultural technology/biological companies and research facilities. dhA milk and omega-3 eggs available in our supermarkets are examples of new, healthy products that were developed through this research.

The Province of ontario and the university of guelph have worked together for decades in partnership

to encourage innovation in ontario’s agri-food industry and rural communities. The current agreement runs until 2018.

The university received over $350 million between 2008 and 2013 for its agri-food and rural research programs, laboratory services and veterinary clinical education program. The partnership launched the Agri-Food and rural link in May 2010. new and healthy products developed through this research include dhA milk and omega-3 eggs.

For more information on the partnership, visit www.uoguelph.ca/omafra_partnership/en/index.aspww.uoguelph or call toll free 1-888-466-2372, ext. 64554.

Working together for innovation in the agri-food industryThrough collaboration and

communication, the Agri-Technology Commercialization Centre is able to assist entrepreneurs through all five stages of innovation.

Discovery: Newly discovered innovations from researchers and entrepreneurs from universities and agriculture look to Bioenterprise Corporation to solidify their results and move them toward commercialization.

Capture: Taking those discoveries, whether originating in Ontario or from around the world, Bioenterprise Corporation executes them on Canadian soil to create a first commercial product. Research is global, implementation is local and Bioenterprise Corporation has its finger on the pulse of world innovation.

Expansion: Successful, growing companies either move into new markets at home and further afield,

or take their base technology and find new ways to expand the product lines from that base. Numerous clients have turned to Soy 20/20 for contacts and ideas to make expansion happen.

Attraction: Ontario Agri-Food Technologies ensures that existing manufacturing and research facilities are able to make a smooth transition to Canada, creating tax revenue and jobs.

Retention: Once companies are successful, Ontario Agri-Food Technologies works with them to help them reduce costs, move into new markets and modify product lines.

The Agri-Technology Commercialization Centre is funded through Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. For more about the Agri-Technology Commercialization Centre, visit www.agritechcentre.ca.

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G u e l p hp e r s p e c t i v e 13

Guelph has enjoyed positive growth over the past years and is poised for future growth with

over 200 acres of serviced industrial land available at land prices and development charges that are as much as $500,000.00 per acre less than land available in the greater Toronto area. This land is located with direct access to the 401 highway.

The Guelph market has enjoyed excellent growth in the past with such major companies as Trans-X and Schneider trucking, along with distribution facilities for Tim Hortons and Maple Leaf Foods plus companies such as Magna, Skyjack, Mammoet Canada and Royal Canin.

These companies chose to locate there for a number of reasons; access to major

highways and USA cities, a quality of life that is reflected in financial benefits to employees and employers, access to over 750,000 people within a 30-minute drive, location to four major universities, away from the Toronto traffic gridlock and the

cost of land and/or buildings. The future growth prospects are very positive given the points previously mentioned.

Avison Young, which was founded in 1978, is Canada’s largest independently owned commercial real estate services company and the only national Canadian owned principal managed real estate brokerage firm in the Country. Like the City of Guelph, Avison Young has experienced very positive and sustainable growth. In the last two years it has grown from 600 Employees and 26 offices to 1100 Real estate professionals and 43 Offices in North America. In 2011 it was recognized as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies.

Avison Young’s Guelph office was started 30 months ago by Ted Davis as

Broker and Ray Robinson SIOR as Managing Director with one assistant. Since that time, Avison Young has grown in Southwestern Ontario to eight licensed real estate agents and three assistants and opened a new office in London. During that time, the Guelph office completed over 110 million dollars of lease and sale transactions.

With over 35 years of real estate experience in Southwestern Ontario Ray and Ted during that time have been involved in the sale and lease of over 2,700 Acres of land and 15,000,000 square feet of space with a total value of over 700 million dollars.

The City of Guelph is ready for future growth and Avison Young will be a part of that growth.

avison young experiences positive and sustainable growth in Guelph

since its Guelph office opened 30 months ago, avison young has completed over 110 million dollars of lease and sale transactions.

“innovation guelph – Central to guelph-Wellington innovation resourcesVisitors to Guelph-Wellington

County often associate our community with education and innovation in the agriculture and

food sectors. Indeed, Guelph has been a leader in agri-tech for almost 140 years; it’s the home of the Yukon Gold potato, Omega-3 products, canola, and much, much more. Guelph remains the centre of advancement in agricultural technol-ogy, agronomy, plant and animal breeding, veterinary science, and all things food.

But a community that cares about the vitality of the agriculture and food sector also values our land, air and water. Today it is more accurate to refer to the Guelph-Wellington innovation ecosys-tem as being focused on wellbeing and quality-of-life for all Canadians. These innovations come in many forms: clean water, soil, and air technologies; renewable energy; bio-based materials and innova-tions; waste reduction and reuse technolo-gies; and of course, new food products – all of which service the health and wellness of our communities.

At Innovation Guelph we help companies of all sizes, start, grow and thrive – delivering programs and services in partnership with the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation (MEDI), MaRS & OCE, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and IRAP – all members of the Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE). Locally we have built a strong regional alliance of business support services, local innovation partners, and a network of angel investors, who our clients can leverage as they scale their enterprises.

“Once considered one of the best-kept secrets in Guelph, Innovation Guelph is fast becoming a leader for incubating the unique entrepreneurial spirit that is distinctly Guelph. The people who live and work here are passionate about their community and making a difference.” Kevin Boon, Entrepreneur in Residence at Innovation Guelph.

Innovation Guelph is of course well-connected in the ag-food technology space and helps local entrepreneurs build businesses around new food products like Ontario-produced Quinoa (Katan Kitch-ens). Our clients are also leaders in Clean Air and Water Technologies (ReSource H2O, Nedlaw Living Walls, MANTECH Inc., Novus Environmental); Renewable Energy (W2Energy, GreenBug Energy); Professional Training (Juice Inc.); Digital

Media & ICT (Speakfeel Corporation, RemoteRep®); Health and Wellness (Life Recovery Program, PlantForm); Social Innovation (GiveBackVillage, The O’Halloran Group) and Manufacturing. Since opening its doors, IG has mentored over 350 companies.

Our staff and regional alliance partners, work together to help entrepreneurs, community organizations, researchers, or other business leaders, identify and solve the challenges they face as they grow their companies. We help innovators to understand and access funding available through Provincial, Federal, or other sources; provide strategic, expert business advice; offer access to market intelligence reports; and organize and host events focused on business training, networking, and community initiatives.

“Our Company is entering into an emerging market and this has provided some serious challenges,” says Paul Radkowski of Life Recovery Program.

“The coaching and networking afforded us through Innovation Guelph led to our market entry strategy and a team of supportive people who believe in our business,” he explains.

Innovation Guelph Peer Groups are assembling around water, manufacturing, food & agriculture, young entrepreneurs, immigrant entrepreneurs, ICT, and more. The groups work to identify barriers facing their industries – things like R&D needs, government regulations, funding and finance challenges – but the groups also provide a forum to share resources, network, and build partnerships within the sector.

“Collaboration comes easily in Guelph” says Lloyd Longfield, President of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce. “The Water Cluster was formed to connect business, education and government to tackle commercialization and demonstration projects showcasing emerging water technology in Guelph.”

Innovation Guelph is at 111 Farquhar Street in downtown Guelph, co-located with the Guelph Chamber of Commerce, and a business cluster that includes start-ups, small- and medium-sized businesses, and government services. The Granary, as it’s called, is 160 years old and Guelph’s oldest continuously operating commercial space. As we continue to expand within its walls, the Granary is becoming Guelph-Wellington’s one-stop-shop for business and innovation services.

““once considered one of the best-kept secrets, innovation guelph is fast becoming a leader for incubating the unique entrepreneurial spirit that is distinctly guelph.”

“The coaching and networking afforded us through innovation guelph led to our market entry strategy and a team of supportive people who believe in our business.”

GiveBackVillage: To the socially conscious and responsible customer, giveBackVillage.ca is an online marketplace that allows customers to save money on the products they use on a daily basis, while giving back to their guelph-Wellington community through the simple act of making a purchase. All of the items found on the site are produced by the local non-profit community or supplied by neighbourhood businesses. giveBackVillage.ca’s net surplus is granted back to local non-profit and charitable organizations. With start-up funding from the ontario Trillium Foundation, generous corporate support and many non-profit community partners, we’re all working together - community supporting community - in this unique social shopping experience.

Making micro hydro possible: Working with innovation guelph and researchers dr. dave lubitz and dr. Bahram gharabaghi at university of guelph, greenBug energy inc.’s Archimedes screw generator systems are making low head (1-10 meters) micro hydro-electric projects financially viable while reducing greenhouse gases and improving fish passage. greenBug designs, engineers, manufactures, installs and maintains Archimedes screw generators for low head micro hydrosites and related industrial energy recovery applications. Applications are typically between 1 and 100kW in size. To learn more about greenBug energy visit www.greenbugenergy.com

Juice Inc. 500% more useful ideas - how do you balance time for innovation against the pressures of everyday tasks? By making your brainstorming process more efficient and productive. research indicates that a structured innovation approach allows teams to produce 500% more useful ideas than groups employing conventional brainstorming. Juice is helping organizations apply time-tested innovation tools to create breakthrough thinking through innovation-in-a-Box training. Participants use a straight-forward, structured toolkit to tackle their own work challenges - learning while doing real work. Participants gain the skill, conviction and confidence to use the tools immediately. To learn more about Juice inc. & innovation-in-a-Box, visit: www.juiceinc.com/innovation

Locally grown quinoa in ontario: katan is finalizing plans to become the largest producer of local quinoa in north America! Jamie draves, President of katan, collaborated with many partners, to develop a local variety of quinoa! This fall, katan will offer ontario quinoa that will be available on a first come, first serve basis! Call 647-932-6930 or email service@katan.ca to be put on the list to have the first chance to order the first commercially available locally grown quinoa in ontario!

It’s all about the water! everyday tens of thousand’s of water samples from our drinking water supply to our rivers, lakes and ocean fronts are analysed with MAnTeCh instrumentation. MAnTeCh’s innovative approach to water quality testing instruments has come from our passion for innovation in science. Both government and industry trustMAnTeCh generated results to protect both the environment and human lives. MAnTeCh thanks the support of innovation guelph, The City of guelph and The university of guelph as we grow and export these valued innovations around the world. To learn more about MAnTeCh visit www.mantech-inc.com or email info@mantech-inc.com.

Nedlaw Living Walls: The living wall biofilter represents the hybridization of science and art to generate high quality indoor environments in an aesthetic and sustainable manner. The result of over 10 years of research at the university of guelph, the system appears as a wall of plants. however, the wall is an integrated part of the building’s air handling system. Air is forced through the wall and biological components degrade pollutants in the air into their benign constituents. The clean air is then distributed throughout the building. With the help of innovation guelph, nedlaw has installed close to 200 systems across north America.Visit http://www.nedlaw.ca/ or http://www.naturaire.com/ for more information

harmonizing the Built and Natural Environments: novus environmental specializes in the fields of air quality, wind and climate, sound and vibration, electromagnetic and radio frequency interference and sustainable water, with a goal of harmonizing the built and natural environments. integrating expertise across disciplines ensures our clients achieve their goals and realize the most innovative and sustainable solutions available. recent successes include development of new climate modelling methods for AshrAe, participation on design teams for the new Pan Am games facilities, the new Forensics services and Coroners Complex in Toronto and support for an advanced workshop for nATo on sustainable water, infrastructure and energy systems. Working with innovation guelph and others, our modellers, engineers and scientists collaborate with the best and our clients get the best.To learn more about Novus visit our website at:

Making cancer drugs more affordable: PlantForm Corporation is using tobacco plants to produce antibody drugs to treat cancer and other serious illnesses, at a fraction of the cost of other manufacturing systems. The guelph-based company’s first product will be a biosimilar (generic) version of the breast cancer drug herceptin®. Also in the works are antibodies for the treatment of hiV/Aids, as well as an enzyme that protects against the effects of nerve agent exposure. PlantForm licenses its technology from the university of guelph, where it was developed by world renowned plant scientist dr. J. Christopher hall.To learn more about PlantForm, visit: www.plantformcorp.com

reSource h20 Inc. innovators in the reclamation and distribution of rainwater.resource h20 has years of experience designing and installing custom rain Water harvesting (rWh) systems. in response to the technical challenges that engineers and contractors face, resource h20 has developed a fully integrated, standardized rWh system for commercial and residential applications. The commercial product will launch this spring. resource h2o has enjoyed strong support from academic, public and private partners, who have contributed to the development of our world class rWh system. innovation guelph provided financial and management tools that have accelerated the company to full production. resource h2o is the leading innovator in the rainwater harvesting industry.To learn more about reSource h2o visit: www. resourceh2o.com

speakFeel Corporation (speakfeel.ca) has been producing mobile applications for north America’s Fortune 500 since 2009. They have developed software for kids help Phone, the university of Waterloo, Torstar, riM, Vincor Canada, Monsanto and various agencies out of Toronto and new york. Their product JoeMobi.com, an “instant app” tool, has a global reach with over 1 million content “pushes” throughout countries such as india, indonesia and the uAe. innovation guelph has helped speakFeel drive JoeMobi through executive-in-residence support and with access to investor and government resources. The software placed 3rd in “Pitchit 2012,” innovation guelph’s version of “dragon’s den.”

W2 Energy Inc. develops renewable energy technologies and applies it to new generation power systems. W2 energy’s plasma assisted biomass to energy plants utilize state-of-the-art technologies to produce green energy, both fuel (sulfur free diesel) and electricity, at the most efficient cost in capital investment and production per/barrel, per/Megawatt. The company’s biofuel technologies include biodiesel, fuel oil replacements and synthetic fuels all derived from renewable and/or green sources. our 24,000-square-foot facility on four acres of land is located in guelph, ontario. We are committed to manufacturing in north America, to ensure the highest quality components, and to provide local jobs. w2energy.com

remoterep® has changed the way selling is performed. if you are accountable for sales in your organization, you need to know about remoterep®.remoterep® sales results Workbench™ is a proven software solution that integrates the 3 key sales methods required to dramatically increase sales force effectiveness, extend reach to new customers, and expand the number of customer opportunities that can be managed and won. Advanced analytics from every customer interaction allow managers to gain insights that give them the competitive advantage to win in their markets. innovation guelph, through its programs and the support of the eir have assisted remoterep® by accelerating the development of the company, defining its markets, and raising investment funding to fuel growth.if you want real sales results, contact remoterep®.www.remoterep.com // 855.426.7839 // sales@remoterep.com