North Grenville firm develops, sells unique clean-energy combustion system
When Glen Clarke won a motorsport race in 2006 using an experimental ignition system designed by combustion expert Dr. Alex Plotnikov, he suspected the technology could have huge global appeal.
“The engine was very crisp and there was a little more power—it made a big difference,” says Clarke, remembering his win at the five-day 2006 Targa Newfoundland International tarmac rally.
The following year, Clarke and his engineering students at Carleton University installed the plasma-based system in a racecar they built and they beat out 150 other universities for the fuel efficiency of their vehicle.
A clean-energy combustion technology, the SPDI Spark system has reduced fuel usage in automobiles by five to 10 percent.
Six years after the Newfoundland motorcar rally, Clarke and Plotnikov have fully tested their SPDI Spark ignition system and have just started selling their first products out of their Kemptville, Ontario facility under their company name Sphenic Technologies. They’ve also hired six people.
Sphenic Technologies is now selling the systems through the company’s website (www.spdispark.com) and a salesperson has since been hired to develop a distribution network.
Initially, Sphenic Technologies is targeting North America’s $100-million aftermarket parts market, the subset of automobile enthusiasts who enjoy tinkering with, and adding onto, their own cars.
The company’s long-term goal is to target the original equipment maker market in hopes of getting SPDI Spark systems installed in new automobiles when they are assembled at the factory.
Teri Devine, Economic Development Coordinator for the Municipality of North Grenville, says Sphenic Technologies impressed the folks at the Grenville Community Futures Development Corp. so much that the organization provided funding to help the company hire two new sales and marketing employees.
“Sphenic Technologies is an exciting new startup in North Grenville that has the potential to really go global,” Devine says. “This is one company we all have our eyes on.”
Peterborough welcomes Japanese media investigating tourism opportunities
Members of the Japanese media visited Peterborough earlier this month to investigate tourism opportunities for the Japanese market in the Eastern Ontario city.
Hosted by Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism, a division of the Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation, the visiting entourage included Hiroko Yoshizawa Owada of Ontario Style and Tomoko Okada, Marketing Manager for Ontario Tourism Japan.
“This visit marks the first of a growing trend in Asian travel media and tourists travelling to our region,” said Greg Lister, Marketing Communications Specialist-Tourism for the GPA EDC.
The visit to Peterborough follows a trip to Asia by GPA EDC president Dan Taylor who spoke with staff at Ontario Style in Tokyo to stoke increased interest in the Peterborough area as a tourism attraction.
Taylor said in a news release that the visit from the Japanese media was an opportunity for them to experience the region first hand and to write about it in order to give their audiences reasons to visit Peterborough and the Kawarthas while in Canada.
“The coverage that we receive in this market is valuable,” said Taylor. “It will create top of mind recognition for our region as an alternative low-stress destination with some of the best cultural attractions and culinary experiences in the province.”
Attracting tourists from faraway destinations is lucrative as statistics suggest people spend more money when they come from farther away, he said.
“Hosting travel writers from abroad is a relatively inexpensive way to garner attention, build relationships and create opportunities in new markets,” he said.
Following the familiarization tour, Ontario Style will be posting stories on its website (www.OntarioStyle.com).
Artists from across Ontario attend art business conference in Peterborough
Artists and representatives of art organizations from across Ontario descended on Peterborough to delve into the business of art earlier this month.
About 65 guests attended the Artpreneur event hosted by the Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation in its Business Advisory Centre on February 8.
The event featured presentations and a panel discussion highlighting successful local artists from the Greater Peterborough, Northumberland, and Kawartha Lakes regions. They shared their knowledge and successes in this creative industry and provided innovative ideas and encouragement for artists to grow their businesses.
Elizabeth Teleki, Manager of the GPA EDC's Business Advisory Centre, said art is an expanding sector of the region’s rural economy and that the business side of art is often overlooked.
“We offered an opportunity for the artistic community to come together, share ideas and learn from each others’ best practices, which will lead to sustainability and growth in this sector," Teleki said in a release.
Artrepreneur was an interactive regional event that was organized in partnership with the Kawartha Lakes Small Business Enterprise Centre and Northumberland Business Advisory Centre.
Funding was provided by the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation and Canada Business through the Bridges to Better BusinessTM Program.
Peterborough-area businesses feted for community, creative contributions
The Peterborough area honoured the outstanding contributions of several of its small businesses earlier this month.
On February 2, the Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation’s Business Advisory Centre recognized excellence in small business and those who cultivate the spirit of entrepreneurship in that community.
Small business is a key driver of the region’s economy and entrepreneurs work hard to creatively grow their businesses, providing employment and increasing the quality of life for residents in the City and County of Peterborough, says a release from the GPA EDC.
The Business Advisory Centre also recognized its 2011 sponsors who provide funding and expertise for the delivery of advisory services at nine locations throughout Peterborough City and County. These services provide tools and know-how to individuals who are seeking advice on starting and expanding small businesses in the Peterborough-area community.
In 2011, the GPA EDC showed its commitment to promoting vibrant economic and employment opportunities through the development of the EPIC (Entrepreneurs Proudly Investing in our Community) Ventures program.
EPIC Ventures recognizes the economic growth, creative business opportunities, and quality of life improvements that the region’s small businesses contribute to the community.
The 2011 recipients are as follows: Wild Rock Outfitters, The Silver Bean, Shish Kabob Hut, Seniors Dreams Inc., Kawartha Endodontics, Jo Anne’s Place, and Traynor Beef Farms.
Each winner received a promotional prize pack that included a “My Peterborough” radio feature on the KRUZ FM, a profile on PTBOCanada.com, and on-line recognition on the Peterborough This Week and Peterborough Examiner websites.
They also won a downtown display space provided by DNS Real Estate Limited Brokerage and a profile in The Business Beat—a commerce column in online publication www.kawarathanow.com— and a one hour social media consultation with expert Sofie Andreou.
Award-winning film company shoots feature film in Peterborough
Peterborough was the scene of a feature film shoot last month.
Oscar nominee Laurent Cantet, who won the 2008 Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, shot part of the film Foxfire in the Eastern Ontario city the week of January 30.
Cantet, who was nominated for an Oscar for best foreign language film, was shooting for French co-producing company Haut & Court, which has produced 20 features, including The Class and Coco Before Chanel.
Inspired by the Joyce Carol Oates novel, Foxfire focuses on a group of 1950s high school girls repulsed by the casual brutality of their world.
In defiance of social norms, the girls form the secret society Foxfire and, with the innocent passion of youth, design a campaign of retaliation and justice, says a release from the Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation.
“Peterborough is a perfect location for the winter section of our shoot,” the film’s producer Simone Urdl said in the release. “Although the film is set in the 1950s, our story is as modern as this morning. Audiences all over the world will recognize that in a city this intimate, everyone would know everyone else—at least by reputation.”
Urdle said the people and businesses of Peterborough made the film crew feel welcome.
Under The Film Farm banner, Simone Urdl and her partner Jennifer Weiss produced the two-time Oscar nominee Away from Her (2006) starring Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent and directed by Sarah Polley.
They also produced the Atom Egoyan films Chloe (2009) starring Julianna Moore, Liam Neeson and Amanda Seyfried and Adoration (2006) as well as Brian De Palma’s Redacted (2007).
Feds open $18.9-million fund for Southern Ontario manufacturers
The federal government has renewed a funding initiative that helps Southern Ontario manufacturers improve competitiveness and gain new access to global business opportunities.
Ian Howcroft, vice president of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Ontario, said in an online announcement that FedDev Ontario is giving $18.9 million to the CME SMART Prosperity Now initiative.
The funding creates a new phase for the SMART program, which was launched in 2008.
Manufacturers that are currently exporting, planning to export, or selling into an export supply chain, are eligible to apply for funding to conduct productivity assessments and to undertake a variety of productivity improvement projects.
Productivity assessments will be eligible for funding for up to 50 per cent of costs to a maximum contribution of $5,000. Productivity enhancement projects, meanwhile, may qualify for funding for up to 33 per cent of costs to a maximum contribution of $75,000.
To help navigate the program, CME is organizing a series of informative workshops that are scheduled to begin in early February, including one in Kingston, Ontario on Feb. 15.
The new phase of the program was formally announced on January 10 in the Niagara region by The Honorable Rob Nicholson, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and Jayson Myers, president and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters.
More details can be found at www.cme-smart.ca or by calling the CME hotline at 1-877-913-4263.
Ontario Government announces Enabling Change Program to be reoffered
The Ontario Government is renewing a funding program that helps non-profit organizations teach sectors and industries their obligations under the 2005 Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
The Ministry of Community and Social Services' Accessibility Directorate of Ontario just announced that the Enabling Change Program is open to applications until Friday. The program contributes up to 75 percent of a project’s total cost.
Projects can include initiatives such as promotional literature, educational workshops, and development of creative solutions to accessibility issues. Funding support can include staff or consultant time.
It’s hoped that retailers, healthcare providers, tourism and hospitality businesses, non-profits, and the broader public sector will be targeted by successful applicants.
Apply by visiting http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/accessibility/partnerships/En...
SunGard Availability Services and NAV CANADA establish new partnership
SunGard Availability Services Signs has signed an agreement with NAV CANADA to offer state-of-the-art workforce continuity services at the NAV CENTRE in Cornwall.
An industry leader in workforce recovery, SunGard provides organizations with temporary and secure employee workspace, equipment, data services, and telephone connectivity in the event of a business interruption or disaster. During the G20 Summit in Toronto in 2010, a number of Canada’s major banks sent their essential employees to a SunGard workforce continuity facility in Mississauga.
"Decreased productivity is one of the biggest sources of revenue loss during a business interruption, and the demand for alternative workspaces is growing as organizations are increasingly aware of this," said Bruno Berti, Senior Product Manager at SunGard Availability Services.
Access to a fully equipped workforce recovery centre will be of particular interest to organizations in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. NAV CENTRE's location puts the recovery centre far enough away from potential localized disasters such as floods, earthquakes or power outages, yet close enough to allow an organization to quickly bring operations back online.
For the initial phase of the partnership, a 14,000 square-foot workforce continuity centre has been established in the NAV CENTRE to accommodate 350 workspace seats, with the opportunity for further expansion. SunGard and the NAV CENTRE are working to attract new organizations that can take advantage of the space.