What's New @ CAFE VI
CAFE Vancouver Island Newsletter - Spring 2014
In This Issue. . .
- Event: CAFE Vancouver Island FEYA Award - Feb 19, 2014
- President’s Message
- We Want to Hear from You
- Growing Our Membership
- Member Congratulations & News
- Member Profile - Kathy & Murray Tough
- Welcome our Volunteer Market Research Analyst
- Welcome our Volunteer Program Resource Researcher
- Personal Advisory Group (PAG) Retreat
- The PAG Experience & Good Decisions
- Event: Transitioning your Business - Date TBA
- Event: Family Business Symposium - May 21-23, 2014
- Upcoming Webinars
- CAFE VI Board of Directors
- Get Social with CAFE VI
- Become a Member
Family Enterprise of the Year Achievement (FEYA) Award
Thank you Bank of Montreal FEYA Platinum Sponsor and CAFE Vancouver Island Program Sponsors.
President’s Message
We are now approaching the halfway point of our current fiscal year and have much to be proud of as an organization. We undertook a survey of Personal Advisory Group (PAG) members to determine their overall satisfaction with the PAG experience and were not surprised to learn that:
- Over 90% of respondents value their PAG experience
- Their respective PAGs deal with a diversity of subjects
- They have presentations that are significant with relevant feedback
- The individuals within the PAGs hold each other accountable for the success of the group
It also appears that all of our PAGs are following the suggested structure, as 100% of respondents indicated that they regularly engage in self-discovery exercises. The survey results confirm what we have known for a long time: PAGs offer a significant value to our members. If you are interested in joining a PAG, please contact our Managing Director for an application form.
Another effort this year has been to improve the quality of our programming and the level of attendance at our events. At the board level, we decided this year to focus on our members and improve the connections within the local family business community on Vancouver Island. Our fall event, "Family Business Stories,” received rave reviews as we shared the candid experiences of four of our family business members.
In February we celebrate the achievements of Capital Iron at the “Family Enterprise of the Year Achievement" award ceremony at Uplands Golf Club. In April we will present issues related to family business succession seen through the experiences of two local family business members. We are also planning a less formal social event for later in the year to bring together our local family business community yet again. Stay tuned!
Thank you for your support of our organization and please do not hesitate to contact us with any suggestions, concerns or outlandish thoughts you might have about where our organization is going or should be going. Your input is greatly valued.
Andy Spurling, Proline Property Managers, CAFE Vancouver Island President
We Want to Hear from You
Stay in touch by contacting Bernadine Rudichuk at vancouverisland@cafecanada.ca or
250-532-2402 on questions, concerns or any thoughts you may have about CAFE Vancouver Island.
Growing our Membership
Introduce us to potential new CAFE members. You’ll get a free ticket to our next event if they chose to join.
Member Congratulations & News
Mandy Farmer, President and CEO of Accent Inns was ranked #51 in Profit Magazine’s Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs. Congratulations Mandy!
Capital Iron is expanding to the West Shore. They have leased 23,000 square feet at the former Sandy’s location. Owner, Mike Black, says they plan on focusing on all of their outdoor businesses plus clothing/footwear and housewares. These departments will carry almost the full assortment of the Victoria store. Early April grand opening!
Story Construction, one the city’s oldest General Contracting firms, is currently seeking a qualified and experienced estimator and project manager for various commercial and residential architectural projects. Interested parties can email info@storyconstruction.ca.
Story Construction was featured in the September issue of YAM magazine for a modern custom home in Fairfield, recently completed the new Emily Carr Library in Uptown Shopping Center, and is currently renovating the Archie Browning Sports Complex in Esquimalt.
Send us your news, congratulations and well wishes.
Member Profile
Kathy & Murray Tough, Serenity Home Care
Serenity Home Care, new CAFE member, is the premier non-medical home care agency in Victoria and surrounding areas, providing a wide range of in-home care services.
Their mission is to ensure a better quality of life for their elderly clients and their families by providing dependable and affordable care. They are passionate about their home care services and offer a personal touch that enriches the lives of those for whom they care.
Their focus is to keep you or your loved ones at home, where your hearts are, and avoid loss of friends and possessions, loss of independence and freedom, and loss of spirit which is drained by the battles of daily living. Their caring service makes it possible for the elderly to maintain as much independence as possible, by providing the appropriate in-home assistance and companionship. They pride themselves on matching highly qualified, compassionate caregivers to fit the personality, interests, and sense of humour of your loved ones. In that way, they lift the spirits not only of seniors, but of the family caregiver, as well.
Welcome our Volunteer Market Research Analyst
Caitlin Roch recently joined CAFE Vancouver Island as a volunteer Market Research Analyst. She will engage in research activities to help identify family businesses on Vancouver Island with a concentration on Central and South Island. The purpose of this position is to help inform CAFE of family businesses who would benefit from the organization’s membership.
Welcome our Volunteer Program Resource Researcher
Personal Advisory Group (PAG) Retreat
Our PAG enjoyed their 7th annual retreat, January 10-12, 2014 on Salt Spring Island. The group ventured over on a Friday ferry, including a few members who biked from Victoria. Four log cabins were reserved at the peaceful Cusheon Lake Resort. The weekend started off with a communal meal in one of the cabins, followed by a cold lake swim for some adventurer seekers.
On Saturday, the PAG gathered at the Paradise Found Retreat cottage to partake in a food and cooking course. The facilitator walked them through a journey of healthy eating, awareness of where our food comes from and what our bodies need. We finished off with a meal of locally sourced chili, flatbreads and macaroons.
Later in the afternoon, the group held an abbreviated PAG session that focused on a self-discovery exercise. That evening the group went out for dinner at Auntie-Pestos and later to Moby's Pub. On Sunday, a lecturer from UVic’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Leadership came to facilitate a discussion on leadership styles.
We departed on the Sunday midday ferry for Victoria, leaving with an enhanced sense of sharing, group bonding and rejuvenation – a perfect annual retreat experience, as always!
Submitted by Stewart Story, Story Construction
The PAG Experience & Good Decisions
CAFE and in particular my PAG, have been an absolutely key support system for taking the store forward. So many good decisions have been made with the benefit of PAG input and knowledge, particularly the decision to purchase our building and subsequent negotiations with family members. Hard to believe that we're celebrating our 85th anniversary this year.
Gayle Robinson, owner, Robinson’s Outdoor Store
Coming Up: Transitioning Your Business & Building Strong Families for Successful Transition
Transitioning your Business
CAFE Vancouver Island is offering a two-hour April workshop on “Transitioning Your Business” through People First Solutions out of Vancouver. This interesting workshop leads into the Family Business Symposium in Vancouver May 21-23 which focuses on “Building Strong Families for Successful Transitions."
If you own a business, this event is not to be missed.
In 2012, CIBC World Markets released a study claiming that half of all small and mid- sized business owners in Canada are set to retire over the next decade, including 310,000 that plan to transfer control of their companies in the next 5 years. That's an estimated $1.7 trillion in assets.
What you may be wondering:
- When should I start seriously planning for my retirement?
- Are my children interested, capable or ready to lead my business?
- How can I delegate to someone new without putting my financial future at risk, not to mention my life's work?
- How can I find someone that can run my business? We're so unique!
- What will I do with my time if I'm not running the company?
If these questions have crossed your mind, then this seminar is for you.
The three advisors will demonstrate through case studies how other local small business owners have already successfully transitioned their businesses. More importantly, they will identify some of the pitfalls that must be avoided at all costs.
The advisors will then be available during the cocktail hour for a "speed networking" event where smaller groups of participants can spend 10 minutes with each expert getting their specific questions answered.
Two Victoria based family businesses will share their stories in a question answer format.
Participants will leave this session with a solid understanding of the next steps on the road to transitioning out of the day-to-day operations in their company. They will also have identified a rough action plan customized to their specific business.
Watch for registration details.
Building Strong Families for Successful Transitions
Friends and families of CAFE will join together on May 21- 23, 2014 at our biennial conference, the ultimate gathering of family enterprise in Canada! CAFE's 2014 Family Business Symposium consists of 2 ½ days of keynote presentations and interactive workshops delivered by industry experts. This is a unique opportunity to connect and network with more than 200 owners, founders, management executives, academics and advisors of family businesses from across Canada. CAFE is pleased to announce that we will host this amazing event at the world-renowned Westin Bayshore in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia!
Upcoming Webinars
- January 29, 2014: The Value of Freedom
Presented by Phil Symchych, Symco & Co.
- March 26, 2014: The Challenge of Family Leadership
Presented by Matthew Wesley, The Wesley Group
CAFE Vancouver Island Board of Directors
Become a Member
Email: vancouverisland@cafecanada.ca
Website: http://cafecanada.ca/chapters/vancouver-island
Phone: 250-532-2402
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/CAFE-Vancouver-Island/162964777099687
Twitter: @CAFEVanIsland
250-532-2402