FEBRUARY 2018businessinfocusmagazine.comSERVING THOSE WHO SERVE OTHERSBargreen EllingsonONE SOLID SOURCE FOR ALL DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING NEEDSMerry X-RayTHE METAL FABRICATOR AND MANUFACTURER OF CHOICE FOR WORLD-CLASS BRANDSBTD Manufacturing EDITOR’S CORNERWelcome, readers, to a new issue and a new year! In this issue of Business in Focus, we take a closer look at the concept of the “mobile office,” a term which refers to employ-ees based out of their own homes (or perhaps the beach, I think, looking out the window at the Canadian winter) rather than a central workplace.It is connectivity that enables this kind of flexibility, brought to us by smartphones, tablets, cloud services, and videoconfer-encing. The benefits to employees may be obvious – the ability to work when they are most productive, a better sense of work-life balance, the ability to work while traveling – but a mobile workforce can benefit employers as well. They may be able to maintain a smaller office with lower overhead, and experience less sick time and absenteeism. “The benefits to employees may be obvious, but a mobile workforce can benefit employers as well.”Of course, a mobile workforce is not without its challenges. As Stacey McCarthy writes in this issue, “Businesses that let their staff consistently work outside of the office… often struggle to ensure their teams feel connected to one another.” In some cases, “employers come to expect that their staff are always available, day or night.” But the ability to work from anywhere at any time is certainly a valuable tool in the modern business landscape. “74 percent of North American office workers would quit their job to work for another company that allowed them to work from home, even without a pay bump,” writes Stacey, and that is a figure that simply cannot be ignored. Don’t miss this issue’s The Mobile Office – Nearly Two Decades in the Making to get the full story.Tim Hocken EditorSuite 300, 7071 Bayers Rd. | Halifax, NS | B3L 2C2 | CanadaP: 1-647-479-2163 | E: info@fmgpublishing.combusinessinfocusmagazine.comEDITORTim HockenDEPUTY EDITORJaime McKeeDIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTRobert ChambersDIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONSColin O’NeillREGIONAL MANAGERSAdam Cameron | Ciaran DunneMANAGER OF TRAINING & DEVELOPMENTNate SeligRESEARCH MANAGERSMary Hirtle | Janna George | Mark PetersBrad Mike | Naomi McLaughlin | Des O’ReillyDavid Ryan | Tom England | Kris JordanEarle Fergusson | Ivan Crnogorac | Christian CookeMarvin Leyte | Erin WellsPRODUCTION COORDINATORClaire ChambersGRAPHIC DESIGNERSEbic Tristary | Yoana Ilcheva | Gavin BillingsLindsay Bailey | Akira ArrudaOPERATIONS MANAGERJonathan FisherCONTRIBUTING EDITORJessica FerlainoCONTRIBUTING WRITERSRyan Cartner | Robert Hoshowsky | Jen HockenMargaret Eaton | Samita Sarkar | Laura McHargueMark Golombek | Nate Hendley | Pauline MüllerIan McCausland | Anne Lindert-Wentzell | Stacey McCarthyCOPY EDITORThora SmithSALES & MARKETINGJosh Daurie | Pamela Taylor | Luke Simms | Lucy PalmerKayla Brown | Dean Lucas | Phil Leighton | Shawn ClarkeCONTROLLERJen HamiltonPUBLISHERJeff Hocken 3 INSIDE FEBRUARY Nearly Two Decades in the MakingHospitality, Food & Events Bargreen Ellingson Seattle Coffee Gear Organic Trade Association Mike & Mike’s Organics Manufacturing, Engineering & Design Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) BTD Manufacturing Flex Films USA The Bucket Shop BWise Manufacturing Texas Wireline Manufacturing Xcentric Mold and Engineering SigmaPoint Technologies Visual Marking Systems International Erosion Control Systems Kit Masters 3C! Packaging Northern Metal Fab Power Systems & Controls Communities & Civic Regions City of Kirksville, MO City of Bellflower, CA Town of Berlin, CT Focus On: Economic Development in the Great Plains Region Twin Cities Development Association North Platte, NEFocus On: Ohio The Growth Partnership for Ashtabula County Auglaize County Sandusky County City of Ashland Morrow County Economic Development Carroll County 4 COVER STORY 10 THE MOBILE OFFICENearly Two Decades in the MakingIn 2000, I began working in marketing for a software development company that was designing applications for the Palm™ handheld computing device that were set to revolutionize the consumer packaged goods industry. At the time, mobile phones were just used for making phones calls, and BlackBerrys® were the “cutting edge” device that allowed users to text…CONTENTSConstruction, Infrastructure & Utilities 5 Point Operations Health & Well-Being Merry X-Ray Mobius Imaging MGC Diagnostics AtriCure Elements Massage® Retail, Wholesale & Distribution Solutions Queller Wholesale Velocity Electronics Transport, Supply Chain & Logistics The FBI Group Education, Training & Consulting The Intrinsic Value of Knowledge Transfer Navarro College Testing & Calibration Trescal5 Are you planning an event relating to North America’s growing Business Industry?To get your event listed in Business in Focus, please contact us at least six to eight weeks before the event takes place at info@fmgpublishing.com or call 1-647-479-2163WORKPLACE BULLYING13 – 14 February, Chicago, ILThis workshop provides the interpersonal skills needed to develop a positive workplace culture, and addresses negative behaviours from dif-ferent angles. Assertiveness skills are integrated into the course for those who might feel targeted or have team members who are targeted by aggressive co-workers. Positive communication skills are demonstrated for those who may be too aggressive or have aggressive team members. The behaviour of bystanders is addressed by creating awareness about the importance of standing up for each other to create positive and productive workplace, and attendees will agree on a set of ground rules that can be used in their own workplace.For more information BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP CONFERENCE & EXPO23 February, Statesboro, GAThe aim of this conference is to encourage, enlighten, educate, and empower business owners and entrepreneurs with insight, information, teaching, training, testimonials, resources, and more to help produce innovative ideas that will motivate business expansion and dream realiza-tion. This conference will help entrepreneurs make their dream a reality and help business owners build a strong growing business structure for future success. A representative from the Veterans Business Outreach Center will conduct a special breakout session for Veteran Business Owners and Entrepreneurs.For more information CYBER SECURITY 2018: BUILDING RESILIENCE NOW AND FOR THE FUTURE1 – 2 March, Ottawa, ONAt this conference, attendees will meet and learn from established security experts. Find out from experts and peers about how they are defending their organizations from attacks, and learn about the latest strategies and management practices you can use to identify threats and either stop them or minimize their impact.For more information TECHNOLOGY SCOUTING AND THE IMPLICATIONS OF CHANGE8 – 9 March, Chicago, ILThis course will provide an overview of Technology Scouting and discuss different approaches and processes to integrate technology scouting into an organization’s overall strategic management framework. Some of the key tools and methods that can be applied to technology scouting will be examined, allowing attendees to take practical steps to implementing or improving their approach to managing technological change.For more information HEALTHY CANADA CONFERENCE 2018: PERSONALIZED HEALTH AND WELLNESS27 – 28 March, Toronto, ONThis event will bring together experts and stakeholders from across the country to address diverse issues with the goal of applying innova-tion to health and wellness. This will help all participants in the system achieve greater impact from a population health and productivity standpoint. Don’t miss this chance to explore the top issues, network with peers, and have your say on how we can improve Canadians’ health through personalization.For more information INDUSTRY EVENTS 6 INDUSTRY NEWSBMO BREAKS INTO THE MARIJUANA SECTORBMO is the first of the big-five Canadian banks to enter the medical marijuana sector, announcing it has made a $175 million deal with Canada’s largest producer of medical grade cannabis, Smith Falls-based Canopy Growth Corp. The joint deal, which amounts to over five million shares and is subject to approval, is a being led by GMP Securities LP and BMO Capital Markets. BMO already provides business accounts for publicly traded companies in the mari-juana sector, but it is the first time a Canadian bank has led an equity financing arrangement of this kind. An over-allotment option valued at over $26 million has been included in the deal, which will provide an opportunity for the purchase of 759 000 additional shares at the offering price of $34.60 a share. GE’S POWER DIVISION TO TAKE A HITGeneral Electric Co. plans to make significant cuts to its global workforce to accommodate the shift away from fossil fuel power plants in the market. By eliminating 12 000 jobs in its power division, the majority of which will impact staff in Europe, primarily Germany and Switzerland, GE expects to save $1 billion in 2018 to mitigate the impact of reduced demand. Weak market condi-tions are expected to persist in the future for the company’s power division, challenges which GE is preparing for. 7 INDUSTRY NEWSDISNEY TO PURCHASE 21ST CENTURY FOXIn a move to strengthen its presence in the market as players like Netflix are changing the media landscape, Walt Disney Co. has finalized a takeover deal to acquire a substantial portion of Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion. The deal is expected to close in 2019 subject to regulatory approval. Disney will assume $14 billion in debt in the stock deal, which will result in the acquisition of 20th Century Fox movie and television studio, Fox’s regional sports channels, cable television brands FX and National Geographic, as well as Fox’s portfolio of interna-tional operations. The deal includes a breakup fee of $2.5 billion if approval is not granted, which is possible given the challenge AT&T is facing in its attempted acquisition of Time Warner. Disney’s acquisition of the Fox assets will essentially eliminate one of Hollywood’s six major film studios. It will also greatly improve Disney’s international market reach as it is set to launch its own streaming services to better compete in the changing market. Disney recently acquired majority ownership of BAMTech, LLC which will support the launch of its ESPN-branded multi-sport video streaming service, as well as its Disney-branded direct-to-consumer streaming service, a platform that will be signifi-cantly bolstered by its deal with Fox.Murdoch will retain control of Fox News Channel, Fox Broadcast Network, Fox Sports One and Two, as well as News Corporation which includes newspapers Wall Street Journal and New York Post. He and his family will become the second largest share-holders at Disney with a 4.4 percent stake. Fox will now consti-tute one-quarter of Disney’s shareholders. VOLKSWAGEN TO PAY $232 M IN CANADIAN EMISSIONS SETTLEMENTAfter the controversy stemming from the admitted use of illegal software to cheat diesel emissions tests in September 2015, German automaker Volkswagen has agreed to pay a $232 million settlement to vehicle owners in Canada that were affected by the scandal. Nearly 20 000 owners of Volkswagen, Porsche and Audi vehicles with 3.0-liter diesel engines will receive cash payments, subject to court approval. In addition to the settlement, Volkswagen is required to pay a CAD$2.5 million civil penalty. The company set aside $30 billion to deal with the issue in North America, where a total of $25 billion has already been spent to address claims related to the scandal. Last year, a settlement of $1.22 billion was paid in the United States to fix or buy back upwards of 80 000 vehicles with 3.0-liter diesel engines. Owners who previously obtained fixes were compen-sated between $8500 and $17 000. In 2016, Volkswagen spent close to $10 billion to compensate and buy back 475 000 vehicles with 2.0-liter diesel engines in the United States and CAD$2.1 billion to buy back and fix 105 000 vehicles in Canada. Photo by Gabriele MaltintiShutterstock.com8 INDUSTRY NEWS TAKATA RECALL CONTINUES TO EXPANDAlready the largest automotive recall in the history of the United States, Takata has recalled another 3.3 million airbag inflators, details of which will be filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall, which began in 2001, now includes inflators in over 40 million vehicles across 19 different automakers. Defective front airbags are found in certain 2009, 2010 and 2013 Honda, Toyota, Audi, BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Jaguar-Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, and Tesla vehicles, as well as Daimler vans. The problem pertains to the use of the ammonium nitrate, which creates a small explosion to deploy the airbag in the event of a crash. High temperatures and conditions of high humidity can cause the chemical to deteriorate and burn faster than normal, resulting in an explosion of the metal canister in which it is housed. To date, 20 deaths and 180 injuries have been linked to this issue globally, as shrapnel can be blasted throughout the vehicle putting both drivers and passengers in harm’s way. In addition to fines, criminal convictions were handed down to the company. As of the end of the third-quarter in 2017, less than half of the recalled inflators had been replaced. NYC THE LATEST CITY TO SUE OIL COMPANIESNew York is the latest city to file a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against five of the biggest players in the oil market including BP, Chevron Corp. Conoco Phillips, Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell. There is also a plan to divest $189 million from its public pension funds over the next five years to safeguard the future retirement of its public employees. Similar lawsuits have been filed by San Francisco and other cities in California, each of which is seeking billions of dollars in damages, citing the impacts of rising sea levels being caused by climate change. This is a relatively significant blow to an industry that is already trying to reconcile the shift in public per-ception away from fossil fuels in favour of sustainable energy.As many oil companies have been forced to adjust their business models in the face of the challenge, the companies listed in the suit feel that the lawsuits are politically motivated and not in the interest of improved sustainability as efforts are already underway to adopt more sustainable practices. Exxon is fighting back, filing its own lawsuit in Texas State Court that makes the claim that none of the cities made it known to bond buyers that such risks existed. Photo by Aku AlipShutterstock.com9 Next >