a fresh approach - Allied Properties REIT

WINTER 2012
THE ALLIED PROPERTIES REIT TENANT MAGAZINE
VICTORIA • VANCOUVER • CALGARY • EDMONTON • WINNIPEG • KITCHENER • TORONTO • OTTAWA • MONTREAL • QUEBEC CITY
[PAGE 16]
A FRESH APPROACH
[ PAGE 4 ]
High-Tech: 30 years on
and it’s still the best
spot in Toronto to find the
latest kitchen gadgets
[ PAGE 14 ]
Soma Chocolate: Artisanal
chocolate maker builds
its reputation for flavour
and fair trade
+
• In Montreal: Sava Transmédia is designing
the next wave of mobile and social games
• In Winnipeg: Engineers tap into global
appetite for natural gas dispensers
• In Vancouver: Kalev Fitness takes a team
approach to personal training
Photo: Margaret Mulligan
With a more accessible menu, a lighter interior and softer prices
Toronto’s Lucien is rewriting its upscale dining image.
INCOMING...
Late 2011 acquisition of historic building at Sparks
and Elgin marks Allied expansion into Ottawa
Just west of Confederation Square and a half-block south of the
Parliament Buildings, The Chambers, at 40-46 Elgin Street, is the
first Ottawa building to be added to Allied’s national portfolio.
Located at the intersection of Elgin and Sparks, one of Ottawa’s
more historic streets and easily the first outdoor pedestrian street
in North America, the acquisition is the city’s largest commercial
real estate transaction of last year.
Made up of four contiguous structures, three of which are
heritage buildings and the fourth of which is a 14-storey office
building, it’s a hybrid similar to the large-scale intensification
project at QRC West Allied is developing in Toronto.
The property is mostly occupied by the National Capital
Commission, with the next largest tenant there being Shaw
Communications. There is also a 144-spot underground parking
lot on site.
Three of the structures at 40-46 Elgin are heritage buildings, namely, the
Scottish-Ontario Chambers, the Central Chambers and the Bell Block.
They were built between 1867 and 1891 and were extensively renovated
in 1994 when the adjoining 14-storey tower was constructed.
CALGARY HOLDINGS GROW BY TWO In Calgary, Allied added
two other buildings, the circa 1910 Leeson and Lineham Block
(209 – 8th Avenue S.W.), which was restored between 1998
and 2000, and the Westcoast Building (522 – 11th Avenue S.W.),
a 1912 former warehouse located close to the Roberts Block,
which Allied acquired earlier this year.
Internal office moves made easier with help of pros
TORONTO, ON / - When a tenant company is growing,
managers will often look to move into larger space in the same
building or simply seek to acquire a vacant adjacent space,
whatever the cause, shifting more than a handful of employees
is best handled by a professional mover.
“We do a lot of internal moves, but they are not always
because of growth, sometimes companies just
want to shift people around,” explains
Scott Goodbrand of Office Move
Pro in Toronto.
As an HR strategy, moving people
around and reorganizing departments
can refresh relationships and streamline
processes. Office Move Pro is one of only
two companies in Toronto that offers
unique moving crates with integrated
wheels, which are ideal for an internal
move. These crates allow staffers to pack
and stack their goods and wheel them
out of the way, unlike traditional moving
bins that can turn an open concept
office into an obstacle course.
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 2
If you are considering a move, Goodbrand suggests getting
some straightforward answers from the relocation professionals
on your short list using the following three key points:
RIGHT REFERENCES Make sure the references they provide
had a situation similar to yours. “You want to make sure that
if you are relocating 1,000 staff, you are talking to a firm
that has done a similar 1,000-person relocation,”
says Goodbrand.
STICKY QUOTES Ask how firm the quote
is, he suggests, adding that you should be sure to
fully disclose your space details. “If there are stairs
involved, make sure you get that written into
the quote so that it doesn’t come up as an extra
charge when it’s time to pay the bill,” he says.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING Ask how long the move
will take, says Goodbrand, explaining that typically
an internal move involves disconnecting computers
on a Friday afternoon, moving throughout Friday
night and reconnecting all the IT on Saturday to
have Sunday as a buffer day.
Officemovepro.com
DID YOU KNOW?
LE SAVIEZ-VOUS?
Need service?
Just ASK.
Nouveau dispositif qui « gobe »
les ampoules fluocompactes
Do you need more heat in your office?
Do you need help with a light that doesn’t
work or a door that’s sticking? ASK (which
stands for Allied Service Kiosk) is the
name of Allied’s web-based maintenance
reporting system. Using ASK means a
record of your request is immediately
logged and followed up on. You will
receive periodic updates – or you can
check in and track your request yourself.
All tenants should register for this system
if you have not done so already. For
more information contact your assigned
property administrator.
Les ampoules fluocompactes consomment moins d’énergie, mais
comme elles contiennent du mercure, elles doivent être détruites de
la bonne façon. C’est ici qu'intervient le gobe-ampoule : un appareil
conçu pour broyer en toute sécurité les ampoules fluocompactes
éteintes de toute longueur pour les transformer en un matériel recyclable à 100 % et pour capter 99,99 % des vapeurs libérées. Allied utilise
déjà cet appareil dans certains de ses immeubles à Toronto et s’apprête
à en étendre l’utilisation dans ses immeubles partout au Canada.
Besoin d’un service?
Faites appel à AIDE.
Vous aimeriez qu’il fasse plus chaud dans
votre bureau? Vous avez des problèmes
avec un luminaire? La porte de votre
bureau reste coincée? AIDE (pour « Allied,
Information et Demande Électronique »)
est le système mis en ligne par Allied pour
s’occuper de vos demandes de service.
AIDE enregistre immédiatement votre
demande pour en assurer le suivi. Il vous
envoie des mises à jour périodiques ou
vous permet de vérifier vous-même le
cheminement de votre demande. Nous
encourageons tous les
locataires à adhérer
à ce système. Pour
plus d’information,
communiquez
avec votre
administrateur
de propriété.
New device eats CFL bulbs
While compact fluorescent light bulbs are energy efficient,
their mercury content means they must be disposed
of properly. Enter the Bulb Eater: a
machine designed to safely crush
spent fluorescent lamps of any
length into 100% recyclable
material while capturing over
99.99% of vapors released.
Allied is using this machine in
some of its Toronto properties
and work is underway to bring
these into operation across Canada.
What can be recycled
in Allied buildings?
Tetra paks
No coffee cups
Aluminum and
steel cans
No wax paper
Milk and juice
cartons
Plastic and
glass bottles
No yogurt
containers
No plastic bags
No take-out food
packaging
Que peut-on recycler dans
les immeubles Allied?
Les emballages
Tetra Pak
Les boîtes et
canettes d’aluminium
et d’acier
Les cartons à lait
et à jus
Les bouteilles de
plastique et de verre
Pas de tasses à café
Pas de papier ciré
Pas de contenants
à yogourt
Pas de sacs de
plastique
Pas de contenants
pour les mets à
emporter
www.alliedpropertiesreit.com
FSC LOGO HERE
Send your company info, events and story ideas to
[email protected]
Editor: Yvan Marston • Design: Gravity Design Inc.
3 • WINTER 2012
[RETAIL]
A HISTORY OF
CONTEMPORARY FURNISHINGS
Long a ‘go-to’ for euro-styled kitchen gadgetry, High-Tech is also recognized
for its expertise in small space solutions By Yvan Marston
“
“King Street East has a lot
of furniture stores, so
we stand out because we
offer a lot of the smaller
more practical things.”
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 4
ST. LAWRENCE MARKET AREA, TORONTO / - Stainless steel
is a relatively new finish in the appliance industry, having become
a common sight in the last ten years. But High-Tech has been a
devotee of stainless steel for some 33 years, and all of them from its
3,300 square feet in the St. Lawrence market neighbourhood.
Named for the industrial design movement of the 1960s that
ushered in a sensibility for commercial grade chrome and steel to
the residential realm, High-Tech continues to be the go-to retailer
for Euro-styled kitchen accoutrements and restaurant shelving
(they were the first in Toronto to carry Metro shelving, the original
chrome wire shelves designed to hold up to 800 lbs.)
“King Street East has a lot of furniture stores, so we stand out
because we offer a lot of the smaller more practical things,” says store
manager Scott Griffin. Indeed, the store has a long tradition of
offering clever and stylish kitchen gadgetry, but since the mid-nineties
has moved steadily into offering bath accessories, shelving and small
kitchen appliances.
TORONTO
ISLAND DREAMS
The John Boos Elegante Kitchen
Island has a 1.75-inch-thick
maple top with two extendable
leaves to max out the prep space.
Fully extended, it’s 50-inches
wide, has a stainless steel base
and a dovetail drawer. ($1300)
2
1
FIRE FOR EFFECT
Sold as decorative fireplaces or tabletop accents,
Quebec-made Eco-Feu units burn odourless and
smokeless bioethanol. They offer a gentle heat
and create a great ambiance in a home, condo
or on a terrace. ($100-$1200)
STOP THE MADNESS
3
Leaving your open wine to ferment is just
plain crazy. Preserve a bottle for days
with the Swissmar wine saver set that
pumps the air from the bottle to prevent
further fermentation. Comes with two
stoppers. ($15)
5 • WINTER 2012
4
COFFEE STYLE
The die-cast aluminum and zinc
body of the Breville Espresso
Machine makes it sexy, but it’s
the fact that it handles larger
cups that makes it ideal for
Americanos, Cappuccinos,
and Lattes. ($500)
GOVERN YOUR BOARDS
Cooks worried about crosscontamination look to this
chopping board categorization
system with four colour-coded
boards to safely prep veggies,
fish, raw meat and cooked
food separately. ($90)
5
“We have a lot of
regulars, as well as people
who find us online looking
for a particular brand and
realize we’re just downtown
so they stop in,” says Griffin,
explaining that online sales have
grown consistently and its web
site features a thorough offering
of more than 3,000 products.
Given the glut of condominiums
that have come online in the
neighbourhood these last few years,
High-Tech has also positioned itself
as a small space solutions provider.
Downstairs, beyond the stock
rooms is a small workshop for
cutting and drilling the metal
and wood components that
make up the shelving selections.
For several years now,
explains Griffin, the store has
been building custom kitchen
islands, topping those chrome
wired Metro shelving units and
components with chunky John Boos cutting boards or
custom-ordered stainless steel tops – all made to fit the
exact specifications of a customer’s condo kitchen.
“It’s not a fee-for-service thing, that’s just how we sell
our product. We combine different manufacturer’s product
to make what people want,” says Griffin, explaining that
this level of service also extends to closets.
With closet designers on staff, High-Tech often arranges
home consultations to sort out specific solutions to the space
problems that plague every condo dweller. Using systems
like ClosetMaid, whose modular components are affixed
to the wall with a rail, closets can be configured for current
needs and reorganized as the space or lifestyle changes.
High-Tech also began supplying fireplaces – or fire
elements – for condos and homes without the means to
have a wood or gas-burning fireplace. These ethanol
burning appliances can be free-standing, wall-mounted
or even table top.
“It’s a condo alternative to a real fireplace,” explains
Griffin.
What truly attracts customers here is not only the
attention to innovative products and design, but also the
mix. From organizing and accessories, to décor and style,
High-Tech has a keen eye for the contemporary. n
hightechonline.ca
TORONTO
TOTUM TIPS
Five snacks that might not be
as healthy as you think
We love snacks. At least that’s what a
2010 consumer research study found
with Canadians having eaten just over
300 snack meals per person compared
to Americans whose numbers totaled
approximately 230.
Although we're snacking more often
than our American counterparts, the
study from New York-based NPD Group
explained, the real difference lies in
Maughan
what's being consumed. It seems Canadians are more conscious
of the nutritional value of their food choices. Apparently, in
the U.S., those choosing snack-oriented foods are more likely
to gravitate towards salty options, while Canadians tend toward
foods that are typically ‘considered’ to be better for you.
That’s where Sarah Maughan joins the conversation. The
registered holistic nutritionist with Totum Life Science on
King Street West says there are a lot of snacks people think
are healthy, but indeed are not.
Here are her top five:
2. GRANOLA BARS:
1. YOGURT:
If it is low fat, it
generally will have
more artificial sugar
(chemicals) or sugar
(which will
store as fat)
to compensate
for flavour.
Rather than low fat
sweetened yogurts,
try plain yogurt and
sweeten it yourself
with fruit or honey, which
contribute to nutrient intake. Ideally, you’ll
want 8 to 15 grams of protein per serving.
Once synonymous with wholesome, something
said to be granola is no longer necessarily
something good for you. “They can be loaded
with corn syrup and refined grains – even
transfats,” says Maughan, “so eating a granola
bar can actually deplete your energy instead of
giving you energy because those things will
lead to a blood sugar crash.” Instead, look for
bars where the sugar content is NOT more
than a third of the carb content.
Likes: Kashi and Nature’s Path
3. JAPANESE FOOD:
While some can be good for you, it’s not
a universal truth, says Maughan whose
clients often report a healthy Japanese
meal as one that includes deep fried
vegetable tempura, sushi pizza and
teriyaki chicken. “It’s a matter of choosing
properly. Yes, there are good options
but teriyaki has a lot of sugar in it and
vegetable tempura has had most of
the goodness fried out of it.”
Likes: Liberté and Siggi’s because these
have higher protein since they are strained
to become thick like Greek yogurt.
Likes: Sashimi, Edamame, Seaweed Salad
4. DRIED FRUIT:
Given the option, you should always go for fresh
fruit, but drying is a really good way to preserve
the fruit’s nutrients. It’s the powdered sugar
you have to be careful of, warns Maughan.
Mangoes, pineapples, cranberry and
banana chips all generally tend to
be sweetened with powdered
sugar unless labeled
otherwise.
Likes: Unsweetened
dried fruit or cranberries
sweetened with fruit juice
5. SMOOTHIES:
This once awesome source of nutrients and protein has
been usurped by the fruit content. “A lot of them now
are just fruit in fruit juice – which is just sugar in a
concentrated form,” says Maughan. A good smoothie
will have fruit and protein or healthy fat such
as yogurt, protein powder, nuts/ seeds, or
avocado. Even better is one that has fiber
and vegetables like flax and leafy greens.
Before ordering, find out what’s in it. If
syrup is an ingredient, you are likely
getting more sugar than you want.
Likes: Any smoothie containing a protein
source and that doesn’t have added sugar.
Go to totum.ca to learn more or to book an appointment with Sarah Maughan. And anyone booking with Sarah after reading this
will receive a 10% discount on a Bod Pod fitness assessment at our Totum Performance location in Rosedale.
7 • WINTER 2012
[GAMING]
in PLAY
Independent Montreal firm designs mobile and social games at the forefront
of a second phase of gaming industry entrepreneurialism in Quebec By Yvan Marston
ST. LAURENT BLVD., MONTREAL / - Alain Tascan is
used to being surprised, but when the veteran gaming
executive walked into a working meeting to discuss avatars,
there was something very different about the woman
depicted on the screen.
“Then I realized: I’d never seen a woman drawn for a
woman by a woman,” he says, explaining that his industry
is one where 95% of the designers are men.
But SAVA Transmedia is different. In this 10,000 square-foot
downtown Montreal studio, easily 50% of the faces bathed in
the incandescent blue of monitors are female, and that is a key
strategy behind the positioning of Tascan’s year-old company,
one of the newest of Canada’s 348 game development firms.
“Fifty to 60 percent of people playing games on Facebook
are women over 40, but many of the gaming companies
are used to building experiences for 15-year-old boys to
30-year-old men,” says Tascan. “We’re building an expertise
here that just doesn’t really exist right now.”
REDEFINING GAMING While most of the large game development studios in Canada design for consoles, SAVA Transmedia
is one of the first independent studios to design exclusively for
social media and mobile platforms, and it is hoping to redefine
gaming as a multi-screen experience.
Working on games for Facebook, iOS, Android and
Windows Mobile, SAVA’s team in May last year counted
40 people and has room to expand quickly to an estimated
200 staffers within the next few years.
Of the games his team is developing, all Tascan will divulge
is that they will provide the user with a “sharing” experience
where players learn about each other as they play. He is
understandably secretive: game development is big business.
ECONOMIC POTENTIAL As a core member of the team
dispatched from Paris to start Ubisoft’s first Canadian studio
in Montreal in 1997 Tascan has been a part of gaming long
enough to recall the sideways looks he would get when
explaining his chosen field.
But provincial governments were ready enough to recognize the
economic potential of encouraging knowledge-based businesses.
And gaming was a good deal: no upfront infrastructure costs the
way manufacturing investment requires; and salary subsidies that
brought employees’ incomes into higher tax brackets, pushing
some of that money back into the public coffers.
Still, attracting foreign owned studios is a double-edged
sword, says Tascan. Companies can use Canadian resources
and tax breaks but the intellectual property and the profits
don’t stay in the country.
COMPETING INCENTIVES Canada has been responsible for a
large number of best-selling games (Assassin’s Creed, Prince
of Persia, Mass Effect) bringing it into a virtuous loop where
its successes attract new studios and new work that increase the
experience level and numbers of developers. But if its regions
continue to compete using incentives, he warns, studios could
pull out as soon as the economic climate is more favourable
somewhere else.
“I just think we need to rebalance things,” he says, explaining
that his firm, backed by Canadian investors, is part of a second
phase of entrepreneurialism in the Quebec gaming industry,
one that seeks to keep the profits and expertise inside a country
whose studio network has become the world’s third largest
employer in the gaming industry (after the U.S. and Japan*).
“Not a week goes by that I don’t get a call from a potential
investor,” says Tascan, explaining that the skills are here and
there is a community of willing investors.
“We just have to do our job, make quality product that
makes sense for the platform, and the sky’s the limit.” n
Sava.com
@savatransmedia
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 8
sava transmedia
Alain Tascan a l’habitude des surprises, mais quand ce vétéran de l’industrie
du jeu arrive un jour en réunion pour parler d’avatars, la femme qu’il voit à
l’écran a quelque chose d’inhabituel.
Tascan
« Alors je me suis aperçu que je n’avais jamais vu de femme dessinée
par une femme et pour des femmes », explique-t-il en ajoutant que dans
son secteur d’activité, 95 % des concepteurs sont des hommes.
Mais SAVA Transmédia est différente. Dans ce studio de 10 000 pieds
carrés situé au centre de Montréal, tout près de 50 % des visages éclairés
par le bleu incandescent des écrans sont ceux de femmes et c’est une de
ses principales stratégies de positionnement. Fondé par Alain Tascan il y a
tout juste un an, il est l’un des plus récents studios de création de jeux sur
les 348 que compte le Canada.
« De 50 à 60 % des personnes qui jouent sur Facebook sont des femmes
de plus de 40 ans, mais la plupart des concepteurs ont l’habitude de créer
des expériences pour une catégorie d’utilisateurs allant des garçons de
15 ans aux hommes de 30 ans », affirme Alain Tascan. « Nous nous forgeons
une expertise que d’autres n’ont pas vraiment pour l’instant.»
Alors que la plupart des grands studios au Canada créent des jeux pour
consoles, SAVA Transmédia est un des premiers studios indépendants à créer
exclusivement pour les médias sociaux et les plateformes mobiles et il espère
redéfinir les jeux électroniques en créant une expérience sur écrans multiples.
L’équipe de SAVA, qui travaille sur des jeux pour Facebook, iOS, Android
et Windows Mobile, comptait en mai dernier 40 personnes et dispose de
l’espace nécessaire pour une expansion rapide – le total de l’équipe est
estimé à 200 personnes pour les prochaines années.
C’est au Canada que sont créés de nombreux jeux à grand succès
(Assassin’s Creed, Prince of Persia, Mass Effect) et le pays profite par
conséquent d’un cercle vertueux, qui lui permet, grâce à ce succès, d’attirer
de nouveaux studios et de nouveaux emplois, qui font, à leur tour, augmenter
le niveau de savoir-faire et le nombre de créateurs de jeux dans le pays.
Mais les régions attirent principalement les créateurs de jeux électroniques
grâce à leurs mesures incitatives, et elles pourraient rapidement perdre des
studios si la conjoncture économique devenait plus favorable ailleurs, lance
Alain Tascan comme un avertissement.
“
Fifty to 60 percent of
people playing games on
Facebook are women
over 40, but many of the
gaming companies are used
to building experiences
for 15-year-old boys to
30-year-old men.”
L’équipe de SAVA, Transmédia qui travaille sur des
jeux pour Facebook, iOS, Android et Windows Mobile,
comptait en mai dernier 40 personnes et dispose
de l’espace nécessaire pour une expansion rapide.
« Je pense simplement qu’il faut
rééquilibrer les choses », ajoute-t-il
en expliquant que sa société, soutenue
par des investisseurs canadiens, fait
partie de la seconde phase d’un
mouvement d’entreprenariat dans
l’industrie du jeu électronique au
Québec, qui cherche à conserver à
la fois les bénéfices et le savoir-faire
dans un pays où le réseau de studios
est devenu le troisième employeur
au monde dans le secteur de jeu
électronique (après les États-Unis
et le Japon*). n
*Entertainment Software Association of Canada / *Association canadienne du logiciel de divertissement
9 • HIVER 2012
MONTRÉAL
Une expérience sur écrans multiples
Vancouver’s Kalev Fitness Solution
uses a team of experts and
half-hour sessions to help clients
make lasting lifestyle changes
CROSSTOWN, VANCOUVER / - Most of the people who
first walk through the doors at Kalev Fitness Solution want
to get fit fast. At street level, they can see a cardio kickboxing
class through the studio windows and imagine a few quick
sessions might be all it takes.
“But really it just takes consistency, time and effort – a lot of
effort for not a ton of short term results,” says Kalev Jaaguste
whose operation looks at fitness not as a quick fix but rather as
a lifestyle that includes both short-term and long-term goals.
And to get there, Kalev Fitness Solution offers several strategies.
Classes, of which there are plenty, include a series of boot camps,
from Tabata-based routines to beach body readiness; as well as
pilates, yoga, stretching, core conditioning and spin sessions.
You could opt simply to join the gym and use the 4,000
square-foot lower level stocked with Italian-made Techno Gym
equipment (browse the web, charge your ipod and/or watch
HDTV all while doing your cardio on an air-conditioned
machine).
But what sets Kalev Fitness Solution apart is its 3Dimensional
training model, where you sign up to work with a team of
trainers rather than just one. Each trainer on your team will
have a particular expertise, like kickboxing or nutrition, and
they work together to give you a varied workout and scheduling
flexibility (with sessions as short as half an hour).
“It’s more dynamic,” says Kalev, “and it’s more about the
client getting what they want when they want it.”
Since motivation is a big factor when getting into a fitness
routine, Kalev Fitness Solution also offers partner training where
you can have a friend (or two) share the experience and the cost
of working with a trainer.
Kalev has been in the fitness industry for over a dozen years,
having worked throughout the world and earning an exercise
science diploma in Australia before eventually making it back to
Vancouver to build a clientele for his personal training business.
While he had cultivated an interest in physical fitness since
his teens, it would take a motorcycle accident, three months in
a wheelchair and a year in rehab to set him on his current path
as a known and respected Vancouver trainer.
“I think the reason most people are unfit is because they have
not been able to make life choices that allow their bodies to be
in good shape,” he says, adding, however, that people also can’t
be expected to make every single right choice either.
“You have to create sustainable change.” n
Kalevfitness.com
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 10
[ H E A LT H ]
CHANGE
VANCOUVER
Joining a gym?
Here are two
things to consider:
GET A CERTIFIED
TRAINER. A degree in
kinesiology is great but also
look for other designations
like canfitpro.
GET ON A PROGRAM.
MAKER
Be sure you are assessed
and are set up with a
program you understand
and that has both shortand long-term goals.
The gym's 4,000-square-foot
lower level is stocked with
cardio gear that let's you
charge your iPod, browse
the web or watch HDTV.
11 • WINTER 2012
[PUBLICITÉ]
Penseurs et créateurs
Selon son client, Les Evadés navigue dans le monde des médias : conception
d'un contenu de marque, services de placement de produits, médias sociaux
Foyer du siège social sur le boulevard Saint-Laurent
BOUL. SAINT-LAURENT, MONTRÉAL / - Ayant pignon
sur rue sur le boulevard Saint-Laurent à Montréal, l’agence
de publicité Les Évadés est reconnue pour sa créativité et sa
capacité à générer des résultats concrets pour ses clients.
Depuis près de 10 ans, l’agence s’est taillé une réputation
solide grâce à son approche novatrice qui rapproche les
entreprises des consommateurs.
À l’instar de la plupart de ses concurrents, l’agence Les
Évadés offre à ses clients des stratégies de communication
qui dépassent le simple message publicitaire traditionnel.
« Avec la montée de l’importance de l’Internet et des
médias sociaux, il est important de personnaliser nos stratégies
entre les médias traditionnels et les nouveaux médias. C’est
pourquoi nous n’accordons pas de valeur plus grande à
un média ou un autre. Nous préférons être confrontés aux
problématiques de nos clients et de répondre à ces dernières
en déployant des actions qui produisent des résulats, »
explique Hans Laroche, Co-président chez Les Évadés.
Offrant des services de communication intégrée, l’agence
se démarque grâce à des créations pertinentes et percutantes
maintes fois récompensées. L’agence compte parmi ses
clients des entreprises reconnues comme: Les Rôtisseries
Saint-Hubert, Proprio Direct, Première Moisson,
Recyc-Québec, Belron Canada, Reitmans, Espace pour
la vie, Complexe Les Ailes et Astral Média.
UNE OPÉRATION MONSTRE Parmi leurs
réalisations, Les Évadés a notamment créé
une opération monstre sur le Web l’an dernier
pour Air Transat. Hans Laroche nous raconte :
« Air Transat venait tout juste de réaliser
un sondage révélant que 77% des Canadiens
quitteraient leur emploi pour avoir l’occasion
d’être payé pour voyager pendant un an.
Nous avons réagi rapidement en créant une
vaste opération sur le Web afin de trouver le
futur grand vacancier Transat ».
La campagne « Vacancier recherché », où
deux participants ont été engagés et payés
pendant un an pour voyager et produire
des capsules vidéo, a été l’une des plus
importantes campagnes/médias sociaux au
Canada en 2011 avec plus de 60 millions
d’impressions, assurant au transporteur
aérien un retour sur son investissement
5 fois plus élevé que s’il avait fait appel à
des médias traditionnels.
L’agence est également partenaire avec Zad
Communications, spécialisée en intégration de marques au
contenu. Depuis 2001, l’agence a contribué au développement
de diverses séries télévisées, productions cinématographiques
et spectacles grâce à des initiatives de commandites et
d’intégrations de marques au contenu. Parmi ces propriétés :
La Franchise de St-Hubert, Ma Maison Rona (Zone 3), 19-2
(Écho-média), Les Boys (Melenny Productions), Le Bonheur
de Patrick Huard (Jessie Films), Les Filles de Caleb (Tandem),
Funkytown (Caramel Films), Café de Flore (item7) et
plusieurs autres.
LE JUSTE ÉQUILIBRE L’agence Les Évadés est toujours à
la recherche du juste équilibre entre les médias traditionnels,
le déploiement de campagnes interactives et la création
de contenu original, personnalisant leur approche selon les
besoins spécifiques de leurs clients.
Cette recherche d’équilibre se reflète également dans leur
façon de gérer leur entreprise. Chez Les Évadés, le coin salon
est surdimensionné comparé à la salle de réunion et la cuisine
à des allures de bistro où il fait bon passer son heure de lunch.
« Nous sommes privilégiés d’avoir une équipe aussi
professionnelle et engagée et le souci de leur offrir un
environnement de travail agréable est un reflet de notre
engagement à s’assurer de leur bien-être. » conclut
Hans Laroche. n
lesevades.com
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 12
BOUL. ST. LAURENT, MONTREAL / - When an Air Transat
survey in 2010 revealed that 77% of Canadians would
leave their job for a once-in-a-lifetime paid opportunity
to travel for a year, Hans Laroche’s team posted a
position in the social media ether. “Wanted: Vacationer.”
It was one of the largest social media campaigns that
year and involved public relations efforts, billboards in
Toronto and Montreal, and an ongoing internet campaign
with an interactive web site and Facebook page.
For a year, two contest-winners-turned vacationer/
bloggers (one French, one English) would spend two
weeks of every month in one of Air Transat’s European
destinations, filming entries for a campaign that would
ultimately yield 60 million impressions.
Air Transat’s “Vacationer Wanted” (below) was one of the top
social media campaigns of 2010 and Les Evades content
development team worked with Zone3 Productions for this
winter’s La Franchise (above) on V-channel.
« Vacancier recherché » de Air Transat (ci-dessous) a été l’une
des campagnes de médias sociaux l’une des plus importantes
de 2010. Les Evadés a collaboré avec Production Zone 3
à la conception de la série-vérité La Franchise, un concours
du genre de L’Apprenti pour la franchise d’une rôtisserie
Saint-Hubert qui passe sur V-tele cet hiver.
It also gave the air carrier a return on investment five
times greater than anything traditional media could have
produced, says Laroche, the co-president of Les Evadés,
a mid-sized Montreal advertising agency that, over the
last 10 years, has built a reputation for its streamlined
business model and innovative approaches.
With the rising importance of internet and social
media, you have to personalize strategies and find a
balance between traditional media and new media,
Laroche says. “That’s why we don’t subscribe to one
media over another. We just work to solve our clients’
problems with solutions that get results.”
Offering a range of integrated communications
services, Les Evadés work with a number of well-known
brands, including: Les Rôtisseries Saint-Hubert, Proprio
Direct, Première Moisson, Recyc-Québec, Belron Canada,
Reitmans, Espace pour la vie, Complexe Les Ailes and
Astral Média. n
13 • HIVER 2012
MONTRÉAL
Laden with strategic thinkers and
creatives, Les Evadés favours no
single medium over another
[RETAIL]
THE OTHER BEAN
One of only a handful in Canada, Toronto artisanal chocolate maker Soma
builds its reputation for flavour and fair trade By Yvan Marston
KING WEST CENTRAL, TORONTO / - Staring out the
large factory-style windows of her King Street West storefront,
Cynthia Leung revels in the pent up energy of the city traffic as
frustrated drivers negotiate their way through a clutter of road
work while streams of pedestrians march to unseen destinations.
“We don’t have this at our Distillery District location,” she
says with an interested smile. “There, it’s more serene, more
calm.” This is the second space Soma Chocolatemaker has
opened since its 2003 start in a 400-square-foot corner at
the Distillery.
The King Street locale’s long narrow space starts with a
handful of tables and display shelving across from a brown
Algonquin Limestone-topped service counter. The bakery
and truffle making facility at the back are glassed-in to make
spectators of the nearby patrons.
Most chocolate comes from one of the top chocolate
makers listed below, but not at Soma. It is one of a handful
of artisanal chocolate makers in the world who source their
own beans and make their own chocolate.
Company
Kraft Foods Inc (USA)
Mars Inc (USA)
Nestlé SA (Switzerland)
Ferrero Group (Italy)
Hershey Foods Corp (USA)
Chocoladefabriken Lindt &
Sprüngli AG (Switzerland)
Net Sales 2010
(US$ millions)
16,825
15,000
11,265
8,763
5,703
2,602
Source: International Cocoa Association’s list of top global confectionery
companies that manufacture some form of chocolate by net confectionery
sales value in 2010.
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 14
It is 3,000 square feet in a bustling corner of the city and
it is the next stage in what began as a small and simple need
to “stop working for the man”.
Leung, a former architect (she designed the new space)
and her husband, former pastry chef David Castellan, wanted
something they could do together. A common love for
chocolate led them to learn how to make one of the world’s
most popular foods.
A chocolate maker, of which there are only a handful of
artisanal ones in Canada, is someone who starts with raw cacao
beans, roasts them, and grinds them into chocolate. Most
of Soma’s chocolate is made at the Distillery location while
truffles and other confectionery are crafted at King Street.
Billing themselves as pioneers of microbatch chocolatemaking, Leung and Castellan source small quantities of beans
from plantations in the Dominican Republic, Madagascar,
Costa Rica, Panama, Ghana, and a handful of other Central
American countries, all the while seeking Fairtrade, organic
sources (much of the world’s chocolate comes from West
Africa where child labour is common).
“I think people want to know where their food is coming
from,” says Leung.
Beans arrive fermented and dried but still in raw form.
They must be hand sorted, where twigs, stones and other
debris are removed. They are then roasted, winnowed
(dehusked), refined and conched. The finished chocolate
is then tempered, a process that ensures a shiny finish and
good snap.
From here, the chocolate takes on its various forms, from
the unique qualities of single-source bars like Madagascar
70%, Wild Bolivian, and Chuao chocolate (a rare cacao bean
sourced from Venezuela), to lightly salted Pistachio truffles,
to the velvety richness of Mayan hot chocolate – a thick
brew with a spicy aftertaste.
“It’s one of the most complex compounds on the planet,”
says Leung. “There are some 500 different compounds in it
and it’s not really known how they combine and what flavours
do what. That’s what’s so interesting about working with
chocolate.”
Mad chocolate science experiments are underway for
Valentine’s Day and Easter, adds Leung, and the team is also
lovingly refurbishing vintage chocolate-making machinery
which it hopes to showcase soon. n
somachocolate.com
TORONTO
The King Street West location
is the second space Soma has
opened since its 2003 start.
Pioneering microbatch chocolate
making, owners Cynthia Leung and
David Castellan source small quantities
of beans from plantations in Africa,
South America and Central America.
15 • WINTER 2012
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 16
Photos: Margaret Mulligan
TORONTO
With an updated interior, an à la carte menu, bigger portions and the
largest selection of half bottles in the city, Toronto’s Lucien is feeling...
REFRESHED
By Micayla Jacobs
ST. LAWRENCE MARKET AREA, TORONTO / Long and narrow with high ceilings and art nouveau
flourishes, Lucien still offers its regulars the upscale
ambiance that has helped make it one of the city’s top
dining destinations as named by Toronto Life magazine.
But some things have changed for the four-and-ahalf-year-old Wellington Street East restaurant that
earned a spot on EnRoute magazine’s top ten list.
Over the bar, designer copper pendant lights cast a
warm glow and cream-coloured tiles cover some of the
space in the main dining room. Indeed, a number of
other touches have served to liven the space considerably
(a large Art Deco mural in the upper dining area creates
an inviting yet eclectic space), but that’s not the change
owner Simon Bower is most excited about.
A 25-year veteran of Toronto’s dining scene, Bower
knows the value of a fresh offering and that’s what new
Chef Guy Rawlings (Brocton General, The Hoof Cafe,
Cowbell, L'enclume) has managed with a revised menu
that focuses on generous helpings of farm-fresh fare.
Regulars need not fear the loss of signature dishes like
the tuna crudo and the Black Angus Ribeye, but the new
carte, Bower promises, “will continue to be very creative,
featuring only the best quality products and ingredients.”
Main dishes are priced between $24 to $29 (with the
Black Angus AAA 10oz ribeye an exception at $36) and
will be more approachable with larger portions.
While the menu will be updated frequently depending
on what is fresh, it currently features entrées ranging from
Lake Huron Whitefish, British Columbia Jumbo Scallops
and Fenwood Farms Chicken with buttermilk potatoes.
Responding to customer requests for a midday menu,
Lucien will also be open for lunch Monday to Friday
starting March 5th.
“Given our ambience and reputation, I think this will
be a great destination for the financial district,” says
Bower, adding that like the dinner menu, lunch will
feature local, organic and artisanal fare – and all
reasonably priced.
Some dishes to look forward to include the daily
house-made pasta, a few pristine seafood selections, some
vegetarian options as well as healthy and ‘light’ choices.
Patrons will also always have the option to enjoy a
premium cut of meat sourced from a local farm.
For the after-work crowd looking for a comfortable
atmosphere and a good wine selection, the 15-seat bar
makes for an attractive venue. What’s more there are
25 half-bottles of wine on offer – the largest half bottle
selection in the city.
Open for dinner seven days a week, Lucien has a private
dining room that seats up to 14 guests and is the perfect
spot for an intimate event. For larger-scale events, the
restaurant can accommodate 60 sit-down dinner guests
or a cocktail party for as many as 110 guests. n
Lucienrestaurant.com
17 • WINTER 2012
[ENGINEERING]
A Greener
ALTERNATIVE
FAST FACTS
• In the U.S., there were approximately 300,000 vehicles on the road that used either
compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG) for power in 2009.
• The only mass-market Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) in North America is the Honda Civic GX.
• Pakistan currently has about 2.7 million NGVs on the road. Iran has 1.95 million, and
Argentina has 1.9 million on the road. “This means that these same countries can sell their
oil to energy-hungry nations like the U.S.,” notes alternative fuels consultant Scott Bailey.
• The Asia-Pacific region boasts about 6.8 million NGVs on the road, while Latin America
counts for 4.2 million vehicles.
Source: International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles, 2010
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 18
WINNIPEG
Winnipeg engineering firm’s designs can be found
in natural gas refuelling equipment around the world
EXCHANGE DISTRICT, WINNIPEG / - Scott Bailey
thinks a lot about oil prices, but unlike many of us, he’s
trying to do something to stop depending on fuel every day.
Bailey is an alternative fuels consultant and president of a
design engineering firm and consultancy that specializes in
serving the alternative fuels market.
Establishing widely available refuelling stations is key if
any alternative fuel is to compete against established oil
and diesel fuels, and his company, Rogue Machines, is trying
to make that happen.
“We help companies by developing components necessary
to operate an effective natural gas fuel dispenser,” explains
Bailey, from his office on Arthur Street in Winnipeg.
“This allows our client to develop their own dispenser
while also saving money because they aren’t buying components from a third party. While we design the products, such
as high-pressure valves or electronic controllers, the customer
can then manufacture them wherever they want to keep
their costs low.”
CLEAN BURNING Natural gas burns cleaner than any other
fossil fuel, can be harvested from a variety of sources, is
much cheaper than oil, and lowers dependence on foreign
oil (a big concern for U.S. consumers).
Some transportation companies and public transit
operators have converted to natural gas vehicles (NGV), but
because the infrastructure has been expensive to introduce,
wider-spread adoption hasn’t been forthcoming. By making
development of fuelling stations less expensive, companies
like Rogue Machines may change that.
Rogue Machines designs the valve work and similar components, alongside an electrical controller for the dispenser.
“It’s somewhat of a two-phase project,” says Bailey, who
hesitates to offer too much detail on this critical business
partnership. He does offer that that the client is a global
player, and that the product is destined for the U.S., Europe
and “some emerging markets.”
GROWING GLOBAL DEMAND While consulting work has
been good for the company, Bailey expects that piece of
the business to shrink as his team develops more of its own
products for the market.
The products are basically spin-offs of the R&D invested
in the fuel dispenser work they have done thus far.
“We would like to have our own line of products for mass
consumption down the road,” says Bailey.
This market could be a cash cow for Rogue Machines
internationally, but Bailey would like to see more encouragement in Canada.
“Globally, it’s a market on the rise,” he says. “But in
FAQs
Can I convert my car to natural gas?
Yes, but not for less than $7,000, and you’ll lose trunk
space to the fuel tank, though newer tanks are being
designed to lay flat beneath the rear of the car.
Is natural gas more dangerous than
regular diesel or gasoline?
It depends on the type of natural gas fuel. Liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG) and compressed natural gas (CNG)
are the two most common types of fuel used in NGVs.
• LPG-fuelled vehicles are cheaper, but it takes
20 minutes to refuel them. Also, the fuel is heavier
than air so if there’s a leak, it can collect under a
vehicle and explode on ignition.
• CNG-fuelled vehicles require tanks with higher
compression and therefore thicker walls. While the
fuel and fueling stations are more expensive to
build than those for LPG vehicles, they are still less
expensive than gasoline. CNG is also lighter than air,
making it much safer than LPG during leaks.
Canada, it has been on the decline since the mid-‘90s.
There was a fair amount of legislation introduced in the ‘90s
that actually spurred on alternative fuel companies in Canada
and the U.S., but that legislation got watered down and
companies were forced to focus outside of North America.”
NEED FOR CHANGE Bailey sees changes now, however,
particularly in the U.S., with many raising the spectre of
peak oil and the need for radical change in our fuel
consumption habits.
“Natural gas is abundant in Canada and the US,
especially with the shale gas we now have access to, so
why don’t we use it? Let’s reduce our costs now, and
reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”
And Rogue Machines is in a good place to take advantage
of growth in this market. “Not a lot of people have this
knowledge in the marketplace,” he says. “We’re filling a void
in supply for natural gas refuelling equipment right now.”
To date, Rogue Machines have handled consulting and
supply contracts in five countries and with strong interest
in this technology abroad (see sidebar opposite page),
Bailey is likely to be travelling more internationally than
domestically as his company continues to grow. n
19 • WINTER 2012
[RETAIL]
KING STREET’S BIG CHEESE
Eat simple everyday Italian fare at BarMozza or buy what it takes to make it
yourself at Alimento. This resto-market hybrid offers the full culinary experience.
Separated from Alimento’s marketplace by a frosted glass wall and the deli counter’s glassed-in cheese vault, BarMozza’s long marble table is the
space’s main feature. Other tables dot the space and a standing bar makes a convenient spot for lunch-timers who just want to grab and go.
KING WEST CENTRAL, TORONTO / - The notion of
stopping by a café to pick up your morning brew and pastry is
about to change in one downtown Toronto neighbourhood if
Andrea Mastrandrea has his way.
The food director at BarMozza and Alimento Fine Food
Emporium, and owner of Forno Cultura bakery is bringing an
authentic, everyday Italian way of eating to King Street West,
which means having a freshly baked cornetto or a thin crusted
crostata with your cappuccino instead of a croissant.
“French baking is well represented in the city but Italian
really isn’t,” says Mastrandrea, explaining that for his pastries,
he tends to use olive oil or lard instead of butter, “so there’s a
little more crust.”
Crust indeed: Witness Chef Fabrizio DeCicco’s selection of
Pizza Croccante from a simple tomato cheese and basil to the
namesake four cheeser featuring Fior de latte, Ricotta, aged
Caciovallo and Strachino.
MARKET-RESTO-BAKERY And while the zig-zagging marbletopped communal table offers seating for a dozen or so patrons,
where wine can be sipped and selections of fresh cheeses
savoured, BarMozza, is as much a full service restaurant as it
is a lunch counter, and it shares its vibe with specialty grocery
store Alimento (bakery Forno Cultura is downstairs).
From a design perspective, the space has three key elements,
explains Marcella Romita-Contardi, Alimento's creative director,
who conceptualized the project and was part of the design team.
The long communal table brings people together, the
market gives customers access to a range of imported and
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 20
domestic products and the cheese vault connects the two
spaces, she explains.
It is the brainchild of the Contardi family, whose Grande
Cheese Co. is a well-known suburban retailer that specializes in
Italian grocery and in making cheese from the old country like
mozzarella, ricotta, provolone and parmesean rigatta.
FOOD VALUE In fact, it produces almost three million kilos of
cheese that is distributed through its network of six stores as
well as supplying retailers and restaurants.
For the Contardis, the Alimento concept is an opportunity to
introduce a downtown population to authentic Italian eating,
and to bring it some food value.
“Customers are always surprised by our prices, but we don’t
compromise on quality of the product, we just simplify the
process,” explains Mastrandrea.
LOCAL & SIMPLE “The core of Italian food is that it is local
and simple – no more than three ingredients,” says the longtime
friend of the Contardi family who was originally brought in to
consult on Alimento but eventually became more involved.
As it is connected to this major cheesemaker, the Alimento
deli counter and the BarMozza menu can feature exceptionally
fresh Fior di latte, served on a plate with a drizzle of olive oil.
While 90% of the space’s cheeses are imported directly from
Italy, the fresh varieties are featured in a daily selection.
Full service is available and evenings after work, customers
can stop in for a glass of wine and enjoy free appetizers. n
Alimento.ca
TORONTO
21 • WINTER 2012
[DESIGN]
Sistemalux : une importante
source canadienne d’éclairage
de style italien
By Yvan Marston
DE GASPÉ, MONTRÉAL / - Lorsque Michel Foti s’est
présenté pour discuter avec un de ses clients de la modernisation
d’un système d’éclairage extérieur, il n’en croyait pas ses yeux.
Dix ans après leur installation, par l’entreprise d’éclairage
architectural Sistemalux, dans la balustrade de la terrasse d’un
restaurant, des ampoules DEL de la première génération
répandaient toujours leur lumière.
« Je leur ai demandé si je pouvais éteindre la lumière afin
de procéder à des tests, » se souvient-il, « et ils m’ont répondu :
“On peut les éteindre?” »
À part quelques diodes brûlées, les lumières avaient bien
résisté à l’usure du temps après avoir éclairé cet endroit
pendant toute une décennie.
Selon M. Foti, la DEL est ce qui a été produit de mieux
dans l’industrie de l’éclairage au cours des 20 dernières années.
« Ça nous a fait l’effet d’un tsunami, » déclare le
vice-président de la prospection de Sistemalux, société en pleine
expansion dans le marché de l’éclairage architectural de Montréal.
UNE DEMANDE CONSIDÉRABLE « Les médias n’ont cessé de
vanter les avantages économiques et écologiques de la DEL,
ce qui a créé une demande considérable que nous n’étions pas
vraiment en mesure de satisfaire, » ajoute M. Foti, expliquant
qu’en se précipitant pour offrir des produits DEL, la plupart
des fabricants, sa propre entreprise y compris, se contentaient
tout simplement de remettre à niveau les produits de
conception actuelle.
En réalité, explique-t-il, on devrait concevoir son produit
en se fondant sur la source de lumière.
Ce n’est que maintenant que de nouveaux produits sont
entièrement conçus dès le début en tenant la DEL à l’esprit.
Et s’en servir pour éclairer des édifices, des sentiers, des parcs
et des terrasses, c’est exactement ce que fait Sistemalux dans
des marchés partout au Canada et même aux États-Unis.
En 1997, M. Foti était un autre architecte impressionné par
la qualité de la gamme des produits Sistemalux. De nos jours,
14 ans plus tard, il a transformé cette entreprise qui compte
26 années d’existence et était cantonnée dans le segment
résidentiel chic pour en faire une source canadienne très réputée
d’éclairage architectural intérieur et extérieur de style italien.
D’ITALIE MAIS MODIFIÉ Comment est-ce que ses produits
italiens peuvent-ils être canadiens? En effet, tous les produits
d’éclairage extérieur vendus par l’entreprise sont importés
d’Italie, mais chaque modèle doit être modifié pour se conformer
aux spécifications nord-américaines de 120 volts et aux normes
de Underwriters Laboratories.
Si on tient compte par-dessus le marché du fait que
Sistemalux conçoit et fabrique tous ses propres produits
d’éclairage intérieur, on commence à comprendre comment
l’entreprise en est venue à occuper un espace de 100 000
pieds carrés au 5455, de Gaspé et pourquoi jusqu’à 10 camions
par jours passent par ses aires de chargement.
Sistemalux, qui compte des bureaux à Toronto et à Vancouver
et représente la gamme de produits iGuzzini aux États-Unis dans
un bureau de New York, est devenue ce que M. Foti appelle une
entreprise de taille moyenne dans l’industrie de l’éclairage avec
plus de 100 salariés à son siège social de Montréal.
CONSACRÉE À L’ÉCLAIRAGE ARCHITECTURAL Tout cela
a commencé pour de bon il y a 26 ans lorsque Salvatore
Folisi et Marie-Josée Dufresne ont commencé à importer des
produits d’éclairage de marque d’Italie. Lorsque des produits
de conception moderne sont devenus plus accessibles à des
prix abordables, c’était le moment de se faire une réputation
dans un marché spécialisé, et c’est alors que Sistemalux s’est
consacrée à l’éclairage architectural.
Son premier gros projet fut le Cinéma Excentris sur le
boulevard Saint-Laurent qui a été construit en 2000.
« Notre image de marque s’en est trouvée complètement
transformée, » ajoute M. Foti, expliquant que c’est ce qui a
permis à Sistemalux de mettre en vedette ses capacités dans
le domaine de l’éclairage architectural.
De nos jours, de nombreux édifices de Montréal sont
éclairés à l’intérieur comme à l’extérieur avec des produits de
Sistemalux, tout comme le sont les sentiers et le paysage du
Quartier des spectacles, la Promenade Champlain à Québec, le
YMCA de Montréal, l’extérieur du Musée royal de l’Ontario
ainsi que des centaines d’autres projets de moindre importance,
y compris les locataires d’Allied Properties REIT Sid Lee à
Montréal et Totum Life Science à Toronto. n
Sistemalux.com
alliedpropertiesreit.com • 22
MONTRÉAL
Sistemalux is widely regarded
as a top domestic source of
Italian-designed indoor and
outdoor architectural lighting
In 1997, Michel Foti was just another architect impressed
by the quality of the Sistemalux product line. Now, 14 years
later, he has helped guide the 26-year-old company from
the fanciful residential category it once occupied to become
a highly regarded domestic source of Italian-designed
indoor and outdoor architectural lighting.
How are its Italian designs domestic? Indeed, all of
the outdoor lighting sold by the company is imported from
Italy, but every model must be retrofitted to North American
120-volt specifications and to Underwriters Laboratories
standards.
And when you add to this the fact that Sistemalux
makes and designs all of its own indoor lighting, you can
begin to understand how they come to occupy some
100,000 square feet at 5455 de Gaspe and how it is that
the loading docks here see as many as 10 trucks come
and go each day.
With offices in Toronto and Vancouver, and representing
the iGuzzini line of lighting products in the U.S. through
a New York office, Sistemalux is what Foti refers to a
mid-sized player in the lighting industry, and one that
employs over 100 people at its Montreal headquarters.
Things began in earnest 26 years ago when Salvatore
Folisi and Marie-Josée Dufresne began importing Italian
designer lights. But when contemporary designs became
more accessible at lower price points, it was time to build
a reputation in a more focused market so Sistemalux
turned to architectural lighting.
The first big project was Excentris, the performing arts
centre on St. Laurent built in 2000.
“That really changed our image,” says Foti, explaining
it helped Sistemalux showcase its architectural lighting
capabilities.
Its first big commercial project was Excentris, on St. Laurent (top), and
now many Montreal buildings are lit, inside and out, with Sistemalux
product, as are projects across Canada and in the U.S. (Arts Institute
of Chicago, middle; LACMA Museum Los Angeles, above).
Now many Montreal buildings inside and out are lit
with Sistemalux product, as are the paths and landscapes
at the Cartier du Spectacle, the Promenade Champlain in
Quebec City, the Montreal YMCA, the exterior of Toronto’s
Royal Ontario Museum, as well as hundreds of other
smaller projects, including Allied Properties REIT tenants
Sid Lee in Montreal and Totum Life Science in Toronto. n
23 • HIVER 2012
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now at your fingertips.
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