CONNECTING ITALY AND CANADA
THE MAGAZINE OF THE ITALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN CANADA – VANCOUVER EDMONTON CALGARY
ITALY’S
CONNECTION
TO WESTERN
CANADA
SPECIAL MEMBER ISSUE
MEET OUR
MEMBERS
DOING BUSINESS IN
SELECTED INDUSTRIES
HISTORY OF THE ITALIAN
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
IN CANADA
THINKING AHEAD
TRENDSPOTTING:
TURN IDEAS INTO PROFITS
I CCC MEMBERSHIP YIELDS
SUCCESS IN ITALY
URVEY RESULTS HELP SET
S
ICCC PRIORITIES
Personalized International Real Estate Services
A PURE
CONNECTION
Fioretta Wilinofsky & Christopher Rivers
C O N N E CT I N G
I TA LY
A ND
C ANADA
through real estate services that are purely Italian and Canadian.
Successful partnerships exist on a mutual vision. For Italian born
Fioretta Wilinofsky and Canadian Christopher Rivers, that vision is
based on a powerful yet simple philosophy: determine what is
in the clients’ best interests, deliver exceptional services, and do it
with consummate style characterized by integrity, simplicity and
a wealth of expertise. With a combined experience spanning
almost five decades, Fioretta and Christopher have mastered the
ability to do just that.
www.suttonsales.net
V A N C O U V E R,
B R I T I S H
C O L U M B I A
photo: www.tourvistas.com
Fioretta Wilinofsky 604 . 240 . 1316
Christopher Rivers 604 . 218 . 4001
features
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Trendspotting:
Turn Ideas Into Profits
REGIONAL FOCUS
Italy’s Connection to
Western Canada
BEST PRACTICE
Meet Our Members:
Doing Business in
Selected Industries
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CHAMBER NEWS
Elizabeth Iachelli
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Yields Success in Italy
THINKING
AHEAD
THINKIN
AHEAD
NG
D
TRENDSPOTTING:
TURN IDEAS INTO PROFITS
At least once or twice a year, savvy entrepreneurs and business
leaders are educating themselves about new products, practices and
ideas and are strategically looking for the one or two trends to
adopt to stay ahead of the competition.
Astute professionals understand that their products or services will one day reach the end
of a development cycle, hit a point of market saturation, or be changed by technological
innovations. That is why it is essential to conduct ongoing research that will aid in anticipating
ways to keep products, services, or marketing efforts fresh and creative.
Be aware, developing trends is never a foolproof science. Nevertheless, trends can provide
a strategic framework for innovation and allow organizations to keep existing products and
services relevant.
CONEXUS – SPRING 2008 5
THINKING
AHEAD
Within every industry and community of people there are trends
that can be developed. Many of these trends will cross the borders
of several of our members’ industries and are a beneficial instrument for all businesses to gain from. Here are some examples:
• Corporate social responsibility and green issues need to be
at the front of the boardroom agenda. The green movement
is moving far beyond paper recycling baskets and energyefficient light bulbs. Workplaces need to actively inform their
customers how they are aggressively involved in saving natural
resources and slowing energy consumption.
TRENDS
IN OUR
GENERAL
CULTURE
• YouTube mania continues to spread. Sites like blip.tv host
internet-based TV shows free of charge for business people.
Google is also in on the video action; even Hillary Clinton
launched her political campaign with a series of weekly,
Q & A video chats. Businesses that want to step boldly ahead have
already realized their markets are no longer content with simply
reading text. Today’s customer craves the interactivity and sensory engagement that video delivers.
• Media stories of cyber-criminals has made security an issue of
utmost importance. Kevin Mahon, CEO and founder of KEMP
Technologies, a firm that improves the efficiency and effectiveness of e-business sites, explains. “Smaller businesses need the
same functionality as enterprises when it comes to their internet network infrastructure. Although these businesses don’t
have large budgets to invest in the exact same platforms as large
enterprises, they need to realize that both security and high
availability are crucial in running a successful e-business.
• New funding and tax rules from the federal government will
lead to increased commercialization activity and encourage
early-stage investment in technology companies.
• Expect to see the employment door continue to revolve. Job
tenure is spinning down to less than four years in the private sector. Companies can close the employment gap by putting retirees
to work. More people in their 60’s and 70’s want to keep working,
at least part-time, to continue to be challenged. Tapping into this
qualified and skilled sector is well worth the investment.
• The aging population also brings job growth in recreational and
aging-related products, for example, time-shares, travel, elder
housing, home retrofitting and long-term care insurance.
• There is continued attention to security in the workplace. The
post-9/11 world brought more locked doors, surveillance cameras and employee badges to the workplace.
Consider trendspotting as an integral part of your strategic process
that’s meant to help you identify new opportunities, tweak your
positioning and widen your competitive edge.
Gastro-bartenders or the “bar chef” is a phenomenon where
bartenders are using more fresh ingredients and exotic ingredients like herbs and superfruits. Culinary salts from fleur de
sel, sel gris, Hawaiian pink and Himalayan black are just as
likely to appear on the rim of your cocktail as they are for your
entrée. More full-scale dining room menus and innovative bar
menus are being offered in the lounge and bars. The idea is
that guests can relax, order as much or as little as they like and
be as casual as if at a friend’s home, to come and go.
Food and Wine
Consumers are getting increasingly intimate with their
food and we will see that relationship deepen. As interest
in celebrity chefs, television cooking shows and popular
restaurants continues to grow, those in the food and beverage industries tune into diners’ tastes and desires, and find
innovative ways to incorporate them into their menus.
From pistachio polenta cake to chestnut roasted fillet of barra
mundi, restaurateurs and chefs have continually sought to
offer something new to their diners and to be on the cutting
edge of food. Whatever those trends may be, it is vital that
restaurateurs keep abreast, but not leap on every bandwagon
that rolls through town. It is important to discern which
trends are important and which ones aren’t worth the effort.
New American National Restaurant Association research shows
that alcohol is among the hottest culinary trends in restaurants.
A survey of more than 1,000 top professional chefs indicates
that artisan liquors, organic wine and specialty beer are among
the newest fashion. In addition to cocktails and bar drinks,
alcohol is also used as an ingredient in cooking and as part of
meals and menus through food-alcohol pairings. The overall
top trends in culinary uses of alcohol are signature cocktails,
closely followed by deglazing/reductions/sauces, food-beer
pairings and beer sommeliers, as well as food-wine pairings
and wine sommeliers.
Restaurants are becoming smaller as industry players compress
sales to square-foot ratios, and marketing budgets shift from
mass media practices to non-traditional approaches including
local store marketing, web marketing and public relations.
Restaurateurs need not create carbon copies of hot restaurant
trends, but rather use trends as an inspiration to create their
own specialized niche within the restaurant industry. Doing a
few things very well is often the recipe for success.
Consumers have become experts, both through their own
travels and by way of increased attention paid to food in the
pages of the nation’s newspapers and magazines. Consumers
watch for top trends at restaurants and bars ranging from
artisan salt selections to Izakaya bar menus to chefs growing
their own gardens and presenting home-grown dishes.
Travel
The emphasis on healthful eating continues. Consumers
will focus their attention on portion control, moving away
from trans fats, and will seek out products offering health
benefits. This results in more of a demand for locally grown,
organic produce and free-range meat as well. Menus are
being reprinted with indicators of where the ingredients come from and how they were grown. Restaurants
everywhere are incorporating more healthful preparation
techniques, abandoning buttering, frying and heavy sauces,
and instead adding flavour by grilling, roasting, seasoning
and marinating foods.
For the fifth straight year, Italy placed first as the most popular
international destination for vacation packages and tours,
according to an annual informal poll of United States Travel
Operators Association member companies. Croatia, followed
by China, are the hottest up-and-coming countries for tours
and packages. More and more European travelers are seeking
out alternative accommodations, like renting rooms or private
homes. It has a little to do with money but more so, it has to do
with the yearning to get out of the cookie-cutter vacation and
see a more authentic side.
Made from scratch takes on a deeper meaning as everything
from house-made salami like prosciutto, sausage, and coppa
to house-cured olives. Chef’s gardens are increasingly popular, with vegetables going from garden to table on the same
afternoon, making everything fresh and on site.
Whether the vacation is a long one or short, today’s traveller
wants to do something that the average person doesn’t do.
This means off-the-beaten path adventures or at the very least
tapping into the locals and immersing in the lifestyle.
A steady trend in travel to Italy is thematic vacations, sightseeing, tasting sessions of southern Italian cooking, and guidance
in the local artistic, cultural and historical spots. Additionally,
detailed training and workshops on topics that range from the
history of south Italian art and architecture, Baroque sculpture
and architecture, the history of farming and sheep raising in
THINKING
AHEAD
southern Italy, rural architecture and fresh cheese making in
small farmsteads continue to increase in popularity.
Another popular means of vacationing is holidaying green
or doing good while you are away. A staggering 94 percent of
the 24,500 travellers surveyed by Lonely Planet last year say
travelling in a low-impact way is the way they want to go and
the vast array of green initiatives will make it easier to tread
lightly this year. Cathay Pacific is the first Asian airline to
launch a voluntary scheme. SAS is doing it in Europe and the
European Union has approved a plan to make airlines part
of a carbon-trading scheme by 2012. Many travel companies
are making it easier to neutralize air travel with opt-in
clauses on contracts.
Short-term ‘service’ vacations in Asia, Africa, Latin America,
Europe, or even North America enable travellers to spend time
on worthwhile projects such as helping to construct a holding
tank for a community’s water supply, building classroom furniture and playground equipment, and installing footbridges
that cross local rivers.
The green movement has also given a rise to adventure travel.
“There’s a sense that many places and wildlife we’ve taken for
granted are disappearing, and the changes are happening now,
within our lifetimes,” said Marian Marbury of the womanonly tour group Adventures in Good Company. “More people
are seeking bigger adventures. There are rising numbers who
want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro while it still has glaciers,
for example.”
According to the Travel Industry Association, one-half of U.S.
adults, or 98 million people, have taken an adventure trip
in the past five years. And it’s not just adults that are interested in the unique aspects of adventure travel. More and more
families are taking adventure trips as well. Today’s families
are traveling the world and enjoying experiences that may
have been unheard of just a few years ago. From rock climbing
to rafting, families now seek vacations with true elements of
adventure. Parents say they are willing to take their children
out of school to take vacations. Therefore, travel marketers
find it beneficial to emphasize the educational aspects of travel
to assist parents in rationalizing their decision.
For families and the cost-conscious consumer, the cruise wave
season could not have arrived at a better time. New ships with
a range of never-before offered amenities hit the marketplace,
from onsite spa cabins to other in-demand luxury items,
cruising has become a true destination in itself offering
tremendous value amidst an environment of rising airfares.
Because it’s one of the best vacation options to help keep
unanticipated expenses to a minimum, such as typical a la
carte items like ground transportation, meals and entertainment, cruising will be more popular than ever this year.
No matter what vacation destination they choose, authorities
throughout the travel industry believe that Canadian travellers
want a balance of adventure and the practical. Vacationers want
to try something new yet still enjoy amenities that make an
escape simple yet relaxing.
Retail
Canadian Business Magazine reports low unemployment rates
for most of the country, and especially in Western Canada,
which means most Canadians are in an upbeat mood and will
take that feeling with them to the malls. But retailers will have
to work hard to meet Canadians’ growing expectations.
The Big Box stores continue to work hard to keep up with these
demands. Ironically, this means the box stores are thinking
small, according to Stores, an industry magazine. Supermarket
chains are looking to convenience store formats. This includes
Wal-Mart, which has registered two new trademarks; its Full
Service Grocery Stores in the big box store and its new Whole
Foods Market Express. In addition, department stores are also
creating more “boutiques” within their massive retail space,
trying to create the illusion of several smaller stores.
Now that consumers can now do virtually all of their shopping from the comfort of home, several chain stores are
providing the comforts of home in the stores’ physical location. The days of plastic chairs parked outside fitting rooms
are long gone. In their place are entire waiting lounges
complete with leather couches and big screen televisions.
Whether they’re serving as a welcomed respite for the weary
shopper or entertaining the uninterested companion, these
lounges promote relaxation and provide retailers with more
time to reach shoppers.
Retailers are doing their best to create immersive environments that are a treat for more than just the eyes. Hearing,
smell, taste and touch are creating a complete sensory experience. Stores like American Eagle Outfitters are now filling
ears with special mixes and others are playing satellite radio.
Interactive media and product displays are keeping hands
busy. Kiosks with touch screens that allow shoppers to tailor
their experience and products are also becoming large parts
of the hi-tech movement.
Retailers and consumer product suppliers have rushed in to
provide eco-friendly products to meet consumer demand.
Home Depot announced plans to offer more environmentally friendly products and make it easier for consumers
to find them. Included are more than 2,500 items ranging
from all-natural insect repellents to front-load washing
machines. The green movement is not confined to consumer
goods. Retailers are working overtime to develop strategies
to integrate green practices into their store designs and
operational departments. Wal-Mart kicked off an environmental initiative last fall that favours suppliers who restrict
carbon emissions and embrace sustainability.
Consumers are looking to support companies whose values
they associate with. Loyalty programmes are going green,
letting Canadian consumers clear their eco-conscience by
using points to buy carbon offsets and other eco-friendly
items. Instead of redeeming 15,000 loyalty miles for a flight,
for example, Aeroplan members can use 18,000 miles to offset their trip’s carbon emissions. Those who shop at Zellers,
Home Outfitters and The Bay can donate their HBC Rewards
points to environmental initiatives registered through the
company’s community programme.
If you’re a retailer and you want to grow your business,
the pie that’s going to get bigger is the over-50 pie,” says
Matt Thornhill, with The Boomer Project, a research group
that helps ad agencies better understand the mindset of
people over the age of 50. As they outgrow the desired 18- to
49-year-old demographic, they are creating a new frontier
for marketers. Most of them live in two-income households.
They represent the generation with the greatest buying
power in the history of the country. Because of good health
care, many boomers plan to continue working into their
retirement years, so they will have more to spend and longer
to spend it than any group before them.
The way to the heart of a boomer is through customer service.
Implement strategies that will save them time, money and
aggravation. Feature custom orders, gift-wrapping, personal
shopping and shipping. Create preferred buyers’ clubs, hold
special sales or establish private buying hours for them.
Boomers are Internet-savvy. They shop online, book their
travel online, communicate online and read online. And
at the same time they are leaping into the future, many are
longing for the past. They like nostalgic music, the kind
they listened to growing up. According to some consumer
profiles, these folks make up nearly one-third of the music
buying market, but they won’t download it. They’ll go to your
store to buy it and listen to it in their cars.
They are looking for more from companies than just the
product or service they are buying. They want the experience
of the purchase to satisfy mental, emotional and spiritual
needs as well. In this sense, aging consumers are branding
themselves by creating a way of living.
THINKING
AHEAD
Home Design
Every year we see new trends in residential architecture and
design. Architect magazine reports that as energy prices
are likely to increase further, more home-owners are compelled to seek ecological alternatives like solar installations
and batteries.
In addition, the rise in telecommuting and the continuing
escalation in the price of gasoline have led to home offices
becoming the most popular special function room that
architects are being asked to design. The drop in price and
the increased availability of audio and video technology
options has translated into a surge in popularity for home
theatres as well.
“Upscale entryways and hallways have diminished a great deal
in popularity, while home features such as siding, decking,
countertops, and floor and wall finishes are being designed
for flexibility and ease-of-use,” said AIA Chief Economist
Kermit Baker. Changing lifestyles calls for changing living
spaces. New homes have sliding doors, pocket doors, and
other types of movable partitions that allow modifications in
living arrangements. Large multi-purpose family areas are
replacing dedicated living and dining rooms.
No longer content with just the outdoor kitchen, homeowners are beginning to add entire great rooms outdoors
according to a survey of leading members of the American
Society of Landscape Architects. Outdoor kitchens and fire
pits are still popular requests. However, more and more
homeowners are asking for outdoor “great rooms” incorporating the living room, dining room, and kitchen for family
gatherings and outdoor entertaining.
Today’s new buildings aren’t always entirely new. A desire to
protect the environment and to preserve historic architecture
is inspiring architects to repurpose, or re-use, older structures. Trend-setting homes of the future may be constructed
from the shell of an outdated factory, an empty warehouse, or
an abandoned church.
Inside the home, the focus is made on natural, organic
and recycled products and materials. More and more interior designers are paying attention to nature and how to
make houses elegant, stylish and beautiful. Beginning with
flooring, sustainable materials like concrete, bamboo, and
linoleum will set the stage for low-VOC (volatile organic
compound) wall treatments that serve as a background for
fixtures constructed from reclaimed wood, wheat board, or
other recycled materials.
With an increasing use of darker tones, it becomes more and
more important for designers to consider how light complements décor, which explains the trend of accent materials
that reflect, refract and bend light. Materials such as silver,
chrome, mercury glass, mirrors, crystal and lucite are part of
this move, and are being used as decorative accents as well as
being incorporated into furniture pieces themselves.
Today’s homeowners are looking to use their homes differently from previous generations. Consumers are putting less
focus on the amount of space in their homes and more focus
on how that space is being used. Ease of accessibility around
the home, with an emphasis on informal areas with multiple
functions, is a trend growing in popularity.
Real Estate
Few topics captured more headlines recently than the housing
industry. From the US mortgage meltdown to over-supply, it
seemed each month brought more bad news. Leading real
estate experts are continuing to predict the US commercial
real estate market will slow and will follow a similar pattern
as the current residential market.
However, according to the annual Emerging Trends in Real
Estate(R) 2008 report, released by Price Waterhouse Coopers
(PwC) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI), Canadian forecasts are much more upbeat.
Since Canada benefits from a more conservative investment
environment than the United States, we avoid the consequences of lax underwriting and therefore we have become of strong
interest to American investors. Real estate values have reached
record highs and a strong economy has accelerated tenant
demand for space. Western provinces showcase the strongest
growth trends and lowest vacancies in North America. Calgary
and Edmonton are the top choices for investors.
Canadians like to live and work in central cities, as long
as they can afford it. If housing is too pricey in 24-hour
Personalized International Real Estate Services
A GOLDEN
OPPORTUNITY
Whistler photo: www.tourvistas.com
Fioretta Wilinofsky & Christopher Rivers
C O N N E C T I N G
I T A L Y
A N D
C A N A D A
PRESENTING a unique commercial building in Whistler, British Columbia.
This property is nestled in a beautiful Canadian mountain setting
and strategically located between the Olympic Village and Creekside.
Operate the existing, successful and popular restaurant that seats
110 diners, or create a new business in this outstanding space.
$2,150,000
For more information contact:
Fioretta Wilinofsky 604 . 240 . 1316 or Christopher Rivers 604 . 218 . 4001
www.suttonsales.net
V A N C O U V E R,
B R I T I S H
C O L U M B I A
CONEXUS – WINTER 2008 11
THINKING
AHEAD
neighbourhoods, we move to inner-ring suburbs or beyond
and commute back into the cores. Planners and developers
are focusing on infill and more vertical projects, which
reinforce the urban cores. The hot-growth energy cities
in the west, Calgary and Edmonton, also score the highest
ratings for investment prospects, development, and for sale
housing, although it is not certain whether Alberta’s recent
announcements on oil and gas royalties will have any effect
on this. Toronto-Canada’s premier global pathway city-and
Vancouver also has high ratings. Ottawa and Montreal follow,
with Halifax lagging.
Calgary/Edmonton
Calgary has moved into a market that is currently providing
great variety and choice for the buyer. It is more important
than ever that a seller have a thorough understanding as to
what is happening in the market place. With a sales/listing
ratio of 2.5/12.7, (roughly a 5 1/2 month inventory supply) it is
important to be crisp on pricing, have your home in the best
condition possible, and have as much exposure as possible
in the marketplace. In Edmonton, “Residential prices are
generally stable even as the inventory increases,” said Marc
Perras, president of the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton.
“We predicted that sales would be on par with the last ‘normal’
year that we had in 2005. So far the market is behaving as we
anticipated.” The number of available residential properties
listed on the MLS® at the end of February was up 12.7% from
the previous month at 8,284 properties. Buyers still have lots
of choice but sellers are encouraged that days-on-market has
dropped to 52 days (from 61) and sale prices are typically close
to the listed price.”
Vancouver
With continuing strong economic growth forecast into 2008,
British Columbia can look forward to a further increase in
inter-provincial and international migration which will fuel
more protracted levels of real estate market activity throughout the Lower Mainland and beyond.
While the impetus for property value increases won’t be quite
as profound as in previous years, increasing home owner
equity in the more affordable markets and price ranges will be
evidenced. With the provincial economy firing on all cylinders,
this continued economic certainty will bolster confidence
over the course of the year. This trend will be the catalyst for a
strong market throughout 2008.
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TRENDS2008
Expect construction, sales and price gains to moderate in
2008 due to decreasing affordability, especially for firsttime buyers, and some softening in domestic economic
conditions associated with the U.S. slowdown and the strong
Canadian dollar. Housing starts will likely ease to around
204,000 units, still firmly above underlying household formation, with the more affordable multiple-family segment
holding up better than single-detached construction.
Meanwhile, more balanced resale market conditions, as
sales volumes edge down and more listings come on stream,
should bring average price increases back into the midsingle digit range. Renovation activity, which lags home
resales by 1-3 years, will outperform new construction.
From a demand standpoint, economic conditions still
favour Western Canada, with its booming resource-based
industries and extremely tight labour markets. Yet, affordability is becoming a constraining factor in several centres,
including Calgary where average home prices have doubled
in the last four years.
Business Consulting
and Marketing
Advertising in newspapers and magazines and on radio and
television continue to be marketing staples, but spending in
new media will show the biggest growth as advertisers move
money into online, mobile and alternative out-of-home
advertising. Many marketers are finding alternative media
as the best way to reach audiences effectively and to yield
a measurable ROI. A communications industry forecast
published by Veronis Suhler Stevenson predicts alternative
advertising spending will increase more than 23 percent
from 2006 to 2011, while traditional advertising will have a
compound annual growth rate of just over 3 percent.
In 2008 and beyond, the trend toward using off-line media
to drive customers to the web will continue and pick up
speed. Traditional media are increasingly relied on to
support new interactive campaigns. Display advertising, in
particular, will be the workhorse that Forrester Research
predicts will reach $14 billion by 2012.
Television is another traditional advertising medium that
will increasingly be used simply to pique consumer interest and point prospects to a website for more in-depth
information. Once there, entertaining video ads may be
used to tell a longer, more involved story. Consumer adoption of online video is growing, and most age groups are
expected to step up use.
Business owners need to find ways to use off-line media
to drive traffic to a website with specialized landing pages
that tell a deeper story. For example, print may be used to
start the customer education process and to direct potential
buyers online to learn more and take the next steps in the
Small
Business
Trends
1. Embrace the world
Small businesses need to embrace the world and
make globalization come true. When there is nowhere
to grow, branching out globally offers a wealth of
opportunity, including rapid expansion.
2. Forget about size
It doesn’t matter (unless you are talking about an
entrepreneur’s dream—and if that is the case, then
dream big). With powerful software and outsourced
processes, small businesses can go head to head with
large companies. More than ever, small businesses
have advantage over large companies: small businesses
are adaptable, flexible, resilient and manoeuvrable.
3. Ensure knowledge sharing
Small business owners are beginning to foster
knowledge sharing across disciplines, making the ups
and downs of the organization more transparent to all.
Cooperation and sharing of ideas typically promotes
the best possible results. This belief encourages continuous improvement and high achievement.
4. Push forward
Small businesses need to take full advantage of the
Internet as an effective tool to create market pull by
raising the company’s profile and getting other people
to talk about it. Push forward to build internet share,
which is critical for success, rather than mind share.
5. Gain by bartering with other
small businesses
Instead of paying in dollars, small businesses are
working with their suppliers or other companies by
using products or services as currency in exchange
for their products or services. Check out a few online
bartering systems, such as Trade Exchange Canada Ltd.
or Trade Business Exchange Canada Inc.
THINKING
AHEAD
purchase process. A direct email campaign to current customer
database may offset the cost of direct mail. Alternating e-mail
and postal mail is another cost-effective method.
The internet is now the central hub of most media and
marketing campaigns and for good reason. Not only is the
internet now used extensively by every major demographic
group, and for a variety of purposes including information,
communication and entertainment, but it also allows for a
two-way interaction between consumers and marketers that is
not found in any other medium.
Transportation
Transportation is one of the world’s largest industries. Its
sectors range from taxis to trucks to airplanes, trains, ships,
barges, pipelines, warehouses and logistics services. It continues to evolve globally, whether the type of transport
involved is on the road, on the sea or in the air. For example,
China had only 168 miles of expressways in 1989. By the end
of 2003, it had 18,500 miles, and by the end of 2008 it will
have 51,000 miles of expressways similar to, and surpassing in length, America’s famous interstate highway system.
China’s investment in new expressways during 2003 alone
was the equivalent of $43 billion.
The continual introduction of sophisticated databases that
track inventory levels and shipments on a global basis via the
internet, is creating vast transport and logistics efficiencies.
As a result, supply chain technology has been one of the fastest
growing segments in the information field.
The high cost of fuel will continue to have a major impact on
fleet operating expenses. Especially hard-hit will be truck
fleets, since the cost of diesel is predicted to remain higher
than unleaded gasoline. Higher fuel prices will have a domino
effect on increasing prices for other oil-based products, such
as replacement tires.
“Managers want to lower fuel costs and are looking for any kind
of relief in their operating expenses. This includes looking at
tires, maintenance and downtime to find ways to counteract
the effect of higher fuel costs,” said Vivek Khosla, director,
product management for PHH Arval. Already, propane systems
are gaining in popularity. “Propane is more readily accessible
than ethanol and has improved the weather-related starting
issues encountered with previous propane models,” said Greg
Carson, director of operations for Union Leasing.
Industry forecasting is emerging as a factor of intelligence,
learning style and world-view. By examining what will resonate with people or drive their thinking and behaviour, we can
identify larger patterns that will shape all of our lives in the
years to come. Assuming that one has business insight, common sense and people smarts, the rest is a matter of piecing
it all together by continually being open to what is happening
around us.
Vintage International Ltd.
In addition, the rapid adoption of outsourcing has led many
companies, when shipping is vital to their businesses, to
turn to logistics services providers for all manner of shipping
support, including warehousing, scheduling and distribution
services. The sectors of transport, supply chain management
and logistics services are permanently intertwined; creating
efficiencies once undreamed of in the transportation arena.
Fleets are using telematics (the combination of telecommunications and computing), to capture and report key data related
to the truck’s diagnostics, idling, drive time, and fuel economy.
Companies utilizing telematics enhance driver productivity
and route management. In the coming years, telematics will
play a larger role in maximizing cargo space for increased
delivery capacity, fuel savings and productivity.
As transportation companies transform, it’s imperative that
technology becomes more efficient. Companies want to
reduce dependency and spend on legacy system maintenance
costs, so it is wise to redirect their IT expenditures to prepare
for the future. This goal is especially true for freight, logistics
and rail companies, where maintenance costs are increasing rapidly. The preferred supplier is going to be the agile
supplier who adheres to service oriented architectures and
industry standards and has flexibility to react quickly.
Wines
Spirits
Foods
~ Italy ~
Cantine Eugenio Tinazzi
e Figli, Veneto
Feudo Montoni, Sicily
Azienda Martorana, Sicily
~ Australia ~
Miranda Wines of Australia
Grappa di Amarone
Gagliano Marcati
Liquori e Distillati
Bosco e Figlio Distilleria
Douglas Laing & Co. Ltd.
Scotch Whisky Blenders,
Bottlers and Maltsmen
Val Paradiso Extra Virgin
Olive Oil (Organic and
Traditional), Sicily
Vintage International is an importer and distributor
of fine wines, spirits and specialty foods.
Phone: 403 243-9952 ~ Fax: 403 668-7472 ~ Cell: 403 605-8055
e-mail: [email protected]
www.vintageinternational.ca
REGIONAL FOCUS
ITALY’S
CONNECTION
TO WESTERN
CANADA
HISTORY OF THE
ITALIAN CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE
IN CANADA
La storia
della Camera
di Commercio
Italiana in Canada
A well-known Vancouver Sun columnist
compared the origins of the Italian Chamber
of Commerce in Vancouver to the strife
between the Montague and Capulet families in
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. In effect, our
Chamber began in 1992 as a result of a turf war
between the Italian Chambers of Commerce in
Toronto and Montreal who were each anxious
to establish a dominant presence on the
Pacific coast before the other.
Un noto giornalista del Vancouver Sun,
ha paragonato le origini della Camera di
Commercio Italiana di Vancouver alla rivalità
tra i Montecchi ed i Capuleti dell’opera di
Shakespeare, Romeo e Giulietta.
While the Italian authorities watched from
the sidelines and the presidents of the
Montreal and Toronto Chambers duked it out
in Rome, for quite some time in Vancouver
there were actually two fledgling Italian
Chambers of Commerce in start-up mode
and although operating in substantially
different spheres and with quite different
methods, it was very obvious that the
confusion, not to mention the ridicule, could
not continue unchecked.
La nostra storia inizia nel 1992 come
conseguenza di una disputa tra la Camera
di Commercio di Toronto e quella di
Montreal per stabilire una presenza
dominante sulla costa del Pacifico. Mentre
le autorità italiane osservavano la situazione
dall’esterno ed i Presidenti delle Camere
di Toronto e Montreal continuavano la loro
competizione a Roma, per un certo periodo
a Vancouver sono state presenti due nuove
e incomplete Camere di Commercio e,
sebbene operassero in ambiti e con metodi
differenti, era chiaro che la confusione,
per non dire la situazione di ridicolo, non
potesse passare inosservata.
REGIONAL FOCUS
Gems from Italy, a joint fundraiser for the Chamber and UNICEF, was held at the Birks Flagship Store in 2000. Showcasing an economic
mission from Tuscany, the evening featured a fabulous fashion show, auction and gala dinner.
Eventually, there was an amalgamation of the two chapters with
the founding directors chosen from the two warring factions
and a co-presidency by the two presidents of the Montreal
and Toronto Chambers. This compromise was supposed to last
for a period of a year during which time our Chamber was to
be funded by the eastern Chambers and would have focused
on building up membership and business activities. However,
again as a result of the bad feeling between the Toronto and
Montreal Chambers, the funding proved very limited and
was exhausted long before the end of the year. The acrimonious uncertainty which characterized that entire period only
ended with the resignation of the copresidents and the election of a local
interim president, after which the first
Annual General Meeting was held in
November 1994.
Per porre fine a questa situazione venne concordata una fusione tra i due uffici: le due fazioni rivali nominarono insieme i
membri del Consiglio di Amministrazione e venne affidata una
co-presidenza ai Presidenti delle Camere di Montreal e Toronto.
Questo compromesso avrebbe dovuto durare un anno, durante
il quale la Camera avrebbe dovuto ricevere finanziamenti dalle
Camere orientali con l’obiettivo di incrementare il numero
degli iscritti e delle attività commerciali. Tuttavia, sempre
a causa della rivalità tra le Camere di Toronto e Montreal, i
finanziamenti concessi si rivelarono limitati e si esaurirono
molto prima della fine dell’anno.
L’incertezza che caratterizzò tutto il
periodo si concluse a seguito della
prima Assemblea Generale Annuale
del novembre 1994, con le dimissioni dei co-presidenti e l’elezione
di un Presidente locale ad interim.
L’obiettivo divenne quindi il riconoscimento formale da parte del Governo
Italiano che arrivò finalmente nel
1996. Il procedimento prevedeva due anni di gestione autonoma prima che la Camera fosse considerata idonea a ricevere
il contributo governativo, senza il quale tuttora le attuali 73
Camere non sarebbero in grado di sopravvivere.
The goal became
formal recognition
by the Italian
Government.
The goal then became formal recognition by the Italian Government which
finally arrived in 1996. The process
involved a mandatory two years of autonomous operation
before becoming eligible for the Italian government financial
contribution without which none of the now 73 Chambers
officially recognized by the Italian Government would be able
to survive.
During this period, and once the internecine strife was over, a
strong and dedicated board of directors emerged who generously donated time, money and resources to ensure the survival
of the Chamber. For more than three years, the Chamber occupied an office rent-free in the heart of downtown, thanks to the
philanthropy of founding President, Paolo Rosazza Pela. One of
our most successful fundraising initiatives ever took place in
this time with the sale of Founder’s Bricks to over thirty companies who believed in the vision and values of the Chamber
18 CONEXUS – SPRING 2008
Durante questo periodo, conclusi i conflitti interni, un
Consiglio di Amministrazione solido e determinato iniziò a
dedicare tempo e risorse ad assicurare la sopravvivenza della
Camera. Per oltre tre anni essa ha avuto un ufficio nel cuore
di Vancouver senza spese di affitto grazie alla generosità del
Presidente fondatore, Paolo Rosazza Pela.
Una delle nostre iniziative di raccolta fondi di maggior successo
ebbe luogo proprio in quel periodo attraverso la vendita di
Mattoni della Fondazione; trenta aziende che hanno creduto nel
valore e nelle potenzialità della Camera hanno firmato assegni
sufficiently to sign cheques for $1,000 in exchange for a used
brick from a demolition site. We dazzled Vancouver with runway
shows of Italian and Aboriginal fashions on rooftop terraces on
balmy summer evenings and then-BC Premier, Mike Harcourt,
spoke of the contribution made to this Province by successive
waves of Italians choosing to settle here.
We poked gentle fun at Italian stereotyping by enacting our own
mini version of Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding at a gala dinner with
bemused and unsuspecting guests who included then-mayor,
Gordon Campbell, who gallantly joined in the improvisation.
We partnered with UNICEF and the Vancouver Opera to put
on sold-out black-tie galas at the Birks
Flagship Store on Hastings Street with
gourmet dinners being served out of
trucks parked in the back alley.
di 1000 dollari ciascuna in cambio di mattoni recuperati da siti
in demolizione.
In questi anni abbiamo incantato Vancouver con sfilate di moda
italiana e aborigena su paronamiche terrazze nelle miti serate
estive; proprio in quest’occasione il Presidente della British
Columbia, Mike Harcourt, parlò del contributo apportato alla
Provincia dai numerosi italiani decisi a stabilirsi qui. Abbiamo
scherzato sugli stereotipi italiani, riproponendo la nostra piccola
versione del “Matrimonio di Tony n’ Tina” durante una Cena
di Gala ad ospiti incantati e ignari tra cui il sindaco, Gordon
Campbell, che ha gentilmente partecipato all’ improvvisazione.
Abbiamo collaborato con l’UNICEF e
We began to host “Vancouver Opera” nell’organizzazione
di ”Black-tie gala” che ha registrato il
economic missions tutto esaurito presso “Birks Flagship
Store” in Hastings Street , dove sono
from Italy.
state servite cene deliziose preparate
We also began to host economic missions
from Italy, having initially struggled with
the deterrents of distance and lack of reciprocal knowledge as
we set about trying to build a bridge between the businesses
here and in Italy. Slowly, as a result of marketing trips to Italy
undertaken on a shoestring budget, the trickle of trade missions
became more substantial and a rising awareness of the market
opportunities in Western Canada created the premise for everincreasing bilateral trade activities between our areas.
Starting with visits in 1995 from greenfield investment
consortia from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, from Fiera
Milano, from construction companies from Parma and leather
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su appositi furgoni parcheggiati nel
retrovicolo. Abbiamo anche cominciato ad ospitare missioni
economiche dall’Italia e, nonostante le difficoltà derivanti dalla
distanza e dalla mancanza di conoscenza reciproca, abbiamo
cercato di costruire un ponte tra le imprese locali e italiane.
Lentamente, come risultato dei viaggi d’affari in Italia intrapresi con un limitato budget, abbiamo iniziato ad avere un
maggior riscontro relativamente alle missioni commerciali
creando le premesse per nuove attività bilaterali tra i Paesi.
L’arrivo nel 1995 di missioni provenienti dai consorzi per gli
investimenti del Friuli Venezia Giulia, da Fiera Milano, da
aziende edili provenienti da Parma e di pelletteria dalle Marche,
seguite da missioni organizzate dalla Camera di Commercio di
Gorizia nel 1996 e dall’intensificarsi delle attività di interscambio, diedero una forte spinta agli affari della Camera grazie
anche all’accordo firmato nel 1997 con il Centro Estero delle
Camere di Commercio Piemontesi per la creazione di un Desk
presso la nostra Camera.
La collaborazione con il Piemonte si è rivelata di estrema
importanza per la nostra Camera ancora prima che Torino si
aggiudicasse le Olimpiadi invernali del 2006 e che Vancouver
2010 fosse nell’aria. Tutto questo avvenne grazie ai rapporti
creati da alcuni soci dirigenti originari del Piemonte, in particolare Paolo Rosazza Pela, Franco Anglesio e Renato Enria, che
hanno lavorato instancabilmente per far leva sui propri contatti, personali e di lavoro, raggiungendo un accordo istituzionale
con quello che è ancora oggi considerato uno dei Centri Esteri
più dinamici ed efficienti in Italia.
Questo accordo ha generato una serie di attività e missioni di
ampia portata che spaziano dal cioccolato, al vino alla tecnologia avanzata e ha avuto il suo culmine nella delegazione di
cento membri guidata dal Presidente della Regione Piemonte,
Enzo Ghigo nel marzo del 2004 per promuovere le Olimpiadi
di Torino 2006. Fino al 2004 questa missione è stata senza
dubbio il progetto più impegnativo intrapreso dalla Camera
in termini di complessità e portata, di iniziative realizzate, e
per quanto riguarda gli aspetti della logistica e del protocollo,
ma esso ha procurato alla Camera oltre il doppio dei ricavi
rispetto all’anno precedente e grazie ad esso la Camera ha
consolidato la propria reputazione di organizzazione in grado
di offrire costantemente servizi eccellenti.
REGIONAL FOCUS
goods companies from the Marche Region, followed by a mission from the Chamber of Commerce of Gorizia in 1996, the
Chamber’s trade activities gradually intensified and were given
a huge boost by an agreement signed in 1997 with the Piemonte
Foreign Trade Centre to establish a Piemonte Desk.
The link with Piemonte was to prove an extremely important
one for our Chamber, all the more so since it was initiated
before the relationship created by being host regions for the
Winter Olympics in 2006 and 2010 was even on the radar.
It came about because of a connection created by a group
of directors born in Piemonte, notably Paolo Rosazza Pela,
Franco Anglesio and Renato Enria, who worked indefatigably
to leverage their own personal and business contacts to an
institutional level resulting in the Piemonte Desk Agreement
with what is still considered the most dynamic and efficient
foreign trade centre in Italy. It led to a whole series of activities and missions in wide-ranging sectors, from chocolate
and wine to advanced technology, and culminated in the 100
person delegation led by Piemonte Region President, Enzo
Ghigo, in March 2004 to promote the 2006 Turin Olympics.
This mission was, at that time, without doubt the most
challenging project undertaken by the Chamber in terms of
its complexity, size, scope, logistical and protocol-related
aspects but it enabled the Chamber to more than double its
revenues with respect to the previous year and to consolidate
its reputation as an organization capable of delivering consistently excellent services.
Another, more challenging project also involved Piemonte :
the “Best of the West” project undertaken in 2006 around the
Torino Olympics. With some funding from the BC Provincial
Government and from Western Economic Diversification, the
Chamber organized a month-long calendar of business activities at the BC Canada House in Torino, including a fashion show
of Canadian designers, promotions of various economic development organizations and industry associations in BC, and a
whole host of business to business meetings. Thanks to this
project, Chamber revenues for the first time exceeded the one
million dollar mark.
The Chamber’s ability to conceive and execute increasingly
complex projects is the single most important reason for its
steady growth which has been incremental and has accelerated in proportion to the acquisition of new staff. For six
years the Chamber functioned with a sole employee who was
responsible for recruiting members, meeting with institutions both in Canada and Italy, organizing trade missions and
fundraising galas as well as churning out renewal notices and
licking stamps.
After receiving Italian Government recognition and with
financial assistance from Western Economic Diversification’s
International Trade Personnel Programme which covered up
to 50% of salary costs for 3 years, we were able to hire a second
employee in 1998 and eventually four others under the same
programme. We now have a team of tremendously committed,
talented and hard-working people who time after time rise to
the occasion and are willing to go the extra mile to provide outstanding service to members and client organizations. Tapping
into various funding sources both in Canada and Italy over a
A runway event featuring Versace fashions is held on the rooftop terrace
of the Coast Plaza at Stanley Park in 1994.
Un altro progetto ancor più impegnativo ha coinvolto nuovamente il Piemonte: “Best of the West” iniziato nel 2006 in occasione
delle Olimpiadi di Torino. Grazie ad alcuni finanziamenti da
parte del Governo Provinciale della British Columbia e Western
Economic Diversification, la Camera ha organizzato presso la
BC Canada House a Torino una serie di attività commerciali
articolate in un mese, tra cui una sfilata di moda di stilisti canadesi, ha promosso lo sviluppo economico di varie organizzazioni
e associazioni della British Columbia, e ha definito un’ampia
serie di incontri business to business.
Grazie a questi progetti, per la prima volta nella sua storia, la
Camera ha prodotto ricavi per oltre un milione di dollari.
La costante crescita della Camera deriva principalmente
dall’abilità nella realizzazione ed esecuzione di progetti sempre più complessi e continua ad aumentare ed accelerare in
proporzione all’assunzione di nuovo personale. Per sei anni la
Camera ha funzionato con un solo dipendente, responsabile per
il reclutamento di associati, meeting con le istituzioni in Canada
ed in Italia, organizzazione di missioni commerciali e serate di
gala per la raccolta di fondi, nonché mansioni meno sofisticate
quali l’invio di avvisi di rinnovo e il “leccare francobolli”.
Ricevuto il riconoscimento dal Governo Italiano, e con l’aiuto
finanziario del programma Western Economic Diversification
International Trade che ha coperto fino al 50 % del costo degli
stipendi per 3 anni, abbiamo avuto la possibilità di assumere un
secondo dipendente nel 1998 e, in seguito, altri quattro attraverso lo stesso programma. Ora abbiamo un team di persone
estremamente dedicate, preparate ed efficienti che, in caso
di necessità, sono disposti ad andare anche oltre le rispettive
competenze per fornire servizi di altissimo livello agli associati
ed ai clienti della Camera.
Attingendo a varie fonti di finanziamento sia in Canada che
in Italia, per diversi anni siamo stati anche in grado di tenerci
aggiornati a livello di tecnologie d’ufficio e di creare un sito web
ABOVE: Consul General, Arnaldo Abeti, presents a Founder’s Brick to Dan Cabana
of Banca Commerciale Italiana in 1995. RIGHT: A volunteer welcomes guests to
another event held at Birks.
After leading Team Canada’s mission to Italy in 1998, International Trade Minister,
Sergio Marchi is keynote speaker at a Chamber luncheon.
period of several years, we were also able to upgrade office
equipment and create a Chamber website, at the time quite an
achievement within the Chamber system.
camerale che, per quel periodo, ha rappresentato un risultato
prestigioso all’interno del sistema camerale.
A milestone in the Chamber’s history was the opening of an
office in Edmonton in 2003, followed by a Calgary office in
2005, after considerable debate at the level of the Board and
the Executive Committee. Despite the financial risks inherent
in such a venture, it was felt that by covering both Alberta and
British Columbia, we would represent a powerful economic
entity and potential business partner for Italian companies
and institutions. Western Canada was also a largely untapped
market, since the obstacles of distance and lack of reciprocal
awareness deterred all but the most determined entrepreneurs
seeking new outlets. By operating as a regional chamber, we
have offered Italian companies the only “new” market in North
America. Italian missions to Canada previously concentrated
on Montreal/Toronto/Ottawa since within a radius of about
600 km, Italian operators had access to 3 major urban and
institutional hubs. We have now created a similar regional hub
in our area offering Italian organizations a larger market, more
potential partners, a more diversified economy and as a result
have now well-established relationships with almost all of the
Italian organizations involved in internationalization.
And of course, the very fact that our members are reading this
history in their own magazine, Conexus, is a very tangible sign
of the Chamber’s growth. Having had several previous, shortlived incarnations, Conexus has now become a vital marketing
and communications tool that has increased our visibility and
credibility in Italy and Canada.
Compared to some of the 73 Italian Chambers of Commerce
located around the world which were founded more than a
hundred years ago, our Chamber is relatively young. However,
as befits anything Italian, our rather colourful and eventful
history compensates for its brevity and from humble origins
we have achieved a position that seemed unattainable sixteen
years ago.
Una pietra miliare nella storia della Camera è stata l’apertura
di un ufficio a Edmonton nel 2003, seguito da quello di
Calgary nel 2005 dopo un intenso dibattito tra il Consiglio di
Amministrazione e il Comitato Esecutivo.
Nonostante i rischi finanziari insiti in una simile iniziativa,
si giunse alla conclusione che potendo coprire sia Alberta
che British Columbia, avremmo costituito una potente entità
economica diventando il partner d’affari ideale per le imprese e
le istituzioni italiane interessate nell’area. Il Canada occidentale
era ancora un mercato in gran parte inesplorato a causa degli
ostacoli di carattere geografico e della mancanza di conoscenza
reciproca che dissuadeva la maggior parte degli imprenditori in
cerca di nuovi sbocchi. Operando come una Camera Regionale,
abbiamo offerto alle aziende italiane un unico “nuovo” mercato
in Nord America.
Le missioni italiane in Canada si erano precedentemente
concentrate su Montreal / Toronto / Ottawa in quanto nel
raggio di circa 600 km gli operatori italiani avevano accesso
a 3 importanti centri urbani e istituzionali. Abbiamo dunque
creato un simile nodo regionale nella nostra zona offrendo
alle organizzazioni italiane un mercato più ampio, più partner
potenziali, un’economia diversificata, allacciando quindi solidi
rapporti con quasi tutte le organizzazioni italiane coinvolte
nell’internazionalizzazione.
In ultimo, ma non meno importante, il fatto stesso che i nostri
membri leggano questa storia nella nostra rivista, Conexus, è
un segno tangibile della crescita della Camera. Dopo aver avuto
diversi precedenti antenati di breve durata, Conexus è ora
diventato un elemento essenziale, uno strumento di promozione e comunicazione che ha aumentato la nostra visibilità e
credibilità in Italia e in Canada.
Rispetto alle altre 73 Camere di Commercio italiane in tutto il
mondo, fondate più di cent’anni fa, la nostra Camera è relativamente giovane. Tuttavia, come spesso accade, seppur breve
la nostra storia è colorata e movimentata da un susseguirsi di
eventi e cambiamenti e siamo orgogliosi di aver raggiunto una
posizione e un ruolo internazionale inimmaginabile sedici anni
fa pur partendo da umili origini.
BEST PRACTICE
DOING
BUSINESS
IN SELECTED
INDUSTRIES
MEET
OUR
MEMBERS
Cheri Milaney Fashions | 24
Stile Wines | 25
Ciao Tours | 27
Corkscrew Media | 28
“We put our love where we have put our labour.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1836)
The Membership Issue of Conexus marks a celebration
of 16 years of great pride, heartening determination,
sacrifices and achievements of both the ICCC and of the
individuals that form the membership. Since its commencement, our organization has thrived and grown from
a handful of solitary businesses to a considerable, diverse
and dynamic community.
One is able to look back over the last 16 years with great
admiration at the strength, cohesion and determination
that has made the Chamber what it is today. There is also
a need to look toward the future and continue to promote,
support and attract business for the advancement of our
community. Today, more than 650 members proudly
support our association and continue to play a significant
role in it’s growth and future direction.
In this feature we spotlight four members who unequivocally convey this passion. They are of diverse career paths
and varied ambitions and provide inspiring insight into
the person behind the business as we focus on their
personal perspectives that have brought each an extraordinary success of their own.
BEST PRACTICE
Global Flair
Fashion design that embraces the
influences of world cultures
Cheri Milaney Fashions
Joined May 2007
Cheri Milaney has been consumed by
fashion ever since she can recall. As a
child she love boutiques d art and was
passionate about drawing, especially
ball gowns and dresses with several
layers and embellishments.
After further journeys, including travels
through Italy, she found ample inspiration for her designs. In fact, almost every
design concept she creates has its genesis
in the Italian lifestyle: a person, place or
event that happened to catch her eye.
Born to create, Milaney studied the arts
at high school in Calgary and was encouraged by both her art and drama teachers to pursue design at the prestigious
Olds School of Applied Arts in Alberta.
Milaney returned to Alberta and spent
some time working at a fashion magazine and then worked on in-store design
and display as a visual presentation
associate for Eaton’s department store.
In 1999, her husband,
and eventual business partner, Murray
Thorn was transferred
to Vancouver for his
sales and marketing
position with Dell. At
this point, Eaton’s was
no longer in business
and Milaney decided to
approach several local
boutiques with broadcloth samples of her
designs. Encouraged
by the reaction to her
fabric swatches and
ideas, Milaney created
a small women’s wear
collection comprising of 20 pieces. Her
dressy gowns caught the attention of several fashionistas and Milaney launched
her own clothes label.
After completing this demanding
schooling, she spent six months teaching English and traveling through Japan,
soaking up the influences offered by this
alluring environment. In experiencing
Asian fashion first hand, she refined
more of a personal individuality in the
designs she sketched.
Since this first start, Milaney’s collections have continued to grow and
strengthen, cementing her reputation as
one of Canada’s leading designer talents.
Within the last two years her husband,
Murray Thorn, has become her business partner, powering her into the
international scene. Her signature
label continues to draw on her trinity
of strengths, her formal creative training, the raw influence of international
travel and the day-to-day inspiration of
creating for women.
Milaney’s “soft occasion” designs and
unexpected textile manipulation of
beautiful novelty fabrics are an essential
part of the label’s identity. Wools and
silks come together in a subtly tailored
way, establishing a look that is openly
feminine and unashamedly beautiful.
Her collection is aimed at women in
the 35 to 55 age range with individuality,
who want functional fashion that still
allows them to stand out in a crowd.
Milaney loves the way fashion is now a
global world where everyone can take
pieces of different cultures and incorporate them into their own unique styles.
“Mariella Burani took Italian fashion and
introduced it to the world with her beautiful colours and textures” she says.
“The beautiful fabrics of Italy are reflected
in my designs, I want women to feel good
in my clothing, and know they will have
their own individual look and to draw
inspiration from that.” While Milaney
embraces the influence of other cultures,
she is reaching out with innovation and
creativity by connecting European and
western fashion.
A Spirited Legacy
bringing the finest Italian wines to
Western Canada
Stile Wines
Joined November 2001
Carmine D’Onofrio Senior, founder and
former President of Stile Wines long had
a vision—to bring the finest wines from
Italy to Canada. Born and raised in the
small town of Casacalenda in the Molise
region of Italy, D’Onofrio grew up with
an appreciation for the fine wines of
his homeland. He left Italy in 1954, and
began his career as a Canadian retailer,
opening Kalena Shoes with his new bride
Isa in 1967 and using their honeymoon
as a buying trip to Italy. Several secondary locations of Kalena Shoes soon
opened, and the flagship store is still
running at its original location at 1526
Commercial Drive with the D’Onofrio
children Veralena and Robert overseeing
the imports of the fine Italian shoes and
accessories today.
Always a trailblazer, Carmine wanted to
share his love of fine wine with as many
people as possible. Convinced that Italy’s
boutique wineries were capable of producing world-class contenders for the
international market, he turned his focus
on distributing these incredible wines
throughout Western Canada. With the
assistance of his eldest son Nick, Carmine
set out to make his vision a reality.
D’Onofrio felt Canada had not been
formally introduced to boutique Italian
wines and he seized the opportunity
of this untapped market. In 1992, the
entrepreneur, through resources of his
own, managed to purchase his first Italian
wines from Molise (Di Majo Norante) and
Abruzzo (Cantina Tollo), the home regions
of Carmine and Isa respectively. Stile
Wines was officially open for business!
BEST PRACTICE
Stile Wines enjoyed success both
importing and wholesaling premium wines, beginning with Italy’s
best-known producers. Italian wine
has grown in popularity, as Western
Canadians have discovered the quality
and diversity of its vintages. Stile Wines
has also pioneered the introduction of
several indigenous, and at the time lesser known, Italian grape varietals such
as Prosecco, Primitivo and Aglianico
to Western Canada. In addition, always
looking to expand the family mandate
of sourcing exceptional wines of quality
and value Stile Wines began to introduce new wines from around the globe.
Stile Wines is now known as one of the
leading importers of fine wine, spirits,
and beers, which include a great variety
of grappas, gins, scotch whiskey, rums,
specialty liqueurs and ales from France,
New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa,
Chile, Australia, and the United States.
ily business. Today Stile Wines ranks
as one of the fastest growing importers
and wholesalers within Western Canada.
With undaunted enthusiasm and a
lifelong love of wine learned form his
father, managing partner Carmen has
more than fulfilled his family’s vision.
As the company has grown, so has the
Sadly, in 2005 Carmine D’Onofrio Senior
D’Onofrio family’s passion for knowlpassed away, leaving his second son and
edge and love of wines. They have
namesake, Carmen D’Onofrio Junior,
continued to seek out dynamic people
his wife Isa, and the rest of the family to
and unique wineries in their quest for
Conexus to
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FINAL
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continue
nurture
grow2/19/08
the fam- 3:03quality
and value.
Personally Carmen is
an avid collector and aficionado. While
he would never discriminate against
any one particular grape, he does have
a soft spot for Italian wines of the 1990,
1997 and 2001 vintages.
Stile Wines is a company that began
with a dream and has become an international success story. The D’Onofrio
family treats every case of wine, beer and
spirit with the same high level of respect,
honesty and genuine excitement as their
father did when he shipped his first case
nearly 16 years ago.
Healthy Choices!
All Organic
• Pasta & Gnocchi • Tomatoes • Specialty Olive Oils & Vinegars • Vegetables
• Cookies • Mineral Water • Panettone • Coffee
• Retail, Restaurant & Catering Sizes
www.falesca.com
[email protected]
604-929-5711
THE ITALIAN EXPERIENCE
Customized vacations to take
you off the beaten path
Ciao Tours
Joined January 2001
In 1996, Sandy Park was living with her
daughter in Siena, Tuscany. With an
incredible travel and tourism background
as the owner of a large Calgary based Ski
Tour Company, Sandy began to explore
her options as a tour operator for travel
to Tuscany. Shortly after formulating the
idea, Sandy began a partnership with
two Siena based women—Luna Mitchell
and Laura Pozzi. Later that year, Arlene
Schroh joined the group, resulting in two
Canadian and two Italian partners.
Since establishing Ciao Tours in 1998,
they have been providing their clients
with customized vacations tailored to
each client’s exact needs. The approach
used at Ciao Tours is to discuss the traveller’s interests and holiday ambitions first,
and then plan an itinerary by overlaying
Ciao’s team of 12 women’s incredible
insider knowledge to ensure the most
individual Italian experience possible.
Each partner has an area of expertise
that they bring to Ciao Tours. Sandy
is responsible for researching and
developing undiscovered destinations
that allow Ciao clients to discover the
best of hidden villages, regional cuisine, wine appreciation, and hands-on
excursions. Based on Sandy’s research,
General Manager, Arlene, is at the hub
of the operation, personally overseeing the planning and coordinating of
each tour. Arlene explains, “Although we
have grown tremendously over the last
couple of years, our dedication, goals,
and standards have never changed. We
will always be interested in each and
every client”. The sales team arrange
spectacular itineraries that embrace
each client’s interests, be it history,
art, nature, discovering local cuisine or
simply sitting in a lovely villa enjoying a
glass of wine at sunset.
Sandy Park and Arlene Schroh of Ciao Tours.
Upon the client’s arrival in Italy, Laura
and Luna and their team are available
to ensure that their dreams for a perfect
vacation are met. All staff is bilingual
and eager to ensure each client is content and well taken care of. Warm and
friendly, Laura is an expert in Italian
culture and often assists clients who
enjoy history, art, fine music, delicious
foods, incredible wines, and so much
more. Luna is meticulous with detail,
insisting on the best for each visitor to
her native country. She makes certain
that each client’s wishes are met.
Ciao Tours client James Murphy-Aguilu
is among the many customers who could
not be more pleased he chose to work
with this group of phenomenal women.
Upon returning from his holiday, he sent
this unprompted feedback to Arlene and
Sandy:
“It has been two months now since
Melissa and I returned from our amazing
Honeymoon. We talk about Italy constantly.
I am still not over the food and I fear I will
never recover. Thank you from the bottom
of our hearts for introducing us to Italy. It
is very rare that reality exceeds expectations, especially when you have dreamed
of something for years, but that is exactly
what this trip did. There is absolutely no
way we would have had the opportunity to
make this trip a reality without Ciao. The
experience you gave my wife and I will last
us forever. I have nothing but positive things
to say about the places we stayed, the tour
guides, the personal transportation, the
drivers, the restaurant suggestions, and all
of the materials you sent us. Overall, your
dedication to detail and the attention to
the traveller’s thoughts and feelings is what
made this trip so special. I really cannot put
into words how this trip affected us. I know
for a fact there is no way we would have ever
travelled all over Italy without your help.
Thank you so much”.
Strong relationships with customers,
staff members and suppliers account for
Ciao Tours’ ongoing success and fulfillment in providing top-notch, distinctive
journeys that unfold one scene at a time,
over each tour day.
BEST PRACTICE
UNCORK THE LIFESTYLE
Unique programming to tempt the
palletes of viewers everywhere
Corkscrew Media
Joined July 2006
Scott Henuset began his career in the
wine and spirits industry at an early age.
When Henuset was a teenager his father
Wayne Henuset opened Willow Park
Wine and Spirits in southeast Calgary,
and from early on Henuset was working
on advertising for the store and helping
to organize Willow Park events. When
Scott was twenty-one, Wayne came back
from a Californian buying trip wanting to
somehow support the growers there with
their predicament of excess grapes going
to waste. Soon father and son formed
Corkscrew Media and began producing
programmes promoting the grapes and
wineries from this region.
It took Wayne and Scott about eighteen
months of research to complete several
shows and then get them on the air by
purchasing 16 weeks of time on Global
Calgary. One week before the final show
was to air Global Canada offered them a
contract to renew for 52 weeks!
Corkscrew Media is headquartered in
Calgary, Alberta and now airs this very
successful first program Taste! The Beverage
Show in 17 countries across the globe.
Targeting the rapidly growing consumer
base of wine lovers, Corkscrew Media
offers a wide range of programming, in
national languages, on the topics of all
things pertaining to wine and wine lovers’ lifestyles including
beer, spirits, food, travel, history, art and entertainment.
Entertaining, educational, informative and above all unique,
these wine centric programs are brought to Corkscrew viewers
through such shows as Vine to Wine, Divine Life, and Beer Basics.
The programs and the information provided through other
media are designed for everyone from novices to connoisseurs,
and from wine lovers to epicureans. Programmes cover a wide
variety of topics such as: How to Select Wine, Travel to Wineries,
History of Wine, Entertaining with Wine and Wine Auctions.
The Henuset’s entrepreneurial foundations have allowed the
company to use innovative and creative services to grow their
business and remain competitive in this growing marketplace.
Henuset and his team of 11, including his two brothers, Reid
and Michael, continue to offer what they are best known
for, providing media solutions for wineries, distributors and
retailers. However, they have also expanded their services and
are able to provide any businesses access to an entire media
spectrum including TV, radio, print, the web and pod-casting.
Built from small family beginnings just 8 years ago Corkscrew has
grown into one of western Canada’s most advanced small media
companies. “We may be one of the most progressive companies
in our industry, but we’re still relatively small and family owned,”
said Henuset. “We will always work to provide our customers with
the personalized service they expect whether they are wanting a
three minute training video or a full feature movie.”
GUEST FEATURE
Panther Management
ICCC Membership
Yields Success in Italy
Animalia, an entirely new zoo
experience in Naples, Italy.
By David James, Panther Management
In 2003, Panther Management won a
contract to help develop a theme park in
Riccione on Italy’s northeastern Adriatic
coast. As this was the first time we had
ever worked on a project in Italy, we
needed to get a handle on how things
worked in this wonderful country that I
had visited only as a tourist.
After a few false starts which involved
receiving contradictory and confusing
information, we found out that there
was an Italian Chamber of Commerce in
Vancouver and phoned to ask about the
procedures for obtaining work visas for
our people working on the project.
Before I really knew what was happening,
I had become a member of the Chamber,
was serving on the Board of Directors and
acting as MC for the Chamber’s gala events.
Now how did a guy from Guildford in
England become so involved in the Italian
Chamber of Commerce in Vancouver?
My experience has been that the services
and assistance provided by the Chamber
to companies interested in the Italian
market are excellent. In our case, they
opened doors for us that had been locked
and barred! We had administrative
obstacles that threatened our participation in the project. We felt powerless,
we were being treated like irritants that
were trying to break rules that we did not
understand and nobody would explain.
After a letter from the Chamber, we
felt we were respected and treated like
trusted partners. It was as if somebody
flipped a switch! The opportunities
for networking keep me coming to the
events and I am always intrigued by the
calibre and the accomplishments of the
people belonging to the Chamber.
Since completing the first project in
Italy, Panther Management has been
involved in other projects that have been
both challenging and rewarding.
Oltremare
Oltremare is an extraordinary theme park
situated on a 40-acre site in Riccione,
on Italy’s northeastern Adriatic coast.
Oltremare engages visitors in a fascinating tale of creation, evolution and ecology that inspires insights into some of
the natural wonders of our environment
and its development.
Panther management was contracted
to work with the design firm and the
client to develop the design of one of the
park’s key attractions, Darwin. Darwin
is an ancient forest environment housed
under a glass blister roof. It takes the
visitor on a short walk that commences
200 million years ago and leads to the
time when the mammals returned to the
oceans a mere 60 million years ago.
Darwin has a dramatic waterfall, live
alligators, fish, cockroaches and lizards,
enchanting, underwater views, intrigu-
ing sound effects and the dreamy effect
of mist in the ancient cretaceous forest.
Panther’s role was that of design build
supplier and played out over two years.
Initially, the budget and the product to
be delivered had to be coordinated. Next,
the base building coordination closely
followed by engineering and final exhibit
design. The design team was international and everything was conducted in at
least two languages. Of course, all items
were created in accordance with EU and
local regulations. With all due respect to
the Italian authorities, the bureaucracy
can be difficult and esoteric at times but
persistence, patience and the knowledge and guidance of our local Italian
Chamber of Commerce and a good sense
of humour can win in the end.
Finally, Panther Management assembled, contracted, managed and coordinated a team that produced the exhibit.
The result is extraordinary.
Cavalli Bizzarri –
Seahorse Exhibit
The National Aquarium in Baltimore,
comprising nine tanks and a further
ten in an off-exhibit lab, produced
this exhibit. It ran successfully for four
years during which time, this group of
500 seahorses representing 20 different species found a special place in the
affections of the locals.
ABOVE & CENTRE: Darwin, an ancient forest environment housed under a glass
blister roof. RIGHT: An extraordinary Seahorse Exhibit in Ricionne, Itay.
They might be endearing but they are
not easy to keep, so when Panther was
approached to manage the process of
re-mounting the exhibit at Oltremare
in Ricionne, Italy, we knew it would be
no easy task. Fortunately, the National
Aquarium in Baltimore has an extremely
skilled staff with a great depth of experience and excellent leadership. Their
experience and know-how allowed the
Italian team to hit the ground running.
Nonetheless, the logistics of creating a lab
with fully operating life support systems
and transporting groups of seahorses by
air from their old home to their new one
was challenging. The biological, chemical and thermal properties of the water
must be maintained within very specific
limits, consequently, the excellent team
of veterinarians, aquarists, biologists
and chemists, worked around the clock.
There was also the matter of paperwork
to deal with and of course, it was all made
to appear effortless.
The Seahorses are all settled in now
and enchanting another group of people.
They are also learning to speak Italian.
Lo Zoo di Napoli –
Planning and Restoration
The Zoo in Napoli was first created
as part of the Mostra d’Oltremare, an
exhibition conceived by the fascists
to showcase the “Italian Empire”. The
Mostra as a whole fell into a long period
of decline and disrepair. The zoo had a
similar fate and with the death of its last
owner, had found itself with no funding, no management, no means of paying the animal keepers and no means
of providing food or health care for the
animals. Neapolitans are passionately
fond of the zoo and television pictures
of the dreadful situation caused a political problem for the Mayor. Panther was
engaged to produce a master plan for
the restoration of the zoo.
Panther created a concept for an entirely
new zoo experience; Animalia.
The Giardino Zoologico di Napoli is fortunate to occupy a naturally beautiful
setting in an excellent location. There
are buildings of historical importance by
Piccinatto and also the old Roman road to
Pozzuoli. However, basic maintenance,
infrastructure upgrades and animal husbandry have all been neglected to the
point that the zoo was in a decrepit state.
It was unacceptable for fulfilling basic
needs functions such as: public safety,
animal welfare, keeper safety, food
preparation, quarantine, storage, general maintenance and compliance with
the legislated standards of both the City
of Naples and the European Association
of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA).
A substantial rebuild and renovation is
necessary in order to bring the zoo up to
modern standards for animals, visitors
and keepers alike. This reconstruction
is also necessary for the zoo to regain
recognition within the international zoo
community and to restore its reputation
as a renowned attraction.
The style and approach of Animalia,
represents a response to our changing
attitudes towards man’s relationship
with the environment. When the zoo was
designed, the menagerie style was popular and animals were exhibited behind
bars in concrete enclosures. By establishing a natural context and habitats
for the animals, Animalia creates a very
different experience for both the visitors
and the animals – an experience within
which our relationships with nature
may be more fully explored. By utilizing
some of the existing structures, Animalia
would also display important historical
developments in zoo exhibitory.
Animalia will provide exposure to some
of nature’s wonders and will inspire visitors to appreciate and take responsibility
for their local environments. An education program will work with local schools
to develop environmental awareness in
an entertaining and dramatic style.
Panther Management is proud to be a member of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in
Canada and looks forward to future projects
in Italy and to ongoing participation in
Chamber activities and events.
GUEST FEATURE
Nurturing your most competitive advantage
Companies are recognizing that their
most sustainable competitive advantage is their people. Those investing
in developing workforce skills have
seen significant increases in employee
retention, productivity, management
effectiveness, customer satisfaction
and bottom-line!
A skilled, motivated workforce can
maximize competitive differentiation
much beyond core product branding
efforts. The end result is a stronger
capacity to win marketshare and sustain
profitable growth.
However, with a growing number of
boomers leaving the workforce and
taking years of expertise with them,
access to the talent required to achieve
the business goals is a challenge. In a
competitive market, lack of skill or demotivated workforce weakens productivity and market performance.
Finding the right talent is the first issue,
keeping your best people can be a greater
challenge. Workforce retention is a vital
element in maintaining productivity and
profitability. Studies state the average
replacement cost of a non-management
person is over twice the yearly salary and
ramp to meeting performance standards
can be over 1 year. Decreased productivity while the position remains unfilled,
lower morale, the cost of recruitment
and re-training all negatively impact
bottom-line.
A recent survey revealed 51% of employees stated that training and career development would make them more likely to
stay with the company. 54% said they
would stay longer if they had access to
improving the skills required in their
current role, compared to 19% preferring to expand skills with a path to a
more senior or different role.
Multiple studies reported the number
one reason people leave a company is a
bad manager. The new generations of
employees have great theoretical skills
but often lack the soft skills needed to
motivate and manage staff. Management
skills’ mentoring has been proven to
increase team motivation, collaboration
and goal achievement.
Skills development is a key indicator in
employee satisfaction. Employees feel
more valued and motivated. Companies
with high employee satisfaction often
have an easier time attracting quality new talent…through testimonials of
their own employees.
Building an effective workforce takes
time and investment but even small
business owners are recognizing the
short and long term ROI of nurturing
their strongest asset…people.
Managing risk in an uncertain world
Riskope proposes custom tailored
Risk and Crisis Management solutions
by developing innovative and reasonable methodologies and models or using
proven technologies and approaches to
fulfill clients’ specific requirements.
Riskope has provided effective solutions
for a range of organizations including government, insurance, banking, industrial,
construction, transport and utilities, petrochemical and of course, mining clients,
world-wide. In the last three years Riskope
has participated in large humanitarian programs, in particular the demining
effort in Southeast Asia, by prioritizing
national programs and developing specific
risk evaluation methodologies.
Riskope uses and develops quantitative
evaluations of natural and man-made
risks, including criminal and terrorist
activities. Riskope allows informed and
RISK
PE
International SA
Vancouver, Lausanne, Torino
sensible protection plans to be selected
and implemented, leading to enhanced
sustainability of any operation.
Privately owned to assure independent
and unbiased advices, Riskope is organized as a seamless cluster of productivity
centers in Canada, Italy and Switzerland.
The group counts on numerous strategic
alliances with companies and carefully
selected professionals worldwide.
Riskope’s staff includes recognized
authorities in a range of disciplines with
a reputation for providing clients with
leading-edge technical knowledge, and
efficient, effective problem-solving skills.
These personnel offer extensive international experience.
A recent R&D result, the CDA/ESM™
(Comparative Decision Analysis/
Economic Safety Margin) methodology, presented in the book Improving
Sustainability Through Reasonable Risk
and Crisis Management by F. & C. Oboni,
can be used by any industry or organization to compare alternatives in financial
terms, including:
• life’s cycle balance including internal
and external risks over a duration
selected by the client,
• project implementation and demobilization costs and risks.
CDA/ESM™ simulates the life of a
project or corporation from its initial
stage (construction, acquisition, sale
etc.) for a duration selected by the client,
including uncertainties and risks.
The yearly balance is evaluated together
with the probability that the project/
corporation delivers positive results,
commercial financing are sufficient and
their amortization is possible yielding a
clearer view of what lies ahead.
Risk Based Decision Making Models,
Technologies and Methodologies
• If complex and delicate alternatives have to be compared.
• If you have to inform, explain, persuade and increase your workforce skills.
+1-604-341-4485
+41-79-621-8795
+39-347-700-7420
www.riskope.com
• If vital data are missing, uncertain and costly to gather.
Riskope evaluates instructs and illustrates your situation and its environment
making it easier for you to select the most suitable path and take decisions.
N EWS & EV E N T S
Messaggio
Message
dal Presidente
from the Executive Director
Lucio Sacchetti
Elizabeth Iachelli
President,
Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada −
Vancouver Edmonton Calgary
[email protected]
Executive Director,
Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada −
Vancouver Edmonton Calgary
[email protected]
Una struttura di tipo associazionistica e il conseguente supporto
offerto ai propri membri rappresenta la spina dorsale di ogni
organizzazione no profit; da oltre 16 anni, infatti, aziende e individui che mantengono relazioni a vario livello con l’Italia sostengono
la nostra attività grazie al loro contributo associativo annuale.
This issue of Conexus is a salute to our members. The members
who pay their fees and then further support our activities and
events by purchasing tickets and advertising; who donate their
time, expertise and products to enable us to put on events of a
consistently high calibre; and who act as a sounding board for our
initiatives and provide feedback on what we need to address.
Un’offerta di servizi ad alto valore aggiunto finalizzati
all’esplorazione di opportunita’ d’affari tra gli operatori dei
due Paesi ha permesso alla nostra Camera di affermarsi come
una delle organizzazioni bilaterali piu’ rispettate in Canada e
di conseguenza la struttura è cresciuta negli anni fino a contare
oggi 3 uffici tra British Columbia e Alberta. Questo ha permesso
anche una notevole espansione della nostra base associativa, in
continua e costante crescita da 12 anni a questa parte: dai circa
175 membri del 1998, siamo arrivati a contarne 350 nel 2003 e
abbiamo sfiorato i 650 nel 2007.
La missione della nostra Camera di Commercio consiste nel
favorire e facilitare i rapporti tra le imprese italiane che
decidono di approdare sui nuovi mercati del Pacifico Nord
Occidentale; a tal fine programmiamo una serie di iniziative
per far fronte alle diverse esigenze degli attori coinvolti. Oltre
che con il mondo aziendale ci rapportiamo costantemente con
le istituzioni italiane votate all’internazionalizzazione, con le
associazioni di categoria di ogni settore, con i rappresentanti
delle Province e delle Regioni e naturalmente con il sistema
delle Camere di Commercio in Italia.
Nell’intento di offrire servizi ancora più avanzati e di qualita’ ai
nostri soci, abbiamo introdotto due nuovi livelli di membership,
Premium e Preferred Business Partner, attraverso i quali i nostri
clienti possono beneficiare di una serie di servizi personalizzati
secondo le specifiche esigenze ed allo stesso tempo godere di un
elevato livello di visibilita’ durante eventi e missioni organizzate
dalla nostra Camera sia in Canada che in Italia.
L’obiettivo e’ naturalmente continuare nel reclutamento di
nuovi partner strategici ai quali mettere a disposizione l’ampia
gamma dei nostri servizi ed assieme ai quali ci auguriamo sia
possibile continuare il gratificante processo di crescita della
nostra organizzazione.
In return, our members form an integral part of an extremely
dynamic business network of influential individuals and
organizations who play an important role in economic development activities. Our members have access to relevant and
current trade information. They benefit from discounted rates
for services and activities in Canada and Italy that we and
our umbrella association, Assocamerestero, negotiate on their
behalf. They are invited to participate in numerous events
organized by the Chamber. They receive advance notice of
projects such as trade shows and economic missions and are
our preferential partners in every phase of the organization of
these projects.
We aim to establish a personal relationship with each of our
members, building up a profile of their business needs so that
we can do our very best to refer business opportunities and pass
on commercial intelligence that might be of interest to them.
Membership is the barometer of an association’s wellbeing.
While it is natural to see membership figures occasionally
plateau for a limited span of time and to have a certain attrition
rate, it is vital to see steady overall growth in the Chamber membership. This has been the pattern followed by our Chamber
since inception.
We were fortunate to begin our activities in Western Canada with
a core group of members who were committed to the vision of a
Chamber based on professionalism and integrity with the goal
of building a good reputation both in the local international
business community as well as in Italy.
Thank you for your continued support and for allowing us to
serve you.
NE W S & E V E N T S
Welcome
NEW M E M B E R S
Please welcome our
newest members who
joined us in the WINTER
AND SPRING of 2008.
A Touch Of Italy
Francesco Lecce
Calgary, AB
Corporate
403-229-1066
Food
www.atouchofitaly.ca
Aa & E
Industries Inc
Amiri Askarian
Vancouver, BC
Corporate
604-696-6220
Marble & Granite
Abitare Il Tempo Acropoli S.R.L.
Anna Maria Vigilante
Bologna, Italy
Preferred Partner
39-051-864310
Furniture
www.abitareiltempo.com
Accolade
Equities Inc.
Philip Pincus
Vancouver, BC
Corporate
604-608-2828
Real Estate
www.accoladeequities.com
Asja Ambiente
Italia Spa.
Roberto Zocchi
Rivoli, Torino, Italy
Sustaining
39-011-957-92-80
Produttrice
Canwest Alberta
Paul Ackerman
Edmonton, AB
Premium
780-989-4725
Publication
Dominelli
International
College Of
Esthetics
Rita Dominelli
Burnaby, BC
Corporate
604-431-0777
Esthetics
www.dominelli.com
Ebco
Industries Ltd.
Vincenza Eppich
Richmond, BC
Corporate
604-278-5578
Manufacturing
www.ebco.com
Ed Rechnitzer
Calgary, AB
Individual
403-698-1100
Fairmont Hotel
Vancouver
Chantal Barbucci
Vancouver, BC
Premium
604-684-3131
Tourism
www.fairmont.com
Golf The World
Vacations
Colin Yorath
Vancouver, BC
Individual
604-879-3770
Travel
www.golftheworld
vacations.com
GRANT THORNTON
Michele A. Casale, BSBA
Vancouver BC
Individual
604-687-2711
Audit, Tax Advisor
Italian
Cultural Centre
Mike Lombardi
Vancouver, BC
Sustaining
604-430-3337
Conference/cultural
www.italiancultural
centre.ca
Joanna Sulinska
Vancouver, BC
Individual
604-697-5244
Financial
www.mackayllp.ca
Kuehne &
Nagel Ltd.
Shane Edwards
Calgary, AB
Preferred Partner
403-250-3075
Logistics
www.kn-portal.com
La Penna
Daniella Amit
North Vancouver, BC
Corporate
604-929-0748
Clothing
Marchetti Mobili
Marchetto Nereo
Rossano, Veneto, Italy
Sustaining
0424-540569
Furniture
MOSCA LAND
CONSULTING INC.
Agostino Mosca
Calgary AB
Corporate
403-650-1464
www.moscaland.com
New West Press
Manfred Kraus
Vancouver, BC
Corporate
604-879-1541
Printing
www.newwestpress.com
Obiettivo Lavaro
Paolo Valente
Cayma Arequipa, Peru
Sustaining
Employment
Parker Financial
Corp
Enrico Sorrentino
Victoria, BC
Sustaining
250-595-4889
Financial
Rainbow
Educational Tours
Don Gibson
Calgary, AB
Sustaining
403-210-1997
Tour Operator
The Residential
Group Realty
Andrew Kuras
Vancouver, BC
Corporate
604-629-6100
Real Estate
www.propertiesforsalein
vancouver.com
Rita Connacher
Vancouver, BC
Individual
604-714-1650
Simon Fraser
University
Adam Cotterall
Vancouver, BC
Sustaining
778-782-7855
Education
www.sfubusiness.ca/lsg
Vino De Forino
Marina Dinapoli Beck
Calgary, AB
Corporate
403-619-6779
Wine
www.vinodeforino.ca
Vivre Sa Vie Atelier
Antonija Malnar
Calgary, AB
Individual
403-313-2663
WESTCOAST LIQUOR
COMPANY LTD
John Teti
Vancouver, BC
Corporate
604-683-6506
Wine Boy
Agency Inc.
Michael A Green
Calgary, AB
Corporate
403-246-3699
Agent
Yang Zhang
Eric Dong
Richmond, BC
604-727-6155
Sustaining
Furniture
Rocky Mountain
Wine Inc
Maurizio Terrigno
Calgary, AB
Sustaining
403-589-9072
Wine
N EWS & EV E N T S
ICCC Member Survey
Over the last few months ICCC has been conducting its first
annual membership survey. We received responses from
members in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary, and we sincerely appreciate the time that each of you spent answering the
questions. Our goal is to make ICCC services a continued and
valued resource for our members. The feedback shared in the
survey is invaluable as we set our priorities in the months ahead.
For the most preferred events, members chose after 5:00 wine
and cheese sessions as the most enjoyable way to network with
other members. This was followed by attending events surrounding trade missions from Italy. Several members indicated
that having other members share feedback is helpful.
Here are some of the things we’ve learned:
1. Accounting and Finance
2. Import/Exports
3. Restaurant
4. Tourism
5. Sales and Service
There are three major motivations for joining the Chamber.
Both newbies and long-term members alike comment that they
joined ICCC in order to:
1. Attend and benefit from educational, networking and
partnership events
2. To participate in economic missions to and from Italy
3. To gain visibility and exhibit leadership
Members indicated that they want to learn about marketing,
strategic planning and global perspective.
Marketing is key; members chose this as the most important
business issue to them. Members want to hear the perspectives
of other professionals and are looking for emerging trends, best
practices, tips and advice.
Almost one third of our membership is the food, wine or
restaurant business. The next 5 biggest sectors include:
Additional details:
• Our average member is the age range of 40 to 60
• Men outnumber women members about 2 to 1
• The majority of our members are long term. (10+ years
membership). Members who joined 1-3 years ago have the
second largest membership numbers.
This is just a quick sampling of the results from the ICCC
survey, and we sincerely appreciate and value your feedback.
You may comment on these opinions, or add your own by doing
an online survey at www.iccbc.com/page466.htm.
Our downtown expertise is your advantage!
Andrew Kuras & Kip Smith
it o
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Over 100 agents and two offices to serve you.
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Currently specializing in Vancouver’s
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Generous room sizes allow for entertaining and large
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BBQ, with table and chairs to enjoy fabulous, breathtaking
sunsets. Bedrooms are totally satellite to enjoy privacy
from each other or guests. The floor to ceiling windows
and high ceilings allow abundance of light and view
throughout…really must be seen to appreciate.
For video previews, please visit www.propertiesforsaleinvancouver.com
N EWS & EV E N T S
Italy @ Globe 2008
Every two years, on the occasion of Globe, the International
Trade Fair and Conference on Business and the Environment
taking place in Vancouver, our Chamber is actively involved
in the promotion of the latest environmental technologies in Italy. This year, between March 12th-14th the Chamber
hosted two Italian delegations and, together with the Italian Trade
Commission office from Toronto, Canadian Embassy in Rome and
the Italian Consulate in Vancouver, organized a business seminar
to present 10 Italian companies and their new technologies to over
70 Canadian counterparts.
ICCC coordinated the design and construction of the Trento
Pavilion at Globe 2008 and was instrumental in organizing B2B
meetings for IVALSA, Trentino’s Wood and Timber Research
Institute of the Italian National Research Council, Metapontum
Agrobios, Basilicata’s Agri-food Research Laboratory, IMAA
CNR, Environmental Research Institute in Tito Scalo and Sviluppo
Basilicata, Regional Development Agency from Potenza.
The Chamber introduced delegates from the Basilicata Region to
various companies and institutions in British Columbia potentially interested in joint venture projects in Southern Italy.
Production of energy from biomass, soil remediation, geophysical and satellite monitoring as well as genome research applied to
agri-food industry are just a few areas of possible collaboration.
Trentino delegation, led by the Hon. Gianluca Salvatori,
Minister for Research and Innovation of the Province of
Trento, who was also one of the guest speakers in Ministerial
Dialogue at the Globe International Conference, included
representatives from Habitech, the energy and environmental
industry cluster in Trento, University of Trento, Ivalsa Timber
Research Institute of the National Research Council and the
Provincial Development Agency, Trentino Sviluppo.
The Ivalsa Institute from Trento has presented, for the first
time in Canada, their innovative research project (SOFIE) on
sustainable construction system for multi-storey buildings
made of wooden panels. SOFIE buildings are characterized by
excellent mechanical performances and low energy consumption. They are also sound-proof and extremely resistant to
earthquakes and fires. This innovative technology has been
very well received by BC companies and institutions, particularly those interested in the utilization of beetle-infested pine
in various sustainable construction projects.
Both trade missions proved to be extremely successful and profitable for the participating Italian companies and institutions
and have resulted in new business agreements for our Chamber
to further promote and represent Trentino and Basilicata in
Western Canada.
“Your Energy Conservation Professionals”
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Edmonton, AB
Rocky Mountain House , AB
Slave Lake, AB
Wabasca , AB
1-888-675-2166
Edmonton, AB: 1-866-478-4959
Web Site: www.enerproinsulation.com
4917 - 51 Street,
IN
H E A LT H
AND
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Celebrating RBC’s Third Year
as a Premium Member
Italy is Featured Large at
Vancouver Wine Festival
More than 150 members and guests braved
one of Vancouver’s rare snowstorms on
January 29th to attend a cocktail reception
to mark the third year of RBC’s Premium Membership with the
Chamber. In the elegant and beautiful setting of the Granville
and Hastings branch of RBC, guests were greeted by Branch
Manager, Sonya Reginato, tasted fine Sicilian wines generously
donated by Stile Wines and hors d’oevres provided by Quattro
Restaurant. Michael Casale, head of the Italian committee within
RBC, acted as MC and introduced the RBC team involved in
the Premium Member partnership. Graham McLachlan, RBC
Regional President for BC, spoke of the importance of building
relationships within the business community and the reciprocal benefits to the Bank and the Chamber that have developed over the previous three years. Chamber Vice-President,
Franco Mammarella, explained how the concept of Premium
Membership evolved and how this category is now a central
part of the Chamber’s membership strategy. RBC Olympian,
Donovan Tildesley, gave an inspiring talk about his journey to the
Paralympics. And as always, networking played a big role during
the evening’s activities as Chamber members, guests and RBC
staff and clients got to know one another.
The 30th anniversary Vancouver
Playhouse International Wine Festival
took place between February 25th and
March 2nd and featured Italy as the theme region. During this
time a record 1,600 wines from 176 wineries representing 16
countries were served at a record 60 events.
The Trade Days programme, which took place over three days
from February 27-29, was designed to educate industry professionals on the latest trends, hot varietals, and developing wine
regions, as well as to connect members of the food and beverage
industry directly with wine producers from around the world.
The Chamber organized two special events at the Cambie
Street Liquor Store featuring presentations on Italian specialty foods. We also organized trade tastings at the Pan Pacific
Hotel for four wine consortia from the Regions of Tuscany,
Veneto, Marche and Piemonte with wines not currently available in British Columbia but which garnered praise from the
wine agents and hospitality professionals present so it is likely
that before too long some of these wines will appear on shelves
of wine stores.
Specialized in organizing personal tours
in Western Canada for singles and groups
in English, Italian and German.
• Personal assistance from arrival
to departure at the airport
• Arranging hotel reservations
and visits to attractions
• Limo and charter service from
singles to groups
Relax and enjoy your Holidays with
Natural Western Canada Tours!
Planning to visit Italy?
Let our Italy connection work for you,
to experience and enjoy your personal
passione italiana. For more info contact
our president at [email protected].
Rilassatevi e lasciate a noi organizzare il
vostro soggiorno in Canada.
[email protected] | www.nwct.ca
(T) 604-733-5896 (F) 604.638-2040
N EWS & EV E N T S
FAR LEFT: Speaker Series
with Dr. Bershad - (left
to right) Barbara Aspinall,
Anita Mercier (Calgary
Downtown Association)
and Dr. David Bershad.
RIGHT: Theatre Calgary
Event - Jessica Wegner
(Georgia Enterprises Ltd.),
Giovanni Varano (ICCC)
Italian Chamber of Commerce
celebrates Michelangelo
Theatre Calgary treats visitors
to an Italian Piazza
Calgary - March 27, 2008
Calgary – February 15th, 2008
The Italian Chamber of Commerce launched a new Speakers’
Series with Dr. David L. Bershad from University of Calgary about
Italian culture and lifestyle. The sold-out event was held at one
of Calgary’s most known Italian restaurants, Osteria de Medici,
and it featured presentation on the Renaissance grand master
– Michelangelo. Following the lecture, the guests enjoyed the
authentic Italian dinner prepared by Master Chef Rocco Terrigno.
Due to a great success of the first speakers’ series, the Chamber is
already planning on organizing the follow up presentation, which
should also include a lecture in Edmonton.
Members of the Italian Chamber were a part of an exciting
Italian market place at Theatre Calgary’s premiere of Enchanted
April. The play, which takes place in Portofino, attracted large
crowds and was a great opportunity for our members to promote their products and services. To commemorate the launch,
Theatre Calgary transformed their lobby into an Italian Piazza,
which also featured performances by local opera singers and
Italian dancers.
ENOTECA BACCO
Importers of Fine Wines & Spirits Inc.
tel: 604-254-1137 | email: [email protected]
We invite you to experience the passion, terroirs, flavours and
diversity of Italian wines. Try our prestigious, award winning
Italian labels available in British Columbia and Alberta.
91pts. Wine Advocate
B.C. CSPC +289512
92pts. Vintage - Wine Spectator
Alberta CSPC +720180
91pts. Wine Spectator
Alberta CSPC +720181
3 Glasses Finalist - Gambero Rosso
B.C. & Alberta CSPC +64675
Gold Medal - London
B.C. +391599 | Alberta +720282
Gold Medal – Brussels
Silver Medal – London
B.C. & Alberta +147249
92pts. Wine Spectator
B.C. CSPC +338293
Progetto ITA-CA Project
NEWS & UPDATES
The first important objective of ITACA has been
achieved during the month of January, 2008. Out
of the 15 students selected at the beginning of
September, nine of them successfully completed
the first three months of training. A stimulating
environment and excellent instructors gave the
students the possibility to acquire essential strategies and tools that will enable them to compete in
the global market.
The last part of the training will consist of the project
work simulation. After almost 300 hours of classroom
and e-learning lessons, students will be divided into
three groups and each of them will work on a potentially real business exchange project. The groups will
act like international consultancy agencies and they
will have to prepare a business plan for selected
Italian companies that are interested in exploring
business opportunities in British Columbia. They will
prepare a market research report and business strategies that consider all various factors for the penetration of the market such as mode of entry, promotions
and communication and distribution channels. They
will also have to arrange and plan B2B meetings
between their “clients” and potential local partners.
At the end of the project work, the best five students
will have the opportunity to go to Italy and continue
their educational/professional experience by visiting
the companies they have been working for and starting their own public relations and business network.
We have been extremely fortunate in partnering with
Simon Fraser University whose enthusiasm for the
Itaca Project has been fundamental to its success, in
no small measure due to the extremely high level of
instruction provided by the SFU faculty.
For further information regarding this initiative or
should you have any questions about upcoming
events and activities included in ITACA, such
as seminars, presentations, advisory board and
meetings, do not hesitate to contact the Italian
Chamber of Commerce in Canada, Vancouver office
([email protected]).
ITALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN CANADA
vancouver edmonton calgary
The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada – Vancouver Edmonton Calgary is a non-profit, membership based
organization with a mandate of facilitating trade and investment between Italy and Canada with a special focus on
British Columbia and Alberta.
Chairman of
the Board
Celso Boscariol
Watson Goepel
Maledy
PRESIDENT
Lucio Sacchetti
CMC Engineering Ltd.
VICEPRESIDENT (AB)
Rome Verna
Stonecreek Resorts
VICEPRESIDENT (BC)
Rita Bellano
Bellano Ceramic Tiles
TREASURER
Al Botteselle
Galloway Botteselle
and Co.
DIRECTORS
Franco Anglesio
FJA & Associates
Teresa Centanni
Century 21 Bamber
Realty Ltd.
Vincenza Eppich
Ebco Industries
Rob De Lazzari
Deltec Electric Limited
DIRECTORS
Franco
Mammarella
TRIUMF
Oberto Oberti
Oberto Oberti Inc.
Paolo Pela
Novam Ventures Ltd
Paolo Quattrocchi
NCTM Studio Legale
(Rome)
Paul Stocco
Brownlee LLP
STAFF
Elizabeth Iachelli
Executive Director
Alex Martyniak
Business Development
Director
Giorgio Puppin
Project Manager
Elena Ontiveros
Conexus Coordinator
Sophie De Marigny
Office Administrator
Gaia De Donato
Trade Analyst
Damiano
Francesco Scuralli
Trade Analyst
STAFF
Dusan Rnjak
Regional Director
Alberta
Giovanni Varano
Project Manager
Calgary
Milena Santoro
Edmonton Office
Manager
The Big Easy Chair (Moroso), Special Edition by Ron Arad for Abitare il Tempo 2008
PINPOINTING
THE HEART
International Exhibition
of Interior Design and Decor
Verona, Italy XXIII edition
18th-22nd September 2008
Organising Secretariat: Acropoli
C.P. 22 - 40050 Centergross (BO), Italy
T +39 051 864310 - F +39 051 864313
[email protected]
www.abitareiltempo.com

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