Maclean Marketing Honoured

David Maclean and his organization join a select group of local businesses that have been honored by Profit Magazine for their success. Maclean Marketing was named 110th best, in Canada, June 6. It is quite an honor roll in the Valley with Bridges.com being honored twice by the magazine, the company being name 5th and 14th in different years. Total Care Technology, Micro Survey Inc. of Westbank scored 49th in their year, and Aircraft Sales and Parts in Vernon 201st. in 2003. Good job for the local marketing agency in 2004…

It’s a big move for Whillis-Harding. They are now a part of the growing Western Financial Group of High River Alberta. Since 1912 the insurance agency has been on Bernard Avenue on the north side of street in two different locations. First in the 300 block and then in their current location. The new site will be right next to the Sleep Canada building on Harvey Avenue across the street from London Drugs. The move includes their Bank West office as well…

Could CBC Radio Kelowna be producing a summer show for the network this year? The story goes the network is seeking a change for this summer with their afternoon show being produced outside of the Vancouver studios. You would have to believe Kelowna would be heading the list of locations for such a programming change…

We hear a lot from the south of the border these days, especially from CNN’s commentators, about outsourcing of jobs. Meanwhile, here in Canada, we are hearing the exact opposite of the tale. Two groups, Deloitte & Touché and Ipsos- Reid, did studies on the Canadian side to find out what our problems are in this area. Their first find was those in charge of Canadian communications companies were very adverse to go to the outside world for software development or to outsource business items like payroll, inventory management, and employee benefits.

The U.S. politicians, because of their election, are hammering these facts every day. They want to protect American jobs from increased work being done in the off-shore market, low cost countries, with India always at the top of the list. If you notice, the political leaders in Canada are not discussing these facts at all.

This is all called “off shoring”. A study released this past week showed that the number of jobs in the U.S. lost to outsourcing accounts for about 9 per cent of the layoffs in the U.S. Only one third of those were actually sent outside the country.

Deloitte & Touché found in their study that Canada was fifth in the world as a communications service provider for call centre’s and information technology. We are an “off shoring” country.

Ipsos- Reid’s study found a primary need of business to reduce costs to remain a key player. Thirty six per cent looked at outsourcing, while the same number said keeping jobs in Canada was a higher priority…

Security officers at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, planted explosives in luggage for a weekly training session for the bomb-sniffing dogs—but lost track of it.

The problem: they mistakenly planted it in a real passenger’s bag, rather than a special suitcase set aside for the purpose. The traveler discovered the package labeled “TNT” in his bag when he arrived home…

Here is an idea for the future. Steve Duncan the new owner of Dry Valley Nurseries is focusing on Xeriscape gardening. I know, I had to ask too. It means gardening with plants and gardening with techniques that don’t require much water.

Consumers can choose from a wide variety of plants that are drought tolerant and often native to the area. Steve says it makes them hardy and easy to care for. He has native plants, ornamental grasses, perennials, ground cover and shrubs.

For Duncan this is a new life from his position as a vice president of a large international insurance company. He came to Kelowna and sought something to do that would be rewarding. Dry Valley Nurseries was established. He purchased Dry Valley Gardens…

Home Depot will open fifteen more stores in Canada this year to bring their total 101. It plans to do the same for the next two years. They continue to gain market share in Canada, as does the Quebec based Rona Inc. Both are changing the market…

There have always been questions about when is Burlington Coast Factory bringing their "off price" store concept to Canada? We see their TV ads all the time from Seattle. We now have an answer their first Canadian store is scheduled to open in Canada in a new mall just outside Toronto called Vaughn Mills. It will open in November. So that will be the beginning in Canada. They do have a neat store concept...

Another chain we should be watching, because there is still retail space available in the second mall at Central Park, is a Spanish chain called Zara. It will have ten stores in Canada by the end of the year: two in Vancouver, one in Edmonton and Calgary.

This fashion retailer makes 65% of their own clothing line - men’s, woman’s and children’s fashion garments - in Spain and delivers “just in time” to their stores all over the world via air. Zara has 647 stores and belong to a group that has 2,000 stores around the world…

The Okanagan Jewish Community has their annual golf tournament scheduled for July 18th at the Harvest Club. It all starts with a brunch, then shotgun start, concluding with a gourmet banquet and prize presentation. It’s a fun event with proceeds for the BC Cancer Centre for the Southern Interior and the Okanagan Jewish Community Education Fund Bob Levin 868-2101…

This week at the Media Marketing Club luncheon, the last of the season is a very fine presentation “Get Noticed—Be Remembered” creating a personal brand strategy for success with Krista Green. The author-speaker and entrepreneur give a stirring presentation each time I have seen here work. It’s June 24, 11:45 am at the Coast Capri Hotel. For reservations call 764-4225. She is very good…