Get To Tecumseh Town Plaza June 23!

The Tecumseh Town Plaza presents “Taste of Tecumseh Festival” a celebration of food, wine and local entertainment with proceeds to benefit Transition to Betterness. 

Each of the five local restaurants: The RyeGate Steakhouse and Lounge, La Cucina, Tabouli, Foia and Tecumseh Pizzeria are preparing tapas style plates with individual wine pairings. 

$3 entrance fee includes entertainment for children and adults all day long. Time: 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., 19+ 7pm.  (check out the entertainment and all information in the accompanying flyer!)

Visit www.theryegate.com for more details or call 735-6500 and Biz X will see you there!

by Tim Fairhurst Biz X Magazine

Read Biz X Magazine Here

Startup Canada Tour Comes To Windsor May 22&23, 2012!

Calling all entrepreneurs! WEtech Alliance is proud to announce that Windsor has been selected as one of few Ontario cities to host the nationwide Startup Canada Tour. WEtech Alliance along with the support of the Downtown Windsor Business Accelerator, the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation, Odette School of Business, SIFE Windsor, other volunteers and entrepreneurs including Blab Media and Accent Media, are thrilled to unveil the action packed agenda for Startup Canada's visit on May 22nd and 23rd.

The tour will kickoff at the Odette School of Business on May 22nd with a keynote address by National Post columnist, Rick Spence, followed by a networking event at Caesars Windsor's VU Bar with word-of-mouth guru, Saul Colt. The day will conclude with a special Startup Canada Town Hall at Walkerville Brewery. One hundred entrepreneurs and members of the local community will be invited to participate in this event. Participants will develop a concrete action plan and community-led solutions to pressing issues facing entrepreneurs in Windsor-Essex. The tour will conclude the following day, May 23rd, with a one of a kind Entrepreneur Show and Tell at the Downtown Windsor Business Accelerator. 

Events are open to entrepreneurs, business owners, students and community enthusiasts from all sectors and stages of operation. Limited seating available for the Town Hall and lunch with Saul Colt. To register for the Town Hall, visit www.windsortownhall.eventbrite.com. To register for Lunch with Saul Colt, visit www.lunchwithaguru.eventbrite.com.

Activities: Startup Windsor: Join The Hunt (Pre-Tour Activity)

Monday May 14th - Sunday May 20th

 Windsor-Essex is home to some amazing businesses! Come together and find some new and exciting things to do and see in your city. Are you ready to join the hunt? Visit www.startupwindsor.ca on May 1st and register for your chance to play and win some seriously cool prizes!    Biz X magazine is proud to be a part of the scavenger hunt as well!

This event is sponsored by Blab Media, Accent Media, WEtech Alliance and The Downtown Windsor Business Accelerator.

-Startup Canada Windsor Kickoff with Rick Spence, May 22nd, 2012
8 am - 10 am  at the Odette School of Business, Room: 104, 401 Sunset Avenue
Registration: www.windsorkickoff.eventbrite.com

Join the Odette School of Business, WEtech Alliance and The WindsorEssex Small Business Centre as we kickoff Startup Canada's visit to Windsor-Essex. The kickoff will feature University of Windsor Alumni, Rick Spence, sharing his over 20 years experience studying Canada's most successful entrepreneurs in a keynote discussion titled "Growth Secrets of Canada's Top Entrepreneur".

 Rick Spence is a Toronto-based business writer, consultant and speaker dedicated to helping businesses grow. He is the former editor and publisher of PROFIT, The Magazine for Canadian Entrepreneurs. He now writes a weekly column on entrepreneurship for the National Post, as well as columns for PROFIT and other magazines. Rick wrote the first Canadian book on growth business (Secrets of Success from Canada's Fastest-Growing Companies, 1997). He has taught "New Venture Startup" at Ryerson University and sits on the board of a Toronto-based geophysical software company.

-Lunch with a Guru: Saul Colt, May 22nd, 2012
12 pm - 2: pm EST at Caesars Windsor - The VU Bar,377 Riverside Dr. Windsor, ON N9A 7H7
Register: www.lunchwithaguru.eventbrite.com.

 Join WEtech Alliance and The Accelerator for an exclusive event with word of mouth guru, Saul Colt. Entrepreneurs and community members are invited to snack and chat with the guy that was recently named one of the iMEDIA 25: Internet Marketing Leaders & Innovators and has been called one of Canada's best community builders/experiential marketers. (ONLY 30 SPOTS AVAILABLE)

 -Startup Canada Windsor Town Hall, May 22nd, 2012

6 pm - 8:30 pm EST at the Walkerville Brewery, 525 Argyle Windsor
Register: www.windsortownhall.eventbrite.com

 Join Windsor-Essex's Entrepreneurial Community for a garage brainstorming sessions that will bring together entrepreneurs and members of the local entrepreneurship community to develop concrete action plans and community-led solutions to pressing challenges facing entrepreneurs in Windsor-Essex, Ontario and across Canada. In groups of 5-8, a diverse mix of participants will create an action plan in 30 minutes to tackle a particular challenge that they define within the particular issue area. The Action Plans generated and discussed during the Town Hall will lead to more probing analysis and questioning in future Town Halls across Canada, as each Town Hall builds on the last. All of these ideas, exercises and opportunities will contribute to the resulting Charter, Action Plan and White Paper. For more information about Startup Canada Town Halls, visit www.startupcan.ca.

 -Entrepreneur Show & Tell at The Accelerator, May 23rd, 2012

11 am - 1 pm  at The Accelerator, 720 Ouellette Avenue
Register: www.showandtell2012.eventbrite.com.

We know Windsor-Essex is filled with talented entrepreneurs but meeting all of them is another story. That's why we're putting all of them under one roof for a special Show and Tell event.

 Join The Accelerator and Startup Canada as we shine the light on local entrepreneurs. Show and Tell participants will include Accelerator tenants, WEtech Alliance members, Essex Angel Capital portfolio companies, community entrepreneurs, and many more. This is a great opportunity to meet and greet with the local entrepreneurial community and Startup Canada representatives.

F or more information or to inquire about exhibiting, please contact Arthur Barbut 519-564-8456.

Windsor’s Startup Canada Guests

 -Saul Colt, Head of Magic at FreshBooks

Saul was recently named as one of the iMEDIA 25: Internet Marketing Leaders & Innovators and has been called one of Canada's best community builders/ experiential marketers, even Chris Brogan once referred to Saul as "exactly who you want representing your company".

-Rick Spence, External Relations Advisor www.canentrepreneur.com

 Rick Spence is a Toronto-based business writer, consultant and speaker dedicated to helping businesses grow. He is the former editor and publisher of PROFIT, The Magazine for Canadian Entrepreneurs. He now writes a weekly column on entrepreneurship for the National Post, as well as columns for PROFIT and other magazines. Rick wrote the first Canadian book on growth business (Secrets of Success from Canada's Fastest-Growing Companies, 1997).

-Victoria Lennox, CEO/Founder, Startup Canada

 Victoria is the first Canadian and one of the youngest recipients of a Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion on the recommendation of the British Prime Minister. Victoria won the award for having pioneered a grassroots youth entrepreneurship movement both in the UK and globally that has taken on a momentum of its own with a membership of more than 45,000 enterprising students across over 80 universities within 12 months.

 -Cyprian Szalankiewicz, Co-Founder & Creatitve Director, Startup Canada

 Cyprian Szalankiewicz is an entrepreneur, award-winning cinematographer and the owner, artistic and technical director of Genie Media Ltd., an Ottawa-based start-up that offers pre- and post-production services, specializing in camera motion control for the film and television industry.

by Tim Fairhurst Biz X Magazine

Read Biz X Magazine Here

Have Any Electronic Waste? Give It To ERCA on Earth Day!

Bring your E-Waste to Earth Day

 The Essex Region Conservation Authority’s (ERCA) Youth Engagement Team (YES) will collect electronic waste at the Earth Day Tree Planting event on Sunday, April 22.  Participants and others who wish to responsibly recycle old computers and accessories, cell phones, batteries, and even things like old televisions should bring them to the event.

“The YES Team was anxious to undertake a project to benefit the environment for Earth Day,” explains Richard Wyma, ERCA General Manager.  “Responsibly recycling old electronics is a great way to benefit the Earth, while also supporting a great organization, CAW Local 200’s Computers for Kids.”

Tree planters and others are invited to collect their electronic waste and drop it off at ERCA’s Earth Day Tree Planting event on Sunday, April 22 from 10am – 2pm, at McHugh Park, located on Florence and McHugh, just east of the WFCU Centre.   

“Everyone can stay and plant a tree to celebrate Earth Day while they’re there,” Wyma went on to say.  The Earth Day celebration will include the public planting of 1500 trees at the park, kids’ crafts and activities, a fundraising barbeque and a rain barrel sale.

Rain barrels will also be available for $55 and must be pre-ordered at www.rainbarrel.ca/erca.  The barrels can be pre-paid or customers can pay cash when they pick the barrel up at the event. 

The Essex Region Conservation Authority is a community-based organization dedicated to protecting, restoring and managing the natural resources of the Windsor-Essex-Pelee Island region.


by Tim Fairhurst Biz X Magazine

Read Biz X Magazine Here

LOCAL ROTARY CLUBS WELCOME LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR APRIL 18, 2012

Rotary Windsor- St. Clair, in partnership with other Rotary clubs across the Windsor-Essex region, will welcome Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, to Windsor on Wednesday, April 18.

This celebration, which will be hosted at the Giovanni Caboto Club, includes a kick off for the Rotary at Work initiative.  Hon. Onley will deliver the event’s keynote address.

 "It is expected that by 2020, over 20% of the population in North America will have a disability,” explains Terry Cloutier, Manager of Employment Services at Community Living Windsor and a member of Rotary Windsor-St. Clair.  “Combine that with the Conference Board of Canada’s prediction that by that same year, there will be a one-million worker shortfall, and it is clear there is a looming employment crisis.”

The Rotary at Work initiative offers a solution, and encourages businesses and organizations to hire people with a disability.  The program is gaining a lot of traction in the Toronto area.  Business Leader Mark Wafer, who owns several Toronto Tim Hortons franchises, has hired people who have a disability.  This business move has been met with tremendous success.   Turnover in his business has decreased to 35% compared to the corporate average of 82%, productivity has increased as has greater staff loyalty and dedication; all contributing to cost savings and increased profits.  Wafer will also share his experiences at the event.  

 “The Rotary at Work initiative aims at building awareness and support about the benefits of hiring persons with disabilities,” says Rotary Windsor-St. Clair President Paul Charbonneau.  “We’re very proud to be involved with this program, and recognize that it makes good business sense.”

The event will take place on Wednesday, April 18^th from 5:30pm – 7:00pm at the Giovanni Caboto Club.  Tickets for the dinner are just $22 but must be purchased in advance by contacting Terry at terry@clwindsor.org or by phone at 519 974-4221 ext 235.  

Rotary is the world’s largest service organization with 1.2 million members.  Rotary Windsor St. Clair is comprised of about 40 members from around the Essex Region dedicated to improving our local and worldwide communities by undertaking projects to address hunger, health, literacy, promote physical activity, and provide support to the financially disadvantaged in our community. 

by Tim Fairhurst Biz X Magazine

Read Biz X Magazine Here

The Canadian Vacation Economy

Each year the cold Canadian winter months signal the migration of Canadians to southern climates in Florida, Mexico and Caribbean to soak up the sun and relax.

A destination especially popular with visitors from the Great White North is Cuba. Largely off-limits to U.S citizens due to political factors, Cuba caters heavily to Canadian tourists with direct flights departing from Windsor airport on a weekly basis.

Local travel agents and online vacation websites are kept busy this time of year booking flights and hotels and arranging travel insurance. Airlines and airport employees provide transportation and logistics while clothing retailers see a spike in swim and cruise wear. Tanning salons also see people wanting that “base tan” before they go south and bask in the sun.

So even though Canadian dollars are being directed south the effect of winter travel on the local economy is undeniable. A breath of warm air in the middle of winter might be just what the doctor ordered to recharge the batteries and have some fun.

by Tim Fairhurst Biz X Magazine

Read Biz X Magazine Here

FESTIVAL OF ICE FEB. 11&12, 2012

CELEBRATE THE CHILL OF WINTER AT THE FESTIVAL OF ICE

In Canada, grapes get transformed by a touch of magic and the kiss of winter’s chill into a delectable concoction of sumptuous sweetness we call ice wine. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, visitors will enjoy the wonders of winter accompanied by some delicious ice wine at our annual Festival of Ice from February 11-12.

Each of the 12 participating wineries have put together some special Festival offerings.

“The Festival of Ice is an experience for all those who love fabulous wines and allows visitors to savour the best of our region’s wineries amidst the backdrop of winter fun. It is the perfect opportunity to take a weekend to tour our region’s Wine Route,” says Gordon Orr, CEO of Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island. 

During the Festival of Ice, couples can kindle some romance with the perfect Valentine’s Day getaway. Start the weekend touring and sipping an array of fine wines paired with delicious local cuisine. After learning how to create the perfect Ice Wine Martini, nibbling on handmade ice wine truffles and admiring spectacular ice carvings, its time to warm up with mulled wine, hot chocolate or hot soup around a crackling fire. Couples can end the night on a perfect note in the romantic charm of a Bed & Breakfast overlooking Lake Erie.

Alternatively, the entire family can head out for some wintery fun as the Festival of Ice also offers wholesome, kid-friendly excitement. Strap on some skates and fly across a country pond, bundle up to toboggan down a snowy hill, or challenge your kids to make the perfect snow angel. Kids particularly enjoy watching master ice carvers create awe-inspiring works of art out of simple blocks of ice.  The Festival of Ice has something for everyone.

Go to www.visitwindsoressex.com for a complete list of activities offered at the Festival of Ice.


by Tim Fairhurst Biz X Magazine

Read Biz X Magazine Here

New Years Resolutions

by Tim Fairhurst
Biz X Magazine

Well it’s the beginning of a brand new year and it seems that many people still subscribe to the idea of New Years resolutions. Somehow the magic of our numerical system that measures time is a catalyst for some people to make change.

They might resolve to make an improvement to their personal life, career or financial status. Living heathier is another popular pledge that fills gyms and health clubs every January. Yours truly has decided that physical activity is not only necessary but enjoyable and is on a program to effect positive change.

Quitting smoking is up there on the list as well. Your doctor may be able to help you out with this if you are a fan of the smokey treats and want to kick the habit. So whatever you decide to do (if anything at all) make it stick and make 2012 your best year.

Read Biz X Magazine Here