Online extras: atlanticbusinessmagazine.com | 11

As a teenager, growing up in Riverview, N.B., this Moncton-

based entrepreneur was on the fast track to perdition. By 17, he had been to jail twice on drug-related charges. “Yeah,” he says now, “I got into a lot of trouble as a kid. I ended up getting put into group homes and foster homes. I went into rehab when I was 18, and that’s where I learned to program.”

In fact, he plundered the local Chapters store, buying every book on computers he could find. With moral support from the institution’s staff – all of whom were ex-drug addicts – he climbed out of his hole, emerging clean, sober and happily preoccupied with the twin notions of self-determination and giving back to the community. It should come as no surprise, then, that both principles figure prominently in the operating philosophy of his most recent venture, a company he launched in May of last year. He calls it, with unintended irony, Clarity.

The enterprise, which employs six, is a web-based platform that puts experts in various fields of business (marketing, fundraising, leadership and management, among others), together with those looking for advice.

Since the launch, business has been booming. “Initially, we recruited the first 1,000 experts,” Martell says. “But because it is predominantly a mobile app and also a website, anybody can apply to become an expert and once they are approved they are in our directory, available to search. We’ve now grown the directory to 14,000 experts in the last 12 months. We’ve actually done 30,000 calls across 55 countries. We’ve been generating revenues since day one. We’ve been growing 30 per cent month-over-month over the past 14 months.”

Indeed, Clarity – which collects 15 per cent from each paid call (experts, who can also be customers, set their own fees) – boasts an impressively happy membership. “If you’re as crazy busy as I am, you will love that Clarity handles everything – scheduling, billing, setup of the conference call, and even when I want to donate the proceeds of the call to charity,” testifies Jonathan Feldman, contributing editor of Informationweek.com.

The secret to the service’s popularity is not only its accessibility and comprehensiveness.

It also addresses a problem common to nearly every business owner. Martel explains he came up with the idea in 2011 after he sold his social marketing application company, Flowtown, based in San Francisco, where he was living at the time. “When that got acquired, my inbox just exploded with people who wanted to pick my brain and have coffee,” he says. “I think it’s the Canadian in me. I felt like I had to respond. I just couldn’t read all the emails. So I built the first version of Clarity to solve my own problem… But as soon as I made the public link to other people on Twitter who followed me, they started asking me if they could use it. That’s when it hit me.”

With a successful seed invest-ment round of $1.6 million, com-pleted last December, Clarity’s growth curve seems secure –

which is not bad at all for a hustling, self-taught tech entrepreneur who likes to refer to his troubled, unlikely background as unorthodox, even “interesting”. —Alec Bruce

Upfront

In a basic and visceral way, technology saved Dan Martell’s life

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FINDING CLARITY

“ I GOT INTO A LOT OF TROUBLE AS A KID. I ENDED UP GETTING PUT INTO GROUP HOMES AND FOSTER HOMES. I WENT INTO REHAB WHEN I WAS 18, AND THAT’S WHERE I LEARNED TO PROGRAM.”

12 | Atlantic Business Magazine | September/October 2013

Ed O'Malley, president and CEO of the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC), will share insights and accomplishments of KLC and how they can be applied in Atlantic Canada. After his presentation, open space technology will be used to see how we can increase the effectiveness of civic leadership in Atlantic Canada.

Atlantic LeadershipDevelopment Institute

The Opportunity Hear Ed O'Malley address the similarities of the challenges facing Kansas and Atlantic Canada. The Kansas Leadership Center has the largest program to develop civic leadership in North America and is currently endowed with a 40 million dollar grant that is being used to bring about substantial change in the civic leadership culture of Kansas.

The ChallengeThe challenges facing Atlantic Canada include, but not limited to declining population, the population shift from rural to urban areas, outmigration of our college and university graduates, and limited financial resources in times of economic uncertainty.

Key LearningsEd will discuss the philosophy of the Kansas Leadership Center and what they have and are working on to achieve state-wide Large Scale Leadership Development. Then there will be Open-Space exercises of various stakeholders to discuss how the KLC philosophy can be appliedin Atlantic Canada in the public, non-profit and private sectors.

Don't miss this unique opportunity. If you have colleagues who would be interested in this event please pass it along.

To register for this event visit www.futureofleadership.dal.ca

THE FUTURE OF LEADERSHIPLEADERSHIP

Creating change through civic leadershipSPEAKER SERIES PRESENTED BY

World Trade & Convention Centre, Halifax, NS September 19, 2013 • 1:00pm to 4:30pm

Workshop fee $97 + HST

Keynote Speaker

Looking for a way to have fun, meet like-minded people, and help a worthy cause? If you’re a woman in Halifax or Saint John, you’re in the right place. Both cities are home to new chapters of 100 Women Who Care, an organization made up of loosely connected, independent groups scattered across North America.

The concept is simple. At least 100 women (sometimes more – the Saint John chapter currently has 207 members) gather together on a quarterly basis to help provide fi nancial support to a lo-cal organization or charity. The process varies slightly between chapters, but gener-ally, the women nomi-nate deserving recipi-ents about a week or so before the meeting. Then, three of those nominees are drawn at random and invited to present at the next event.

On the night of the meeting, the women arrive, checkbooks in hand. After the pre-sentations are fi nished, the women vote and the winner receives a $100 cheque from ev-ery participant.

For Mary Jane Copps, entrepreneur and member of the Halifax chapter of 100 Women Who Care, the group presents her with an ideal networking scenario. “I jumped on board as soon as I heard about it,” says Copps. “If you go early or stay late, you get to chat with like-minded women. I’m big on generosity, so it’s a plus for me to be in a room with a group of women who are also feeling the urge to be generous.” She also points out that networking events are, by nature, about money. So for her, it’s refreshing to see people making strong connections while giving money away.

— Sarah Sawler

EVERY BIT COUNTSHow 100 women make a big difference

Audience participation, in the form of cheque signatures, is the highlight of every 100 Women Who Care event.

On the night of the meeting, the women arrive, checkbooks in hand. After the presentations are finished, the women vote and the winner receives a $100 cheque from every participant.

Online extras: atlanticbusinessmagazine.com | 13

The food service industry in general is always a challenging environment, but fi ne dining restaurants – with their higher standards and costs – have a particularly diffi cult time of it. Add a few more trials into the mix (inadequate parking, high levels of taxation, small population base and diffi cult-to-source products/supplies), and you’d think it was a recipe for disaster. But not for Andrew and Tanya King. The husband/wife team (he’s the executive chef and she’s the manager) have been the proud proprietors of DaMaurizio’s in Halifax since 2007.

Asked to share their secret recipe, they noted the importance of catering to local clientele. “Tourists are important, of course, but they only fi ll in the gaps for a restaurant like ours.”

How have they built local respect and repeat business? They say it is because they ensure food is consistently delicious, that the reception is warm and inviting, that the dining room is both cozy and intimate, and that service is attentive and professional. In other words, they pay attention to detail. A lot of attention.

Executive chef Andrew King describes it as a magical combination of food and people. “We love to serve our clients, we love to work together, we love the food and drinks we serve, and it shows.”

The formula has worked. So much so, in fact, that DaMaurizio’s has expanded signifi cantly under the Kings’ leadership. When, after working at the restaurant for seven years, they purchased it from another Halifax power couple (Stephanie and Maurizio

Bertossi), DaMaurizio’s was already a successful enterprise with 20 people on staff and seating for 90. Today, there are 30 people on staff and the dining capacity has expanded to 150. That doesn’t include the outdoor terrace which is used during the summer season.

They’ve also grown outside the restaurant, instituting a hot lunch program for a number of Halifax schools. The idea came from their daughter: when she started grade school in 2011, the Kings identifi ed a need for healthier, higher quality food in schools. Now, a number of Halifax families can place online orders for hot nutritious lunches that their children can enjoy in school.

Upfront

COOKING UP A STORMDespite challenging environment, DaMaurizio’s continues to thrive

Executive chef Andrew King’s kitchen wizardry is enhanced by his wife’s managerial prowess and their “highly competent” staff. “Service is an area where we really shine.”

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14 | Atlantic Business Magazine | September/October 2013

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Dr. Bob Bayer from the Lobster Institute dissecting a lobster. His lessons educate buyers from all over the world.

On an assembly line, a seafood sales manager from Cleveland packed live lobsters into boxes. Nearby, a British purchasing manager weighed lobsters. That morning, we handled lobster blood and innards. After watching lobstermen haul traps, we enjoyed a lunch of, you guessed it, lobster. This is Day 2 of the Lobster Academy.

Twice a year, East Coast Seafood Inc., a subsidiary of AHI (American Holdco, Inc.) holds the three-day Lobster Academy in Saint Andrews, N.B. AHI ranks 22 in the top 25 North American seafood companies.

“Our goal,” said Heidi Tourkistas of East Coast Seafood, “is to provide science and expertise in a non-competitive environment.” Most of the 18 students are American seafood buyers; past alumni include buyers from Canada, France, Dubai, South Korea and the Netherlands. The first academy was held in 2009. East Coast now holds a Salmon Academy concurrent with the Lobster Academy.

“I’m here to get the story behind lobster,” said Doug Hordos, a seafood sales manager from Detroit. “You need to ‘tell the story’ when selling product.”

We learned about lobster from the inside out by watching dissections to hearing lectures on fishery management, lobster biology and the state of the industry. We didn’t, however, talk to any fishermen.

On Deer Island, we visited the world’s largest tidal lobster pound and processing plant of Paturel International, Inc. (AHI subsidiary). Amid the smell of lobster and chlorine, workers sampled lobster to measure blood protein levels, an indication of muscle strength and ability to withstand shipping. The highest quality lobster are exported to Asia, medium quality go to Canadian supermarkets and the lowest quality is processed immediately.

At 5pm each day, classes ended and the bar opened. Lobster appetizers were available before seafood dinners prepared by top chefs.

Andrew Vine, a British seafood buyer, found the academy “quite demystifying.” He added that he became “more informed about lobster quality.”

Now Hordos has new ideas of how to present lobster to his sales force in Detroit. “I already had the first three chapters,” he said, “but now I have the whole book.” — Janet Wallace

CLASSES ON CRUSTACEANSN.B. seafood processor teaches all there is to know about lobsters

Online extras: atlanticbusinessmagazine.com | 15

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Set change: The Grand Seduction is the latest in a string of films that are gradually rebuilding a previously devastated economy in rural Newfoundland (the critical acclaim isn’t too bad either.) Anywhere from 100 to 120 crew members, dozens of actors, and more than 100 extras, worked on the film.

HER GRAND SEDUCTIONBarbara Doran’s new film receives frenzied press, adds another notch to a string of successful outport productions

Described as one of the “most buzzworthy” Canadian films of the season, The Grand Seduction is story of survival. It tells the tale of a small harbourside community that has fallen on hard times since the collapse of the fishery. The residents, led by their mayor, set about trying to attract a major oil company to town. But in order to make that happen, they first have to entice a handsome young doctor to take up residence. And so the story builds from there.

The artwork clearly imitates life: the $12.7 million-film, co-produced by Barbara Doran (right) and Roger Frappier, was shot in Trinity Bight, Newfoundland – an area of less than 1,000 people which was devastated by the closure of the fishery and subsequent outmigration. Its isolation and obvious rural character, however, have become its richest resources in recent years.

Since 2000, more than $60-million worth of film production has taken place in the area: Random Passage; The Shipping News; Young Triffie’s Been Made Away With and The Grand Seduction.

Barbara Doran, owner of production company Morag Loves Company, offers an amusing example of how difficult it was when her company first starting filming in rural Newfoundland. She describes the first casting call, when no one showed up

because they didn’t know what it was. Her crew ending up going round town, asking random people if they thought a costume would fit them.

It’s remarkably different today, she says. “There are now enough houses to rent for the cast and crew, there are enough good restaurants, food stores, trendy coffee

shops and, I might add, a goodly selection of wine at the local liquor store (I think we must credit the Quebecers with that for sure).”

One thing that hasn’t changed in the film industry overall is the underrepresentation of women, both in front of and behind the camera. Cannes, for instance,

came under fire this year for its failure to include any women-directed films in their main competition.

“It isn’t that women don’t have the talent, it isn’t that we don’t have brilliant ideas, it isn’t that we don’t work as hard as men, but we remain outside the corridors of power where decisions are made as to whose film will find the requisite investment, whose film will attract the right cast.”

In order to make that change, Doran says women will just have to keep breaking through and finding support from other women film makers. If any of them need inspiration, they need look no further than Doran herself.

16 | Atlantic Business Magazine | September/October 2013

FP VACANT

.

Located throughout this magazine are five bunny icons (see sample on right) each containing a unique 4-digit code. Find all five codes and enter them online at www.atlanticbusinessmagazine.com/contest

On October 31, 2013 we will randomly draw a lucky winner who will receive two nights for two at White Point Beach Resort in White Point Beach, Nova Scotia. Prize includes accommodations in a one-bedroom oceanfront cottage, dinner and breakfast for two.

CODE

How to play

Contest brought to you by Atlantic Business Magazine.

In a corporate first, the Prince Edward Island Brewing Company can now boast of having two of its products on tap as far west as Alberta. Previously dry residents of the prairie province will be happy to hear that they have two Island brews available for consumption: Gahan Ales and Beach Chair Lager.

According to the corporate web site, Gahan Ales and Beach Chair Lager are “handcrafted on Prince Edward Island the olde-fashioned way – with care and in small batches.  We use all natural ingredients, no additives or preservatives, just fresh malted barley, yeast, hops, and pure Island water – delicious!”

Jeff Squires, president of the P.E.I. Brewing Company, noted that their brands will be represented and distributed by Thirsty Cellar Imports (a Calgary-based sales agency).

Thirsty Cellar president Marlene Howard says her company had been looking for a quality line of craft beer to add to their portfolio and that the two Island beers offered the full-bodied f lavour they were looking for. “Gahan Ales and Beach Chair Lager … are handcrafted, premium quality, and they are made in P.E.I. – all attributes that Albertans value. We also know that there are many Maritimers currently working in our region. They will be happy to see a great Maritime beer available in Alberta.”

According to early reports, the partnership between Thirsty Cellar Imports and the P.E.I. Brewing Company is off to a great start. The products are already available at 39 Sobeys liquor store outlets across Alberta. It’s a convenient location: over-imbibers can proactively purchase their preferred headache remedies at the same time. | ABM

ALBERTA BOUNDP.E.I. Brewing Company lets the good times flow

The need for quality health care touches each and every one of us during our lifetime. Please join community leaders and members of the Health Care Foundation at the Delta St. John’s on Saturday, October 26th as we raise funds for Eastern Health’s five adult hospitals in the St. John’s region. Your support of Eleganza 2013 will benefit:

• Mental health and addictions • Neurology • Cardiology• Individual patient environments across multiple clinical programs

DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS INCREDIBLE EVENING. Call 709-690-5553 to speak with Barbara Barry, Event Manager, for partnership opportunities. healthcarefoundation.ca

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p r o u d s p o n s o r sSaturday,October 26th, 2013delta st. john’s hotel & convention centre

Eleganza - Atlantic Business Ad.indd 1 2013-08-06 4:07 PM