Business Chief USA July 2019

HHH USA 

EDITION 

JULY 2019 

www.businesschief.com 

Balancing 

tradition with 

transformation 

Your Safety...Our Commitment 

Putting safety 

and sustainability 

first 

The next generation 

of data center 

CEO Chris Downie on the importance 

of flexibility and customer centricity 

City Focus 

Zooming in on 

thriving startups 

TOP 10 

Manufacturers 

in the USA

FOREWORD 

W 

elcome to the July issue of 

Business Chief USA. 

This month’s cover story features 

Flexential, the data center services 

company driving the digital transformation 

of its clients’ data infrastructure. 

CEO Chris Downie discusses the key 

differentiators putting Flexential 

ahead of the 

competition as a flexible 

and essential data center 

partner with a focus on 

customer success. 

Downie, a passionate 

lover of rugby and business 

solutions alike, carries the 

cooperative, strategic and spiritual 

ethos of the sport through his role – 

with great success thus far. “Rugby 

is a sport where strategy and teamwork 

are key to how you execute plays. 

At Flexential we also focus on strategy 

and teamwork.” 

Chris Downie, 

CEO, Flexential 

Also featured in this month’s issue is 

Bartell Drugs, the oldest family-owned 

drug store chain in the US. We sit down 

with Kari Escobedo, SVP of IT, to find 

out how the 130 year old company 

walks the line between the traditional 

and the futuristic, always delivering the 

highest quality of service to its customers. 

This month’s City Focus explores 

Dallas, investigating the thirdlargest 

city in the Lone Star 

State and examining 

three startups working 

to change the lives of 

its citizens for the better. 

Our Top 10 ranks the 

country’s largest 

manufacturers. 

Make sure to check out our 

exclusive features on Cashco Financial, 

Geodis, Heath Consultants and 

Canadian Western Bank. 

Enjoy the issue! 

Harry Menear 

harry.menear@bizclikmedia.com 

03 

www.businesschief.com

innovation 

in practice 

Sprint and Amdocs have been key partners for over two 

decades, delivering together innovative solutions to make 

Sprint the success it is today. 

Our joint accomplishments include modernizing billing 

support systems, introducing a groundbreaking 

customer care system, providing cost-effective 

payments processing and the optimization of 

current and future network capabilities. 

This strong Sprint-Amdocs partnership has 

won widespread industry recognition, including 

the 2017 Global Telecoms Business Award for 

Consumer Service Innovation. 

Visit www.amdocs.com to learn more about 

how you can partner with Amdocs to 

innovate successfully. 

www.amdocs.com 

© 2019 Amdocs. All rights reserved.

USA 

EDITION 

Click the home icon (top right of page) 

to return to contents page at anytime 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 

HARRY MENEAR 

MANAGING EDITOR 

OLIVIA MINNOCK 

CREATIVE DIRECTORS 

DANIEL CRAWFORD 

STEVE SHIPLEY 

CREATIVE TEAM 

FRAZER JONES 

LUCIE MILLER 

ERIN HANCOX 

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR 

DANIELA KIANICKOVA 

DIGITAL VIDEO DIRECTOR 

JOSH TRETT 

PRESS PLAY! 

WHEN YOU SEE THE PLAY BUTTON ICON, 

CLICK TO WATCH OUR VIDEO CONTENT 

Wherever you see these icons 

in the magazine click to be directly 

connected via social media 

DIGITAL VIDEO PRODUCERS 

JOSHUA S. PECK 

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER 

CALLUM RIVETT 

05 

SOCIAL MEDIA PRODUCERS 

DANIEL WEATHERLEY 

JACK GRIMSHAW 

USA MANAGING DIRECTOR 

MIKE SADR 

PROJECT DIRECTORS 

CRAIG DANIELS 

DENITRA PRICE 

CRAIG KILLINGBACK 

DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR 

ARRON RAMPLING 

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR 

ALEX BARRON 

GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR 

JAMES PEPPER 

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER 

ANDY TURNER 

PRESIDENT & CEO 

GLEN WHITE 

PUBLISHED BY 

Visit the BusinessChief.com website 

and sign up to receive exclusive 

access to one of the world’s fastest 

growing business news platforms. 

IF YOU LIKE US 

FOLLOW US! 

CLICK NOW 

TO SUBSCRIBE 

FOR FREE

CONTENTS 

14 

Customer-centric 

investment in data 

center infrastructure 

32 

Using collaboration 

to unlock the power 

of the ecosystem 

How is digital 


revolutionising 

the supply 

chain sector? 

44

56 

The ELEPHANT 

in the digital room: 

unplanned 

downtime 

66 

74 

City Focus 

DALLAS 

84 

Social impact: 

balancing profit 

and purpose 

TOP 10 

Manufacturers 

in the US

CONTENTS 

100 

Bartell Drugs 

120 

Heath 

Consultants 

134 

GEODIS

148 

Canadian 

Western Bank 

168 

Cashco 

Financial

CONTENTS 

182 

Ingram Micro 

196 

University of Toronto 

Mississauga

224 

Service New 

Brunswick 

210 

Town of 

Caledon 

238 

ANDRITZ

14 

Flexential: 

Customer-centric 

investment in 

data center 

infrastructure 

WRITTEN BY 

MARCUS LAWRENCE 

PRODUCED BY 

TOM VENTURO 

JULY 2019


15

FLEXENTIAL 

CEO Chris Downie discusses 

the key differentiators putting 

Flexential ahead of the 

competition as a flexible and 

essential data center partner 

with a company-wide focus 

on customer success. 

16 

H 

aving combined in August 2017, Peak10 

and ViaWest rebranded as Flexential in 

January 2018 to highlight the organization’s 

commitment to being both flexible and essential 

to its IT customers. Since then, the data center 

and hybrid IT operator has continued its forbears’ 

strong expansion methodology and commitment to 

the customer experience. “We spend a ton of time 

making sure that we’ve got a customer success 

culture – an organization-wide strategy that puts 

customers at the top,” says CEO Chris Downie. 

A seasoned data center industry veteran, Downie 

is also a passionate rugby fan with both college and 

postgraduate playing experience. He carries the 

cooperative, strategic and spiritual ethos of the 

sport through his role as chief executive – with 

great success thus far. “Rugby is a sport where 

strategy and teamwork are key to how you execute 

plays – you have to pass backwards to advance 

your team and there are no breaks between plays. 

At Flexential we also focus on strategy and teamwork. 


Flexential expanded its data 

center to 142,000 sq. ft. in 

Atlanta’s technology corridor 

17 

40 

Data centers 

1,000 

Approximate number 

of employees 

21 

Domestic and 

international markets 


FLEXENTIAL 

18 

“We spend a ton 

of time making 

sure that we’ve 

got a customer 

success culture 

– an organizationwide 

strategy that 

puts customers 

at the top.” 

— 

Chris Downie, 

CEO, Flexential 

Our brand is anchored in the concept, 

‘The Power of People in a Technical 

World ® , which for us is all about making 

our customers successful. Their 

success is infused in everything we do.” 

Having been at the heart of the data 

center industry for more than ten years, 

Downie has seen firsthand how it has 

become a vital component of modern 

business. In light of today’s demands 

for capacity, security, redundancy, 

reliability and recovery, flexibility and 

network expansiveness, Flexential has 

invested heavily in establishing itself as the 

best option for companies undergoing 

digital transformation and expansion 

across the US. The sheer volume of 

data being created and being 

digitized is set to necessitate continuous 

upgrades to capacity as more 

data-heavy technologies take root. 

“There are massive amounts of data 

being generated for technology, such 

as artificial intelligence (AI) and a whole 

host of other applications requiring a 

data center to function effectively,” says 

Downie. “Having the capacity for this 

accelerating growth, and the exponential 

amount of information that needs 

to be stored, contained and kept safe 

for the rest of time, is massive for our 


CLICK TO WATCH: ‘FLEXENTIAL FLEXANYWHERE TM SOFTWARE-DEFINED NETWORK’ 

19 

strategy going forward.” With 40 data 

centers across 21 US markets, Flexential 

has not only the capacity but also the 

geographical reach to set it apart from 

a significant chunk of the competition. 

“Having the ability to offer our products 

across a broad geographical reach 

allows us to get in front of demand 

across the country,” adds Downie. 

The company recently announced 

expansions to its facilities in Portland, 

Nashville, Charlotte and Atlanta. 

Highlighting customer demand for 

solution providers with broad capabilities, 

Downie is enthusiastic about 

Flexential’s ability to go beyond the 

traditional expectations of a data 

center operator. Enterprises increasingly 

operate in a hybrid world where their 

infrastructure is located in many 

physical locations and in a variety 

of forms, making Flexential an ideal 

choice as the home base for a customer’s 

hybrid IT operations. “We can provide 

our customers a variety of colocation 

and cloud infrastructure choices, 

helping them manage and protect the 

data that fuels their business, and most 

importantly interconnect that infrastructure 

in a highly scalable, secure, 


Don’t let your 

business go darK 

If downtime in your business equals disaster, Mitsubishi Electric achieves 

the highest reliability among backup power electronics suppliers. Our 

proprietary technology delivers continuous critical power in the most 

demanding environments at the highest levels of efficiency. 

It’s time to rethink your UPS. 

www.MitsubishiCritical.com 

(800) 887-7830 • (724) 772-2555

DON’T LET YOUR BUSINESS GO DARK 

Design 

QUALITY 

SERVICE 

VALU E 

Powered by Mitsubishi Electric’s 

revolutionary semiconductors 

and control 

Static switch with wrap around 

contactor for increased reliability 

Legendary workmanship 

Every unit shipped is fully tested 

Utilize long life components, 

including 15 year capacitors and 

industrial grade fans 

Over 200+ certified service 

technicians providing 24x7 

tech support with 4 hour on-site 

response times 

Large inventory of parts on hand 

Industry-leading extended 

warranty terms 

Functionality & performance 

designed for 15+ year lifetime 

Generate less heat and require 

less cooling 

Lowest TCO over the lifetime of 

the UPS 

Mitsubishi Electric UPS Reliability 

99.9993%

FLEXENTIAL 

22 

and reliable fashion,” he says. “Our ability 

to also offer professional services that can 

solve the challenges that our customers 

face serves to make their engagement 

with Flexential even more meaningful.” 

Flexential’s broad utility set is further 

enhanced by its stellar network 

capabilities, and its aggressive investment 

strategy in this area is reaping 

dividends. As more and more enterprises 

are considering architecture for edge 

and distributed computing, as well as 

machine learning and artificial intelligence 

toolkits to analyze how data is 

being consumed and where, Flexential 

is working to help them “future proof” 

their infrastructures. “One of our critical 

differentiators is the network; the 

investments we’ve made in resources 

across our portfolio enables our 

customers to federate their data and 

resources anywhere and everywhere 

they need to.” 

A significant facet of Flexential’s 

network platform is its access to the 

Asia Pacific market via subsea cables. 

Hosting direct access to three 

trans-Pacific subsea cables, supplying 


connectivity between Asia and the 

West coast of the US offers a huge 

opportunity to Flexential’s customers 

and makes Flexential more competitive 

abroad. “The New Cross Pacific 

(NCP) cable has some of the largest 

cloud and communications providers 

in Asia as consortium members, and it 

extends to China, Taiwan, Korea and 

a whole host of other countries,” says 

Downie. “We also host the Hawaiki 

subsea cable which extends to 

Australia and New Zealand. In hosting 

those cables we have an entry point 

to massive data sets, and this puts us 

in a position to assist consortium 

members, and other customers that 

want to be near those cables, to 

complete the solutions they’re looking 

to build in the US.” 

Flexential has also been actively 

investing in capitalizing on the 

opportunities afforded by its size and 

geographic reach, namely the ability 

to communicate with larger customers 

that make decisions across multiple 

EXECUTIVE PROFILE 

Chris Downie, CEO 

Chris leads Flexential as a proven Chief Executive Officer 

with deep expertise in the economics, delivery and 

operations of the data center and hybrid cloud businesses. 

He is responsible for setting and managing the strategic 

priorities that drive profitable growth. Chris joined the 

company in 2016. Prior to Flexential, Chris was the Chief 

Executive Officer of Telx Holdings, a leading 

interconnection and data center solutions provider based 

in New York City, New York. He has more than 25 years 

of combined executive leadership experience in finance 

and operations, working for Daniels & Associates, 

BroadStreet Communications and Motient Corporation. 

Chris holds a B.A. degree in History from Dartmouth 

College as well as a M.B.A. degree in International 

Business from New York University. 

23 


CLICK TO WATCH: ‘THE NEXT BIG THING IS HERE: 

ATLANTA – ALPHARETTA EXPANSION’ 

25 

geographies and themselves have 

demanding requirements. “You can call 

it wholesale, you can call it multi-megawatt 

transactions, but it’s really serving 

large enterprises and large technology 

companies with greater deployments 

than your average company.” Flexential 

has been investing in its internal capabilities 

to facilitate such deals with growing 

success. “We recently completed a 

3MW deal in one of our western markets, 

with a large SaaS provider that’s 

focused on data storage; a hyper-scaler 

in terms of their global growth. We have 

also secured a 1.5MW contract with a 

financial institution at one of our 

southeastern facilities, and that’s 

going to become one of the largest 

processing centers for financial 

trading transactions in the world.” 

The attractiveness of Flexential’s 

offering is further compounded by its 

leading security and recovery capabilities, 

aiming to maximize peace of mind 

for customers. “Security starts with 

the physical security of the data center 

itself,” says Downie. “We’ve been very 

focused on meeting and maintaining 

compliance standards across a 

number of verticals in our domain. 


FLEXENTIAL 

26 

111,000+ square-foot data 

center with unprecedented 

PUE of 1.3 at full capacity 


“Our ability to offer Professional 

Services that can solve the 

challenges our customers 

face, serves to make their 

engagement with Flexential 

even more meaningful.” 

— 

Chris Downie, 

CEO, Flexential 27 


DataOps is your data practice for the AI era. Connect your data 

consumers and data creators to accelerate collaboration and 

digital innovation. We help you place the right data in the right 

place at the right time. We are analytics, industrial expertise, 

technology and outcomes rolled into one great solution partner. 

We listen. We understand. We work with you. 

Get your DataOps advantage today with Hitachi Vantara. 

hitachivantara.com

We also have a host of security functions 

built into our network to ensure data 

running through it is safeguarded, 

encrypted and so forth. The network 

is also a foundational element of our 

Disaster Recovery as a Service 

(DRaaS) and recovery cloud functions.” 

In April 2019, Flexential was recognized 

by Forrester Research as one of 

eight leading contenders in the DRaaS 

space, receiving the highest possible 

rating for Forrester’s core DRaaS 

offerings criteria. In June, Flexential 

was honored by Gartner and included 

in the 2019 Gartner Magic Quadrant for 

DRaaS. At the time of writing, seven of 

Flexential’s facilities are equipped with 

its disaster recovery capabilities, with 

more on the horizon. 

Looking forward, Flexential continues 

to seek innovation and opportunities 

to enhance its customer offering. 

Downie offers Edge computing as 

an example of a customer trend that 

Flexential is keen to accommodate. 

“Data is being generated everywhere,” 

he says, citing autonomous vehicles 

and connected vending machines as 

examples of data generators at the 

edge of the network. “Those data sets 29 


FLEXENTIAL 

YOUR BEST 

ELECTRICAL CONNECTION 

SINCE 1912. 

Sturgeon Electric’s commercial and industrial electrical construction division specializes in large-scale 

commercial electrical projects, telecommunications, high voltage distribution service, and maintenance 

to clients. When it comes to data centers, Sturgeon Electric is the premier contractor of choice. We have 

provided solutions for mission-critical facilities since the dawn of the digital age. Over the years, we have 

attained an unparalleled level of knowledge, skills, and experience. More importantly, we’ve gained the 

trust of our clients in some of the world’s most sensitive data environments.

are coming from very far afield, so 

having the ability to capture, process 

and store them close to the given use 

case is becoming increasingly important. 

When it comes to the information 

generated by a self-driving car, the data 

needs to be processed by the car itself 

but it’s also sending huge amounts to 

local processing centers that need to 

be proximate to wherever the car is.” 

Flexential consistently evaluates 

areas for improvement in its environments, 

particularly as the needs and 

expectations of the customer continuously 

evolve. “We actively monitor how 

our customers are consuming power, 

the scale at which they’re consuming 

network resources, and whether there 

is customer interest in different 

network technologies.” 

Downie adds that Flexential is 

equipped with the expertise to make 

the right call when it comes to such 

investments and in the personalization 

of its service offering. “We’re firm 

believers that the cloud is not the right 

home for all workloads, and helping our 

customers appreciate where workloads 

should reside is really important. As IT 

environments become more complex, 

our customers need help making the 

right choices. The challenge for 

operators is being prepared to have 

that conversation with customers.” 

Flexential is certainly prepared, 

empowered by Downie’s team-oriented 

and strategic leadership, and it is clear 

that such preparation in each facet of 

its operations will continue to grow. 

31 


LEADERSHIP 

32 

Using collaboration 

to unlock the power 

of the ecosystem 

Sean Thompson, SVP Business Network 

and Ecosystem at SAP Ariba and SAP 

Fieldglass, shares his insights into the 

power of collaboration and SAP Ariba’s 

new partnership with American Express 

WRITTEN BY HARRY MENEAR 



33

LEADERSHIP 

34 

Progress is a cyclical journey. Creation leads 

to hype, which leads to a bubble, followed by 

a return to earth and, finally, true adoption and 

advancement of the market. With the perspective 

of over 20 years in the business intelligence 

leadership space, Sean Thompson, Senior Vice 

President of Business Network and Ecosystem at 

SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass, is familiar with the 

process. Having witnessed and been deeply 

involved in major technological cycles like natural 

language processing, ecommerce and now the 

Big Data boom, Thompson is well aware of the key 

strategies that help push the envelope and work 

towards lasting growth. “As the gray haired guy in 

the room, looking around and having seen different 

cycles unfold, it’s an amazing time to be alive and 

in the software business,” he reflects. “My career 

has been a journey that has, in many ways, come 

full circle.” We sat down with Thompson to discuss 

a career spent at the forefront of business 

intelligence, and how SAP Ariba’s new partnership 

with American Express highlights one of his core 

teachings: embracing collaboration to unlock the 

power of the ecosystem. 

Thompson’s own entry into the software 

ecosystem began in the early 1990s at professional 

services giant Deloitte. “Back then, process 

re-engineering was all the rage,” he recalls. “We were 

consultants helping companies figure out their 

business processes and how to make them more 


35 

efficient.” Thompson took to this 

prototypical form of digital 

transformation with even greater 

enthusiasm in 1995, when he moved 

to Seattle and was assigned to the 

installation of a then lesser-known 

business intelligence (BI) platform at 

Microsoft. “My boss and I later laughed 

about the fact that we had no idea 

what SAP was,” recalls Thompson. 

He quickly recognized the power of 

SAP to build connections and facilitate 

an interconnected business. “It was a 

pleasure to help companies leverage 


LEADERSHIP 

36 

“It was a pleasure 

to help companies 

leverage software 

and technology to 

change the way they 

did things, to drive 

true collaboration” 

— 

Sean Thompson, 

SVP, Business Network and Ecosystem 

SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass 

software and technology to change 

the way they did things in order to 

drive true collaboration,” remembers 

Thompson, who wasted no time in 

telling his boss that he wanted to fully 

commit to working with SAP’s 

products, later going on to run 

Deloitte’s Northwest SAP practice. 

The years that followed saw 

Thompson work with multinational 

market leaders like Microsoft, as 

well as serving on the boards and 

executive teams of groundbreaking 

startup firms. Always passionate about 

the potential applications of new 

technology, in 2012 he co-founded 

a natural user interface company called 

Nuiku with Barry Padgett, a longserving 

executive at Concur (bought 

by SAP in 2014 for $8.3bn). Thompson 

and Padgett quickly became friends 

and collaborated over the next few 

years on natural language interfaces 

for sales ERPs. “Think of it as Siri for 

Salesforce,” explains Thompson. The 

mass adoption of the smartphone and 

the introduction of automated natural 

language assistants into products like 

the iPhone signalled to Thompson a 

new cycle of technological adoption. 

“We started a company that was based 


CLICK TO WATCH: ‘DELOITTE STREAMLINES ITS PROCUREMENT PROCESSES 

AS PART OF ITS DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION’ 

37 

on the concept of taking that paradigm 

to the enterprise. My experience 

installing SAP systems and being 

at Microsoft was always that in the 

enterprise, when we go to work, 

the experience we have with the 

applications we use at work is not 

nearly the delight that we have as 

a consumer,” he says. Padgett and 

Thompson built up Nuiku for five years 

before selling the company, but their 

collaboration was fated to continue. 

“In the spring of 2016 I, after the sale 

of Nuiku, I was thinking about what 

the next project was going to be when 

I got a call from my buddy Barry, who 

had just been appointed as president 

of the SME business unit at SAP,” 

recalls Thompson. “He said ‘there’s 

nobody that I would want to go on this 

adventure with more than you’. 

Thompson joined as CRO, and just over 

18 months later, the pair moved over to 

SAP Ariba. “That’s where the job came 

full circle. Procurement is near and 

dear to my heart, because it’s where 

I originally fell in love, in terms of the 

concept of saving money to fund core 

systems implementation.” 

The move couldn’t have come at 


LEADERSHIP 

38 

a better time for Thompson, who sees 

SAP Ariba as at the forefront of two 

major trends in the business 

intelligence space: data and 

collaboration. “At Ariba, we think a lot 

about it. We have a treasure trove of 

data – $3trn in annual commerce that 

flows through us. The technology 

is available, the computing power is 

available, we have the data and now, 

all of a sudden, I think we are poised 

to provide businesses with insight into 

enterprise performance that is similar 

to the way Google provides insight into 

search,” he enthuses. “It’s just a matter 

of good old-fashioned execution.” 

The power of the information 

revolution, Thompson believes, lies 

in its ability to further facilitate 

collaboration between enterprises 

and customers, enterprises and 

one another, buyers and suppliers – 

the entire ecosystem. “In the past, 

collaboration was point-to-point. 

Now, at Ariba, we’re approaching this 

as a network to achieve true business 

collaboration. We’re breaking down 

the silos and fostering more 

collaborative relationships, in terms of 

being able to have companies interact 

with each other, as if they were within 


the same four walls – within the same 

firewall, if you will,” he explains. 

Thompson and Padgett have, over 

the past 18 months, changed the 

course of SAP Ariba, redirecting the 

business towards the promotion of the 

business ecosystem. “The Ariba you 

knew a year ago is very different to 

the Ariba of today,” he says. “We’ve 

changed our strategy and culture, 

helping everybody within the company 

understand that if we are open and 

embrace the third party ecosystem 

and the creative genius that can come 

from that, amazing things can happen.” 

One of the first steps that Ariba is 

pursuing in its campaign to unlock the 

power of the ecosystem is rebalancing 

the buyer-supplier relationship. “The 

buyer has become the hero, to a point 

where we’ve spent so much time 

building value for them that we’ve left 

the supplier on the side of the road 

with their suitcase wondering what 

their value is to the network,” admits 

Thompson. As such, improving value 

proposition for the supplier is a key 

element of Ariba’s strategy. 

Announced in April 2019, SAP 

Ariba’s new partnership with American 

Express will, among other things, work 

39 


LEADERSHIP 

40 

to rebalance the buyer-supplier 

relationship throughout the 

procurement process. “In the corporate 

space, the single use account virtual 

card is a very compelling offering, which 

allows a buyer, through integration of 

Ariba and American Express’ systems 

to generate a single use account 

authentication or authorization key 

from the virtual card provider,” explains 

Thompson. “The buyer is able to 

leverage virtual card protection and 

efficiency. At the time of purchase order 

(PO), the buyer creates a PO, attaches 

their virtual card, and the supplier pays 

using that.” Value is created for the 

supplier as they are paid at the time 

of order, rather than having to invoice 

“We’re breaking 

down the silos 

and fostering 

more collaborative 

relationships” 

— 

Sean Thompson, 

SVP, Business Network and Ecosystem 

SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass 

the buyer, which saves time and 

reduces error. Thompson views the 

American Express partnership as a 

collaborative win that is enabled by, 

and will enable, further data based 

digital projects. “About half of our 

buyers are also American Express 

corporate card users,” he says. 

“On the supplier side, there’s also 

an opportunity for us to offer loans 

and financing to suppliers through our 

Amex partnership. The more we know 


COMPANY BIOS 

SAP Ariba is how companies 

connect to get business done. 

On the Ariba Network, buyers 

and suppliers from more 

than 3.8mn companies and 

190 countries discover new 

opportunities. 

American Express is a global 

services company, providing 

customers with access to 

products, insights and 

experiences that enrich lives and 

build business success. Learn 

more at americanexpress.com 

41 

about suppliers, the more the financial 

institutions like American Express 

knows, we will be working with them 

to offer financing opportunities for 

suppliers outside of the normal 

payment process.” 

Going forward, Thompson is 

confident that SAP Ariba’s early 

embrace of the open ecosystem will 

see it in good stead. “We will have 

an open approach and the different 

relationships that we have will each 

play a unique role, if you will, in that 

open ecosystem. Ultimately, it’s about 

choice. Buyers will be able to choose 

the financial institution that they want to 

work with and, if we do it right at Ariba, 

we’ll be able to shape the ecosystem 

around us for years to come.” 


Covering every angle 

in the digital age 

The Business Chief platforms offer 

insight on the trends influencing 

C and V-level executives, telling the 

stories that matter 

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE 


TECHNOLOGY 

HOW IS DIGITAL 

TRANSFORMATION 

REVOLUTIONISING 

44 

THE SUPPLY 

CHAIN SECTOR? 

Vivek Wikhe, Domain Expert of Retail and Supply 

Chain at LatentView Analytics, discusses the 

future of supply chain management and the 

impact of digital transformation 

WRITTEN BY VIVEK WIKHE 



45

TECHNOLOGY 

All over the world, supply chains are disrupted 

by the advance of technology and 

leaders must rethink their strategies. 

Business Chief caught up with LatentView’s 

Vivek Wikhe to find out how organisations can 

make the most of digital disruption to best serve 

the end consumer. 

46 

Why must companies rethink their supply 

chain strategies in the age of digital 

transformation? 

There are major cascading factors contributing 

to companies rethinking their supply chain strategies 

in the age of digital transformation. First, 

the demand side has changed rapidly. Today, 

there are more channels and touchpoints than 

ever before, which all serve different needs 

along the customer journey. This has resulted in 

a migration away from the way that demand has 

traditionally been generated. Invariably, it is the 

ability to service and optimise these new 

channels that allows companies to differentiate 

and gain a competitive edge. Organisations are 

no longer sure of the costs and margins in each 

channel that touches consumers, and are still 

figuring out which channels they need to 

service and promote in the digital era. Ensuring 

profitable margins across channels requires 

a well thought out supply chain strategy according 

to a company’s customer base and an 


“Ultimately, all organisations 

across industries must 

rethink their supply chain 

strategies as the digital 

era continues moving 

towards the diversification 

of channels” 

— 

Vivek Wikhe, 

Domain Expert of Retail and Supply Chain, 

LatentView Analytics 

47 


TECHNOLOGY 

48 

optimised channel mix. Ultimately, all 

organisations across industries must 

rethink their supply chain strategies as 

the digital era continues moving towards 

the diversification of channels. 

What are some immediate steps 

that need to be taken in order for 

companies to maximise profitability 

in their supply chains? 

Buying behavior is moving towards more 

nebulous attribute-based purchases. 

Instead of consumers focusing on 

a specific brand, which is easier to 

predict based on demographics, (for 

example, purchasing Nike sneakers), 

they will typically begin their shopping 

journey by searching online for certain 

attributes and features that they want 

(“stylish white sneakers”). 

Organisations need to tune their 

supply chains to reflect this shift. Instead 

of serving a target market based on 

demographics, supply chains must take 

into account a larger market brought 

about by the digital era. Supply chains 


should evolve to fulfillment chains, which 

can serve multiple channels profitably. 

The first step to maximising profitability 

is to get a clear picture of order costs 

incurred in every channel. This is a complex 

problem with multiple, co-dependent 

factors. It gets complex because 

the costs need to be predicted to ensure 

an enterprise has a profitable order 

fulfillment scenario. The analysis of the 

cost structure and visibility to them is 

the first step to maximise profitability 

for supply chains. 

What are the challenges that enterprises 

face as they move to digitise 

their supply chain, and what are 

a few best practices to overcome 

these challenges? 

The main challenge is that due to the 

changing nature of modern consumer 

supply and demand, supply chains need 

to get increasingly more agile and more 

in tune with short-term planning. Even 

traditional industries need to stay abreast 

of quickly developing consumer trends 

and desires. For example, food and 

groceries are a traditional and staple 

category. However, today, there are 

trends in food that pop up quickly, giving 

traditional consumer buying behavior 

a very short-term strength. Many categories 

overall are moving towards the 

shorter-term life cycles, and enterprises 

need to move to reflect that as well, 

and become leaner and more agile. 

How does having better data strategy 

create greater supply chain efficiency? 

So much of demand is influenced by 

what consumers are seeing online - you 

essentially can predict what consumers 

49 


TECHNOLOGY 

50 

are going to buy by having strong 

insights into data on what influences 

customer behavior. For example, a few 

years back, Amazon became famous 

for predicting demand. In fact, they 

were so good at it, that they were 

shipping goods before the customer 

even purchased them. 

All companies need to have a view of 

the latest technology for predicting 

customers purchasing behavior. As 

buying cycles continue to grow shorter, 

there is no longer time to procure and 

supply a product without advance 

preparation. Ultimately, in order to not 

miss out on profitable opportunities, 

and to have a more focused organisation 

of the supply chain, a modernised 

data strategy that involves predictive 

analytics for both the supply and 

demand sides is necessary. A ‘better’ 

data strategy is one where enterprises 

have a single view of all data points and 

these are integrated to respond in sync 

with unit changes. An integrated data 

strategy helps move the fulfillment 

chain in three phases - increasing 

visibility thereby reducing variability 

and finally increasing velocity. All these 

three phases require a different yet 

integrated data strategy. 


As enterprises continue through 

their digital transformation journeys, 

how are innovations in AI and 

predictive technologies specifically 

playing a role? 

Most enterprises on digital transformation 

journeys go through several 

stages, as they learn to apply machine 

learning and artificial intelligence. 

These stages are: descriptive, 

prescriptive, and predictive. In the 

first, you can only see what the data 

does, and it can help inform decisionmaking 

processes. In the second 

stage, you can employ an AI technology 

to gain prescriptive intelligence to 

solve specific problems or gain 

insight into definitive opportunities 

- for example, AI can identify demand 

per channel, or identify which models 

are the most profitable. In the third 

and final stage, you reach an exalted 

state of sorts wherein the ability to 

predict trends in the data becomes so 

accurate that it’s possible to preempt 

action around the insights. This final 

stage will lead to a much more 

focused and streamlined supply chain, 

and allow for comprehensive preemptive 

planning for all relevant supply 

and demand factors. 

51 


TECHNOLOGY 

52 

Are there any particular industries 

which have the best opportunity to 

gain a competitive advantage by 

adopting this technology before the 

rest of their peers? 

I can’t think of any industry that should 

not be investing in emerging technology 

solutions. In fact, it is no longer really 

a question of competitive edge, but 

rather of survival. If you’re not investing 

in emerging technology and at least 

exploring opportunities with AI, you’re 

making yourself vulnerable to other 

companies in the field that may have 

higher efficiency and greater analytical 

abilities (and thus a greater competitive 

advantage) in their supply chain. 

What do you see as the biggest 

trends going forward related to 

emerging technology in AI and the 

supply chain? 

Going forward, I see a number of ways 

that emerging technology will continue 

to influence the supply chain. The next 

step in using data in the supply chain 

will be merging all sources of customer 

data, including social media data. Down 

the line, we’ll be looking at more IoT 

data. In coming years, we expect to see 

the rise of the intelligent home assistant 

as the first point of understanding 

consumers and the supply side. Information 

on demand signals will no longer 

be coming directly from consumer 


“The main challenge is that 

due to the changing nature 

of modern consumer supply 

and demand, supply chains 

need to get increasingly 

more agile and more in tune 

with short-term planning” 

— 

Vivek Wikhe, 



53 


TECHNOLOGY 

“I can’t think of any industry that 

should not be investing in 

emerging technology solutions. 

In fact, it is no longer really 

a question of competitive edge, 

but rather of survival” 

— 

Vivek Wikhe, 



54 

data, but rather personal assistants 

inside the home. 

On the logistical side, I expect we’ll 

also be seeing a greater ability to deal 

with smaller markets. Once analytics 

helps optimise supply chains to a greater 

degree, things such as home delivery 

models will become profitable, even for 

smaller markets and chains. The overwhelming 

trend will be intelligent assistants 

embedded in various enterprise 

chains interacting with each other to 

ensure regular chores are carried out 

without constant human intervention 


Are there any recent projects 

LatentView Analytics has worked on 

related to supply chain analytics that 

you can discuss? 

Currently we’re working on several 

interesting projects. We’re helping 

some big name retailers understand 

how in an omni-channel environment 

they can understand their net cost for 

every consumer channel. There are 

certain aspects where it becomes not 

just a supply chain solution. Once you 

understand the optimal channel mix, 

you also have to take into account 

downstream promotion, and make the 

data actionable and profitable. 

We’re also doing some work in supply 

chain and predictive analytics. In the 

US market, over the past two years, 

there have been more occurrences of 

incorrect delivery windows, due to 

shortages of supply. This creates both 

a greater cost to the company, as well 

as operational inefficiency. We’re now 

looking at a predictive model that 

compiles and analyses data to help 

more accurately predict arrival times 

of packages for consumers. 

55 


PEOPLE 

56 

The ELEPHANT in 

the digital room: 

unplanned 

downtime 

Mark Homer, VP Global Customer Transformation, 

ServiceMax , discusses how businesses must 

improve asset management and servicing to 

reduce unplanned downtime pressure due to a 

growing reliance on automation and digital 


WRITTEN BY MARK HOMER 



57

PEOPLE 

58 

As industrial automation continues to 

digitize, one area in particular is 

becoming a critical area of concern– 

unplanned downtime. The shift to outcomebased 

business models, equipment assets 

becoming more sophisticated and connected, 

and of course, the pervasive and increasing 

reliance on machines, are all adding to the 

pressure to avoid outages. Mitigating downtime 

is now a strategic priority in the digital age. 

Take power as an example. In the US, generating 

units are unavailable on average for 15% of 

the time due to outages and maintenance. In 

fact, 6% of the time they are unable to meet 

demand at all. And the Energy Information 

Administration highlights that a further 6% of 

electricity is lost in transmission and distribution 

due to both technical factors and outages. 

The growing reliance on automation is 

already widening performance gaps. Businesses 

are losing sight of assets, especially in terms 

of efficiency, leading to a fractured insight of 

manufacturing or service delivery. The upshot is 

that unplanned downtime becomes a real 

problem and even worse, the lack of visibility 

leads to an unnecessary lengthening of recovery 

time. Closing this downtime gap is a fundamental 

step in an organization’s digital maturity, and 

a core part of their transformation journey. 


“The growing 

reliance on 

automation 

is already 

widening 

performance 

gaps” 

59 

— 

Mark Homer, 

VP Global Customer Transformation, 

ServiceMax 


PEOPLE 

60 

According to a recent Vanson Bourne 

global study After The Fall: Cost, Causes 

and Consequences of Unplanned 

Downtime, 82% companies have 

experienced at least one unplanned 

downtime outage over the past three 

years, and two on average. These 

outages have lasted four hours. Depending 

on the company and type of equipment, 

this can cost organizations 

anywhere from $50k-$150k per hour 

for say, a medical device company, and 

up to $2m for a major outage on an 

industrial critical asset. (Aberdeen 

estimates the cost across all businesses 

to be $260,000 an hour). The research 

also revealed high levels of asset estate 

ignorance across organizations, with 

70% of companies lacking full awareness 

of when equipment is due for maintenance, 

upgrade or replacement. 

In addition to financial losses, 

the research found that almost 

a third of respondents said 

they were unable to service or 

support specific equipment 

assets, while 65% of respondents 

from the energy and utilities 

sector, and 62% from the medical 

sector cited losing the trust 

of their customers as 


CLICK TO WATCH: ‘SERVICEMAX DAY IN THE LIFE OF TECHNICIAN OVERVIEW’ 

61 

a possible impact of suffering a highprofile 

incident or disaster. Across all 

sectors, around one in ten admitted 

their company would never recover 

from such critical incidents and would 

ultimately cease to exist. Nobody wants 

to be blindsided with those sorts of 

numbers. But what are companies 

doing about it? 

The research hints at a tipping point 

in recognition of the problem and 

planned investment to address it. Over 

time, zero tolerance and zero unplanned 

downtime will become the norm as 

companies develop and invest in their 

industrial digital strategies. Key to this, 

is an understanding of and investment 

in field service management and asset 

performance management capabilities. 

According to Vanson Bourne, eight 

in ten companies have already 

recognized this, at least that digital 

tools can improve visibility of assets 

and help eliminate unplanned downtime. 

Around 50% of companies 

confirmed they plan to invest in field 

service and asset management 

technologies in the next three years, 

while 72% of firms claim that zero 

unplanned downtime is now a number 


PEOPLE 

62 

one priority. So, the message is 

sinking in at least. 

The challenge for most businesses is 

to digitally transform without losing 

oversight of key products, services and 

of course assets. Digital transformations 

do not automatically improve 

control and visibility. Companies need 

to pursue a service-led approach to 

business, to ensure that their ability 

to manage the actual assets that make 

products or ensure services run 

smoothly are always up and running. 

A clear asset management and predictive 

maintenance strategy should 

ensure that businesses take the right 

path towards reducing, if not completely 

eliminating downtime. 

Understanding problems before they 

happen and having knowledgeable 

and digitally-empowered service technicians 

to ensure the smooth running 

of assets will go a long way to making 

this happen. A digital twin of physical 

assets will help considerably here, and 

the research has revealed that around 

54% of companies are planning 

to invest in a digital twin by 2020. 

Throw-in the fact that field service 

is expected to become a primary 

revenue driver for most businesses 

within the next two years and you have 

a recipe for transformation. 

We often hear the phrase, ‘you cannot 

account for human error’ but that seems 

illogical in today’s connected world. We 

have the technology to not just account 

for human error but to eradicate it. The 

internet of things with the proliferation 

of affordable and reliable sensors is 

changing the way in which we can view, 

manage, service and support technology, 

processes and any physical object. 

By mirroring a process, product or 

service into a virtual world, we can 


“Digital transformations 

do not automatically 

improve control and 

visibility” 

— 

Mark Homer, 


ServiceMax 

63 

create environments in which machines 

can automatically analyse performance, 

warn of impending issues, identify 

existing or potential errors and even 

suggest part upgrades or changes to 

procedures to make them more efficient. 

This is the digital twin idea. As a concept, 

it’s been around for a while (NASA 

used it on early space missions) but the 

emergence of IoT has made it a commercial 

reality. Digital twin eliminates 

guesswork from determining the best 

course of action to service critical 

physical assets, from engines to power 

turbines. Easy access to this combination 

of deep knowledge and intelligence 

about your assets paves the road to 

wider optimization and business 

transformation. 

Digital twin technology spans across 

all industries where the value is in assets 

and more generally complex systems. 

Its ability to deliver early warnings, 

predictions, and optimization is fairly 

universal. In time, I think we’ll see the 

concept of a digital twin to be applied 

to human beings as well, playing a significant 

role in healthcare. 


PEOPLE 

“Digital twin technology spans 

across all industries where the 

value is in assets and more 

generally complex systems” 

— 

Mark Homer, 


ServiceMax 

64 

However, just mirroring is not enough. 

If the aim is to achieve zero downtime 

or at the very least, overall insight into 

on-going product and process performance, 

the digital twin has to be analysed 

and that analysis has to feed other 

functions. What the digital twin produces, 

when bundling data with intelligence, is 

a view of each asset’s history and its 

potential future performance. 

The digital twin can use historical 

data and current data to provide a complete 

picture of a particular asset, its 

past performance, what it should be 


achieving now and its likely end of life 

date, when it would be predicted to be 

less efficient. This sort of knowledge is 

gold dust for product designers and 

manufacturers as it can feed back accurately, 

which parts work well and 

where machines would need improving 

or upgrading. 

Combined with the knowledge of field 

service professionals this makes for 

a powerful tool for upselling products 

and services to customers. Any new 

ideas or enhancements can be fully 

supported with data analysis and 

perhaps even simulations to illustrate 

how new parts and functions would 

improve performance. It offers justification 

and also accountability and should 

cut through irrelevant or unsuitable 

product or service ideas. It’s transforming 

service at the edge by bringing 

together all the facets that make 

businesses and machines tick - and 

goes a long way to creating a world 

of zero unplanned downtime. 

65 


SUSTAINABILITY 

66 

Social impact: 

balancing profit 

and purpose 

Natasha Mudhar, Global CEO of Sterling 

Group and The World We Want, discusses 

why CSR should be a company-wide 

initiative rather than just ticking a box 

WRITTEN BY NATASHA MUDHAR 



67


68 

While most corporates and 

businesses have implemented 

a social impact 

strategy, many are typically incongruent 

with the company’s profitability 

and growth objectives, and are often 

rendered obsolete. Effective social 

impact strategies need to be ingrained 

in the very fabric of a company’s 

corporate DNA, and not just a tick in 

the box. Companies are still failing to 

grasp how having an effective social 

impact strategy is key to long term 

growth and viability. 

CSR is a means for companies to 

bring benefit to themselves and employees 

whilst also benefiting society. While 

businesses are becoming increasingly 

aware of the benefits of having such 

a strategy, they are still lacking in awareness 

as to how deep a social impact 

strategy needs to be embedded in 

a company and why it needs to be 

embraced in this way. 

A global study by the SEFORIS project 

(the world’s largest study of social 

enterprises to date) has revealed how 

companies delivering inclusive growth 


69 

by implementing a social impact strategy 

are also seeing rapid growth in revenue. 

Effective social impact strategies are 

designed to improve a company’s overall 

mission, not just its brand identity. Not 

to be confused with marketing or 

corporate philanthropy, social impact 

strategies provide a concrete plan that 

has quantifiable business outcomes 

combined with a measurable and definitive 

societal impact. 

It is no longer enough to be just profit 

driven. What makes companies stand 

out is their ability to place profit and 

purpose alongside each other. In order 

for a company to truly thrive, it needs to 

be both profitable and purposeful 

simultaneously. An organization that is 

both profit and purpose driven provides 

mobility to its employees and resources 

in a way that is incomparable. For 

a business to grow, purpose needs to 

be embedded in its core. Companies 

need to do well by doing good. 

In order to address this, companies 

must fully understand how their employees 

can be one of their biggest assets 

to expand their social impact footprint. 



70 

“CSR is a means 

for companies to 

bring benefit to 

themselves and 

employees whilst 

also benefiting 

society” 

— 

Natasha Mudhar, 

CEO, Stirling Group and The World We Want 

Exhibiting a strong social impact 

strategy not only enhances trust 

among the public and makes the 

company attractive to prospective 

employees but also results in 

a more engaged workforce, geared 

to generate not only revenue, but 

valuable channels for marketing and 

public relationships. The people of 

a business provide the most genuine 

representation of a company’s brand 

and value, organizations need to 

remember this when considering 

social impact. 


Employees are much more engaged 

and satisfied when given the opportunity 

to perform impactful work. This will 

result in a stronger feeling of fulfilment 

and purpose amongst employees and 

essentially enhance a positive impact 

in the workplace. Studies have shown 

how corporate social responsibility has 

been highlighted as one of the key most 

important drivers of employee engagement, 

and engaged employees are 

effective workers and drive results. 

Weak outreach efforts to the community 

should no longer be acceptable 

and are not measurable against an 

embedded, well-implemented social 

impact strategy, focusing on the dayto-day 

contributions towards community 

engagement as opposed to the occasional 

donation or charitable event. 

Scaling up social impact needs to be 

a multi-sector process. Effective crosssector 

collaboration will enable new 

techniques and approaches to be 

deployed to achieve better social 

outcomes. The combination of public, 

private and social sector collaboration 

can address complex social challenges 

71 


Natasha Mudhar 

Natasha Mudhar is an international communicator and 

director working on some of the most socially relevant 

global campaigns. She is also Global CEO of Sterling 

Media, the multi-disciplinary, international business 

consultancy with a robust communications backbone, 

established in 1995. Representing SMEs, FTSE 100 

companies including billion-dollar hedge funds, 

as well as disruptors, innovators and high-profile 

celebrities, Mudhar’s insight and global understanding 

in the realm of business, brand development, market 

growth and entry strategies has assisted major players 

in aligning their vision with their business strategies. 



“Weak outreach 

efforts to the 

community 

should no longer 

be acceptable” 

— 

Natasha Mudhar, 

CEO, Stirling Group and The World 

We Want 

72 

by pulling resources from various 

players to ensure the improvement of 

effectiveness and efficiency of the 

services companies can offer to the 

public through joint efforts. Too often 

public, private and social sectors are 

segregated and siloed, with their 

resources fragmented, they need to 

work together towards common 

goals and enable mutually desired 

social outcomes. 

Who does the responsibility lie with? 

It is up to the company’s leadership to 

ensure that social impact is at the top 


of the business agenda. They must 

ensure that an effective strategy is 

embedded into the company’s day-today 

workings, prioritizing long-term 

value in a way that mutually benefits 

both employees and society at large. 

CEOs must outline clear objectives 

and purpose of the company beyond 

financial touchpoints, defining their 

values. It is important that these guiding 

values permeate every decision-making 

process, from environmental footprint 

to social impact to investment decisions. 

Businesses must consider social 

impact as a company wide initiative 

and not just a tick in the box. Otherwise, 

they risk losing the trust of the public 

which can be extremely damaging in 

the long term. In this age of heightened 

transparency and increased accountability, 

companies cannot afford to leave 

this issue unaddressed. The consequences 

in doing so can be profound. 

73 


CITY FOCUS 

Business Chief investigates the 

third-largest city in the Lone Star 

State and looks at three startups 

working to change the lives 

of its citizens for the better 

74 

City Focus 

DALL 


ASWRITTEN BY HARRY MENEAR 

75 


CITY FOCUS | CHICAGO 

DALLAS 

76 

A 

bustling metropolis in north Texas with 

over 1.3mn inhabitants, Dallas is the thirdlargest 

city in the state. The city has a rich 

and vibrant history: the original home of the global 

convenience store chain 7-Eleven, an airport larger 

than the island of Manhattan, and iconic football 

team the Dallas Cowboys (the teawm that popularized 

the modern conception of the cheerleader). 

Originally an agricultural and American Indian trading 

hub, Dallas soon evolved into one of the world’s 

largest inland cotton trading cities in the early 20th 

century. In subsequent decades, the discovery of 

crude oil reserves in the surrounding area turned 

it into a budding boom town and quickly the center 

of the nation’s oil market. 

Manufacturing infrastructure tied to the production 

of cotton-picking equipment and oil drilling led 

to the city emerging from World War Two as a 

leading communications, engineering and production 

town. The communications revolution, and 

more recently Industry 4.0, has continued to play 

a large part in Dallas’ economy to this day. 

Fortune 500 companies Texas 

Instruments, AT&T, Exxon Mobil 

and Jacobs Engineering are among 

the many technology and industrial 

leaders that call the city and its 

surrounding area home. 



77

CITY FOCUS | DALLAS 

Continuing the successful tradition 

of communications, technology and 

industrial commerce, while also acting 

for the benefit of its citizens, is Dallas’ 

vibrant startup scene. We examine 

three socially conscious Dallas tech 

companies harnessing the power of 

the digital age to improve the lives 

of American citizens. 

“We’re teleporting 

them from their four 

walls of existence into 

an unbelievable, 

fantastic 

environment” 

— 

Chris Brickler, 

MyndVR 

78 


CLICK TO WATCH: ‘XMYNDVR: SMILES ON FACES’ 

79 

MYNDVR 

Founded in 2016 by Chris Brickler and 

Shawn Wiora, MyndVR is headquartered 

at the northernmost end of Dallas. 

Brickler, who served as an executive 

with Verizon, British Telecom and AT&T 

over the course of his career, has 

worked alongside Wiora to create a 

virtual reality (VR) application targeted 

at the assisted living demographic. 

According to an article by D Magazine, 

the MyndVR uses 360-degree 

cameras to capture and bring to life 

comforting and engaging experiences 

for assisted living seniors. “We’re 

teleporting them from their four walls 

of existence into an unbelievable, 

fantastic environment,” Brickler told 

D Magazine. “They get to hear and see 

it, so they resonate with it in a way 

that’s so powerful and heartwarming.” 

One of the company’s VR experiences 

involved using a live band and actors 

in 1950’s costume to simulate a Frank 

Sinatra concert. 

Brickler believes that the Dallas 

startup’s solution can and should be 

easily applied across the country, and 



80 

has the power to effect positive change 

in the lives of people suffering from 

Alzheimers, Dementia or simply the 

isolation of old age. 

ROBOKIND 

Founded eight years ago and headquartered 

in the city’s Main Street 

District, RoboKind specializes in leveraging 

advanced social robotics in 

order to support autism therapies and 

provide instruction to students studying 

STEM. With the goal of creating 

cost-effective, inclusive education, 

RoboKind has worked with the autism 

spectrum disorder community to 

create its flagship product, Milo. 

With life-like facial features and 

unwavering patience, Milo uses repetition-based 

techniques to deliver a 

learning experience to autistic children 

that is reportedly almost 80% more 

effective than traditional therapy. 

RoboKind launched Milo in 2016. 

The other main element of 

RoboKind’s product offering helps 

to address the future STEM leaders 

growing up in the city. “Dallas’ workforce 

of the near future demands 

different skills than its workforce has 


today. STEM skills, such as coding 

and programming, will become more 

important as the tech industry continues 

to grow,” writes Jeff Goodman, 

RoboKind’s manager of sales and 

operations. 

Continuing to pursue its mission to 

provide inclusive and effective education, 

the RoboKind team created 

Robots4STEM, a simple drag and drop 

programming language designed to 

give children an early introduction to 

computer science. Children use the 

language to enter commands into Jett, 

a humanoid robot. 

“Dallas’ workforce of the 

near future demands 

different skills than its 

workforce has today. 

STEM skills, such as 

coding and programming, 

will become more important 

as the tech industry 

continues to grow” 

— 

Jeff Goodman, 

Manager of Sales and Operations, 

RoboKind 

81 

CLICK TO WATCH: ‘ROBOTS4STEM: OVERVIEW’ 



TRACK15 

Situated on the southwestern side of 

Dallas, Track15 is a startup looking to 

change the way people change the 

world. Co-founded in 2017 by Andrew 

Snow and Chris Schultz, the company 

provides back end business development 

consultancy services to nonprofit 

organizations. “The lack of business 

acumen that nonprofits have—that’s 

what brought us together,” Snow said 

“We believe the 

relationship between 

the donor and the 

mission are what’s 

important for a sustainable 

nonprofit model” 

— 

Andrew Snow, 

Co-Founder, Track15 

82 


in an interview with D Magazine. “We 

believe the relationship between the 

donor and the mission are what’s important 

for a sustainable nonprofit model.” 

Through close collaborative partnerships 

and consulting services, 

Track15 helps its clients streamline 

their organizations and create more 

value for the people they work to 

help. “We take them from zero to 60 

very quickly,” added Snow. 

Track15 currently counts nonprofits 

like Mercury One, the Farm to Consumer 

Legal Defense Fund, the Prison 

Entrepreneurship Program and the Dallas 

Film Festival among its clients. The 

company’s roadmap sees it seeking out 

larger clients and expanding beyond the 

Dallas city limits, driven by the idea that: 

“We want to listen to your story, bond to 

your uniqueness and commit to providing 

you with exactly what you need.” 

83 


TOP 10 

84 


TOP 10 

Manufacturers 

in the US 

85 

Business Chief counts down the top 10 

manufacturers in the US, according 

to Forbes’ Global 2000 ranking of the 

world’s largest public companies 

WRITTEN BY WILLIAM SMITH 


TOP 10 

86 

10 PepsiCo 

Forbes list 86 

PepsiCo traces its history back to 1898, when Caleb Bradham first 

formulated Pepsi-Cola for sale in his North Carolina pharmacy. 

Today, the company is responsible for the production of its eponymous 

cola as well as beverage brands such as Mountain Dew and 

Gatorade, and food brands like Lay’s and Doritos. 86th on Forbes’ 

list, the company’s revenue reached $65bn, with profits totalling 

some $12.6bn in 2018. 


87 

09 DowDuPont 


Formed from the 2017 merger of American stalwart chemical 

companies Dow Chemical and DuPont, DowDuPont is the world’s 

largest manufacturer of chemicals. Historically, the two companies 

have pioneered innovative materials such as nylon, in DuPont’s case, 

and styrofoam in Dow Chemical’s. With its 2018 revenue at $86bn 

and profits of $3.8bn, it came 81st on Forbes’ list. 


TOP 10 

88 

08 

United Technologies 


Multinational conglomerate United Technologies is active across 

a range of manufacturing areas, from aircraft engines to air conditioners. 

Originally a pure aircraft manufacturer, its diversification 

was reflected in its 1974 name change away from United Aircraft. 

They placed 78th, with revenue totalling $66.5bn and profits 

reaching $5.3bn. Subsidiaries include the Otis Elevator Company, 

HVAC specialist Carrier and Collins Aerospace. 


“We need to 

make the world 

more how we 

want to see it.” 

- Scott Saunders, 

CEO & Founder, Happy Money 

Happy Money & Alliant Credit Union 

proudly celebrate 2 years of partnership, 

changing the way people think about 

and use money.

TOP 10 

90 

07 

Cisco Systems 


A manufacturer of networking and telecommunications hardware, 

Cisco is the youngest company on this list, having been founded in 

1984. It counts among its clients service providers, small to medium 

businesses, and enterprise customers such as corporations, government 

agencies, utilities and educational institutions. A pioneer of 

networking technology, the company states that 85% of Internet 

traffic travel across its systems. It was 74th on Forbes’ list, 

with revenue of $50.8bn and profits totalling $12.9bn. 


91 

06 

General Motors 


The largest American automotive manufacturer, 

General Motors came in at 56th on Forbes’ list. 

Responsible for iconic US brands such as Buick, Chevrolet and 

Cadillac, the company is headquartered in America’s Motor City, 

Detroit, along with its rivals Ford and Chrysler. Possessing by far the 

largest revenue of companies on this list at $147bn, they made profits 

of $8.1bn in 2018. The company has achieved something of a rebirth 

under the leadership of CEO Mary Barra, after its bankruptcy in 2009. 


TOP 10 

92 

05 Pfizer 


Pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer is based in New York City, and oversees 

the development and production of medicines and vaccines. 

Some of their better known drugs include Atorvastatin and Viagra. 

With a revenue of $53.6bn and profits of $11.2bn, the company 

ranked 54th worldwide. Founded in 1849, in late 2018 the company 

announced it was merging its consumer healthcare division with 

that of British pharmaceuticals company GlaxoSmithKline. 


TOP 10 

94 

04 

Procter & Gamble 


Consumer goods manufacturer Procter & Gamble specializes in 

a broad range of products for the home. From personal care to 

cleaning products, its brands include detergents like Tide and Odor 

eliminators like Febreze. The company was founded back in 1837 

in Cincinnati, where it is still headquartered. It made it to 53rd 

on Forbes’ list. In 2018, their revenue and profits reached $66.9bn. 


95 

03 Boeing 


The Boeing Company is the United States’ largest player in the 

aerospace industry. A defense contractor as well as a civilian 

manufacturer, the company’s designs range from aircraft to 

satellites. Founded in Seattle in 1916 and named after its founder, 

William Boeing, the company is now based in Chicago, Illinois. 

According to their figures, they employ more than 153,000 people 

across 65 countries. They placed in 49th position, with profits 

of $10.5bn from a revenue of $101.1bn. 


TOP 10 

96 

02 Intel 


Silicon Valley’s Intel is well known for its manufacture 

of semiconductors, and the company’s processors can 

be found in most personal computers, alongside those 

of their rival AMD. Unlike AMD, the company fabricates 

its own designs rather than outsourcing to semiconductor 

foundries, and also fabricates designs for others. 

Founded in 1968, the company’s co-founder Gordon 

Moore is well known as the author of Moore’s law 

regarding the doubling of transistors on a microchip 

every two years. It was ranked in 44th place, 

with revenue of $70.8bn and profits of $21.1bn. 



97

TOP 10 

01 

Johnson & Johnson 


98 

Founded in 1886 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, 

Johnson & Johnson is a multinational pharmaceuticals 

and medical devices producer. They are also known for 

their consumer products such as Neutrogena and the 

Johnson’s baby brand. 37th on Forbes’ global list, their 

revenue reached $81.6bn in 2018, with profits totalling 

$14.7bn. The company remains headquartered in the 

city of its founding, and describes itself as employing 

more than 130,000 people across the globe. 



99

LOGO HERE 

100 

Inside the digital 


of America’s oldest 

family-owned 

drug store brand 

WRITTEN BY 

HARRY MENEAR 

PRODUCED BY 

CRAIG DANIELS 



101

BARTELL DRUGS 

Kari Escobedo, SVP, IT at 

Bartell Drugs, shares her 

business insights and plans 

for the digital transformation 

of America’s oldest familyowned 

pharmacy brand 

102 

D 

igital transformation is change, and 

in the world of the enterprise, change 

is unrelenting. From a single location 

purchased by 21-year-old pharmacist George H 

Bartell Sr in 1890, Bartell Drugs has become the 

United States’ oldest family-owned drugstore 

chain – an iconic brand in the Pacific Northwest. 

Achieving constancy and longevity through a great 

depression, a great recession, two world wars and 

myriad upheavals that mark almost 130 years of 

history, the brand is an American success story. 

Walking the line between the traditional and 

the futuristic, while always delivering the 

highest quality of service to its customers, 

Bartell’s is making strides towards a bold 

digital future. “We want to bring Bartell’s into 

the modern digital world and ensure that its 

brand and products will still be here serving 

our communities a hundred years from now,” 

says Kari Escobedo, Senior Vice President (SVP) 

of IT at Bartell’s. Escobedo, along with new CEO 

Kathi Lentzsch and other Sr Executives are 



103

BARTELL DRUGS 

104 

“We want to bring 

Bartell’s into the 

modern world 

and ensure that 

its brand and 

products will still 

be here in another 

hundred years” 

— 

Kari Escobedo, 

IT, Bartell Drugs 

working to build teams to shape Bartell’s 

digital transformation strategy. This 

approach will carry the company into 

the fourth industrial revolution and, 

hopefully, into the 22nd century. 

Prior to joining the company in July 

2018, Escobedo spent over a decade 

working for some of the Pacific 

Northwest’s largest, most game-changing 

companies. From years of growing 

up in a military household to experiences 

at Starbucks, Microsoft, T-Mobile, 

and Kaiser Permanente of WA, she 

shares how the transformation values 

of continually driving innovation, 

promoting community and diversity, and 

championing adaptability are informing 

Bartell’s digital transformation. 

“I grew up in the Marine Corps, 

moving around every couple of years. 

I’ve lived all over the country and parts 

of the world – that’s what you do as 

a military child,” recalls Escobedo. 

“Every two to three years, we would 

pick up and move to another state. 

My siblings and I got dropped into a 

whole new school on a regular basis.” 

Escobedo credits her frequent 

relocations into new cities, cultures 

and social dynamics at an early age 

for a trait she has found invaluable 


CLICK TO WATCH: ‘#BETTERWITHBARTELLS: DID YOU KNOW?’ 

105 

throughout her career: adaptability. 

“I got very good at finding my way 

and finding things about myself that 

integrate well into new situations,” 

she explains. In her career, she quickly 

found: “You get really good at reading 

the organization, the culture, seeing 

opportunities and being able to stand 

back and say: ‘Where do I fit in this 

picture? Where I can use what I do best 

to help the company?’ One thing that 

I lean on a lot is my adaptability coming 

into new organizations.” 

Adapting to different environments 

is a skill that Bartell’s has integrated 

into its business model for a long time; 

each of the brand’s 68 locations is 

uniquely tailored to its neighborhood 

and customer base. “Our stores fit into 

their neighborhoods architecturally, 

but also about 30% of the products we 

stock are local to the Pacific Northwest,” 

Escobedo explains. “There are some 

stores that are partnered with the Post 

Office, because that’s something their 

neighborhoods were lacking when they 

opened.” Other stores have everything 

from growler stations and espresso 

bars to hand-dipped ice cream stands 

and product assortments for office 


Workflow Software 

to Drive Better Patient 

and Business Health 

Looking for a way to improve efficiency, 

increase profitability, and simplify the 

management of clinical programs? 

How about a solution that helps reduce 

your DIR Fees? 

4 Improve Efficiency 

4 Increase Profits 

4 Advance Patient Care 

You have questions… 

We have answers. 

Fully integrated with the latest 

Adherence, Med Sync, and Clinical 

Programs, our workflow software 

is proven to provide time savings, 

reduced costs, and increased profits; 

positioning you for success. 

How Can I... 

Make Technology Work 

For Me? 

Find out more at: 

McKesson.com/mps 

1.866.682.8942 

McKesson Pharmacy Systems 

Proud Supporters 

of Bartell Drugs

workers on lunch breaks. “The makeup 

of the product selection is focused 

on what customers need versus only 

what we want to sell them,” she says. 

“It differentiates us from some of our 

big box competitors.” 

Bartell’s also adapts its instore 

experience so all feel welcome. “There 

was a conscious decision made 

to have shorter fixtures in all stores. 

With a lower profile, our stores feel 

“I got very good at 

finding my way, 

and finding things 

about myself that 

integrate well into 

new situations” 

— 




Kari Escobedo, SVP, IT 

Kari Escobedo is a business executive with 20+ years of leadership 

experience serving global F500 companies in technology, 

healthcare, telecoms, and retail. She is a change leader specializing 

in company technology transformations, including digital 

experience, product dev, and M&A. Kari joined Bartell Drugs in 

mid-2018 to help positively impact the company thru technology. 

Prior to Bartell Drugs, Kari joined Kaiser Permanente 2015 

leading the Ent & Digital Services areas that include UX/CX, 

Digital & Mobile for KPWA. Formerly VP, Ent Sys Dev for 

T-Mobile, Kari led the technology team responsible 

for the development and delivery of solutions for the 

Customer Retail & Enterprise Systems that supported 

the T-Mobile business transformation. Before joining 

T-Mobile, Kari was the Director of Information 

Management and CISO for Starbucks as well as teams 

that supported ERP, Employee Portal systems. 

Before Starbucks, Kari held leadership positions 

at Microsoft, running it’s Enterprise Systems teams. 

107 


anz.businesschief.com

BARTELL DRUGS 

108 

1890 

Year founded 

1,700 


of employees 

HQ 

Seattle, 

Washington 



109

BARTELL DRUGS 

110 

more open. You can see across the 

store and find people; it’s more inviting.” 

A feeling of welcome and personalized 

experience is key to the way Bartell’s 

does business. Escobedo’s priority 

is to harness the power of digital 

transformation to provide the company 

with more ways to reach its customers, 

while honoring the traditional heritage 

established by the Bartell family. “In 

Seattle, we have a pretty tech-savvy 

customer base, but we also have a 

customer base that really appreciates 

and demands personalization,” she 

explains. “They need to know you and 

you need to know them as a customer. 

That’s just part of the relationship-driven 

environment that we have in the Northwest. 

It’s what Bartell’s is known for.” 

Escobedo’s leadership style is 

uniquely suited for Bartell’s transformation. 

“I love to come in and build 

sustainable change,” she enthuses, 

recalling her time at telecom giant 

T-Mobile and Starbucks. Escobedo 

constantly asks herself: “How do we 

keep driving innovation? You can find 

possibilities everywhere. You don’t have 

to be introducing new products that 

nobody’s seen before, but you need 

to be innovating for your customers.” 



111

CHALLENGE THE 

STATUS QUO 

Pluralstack provides full service software development across web, mobile, 

cloud, and IoT. We have extensive experience in the healthcare industry 

and understand the challenges and opportunities healthcare organizations 

face. We have created robust, world-class solutions for patient, provider, 

producer, and payor. 

Skilled Team 

We are a multidisciplinary 

team of 

technologists that 

can get it done: from 

strategy and analysis to 

design, development, 

and deployment. 

Flexible 

Approach 

Whether you are 

looking for a time & 

materials engagement 

or a fixed-price project, 

we can work with your 

preferred approach. 

We Are Your 

Partner 

Our collaboration 

doesn’t end once we 

cross the finish line. 

We continue to stand 

by our work long 

after delivery. 

Fast & Direct 

No jargon or run 

around from us. Our 

team is efficient and 

straightforward in 

delivering the best 

possible experience in 

the most direct way. 

Visit Our Site 

Get In Touch

CLICK TO WATCH: ‘#LOVINGLOCAL: JOE CHOCOLATES’ 

113 

In terms of e-commerce, Bartell’s has 

taken a very customer centric approach, 

working in conjunction with 

Amazon Prime Now and several other 

well-known last-mile shopping delivery 

services on same day delivery of 

non-pharmacy items. “We’re channel 

agnostic right now,” she explains. 

“Whichever company you buy our 

products through, the strategy we’ve 

put together is focused on giving our 

customer’s choice and the opportunity 

to get our products in the easiest way 

for them – we want to be where they 

shop versus making them come to us.” 

On the pharmacy side, Escobedo and 

Bartell’s are working in conjunction 

with Californian start-up, NimbleRx, 

to provide delivery services for prescriptions 

and commonly purchased 

OTC products. “It allows us to really 

fulfil a strategy built around making it 

super easy for customers to buy things 

from Bartell’s when and where they 

want them,” she explains. 

While many things are changing 

around them, Escobedo’s team relies 

on her ability to build excitement and to 

lead by example. “My job is to help my 

teams and business partners succeed 


Clever Minds. 

Cloud Design. Always On. 

As a managed services provider, we are uniquely positioned to 

enable our enterprise customers like Bartell Drugs, to focus on what 

matters most: their core business. Our journey with Bartell began 

with their Dynamics AX2012 deployment and continues with Office 

365 management, Azure services and the modernization of their 

technology infrastructure. 

Contact us today to learn how, together, we can create your ideal 

cloud environment. 

watserv.com | info@watserv.com | 1.866.532.2596 


– because if they are successful, then 

we all win,” she says. “It is critical to be 

transparent and to clearly define 

expectations for myself and my teams. 

I hold them accountable and they hold 

me accountable. With that comes 

mutual trust and a comfortability that 

fits well in our organization,” said 

Escobedo. This isn’t limited to the 

teams she leads. With vast knowledge 

and relationships in the technology 

world, and the experts in that space, 

Escobedo chooses the right partners 

and vendors that will champion for 

Bartell’s and their goals. 

Escobedo is embracing technological 

wins of every size. She uses small 

changes like augmenting legacy 

point-of-sale systems with user-friendly 

mobile-driven solutions to promote a 

culture that is accepting of and 

enthusiastic about more radical 

transformations. “Many of our employees 

have been at Bartell’s for a long 

time and they love this company. That 

means, as we move to adopt and 

leverage some of these technologies, 

115 

“Customers need to 

know you and you 

need to know them. 

That’s just part of the 

relationship-driven 

environment that 

we have in the 

Northwest, and it’s 

what Bartell’s is 

known for” 

— 




BARTELL DRUGS 

Bartell – Supporting local brands 

116 

Joe Chocolate Co. specializes in 

crafting delicious, handmade 

chocolate, infused with locallyroasted 

coffee from Lighthouse 

Roasters. Our functional chocolate 

gives you the energy you need 

from ingredients you love. 

Nuun Hydration was founded in 

2004 by cyclists and triathletes, 

who decided to trade in sugary 

sports drinks and powders and 

create a light, refreshing, portable 

hydration solution. Nuun has a 

variety of hydration products to 

fit every hydration need, whether 

you’re running a marathon or 

a marathon of errands! 

Pacifica Beauty: Pacifica’s 

products are vegan and 

cruelty-free with an everpresent 

mindset to reduce its 

impact on the environment. 

Liberty Orchards: Aplets & 

Cotlets. The blossom-fresh 

flavor of crisp Washington 

apples, the tangy goodness of 

ripe apricots, and the nutty 

richness of crunchy English 

walnuts have made Aplets and 

Cotlets the Pacific Northwest’s 

most-beloved candy since 1920! 

An iconic brand in the Seattlearea 

for more than 30 years, 

Talking Rain is a Washingtonbased 

beverage company 

situated in the foothills of the 

Cascade Mountains. Talking 

Rain’s sustainable growth is 

attributed to the company’s 

ability to stay true to their 


vision and heritage, while 

continually improving and 

innovating their products. 

Wet Noses Dog Treats provide truly 

natural dog treats and food without 

a negative impact on the 

environment. They offer choices to 

pet parents that they can feel good 

about through our conscientious 

and food safety forward formulation, 

sourcing and production processes. 

They serve all their customers by 

exceeding their expectations by 

always putting them first. 

The history of MarketSpice can 

be traced back to a small tea 

and spice shop established in 

Seattle’s historic Pike Place 

Market in 1911. Over the years, 

we have offered our customers 

a large assortment of bulk teas 

and spices. MarketSpice is 

proud of its 100 flavorful years 

of history and continues to 

share the belief that “spice is 

the variety of life”. 

Stickers Northwest: Premium 

quality PNW related stickers, 

shirts and magnets for you to 

show off your love for the 

Northwest. 

Strideline Socks. The most 

comfortable sock on earth. 

Strideline’s mission is to 

provide athletes and polished 

individuals with distinctly 

colored, performance oriented 

crew socks that inspire a feeling 

of confidence and swagger 

unparalleled by any other sock 

company in the world. 

117 


BARTELL DRUGS 

118 

“It’s interesting to be 

able to really change 

and move where our 

customers expect 

us to be, but then 

still embrace and 

celebrate the long 

history and deep 

roots of Bartell’s” 

— 



there’s a significant change management 

component we have to take into 

consideration,” Escobedo explains. 

“AI and machine learning. Those are big, 

scary words for many traditional 

retailers.” Currently, she is pursuing 

several proof-of-concept tests of 

predictive analytics and automation, 

which she hopes will help to demystify 

the functionality and experience of 

incorporating leading-edge technology 

for Bartell’s team. 

Looking forward, Escobedo relishes 

the chance to continue balancing 


119 

transformation and tradition. “It’s 

interesting to be able to really change 

and move where our customers expect 

us to be, but still embrace and celebrate 

the long history and deep roots of 

Bartell’s,” she says. “We’ve had some 

great accomplishments over the last 

six months. I’m super excited about the 

shift in thinking and the ideas that are 

coming from my technology team. 

Through the rest of this year, we are 

building a great foundation to continue 

to launch a more enhanced and 

personalized digital experience for our 

customers.” For the first 129 years 

of its existence, Bartell Drugs was 

shaped by a world that went from 

steam to the moon to the internet. 

The next 129 years of Bartell Drugs’ 

history will be shaped by the initiatives 

that Escobedo and her team pursue 

over the next few years. 



120 


121 

WRITTEN BY 

SOPHIE CHAPMAN 

PRODUCED BY 

ANDY TURNER 


HEATH CONSULTANTS 

As the company focuses 

on digitally transforming its 

operations, Heath Consultants 

prioritizes sustainability 

across its functions 

122 

E 

stablished 86 years ago, Heath Consultants 

is now run by the third generation of the 

Heath family. The business is the premier 

leader in the natural gas leak detection industry, 

servicing utility companies “all the way from the 

well head to the burner tip”, explains Paul Wehnert, 

Senior Vice President of the Sales and Marketing 

unit. “Primarily, we’re a leak detection, underground 

utility locating service, and products manufacturing 

firm,” adds Wehnert. 

The company employs around 1,500 people 

across 44 states in the US, but has earned an 

international presence through the distribution 

of its products. A main aspect of the company’s 

operations is conducting leak surveys. “A leak 

survey primarily consists of a person walking 

around documenting on paper where they went 

and what they found. However, the industry is 

currently going through a transition from paper 

documentation to digital documentation,” remarks 

Jeff Tuttle, CEO of Heath Consultants. “The way 

in which we conduct these surveys is now all in 



123


124 

“The industry 

is currently 

going through 

a transition 

from paper 

documentation 

to digital 

documentation” 

— 

Jeff Tuttle, 

CEO, Heath Consultants 

transition – whether the person is 

walking or driving by vehicle, the 

instrument readings, position of the 

person and detections are all recorded.” 

Heath is also expanding its 

technological footprint with the launch 

of its DP-IR Trainer, software that uses 

augmented reality to train workers how 

to conduct leak surveys. 

Beyond how the information is 

acquired and stored, the company is 

also expanding its analytics capabilities 

through a partnership with 

software development company 

Silicus. Heath is now able to evaluate 


CLICK TO WATCH: ‘HEATH 2018 WORLD GAS CONFERENCE PRODUCT SHOWCASE’ 

125 

the leak information, such as methane 

readings and pipe quality. “We can ask: 

‘Where are the risky sections of pipe? 

Where are they located?’ We can then 

provide a thesis or data source to that,” 

continues Tuttle. 

The company has leveraged its core 

gas detection technology and connected 

it with a cloud analytics 

package. This enables oil producers to 

then conduct Leak Detection and 

Repair (LDAR) work, which often takes 

places in remote areas. The industry is 

shifting from using portable technologies 

that an individual would carry to 

technology that is connected to the 

internet, such as data logging, GPS 

and the cloud. “We still have portable 

platforms, but connected portable 

platforms. We have mobile platforms 

where we have vehicles that drive 

around a city network, and we have 

aerial platforms like drones and UAVs,” 

says Tuttle. The CEO highlights the 

introduction of connected methane 

sensors placed amongst city grids, 

available on a 24/7 basis. 

However, the role of analytics has 

a much greater presence in the 

company’s overall business strategy. 


Enabling Enterprises 

in the Cloud 

Silicus is a cloud transformation services 

company, focused on helping 

enterprises deploy sustainable cloud 

technologies- to support business 

innovation, enable technology 

modernization, scale technology-driven 

differentiation, and manage technology 

investments through their lifecycle. 

LEARN MORE 

CONTACT US

“It’s also important 

from a digital 


perspective to 

collect data on 

the performance 

of our technicians” 

— 

Ken Cowher, 

Vice President of Operations for the 

Service unit, Heath Consultants 

“For us on the operations side, it’s also 

important from a digital transformation 

perspective to collect data on the 

performance of our technicians,” 

notes Ken Cowher, Vice President of 

Operations for Heath’s Service unit. 

“It is important we have a standardized 

and automated way of doing that to 

ensure we get good quality data we can 

run predictive analytics on. This allows us 

to proactively manage our crews and 

make them as efficient as possible.” 

Cowher explains that all service operations 

lie within a competitive bid industry, 

which in turn means that efficiency is key. 

127 


Jeffrey Tuttle, CEO 

Jeffrey Tuttle has worked in various capacities within the 

utilities sector for over 30 years. Prior to joining Heath he 

served as General Manager for Greer Commission of Public 

Works where he directed the company’s day-to-day 

operations and long-term direction of all utility operations. 

He has served on various association’s Board of 

Directors including Piedmont Municipal Power Agency 

(PMPA), American Public Gas Association (APGA), 

Blue Ridge Scouting Council, and Greer Relief. 

From 2011 to 2012, he served as the Chairman 

of American Public Gas Association (APGA) 

and Texas Gas Association. 


anz.businesschief.com


128 


The company uses Microsoft’s Azure 

cloud to host many of its systems, 

including RMLD-Remote Emissions 

Monitoring. Heath is piloting the 

sensor-based technology that enables 

it to monitor for leaks 24/7. The firm is 

almost ready to introduce its Leak 

Survey Analytic, also based in Azure, 

which harbors the data from thousands 

of surveys. “Every detail over time is 

captured and made available at a click 

so we can analyze the quality of the 

survey, the completeness of the survey 

and provide some of the risk factors 

that feed into some of these pipeline 

risk models,” Tuttle comments. 

Heath has also partnered with Novara 

Geosolutions, the asset management 

products and services company. 

“We’re working with them to develop 

a field application for our leak survey 

technicians to use. It will integrate with 

customer facility mapping and track 

breadcrumb indications of the leak 

surveyor and the path that they take 

over the pipeline. It will include indications 

that we find, abnormal operating 

conditions – anything that would be a 

reportable situation from the survey – 

and feed that information back to the 

customer whilst connecting with our 

129 


Insgroup is one of the nation’s leading 

independent strategic risk and insurance 

advisory firms. Over 40 years we’ve established 

a reputation for relentless client advocacy, 

integrity and exeptional exceptional service. 

Commercial Insurance 

Employee Benefits 

Private Client Insurance 

J. Mace Meeks 

5151 San Filipe, 24th Floor 

Houston TX 77056 

www.insgroup.net 

713-350-6339

illing system,” explains Tuttle. 

As well as addressing technology 

transformation within its operations, 

Heath Consultants is also becoming 

very aware of sustainability issues in 

its industry. “The industry is really 

going through a major transition with 

emission reduction – it grew up doing 

the surveys from a safety standpoint, 

assessing the potential hazards of gas 

leaks in homes and buildings. Heath 

grew up with the paramount mission to 

find the dangerous leaks, help utilities 

and mitigate them by repairing the pipe. 

Now with the concerns over climate 

1933 

Year founded 

1,500 


of employees 

HQ 

Houston, Texas 

131 


Ken Cowher, Vice President, Operations 

Ken Cowher joined Heath in 1992 as a Field Technician with 

a degree in Earth Sciences from Clarion University of 

Pennsylvania. Ken managed the Northeast Division for 

Heath for nearly twenty years and created a successful 

corporate culture that other regions in the company strive 

to imitate. After promotion in 2017 to Vice President of 

Process Improvement and Service Business Unit Support, 

Ken’s clear understanding of Heath’s values, corporate 

mission and excellent leadership skills made him the clear 

choice for another promotion to his current position. 

Ken is responsible for all aspects of our field service 

division including safety, training & development, 

quality assurance and field operations. 



132 

“The industry 

is really going 

through a major 

transition 

with emission 

reduction” 

— 

Jeff Tuttle, 

CEO, Heath Consultants 

change, methane is one of the gasses 

that is of most concern – this gas can 

leak from any point along the chain. 

We’re trying to reduce that,” says Tuttle. 

Working from the well pad up, the 

company goes through various 

processes in moving and producing 

the gas which emits the most greenhouse 

gases. “The well head, the well 

and the tank battery which the oil is 

stored in are all prone to emitting the 


133 

gasses that come along with the oil. 

There’s quite a bit of focus, activity and 

research on gas detection and we are 

participating in that emerging technology,” 

Tuttle says. 

With Heath focusing on its digital 

transformation journey, the firm sees 

itself at the centre of a digital future. 

“Our company’s operations will us more 

fix sensor technologies and more 

autonomous type activities. We’ll be 

exploring a lot of that with vehicles and 

UAVs, with autonomy providing safety 

inspections of these safety grids within 

these smart cities,” says Paul. 



TRANSFORMING 

134 

SUPPLY CHAIN 

STRATEGIES 

WRITTEN BY 

SEAN GALEA-PACE 

PRODUCED BY 

JUSTIN BRAND 

AT GEODIS 



135

GEODIS 

Phillipe Mahler, Chief Procurement 

Officer of GEODIS, discusses how 

his company is utilising technology 

amidst a digital transformation 

136 

A 

s businesses across the globe are impacted 

by digital transformation, companies in 

a diverse range of industries are tasked 

with undergoing a technological change in order to 

accelerate processes. Phillipe Mahler, Chief Procurement 

Officer (CPO) of freight transportation and 

logistics firm GEODIS, understands the importance 

of embracing technology in a bid to ease operations. 

Since first joining GEODIS in January 2010 as 

High-Tech Key Accounts Director, Mahler worked in 

a variety of different roles, such as Corporate Market 

Director and Transformation Director, before moving 

into his current position as CPO in early 2013. Split 

into five different lines of business, GEODIS’ operations 

include Freight Forwarding, Distribution and 

Express, Road Transport, Contract Logistics and 

Supply Chain Optimisation (SCO) which manages 

its customers’ supply chain by offering end-to-end 

solutions, enabled by the company’s processes, 

systems, infrastructure and personnel. Heading up 

the operations and procurement division, Mahler 

recognises the value of utilising his experience in 

supply chain to help him succeed in his current role. 

“My previous experience has allowed me to better 



137

GEODIS 

138 

“Our mission is to 

solve and assemble 

resources, capabilities 

and technologies, 

and to better design 

the supply chain 

on behalf of 

our customers” 

— 

Phillipe Mahler 

CPO, GEODIS 

understand the key drivers of the supply 

chain. After you’ve dealt with several 

customers and experienced different 

situations, you can take the time to 

innovate and begin to understand where 

the key areas are. I manage these key 

points very carefully because they’re 

either the points which are going to 

create difficulties in operations or the 

points which you can leverage to create 

value,” he says. “Our mission is to solve 

and assemble resources, capabilities 

and technologies, and to better design 

the supply chain on behalf of our 


CLICK TO WATCH: ‘GEODIS – WE LOGISTIC YOUR GROWTH’ 

139 

customers. We buy services, resources 

and technologies from the market and 

from our sister lines of business or from 

any other logistics service provider. We 

assemble these solutions to create an 

end to end network for our customers.” 

With the procurement function transforming 

on an ongoing basis, Mahler 

reflects how GEODIS is changing the 

way it conducts its business to coincide 

with the latest industry trends. “On an 

increasing basis, procurement is 

becoming more of a science that is 

based on data. It’s based on being 

capable of forecasting what’s going to 

happen in the next six months to two 

years. Forecasting is taking the data 

from the past and then leveraging all 

the data announcing the trends and 

looking at how the world will change,” 

he explains. “I believe one of the biggest 

challenges is transitioning from human 

negotiation into a business which 

scientifically predicts where you should 

go. It’s a huge challenge; it’s the leveraging 

of Big Data.” 

INTRODUCING TECHNOLOGY 

With technology enabling GEODIS to 

make its processes simpler, Mahler 


COMMERCIAL 

RELOCATION NETWORK 

CRN is a learning organization comprised 

of office and industrial relocation 

professionals in the United States. Expertise 

in the craft of commercial relocation, 

logistics and transportation is the focus of 

CRN’s members. Sharing best practices 

and collaborating on new solutions helps 

to advance our industry. The professional 

development of our members enables 

them to solve the needs of Fortune 500 

firms, logistics providers, government and 

private institutions. Each member is 

backed by the resources of their local 

employer, which truly makes each member 

the ‘local-heroes’ of today’s most 

demanding supply-chain solutions. 

LEARN MORE 

For more information: 

info@commercialrelocationnetwork.org 

253 525 5174 

Corporate Contact: 

Melissa Schwab, COO 

Office: 877 460 5880 

e-mail: melissa@aminc.org

141 

reflects on how the procurement 

process has been transformed by 

digitalisation. “In the past, procurement 

was a question of understanding where 

the data was and then deciding at what 

price it could be bought from the market. 

It’s always been a question of simulation 

and has all been done manually using 

Excel,” he says. “These days, we’re 

able to capture much more data because 

it’s all in one place and technology has 

allowed us to use machines that help 

us make decisions. Using the machine, 

you can do a ‘what if’ in a machine 

scenario which helps decide where 

you want to go and how you want to 

execute the processes.” 

With innovation considered a key 

priority at GEODIS, Mahler understands 

the importance of ensuring technology 

is adopted for a specific purpose that 

will benefit the company’s operations 

– and is not merely implemented for its 

own sake. “When we want to utilise 

new technology, the first thing I always 

do is to have a discussion with a group 

of key users of the current platform 

and we conduct an evaluation. We have 


GEODIS 

142 


“On an increasing 

basis, procurement is 

becoming more of 

a science that is based 

on data. It’s based 

on being capable of 

forecasting what’s 

going to happen in 

the next six months 

to two years” 

— 

Phillipe Mahler, 

CPO, GEODIS 

143 


GEODIS 

“When you adapt, you’re 

already a follower. We don’t 

want to be followers; we 

want to be the leaders” 

— 

Phillipe Mahler, 

CPO, GEODIS 

144 

to ask ourselves what we can do with 

this current machine and how we can 

implement new technology that will 

enhance what we already have,” explains 

Mahler. “We have to establish an 

immediate need and ask ourselves that 

if we use this technology, will it bring us 

value today, tomorrow or in the future? 

It’s important to think about where we 

want to be in two years’ time and 

understand how what we’re doing now 

will fit into that. When you have an 

immediate value, you have future 

potential value and, based on these two 

results, we’ll then make a decision whether 

we want to adopt this technology.” 

GEODIS has been recognised as 

a ‘Leader’ by information technology 

research and advisory firm Gartner in 

its May 2018 Magic Quadrant for Third- 

Party Logistics (3PL) worldwide, which 

evaluates third-party logistics providers’ 

ability to be a preferred global provider. 

With the company conducting business 

in the US, India and Haiti, technology has 

enabled each individual team to communicate 

immediately and has allowed daily 

operations to be sped up significantly.

145 

FORMING KEY PARTNERSHIPS 

In order to achieve mutual success, 

GEODIS has formed over 500 global 

partnerships. In particular, the firm has 

established a key relationship with the 

Commercial Relocation Network (CRN). 

“Our collaboration with CRN has granted 

us access to specialists everywhere in 

the US. Be it in California, Arkansas, 

Seattle, New York or Miami, we have 

access to people who really know our 

business and know what our specifics 

are – it’s very valuable to us,” says Mahler. 

“In general, we have lots of partners. 

Some are very local, while some are 

global and are capable of carrying 

goods from Singapore to Mexico. We 

really have all sizes of partnership.” 

The importance of establishing significant 

relationships with other companies 

to achieve mutual success is 

therefore considered a top priority at 

GEODIS. “Due to the way we operate 

our procurement activity, we’ve started 

to move away from the customer/supplier 

relationship. We don’t think ‘I’m your 

customer so you go and execute.’ Or ’I’m 

your supplier so you pay or I don’t 


GEODIS 

146 

execute’. Those days are gone,” he says. 

“Before beginning a partnership, it’s 

important to trust each other. You need 

to accept some level of transparency 

on the cost and what’s possible, as well 

as deciding what can and can’t be 

optimised. Once you’re there, you’re in 

a relationship which is completely different 

from a typical, traditional customer 

relationship because you’re together 

in the same boat, facing the same challenges 

and are both trying to create value 

for each company, as well as seeking 

the best result for the final customer.” 

FUTURE PLANS 

Looking to the future, Mahler is aiming 

to ensure GEODIS continues to lead 

the way and set trends in order to stay 

ahead of the competition. “We’re 

passionate about our business, have 

proven experience and possess a truly 

global presence. I believe those three 

things are what make us different from 

our rivals. It’s vital to have the best 

people working for us and investing in 

people is something we rank very highly 

at our company. We’re always on 

the lookout for new talent, as well as 

retaining what we already have through 


147 

providing our staff with the opportunity 

to progress, change position or relocate 

to another part of the world. Innovation, 

technology and the people are considered 

our three key pillars,” he says. “At 

SCO we benchmark our solutions, 

approach and IT tools, and consistently 

look at the external world to understand 

what’s coming. Adapting is a word from 

the past. When you adapt, you’re already 

a follower. We don’t want to be followers; 

we want to be the leaders.” 


148 

Future proof 

digital 


security for 

the enterprise 

WRITTEN BY 

HARRY MENEAR 

PRODUCED BY 

JAKE MEGEARY 



149

CANADIAN WESTERN BANK 

150 

Cory Gould, the first 

CISO at Canadian 

Western Bank FInancial 

Group, discusses using 

cutting-edge technology, 

relationship building 

and user awareness 

to combat cyberthreats 

and help realize the 

company’s bold vision 

T 

he world is evolving. The 

proliferation of digital devices, 

mass migration to the cloud, 

and a rising tide of data is changing the 

nature of the enterprise. In few verticals 

is this truer than the banking and 

finance sector. Bank vaults piled high 

with paper money are being replaced 

by digital vaults, in-person meetings at 

a local branch are giving way to 24/7 

mobile banking solutions, and major 

banking houses are facing serious 

competition from a new generation 


151 

of digital-only ‘challenger banks’. Digital 

transformation means new opportunities, 

greater efficiency and insight into 

the business ecosystem, but every 

paradigm shift brings new challenges. 

According to the Ninth Annual Cost 

of Cybercrime Study, released in 

March 2019 by Accenture, the methods, 

targets and impact of cyber attacks 

is evolving at an accelerated pace. 

In 2018, the report found, the average 

cost of cybercrime to companies rose 

by 12% year on year to US$13mn. 

“We appreciate that this is the new 

world; things are changing and they’re 

changing very, very quickly,” says 

Cory Gould, Chief Information Security 

Officer (CISO) at Canadian Western 

Bank (CWB) Financial Group. “20 years 

ago, we were concerned with things 

like debit skimming - manual, tactical 

ways of committing fraud. Now, the 

proliferation of digitization and the 

sheer accessibility of financial services 

remotely and somewhat anonymously 

is certainly driving the rise of cybercrime. 



We’ve seen a significant rise in the 

levels of organization, structure and 

sophistication of these threats.” 

One of the youngest banks in 

Canada, CWB Financial Group is 

headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta 

and positions itself as the top choice 

for Canadian enterprises in search 

of expert advice delivered through 

a relationship-based approach. “Our 

size provides us with a level of agility 

that is allowing us to respond to change 

in the industry,” says Gould, who 

started at CWB Financial Group in 1997, 

and became the first CISO in the 

bank’s history in December 2018. 

“The financial industry has been fairly 

static for a century. Over the last 15 

years, however, we’ve seen a real shift 

in the demands of our clients. Traditional 

banking isn’t fitting the bill anymore,” 

he explains.” We sat down with him to 

explore the approach Gould is taking 

towards neutralizing cyber threats to 

CWB Financial Group as it continues 

to grow at an industry-leading rate 

152 


CLICK TO WATCH: ‘CWB – OBSESSED WITH YOUR SUCCESS’ 

153 

(recently surpassing the $30bn total 

asset milestone for the first time) alongside 

the global digital banking revolution. 

“We’re on the cusp of something 

really special,” enthuses Gould. 

“Increasingly, we’re being recognized 

for the value that we bring to our 

clients.” As the first CISO in CWB’s 

history, Gould is part of a bold and 

innovative shift in the bank’s own 

culture. A crucial success factor, he 

explains, is establishing an enterprise 

architecture in which security methodology 

is embedded at the initial stage. 

“It’s a really big win and, I think, critical 

“We’ve seen a 

significant rise 

in the levels of 

organization, 

structure and 

sophistication 

of these threats” 

— 

Cory Gould, 

CISO, Canadian Western Bank 



156 

for an organization as they move 

forward,” says Gould, admitting that 

CWB Financial Group had experienced 

challenges maintaining strong relationships 

between security and leadership 

before, “because we didn’t have a senior 

dedicated role for information security. 

It’s 2019. Nobody is going to deny the 

need for security, but it’s very easy for 

security to take a backseat in the wake 

of rapid change. Now, we have a senior 

security leader out in the organization, 

pounding the pavement and building 

relationships with key decision makers, 

positioning us to be much more 

proactive with respect to security.” 

This closer, more collaborative 

relationship with the enterprise and 

technology side of CWB Financial 

Group is also driving a shift in the 

philosophy of the security side of 

the business. The traditional role of 

a security division as a deterrent, 

Gould explains, simply isn’t the best 

way forward in the modern world. 

“Gone are the days when security just 

pounds its fist on the desk and says 

‘No! Come back later.’ That’s not 

practical in the digital world we live in.” 

The rapid advancement of technology 


is at the center of CWB’s progress, 

and Gould’s mantra of “enable not 

deter” reflects it. Technology, he 

contends, may be creating both 

business and cybercriminal opportunity, 

but it is also enabling and 

empowering security. Stronger 

relationships between the security 

and business elements of CWB 

Financial Group is at the core of this. 

“Our ability to sit at the table with the 

business, talk through their needs 

and challenges, and offer up technology 

solutions we know are inherently 

secure, brings to them functionality 157 


Cory Gould 

Chief Information Security Officer 

Cory Gould is the Chief Information Security Officer 

at CWB Financial Group, a diversified organization 

providing specialized business and retail financial 

services across Canada. Mr. Gould has over 20 years 

experience in Information Technology and Security 

primarily within the Financial industry and as the 

first CISO at CWB Financial Group, is working 

to mature the Information Security practice by 

embedding sound security awareness and behaviours 

within the culture of the organization. 



158 

“Our size provides us 

with a level of agility 

that is allowing us to 

respond to change 

in the industry” 

— 

Cory Gould, 




159

161 

and capability they’ve never had 

before,” Gould explains. 

Rapid and ongoing digital transformation 

has become the day to day 

reality for any enterprise seeking to 

stay abreast of the information 

revolution. Gould recognizes the power 

of employing technology to automate 

day to day operations in an institution, 

as well as process data to generate the 

kind of insights that lead to high-level 

decisioning. The key to both applications 

is artificial intelligence (AI) and 

machine learning. “One of the key 

things to enable is machine learning. 

We are absolutely neck deep in data 

and analytics like everyone else on 

the planet. The more dependent we, 

as an organization, become on our data 

and knowledge, the more it becomes 

currency. So, we’re using it within our 

information security program to gain 

intel and understanding,” Gould explains. 

In addition to boosting the detection 

and insight gathering capabilities of 

CWB’s security department, AI and ML 



162 

is set to play a key role in automation. 

“Like any other position in IT, there are 

the necessary evils of day-to-day 

operational activities,” Gould notes. 

“With those ongoing, almost mundane 

tasks that we have to perform, there is 

the risk of human error. Any time that 

you can remove that day-to-day work 

that just needs to be done from very 

capable resources and have them 

focus on the big picture, it’s valuable.” 

Striving for a near-perfect security 

architecture is no mean feat, and Gould 

recognizes that CWB Financial Group 

cannot stand against the rising tide of 

cybercrime alone. “We rely on strong 

partners who have a genuine interest 

in our success; FireEye is one of those 

partners. FireEye sees the world of 

Cyber Security through the eyes of 

active threat actors. It is this relevant, 

real world experience that is assisting 

CWB Financial Group in meeting our 

Cyber Security objectives,” he explains. 

Every year, driven by experience, 

artificial intelligence and increasingly 

sophisticated software, cybersecurity 

solutions reach closer and closer to 

infallibility. “With the inception of AI, ML 

and all of the things that we’re able to 

do with technology today, there’s a lot 



163


“With the inception 

of AI, ML and all of 

the things that we’re 

able to do with 

technology today, 

there’s a lot that 

can be prevented” 

— 

Cory Gould, 


that can be prevented.” However, as 

technology grows more sophisticated, 

the most common vulnerability for an 

organization grows more obvious: the 

human element. According to Accenture’s 

report, “Whether by accident or 

intent, many employees are often the 

root cause of successful cyberattacks.” 

While security systems and protocols 

can be updated and tweaked on a daily 

basis, Gould points out: “You can’t 

patch humans. Humans are vulnerable, 

passionate and intellectual; they don’t 

164 


think in terms of bits and bytes and 

ones and zeros, so people make 

mistakes and we recognize that.” In 

order to shore up this potential weak 

point, Gould is turning to the flagship 

skill in his arsenal: relationship building 

and management. “It wasn’t until one of 

our more recent and most significant 

initiatives that we really recognized how 

important change management is,” he 

recalls. “Now, one of the most critical 

tools in our security toolkit is our User 

Awareness Program. 

We spend a lot of time with the organization 

educating, bringing about greater 

awareness. We know that we will never 

be 100% in that area but will continue 

working with the business and our 

internal clients to keep security at the 

forefront of the way CWB Financial 

Group operates.” 

The threat of cybercrime is only 

expected to rise, and the constant arms 

race of technology, training and 

relationship building shows no signs 

of slowing down. Looking to the future, 

165 



166 


Gould has the responsibility of ensuring 

that CWB Financial Group remains agile 

and responsive, even as it continues to 

scale. With phishing and ransomware 

replacing cheque fraud and men with 

guns in balaclavas, Gould and his team 

are on the front line, protecting CWB 

Financial Group as it strives towards 

greatness. Reflecting on over 20 years 

at the bank, Gould looks ahead filled 

with confidence and optimism. “As an 

organization, we pride ourselves on 

listening intently and asking the right 

questions to provide our clients with the 

right financial solutions. We are 

obsessed with our clients’ success and 

our proactive approach to supporting 

them, and we are obsessed with 

ensuring that the information they 

entrust us with remains confidential and 

secured,” he says. “It’s a bold vision but 

I think it’s achievable. I’ve spent my 

career here and I can honestly say that 

when this group of great individuals 

puts its mind to something, there’s little 

that gets in the way.” 

167 


168 

VALUES 

DRIVING CASHCO 

FINANCIAL’S DIGITAL 


WRITTEN BY 

HARRY MENEAR 

PRODUCED BY 

JAKE MEGEARY 



169

CASHCO FINANCIAL 

Raymond Wilson, COO of 

Cashco Financial, discusses 

the company’s five core values 

and how they are driving 

the digital transformation 

of its customer journey 

170 

T 

oday, more than 30% of Canadians are 

living from paycheque to paycheque. 

The number of people in debt is rising too, 

with the Bank of Canada reporting in May 2018 

that the average Canadian typically owes around 

CA$1.70 for every dollar they own. Canadians are 

not just struggling financially: according to a report 

by NBC, financial pressure and consequential 

stress can both directly and indirectly affect mental 

and physical health. Millions of underbanked 

Canadians are in need of banking and money 

management services, of short-term loans to make 

it to the next paycheque, and of long-term services 

to nurture and support their aspirations. 

The idea of Cashco has been rooted in a number 

of businesses founded by the company’s CEO, 

Tim Latimer. Cashco Financial as it exists today has 

been around for a decade delivering alternative 

financial services to the citizens of British Columbia, 

Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario, both through 

brick and mortar and online – providing over 

140,000 clients with long and short-term personal 



171


172 

“We work hard 

to make sure 

these are living, 

breathing values 

embodied 

throughout the 

organization” 

— 

Raymond Wilson, 

COO, Cashco Financial 

loans, cheque cashing and, as of 2017 

in Alberta, banking services. “Over the 

course of our history our business 

model has continued to evolve, at 

a time we were focused solely on 

providing access to payday loans, 

then added and evolved to installment 

products, and now we’re focused 

on bringing banking services to our 

clients. There isn’t a one size fits all 

solution to our clients banking needs 

so we work to offer banking-like 

products that can offer support to 


CLICK TO WATCH: ‘CASHCO MOM’S REALITY’ 

173 

people that can’t get help anywhere 

else,” says Raymond Wilson, Chief 

Operating Officer (COO) at Cashco. 

Wilson, who has served in his current 

role for three years, is able to bring 

a powerful sense of empathy to the 

company’s relationship with the numerous 

underserved families and individuals 

across the country. “I grew up in a 

single parent home; my mother raised 

myself and my brother, and there were 

many times I could see the stress on 

her face as she was trying to feed and 

clothe the both of us,” he recalls. 

“I really feel passionate about the 

subprime loans market because I can 

connect with the customers. There 

were plenty of days growing up when 

there was nothing in the fridge. I know 

where they’re coming from.” 

Cashco serves its clients by working 

tirelessly to embody its five core 

values: Respect the vision, Embrace 

Can I, Live the Golden Rule, Own the 

Results and Communicate Honestly. 

The core values set the expectations 



174 

for staff on how Cashco employees 

behave and treat each other. “We work 

hard to make sure these are living, 

breathing values embodied throughout 

the organization,” says Wilson. “The 

organization moves quickly, and we 

have a big job to do. If we don’t have 

clear expectations of ourselves and 

the people around us, it’s very hard 

to do what we do every day.” 

Over the last 5 years Cashco 

introduced a decision engine that takes 

all the data feed into it and works to 

make better predictions on client’s 

likelihood of honoring their financial 

commitment to them. “At the time, it was 

transformational for our business, today 

it means we can make better decisions 

on affordability and support our clients 

need in order to help them maintain a 

positive relationship with their money.” 

That technology now needs to be 

monitored and adjusted continuously 

to ensure that, first, clients keep moving 

along their credit journey, and second, 

that Cashco builds a sustainable 

business that can be around for many 

years serving the underserved and 

underbanked. This technology is heavily 

based on artificial intelligence/machine 


learning that speeds up the delivery 

and removes friction from the client’s 

journey with Cashco. 

One of the largest challenges that 

Wilson recognizes is the preservation 

of the empathetic, personal experience 

as Cashco increases its digital offerings. 

“We know we can be successful when 

the client sits down at the desk and we 

have a conversation. But, as we move 

into a more digital age, we need to start 

looking at other ways to create those 

touchpoints and still maintain that 

relationship while the client benefits 

from the accessibility of digital products,” 

he says. The company’s efforts range 

from simple steps, like attaching an 

employee’s picture to an email to 

humanize the interaction for the client, 

to the construction of an entirely new 

portal to allow for easy access to 

account information and Cashco’s new 

banking services. Rather than cold 

functionality that widens the distance 

between Cashco and its customers, 

Wilson sees the “exponential growth 

of technological applications” as an 

enabler for increasingly personalised 

and empathetic services. “We’re 

utilizing technology to make our 

175 


Raymond Wilson 

Raymond Wilson has been with Cashco Financial 

for 10 years where he started as a VP managing the 

branch network. In 2016 he was promoted to Chief 

Operating Officer and now oversees all operations. 

He has worked in this market for almost thirty 

years and is very passionate about what Cashco 

stands for and the people they serve. 

Wilson has four beautiful children and 

has been married to his wife Leslie for 

13 years. He is also an avid golfer and 

enjoys the outdoors with his family. 



176 

140,000 

Clients served 

2009 

Year founded 

HQ 

Edmonton, Alberta 

Canada 


customer journey as painless as 

possible,” he explains. 

In particular, Cashco is employing 

analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) 

to both empower the front end of its 

business and augment its back-end 

decision making. “We use AI for our 

loan decisioning, which we’re constantly 

tuning to make more efficient, and 

twinning with our analytics to create a 

higher loan completion and closing rate,” 

says Wilson. Cashco has also made 

the decision to build its AI in-house. 

“Our CEO has the entrepreneurial spirit,” 

Wilson explains. “With that comes quick 

change; this way we don’t have to wait 

to make alterations the way we would 

if you bought something off the shelf. 

We acknowledge that there’s a cost to 

doing things in-house, but it allows us 

to be much more agile.” 

AI also plays a critical role in Cashco’s 

latest project: applying decision making 

to the loan recovery process. “We’re 

working with another company to bring 

AI into our recovery and collections 

department,” says Wilson. “If clients 

are unable to make a payment, there’s 

a reason for that. AI can help us 

understand not only how to best 

communicate with people, but how 

177 


From data centre to cloud 

solutions, it’s made-to-measure. 

Rogers Data Centre & Cloud 

One size doesn’t always fit all when it comes to IT infrastructure needs. That’s why at Rogers, we’ll work with you to 

assess your current IT state and consider what the right tools and technologies allow you to best meet your objectives. 

Our experts will develop and recommend a cloud journey that is right for you — keeping in mind both your unique 

business requirements and technical readiness. Optimize your IT with complete flexibility and achieve the agility, 

reliability, or cost savings you need with our wholly owned cross-Canada Data Centres and National Private fibre-optic 

networks. Accelerate your cloud journey with the data centre solutions that fit your business. 

Colocation • Cloud • Data Protection • Managed Services 

Get started with a complimentary Data Centre & Cloud Business Assessment 

at rogers.com/dc 

For more information please contact: 

Don.Abraham@rci.rogers.com 

© 2019 Rogers Communications.

CLICK TO WATCH: ‘CHRISTINA’S REAL WORLD STORY’ 

179 

to help them ensure they can complete 

their loans with us.” 

To maintain relevancy Cashco has 

recently mapped out the strategic 

direction for the next three years, 

identifying the necessary business 

decisions in order to compete in their 

space – knowing the space continues 

to grow and demand is increasing. 

“A digital Cashco is imperative, and 

we have it centered around the idea 

of digital client-care services,” says 

Wilson. “Overall, our digital ecosystem 

is focused on leveraging our data, and 

“Respect the 

Vision, Embrace 

Change, Live 

the Golden Rule, 

Own the Results 

and Communicate 

Honestly” 

— 





180 

CLICK TO WATCH: ‘ELISIA’S REAL WORLD STORY’ 

advanced analytics platforms are built 

together so decision making is driven 

by the business, and AI/machine 

learning will be the driving factor is 

producing sound recommendations 

to guide the process.” 

The entire enterprise is designed to 

accommodate and exceed the needs 

and expectations of the underserved. 

Cashco provides relief today by 

making it easy to get an immediate loan 

regardless of current or past credit 

history. The company accepts its 

“We’re utilizing 

technology 

to make our 

customers’ journey 

as painless as 

possible” 

— 




181 

clients, wherever they are on their 

journey. Due to the multiple solutions it 

offers, Cashco is the only finance 

company that can help move clients 

through the entire credit continuum to 

achieve a better credit rating and 

create hope for tomorrow. 

Looking to the future, Cashco 

Financial has bold ambitions. “Our big, 

hairy, audacious goal is to be recognized 

as a new, different kind of bank 

by 2025,” Wilson concludes. “We’re 

going to build a forward-looking 

resilient business with a loan book of 

$250mn by 2021, serving underbanked 

Canadians with subprime loans, and 

continue to offer meaningful banking 

delivered through advice-based, 

intimate, one-to-one relationships.” 


182 

Enabling 

technology 


to the 


cloud 

183 

WRITTEN BY 

SOPHIE CHAPMAN 

PRODUCED BY 

JAKE MEGEARY 


INGRAM MICRO 

As the technology industry 

evolves, Ingram Micro 

continues to enable digital 

transformation with the cloud 

184 

I 

ngram Micro is an emergent leader in 

the global technology sector; dedicated 

to enabling its customers and its entire 

organization to achieve technological transformation. 

“Technology underpins our organization and 

the pressure is on to get it right. To achieve a 

competitive advantage, companies must align with 

the evolving landscape. Ingram Micro is well poised 

to meet the demands of this evolution,” says Greg 

Onoprijenko, Director of Cloud for the company’s 

Canada operations. “We’re continuously innovating 

to maintain relevancy for our customers and our 

entire organization.” 

As the world’s largest technology distributor, the 

company provides a wide array of products to its 

customers including laptops, smartphones, printers 

and IT infrastructure and services to its wide variety 

of customers, reaching from retail to telecommunications 

to value-added resellers (VARs). In Canada, 

Onoprijenko heads the company’s fastest-growing 

division: Cloud. “As customers transform their 

businesses and start to adopt more cloud services, 

their dependence on the IT channel for guidance 



185

INGRAM MICRO 

186 

“Technology 

is extremely 

important to us, 

and there’s a 

lot of pressure 

to get it right” 

— 

Greg Onoprijenko, 

Director of Cloud Canada 

Ingram Micro 


CLICK TO WATCH: ‘INGRAM MICRO CLOUD OVERVIEW’ 

187 

has become increasingly critical to 

their success,” he says. “This increase 

in demand has resulted in revenue 

growth as we develop more solutions 

in the portfolio and add a larger staff to 

support the demand. We’re fortunate 

to be leading an extremely profitable 

and fast-growing business.” 

The company’s Cloud operations 

are divided into three business units. 

The first is the Microsoft team, which 

primarily focuses on Office 365 and 

the associated licensing models. The 

second unit addresses Software-as-a- 

Service (SaaS), such as cloud security, 

backup and recovery, and communications 

and collaboration services. 

The third unit is the Infrastructure-as-a- 

Service (IaaS) team. “The IaaS team is 

completely focused on data centre 

transformation and public cloud 

infrastructure. The solutions we sell 

within that portfolio include Microsoft 

Azure, Amazon Web Services, and 

IBM Cloud,” explains Onoprijenko. 

“One of the competitive advantages 

we have in the Cloud division is just the 

sheer breadth and depth of the team. 

We have over 1,500 dedicated cloud 

employees globally, with extensive 


INGRAM MICRO 

188 

industry experience. For our customers 

and channel partners who need 

guidance and advice, we have the 

industry’s best team to lean on,” 

comments Onoprijenko. As Ingram 

Micro transforms its business model, 

change management across the 

company has its challenges. To 

effectively combat these challenges, 

Ingram Micro’s Cloud team is continuously 

providing education to ensure 

that “the entire company is aligned 

with the cloud strategy.” 

The company’s platform strategy is 

another clear differentiator that 

separates it from its competitors. 

Ingram Micro offers a fully automated 

platform that enables cloud services 

transactions with centralized dashboards, 

reporting and support. 

“The platform covers any need that 

a partner may have when delivering 

cloud services,” he continues. 

“As channel partners become mature 

and more successful in the cloud, they 

recognize that automation is critical to 

scale their businesses and that they 

need to have their eCommerce platform 


to transact cloud services. Our global 

cloud service offerings make us a 

logical option for these companies.” 

As customers within the technology 

sector shift towards an as-a-service 

model, Ingram Micro is adapting its 

strategy. “Instead of customers buying 

and owning IT products, the evolution 

is towards everything-as-a-monthlyfee. 

That puts pressure on the IT 

channel partners to evolve and change 

to meet customer demands. It also 

puts pressure on IT distributors to 

change how they deliver solutions to 

the market. Finally, the onus is on the 189 



Director, Cloud Canada 

Greg Onoprijenko is Director of Cloud 

for Ingram Micro Canada. He provides 

overall strategy, guidance and leadership 

for Ingram Micro’s cloud services business 

unit. He assumes all responsibilities of 

the cloud business in the Canadian market 

which includes sales, marketing, 

vendor management, and new 

strategic alliances. 


Choose 

growth. 

Employee expectations are rising. 

60% of employees expect their employers to 

provide the latest technology. See how you 

can use modern tools to attract and retain the 

best talent. 

vendors, who are ultimately creating 

these products and services to evolve,” 

reveals Onoprijenko. To embrace the 

change in demand for both hardware 

and software products, Ingram Micro 

is increasingly introducing new service 

options, with Onoprijenko claiming they 

are leading the industry. 

Onoprijenko cites traditional 

software licensing as an example, with 

customers purchasing the licenses 

and associated maintenance to own 

and manage. With the current evolution 

underway, firms are moving away from 

owning these licenses, instead opting 


for a pay-as-you-go alternative to 

access the software, which typically 

resides in the cloud. “It’s an evolution. 

A lot of the channel partners recognize 

this and are proactively transforming 

their companies. While some companies 

recognize the need to change, 

and that they need help with it, others 

are unresponsive to change and risk 

getting left behind.” With the experience 

of the Cloud team, Ingram Micro 

can offer its partners guidance and 

knowledge through seminars, educational 

opportunities and one-on-one 

“We recently 

moved the entire 

company to 

Microsoft Office 

365 instead 

of hosting the 

solution ourselves” 

— 



Ingram Micro 

191 


INGRAM MICRO 

192 

coaching, differentiating the firm from 

its competitors. “We can surround our 

clients with resources which can guide 

them along and motivate them to 

change proactively,” he adds. 

As well as enabling its customers 

to advance their operations, Ingram 

Micro is working towards the same 

goal of innovating its functions 

internally. “We’re changing our business 

model and evolving to the cloud. 

We previously had large data centres 

with IT infrastructure that serviced the 

entire company. As an example, we 

recently moved the entire company 

to Microsoft Office 365 instead of 

hosting the solutions ourselves. We 

also standardized the entire company 

on Microsoft Dynamics CRM, versus 

hosting our own.” 

With cloud adoption increasing at 

such a rapid rate, one of the company’s 

biggest challenges is to compete with 

other businesses taking advantage of 

the advancement. “Everybody understands 

the opportunity and is pursuing 

it. Ingram Micro envisioned this 

opportunity before our competitors 

and started delivering cloud services 

about 12 years ago. We certainly 


$50bn 

Approximate 

revenue 

193 

1979 

Year founded 

33,000 


of employees 


INGRAM MICRO 

Choose 

sustainable 

cost savings. 

Now is the time to modernise. 

Save up to 78% in total cost of ownership by 

migrating your on-prem infrastructure 

to Azure, and see an ROI of up to 233% with 

Windows 10. Learn how.

CLICK TO WATCH: ‘RENEE BERGERON, INGRAM MICRO CLOUD, 

CLOUD SUMMIT X KEYNOTE’ 

195 

“Everybody 

understands 

the opportunity 

and is pursuing it. 

Ingram Micro saw 

this opportunity 

before our 

competitors” 

— 



Ingram Micro 

invested early,” Onoprijenko says. 

Within such a competitive industry, 

the company has the advantage of 

its hardworking team with its breadth 

of knowledge, as well as its years of 

experience in the sector. As the firm 

continues to grow, the cloud will be 

a foundational part of its strategy. 


LOGO HERE 

196 

WRITTEN BY 


PRODUCED BY 




197

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA 

AHMED AZHARI, DIRECTOR OF UTILITIES, 

SUSTAINABILITY & GROUNDS AT UNIVERSITY 

OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA, DISCUSSES HOW 

HIS ORGANIZATION IS DEVELOPING TOWARD 

A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE 

198 

P 

roviding one of the largest further education 

facilities in Canada, the University 

of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) holds the 

reputation of a leading organization in the country. 

The university is accelerating its prestige with 

significant growth over the past few years through 

the development of new facilities, and is home to 

over 25 buildings with more on the horizon. With 

sustainability recognized as a top priority at UTM, 

from both an environmental perspective and as a 

boost to its reputation as a sustainable organization, 

the university has formed key plans to meet the 

challenge head-on. 

Tasked with enabling the university to achieve 

a more sustainable future, Ahmed Azhari, Director of 

Utilities, Sustainability & Grounds at UTM, believes 

student engagement is key to realizing this 

important ambition. “Staff and student engagement 

is incredibly important because sustainability isn’t 

just one person’s job,” he affirms. “It’s our job 

collectively as the UTM community to ensure 

everything we do reduces the impact on the 

environment and help mitigate climate change. 


199 

© Jiaying Song 



200 

“STAFF AND STUDENT 

ENGAGEMENT 

IS INCREDIBLY 

IMPORTANT 

BECAUSE 


ISN’T JUST ONE 

PERSON’S JOB” 

— 

Ahmed Azhari, 

Director of Utilities, Sustainability 

& Grounds at UTM 

We’ve conducted lots of student 

engagement activities to educate both 

students and faculty members, ensuring 

they are aware as to how they can use 

the buildings in a more efficient manner.” 

The university has installed energy 

dashboards into a number of the key 

buildings on campus to equip students 

and staff members with the knowledge 

to understand how much energy the 

building is using on a real-time basis. 

To accelerate this project, the university 

has established a ‘Grow Smart, 

Grow Green’ strategy which focuses 

on key topic areas such as green 


uildings, natural areas, transportation, 

water management, energy management, 

waste and recycling. “As part 

of this scheme, we’ve introduced a ban 

on bottled water,” explains Azhari. 

“Bottled water isn’t available to buy 

anywhere on campus and we’ve 

replaced the single-use plastic with 

water fountains that allow those on 

campus to refill their bottles instead of 

purchasing new ones. This is key to our 

sustainability strategy moving forward.” 

Operating with a clear goal in mind, 

the university is engaging with students 

to develop waste and recycling plans. 

“We’re trying to create an educational 

campaign in the community to 

encourage our students and staff 

to recycle things properly,” remarks 

Azhari. “It’s a big engagement project 

that will help standardize all the waste 

bins we have on campus, as well as 

producing new recycling schemes and 

educating the faculty and community 

on how to dispose of waste properly.” 

With many buildings across campus 

recognized with a silver standard 

minimum in Leadership in Energy and 

Environmental Design (LEED), the 

university’s buildings – which are made 

201 

CLICK TO WATCH: ‘SUSTAINABLEUOFT’ 



202 

from recycled and regional materials 

– include features such as green 

cleaning programs, low-flow fixtures, 

energy efficient mechanical and 

electrical systems, low-emitting 

materials and green roofs. “The 

construction policy that we have in 

place is that any new buildings must 

meet our requirements of being a 

minimum of LEED silver,” says Azhari. 

“However, we can’t stop there; we’re 

always looking to achieve more.” UTM’s 

HMALC (Hazel McCallion Academic 

Learning Centre), instructional building, 

Deerfield Hall and innovation complex 

all meet this requirement, as well as the 

“IT’S OUR JOB 

COLLECTIVELY AS THE 

UTM COMMUNITY TO 

ENSURE EVERYTHING 

WE DO REDUCES 

THE IMPACT ON 

THE ENVIRONMENT 

AND HELP MITIGATE 

CLIMATE CHANGE” 

— 

Ahmed Azhari, 




minimum target of the upcoming 

North Building. In addition, the Health 

Sciences Complex and David building 

third floor renovation have both 

achieved LEED gold status, while the 

new science building is also anticipated 

to achieve this goal. “I have heavily 

participated in the design of the New 

Science building at UTM, which is set 

to house of the majority of the wet and 

dry lab research that takes place on 

campus,” notes Azhari. “It’s targeted 

to be a minimum LEED silver that will 

incorporate two major renewable 

energy systems; geothermal system 

for building heating and cooling as well 

as a solar photovoltaic system to offset 

some of the building electrical requirements. 

We will ensure that it utilizes other 

sustainability measures that qualify it to 

be certified above the minimum target 

under the LEED program.” 


Ahmed Azhari 

Ahmed Azhari has a diverse range of primary skills such as 

Sustainable Design, Facilities Management and Energy 

Management. Professionally, Ahmed manages the design of 

progressive disciplinary building systems; oversees the 

installation, operation and monitoring for the safe, comfortable, 

and environmentally friendly operations of modern buildings. 

He has delivered designs that play a significant role on the 

sustainability and energy demand of buildings while 

utilizing renewable energy, sustainability, low carbon 

technologies, LEED strategies, and energy management 

techniques. Ahmed is currently registered with 

Professional Engineers Ontario as a Professional Engineer 

(P.Eng.), with Canada Green Building Council as 

a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design 

Accredited Professional (LEED AP), and with 

Association of Energy Engineers as Certified 

Energy Manager (CEM). 

203 



204 


205 

— 

Ahmed Azhari, 




collaborative partner 

for a sustainable future. 

EXP has the right blend of expertise and experience to 

understand, innovate, partner, and deliver. 

let’s explore the possibilities. 

exp com

207 

The university formed a key partnership 

with EXP, through a competitive 

public procurement process, to help 

with the design retrofit for two projects 

on campus; the Recreational Athletics 

and Wellness Centre (RAWC) and the 

Kaneff Centre. “EXP designed the 

system and helped us put the tender 

out for public pricing. They currently 

help us on the construction administration 

and the project management 

to help successfully deliver,” he says. 

“The RAWC is an athletics building, 

it has a swimming pool and a sauna, 

with significant heating demand 

“MY VISION FROM 

A SUSTAINABILITY 

PERSPECTIVE IS 

TO DESIGN AND 

ENABLE ALL FUTURE 

BUILDINGS TO 

BECOME CARBON 

NEUTRAL” 

— 

Ahmed Azhari, 





208 


equirements. We realized a solar hot 

water system would be an ideal installation 

in a building like this to help offset 

some of the building heating demand 

and fulfil our commitments to utilizing 

renewable energy sources in efforts 

to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” 

Looking to the future, Azhari has a 

clear vision of how UTM can continue 

the promising start it has made. “We 

haven’t finished – we’re always looking 

to grow. We’ve signed up for the 

University Climate Change Coalition 

Challenge (UC3 Challenge), which aims 

to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions 

by 37% by 2030, against a 1990 

baseline. My vision from a sustainability 

perspective is to design and enable all 

future buildings to become Carbon 

Neutral in order to help remediate our 

environmental impact and help mitigate 

climate change.” 

209 


210 


How technology and 

people have inspired 

sustainability and 

climate action 

in Ontario 

211 

WRITTEN BY 

MARCUS LAWRENCE 

PRODUCED BY 



TOWN OF CALEDON 

Katelyn McFadyen, Manager 

of Energy and Environment for 

the Town of Caledon, discusses 

the push for sustainability 

through the use of technology 

and empowering the people 

behind climate action 

212 

C 

aledon, located in southern Ontario and 

an hour’s drive from Toronto, is a shining 

example of the positive impact that can 

be generated through sustainability initiatives at 

the municipal level. Katelyn McFadyen, Manager 

of Energy and Environment at the Town of Caledon, 

and Cristina Guido, the Energy and Environment 

Specialist in McFadyen’s team, are enthusiastic and 

passionate about the impactful initiatives being 

enacted across the municipality. “I think it’s safe to 

say that, no matter the size of the municipality, you’re 

still able to be creative when addressing climate 

change,” says McFadyen. “The Energy and Environment 

division is responsible for providing corporate 

and community stakeholders with guidance and 

tools for addressing climate change, energy 

management and sustainable operations practices,” 

says McFadyen. “We do a lot of research and facilitation 

to build corporate and community capacity, 

so that projects that address climate change can 

be implemented collaboratively and effectively.” 


213 

“Energy 

consumption 

in buildings is 

our number one 

contributor to 

corporate GHG 

emissions” 

— 

Katelyn McFadyen, 

Manager of Energy and Environment 



214 

“We were 

recognized 

by the Mayor’s 

Megawatt 

Challenge for 

a 10% reduction 

in energy 

usage in our 

Town Hall” 

— 

Cristina Guido, 

Energy and Environment Specialist 

Recieving the award from Mayor Allan Thompson 

The overarching aims of the Town’s 

corporate environmental initiatives can 

be boiled down to reducing greenhouse 

gas (GHG) emissions and 

maximizing the efficiency of buildings 

and transport networks. “Energy 

consumption in buildings is our number 

one contributor to corporate GHG 

emissions,” says McFadyen. Guido is 

currently working on updating the 

Town’s corporate five-year energy 

management plan, which is set to be 

released in 2019. “It’s a requirement of 

the provincial government, but we took 

this as an opportunity to go beyond 

provincial regulations and expand this 

to broader corporate GHG emissions,” 

says Guido. “We’re assessing strategies 

to enhance operations and 

maintenance, and get our buildings to 

be as efficient as possible.” Through a 

collaborative partnership with the 

Town’s Corporate Energy Team, a 

group made up of the Town’s building 

operations specialists, Caledon is 

working to minimize emissions 

stemming from its buildings. This is 

being done through enhanced 

operational efficiency and conservation-focused 

retrofits. “We’re very 

fortunate to have the level of engage- 


CLICK TO WATCH: ‘CAPTURE CALEDON’ 

215 

ment from our Building Operations 

Team that we do,” says McFadyen. 

“They’re an incredible group of people 

who’ve totally embraced our corporate 

strategy and are actively engaged in 

– and excited about – efforts to 

leverage opportunities and retrofits to 

reduce energy consumption.” 

At the outset of her time with the 

Town of Caledon, Guido was pivotal in 

the development of the Town’s building 

benchmarking initiative that McFadyen’s 

team has since used as a powerful 

indicator of building efficiency. The 

project is driven by RETScreen Expert, 

a software developed by Natural 

Resources Canada, a department of 

the Canadian Government. It streamlines 

the Town’s building benchmarking 

initiative as well as visualizing progress 

on Caledon’s goals. “RETScreen 

allows us to normalize for variables that 

drive energy consumption which staff 

cannot control, such as weather. This 

allows us to isolate factors such as 

heating degree days, cooling degree 

days, and the number of days arena ice 

is operational in facilities. For some 

facilities, we also look at recreation 

building booking hours and how this 



216 


influences their energy performance,” 

says Guido. “We also use RETScreen 

to monitor progress towards our 

reduction targets. For example, our 

current corporate energy management 

plan has a target of a 9% reduction in 

building energy consumption, and we 

use the software to monitor how close 

we are to reaching that target,” 

explains Guido. Caledon is well on its 

way to meeting its current goals, and 

McFadyen enthuses that doing so is 

just the beginning. 

Another major area of focus is 

transport, with McFadyen’s team 

working not only to reduce the GHG 

impact of Caledon’s fleet but also to lay 

the groundwork for future vehicular 

solutions. “One of our main focuses 

with Town-owned vehicles will be 

developing a corporate green fleet 

strategy and doing some modelling to 

see what types of lower-emission fuels 

are less harmful to the environment,” 

says Guido. Progress has already been 

made in this area, with McFadyen 


217 

Katelyn McFadyen 

Katelyn McFadyen is Manager of the Energy and Environment 

Division at the Town of Caledon. Having completed her Master’s 

degree in Environmental Sustainability at the University of 

Edinburgh, McFadyen has worked at the Town for almost six 

years as a key driver of the Town’s environmental portfolio 

successes. In her previous role as Energy and Environment 

Officer, McFadyen launched the Corporate Energy Team 

and established the Town’s Corporate Energy Revolving 

Fund, a self-sustaining fund that financially enables 

energy retrofits in Town facilities. McFadyen is 

currently updating the Town’s community climate 

change mitigation and adaptation action plan, driving 

the implementation of the Peel Climate Change Strategy, 

and leading the Energy and Environment Division. 



$100mn+ 

Annual budget 

for 2019 

1974 

Year 

founded 

350+ 


of employees 

218 



219

Savings 

by Design 

Program 

The Town of Caledon Southfields Community Centre Conceptual Rendering 

The Savings by Design 

program helps builders 

improve energy and 

environmental performance 

in new construction projects. 

When a building model 

exceeds the Ontario Building 

Code’s energy performance 

requirements by 15% 

(combined gas and electrical 

savings), it becomes eligible 

for incentive funding. 

TOWN FACILITY ADOPTS ENERGY EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES 

EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE 

OPPORTUNITIES 

TO SAVE ENERGY 

The Savings by Design program 

offers many options to help 

customers build resiliency into their 

projects, lowering long-term 

operational and ongoing energy 

costs. A Visioning Session helps 

define project requirements and 

sustainability priorities by exploring 

site, regulatory, and market 

conditions. Issues are then identified 

and prioritized in the Integrated 

Design Process Session (IDP). 

At the full-day IDP workshop, a team 

of design experts in sustainable 

building, lighting, HVAC, storm water 

management, and planning explore 

possible design improvements to the 

building. The team works with the 

SBD experts to explore alternative 

opportunities to save energy and 

meet the goals of the program. 

Real-time modelling allows the team 

to explore energy savings measures 

with immediate feedback on the 

energy impacts. After the workshop, 

SBC delivers a final energy model 

based on the ECMs selected as well 

as a report summarizing the 

discussions of the day. 

The Town of Caledon has a Corporate Green Building Standard that requires 

LEED Silver certification for all new facilities over 10,000 square feet. When 

planning its new recreation facility at Kennedy Road and Dougall Avenue, the 

Town of Caledon turned to Enbridge Gas and Savings by Design. 

“The Savings by Design program presented a strong alignment with our 

Council-approved building standard,” says Katelyn McFadyen, Manager, 

Energy and Environment, Finance and Infrastructure Services. 

“It provided an integrated learning opportunity between Town staff and the 

project consulting team. All the parties came together to share information 

about facility construction best practices and energy efficient technologies.” 

The 65,000 square foot Southfields Community Centre contains a pool, fitness 

area, library, OPP station, youth and seniors space, and a community hub 

containing a Montessori School, Parent Child Centre and other community 

partners. A groundbreaking ceremony took place in the fall of 2017. 

A significant outcome of the Savings by Design program, according to the 

Town of Caledon, was the integrated learning opportunity about construction 

best practices, technologies and approaches available to reduce energy 

consumption, plus methods to improve the management of stormwater. 

The SBD program also had a direct impact on projects beyond Southfields 

Community Centre. “We invited staff outside of the project to expand their 

knowledge capacity and understand the justification for the construction of 

high performing facilities.” 

INTEGRATED DESIGN WORKSHOP 

Sponsored by Enbridge and facilitated by Sustainable Buildings Canada (SBC), 

Savings by Design provides incentive funding for projects to engage in an 

integrated design workshop process with real-time energy modelling. 

Enbridge offered the Town of Caledon free access to a team of multidisciplinary 

experts to explore high performance building energy targets as well as other 

environmental objectives including wellness, low impact design, water 

management, and more. 

“Although some of the stormwater management technologies and approaches 

presented during the SBD workshop were not integrated into the Southfields 

Community Centre, these practices were integrated into other facility 

construction projects in Caledon,” adds McFadyen. 

For more information, visit savingsbydesign.ca

“We were recognized 

by the Mayor’s 

Megawatt Challenge 

for a 10% reduction 

in energy usage 

in our Town Hall” 

— 

Cristina Guido, 

Energy and Environment Specialist 

noting that the Town has developed 

a strong foundation for future electric 

vehicle (EV) infrastructure. “For a 

municipality of 70,000, we’re really 

proud that we have 13 publicly available 

EV charging stations, and six plug-in 

hybrid vehicles in our fleet,” she adds, 

noting that these successes are of 

particular importance to Caledon with 

its geographically large landscape. 

Through the Peel Climate Change 

Partnership, which involves the 

municipal governments of the Region 

of Peel, Town of Caledon, Cities of 

Mississauga and Brampton, Credit 

221 

Cristina Guido 


Cristina Guido is the Energy and Environment Specialist with 

the Town of Caledon. Guido has her Bachelor’s degree in 

Environmental Studies and Master’s degree in Environmental 

Studies from York University in Toronto, and has recently 

received the Business Energy Professional certification from 

the Association of Energy Engineers. Guido has been with 

the Town since 2015, beginning in the role of a student and 

progressing to her current full-time role. She is driven 

by her passion for climate change mitigation and is inspired 

to make a change in the community that she grew up in. 

Guido continues to lead the Town’s corporate energy 

and environmental initiatives. 



222 

Valley Conservation Authority, and 

the Toronto and Region Conservation 

Authority, Caledon is helping to develop 

a new regional strategy to accelerate 

the adoption of low-emission and 

zero-emission vehicles by residents 

and businesses in Peel Region. Further 

actions earmarked for improvement in 

this area include a ramp-up of vehicle 

maintenance to maximize efficiency, 

as well as optimizing fleet route 

selection. “We’ve installed a GPS-based 

system into every vehicle in our fleet 

which could, for example, optimize 

routes for snow removal in the winter,” 

says McFadyen. 

Automation-based technologies are 

also playing a part in the Town’s 

sustainability drive, such as the deployment 

of smart thermostats through 

many of its buildings and an algorithmic 

tool that collates utility bill data in the 

back end of Caledon’s energy management 

software. The benefits of such 

upgrades are far reaching: by being able 

to remotely control a building’s internal 

climate, McFadyen notes that operations 

teams no longer have to travel 

between locations to make adjustments, 

thereby reducing transport-based 

emissions. The algorithmic solution 


mitigates the risk of additional costs or 

disruptions accruing through mishandled 

or misinterpreted data, provides 

alert reports with consumption anomalies 

and enhances administrative 

elements of processing utility bills. 

The efficacy of these endeavors has 

been reflected in the awards that 

McFadyen’s team has received. 

“We were recognized by the Mayor’s 

Megawatt Challenge for a 10% reduction 

in energy usage in our Town Hall, 

and received similar recognitions for 

two of our recreation complexes,” says 

Guido, highlighting a handful of the 

many awards received from local 

associations and climate action drivers 

– but for the team, the satisfaction lies in 

the results themselves. “Something we 

really value is that once you implement 

a project you can see its results,” says 

Guido. “We can see these retrofits and 

then, on the data side, we can measure 

and see that they are saving energy 

and reducing emissions. It’s amazing to 

see the impact of our work and to know 

that we are making a difference.” 

223 


224 

Service 

New 

Brunswick: 

procurement 

as a business 

enabler 

WRITTEN 

BY 

LAURA MULLAN 

PRODUCED BY 

ARRON RAMPLING 



225

SERVICE NEW BRUNSWICK 

With a winning procurement 

strategy underway, Renée 

Laforest, Vice President of 

the Finance and Strategic 

Procurement Division at SNB, 

highlights how the crown 

corporation is having a lasting 

impact on New Brunswick 

226 

W 

hether registering land and property 

or receiving healthcare, the citizens of 

New Brunswick have definitely crossed 

paths with Service New Brunswick (SNB), a crown 

corporation that provides almost all direct public 

services on behalf of the government. SNB’s 

regular clientele includes provincial and federal 

government agencies, municipalities, lawyers, 

surveyors, appraisers, realtors, financial institutions, 

utilities, engineers, consultants and more – this 

means the organization’s procurement team 

have a massive, yet vital, task on their hands. 

Renée Laforest, Vice President of the Finance 

and Strategic Procurement division, highlights 

how SNB’s procurement function isn’t just about 

improving cost efficiency: it’s also about making 

meaningful change. “Service New Brunswick does 

strategic procurement for most of the government 

entities in the entire province including the health 



227


228 

“We’re starting to have 

more conversations 

about value-based 

procurement, whereby 

the results are based 

on outcomes” 

— 

Renée Laforest, 

Vice President, Finance and 

Strategic Procurement Division, 

Service New Brunswick 

sector,” she explains. “Five or six years 

ago there was an emphasis on cost, 

and the strategic procurement division 

was asked to find substantial savings 

for the government. Therefore, not 

unlike a lot of procurement teams, 

we shifted towards a category 

management strategy.” In essence, 

this involves clustering similar items 

that the company wants to buy under 

a single cost-effective deal. “We have 

achieved a significant amount of 

savings through this new strategy,” 

Laforest enthuses. 


CLICK TO WATCH: ‘RECENT ECONOMIC SUCCESSES’ 

229 

However, in the most recent chapters 

of the firm’s procurement journey, 

it has shifted towards value-based 

procurement. This can perhaps be 

best seen within the healthcare 

division, notes Laforest: “We’re starting 

to have more conversations about 

value-based procurement, whereby 

the results are based on outcomes. 

For example, when we purchase 

insulin pumps for diabetes clients, 

we’ll carefully look at the needs of 

our clients and ensure we meet their 

demands rather than automatically 

opting for the cheapest pump.” SNB 

has implemented a range of innovative 

procurement strategies but it seems, 

in a lot of cases, you can’t underestimate 

the power of conversation and 

understanding the product or service. 

“We really consider our clients’ needs 

and requirements when procuring 

goods and services for them,” Laforest 

notes. “It’s important that we have these 

in-depth conversations, particularly 

when it comes to services. If you’re 

buying a service you may have more 

complex needs and requirements, 

so this dialogue is critical.” 

Procurement has proven to be at the 



230 

bedrock of SNB’s operations, ensuring 

that the organization can deliver the 

vital government services needed 

to keep the region ticking along. 

The function has a lasting impact on 

the people who provide government 

services, as well as an indirect impact 

on those who receive them. Yet, 

notably, the reverberations of SNB’s 

innovative procurement strategy can 

be felt by New Brunswick suppliers too. 

“We’re trying to support New Brunswick 

suppliers to become prosperous 

so they can successfully bid to the 

government,” Laforest explains. “We’re 

“We are trying to 

support New Brunswick 

suppliers to become 

successful so that they 

can successfully bid 

to the government” 

— 






trying to explain to them when we can 

give preference to a local supplier 

versus having an open tender, and why 

we need to do that to support our New 

Brunswick companies.” On top of this, 

SNB has shown a flair for supplier 

relationship management (SRM) 

through in-depth conversations, 

outreach programs and more. One 

such company that has worked closely 

with SNB is IMP Solutions, who were 

successful in winning a number 

of technology supply contracts with 

the Government of New Brunswick. 

“Currently, they hold four separate 

multi-year contracts of supply for 

technology goods, including data centre 

infrastructure and client computing 

equipment,” explains Laforest. “All of 

these contracts were awarded through 

competitive open tenders and support 

SNB service delivery to three main parts 

of government: core government 

departments, education, healthcare.” 


Renée Laforest 

Laforest obtained her Bachelor of Business Administration 

from the Université de Moncton and is a CPA CGA with 29 years 

of experience in the civil service. She began her career as 

an internal auditor at the Office of the Comptroller, then 

as a treasury officer in accounting services. She then 

moved to the Department of Health and held various 

roles in financial services, including the Executive Director 

role, and also the Assistant Deputy Minister of Health 

Corporate Services where she was responsible for financial 

services, construction services, health analytics, 

procurement, emergency preparedness and business 

technology. Laforest joined Service New Brunswick 

in June 2017 as Vice President of Strategic 

rocurement, and become responsible for 

Financial Services in the Fall 2018. 

231 



232 


$266mn 

Approximate 

revenue 

1990 

Year founded 

2,400 


of employees 

233 



Pulling back the 

curtain of complexity 

IMP Solutions is a leading “end to end” IT solutions company 

serving all of Atlantic Canada. As such, we work with a broad 

range of both public and private sector clients to provision, design, 

develop, implement, service and support IT solutions. This is 

accomplished through our various lines of business which include: 

Hardware/Software Fulfillment 

Professional Services 

Advanced Solutions (Networking and Cloud) 

Technical Services 

Managed Services 

IMP Solutions is proud to be a strategic procurement partner 

for the Province of New Brunswick. Through competitively 

secured supply arrangements, IMP Solutions provides both 

data center (storage and server) and endpoint device (desktop, 

laptop and accessories) technology to meet the Province’s 

business needs. 

Learn More +

Any business leader will tell you 

that the procurement sector has been 

a stomping ground for innovation lately 

and this hasn’t gone amiss at SNB. 

Laforest describes how the organization 

is in the midst of implementing 

a new enterprise resource planning 

(ERP) system. “We are investing in a 

new eERP solution for all of government, 

so we need to replace the HR 

management, financial, and procurement 

and supply chain systems,” she 

explains. This is further compounded 

by the group’s strategic sourcing 

platform used for health sector 

procurements, Bonfire. “Vendors use 

“I want to really 

add value for our 

clients so that they 

don’t see procurement 

as a roadblock but 

rather see it as a valueadding 

function” 

— 





it to submit their proposals and we 

do all our evaluations within the tool. 

It’s all automated and all our stakeholders 

have found it beneficial.” 

Looking at the wider procurement 

landscape, Laforest has seen an uptake 

in innovative procurement practices. 

This helps to encourage greater collaboration 

with vendors and promotes new 

ways of doing things. “I think the days of 

listing endless requirements for procurement 

processes are in the past,” she 

proposes. “In some instances, you may 

know that the business needs to buy 

a blue chair that’s a particular height, 

for example, and that’s easy to do. 

235 



236 


But when you’re not quite certain 

what the market has to offer then it’s 

important to have a process where 

procurement can be more open. For 

instance, you may say ‘I need a system 

to help me track health inspections’ 

and outline your requirements so 

vendors could bring forward unique 

suggestions. It’s fair and transparent 

and I think it brings about more 

successful outcomes.” 

SNB’s procurement success is far 

from coincidental. The crown corporation 

has put its weight behind a multi-year 

procurement integration and it is 

already reaping the benefits for both 

the government and its citizens. In the 

upcoming years, Laforest asserts that 

SNB will continue to spearhead leading 

procurement practices so that 

stakeholders can see the function is 

not a hindrance but rather, an enabler. 

“I want to really add value for our clients 

so that they don’t see procurement 

as a roadblock but rather see it as 

a value-adding function,” she affirms. 

237 


238 


LEVERAGING 

DIGITAL 


IN THE EVOLVING 

MINING SECTOR 

239 

WRITTEN BY 


PRODUCED BY 

RICHARD DEANE 


ANDRITZ 

Arthur Gooch, Director of 

Innovation, and Sohail Nazari, 

Business Development 

Manager of ANDRITZ, discuss 

the importance of innovation 

amidst a digital transformation 

in the mining industry 

240 

W 

ith a desire to establish a lead in the 

mining sector through innovation amidst 

a worldwide digital transformation, 

ANDRITZ, which provides industry-specific 

products and solutions for sectors including 

mining, has a history of setting the bar high. 

With the task of embracing the right technology 

to drive operations forward vital to growth in all 

fields, the mining sector is often considered slower 

to adopt new software. However, ANDRITZ remains 

determined to enable mining operations all over the 

world to bridge the gap between concept and 

production, facilitate operational readiness and 

stay ahead of the curve. The firm has made 

a significant impact in the mining space in recent 

years, winning the prestigious #DisruptMining 2019 

innovation competition through its disruptive 

Digital Twin technology capable of training artificial 

intelligence (AI). “It was a very exciting experience 

and a little bit surreal to win the competition. 


241 

1852 

Year founded 

10,000+ 


of employees 


ANDRITZ 

“ONCE WE BECAME A FINALIST, 

IT’S A SHARK TANK STYLE 

COMPETITION AND THE 

FINAL THREE GO ON STAGE” 

— 

Sohail Nazari, 

Business Development Manager, ANDRITZ 

242 

We couldn’t quite believe it,” says 

Arthur Gooch, Director of Innovation 

at ANDRITZ. “There’s a fair amount 

of pressure associated with the event 

so it all happened in a bit of a blur.” 

The competition, hosted by gold mining 

giants Goldcorp and now in its third 

year, had approximately 90 submissions 

from mining firms to showcase 

the technologies they have implemented 

to drive innovation in the sector. 

“It was amazing when we were on the 

stage,” adds Sohail Nazari, Business 

Development Manager of ANDRITZ. 

“It’s vital that you spend a lot of time 


CLICK TO WATCH: ‘ANDRITZ CORPORATE VIDEO’ 

243 

ensuring that everything on your 

application is correct.” 

The competition is whittled down 

until three finalists remain. “Once we 

became a finalist, it’s a Shark Tank 

style competition and the final three go 

on stage,” explains Nazari. “They pitch 

their ideas to the judges with 500 

people watching in the audience. It’s 

fair to say it’s a high-pressured event, 

and the stakes were really high, but 

after we were announced as the 

winner, we all felt a massive relief and 

were incredibly satisfied.” 

Having impressed the judges with its 

dynamic simulator, IDEAS, the tool is 

now enabling operations across the 

sector to reduce risk and experience 

considerable cost savings. The 

software is considered the leading 

dynamic simulator for oil sands 

operations in the north of Canada 

and for hard rock mining operations 

worldwide. Gooch explains how 

his company is utilising Digital Twin 

software. “The first physical model is 

like a software wrapper for all of the 

engineering equations that we know 

define each piece of equipment,” he 

says. “For example, if we have a pipe, 


ANDRITZ 

244 


we know that there are correlations 

between pipe geometry, surface 

roughness, the pressure across the 

pipe as well as the pipe’s flow rate. 

Those equations, alongside those for 

every other piece of equipment, get 

embedded into objects in the model in 

a graphical format. This allow us to 

connect them together, and it means 

that when someone wants to figure out 

what is going on in the plant, it’s not a 

matter of solving a number of equations. 

Instead, it’s setting the conditions 

and the operating points – like the 

positions of valves and the set points 

of controllers – enables the simulation 

to replicate the behavior of real 

running equipment.” 

“Engineers make mistakes like 

everyone else in life. However, when 

you build the simulation model, you 

actually go through all these designs 

Dr. Sohail Nazari, BDM 


Dr. Sohail Nazari has worked in various industries including 

automotive and oil and gas. His current focus in ANDRITZ 

is to develop the business of applying advanced automation 

technologies in mining and mineral processing. He was one 

of the instrumental contributors to the ANDRITZ team 

that just won first prize in the Goldcorp/Newmont 

Disrupt Mining competition with IDEAS Reinforcement 

Learning Artificial Intelligence. His areas of expertise 

include design and implementation of advanced 

process control, intelligent condition monitoring, 

Digital Twin and machine learning algorithms. Dr. 

Nazari holds a patent on developing a model 

predictive control algorithm for power optimization 

in data centers. He received his PhD from University 

of Alberta, Canada, Department of Electrical 

and Computer engineering in 2013. 

245 


ANDRITZ 

246 


“THE FIRST PHYSICAL MODEL 

IS LIKE A SOFTWARE WRAPPER 

FOR ALL OF THE ENGINEERING 

EQUATIONS THAT WE 

KNOW DEFINE EACH PIECE 

OF EQUIPMENT” 

— 

Arthur Gooch, 

Director of Innovation, ANDRITZ 

247 


ANDRITZ 

SEPARATION 

MAXIMIZED PRODUCTIVITY 

WITH ANDRITZ INTELLIGENT 

FILTER PRESSES 

ONE STEP FURTHER IN DIGITALIZATION 

With ANDRITZ filter press technology and 

Metris addIQ control systems, you are 

prepared for the challenges of digitalization 

and IIoT – all to the degree that 

fits your individual needs. Metris addIQ 

control systems combine all our extensive 

operation, troubleshooting, and start-up 

experience in one tailored automation 

solution. With the broad portfolio of scalable 

automation solutions, applicable for 

a wide range of purposes (e.g. predictive 

maintenance, process monitoring, troubleshooting, 

long-term trending, etc.), 

ANDRITZ is your full-service provider for 

filter presses. 

www.andritz.com/metris-addiq

249 

Arthur Gooch, 

Director of Innovation 


Arthur is responsible for product development 

at ANDRITZ. A mechanical engineer by 

training, most of his career has focused on 

process automation projects for the mining 

and pulp and paper industries. From his 

background in control system configuration 

and commissioning, he now directs the creation 

of artificial intelligence and simulation 

technologies for industrial control. 


ANDRITZ 

250 


and it allows you to ensure the design 

is going to work. It highlights any 

mistakes that are made,” adds Nazari. 

“We build the model, validate the design 

and ensure that it includes all the 

concepts on physics, chemistry, 

control systems, metallurgy, or 

whatever the plant is for. It’s all there. 

Then, we make sure that the design will 

work under different scenarios before 

we connect the model into the control 

system, even before the plant is built.” 

Following its success, Gooch affirms 

that ANDRITZ continues to take 

innovation seriously to avoid complacency 

and ensure it differentiates itself 

from rivals. “It’s a constant process of 

trying to review the technology we 

have and look at how we can take new 

strides with the things we couldn’t do 

yesterday.” Reflecting on his company’s 

achievements, Nazari affirms how 

teamwork has been key to ANDRITZ’ 

endeavors. “This success definitely 

comes down to teamwork,” says 

Nazari. “The things that we are 

accomplishing in our division, with 

regards to AI at ANDRITZ, are made 

possible by the leadership culture in 

place to support this and help push for 

innovation. We are passionate and we 

251 


ANDRITZ 

252 

“I BELIEVE MANAGERIAL 

PRUDENCE AND CAUTION 

ARE CERTAINLY KEY TO 

ENSURING SUSTAINABILITY” 

— 

Sohail Nazari, 

Business Development Manager, ANDRITZ 



253

ANDRITZ 

are one team working together to 

innovate – it is so important.” 

With sustainability considered a key 

pillar at ANDRITZ, Gooch points out 

how crucial it is that, despite success, 

the company doesn’t take on more 

projects than it’s capable of delivering. 

“I believe managerial prudence and 

caution are certainly key to ensuring 

sustainability,” he says. “We’ve 

experienced a tremendous flurry 

of activity; however, we have had to 

be quite deliberate and restrained 

regarding how many people we 

approach. At some point, we could 

potentially run the risk of making 

promises that we simply wouldn’t 

have the resources to execute in 

the agreed timescale.” 

Looking to the future, Nazari aspires 

for ANDRITZ to become the default 

provider of Digital Twin technology in 

mineral processing and pulp and paper. 

“With our well established process 

254 


simulation technology, ANDRITZ is 

becoming a natural frontrunner of this 

innovation and is being considered as 

a pioneer in the use of real time Digital 

Twins for optimizing the process and to 

better monitor the conditions from the 

process point of view,” explains Nazari. 

“The plan for the next few years is to 

continue to push innovation through 

more showcases, and we’re going 

to undergo a large evolution of how 

the mineral processing and pulp and 

paper is going to work. We’re going 

to automate and then optimize as 

much as possible. This is what we 

at ANDRITZ have at the forefront of 

our thoughts.” 

255 


IN TODAY’S 

HYPERCONNECTED 

WORLD, THE RIGHT 

CONNECTIONS 

ARE EVERYTHING 

TRANSFORM YOUR BUSINESS 

WITH SAP ARIBA 

Capitalize on the relationships 

that add the most value to your 

business and streamlining 

processes for a fast-paced 

business environment. 

Learn more at: ariba.com 

THE BEST RUN

Business Chief USA July 2019

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?