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Barb McGrath 0:01Are you ready for radio fun? It starts Friday, October 16 at 4pm and ends on Friday, October 23 at 4pm. This year, we’re looking to raise $20,000 to reach our 20 for our 20th anniversary, which is next year, donations of $50 or more will receive limited edition gifts and every donation of $25 is entered in a draw to win one of two special prize packages at the end of the radio THON. And I know some of those gifts so you want to make your donation. Celebrate local voices and culture by streaming, tuning in and pledging your support to 91.3 FM CJ tr Regina community radio, visit cJ tr.ca to check out our new website. And for all the details onto our show. Today’s guest is no stranger to the entrepreneurial scene. She’s done some work for the assiniboia Gallery here in Regina, which was originally founded back in 1979. She followed that work with she followed that work with hilberg and Burke here in Regina. And now she’s with connexus. And she’s responsible for the customer experience. So when you think about how your experience with any business, how it touches you, that’s what this lady is charged with looking after. So she’s got a huge portfolio. So Mary, I’d like to welcome you to the show. Mary Weimer is the chief experience officer officer at connexus. And she’s going to talk about her role in supporting that thriving entrepreneurial culture. Welcome, Mary, thank you so much for being here. Mary Weimer 1:42Well, thanks for having me, Barb. It’s a pleasure to talk to you today. So I guess yeah, like a little bit about myself. I grew up in Regina, I’ve lived here my whole life. After finishing my degree at the U of R, I got a job working for the original owners of the assiniboine Gallery. So john and Monica Kurtz, also a long, long time, Regina family and worked for them for about a year and then talk to them about taking their business over and buying their business at that time. My husband and I were not yet married, but we ended up getting married a few weeks later. So we actually always celebrate the anniversary of the gallery. And then right after the adverse our wedding anniversary, Barb McGrath 2:28Your wedding anniversary. Always interesting. Most times you see you know, somebody will get married and then they go into business together. Yes. But you guys went into business together and then still actually got married. It doesn’t work too well. Mary Weimer 2:42I always sort of think like we met. We both worked at the Y so our, our jobs, you know as high school and university students. We were lifeguards at swimming instructors at the YMCA. So I’ve always just kind of talked, you know, chalked it up to we started our relationship as co workers. That’s great. So that so that was just like a natural thing for us. And so we worked together, running the gallery well today. But since about 2010. I have worked at Hilberg and Burke, and then now at conexus. So it’s been about 10 years where my day job so to speak has not been in the gallery. Barb McGrath 3:24Yes. So was there an impetus for you that made you think you know, I want to do something a little bit different that led you to hillberg and burke led you to connects us? What was that driving force? Mary Weimer 3:35Yeah you know, my connection to Rachel Melky at Hilberg and Burke really started right around the time that I first owned the gallery, one of the first things that I did in early 1999, was get a membership with women entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan. And at the time, Rachel was a university student, and she worked part time in the office. And so it was early on in when I was first a member and I have a very distinct memory of being invited to an awards dinner. I don’t remember which one it was. But Deborah Needham, also from women entrepreneurs at the time, invited me to come and sit at this table, and Rachel was there and a few other people. And that was the first time we met. And then just over the years, watched as she did her business kind of from the you know, kitchen table, and then really started to grow it and then I distinctly remember when she left her full time job at women entrepreneurs, and went into business full time for herself and the whole Dragon’s Den, and I just kind of was watching that and then as it would happen, our businesses physically are located really close our galleries on Smith, her original sort of yellow houses on McIntyre. So you know, we’d see each other at things and Just always kind of like they would come to openings. And I just kind of followed along with the the journey and I have always been just really interested in business in general. The Art Gallery business is a wonderful business to be in. Because it’s you deal with great customers, you deal with interesting people who are artists, Barb McGrath 5:23And passionate people Mary Weimer 5:25That are so passionate about what they do exactly like on both ends of it buyers and makers. And really like hilberg and Burke is very similar. Barb McGrath 5:36Oh, absolutely. Mary Weimer 5:37It’s all, you know, the design aspect and the creation. But I definitely just had this desire, I knew the gallery, the gallery is not a business that’s necessarily like a scalable business, we’re not going to have multiple locations across the country, we’re not, you know, it’s it’s a very good local business. But that was really not the case for for H and B. And I always thought, you know, if I ever go and work

Barb McGrath 0:00Are you ready for radio THON? It starts Friday, October 16 at 4pm and ends Friday, October 23 at 4pm. This year, we’re raising $20,000 to reach out to reach our 20th anniversary goal, which is next year, donations of $50 or more will receive a limited edition gift. And every donation of $25 is entered in a draw for one or two. Sorry, one of two special prize packages in the radio fun. Celebrate local voices culture and streaming, tune in pledge your support. Regina community radio cannot exist without your support. Alright, let’s move on to today’s show. Our guest today has been working in the egg and food industry for a number of years providing management and leadership services and experience. She comes with a wealth of experience. So much so that she’s even been asked to sit on advisory committees for entrepreneurs around the province. So Adele Bittner is joining us today. Welcome, Adele. Adele Buettner 1:06Thank you. Barb McGrath 1:07It’s a pleasure to have you here. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your business. Adele Buettner 1:13I’m excited to be here. Thank you for the invitation, Barb. Well, I started my business in 1993. We’re going on to our 28th year and I just I don’t know where the time has gone. Yeah, it’s just flown by. I guess when you like what you do Time goes Barb McGrath 1:28By fast. It That is so true. Adele Buettner 1:31Yeah. And I was raised on a farm just a few minutes east of Saskatoon. So I’m from an agricultural background, but kind of had the best of both worlds. You know, my family, they were entrepreneurs. And they farmed about five minutes from the city. So we lived in the country, although I went to school in the city, when we had all in the city and we play ball in the city and had music lessons in the city. So you know, although we lived in the country and had that experience of, of knowing how to grow food and how to farm life, it we we also feel very much like we were a part of the city too. Barb McGrath 2:04So do you live in this city now or still rural. Adele Buettner 2:07I lived in the country until about 10 years ago, and I live in Saskatoon now. Barb McGrath 2:12Okay, so in the city now, you know, it’s interesting, I married into a farm family. And so same thing I had the city experience growing up, we chose home for me, and my husband grew up on a farm out near Humboldt. So our experiences were really different. I want to say the things that he could get away with as a kid, or especially as a teen, there was no way we could get away with some of that stuff. Yeah, in this city. So it is it’s a different experience right from the classroom, the school the sport. Absolutely. So agribusiness communications, tell me a little bit about the services you provide to your customer. Adele Buettner 2:48It was kind of the core of our of our business plan. And then that project work where people or organizations needed a job, you know, that had a start and a finish date done. That was just a contract work. We were interested in that. So that’s how we looked at our secondary part of our business. So Association management, we almost call that as our retaining clients. And then project work was the balance. And now over the last few years, we’ve seen a bit of a shift where we still provide Association management in agriculture and food. New a lot of project work, like we do everything from developing recipe books to doing media training, to doing focus groups or logo design. So it’s really evolved. As our industry is changed and some of the needs change, we were able to adapt and continue to through COVID. Barb McGrath 3:45Well, you know, isn’t that true? Because I think as we come out of COVID, or as we continue in COVID, businesses who have been able to adapt, seem to be doing okay, businesses were their platform relied on that, you know, face to face in person, they have had a much more difficult time. And of course, all of these new protocols impact them at a much higher level. So I presume that you were probably able to move a lot of your work in business online, zoom, Google meat, Skype, all those sorts of technology. Adele Buettner 4:18Well, for sure, we were able to move quite a bit of our business online. But certainly some of our business, you know, is no is is deferred for a year or longer because there’s no internet, right? There’s no need to face events. And although if you’re able to emulate some of the learning online, we haven’t really mastered the networking yet. Barb McGrath 4:40Yeah, it’s not the same. Adele Buettner 4:42That’s a face to face. Barb McGrath 4:44It is Yeah. Adele Buettner 4:46So we have moved a lot of our programs online. We’ve also introduced some new programs and the thing that we’ve really been focusing on and strategizing is aligning ourselves with other areas of expertise that we don’t have. Okay. So, you know, looking at, we recently launched an HR division, where I’ve brought in a number of HR experts that are independent consultants that, you know, as, as we work through with our clients, and people who have, you know, called upon us to help with strategies. And if you’re needing HR expertise, I have a bank of people that we can call. Barb McGrath 5:25That you can draw on. Yes, right. So so so how big is your business? Is it primarily you and you work with some subcontractors when needed? or What does it look like? Adele Buettner 5:35Well,

Barb McGrath 0:01Wow, just wow. Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s radio fun. The volunteers, the donors, the businesses, everyone. Thank you. From the bottom of our microphones here at 91.3 FM CJ tr, we could not do this without your generous support, the station would not exist. Today’s guest is just a little more than familiar with cleanup. From spills and messes with a family of five to property restoration caused by water, fire, mold, and biohazard. This lady and her business show up when we are at our worst. We’re going to talk today with Diane Beauchamp. And she’s the owner of pure oil clean here in Regina to tell us her story, where the business came from, and why she decided to get into this type of business. So Diane, welcome. Thanks, Barb. Dianne Beauchamp 0:59I’m glad to be here. Barb McGrath 1:01It’s a pleasure to have you here. So I know we’ve cut you first thing in the morning, kids are still in the background, they haven’t headed off to school. So you and I are both locked in our spaces that have our conversation. And inevitably, it’ll either be a free guest that comes to join us or a shoreline that comes to join us, right? Dianne Beauchamp 1:19Absolutely. One or the other, Dianne Beauchamp 1:22In passing coffee. Barb McGrath 1:25Equally important. So tell us a little bit about yourself and your business. How did you get started? What made you decide that you wanted to get into a restoration business? Dianne Beauchamp 1:37My husband and I have been researching franchises for well over a year. We’ve been looking into anything from this like disaster restoration right through a bakery. So it was Oh, wow. That’s kind of where we’ve narrowed it down to the idea of waking up in the morning and making bread for people and making them happy, made me happy. And also the idea of being able to facilitate and help and walk people through some difficult times. That also appealed to both of us. So my background is human services. My background is mental health. I’ve done work in in both those fields with a customer service specialty. My husband’s an engineer, he’s a hydrological expert. So he is his jams, Water. Barb McGrath 2:29Water. He’s all about the water. Yeah, he knows water. Dianne Beauchamp 2:31Yeah, water pipes, how they how water flows. So about a year ago, actually, it’s October. So about a year ago, we were wheels up ready to go with your claim took us a while to get there. Unfortunately, life happened, only happened. You know a bunch of stuff happened. And things were put on the back burner. Until about February where we were able to go and get our certification. So Greg got hit in January, myself and our project manager who’s actually my brother, okay, well, who has a background in human services. He worked at Cosmo for a while but he’s also got a background in construction. So you know, it really is a family run business. We left for Florida in February and spent a month there getting all of our international certifications UK we got back the end of the month, went to les Lethbridge for some extra training. And very literally, while we were in Lethbridge, the second week of March the entire world shut down shut Unknown Speaker 3:39Down like it slammed closed Dianne Beauchamp 3:42The hotel we were in stopped taking people the they weren’t returning people away saying if you’ve crossed the border, like go sleep in the parking lot You can’t come in. It was Yeah, it was wild. We weren’t sure what was going to happen, how we were gonna get back and get functioning. And after some serious conversations we decided to to be wheeled up April 1 no matter what. So that’s, that’s kind of what we did. We haven’t looked back. Barb McGrath 4:08So because the business does restoration for mold and biohazards does your business have anything to do with COVID? Or is that it? You do? Okay, so tell me about your your services that would be to COVID because that’s something that’s so top of mind right now. Unknown Speaker 4:24It really is. It really is, um, one of our largest contracts that we have is actually working with loblaws out of the Gth at the global transportation hub. So they have a fleet of 40 trucks that roll in and out and their essential service they’re transporting food all across the country from Winnipeg to Vancouver. These trucks are not individually owned by the drivers they are owned by loveless with their shared vehicles. So that means that a driver can go from Regina to winter. To peg back to Regina, to swiftcurrent, back to Regina get out of the truck, somebody else gets in and they go Calgary, Vancouver, and back. So that’s local drivers in multiple trucks in multiple cities with different hotspots and different case loads. So we disinfect the trucks in between every shift in order to make sure that they are safe for the drunk drivers going back and forth. But then if there’s anybody who gets sick, if somebody gets sick, and they have to go get tested, we actually have the skills and the abilities to go and clean the vehicle to make sure that it is safe. And it’s not dominated because, frankly, people sneeze into their air vents and vehicles. Unknown Speaker 5:43Yes, Dianne Beauchamp 5:44They do. Like you can be the best person coughing into your arm, but you get in your car and you sneeze directly into that air vent? Barb McGrath 5:53Yes. So never thought about it that way. But that is such a good point. I’ve seen those videos where they show how a sneeze spread. Right? And and we’ve, when the kids were little we used to talk

Barb McGrath 0:00Today’s guest is the CEO and co founder of three farmers foods here in Saskatchewan. She’s joined us to share her story of CO founding a family business, not necessarily something that she always thought she would do. Yet, even as she talks about it, there’s something there that, you know, she admits maybe there was was something even when she was younger that she knew that it might come together. So three farmers is a Canadian brand that provides healthy, wholesome, plant based snacks. And I shared with our guests already that as I was preparing for today’s episode, I realized, Hey, I have some of that in my pantry. And I had never even made the connection. So welcome, Natasha. Natasha Vandenhurk 0:49Yeah, thank you for having me. Excited to be here. Barb McGrath 0:52Thank you. So tell me a little bit about yourself and of course, about three farmers. Natasha Vandenhurk 0:57Sure. Yeah. So I am from a family of six children. I’m in the middle. And I grew up in a farm in southeast Saskatchewan near a small town called Midale, my parents farms, all my life and my two brothers now carry on that farming heritage. So they’re both farming back home. I moved up to Saskatoon to take a business degree at the University of Saskatchewan here when I graduated from high school and I stuck here ever since. right out of high school. I joined estate planning company did a couple of years there just getting my feet wet in sort of office, corporate politics and settings. And, and then two years at university, I was offered this opportunity with these three farmers from down from my hometown. Natasha Vandenhurk 1:45So I jumped at it was an opportunity to get into business at an early age and sink my teeth into something I can really own. Barb McGrath 1:52Very cool. So talk a little bit about that because you co founded the company, but you were offered an opportunity. So how did that happen? Natasha Vandenhurk 2:00Yeah, so they were already looking. So these three farmers so Colin rose and grin, Ron MD and Dan Ben hurt who’s my dad, they have been introduced to an ancient oilseed called camelina. And it was being touted as a really great crop for growing in Saskatchewan, its climate, it was cold tolerant and drug resistant. And it has really unique properties to it from a functional standpoint. So high smoke point, it was cold pressed, it was all natural had these really lovely flavor tones and just really functional in the kitchen and healthy. It was high in omega three. Natasha Vandenhurk 2:31And so they were looking at for somebody to sort of jumpstart this company in this idea. And that’s how I was on boarded was to read life into this company and sort of create this demand stream for this new crop called camelina. Barb McGrath 2:45So that’s very interesting. So I’ve used camelina oil, and it also has some pretty significant health benefits. But it’s not an oil that unless you’ve gone looking, it might not be something that you’ve ever heard of. So is it one of your I’ll say top products, top sellers now or where does it fit in the product lineup? Natasha Vandenhurk 3:02Mm hmm. Well, it certainly carries our origin story with it. So you know, it’s it’s the opportunity that we saw to get into this space, this whole branded food manufacturing space, so so it was our entry point into the marketplace, but it’s it’s not necessarily the growth item for the brand today. Today, it’s our roasted chickpeas, green pea and lentil snacks that really carry the bulk of the revenue for the for the company and the growth that we’re experiencing now in the pulse based set. Natasha Vandenhurk 3:31But certainly, camelina holds a special place in our hearts. I mean, I can’t even imagine using any other oil in my kitchen. And, of course, we still carry it as part of a product line. So you’re right, it does have phenomenal health benefits to it. And it’s just a really, it’s an amazing product for people if they’ve done some research and done some reading on it, and like took it home. Barb McGrath 3:53Yeah, exactly. And I can’t remember how we stumbled on it. I was doing exactly that I was doing some sort of research at some point. And at the point in time that I did the research, it was still hard to find. So you couldn’t go into every grocery store and find it. So are you finding now that just about every grocery store is carrying it? Do you have a fairly significant sort of distribution network out there now, Natasha Vandenhurk 4:17With the camelina oil, it’slargely distributed through natural and specialty grocers. So you will find it in the whole foods of the world or here in Saskatchewan dad’s organic market, of course, specialty stores, and food stores. Our snacks are far more broadly distributed across Canada. So you will find those in all key accounts across Canada now. Natasha Vandenhurk 4:38More More broadly distributed, largely because people understand the nutrient benefits of pulses and they understand how to snack so play less education required and from consumers. Barb McGrath 4:50Yeah, exactly. Okay, so are all of your producers Saskatchewan based or Western Canada based or or how where do you Get your supply to be able to stop the market. Natasha Vandenhurk 5:03Yeah, sure. You know, one of the reasons that we started this company was to add value to Saskatchewan and Canadian grown products. And so we’ve really held true to that to this day. So yes, our camelina oil is contracted direct with farmers across Saskatchewan. And I think we actually had a couple in just across the Manitoba border this year. And then our pulses are all sourced from

Barb McGrath 0:01Our guest today likes to get her hands dirty. In fact, it teased her one time that she likes to play in the dirt. But she wants her products to take center stage in your living room. Kate Wah is the owner of fat plant farm here in Regina. And she’s going to tell us her story about how she decided one day to wake up and spend her days playing in the dirt. It kind of sounds like the dream job for my kids. But retail is tough. And so we’re going to hear from Kate how she’s been able to cope over the last number of months with COVID. But how she’s also been able to build a thriving business. And I’m hoping she’s going to talk a little bit about the success she’s had on Instagram. Because if you haven’t been to her Instagram channel, you need to go, her Instagram channel will leave you running to the plant store to stock up. So, Kate, welcome. Thank you for being here. Kait Waugh 1:01Thanks for having me, Barb. Barb McGrath 1:02It’s a pleasure to have you here today. And tell us a little bit about yourself and how you decided that. Yeah, you wanted to have a plant store. How did that all come to be? Kait Waugh 1:13Okay, I have to say it’s been quite a slow journey. Just Just being the person that I am not a big risk taker. So hey, we’re like coming to I guess, create this plan shock was a little bit of Yeah, an uncomfortable journey for me. I went to school in Saskatoon and graduated from the College of Agriculture with a plant science degree. Unknown Speaker 1:42So I know that Kait Waugh 1:44Yeah, I didn’t have any intentions of starting my own business. I was going to graduate and just, you know, have a career within that field. And I did that for a few years, of course. And that was just kind of my idea of success, that pressure of graduating from university, and then being able to, I guess, have a career in that field was my goal. Okay, of course, got married, and we’re kind of we were living in Saskatoon, my husband and I had a baby at that time, was working within my field. And right before my maternity leave was up, my husband got a job back in Regina. So we moved to China. And I discovered you know that the stay at home mom life wasn’t for me. I was really itching to get back into the work field. Yeah, man that was a little bit more challenging. Finding a job in Regina that kind of fit in my career are kind of in my field. So I actually got a part time job working at a flower shop. I just wanted to do anything related to plants, of course. And after a while, like lots of my university, part time jobs were working outside in the parks. So when an opportunity came to work with the city of Regina, outside in our horticultural field, I snapped that up and began kind of this seasonal job of course, Unknown Speaker 3:09Okay. Kait Waugh 3:11All the while I started kind of in Saskatoon, I started collecting succulents went to the farmers market, and I just became hooked. And that was kind of my my happy place. So moving to Regina, of course, had my house plants. We bought a house with a lot of Windows. I knew I had that in mind that I was going to be you know, just growing my plant collection. Absolutely. Yeah. And so I began Yeah, that seasonal job with the city of Regina, I would get laid off in the fall. And then what really brought me joy was just focusing on my houseplants. Okay, you had mentioned my Instagram plants account. I had started that separate from my personal because I started posting a lot about my plants. And you know, some of my friends and family might not give a crap about what plants sprouted a new leaf so I thought I would just do a separate account and that was called fat platform. Oh, my actual boss with the city of Regina. I was just trying to come up with some ideas for a name of this account. And I love succulents. And in fact plant is a nickname for those nice chubby, succulent leaves pots. Yeah, yeah. And then I started growing a lot of my little own succulent babies in there and kind of with my ag degree, we just attached the word farm on to fat plant farm. Hey, that began my little online plant diary, I suppose. Unknown Speaker 4:35Got it, Kait Waugh 4:36Which you know, kept me happy. That leaves a lot of joy and nurturing plants. So during that winter being laid off. Yeah, I really just found a community online. On Instagram. I noticed that people started making their own concrete pots and I had dabbled back in that in Saskatoon just through a book that I picked up. So we had a heated garage. I was like, I might as well start, you know, too. You’re out in the grass over the wintertime and see if I could make my own pots just to how is my ever growing succulent collection? Exactly. So. So I always say it’s kind of that stereotypical story where, you know, friends and family see that and so you should start selling it. And, and then that’s kind of how it evolved into a little Facebook page. I remember clearly launching that sitting on my couch. And then just expecting you know, once you build your Facebook page, you just post something and someone will buy it. Barb McGrath 5:34And is that what happened? Kait Waugh 5:35Not really. it takes a little bit more work. But

Barb McGrath 0:00Wow, are we in for a treat today. Today’s guest joins us all the way from the North Pole. Fresh out of the workshop. He’s left the elves to attend to all of the last minute details. This is a very busy time of year for our guests today. He and the missus are working non stop so that the elves and Santa and Mrs. Claus can make this a magical time of year. Tune in today to learn about the business and of being Santa. Imagine a global entrepreneur successful from a small tiny destination at the top of the world. Tune in as we interview Our guest today. And here is the man himself. Welcome, Santa. It’s so wonderful to have you here. I can’t believe you had time to make. Make time to be here with us today in good old Saskatchewan. Santa 1:11I always have time versus catch 100 Christmas. Barb McGrath 1:17Merry Christmas to you, Santa. So Santa. Have you ever had a letter like mine that asked for an interview? Santa 1:28Well, there was one time I got one from your premier not too long ago. Unknown Speaker 1:33Oh, what Barb McGrath 1:34Did premier mo have to say? Santa 1:36Well based on what he was asking for I had to make him Mrs. Claus made him a stalking. Barb McGrath 1:43Oh. Santa 1:45And I need to drop it off later. 23 days, I’m gonna have to drop this off. And I’m gonna have to fill it up with something. Unknown Speaker 1:55Yeah. Barb McGrath 1:56I wonder why premier mo might having a stocking this year? Well, Santa, is it pretty common, though, to have some politicians on your naughty list? Santa 2:08Yeah, I always get some politicians, you know, this year. It’s been a crazy year, there’s been some craziness going all over the globe. And we’ve kind of just sat back. And you know, we want to be kind to everyone at Christmas. Time for everybody, including the politicians who are doing their damnedest best, better than others. Yeah, to get this crazy time we’re all living in. I am so glad that my business is at the North Pole. And we don’t have very many visitors. One or two scientists, they ever come poking around every once in a while. But Unknown Speaker 2:55Yeah, pretty well Santa 2:58Hidden. So they’re never finding us. Barb McGrath 3:00So Santa, does the North Pole have COVID? Santa 3:06No, we have no COVID at the North Pole. We’ve been even though we have no cases at the North Pole, where social distancing, we’re wearing masks. We’ve got rapid tests that we don’t have to pay for. Barb McGrath 3:25Oh, good. Santa 3:28We take it seriously. Because you know, me and my helpers, we’ve got to go all around the world in 23 days. So we need to be very careful with what we do. And we’re not going to wait. We want to be proactive and do what’s right for our business. Because as a small business with a global reach, we’ve got to make sure that we can deliver. Barb McGrath 3:53Absolutely. So that’s interesting. Santa COVID hasn’t made it up there. You know, I’ve heard some concerns from folks down here that what if Santa turns out to be a super spreader. But if you don’t have COVID, we would just worry about the reindeers catching COVID then, Santa 4:10Well, we’re worried about being a super spreader, because as you guys know, we have to go to every little boy and girls house. And that’s a lot. So we don’t want to catch it. And we don’t want to spread it sure that we’re doing the right thing all the time. Barb McGrath 4:30So Santa, is your magic gonna protect you on Christmas so you can still eat all those cookies and oranges. Santa 4:38Well, I really do look forward to Christmas because of all of that food that everyone leaves out for me. I spend 12 months of the year in our gym. We haven’t closed our gym at the North Pole because we’re COVID friendly. Unknown Speaker 4:55Yeah. Santa 4:56And we make sure that we’re being safe, so where our gym can stay open Because Lord knows I need 12 months of exercise jazz for the one night of the year where I have to eat everything that those boys and girls are leaving out for me. And I wouldn’t miss that for anything. Barb McGrath 5:13Good for you, Santa. I was noticing that you looked pretty trim. So it must be that Christmas night. All those goodies that you have that just adds up instantly for you. I’m guessing Santa 5:25Well, between Christmas Eve night and Mrs. Claus doing what she does the rest of the time I eat pretty good. So I need to have a good exercise plan. And part of that is a spray of disinfectant on every piece of equipment that I go to because meet between me and the elves. We’re all running around trying to do our thing because we got to get in shape and stay in shape. Because that one day the year is crazy busy for us. Barb McGrath 5:57Yeah, I bet it is. Absolutely. So what’s Mrs. Claus been up to what keeps her busy the other, you know, 11 months in 30 days of the year? Santa 6:08Well, I need to tell you guys a little secret. Because this is the secret life of entrepreneurs. Is Barb McGrath 6:14It not? Dad’s right. These are Secret Santa. Santa 6:18I’ll tell you a secret. You gotta keep it a secret. Barb McGrath 6:21Well, it’ll only be you know, you, me and our audience. No one else will know. Santa 6:27Okay, well, Mrs. Claus. She’s busy all the time. Because sometimes we’re not good listeners. And we need someone to keep us in line. You know, she makes us tremendous,

Barb McGrath 0:01Today’s guest has a very clear view of our community and her future as an entrepreneur. Growing up, Lisa was part of a family owned business. Sunday dinners, holidays and after school were spent talking about business. Her family volunteered, often visiting virtually any venue that was hosting an event or a fundraiser. It gave her a really good sense of what it means to give back and be part of something bigger. today. Lisa McIntyre is the owner of the optical shop here in Regina. Welcome, Lisa. Lisa McIntyre 0:37Great. Thanks, Barb. Thanks very much for being here. So tell me a little bit about how you became the owner of an optical business? Are you an optician? Or tell me how that happened? Well, I’m just about an optician. Now, I wasn’t before. And I wasn’t really familiar with the industry. Through my community work that you mentioned, I was approached by a mutual friend or contact I guess through the globe board, actually, that said, you know, we’ve heard about this business opportunity, we think it would be really good for you, we’d be happy to sort of pair you up with the owner and see if you guys can come to an agreement. And it just seemed like a good opportunity. At the time, I was working at economic development and tourism, Regina, and what I called a fun job. Because coming from a family business where it’s stressed and talking about business all the time, I didn’t have to do that at all, to economic development. So I was at a fun job. And I wasn’t really eager to leave. But it just happened to be the right opportunity. After looking at the numbers and the customer base and sort of everything around it, I thought this is really a good jumping off point for me as a solo entrepreneur. Barb McGrath 1:44Well, and so that’s really interesting. So you grew up in that family business environment. So obviously, that the business or the entrepreneurial bug really bit you, I saw an interview, or an article where you were quoted as saying, you know, you think you were always meant to be an entrepreneur? What what inside of you helped you make that decision? Like, how did you come to that conclusion? Lisa McIntyre 2:06Well, I just never worked well with bosses. So I shouldn’t say that I actually did work well with all of my bosses. But I just never felt like that was the place for me. And I tried a number of different careers, I worked at the retirement chamber, I didn’t stint in government, even working for my with my family, I didn’t sort of have sole control of where we wanted to take the business or want to do we are a team, which is great. But I really wanted to have that autonomy. And I’m a very independent person. And I have always been that way. So being entrepreneur just kind of fits the mold. And I like having the vision and being able to use my somewhat small creative side to grow a business, which is picking up more of my analytical side. Barb McGrath 2:50You know, and so that’s interesting. So tell me about the conversation in with your family, when you said, hey, guess what, I’m gonna leave the family business and start my own. How did that conversation go? Lisa McIntyre 3:00Well, it didn’t happen exactly like that we’d actually sold our family business the year prior, which is why I was at economic development. And I chose not to stay on with the beer corporation that had taken over. So it was more of a conversation around, we’re selling this 84 year old family business. And you kind of have to deal with that. And there’s a lot to process when you think your great grandfather started this company in the Great Depression. And look where you are now. So obviously, we did really well. But then when I approached my family about this new opportunity, going to talk to my parents about it, we looked at the numbers, and they just sort of thought, if you don’t take the chance when you’re in your 30s, like early 30s, when are you going to take the chance, it only gets harder later in life. So it’s all on my face before I have kids, it’s probably not as big of a deal when I have to support you know, a little mouse. Barb McGrath 3:52Exactly. No, that’s it. That’s a really good perspective. I didn’t realize that your family had sold their business that must have been, like emotionally a really tough thing, because as you say, 84 years, that’s a long time. Lisa McIntyre 4:04Yeah, it was really tough. And of course, we had a number of family members in on it and different perspectives and people wanting to retire. So pro sale, some people wanting to take over the business and people not really sure what they wanted to do. So it’s definitely a process. And I approached it more as a grieving process. So like I was, you know, losing a family member. Lisa McIntyre 4:25So rather than just trying to, like settle with we sold a business, it’s a little bit different. I think now I may approach it differently. But at that time, it really was like a little bit of a grieving process for me. So up until that point in time, had you sort of assumed that you would take a role in the family business at some point. Yeah, we had discussed that many times that there would be a transition to what would have been the fourth generation of the family. Lisa McIntyre 4:51But when you’re approached with an offer, yeah, you have to take a look at it and it just was sort of the perfect storm of having three parts.

Barb McGrath 0:00I’m excited to introduce you to today’s guest, a graduate of Luther College High School here in Regina. He started off as a plumbing apprentice. He had an idea, a passion, and a willingness to approach business differently. Taylor Weiss Gruber took a took it upon himself to do things differently. He’s the founder of Spartan mechanical, and he approaches business life and his customers with a friendliness outgoingness and straight talk approach that his customers have come to know like, and trust. Welcome, Taylor. Thank you for being here. Taylor Weisgerber 0:41Thank you, Barb. Thanks very much for having me. Barb McGrath 0:44Yeah, it’s a pleasure to have you here. So tell me a little bit about how Spartan mechanical came to be? Taylor Weisgerber 0:52Well, that’s a bit of a long story, Barton, it all started back in 2012. Taylor Weisgerber 0:58Maybe even as far back as 2011. To take him back into high school, I had a couple different options on my plate of what I truthfully wanted to do Unknown Speaker 1:07In Taylor Weisgerber 1:17Ran his own plumbing business, which I was fortunate enough to be brought into. I worked for him for two and a half years, it was probably the longest two and a half years of my life. Taylor Weisgerber 1:31Other people listening to the show might know exactly how well working for family can go over at different points in time. So after that, I had already started working on my apprenticeship to get my Red Seal endorsement. Taylor Weisgerber 1:45I worked for another business here in the city for another two and a half years, it was the best two and a half years of my life. And in the trade. I had received my journeyman certificate or a journeyperson for those concerned. Taylor Weisgerber 2:01After that point, I went out to Alameda for about eight months, and I worked in the plumbing and gas fitting industry out that way in a rural setting, to try and widen my horizons. At that point, I had come back to Regina, and I wanted something different. I wanted something for myself, not only for myself to be proud of but you know, a point that can grow myself as a person as an individual. And, you know, as the army would say, be the best that you can be? Barb McGrath 2:29Sure. So take me back even a little bit further. What when you were in high school, what made you think that you wanted to get into plumbing? Or was it simply that there was a family business there? Or was there anything until you got into it? How does that come to be? Taylor Weisgerber 2:45I never wanted to do plumbing. When I was in elementary school, I mean, you know, if you said what your parents did for work, you know, mom did this. My stepdad did plumbing. Well, that was the end of so many jokes. And at that point, it was what it was right? When I first started out, I was actually gearing towards going into the IT field or something more of a support specialist role. The one thing that I really attributes to my qualities is my ability to speak. Taylor Weisgerber 3:15And my ability to guide, I’ve got a real knack for being able to go in the back of my mind and lead people through certain issues. It’s really benefited both, you know, personally, as well as entrepreneurially. Barb McGrath 3:28Got it. Okay. Yeah. You know, and that’s not necessarily a skill that we would associate with a trade sometimes. And not that not that trades don’t require leadership. It’s just not a skill that you hear people talk about. So, you know, how have you approached the business differently? What did you see out in the field? I’m talking with my hands, what did you see out in the field? versus what are you doing now to actualize that change? Taylor Weisgerber 3:55The one big thing that I saw in the field is I’ve gotten a lot of colleagues and they do beautiful, amazing work, artistic work, or, you know, depending on the customer, they do it fast, they do it efficient, and they do it proper. The one biggest thing that I see in our industry is an undervalue of a person’s true value. Right. And that stems down to the leadership role. Yeah, the one thing I want to do is I want to develop great people, I want to make people the best that they can be. And in the truest sense of the word. I want them to do quality work, and Taylor Weisgerber 4:32Basically extend themselves to any customer, whether it’s ours when we get to that point, or whether they want to go out on their own to theirs. We want to provide a great experience. We want to build an idea of, you know, kind of a family mentality as much as you can in the business world, right. We want to build a support system for our future staff, but as well for our customers. Barb McGrath 4:55Yeah. And just based on our conversation that we had before we kicked off today. Barb McGrath 5:00You have some really long term visions for this business, this isn’t a five year make a bunch of money, you know, head to Hawaii kind of thing. This, you’ve got some really long term visions for this business. So can you talk a little bit about that? And where does that come from? Because not, not all business owners have that type of approach. Taylor Weisgerber 5:20Yeah, for sure. So the one thing is growing up, we didn’t have a lot growing up, we grew up just on the north north side of the tracks, Taylor Weisgerber 5:29Almost staying near in the thick of it. And so growing up, we got to see a lot of

Barb McGrath 0:00Our guest today has a very special skill, a mediator and conciliator at heart. Tim nickel is the owner operator of fifth business consulting consulting, for mediating family disputes to facilitating the development of business strategy. Tim has a knack for helping others achieve those Win Win solutions. He also has a very audacious vision, one that I suspect that we can all support, he aims to create a more ethical, resilient and highly developed global civilization. No one will accuse him of being short sighted. Tim, welcome, and thank you for being here. Tim Nickel 0:45Thanks for having me, Barb. I’m really pleased to be here. Barb McGrath 0:47Oh, you got to kick it in that introduction? You’re kind of smiling there. Tim Nickel 0:52Right. Yeah. forgotten that I’ve written that I was inspired moment. Barb McGrath 0:57Yes, we all need those whether it’s, you know, after some pops on Friday or after coffee in the morning? Absolutely. So Tim, tell us a little bit about yourself and about business consulting. Tim Nickel 1:09Yeah, sure. Um, yeah, so I’ve been a mediator for about 25 years. That’s, that’s, you probably have to know a little bit about my background, to know what that even means. Cuz there’s a lot of different kinds of mediators and that sort of thing. But I’m a registered psychologist. So I went through a graduate program and getting that sort of body of knowledge under my belt. And then I’ve just done a, a range of, of, first of all, mediation kind of work, victim offender work, that which is in the criminal justice system, victims and offenders of crime. And then, in private practice, and working a little bit as a psychologist, but but also as a mediator. And then increasingly, over the years, have worked in organizations. And then and then in public engagement. That’s kind of the track of what I’ve done. I still do a lot of mediation, some family mediation, and then workplace mediation, but I’m really moving into public engagement and multi stakeholder collaboration. So bigger picture, kind of things. Barb McGrath 2:16So tell me how that evolution might have happened. Because when I think, oh, bit of an echo there, when I think back to, you know, early in my career at a leader at one point who, who didn’t believe in a win win solution, he believed that if you mediated or conciliated, you’ve given something up. And so how has that evolved over the years to be now collaborative? Tim Nickel 2:44Yeah, that’s a really interesting point that you make, it’s it has changed in. So I got into this work in the in the 80s. And mediation as a, as a thing, as an organizational option, or as a program option was very new at the time. I mean, people have been talking and resolving conflict with a little bit of help from from somebody else forever. But but as an institutional thing, it only started in the 80s. And in a few pockets in the 70s. And it took a long time for for the community of mediators to convince the justice system or Family Lawyers or, you know, or civil litigators, that it was a good idea. And so there was a lot of promotion, a lot of explaining, but proof was in the pudding in the end it, it won over lawyers, the legal community has embraced it fully at this point, oh, rare lawyer that that thinks that it’s a better way to to litigate you, somehow you’re giving up, they’re realizing, and it’s a real simple economic principle that if you work together, you gain more off, you get more off the table. It’s proven. You know, it’s, interestingly, it’s john Nash, the guy from a beautiful mind, that movie, he’s the one who really proved it, that if you if you take a look at these things in a different way, that you can get more, both parties get more Unknown Speaker 4:10And like, Tim Nickel 4:12In addition to improving relationships, which has this long standing effect. It’s happened over time. And it’s and it’s around in the, in the 2000s, when, like, after the 90s, it started to really take take hold the better option for people. Barb McGrath 4:31So when I think then about mediating, you’re trying to create a better solution for all so when you’re working either in organizational mediation or, you know, within within a business, what would that typically look like? What what’s the service you actually provide? Tim Nickel 4:52Okay, so it really is responding to problems, human problems in organizations. And so the problem can take lots of forms. And sometimes mediation is the right way to go and other times more of an organizational development thing. So if you go right back to that, that initial heady statement about civilization and all that, really what I’m, what I’m looking for is growth and development in whatever way that needs to be. So that’s if there’s a common thread through it all, that’s what it is, at times, that is simply about bad feelings toward one another between two employees. Tim Nickel 5:25So they’re having a, having a hard time supervisor doesn’t have the capacity or the or the background to do that kind of work, they don’t prefer it, or they’re involved themselves. And so they ask somebody from the outside to help out. Okay, conversation. So that’s one kind of thing. But it might also then be that the whole place is having troubles in workplaces of 30, or 50. And the whole place is, is really having a hard time with that with a negative culture or a toxic culture. And they need more in just discussions, they need to adjust their culture, they need to adjust their structure. And and so they need a bit of advice about that some development over time

Barb McGrath 0:01Today’s guest has been a part of her family business. Literally since day 140 years in Knight Archer insurance here in Saskatchewan opened their first location 40 years ago. They’re celebrating this year, and it’s a big year for them. The President and CEO Tracy Archer Has the President and CEO, Tracy has, of course, been in that family business right from the very beginning. And she’s got a really good perspective on leadership, finding balance for family. And as a single mom, she needs to make time for kids just to make sure that everything stays in check. Welcome, Tracy. so pleased to have you here. Tracy Archer 0:48Thanks, Barb. Barb McGrath 0:50So tell me a little bit about some of those early days. What like what spurred the creation of the business 40 years ago? Tracy Archer 1:00You know, the business actually began with my mum and my uncle. So her brother began the business and my father was also there more in supporting role. And as he had his full time job, so he wasn’t the one actually, in the business full time doing all the work. So we actually started in our basement of our house. Barb McGrath 1:25Oh, wow. Barb McGrath 1:27There we go. That’s great. Tracy Archer 1:28So directly in our basement, and within six months, we actually moved into our location that we’re in still right now on Victoria Avenue East. Wow. Tracy Archer 1:38So that was for 40 years. Absolutely. Barb McGrath 1:43Any idea how many renovations you’ve gone through? Tracy Archer 1:47No. You know, we we’ve been in different spots, all within kind of the same same area. And then we’ve just expanded right? And over the years, we’ve, we now have the main level as well as the upstairs level all for a night Archer and, you know, just just adjusted as we’ve grown. So it’s been great. Barb McGrath 2:08Exactly. Wouldn’t it be neat to put up one of those pictures in the office that show, you know, kind of the office over the years, cracked down some pictures, because I’m sure your mom and dad or uncle kept them over the years. But that would be very interesting. Tracy Archer 2:23We have some really nice scrapbooks, actually, of all of, you know, a couple different years different people that we’ve had, and you know, in some of our growth, opening different offices, and it’s, it’s great to go back and look at some of those things that I really appreciate the history. Barb McGrath 2:39Yeah, absolutely. So you started in the basement of your house? How many locations do you have now? Tracy Archer 2:45Currently, we have 17 locations. So we have 14 locations in Saskatchewan to in Manitoba and one in Alberta. Barb McGrath 2:54Okay, and how do you find being out of the province? Is the insurance landscape quite a bit different outside the borders? Or is it pretty similar? Tracy Archer 3:03I you know, there’s there are differences. Certainly Saskatchewan and Manitoba are quite similar because they both have government auto insurance. So both STI and MPI in Manitoba, are quite similar in their approach. But certainly when we go into Alberta, where they do not have that government auto, it makes a big difference on how we approach insurance. Also the landscape and, and business is a little bit different in Alberta than it is in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Barb McGrath 3:33Yeah, and that sounds like almost any other time we compare the provinces there’s always those unique nuances, right? Tracy Archer 3:40Yes, absolutely. Barb McGrath 3:43So are you an only child? Is that why you ended up heading up the family business? Or? Tracy Archer 3:49I’m not I’m actually the youngest. Okay, sorry, oh, older brother, older sister, and my brother has worked in the business. Now for about 24 years, he has been part of the business. And James actually took the route of working a little bit more in our mortgage side of the business. And he moved into the corporate side of the business, but he’s also had a couple other interests that he’s been pursuing. So you know, he wants to kind of go on his his own path on doing few things. And so he stepped back a little bit more from a leadership role within the business and my sister worked a couple years in the university, but really since then, she has has done her own thing moved to Montreal, kind of set up shop there with her family and everything. And just recently in December, she actually moved back to Regina, but her husband works for us, and he’s been working for us for about three years work remotely from Montreal and we’ve been able to make that work and find a position that he can do remotely. So it’s cave is our first remote worker before everything else happened. Barb McGrath 5:00So to test it a little bit, you know, that’s interesting, because I often wonder that about family businesses when they’re siblings. And you know, how does that all sorted out? Or does it usually sort itself out? Barb McGrath 5:14Because can’t imagine that the tension or the dynamic that it would create when you’ve got two siblings, you’ve kind of both gearing to head up a company. So when you started, you talked about your mum and your uncle, was there kids on his side as well that were active in the business? Tracy Archer 5:31No, there hasn’t been but there are five, my mom has five kids in her family. So for siblings, all of them have worked in the business, as well, as we have had probably, I want to say at least six or seven of my cousins, some aunts and uncles from either side. So it’s truly been a really big family endeavor. Not just my own family, in terms of my parents, but the