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THE SOUNDS OF SUMMER OUR BIG VENUE MUSIC FESTIVAL BUCKET LIST FOR 2023
JAZ DÉCOR 10 YEARS OF BOLDLY BRINGING INTERIOR DESIGN FORWARD
SEAFOOD, SCENERY, SOCIABLES & SONG ATLANTIC CANADA’S SMALL VENUE MUSIC FESTIVAL BUCKET
WILD ORCHID FARM MADE IN NOVA SCOTIA WITH LOVE
CANADA’S OCEAN PLAYGROUND Discovering Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island & Eastern Shore
IN THE SPOTLIGHT BEN MURPHY CEO OF MURPHY HOSPITALITY GROUP & WHITECAP ENTERTAINMENT
AIDACA MEDIA Publication
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Editor’s Spotlight The Summer Music Festival season is just around the corner. In what has become an extremely competitive and growing market, organizers battle each year for superstars and up-and-coming artists to headline and perform along with your hard-earned money at music festivals across North America. We have done the research, on the artists, venues, and reviews, analyzed the data and put together our Big Venue Music Festival Bucket List for the Summer of 2023. Jaz Décor might not have anything to do with music or performing in front of thousands of fans but for company owner, Jasmine Patterson, that doesn’t mean that her talents and skills don’t take center stage and spotlights her passion for interior design and creating bold and beautiful spaces for her clients. Speaking of spaces, our Canada’s Ocean Playground journey crosses the Canso Causeway into Cape Breton Island spotlighting the Cabot Trail roadway as we explore and discover the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Bras d’Or Lake, and the many local communities along the island’s rugged coastline and waterways before making our way back to the mainland to the Eastern Shore with its own historically themed attractions, authentic fishing communities, and its amazing beaches. With any journey, it’s not about where you start, but where you finish that counts. Owner of Wild Orchid Farm, Ashley Armsworthy’s entrepreneurial and personal journey, could not be more relevant to that statement. Ashley explains how if you follow your passion and have a solid plan your path will take you where you should be, doing what you love. With a busy tourist season just around the corner, many businesses, commu- nities, and events get ready to open their doors and gates. We share our must-attend Maritime small venue music festivals for those looking for smaller crowds when coming to enjoy some Maritime hospitality and lifestyle and some of the best Seafood, Scenery, Sociables, and Sounds the East Coast has to offer. Maritime hospitality and making memorable experiences for customers is what the Murphy Hospitality Group & Whitecap Entertainment has been built on since 1980. Ben Murphy, CEO of Murphy Hospitality Group & Whitecap Entertainment gets ‘in the spotlight’ to talk about Whitecap Entertainment’s inaugural Sommo Festival and how they’re building off the success of the Cavendish Beach Music Festival and what festivalgoers can expect from their newest offering. As always, my team and I want to thank everyone that made this issue possible, and we look forward to sharing more stories about growing industries, suc- cessful businesses, and brands, while spotlighting the people behind and in front of making it all happen. Lee Ann Atwater Editor
MANAGING DIRECTOR Rod Gregg EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lee Ann Atwater COMMUNICATION, RESEARCH & ADMIN Kate Davis EDITORIAL & PROJECT MANAGERS Gabrielle Gamblin Tristyn Gaudette
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Karlee Atwater Diane L.M. Cook
Shannon Ferguson Deborah Jaremko Dan Monk Ryan Myson Jordan Parker Teresa Siqueira James Snell Elizabeth Spencer SOCIAL MEDIA Troy Gregg GRAPHIC DESIGN
Aaron Jeffrey Syeda Sukaina
WEB DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT Joe Uttaro PUBLISHER AIDACA Media
P.O. Box 35007, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3M 0G3 E: info@spotlightbizmag.com spotlightonbusinessmagazine.com
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WILD ORCHID FARM MADE IN NOVA SCOTIA WITH LOVE What’s in the Spotlight ON THE COVER THE SOUNDS OF SUMMER OUR BIG VENUE MUSIC FESTIVAL BUCKET LIST FOR 2023 78 72
03 EDITOR’S SPOTLIGHT 04 WHAT’S IN THE SPOTLIGHT 08 HEADLINES IN THE SPOTLIGHT 10 UPCOMING EVENTS 24 HEARTLAND PETROCHEMICAL COMPLEX Opening New Doors for Recyclable Canadian Plastic 28 CONTRACTOR’S CORNER Gut Instincts: Dealing with Uncertainty 34 ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE Improved Transportation Corridors Could Help Boost Canada’s Energy Exports 67 ENTREPRENEURIAL INTELLIGENCE Quick & Dirty prep list for Home Staging Success 112 HOME INNOVATION Climate Change and Your Home 120 GUILTY CHOCOHOLIC MAMA Moms are the holders
People often say that it is not where you start your journey but where you finish it that counts. When we spoke with Ashley Armsworthy, founder, and owner of Wild Orchid Farm, and learned of her entrepreneurial and personal journey, that state- ment could not be more relevant. Armsworthy explains how if you follow your passion and have a solid plan your path will take you where you should be, doing what you love to do.
The Summer Music Festival industry is an extremely com- petitive and growing market as festival organizers battle every year to get the best superstar, iconic and up and coming artists to headline and perform at the music fes- tivals happening across North America this summer on both sides of the border. We have researched the artists,
venues, perks, and reviews both personally from our team and from festivalgoers to find what we think are the best of the best and worthy of your hard-earned money to attend with our Big Venue Music Festival Bucket List for 2023.
SEAFOOD, SCENERY, SOCIABLES & SONG ATLANTIC CANADA’S SMALL VENUE MUSIC FESTIVAL BUCKET LIST With the busy tourist season just around the corner, many events, businesses, and communities get ready to open their doors and gates to festivalgoers this summer. These are our must-attend Maritime music festivals for 2023 as Canada’s East Coast gets ready to welcome local residents and visitors alike to come and enjoy the East Coast Life- style and some of the best Seafood, Scenery, Sociables, and Sounds the Maritimes has to offer this summer. 92
CANADA’S OCEAN PLAYGROUND DISCOVERING NOVA SCOTIA’S CAPE BRETON ISLAND & EASTERN SHORE
JAZ DÉCOR 10 YEARS OF BOLDLY BRINGING INTERIOR DESIGN FORWARD
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT BEN MURPHY CEO OF MURPHY HOSPITALITY GROUP
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From a young age, Jasmine Patterson had an interest in interior design. Her personal and entrepreneurial journey might have taken her from the bright lights and big cities of Ontario to small-town Nova Scotia. But as Patter- son explains that although scenery might have changed her passion for interior design and creating bold and beautiful spaces for her clients has not. As a designer and businesswoman, Jasmine is extremely proud of what she has accomplished over the last decade and is very excited about what opportunities are in store for her as she and her family settle in and plant roots in Bridgewater.
Our journey through Canada’s Ocean Playground crosses the Canso Causeway into Cape Breton Island which is said to be one of the best islands in North America. Traveling the Cabot Trail roadway, you can explore and discover the Cape Breton Highlands National Park and Bras d’Or Lake along with the many other places along the island’s rugged coastline before making our way back to the mainland to the Eastern Shore with its own historically themed attractions, authen- tic fishing communities, and its amazing beaches to get the most of your journey through Nova Scotia this summer and beyond.
The Murphy Hospitality Group has been making mem- orable experiences for customers since 1980 when they opened their first restaurant. Forty-three years later with Ben Murphy at the helm as CEO for their restaurant, hotel, beverage, and entertainment divisions, they have never lost their focus and now look to bring their experience in these industries together with their inaugural Sommo Festival this summer in Cavendish. We had an opportu- nity to sit down with Murphy to learn about this industry leader and what people can expect from Whitecap Enter- tainment’s newest festival this summer.
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A IDACA MEDIA understands that small and medium size enter- prises and businesses are key to the successful growth of any economy and just as important as big business- es to the global economy as a whole. By putting a spotlight on your business, organization or community with effec- tive and interactive media and advertis- ing we will help you capture the interest of business leaders and potential clients, giving you an opportunity to promote your brand and grow market share through mobile, online, print and social media support, helping your business connect and stay engaged with your customers.
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HEADLINES IN THE SPOTLIGHT
APPLEGREEN ELECTRIC ANNOUNCES NEW US CEO Applegreen Electric, a leading Electric Vehicle charging network, announced the appointment of Holly Angell as CEO of the US division of Applegreen Electric. Angell is an experienced global executive with an impressive 25-year track record in retail and energy sectors, particularly in North America, Austra- lia, and Southeast Asia. In this role, Angell will lead the US team to grow its presence and build on the success thus far in establishing universal fast charging across the Applegreen Electric network and seek out new opportunities across the US as the shift toward electric driving accelerates, transforming the way in which we commute. Currently, Applegreen Electric operates and hosts EV charging in nine states in the United States across the Applegreen network, providing rapid universal EV charging to customers while also ensuring they have access to high-quality facilities and popular QSR brands. Applegreen Electric considers economic, environmental, and social responsibility an integral part of its corporate philosophy and understands the contribution Applegreen Electric can make toward a more sustainable future by being an integral part of the DCFC infrastructure across the US.
JADE EXPANDS SERVICES WITH THE OPENING OF ITS NEW CANADA OFFICE Jade, a premier advisory, software services, and managed services company since 2003, announces expanding its global presence in North America by opening a Mississauga Office. Jade’s services include business application implementations, integrations, software product engineering, cloud services, tech- nology advisory, testing, and managed services. Jade’s presence in Canada since 2019 and its growth are a testament to its commitment to delivering value to its clients. Jade’s Canadian expansion will provide top-notch IT Services to the Mississauga market with domain expertise in various industries, includ- ing healthcare, life sciences, high-tech, energy, retail, manufacturing, and the public sector. Jade opened this office due to more businesses, investments, and resources in the country. Jade worked closely with Toronto Global, a team of experienced business advisors assisting global businesses to expand into the Toronto Region “As we celebrate Jade’s 20th anniversary in 2023, we will continue providing technology excellence with our footprint in Mississauga. Expanding our presence in one of Canada’s premier technology hubs is a great pleasure!” – Karan Yaramada, Jade Global Founder & CEO.
SARCOS ANNOUNCES INTERIM PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
ADAPTHEALTH CORP. PARTNERS WITH HUMANA ON VALUE-BASED CARE AdaptHealth Corp a national leader in providing patient-centered, healthcare-at-home solutions including home medical equipment, medical supplies, and related services, has entered into an agreement to become the capitated provider of durable home medical equipment and supplies to Humana Medicare Advantage HMO members in 33 states, plus the District of Columbia. AdaptHealth’s agreement with Humana, which features a value-based pricing model replacing traditional fee-for-service, is expected to cover at least one million members. “We are delighted that Humana has partnered with AdaptHealth to help its members achieve their best health at home,” said AdaptHealth CEO Steve Griggs. The value-based agreement covers Humana’s Medicare Advantage HMO members in the states of: Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wis- consin, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Con- necticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, California, Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico.
Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation, a leader in the design, development, and manufacture of advanced robotic systems, solutions and software that redefine human possibilities, announced the appointment of Laura Peterson as its interim presi- dent and chief executive officer, effective immediate - ly. Peterson will replace outgoing president and CEO, Kiva Allgood. Peterson, who currently serves on the Sarcos Board of Directors, brings an extensive understanding of the strategic considerations and challenges associated with complex, technology-intensive global industries. Her career and corporate board experience span multinational industrial, high-growth technology, and transportation sectors. During her 22-year Boeing aerospace career, she held a series of executive positions and served on the Exec- utive Leadership Team of three Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) CEOs, as well as BCA Airplane Pro- duction and Supplier Management, BCA Strategy and Boeing International. She was frequently tapped to lead on priority and emergent areas of high strategic and financial importance to the company. Her most recent role was Vice President, Business Development for China, Boeing’s largest commercial market.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
AGRIEXPO August 16th – 17th, 2023
CANFITPRO GLOBAL CONFERENCE AND TRADESHOW August 16th – 20th, 2023 Metro Toronto Conven- tion Centre | Toronto, ON Canada The International Fitness and Club Trade Show offer you the opportunity to learn from subject matter experts and connect with other fitness professionals from across the globe. Canfitpro has the world’s best events for fitness professionals. Combining great opportunities to obtain continu- ing education with networking and world-class trade shows, these are events you do not want to miss! Whether you are picking up Continuing Education Credits (CECs) for recertification, attend - ing to upgrade your education or to network, Canfitpro events have something for everyone. For more information on this event go to https://www.canfitpro.com/
LAS VEGAS MARKET SHOW July 30th – August 3rd, 2023 Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture | San Francisco, CA USA Las Vegas Market Show is the only home furnishings market in the west. It is unarguably the fastest-growing gift home decor market in the nation. Las Vegas Market specializes in Furniture and Gifts in Home Furnishings & Home Textiles industries. It has dedi- cated casual/outdoor and house- wares/gourmet showrooms and shows spaces. Las Vegas Market offers efficient access to furniture, bedding, lighting, flooring, acces - sories, and gift resources as well as signature west coast introductions on an easy-to-shop. For more information on this event go to https://www.lasvegasmarket. com/en
Centre E.& P. Sénéchal Center | Grand Falls, NB Canada AgriExpo will welcome thousands of farmers and industry profes- sionals to Grand Falls, showcasing indoor and outdoor exhibit space. Attendees will be able to meet local and international agricultural equip- ment suppliers, enjoy a variety of educational presentations and take part in networking events. This event will cover all facets of agricul- ture with a particular focus on the potato which is the main crop in New Brunswick. Potatoes NB is one of the event’s presenting sponsors and will be one of the speakers at the event. It will offer visitors a variety of free educational lectures. Visitors will also have many oppor- tunities to network with colleagues, associations, government, and suppliers, including a networking reception after the first day of the show. For more information on this event go to http://agriexpo.mpltd.ca/
CANSEC May 31st – June 1st, 2023 EY Centre, Ottawa | Ottawa, ON Canada CANSEC is Canada’s Global Defence and Security Trade Show and has been held annually in Ottawa since 1998 by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI). CANSEC has always been a great success, and CANSEC 2023 will once again showcase lead- ing-edge technologies, products, and services for land-based, naval, aerospace, and joint forces military units. CANSEC is also a one-stop shop for first responders, police, border and security entities and special operations units. This two-day event is the largest and most important defense industry event in Canada. For more information on this event go to https://www.defenceandse- curity.ca/CANSEC/
CURVE NEW YORK July 30th – August 1st, 2023 Javits Center | New York, NY USA Curve New York is the leading trade show platform in North America for intimate apparel and swimwear. The show focuses on creating business relationships and sharing experiences between worldwide brands and buyers from the Americas. As the #1 B2B event for the intimate apparel industry is back at the Javits Center! Curve, a division of Comexposium, welcomes you with opportunities to create new business, discover upcoming designers, network, and attend special events. This edition of Curve New York will offer a global mix of 150+ brands showcasing their Fall and Winter 2023 intimate apparel and activewear collec- tions, as well as merchandise for immediate deliveries. For more information on this event go to https://www.curve-newyork. com/
LASERFICHE EMPOWER 2023 May 31st – June 1st, 2023 Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center | Long Beach, CA USA Empower is the premier digital transformation conference for technology and business leaders focused on enabling a future of innovation. Network with a global community of 4000+ technology and business leaders and learn how to build more digitally driven, automated, and intelligent enter- prises while you discover the latest tools and trends. For more information on this event go to https://event.laserfiche.com/ event/420d315e-d3f5-4f84-b4cb- ac5c24d578b9/summary
WANT TO HAVE YOUR EVENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT? Send an email 4 weeks in advance to production@spotlightbizmag.com with all the details of your event.
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in the spotlight
CEO OF MURPHY HOSPITALITY GROUP & WHITECAP ENTERTAIN- MENT by Lee Ann Atwater BEN MURPHY T he Murphy Hospitality Group has been making memorable experiences for cus- tomers since 1980 when they opened their first restaurant. Forty-three years later with Ben Murphy at the helm as CEO for their restaurant, hotel, beverage, and entertainment divisions, they have never lost their focus and now look to bring their experience in these industries together with their inaugural Sommo Festival this summer in Cavendish. We had an opportunity to sit down with Murphy to learn about this industry leader and what people can expect from Whitecap Entertainment’s newest festival this summer.
Photos Courtesy of Whitecap Entertainment
Spotlight on Business: Tell us a little about yourself, your hobbies, and what you like to do in your spare time for fun when you are not working if there is such a thing. Ben Murphy: I grew up in the hospitality industry. So, it should be no surprise that most of my hobbies, and friends have come from that. I enjoy playing and watching sports, I go to yoga, and definitely enjoy some of our PEI Brewing and Colliding Tides beverages on the weekends with friends and family. I am a huge lover of music and have always been
into music festivals, it’s definitely a passion of mine. I am always up for a concert or festival, whether it’s seeing a small show at a local estab- lishment in town with my wife, Alley, or if it involves us traveling somewhere for a concert or taking in a music festival aboard. Traveling is also something that we like to do, so when we can combine both travel and music well that is a win for sure. Spotlight on Business: What is your role at Murphy Hospitality Group? BM: Murphy Hospitality Group is a family
“I grew up in the hospi- tality industry.”
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Photos Courtesy of Whitecap Entertainment
business. My parents started the company in 1980 with one restaurant. Interesting fact, I was the first employee of the Cavendish Beach Music Festival in 2009 with Jeff and Cara Squires. So, for several years, I wasn’t working directly with the family business. I’d work with the CBMF in the summer and would travel during winter and did that for a number of years. Then in 2014, I decided to come back to the restaurants as part of MHG and ran our restaurant division for seven or eight years, before taking over as CEO when my father, Kevin Murphy, semi-retired in December of 2021. As CEO of Murphy Hospi- tality Group, I am essentially responsible for all four divisions of our businesses. This includes the operation of our 16 restaurants, three hotels, the Nordic Spa, the PEI Brewing Company, and of course, Whitecap Entertainment, which does
Spotlight on Business: The Murphy Hospitali- ty Group is a leader in the hospitality industry that started 40 years ago with one restaurant and now has multiple world-class restaurants, a catering division, hotels, a brewing company, and an entertainment company with now two major annual festivals. Why is it important to occupy all these sectors of the industry when most only focus on one? BM: It all comes down to our motto for MHG, which has been the same for over forty years and that is to always be trying to create mem- orable experiences. So that’s what all four divi- sions throughout the company try to do every day. I don’t think there’s anything more memora-
ble than us bringing world-class talent to PEI, where people have the opportunity to see some major music superstars and world-class acts, but also give up-and-coming artists and local talent the opportunity to showcase their talents with festival goers and share the stage and brush shoulders with some of the best in the industry to learn from the experience as they develop as artists and performers.
“I was the first employee of the Cavendish Beach Music Festival in 2009”
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From a fan’s perspective, when you have 60,000 plus people coming through the gates, every year, except for covid, for the past 14 years, you really have the opportunity to create that con- nection with these people. The CBMF is a big part of people’s summers. So, we want our fans to have faith in the festival, that we’re going able to land some big talent but in addition to that also have something for everyone, from Bluegrass to Country Rock. Plus, festivalgoers can tailor their experience once on the festival grounds. If you want to come put a chair down and relax for the day, and just hang out and listen to your favorite artists perform, maybe check out a few of the local or up-and-coming artists on the Colliding Tides Kitchen Stage, there’s that opportunity. But you can also be upfront in all the action at the Bell Main Stage, shoulder to shoulder as the artists perform, or something in between. The festival and grounds are designed to make this a memorable experience for everybody.
Photos Courtesy of Whitecap Entertainment
“It all comes down to our motto for MHG, which has been the same for over forty years and that is to always be trying to create memo - rable experiences. So that’s what all four divi - sions throughout the company try to do every day.”
For festival goers or our customers in general our brands all complement each other to create memorable experiences for people. The pandemic and current economic conditions have changed what people want from an experience. Whether it’s a dinner at one of our restaurants or and stay at one of our hotels or a day at the spa or maybe just having an adult beverage with friends, especially these days, I think, people are looking to make that human connection. They want the in-person outing, whether it’s a trip somewhere for a music festival, or just going out for dinner and drinks with your partner, it seems to be more important these days, but I also think people are doing less of it, which makes the time and the money that they do spend on these experiences, more important. That is why our goal is to try to create something that you’re going to be talking about for years.
Spotlight on Business: Most of our readers are familiar with the CBMF from our interview with Jeff Squires and feature on the CBMF back in 2016. How has the event evolved since then? How has Whitecap Entertainment been able to continue to make CBMF a must-attend North American country music event considering the increase in music festivals that are now available for country music fans to attend? BM: The event has evolved so much since it started in 2009. Back then it was more or less a festival that was held in a farmer’s field in Cav - endish, for about 6000 people. Today, with the success that we’ve had, and having the ability to significantly invest in the development of the festival grounds, with a permanent stage and additional infrastructure on-site to elevate the festival goer’s experience.
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We want you to feel confident when booking your trip to Cavendish that you can expect the best possible talent and that is not something that we take lightly and also something that we’re always striving to do better. Yes, there is a lot more competition than back in 2009. And that affects the talent that is avail- able for these events. But because of the rep- utation that CBMF has developed with the fans, we’ve also developed that as well, with the artist
and agencies out of Nashville. We have 50 to 60 artists a year at the CBMF. So, once we get them here, they have such a great experience and a great time on PEI not to mention the amazing crowds and energy that comes from a show that artists are reaching back to us and saying. I think it’s time to come back and play again. So that’s very rewarding because these artists have the opportunity of playing at venues all over North America and the world, but they are choosing us. Now it goes without saying that money, schedule,
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and a lot of other stuff need to line up. But it’s definitely easier to attract the talent that our fans expect today than it was in 2009. Spotlight on Business: Now for 2023, we see a new event for Cavendish, PEI with the inaugural Sommo Festival in July. Given Murphy Hospitality Group’s business focus a brand-new music and culinary festival featuring two days of music, food, and drink in Cavendish, seems a no-brainer. But we also know that a lot goes into these events so when did you decide to move forward with a second festival for Cavendish and why now? BM: Over the years, especially since the investment in a permanent site in Caven- dish, our goal has always been to have more than one event per year. But more importantly, working with all stakeholders to find the right kind of fit for a second major event at the site. The pandemic obviously gave us more time to brainstorm what we wanted this event to look like and spotlight.
“We want you to feel confident when booking your trip to Cav - endish that you can expect the best possible talent and that is not something that we take lightly and also something that we’re always striving to do better.”
We have so many fantastic producers, farmers, breweries, and distilleries along with world-class creators using these amazing Atlantic Canada products and we thought there was an opportunity to highlight all of these and really make them part of the festival. Don’t get me wrong, nothing against a good hotdog, hamburger, or slice of pizza but people are looking for maybe a little bit more of an elevated experience. So, we really want to highlight the amazing products from Atlantic Canada. Now there are so many amazing products here in this region that it’ll take us a couple of years to kind of get to where we want the full festival experience to be but to get it off the ground this year is super exciting. Once the focus of the festival is created then it comes down to what artists can we book for this type of event. We always joke that takes four or five years of offers before we can lock down and artists sometimes and we’ve been talking about Mumford and Sons through the years for all different types of things. And it just lined up this year, so we jumped on it with them. And I just them along with Maggie Rogers is the perfect entrance for some headliners for the Sommo Festival and then we’ll be able to build the food and drink thing around that. I think people are going to be very excited to come through the gates. And hopefully, there are lots of new fans that come to Cavendish to check it out this year. Spotlight on Business: Festivalgoers have come to expect excellence in entertain-
Photos Courtesy of Whitecap Entertainment
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ment and experience since 2009 with the CBMF, how do you plan to recreate that experience at the Sommo Festival? BM: When we designed the site at Cavendish, we decided we wanted everyone to enter at the top of the grounds through the main gate. That way when you come in, you overlook the stage, and you can see the beach and the water so that will not change so you will have your amazing views of Cavendish. The Sommo Festival will have two fully pro- grammed musical stages similar to the CBMF for artists to perform as one stage goes dark the other will kick on. There will also be a full-on culinary stage, which will be operating as well when the main stages are dark. Showcasing food demos, cocktail demos, and oyster demos, with celebrity chefs and some musicians may be popping up and doing some fun stuff also. So, it’s going to be a different feel. Plus, we will offer a couple of Chef focused upscale food vendors on-site with additional local beverage options to what you might find at the CBMF to help elevate your experience. Soon we’ll be highlighting who will be on-site and what will be available for purchase. Spotlight on Business: How many are you expecting and what kind of experience can those going to Sommo Festival expect for this inaugural event? BM: I have been asked that question a lot over the last few months since we announced the Sommo Festival. I will be honest it is always a little bit of a crapshoot your first year. Weather can make a huge difference in attendance, espe- cially for a new event. Based on ticket sales, I’d say we’re expecting between 10 and 15,000 a day for the Sommo Festival, which was our goal for the inaugural event. Considering the first CBMF had about 6000 people through the gate each day, we’re all pretty excited about these numbers. Plus 10 to 15,000 is a really nice crowd for the site. It will allow people to move around and try different foods and drinks and take in all that the festival has to offer plus it will give us the opportunity the review the festival goer’s experience and use that feedback to build off
for future years. Spotlight on Business: Now we have to ask. Since you have had amazing success with the CBMF and the country music genre what switch that up with another event that focuses on the rock and alternative genres? BM: We’ve done a lot of research over that last number of years, and the rock genre has always come up as that next big market behind country, and then the pop genre behind that. It also gives us more flexibility moving forward with the festival, but not limiting ourselves to one genre there is always something for everyone between the two stages at the festival. Honestly, the research has pointed us in that direction. Plus, when we were offered the opportunity to have Mumford and Sons as one of our headliners for the festival, we jump on it as that was a no-brain- er and something that we had been working towards for years now. I know that you can’t tell us but we have to ask, are more events in the planning to include additional festivals in Cavendish for fans of additional genres in the upcoming years? BM : We continue working with all the stakehold- ers in and around Cavendish because it’s import- ant to launch any festival for this area of any area for that matter the right way, and that is what we are doing with the Sommo Festival to prove that another festival can work in Cavendish. And then we’ll look at what else will happen down the road. But for right now our main focus is to make the Cavendish Beach Music Festival this July 6th through 8th and the inaugural Sommo Festival July 14th and 15th a memorable event for all who attend.
Kane Brown
Jake Owen JULY 7th
Tenille Townes Chayce Beckham Ashland Craft CJ Solar Kalsey Kulyk Chris Stapleton JULY 8th
LOCASH Ashley Cooke Jade Eagleson Madeline Merlo Carolina East
Mitchell Tenpenny The Reklaws Megan Moroney Tyler Braden Alli Walker
JULY 6-8, 2023 | CAVENDISH, PEI | CAVENDISHBEACHMUSIC.COM
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“It opens up a whole other section of manufacturing potential and possibilities here,”
HEARTLAND PETROCHEMICAL COMPLEX
OPENING NEW DOORS FOR RECYCLABLE CANADIAN PLASTIC.
by Deborah Jaremko
C ontainers, plates, dishwasher pods, carpets, luggage, automotive plastics, medical equipment, cold weather clothing, beach footwear, flooring. These are just a few of the nearly endless every day products that are made with a recyclable plastic called polypropylene. Now they can be made with supply from Canada. After more than a decade of development and investment, Inter Pipeline Ltd.’s Heartland Pet- rochemical Complex near Edmonton is now in full operation producing polypropylene directly from locally sourced propane. Brendan Curley, the company’s vice-president of petrochemical operations, is excited about the opportunities this brings to expand Canada’s economy. “It opens up a whole other section of manufac- turing potential and possibilities here,” he says. “It takes us one step further down that integrat- ed value chain in terms of taking by-products of oil and gas and turning them into something,
and to be more than just a producer that takes our raw materials and exports them.” Petrochemical production and plastic manufac- turing contributed a combined $93.6 billion to Canada’s economy and directly employed nearly 175,000 people in 2021, according to Statistics Canada data compiled by the Chemical Industry Association of Canada. Built with more than 25 million hours of labour, the $4.3 billion Heartland project is the first in North America to combine processes at a single site to transform propane into polypropylene. That integration is expected to help the facility operate with 65 per cent lower greenhouse gas emissions than the global average, according to a study conducted by IHS Markit.
“We take propane and turn it into propylene then turn it into polypropylene all in one spot,” Curley says. This means less requirement to transport mate- rials between locations, and enables efficiencies like heat integration between plants, he says. The facility also capitalizes on the first step of the process – propane dehydrogenation (PDH) – itself. “PDH by its very nature taking hydrogen out of propane. We take that hydrogen, and we actually use it in our furnaces and burn it,” Curley says. “Using hydrogen as a fuel makes us more effi - cient in terms of our manufacturing process from an emissions perspective.”
““Using hydrogen as a fuel makes us more efficient in terms of our manufacturing process from an emissions perspective.” ”
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“Polypropylene production to have 65% lower emissions than global average.”
Lower emissions at the Heartland complex are also a result of using cogeneration technology, where recovered waste heat from operations is used to generate electricity. The world’s use of plastic products is growing and is expected to be a main driver of demand for oil and petroleum liquids even in the most aggressive emission reduction scenarios. Industry and petrochemicals consumed 20.5 million barrels per day of petroleum liquids in 2021, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). In the IEA’s net zero scenario, in 2050 this demand will still be 13.4 million barrels per day. But in its more likely scenario using the world’s current trajectory, demand will increase to 25.5 million barrels per day in 2050.
“When we talk about the decarbonization journey and [products] getting lighter and faster, these types of materials are very important,” Curley says. The Heartland complex is ramping up to capacity of producing 525,000 tonnes of pea-sized poly- propylene pellets per year, which can be shipped anywhere in the world. For Curley, the success of the project comes back to the support of the local community. “There are so many people who, whether they were out here doing something really important for one day or they were here constructing the whole project, it doesn’t finish without them and their hands being part of the work out here.”
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CONTRACTOR’S
GUT INSTINCTS: DEALING WITH UNCERTAINTY
by Dan Monk D ecisions are part of everyday life as we make hundreds of both per- sonally and professional on a daily basis and most of which are routine but from time to time you get the ones that take a deeper drive, but if you review all the facts and are still uncertainty then follow your gut.
edge you’ve built up over a lifetime and your gut instinct to make the decision that is the most aligned with yourself and your goal. Making decisions is part of everyday life. In business, entrepreneurs make hundreds of deci- sions on a daily basis and most of which are routine. A few are critical which requires more thought and consideration. It is the critical deci- sions in business and life where we should spend
the majority of our time and effort to ensure we make the most appropriate decision possible. Notice, I said the “most appropriate”, not the perfect or correct decision, because there is no such thing as perfection when it comes to making a decision. It is all about using the knowl- edge you’ve built up over a lifetime and your gut instinct to make the decision that is the most aligned with yourself and your goal.
A few are critical which requires more thought and consideration. It is the critical decisions in business and life where we should spend the majority of our time and effort to ensure we make the most appropriate decision possible. Notice, I said the “most appropriate”, not the perfect or correct decision, because there is no such thing as perfection when it comes to making a decision. It is all about using the knowl-
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As an entrepreneur, I consider myself an optimist, the glass as half full type of person. However, as an engineer, my instinct and teaching cause me to plan for the unexpected. I believe this makes me a “cautious optimist”, for lack of a better term. This does not mean that I make the best decisions every time, however, I do make a decision using all the information I have and a healthy dose of my gut feeling. The gut instinct was developed overtime through making lots of small mistakes, recognizing them, and moving forward and improves everyday leading us to improve our decision-making process overtime. Uncertainty comes in many forms: econom- ics, politics, inflation, recessions, competition, interest rates, and many more area. All these uncertainties pose different risks that we are bombarded with on a daily basis via social media, news channels, e-mails, and even conver- sations with friends and colleagues. It is import- ant to understand the source of the information that you are receiving, control what you can, and anything beyond your control should not take
up a lot of mental space. What I mean by this is that instead of attempting to alter or control the impossible, you should take these factors into account without spend much energy worrying about them.
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So, how does a person deal with uncertain- ty, especially in business? I find it best to keep it simple; start with the question you wish to answer, do light research, I make a list of things that can go right or wrong, then analyse your risk. You can do this by listing action items to improve your chances of a positive outcome effectively through efforts to limit the cons you’ve previous- ly listed. When we finish this process, hopefully there is a clear winner. When there are still too many unknowns or the risk is too great, you need to move on. If the risks can be managed and the rewards are reason- able, it’s GO TIME! Beware! One significant challenge that can arise is when you become too invested or emotional about any particular decision. You should know equally well when pull the trigger to get started AND when to call it quits. This can be crippling because moving on or moving forward requires a level of comfort with uncertainty. Nothing is 100% certain, regardless of the amount of research and planning. Learning to be comfort- able with a certain level of risk will allow you to make decisions more efficiently. With time and hitting milestones, you will become more com- fortable with the process and your risk tolerance may increase. The key is to work towards not being afraid to make these imperative decisions as it will always allow you to focus on the project you are fully committed to pursuing. Risk is different for each individual and the cir- cumstances surrounding them. When you can’t afford to lose, it is difficult to play the game. It causes stress, makes you question your gut, and overthink every detail and, unfortunately, often results in “analysis paralysis”. You’re frozen because you continue to analyze and seek cer- tainty which will likely never come. You may know someone like this! After years of talking about starting a business or making an investment, they have yet to make the move. Sometimes this comes from contentment with their current sit- uation, it could be overanalysing of the endeav- our, or it may be their aversion to risk. There is nothing wrong with being risk averse, it is not for
everyone. In business, as in life, often your gut is the best indicator of what you should or shouldn’t do. Of course, analysis of the numbers is helpful to validate a decision, too. Sometimes, if you truly believe, when the numbers don’t work initially, you can make them to work with a few tweaks. Be creative and opportunistic. But we cautious with this as you don’t want to see the numbers with rose coloured glasses and be too optimistic as this is more like a taking a gamble which is not the best way to run a business… or your life for that matter. If it doesn’t feel right, it likely isn’t. I truly believe we have a gut instinct for a reason. It has allowed us to survive on this planet for thousands of years so use it to your advantage when making deci- sions and verify it with the numbers. Life is too short to keep holding onto some- thing that just will not work. Pushing a square peg into a round hole is not fun and never works. There are lots of great ideas our there, just keep looking and find something that works for you and your risk tolerance level. Thank you for reading my thoughts! I hope that one word or phrase helps you as you take on a world of uncertainty and make tough decision more easily.
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“I would say to our leaders, we need to start thinking globally and acting locally”
ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE
IMPROVED TRANSPORTATION CORRIDORS COULD HELP BOOST CANADA’S ENERGY EXPORTS
by James Snell and Deborah Jaremko
C anada’s prairie provinces have signed an agreement that could benefit energy trade with other countries. Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba entered a memorandum of understanding in April to improve western Canada’s interconnected road, rail, air, energy, and port corridors. The long-term goals include expanding the West’s export-based economy, strengthening the region’s global market participation, and building relationships with international trading partners – several of which are calling on Canada to speed up liquefied natural gas (LNG) develop - ment. “The perception of Canada’s trade infrastruc- ture by customers abroad has plummeted,” said Carlo Dade, director of the Trade and Investment Centre at the Canada West Foundation, which worked closely with the provinces to support their efforts. Internationally, Canada dropped from a top 10 supplier a decade ago to ranking number 32nd in the World Economic Forum’s 2019 Global
Competitiveness Report, he noted. “The decline in our global trade infrastructure stems from our inability to manage development of trade infrastructure. Our unwillingness to move LNG is added on top of this to give Canada two black eyes,” said Dade. Goods and services trade accounted for around 65 percent of Canada’s GDP in 2020, according to the Government of Canada. Good reason to improve transportation corridors for even greater efficiency said Dade. “Trade pays for health care, education, and keeping the lights on,” he said.
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The agreement between the prairie provinc- es provides a new platform to advocate mutual interests at the federal level. The vision of building nationwide connected cor- ridors to transport any number of commodities including oil, gas, hydrogen, forestry products, fish, and manufactured goods has been cham - pioned by many, including Indigenous business leader Chris Sankey. “This is good news for prairie provinces, and I’m hoping British Columbia will come on board,” said Sankey, CEO of Blackfish Enterprises, and former elected councillor of the Lax Kw’alaams First Nation near Prince Rupert. “For us to start working together, I think it’s important that Indigenous people are at the table.” Indigenous communities are the solution when it comes to building economic activity in their ter- ritory, said Sankey, adding that Indigenous par- ticipation to improve transportation corridors creates an alignment that can de-risk projects. “I would say to our leaders, we need to start thinking globally and acting locally,” he said. Canada’s challenges delivering energy to interna- tional customers are raising questions about its ability to supply other commodities, said Dade. Canada has yet to deliver a single LNG export shipment, while the global LNG sector thrives. The U.S. has become one of the world’s largest
LNG exporters. In 2022, Germany signed a 15-year LNG supply deal with Qatar after German chan- cellor Olaf Scholz ended a visit to Canada without a commitment on LNG supply. “We currently cannot have rational conversations about moving energy in this country, partially because we have those conversations in isola- tion,” said Dade. “Each transport project, each sector, each bottleneck gets its own conversa- tion. In a country with integrated supply and pro- duction chains where everything impacts every- thing else.” According to the latest industry outlook, global LNG demand is expected to exceed 700 million tonnes by 2040 from its 2022 level of 397 million tonnes. The growth is driven by emerging Asian economies seeking to curb emissions by reducing reliance on coal-fired power. Canadian LNG is expected to have among the world’s lowest emissions per tonne due to a colder climate, lower methane emissions from natural gas production, and the use of hydroelec- tricity to power operations. In February, representatives from Japan and South Korea stressed that Canada should accel- erate LNG development, saying “the world is waiting.” “Canada can and should play a very important role to support the energy situation not only in Japan and South Korea, but the world,” said Yama- nouchi Kanji, Japan’s ambassador to Canada in a webinar hosted by the Canada West Foundation.
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