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C8 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday July 25, 2001 Business To reach this section call 845-3824 Fax:337-5567 Aagaard new CEO at PCL Packaging PCL Packaging has appointed A. Kim Aagaard as President and CEO, succeeding William A. Swinimer, who remains Chairman of the Board of Directors. Aagaard joined PCL in February as President, COO and Director. The company has recently embarked on a major expansion pro gram and has just completed a series of asset acquisitions that have dramat ically increased capacity and product range. "I am looking forward to building on the platform so well established under Bill's (Swinimer) leadership," said Aagaard. "The company is in an excellent position to grow and deliver real value for our customers' packag ing dollar. While it is a difficult mar ketplace, we have 500 talented and dedicated employees ready and able to meet the challenge." PCL Packaging Corporation manu factures packaging and film products from seven locations in Canada and the U.S., including Oakville, where the firm's head office is located. HTN now listed on CDNX H T N Inc. (HTN) form erly Consolitech Invest Corp. now has its common shares listed and posted on the Canadian Venture Exchange (CDNX) as a Tier 2 issuer under the newly issued stock symbol ^HET" . HTN will be a reporting issuer in O ntario, A lberta and British Columbia. Since its inception in 1994, HTN (Ontario) Inc. (Health Transaction Network) has achieved rapid sales growth through a com bination of organic growth and strategic acquisi tions and now has over 1,700 medical providers using its products, with over 1,200 of these providers already connected to the com pany's Health Transaction Network. In addition, HTN has a contractual agreement with a supplier of DOS-based soft ware to approximately 4,000 physi cians, to have these users converted to H TN's W indowsTM based product HEROTM (H ealthcare Electronic Resources On-line). "In order to accelerate our acquisi tion strategy outlined in our business plan, HTN intends to pursue addi tional investment capital through pri vate placement and/or public offer ings and becoming a CDNX public company will help us accomplish this goal," said Gary Babcock, HTN President. "As well, the com pany's shares can now be considered as a form o f currency and can be used to facilitate customized acquisition pro posals." Babcock said recent announce ments o f funding for development of a pan-Canadian healthcare informa tion network, HTN is well positioned to become an important player in the process. HTN Inc. is a medical/healthcare information technology company and software support organization, which pioneered the use o f on-line health care transaction networks in Ontario. Its HEROTM product provides computerized automation to medical offices, clinics, hospitals and other medical facilities. ZENON hires new vp Z E N O N E nvironm ental Inc. is pleased to announce that Upen Bharwada has joined the company as vice-president of Membrane Technology, effective immediately. The primary responsibilities of this role include management of ZENON's membrane manufacturing and mem brane related research and development initiatives. Prior to joining ZENON, Bharwada worked for The Dow Chemical Company for 17 years in a number of technical management and business development functions. In his most recent position, he was vice-president of research and development, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of The FilmTec Corporation, a whollyowned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company in Minnesota. The Film Tec Corporation is also the world's largest producer o f reverse osmosis and nanofiltration spiral wound membranes. Bharwada holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. degree in Chemical Engineering, as well as an M.B.A. in Marketing/International Business. ZENON's products and services are marketed for a variety of municipal and industrial applications through ZENON's offices and representatives located throughout the world. Additional information is available at the com pany's website www.zenonenv.com. Cheryle Challe: providing somethint out of the ordinary. Photo by Brent Foster Write Impressions caters to special niche market By Nancy Alexander SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Flowery cards with sugary verses may be the tick et to pleasing your granny on her birthday, but they don't do a thing for Cheryle Challe, owner of Write Im pressions, an upscale stationery shop in the heart of downtown Oakville. Challe is a firm believer that if the person or the occasion is important enough to warrant a card, surely it's not too much trouble to include a personalized message. The long rows o f cards that line a wall o f C halle's sunny and inviting shop feature beautiful art, illustra tions and photography and almost all are blank inside. "Fifteen years ago, it was hard to sell a blank card," says Challe. "But people have become more sophisti cated these days, especially in larger urban markets." That is exactly the custom er Challe has been going after since she opened the first of her four shops almost four years ago. She knew she didn't want to do "the traditional niece and nephew card thing" . Challe's shop reflects her commitment to seeking out the distinctive in cards, stationery, giftwrap, home accessories and giftware. Her customers, she says, are likewise looking for something a little out of the ordinary, whether they're putting together funky loot bags for a birthday party, choosing a hostess gift, or simply treating themselves to something special such as one of her luxurious woven throws made famous in Kennebunkport. Write Impressions will also do custom printing for any type of invitation, and the shop recently began car rying a line of stationery from Crane, the prestigious U.S. firm that produces the W hite House stationery. Challe says she knows that her customers represent a small, niche market and that 85 percent of people still buy their cards in drugstores. But despite that, the business is growing-- the most recent addition being a large, new store in the Bay view area o f Toronto. "I see my customers come to the cash desk with handfuls of cards. And because most of them are art cards, they're suitable for any person and any occa sion. All you have to do is write your own personal message." As far as Challe is concerned, cards still represent the best bargain around. "How much personal mail does anyone get these days?" she asks. "Getting a card with a personal mes sage is a treat for anyone." Write Im pressions is lo ca ted a t 222 Lakeshore R oad East. Many financial planners won't survive industry changes Will your financial advisor survive the changing financial services indus try? Dan Sullivan gave one of the keynote speeches at the recent annual convention of the Canadian Association of Financial Planners. For the past 19 years Mr. Sullivan has acted as a personal strategic coach to thou sands of financial advisors in several countries. Based on the evolving Canadian marketplace and what has occurred in England, Australia and the United States, he anticipates a major shake out in Canada within the next year or so. Many current advisors will not survive the changes. There are three main reasons for this. First, there is an oversupply of advisors. While there is a strong demand for WATSON Dollars & Sense financial advice it is now offered from the traditional suppliers plus a whole influx of new domestic and foreign competitors. There are an ever increas ing number of advisors chasing too few clients. The second reason is that the invest ment business is maturing and is no dif ferent in its evolution than hundreds of other industries before it. As an example let's consider mutual (See 'Changes' page C6) PETER Home businesses require special insurance coverage D ea r P aula C.: I recently g o t la id o f f fr o m m y a cco u n tin g jo b in a large com pany. N o w I 'm looking f o r w a rd to sta r tin g m y ow n sm a ll fr e e la n c e acco u n ting business, b u t I wonder, w ill m y hom e insurance co v e r it? I f not, w h a t a d d i tio n a l insurance d o I need? - Bean Counter for Hire D ear Bean Counter: No, your home insurance will not do the job. In fact, some hom e-based businesses pose additional insurance risks that may even void your hom eowners coverage. So before you embark on your new venture, make it your business to get the proper insurance. Your hom eowners insurance will cover per sonal property used for business purposes, but only up to a certain lim it -- usually $2,000 in all, and then only when the equipm ent is in the home. That w ouldn't go far if som eone broke into your house and stole, say, your laptop and your PDA. And it w ouldn't kick in at all if any o f your business-related equipm ent was dam aged while away from your home. A nd even though your home insurance package includes liability coverage, it would not extend to any business-related events. So if your client trips on the way down the stairs to your basem ent office, breaks her leg, and sues you, don't bother calling on your home insur ance. If you plan to work from home, your best bet is to get a business package policy. This will not only cover your office equipm ent, but will also protect you against liability associat ed with your business. Some insurers offer special coverage for hom e-based businesses that can be added to your home policy. You may also need special business liability insur ance called "errors and om issions." This pro tects you if a client suffers a loss because o f a negligent act, error, or om ission on your part -- always a possibility in your proposed line o f work. In addition, you may need business-interruption insurance, which pays for income lost if your business is unable to operate for a peri od o f time due to disaster-related damage, such as a fire or flood in your office. O ther possi bilities include life, health, and disability insurance, for yourself and any employees. W hereas you likely had this coverage supplied through your previous job, you may need to buy it yourself now. This list is by no means exhaustive. Discuss your plans with your insurance representative, so you can be sure your coverage adds up to the right protection for you new business. -In su ra n ce B ureau o f Canada Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) represents the private (non-government) insurance companies that protect your car, home, and business. For more inform ation on these and other non-life insurance questions, call IBC in Toronto at 416-362-9528 or, visit IBC on the Internet at http://www.ibc.ca. * w 1