Eric Morham, Business ’79, has followed a career path that reads like a Hollywood script.

Morham’s first job was with Cartier, a small Canadian winery. His boss was Don Triggs, who went on to found Vincor International, now Canada’s largest wine company with brands such as Inniskillin Wines and Jackson-Triggs.

Since then, Morham has spent three decades in the beer and wine industries, living in Europe, New York City and Napa Valley with his wife, Olga, and their three sons. Now he is back in the Greater Toronto Area as president and CEO of Mississauga-based Vincor Canada, a subsidiary of wine giant Constellation Brands.

“What are the odds of life coming full circle like that?” Morham laughs.

Morham has a stellar track record in sales and marketing, but people are often surprised that a marketer “gets” the financial side of business as well.

“I was always creative and good at marketing, but the Ryerson program forced me to understand corporate finance and accounting,” he explains. “That practical learning is so important to my job today, allowing me to have in-depth discussions about the company’s finances with my CFO.”

These days, Morham’s most profound challenge is dealing with changing consumer behavior due to the economic downturn.

“Wine isn’t a necessity; it’s a luxury or lifestyle product,” he says. “Many people drinking wine today are trading down to less expensive bottles. They’re going out to restaurants less often.

“There are long lead times in our business — it takes five years for a grapevine to be in full production — so rapid changes in the economy or consumer behavior present real challenges for us, and Mother Nature always has a big say in quality,” he says.

“So our challenge is transitioning the company to deal with the new economy and the agricultural variability that’s out of our control.”

Having successfully trasnformed numerous businesses over the years, Morham is up for the adventure.

Debby McLachlan has strict instructions: no big purchases, because her tiny condo is already jam-packed. So we’ve arrived at the Aberfoyle Antique Market about mid-morning, coffee in hand, “just to look.” Still, there’s no question we’ll take home something we love from the tempting treasures in front of us. That’s just the nature of antiquing, and you’ll find some of the best places to do it in and around Escarpment country.

The oldest, dating back to 1961, is Aberfoyle Antique Market, on Highway 6 just north of the 401. It’s also the largest regular market, with 100 vendors occupying 20 acres of permanent stalls, cabins and barns every Sunday from April through October. Additional visiting dealers set up in the parking area for special events like the spring show held on May 2.

The grounds include a restaurant and ice cream booth to revive flagging shoppers, a bank machine, washrooms, picnic tables and a patio dotted with tables and chairs. Children are welcome, and a play area keeps them occupied. Many people bring leashed dogs, too.

People often confuse Aberfoyle with Flamboro Antique Shows. Born in 1981, Flamboro gets its name from its original location, the Flamboro Downs Raceway. The confusion arises because Flamboro at one time made its quarterly appearance at Aberfoyle, setting up additional vendors in the parking lot.

The two are now completely separate, and Flamboro’s 100 or so vendors set up shop at the Brampton Fairgrounds (May 9 and Aug. 22) and the Milton Fairgrounds (July 4 and Oct. 3). The event has indoor and outdoor booths, food vendors, a bank machine and washrooms.

The biggest show, with 300+ vendors, is the Christie Antiques Show. The twice-a-year show (May 23 and Sept. 12) is held on almost 10 acres at the Christie Conservation Area on Highway 5 in Dundas. It’s big enough that there are shuttle buses to get from the farthest parking areas to the entrance. Amenities include food vendors and an indoor food court, bank machines, washrooms and portable toilets. No dogs, please.

Browse through the past

At all the shows, there is no shortage of antiques to admire: sterling silver and silverplate, costume and fancy jewellery, stained glass, dishes, tools, books, vinyl records, vintage clothing and hats. There are old doors, dining sets, dry sinks, chairs and blanket boxes. You name it, the market probably has it.

Some antique hunters shop for a specific carved mahogany chair or 1950s advertising collectible. Others are browsing, waiting for that breathless moment when they spy something they just have to have.

For many visitors, a visit to an antique market is a trip down memory lane. In fact, the comment most often overheard is, “My grandmother/parents/family had one of these!”

Once or twice Debby and I have come with a specific target in mind; a small bookcase, say, or a chest of drawers. More often we make delightful discoveries.

On various visits, Debby has fallen for a cranberry glass vase and a two-tiered china serving plate. Some of the treasures I’ve taken home are a trio of cobalt blue glass canisters, five pretty Noritake dessert plates and a heart-shaped wood mold that might have made maple sugar treats.

Come to relax, to remember, to restock

Doug Lane of Stoney Lane Antiques bought the Aberfoyle Antique Market in 1983. Although he used to sell antiques — chairs in particular still catch his eye — these days he concentrates on administering and promoting the market.

“All the surveys I’ve done over the years show that the number one reason people come is relaxation,” he says. “We have a lot of regular visitors, so the social aspect is big.”

Nostalgia is big as well.

Visitors find memories with a modern twist at Lorne Young‘s booth. Now 75 years old, he’s been at Aberfoyle since it opened, missing only two Sundays. He specializes in decades-old telephones, lovingly refinished, polished and reworked to plug into a modern jack. The phones are completely functional and are guaranteed for 10 years.

“It’s a hobby I picked up by accident, after being asked to repair an old telephone,” he relates. “Soon, Bell was sending me customers, and I started looking for old phones.”

Gary and Jacky Richardson of Nelson Antiques & Collectibles have been at Aberfoyle for a decade, and they also make an appearance at the Christie show. A former appraiser, Gary has had a long interest in antiques, and calls it a “great hobby business for a retired couple like us.”

The Richardsons and their partners buy furniture, glass, china, porcelain and toys, which they spread over nine booths. Last spring, the partners scored some ’30s art deco pieces from a hotel on Lake Joseph, and this winter they scouted out some old library and office specialty filing cabinets.

“We rent space to store everything over the winter, and I’m up once or twice a week all summer bringing new things in,” Gary says. “It’s a great place, especially on a sunny summer day.”

Ah yes, the weather. While outdoor antique shopping is most comfortable in warm, dry weather, a little cold or rain doesn’t stop the fun. Aberfoyle vendors are willing to bargain over prices that are already fair, but you’ll have less competition on a cold or rainy day. Aberfoyle averages about 2,500 visitors and may welcome up to 4,000 on a Sunday, and even a wet day will draw 1,000.

“Despite these tough times, a lot of our dealers have been having their best shows,” remarks Doug. “Perhaps people are starting to look for things that are made to last.”

Where to shop

Aberfoyle Antique Market
61 Brock Rd. S. (Highway 6), Guelph
Sundays from April 26 to October 25, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; $2 admission
Spring special: May 2, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.; $5 admission
1-877-763-1077

Beaumont Mill Antiques & Collectibles
586 Main St., Glen Williams
Wed. to Sun., 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
905-873-4407

Christie Antiques Show
Christie Conservation Area, Highway 5 (west of Highway 6), Dundas
May 23, Sept. 12, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
$8 admission
1-800-667-0619

Flamboro Antique Shows
Brampton Fairgrounds: May 9 and Aug. 22
Milton Fairgrounds: July 4 and Oct. 3
$8 admission; visit web site for $2 discount coupon
1-877-763-1077

Inglewood Antique Market
16083 Hurontario Street (Highway #10), Caledon
Open 7 days a week, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment.
905-838-4000

A glance at Judge Stanley G. Grizzle’s shoes reveals an impressive shine. This pair happens to be smooth patent leather, but every pair he owns looks almost as glossy. It’s a habit; as a sleeping car porter back in the days of steam trains and gentlemen in soft fedoras, he guesses he shined thousands of shoes.

Now 81 years old and a judge — he was appointed to the Court of Canadian Citizenship in 1978 — His Honour admits that he still owns the shoeshine kit he bought when he joined Canadian Pacific Railroad in 1940, at the age of 22. Jobs were scarce, and in those days railroads were among the few places hiring blacks.

“Porters were well respected and looked up to by many in the community because they had steady employment,” Grizzle recalls in his book, My Name’s Not George: The Story of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in Canada.

For 20 years, Grizzle made up and put away the berths that typically lined either side of the sleeping-car passageway (usually 12 upper and 12 lower), and also looked after up to three more pampered passengers secluded in a private compartment. While passengers slept, he shined the shoes left under the lower berth, kept the washrooms clean and stocked with towels, mopped floors and emptied spittoons in the men’s smoking room at the end of the car.

“We needed a strong back, a sense of humour and the ability to get by with little or no sleep,” Grizzle remembers. “But the wages were steady, albeit low, and we had a chance to travel. We were busy, no question, but there was always time to ooh and aah over beautiful scenery!”

Although travel for fun was not something Grizzle could afford during the two decades he worked for the railway, especially with six children, he admits to loving train travel. Just last year, 38 years after leaving the railroad, he took a 10-day train trip from Montreal to Vancouver. “I had a room with a shower, which was unheard of in my day. There was a naturalist giving talks about birds and wildlife, and there was a jazz pianist.”

Grizzle says being a porter was tough but it was great experience. “It gave us poise; we could talk to anyone, and it was a great training ground for learning how to handle people. We met people with so many different experiences, it was a real education.”

These days, Judge Grizzle still regularly meets people with different experiences. Although supposedly retired in 1983 (“they keep calling me back”), he interviews prospective citizens to make sure they meet the qualifications. Twice a week, he presides over a downtown Toronto courtroom, administering the Oath of Allegiance in English and French, and handing out certificates to newly-minted Canadians. He keeps careful records of their countries of origin (over 100 so far), and makes a point of learning to say “Welcome” or “Good day” in Spanish, Portuguese, Polish and Cantonese — and that’s just for starters.

He can still talk to just about anyone.

Life on the street is no walk in the park. Still, every year, some 10,000 runaway and homeless youth in Toronto risk violence, exploitation, drugs and illness on the street because they have nowhere else to go. They come from every social, economic and cultural background, and from every part of the country. For many, home is out of the question because of domestic violence, sexual abuse or neglect.

In 2004, more than 4,000 youth, most between 16 and 18, turned to Covenant House for help. Established in 1982, Covenant House is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, offering shelter, food, medical care and support services to homeless youth.

“Our primary goal is to get and keep kids off the street,” says Executive Director Ruth daCosta. “Whenever possible, we try to reunite kids with their families. More often, however, we work to help young people become independent.”

On average, about 80 young people find refuge in the Covenant House shelter every night. Every day, scores more receive assistance from the community support program, health care clinic or school and job programs, or simply drop in for a meal or a shower. Up to 28 people who aren’t yet ready to go on their own stay in a longer-term residence up to a year, while they work and continue their education.

The shelter and residence were recently renovated to improve safety and better serve disabled or injured youth. Renovations include installation of a new access elevator; replacement of the heating boiler, generator and windows; new roofing and flooring; repairs to bathroom tiles and fixtures; and new doors, locks and security cameras.

“We give youth the encouragement they need to believe in themselves and the possibility of a better future,” says Ms. daCosta. “Enough of our youth come back to tell us that they are living productive and independent lives for us to know that we are making a difference.”

One example is Mohanza Kelly. After moving to Toronto from Jamaica to live with his mother, Mohanza found their relationship strained and he came to Covenant House. Mohanza made his way to the finals at the 2004 Canadian Idol competition while living at Covenant House, and he’s now back in high school, at home, and pursuing a singing and production career.

The Covenant House shelter renovations were made possible with funding of $168,500 from the Federal Government’s Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI); $927,825 from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)’s Shelter Enhancement Program (SEP) for Renovation; and $187,000 in private funding.

“We give youth the encouragement they need to believe in themselves and the possibility of a better future.”
- Ruth daCosta, Executive Director, Covenant House

Baking a delicious loaf of bread has more to do with artistry than technology. But dealing with a swift rise in demand for a loaf that’s the greatest thing since sliced bread? That’s a job for high tech, as La Brea Bakery will attest.

Since opening a charming storefront bakery in Van Nuys, California in 1989, La Brea has changed the way people eat bread. One bite of the hearth-baked sourdough baguettes, ciabatta-like Pain Rustique, focaccia and other “artisan” breads, and customers were hooked. Soon, bread lovers around the country begged La Brea to open branches in other cities, and prestigious hotels and restaurants clamored for wholesale orders.

La Brea found creative ways to physically make more bread without compromising its standards. However, its very basic information technology, suited to the small bakery it used to be, just couldn’t keep up with the phenomenal growth.

“We needed a robust, reliable system to support our continued growth,” explains Hovick Abrahamyan, Information Systems Manager. “We also wanted to implement ERP [Enterprise Resource Planning] to business activities such as inventory control and order tracking.”

With a sister company successfully using an ERP application (Intentia International’s Movex) that runs on the IBM (e-server logo) iSeries platform, La Brea followed suit. IBM Premier Business Partner Computer Configuration Services (CCS) was called in to handle system implementation and training. IBM Premier Business Partners must achieve a high level of proven customer satisfaction, as measured annually by an independent survey company selected by IBM. They also invest in skills development, technical training and other IBM programs to ensure the advice they give is of the highest quality.

In this case, CCS knew the IBM iSeries, with its capacity and scalability, would rise to La Brea’s occasion.

CCS delivers a platform for growth

“CCS is a ‘one-stop shop’ providing our customers with end-to-end solutions — hardware, software and training — for an entire project or pieces of a project,” says Mitch Kleinman, Executive Vice President for CCS. “Our objective is to provide the solution that solves the business need at the best possible value.”

For CCS and its customers, that comes down to using IBM technology. “There is no business issue that we cannot solve with the breadth of IBM technology, services and support,” says Mr. Kleinman.

IBM also appealed to Mr. Abrahamyan as a platform for the chosen ERP software. Although initially unsure whether to go with Microsoft or IBM, La Brea’s “family” again made the decision easy. The parent company recommended IBM, having experienced first-hand its reliability.

“CCS already had customers who used Movex, so they were familiar with the software,” says Mr. Abrahamyan. “They were very knowledgeable and professional, and no other company could compete on their prices.”

CCS delivers on time

When it came to installation, Mr. Abrahamyan also found that CCS could deliver on projected timelines, meeting a fairly aggressive implementation schedule.

“La Brea’s system went live within four to five months with minimal disruption, whereas most ERP implementations take months longer,” says Mr. Kleinman.

Mr. Abrahamyan agrees that the implementation went very smoothly and quickly. “I’m very pleased with how responsive CCS is,” he says. “We have a pretty small IT [information technology] department — only three employees, including me — and CCS can talk us through any problems. Actually, with IBM, they aren’t ‘problems,’ they’re usually questions to do with setting up or configuring the hardware or software.”

Counting loaves

La Brea notices a big difference in its operations since it began running the fully Java-implemented ERP application, which provides support for total supply chain management. The software, which comes with IBM’s enterprise-proven technology embedded inside, enables customers to anticipate opportunities and respond quickly to changes throughout the supply chain.

“This system lets us see what is being produced, what we have in stock and what is being wasted,” says Mr. Abrahamyan. “That gives us the ability to schedule our production efficiently so we can get the right product to customers at the right time, while keeping our ingredients fresh. With our old system, we were limited to basics like taking orders, and we couldn’t track inventory.”

The system will also help La Brea’s sales and marketing departments better analyze and forecast sales, and speed up invoicing, which contributes to better cash flow. Executives can easily get reports on costing and inventory, which gives them a better and more timely handle on profitability.

“Now, we’re also set up to introduce other features that will continue to improve our business and integrate solutions with our customers, such as taking orders online and using electronic data interchange,” adds Mr. Abrahamyan.

IBM saves dough

The IBM iSeries infrastructure has been proven to process Java applications better than other similarly-priced midrange systems. It also significantly lowers the cost of implementation, because customers are able to use a standard version of the iSeries rather than a more expensive enterprise model.

Reliability and ease of management are also key features of the iSeries infrastructure. “The iSeries is so reliable that I don’t have to worry about it, and I don’t need to hire more IT staff to keep up with it,” explains Mr. Abrahamyan. “It’s also less expensive to manage than a UNIX system, and I can see that it will save us money over time.”

He adds, “Most importantly, the iSeries gives us scalability, which will allow us to continue to grow our business without interruption.”

For bread lovers across the country, that’s good news, no matter how you slice it.

Callout:

“There is no business issue that we cannot solve with the breadth of IBM technology, services and support.” – Mitch Kleinman, Executive Vice President, Computer Configuration Services

Suncor retiree Earle McVicar has a mission: to find a cure for a disease that’s literally a pain in the gut. Retired in 1998 as Corporate Director of Environment, Health & Safety in the Calgary office, Earle and his wife Jeanine first became involved with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC, www.ccfc.ca) in 2001. That’s when their son Tyler, then 28, was diagnosed with severe Crohn’s disease.

Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis are two similar yet distinct conditions often described under the umbrella of IBD/inflammatory bowel disease. IBD affects the digestive system and causes the intestinal tissue to become inflamed, form sores and bleed easily. Symptoms include abdominal pain, cramping, fatigue and diarrhea. An estimated 170,000 Canadian men and women suffer from IBD, for which there is no known cause or cure.

“The mission of the CCFC is to provide funding for research to find the causes and cures for these debilitating illnesses,” explains Earle. “In their more severe forms, the diseases can be devastating, both physically and emotionally, especially for a young person.”

Tyler is 6’1″, and weighed 185 pounds before the disease caused his weight to plummet to 120 pounds. “He’s stable now, and back up to about 170 pounds, but he feels unwell most days and has been unable to work since he was diagnosed,” says Earle. “He’s been in several trials of new emerging drugs but they haven’t helped much, which is why a cure is so important to us.”

Since its creation in 1974, the CCFC nationally has invested close to $40 million in major medical research projects to identify causes and treatments for severe intestinal diseases, including establishing intestinal research units at the University of Calgary and McMaster University. “Encouraging progress is being made, but much remains to be done,” says Earle.

Volunteering benefits everyone

Like many volunteers, Earle and Jeanine started out slowly, working on a committee that organizes an annual fund-raising golf tournament. In mid-2004, Earle accepted an invitation to become president of the CCFC’s Calgary chapter, which generally meets monthly to plan and coordinate a half dozen fundraising and education events in the city each year. He’s served as chapter president since then, and Jeanine continues to play a leading role on the golf tournament organizing committee.

“Earle and his family are very valuable volunteers and contribute so much,” says Carolle Anderson, Regional Director of the chapter. “Their volunteer service truly does make a difference.”

Earle was aware of the Suncor Energy Foundation (SEF) Community Service Grant program, and is pleased to have been able to channel a total of $8,000 in grants over the past four years directly to funding research aimed at finding a cure.

“This is just one example of the outstanding corporate citizenship that Suncor demonstrates every day,” he says. “It gives the SEF an opportunity to further its goal of supporting the work that Suncor employees and retirees do with worthy charitable organizations, and at the same time the charities receive much-needed contributions.”

He continues, “Charities like the CCFC are totally dependent on donors to fund our causes. Without donors like the SEF, there would be no CCFC, and presumably the cirtically important research would not happen. We are very, very appreciative of and impressed with the work of the SEF!”

Photo:
EarleBikes.JPG
Jeanine and Earle McVicar volunteer in many ways with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of Canada, including this fundraising Heel ‘n’ Wheel-a-Thon. If you’d like to volunteer with CCFC in Calgary or another chapter, contact Earle at 403-286-8618 or visit www.ccfc.ca.

In 2005, the Suncor Energy Foundation gave out 166 Community Service Grants totalling $277,000. For more information or to apply online, visit www.suncor.com>Social Responsibility>Suncor Energy Foundation>Employee Programs>Community Service Grants. The deadline each year is September 30.