Representative Engagements

Planning – Strategic, Operational, and Implementation

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY – For an Advanced Technology Electrical Engineering Software Company
  • Development of an operational business plan and market strategy for the start-up period of thirty-six months, and subsequently, recruitment of senior technical engineers.  This operational plan was designed to reflect the company’s 10 – 15-year strategic plan.
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY – For Canada’s Largest Manufacturer of Dye Cut Letters and Numbers and Biodegradable Inks and Solvents
  • Development of an operational business plan addressing technology, export markets, training and finance, within the context of the company’s long-term strategy. This engagement led to changed banking relationships and refinancing for the company.
Canada Revenue Agency
  • Management tutoring and coaching for 13 regional directors responsible for senior management duties and responsibilities in the Prairies and portions of Northern Canada.
  • This was a six-month undertaking in support of change management as new governmental policies were being announced. The intent was to enhance organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
COMMERCIAL COOPERATIVES AND ENTREPRENEURIAL INITIATIVES – For a Fisherman’s Cooperative
  • Development of a 5-year strategic plan addressing advanced technologies and their application to freshwater fish processing, within a market economy context.  The effect on management structure was analyzed in support of structural changes.
COMMERCIAL COOPERATIVES AND ENTREPRENEURIAL INITIATIVES – For one of Western Canada’s Largest Cooperatively Owned Canola Crushing Plants
  • Production of a 5-year strategic business plan, combining strategy and operations, addressing governance and management structural design, with extensive consultation with management and the Board of Directors was required over a 10-month period.
  • This involved assessment of the internal and external operating environments, including supply and market analysis, identification of opportunities for vertical integration and development of 5-year personnel plans, financial projections and market penetration strategies. 
COMMERCIAL COOPERATIVES AND ENTREPRENEURIAL INITIATIVES – For an Alberta Family-Owned Milling Operation
  • A detailed market assessment to determine penetration strategies for oat flour and oat bran products in the United States and Eastern Canada.  The investigation included breakfast foods, baby foods, processed meat and the baking industries.  
  • The company’s strategic business plan was based on the market assessment.
COMMERCIAL COOPERATIVES AND ENTREPRENEURIAL INITIATIVES – For a Saskatchewan Entrepreneur
  • Determination of the viability of a `boutique’ bakery franchise operation for Northern Canadian resource-based communities.  
  • Packaging, consumption patterns, consumer preference and behaviour, product competition and new product development were key factors in assessing business potential.  Specifically, consumer acceptance of a bannock `ready-mix’ product was tested in focus groups.
CONFIDENTIAL – Electrical Products and Services, For the Entire Electrical Products and Services Sector of a Provincial Economy
  • Development of a five-year strategic plan accommodating public and private interests and addressing human resources, education and training, levels of capitalization, economic costs and benefits and market. 
  • An advisory committee of 27 industry leaders was formed for consultation purposes, and discussions on content and direction were facilitated throughout the entire planning period of six months.
CONFIDENTIAL – First Nation Health 
  • A comprehensive, exhaustive and analytical review of Canada’s obligations to a First Nation under Treaty for health care.  This engagement traced and analyzed Canada’s policies from date of the Treaty to the present, identifying changes in definition and scope of service and quantifying Canada’s obligations under Treaty.
  • Subsequently, the output of this engagement was used to develop a strategic business plan for a fully integrated, comprehensive healthcare facility at the First Nation encompassing
    • family medical practice,
    • general dentistry practice,
    • diagnostic imaging,
    • pharmaceutical products and services,
    • intensive care for patients suffering from debilitating diseases including diabetes and cancer.
EDUCATION – Management Training Program – For an international Non-Government Organization Based in New York, and Subsequently at the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London
  • Design and organization of an international management training program involving one hundred and fifty (150) middle level managers from forty (40) countries.
  • The training program was based on case studies, also prepared within the scope of this engagement, and addressed sustainable environmental measures from a management perspective which could be applicable in public and private sector organizations.
  • Field work was undertaken within the communities presented in the case studies, the communities being located in the high Arctic and on the western coast of North America.
EDUCATION – Transfer of Management Consulting Methodologies – For the Arab Organization of Administrative Studies (AOAS)
  • A working level transfer of management consulting methodologies to purchasing officers within 21 member countries of the Arab League.  
  • The scope of this engagement was 10 weeks, and the outcome was a purchasing manual for use by Ministries of Finance.  The entire program was conducted in three versions of the Arabic language (with translation) and the manuals are also produced in three linguistic versions.
ENERGY – For a Provincial Electrical Utility 
  • Development of the export services department business plan which has led to significant sales of professional and related services to clients in many countries.
  • Public documents indicate that sales have occurred in at least fifty countries and that revenue is in the millions of dollars.
ENERGY – For a Provincial Government and the Government of Canada  
  • Development of a five-year strategic plan for the electrical products and services sector, including identification of priority sub-sectors, capital investment needs and implementation schedules.  
  • Specification of the most important areas for industrial off-set agreements was included.
ENVIROMENTAL – Impedance Computed Tomography – For a Highly Advanced Technology Applied Research Firm
  • Expression of environmental consequences of Impedance Computed Tomography (ICT) in financial terms.
  • ICT was and remains more sophisticated than current scanning technology, being able to digitize three dimensionally and in real time both living organisms (e.g. human bodies or portions thereof) and inert substances (e.g. unexploded ordinance on military firing ranges, or identification of unrecovered gold in mine tailings).
ENVIROMENTAL – Landfill Sites – For a Large, International New Zealand Firm of Consulting Engineers
  • Assessment, development and testing of analytical techniques to be used in determining long-term remediation and utilization of abandoned landfill sites.
  • The outcome was a series of modifications to evaluation processes, particularly with respect to determining the appropriate discount rates to be applied.
ENVIROMENTAL – Polychlorinated Biphenyls – For a Private Sector Client
  • Conducted a market and technology study to determine the volume of transformers and capacitors in Canada filled with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s), particularly with respect to the mining and forestry industries.
  • In addition to demand analysis, the intent was to determine the viability of retro filling transformers with a substitute coolant, considering the costs and benefits and related regulatory requirements of using portable refilling technologies as compared to a centralized location.
ENVIROMENTAL – Analysis of Professional Services – Numerous Market Analyses for Private Sector Clients
  • Respecting the demand for environmental consulting services in various markets including Estonia, Finland, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jamaica, Malawi, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, United States of America, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
  • These analyses have been highly focused on medium term demand by the industrial sector, pricing, competition and regional market opportunities, particularly with international financial institutions.
ENVIROMENTAL – Solvents – For a Variety of Private Firms in Canada, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe
  • Feasibility studies addressing solvent reclaim.
  • Studies included technology reviews and assessments, supply and demand analysis and expression of results in financial terms.
First Nations (Dakota and Ojibwa)
  • Long-term knowledge translation on the theories and practices of governance from European, Asian, African and Indigenous North American perspectives, leading to establishment of a fully integrated health care facility in one case, and change of First Nation management practice in the other.
  • Both of these engagements were provided to Chief and Council, and all Tribal Members of 252 and 360 respectively, over 6 – 12-month periods.
HOSPITALITY – For a Manitoba Business and Resort Facility
  • Design of a training program for all employee levels, encompassing facilities management, supervision, marketing and customer service.
CONFIDENTIAL – Logistics – Intermodal Transport – For a Technology and Facilities Intensive National Civil Aviation Organization in Northern Europe
  • Provision of general counsel and advice on strategic and operational business planning, including planning methodologies, in advance of a US dollar ten figure construction program.  
  • This engagement also included strategic and operational business planning for a wholly owned airport design and construction turnkey company, as well as direct facilitative involvement in the strategic planning process leading to development of a six-year strategic plan for the entire organization.
MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS – A Co-operative – For Canada’s Largest Media Cooperative
  • Through extensive facilitation amongst and between the Board, management and technical personnel, development of a strategic business plan with a time scope of ten years, to protect and enhance the asset interests of 35,000 members.
  • This engagement was undertaken over a fifteen-month period during a time of significant growth, orders of magnitude technological change, paradigm shifting regulatory change and compounded annual revenue increases.
NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS – For an International Voluntary Organization
  • Design and analysis of American and Canadian foundations to facilitate capital generation through philanthropy with targets in the seven-figure range.  
  • This engagement required design of the governance structures, management systems, information systems and compliance protocols for taxation purposes.
NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS – For a Provincial Community Care Organization
  • With financial allocation responsibilities for annual distribution of capital and operating amounts in the mid-eight figure ranges, knowledge translation with senior management and the Chief Operating Officer on decision theory, communication theory, compliance management, human resources management and workflow scheduling.
RUBBER TIRE RECYCLING – The Economics of Manufacturing Rubber Crumb, For Several Public and Private Sector Clients
  • Conduct of numerous technical and economic studies related to the viability of establishing rubber crumb plants in Southwestern and Southeastern Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba.
  • These studies addressed the supply and sources of waste rubber (in the case of Ontario, supply from upper New York State as well), design of collection systems, determination of tariffs for waste rubber tire purchase and rubber crumb sale, plant size sensitivity analyses, derivation of capital and operating costs (this included site visits to existing plants in New Zealand and collection and assessments of data from test strip rubber crumb asphalt applications in Ontario and Saskatchewan), development of pro-forma income statements and design of negotiation strategies with local governments.
SEWAGE TREATMENT – For a Western Canadian City
  • Analysis to determine the optimum size for an expanded regional sewage treatment plant.
  • The study investigated and ranked four plant sizes, and various levels of service within each, and compared the various levels using present value analysis.
  • Selection of discount rates was central to the study, and in the final report, a sensitivity analysis was presented using a series of discount rates to assist policy decision-makers.
SOCIAL ADMINISTRATION – For a Provincial Community Care Organization
  • With financial allocation responsibilities for annual distribution of very significant capital and operating amounts in the mid-eight figure ranges, knowledge translation with senior management and the Chief Operating Officer on decision theory, communication theory, compliance management, human resources management and workflow scheduling.
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN – For the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC)
  • Development of a strategic business plan for a new business unit, International Grains Consultation (IGC), to guide the establishment and operation of this technology transfer organization designed to function commercially worldwide.
  • The strategic business plan was based on analysis and review of CGC operations, an assessment of human resources and evaluation of options for implementation.   Extensive facilitation was required amongst and between the Commissioners, executive management personnel and scientific and technical specialists.
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT COUNSEL – Viridity Hydrogen Inc.
  • For 27 owners of Greenmantle Forest Inc., the sole shareholder of Viridity Hydrogen Inc.,(VHI), a green hydrogen company producing Hydrogen from poplar and birch, management counsel respecting corporate formation and governance, capital generation, identification of superior professional and technical resources, strategic detailed confirmation and validation of demand for green Hydrogen and related by-products, product packaging and distribution conceptual design, oversight of permitting processes and financial analyses.
TOURISM – For a Wilderness Resort Lodge
  • Owned and operated by a First Nation as a not-for-profit company, conduct of an analytical market analysis in Germany, development of financial projections and review of all facilities, all from the perspective of customer satisfaction and revenue implications.
TRANSPORTATION – For Facilities Intensive National Airports Authority in the Southern Hemisphere
  • Provision of general counsel and advice on business operations, capital planning, finance and corporate structure.  The 5-year capital program required US $ 250,000,000.
  • The follow up phase encompassed design and implementation of a quality management program to improve customer satisfaction and thereby increase revenue.
TRANSPORTATION – For a Technology and Facilities Intensive National Civil Aviation Organization in Northern Europe
  • Provision of general counsel and advice on strategic and operational business planning, including planning methodologies, in advance of a US $6,000,000,000 construction program.  
  • This engagement also included strategic and operational business planning for a wholly owned airport design and construction turnkey company, as well as direct involvement in the strategic planning process, to develop a 1995-2001 strategic plan for the organization.
TRANSPORTATION – For the Largest Independently Owned Jet Engine and Component Overhaul Facility in the United States
  • Provision of strategic market counsel and sales planning for the Eastern European and Caribbean markets.