Annual General Meeting
Dear Strathcona BIA members,
Please join us at the Annual General Meeting & Members? Luncheon:
Date: Thursday, September 24
Time: 11:00am – 1:00pm
Location: Pink Pearl Chinese Restaurant ? 1132 East Hastings Street
Please contact the Strathcona BIA office for a copy of the membership form to be eligable to vote at the AGM. Forms must be completed and emailed, faxed or mailed the to the SBIA bySeptember 23. Forms will not be accepted after this time.
To be a voting member you must have been a property owner of tenant of a class 5 or class 6 property within the Strathcona BIA’s boundaries for six months prior to the date of registration as shown on the current City of Vancouver Tax Assessment Roll.
Non-members, unless invited otherwise are not permitted to attend this event.
To RSVP for the event please email info@strathconabia.com or call the SBIA office at 604-258-2727
Spotlight on Associated Plastics
Spotlight on Associated Plastics with co-founder Lloyd Gormann
For his entire career, Lloyd Gormann has been involved in the plastics industry. Whether it?s movie props and set or manufacturing a range of specialized pieces from simple clear Plexiglas to scale model dinosaurs to guitar accessories, he has done it all.
In 1996, while working for a large plastics company, Lloyd and business partner Ernie Singh decided to start the business that would become?Associated Plastics. Lloyd wanted to create a company that was geared more towards specialty and smaller project runs that offered quality products and service for a good price.
Associated Plastics offers a variety of services, including?fabrication?of plastics, non-ferrous metals and wood, and their?installation. Having such diversity in the products and services helped them greatly in the beginning.
Like many small businesses in the startup phase, cash flow and getting their name out were their biggest challenges. Fortunately, Lloyd had established relationships with set decorators, which secured film industry work ?right off the bat?; this work ensured growth from the start. He remarks that when working with the film industry,?It?s not so much price but the quality of service you offer? that sets a company apart.
From its outset, Associated Plastics has had a deep commitment to the community. ?The first thing we look for on a resume is if that person is from the area,? says Lloyd. He also tries to source everything as locally as possible and to work with businesses in the neighbourhood.
Lloyd Gormann is co-founder of Associated Plastics located at?1104 Franklin Street. Associated?Plastics has had its work featured on the Canada Line and on various film sets, including the television?show?Smallville.
To learn more about the company, please visit?associatedplastics.com.
Read MoreHastings Urban Tree Nursery
On Wednesday July 16th, the Strathcona BIA and Hastings Crossing BIA became home to 14 young trees in raised planters along Hastings Street. Businesses will care for the trees for 2-5 years and before they grow too large for the planters, the trees will be moved to permanent locations and replaced with more young trees so the nursery cycle can continue. Wednesday marked an important milestone of the BIAs working collaboratively with the City of Vancouver and our business members to install an innovative and community-enhancing urban greening initiative. A DTES Capital Grant and a grant from TD Green Streets supported this project.
Project Manager J?ohn B. Mackin put together a stellar team of contractors to get the job done. Landscape Centre poured and installed the concrete planters. Lawn Enforcement filled the planters with Eco-Soil and Strathcona BIA compost, plus Pin Oaks, Red Maples, and Persian Ironwood trees. Valley Traffic Control provided expert safety measures during the installation. Meg, Johanna, and Marina from the SBIA supervised the installation from start to finish.
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Then it was time to celebrate! The official opening of the Hastings Urban Tree Nursery was held Friday July 18th on Princess Ave at East Hastings. Many fabulous volunteers came out to help, and Union Gospel Mission provided assistance with materials and site support. City of Vancouver Councillors Heather Deal and Adriane Carr attended, as did MLA Jenny Kwan, SBIA?s Toby Barazzuol, HXBIA?s Heather O?Hara, and representatives from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (Kelly Lam) and Tree Canada (Richard Walker). After some very complimentary speeches, we enjoyed performances by the Git Hayetsk dancers, Sawagi Taiko, and local band Sons of Granville. Serious Sausage provided delicious meals for all in attendance. A great time was had by all, and we kicked off a great project that will continue to beautify our streets and engage the community for years to come.
MLA Jenny Kwan talks about the positive impact of urban greenery at the Hastings Urban Tree Nursery official opening.
Git Hayetsk dancers scatter feathers to show that we walk softly on Coast Salish land.
SBIA Directors Tammy Tsang and Colin Stansfield enjoy the street party
HUTN project manager J’ohn Mackin leads a tour of the nursery for our invited guests.
Sam, Joanne, and Purdy welcome guests to the street party
A volunteer poses with MLA Jenny Kwan and City of Vancouver Councillor Adriane Carr.
We couldn’t ask for better volunteers! Thank you all so much for helping us celebrate the Hastings Urban Tree Nursery.
Read More
Graffiti Removal Service Update
Thank you to our volunteers!
We want to give a shout out the awesome volunteers who have been contributing their time and efforts at the Resource Park. Ayman and Ahmed are high school students who volunteer with us through a youth volunteering initiative run by Ray Cam Community Centre. They started back in September, and have been coming on Saturday mornings to help out at the Resource Park. They consistently bring a great attitude and have done a lot of hard work at the park. Ahmed has recently gotten a job and will no longer be able to volunteer with us, so we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.
Mayan, an Emily Carr University graduate, heard about the Resource Park and was keen to learn more about our small-scale neighbourhood composting model. She started volunteering with us back in October, and has been regularly volunteering one morning a week since then. Mayan is also a slow food and gardening enthusiast, so we are excited to have her expertise and help with the urban garden as we head into the spring and summer time.
Our volunteers help out with all types of tasks and projects around the park. A volunteer session might involve anything from emptying and storing compost from the Joras, to power washing the site and equipment, or cleaning and organizing the sheds. Recently their work has also included planning out and working on the garden beds, including amending them with compost and planting vegetable and flower seeds. On rainy days, Mayan also helps by entering collections data from our waste collections program.
We?ve had a chance to do some fun DIY projects as well, including building worm bins from five gallon buckets, making a grow-light box to start seedlings in, as well as planting potatoes using materials from the Resource Exchange.
Ayman helped build the grow-light box, which is a 53 litre container lined with aluminum foil. A clamp light with a 60 W CFL bulb is set up to a wall timer and shines on the seedlings for 14 hours a day. We?ve started leeks, tomatoes, peppers, and various herbs all from the basement office of the SBIA using the grow-light box.
Mayan did a project where she planted potatoes in burlap sacks from the Resource Exchange. She used SBIA compost and some regular soil as a growing medium. As the potato plants come up you gradually roll the bags higher and add more compost to the bags. We?ve placed the burlap sacks on a wooden pallet for easy drainage. There are more burlap sacks, compost, and pallets available at the Resource Park for anyone wanting to try this project themselves.
There will be some upcoming volunteer opportunities at the SBIA with the Marketing committee, for anyone interested contact : info@strathconabia.com or call the SBIA office at 604.258.2727
Read MoreHoliday Social 2013
On Wednesday, December 11 the Strathcona BIA held our Annual Holiday Social at Chapel Arts. The event saw a turn-out of over 75 people and was a great opportunity for business owners, community stakeholders and SBIA partner organizations to network and build relationships.
We would like to thank the following generous member businesses and partner organizations for providing donations for our Holiday Social:
Boardroom Ecoapparel
Floral & Hardy Edible Plants
G&F Financial Group
Securiguard
Sunrise Soya Foods
The Butler Did It Catering Co.
Thank you to everyone who attended and look forward to working with you in 2014!
Read More
Vancouver Urban Winery
Spotlight on Vancouver Urban Winery with Mike Macquisten
From the outside, the Vancouver Urban Winery (VUW) appears to be an ordinary warehouse but as you approach it, you are greeted by a beautiful set of large wooden doors and melody of wine aromas. Inside, a grand stone fireplace stands beneath a 24 foot ceiling and the space is lined with wine tanks, oak barrels and stainless steel kegs soon to be filled with wine.
While travelling in San Francisco, Co-owners Mike Macquisten and Steve Thorp came upon the emerging wine-on-tap industry which gave them the inspiration to start FreshTAP. FreshTAP finds its home at the Urban Winery and began production in February 2012. Originally packaging for just 2 wineries, FreshTAP has expanded its custom wine kegging operations with 60 wineries and spans Western Canada. Mike Macquisten says of the expansion, ?We were in three restaurants out of the gate and the concept of premium wines available on-tap really took off. There are now wine taps in 100+ bars and restaurants.? Wine is stored in stainless steel kegs and pressurized by inert gas until its ready to be served at an establishment. This process ensures the quality of the wine and that it will never spoil from oxidation.
The Urban Winery opened to the public in July 2012 on the border of the historical neighbourhoods of Strathcona and Gastown. On why they chose this location, Mike explains, ?We love this neighbourhood. There are so many creative and up-and-coming businesses, it is always inspiring to come to work. ? This neighbourhood never has a boring day!?
The Winery provides an amazing location for the manufacturing, importing, packaging and distributing of quality wines in the heart of the city. It also serves as an educational experience: Mike says, ?People want access to the information, the process b
etween the winery and the bottle,? while having the opportunity to try a variety of wines.? The entire process of wine making from crushing grapes and fermenting to kegging happens on-site and guests can tour the entire process.
Summer marks the Winery?s busiest time with various tourist trolleys stopping upwards of 14 times a day. ?We have a great relationship with Tourism Vancouver, very supportive. If writers are asking about interesting businesses or manufactures they direct them to the Winery.? From this relationship the Urban Winery has been featured in Air Canada?s enRoute Magazine, The Globe & Mail, CBC and CTV news and various other media sources.
Mike Macquisten is Co-Founder and CEO of FreshTAP and the Vancouver Urban Winery located at 55 Dunlevy Ave. in the Historical Neighbourhood of Strathcona. The Winery is open Sunday-Wednesday from 11am-7p and Thursday- Saturday from 11am-11pm and is home to a fully licensed bar and a retail store that features artisan food and wine.
LiveSmart BC Strathcona campaign
The Strathcona Business Improvement Association has teamed up with the Province of B.C.?s LiveSmart BC: Small Business Program to help small and medium sized businesses identify potential energy and money saving opportunities.
The Strathcona BIA is always looking for opportunities to support member businesses in improving their ability to thrive well into the future. Partnering on this offer with the Province of B.C., BC Hydro, FortisBC, and Metro Vancouver to offer a walk-though energy assessment of your business, and to identify areas for savings, makes good sense environmentally and economically.
LiveSmart BC Business Energy Advisors (BEAs) will be in our area between
October 17th and 23rd to conduct free, on-site walk-through energy assessments. An assessment takes approximately one hour. Following the assessment, you will receive a report tailored to your business? needs outlining ways to conserve energy, how to receive rebates and incentives where available, and what bottom line savings can be achieved if recommended changes are made. Opportunities include technology upgrades such as lighting and boilers, as well as low- and no-cost opportunities to save energy, improve the look of your business, and reduce maintenance.
This is a free service with no obligation from your business to implement any recommended energy saving opportunities. Businesses that do wish to proceed with changes will also receive assistance in identifying suitable contractors and applying for utility incentive programs where applicable.
To book an energy assessment, learn more, or confirm eligibility, please contact the Metro Vancouver BEA team at metrovanbea@citygreen.ca or 604.255.5734, and identify that you are a Strathcona business.
??????Metro Vancouver ????????????2013?10?30??11?8?????????????????????,?????????,?????????????,?????may.cheng@quoteendquote.ca,???604.367.0615??May Cheng?????????Strathcona??????
Sign up today!
Read MoreFall & Winter cycling workshop – Oct 24
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Bike Strathcona, Rain or Shine Strathcona Business Improvement Association hosts Fall & Winter Cycling Workshop to encourage more cycling to and within our neighbourhood |
 Don your rain gear and polish your fenders! Join the Strathcona Business Improvement Association and HUB: Your Cycling Connectionon Thursday, October 24th at Chapel Arts as they share tips and tricks for cycling in the Fall and Winter months with local business owners and Strathcona community members. “I would like to know how to keep riding all year round without showing up to work soaking wet,” says Mark Lee, an interested participant.?This fun and interactive workshop will also present ways to attract new cycling customers and employees.Strathcona is the first Business Improvement Association in Vancouver to engage their members and their community with a cycling workshop.?”As a community organization, the SBIA is working to create a fully sustainable business district. This includes shifting to more sustainable modes of transport, and supporting our members who want to cycle more,” says Meg O’Shea, SBIA’s Sustainability Coordinator, “Attending this workshop will help prepare them — and us! — to safely and comfortably bike throughout the year in our neighbourhood.”Event Information
The Strathcona Business Improvement Association recognizes the important role that cycling can play in attracting new customers and skilled employees, cultivating healthy workplaces and promoting sustainability. As more residents of the neighbourhood and region adopt cycling as a means of transportation, the Strathcona BIA wants to empower people with the knowledge and tools they need to cycle safely all year-round. Seen as a leader in community building and sustainability, the SBIA is also promoting biking to work and will be present at the Union & Hawks celebration station during the HUB Fall Bike to Work Week (Oct 28 – Nov 3, 2013). “We run these on-site workshops year-round, with topics ranging from cycling skills to bicycle maintenance and fall and winter riding tips,” says Donna Chen, the?HUB Bike Friendly Business?Program Manager,?”It’s exciting to see organizations like the Strathcona BIA go above and beyond to help their community realize the social, environmental, health and economic benefits that cycling can bring to the neighbourhood.” For more information about HUB Workplace Cycling Workshops, visit: bikehub.ca/bfb.
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