by Rick Baker
On Dec 13, 2011
"Family business is intertwined with our community."
That's one of the first things Iain Klugman, Communitech's CEO, said when he spoke at CFFB's October breakfast. He talked about the strong legacy of family business success in our community. We enjoyed hearing about how our community showed entrepreneurship from the outset...being off the major trade routes - that's how it all got started.
For many of our members, this was their first visit to the downtown-Kitchener 'Communitech Hub'...and they enjoyed the morning. Terrific venue, a great tour of the facilities, and the opportunity to be updated about our vibrant tech community....a key part of the entrepreneurship cluster that makes Waterloo Region such a special place.
Iain explained, "Communitech helps tech companies start, grow, and succeed". And he added, "Homegrown economies are made more durable over time" and "This community has a strong history of bootstrapping".
Some Communitech facts:
- A National mandate...the plan is to be in every major community in Canada
- A broad mandate...not just helping tech companies, also helping schools
- An advocate for our community...recently opened an office in Ottawa
- A champion for digital media...raised $107Million over the last 3 years
- Currently house 40 companies and help 400 companies
- Serve as a mentor for other communities: Niagara and Guelph, are examples
What has Communitech learned?
Iain's answer, Communitech has learned the most-important things are:
- Intentionality,
- Hard Work,
- Pulling Together,
- Thinking Big, and
- Being Relevant and Valuable to the Customer
[Great lessons and great advice.]
In closing, Iain answered the question,
How can family businesses get involved?
His advice to family business was: do the best you can do at your business and get involved in community events.
Thank you, Iain!