a recipe for success - .net framework

www.saskatchewan.ca Volume 39 } SPRING 2018Saskatchewan’s quarterly newsletter on people and business engaged in economic growth

Logan Gelowitz of Cupcakes and Websites Photo by: Cupcakes and Websites

Saskatchewan NOW! } SPRING 2018 1

A recipe for success

It only stands to reason, when you thinkabout it: teenagers who grew up in thisage of social media have strong onlinebranding skills. ey’ve been refiningtheir personal image and taking note ofhow others are doing it for a majority oftheir lives.

“We’ve been personally branding our-selves since we first got Facebook,” saysAndriy Tkach, 18, and spokesperson for ateen-run web design firm in Regina calledCupcakes and Websites.

“at might be a little weird, for sure, butthat’s how we were raised. My parents

used to tell me ‘Hey, you can have Face-book but you have to keep it within cer-tain guidelines so that people see theright image of you.’”

And guess what? e five teen studentswho compose Cupcakes and Websiteshave awfully good instincts about how

By Dave Yanko

2 Saskatchewan NOW! } SPRING 2018

people and companies should presentthemselves online. “We know exactly whata client should be putting out there,” saysTkach. “We know how to make a websitethat’s visually appealing, so people stay longenough to think about what’s being of-fered.”

Cupcakes launched in August 2017 andemploys four young people in addition toTkach, all on a part-time basis. ConnorBrezinsky, 17; Misha Tsymbal, 18; andAhmed Keshta, 14, provide services that in-clude coding, design, app development andsearch engine optimization. LoganGelowitz, 18, and the newest hire, serves asCupcakes’ social media guru. “Logan doesInstagram and Facebook and all socialmedia, and she does them way better thanany of us,” says Tkach. Right now, he adds,Logan is on the road for five days workingwith a client in Fort McMurray. “We neverthought all this could grow so fast.” Cup-cakes is looking for other student employ-ees.

e company is the creation of Regina’sStrategy Lab Marketing and most of Cup-cakes’ business comes from “StratLab.”Start-ups and non-profits often are lookingfor a less-expensive alternative to a full-priced website, which can easily cost$5,000. Cupcakes offers website packagesfor $1,275, $1,752 and $2,752 (plustaxes)—additional services such as fasterwebsite construction and maintenanceagreements are available for a fee. Tkachsays about 70 per cent of websites in theworld now are created using WordPress,and that’s making it ever easier for peopleto update their own websites. But client up-dates have their limits. “Adding a few linesof text here and there is the easy part. ecomplexity comes in design, which is con-stantly changing.”

While they do much of their work fromhome, Cupcakes employees have workspaceat StratLab’s offices in downtown Regina

and enjoy easy access to StratLab staffshould they require guidance. Tkach sayshe and his young colleagues are paid well,for students. Pay is much better than theminimum wage he earned at his weekendjob in high school, he adds.

Outside of exam time, Cupcakes stafferstypically work a couple of hours a day andmake an effort to show up at the office on aregular basis. ey well understand thatcommunicating with co-workers is an es-sential part of the business, says Tkach. Hesays the work experience and flexible hoursthat accommodate the student staff are thegreatest benefits for young people workingat Cupcakes and Websites.

“e incredible thing about this job is thatthere are no set hours,” says Tkach, whostudies at the Paul J. Hill School of businessat the University of Regina. “I can workfrom home, go to a class in the afternoonand show up for work at 4 p.m. at’s oneof the greatest things about this job.”

While it may sound as though Cupcakesand Websites is a great part-time job foryoung people wishing to earn a dollar whilepursuing their studies and, in time, othercareers, Tkach says their young company isnot necessarily just a bridge to other things.Entrepreneurism seems to be seeping intotheir DNA. “We don’t know where this isgoing but none of us is here only to make adollar or to use this experience to ventureout to different colleges or other cities.”Tkach allows that one never knows wherelife’s path will lead.

“But right now we’re on course to makingCupcakes and Websites big, big, big, andtaking it to other places. Maybe one day,Cupcakes and Websites will be the biggesthigh school student employer in Canada.at would be wonderful.”

See their website at:cupcakesandwebsites.comFrom top: Keshta, Tkach,

Brezinski and Tsymbal


Indigenous accessory designer Helen Oro haschutzpah. She sidestepped the traditional craftand powwow markets to promote her flam-boyant beadwork on the international stage.And what she found there is a world of oppor-tunity in a fashion scene virtually untapped byFirst Nation designers.

“I was the only First Nation and Canadian de-signer invited to showcase at the NBA All-StarFashion Showcase in Los Angeles,” Oro says ofthe recent event, part of the National Basket-ball Association’s annual all-star game week-end. “And the eight models I took with mewere the only First Nation models at theevent.”

Oro, of Saskatoon, also mentors Indigenouspeople who are interested in the fashion sceneand organizes fashion events. She says most ofthe Indigenous models who accompanied herto the NBA event would not have met the se-lection criteria required at high-calibre castingcalls. “ere isn’t much diversity in the castingcalls. But as a designer, I can have whoever Iwant to walk.”

Oro’s Helen Oro Designs (H.O.D.) featuresnon-traditional wearable art accessories suchas her statement sunglasses that come withdangling chains and bold, colourful beadworkperched atop the frame. “ey’re for stars towear at fancy events, like hip-hop artists onthe red carpet.” Her statement neck and facepieces proudly command attention while her“regular” sunglasses with colourfully beadedtemples are a popular item for anyone wantingto rock a cool Indigenous vibe.

“I want to touch a market that’s not beentouched yet,” says Oro, a graduate of PraxisSchool of Entrepreneurship in Saskatoon. “Iwant to touch the mainstream fashion scene.”All indicators suggest she’s beginning to dojust that.

e NBA event followed shows in fashioncentres around the world, including New Yorkand London. Oro says the Los Angeles showwas an opportunity to network and be seen bypeople who can help her better penetrate theNorth American market. While she says ittakes time for this groundwork to bear fruit,she’s excited about an impromptu pitch shemade to representatives of Kangol, the world-

“Good vibes”:Helen Oro Designs

Helen Oro of Helen Oro Designs Photo by: Hogarth Photography

...continued on page 8

By Dave Yanko


Sourcing nutritional ingredients tohelp create a healthier world population:it’s a Bioriginal story that begins in theheart of Saskatchewan.

For 25 years, Saskatoon-based Biorig-inal has been a global leader in deliveringcomplete nutritional solutions to the foodand nutraceutical industries, scientificallycombining nutritional ingredients from allover the world—directly from the source—to create unique and successful solutions.

“ere are very few companies thatwork every day to try and make somebody’slife better. It might sound a bit hokey, butthat’s really what we do,” said Joe Vidal,president of Bioriginal. “If we can providethe products to improve people’s lives, therest will take care of itself.”

Bioriginal was created through amerger of two like-minded companies. Onecompany was established by the senior ex-ecutive of a major food company in theU.S. who realized that there was a desire formore natural products in the market. He es-tablished a manufacturing operation inSaskatoon. e other company was a jointventure between the Government ofSaskatchewan and the Saskatchewan WheatPool that aimed to find value-added cropsfor farmers.

Vidal said the founders envisioned in-volving producers, manufacturers and mar-keters to produce an extensive range ofproducts. In 1993, Bioriginal began pro-ducing its first ingredient, borage oil. De-rived from the seeds of the herb plantBorago officinalis, borage oil has been usedas a common herbal treatment in tradi-tional medicine practices for hundreds ofyears to treat everything from skin flare-upsto respiratory infections.

Vidal noted that since the crop growswell in a climate that has warmer tempera-tures during the day and colder tempera-tures at night, Saskatoon was the perfectgrowing region. However, the crop was notfamiliar to many farmers at the time, mean-ing an educational process was required.

“We were able to build long-lasting re-lationships with growers in this region, pro-viding assistance on the different techniquesto improve growing this crop,” Vidal said.“We also collaborated with research organ-izations and universities to discover thewide range of benefits offered by borage oilto enhance people’s health.”

Around this time, the product was alsorelatively unknown in the marketplace.

“One of our first customers was actu-ally in Japan,” Vidal said. “ey incorporateborage oil into clothing since it createsfewer irritants on the skin. Jamieson Vita-mins in Canada was one of our earlier cus-tomers when it came to marketing borageoils.”

In 1998, Bioriginal launched its sec-ond omega ingredient, flaxseed oil, whichis beneficial for heart health, digestivehealth and skin health. Around this time,Bioriginal also recognized the potential ofomega-3 fish oil. is product helps main-tain and support a healthy heart and canlower blood pressure and reduce the likeli-hood of heart attack and stroke, amongother benefits.

Bioriginal sourced fish oil from a com-pany in Norway and started selling theproduct. In 1998, Bioriginal implementedblending technology in its manufacturingfacility and became the first company inNorth America to develop omega 3-6-9supplements: a blend of oils from borage,

flax and fish. Vidal noted that at this point, Biorigi-

nal was at the forefront of innovation, de-veloping condition specific omega productsthat were new to the health food industry.But having a great line of products won’t geta company too far if consumers and retailersdon’t realize the benefits. at’s why Biorig-inal began focusing on a process Vidal calls“commercializing science.”

Bioriginal has a team of scientists andexperts in the fields of nutrition, productdevelopment and marketing that tries toanticipate where the market is headed andformulates and creates products to meet thedemand.

“To sell these products, we had to visitcustomers in their sites and talk with theirstaff in the R&D, product developmentand marketing divisions, and explain whythere’s a market for this product,” Vidalsaid.

“Many universities that do research ondifferent products look at it from a pure re-search point of view. We could take the re-search from a Harvard professor workingon borage oil to a marketing company andsay, ‘is is what the science means. Cus-tomers will receive these benefits when theyconsume the product. is is how you tellthe story.’ We became experts at helping ourcustomers position and sell our products intheir end markets.”

With an increasing list of omega ingre-dients in its portfolio, Bioriginal has ex-panded its producer network over the yearsand continues to work closely with suppli-ers from around the world. e companyhas also expanded into international mar-kets beginning at the turn of the 21st cen-tury through strategic purchases and new

Bioriginal: A global leaderin nutritional solutionsBy Pat Rediger


product development. Bioriginal established an office in the

Netherlands in 2000 to provide customizedomega products to countries in Europe. In2006, Bioriginal invested in a fish oil man-ufacturing facility in Peru to gain access toPeruvian aquaculture and maintain controlof the quality of oil it provides to customers.

Around this time, Bioriginal also ini-tiated research on more palatable deliveryformats for omega fatty acid consumption,

since many customers dislike the taste andsmell of omega oils. In 2008, Bioriginallaunched omega products in the form ofemulsions and chewables – products thatare both tasty and successful.

Today, Bioriginal has offices and facil-ities in Canada, United States, Netherlandsand China, developing and distributing anexpanding line of plant and dairy proteins,plant and marine oils and nutraceuticalproducts to business customers worldwide.

Vidal said that Bioriginal is eyeing contin-ued growth in the future, especially in Asianmarkets.

roughout all its travels, Bioriginal isstill proud to call Saskatchewan home.

“e benefits of being based inSaskatchewan are all about the quality oflife,” Vidal said. “e province also has agreat business environment, with a compet-itive tax rate and a regulatory environmentthat is relatively easy to navigate.”

Joe Vidal, President of Biorginal Photo by: Hogarth Photography


“Small-town girl”with big plans

Saskatchewan entrepreneur Jessica Tetu Photo by: Calvin Fehr Photography

By Virginia Wilkinson


An innovative Saskatchewan company,Just For You Day Spa has grown from oneto four locations across Saskatchewan andAlberta in just 10 years, making it one ofSaskatchewan’s largest spa facilities.

In 2007, at age 26, current spa owner Jes-sica Tetu purchased the spa from her for-mer employer, and dove into building thecorporate brand and community relation-ships.

“I answered every phone call, I did radioand TV, I undertook a small re-branding…and built the business—it was prettycrazy.”

e spa now employs more than 100 peo-ple in the four locations. Each locationhas its own team and team lead. Jessicabelieves it’s her team that has made thiscompany such a success.

“I try very hard to hire based on personal-ity, not necessarily just skill. I can teachskills, but I can’t teach someone to haveheart. I look for people who care deeplyabout their service being an incredible ex-perience for the customer, and who workreally well with a team. I feel like that’swhat’s made the difference.”

In addition to running the spa, Jessica isalso the CEO and founder of Lia ReeseCanada, which develops and manufac-tures Saskatchewan-focused beauty prod-ucts. Lia Reese was started in 2009, andwas named for Jessica’s daughter ElliaReese.

“It started as a skin care line and grewinto a cosmetic line, followed by essentialoils, then a men’s shave care line, and abody line, then a nail polish lacquer line,and we’re just now working on a gift careline,” she said.

e company has leveraged its productsto support its community focus. A line oflip gloss has been named for inspirationalwomen in Jessica’s life. As well, a lipstick

has been linked directly to the company’scommunity giving.

“We have a lipstick that’s called AppleHead because my niece was born at 29weeks and spent three months in theNICU (neonatal intensive care unit). Weheld a picture of an apple next to herhead because she was so tiny. Now she hasthat picture hanging in her bedroom andshe calls it her Apple Head picture. Wedonate the money from that product tothe NICU.”

A line of nail lacquers has been labeled forSaskatchewan towns, and another for Al-berta towns. e line includes such namesas: Allan a Day’s Work, Craven isColour, Somewhere Osler the Rainbow,Up a Craik Without a Paddle, Should IText or Cal-Gary?, Paint the Town Red-monton, A Glass of White or Red Deer?,and more.

“I’m such a small-town girl and I feel likethey never get any recognition, so we dida fun play on words, and we named themall for Saskatchewan and Alberta towns.”

Ever focused on growth, Jessica and LiaReese have just opened a 10,000-square-foot warehouse in Saskatoon, which ishome to the company’s laboratory, whole-sale operations, head offices and shippingarea.

“One of my biggest goals is now to focuson the wholesale department, becausewe’re going to be selling our products tosalon spas and gift shops across Canada.”

In addition to her work with Just for YouDay Spa and Lia Reese Canada, Jessica isalso Co-Founder of Entrepreneur306Business Consulting, a small businessconsulting initiative.

In 2016, in recognition of her father whostruggled with alcohol addiction, she andher brother started 4seventyone RecoveryResources to provide information about,

and create funding for, individuals deal-ing with addictions. She also uses manyof her speaking engagements to buildawareness of, and reduce the stigmaaround, addiction issues.

Passionate about community, Jessica is in-volved with many community organiza-tions including Family Service Saskatoonand the Saskatoon Chamber of Com-merce; as well, her spa provides supportto organizations such as Habitat for Hu-manity and local women’s shelters. Sheencourages her employees to become in-volved with community work. It’s becomepart of what makes the culture so strongin her organization.

Jessica has received numerous awards, in-cluding the YWCA Women of Distinc-tion Award for Entrepreneurship, theSaskatoon Chamber of Commerce Volun-teer of the Year Award, SaskatchewanYoung Entrepreneur of the Year Awardwith the Saskatoon Chamber of Com-merce SABEX Awards, and more. Her spahas been named Top Spa in Canada forFacials by FLARE Magazine, and Winnerof Best Beauty Line by Refined Magazine,among others.

“I can teachskills, but Ican’t teachsomeone tohave heart.”


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...continued from page 3

famous hat makers based in the UnitedKingdom. “ey’re looking for artists towork with them in the future on limited-edition lines of hats,’’ says Oro. “ey havestyles ranging from cowboy hats to hatsused in rap videos. It was really cool.”

Oro is a member of the Pelican Lake CreeFirst Nation, located on the shores ofChitek Lake about 270 km northwest ofSaskatoon. But she grew up with hergrandmother in Saskatoon and attendedPleasant Hill elementary school in thecity’s west end, circumstances that con-tributed significantly to her creative career.“My Kokum (grandmother) made moc-casins and did beadwork, and it was agood experience watching her create andsell and provide for me as a kid.” Oro par-ticipated in an Indigenous dance troupe atPleasant Hill school and looks back withfondness at the other “amazing program-ming” the school offered to Indigenouskids growing up in that part of the city.

In fact, she didn’t realize just how fortunateshe had been until she moved away fromSaskatoon and attended high school in a

small town not far from her First Nation.“ey had no cultural programming. I justkind of lost touch with it.” Following highschool, Oro enrolled in an estheticiancourse in Prince Albert as well as a part-time course in continuing care at a nearbytown. She frequently travelled three hoursa day to attend classes, often taking herbaby with her because she was short onchildcare alternatives. Before graduatingfrom the esthetician course and after meet-ing the necessary legal requirements, shelaunched a seasonal nail art business at herFirst Nation. It was only after she had hersecond child and had moved back toSaskatoon that she began to pursue bead-ing in a serious way. Today, she lives withher spouse and two kids, works from herhome, and believes family and friendsmust come first to keep life and work inbalance.

Oro says beading has deeper meaning thansome might expect. “It’s a form of prayer,and it also teaches you patience.” She’squick to point out, however, that her bead-ing style is decidedly non-traditional andthat she’s careful not to copy patterns or

designs used by other tribes.

Like some other entrepreneurs whose suc-cess turns on creativity, Oro firmly believesthe passion she brings to beading finds itsway into her designs and that her cus-tomers can sense it. She points to a recentexperience in which a woman wonderedwhat Oro was thinking about when shecreated a particular pair of earrings. ewoman had been drawn to the earringsand “felt good vibes about them.” Oro saysthe earrings featured gems that were a giftfrom one of her sisters and she was justwaiting for the right occasion to use them.“I was in a really good mood when I wasmaking them and I just had really goodvibes and thoughts. People pick up on thatkind of thing.”

In Saskatchewan, Oro’s designs are avail-able at the SASK Shop in Saskatoon’s Cen-tre Mall.

Helen Oro Designs Facebook page:www.facebook.com/HelenOroDesigns

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