AQ's Blog & Grill artwork

AQ's Blog & Grill

84 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 1 rating

Whether you want to define your brand, turn your hobby into a successful business, or hone your content-creation skills, you're sure to leave with a full stomach (or mind).

We know you're craving information, and one of the best ways to learn is by hearing from others. Knowing that, we snag some of the world's most brilliant minds to share their stories, from veteran influencers like Guy Kawasaki, to Waterloo Region heroes like Vidyard's Michael Litt.

Entrepreneurship Business Marketing business quarry alan alanquarry alanquarryblog alanquarrypodcast aqblogrill aqsblogandgrill aqsbloggrill branding
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Episodes

Taking the ‘Why Not’ Approach and Running with Opportunities as they come | Donna Litt

November 29, 2021 13:45 - 26 minutes - 17.4 MB

Uvaro: Helping professionals have more fulfilling careers In this episode, Donna talks about the ‘Why Not’ approach that has led her through much of her entrepreneurial career. Taking advantage of opportunities as they come and following your interests to see where they might lead. With Uvaro, Donna and her co-founders saw a hole within the tech industry and came up with a brilliant way to fill it. Learn all about Uvaro, their platform, what they do, and how they got to where they are today.

Knowing When to Pivot in Your Startup | Mallorie Brodie

November 08, 2021 13:45 - 17 minutes - 12.4 MB

In this episode, Mallorie talks about the $24M CAD Series B funding that the company has just secured as well as the importance of maintaining the mindset of a start-up. To always be innovating and looking for opportunities within the industry is a crucial component to growing and scaling any business. More on Bridgit Solutions: || https://www.bridgitsolutions.com/ || https://twitter.com/bridgitsoftware || https://www.facebook.com/bridgitsolutions/ || https://www.linkedin.com/compa...

Building a Successful Innovation Ecosystem With Collaborative Capitalism | Communitech CEO Iain Klugman

April 27, 2020 10:00 - 28 minutes - 24.2 MB

“We can honestly say that every assumption we made about how we thought it was going to work was wrong.” Iain Klugman has spent the last 16 years bringing together government organizations, businesses, and talent to make Communitech an integral part of the Waterloo Region ecosystem. In this episode, he joins AQ to reminisce on his career of building Communitech to the intentionally collaborative and ambitious environment it is today. Iain shares how his team worked to keep talent in the ...

Driverseat Director of Marketing talks Franchise Expansion and Opportunities for Entrepreneurs | Dani Bazely

April 20, 2020 10:00 - 17 minutes - 13.3 MB

In this week’s episode, Alan sits down with Dani Bazely, Director of Marketing for Driverseat, as they discuss the innovative, award-winning business. Driverseat’s franchise-based business model focuses on chauffeur and shuttle assistance, with opportunities for specialized services from accessible transport to tours across wine regions. With low start-up costs, franchise owners range from young professionals and entrepreneurs to business owners looking to diversify their profile and add a...

How Bridgit Founders Used Customer Insights to Build a Multi Million Dollar Business | Lauren Lake

April 13, 2020 10:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MB

What does successfully breaking into an untapped market actually look like? How do you do it? How do you bring a product to market that the market is ready to adopt right away? You ask the market. What sets Bridgit apart from so many other companies, and what has made them so successful, is that they went to their customers first. Before they ever had a business plan or a product - before they ever wrote a single line of code - they hit the pavement. Lauren Lake (Bridgit COO) and Mallori...

Hamilton’s Innovation Factory and the Value of a Startup Supercluster | David Carter

April 06, 2020 10:00 - 34 minutes - 29.2 MB

"Innovation Factory Accelerates Success" - who doesn't want that!? Incubators and accelerators, like Hamilton's Innovation Factory, are the not so hidden gem that entrepreneurs need to know. In this week's episode, David Carter and Alan Quarry discuss the difference between an accelerator and an incubator, why Canada isn't producing enough "mythical unicorns," and how regional innovation centers need to work together to increase the success rates of startups. The City of Hamilton, often ...

Finding Your Way Through Uncertainty and Coming Out Stronger | Jennifer Moss

March 30, 2020 10:00 - 30 minutes - 26.1 MB

The world is currently going through the strangest thing that any of us will likely face in our lives. And there's a ton of fear and anxiety and doom and gloom that comes along with a worldwide pandemic, of course. But in this episode, happiness expert and author Jennifer Moss gives us incredible, tangible advice on how to navigate through this uncertainty with less guilt. But also to accept the many stages of grief that we may be moving through right now, no matter what form the emotion may...

How to Build a Word of Mouth Strategy | Talk Triggers Author Jay Baer

March 23, 2020 10:00 - 42 minutes - 38.2 MB

90% of B2B purchases are influenced by word of mouth. Fewer than 1% of companies have an actual “word of mouth” strategy. Jay Baer knows that one of the best ways to grow a business is for your customers to do it for you. In this episode of AQ’s Blog & Grill, Jay shares where to start when building your “word of mouth” strategy. We all know word of mouth is important, but we don’t realize how important or how to accomplish this. Jay gives us direct examples businesses are using today to ge...

Balancing it all – From Career to #MomLife and Everything in between | Melissa Melnychuk

March 16, 2020 10:30 - 35 minutes - 29.3 MB

From her demanding and successful career in sports marketing as the VP of Business Development for the KW Titans to balancing being a single mom to three busy children, Melissa Melnychuk has mastered the art of balancing it all. And it’s not all spreadsheets and Pinterest and spreading yourself so thin that you can barely function, like you may think. Instead Melissa takes the approach that “sometimes it’s ok to float” A certified life coach, Joga instructor, personal trainer, holistic nut...

How This Startup is Making a Huge Global Impact | Peter Whitby - CEO of O2 Canada

March 09, 2020 10:00 - 33 minutes - 28.2 MB

“I wanted to do something global and make an impact” - Peter Whitby What started as a leisurely trip in China has become a global product and a growing team. With intensive research, O2 Canada has truly innovated the face mask - creating a product with top notch functionality and unprecedented aesthetic ability.  From airline travel and city pollution, to natural disasters and global epidemics - O2 Canada’s mandate is to help people breathe clean air. As CEO of the company, Peter Whitby ...

F#CK Content Marketing – The Critical Difference Between Content Marketing and Content Experience | Randy Frisch

March 02, 2020 11:30 - 42 minutes - 35.7 MB

You may just have the best content in the world, but if your user experience isn’t top notch, the content may as well have been written by a seahorse. In this episode of AQ’s Blog & Grill, Randy Frisch describes the key difference between content marketing and content experience. He explains how we can get stuck in this loop of pumping out amazing content – content that is actually attracting our ideal customer and demographic – and yet we’re not seeing the sales and conversions one would ...

BURNOUT – How Well-being Plays Directly into our Ability to Innovate and be Competitive | Jennifer Moss

February 24, 2020 11:30 - 26 minutes - 22 MB

Jennifer Moss has many accolades – she’s an author, an international speaker, a columnist for the CBC, a contributor to Harvard Business Review and a member of the UN Global Happiness Council committee, just to name a few. When the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that ‘Burnout’ was a workplace issue, and that it was our own problem to ‘treat’ and solve, they didn’t quite get it right. Sure, doing more yoga, making time for self care, implementing breathing techniques and generall...

#TBT Episode: Stepping Out and Growing an Art Business with a Professional Artist and Entrepreneur | Jennifer Gough

February 20, 2020 11:30 - 17 minutes - 14.4 MB

Entrepreneur and professional artist, Jennifer Gough, speaks with Alan about finding her purpose in her art and how she completely changed her career to follow her passion. Jennifer's mission is to inspire people to follow their dreams and make their passions happen. She talks about growing her art business by saying yes to opportunities, taking chances, finding the right balance when she first launched Minds Eye Studio Art, and how she uses social media to keep her business thriving. h...

From Engineering Student to President and CEO of Multiple Companies – How to Fail: Often, Fast, and Cheap | Jim Estill

February 17, 2020 11:30 - 38 minutes - 34.1 MB

He didn’t get lucky. He isn’t an investment psychic. And he doesn’t possess any fancy or magical ability to predict which businesses are going to take off, and which won’t. He tries things. He jumps at opportunities and he FAILS. Over and over, he’s failed. He fails, and he’s learned how to fall in loves with failing. And with each missed opportunity though, he’s perfected his formula for failure – fail often, fail fast, fail cheap. Jim Estill has had his hand in the business world...

How Lifelong Learning and Cutting out the Noise can Move You Forward into Your Vision of Success | Lindsay Coulter

February 10, 2020 11:30 - 40 minutes - 36.3 MB

“What kind of human do you feel like being in the future?” So often, in life, we think of success a certain way. What career we end up in, what home we own, what cars we drive all seem rather important when someone asks you to think about your future. But Lindsay took us down a very different road in this episode. Join us as Lindsay and Alan sit down and discuss…well…everything, basically! From owning a Yoga business in university to struggling to find a co-op placement as a geographer. ...

Miovision Innovation makes Cities more Efficient | Kurtis McBride

February 03, 2020 11:30 - 38 minutes - 33.5 MB

Changing the world through traffic innovations. Kurtis McBride sits down with Alan and discusses how the innovation of Miovision in traffic stops, can globally impact fuel emissions and climate change as a whole. From a university engineering degree to a well respected and internationally respected entrepreneur, McBride is changing the landscape for startup companies in Waterloo Region. 

Obviously Awesome | April Dunford

January 27, 2020 07:29 - 42 minutes - 26.4 MB

Positioning. And cake pops! 😉 What is positioning? Is it actually still important in this day and age? The simple answer - Absolutely. But why? Find out as April Dunford highlights many of the key points found in her new book #ObviouslyAwesome and imparts her many years of positioning wisdom on to us in this episode. Be sure to check April out at https://aprildunford.com/

Mean People Suck | Michael Brenner

January 20, 2020 12:00 - 33 minutes - 29.7 MB

Listen in as Michael Brenner and Alan Quarry chat about everything from Champion Leadership to the LEGO brand, the kindness rule to the Pelaton scandal before the holidays.  And the underlying theme that ties all of these things together - empathy. If you can think and feel like the customer, you win.

Creating Disruptive Leaders | Charlene Li

January 13, 2020 12:00 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MB

Charlene will always tell you to “begin with the end in mind” but what does that mean? In her new book, The Disruption Mindset: Why Some Organizations Transform While Others Fail, explains just that.  In this week's episode, Charlene and Alan discuss company culture and the movement of creating DISRUPTIVE LEADERS within organizations, so they will go out and create exponential change.

Influence Marketing in the B2B Sector | Lee Odden

January 06, 2020 12:30 - 29 minutes - 26.3 MB

In today’s episode, Alan chat’s with Lee Odden on the emerging concept of Influence Marketing in the B2B sector. Lee is a B2B marketing strategist, author, internationally known keynote speaker, and CEO of a digital marketing organization called TopRank Marketing.

X: The Experience when Business meets Design | Brian Solis

December 30, 2019 11:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MB

Experience Architecture. And how to become an experience architect!? You won’t want to miss this throwback episode with top digital analyst, futurist and award-winning author, @BrianSolis as he discusses his book ‘X: The Experience When Business Meets Design” Brian discusses the importance of ensuring that data is HUMANIZED. The data tells a story. It’s not just numbers and graphs and charts. Brand experience for the customer is number one! Tune in to find out so much more. So juicy!

Creating a Legacy of Serial Entrepreneurship & Startup Mentoring | Axonify’s Carol Leaman

December 23, 2019 11:00 - 25 minutes - 23 MB

CEO of Axonify and Alan’s entrepreneurial heroine, Carol Leaman, stops by to discuss her growing business and her path of serial entrepreneurship. What began as an eLearning platform has transformed into a fully equipped knowledge platform, using gamification and brain science to deliver, share, measure and apply knowledge. The company has picked up almost 100 global brand-name clients including Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, Bloomingdales and GE.  "What is at the centre of both company perfor...

Everybody Writes | Ann Handley

December 16, 2019 11:00 - 11 minutes - 10.2 MB

Ann Handley is a veteran of creating and managing digital content to build relationships for organizations and individuals. Ann is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller ‘Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content. She is the chief content officer of MarketingProfs; a columnist for Entrepreneur magazine; a LinkedIn Influencer; a keynote speaker, a mom, and a writer. In this AQ’s Blog & Grill Q&A, Ann talks with Alan about how we are all writers, ...

Beyond Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Empathy | Glen Drummond

December 09, 2019 11:00 - 19 minutes - 26.6 MB

In this episode of AQ’s Blog & Grill, Alan chats with long-time colleague and friend Glen Drummond about a potential, slippery slope of AI and other emerging, predictive technology. “Empathy is an essential and defining human quality,” says Glen. And, more than that, we’re hard-wired to respond to empathy. So, what happens when there’s a disconnect between what we expect to see happen, and what we experience?  Lean in as Glen shares his insights into how to avoid AI and predictive technolo...

Marketing Advice for Start-ups to Become Stay-ups | April Dunford

December 05, 2019 11:00 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MB

She’s the CEO of Sprint.ly, a marketing mentor and angel investor who started her hurricane of entrepreneurial activities by studying engineering. In this episode of AQ’s Blog & Grill, April Dunford shares her experiences going from an engineer to a marketing genius. Alan and April discuss marketing strategy vs. tactics, creating the right metrics and shifting your mindset from selling to helping your customer buy.  Becoming a “stay-up” isn’t an easy road, so April provides her top three m...

Reinventing the Marketing Consulting Model | Scott Gillum

December 02, 2019 11:00 - 14 minutes - 20.2 MB

A nimble marketing services consultancy? You betcha. Scott Gillum, the founder of Carbon Design, has built consulting success around working differently. Carbon Design delivers value-based services thanks to its team of carbonistas. Lean. Efficient. Non-dependent. These are, says Scott, the keys to successfully navigating the future of work. In this episode, Scott shares key insights into working smarter - not harder - as he changes the consulting landscape. All Carbon Design projects focu...

Content Marketing Isn't Enough | Gary Vaynerchuk aka Gary Vee

November 28, 2019 11:00 - 10 minutes - 9.49 MB

Gary Vaynerchuk, the hardest working man in social media, talks about how he takes time to engage with his audience on social media and how content marketing is overflowing on the internet. He touches on his worries that young entrepreneurs think business is easy, the fairness of capitalism, how he built his brand, and how he is creating a scalable business out of the unscalable. Finally Gary describes his new book, Jab Jab Jab Right Hook and how boxing and social media are linked. About O...

Life Lessons from a Wise Guy | Guy Kawasaki

November 25, 2019 15:23 - 21 minutes - 30.1 MB

A big AQ’s Blog & Grill “Welcome Back” to Guy Kawasaki. While he may have hung up his hockey skates and taken up surfing, he’s still giving it his A-game in his new book Wise Guy: Lessons from a Life. In this episode, Guy shares how he’s in the “sweet spot.” That time when he’s acquired knowledge - and not yet lost it.  Alan and Guy have a chat about this highly personal book, letting all of us in on Guy’s life lessons learned. The episode is full of laughter, banter and above all else - ...

How Technology is Enabling Customized Work Experiences | Kiite's Joseph Fung

November 18, 2019 04:38 - 20 minutes - 18.7 MB

Joseph Fung understands that hard work, sweat and tears plays a role in startups, but putting yourself out there is a huge factor in success. After consulting with an advisor at Waterloo’s Communitech, Joseph found success with his first startup, TribeHR. He went on to sell TribeHR to Netsuite, the first major chapter in his road to serial entrepreneurship. Joseph joins Alan today to share the lessons he's learned along the way and the new business venture he has taken on, Kiite. Joseph and ...

Kim Morouney of the Lazaridis Institute | Communitech's #TrueNorth18

June 28, 2018 21:08 - 4 minutes - 9.29 MB

The fabulous Kim Morouney of the Lazaridis Institute joins us to share her love of the Tech for Good motto, what it meant for Lazaridis to be a #TrueNorth18 partner and what a conference like this brings to the Region of Waterloo. We also discuss the impact educational institutions have in carrying the 'Tech for Good' motto forward. -- Anyone could throw a technology conference. It takes a company that truly understands the social impact of technology to turn this style of conference on ...

Russell Verbeeten of ConsenSys | Communitech's #TrueNorth18

June 28, 2018 21:04 - 5 minutes - 11 MB

ConsenSys is proud to have opened a new office in the Region of Waterloo, and so partnering with the True North Conference is the perfect fit! Russell Verbeeten, a man of many hats within the blockchain company, joins us to talk about what it means for their business to be engaging in the community. Russell gives us a 10,000 foot description of blockchain and shares some of the exciting industries the technology is being used in. Hint: It's not all about cryptocurrencies! -- Anyone could...

Catherine Bracy of TechEquity Collaborative | Communitech's #TrueNorth18

June 28, 2018 20:42 - 3 minutes - 8.11 MB

Catherine Bracy has dedicated her time, passion and career to building a stronger, equitable tech sector in Silicon Valley and tech communities. She joins us to discuss how tech companies, startups and large organizations can create a greater impact in the communities that they are housed. In true Tech For Good fashion, she shares how the internet has played a significant role in an era of change and equality. -- Anyone could throw a technology conference. It takes a company that truly u...

Richard Yim of DeMine Robotics | Communitech's #TrueNorth18

June 28, 2018 20:36 - 4 minutes - 9.06 MB

It couldn't get any more #techforgood than this. DeMine Robotics, founded by guest Richard Yim, has set out to remove the MILLIONS of landmines scattered about Cambodia and the world. Richard tells of his experience growing up in the dangerous area, where children are not free to play for fear of the hidden explosives. He shares the story of DeMine Robotics founding and how the brave company is tackling this global issue. -- Anyone could throw a technology conference. It takes a company ...

Loren Padelford of Shopify Plus at Communitech's #TrueNorth18

June 21, 2018 15:55 - 3 minutes - 7.25 MB

Shopify and Shopify Plus have made quite the impact in the Waterloo Region, and they are just getting started! VP/GM Loren Padelford shares a little bit about what this company is up to with their new building in Waterloo, what an event like TrueNorth18 brings to the region and why Waterloo is Shopify Plus' home of choice.    --   Anyone can throw a technology conference. It takes a company that truly understands the social impact of technology to turn this style of conference on its...

Mallorie Brodie of Bridgit at Communitech's #TrueNorth18

June 21, 2018 15:47 - 4 minutes - 7.52 MB

Bridgit's badass co-founder, Mallorie Brodie, joined us straight after her TrueNorth18 presentation to share the updates on Bridgit. Mallorie shares her thoughts on female empowerment in business, the opportunities this tech for good conference brings to local businesses and launching Bridgit in United States.   --   Anyone can throw a technology conference. It takes a company that truly understands the social impact of technology to turn this style of conference on its head and focus...

Peter Barr of Deloitte at Communitech's #TrueNorth18

June 21, 2018 15:43 - 3 minutes - 6.69 MB

Fully supporting Communitech's initiative is #TrueNorth18 partner, Deloitte and their managing partner, Peter Barr. Peter joins us to talk about why they hitched their wagon to this event and what the tech for good conference brings to the Waterloo Region. Plus, Peter shares all about Deloitte's brand new building in Kitchener.    --   Anyone can throw a technology conference. It takes a company that truly understands the social impact of technology to turn this style of conference on...

Talia Sanhewe, True North Host

June 21, 2018 15:37 - 7 minutes - 13.8 MB

When Communitech chose a host for #TrueNorth18, they chose right! The sensational Talia Sanhewe did a fantastic job hosting the TrueNorth18 conference. Halfway through the two day event, she joined us to share her story in becoming a media host, finding your passion and taking chances in your career.    --   Anyone could throw a technology conference. It takes a company that truly understands the social impact of technology to turn this style of conference on its head and focus on th...

Ali Asaria of Tulip Retail | Communitech's #TrueNorth18

June 13, 2018 20:52 - 4 minutes - 8.34 MB

Anyone can throw a technology conference. It takes a company that truly understands the social impact of technology to turn this style of conference on its head and focus on the good. Communitech did just that. Knocking it out of the park with #TrueNorth18. And on that note, Ali Asaria understands that being a part of technology ecosystems means more than making bank on a great product. Ali has done a remarkable job in the social good aspect. He explains in this Off the Grill snippet at #T...

Iain Klugman of Communitech | #TrueNorth18

June 13, 2018 20:44 - 6 minutes - 12.2 MB

Anyone could throw a technology conference. It takes a company that truly understands the social impact of technology to turn this style of conference on its head and focus on the good. Communitech did just that. Knocking it out of the park with #TrueNorth18. Communitech CEO, Iain Klugman talks about the challenges and triumphs of throwing an event the likes of #TrueNorth18. Two years of hard work and the help of a wicked team led to the major success of the Tech4Good-focused conference. O...

Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky | Communitech's #TrueNorth18

June 13, 2018 20:29 - 3 minutes - 6.29 MB

Anyone can throw a technology conference. It takes a company that truly understands the social impact of technology to turn this style of conference on its head and focus on the good. Communitech did just that. Knocking it out of the park on with #TrueNorth18. Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky joins us to talk about what it means to have an event like this headquartered in the Waterloo Region. He shares his love for the KW technology ecosystem and discusses how he and his team are working to cr...

Maurice Allin | Debunking the Myth of The Customer to Drive Successful Branding

April 12, 2017 20:06 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MB

 VP of Quarry Integrated Communications, Maurice Allin, joins Alan in this extremely insightful interview of AQ’s Blog & Grill. Alan and Maurice debunk the myth of the customer and share ideas of how to create powerful experiences in branding.   Maurice unpacks the thinking of some of his favourite brand thinkers and anthropologists such as Joseph Campbell, Jonathan Haidt and Dr. Robert Deutsch. He discusses how the brands that we interact with help us as consumers to become more of ours...

Building a Successful Social Media Centred Business | Jane Barkley of IM@Events

April 06, 2017 16:17 - 20 minutes - 18.4 MB

From personal brand to event media, Jane Barkley – founder and CEO of IM@Events – ­is a powerhouse of marketing talents. Jane joins Alan in this episode of AQ’s Blog & Grill to share her path to success and how others can do the same. Jane founded IM@Events after uncovering a need in the event industry to produce and execute event coverage from front to back. IM@Events provides full digital media coverage of events and conferences across southern Ontario, building buzz and creating a path ...

Jeff Aramini | Saving the World One User Experience at a Time | AQ's Blog & Grill

March 27, 2017 16:45 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MB

Jeff Aramini is the President of Focus21, a firm that is focused around creating online experiences with purpose. In this episode of AQ’s Blog & Grill, Jeff joins Alan to share what he means by that ‘purpose’ and how the growing start-up is working to make a difference in the world. An immense passion for learning helped Jeff gain a PhD in epidemiology, a doctorate of veterinary medicine and an incoming EMBA from Laurier University. Jeff was introduced to informatics while working with the...

Steve McCartney | Mentoring Start-ups: The Mistakes and Successes Of Emerging Tech Companies

February 24, 2017 20:48 - 18 minutes - 16.6 MB

One of the greatest start-up accelerators in Canada lies in the Waterloo Region. Communitech is nestled in a reclaimed factory building and is home to over 350 emerging companies. Our guest, Steve McCartney is the VP of Start-up Services at this powerful hub. Steve came to the AQ studio to tell us a bit about the business side of running an incubator.   Steve walks us through the process of joining Communitech as a start-up, whether coming with an idea, a work in process, or a fully oper...

Norm Clare | How Technology is Transforming The Brand Experience

February 17, 2017 20:10 - 20 minutes - 18.6 MB

Norm Clare of Quarry Integrated Communications joins Alan to share his insight into key technologies that are shaking up brands in this era of digital transformation. Norm is the VP of Marketing Technology Strategy and as Alan puts it, is a great synthesizer of what technology could do and what it actually does.  Norm speaks to the buyer’s journey and how technology is changing how brands connect with customers, gather data and create meaningful experiences. He explains the power of brande...

Amber Mac | Outsmarting Your Kids Online

February 15, 2017 21:30 - 14 minutes - 13.1 MB

Speaker, author and social media thought-leader Amber Mac joins us in studio to discuss her book ‘Outsmarting Your Kids Online’. She shares a bit about the process of self-publishing the work with co-author Michael Bazzell after being inspired by Guy Kawasaki. A book, a business, TV and radio shows and a busy social life is a lot to balance. Amber credits her multi-level success to working with great partners and loving what she does. It may surprise some to learn that Amber grew up in PEI...

Michael Popovich | Advancing Public Health Outcomes Through Information Technology

February 14, 2017 15:59 - 19 minutes - 17.8 MB

Michael Popovich, CEO of STC (Scientific Technologies Corporation), caught up with Alan Quarry to discuss the changes in information technology and how they can be used to save lives.   STC began as an IT company in the consulting realm, but after a design consult for an immunization registry had them building the software themselves, the firm wound up deep in the public health industry.   Michael shares impactful stories of how information technology and data can and has been used t...

Kurtis McBride | Building Smart Cities with Agile, Data-Based Solutions

June 29, 2016 20:50 - 15 minutes - 14.3 MB

Entrepreneurship is usually focused on solving problems and the story of Miovision does not stray from that mentality. As a co-op student from the University of Waterloo, Kurtis McBride spent weekends manually counting cars at intersections. The common entrepreneurial phrase eventually crept through his mind – “There needs to be a better way.” Now, over a decade later, Kurtis’ company Miovision has reached global success in smart cities by creating agile solutions on top of city data.  Alan ...

Michael Litt | Vidyard Changes the Content Game | AQ's Blog & Grill

June 22, 2016 21:28 - 20 minutes - 18.6 MB

It’s been three years since we caught up with Vidyard’s Chief Executive Officer, Michael Litt, so we’ve pulled him into the AQ studio to discuss the dramatic growth and success of the five-year-old start-up. We start with the facts on what Vidyard does, how they do it and how their clients are benefiting. Michael and Alan discuss the challenges that present themselves as the Vidyard team grows. Michael notes that the employee head count isn’t their measure of success, but how happy and focus...

Alex Mustakas | How This Entrepreneur Became one of Canada’s Greatest Arts Success Stories

June 19, 2016 15:19 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MB

Alex Mustakas, Chief Entertainment Officer of Drayton Entertainment, joins us to discuss arts, business and the glorious combination of the two. Alex shares the inspiring story behind Drayton Entertainment and how he used both his creative side and business mind to become an entrepreneurial success in arts. Twenty-five years ago, a small community raised funds to save its old opera house from a wrecking ball. Now that venue stands as one of seven theatres under the Drayton Entertainment umbr...

Guests

Gary Vaynerchuk
1 Episode

Twitter Mentions

@aqbloggrill 11 Episodes
@bridgitsoftware 3 Episodes
@communitech 2 Episodes
@jenleighmoss 2 Episodes
@tecollab 1 Episode
@kw_titans 1 Episode
@randyfrisch 1 Episode
@o2canada 1 Episode
@deminerobotics 1 Episode
@davejaworsky 1 Episode
@kmorouney 1 Episode
@aliasaria 1 Episode
@rverbee 1 Episode
@driverseatfirst 1 Episode
@citywaterloo 1 Episode
@tulipretail 1 Episode
@deloitte 1 Episode
@iainklugman 1 Episode
@lazaridisinst 1 Episode
@jaybaer 1 Episode