CHAMBER BUSINESS AWARDS
For Tigers it's all about trying to win
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NEWS PHOTO EMMA BENNETT Medicine Hat Tigers forward Wacey Hamilton celebrates a goal by teammate Bretton Cameron during the second period of a recent game against the Calgary Hitmen at the Arena.
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NEWS PHOTO EMMA BENNETT Investors Group, located at 1324 Southview Drive S.E., held on to the majority of its clients during the economic downturn.
Andrea Klassen Medicine Hat News
For the administrative team behind the Medicine Hat Tigers, the best business strategy is also the most obvious.
"We try to win,” says sales and marketing executive Mike Bortolussi. Fortunately, it’s a plan of action the team itself is able to pull off.
Since 2003, the Tigers have ended every regular season ranked third or better in the Central Division of the WHL. In that time they’ve also made the playoffs three times, and won them twice. And that’s got fans paying attention, Bortolussi says.
"In terms of junior hockey in this community, you have to have a good product," he says, adding that the arena has sold out the majority of its regular season games for the past seven seasons.
This season is no different, with all 4,600 seats in the arena sold out every game night.
In addition to wins on the ice, Bortolussi says the team’s best measures of success are ticket sales and community perception. “And perception
in the community has been great, in terms of the response we get when we go out into the community and support public events,” he added.
As 2010 is the Tiger’s 40th anniversary year, the team has a number of events planned to celebrate its history and interact with the community at large.
January saw the team’s charity alumni game against the Medicine Hat firefighters. There’s also a 40th anniversary video in the works, set to be released during the playoffs, and Bortolussi says the team is working with sponsors to offer an even better slate of prizes for this year’s fan contests.
"Our campaign this year was to salute the fans,” he adds. This season’s fan
contests have included a chance for local classes to win breakfast with team members, as well as autographed jerseys and game tickets.
As for community perception, the Tigers also continue to play an active role in charity events around the city, whether they’re holding charity skating events for Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or visiting children at the hospital to hand out toys.
Area financial planners bullish on 2010
Andrea Klassen Medicine Hat News
While 2009 was a rough year for many financial service providers, Investors Group regional director Barb Wensley says her business is going into 2010 with “great demand.”
In fact, she says the company hopes to recruit several new financial planners for the Medicine Hat office in the next year.
The Group held on to the majority of its clients during the economic downturn, says Wensley, because of its focus on long term financial planning, rather than short term monetary gains.
“Our goal is always to increase your net worth,” Wensley explains. “So that can also be helping you with strategies to reduce your debt, or save on taxes. It's not always just your investments.
“With investments I think a lot of people only look at the rate of return for the past year, instead of whether their net worth increased.”
Economic instability, she adds, may also convince those who’ve previously relied on their own financial know-how to seek out professional advice.
“I think a lot of people didn't know what to do,” she says, when asked what advice clients looked for in 2009. “I think the media
tends to sensationalize some of the things that are going on, so that makes it very difficult for people to figure out what they need to do personally.”
Financial planners, on the other hand, must complete a rigorous certification process, and work to keep themselves updated on new laws, services and current events affecting the market. This continuous education process, says Wensley, is a major part of what makes consultants attractive to clients.
In addition to this basic training, Wensley points out that over half of Investors Group’s consultants have a Certified Financial Planning designation.
The CFP designation, given out by the Financial Standards Council, requires extra training and a national examination. Though it’s not required
for financial planners, Wensley says it’s one of the things she would look for if she were seeking an advisor herself.
With so much training to complete, recruiting new planners won’t be as simple as reading a few resumes, but Wensley says there’s a growing demand for planning services in Medicine Hat that needs to be met.
“We haven't really tapped into the area at all,” she says. “I think a lot of people out there aren't being looked after very well.”
REPORT ON SOUTHEAST ALBERTA 2010 ■ Celebrating our Community — 51
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