work | SMART  Brickstorming Continued from page 1  Vision Quest Continued from page 1


attending the conference as the keynote speakers. Beach is an Anishinaabe actor, known for many ac-


claimed film and television projects including Suicide Squad, Law & Order, Windtalkers, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, and more. Nobess is an established Aboriginal actor and screen-


writer, YouTube artist, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker who recovered from drugs and alcohol and will be discussing the healing path to getting a second chance at life. RoseAnna Schick, spokesperson for Vision Quest says


in addition to the speakers, one of the unique options Vision Quest offers the Conference Delegates is their two full-day Pre-Conference courses. “Living a Life Teachings course explores cultural


teachings that challenge participants to reflect on the sacred, identity, their own untapped potentials and per- sonal barriers to the life they want,” says Schick. “Te other is called From Vision to Reality and is designed to provide answers to get businesses up and running, and share information about tools, resources and money that may be available to help start a business.” With over 90 exhibitors on display at the Trade Show,


there is a big opportunity to meet some of the most in- fluential Aboriginal business owners and operators, as well as community leaders. Tere is free public admis- sion to the Trade Show on Wednesday and Tursday. While many of the delegates travel from Manitoba,


helping people and companies realize this with one brick of Lego at a time. Kristen Klassen is the President and CEO of Brickstorming, a


business facilitation, educational consultancy, and visual art- istry company specializing in the Lego Serious Play method. Brickstorming began after Klassen graduated from the


University of Manitoba with a Masters degree in Disability Studies. Klassen began working with children, and quickly noticed there were some kids who had a lot to say, but had trouble communicating their concerns. “I began working with kids with disabilities and some had


communication disorders. I would try interviewing them and try to understand their experiences in a particular program that they were involved in and I was really struggling to get some answers.” Klassen knew there was more that could be done and was


introduced to the work of Daniel LeGoff who is a licensed pedi- atric neuropsychologist, and the pioneer of LEGO Terapy. A psychology graduate of the University of Winnipeg, LeGoff has done work with kids with autism with Lego where he builds saying bricks have specific meaning and you can almost build an entire language out of Lego. Klassen learned a lot from LeGoff’s methods, but had envisioned something else, so she sought out the original developers of Lego Serious Play, Robert Rasmussen and Per Kristiansen, and was trained by them. Klassen is now a Lego Serious Play Certified Facilitator and in the process of becoming a certified Trainer of Facilitators. Lego Serious Play is a facilitation methodology offered by a


Lego Serious Play Certified Facilitator. Its goal is fostering crea- tive thinking, strategic problem-solving, and team-building using Lego bricks. Now Klassen is using her skills to help companies and their employees come together by using Lego. How it works


“When I come into a team-building session for a company,


the process is basically four steps. I frame a question for the client, team or individual, they build in response to that and then, everyone shares their story, and finally we reflect on those stories and draw insight,” says Klassen. “I usually start with something simple like building a tower out of Lego and the reason for that is that when you ask people to engage in creative endeavors, there tends to be a lot of ‘I can’t draw, or I


 Cost Wise Continued from page 1 So how does this all work without


costing you anything? “We like to compare our services to


that of a pizza delivery company,” says Bloomfield. “If you order a pizza and they never deliver it, you don’t pay. For us it’s the same, if we don’t deliver on the service we provide to save you money, you don’t pay.” Bloomfield adds that the term “pay”


is used loosely because it’s not really costing their client any money. “Our clients are not really paying us,


we are working to save them money from their phone and internet service provider and it’s out of those savings that Cost Wise gets paid.” To begin, you will sign a contract


for Cost Wise to do their consulting and figure out where, if any, the sav- ings are. Cost Wise will then bring you a few different options of ways they can save you money, and after you decide which option you think


May 2017


best suits your needs, you will agree to pay Cost Wise 50% of your savings over the next three years. If Cost Wise doesn’t find a way to save you money, or you choose to stay the same, there is no cost to you. “We are advocates of the client


and working on their behalf with the providers,” adds Vice President for Business Development Roman Zilber. “Tey will continue to pay their pro- vider, we are completely transparent.” Big Savings


On average, Cost Wise have saved


companies about 30%. However their record is over 60%. For a small busi- ness with just a couple of phone lines, savings of around 30% of their bill is significant. For bigger companies with many phone lines it could work out to tens of thousands of dollars per year. “For one local company we have


been working with we found they were over-paying for a lot of services


and we managed to save them close to 30%,” Bloomfield says. “Over the next five years that equates to over one-hundred thousand dollars that they will retain that they otherwise would have been paying, so there’s lots of money left on the table.” “Business leaders are focused on


running their business and that’s great, but as a result money tends to slip through their fingers in excessive telecom expenses,” Bloomfield adds. “We have a very high success rate and are very confident we can deliver a great service while helping people and companies save a lot of money.” It can be difficult, time-consum-


ing and expensive to follow all the changes in technology, services and rates. Cost Wise understands the in- ner workings of the telecom industry and will do the work so you can keep the money where it’s meant to be, in your pocket.


www.smartbizwpg.com


can’t do this,’ but when it comes to building a tower out of Lego everyone can build that and in turn get their points across.” “Everyone starts with exactly the same parts, exactly the


same instructions, and yet no two people will build the same tower and it becomes a very visual way of seeing that no two individuals see the world in exactly the same way, and in turn everyone becomes engaged in the process,” Klassen adds. In almost every group or meeting there’s usually one or


more people who have a dominant personality. Te meeting then becomes what is called a 20-80 meeting, or a meeting where 20% of the people do 80% of the talking. Brickstorm- ing helps bridge that gap and gets everyone involved in the process. “It’s really beneficial for big decisions in companies where


you want 100% commitment because if people don’t feel like they’re heard at a meeting they won’t commit to the solution,” Klassen says. “People will share more about themselves because it’s safe and because it’s not about you, it’s about the model you had built, so it becomes less critical and less personal.” Every person, school, or company is different, so Brick-


storming custom designs their meetings for each individual, workplace or team to make sure they get the best possible results. Brickstorming is not only for helping companies. Klassen


has worked with children and schools helping with problems such as bullying, harassment, and diversity in the classroom. Klassen has even worked with students trying to find out what they want to do for a career. “Being able to work through models of what you want in


a career and what you are looking for in your career, we can help to define your career path based on things you’re actu- ally interested in.” A career where you get to bring Lego everywhere is a dream


of many, but Klassen enjoys the process and the reward of helping people who may not normally be heard, and helping them find their voice. “What teams and schools are finding beneficial about


Brickstorming is that it’s 100% participation. If you’re at the table, you’re building and you’re sharing and you’re a part of the process and to me that’s the most rewarding.”


Saskatchewan, Northern Ontario and Alberta, Abo- riginal leaders and entrepreneurs from as far away as Nunavut, Northwest Territories and the U.S.A. have also participated. Conference Delegates who attend the event are Aboriginal business owners and opera- tors; Aboriginal youth; community leaders; economic development officers; investors and financial institu- tions; government and corporate representatives; busi- ness and community service providers; individuals or businesses interested in working with the Aboriginal community. Te traditional Vision Quest Gala Banquet closes the


conference on Tursday night with the presentation of awards for the Dragon’s Quest Business Plan Competi- tion, Steve Prince Memorial Bursary, cultural presenta- tion by Plains Ojibway Singers and Dance Troupe, and a performance from renowned comedian Don Burnstick. Keynote Speakers


Adam Beach is an Anishinaabe actor, who was born


in Ashern, Manitoba, Beach spent his early years grow- ing up on the Lake Manitoba/Dog Creek First Nation. After the tragic deaths of both his mother and father, Adam and his two brothers went to live in Winnipeg with an aunt and uncle. It was at Gordon Bell High School where Beach attended his first drama class, and began performing in local theatre productions. Acting eventually led Adam to a very successful career in entertainment. In response to his dream of helping Aboriginal youth find a better way in life through film, Adam founded the Adam Beach Film Institute in Win- nipeg. In early 2012, an initial gift of donation from San Gold Corporation enabled Adam to begin to see the realization of this dream. Kyle Nobess has always dreamt of being an actor, and


through perseverance, hard work and self-belief he has been fortunate to work in film and television in various ways. Kyle’s passion is to share his courage and message with youth around the world, that dreams are possible and anything is achievable when you set your mind to something. Drawing from his own experiences, Kyle shares his journey of recovery from drugs and alcohol and the healing path to getting a second chance at life. Trough personal development and finding inner strength, Kyle is proud to say he has experienced true freedom within his body, spirit and mind – that well- being is attainable, and that dreams are indeed possible for each of us.


Honourary Chair Sheila North Wilson is a member of Bunibonibee


Cree Nation and was elected as Grand Chief of Mani- toba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) in September 2015. Previous to this, she enjoyed a career as the Chief Communication Officer at Assembly for Manitoba Chiefs, a CBC journalist and CTV correspondent, an economic development officer, a radio personality, and a Cree translator. She holds two diplomas in Business Accounting and Rural Development with a focus on community development, a certificate in radio and television broadcasting, and a diploma in Creative Communications. Sheila is a gifted writer, a Radio Television Digital


News Association award winner, and a Gemini Award nominee. She is passionate about the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW). With this in mind, she created the hashtag #MMIW which is now commonly used on social media. She continues to work closely with families, friends, as well as Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders to advance the political will to address racism and the issues around violence against Indigenous people. Sheila was featured in Chatelaine Magazine as one


of the Top 30 Women of 2015 and by media personal- ity Ace Burpee from Virgin Radio as one of the Most Fascinating 100 Manitobans to Watch


Smart Biz 7


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