Happy Holidays 2015

Happy holidays from LaBarge Weinstein!

Another year is coming to a close, and what a great year it was.  Let’s recap a few highlights from 2015:

• Our clients continue to make headlines. Contemporary menswear brand and online retailer Frank & Oak topped this year’s Technology Fast 50 list with a four-year revenue growth rate of 18,480%. Based in Montreal, the technology-driven brand has created a dedicated community of followers by offering personalized style advice, curated product selections, and an elevated shopping experience via its online platform and retail stores. Our friends at eSentire also made the Top 50 – congratulations!
• Because we love lists, it’s important to note that many of our clients have been recognized on the Profit 500 list of Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies for 2015. Congratulations to all included, especially to Enflick who ranked ninth with 5,186% revenue growth, A Hundred Answers who came in at 15th spot with revenue growth of 4,010% and Buytopia.ca who cracked the top 25 in 23rd spot, boasting revenue growth of 2,853%.

• Online and mobile travel planning company Travelabulous was selected into the Chinese Angel Mentorship Program (CAMP). CAMP is a joint initiative between the Chinese Canadian Angel Alliance (CCAA) and Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE). Travelabulous co-founder Kirk Munroe detailed some of the things he learned about the Chinese high-tech sector in a great blog post.

•  Kik – and the chat app’s CEO and founder Ted Livingston  – was featured in the Report on Business last month in an article called “The Canadian who wants to dethrone Facebook”. Says the article about Kik’s success: “In a recent Comscore survey, Kik ranked among the top 20 stickiest apps in the U.S., alongside Netflix, Snapchat, Google Maps, Pinterest and Gmail.”
• Mogo Finance Technology hit a major milestone this summer when they issued their one-millionth loan and now process more than 30,000 loans a month. The firm also launched a $50 million IPO in the summer of 2015. A busy year for the full-service online lender!

• Amid the hustle and bustle of Alberta’s oil patches, Zayfti, an application that streamlines field- or patch-to-office communications, is standing out. The company and founder Karl Gartly were featured recently in Alberta Oil Magazine’s story “Why the Low-Tech World of Oilfield Reporting is Going Digital”.

• Sue Abu-Hakima, CEO of Amika Mobile, was named a Women’s Executive Network (WXN) 2015 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner. Sue co-founded Amika Mobile, joining as CEO in 2007, and has had a profound impact by leading the company through its development and launch of new, innovative products, which have recently garnered top awards in the public safety and security industry. For example, at the 61st ASIS International Security Conference Anaheim, California, Amika Mobile was honoured with two awards – Judge’s Choice for Top ASIS 2015 Honors and ASIS Accolades. Congratulations, Sue and the Amika Mobile team!

• Well.ca tied for first place in Forrester’s Canadian Customer Experience Index, beating out nearly 200 other companies when it comes to customer satisfaction.

Thanks to all of our clients and partners for a fantastic year. We’re wishing you a safe and happy holiday and great 2016! If you or your business has a story to share in 2016, please feel free to let us know.