Corporate Markham In The News
December 20, 2004 – ATI Technologies Inc. announced that in 2004 ATI’s Digital Television division shipped more than 5 million chips for HD (high-definition) TVs and HD cable and terrestrial set-top boxes. In addition, ATI announced market leadership in ATSC/OpenCable™ silicon solutions with an ATI-estimated 85% market share for THEATER™ and NXT demodulators and a 40% market share for XILLEON™ MPEG decoders and display processors. ATI’s NXT, THEATER and XILLEON chips enable consumer electronics manufacturers to create a wide variety of products that feature exceptional reception and video display performance. Manufacturers also have access to ATI’s extensive software support and reference designs to help them bring to market unique products that conform to worldwide industry standards. Leading manufacturers of HD TV’s using ATI chips include Hitachi, JVC, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sanyo, Sony, Toshiba and RCA. “ATI is providing consumer electronics manufacturers with the industry’s best performing DTV and set-top chipsets,” said Daniel Eiref, director of marketing for DTV Products, ATI Technologies Inc. “ATI’s corporate commitment to research and development in digital television technologies is enabling our customers to deliver brilliant products while at the same time meeting the United States Federal Communications Commission mandated conversion to integrated digital reception.”
November 1, 2004 – Markham Board of Trade announced its annual business award winners at a recent event. ATI Technologies Inc., a world leader in graphics technology, was recognized for product and technology excellence. Karen Chadwick of Queen’s Pantry was recognized for business success combined with community involvement and assistance to other businesses. Rogers Cable earned the community relations and cultural enrichment award for community-oriented initiatives. Easton’s Group of Companies, headed by Steve Gupta, was recognized for commitment to developing hotels and multi-unit residential and commercial properties in eastern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area. Samtack Computer Inc., a distributor of personal computers and peripheral equipment was awarded for high standards and working conditions. The company was started in a Markham garage by Sam Chiu and expanded within a year to Montreal, Ottawa and the United States. Chestwood-Mezey Distribution, a Canadian distributor of office furniture, supplies and products received an award for high quality and service. A&M Computer Supplies, an independent manufacturer of printing supplies and services, won an award for innovation. The company was founded in 1979 and remanufactures inkjet and printing toner cartridges. Wah Lung Labels won the international trade award for winning contracts with Wal-Mart Canada, Roots Canada and Vogue. The company has a 30,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Markham and its factory in China distributes to Taiwan, Indonesia, Bangladesh and India.
October 15, 2004 – Angus Glen Golf Club has announced that it will be modifying its 18-hole north course in preparation for the 2007 Bell Canadian Open. This will consist of narrowing of some fairways, adding some new bunkers and new tee desks to make some holes par five instead of four. Tentative plans were drawn up by north course original designers Doug Carrick and Jay Morrish and were reviewed by PGA players including #1 ranked Vijay Singh, Mike Weir and Davis Love III. The work will be conducted by Angus Glen’s head groundskeeper Ernie Amsler and his staff and will take place gradually with no interference to customers playing the course. The Unionville golf course is rated as one of the best golf courses in North America.
September 7, 2004 – Michael-Angelos Market Place is now under construction at the north-east corner of Highway 7 and Woodbine Avenue in Markham. The 50,000 square-foot grocery store, the second outlet of the chain, is expected to open in Spring 2005 and will have extensive produce, baked goods, meat, seafood and deli sections together with a catering department. The site was once the home of Knob Hill Farms grocery store and the new store will cater to today’s busy, health conscious consumers with prepared foods all made in-store by Chef Tony Tomei. Prepared daily, the heat-and-serve selection will include soups, marinades, sauces and dips. Spokesperson Sandra Berardi commented, “We expect the Markham store will be very successful. Not only are we proud to be members of a thriving and ever growing community, but we have the distinction of being located at the gateway to Markham.” The new facility is expected to employ about 300 staff.
September 1, 2004 – CHEV AM 1610, Markham’s community radio station has begun broadcasting from facilities on Main Street Markham. The station is on the air daily from 6 pm to 11 pm and plans are already underway to increase the air time. Station owner and President Tom Neo said CHEV will offer live coverage of community events, including local events and amateur sports by a play-by-play announcer. The station is focusing on such events as the Markham Fair, local hockey, high school football, community charity events and coverage of local music talent from York Region, Durham Region and Toronto. Mr. Neo added, “CHEV will also provide coverage of regional community affairs on a weekly basis. We have a bulletin board offering what’s happening in the various communities”. The station will also provide local bands without recording contracts a venue for additional exposure.
August 27, 2004 – IBM Canada Ltd. has announced that it has hired 600 workers so far this year, with plans to add a total of 1,200 new employees across Canada by January 2005. Hundreds of recent graduates and experienced industry professionals are expected to join IBM’s Markham software lab by the end of 2004. The announcement represents a 50 per cent increase in hirings from last year and about 65 per cent of the hirings will be in the Greater Toronto Area. IBM Canada spokesperson Mike Quinn confirmed the hirings will bring the total number of IBM Canada employees to more than 20,000 by 2005. “I would point to the evolution of on-demand business and on-demand computing and our efforts to meet the growing needs of our customers,” Mr. Quinn commented. The job openings will include software sales, software development, finance professionals, systems integration specialists, technical support, management consultants, project managers, computer science and engineering graduates. The hirings also coincide with the $200 million U.S. invested globally at IBM sites for skills and development training and a $322 million Canadian investment earmarked for research and development at the Markham software lab. Worldwide, IBM plans to hire 19,000 people this year, bringing its global workforce to about 330,000. IBM Canada employs over 7,000 employees in Markham at both its Canadian head office and IBM Software Solutions Laboratory.
July 23, 2004 – CorporateMarkham.com Inc. is pleased to announce that it has successfully referred Panda Software to the Town of Markham’s Economic Development Office, which has resulted in the opening of Panda Software’s first Canadian head office at 100 Allstate Parkway in Markham, Ontario. Panda Software, based in Bilbao, Spain, is a global leader in virus and intrusion software development and has offices in 47 countries including the United States, Japan, Germany, France, China and the United Kingdom. The company has been ranked as the fifth fastest growing company in Europe over the past five years and has received numerous international awards for its software products. T. S. Gossai, President and C.E.O. of CorporateMarkham.com Inc. commented, “We have always believed that our vision for CorporateMarkham.com was fundamentally sound from the beginning. It is a powerful vehicle in which to promote Markham’s business community internationally and attract millions of dollars of economic benefits into our community. Panda Software is a rising star in the global software market and we are very pleased that CorporateMarkham.com was instrumental in setting the stage for their entry into Markham.” CorporateMarkham.com Inc. operates Markham’s largest and most comprehensive online information services directory CorporateMarkham.com, which now represents over 2,400 local organizations. The company also offers online advertising, website development services, database services and online employment services through its jobsMarkham division.
Visit Panda Software at: www.pandasoftware.com and CorporateMarkham.com at www.corporatemarkham.com
July 1, 2004 – Markham Family YMCA, is on schedule to open in winter of 2005. The 60,000 square-foot facility is being constructed near Highway 407 and Kennedy Road in Markham and will consist of an indoor swimming pool, fitness area, gymnasium, running track, meeting rooms, change rooms, and various facilities and programs for personal growth and development. The building will connect to Markham District Energy, providing and energy efficient building, and will implement new technologies to promote on-site ground-water infiltration, reduce water consumption within the building, promote waste reduction and encourage energy conservation. The $6 million capital campaign for the Markham YMCA kicked off in February 2004 and has been generously supported with gifts from the business community and community organizations. For more information on how to participate, please contact Cathyann White, General Manager, Markham Family YMCA at 905-948-8711 Ext. 246 or visit www.ymca-toronto.org/markham.
June 28, 2004 – PowerStream, a new electrical utility jointly owned by the Town of Markham and the City of Vaughan is now the third largest local distribution company in Ontario, delivering electrical power to more than 190,000 residential and business customers. The company was created from a merger between Markham Hydro Distribution Inc., Richmond Hill Hydro Inc. and Hydro Vaughan Distribution Inc. The new company is expected to benefit from greater business and operational efficiencies which are expected to also benefit its end customers. PowerStream will occupy the same offices of the former utility companies in Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan.
May 14, 2004 – CBL Data Recovery Technologies Inc. of Markham has seen its co-founder and chief technology officer Zhengong Chang honored with the Chinese Canadian Entrepreneur Most Innovative Award. Mr. Chang and his partner Bill Margeson opened a small computer repair business in 1993 to serve the growing high-tech community in Markham. Today, CBL offers data recovery services around the world through a network of laboratories in nine countries on five continents. Mr. Margeson commented, “He is a master of innovation. He recovers data when the best minds in the business can’t do it. When all else fails, people come to Chang. He’s the Red Adair of data recovery.” Mr. Chang is a native of Beijing, China and can to Canada in 1988 after receiving his Master’s degree in computer science in New Jersey. “For someone in my line of work and with my background, being named most innovative is very gratifying” noted Mr. Chang. CBL has grown to employ move than 50 highly skilled people in fields such as semiconductor physics, computer science, electrical engineering, automation control, telecommunications and psychology. “It’s a very specialized niche. There’s only a handful of companies in the world and no one has our recovery success rate of 85 per cent,” Mr. Margeson added.
April 16, 2004 – Markham, Ontario has been ranked as one of the best places to invest in residential real estate in Ontario by the Real Estate Investment Network (REIN), an Alberta-based research agency. Markham, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Aurora and Newmarket were singled out in York Region as particularly hot spots in the REIN study. It applied criteria, including public transit, community amenities, the average income of residents, housing mixes and vacancy rates, to measure potential return on investment. “The people who live in York Region should be going around with big, goofy smiles on their faces. They will see their values increase more quickly than the provincial average,” commented REIN president Don Campbell. Sylvia Houghton of Re/Max Classic Properties Inc. also noted, “A lot of transferees are coming to Markham and Unionville from all over the world. They’re very aware of the superior education system here. They also know about the superior recreational services offered in this area.” Markham’s real estate market also benefits from close proximity to Toronto, a strong corporate base, a well-educated work-force and many upscale residential neighbourhoods.
April 1, 2004 – Sanofi-Synthelabo Canada Inc. has donated over $1 million of anti-inflammatory medicine to Health Partners International of Canada, a Canadian Third World aid agency. Health Partners collects and distributes medicine and health supplies to physicians and non-governmental agencies in the world’s poorest nations. The donation of 1.1 million tablets of Idarac is being distributed in Belarus, Cuba, Ecuador, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Malawi, Peru, Pakistan and Romania. It’s expected the donation will treat about 100,000 people in those regions. HPIC president John Kelsall commented, “This donation is a wonderful opportunity for HPIC to make a difference in the lives of thousands of people around the world. This drug will help alleviate pain and suffering for people in the world’s poorest countries, where hope is in short supply.” Sanofi-Synthelabo’s Canadian head-office is located on Allstate Parkway in Markham and focuses research and development on cardiovascular disease, diseases of the central nervous system, oncology and internal medicine.
March 15, 2004 – Novopharm Ltd. has announced it will spend $20 million to expand its Markham penicillin production facility located at 575 Hood Road. The drug manufacturer has purchased vacant land just south of its plant and plans to construct a warehouse and also add a water purification system. The plant currently employs 200 people and will add 45 new jobs within two years of completion of the expansion. President and CEO Allan Oberman commented, “This announcement represents our ongoing commitment toward ensuring all of our facilities meet the emerging needs of a global pharmaceutical market that continues to develop and mature.” Novopharm also recently upgraded its manufacturing plant located on Main Street in Stouffville, just north of Markham.
February 1, 2004 – United Way of York Region has announced it has raised over $6.2 million for the 40 social service agencies it supports for the first time in its history. Campaign chairperson Garth Issett commented “We clearly see the increasing demand in the community because of the growth and government funding not keeping up with the population growth.” He also pointed out that the organization exceeded its goal by $71,000 despite a sluggish local economy, SARS and the power outage. He expects a stronger economic outlook will have a positive impact on this year’s campaign. The United Way of York Region is headquartered in Markham with offices throughout the region.
January 7, 2004 – Seneca College has announced that it will open a new campus in Markham in the fall of 2005, which is expected to attract 1,500 students within two years. Seneca president Rick Miner commented “Markham is the most underserved region in the Greater Toronto Area. It was clearly an area where there was a need for a post-secondary institution and others weren’t moving in.” The college has purchased the landmark Allstate Insurance building on Allstate Parkway located at Highway 7 and Highway 404 for $33 million. The 10 storey, 256,000 square foot facility has a 300-seat cafeteria and occupies 11 hectares of land that would also allow for future expansion. Allstate Insurance Company of Canada opened the building in 1986 and is relocating its 600 head office employees to a leased complex in the same area. As “Canada’s High-Tech Capital”, Mr. Miner expects business and information technology courses to be an integral part of Seneca’s programs in Markham. “What we want is for the programming to reflect the social and economic needs of Markham”. With 17,000 full-time and 90,000 part-time students at 14 locations, Seneca College is Ontario’s largest community college.
January 5, 2004 – Markham Stouffville Hospital has officially taken over control of Lakeridge Health Uxbridge, completing the hospital’s transfer that began in 2000. The new facility will be known as Uxbridge Cottage Hospital, a site of Markham Stouffville Hospital. Lorne Zon, Vice-President of Markham Stouffville Hospital commented “It really is a natural alliance” adding that because of the proximity to Uxbridge, many Whitchurch-Stouffville residents commonly used that facility as well. Many of the services of the two hospitals have been linked for years and the move also made geographical sense as Uxbridge is within easy commuting distance of Markham. Over 1,000 Uxbridge residents had day surgery at the Markham hospital in 2002, and with plans to rebuild the Uxbridge hospital on a new site, there will be many advantages of realignment and shared services for patients at both facilities.
See our profile in the Markham Economist & Sun
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Corporate News
