Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1205
RONA STARTS DISCUSSIONS WITH VANOC ON HOW COMPANY WILL PROVIDE AID TO 2010
Rona, the renovations sponsor, and officials of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) have started meeting about the pragmatic shape the company's C$68-million sponsorship will take.
The company's sponsorship was announced last spring.
Russ Jones, the Vancouver-area manager in charge of Olympic arrangements for Rona, says the discussions involved a preliminary look at the company's support of part of the 2010 Whistler complex. "We have dedicated out of our [sponsorship] funds C$16 million specifically for the Athletes Centre. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is the developer of the Centre, and my understanding is that they are working on their plans. Rona will be a major sponsor of one of the buildings." The municipal government has set up the Whistler 2020 Development Corporation, with its own board of directors and staff, to deliver the Village, which is the core part of a much bigger, longer-term housing development.
Robert Dutton, Rona's president, who took part in a part of the discussions, says "One of the reasons why we're there is because it is for the athletes. That's our priority."
Jones says it was his understanding, going into the talks, that "we should be in construction in 2007."
Jones says that part of the meetings in the last two weeks have involved getting VANOC set up so that it can begin drawing down on the portion of the sponsorship devoted to providing renovation materials from Rona stores.
Jones says VANOC will be set up on the accounting side as normal, though large, customer. "Yes, we'll have them set up in our systems just like a big construction company, and we'll deal with them out of our Commercial Accounts division."
Jones says there are different funds allocated out of the sponsorship umbrella for various VANOC projects, "and I believe the large share of the [drawdown] will be between 2007 and 2010, right up to the final, temporary structures that are being built as part of the Olympics overlay. We'll be very involved in the overlay."
Jones says there are some interesting aspects to Rona's side of the project that is being discussed right from the start. "One of the unique components of the overlay is the sustainability factor. We're really driving for some of those materials to use them in a way that we'll be able to reuse them in some kind of a legacy project. We'll take care of them right from the time the materials are procured, to the assembly. For example, we might use screws [during assembly] so that they can be taken out afterward, and we're not dealing with a lot of nails and dangerous materials; that sort of thing. It will make it easier to recycle them, knowing that we or VANOC will use them in some sort of legacy project."
Going into the discussions, Jones wasn't sure about whether Rona would be involved in the decommissioning part of the Olympic overlay and temporary structures, which would take part in March, April and May of 2010. "That's yet to be determined at this point. We'll be working with VANOC; I just don't know how far they want us to go, yet, but certainly we'll assist VANOC with a lot of the logistics of the overlay."
Dutton says he's impressed with the VANOC team. "The people there are very, very nice, and very efficient. I'm very confident."
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on September 30, 2005
Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1204
Here are three more moguls we ran into today:
NORTHERN TRUST FUNDS 2010-RELATED FIRST PROJECT
- The board of directors of the Northern Development Initiative Trust in Prince George have approved the first project to receive funding, and it will help support 2010. The Village of Valemount, in the BC Rockies southeast of Prince George, will receive C$345,300 as a repayable grant to help it build the Valemount Gateway Visitors Information Centre. The facility will include an Interpretive Centre to promote the themes of Spirit of 2010, and host a permanent multimedia show about the 2010 Olympics. The C$135-million Trust was set up by the BC Liberal government in 2004 from part of the funds received for disposing of BC Rail. The full mandate of the Trust is to "strategic investments" in forestry, transportation, tourism, mining, energy, 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games opportunities, small business and sustainable economic development."
CHILLIWACK NIXES MINI-STORAGE IN FIGHT TO DRAW 2010 TOURISM - The City government in Chilliwack, just off the Trans-Canada Highway in the Fraser Valley east of Vancouver, has blocked development of a mini-storage facility on an odd-shaped piece of property at the main exit from the highway to the city. It did so because city councillors were convinced that property should be used as gateway to draw 2010 tourists into the city, and a mini-storage would isn't the kind of thing they think would do the trick. City councillor Mark Andersen is working with a committee to create something in the area that will draw tourists off the freeway and into the community; one of the ideas is a "15-foot replica of Mount Cheam," a local mountain. Andersen suggests every Fraser Valley community by 2010 will be "battling to get those tourists" to help local businesses.
10-33 - Psst! Yeah, you. I've just infiltrated your earpiece, so just listen; I've got a 10-14 for you. You have a Top Secret Security Clearance from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. You have a background in critical-incident command. You have expertise in figuring out "vulnerabilities" in issues that might "challenge" security forces during a major event. After that messy business back east, you are wondering what to do with your time for the next few years. Just say "10-4" if I'm right so far. OK. The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) has just the job for you: Director of Security Liaison. You'll be responsible for co-ordinating and communicating security issues between VANOC and the Vancouver Integrated Security Unit (VISU), which looks after all the security planning across police and military agencies. Of course, you'll also have to be able to decode VANOC bureau-speak, such as the part of your job description that says: "Utilize creative and innovative thinking in applying principles, theories and concepts to a wide range of problems to contribute to long-term strategies between VANOC FA’s and VISU. Develop or engage others in developing conceptual solutions to complex, non-routine problems and issues that may impact the entire project or a significant portion." FAs? Functional Areas. You have until Wednesday to send VANOC your resume and salary expectations, but you already know the background of the person who'll receive it, right? That's a big 10-15. And, hey, let's do a 10-98 after you get the job, OK? Over.
RESOURCES
RCMP 10 code list
http://www.securityprofessionalssite.com/rcmp10codes.asp
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on September 30, 2005
Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1203
Here are three moguls we ran into today:
NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR TO SUPERVISE WIDE RANGE OF VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT AND PROCUREMENT
- The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) expects to have in place in the next two or three weeks a Managing Director in charge of the two Athlete Villages and a range of related accommodation. The new Manager of Villages and Accommodation will be responsible for supervising all the planning, as well as the delivery of operations and services of the Village. This involves the capital developments, but also the temporary portions that will be used only for the delivery of the Olympics, such as security and accreditation. The City of Vancouver's process for building its Athletes Village is in the early but intense planning stages now, and the Whistler Village is at roughly the same stage, but not quite as far along. There is a third, unheralded 'village' that the new manager will supervise. They'll work with the 2010 Accommodations Department to ensure the development of the so-called "media village." The media villages portion of the job involves finding, contracting and managing accommodation and related services in the Sea to Sky corridor between Vancouver and Whistler. VANOC has promised the International Olympic Committee that it would find 1,500 temporary media beds. VANOC has to manage the allocation, collection, payment and disposition of these rooms "in a manner that meets hosting obligations and objectives, limits VANOC's financial exposure, and promotes Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler as desirable destinations for repeat visitations." The job also involves procuring and managing contracts for operations and services "to ensure delivery of agreed athlete and media experiences in the Villages."
NBC COLOURS MARKETING PROGRAM FOR US PROMOTION OF 2006 WINTER GAMES - NBC, the American television network that will be broadcasting the Torino 2006 Winter Olympics and, later, the 2010 Winter Games is part of a deal to promote this coming February's Games and the US teams that will be a part of it. The key is distribution throughout America of a colouring book with pictures of all the winter sports that will be at the Games. In the case of the US Olympic Ski Team, for instance, the back page of the book is a pre-addressed fan letter to the athletes of the US Ski Team and US Snowboarding Team. In addition, the US National Ski Areas Association, an industry group, will ask each of its 326 member resorts to create a banner supporting the US teams or individual athletes. The banners will be sent to Torino and presented to American athletes. Photos will be taken of various parts of the promotion and e-mailed to resorts for distribution to local media, staff, and guests in time for display during the NBC Olympic broadcast. The promotion also includes a US Ski Team Day on Saturday, Feb. 11, in which participating resorts nationwide can show their support of the U.S. Ski Team through various activities. The Torino Games will be held February 10-26.
LOGAN LAKE EYES CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING SUPPORT FOR 2010 - The announcement this week of a five-year extension to the life of Cominco's Highland Valley Copper mine at Logan Lake, near Kamloops, could have a 2010 ripple effect. The additional lifespan means five more years of the mine generating healthy taxes and economic activity, and Logan Lake expects to be debt-free early next year. That means, according to mayor Ella Brown, may allow investment into cross-country ski-training facilities for Olympic teams, for example. "I'd like to raise the level of the projects we're doing to another level," she's quoted as saying, "Let's look at the 2010 Olympics as an example."
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on September 30, 2005
