Horizon & SaskTel Extreme Technology MakeOver will help Watrous’ CIC Electric Service excel
The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the winner of the 2012 Horizon Extreme Technology MakeOver contest – CIC Electric Service Ltd. of Watrous.
As the grand prize winner, CIC Electric will receive a comprehensive technology renewal worth up to $50,000.00. The makeover will consist of a total technology assessment from Horizon, as well as new tools and hardware from the contests premier partner SaskTel. Other program partners include Targus, Fortinet, Lenovo, Xerox, Lexmark, Toshiba, Microsoft, and Sunrise Publishing.
The sole electrical contractor in the Watrous area, CIC Electric had been struggling to manage a growing clientele with no website, Interac payment system or e-mail. Its eight employees, who serve a range of residential, farm, commercial and industrial clients, haven’t been able to receive blueprints, directions or pictures of drawings, or respond to email inquiries.
“It will enable us to be a lot more efficient as a business,” said Charles Isaac Cruise, owner/operator of CIC Electric. “The technology will allow us to retain and hire more employees, and to expand into the future.”
The contest, which is free to enter, asks Saskatchewan companies employing up to 99 people, “What would the future look like for your company, if you were to get an Extreme Technology MakeOver, where budget wasn’t an issue?”
This year’s contest drew 767 unique entries, which were adjudicated by the MBA students at the Edwards School of Business (University of Saskatchewan) to pick the top 10 finalists. The finalists were then tasked with creating a single page business plan on the impact technology could have on their business. These business plans were then evaluated by a panel of adjudicators chosen by the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. This year’s judges included Tracy Arno (Essence Recruitment), Jeanette Tonita (Regina Chamber of Commerce), and John Houlden (John A. Holden & Associates). The criteria used to measure the finalists included business needs, the effect of the business on the community, applicability, and originality.
The second place winner, Top Line Cabinetry of Saskatoon, and third place winner, Bella Vista Inn of Humboldt, will receive a technology assessment through Horizon and additional prizes from SaskTel.
Raj Randhawa, CEO of Horizon, expressed his thanks to Chambers of Commerce throughout the province for helping spread the word about the contest to local businesses, and added that he was pleased by the number and quality of responses to this year’s contest.
