BY SHANNON SUTHERLAND- SMITH Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP (Gowlings) is an expert in protect- ing and defending intellectual property (IP) assets worldwide, with key talent right in Calgary. “Intellectual property assets may be considered ‘intangible,’ but they are essential to a company’s over- all value and success — now more than ever,” says Regina Corrigan, Calgary IP group practice leader. “For example, in 1975, intangible assets for a Fortune 500 company comprised just 17 per cent of its market value, but today, it’s over 80 per cent.” She says the right kind of protec- tion is critical and, in addition to being a leading full-service law firm with offices across Canada and in- ternationally, Gowlings is regarded as one of the world’s pre-eminent IP firms with top-tier practices in patents, trademarks, copyright, IP litigation and more. “In Alberta, we see an incredible opportunity for companies to har- ness and leverage the untapped val- ue of their IP assets,” says Corrigan. “While the number of patents being issued within the oil and gas industry has quadrupled over the last 10 years, other industries are increasingly in the spotlight for their leading technologies, and they need proper protection.” Significant innovations are emerging in health sciences, agri- culture, environmental science, in- formation technology and software development. Alberta universities and the province’s technology in- cubators have made considerable investments in training talent and supporting growth within the tech- nology sector, she says. The more successful these initia- tives are, the greater their needs for increased IP protection and enforcement, Corrigan explains. “In order to meet these needs, we have expanded our IP team in Calgary to deliver a full suite of IP services to our clients throughout Alberta and in Western Canada.” The team covers everything from patent prosecution, trademark en- forcement and copyright advice to IP strategy, complex litigation and portfolio management. “We also work collaboratively with other members of Gowlings’ firm-wide IP Group, which allows our clients to benefit from the specialized expertise of top IP professionals across the country.” Gowlings has considerable expe- rience to draw from in the sector. Not only does the firm file more trademarks and patents than any other law firm in Canada, but it is also the counsel of record for more litigation cases than any other firm in the country. IP enforcement is a growing con- cern and more and more companies are seeking local representation. “That’s why it’s so important to us to have a seasoned, full-service IP team here in Calgary — so we can advocate for our clients and help them navigate these issues effectively.” BY SHANNON SUTHERLAND- SMITH Enbridge exists to fuel people’s quality of life — safely, reliably and, on an ever-increasing basis, sustainably. Linda Coady joined Enbridge, a North American leader in en- ergy delivery, as the company’s chief sustainability officer in June 2013 after holding similar leader- ship roles on sustainable develop- ment for the forestry industry, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and World Wildlife Fund Canada. Enbridge owns North America’s longest and most complex crude oil and liquids pipeline, serves more than two million customers as Canada’s largest gas distribu- tion utility and has invested more than $4 billion in renewable energy across the continent. Sustainability is an important concept at Enbridge, which has been named to the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations list for seven straight years and has earned a spot on the Dow Jones Sustain- ability Indices (DJSI) in each of the past three years. And as Enbridge’s recently re- leased 2014 CSR (corporate so- cial responsibility) Report makes clear, the mandate for Coady and her team is integrating sustain- ability across the company’s North American workforce of more than 11,000. Enbridge’s 2014 CSR Re- port is available online at csr2014. enbridge.com. “There are efficiencies to be gained through good environmen- tal performance in terms of energy use, waste and water reduction and embracing innovation,” says Coady. “The business case is there for higher levels of performance in social and environmental areas. Better performance helps compa- nies reduce risks.” CSR reporting is a demonstration of a company’s transparency and accountability, and investors and the general public now have higher expectations regarding the social and environmental performance of companies, as well as their finan- cial bottom lines, says Coady. Enbridge’s 2014 CSR Report, released late last month, focused on topics that its leaders say matter most to the company’s stakehold- ers, including system integrity and leak detection, energy and climate change, environment and land management and economic impact and benefits. “Leadership in these areas hap- pens at various levels,” says Coady. “It happens at the level of indi- vidual employees and contractors. It happens at the industry level. And it happens through some of these global rankings like the Global 100 and DJSI. At Enbridge, we’re in there pitching on all three levels.” A SPECIAL CALGARY HERALD SERIES ON CALGARY’S BUSINESS VISIONARIES SPONSORED BY CALGARY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOCUS ON LEADERSHIP Linda Coady, chief sustainability officer with Enbridge, says following sustainable practices is good for business. PHOTO BY WIL ANDRUSCHAK The team at Gowlings offers leading expertise on protecting intellectual property. COURTESY GOWLINGS THIS FEATURE WAS PRODUCED BY THE CALGARY HERALD’S SPECIAL PROJECTS DEPARTMENT ON BEHALF OF CALGARY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES. THE HERALD’S EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT HAD NO INVOLVEMENT IN THE CREATION OF THIS CONTENT. ENBRIDGE PUTS FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY GOWLINGS A LEADER IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY TOP PRIORITIES Enbridge’s current sustainability priorities include: n Achieving industry leadership in safety and operational reliability; n Continuing progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In 2011, Enbridge achieved a 21 per cent re- duction in its own direct greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels; n Expanding its renewable energy portfolio — which currently includes 14 wind farms, four solar energy projects and a geothermal facility — beyond its current net generation capacity of 1,600 megawatts; n Integrating social and environ- mental considerations across the company’s entire supply chain and procurement network; n Benchmarking the company’s water and waste management per- formance in 2015 while engaging in industry outreach in the area of water stewardship. BY SHANNON SUTHERLAND-SMITH A homegrown business that helped rural Albertans get connected now serves international markets by offering economically sound technology solutions through a common-sense business model. Axia NetMedia Corporation is an expert at bringing fibre- optic communications infra- structure to under-serviced markets. “We have established suc- cesful business models in Massachusetts, France, Spain and Singapore,” says the com- pany’s CEO, Art Price. “But we’re in the background. If we’re high-performing, we’re actually invisible. “People might have 60 apps on their iPhone that they use everyday, and those are com- pelling services, but we’re the digital infrastructure that makes it possible.” Axia and its partners have either invested or will soon invest upwards of $2 billion into its networks, with more than 200 service providers as direct customers and almost 30,000 kilometres of fibre -optic cable deployed. But it all started in rural Alberta, says Price. “It became quite clear to us more than a decade ago that high-performing, digital con- nectivity would be a necessity for doing business.” Alberta’s SuperNet gave Al- bertans access to affordable broadband services across the province. Thanks to Axia’s Next Gen- eration Network solution, Alberta has a Community Interconnect Grid joining almost 430 communities and providing direct connectivity to about 4,000 government, learning, health, library and municipal facilities. Residents in more than 300 communities also have access to ultra-high-speed services through 89 service provid- ers who buy bandwidth on Alberta’s SuperNet to reach customers in rural areas. “This was a solution that be- gan in Alberta; we hope to be the biggest independent Next Generation Network player,” says Price. “We have tremendous plans for the future.” Axia brings Internet to the world Axia NetMedia Corporation CEO Art Price. PHOTO BY WIL ANDRUSCHAK CAL00624309_1_1 A12 TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2015 CALGARY HERALD