Yes, We Are Open!

‘Yes, We Are Open' Season 3 TeaserSeason 3 of 'Yes, We Are Open' starts October 3rd, 2022!Here is a little teaser for the upcoming season.Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts to hear them as they publish each week!

It's About CommunityIn the season finale of ‘Yes, We Are Open' Al visits Parry Sound Friendship Centre in Parry Sound, Ontario.He speaks with the Executive Director Delores McKay about the origins of the community centre and all the great work they've done to support Parry Sound's indigenous community.Like all business, the Friendship Centre has gone through many struggles. Find out how they overcame those struggles and what the future looks like.You can learn more about Parry Sound Friendship Centre at psfc.ca. Credits:Duri Alajrami - LeadershipAmy Maraone - LeadershipRick Stephan - LeadershipMat Belanger – Moneris Ad VoiceoverKelly Servos – Merchant LiaisonCaleigh Ellis – Graphic ArtistJameson Di Nucci – WebmasterMallory McWhirther – Social MediaTanya Nagi – Social MediaKelly Foss - Promotion ConsultantEmma Swan – Internal CommunicationsFarnaz Yaqubian – Internal CommunicationsCharlotte Lyons – InternZino Obi-Egbedi – PMDavid Litwin – ReviewerDarren Leroux – ReviewerJessica Lepage  – TranslationPascale Dumas-Bresse – TranslationPao-Lan Ladouceur – TranslationMelanie Bell – TranslationMateo Sanchez – TranslationGladys Bagang – Logistics & AdminThe rest of the Moneris for their support!

Raise a Glass!Al's final stop on his trip to BC is to South Burnaby and Studio Brewing where he speaks with Kathryn McKinney, General Manager at Studio Brewing.Staying small and becoming part of the community and brewing great beer was the goal. Kathryn talks about the challenges Studio Brewing faced opening in Burnaby during a pandemic. How did they do it? Listen to their story now.You can learn more about Studio Brewing at studiobrewing.ca.

It's About BalanceAl speaks with Aneta Pietruszko, co-owner of Power Yoga Canada in Burlington, Ontario.  Aneta talks about how she started practicing yoga to help with her anxiety and ended up owning and running her own studio, first in New York City, then back home in Burtlington. Listen to how she did it, and how she managed through the pandemic.You can learn more about Power Yoga Canada at poweryogacanada.com. 

This Episode Is A Beauty!Al's next stop in BC takes him to Burnaby and Meraki Beauty Bar, where owner Michelle Tran and her award-winning staff are committed to making you feel and look great!Michelle left a promising career in finance—a tough sell to her Asian immigrant parents—to make a go of it on her own as a business owner. Listen to how she did it, while also navigating the pandemic. You won't want to miss this one!You can learn more about Meraki Beauty Bar at merakibeautybar.ca.

You'll Get A Kick Out Of This One!This week Al is back in Toronto on the west border of Little Italy to speak with Vic Granic, Sensei and founder of SuperKick Karate.This is literally not your father's Dojo. Superkick is focused on the young members of their community. Vic isn't interested in teaching your kids how to fight, he wants to teach them self-confidence, leadership skills, and fitness. What happens when all that is taken away because of a pandemic? Listen to this episode to find out.You can learn more about SuperKick Karate at granicsensei.com.

This week Al visits Kerrisdale Village, a popular Vancouver neighbourhood known for their shops and restaurants. He meets Winson Ho, General Manager of one of the newer additions to this neighbourhood Jess' Restaurant and Bar.  Combining opulence and luxury with casual dining may seem counter-intuitive, but Jess' manages to pull it off. How they were able to open for business during a pandemic? How were they able to whether not one, but two complete staff turn-overs in the process? Listen to find out.You can learn more about Jess' Restaurant and Bar at https://jessrestaurant.ca.

Al visits with Aisling Whitaker and Anand Iyer, owners of Bitehaus Toronto Dental, a contemporary dental clinic in St. Clair West Village.Founded in 2018, Bitehaus prides themselves on offering a thoughtful stress-free dental experience. This year (2022) they opened their second location in uptown Toronto.How was Bitehaus able to, not only survive the pandemic, but actually thrive to the point where they were able to expand while other business' failed? Listen to find out.  You can learn more about Bitehaus Toronto Dental Clinic at https://bitehaus.ca. 

In the Season 2 premier of ‘Yes, We Are Open' Al goes to Coquitlam BC to visit Danielle Poggi (she/they), Owner and President of Climb Base5, a pair of indoor rock climbing gyms in the Greater Vancouver area.Climb Base5 has been the indoor climber's premiere choice in Vancouver since 2002, but gyms were some of the hardest hit businesses during the pandemic. How did Climb Base5 navigate the lockdown and all the restrictions? Listen to find out.  You can learn more about Climb Base5 at https://climbbase5.comIf you're the owner of a small business in Canada and you'd like us to help tell your story, email us at podcast@moneris.com.Yes, We Are Open is a Moneris Podcast Production hosted by Al Grego.Credits:Amy Maraone - LeadershipRick Stephan - LeadershipMat Belanger – Moneris Ad VoiceoverKelly Servos – Merchant LiaisonCaleigh Ellis – Graphic ArtistJameson Di Nucci – WebmasterMallory McWhirther – Organic SocialTanya Nagi – Paid SocialEmma Swan – Internal CommunicationsZino Obi-egbedi – PMDavid Litwin – ReviewerDarren Leroux – ReviewerJessica Lepage  – TranslationPascale Dumas-Bresse – TranslationGladys Bagang – Logistics & AdminThe rest of the Moneris for their support!

Season 2 of 'Yes, We Are Open starts April 2022! In this season, Al heads to B.C. in search of new stories about small Canadian businesses and their perseverance. Subscribe now to hear them as they publish each week!

In the season 1 Finale of ‘Yes, We Are open', Al visits The Ontario Blue Jays, an amateur baseball organization who's objective is to develop young baseball players and prepare them for the collegiate and pro levels.Entering their 25th season, OBJ has become an internationally recognized baseball program, but what happens when all organized sport is forced to shut down for over a year? Listen to find out.You can find out even more about The Ontario Blue Jays at https://www.objbaseball.com/If you're the owner of a small business in Canada and you'd like us to help tell your story, email us at podcast@moneris.com.Yes, We Are Open is a Moneris Podcast Production hosted by Al Grego.Credits:Amy Maraone - LeadershipRick Stephan - LeadershipMat Belanger – Moneris Ad VoiceoverKelly Servos – Merchant LiaisonCaleigh Ellis – Graphic ArtistJameson Di Nucci – WebmasterBeverly Wooding – Organic SocialAnita Matte Heshmatzadeh – Paid SocialEmma Swan – Internal CommunicationsSasha Abrams – PMKathleen Kennedy – CopyrighterDavid Litwin – ReviewerDarren Leroux – ReviewerCatherine Vendryes – ReviewerGill Fruchter – LegalJessica Lepage  – TranslationPascale Dumas-Bresse – TranslationGladys Bagang – Logistics & AdminThe rest of the Moneris for their support!

Al visits Bob Roy, owner of PBR Auctions in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.A successful 30-year old business, PBR Auctions faced its greatest challenge when the pandemic made it impossible to hold live in-person auctions. How did they pivot? Will moving everything online save the business?You can find out even more about PBR Auctions at https://www.pbrauctions.com/If you're the owner of a small business in Canada and you'd like us to help tell your story, email us at podcast@moneris.com.Yes, We Are Open is a Moneris Podcast Production hosted by Al Grego.

Al visits Tia Small, owner of Valley Online in Grand Valley, Ontario.After taking a leap of faith from a stable career in property management to running her own business, Tia faces the weighty challenge of growing her new business in a pandemic while learning as she goes. How is she doing? Listen now to find out.You can find out even more about Valley Online at https://www.valleyonline.caIf you're the owner of a small business in Canada and you'd like us to help tell your story, email us at podcast@moneris.com.Yes, We Are Open is a Moneris Podcast Production hosted by Al Grego.

Al visits The Grist Craft Kitchen & Brewery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.Owners Rob and Danielle put everything on the line including their home and savings to follow Rob's dream of opening a restaurant and brewery in their hometown. After 3 long years of construction delays, and with a pandemic still wreaking havoc on the food service industry, The Grist finally opened their doors this past June. How did they do? Listen now to find out.You can find out even more about The Grist at http://www.thegrist.ca.If you're the owner of a small business in Canada and you'd like us to help tell your story, email us at podcast@moneris.com.Yes, We Are Open is a Moneris Podcast Production hosted by Al Grego.

Al visits with Joshua MacGowan, owner of Supplement World Canada, a Saskatchewan-based chain of supplement stores.The biggest challenge for any new business is making a name for yourself in a competitive industry. Joshua was successful once, but then was forced to make the difficult decision to start all over again with a new brand. How did he do? Listen now to find out.You can find out even more about Supplement World Canada at www.supplementworldcanada.com.If you're the owner of a small business in Canada and you'd like us to help tell your story, email us at podcast@moneris.com.Yes, We Are Open is a Moneris Podcast Production hosted by Al Grego.

We connected with the Peace Collective team about their journey from relative unknown to a Toronto staple worn by some of the city's biggest athletes and their fans. But hype doesn't always equal success during a pandemic, especially with sports on hold, so how did they pivot to get where they are today? Listen now to find out.You can find out even more about Peace Collective at https://www.peace-collective.com/If you're the owner of a small business in Canada and you'd like us to help tell your story, email us at podcast@moneris.com.Yes, We Are Open is a Moneris Podcast Production hosted by Al Grego.

Saunders Electric is a family operation through and through, so we connected with them to learn their secrets to juggling commitments to a booming business while continuing to support each other. Their future looks brighter than ever with construction projects booming once again, but is a passing of the torch in the cards for the family patriarch? Listen now to find out.  You can find out even more about Saunders Electric at https://www.saunderselectricltd.ca/.If you're the owner of a small business in Canada and you'd like us to help tell your story, email us at podcast@moneris.com.Yes, We Are Open is a Moneris Podcast Production hosted by Al Grego.

Al visits the team at The Athlete Matrix to talk about their baseball beginnings and how they grew to support athletes across a number of sports, notably volleyball, basketball and gymnastics, before the pandemic hit. What did they do to pivot their business in the face of lockdowns? Listen to find out.You can find out even more about The Athlete Matrix at https://www.theathletematrix.com/home.If you're the owner of a small business in Canada and you'd like us to help tell your story, email us at podcast@moneris.com.Yes, We Are Open is a Moneris Podcast Production hosted by Al Grego.

Small business is the backbone of Canada's economy, but it isn't for the faint of heart. Every year in Canada tens of thousands of businesses are born, however every year almost the same number fail. A lot can be learned from failure, but that's just sad and depressing.“Yes, We Are Open” is a podcast that tells the stories of those that survive. How did they do it? What can we learn? Al Grego, of Moneris travels the country to tell these stories of challenge and perseverance. Whether you're a small business owner yourself, or you're thinking of starting one someday, these cautionary and motivational stories will provide you with the lessons and inspiration to help you on your way.If you're the owner of a small business in Canada and you'd like us to help tell your story, email us at podcast@moneris.com.Yes, We Are Open is a Moneris Podcast Production hosted by Al Grego.