A summer of technology

john — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:28:31 +0000

According to my calendar, summer’s officially over today. As I look back wistfully on the season that was, my thoughts turn to technology. For the past few years, I’ve been a regular contributor to Tech Spotlight, an annual magazine that chronicles the incredible dynamism of what many would call Canada’s technology capital — Waterloo Region and Guelph. When you say Waterloo, most folks immediately think of Research in Motion, the country’s undisputed technology titan and the maker of the ubiquitous Blackberry. But there’s so much more than RIM. Communitech, the area’s leading technology industry association, estimates there are more than 700 tech firms based in Waterloo Region and Guelph. Many of them trace their roots to those hotbeds of innovation, the University of Waterloo and the University of Guelph. Each firm has a fascinating story, and you’ll find many of them in Tech Spotlight, published by the Waterloo Region Record. This year, my stories included a profile of Desire2Learn, one of the world’s leading education software companies. Founder John Baker was inducted last year into the Waterloo Region Entrepreneur’s Hall of Fame at the tender age of 32. I also did a piece on P&P Optica, a small Kitchener company that could see exceptional growth thanks to a sophisticated spectrometer it’s developed that can perform 14 tests on one blood sample. My five articles also included a story on Kevin Hall, the VP of Research at the University of Guelph. In the coming weeks, Hall will unveil a new research strategy for the university that will put more emphasis on research that has commercial appeal and could help drive economic growth. Canadian innovation is very much alive and well in Waterloo Region and Guelph. It’s exciting stuff. To read all about it, watch for Tech Spotlight on newsstands and online later next month.

Welcome to a ‘new and improved’ johnschofield.com

john — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:01:36 +0000

JohnSchofield.com launches today with significantly more content, including an expanded Portfolio section that better showcases my writing skills and experience. Prospective clients and my existing customers can easily browse through a wide selection of previous projects, ranging from magazine pieces written during my tenure at Maclean’s to a sampling of more recent work for organizations such as the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), and the Retail Council of Canada. Among the featured assignments are a video script completed for the WSIB’s Young Worker Awareness Program, a booklet for prospective UOIT students, and a story on global retailing giant IKEA for the Retail Council’s Canadian Retailer magazine. The writing samples underline my strength in the business and education fields, and can be easily printed from the pages themselves. Four pieces are highlighted in my Featured Projects section, and can be accessed from anywhere on the website. The homepage and About page text has also been updated. Michael Alaggia, an accomplished Toronto web designer and Flash developer, built the site on a WordPress foundation, allowing for easy updates. JohnSchofield.com will be a key component in my ongoing marketing efforts. If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you at johnschofield[at]rogers.com or 647-477-7860.

John Schofield » News Releases

A summer of technology

Welcome to a ‘new and improved’ johnschofield.com