TECH FIRM COMPUGEN EXPANDS IN CALGARY
Harry Zarek will make one of his frequent trips to Calgary on Thursday, but this time the president and CEO of Compugen will participate in the official opening of his company’s new location on 29th Street N.E.
Head office is in Richmond Hill, Ont., where the engineering student started Compugen in 1981 from the basement of his home. It was the same year IBM launched the personal computer.
Fascinated by the new technology, Zarek began by building and selling PCs, and setting them up for customers. Under his stewardship, Compugen (Computer Generation) has grown to become one of Canada’s largest information technology solution providers with more than 1,500 employees in offices across the country and in Houston, Texas.
It works with mid- to largesized organizations to provide strategic IT planning, infrastructure products and services, and solution management to governments and corporations.
Darlene Nyegaard, regional leader, Alberta brand and partnerships, explains mid-market is set at 500 staff and above, while the Enterprise division serves those with more than 1,500 employees. Compugen helps customers manage their IT assets throughout the life cycle from procurement to deployment to on-site service, and finally to disposition and recycle.
It also designs infrastructure solutions around reliability, scalability and ability to support varying business requirements. Compugen staff know IT better than their clients, and service technicians and help desk are available 24/7.
The first Calgary office was opened in the Dome Tower in 1995, boasting the City of Calgary as its first customer, which is still is a valued client today.
Continued growth has meant four moves. The newest location in Sunridge Business Park offers 14,000 square feet of open-pod seating for up to 50 people, collaborative spaces and six meeting rooms, help desk and call centre. The 4,500 square feet of warehouse is a secure facility with storage, materials handling and extensive service parts hub, and logistics support for receipt and shipment of equipment.
A good deal of the space is used as a configuration centre for configuring new product and refurbishing end-of-first-life IT equipment for reuse through Compugen’s innovative Green4Good refurbishment program.
When a piece of older equipment is returned, after an extensive check it is totally wiped clean in an isolated room in the Calgary plant and either recycled or repaired and sold to not-forprofits, with all proceeds donated to charities.
Security access is tight throughout the facility equipped with progressive door swipes and cameras.
The decision to increase space in Calgary as its Western hub was taken despite the downturn that affected many of its larger customers, but Terry Mirza, vicepresident of sales for Western Canada and the United States, says by innovative partnering with majors, Compugen continues to grow. Add Zarek’s confidence in the future of Calgary’s economy and his local staff will no doubt be kept very busy in their new surroundings.
NOTES:
SKAL International is a club founded by travel managers in Paris more than 80 years ago that has grown into a membership today of more than 15,000 members in 400 clubs throughout the world. Calgary’s SKAL Chapter, which was founded in 1965, has always been a keen supporter of responsible tourism, and at its monthly meeting on Wednesday it will hold a ‘thank you’ reception for one of its most active members.
Joseph Clohessy, general manager of the Calgary Marriott Downtown Hotel is in the process of relocating to Kelowna to become general manager of the Delta Hotels by Marriott Grand Okanagan Resort.
His contributions to the Calgary hospitality and tourism industry over the past 22 years have been immeasurable; including board member and board chair of the Calgary Hotel Association and member of the board of directors of the Alberta Hotel & Lodging Association.
Clohessy is the longest-serving manager of a downtown property with 12-and-a-half years at the Marriott. During his time there he has overseen a number of major renovations; experience that will be well used at the Grand Okanagan that is scheduled to undergo big changes.
Sad to leave this city, but Clohessy and his wife, Mary, will be happy to be closer to grandchildren in Vernon.