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We've Been Busy
JANUARY 2012
Happy New Year & Happy Chinese New Year to one and all, from all of us here at Open Box. May we wish everyone a happy and prosperous year in this lucky year of the dragon.
We are looking forward to another exciting year!
An Open Box client, PerioSciences was recently on the Dr. Oz show for their product. Dr. Oz is a popular health tip show and Periosciences was labelled one of this year's top three products to help maintain your youth. Since airing, Periosciences has had a huge boost in their sales! We've been working with them to make sure that everything is functioning smoothly as they experience this growth spurt.
One of our own internal endeavours VitalityLink.com has doubled pageviews and visits in the last two months. We have been working extensively on driving traffic, increasing signups and improving engagement and we have found great success in all areas. The positive feedback we've been receiving from practitioners has been outstanding.
Moving forward we will be focusing on making key improvements to the site that will increase the ease of use for both practitioners and clients. Expect to also see a new look and feel very soon!
DECEMBER 2011
The month of cakes & candles, snow & songs, Carols & joy, laughter & love has slipped by. This Winter let us all be grateful for good times past and fondly remembered and celebrate the joys of the present.
Here at Open Box Integration our 2011 would have not been possible without you as our clients, some who have been with us for many years and some new faces that we have met this year, thank you all for your ongoing support. We hope that your Holiday Season was filled with joy and happiness and we look forward to 2012
We hope that you all made it safely through the holidays and into the New Year and a Leap Year no less! A year when extraordinary individuals will perform spectacular feats of skill and endurance at the Summer Olympics (held every leap year). And a year when some very talented software developers at Open Box Integration will show off the results of some intense research and development we've been doing and continue to do. We are pretty excited about the small contribution we are making to getting the world economy thriving again.
Our passion is to create and develop technologies and products which can assist businesses in realizing their full potential and to deliver products and services designed to accelerate business innovation for our clients.
One of our developments teams has recently completed and delivered an integrated system for Druxys and Neovation Corporation, which involved the seamless integration of two pieces of software which will help potential franchisees learn about the company and exciting opportunities through an interactive course. Another one of our teams has successfully completed a complicated upgrade for the C.E.P., Perio Sciences, continue to use our products and services for its innovative business model and have extended the shipping capabilities to include Canada. The Yoga Trends in the World Study (2004 – 2011), was published to Vitality Link, it makes for very interesting reading and is full of useful information and some great trivia questions.
Katryn introduced Kevin to the Gowlings Roundtable Breakfast meetings, which are a great source of information and also an opportunity to network with peers. Kevin (our sales guy) attended the Canadian Franchise Association Christmas lunch in early December which gave him the opportunity to meet with some potential clients. Katryn held us all together through December with a steady hand and hosted a truly wonderful Christmas Party for all the staff, thank you again from all of us Katryn.
November 2011
November’s sky is chill and drear; November’s leaf is red and sear. (Sir Walter Scott). Where has the year gone to? November is traditionally the time to remember how much we owe to the military personnel and veterans who have given their lives and continue to fight to preserve our way of life. Thank you. May we also wish our American readers a Happy Thanksgiving.
November at Open Box has been filled with interesting things. Katryn went to Dallas, Texas to have some face to face meetings with Brandon and the Sunstone Yoga team, www.sunstoneyoga.com. Katryn felt extremely welcomed, well looked after, well entertained and had a fabulous time with the Sunstone team, as well as bringing back some new business. She also had the opportunity to visit the Sunstone Academy and attend a fabulously informative workshop called “Embodied Leadership” presented by LeeAnn Mallory,
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. Katryn also met with other prospective clients whilst in Dallas and we can but wait to see if Open Box Integration is the right fit for them. Katryn returned from her trip invigorated and inspired, with a host of novel ideas.
Developments continue apace with Vitality Link, Katryn and Nick are currently working closely with the modality champions to develop and improve their profiles, with the intention of encouraging people to their sites/modalities and using Vitality Link in the wider sense of alternative therapies. There are a wide range of alternative practitioners who have now registered their profiles with Vitality Link, www.vitalitylink.com.
Our newsletter started with a Scottish writer/poet, so allow us to wish our Scottish readers a Happy St. Andrew’s night for the 30th November.
October 2011. Happy Halloween, hope you had a fabulous time dressing up and tricking or treating. Keats said it so much better than I ever could; “The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” has truly come upon us. The leaves lie in carpets of brown, russet and gold and I remember the childish joy of kicking through the crisp leaves and looking for chestnuts to take home and roast. Winter solstice has arrived, but summer has brimmed over and given us some more warm days to enjoy, yet the warnings of coming chills can be clearly seen on the surrounding mountains. Katryn and Kevin attended the CFA Western Canada Franchise Summit here in Vancouver, a very full day for both. They enjoyed making new connections and renewing older ones. A very worthwhile well presented event. With last month’s launch of our updated version of Vitality Link, October had us focusing on helping wellness practitioners get found on line. We are often asked the question “How do we drive traffic to our online profiles/website?” and the answers we give are tried and true methods that we use ourselves.
Here’s one 15 minute tip to help customers find you: Do you ever wonder how much of your website visitors really see? Take a look at an interesting tool that can show you just that. http://www.growfromhere.com/2011/03/browser-sizes-how-much-of-your-website-do-visitors-really-see When developing your social media strategy, don’t forget to use your secret weapon. http://www.growfromhere.com/2011/09/ Once you’ve got traffic going to your website, how about offering them a small thank you for the visit? Challenges you discover as you grow your business give us the opportunity to offer creative and effective solutions. The excitement our clients feel when they have learned an effective new tip or tactic is why we love what we do!
September 2011.
What a fabulous summer we have all had, now we are rested and refreshed and ready for the coming seasons.
Whew, summer arrived at last in B.C., which we are all enjoying. A reasonably calm month for us as so many fortunate people are away on vacation. As promised last month, we’d like to introduce and welcome our newest addition to the Open Box Integration team. Kevin joined us in early August as the Accounts Manager. He has a solid background in software sales over the last 10 years. We are sure he’ll fit right in to the team and start generating new workloads for us all.
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July 2011
Another busy month for the Open Box team, helping our clients to build their competitive edge.
Audrey returned from her sojourn in Sudbury to be with us again for the next 6 weeks, we were all cheered to see her again rather than the disembodied Skype voice.
Katryn & Audrey attended “Commercialization Bootcamp” at BCIT http://www.bcit.ca/appliedresearch/arlo/caps/bootcamp.shtml , to polish up their marketing skills; they came away with some very positive ideas.
Katryn also took the time to find a suitable Account Manager, (we will introduce him next month). The team has been laying the groundwork ready to take Open Box a step further on our journey.
The annual team barbeque was a blazing success, with employees from the past, present & future attending. Fabulous company, delicious food & glorious weather too, fun & socializing for all. Thank you Katryn for being such a generous hostess.
June 2011
Nomination for RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards, a new office in Ontario and more...
Katryn was nominated for the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards, congratulations from the Open Box team. Fortunately she has recently attended an “Embracing Awards Seminar” so all that information will be fresh.
At the beginning of June we waved farewell to Audrey (COO) who flew off to Ontario to work closer to our clients on the Eastern side of the country. She is in constant contact with our Vancouver office and now commutes between the two locations.
PranaStudio continues to charm yoga studios around the world and the Open Box team is pleased to be close to finishing a fundamental re-write of VitalityLink.com, paving the way for many more new and exciting features.
May 2011
Events And More Events - plus Order Catering
May was an unusually busy month with lots of dates booked in the events calendar for Katryn, who attended a very early breakfast meeting hosted by WXN, the subject addressed by the keynote speaker (Debra Kelly-Ennis of Diageo Canada) was “Being Responsive to the Dramatically Changing World”. Katryn also continues to be an active contributor and mentor with the HSBC/FWE mentor program.
Druxy’s brand new Order Catering system was successfully launched, to much applause and excitement across the country.
April 2011
Open Box Participates in the Canadian Franchise Association Convention in Niagara Falls.
This was a fabulous opportunity to not only see the falls but to meet some of our clients for the first time (congratulations to Rebecca from Concierge Home Services who was a winner of the inaugural Franchisee Choice award), as well as to hear speakers like Greg Nathan and Fred Deluca, and participate in interesting sessions on Franchise Benchmarking, Franchisee Relationships and Demographic Trends and Franchisee Selection.
April also saw two new faces enter the portals of Open Box. Steven, our star software tester, tries very hard to break all the code the developers write and Jan our new Office Manager, brings her experience from the nursing world and her Scottish savvy to the table. Welcome to both.
February 2011
Open Box chosen for study on Social Media by the BCITA
We are 1 of 10 companies that has been chosen by the BCITA (British Columbia Technology Industry Association) for a study examining Technology Export strategies. Katryn Harris and Open Box used Social Media to meet new partners and clients around the world.
February 1st, 2011
Katryn Harris attends WXN’s Canada’s Most Powerful Women Summit
Katryn represented Open Box and attended the fabulous event; WXN's Canada's Most Powerful Women Summit on 'The Power of Collaboration and Connectivity.’ WXN (Women’s Executive Network) is the largest community of influential, powerful and successful women in Canada and Ireland.
January 2011
New Franchise Success Website Launches
Without further ado Open Box presents the new face of Franchise Success, our Custom Software for franchises large and small. The website features Video Testimonials, a tour of the product features, free franchise resources like Whitepapers and a form to sign up for an interactive demonstration.
www.franchisesuccesssoftware.com
December 20th, 1010
Open Box meets with PWC
Katryn did an amazing Whiteboard session with PWC (Price Waterhouse Coopers). The ‘Come think with us whiteboard session’ had Katryn sit with some of PWC’s senior people, talking about strategy, challenges, long-term goals and more. Learn more about PWC and their programs.
November 9th, 2010
Gowlings Franchisors Roundtable
Katryn Harris participated in another Gowlings Law Firm event. This one, an Oatmeal Series Breakfast Seminar on Franchisee Advisory Councils and Their Role in Supplier Programs, was a great success. Throughout the year Gowlings offers a number of seminars and events pertaining to business and legal issues. Learn more here.
November 3rd, 2010
Katryn Harris attends FWE’s FINDING YOUR SWEET SPOT
Katryn Harris participated in this sold-out roundtable organized by the FWE (Forum for Women Entrepreneurs) with many successful business leaders in discussing how they “often start down one path and then change direction (often many times) before finding their sweet spot.”
October 2010
3 amazing weeks in Italy
Katryn has finally taken a much needed (and deserved) vacation to Italy where she is currently enjoying great weather, delicious food and beautiful scenery. Back at the office the rest of the team is working hard and making sure everything runs smoothly without her.
September 2010
Open Box is on the move!
Open Box has moved from West Broadway to East Vancouver to accommodate a growing team. The new office not only has more space, it is brighter, offers ample parking, climate control and easy access from the highway that connects Greater Vancouver.
September 15th, 2010
Open Box Co-hosts Gowlings Roundtable Event
Katryn Harris attended Gowlings Law Firm’s Franchisor event for franchisors & Open Box co-hosted round table session on the topic of 'profiling and selecting the best franchisees for your business' with Len Polsky of Gowlings.
September 16th, 2010
Business in Vancouver Colour Series Breakfast.
Open Box’s Katryn Harris went to the Business in Vancouver Colour Series Breakfast. A panel of experts discussed how they made flourishing careers from running their own businesses and what best practices budding entrepreneurs should consider when starting up.
September 2010
Open Box joined WEC's mentoring program
Open Box joined WEC's mentoring program as a 1-1 mentor. The WEC (Women’s Enterprise Centre) was established in 1995 to assist women in starting and growing business in British Columbia. They have grown to become a leading business resource for women and offer many programs to assist women, including mentoring for women in their first 3 years of business.
http://www.womensenterprise.ca/content/one-one-mentoring
July 2010
Katryn Harris joins FWE’s Committee for the HSBC Mentorship Program
Open Box’s CEO Katryn Harris has agreed to be on the committee for FWE's mentor program.
From FWE’s website: “The FWE HSBC Mentor Program facilitates mentoring between active women entrepreneurs of established businesses, who are seeking improvement and growth for their companies, and women and men business leaders from a variety of backgrounds including entrepreneurs, corporate professionals, and professional consultants.”
June 2010
Open Box Partners with Paul Segreto
Open Box is happy to partner with Paul Segreto, President and CEO of Franchise Essentials. Paul is an expert in the world of franchising and Social Media. In addition to consulting, speaking and blogging Paul also co-hosts Franchise Today on BlogTalkRadio. Welcome to the Open Box family Paul!
May 24, 2010
Franchisor Breakfast roundtable with Gowlings Law Firm
Katryn Harris attended Gowlings Franchisors breakfast roundtable on Franchisee Compliance. Throughout the year Gowlings Law Firm offers a number of seminars and events pertaining to business and legal issues.
February 2010
That’s a wrap for the 2010 Olympics!
Vancouver says farewell to the very successful Olympic Winter Games tonight at BC Place. Canada tied the record with Norway for most Gold Medals won by a host nation! Open Box has never been more proud to be Canadian. Now come the Para-Olympic Games.
February 2010
Let the games begin…
Vancouver and Canada host the Winter Olympic Games with opening ceremonies at BC Place tonight. Open Box proudly supports all the athletes as we join the city in welcoming the world to our fair city. Now if only we can win that Gold Medal in hockey…
January 2010
Katryn Harris selected to participate in the 2010 FWE E-Series
From the FWE BC website: “Each year, up to 15 women entrepreneurs are selected to participate in this program which consists of weekly sessions taught by business leaders and industry experts on topics including marketing, sales, financing, legal issues, pitching for investors, cross border issues, public relations and human resources.”
This year Open Box CEO and co-founder Katryn Harris has been selected to participate in this truly special event. It’s an honor and a privilege to be included.
June 2009
Canadian Franchise Association Golf Tournament
Katryn enjoyed the annual Golf Tournament of the Canadian Franchise Association - one of the key events for the CFA each year in Western Canada.
June 2009
Enterprising Moms Network - Get the Word Out!
Open Box was pleased to sponsor and attend the great conference put on by the Enterprising Moms Network on June 13th. It was a great chance to connect with a number of entrepreneurs as well as to learn from the speakers about how PR can help build a business.
June 2009
Blo Blow Dry Bar selects Open Box's Operations Manual software for Franchises
Blo Blow Dry Bar and the Head Company Inc are currently leading the way in the development of new ideas and concepts for franchise development. We are pleased that they will be using our new Operations Management software to help grow their franchise development as a beta customer.
May 2009
Strategic Partnership with Paul Segreto - Franchise Essentials
After meeting via Twitter, and then a number of productive conversations, Open Box is very pleased to have a strategic partnership with Paul Segreto and Franchise Essentials. Paul is an experienced franchise consultant with a background in franchising himself, who now specializes in social media development for franchisors. We will be presenting a webinar together in October related to challenges and opportunities in growing your franchise.
May 2009
Partnership with Cindi Williams and the Global Alignment Group
Open Box is pleased to announce that we will be working with Cindi Williams and the Global Alignment Group to enhance the opportunities available to complementary and alternative health care practitioners who are looking to build the business side of their practices. Open Box provides VitalityLink.com to help practitioners build their online profiles and marketing opportunities while Cindi and the Global Alignment Group will be offering business building coaching.
April 2009
VitalityLink.com beta release
The alpha site of VitalityLink.com was released in November. Thanks to all the great practitioners who signed up and provided feedback and suggestions, we have now released the beta version - a whole new look and lots of great new functionality. If you know any complementary or alternative healthcare practitioners who are looking to build their online profiles and attract new clients, send them our way - www.vitalitylink.com.
April 2009
Best Heating selects Open Box
Open Box is proud to have been selected by Best Heating to develop their new website. We will be working together to create a website that showcases Best Heating's services and extremely high level of customer support.
March 2009
FWE selects Open Box
The Forum of Women Entrepreneurs BC has selected Open Box as the company to work with them to develop a new website that will engage their members as well as providing a better showcase for their extraordinary services aimed at helping women building high-growth companies. FWE mentors and educates entrepreneurs through leading-edge professional programs and by facilitating connections within the business community. The new site will have a variety of member services including forums, private conversations, event and program registration and exclusive offers for the FWE member community. It will be launched in September 2009.
January 2009
A Blog - Grow From Here
We now have a blog - www.growfromhere.com - Grow from here provides thoughts and insights about the areas where business strategy and technology can work together to help franchises and other businesses grow in a practical way. Take a look and share your thoughts!
December 2008
VitalityLink.com alpha release
A great month: VitalityLink.com was released in the alpha version to a select group of complementary and alternative healthcare practitioners. VitalityLink.com will help people to find and share wellness.
December 2008
Mention in Fiona Walsh's blog
Check out Fiona Walsh's blog posting about Open Box and what you need to build a successful franchise and the three key things that need to be in place to make the difference between selling 2 or 3 franchises and selling 20 or 30. Fiona is the principal of FM Walsh & Associates, Inc and one of only 3 business coaches in North America approved to provide the highly successful and popular Ghost CEO program.
December 2008
Growth Strategy Program Graduation
Katryn Harris, CEO, completed the first year of the well-known Acetech Growth Strategy Program, a year long best practices program for growth oriented IP-based technology company CEOs. This program significantly helped grow our value to our customers, as well as company strategy and development practices.
November 2008
Climate Smart Program
Open Box was pleased to participate in Ecotrust's Climate Smart program, a series of workshops for SMEs that explored how to measure, reduce and offset our carbon footprint. Open Box is committed to an awareness and a strategic reduction of our carbon footprint as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility Program.
September 2008
Vancouver Franchise Tradeshow
Open Box attended the Canadian Franchise Association's all-franchise tradeshow, The Franchise Show in Vancouver, BC. This was a great opportunity to connect with franchisors and other service providers to the Franchise Industry here in town.
August 2008
Vancouver Entrepreneur Meetup
Jeff Baker (Creative Director, Open Box) co-hosted the Vancouver Entrepreneur Meetup in August with Mina Van (Owner, Vancouver Meetup). Jeff was talking about the small things that make a big difference in your business. There were an estimated 80 local entrepreneurs in attendance.
August 2008
Yue Chen joins Open Box
Yue Chen joined our Open Box team as a programmer. When not at her computer at Open Box, she enjoys being with her friends, listening to music or … playing on her home computer! To compensate for the hours she spends at a computer she likes to hike the trail up North Vancouver’s Grouse Mountain.
July 2008
Stas Bekman joins Open Box as Strategic Director
Open Box is very pleased to welcome Stas Bekman to our Management team as the new Strategic Director. He brings years of experience in monetizing online traffic and attracting high volume search engine traffic. Stas is also a healer, with a strong understanding of the alternative medicine market's issues and needs. Stas spent a decade designing and developing high scalability software for various Internet technologies, and published two books on the Apache web server mod_perl technology.
June 2008
Yun is born
Joe Yang, one of our team members, became the proud father of a baby boy on the 16th—“Yun” which is Korean for “truth” or “faith.” Yun was born at seven pounds three ounces. Joe and his wife, Sunny Kim, are exceptionally proud of their little boy and affectionately call him “their precious miracle.” Joe is on paternity leave until October, we will miss him but we are very excited for the new addition to his happy family. Congratulations Joe!
June 9, 2008
Open Box featured in 24 Hours
Open Box was featured in 24 hours with an article about how we create software that works for our users. Read the article.
June 2008
Vantec Presentation
Open Box had the honour of presenting to VANTEC - the Vancouver Angel Technology Network. Vantec seeks to introduce early stage investors and mentors to promising technologically-advanced ventures mainly in British Columbia. Open Box was presenting VitalityLink.com, a new site for alternative healing that will connect consumers with practitioners.
May 2008
Welcome Teradici
Open Box was pleased to welcome Teradici as a new client. Teradici is a Vancouver-based company dedicated to providing technological solutions that deliver a true, uncompromising PC user experience over internet protocol networks. Visit www.teradici.com.
April 2008
Erin Senior joins Open Box
Welcome Erin Senior to the Open Box team as part of our sales department. Erin hails from Vancouver Island but likes to travel far from home. She recently returned from an adventure in Southeast Asia and keeps a camel poster above her desk as a reminder of her fun. She graduated from The Emily Carr Institute in 2005 with a B.FA She is also a Yogi at heart and received her Yoga Teacher Training in 2007 in Hatha and Kundiini. She has studied with Gloria Latham, Gurumkh Kaur Khalsa and Dharma Mittra. Erin is currently learning how to play the ukulele. We are thrilled to have such a bombshell of energy on our team.
April 2008
Brian Smith joins Open Box
Brian Smith joined Open Box Inc. as executive assistant to the CEO. Previously he had been a stay-at-home dad who also looked after several of the neighbours’ children (good for developing multi-tasking and crisis intervention skills). Years ago, in a place far far away (Toronto) he was an elementary school teacher teaching blind children in Braille. In a life before children, Brian worked in Nigeria as a teacher and met his current wife there.
March 2008
Open Box supports Passport Project
Open Box provided Passport Project with a low cost copy of PranaStudio software to help manage their events. Passport Project is a Cleveland, Ohio, non-profit, multicultural, arts-education company that reaches children, adults and the community in general through residencies, performances, workshops, and electronic and print media. Passport Project was founded in 1998, and since then has served thousands of children and adults in various settings. They are focused on building communities by encouraging respect for diversity and rejection of racism and bias.
March 2008
UBC Intern - Carol Lin
Open Box was happy to welcome Carol Lin to our team during her internship from the UBC Multimedia Program. Carol was with us from March 31st until April 18th, and brought her graphic and design talents to bear on the development of VitalityLink.com (an internal Open Box project). We appreciate her dedication, quick learning & great attitude!
February 2008
Office Expansion
Open Box grew! A second office was opened across the hall from the present office making room for new staff, a meeting room and a lunchroom.
January 2008
Board of Advisors Established
Open Box has established a Board of Advisors to assist us in continuing our growth pattern and to guide and advise us in how best to continue to provide the high quality custom software development that our clients have come to expect. We look forward to working with our high quality new Advisory Board members; Allan Wilson, W.C. (Bill) Cooke, Brandon Hartsell and Paul Duncan. Our thanks to each of you for saying 'yes'.
January 2008
Acetech Growth Strategy Program
Open Box's CEO, Katryn Harris, is participating in Acetech's Growth Strategy Program. The Growth Strategy Program is a step-by-step integrated learning program that enables CEO's to increase their effectiveness as leaders and give them the confidence that they are doing the right things, right. This is achieved by: 1)Learning and applying best practices models for critical processes so that the CEOs increase their confidence that they are doing the right things, right, 2) Coaching from successful high tech mentors to ensure adoption of the best practices, 3) Attending specific presentations/ workshops from world class speakers on topics critical to success, and 4) Being in an environment that fosters the development of deep relationships with fellow participants and encourages mutual support, honest feedback and the exchange of knowledge.
November 2007
Katryn Harris joins Board of First United Social Housing Society
Katryn Harris, President and CEO of Open Box Integration, joined the Board of Directors of First United Church Social Housing Society, a non-profit corporation. Recognizing that low income housing in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside was becoming more and more endangered, the society incorporated in Sept. 1986. Its mandate is to develop affordable housing in the City of Vancouver for those with low, fixed, or medium incomes.
September 2007
M.O.S.A.I.C Employer Recognition Award
Open Box was honoured to receive the 2007 M.O.S.A.I.C. Employer Recognition Award. This award is presented annual to an employer for leadership and commitment in providing a workplace that supports the principles of multiculturalism and equity. Past recipients include White Spot, PMC-Sierra and Capers.
May 2007
Winson Huang joins Open Box
Winson Huang was welcomed to the Open Box team as a programmer. Winson emigrated from China where he began his career as a developer and finds Canada a great and friendly place. When not busy at Open Box, he and his wife love to spent time with their young son. Winson plays badminton and basketball for fun and to fitness. Recently he discovered a passion for sport fishing--an amazing sport giving a great sense of achievement!
February 2007
Roger Huang joins Open Box
Roger Huang joined Open Box as a programmer. Prior to coming to us, Roger worked as a system designer in China. Immigrating to Canada brought many changes but he loves life in Canada. Roger enjoys spending his free time with his family.
December 2006
Sunstone Yoga selects Open Box
Sunstone Yoga (the fastest growing yoga franchise in the US) has selected Open Box to develop, deliver and support the management systems that help them operate their very successful yoga franchise. Open Box's PranaStudio software was selected by Brandon Hartsell because it was scaleable, user-friendly and very extensible. We look forward to a long and rewarding partnership.
October 2006
Fuelcast Networks selects Open Box
Open Box welcomed Fuelcast Network as a new client. Fuelcast operates a network of LCD screens that broadcasts news, movie trailers, trivia, sports and public service announcements to people at the gas pumps. Open Box developed enterprise software applications for tracking Fuelcast's network of thousands of players across North America. Visit www.fuelcast.com
October 2006
Eco Coat Glass Protection Systems selects Open Box
Eco Coat Glass Protection Systems chose Open Box to assist with their computer needs. They created a product and a system that window manufacturers can use to quickly and efficiently protect window and doors during the construction phase.
September 2006
Open Box adds POS functionality to PranaStudio
Open Box added Point-of-sale to its PranaStudio software.
June 2006
CEO joins Vancouver Bach Choir Board of Directors
Open Box Inc. President and CEO, Katryn Harris, added her voice to the Board of Directors of the Vancouver Bach Choir (but not to the choir itself).
May 2006
Aspen Clean selects Open Box
Open Box began working with Aspen Clean! Aspen Clean is a West Vancouver-based company, providing cleaning services which are good for our environment, and the health of their clients family and pets. Open Box provided consulting and custom report development. Visit www.aspenclean.com
March 2006
Open Box releases PranaStudio version 4.0
The latest version of PranaStudio (version 4.0), our yoga studio software, was released! Bigger and better, this version incorporated many suggestions from studios using previous versions. Recognizing that the needs of studios are evolving, PranaStudio is evolving with them.
March 2006
Zane Xie joins the Open Box team
Open Box was very fortunate to hire Zane Xie, our Lead Software Developer. He is a graduate from Huazhong University of Science and Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering. He began his career in software development working with CAD/CAM design, refining & rewriting legacy scientific programs, developing a CAD drawing elements library management system and maintaining the GUMECO website. Since then he has had hands-on experience in the design and development of CRM and ERP systems, as well as B2B and B2C applications. He is experienced in the development of Web applications, Client/Server systems, and other n-tiered distributed applications on Linux and Windows platforms. He obtained his MCSE in 1999 and is currently working on his thesis for a Master’s degree in software engineering. Zane has excellent OOA/OOD skills, solid knowledge of data modeling, UML, and design patterns, and he is experienced in systems analysis, system architecture and project management.
March 2006
D.A. Townley selects Open Box
Open Box was pleased to welcome D.A. Townley & Associates Ltd. as a new client. D.A. Townley & Associates Ltd. is western Canada's leading and largest employee benefits third party administrator (TPA). With over $1 billion in assets under administration, they provide group health benefits and pension plan administration, claims payment and supporting services on behalf of 1,000 corporate and union clients to 100,000 employees/members and dependents. Open Box provides ongoing support and development projects for their internal operations and web applications. Visit www.datownley.com
January 2006
Prospect Solutions selects Open Box
Open Box is pleased to welcome Prospect Solutions Inc (PSI), formerly Friendly Business Solutions as a new client. Prospect Solutions specializes in providing professional telemarketing services. Open Box provided a custom website with client login capabilities, search engine optimization, and a highly professional image. Visit www.prospectsolutions.ca
December 2005
Living Breathing Yoga selects Open Box
Open Box is pleased to welcome Living Breathing Yoga as a new client. Living Breathing Yoga hosts yoga retreats in Thailand and India. Open Box is providing a database-driven community website that is capable of supporting plug-in modules such as a shopping cart, discussion forum, blog, newsletter, etc. Visit www.livingbreathingyoga.com
November 2005
Paradigm Marketing selects Open Box
Open Box is pleased to welcome Paradigm Marketing as a new client. Paradigm Marketing is a health and wellness company specializing in massage chairs and beds. Open Box is providing a data-driven website, consulting, and database support. Visit www.paradigmmarketing.ca
October 2005
Open Box joins the Vancouver Board of Trade
Open Box joined the Vancouver Board of Trade to build relationships with the other member companies & organizations.
September 2005
Open Box releases PranaStudio Light
Open Box announces the release of PranaStudio Light, a complete version of the program designed for small studios that need a low cost alternative without sacrificing ease of use or functionality. PranaStudio Light is limited to 15 classes per week and does not include point of sale features. Visit www.pranastudiosoftware.com
September 2005
Open Box releases preview of PranaStudio version 3.0 with POS
Pranastudio version 3.0 with point of sale (POS) preview was released. This builds on the unparalleled usability and features of version 2.0 by adding complete point of sale functionality. This retail component gives studios the ability to sell products, track inventory, record suppliers, and view detailed reports on store activity. Visit www.pranastudiosoftware.com
June 2005
Megan Harris joins the Open Box team
Megan Harris began as the Open Box Office Assistant in the summer before starting university. Now, she's one of the Administrative Assistants and is in her fourth and final year of an English Honours degree at UBC. Her passions include literature, music, and theatre. Megan works part-time at Open Box and part-time at a local community-oriented and co-operatively owned grocery store. She plans to pursue a Masters degree and PhD in 20th century English Literature. She is proud to be working at Open Box, which has such high standards of service and product quality!
April 25, 2005
Open Box releases PranaStudio version 2.0
Open Box Launches PranaStudio Version 2.0. PranaStudio is Yoga Studio Management Software designed to be intuitive and enjoyable to use for any Yoga studio. Originally developed for The Yoga Shala Calgary, PranaStudio version 1.0 has successfully helped The Yoga Shala manage their students, classes and memberships for the past 2 years. PranaStudio Version 2.0 builds on the incredible ease of use of Version 1.0 by adding many new features including extensive reports, workshops, a merge students function, a new notes module, and much more.
January 2005
Open Box moves into office space on Broadway
Open Box moved to the current office at Suite 208 – 111 West Broadway, Vancouver.
June 22, 2004
Open Box is founded and incorporated!
Jeff Baker and Katryn Harris co-founded and incorporated Open Box!
Jeff Baker, Creative Director of Open Box, obtained a Mechanical Engineering Technology diploma in 1997 and then turned his attention to graphic and user interface design and hasn’t looked back. He specializes in designing and developing websites and user interfaces. Jeff is passionate about the user experience and intuitive design. One of his most recent successes is the user interface design for the most user-friendly yoga studio software on the market--PranaStudio.
Katryn Harris, President and CEO of Open Box, specializes in the combination of IT and Business Processes. A graduate of Capilano College’s Computer Specialist Diploma she was awarded the Capilano College Achievement Award at graduation. Her background includes years of management experience in the non-profit sector, as well as experience in translation (French and English). Her passion is information: how it’s stored, understood, communicated and used for business purposes. She has worked with Crystal Reports, Crystal Enterprise, .NET, Access, SQL Server, classic ASP, VB 6.0 and Microsoft Project and Visio. Katryn is fluently bilingual.
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