Message from the CEO

Dear [firstname,fallback=Colleague]:

It has indeed been a whirlwind 2008 for Northbridge Consultants.  Our significant growth this year has brought many positive changes for the company, and I truly look forward to all the exciting opportunities on our horizon for 2009. 

In February of 2008, the team and business of Northbridge had grown large enough to move to a bigger office.  This allows us to make room for new team members and serve our clients even more efficiently.

In the fall of 2008, Ajay Sinha joined our team at Northbridge Consultants as our new VP of Operations.  Ajay is an essential part of our company, and has been very instrumental in helping our expansion.  He will continue to assist our consulting team to reach new goals and sustain our steadily increasing success. 

Northbridge Consultants has also formed a Sales & Marketing committee that will play a crucial part in our growth.  This team pulls together the monthly newsletter you are reading now, and will work to enhance our image.  Those of you who have been with us for some time will notice our website has undergone a redesign.  In addition to a new look, we have also added our own Canadian Business Blog.  Check regularly for updates and informative articles relevant to all things industry, economy, business related, and more.  Special thanks to Courtney Wilson, graphic designer and web developer, for her hard work in this area.

On November 25th of 2008, Northbridge Consultants team member Gerry Fung held our very first Webinar to educate attendees about SR&ED claims.  It was a great success, so stay tuned as more educational online seminars like this are in the works for early 2009.

Northbridge wants to reach out to clients across Canada, and plans are in the works to expand our services to the East Coast.  In 2009 we will be opening a satellite office in Eastern Canada to better serve clients in that region. Continue to read our monthly newsletter for updates on this exciting new expansion.

It is important for our clients to know that the Canada Revenue Agency has made some revisions to the T661 form used in the SR&ED filing process, that will take effect in January of 2009.  For more information, go to our website and click on News & Events to read about the new T661.  Feel free to contact Northbridge with any questions or concerns you may have.

To our past, present and future clients: thank you for choosing to work with Northbridge Consultants. We hope we have and will always be your first choice for full service SR&ED consulting.

Have a safe and happy holiday season, and we wish you a productive, profitable New Year. 

Sol Algranti, President & CEO Northbridge Consultants

Vision Statement

To be the premier consulting partner for Canadian businesses by offering personalized services that support client and corporate goals. Our top priority is to fulfill the client's needs through the delivery of service excellence, professional expertise and reliability, the preservation of the utmost integrity, and the passionate encouragement of teamwork and employee development.

Meet Team Northbridge

Employee Spotlight: Frankie & Tina Jeske

As a part-time, honorary member of Team Northbridge, Frankie the Weiner Dog plays the important role of team mascot.  Her main responsibilities include greeting visitors, boosting employee morale and helping out around the office where needed.

Frankie’s owner, Tina Jeske, has been with Northbridge Consultants since November 2006.  Tina graduated in 2005 with her business diploma from the General Business program at Conestoga College.  As our Financial & Administrative Assistant, Tina is involved in all aspects of Northbridge Consultants from customer service to claim submission and accounting.  She is the smiling face when you walk into our front door and the cheery voice when you call the office. Tina’s main duties include preparing financial submissions for all SR&ED claims along with addressing questions from clients and accountants to ensure proper filing of SR&ED related documents.

Aside from her responsibilities to our clients, Tina is our in-house accountant who handles accounts receivable, accounts payable and bookkeeping. She is also the administrative assistant to the President and the VP of Operations.

This is only a short summary of Tina’s day to day responsibilities. Her financial and administrative position requires that she be a “jack of all trades” to strategically ensure all internal operations run smoothly. Tina’s overall role makes her an essential part of the Northbridge family.

Testimonials

“As a result of the assistance we have received from Northbridge Consultants, we have been able to continue to develop new technologies, increasing our competitiveness, even in tough economic times.  By helping us to inject large SR&ED dollar returns into our company, Northbridge allowed us to focus our resources on day to day technical development rather than program administrative requirements.” - Thomas M. Welch, President of Iso-Lux Manufacturing

Iso-Lux is a custom manufacturer of close tolerance metalwork that among many successes, routinely develops technologically challenging processes to produce small run parts that are typically avoided by other fabrication companies (within local and foreign markets) including, precision laser cutting, CNC punching, hard tooled stampings, welding, machining, metal spinning, powder coating, silk screening processes. www.iso-lux.com

For Our Valued Clients:

Northbridge takes pride in maintaining an unmatched level of customer service to our clients.  Our account managers are evaluated based on client feedback – please complete our survey to let us know if Northbridge Consultants met or exceeded your expectations, as well as how we can improve our service to you.

Northbridge provides results oriented consulting services through the development of adaptable and innovative business solutions for firms operating in Canada.

SR&ED Seminar

Towards the end of January 2009, Northbridge Consultants and one of our Chartered Accountant partners will be holding our very first breakfast seminar, to provide a meaningful information session on the SR&ED program.  The primary focus will be to provide a complete understanding of the SR&ED process, and how companies can use this to take advantage of Investment Tax Credits for work performed within Canada.  More details to follow in the January 2009 edition of the newsletter, and watch your mail and email inboxes for your invitation in early January!

SR&ED Webinar

On November 25 of 2008, Account Manager Gerry Fung of Northbridge Consultants and Adam Furbacher of Taylor Leibow LLP delivered an outstanding educational webinar session about the process and rewards of the SR&ED program.  The webinar was broadcast online, to an audience of approximately two hundred viewers. The webinar was a well-received success, and as a result, we will be holding another webinar towards the end of the first quarter of 2009.  Further details will follow in the future editions of our newsletters, through e-mails to our clients and via telephone calls, so stay tuned.

New T661 Form Released

On November 10, 2008, a new T661 form was released by the Canada Revenue Agency to streamline the SR&ED claim filing process.  For tax years ending after December 31, 2008, the CRA will only accept the new version of the T661 form. These changes will be effective as of January 2009, so if you have not already done so, read about the new T661 on our website.  You may also contact anyone at Northbridge Consultants for more information and assistance with questions or concerns you may have.

• New T661 Form
• Guidelines for New T661 Form
• Q&A About T661 Form

Tips & Tricks

Facts & Figures