Alex Dorward, CEO and managing director of Ascribe Marketing and founder of the Ottawa Business Basketball Network, seen guarded by his opponent, Grant Clitsome, on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks at TD Place on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline Phillips
While most conventional networking events focus mainly on shooting the breeze, the Ottawa Business Basketball Network (OBBN) also involves shooting something else: hoops.
While most conventional networking events focus mainly on shooting the breeze, the Ottawa Business Basketball Network (OBBN) also involves shooting something else: hoops.It had the rare opportunity yesterday to play at TD Place on the home court of Ottawa’s professional basketball team and, later, to watch the Ottawa BlackJacks play against the Scarborough Shooting Stars during a private networking event held in support of Youth Services Bureau.Ottawa business professionals and entrepreneurs gathered on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks on Thursday, July 18, 2024, to play basketball, followed by some networking, in support of the Youth Services Bureau. Photo by Caroline PhillipsRunning coach Diego Alcubierre with Bannister Running makes a shot at an Ottawa Business Basketball Network game held on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks at TD Place on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsKyle Soutar (Soutar Capital & Consulting, Better Group, Orleans Cross Fit) guards Leo Doyle, founder of the Ottawa Basketball Network, at an Ottawa Business Basketball Network game held on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks at TD Place on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsRunning coach Diego Alcubierre with Bannister Running hustled down the court during an Ottawa Business Basketball Network game held on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks at TD Place on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsOBBN was started by Alex Dorward, CEO and managing director of Ascribe Marketing, to bring business leaders together. "It’s a less forced, less awkward way of networking for those who might be more introverted and want a mix of recreational activity and professional networking,” the former Forty Under 40 Award recipient told OBJ.social after their nearly one-hour game, which left players tired and sweaty. He had good reason to feel fatigued — he'd recently recovered from a case of COVID-19.The OBBN games are usually held at the Adult High School on Rochester Street. It was the Ottawa BlackJacks director of business development, Jesse Zimmer, who invited the business leaders – many of whom were former Forty Under 40 Award recipients — to come play at TD Place.
While the participants played hard, it wasn't cutthroat competitive. Even the final score wasn't clear. What we do know is: Ascribe beat the Meerkat Marketing team. The game was “decently close”, according to Dorward. The players’ previous experience spanned high school basketball and post-secondary level. Former Carleton Ravens players included 2024 Forty Under 40 Award recipient Kyle Smenziuk, CEO and founder of WebMarketers and Cam Smythe, account executive at WebMarketers. They each won four National Championships playing with the university team. Linebox Studio director of operations Lindsay Suprunchuk didn't play that day but the former basketball player with the Carleton Ravens' women's team turned out for the networking portion of the event.
Retired NHL defenceman Grant Clitsome, who played for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets, was part of the Meerkat Marketing team. He's now director of business development strategy at WMC Water Management.
We all know the potential dangers associated with playing sports while wearing big clunky jewelry. Needless to say, Seoplus+ account manager Bachar "Bobby" Neema wasn't playing with the Championship Ring he won at last month's inaugural Charity Darts Tournament networking fundraiser.From Meerkat Marketing was its CEO, Kyle Turk, who isn't expecting to get drafted anytime soon into the CEBL (Canadian Elite Basketball League). He hasn’t ruled out earning a spot on the BlackJacks’ dance squad, he later joked.From left, WebMarketers' Cam Smythe and Kyle Smendziuk used to play for the Carleton Ravens men's basketball team while Linebox Studio director of operations Lindsay Suprunchuk (seen with her sister Tara Suprunchuk on the far right) played on the university's women's team. Photo by Caroline PhillipsDuring the height of the pandemic, Dorward raised funds and awareness for YSB and other local, national and global charities during a 12-month fundraiser involving a series of demanding and physically exhausting challenges. He opted to sleep outside in a tent for two nights, during extreme cold weather conditions, to help YSB during its annual Stay Up Ottawa benefit. YSB is a non-profit organization that’s been around since 1960. It helps young people “find their way in life,” said YSB Foundation executive director Patti Murphy during her brief remarks.Patti Murphy, executive director of the Youth Services Bureau Foundation, spoke about the work the organization does in the community to help youth during an Ottawa Business Basketball Network event held during an Ottawa BlackJacks' home game on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsAmong the areas YSB focuses on are shelter and housing, mental health services, employment and youth justice.Murphy asked her listeners to reflect back on their adolescence — one of the most difficult periods of life for many. “That’s what we are really here to help with. It’s to help young people navigate through the teenage years, together with their families. Sometimes, they’re on their own.”Murphy told OBJ.social how excited she was to attend a BlackJacks game. “The last time I saw a basketball game was the Harlem Globetrotters.”According to Zimmer, basketball remains a popular sport in Ottawa and beyond due to its accessibility. “All you need is a pair of shoes and a basketball.”The fanbase at Ottawa BlackJacks has been growing “year after year” since the team first launched, but there remain some challenges, said Zimmer. “If you come to a game and you experience it, the odds are you’re going to come back. But, a lot of people just don’t know about basketball in Ottawa. That’s something we fight every day.”Great players include hometown sensation Lloyd Pani, formerly with the Carleton Ravens’ championship team, and Keevan Veinot, who’s originally from the tiny village of Port Williams, N.S. He played with the Dalhousie University men’s team. Said Zimmer: “This is high-level basketball. These guys are good. These guys are professionals.”From left, Jesse Zimmer, director of business development for the Ottawa BlackJacks, and Leo Doyle, founder of the Ottawa Basketball Network, at an Ottawa Business Basketball Network event that included a game on the Ottawa BlackJacks' home court, followed by the opportunity to watch the professional basketball team play while networking. Photo by Caroline Phillips2024 Forty Under 40 Award recipient Kyle Smendziuk, CEO at WebMarketers and a former member of Carleton University's championship-winning men's basketball team, at an Ottawa Business Basketball Network game held on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks at TD Place on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsFrom left, Alex Dorward organized an Ottawa Business Basketball Network event at TD Place in support of the Youth Services Bureau, represented by YSB Foundation executive director Patti Murphy and fundraising database coordinator Ana Popescu, who also played in the basketball game earlier that day. Photo by Caroline PhillipsThe Ottawa Business Basketball Network saw the Meerkat Marketing team take on Ascribe while playing on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsRunning coach Diego Alcubierre with Bannister Running, who played on the Meerkat Marketing team, dribbles down the court during an Ottawa Business Basketball Network game held on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsAna Popescu from the YSB Foundation looks to make a pass during an Ottawa Business Basketball Network game held on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsTeam Ascribe played against Team Meerkat Marketing during an Ottawa Business Basketball Network game held on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsAlex Dorward, seen airborne, during an Ottawa Business Basketball Network game held on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsMeerkat Marketing CEO Kyle Turk dribbles the ball during an Ottawa Business Basketball Network game held on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks at TD Place on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsAlex Dorward, CEO and managing director of Ascribe Marketing, in action at an Ottawa Business Basketball Network game held on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsDevan Pennell, president of Northern Counselling & Therapeutic Services, dribbles down the court at an Ottawa Business Basketball Network game held on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsFrom left, Seoplus+ account manager Bachar "Bobby" Neema, Kyle Turk, CEO of Meerkat Marketing, and Seoplus+ senior account manager Derek Cosgrove, at an Ottawa Business Basketball Network event that included a game on the Ottawa BlackJacks' home court, followed by the opportunity to watch the professional basketball team play while networking. Photo by Caroline PhillipsMacEwen Petroleum vice president of commercial and residential fuels Brian Boucher (seen with the ball) later described participating in the Ottawa Business Basketball Network game as "humbling". Photo by Caroline PhillipsDevan Pennell and Kyle Smendziuk at the net during an Ottawa Business Basketball Network game held on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsFrom left, Marlon O'Neil, CEO at Baytek, and Marcos Campos , an app developer with Oxaro, at an Ottawa Business Basketball Network event that included a game on the Ottawa BlackJacks' home court, followed by the opportunity to watch the professional basketball team play while networking. Photo by Caroline PhillipsFrom left, Chloe Nosko (Field Effect), Darren MacDonald (Convex Energy), Lindsay MacGregor (Craft & Crew) and Jean Charbonneau at an Ottawa Business Basketball Network event that included a game on the Ottawa BlackJacks' home court, followed by the opportunity to watch the professional basketball team play while networking. Photo by Caroline PhillipsPlayers take a moment to catch their breath at an Ottawa Business Basketball Network game held on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks at TD Place on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsFormer Forty Under 40 recipient Kyle Soutar dribbles down the court at an Ottawa Business Basketball Network game held on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline PhillipsThe Ottawa Business Basketball Network saw the Team Meerkat Marketing team take on Team Ascribe while playing on the home court of the Ottawa BlackJacks at TD Place on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Photo by Caroline Phillips
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