Our Chairman & CEO talks about managing through turbulent times at the IVEY IDEA FORUM. The Globe & Mail features the video in today's edition of BUSINESS INCUBATOR. Sound advice from a business leader who's seen these challenges before and knows when (and how) to come out swinging.

The Editor

The fifth and final chapter in The New Confidence Video Series, "Power" highlights the currency of the suit as a statement of confidence. Featuring silhouettes from our Spring 2009 Collection, Harry Rosen Chairman & CEO, Larry Rosen speaks to the details that will afford you a look of distinction and mastery in any business environment.

THE CONFIDENCE INTERVIEW – MATTHEW CORRIN

Matthew Corrin is the Founder and CEO of Freshii Inc, a privately held corporation operating within the North American restaurant industry. In 2008, Freshii was ranked by Profit Magazine as one of Canada’s 25 fastest growing companies and Corrin was recognized as one of Canada’s Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” award finalists for Young Entrepreneur and by Restaurant Hospitality Magazine’s “30 Under 30” award.

Matthew took some time to give us his thoughts on reacting, rebranding, and a serious bout of the navy blues.

On first days...
I started out in the fashion industry. I worked PR and marketing for Oscar de le Renta. My first day of work at Oscar, I was standing in a room with this New York socialite - and she took all her clothes off. It's just me, and her, and she's saying, "Could you help me with this dress?" She was going to some event at the Museum of... whatever. By comparison, my first day at Lettuce, we ran out of avocado. We ran out of change in the till. We ran out of all our lettuces. Two very different experiences!

On living with the blues...
I started wearing black shoes this winter, which is a first. I normally don’t like the colour black. Right now, I'm obsessed with navy blue. I’m very comfortable in navy. I love navy sport jackets, navy golf shirts, dark denim jeans. It's actually an ongoing joke - it seems to pop up everywhere for me. My wife and I recently bought a couch that we thought was black. But once we got it home and got it in the light, it turned out to be navy.

On the quick fix...
The one thing I’ve always been is nimble. What I've been focusing on recently is reacting very quickly. Adjusting the company to the right size, making adjustments to staff, cutting overhead, tweaking the menu to ensure that consumers feel they're getting a great value. It's difficult being forced to let a person go, or to ask a person to do a different job. But you need to look at the big picture - those quick, short-term decisions are the right ones to ensure the company's long-term success. There's no time for paralysis - you need to be constantly executing if you expect results.

On silver linings...
Every day, you open up the Globe & Mail, you read that Starbucks has closed another 600 locations, and Nike laid-off 10,000 staff, and somebody else is filing for Chapter 11. I think my staff realizes that it’s survival of the fittest out there. They realize that I have to make quick, difficult decisions. But just yesterday, I had a senior management meeting, and it was really positive. Morale's actually really high. Those who are still around are there for a reason. The company culture becomes stronger and tighter because people realize that remaining in the job is a testament to their skill and their ability.

On the new chapter...
We started off as "Lettuce,” the salad place and we did gangbuster business at our TD Centre location. But when we tried to take the menu forward, we found that the name was a bit of a mental barrier. People didn't want to buy oatmeal or a warm wrap from a “lettuce,” place. But I've never been interested in being strictly a salad place - you don’t want salad everyday. The menu has to evolve, and our solution was to re-brand. We recently introduced the chain in the US under the new name: Freshii. And we saw immediate advantages in being perceived as more than "just a salad place." In fact, at the new stores, we're selling far more rice bowls and wraps than salads. The Canadian re-branding will be taking place in the next 30 days or so.

On first impressions...
I think fashion is very important. Superficially, first impressions are critical, right? Your first impression when you walk into a restaurant. Your first impression when you shake the hand of the founder. When you walk into a room looking great, you start above zero in people's eyes. When you walk in dressed like average folk, you start at zero. You can work your way up. But you've just made your job harder.

For his appearance here, a donation has been made on Mr. Corrin’s behalf to Heifer International. He is wearing Etro. His clothing specialist is Scott Rivard of our Bloor Street store.

Number four in our series on dressing for the new economy, "Dress Down," offers tips and just a little bit of caution for those looking to leave the tie at home today. Video features select merchandise from our Spring 2009 collections. Presented by Larry Rosen, CEO of Harry Rosen Menswear.

THE CONFIDENCE INTERVIEW – ROBERT DELUCE

Robert J. Deluce, CEO of Porter Airlines, is one of Canada’s most knowledgeable and respected airline industry leaders. He brings to the industry over 50 years of Deluce family experience in successfully owning, financing, restructuring, operating and managing a number of regional airlines in Canada including: White River Air Services, norOntair, Austin Airways, Air Creebec, Air Ontario, Air Manitoba, Air Alliance and Canada 3000 Airlines.

Robert took some time to give us his thoughts on reclining seats, maintaining focus, and sharing the fruits of labour.

On the big picture...
I’ve been in this industry for a good period of time, and I’ve enjoyed some success. In a challenging economy, there are always companies that come out ahead and there are some that come out behind. I believe that within any challenge lies opportunity. As less confident companies might retrench and falter over the next year, the prospects for Porter are extremely good. We are in an expansionary mode. We’re adding ten new airplanes. We’ll probably take on a half dozen, or more new destinations. We feel really good about the business plan we have and we’re staying very focused/

When flying was fun…
In the 1960's and 1970's, flying was a big deal. It was romantic. It was glamorous. There was a certain dignity about the flying experience. I think Porter is about a return to that dignity. The most important thing to me is that our passengers come away feeling like they’ve been well treated.

On the gravity of flight...
My desire to run an airline is partly the product of being from a larger family. I'm the oldest of nine children, and I was handed a certain amount of responsibility from an early age. I was also part of a family business, and along the way was given a fair bit of responsibility in that regard too. At one point I positioned myself to become a doctor, but when you’re around aircraft at a young age, there's no getting around it. This business really does get into your veins.

On picking the right planes...
There are many challenges in running a successful airline in an unpredictable economic climate, but having the right airplane makes a big difference. We looked at a number of different aircraft, and in the end we selected the Bombardier Q400. It’s a turboprop that thinks it’s a jet. It flies at near-jet speeds and it’s very quiet. But the big plus is that it burns 30 - 40% less fuel than do comparable narrow-bodied regional jets.

On shared success...
Of course, I recognize the weight of my responsibilities as the CEO of Porter Airlines. On the other hand, I also recognize that it takes more than one individual to make a company. I appreciate the efforts of every person contributing toward Porter’s strong health and financial wellbeing, and I do my best to ensure that everyone within our organization feels a part of the success we’re enjoying.

On maintaining a positive frame of mind...
I think the trick to weathering this economy might be to disregard some of the headlines and just get back to focusing on business. Just concentrate on executing your business plan. I think one needs to be optimistic in order to perceive opportunities. If you’re somehow in the wrong frame of mind, you’ll miss opportunities when they come along. I truly believe that if you want to get ahead in today’s environment, you really can’t afford to be in a negative frame of mind.

For his appearance here, a donation has been made on Mr. Deluce’s behalf to the Arthritis and Autoimmunity Research Centre (AARC) Foundation. He is wearing Canali. His clothing specialist is Johnny Aleandro of our Bloor Street store.