Weekly Regional Business Intelligence | | | Written by Kieran Delamont, Associate Editor, London Inc. | | | Convertus Group acquires AIM Group of Companies London’s Convertus Group, an organic waste management and processing company, announced that it acquired the AIM Group of Companies this week. No terms of the deal were released, but the deal includes all of AIM’s facilities and operations, previously owned by the Maple Reinders Group, which operates in the construction services sector. “In combining two industry leaders with successful track records, we are solidifying our presence as Canada’s largest organic waste processor, allowing us to better serve our customers and fulfill our mission to close the loop and create a sustainable future for all,” said Convertus’ CEO Mike Leopold. According to Convertus, the acquisition will result in “a strong team of over 350 talented individuals with 19 sites across three countries, five provinces and two states.” The upshot: The merger cements Convertus’ place as the largest organic waste processor in Canada, and the company has more than tripled in size since 2019, with past acquisitions of Envirem Organics (2022) and last year’s purchase of a processing facility in Manassas, Virginia. The acquisition of AIM, which has a background in designing and building larger, complex waste processing facilities, suggests the company may be gearing up for larger, more capital-intensive waste processing projects as it continues to expand its North American footprint. In particular, the AIM Group has several municipal partnerships in jurisdictions where Convertus wasn’t operating (Halifax and Calgary being two of their municipal clients). AIM’s founder, Theo Van Wely, is also coming over in the deal, and bringing strong partnerships with European organic waste technology companies that should also help Convertus, especially as municipalities in North America start looking for more advanced waste management infrastructure. Read more: Waste Today Magazine | | | London to host Olympic and world track and field qualifiers Get your spikes ready: the Canadian Track and Field trials are coming to London in 2027 and 2028. Athletics Canada announced this week that London will play host to the 2027 Canadian Track and Field Championships and the 2028 Bell Track & Field Trials; the former will be the Team Canada selection trials for the 2027 World Athletics Championship in Beijing, while the latter will be the trials for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles. “London has proven itself as a first-class sport event host,” said Athletics Canada CEO Mathieu Gentès. “Tasked with hosting our national outdoor championships, London is an ideal choice to showcase our athletes on their road to World Championship and Olympic and Paralympic Games.” The meets will be held at Western Alumni Stadium, with the 2027 trials being run from August 9 to 15, and the 2028 trials running from June 14 to 18. The successful bids were submitted by Tourism London in partnership with the London Western Track and Field Club, Western University and the city. The upshot: Track and field fans will be feasting for those two summers. Both years will have big stakes for Canada’s Olympic hopefuls, and you can expect great competition. “Anytime you can bring the best athletes in the country to your backyard, it’s exciting, and the Olympic Trials always offers that little extra something because athletes’ dreams are on the line,” said London Western Track and Field Club manager Scott MacDonald. “These national showcases bring Canada’s top athletes ― and world class talent ― to our city,” added Mayor Josh Morgan. “Londoners are no strangers to sporting excellence ― from our Memorial Cup champion London Knights to Olympic track and field champions Damian Warner and Alysha Newman to our very own Western Mustangs who will help to host the events at Alumni field.” Read more: Athletics Canada | | | Team behind Take5 Digital and Gotham Studios unveils new digital film production house The creatives behind Take5 Digital and Gotham Studios (pictured) have unveiled a new film production house called Little Big Brother at a launch event on Thursday. The new company is pitching itself as “ultra-creative” and “unapologetically unconventional,” saying it “emerges at Take5’s natural alter-ego: louder, edgier and ready to shake things up.” To do this, they’ve tapped Nico Gomez Arcila to helm the operation, a Colombian creative director who has worked with Take5 since earlier this year. His past clients include PepsiCo, Kia, Suzuki and others. “This isn’t just a rebrand or a side hustle, it’s a full-on rebellion against bland content,” said Nick Lavery, an executive producer with Little Big Brother. Arcila added that “agencies need a creative partner that actually gets it. Little Big Brother was born to be that partner.” The upshot: The spin-off of Little Big Brother looks like it’s aimed at distinguishing its higher-impact commercial content from some of the more institutional, buttoned-up work that Take5 does, and the food-and-beverage sector work that Gotham Studios does. “Each studio operates independently, with its own strengths and creative focus,” explained the company’s marketing specialist Unnati Singhania. “While the three brands are connected ― sharing production infrastructure, talent and operational support ― each retains its independence. This model allows every studio to focus on what they do best, while giving clients access to broader capabilities when needed.” Little Big Brother, Singhania added, aims to do something “similar to what Film London aims to do for film and television, attracting major productions to the region, but reimagined for the commercial world.” Read more: TechAlliance | Little Big Brother | | | From the magazine: Homing in on homebuilding If you recognize Boyle’s name, it’s almost certainly as the co-founder of human resources software support firm HRdownloads, a darling of the London tech scene over the past decade or so (it was acquired by The Citation Group in 2023 and subsequently rebranded to Citation Canada). He’s now re-emerged with a new startup, Graditi Inc., a SaaS platform aimed at streamlining communication and administrative processes for residential homebuilders and renovation contractors. Read more: London Inc. | | | Toyota adding battery pack lines at plants in Woodstock and Cambridge Toyota has announced it is reconfiguring its Woodstock (pictured) and Cambridge manufacturing plants to assemble EV batteries, which were previously being assembled in Japan. “TMMC [Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada] will receive battery modules from Toyota’s battery manufacturing plant in North Carolina, which TMMC will then assemble into finished battery packs,” the company told the CBC. The announcement follows news a couple weeks ago that the Woodstock and Cambridge plants were being retooled to make hybrid-only RAV4s beginning early in 2026. There’s not expected to be an expansion of the workforce, but local economic officials are praising the investment in the region. “It means that Toyota continues to invest, continues to have confidence in Ontario, and that they’re here for the long term,” said the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing’s Brendan Sweeney. The upshot: In the tariff age, it’s a win for an EV sector in Southwestern Ontario that, frankly, needed one. Virtually every other major node in the regional EV industry ― the Stellantis plant in Windsor, CAMI in Ingersoll, Honda’s delayed planned investment in an EV plant in Alliston ― have been stepped back to some degree or another, so it’s nice to see something moving in the right direction. Ottawa is also said to be working on a new EV rebate program that it hopes will boost flagging demand. “It’s a continuation of the investment we’ve been attracting for years. The direction is clear, the world is moving toward electrification and Canada is staying the course,” CEO of Global Automakers of Canada, David Adams, told The London Free Press. “I think Canada has about nine per cent of vehicle production in North America and we now have about 13 per cent of electric vehicle investment. This is where the future is going, and Canada will be a part of it.” Read more: CBC News London | London Free Press | | | An encore for Call the Office? The new owner of the former Call the Office said the iconic venue will “return to its former glory.” Ken Demelo, owner of a mechanical insulation company in Toronto, bought the building four years ago, and recently told The London Free Press he plans to submit a planning application that would see the venue restored to its musical roots. Call the Office has a prestigious place in the city’s music history, and it was a big loss for the local music scene when it closed during Covid and never reopened. “I like the building,” Demelo said. “I think music is important and it is a cool venue. I am into heritage buildings. We will keep it Call the Office.” The previous owner had planned on knocking the building down and pursuing a residential development. Demelo said a decent amount of internal work is required to fix the venue up, but that the main stage will remain on the first floor, with upper floors being converted into rehearsal space. The upshot: The news has the approval of London’s music industry, that’s for sure. “This is fantastic news. London has a deep talent pool of musicians and they need a place to play, but for Call the Office to come back is huge,” said Mario Circelli, founder of the Forest City Music Awards. The marquee ― “a London institution since whenever” as the bar used to promote itself ― has played host to some huge names over the years, including the Ramones, Radiohead, Sex Pistols, blink-182 and The Tragically Hip. With many of London’s live-music venues, like The Embassy, having long since closed, it will be a welcome return of the small, gritty club setting ― and just the kind of thing you need in a UNESCO City of Music. Read more: London Free Press | | | Dispatch: June 27, 2025 A summary of recent business appointments and announcements, plus event listings for the upcoming week. View listings here | | | | |