Grow Vantage Privacy Policy
Grow Vantage Inc. (“Grow Vantage” or “GV”) has established this Privacy Policy to explain how it protects and manages the personal information that it collects from you (the customer) online and offline.
Limiting the Collection of Personal Information
Grow Vantage limits its collection of personal information to only that information which is necessary for the Identified Purposes. Grow Vantage does not direct its site to, nor does it knowingly collect any personal information from children under the age of thirteen.
Consent for Collection, Use and Disclosure
Your use of the Grow Vantage site and/or your registration for products and services constitute your consent to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Grow Vantage site or Grow Vantage products and services.
Consent is obtained from each client by giving them a form that explains the use of material and asks for their signature on the collection form. The consent statement explains that information permits business referral activities to Patricia Dent, owner, Grow Vantage, Inc. and other Grow Vantage participants, using the client’s name, business name and email to refer to potential customers or associates for mutual benefit. This information is also used to create a membership profile, a web profile and establish email communications related to the Grow Vantage program.
A customer may withdraw his or her consent for collection, use and disclosure at any time by unsubscribing through email communications or by sending an email. In the latter case, please make sure you tell us what email address to unsubscribe and put the word “unsubscribe” in the subject line. Note that, if you do, Grow Vantage may suspend its provision of products and services to you. When you unsubscribe, if you fall within the guarantee period for any Grow Vantage product and you request a refund, the guarantee will be honored.
Privacy Officer
The privacy officer of Grow Vantage Inc. is the director, Patricia Dent. The responsibility of the privacy officer is to respond to enquiries, complaints, update information, understand the legislation and apply pertinent changes to the Grow Vantage Privacy Policy.
What Information is collected?
Grow Vantage collects, at the time of your registration and your sign-on to its web site, certain “personal information” (information that personally identifies you) including but not limited to your name, email address, home or work address, telephone number, age, birth date, and information about your computer hardware and software (e.g., IP address, operating system, browser type, domain name, URL, access times, and referring web site addresses). We may collect credit card information in order to establish recurring payments for Grow Vantage, for those who choose this option. This information is kept during the period that payments are due to Grow Vantage, and then shredded.
Why is this Personal Information Collected?
Grow Vantage collects and uses personal information for the following Identified Purposes:
- To understand customer needs regarding Grow Vantage services;
- To develop and provide our web site and our products and services for our customers;
- To fulfill customer requests for products, services or information; and to refer business to Grow Vantage participants;
- To communicate with customers and site visitors, when necessary, and to inform customers of upgrades, as well as of other products and services available from Grow Vantage, its affiliates and third parties;
- To transmit information regarding training classes and materials;
- To allow customers to access limited-entry areas of the Grow Vantage site;
- To personalize some of our services and products for our customers;
- To bill accounts and maintain payment records; and to collect payment, or unpaid accounts if necessary;
- To comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or government request;
- To respond to a legitimate claim, or to address our reasonable belief, that you are violating the rights of any third party or any of the agreements or policies that govern your use of the Grow Vantage site or any product or service;
- To protect the services, products or rights of Grow Vantage, including but not limited to the security or integrity of the Grow Vantage site; and
- To identify and resolve technical problems concerning the Grow Vantage site, or products and services.
Grow Vantage also uses personal information in an aggregate form (i.e., not individually attributable to you) for its business analysis, operational, marketing and other promotional purposes; and to provide general statistics to organizations that track aggregate information regarding entrepreneurs.
When you visit the Grow Vantage web site, a cookie may be placed on your computer or the cookie may be read if you have visited the Grow Vantage site previously. If you choose to not have your browser accept cookies from the Grow Vantage web site, you may not be able to view all the text on the screens, or to experience a personalised visit, or to subscribe to certain service and product offerings on the Grow Vantage site.
How will this information be used and processed?
When consent is obtained from each client, their email is added to our email list, a membership profile is added for each client and a web profile is established on the Grow Vantage website. Client contact information is shared with the other members of your GV group and instructors (based on signed agreement within client contracts).
Training notes and communications regarding the program are sent by the email address provided to Grow Vantage. The information is also used to understand customer demographics and from time to time, to provide non-specific statistical information to organizations who track entrepreneurial statistics.
Processing
Your information may be stored and processed in the Canada or the United States, or in any other country in which Grow Vantage or its affiliates, subsidiaries or agents maintain facilities. By using this web site, you consent to any such transfer of information outside of your country.
Will this information be disclosed?
Grow Vantage does not sell or rent your personal information to anyone. Grow Vantage does not disclose your personal information to anyone who falls outside the umbrella of the Identified purposes, except to the following:
- Someone you have designated to act as your agent, for one or more of the Identified Purposes (listed above);
- To Grow Vantage employees, independent contractors, subsidiaries, affiliates, consultants, business associates, service providers, suppliers and agents, who provide services to Grow Vantage;
- If Grow Vantage has reason to believe that disclosure is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be causing injury to or interference (either intentionally or unintentionally) with Grow Vantage’s rights or property, other users of the Grow Vantage web site, products or services, or anyone else that could be harmed by such activities; and
- To respond to judicial process and provide information to law enforcement agencies or in connection with an investigation on matters related to public safety, as permitted by law, or otherwise as required by law.
If Grow Vantage hires other companies to provide some products or services on our behalf, we will only provide those companies or individuals the personal information they need for the Identified Purposes within their scope of work, and we will limit their rights to use and further disclose your personal information as appropriate in the course of their work for us.
In addition, as Grow Vantage continues to develop its business, we or our affiliates may sell or buy other businesses or entities, or we may merge with another company. In such transactions, personal information may be one of the transferred business assets.
Where will the information be stored?
Information that Grow Vantage gathers is retained in web-based software associated with the Grow Vantage website, and in a FileMaker Pro database as well as excel-based reports. This data is stored on a main stand-alone server owned by Grow Vantage, which is not connected to the Internet. Information is also stored on computers owned by individuals who are participants in the company or are contracted to the company, to provide support. Hard copies of reports may be retained in a locked filing cabinet in the Grow Vantage office.
How will this information be protected? Safeguarding the information
Electronic databases, servers and individual computers are password protected. All computer hardware has firewall and virus protection in place and data is backed up using a Carbonite application which is password-protected, with the same safeguards in place.
The filing cabinet housing personal information in the Grow Vantage office is locked when not in use. Access is only granted on a need-to-know basis to those individuals who are under contract to Grow Vantage to provide specific services. No unauthorized parties are able to access this information.
How long will this information be retained?
Grow Vantage member information will be used in relation to the identified purposes until a member unsubscribes from the Grow Vantage products or services or is removed as a result of an account that is not in good standing. Financial records are retained according to CRA guidelines.
After your account becomes inactive (that is, if you request to be removed from our database), Grow Vantage will keep your personal information in its archives. Your information will then be used only as necessary for tax reasons or to prove that Grow Vantage is compliant with any applicable law.
How can someone correct, or deactivate and remove the information?
Accuracy
Grow Vantage ensures the accuracy of personal information by asking their clients to fill in and complete their own requests for information and registration forms. Grow Vantage will use reasonable efforts to keep customer personal information accurate for the Identified Purposes, and to minimize the possibility of making inappropriate customer decisions based on such information. Customers are responsible for informing Grow Vantage about changes to their personal information. They can do this by calling 705 727-0789 x1 or sending an email to patricia@growvantage.com. Grow Vantage will use new or updated personal information it receives from customers to update its own records.
Access or request to remove personal information
Grow Vantage will afford clients and vendors a reasonable opportunity to review the personal information in their file; within a period of no longer than 10 business days in response to their request. Requests may be made by calling 705 727-0789 x1 or by emailing patricia@growvantage.com; or may be made in writing to Patricia Dent by mail at Suite Success at ESS Direct, Suite 5, 411 Huronia Road, Barrie, ON L4N 9B3.
If Grow Vantage is not able to provide access to some aspect of a customer’s personal information, it will provide reasons for denying access such as; that by doing so would likely reveal personal information about a third party, or that it is confidential commercial information or attorney–client privileged communications, or that the information relates to a breach of an agreement or a contravention of law, or that its disclosure could reasonably be expected to threaten the life or security of another individual.
Recourse
Customers have the right to request that information is removed that is inaccurate or incomplete information be amended as appropriate, by contacting Patricia Dent as described above, who will promptly correct such personal information.
To find resolution to a complaint, first approach the Grow Vantage privacy officer. Should that prove unsatisfactory, individuals can contact the Privacy Commissioner of Canada:
Daniel Therrien, 112 Kent St., Ottawa, ON K1A 1H3.
1-800-282-1376
1-613-947-6850 Fax
Amended April 18, 2015
