what's next, Alberta?

Who you do business with matters - Listen in as Wellington discusses the importance of banking with a financial institution that cares for your wellbeing.

The future is female-funded. Wellington and Co-CEO’s Judy Fairburn & Shelley Kuipers of The51 discuss the untapped potential of female-powered capital and what that means for the future of Alberta.

From living in a garage to kick-starting one of Alberta’s most innovative companies in the Agriculture biz, Paul Shumlich knows it all. Listen in as Paul and Wellington discuss social innovation and what it means to dive headfirst into your passion.

This week Wellington and “recovering entrepreneur” Ray DePaul dive into business creation, the challenges of being an entrepreneur and the opportunities that lay ahead for Alberta. Ray DePaul shares his journey of what brought him to Alberta and how he steered his company, RapidMind Inc., through funding and significant market growth and turned the company into an industry leader. Ray also shares his previous work experience of being part of the team Research in Motion which is now Blackberry. 

Ray expresses his ambition to build high impact talent through the Innovation and Entrepreneurship program at Mount Royal University and assist in delivering transformative community-engaged learning experiences. He states, “don’t invest in the business but invest in the person”, as the next generation of entrepreneurs are still formulating who they want to be. Paul explains his personal interactions with students and says that the courses force the student to experience entrepreneurship rather than simply study it. 

About Ray: 

Ray DePaul is the inaugural Director of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Mount Royal University. Ray has launched many innovative products in his 30-year career. He has been a successful entrepreneur, selling his company to Intel, and was also a key member of the team that brought the iconic BlackBerry to the world. He is currently a volunteer on the board of Platform Calgary, a board member at Attabotics and Trico Homes, and is a member of the prestigious A100. He is also on several private sector advisory boards and is proud to be a mentor to many young entrepreneurs. Ray holds a Bachelor of Mathematics in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Resources discussed in this episode: 

https://calgaryherald.com/business/local-business/students-taking-care-of-business

About JMH Launchpad event

connectFirst Credit Union: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

Ray DePaul:  LinkedIn

Listen in on how everyday ideas can evolve into big business ideas with Wellington and guest Ted Fleming from Partake Brewing. Ted created Partake due to a personal challenge that led him to create a unique nonalcoholic beer right here in Alberta. He changed his life perspective by prioritizing things that were important to his health and his family and was passionate about sharing his purpose with people across North America.  His initial ecommerce site created the foundation for Partake and helped launch their brand with thousands of supporters already on their side. 

Ted focuses on serving his community by expressing his authentic voice and by listening to consumers feedback regarding taste and quality.  He has created a combination of great taste, range of flavours and low calories where he differentiates himself from his competitors. Ted fulfilled the need for a craft non-alcoholic beer that no one else in the consumer-packaged goods industry seemed to be making at the time which led to the successful creation of Partake Brewing. 

About Ted: 

Ted Fleming is the founder of Partake Brewing and Premium Near Beer, some of the first companies in North America dedicated to serving people who crave the taste of beer, wine, cider, or cocktails but choose to avoid alcohol.  In 2005, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, a chronic ailment that was the start of significant life changes and led to his decision to eliminate alcohol from his diet. The problem was he loved beer but found that the quality and variety of the non-alcoholic beer available at the supermarket was just plain “crap”. He missed his beer. He missed the taste of beer and discovering new beers, especially new craft beers. But more than that, he found that he missed the social connection that comes from sharing a drink with a colleague after a hard days work, cracking a beer with the guys after hockey, and joining in to celebrate special occasions with family and friends.
 

Resources discussed in this episode: 

https://www.sootoday.com/great-stories/former-sault-resident-appears-on-dragons-den-gets-financial-backing-for-his-beer-868873

https://drinkpartake.ca/blogs/news/funding-announcement

connectFirst Credit Union: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

Ted Fleming/Partake Brewing: Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn  

Learn from Connect First’s leader, Paul Kelly, this week as he sits down with Wellington to discuss how business changes are led by powerful leadership. Paul shared his story of what led him to move to Alberta and discusses how he first got introduced in the financial industry. He explains the extensive process of what connectFirst Credit union has faced to get to where it is today. He educates us on the procedures taken when merging credit unions as well as the difficulty of government interference within the business model.   

Paul highlights the importance of diversifying within the industry through technological advancement, expanding into new geographics and within internal business models. He mentions how we need to adapt and think about what’s coming next and manage those risks that helped connectFirst Credit Union reinvent itself for the 2020’s from his personal perspective of being a powerful leader. 

connectFirst Credit Union: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

Listen in on how powerful leadership is changing our future with Wellington and his guest Desirée Bombenon. Desirée is the founder and CEO of SureCall Contact Centers as well as Desirée Imports. Desirée transformed this telecommunication company into much more than a contact center but a purpose driven business that provides global services. She wanted to share her passion for the wine business by bring great, socially responsible wines to Canada. Desirée has been a part of multiple organizations that are helping lead change through community involvement as well as addressing gender parity. 

Desirée believes in giving everyone equal opportunities through a profiling program no matter what one's background is. She is invested in elevating her team through a certification system in-house and mentions that if you take care of your team, they will take care of your customers. She also discusses the importance of surrounding yourself with successful and positive people, who care and want to make a difference. Now is the best time for opportunity and it starts with multiple pain points and problems to solve but Desirée encourages entrepreneurs to keep being creative and persevering. 

About Desirée: 

Desirée has over 30 years of business operational experience and strategic leadership. Awarded RBC’s Women’s Entrepreneur for 2020, Ernst & Young 2019 Entrepreneur of the year for the Prairies in Communication Technology, she is a bold innovator, futurist, and purpose-driven leader. Her portfolio includes business strategy, social enterprise, and culture building. Desirée was named WXN Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women for 2020, 2017, & 2016. She is an active member of a number of organizations including YPO and International Women’s Forum and has chaired several industry boards and focus groups. She is a past director of the National Music Centre, is a past Chair of YPO Alberta Chapter, and a past Chair of YPO Canada Region. Desirée currently serves as Chair for the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, Vice Chair for Children First Canada, and Chair with CAMX, the Canadian Call Management Association. She is an Executive Committee member of the YPO Sustainable Business Network, a cohort for Singularity University, and a Harvard University Alumni for the Advanced Leadership Initiative. She is involved in mentorship programs in her community and through Women’s Executive Network (WXN). Desirée is also a member of the WXN Diversity Board, she is a CIAC Certified Strategic Leader, and is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and has a Queen’s University Executive MBA through Smith School of Business. She has also earned her Certificate in Social Impact from Queens University. She is the recipient of the 30% Club Scholarship for Queens.

Resources discussed in this episode: 

https://www.womenofinfluence.ca/2020/10/16/meet-desiree-bombenon-ceo-of-surecall-and-2020-rbc-canadian-women-entrepreneur-awards-rbc-momentum-finalist/

https://businessincalgary.com/top-news/leading-lady/

connectFirst Credit Union: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

Desirée Bombenon / SureCall: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn  

Listen to Wellington and guest Phil Roberts from Valo Networks dive into the opportunity tech has to offer for the future of Alberta. Valo Networks is known for building and operating Rural Municipal Broadband networks by partnering with communities to build local infrastructure and carrier-neutral transport networks. Jim shares his past experiences with the organizations that helped him get to where he is now in the tech industry and expresses the gratitude of building those opportunities and partnerships along the way. 

Phil gives back to the tech community by being a part of the Calgary Chamber as well as an active member in A100 where they assist in expanding networks, connecting people and sharing experiences to help drive lasting diversification for Alberta’s economy.  He shares his advice for new entrepreneurs who are just starting out and demonstrates a bright vision for the tech industry in the next years to aid in providing innovative solutions to problems. 

About Phil:

Phil has more than 20 years of professional, executive and board experience in complex corporate environments. With in-depth experience in business, technology and governance matters in the energy, global telecommunication and software industry, Phil co-founded Provision Analytics, a startup focused on food safety and food traceability, and sits on the Board of Valo Networks, a new venture that will enable agritech, smart homes and rural economic development in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

An active volunteer, Phil is involved with numerous civic and economic development organizations.  He has helped repurpose land assets into collaborative hubs and affordable workspace for creative entrepreneurs in the City of Calgary. Elected Chair of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce by the Board of Directors in 2018 he was also recently appointed Honorary Consul to Sri Lanka in Alberta.  His work with non-for-profit and Boards has focused on strategy and growth, regulatory, community engagement, corporate governance and government relations.

Resources discussed in this episode: 

https://businessincalgary.com/month-and-year/january-2018/an-eye-for-opportunity/

connectFirst Credit Union: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

Phil Roberts/Valo Networks: Website | Twitter  | LinkedIn

Tune in to hear Wellington talk about his inspiration, vision, and plan for creating a credit union that's made for Alberta. Wellington kicks off this season of What’s Next Alberta by sharing connectFirst Credit Unions ground roots of the four organizational mergers that came together. The mergers of the previous credit unions created a vision of what a credit union should look like in order to solve the challenges faced by Albertans. 

connectFirst Credit Union is reimagining what a credit union could look like for the 2020’s and it starts with by putting Albertans first. We are looking into understanding our member segments to help them invest in their businesses and be successful in their industry and help them create sustainability and employment opportunities.

connectFirst Credit Union: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn