Seminars & Professional Development

Vivian Manasc leads Manasc Isaac Architects, is Past President of Architecture Canada|RAIC, and past VP of the CaGBC. She has also served on the Board of EEDC, and is a member of the NCC Design Advisory Committee.

She studied Architecture at McGill has an MBA from the U of A. Vivian is known nationally for leadership in Sustainable Design, Integrated Design, facilitation, community engagement, integrating environmental, technical and cultural aspects of Architecture. Notable projects are the LEED Gold Water Centre in Calgary, Greenstone Government of Canada Building in Yellowknife, the East Edmonton Primary Health Centre and the Academic Research Centre at Athabasca University.

Recognizing that in order to reduce the environmental footprint of our built environment, we have to "reimagine" the stock of aging existing buildings, she championed Manasc Isaac's "reimagine" initiative, focusing the firm's deep experience in sustainable design and construction, on existing buildings.

Dan Jenkins: With over 30 years of experience as an architect in Calgary Dan has established a reputation for an approach to design that combines the principles of architecture, urban design, and town planning, winning numerous awards for his work. Jenkins Architecture has extensive experience in urban design and master planning and has also developed architectural codes that have been used to guide builders in creating award winning communities throughout Canada. Dan has been responsible for a wide range of projects, including international hotel and resort developments, large scale community planning, commercial buildings, mixed-use buildings, custom homes, and multi-family housing.

Peter Ohm is the Manager responsible for the Urban Planning and Environment Branch within the Sustainable Development Department at the City of Edmonton. Peter, with his 27 years of professional planning experience, and his branch shape the appearance and function of the city in the short to long term by promoting best practice land use, environmental planning and urban design to establish a more compact, sustainable and livable city, comprised of complete, strong and vibrant neighbourhoods.

Chris Ollenberger is currently Executive Vice President of OPUS Corporation based in Calgary, Alberta. A seasoned real estate development executive with over 16 years of broad management, planning and engineering experience in creating innovative, sustainable urban communities, he is well recognized for his ability to conceptualize new neighbourhoods. He can develop and execute visions through planning, engineering, approvals and construction with cost-effective results and problem solving. Mr. Ollenberger strives to incorporate the principals of placemaking into projects through quality public spaces, visual enticement through execution in architecture and landscaping, and inclusion of public engagement as a key component in developing community enthusiasm and support. He enjoys a strong track record of strategic planning, public consultation, visioning and concept development, negotiating with regulatory officials at all levels, complex land use and planning approvals, engineering submissions, feasibility analysis, site acquisition, financing and effective communications. In his previous role as President and CEO of CMLC, he led every aspect of the successful redevelopment of East Village in downtown Calgary, utilizing his broad and diverse experience to bring over $600M of development projects to the community.

Ray Watkins TBA

Murray is recognized as a premier building science specialist in British Columbia and has been instrumental in the development of the understanding of moisture problems, energy performance and sustainability relating to single family and multi-unit residential buildings as well as building envelope concerns relating to commercial, industrial and institutional projects. Murray is an acclaimed educator in his field and has been instrumental in the development and presentation of leading curriculum to the construction industry.

Murray was a founding director and Past President of the BC Building Envelope Council, and continues to support this and many other associations including: Western Wood Truss Association, Window and Door Manufacturers Association, Canadian Home Builders Association, Building Officials Association, Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors, and the Thermal Environmental Comfort Association.

Russell Croome presently manages the overall activities of  Fire Prevention and Fire Investigations branch within Edmonton Fire Rescue Services. Twenty years applying all areas of the Alberta Fire Code, the last 4 years have been with Technical Services specializing in new construction, plans review and site inspections. Participated on the High Intensity Residential Fires Task Group and Residential Care facility working group. Recently appointed to the Building Technical Council.

Kevan D. Jess is currently the Chief Fire Administrator for the Province of Alberta responsible for the development and interpretation of the Alberta Fire Code for Alberta Municipal Affairs.

Kevan has worked for over 35 years in emergency operations and training. For the eighteen years prior to his present appointment he worked as a Fire Service Advisor in Southern Alberta and as Assistant Fire Commissioner and Operations Manager for the Alberta Emergency Management Agency.

Kevan currently sits on the Canadian Advisory Council – International Standards Organization, Standards Council of Canada and Underwriters Laboratories of Canada S500F Fire Alarm and Detection Systems and S500B Fire Department Equipment committees, and the Provincial/Territorial Sub-Committee on Fire and Building Codes. He also serves as an Advisor to the Canadian Council of Fire Marshals and Fire Commissioners and the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association.

He holds most NFPA and SCC certifications in fire and emergency services including those of Fire Inspector and Fire Investigator. Kevan has served on the Canadian Board of the National Lifeguard Service and the Provincial Boards of the Royal Life Saving Society and the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association.

Kevan has been honoured with the Commonwealth Recognition Badge and Service Cross of the Royal Life Saving Society, the Canadian Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal, the Alberta Emergency Services Medal and the Alberta Premier's Award of Excellence.

Kevan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Recreation Administration and a Management Development Diploma from the University of Alberta and has been a regular contributor and instructor for the Fire Emergency Training Centre (fire etc.) at Lakeland College, Lethbridge College, Medicine Hat College and the Safety Codes Council. He has presented to classes and audiences across western and northern Canada and the northwest United States.

Dale Miller has been working in the Emergency Services field for over 31 years, beginning his career as an EMT in Edmonton and then moving to Strathcona County to work as a Fire Fighter Paramedic. In 2001, Dale accepted the position of Fire Marshal for Strathcona County, directing the Fire Investigation and Prevention Branch.

Dale Miller has extensive experience in Emergency Services, assisting the public and industry in all facets of fire prevention, protection and fire investigation.

Dale is the past Vice President of the Alberta Fire Safety Officials of Alberta and currently represents the Alberta Building Officials Association on the Alberta Safety Codes, Fire Technical Council. He is also involved in working groups established by the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

Colin Steadman is a senior safety advisor with the Alberta Construction Safety Association and has been with the Association since 2007.

As a senior safety advisor his duties include conducting keynote presentations for various groups & organizations, in-classroom delivery of safety programs, advising Association members on health & safety issues, assisting Association members with the development, implementation & evaluation of health & safety programs and the development of new Association programs & classroom courses (eg: the "Worksite Fire Safety & Prevention" course).

Before joining the Alberta Construction Safety Association, Colin has worked with organizations such as STARS (air ambulance), Total Fire Group/Morning Pride (Alberta Tech Rep) and the Canadian Armed Forces, to mention just a few.

In his spare time, Colin is involved with Hockey Alberta's "Pond Hockey" program (as a volunteer skills coach), the Alberta Junior Forest Wardens program (parent volunteer) and he enjoys piloting his 16' hovercraft around the lakes & rivers of Southern Alberta.

Mahendra Wijayasinghe, PhD is Manager of Research & Analysis at the Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC). He has served the OFC for nearly 28 years and has published extensively on fire statistics in Alberta.

Her color expertise is recognized worldwide, especially as a prime consultant, spokesperson and color forecaster to Pantone, Inc. She has helped many companies, from small one person start-ups to large corporations, make the best and most educated choice of color for product development, logos and identification, brand imaging, packaging, websites, point of purchase, interior/exterior design or any other application where color choice is critical to the success of the product or environment.   She heads the Eiseman Center for Color Information & Training and is also executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

Lee is the author of seven books on color, her two latest being More Alive With Color – Personal Colors, Personal Style, and COLOR:  Messages and Meanings, a Pantone Color Resource that won an award from Create Magazine.  The Messages & Meanings book is a companion to her earlier book the Pantone Guide to Communicating With Color that won an award from How Design Magazine as one of the top 20 books for designers.  Her other books include the Color Answer Book and Colors For Your Every Mood, which was chosen as a Book of the Month Club selection and received an award from the Independent Publisher's Association. Her latest book is titled The Pantone History of Color in the 20th Century and will be released this fall.

Lee has been included in the group of 50 top style makers including Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren, in the leading home furnishings publication, HFN. She was fifth of 10 in the "Outside Influencers" category, ahead of both Steve Jobs and Rachel Ray. And Fortune Magazine has featured her as one of the top decision makers for her work in color and forecasting.  A little closer to home, Seattle Homes & Lifestyles Magazine named Lee as one of the top 100 people, places and things that define Seattle Design.   Lee conducts many color seminars and is widely quoted in publications such as Elle Decor, Home Magazine, Better Homes & Garden, Home Accents Today, Harper's Bazaar, WWD, Glamour, Vogue, People Magazine, Self, Communication Arts, Graphic Design USA, ID Magazine, HOW Magazine, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today and Ad Age, as well as numerous other trade and consumer publications. She has made appearances on CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, HGTV, Discovery Channel and the FOX network in the U.S. as well as abroad and has been interviewed by radio stations worldwide.  Lee also selects the 10 top fashion colors twice yearly for Pantone and Women's Wear Daily.

In addition, Lee develops a color forecast for professionals, the Pantone View Home, on a yearly basis and contributes to the Pantone View Color Planner twice yearly.   Also twice a year she does the top 10 colors for Woman's Wear Daily, the "bible" of the fashion industry.  She is a Chairholder in Color Marketing Group, a member of Fashion group International, Industrial Design Society of America and an associate member of ASID.

Her academic background includes a degree in psychology from Antioch as well as advanced studies and a counseling specialist certification from UCLA. She has studied both fashion and interior design and has taught in both areas.

Award-winning graduate architect, community builder, storyteller and professional writer, Andrée Iffrig is passionate about sustainable design. Her critiques and stories can be found online at Suite 101, at DIRTT Environmental Solutions where she works in Communications, and in a variety of professional publications. An RAIC medalist, she uses her design background to collaborate with others in building more sustainable communities and environments.

Jeff Mowatt is an authority on the fine points of influencing people and organizations.  His Influence with Ease® column has been syndicated and featured in over 200 business publications.  He is the author of the best-selling business book, "Becoming a Service Icon in 90 Minutes a Month."  Clive Beddoe, Chairman, President & CEO of WestJet Airlines said, "If you are serious about creating a customer focused team, this book is a must."  Jeff also recently released his second book, "Influence with Ease."

A dynamic student of his experience, Jeff has "exercised influence" himself as a marketing director, business owner, and black belt martial artist.  An award-winning international speaker and trainer, Jeff brings over 25 years of successful influence experience to his programs and clients.  He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Marketing and has served as National President of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. The International Federation of Professional Speakers awarded Jeff with the highest earned speaking designation in the industry; the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP).  Of the over 5,000 professional speakers in the worldwide federation, less than 7% achieve this degree of distinction.

In addition to speaking for corporations and associations, Jeff provides his clients with a full compliment of consulting services and training tools including: executive retreats/planning sessions, service assessments, and multimedia training kits. Jeff's goal is to create substantial measurable results for his clients. Murray Gottselig, Manager of Corp Customer Service for SGI (Saskatchewan Government Insurance), reports… "Within six months of Jeff working with us… employee morale improved significantly, productivity increased by 34% and the amount of public complaints decreased by 400%."  

Every encounter with another human being is an opportunity to add to, or subtract from, our sense of community and cooperation.  Why settle for cynicism, detachment, and mediocre results - in our market place, in our workplace, in our connections with others?  Why try to communicate through resistance and barriers?  Success almost always requires that we convince someone of something.  Exercise influence… with ease…for results.

Michael Bodnar, M.Eng., P.Eng. is a Principal of Sereca Fire Consulting Ltd. and is responsible for the leadership, management and provision of forensic fire investigative and building design services for Sereca's Calgary office. Sereca provides authoritative advice and innovative solutions in design planning and construction, bringing real value through our practical experience with building codes. Sereca is dedicated to providing comprehensive, cost-effective life and safety engineering solutions for new and existing structures. We work closely with architects, developers, and authorities to help them plan and implement their designs while meeting the safety objectives that are required by codes and standards.

Janice Rieger has been teaching at Mount Royal University for the past six years in the Department of Interior Design & Art History and specializes in accessible design, aging-in-place and universal design. In addition to teaching at Mount Royal University, she has assisted in the development of their Universal Access Policy and serves as a member of their Accessibility Committee. Most recently, Janice has worked with the City of Calgary as a member of their Advisory Committee on Accessibility. Janice Rieger also just received a City of Calgary Access Recognition Award for advocacy towards accessibility. In 2010, she was the co-organizer and emcee of a symposium on accessibility, "Advancing Accessibility-Creating through Design Symposium" in Calgary. As part of this symposium Janice and her colleagues produced a publication "Designing for Accessibility: A Compendium". This year Janice completed a lecture series across the province of Alberta on Accessibility to members of the Canadian Home Builders Association. She has been a part of aging-in-place focus groups and has done a media presentation on aging-in-place. Presently, Janice is engaging in cross disciplinary research on accessible housing and aging-in-place.

Marianne Rogerson is the coordinator of the Studies in Aging Certificate program in the Department of Advanced Specialty Health Studies at Mount Royal University. The Studies in Aging program is an online credit program and consists of six courses. Students have the option of specializing in aging studies or combining aging with entrepreneurship courses. In the fall of 2012, she will add a new course to the program addressing the issues of aging-in-place. Her research focus is environmental gerontology. Her work explores the interconnection between aging and the physical environment. Marianne is currently developing a webinar based training certification for builders, renovators, architects and designers. This continuing education program addresses the concept of aging-in-place from design, business, and aging perspectives.

Alex Thomson is Senior Vice President, Retail with WAM Development Group, one of the most active developers in Alberta. Alex is responsible for WAM's retail development projects and leasing. Major retail projects currently handled by Alex include over 60 acres of new development at Emerald Hills in Sherwood Park, a new 250,000 sq ft centre in Grande Prairie and Stonegate Common in Calgary which will total over 1MM sq ft on completion.

In addition, Alex is active on new acquisitions for WAM on both greenfield and brownfield sites with retail potential. Over recent years, WAM has completed more than 10 million sq ft of development, working with major institutional investors and an array of prominent national and international tenants.

Prior to joining WAM in February 2010, Alex spent seven years as a real estate broker, firstly in Scotland and then with Avison Young in its Edmonton office.

Chad Boddez has been in the commercial real estate industry since 2002. Chad's knowledge of the marketplace, his continuing education, professionalism, and intense dedication have set him apart in the industry.  He specializes in brokering transactions in Edmonton's office market and has experience assisting both tenants and landlords, including being a third party leasing manager for a national fund.  He holds both the SIOR (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors) and CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) designations.

Neil Calhoun began his career as a commercial realtor in 1979, working primarily in the area of industrial properties. In 1982 he joined Dynafour Real Estate Limited which is now Cushman & Wakefield Edmonton.

Since 1985, he has worked exclusively in the area of retail leasing, sales and site selection on behalf of specific, longstanding retail clients such as Save-On-Foods, Bank of Montreal, Chili's Texas Grill, Shoppers Drug Mart, and development clients such as WAM, Brookfield Residential, and Melcor Developments.

His achievements include being a member of a team which secured several sites for Save-On-Foods, created the tenant mix and successfully leased 8 of their shopping centres.

Neil has assisted with multiple land transactions in strategic locations on behalf of clients within the suburban growth areas of the city.

Jandip Deol is an Associate working with Amit Grover on the Multi-family team in the Edmonton Office.  He began his real estate career in 2006 with Century 21 while simultaneously articling with Deloitte & Touche.  After completing his Chartered Accountant designation, Jandip joined the Colliers Team.  In the last 2 years, he has been involved in the analysis and sale of over 300 units and $30 million of Multi-family real estate in Alberta.  These transactions have included dealings with a variety of investors including developers, REITs, pension funds and private investors.

Jandip's time at Colliers stretches beyond the analysis and sale of Multi-family assets.  He has used his unique background to educate his clients regarding major tax and accounting issues that may arise when owning, selling or purchasing real estate assets.  This has enabled his clients to structure deals and improve operations in a manner that will help them reduce future tax implications and improve their bottom line.  Jandip's experience in real estate, accounting and tax has allowed him to create a unique platform that appeals greatly to his clients.

Jandip expects 2012 to be an excellent year for Multi-family investment as many more investors are considering Multi-family assets as a viable investment, and vendors are more willing to consider selling as a result of rising apartment prices in Edmonton over the last couple years.   

Grant Ranslam began his professional career with Avison Young in 2006 after graduating with Distinction from the University of Lethbridge earlier that year.

Grant's diligent and hardworking mentality helps build loyal and trustworthy relationships. He has developed extensive sales and leasing experience in the industrial marketplace assisting regional, national, and international clients.

As an integral member of Avison Young's Industrial Team, Grant is active in handling a variety of important listing assignments including building sales, traditional leasing, and land sales. His extensive knowledge of the Edmonton Industrial Market also proves invaluable for Tenants and Purchasers looking for the right solution for their businesses. Grant has built a proven track record by consistently exceeding expectations of the Landlords, Vendors, Tenants, and Purchasers that he represents.

During his time at the University of Lethbridge Grant was twice named an Academic All-Canadian while playing hockey for the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns.

Marsha Gentile is the Construction Sustainability Specialist at Ledcor Construction Limited. She graduated from the National Sustainable Building Advisors program where she also taught the Sustainability in Construction module. Marsha has a decade of hands-on experience with LEED projects across the country. She is presently involved with the SFU UniverCity Childcare Centre which is pursuing Living Building status and presented the Contractors Perspective on "Lessons Learned in Building a Living Building at UniverCity" at the Living Futures unConference in Vancouver. Marsha is very proud to be the recipient of the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) Educator of the Year Award for 2011.

Rebecca McDiarmid is a Project Manager at Ledcor Construction Limited. She was responsible for the construction of the New Visitor Centre at VanDusen Botanical Gardens, which is pursuing Living Building status. She works collaboratively with the project consultants, owner group, trade contractors and suppliers to assist the team with LBC compliance and constructability challenges. Rebecca is a Past President of Canadian Construction Women and is currently on the Steering Committee for the Metro Vancouver Branch of the Cascadia Green Building Council. She has born witness to the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women regarding women in non-traditional careers. Earlier this year she presented "Delivering the Challenge – A Contractor's Perspective" at the Living Futures unConference in Vancouver.

Jeff Mowatt is an authority on the fine points of influencing people and organizations. His Influence with Ease® column has been syndicated and featured in over 200 business publications. He is the author of the best-selling business book, "Becoming a Service Icon in 90 Minutes a Month." Clive Beddoe, Chairman, President & CEO of WestJet Airlines said, "If you are serious about creating a customer focused team, this book is a must." Jeff also recently released his second book, "Influence with Ease."

A dynamic student of his experience, Jeff has "exercised influence" himself as a marketing director, business owner, and black belt martial artist. An award-winning international speaker and trainer, Jeff brings over 25 years of successful influence experience to his programs and clients. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Marketing and has served as National President of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. The International Federation of Professional Speakers awarded Jeff with the highest earned speaking designation in the industry; the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP). Of the over 5,000 professional speakers in the worldwide federation, less than 7% achieve this degree of distinction.

In addition to speaking for corporations and associations, Jeff provides his clients with a full compliment of consulting services and training tools including: executive retreats/planning sessions, service assessments, and multimedia training kits. Jeff's goal is to create substantial measurable results for his clients. Murray Gottselig, Manager of Corp Customer Service for SGI (Saskatchewan Government Insurance), reports… "Within six months of Jeff working with us… employee morale improved significantly, productivity increased by 34% and the amount of public complaints decreased by 400%."

Every encounter with another human being is an opportunity to add to, or subtract from, our sense of community and cooperation. Why settle for cynicism, detachment, and mediocre results - in our market place, in our workplace, in our connections with others? Why try to communicate through resistance and barriers? Success almost always requires that we convince someone of something. Exercise influence… with ease…for results.

Darrell Paul provides building envelope investigation and testing services to many builders and warranty providers throughout the province for both single and multi family wood frame buildings.

Darrell also provides energy modeling & testing services as an NRCan Certified Energy Advisor for Built Green and Energuide for New Homes. He is trained in various diagnostic testing methods including Blower Door Air tightness, HVAC Residential Ventilation, Balancing & Heat loss and as an ASNT level I infrared thermographer.

Darrell began in residential construction as a framing carpenter 33 years ago. He moved into building homes as a site supervisor and construction manager. For the last 15 years he has taught various "Master Homebuilder" management courses for SAIT and PHBIA and has instructed the "Moisture Control Technician" course since 2003.

Darrell has taught the CMHC National Renovator program in Alberta for the past 10 years. He earned his Master Homebuilder and Master Renovator certifications in 1997 and recently obtained the HRAI's Residential Air System Design Technician certification. Darrell is also a speaker at many association conferences and meetings. His company Qualistat was formed in 1986. You can find out more at www.qualistat.com.

Brent Bauman, CTS-D, LEED AP  is a Certified Technology Specialist with a Design specialty and has over twenty years' experience in integrated communications technologies. Brent is a member of the Stantec Integrated Communication Systems (ICT) group and designs security and communication systems for projects of all sizes.

Brian was educated at the McGill University School of Architecture, graduating cum laude in 1974. During more than 30 years as a Canadian registered architect, half as Principal of his own small architectural practice, he has been involved in the design and construction of virtually every building type and scale. He is British Columbia's first accredited Building Envelope Professional, a building code expert and a LEED Accredited Professional. As Adjunct Professor, he taught architectural technology for eight years at the University of BC's School of Architecture. Starting in 2001, he began development of a web-based quality management system for architects and contractors, called Quality-Works.net (QW). Based on a demonstration of QW in 2007, Ledcor Construction Limited, Canada's second largest builder with offices in Canada, the USA and the Bahamas, recruited Brian as its Director of Quality Assurance. Brian continues to develop and implement a comprehensive ISO 9001 compliant quality management system for Ledcor, which has become an investor in QW. He lives in Vancouver, Ledcor's headquarters city.

David Allison is President of Braun/Allison Inc., the award-winning real estate development marketing communications firm known for their market-leading campaigns in Canada and the United States. His company works with residential, recreational and commercial real estate developers, and are thought-leaders on the brave new world of marketing real estate developments in the digital age. David is the author of two books on the subject, Sell The Truth, and Branding Buildings Better, has a weekly column on RENX.ca, and is a frequent speaker and media commentator on real estate marketing. Named 2010 Marketer of the Year by the Canadian Home Builders Association of BC, his company philosophy is based on what David calls Marketing Journalism, a new approach that blends digital and traditional mediums, and takes into account recent radical changes in consumer behavior catalyzed by technology. The Braun/Allison client roster includes some of the largest developers Canada, unique projects in various cities, large-scale master planned communities, and, increasingly, commercial property leasing offerings.

Doug is also the Western Canadian Program Director of the Masters Certificate in Project Management, through the Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto and a member of the faculty.

As a "people builder" first and a business builder second, Doug's wealth of experience is enthusiastically and effectively shared with a variety of audiences throughout Canada and the USA. Doug is a strong proponent of the role of a disciplined project management methodology in the success of any project or organization, and uses every opportunity to share his passion with audiences in both the public and private sectors.

Doug has held senior management positions in both public and corporate environments, as well as being owner / operator of his own businesses.

He has effectively managed many construction projects as well as large community development projects in a cross-cultural environment. He has also led a number of business development projects, all of which enables him to relate the theory of Project Management skills, and the importance of good communications, to everyday work situations in a variety of settings.

Combining his business experience with his training skills, he has helped many individuals reach new levels of excellence. A natural facilitator, Doug likes to "coach" and mentor his students and does so in a very entertaining and stimulating way.

Michele Gunnhas been a professional interior designer for over 32 years, having graduated with a Bachelor of Interior Design degree from Ryerson University in Toronto. She has lived and worked in Calgary for 31 years. 

Michele worked with Rice Brydone Limited in Calgary, for almost 10 years. She then had her own company for 10 years. She is now an Associate with Sizeland Evans Interior Design Inc. and her main focus is corporate office interiors.  Her experience is broad, comprising of developer projects, insurance and oil and gas companies, legal firms, and government and institutional projects, ranging in size from 5,000 to 1.2 million square feet.  

She is a Licensed Interior Designer through The Alberta Association or Architects and a Fellow of the Interior Designers of Alberta.

Michele was a sessional instructor in the Interior Design Department at Mount Royal College for eight years and continues to mentor and provide in-house training to the designers at Sizeland Evans, some of whom were former students!

A confessed volunteer junkie, Michele is the current president of the Interior Designers of Alberta, and serves on two Committees for the Alberta Association of Architects She is a past Alberta Director to the Board of the Interior Designers of Canada, a past Director of the Alberta Chapter of the Canada Green Building Council, and past president of two community, non-design related organizations, for one of which she still serves as archivist.

Designer John Greg Ball was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1975. After working as a carpenter, completed an Art and Design Diploma at Red Deer College, and a Bachelor of Design degree at the University of Alberta. Ball was the President and co-founder of IDEA (the Industrial Designers of Edmonton Association) 2002-04, and the Chair of MADE in Edmonton in 2005. Currently contributing editor for Moco Loco, and Canadian Design Resource.

He works as a designer from his studio: John Greg Ball- Industrial Design. Work experience includes award-winning product development in: large scale public art, lighting fashion glasses, urban design and architecture.  Ball is best known for collaborations with Shoko Cesar with the Hoodoo lamp, (exhibited in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Smithsonain in Washington DC, Toronto Interior Design show, The Design Exchange and more). The Hoodoo Lamp won Best of Canada award by Canadian Interiors, and was featured in Readers Digest magazine.

Ball teaches product development in the School of Manufacturing and Automation at SAIT Polytechnic, and the Alberta College of Art and Design.

Christiaan Odinga is an Associate with Kasian and works in the Edmonton office. Christiaan brings over 20 years of professional experience to the firm as a designer and architect. Born and raised in Edmonton, Christiaan was selected to be the lead designer and project manager for EPCOR Tower, the first downtown office building to be constructed in Alberta's capital city in 20 years. This distinctive and sustainable structure, which is targeting LEED® Gold certification, will position the City of Edmonton as a leader in urban revitalization in North America.

Christiaan's passion is to enhance life through design, creating spaces and places that facilitate positive emotion, sensation, perception and human experiences. His other projects include the nationally-renowned Grant MacEwan University Robbins Health Learning Centre, one of the largest nursing schools in North America. Christiaan was also the designer and project manager for the new national headquarters for Mammoet Canada, a global company specializing in the manufacture of heavy lifting and transport machinery for onshore and offshore locations. Christiaan's background and experience gives him a unique understanding of the challenges involved in creating awardwinning buildings in one of Canada's most northerly cities.

Lara Presber started her design career in the field of architecture earning her B.Arch from a small atelier based school in Boston. After working as an architect for a number of years she found that it lacked the intimacy she wanted from her design projects and took advantage of a scholarship to study fashion in Milan where she earned her MA degree in Fashion Design. She remained in Italy after graduating to gain valuable experience by interning with Rosa Aiuto for Bruno Magli.

Upon returning to Canada, Lara launched her womenswear line with her Fall 2007 collection merging both architecture and fashion by using 'inhabitable' spaces to inspire 'wearable' pieces.

Lara is conscientious when selecting materials to incorporate sustainable ones as often as possible and minimizes the shipping impact by producing each collection in Canada. Lara approaches the design of each individual piece as one would for a building: designing for a sustained period of use.

Jerilyn Wright earned her Bachelor of Interior Design Degree at the University of Manitoba and successfully owns and runs one of Canada's leading Interior Design firms. Jerilyn's firm, Jerilyn Wright & Associates, has completed over 13 million square feet of corporate, condominium, hospitality, retail and residential custom design. For over 26 years Jerilyn has been known for her creative out-of-the-box approach to design.

Jerilyn's strong theoretical and practical foundation in all facets of the interior design process have earned her a reputation in the marketplace for excellence and versatility. This excellence and versatility has been consistently recognized by her peers and critics having earned several Design Awards across the country.

Jerilyn had her own television series titled "Open Homes" where she offered homeowners advice on how to improve the "sellability" of their house. The series was filmed over 3 three years and is still running across Canada today and was syndicated outside of Canada.

Jerilyn is an active participant in the community. She currently sits on the board for the Abilities Society. Jerilyn assists the Abilities Society in their goals in the provision of life long services for children with special needs. The Abilities Society has established 5 businesses to raise funds, as a board member Jerilyn assists in the management of their businesses.

She has also participated as:

• Interior Designers of Canada – Past Board Director
• Interior Designers of Alberta – Past Director/President
• Association of Registered Interior Designers Ontario
• Calgary Philharmonic Society – Past Director
• Business and Professional Women's Club
• Mount Royal College, Interior Design Department – Member Advisory Board
• Licensed Interior Designers, Alberta Association of Architects – Past President

Jerilyn is committed to the industry and has set up a scholarship fund to honor the most creative Mount Royal College Interior Design student.

She often called upon by the industry to share her expertise of design. Jerilyn has appeared as a regular speaker at the Design Trends Show and Exhibition in Calgary. Jerilyn is frequently requested to submitted articles on such topics as Design and the Environment, Colour Trends and the Changing Business Landscape for several magazine publications.

Bob Black is Executive Vice President of Rexall Sports & Entertainment, a division of the Katz Group. Born in Yellowknife and raised in Alberta since the age of 2, Mr. Black lives in Edmonton with his wife and four children.

Mr. Black has always enjoyed and played sports including tennis, hockey, football and basketball. Bob coached minor hockey for over a decade and is a Canadian Hockey Association certified coach.

Mr. Black graduated from the University of Alberta (Dean's List) and was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1985 and to the Northwest Territories Bar in 1999. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2005. Bob has been a 25 year member, 20 of those as Partner, with Brownlee LLP, a major and very successful Alberta law firm, whose founding father was John Brownlee, a former Alberta Premier. Bob headed up the Litigation Department, sat on the Management Committee of Brownlee LLP for many years and was the firm's representative on the Executive Committee of the Canadian Litigation Counsel, a nationwide affiliation of independent law firms. He also previously served as a student legal volunteer in the Boyle Street Co-op and lectured as a sessional instructor in insurance law at the University of Alberta and the Legal Education Society. During his legal career, Bob has appeared in all levels of Court, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

Bob has traveled extensively and believes that Edmonton is one of the greatest northern cities in the world. He is keenly interested in working with Edmontonians to take advantage of the present opportunity to help transform Edmonton's downtown to a world class destination for tourism, culture and business.

Rick Daviss: During his 35 year tenure with the City of Edmonton, and in particular in his most recent position as Manager of the Corporate Properties Branch, Rick Daviss has endeavored to create a work environment that is conducive to maintaining a strong staff complement of people who excel at their work, which has helped to make the City of Edmonton a better place for all its citizens.

Rick's experience in leading the City's Land Development Program has included front line interaction with the public, provision of services to all City Departments, establishing partnerships with private sector interests, dealing with political interests, and priorizing competing Department interests to optimize corporate effectiveness.

Rick has taken on a challenging new role as Executive Director of the Downtown Sports and Entertainment District for the City of Edmonton. His experience in generating significant financial returns while securing the public's interest in numerous land development projects gives him the tools to make the Downtown Arena Project a success story.

Sean McIntyre is an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Officer with Alberta Human Services and has been an OHS Officer for 6.5 years responsible for conducting worksite inspections, incident investigations, and enforcement activities in all provincially regulated industries. Prior to working with the Alberta Government, Sean has worked in the safety industry for a further 10 years in the oil and gas, plastics manufacturing, and surveying industries.

Graham Halsall has a Bachelor's Degree in Biophysical Geography and Science from the University of Guelph and possesses a keen interest in high performance design and construction. He has over five years of experience in restoration projects, energy assessments, new and existing building LEED projects, municipal sustainability planning and solar energy system design and construction. Graham has a unique portfolio of projects including multi-unit residential, educational, laboratories and renovations to several existing commercial office buildings. As a member of the Alberta Chapter of the Canada Green Building Council and as one of Halsall's Green Planning and Design team members, Graham is the sustainability resource on projects that focus on optimizing energy performance, implementing cost-effective strategies and maintaining occupant comfort.

Jason Manikel has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Queen's University and over ten years of building systems design experience. He is a professional engineer, licensed to practice in Alberta, Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec. He has experience in many different building types, including office, retail, institutional, health care, education, public, residential and light industrial. He is particularly proud of his role as lead mechanical designer on the LEED Gold-certified Aquaquest at the Vancouver Aquarium, which won a 2008 SAB Award. Jason is a member of the Canada Green Building Council's Energy & Engineering Technical Advisory Group (E&E TAG), helping the CaGBC rule on technical issues related to LEED.  As the Mechanical and Electrical Practice manager, he is responsible for Halsall's delivery of best-in-class existing building energy services – integrated energy assessments, indoor air quality consulting and retro-commissioning.

A Building Safety Codes Officer (Building Inspector) for Safety Services Geoff Brownlie has been working with the Alberta Building, Fire Codes and referenced standards for more than 10 years. Formerly a builder and a Red Seal Carpenter Geoff has over 20 years experience in the construction industry with numerous construction projects.

Dutch-born, Liesbet Trappenburg has corporate experience in advertising, sales, marketing, and management positions in Fortune 500 companies including Irving Trust Bank and Eastman Kodak. Her previous position as VP of Sales with Eastpak, Inc. took her to Europe and Canada where she observed other cultures' values regarding work/life balance.

In 1995, Liesbet left her corporate job to start her own company, Windmill Worldwide. She offers compelling keynote speeches, seminars, and company retreats to interior designers, architects, industry vendors and corporate executives.

She's inspired real changes for members in a variety of organizations such as NKBA, IIDA, IFMA, ASID, IDEC, NeoCon IIDEX, Callison Architecture, DuPont Antron/Invista, Steelcase, Allsteel, LEES/Mohawk, Collins College of Design, AARP, the Boeing Co., Children's Hospital, United Behavioral Health, US Federal Courts, Virginia Mason Hospital, Metropolis Magazine, and Gensler Architecture.

An ASID Distinguished Speaker for 2008-2011, Liesbet is currently writing a book, Tilt: Life-Balance Strategies from a Windmill.

Jan has a degree in Home Economics from the University of Alberta. Her ergonomic approach has lead to a very successful career in home design with a specialty in kitchens and baths. She was one of the first designers in Western Canada to be awarded the designation of CMKBD (Certified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer) from the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

Throughout her career she has supported design and home building associations. She was on the steering committee that brought NKBA to the Western Canadian Provinces, sitting on their board as President, VP programs and chapter representative. She is also a past board member of the Fraser Valley Home Builders Association. A highlight for her with these associations was being asked to judge their local and international design competitions.

Jan has based her career in Vancouver, British Columbia, but has projects all across Canada and a few in the US and Japan. Working in a variety of locations has shown her that the common denominator among clients is the desire to have functioning spaces. She feels that the 6 years she owned a cabinet millwork shop gave her the skills to truly show the clients how to make their projects as functional as they are beautiful.

Home renovation is definitely her passion. She blogs on the topic as part of Blanco Canada's Kitchen Design Council and contributes to many local publications. As the Design Director of Kenorah Construction and Design, she is able to continually expand her project base. Working for the most awarded renovator in BC has set the bar high and she is up to the challenge.

Michelle Anderson is a Tax Professional. When there's a CFO at the construction meeting wanting real prices and real value facts and figures of modular interior construction versus conventional construction, Michelle comes to the rescue.

Knowing how important specifics are to financial professionals; Michelle created a data tool that uses precise, site specific, current data from reputable and proven sources. But her ICEberg® database goes much further than dollars and cents. She is able to use ICEberg to prove the business sense of sustainable design and the true costs of conventional construction on the environment and on the bottom-line.

As a U.S. Tax Professional in western Canada, Michelle has helped clients across North America for over ten years with SMED International, Haworth Inc. and now with DIRTT Environmental Solutions.

Michelle has been a guest speaker at NeoCon (2006), Buildex/Construction Calgary (2006), The Women's Congress (2007), NeoCon IIDEX (2007), the United States Army Corps of Engineers (2008), Training sessions and Better Buildings (2009) and IFMA World Workplace Conference and Expo (2011). She has also written articles and been interviewed for magazines such as Canadian Facilities Management, Alberta Construction Magazine, Design and Perspectives (IIDA), Monster Commercial and Office Insight.

In 2007 ICEberg® was selected as a finalist in the CoreNet Global Innovation Awards. CoreNet Global is the world's leading professional association for corporate real estate and workplace executives serving leading multinational companies from the Fortune and Global 1000. More than 7,000 members manage over $1.2-trillion in real estate and workplace assets in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and North America.

Doug is also the Western Canadian Program Director of the Masters Certificate in Project Management, through the Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto and a member of the faculty.

As a "people builder" first and a business builder second, Doug's wealth of experience is enthusiastically and effectively shared with a variety of audiences throughout Canada and the USA. Doug is a strong proponent of the role of a disciplined project management methodology in the success of any project or organization, and uses every opportunity to share his passion with audiences in both the public and private sectors.

Doug has held senior management positions in both public and corporate environments, as well as being owner / operator of his own businesses.

He has effectively managed many construction projects as well as large community development projects in a cross-cultural environment. He has also led a number of business development projects, all of which enables him to relate the theory of Project Management skills, and the importance of good communications, to everyday work situations in a variety of settings.

Combining his business experience with his training skills, he has helped many individuals reach new levels of excellence. A natural facilitator, Doug likes to "coach" and mentor his students and does so in a very entertaining and stimulating way.

Stewart Inglis has practiced in the field of architecture since 1980. He is closely involved in all aspects of architectural service ranging from evaluation, planning and design through to project handover. His completed works include a variety of retail, commercial, institutional and industrial projects.

Stewart is active in building code, specification and information systems design at a professional and advisory level. His knowledge of cost control and production co-ordination results in many successful projects for HIP clients.

Sean Lazarowich is a long term employee of Ledcor Construction Limited located in Edmonton Alberta. Sean is the Manager of Pre-Construction for the Buildings Division which is focused on Commercial, Light Industrial, and Institutional projects throughout Northern Alberta. Sean's primary role is in supporting existing clients/projects as well as supporting new clients through preliminary costing exercises and preliminary design discussions including construction scheduling and constructability. Sean is a graduate of the Building Construction Engineering Technology program located at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Sean is originally from Edmonton and is married with four very active children.

Sean started his career in construction right out of high school in North Edmonton beginning with residential construction and eventually finding his was into commercial construction where he earned his Tower Crane Operators Licence. Experience gained in the commercial construction field provided the essential knowledge to move from the field into the office. Sean was employed in technical sales for one of North Americas leading providers of concrete products locating to Winnipeg Manitoba for three years. He was responsible for sales in Western Canada and the North West Territories and traveled extensively across this market. Sean also worked for two local general contractors in Business Development prior to settling in with Ledcor Construction as a shareholder in Edmonton.

Donald McDougall is the Senior Director of Acquisitions and Asset Management at Terracap Investments Inc. and has overall operational responsibility for transactional and asset management functions as well as debt and equity financing. Mr. McDougall has an extensive background in dealing with complex retail value enhancement strategies, portfolio management and optimizing capital structure. In addition, he has structured and managed debt, equity, construction and term financing for numerous commercial development projects and partnerships. He also manages a private venture capital fund within Terracap, which is active in Israel and Canada.

Mr. McDougall holds an MBA from the Schulich School of business.

Kevin Petterson has over seven years of experience with a focus on the sale of investment properties, office buildings and development. He has been involved in the sale of over $200 million in assets. His experience conducting national marketing processes, negotiating transactions and the creativity which he brings to every project make him an asset to his clients.

Mark Siegel is a Professional Planner with an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. He has 10 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry in the areas of development, planning, acquisition, retail location strategy, and property management.

Stephanie Gruss is an internationally recognized consultant, teacher and artist in Classical and Intuitive Feng Shui and Space Clearing. She works with individual clients as well as corporations, entrepreneurs, government departments, architects, designers and decorators.

Clients and students from Europe and Canada have benefitted from her knowledge and commitment to share her knowledge of Feng Shui, Art and Space Clearing. She is the founder and Director of Balancing Spaces Inc. since 2004.

She incorporates Classical and Intuitive Feng Shui principles with aesthetics, function, sustainability and design into her residential, business and corporate consultations. She teaches beginner to advanced classes in all aspects of Feng Shui, Space clearing and Sacred Geometry at U of A and Metro-continuing Education in Edmonton, and Further Education St. Alber.

Her home base is Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Dr. Hagel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Science and Applied Mathematics, Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering all from the University of Calgary. Prior to employment with the Alberta Masonry Council, Mark was a Technical Services Engineer for the Canadian Concrete Masonry Producers Association (CCMPA) addressing inquiries from the design community and working in partnership with Canada Masonry Design Centre on the MASS design software. He then moved on to the role of a Building Envelope Engineer and Structural Engineer with the Calgary office of Halcrow Yolles. Mark's thesis dissertation, "Service Life Prediction of Connectors in Masonry Veneer Wall Systems", was heavily rooted in both building science and structural engineering. Mark and has also taught first year engineering courses as a sessional professor at both the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University.

Jan has a degree in Home Economics from the University of Alberta. Her ergonomic approach has lead to a very successful career in home design with a specialty in kitchens and baths. She was one of the first designers in Western Canada to be awarded the designation of CMKBD (Certified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer) from the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

Throughout her career she has supported design and home building associations. She was on the steering committee that brought NKBA to the Western Canadian Provinces, sitting on their board as President, VP programs and chapter representative. She is also a past board member of the Fraser Valley Home Builders Association. A highlight for her with these associations was being asked to judge their local and international design competitions.

Jan has based her career in Vancouver, British Columbia, but has projects all across Canada and a few in the US and Japan. Working in a variety of locations has shown her that the common denominator among clients is the desire to have functioning spaces. She feels that the 6 years she owned a cabinet millwork shop gave her the skills to truly show the clients how to make their projects as functional as they are beautiful.

Home renovation is definitely her passion. She blogs on the topic as part of Blanco Canada's Kitchen Design Council and contributes to many local publications. As the Design Director of Kenorah Construction and Design, she is able to continually expand her project base. Working for the most awarded renovator in BC has set the bar high and she is up to the challenge.

Ali M. Syed is a mechanical engineer and has a background in the energy modeling and HVAC design for commercial, residential and institutional facilities. Ali has been heavily involved in conducting energy audits, energy feasibility studies, LEED facilitation and documentation and has been involved in a number of projects registered with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and Canada and US Green Building Councils.

Ali is a recipient of numerous awards and scholarships in the field of renewable energy studies and green HVAC systems, including the 2011 'Young Energy Professional of the Year' Award by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and 2010 'Legend in Energy' Award by AEE. Ali was also nominated at 'Top 5 New Faces of Engineering' by ASHRAE in 2009

Ali has been involved in the research in the renewable energy system design and energy modeling. He has authored 14 peer-reviewed scientific publications so far. Ali holds a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Dalhousie University, Halifax and B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore. Ali is a LEED accredited professional and is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM).