business alumni magazine (fall90/winter10)
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Australia - Angels Gate AttitudeTRANSCRIPT
BUSINESSFALL/WINTER 2009/10
UofUNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA SCHOOL BUSINESS
AL
BE
RT
A
of
Attitude
angelsGATE
Australia
ALUMNI MAGAZINE
U of A Business Alumni Magazine is published twice a year by the University of Alberta School of Business. If you would like an additional free subscription or would like to send in a comment or update your address, please contact us at:
External Relations, University of Alberta School of Business 4-40 Business Building, Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6G 2R6
e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.business.ualberta.ca
telephone: (780) 492-4083 toll-free in Canada and the US: 1-877-362-3222
fax: (780) 492-8748
this issue
events ’10
As the School is ever so close to celebrating the completion of the
Preservation of the Name campaign (please see back cover), the time seemed more than right to re-introduce the U of A lettering to the cover of your alumni magazine, and to introduce the School’s “A” in the process. The University of Alberta - Alberta School of Business – ALBERTA - always has been significant to our over 22,000 ALUMNI – and always will be in the future.
In the spirit of the A, the cover story is very much about the A – depicting AUSTRALIA, AIESEC, AMY, and ANNA. In this issue, you may also read about the significance of ALICE in Wonderland and the ALUMNI
January 15 Eric Geddes Breakfast Lecture, Edmonton Brian Vaasjo, President and CEO, Capital Power
January 19 Eric Geddes Breakfast Lecture, Toronto Court Carruthers, President, Grainger International
January 20 AIMCo Finance Seminar Series with Dr. Andrew Karolyi, Edmonton
January 30 Undergraduate Awards Ceremony and Luncheon, Edmonton
February 9 MBA Awards Ceremony and Reception, Edmonton
February 10 Eric Geddes Breakfast Lecture, Edmonton Anne Smith, President and CEO, United Way
February 13 An Evening of Golden Bears Hockey, Edmonton
March 16 Canadian Business Leader Award Dinner, Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton Gordon Nixon, President and CEO, Royal Bank of Canada
March/April Alumni Wine Tour, Napa Valley, California
March/April Preservation of the Name Campaign Celebration Reception, Edmonton
April Eric Geddes Breakfast Lecture, Calgary Pat Kiernan, Anchor, Channel NY1, New York
April 8 EPCOR Distinguished Lecture, Edmonton Rob de Loe, University Research Chair, Water Policy and Governance, University of Waterloo
April 15 Eric Geddes Breakfast Lecture, Toronto Mark Maybank, President and COO, Canaccord Financial Ltd
May 18 Eric Geddes Breakfast Lecture, Calgary Ivor Ruste, Executive Vice President and CFO, Cenovus Energy
June 10 MBA Convocation and Strawberry Tea, BCom Convocation and Luncheon, Edmonton
July 14 4th Annual Stampede Breakfast, Calgary
Dean: Michael PercyEditor: Monica WegnerDesign: Greg Miller Backstreet CommunicationsPrinting: McCallum Printing Group Inc.
event at ANGEL’S Gate Winery and enjoy the photos from the reunion of 1939 classmates ALEX Hamilton and Norm Haddad and the innocence of future ALUMNUS AIDAN Carruthers.
A special thank you to all of you who keep in touch with your School through classnotes. Be sure to check in on ’73 ALBRECHT Hallbauer, MBA of Germany; ’82 ANN Wilson, MBA of Kingston, Ontario; ’84 ALTAF Jina, BCom of Vancouver, BC; ’01 AMANDA Babichuk, BCom of Edmonton; and ’07 ALAN Berg, BCom of Calgary.
And as you peruse the issue, keep your eye out for the green “A’s” located overtly and discreetly throughout the issue. Please submit your total via the contact information below. An ACCOLADE for every correct answer!
Enjoy, Monica
Uof
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contents
A L U M N I P R O F I L E S
2 Pat Evans & aIEsEC MEl KassIan & attItUDE RIChaRD JEnKIns & angEl’s gatE F E AT U R E S
12 BUsInEss alUMnI assoCIatIon Welcome new grads Baa golf – sold out Classes of ’39, ’49, ’59, ’82 Biggest Energy Deal in Canadian history
20 sChool nEWs Report to the Community henry singer award alberta Business Family Institute signature Event Canadian Business leader award EPCoR Distinguished lecture
22 PRogRaM anD stUDEnt nEWs BCom – lazy Faire student Profile – honesty Clothing MBa – thank you Mentors PhD – Bob hinings’ Festschrift
30 PagEs In tIME Chronicle of Commerce – Your history on-line
32 ClassnotEs
40 onE YEaR oUt aidan Cole Carruthers
FALL/WINTER 2010
w w w . b u s i n e s s . u a l b e r t a . c a
Growing up, Alberta was very much home to Pat. More specifically Half Moon Lake Resort was her home away from home.
The lake, a picturesque crescent of water located just east of the city of Edmonton and owned by her family for over 30 years represented entrepreneurship, hard work, and her childhood. A family business meant working from the time she was very little, around the clock at times, and with few holidays. But a family business on the lake also fostered memories of good times and good friends.
P A T E V A N S
ALUMNI profi le B Y M O N I C A W E G N E R
“A” is A significAnt letter in the life of
PAt evAns, ’73 BCOm, WhERE
“A” COULd SIGNIFY ALBERTA, ALUmNA,
AUSTRALIA, ACAdEmICS, AmY,
AUSTRAdE, ANd AChIEVEmENT.
readdownunder
fromlittle
2 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
liberal culture and again the wonderful camaraderie of many trainees from around the world.”
AUSTRALIA“My AIESEC path then took me to
Sydney, Australia, for a position with the Colonial Sugar Refinery. This last internship was extended from 6 to 18 months and, by then, I was hooked on Australia. I landed there in 1974 with $100 in my pocket, a business degree, and entrepreneurial spirit and am still there today, more than 30 years later.”
But Australia in 1974 was not the liberal country she had found in Sweden or even Canada. Shortly after arriving,
she recalls a flat mate calling her up with the exciting news that “we’ve just gotten equal pay.” Pat also chose not to tell her employer when she married as that often took women off the career track.
The role and progression of women in business was one she would experience, confront, conquer and support over the next 30 years.
Pat’s career in Australia to date has been divided between both the private and public sectors – between the world of academic publishing – “I really had faith in the projects and in the overall purpose of higher education” – and the world of international trade.
Heading to the University of Alberta was the next logical step in Pat’s education after high school. The School of Business, then as today, prides itself on student engagement and opportunity, and Pat didn’t waste any time in exploring the possibilities beyond the classroom. “In my second year, I was given an opportunity to start the AIESEC local committee and, from there, became its first President in 1971/72.” After starting and running a successful AIESEC franchise for a couple of years, gaining
leadership and confidence, PAT FELT
REAdY TO WORk ANd LIVE ABROAD AS AN
AIESEC TRAINEE hERSELF ANd
EMBARKED ON ThE
FIRST OF ThREE INTERNShIPS,
ThE LAST OF WhICh WOULd
ChANGE ThE COURSE OF
hER LIFE.
ISTANBUL“I was in for a big culture shock when
I arrived in Istanbul in 1972 for my first AIESEC internship with Shell. I lived in a hostel located in a poor area where no one spoke English. Every morning, I would get squashed on a bus during my commute to work, and, at night, if I wanted to go out with other female AIESEC students we would dress up and pretend to speak Turkish so we weren’t bothered as we walked past soldiers on the street.”
SWEDEN“My second internship transported me
to a world quite different from Istanbul. I went to work for SE Banken in Gothenburg, Sweden. I enjoyed the open
MY’S GOING BROAD TO MERICA ND DVANCING TO 21!” FOR ThE
PARTY, AmY WAS ANNIE OAkLEY, hELEN WAS
AN AIRLINE STEWARdESS ANd I WAS ALOhA.”
“hERE IS A PhOTO OF mE WITh mY TWO dAUGhTERS, TAkEN AT AmY’S 21ST WhICh WAS AN ‘A’ ThEmEd PARTY - ThE INVITE WAS A LETTER ‘A’ ANd SAId:
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 3
read from
ALUMNI profi le
Pat joined CBS Publishing (formerly Holt-Saunders) as a sales rep in 1977 and, in short order, progressed to general manager to Publishing Director to Managing Director at the age of 33. Just two years later, she was offered the CEO position of Prentice Hall Australia. Her achievements included developing Prentice Hall from a single line of business (higher education textbooks) into a multi-faceted information business with growth in sales climbing from $6.5 million in 1987 to $36 million in 1998. Reopening Prentice Hall in South Africa following the end of apartheid in 1994 was a personal highlight.
A highly competitive industry with tight margins, Pearson Education was formed in 1998 when Pearson acquired Prentice Hall and combined it with Addison Wesley Longman. Selected to lead Pearson Education, Pat was responsible for integrating these two companies with a combined staff of 250 in Australia and New Zealand. The company experienced continued growth in both sales and profit to over $90 million. In addition, Pat implemented a technologically-proficient single, national distribution system, a demand print centre, and acquired a local publishing company to extend their reach in the training market.
But after 25 years of contributing to the development of educational publishing in Australia and around the world, the time was right for a change in both industry and culture. Pat would choose Austrade, the Australian Trade Commission, as Executive Director of Export and Investment Services for
PARK QUELLOVERLOOKING THE CITY
WALK IN CENTRALAUSTRALIA
BARCELONA
her next adventure. Here she was again charged with and delivered successful change management and integration challenges. The year 2008 was particularly challenging with the change in federal government requiring a complete realignment of her division. Establishing Austrade’s internal women’s network was also highly rewarding.
Ironically, the progress of women, in both Australia and Canada, was the topic of discussion Pat found herself in, in her circle of fellow alumni attending the Alberta School of Business’ Alumni Weekend Homecoming event in October. The consensus was mixed as to how far we had come. The consensus was unanimous that we had not come far enough.
Pat shared that the quotas for hiring a certain percentage of women are once again being discussed in Australia as the statistics on women in management are not good. Women hold just 8.3 percent of board seats in the top 200 companies, only 2 percent of CEO positions, and 10.7 percent of executive management jobs; these numbers have gone backwards in recent years and lag behind the US, UK, Europe, and even New Zealand. Women support groups are again on the rise.
And in Canada, while women appear to be making headway in the boardrooms of the nation, a lack of CEO experience and access to some crucial business networks mean that directorships are still proving elusive, the latest Report on Business survey reveals (November 2009).
It is this issue that frames her future. “Next I would like to do something focused on helping women in business; either helping companies get the most out of their female employees or mentoring/coaching women in business. I think the needs
4 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
LARAPINTA
of women are different and it’s hard to meet those needs if that is not recognized and understood. We are still wasting a lot of the skills and talents available to us by not effectively engaging women in the workforce. A lot of the good work of the U of A business faculty is going to waste if the proportion of women in senior management does not match the proportion of female graduates from our business schools.”But Pat remains optimistic about the future for herself and for her daughters. Her oldest daughter Amy has completed a degree in landscape architecture, which included an exchange in America. Her daughter Helen is studying psychology and health. Mom is certainly encouraging them to continue
to explore the world and to embrace change. “ALL OF
mY PROFESSIONAL ROLES hAVE
INVOLVEd INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
ANd hAVE BEEN dEPENdENT ON
WORkING WITh PEOPLE FROm
A RANGE OF CULTURES ANd
BACkGROUNdS. mY LIFE IS mUCh
RIChER AS A RESULT ANd I WILL ALWAYS CHERISH AND BE GRATEFUL FOR THE OPORTUNITIES AND FRIENDSHIPS AIESEC AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA GAVE ME.”
As Pat left the alumni brunch, she was looking forward to catching up with her old AIESEC and Business friends: Marguerite Childs, ’73 BCom, currently with The Brick, and her son Craig, a current U of A business student; Brent Layetzke, ’73 BCom; and Bev Walker, ’75 BCom, the AIESEC President after Pat.
LBERTA - YOU CAN INdEEd
ALWAYS COmE hOmE AGAIN.
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 5
AIESEC TODAYAIESEC International, the world’s largest student-run
organization, currently has over 35,000 members in over 107 countries. AIESEC Canada celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008. AIESEC Edmonton continues to thrive, hosting five interns from the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Germany, Brazil, and Venezuela. In the past nine months, they have sent 15 students abroad and have 10 more waiting to be matched. Since its inception, AIESEC Edmonton has sent nearly 500 participants overseas and has over 950 alumni.
Ironically, one of the first people Pat Evans, ’73 BCom, and
the first U of A AIESEC President, met at this year’s Alumni Weekend was current AIESEC Vice-President for Alumni Relations, Anna Law, ’11 BCom candidate, who enjoyed hearing about Pat’s passion and appreciation for the organization. Anna is a fourth-year marketing major and is also involved with the School of Business’ complementary Business Exchange Association, one of 20 student clubs. Leadership opportunities, community connections, and friends for life continue to be part of what makes the Alberta BCom experience unique.
Shree Govindarajan, a third-year marketing student, is
currently the Vice-President of Communications. Both Anna and Shree plan to go on exchanges post-convocation to Japan and South America respectively. Shree has also taken the opportunity to further her leadership by becoming the incoming Local Committee President for the 2010/2011 term. AIESEC Edmonton was also chosen as host city for AIESEC Canada’s National Congress in December 2010.
Anna Law and Shree Govindarajan
6 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
ALUMNI profi le B Y D E B B Y W A L D M A N
M E l K A S S i A N
dURING ThE SIx YEARS ThAT mEL kASSIAN,
’83 BCOm, hAS BEEN A PART OF REGENT
ENERGY GROUP LTd., oil Prices hAve hit record
highs And lows, ThE
ECONOmY hAS TANkEd, ThE OIL
SANdS hAVE BEEN dECRIEd AS
AN ENVIRONmENTAL SCOURGE,
ANd ThE ALBERTA GOVERNmENT
INFURIATEd ANd STALLEd ThE
ENERGY SECTOR WhEN IT
RESTRUCTUREd ROYALTY RATES.
And yet Mel, an investor, director and, since March 2009, President of Regent, remains happy and optimistic.
“If you asked me when I was in university what kind of job I would like to do, this is it,” he says. “ I work with some great people and I enjoy what I do very much.”
Before you write off the happily married father of four as delusional, consider the reasons he’s so upbeat: helping to run Regent at its corporate office in Nisku is “the full meal deal,” he says. “I get to invest my time in areas that require strategy, promote growth, direct change, and value a healthy work place. As an owner, there’s the benefit in all that and seeing your baby grow, so to speak.”
optimismenergy
and Attitude
on the roAd to success
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 7
Regent specializes in sand control, providing products, technology, and strategies to optimize heavy oil extraction from the ground. Last year, it was a runnerup for the World Oil Best Completion Technology Award.
Domestic projects on tap for 2010 include work with Encana, Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Suncor, Petro-Canada, Imperial Oil, and Husky. Internationally, in 2008, the company opened a facility in Oman and, in 2009, began negotiating deals in Brazil, China, Colombia, Kuwait, Mexico, and Qatar.
Mel travels to the international locations when needed. He was in Oman when the national soccer team beat neighbouring Saudi Arabia in the Gulf Cup final. “While celebrations were on, the Sultan of Oman issued a Royal Decree giving the entire country a day off the next day,” he says, proposing the possibility that the Canadian government should consider doing the same the next time a home team wins the Stanley Cup.
Until travelling to Oman, Mel had never visited the Middle East. Between that region and Mexico, where Regent will open a facility in 2011, he’s spending a lot of time in pleasant climates. “I guess I like warm weather and the beach so it’s only fitting that I have a career in sand (control),” he jokes.
That wasn’t exactly what he had in mind when he enroled at the U of A in the late 1970s. He majored in accounting and finance because he knew he wanted to go into business.His interest was sparked growing up in Vegreville where his father put him to work in the family’s clothing store. When Dad went to the cottage in the summer, Mel and his brothers and a sister would take over.
“It was there that I realized I enjoyed business,” he says. “I truly am an entrepreneur at heart.”
Mel spent his first few post-graduate years working for a public accounting firm before moving to PCL where he built his skill set and confidence. After nine years at PCL, he joined a down-hole instrumentation company that he invested in. The start-up company, now called Zedi Inc., went on to become very successful for Mel and the industry.
“Making the jump from being an employee to being an executive was really the result of having excellent mentors along the way,” he says. It helped, too, that everywhere he worked he was exposed to technology, engineering, product services, and strong leadership.
At Regent, strong leadership is a shared role. Mel has only the highest praise for his partners, fellow owners Bill Bowlen and Laurie Venning.
“Bill is the backstop and Laurie is the guy on the ground. Our combination has worked really well as an ownership group. We all have different skill sets, but, being from the same industry, has certainly helped. We all understand the business and we’ve been through the cycles.”
Mel’s advice to current business students is to build relationships. “I just can’t say enough about having good peers and excellent mentors because that’s how you make the leap, that’s how you get your confidence. It will help you to answer the question, ‘do I have what it takes?’ You don’t just get that right from the start. You may think so, but it doesn’t happen overnight.”
He also recommends striving for balance. Despite the pressures of helping to run a multi-national company, Mel does his best to keep his hours to 40 to 50 a week. He doesn’t go on every business trip. Last year, he joined the Windemere Golf Club and, during the fall of 2009, a legends soccer team in Sherwood Park where he and his family share their quarters with a dog, cat, hedgehog, chameleon, and bunny.
“I enjoy what I do, but I have a beautiful family and I do get involved in the community,” he says. “There’s a lot more in my life than just work, and I’m very thankful for that.
“I LOVE hORSEPOWER ANd dIFFERENT
mOdES OF TRANSPORTATION. I GOT A
ChANCE TO RIP AROUNd IN ThAT CAR,
RACING ANd STUFF, jUST WEST OF hERE.
ThAT WAS IN ThE FALL, IN SEPTEmBER. WE’VE
dONE ThAT IN ThE mIddLE EAST AS WELL.
8 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
ALUMNI profi le B Y M O N I C A W E G N E R
R i c h A R d J E N K i N S
“ThESE ARE BASIC PhILOSOPhIES,” hE
ExPLAINS. “The Three LiTTLe Pigs
dEmONSTRATES ThE ImPORTANCE
OF A SOLId FOUNdATION BOTh
PERSONALLY ANd PROFESSIONALLY.
The emPeror’s New CLoThes IS A REmINdER TO ThINk
FOR YOURSELF PERhAPS ANd NOT
FOLLOW ThE POPULACE. ALiCe iN woNderLANd IS A WONdERFUL
STORY ABOUT INSATIABLE CURIOSITY
ANd dIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES.”
Richard Jenkins, ’86 BCom, doesn’t have the sort of fancy office you might expect for someone who has been named Canada’s top investor
four times and is co-director of a highly respected management company.
“My office is spartan at best - not comfortable,”
he admits.
But more surprising than the surroundings are the three books on his bookcase, books he’s carried throughout his career: The Three Little Pigs, the Emperor’s New Clothes, and Alice in Wonderland.
the emperorthe pigs
and Alice
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 9
the Alberta Mortgage Corporation. He had lofty expectations of making big deals, but his bosses had other ideas. On his first day of work, Richard received a box of keys and instructions to use them to repossess properties throughout the province. “I remember being in Fort McMurray, in minus-30-degree weather, having to try hundreds of keys in frozen locks with frozen fingers,” he recalls.
Not that he was complaining. Unemployment was at nearly 40 percent for business graduates in 1986. Richard knew he was fortunate to even have a job. “Many of my classmates started their post-university careers bagging groceries,” he says, “and so did I.”
Richard spent several years at the Alberta Mortgage Corporation, eventually learning about restructuring loans and companies.
Subsequent positions at the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund and Toronto Dominion Investment Management provided him with valuable experience managing equity and real estate portfolios. But he always planned to return to school and, in 1990, he enroled in the MBA program at INSEAD in France. His controversial master’s thesis topic was the demise of Japan as an economic power.
In the early 1990s, INSEAD was one of only a handful of universities specializing in globalization. The international perspective appealed to Richard. In 1994, when he began working at Invesco Trimark/Trimark Investment Management in Toronto, he focused on business in Asia and Europe. The Trimark Europlus Fund
Richard learned many of these values at home in Edmonton, one of six children of a school principal (and one-time Detroit Red Wings draft pick) and a nurse. His parents stressed education and lifelong learning. They encouraged their children’s curiosity and independent thinking. Dinner discussions were wide-ranging where different perspectives were “demanded” and encouraged.
By the time Richard graduated from high school, he knew he wanted to learn more about business. Interested in quantitative and qualitative aspects, he specialized in finance and marketing, absorbing valuable lessons in capital allocation and assessing market share from professors including Steve Beveridge, Bob Korkie, Randy Chapman, and Jim Dunn.
One of Richard’s first jobs was with
0%
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A HISTORICAL RECORD OF PERFORMANCE
EUROPE*(DECEMBER 1, 1997 - AUGUST 31, 2005)
GLOBAL BALANCED**(NOVEMBER 1, 1999 - DECEMBER 31, 2006)
Richard Jenkins European Fund
81.0%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
MSCI Europe Peers
39.3%
18.2%
Richard Jenkins Global Balanced
Fund
Blend (60%MSCI World/
40% Lehman)
Peers
108.7%
14.4% 19.1%
AS IS WITH A BOTTLE OF GOOD WINE, IS THAT YOU ONLY GET BETTER WITH AGE.”
THE WONDERFUL PART OF THIS CAREER,
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A HISTORICAL RECORD OF PERFORMANCE
EUROPE*(DECEMBER 1, 1997 - AUGUST 31, 2005)
GLOBAL BALANCED**(NOVEMBER 1, 1999 - DECEMBER 31, 2006)
Richard Jenkins European Fund
81.0%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
MSCI Europe Peers
39.3%
18.2%
Richard Jenkins Global Balanced
Fund
Blend (60%MSCI World/
40% Lehman)
Peers
108.7%
14.4% 19.1%
0%
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90%
A HISTORICAL RECORD OF PERFORMANCE
EUROPE*(DECEMBER 1, 1997 - AUGUST 31, 2005)
GLOBAL BALANCED**(NOVEMBER 1, 1999 - DECEMBER 31, 2006)
Richard Jenkins European Fund
81.0%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
MSCI Europe Peers
39.3%
18.2%
Richard Jenkins Global Balanced
Fund
Blend (60%MSCI World/
40% Lehman)
Peers
108.7%
14.4% 19.1%
0%
10%
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30%
40%
50%
60%
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90%
A HISTORICAL RECORD OF PERFORMANCE
EUROPE*(DECEMBER 1, 1997 - AUGUST 31, 2005)
GLOBAL BALANCED**(NOVEMBER 1, 1999 - DECEMBER 31, 2006)
Richard Jenkins European Fund
81.0%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
MSCI Europe Peers
39.3%
18.2%
Richard Jenkins Global Balanced
Fund
Blend (60%MSCI World/
40% Lehman)
Peers
108.7%
14.4% 19.1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
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90%
A HISTORICAL RECORD OF PERFORMANCE
EUROPE*(DECEMBER 1, 1997 - AUGUST 31, 2005)
GLOBAL BALANCED**(NOVEMBER 1, 1999 - DECEMBER 31, 2006)
Richard Jenkins European Fund
81.0%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
MSCI Europe Peers
39.3%
18.2%
Richard Jenkins Global Balanced
Fund
Blend (60%MSCI World/
40% Lehman)
Peers
108.7%
14.4% 19.1%
10 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
and the Trimark Global Balanced Fund were brand new. Richard, a Global Partner, was named lead manager of both.
The funds eventually became top performers and were awarded “Fund of the Year” status five times. In addition, Richard was lead manager of the Trimark Select Growth Fund and worked on the award-winning Trimark Fund, responsible for funds with combined assets of $10 billion. The Fund generally carried between 20 and 25 leading market share companies. Its largest single investment was $800 billion. At one time, Trimark was the largest shareholder in Apple, Adidas, and Canon.
Other good investments were banks including ErsteBank in Austria and HDFC, the largest mortgage bank in India, which has grown 20 fold. Investing in emerging markets when no one else would also helped propel Richard to the top: always ahead of the curve, he was investing in “green” technology ten years ago.
By 2005, Trimark was very different from the company Richard had joined 11 years earlier. In 1994, there were 23 employees; in 2008, there were more than 8,000. The entrepreneurial spark was missing and intellectual independence was more difficult. Richard wanted to focus on what he did best so he decided to join former Trimark colleague Bill Kanko, founder of Black Creek Investment Management and manager of the Hartford Global Leaders Fund.
Black Creek’s $225 million global equity fund gained 31.8 percent over the last 12 months ending November 30, 2009. In comparison to the Morgan Stanley World Index which gained 12.65 percent - that’s a stunning difference. To Richard and Bill, however, it comes down to knowing your product. Disciplined stock picking is a trademark at their firm: they thoroughly research and understand a company before investing. It’s not
uncommon for them and their three other partners to spend an entire day reading. Richard finds information in a variety of places including annual reports, analyst publications, academic journals, magazines, and even shopping trips. He’s also a big fan of people watching in local cafés. Over time, he’ll connect seemingly disparate dots, often with something he read or experienced years ago, to come up with a picture of a company’s potential for long-term success.
“You need to create a view of the future of a company that’s different from what the market thinks,” Richard says.
As for his own future, after nearly a quarter century in finance, Richard shows no signs of slowing down. He travels ten to twelve weeks a year although he’d like to make more time for the golf course, which he calls “one of the only places I can and, must, truly turn off.” He also plays hockey every Thursday and tends to his own investments such as Angel’s Gate Winery (see sidebar). Retirement is not on his horizon. It may never be.
“My mentor, Russell Morrison, is 85 and still actively invests, albeit with more personal and philanthropic pursuits,” he says. “The wonderful part of this career, as is with a bottle of good wine, is that you only get better with age.”
For Black Creek’s latest quarterly report – a rush back to equities characterizes the quarter – visit www.hartfordinvestments.ca.
Dean Mike Percy, Debby Carlson, Richard Jenkins, ’86 BComAngel’s Gate Winery
ALUMNI profi le
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 11
BUSINESS ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONANGEL’S GATE WINE TASTING SOUTHERN ONTARIO, JUNE 20
Business grads from the Toronto area joined fellow alumnus Richard Jenkins on June 20th to tour and taste wines from Angel’s Gate Winery where Richard is also a partner. (See the full profile on Richard on page 8).
The winery was founded by Richard and some wine-loving friends on a property that was once owned by the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of Christian Charity in Ontario. The winery’s beautiful mission style building was designed to commemorate its history. Converted into a vineyard in 1995, Angel’s Gate opened to the public in 2002.
U OF A ALUMNI WINE TASTING TOURVANCOUVER, AUGUST 22
Several Business alumni and their guests were among the sold-out crowd of more than 100 U of A alumni who enjoyed the unique flavours of a variety of fruit wines produced at Westham Island Estates Winery in late August.
UPCOMING NAPA VALLEY WINE TASTING
APRIL 17, 2010
Join other U of A alumni in Napa, California, this spring to explore both the beautiful countryside and discover some delicious new wines including a return visit to Cliff Lede (’79 BCom) Vineyards. Plan now for a destination long weekend in the Bay area. Contact [email protected] for more information.
Donna Karpowich; Marcel Reghelini, ’88 MBA; Cathy and Bill Payne, ’88 MBA; and Tony ’88 MBA; and Deb Baena
Neil, ’71 MBA; and Susan Manning; and Robert Morrice, ’82 BCom
Amit Monga, Roberto Fazio, ’90 BCom; Bernadett Fazio, Tracy Heikel, ’92 BCom; Dave Remmer, ’91 BCom; and Emeline Mellow, ’99 BCom
Richard Jenkins, ’86 BCom; and Inanc Inan, ’07 MBA
Dan Kickham, ’08 MBA; Yinka Abdu, ’09 MBA; and Caitlin Peacock, ’09 BCom
Louise Aerts; Bill Cunningham, ’91 BCom; Dennis Crowe, ’76 BCom; and Glenora Doherty
12 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
bRANch con tact l ist Calgary: Jon Wrathall, ’00 BCom [email protected]
Edmonton: Darryl Lesiuk, ’91 BCom, ’07 MBA [email protected]
Hong Kong: Catherine Kwan, ’87 BCom [email protected]
los angElEs: [email protected]
ottawa: Lee Close, ’85 BCom [email protected]
san FranCisCo: Melynnie Rizvi, ’95 BCom [email protected]
toronto: Jeff Schellenberg, ’04 MBA [email protected]
VanCouVEr: Derek Bennett, ’68 BCom [email protected]
ViCtoria: Brenda Yanchuk, ’89 MBA [email protected]
alumni associationFormed in 1988, the University of Alberta Business Alumni Association represents
more than 22,000 BCom, MBA, and PhD graduates of the Alberta School of
Business with branches across Canada and around the world.
k eep in touchPlease take a moment to update your current contact information and send a classnote for a future issue of Business Alumni Magazine.
Please go to page 37 or visit www.business.ualberta.ca/alumni
B U S I N E S S
BAA AGM JUNE 17, 2009
The Business Alumni Association Annual General Meeting was held at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald on June 17, and alumni were able to enjoy the seasonal sunshine on the patio during the reception that followed the business meeting. Kurian Tharakan, ’86 BCom, and former President and Director of the BAA, was recognized for his long term support of the School and the Business Alumni Association over the past 20 years. Congratulations Kurian!
If you are interested in volunteering with the BAA, please contact Jami Drake at [email protected] or BAA President Darryl Lesiuk at [email protected].
JOIN facebookU of A Business Alumni Association (BAA)
linkedinht tp : / / t inyur l .com/baa- l inked in
Kurian Tharakan, ’86 BComKurian has been instrumental in implementing the School’s Facebook and LinkedIn presence.
and
Christoph Wilser, ’06 MBA; Michael Lawton, ’00 BCom; Harv Lawton, ’73 BCom; and Scott Montgomery
Christine Vinh, ’09 BCom; Alexander Polkovsky, ’07 BCom; and Tristan Khaner, ’08 BCom
New
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 13
BA A
CONVOCATIONS JUNE 2009
On June 4 and June 9, 2009 – special celebrations were held for the School’s newly-minted graduates in both the MBA and BCom programs. Our most recent alumni marked their new
status with friends and family at a special MBA Strawberry Tea and BCom luncheon held in their honour. They are now part of our alumni family – more than 22,000 strong!
New Gr ads!welcome
2009 MBAs Jessica Murray, Stephanie Minnema, Adrienne Stewart, and Stephanie Lilley
Alice Wang, ’09 BCom (Management Information Systems), with parents
Susan Liu and Dr. Joseph Wang
Back - ’09 BComs Carmen Maslowski, David Gillen and Kary May, Front - Julia
Maslowski, Perry and Mary Lou May, and Anna Maslowski
Major Darren Tansowny, ’09 MBA, and wife Tricia
Rick Dowell, ’09 MBA, with wife Amie and son Samuel
Tafadzwa Mashayamombe, ’09 BCom (Marketing), with sister Cathreen Lole
and friend Maroro Sinyemba
Back - Maureen Walsh, BCom student (Marketing); and Erin Gallivan, ’09 BCom (Human Resources); Front - Tyler
Dahlside, ’09 BCom (Finance); Cory Collins, ’05 BCom; and Sean Collins, ’09 BCom (Marketing)
14 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
SPRUCE MEADOWS JUNE 11
This year’s attendance at the 2009 Spruce Meadows Alumni event generated a terrific turnout of Business alumni spanning 60 years of graduates. John Denholm, class of 1942, was asked to say the grace for the dinner and demonstrated that business graduates retain their grace and eloquence in public speaking engagements. Business
graduates at the event included Ted, ’70 BCom; and Kathy Zaharko; Dick, ’45 BCom; and Louise McKinnon; Guy Cochrane, ’80 BCom; John Eliuk, ’62 BCom; Tammy Skinner, ’95 BCom, and her young daughter Samantha; and Danny Mah, ’93 BCom. In keeping with promoting our Preservation of the Name Campaign, different graduates posed with the “A” – which stands for Alumni and Alberta.
CANMORE RECEPTION SEPTEMBER 24
Alumni fortunate to call Canmore home were hosted to a reception in the picturesque mountain town on September 24. The event was held in conjunction with the School’s Business Advisory Council meeting again this year at the Silvertip Resort.
STAMPEDE BREAKFAST JULY 8
More than 250 Business alumni and friends renewed acquaintances and joined in the fun at the 3rd Annual School of Business Stampede Breakfast in Calgary. This event is a hit with our Calgary-based alumni – and is perfect for celebrating the Stampede Spirit! Mark your calendars now for our 2010 breakfast – at Ceili’s Pub on July 14.
Mary Jane and Bob Pogue, ’63 BCom; Jack Whitworth, ’55 BCom; June Tye;
Marion Whitworth; and Bill Tye, ’54 BCom
Michael Lang, ’81 MBA; Ralph Young, ’73 MBA; and
Guy Turcotte, ’76 MBA
Jeff Johnson,’03 BCom; Kevin Fox; Graham Howell; and Landon White, ’03 BCom
Darcy and Laurie Spady, ’93 MBA
Business Alumni share a hardy Stampede
breakfast
Curtis Mah, ’05 BCom; Mark Haig, ’05 BCom; and Tim Gold, ’05 BCom
John Denholm, ’42 BCom
alumni associationB U S I N E S S
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 15
BAA ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT SEPTEMBER 16
Two records were broken this year on September 16 when temperatures soared above 32 C and the Business Alumni
Association golf tournament sold out its spots for 144 golfers. In addition, we had more corporate sponsors than ever helping the 2010 tournament to raise more than $20,000 for the Business Alumni Association Scholarships endowment fund. Thanks to our title sponsor, CMA Alberta, all of our hole sponsors, and all of the alumni and golfers who helped make the tournament a resounding success.
REPORT FROM GOLF CHAIR CHRIS GREY I am pleased to report a successful 2009 Business Alumni
Association golf tournament! We had more involvement from the alumni community in terms of golfers, attendance, sponsorship, and creative donations to make the event a huge success. Thank you to all those who participated in any and all fashion to the continued success of this annual tournament. A special thank you to the BAA Golf Committee and the staff at the School of Business who worked exceptionally hard to put the event in place. I am especially proud to say we continue to grow and improve the event over an already well established structure.
tHE 2010 tournamEnt is scheduled for Monday, September 13. Mark your calendars now! Sponsorship for the 2010 event has already started so please contact the Alumni Programs office for details.
Front Cart: Jaime MacKenzie, ’00 MBA, and dad John Steffensen, lead the way to the links.
Jason Labonte, David Shaw, CMA; Christoph Wilser, ’06 MBA
Golf Tournament Chair Chris Grey, ’95 MBA Dean Mike Percy, and BAA President Darryl Lesiuk, ’91 BCom, ’07 MBA
BA A
16 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
2009 ALUMNI WEEKENDOCTOBER 1 – 4
Alumni Weekend is always a special time on campus when our alumni can meet with former classmates to re-visit their days on campus through many fond memories. Thank you to all of our alumni who were Class Organizers this year.
ALUMNI RECOGNITION AWARDS OCTOBER 1
Long time School of Business supporter and alumnus Ralph Young, ’73 MBA, received an Alumni Honour Award at this year’s ceremony in the fall. Ralph is the President, CEO, and Director of Melcor Developments, a public real estate development company headquartered in Edmonton. A tirelessvolunteer for his community, he serves on numerous boards and is Vice Chair of the Business Advisory Council at the U of A School of Business. Ralph was also nominated in the Best Volunteer Fundraiser category of
the Heart and Soul Awards and recognized at a luncheon on November 12 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. He and his wife Gay also support the annual internal MBA case competition and make every effort to participate as judges.
Be SUre to JoiN US Next FALL For
Alumni WEEKEND 2010 sEptEmbEr 22 – 26
if you are interested in becoming a Class organizer, please contact
Jami Drake at (780) 492-1192 or email [email protected].
BUSINESS OPEN HOUSE AND BRUNCH OCTOBER 2
Always a weekend highlight, the Business Open House and Brunch hosted by Dean Mike Percy and the Business Alumni Association took place on Saturday morning. In addition to sharing their own stories, alumni spanning eight decades learned more about the School of Business and attending the U of A today from our enthusiastic student ambassadors.
Evelyn Zittlau,’80 BCom, Donald Strong, ’71 BCom; Elizabeth Strong; and Tom Smilie, ’82 MBA
A group of our 2009 Student Ambassadors
Chris and Dave Leeworthy, ’88 MBA
25 Years Out BCom ’84 Classmates
Ralph Young,MBA ’73
alumni associationB U S I N E S S
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 17
’49 DINNER OCTOBER 2
Spearheaded by Class Organizer Keith Fowler, the Class of ’49 gathered for a meal at the Faculty Club to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of their graduation from Commerce. This close group of classmates continue to meet on a regular basis and can often be seen swapping stories at Tony Roma’s where many of them regularly meet for lunch.
ALUMNI WEEKEND DINNER OCTOBER 3
The Saturday evening dinner during alumni weekend brings all U of A faculties together to recount nostalgic stories of past shared adventures, and this year was no exception.
Members from the Commerce Class of 1959 met in the beautiful and historic Harvest Room of the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald to reminisce about the last 50 years since graduating from the U of A. John Buchan flew in from Toronto, Lee Miller drove up from Calgary, while Darcy Kurysh and Hank Gillespie live in Edmonton.
John was instrumental in getting the reunion organized and, although a bit disappointed not more members were able to attend the dinner, he felt it was wonderful to reconnect not only with friends but also with students and staff at the school. “I enjoyed the Homecoming too. The people of the Business School always seem to have a high energy level and an informality which I like to see.”
Two members of the class currently support four scholarships at the undergraduate level. These alumni get an opportunity to meet their scholarship recipients at an annual event in late January.
John’s nephew Jason Neiman is also a BCom graduate (1992) and owns a software company in Costa Rica.
’59 DINNER OCTOBER 2
’39 BCom, Alex Hamilton (L), and ’39 BCom, Norm Haddad (R), were re-united
as long-time former colleagues and proud alumni of the Alberta School of Business during Alumni Weekend 2009. Mr. Haddad and Mr. Hamilton used to work together as accountants for some of the largest professional service firms in Edmonton at the time. The School was proud to honour both Mr. Haddad and Mr. Hamilton on their 70th Anniversary since graduating from the School.
L to R: Keith Fowler, Dean Mike Percy, Illa Skeith, Gord Coulson, Bill Vanner, Ron McGillivray, Joe Falvo, Bob Seaton and Andy Verag
The MBA Class of ’82 had their own reunion at the home of Dawn Ringrose on October 2 with many of the class also attending the gala dinner on October 3. Among them were (L to
R) Tom Smillie*, Principal of Willowbank Consulting with his wife Donna – Calgary; Larry Pon*, Vice President, Finance of Maxima Pharmaceuticals with his wife Darlene (’83 BCom) – Edmonton; Jane Somerville* (Cawsey), Associate with Nichols Consulting with her husband Dale (’79 BCom) – Edmonton; Patrick Hahn*, First Vice President CIBC Wood Gundy with his wife Karilin – White Rock, BC; Brad Schneider*, Project Manager with Suncor (also ’81 BSc [Mech Eng]) with his wife Janice (Dawson) (’87 BCom) – Calgary; Dawn Ringrose*, Principal of Dawn Ringrose & Associates (also ’80 BSc) with Jim Stewart (’71 BSc [Civil Eng]) – Edmonton; and Bill Brebber*, Partner with Ernst & Young (also ’76 BSc) with his wife Carmen – Calgary.Dean Mike Percy, Darcy Kurysh, Lee Miller, Hank Gillespie,
and John Buchan
’82*MBA Class of ’82
’39
BA A
18 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
21ST ANNUAL BUSINESS ALUMNI DINNER NOVEMBER 17
John Ferguson, ’64 BCom, had the audience under a spell from the get-go as he sat down on a stool and began to tell the fascinating story, a Canadian business success story, a story made in Canada, in Alberta, to a riveted audience of fellow alumni and friends. The story was about the merger of two energy giants – Suncor and Petro-Canada – creating Canada’s largest energy company to be named Suncor Energy.
JOHN FERGUSON: ALUMNUS, SUNCOR CHAIRMAN,
STORYTELLER
it’s A story About the leAdershiP of Rick George, long-time CEO of Suncor, who first had the vision of what could be ten years ago. But, at the eleventh hour, with changes in the market, the Petro-Canada board decided the deal was dead, for now.
it’s A story About relAtionshiPs. Over the next nine years, the big four - Rick George, new Petro-Canada CEO Ron Brenneman, and their respective Chairmen, John of Suncor, and Brian MacNeill of Petro-Canada - would hunt, fish, and golf together. Patience was key.
it’s A story About execution. In November of 2008, the stars were aligned. The financial markets were in turmoil. Pressure and stress was high. Executives were tired. But there were also complementary assets and cultures at the two companies, and the highly entrepreneurial Rick George took charge. And, ultimately,
it’s A story About trust. The resurrection of the deal began in December 2008 at a lunch in Toronto between the two chairmen where merger, profit potential, values, and market value were the basis of discussion. Over the next month, the ongoing conversations between the four friends alone, would include corporate restructuring, possible premiums, the share offer, and other dynamics of a crashing market.
In February of 2009, the chairmen met again. “Oilsands production was up. This was followed in early March by an increase in the Suncor stock price. If the deal was going to happen, we had a week at most.”
On Thursday, March 12, 2009, the big four met again. The Chairmen flew in from Palm Springs and Hawaii to once again huddle in John’s hotel room in Calgary with the caveat that Rick would need to leave at 1:30. As it turned out, the sweet spot occurred at 1:30 pm. The four would shake hands and settle on 1.28 to 1 exchange ratio, resulting in Petro-Canada shareholders getting a 40 percent piece of the merged equity.
John would return to Hawaii and Brian to Palm Springs with both anxiously watching for signs of a leak in the marketplace. They were relieved when the market closed on Friday, no leaks or rumours. The deal was presented to the Suncor and Petro-Canada boards on Sunday, March 22. The press release announcing the merger was released Sunday evening.
THE biggest energy deAl in cAnAdiAn industry WAS
DONE ON A HANDSHAKE
WITHOUT ONE PIECE OF PAPER EXCHANGING HANDS
DURING THE NEGOTIATIONS AND WITHOUT A LAWYER IN THE ROOM.
whAt A story.
Dean Mike Percy; John Ferguson, ’64 BCom; and Dinner Chair Dustin Bateyko, ’01 BCom
alumni associationB U S I N E S S
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 19
Full tablEs
Acton Consulting
Bennett Jones LLP
Canaccord Wealth Management
Certified General Accountants Association of Alberta
CMA Alberta
Cushman & Wakefield edmonton inc.
Darryl Lesiuk
ernst and Young LLP
executive education, Alberta School of Business
Fountain tire
institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta
Junior Achievement
KPMG LLP
MacPherson Leslie & tyerman LLP
oxford Properties Group
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
rBC Commercial Markets
Worley Parsons
HalF tablEs
Canadian Western Bank
Maclab enterprises
rBC Dominion Securities
Worldwide QC operations inc
More than 300 Business alumni and their guests attended the event. Special thanks to all of our corporate table sponsors and those companies and individuals who sponsored dinner tickets for our students.
Evan Conrad, ’06 BCom; David Kuryk, ’06 BCom;Business student Yuri Broda; and Adam Cook, ’05 BCom
Keith Baechler; Bruce Grant; John Whitmore, ’05 BCom; Cory Bablitz, ’92 BCom; and Duane Robertson, ’88 BCom
BA A
BAA Scholarship Recipient and undergraduate student Kristan Ohrn; Heather Cornish; Taylor Rolheiser, ’05 BCom;
Jennifer Fink, ’86 BCom; and Erin Dalueg
20 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
SCHOOL B Y M O N I C A W E G N E R
REPORT TO THE COMMUNITYOCTOBER 1
The Alberta School of Business presented its ninth annual report to the community at the U of A’s downtown campus at Enterprise Square with the event drawing a standing room only crowd of alumni, students, faculty, and leaders from our community.
Dean Mike Percy; John Ferguson, FCA, ’64 BCom, Chairman Princeton Ventures Ltd and Chairman Suncor Energy Inc; and Carole Hunt, QC, ’94 LLB, ’91 MBA, Chief Legal Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Alberta Investment Management Corporation, discussed the school’s growing list of achievements and future aspirations.
The School’s 2008/2009 annual report “A Higher Business Education” was also released. The complete report is available on the School’s Website at www.business.ualberta.ca; alumni may also request a copy be mailed to them.
news
HIGHER EDUCATION
LEADERS
IN
2010 Tuesday, March 16, 2010Canadian Business LeaderAward Dinner
Gordon Nixon PRESIDENT & CEO, ROYAL BANK OF CANADA
LEADERS
IN FINANCECANADIAN BUSINESS LEADER AWARD MARCH 16, 2010
The School of Business 29th CBLA recipient is Gordon Nixon, CEO, Royal Bank of Canada. Contact [email protected] to reserve your table. Please consider sponsoring a student.
John Ferguson, ’64 BCom
Dean Mike Percy and Carole Hunt, QC, ’94 LLB, ’91 MBA
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 21
SCHOOL news
LEADERS
IN ENERGY
LEADERS
IN RETAILING
LEADERS
IN FAMILYALBERTA BUSINESS FAMILY INSTITUTE NOVEMBER 3 & 5
The School’s Alberta Business Family Institute celebrated the achievements of the Fuller Family – owners of the Earls, Joeys, and Saltlik restaurants – at it 7th annual signature events in both Edmonton and Calgary. The 2010 events will feature the Brewster family: a fifth-generation business family that brought tourism to the Canadian Rockies.
Yoga wear, Henry Singer suits, and “Watch It” watches were well represented at the School of Retailing’s 18th Annual Henry Singer Award, presented to Chip Wilson, founder and Chief Product Manager of lululemon athletica.
The event also recognized the year’s Outstanding Retailer – Derks Fine Group of Companies; Outstanding Researcher – Marketing Professor Peter Polkowski Leszczyc and Director of CampusAuctionMarket.com; and Outstanding Alumni – Darren Bondar, ’98 MBA, and founder of Watch IT! – a specialty watch shop.
DARREN BONDAR, ’98 MBA
Darren was also on the cover of the July/August issue of Franchise Canada where the feature “Watch It Grow – A timely franchise opportunity celebrating ten years of melding fashion and function” begins as follows:
“No one knows the importance of timing better than Watch It! CEO Darren Bondar. As hundreds of stylish watches tick away in his specialty watch franchise, Bondar reminisces back to when he set up his flagship Watch It! store ten years ago. Bondar, who had just graduated with an MBA from the University of Alberta, came up with the idea and put it into practice in a mere three weeks.
Recalls 35-year-old Bondar, “I was in a watch store in New York and told my wife someone should open up a watch store called Watch It. I’d always wanted to run my own business and I figured there was no time like the present.” As soon as Bondar returned from his New York jaunt in 1999, he leased a space on Edmonton’s Whyte Avenue where the company’s head office sits today. From there, he made a quick trip to Eaton’s – a department store that was going out of business – and purchased jewelry cabinets for $100 each.”
Watch It! opened its latest corporate store in Calgary in November which was the company’s 20th location.
HENRY SINGER AWARD OCTOBER 6
EPCOR DISTINGUISHED LECTURE APRIL 8, 2010Professor Rob de Loe, University Research Chair, Water Policy and Governance, University of Waterloo. For information please contact Richard Dixon, ’00 MBA, Executive Director of the Centre for Applied Research in Energy and the Environment at [email protected].
Kyle Murray, Director School of Retailing, with Darren Bondar, ’98 MBA.
22 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
BCOM news
BUSINESS STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION: GAMES, GOLF, AND GIVE AWAYS
Students donned daring duds October 24 for dodge ball.
We’re not sure if the costumes or competition drove attendance up 50 percent from the previous year but more players equals no waiting between games and better prizes!
The inaugural BSA Charity Golf Tournament on September 26 offered excellent networking opportunities for students plus raised $2,200 for the Youth Emergency Shelter. Despite the rain, it had great attendance by students, faculty members, and corporate sponsors.
Alex Bergquist and Lacey Suen show off some of the free food and drinks the BSA hands out to students on the first Wednesday of each month during anti-burnout events to combat exam and studying stress.
studeNts with biG hearts BCOMS SPINNIN’ AND CHILLIN’FOR UNITED WAY
Frosh activities on September 19-20 gave more than 120 new students the opportunity to learn about the School of Business and how to become involved in various clubs, events, and services.
Leah Sherman and Marie-Claire Pigarowa helped staff the all-new BSA Book Sale in September. Business students bought over 750 new and used books and 1,000 course packs without having to advertise or negotiate. The second edition (pun intended) of the sale occurs January 4-8.
LAzY FAIRE: FARE FOR THE MINDThe BSA launched its new magazine Lazy Faire in August as a
tool to communicate with new and existing students. The monthly publication, edited by Carly Zapernick and Breanne Fisher, features student and alumni profiles, activities, and introductions to clubs.
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 23
FEMALE BCOMS OUTEARN MALE COUNTERPARTS FOR FIRST TIME
Salaries for new female business graduates at the University of Alberta have exceeded their male counterparts for the first time, according to a new survey by Business Career Services at the School.
Female BCom students had an average starting salary of $43,077 versus $41,214 for males in the annual report released this fall.
Dale McNeely, Director of BSC, said: “This has to be looked at over a period of time. We won’t know if this is a long-term trend unless we see it consistently over a number of years.”
CO-OP STUDENT STANDS OUT
Adrien Ambrozuk (third from right) received the 2009 Claudette J de Bruijn Business Co-op Student of the Year Award for his work with Nexen Inc. as an Operations Coordinator. He was feted October 7 during a special luncheon with his peers at the School of Business where two mentors were also recognized, including Kirsten Lindquist, ’08 BCom (third from left), a Strategic Planner with Optamedia. She was nominated by her co-op student Marianne Meijer.
STUDENTS TAKE OATH OF INTEGRITYOn November 26, business students voluntarily pledged to
uphold a high standard of ethics during the first Business Ethics Awareness Day, spurred by the Marketing 488 class.
The idea started as a discussion at the class level and the students hope the pledge will make its way to other business schools and boardrooms everywhere. Students also shared displays on various ethical issues in business and marketing.
studeNts with biG hearts BCOMS SPINNIN’ AND CHILLIN’FOR UNITED WAY
Undergrads united for United Way this fall by pedalling and polar bear dipping to raise funds for the charitable organization.
The fourth annual Chillin’ For Charity, organized by the Jeux Du Commerce West team, saw dozens of students – plus staff and faculty – get soaked November 4 while raising approximately $7,500 for a good cause.
Business students also organized the first ever Spinsation for a combination of fun, fitness, and fundraising with a new spin. The event brought together student groups and faculty associations from across campus to participate in a 24-hour spin cycling session October 29-30 at SUB stage in the name of charity and wellness while raising $1,400 for United Way.
COMPETITIVE SPIRITICBC: alberta style
Over 20 teams competed in the Inter-Collegiate Business
Competition Round on September 18. This year, the Marketing team will represent the U of A at ICBC held at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, January 7-9. AICC: THE STARTING POINT
Organizer Sorab Gill presented Lindsay Hornland, Kris Simard, and Melissa Ball with their first place prize at the Alberta Internal Case Competition held November 14. It attracted over 30 student teams with 100 participants honing their business savvy. The trio will represent the School of Business at the John Molson Undergraduate Competition February 21-27, in Montreal.
Bryan Harris, Stephen Reinsch, and Thomson Leung won second place for senior students at AICC while Kurtis Letwin, Theshan Naidoo, and Stephanie Cornforth placed first in the junior division. Both teams represented the U of A in Toronto at the LIVE Conference November 19-20
24 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
FIVE YEARS AGO, STARTING AN APPAREL COmPANY WAS
mERELY A ThOUGhT IN ThE
mINdS OF CURRENT BUSINESS
STUdENTS ShAUN BRANdT ANd
CAm SERVICE, mARkETING ANd
FINANCE mAjORS, RESPECTIVELY.
ThESE TWO YOUNG mEN SET OUT TO
PROdUCE CLOThING WITh A CAUSE. IN
2008, hONESTY CLOThING WAS BORN.
profi le B Y C A R LY z A P E R N I C K
MAKING A DIFFERENCE CLOSE TO HOME
The company is more than just t-shirts and sweaters; Shaun and Cam are truly passionate about the products they produce and the causes they support.
“It’s more about the process, than the product,” said Shaun in an interview with Lazy Faire. Their business is based on a model of having “competent people working towards the same ideas and goals, with the good of society in mind.”
They make this model a reality through a single cause-driven line per season that supports initiatives close to their hearts. In the past, the pair teamed up with Axe Music for their “Live for Music” campaign. Inspired by frustration with the lack of funding and emphasis placed on music in
honestly Clothing
Clothing with a Cause:
STUDENT
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 25
“IT WAS INCREDIBLE. HE WAS AN AUTISTIC BOY, BUT
ThE LYRICS hE PROdUCEd WERE AmAzING,”
RECALLS ShAUN.
ThE STUdENT ThAT SUBmITTEd ThE WINNING LYRICS WON A FENdER GUITAR. WhO WROTE ThE WINNING LYRICS?
the public school system, the project challenged elementary school students to write song lyrics, about anything, in an attempt to foster an appreciation for music and the role it can play in a child’s education.
With shirts that resembled a blank piece of sheet music, Cam and Shaun set out to inspire the masses. They received over 1,500 entries and had the difficult task of narrowing it down to the top ten lyrics, which were used to make limited edition t-shirts and sweaters.
The student that submitted the winning lyrics won a Fender guitar. Who wrote the winning lyrics? “It was incredible. He was an autistic boy, but the lyrics he produced were amazing,” recalls Shaun.
Honesty Clothing’s involvement didn’t stop at making apparel and donating 50 percent of the proceeds to the cause. Shaun and Cam visited schools and gave presentations on the role music has played in each of their lives.
“It was extremely rewarding. Being able to interact with the kids and see the impact first hand was the best part,” he said. Currently, Honesty Clothing has two cause-based campaigns in the works.
“Technology Owes Ecology an Apology,” an environment-based campaign, will feature a reverse-graffiti initiative encouraging participants to create a design while cleaning the pollution off buildings.The most creative designs will be captured and
featured on the company’s apparel. The second clothing initiative is dedicated to ending slavery and will work to promote the company’s new global initiative in Central America.
GOING GLOBAL
Looking to make an impact beyond the borders of Canada, Honesty Clothing recently purchased land on Nicaragua’s textile belt that will act as the future spot for the Honesty eco house, powered 100 percent by solar energy. The investment was made after both Shaun and Cam got a first-hand look at the unethical labour standards that plague Central America.
“We will never promote or sit back and watch the unethical labour standards in practice. We hope to act as a voice to help end slave labour and promote workers rights.” The eco house will be close to many of the major manufacturers currently used by a number of American clothing companies.
The duo plans to personally visit these manufacturers and press for better human and worker rights, while building positive relationships that can help them develop a plan to implement the improved standards.
The vision for the eco house is that it “will not only be a spot for us to design in peace and be within an hour’s commute of over 100 manufacturers, but to be a place for us to build relationships and our social responsibility.” Construction on the home is expected to start in November 2010.
For more information about Honesty Clothing go to www.honestyclothing.com
honestly Clothing
Clothing with a Cause:
26 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
MBA news
ALUMNI & RECRUITMENT
MBA ALUMNI RECEPTION SEPTEMBER 17
More than 200 of our MBA students and alumni gathered at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald on September 17 for a networking reception to welcome the largest incoming MBA class in the School’s history. The great weather allowed the group to spill onto the patio and enjoy the warm fall sunshine.
The Alberta MBA started on a high in September 2009 with the highest ever global ranking, 77, by the Financial Times of London, and the highest ever intake of full-time MBA students, 83, a 51 percent increase in full-time applications, and representation from 18 countries, the highest ever – thanks to a great program, great recruitment, and great referrals from alumni and friends.
The product is well known by those who head up recruitment – MBA Associate Dean Joan White, ’94 PhD, who was joined last year by Bruce Laverty, ’07 MBA, as the Director of Development and Recruitment.
Local recruitment activities continue with information sessions held both on campus and downtown Edmonton in Enterprise Square. Winter sessions include January 13, February 1, February 20, March 4, and March 27 with a session also planned on February 4 in Fort McMurray regarding the National Resources, Energy
and Environment specialized Fort McMurray MBA.
The School, along with most other Canadian MBA schools, as well as some international participation, continues to participate in the Canadian MBA Tour in Toronto and Vancouver and, new this year, in Calgary. All events were very well attended overall and
alumni perspectives were welcomed by many of the prospective students. Kristin Ator (nee Hagel), ’07 MBA, and Adam Zukowski, ’08 MBA, of Stantec helped Bruce staff the booth and answer questions in Calgary while Monika Owczarek, ’08 MBA, a partner with Global Wine Merchants joined Bruce in Vancouver, and Dan Kickham, ’08 MBA, Associate with CIBC Mid-Market Investment Banking, Susan McKay, ’08 MBA, with sports management IMG Canada, and Inanc Inan, ’07 MBA, a Senior Financial Analyst with ADP Canada, were on hand in Toronto.
Several alumni also identified themselves as they visited the booth including Brian Rothwell, ’73 MBA, of Medicine Hat and his daughter who is considering her options. And an alumnus also helped answer questions at the University of Calgary booth – that would be Jim Dewald, ’84 MBA, and Associate Dean, Graduate Programs at the Haskayne School of Business. Bruce also participated on a four-school panel discussing admission requirements and career opportunities.
Joan would also go on to participate in the MBA World Tour in India with Bruce getting the difficult assignment of representing the School in Brazil and Chile for the first time! We wish Heather Christensen, former Executive Director, well as she moves into a new position at the School with Executive Education. Please contact Bruce ([email protected]) if you might be interested in participating in either an information booth or on an alumni panel next year!
Luis Serpa, ’11 MBA candidate, at the MBA orientation, who joined the program this year from Peru.
FORTY-FIVE mBA STUdENTS GAVE
ThEIR hEARTS ANd hANdS TO ThE
COmmUNITY SEPTEmBER 28 dURING
ThE FIRST mBA dAY OF CARING
WhEN ThEY VOLUNTEEREd FOR
hOmELESS CONNECT.
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 27
Gregor Allan, ’97 MBA Regional Sales Director, Alcatel-Lucent Canada Inc.
David Asquin, ’09 MBADirector, Planning and Governance, Information Services, EPCOR Utilities Inc. *Nancy Beauchemin, ’94 BComPartner, SVS Group LLP Chartered Accountants
Myron Borys, ’94 MBAVice President and General Manager, Synergy Products
*Melanie Bowbell, ’06 MBA/LLBMiller Boileau Family Law Group
Marion Burnyeat, ’90 MBAVice President, Spectra Energy Transmission
Leslie Campbell, ’95 MBADirector of Employment Services, University of Alberta
Billy Chan, ’05 MBASenior Advisor Workforce Planning (EPCOR)
Richard Dixon, ’00 MBAExecutive Director, Centre for Applied Business Research in Energy
Diane Ewanishan, ’89 MBAInvestment Management and Community Board Member
Russ Farmer, ’04 MBARussell Farmer and Associates Consulting Ltd
*Kelly Gibbon. ’06 MBADirector, Garstad Whittingham Realty Inc.
Chris Grey, ’95 MBAInvestment Advisor and Financial Planner
Wilma Haas, ’82 MBAAssistant Deputy Minister, Learning Supports Education, Government of Alberta
*Larry Harris, ’99 MBADirector, Strategic & Economic Analysis, Edmonton Airports
Robert Huston, ’05 MBAGeologist, Alberta Department of Energy
*Steve Jackson, ’00 MBAExecutive Director of Claims and Recoveries, Alberta Justice
*Monte Koenig, ’09 MBAPartner, Management Consultant, CGI ISMC Inc.
Jay Krushell, ’87 MBA Partner, Witten LLP Barristers and Solicitors
Chris Lavin, ’98 MBAVice President, Sierra Systems Group
*David Leeworthy, ’88 MBAPresident and COO, First Industries Corporation
Darryl Lesiuk, ’07 MBA, ’91 BComEntrepreneur
Calvin Li, ’99 MBAVP, Technology at Castle Rock Research Corp.
*Gary Loblick, ’89 MBAPresident, The Winslow Group
Dianne Lougheed-Keefe, ’94 MBA President, Dianne Lougheed-Keefe Consulting
*Lisa Mansell, ’06 MBASenior Talent Management Specialist, Suncor
*Deb Manz, ’95 MBACEO, Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors
Sharon J Matthias, ’83 MBAMatthias Inc.
John Mitchell, ’78 MBAEntrepreneur
*Andrea Mondor, ’07 MBAPrincipal, Andrea Mondor Management Consulting Ltd.
*Daniel Okrusko, ’09 MBARegional Sales Manager, 3M Canada Company
Rob Parks, ’99 MBASenior Associate, RC Strategies
Wynn Payne, ’68 BComOwner Kwik Kopy Design and Print Centre
Tracey Scarlett, ’02 MBACEO, Alberta Women Entrepreneurs
*Joe SheldrakeVice President, Sales, GE Capital Business Finance
Rod Simpson, ’86 MBA President and Partner, Redstone Management Consulting Ltd.
Bo Stachniak, ’02 MBASenior Consultant Strategic Management, Stantec
Dave Terriff, ’75 MBAPresident, Unisorb Canada Ltd.
Todd Tougas, ’91 MBAArea Manager, Business Development Bank of Canada
*Alex Umnikov, ’00 MBADirector, Commercialization Capacity, Alberta Advanced Education and Technology
*Susan Urra, ’02 MBAOperational Risk Management Engineer, Enbridge
Trevor Vegh, ’04 MBAAssociate, Timber and Infrastructure InvestmentsAlberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo)
Chris Vilcsak, ’97 MBAPresident & CEO, Solution 105 Consulting Ltd.
Keith Walton, ’94 MBASenior Research Analyst, Alberta Investment Management
Chris Williams, ’04 MBAManager, Financial Planning and Analysis, ATB Financial
*Kristina Williams, ’05 MBADirector of Investments, Alberta Enterprise Corporation and Consultant for Sweden
Larry Yakiwczuk, ’99 MBALarry Yakiwczuk Enterprises
*John Yamamoto, ’86 MBAVice President and Investment Advisor, RBC Dominion Securities
Carlee Yukes, ’07 MBAConsulting Manager, Sierra Systems
Mentors Andrea Mondor, ’07 MBA; Wynn Payne, ’68 BCom; and Myron Borys, ’94 MBA at the Mentor information session held at the School on November 26.
THANK YOU TO OUR MBA MENTORS
* New Mentors
the Business Alumni Association is still recruiting mentors for our 2010 MBA Mentorship program. if you are interested in getting involved, please contact Jami Drake at (780) 492-1192 or [email protected].
“WE HOPE THAT THE DAY OF CARING, WhICh WAS
SUCh A GREAT BONdING ExPERIENCE,
CONTINUES AS AN ANNUAL EVENT” SAYS
kATRINA BONNYCASTLE, PRESIdENT OF
ThE mBA ASSOCIATION.
28 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
PHD
DELOITTE & TOUCHE POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPSamantha Fairclough
Understanding the complex structures of transnational organizations, such as the largest accounting firms, is a daunting yet intellectually exciting prospect. But with a generous gift from Deloitte & Touche LLP, and one of its Canadian Managing Partners and School of Business alumnus, Mark Robinson, ’79 BCom, CA, the School hopes to learn how such firms coordinate their worldwide multi-dimensional structures and processes.
The gift takes the form of a postdoctoral fellowship, which has been awarded to Samantha Fairclough whose
doctoral research at the University of Oxford examined the United Kingdom’s ‘magic circle’ law firms.
The project, another collaboration between the School of Business and the newly-named Novak Druce Centre for Professional Service Firms at the University of Oxford, will involve Professors Royston Greenwood and Tim Morris.
Samantha is naturally delighted with this new research opportunity and grateful to Mark and Deloitte for making it possible. “This project is a fantastic opportunity for me to build upon my own experience of, and interest in, professional service firms. Given that the largest accounting and law firms are amongst today’s most successful yet complex organizations, I am excited by the prospect of exploring how they are able to organize their teams and management systems across international borders.”
news
BOB HININGS’ FESTSCHRIFT
Forty-five people attended Bob Hinings’ Festschrift - a volume of writings by different authors presented as a tribute or memorial especially to a scholar - on October 1 and 2. The majority of the attendees were PhD students who had Bob as a supervisor, advisor, or committee member during their studies here. Tom
Lawrence, ’93 PhD, Simon Fraser University, and Nelson Phillips, ’95 PhD, Imperial College of London, were the organizers of the event, contacting dozens of Bob’s former students and conducting interviews with those unable to attend.
Thursday night was a reception at the Varscona where all was revealed to Bob (he was told he was to speak to some of the new PhD students about research).
Friday was a day full of presentations by former students explaining how Bob had influenced their own research. There was also a video of David Hickson and Derek Pugh, the other ‘pioneers of leading edge research’ who worked with Bob at what is now Aston University. They are both in their late 70s and unable to travel such distances anymore. Aboy Ojha travelled from India to attend Bob’s celebration.
Friday night a dinner at Murrieta’s honoured Bob with glowing toasts from Steve Barley, Stanford University; Christine Oliver, York University, and Greg Berry, ’96 PhD, Providence College, and his wife Karen Whalen-Berry (the only two of Bob’s PhD students to marry). Christine’s was more of a ‘rap,’ but it was just fantastic!
Michelle MacLean, School of Business research Coordinator
Bob Hinings and Michelle MacLean
Nelson Phillips, ’95 PhD, & Tom Lawrence, ’93 PhD
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 29
FINAL ORAL EXAMSOdette Pinto, ’09 PhD, of Edmonton, Alberta,
successfully defended her thesis titled: “Advice and Complexity in Tax Planning Judgments” on November 17. Her supervisor was Professor Mike Gibbins.
Brad Pomeroy, ’09 PhD, of Champaign, Illinois, successfully defended his thesis on June 8. His supervisor was Professor Mike Gibbins. Brad joined the University of Illinois as Assistant Professor of Accountancy.
Leo Wong, ’09 PhD, of Edmonton, Alberta, successfully defended his thesis on December 4. His thesis was titled: “Understanding Donor Response to Donation Appeals: The Role of Deservingness in the Dictator Game and Optimum Donation Promises in Charity Auctions.”
OTHER NEWS
Shelley Lukasewich, Business PhD student (Accounting), of Edmonton, Alberta, received the $10,000 CGA Scholar Award, sponsored by the Certified General Accountants Association of Saskatchewan, at the University of Regina.
Christian Schmid, Business PhD student (Marketing), of Edmonton, Alberta, passed his candidacy exam on October 19. His co-supervisors were Professors Gerald Häubl and Jennifer Argo.
Cagri Topal, Business PhD student (Organizational Analysis), of Edmonton, Alberta, and wife Figen gave birth to a daughter Asya on September 22.
The Business Research Conference supporting research being conducted by our Business PhD students held on October 16 was a great success. Congratulations to Keri Kettle (Marketing) for the Best Presentation Award and to Lu Zhang (Finance) for the Best Poster Award.
Aboy Ojha, ’93 PhD, Ban-galore York University; John Amis, University of Memphis
Karen Whalen-Berry, Providence College; Greg Berry, ’96 PhD, Utah Valley State College
Christine Oliver, York Univer-sity; Michael Mauws, ’97 PhD, Athabasca University; Alex Kondra, ’95 PhD, Athabasca University
Bob Hinings joined the School of Business in 1983 from the University of Birmingham and was, and still is, one of the School’s most prolific researchers, publishing over eight books and more than 100 papers. His career has included numerous significant accomplishments as an author, editor, reviewer, as well as both local and international named professorships. Honourary memberships are also many including the European Group for Organizational Studies where it was eloquently said by Mitchell Koza, long-time professor at INSEAD:
“In addition to the significant academic accomplishments, Bob is a scholar and teacher in the oldest and best sense of those words. In talking to many senior and more junior members of the profession, I was struck with the unanimity of opinion from those he has worked with closely. Bob is always described in glowing terms. Some quotes: ‘always carries and exceeds his contribution’; ‘always sensitive to citation and giving credit where due’; ‘willing, indeed eager, to work collectively as a team’; ‘careful to attribute good ideas to others (even when he has had a major influence)’ - a gentleman of the old school. I can think of no greater accolades for a scholar. He sets a standard for us all.”
And adds U of A Business Professor Trish Reay, ’00 PhD, “Being a student of Bob’s, such an engaging and caring man, turns into a life-long mentor and friend.”
In studying organizational change, Bob, in turn, changed a profession, an organization, and many individual lives for the better.
Dev Jennings, Professor, University of Alberta School of Business; Steve Barley, Stanford University
B Y K I R S T E N L I N D Q U I S T
1 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009 1
t imePAGES IN
“Pages in Time” is dedicated to sharing the history of the
School of Business and is named in honour of Robert
Page, one of our first three graduates.
Kirsten Lindquist, ’08 BCom, of Elk Point, Alberta, is the Strategic Planner for McRobbie Optamedia, a full service strategy and creative agency established in Edmonton.
She has been the project manager for ensuring the design, content and technical layout of the Alberta School of Business history section is up and running for early 2010. �is project not only gives an innovative and in-depth review of the popular A Chronicle of Commerce: A History of the School of Business at the University of Alberta
written by Professor Emeritus Bill Preshing, but will give the book a strong online web presence.
Kirsten, while completing her major in Marketing, was also a volunteer researcher assisting Dr. Preshing with the review and assembly of the Alberta School of Business student clubs history from the past decades.
For copies of the book, please call Jacqueline Kokic and ask for the special alumni rate: 780.492.6705.
Class Note
About This Project As we approach 100 years, the University of Alberta School of Business’ history is rich in stories. Please share yours with us. �e goal of expanding what was done for A Chronicle of Commerce: A History of the School of Business, written by Dr. Bill Preshing, Professor Emeritus, and published to coincide with the University’s Centenary in 2008, will hopefully be achieved by encouraging graduates and friends to visit the website version of the book to not only comment on the rich history of the School of Business, but also contribute stories and help identify past alumni in images to create a strong, uni�ed online alumni community.
Please remember that this is a work in progress and it’s based on written documents. We encourage you to share your memories – “the unwritten history” if you will. �e site will be available in early 2010 at www.chronicleofcommerce.com. For copies of the book, please call Jacqueline Kokic and ask for the special alumni rate: 780.492.6705.
We are proud of this project, as we are the only business school we are aware of that has documented its lengthy history in print and online.
About McRobbie OptamediaA portion of this project has been sponsored by McRobbie Optamedia.
McRobbie Optamedia’s history began 17 years ago with the founding of McRobbie Design Group by Kenneth McRobbie. Optamedia was founded in 2001 by Chris Bolivar and has become one of Alberta’s fastest growing advertising and marketing communications strategy agencies.
In 2009, McRobbie and Optamedia merged to create a full-service creative agency that has demonstrated business success and the ability to provide added value to clients.
30 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
t imePAGES IN
“Pages in time” is dedicated to sharing the history of the
school of business and is named in honour of robert
Page, one of our first three graduates.
1 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009 1
t imePAGES IN
“Pages in Time” is dedicated to sharing the history of the
School of Business and is named in honour of Robert
Page, one of our first three graduates.
Kirsten Lindquist, ’08 BCom, of Elk Point, Alberta, is the Strategic Planner for McRobbie Optamedia, a full service strategy and creative agency established in Edmonton.
She has been the project manager for ensuring the design, content and technical layout of the Alberta School of Business history section is up and running for early 2010. �is project not only gives an innovative and in-depth review of the popular A Chronicle of Commerce: A History of the School of Business at the University of Alberta
written by Professor Emeritus Bill Preshing, but will give the book a strong online web presence.
Kirsten, while completing her major in Marketing, was also a volunteer researcher assisting Dr. Preshing with the review and assembly of the Alberta School of Business student clubs history from the past decades.
For copies of the book, please call Jacqueline Kokic and ask for the special alumni rate: 780.492.6705.
Class Note
About This Project As we approach 100 years, the University of Alberta School of Business’ history is rich in stories. Please share yours with us. �e goal of expanding what was done for A Chronicle of Commerce: A History of the School of Business, written by Dr. Bill Preshing, Professor Emeritus, and published to coincide with the University’s Centenary in 2008, will hopefully be achieved by encouraging graduates and friends to visit the website version of the book to not only comment on the rich history of the School of Business, but also contribute stories and help identify past alumni in images to create a strong, uni�ed online alumni community.
Please remember that this is a work in progress and it’s based on written documents. We encourage you to share your memories – “the unwritten history” if you will. �e site will be available in early 2010 at www.chronicleofcommerce.com. For copies of the book, please call Jacqueline Kokic and ask for the special alumni rate: 780.492.6705.
We are proud of this project, as we are the only business school we are aware of that has documented its lengthy history in print and online.
About McRobbie OptamediaA portion of this project has been sponsored by McRobbie Optamedia.
McRobbie Optamedia’s history began 17 years ago with the founding of McRobbie Design Group by Kenneth McRobbie. Optamedia was founded in 2001 by Chris Bolivar and has become one of Alberta’s fastest growing advertising and marketing communications strategy agencies.
In 2009, McRobbie and Optamedia merged to create a full-service creative agency that has demonstrated business success and the ability to provide added value to clients.
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 31
32 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
’60s’63 Lorne Braithwaite, BCom, returned home
to his alma mater to share some of his stories of and
experiences in the development business over the
past 45 years with our students, alumni, and friends
in the business community. During a CMA Beyond
the Boardroom Dinner, he tackled the question of
‘Building the Edmonton Downtown Arena’ based on his
own experiences in urban development in downtown
Toronto and other major centres and fielded a variety
of questions from some 30 dinner participants. The
following afternoon, he captivated the attention of a
room full of MBA students, faculty, alumni, and a few
undergrad students at the CGA/MBA Dean’s Forum with
his tale of progression in the real estate development
industry and lessons (hard and not quite as hard)
learned along the way. In April 2009, Lorne accepted the
role of CEO of the new Build Toronto real estate venture,
which will engage private- and public-sector partners in
the development of under-utilized City of Toronto
real estate.
’64 John Ferguson, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, has been named Chairman of the Board of
Directors of the recently-merged company of Suncor
Energy and Petro-Canada. John was the guest
speaker at the Business Alumni Association Dinner
on November 17 that was held at the Crowne Plaza,
Château Lacombe in Edmonton. His topic title was
“Canada’s Biggest Deal.” John is a Chancellor Emeritus
of the U of A.
’64 Dan Ondrack, BCom, of Toronto,
Ontario, is the
Academic Director,
Executive Programs
and Professor of
Organizational
Behaviour at the Rotman School of Management,
University of Toronto. His main research focus is the
relationship between corporate strategy, management
of mergers, human resources strategy and international
human resources management. A current research
project is a comparative study of human resources
management in Canada and in a variety of countries in
Asia and Europe.
’70s’72 Greg Martin, MBA, of Calgary,
Alberta, is President of
Brine-Add Fluids which
recently celebrated 25
years of business in
Calgary. “Greg now
owns buildings and a total of four hectares of land in
Eastfield Business Park and runs a very successful
manufacturing company that doesn’t have a salesman
on staff or even a company brochure” according to a
feature story in the Calgary Herald October 29.
’73 Albrecht Hallbauer, MBA, of Viernheim,
Germany writes: “Dear Dean Percy: In 2006 my wife
Uschi and I had the great pleasure to participate in
celebrating 50 years Alberta School of Business with
you and last year we enjoyed very much indeed the
privilege being part of the very well orchestrated event
“100 Years UofA” providing us with the opportunity to
meet some old friends after some very long years at
the 1973 MBA Class Reunion set up by Brian Hesje and
Yusuf Karbani in a very stylish way. Events of which
we have very fond memories reminding the two of us
also of the good times we had way back in 1972/1973 at
the UofA. As it is Homecoming Season again with the
“Alberta School of Business Dean’s Brunch and Open
House” today (October 3) in which we would have
loved to participate we would like to send you all our
best wishes that this day will be full of good memories
for the already a bit more advanced generations and
will provide the young “shooting stars” with some
good ideas for their careers being ahead of them. May
they be good ambassadors of the Alberta School of
Business. All the best for you and the Alberta School
of Business.”
’73 Brian Hesje, MBA, of Edmonton, Alberta, was
appointed to the Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions board
in November.
’74 Wayne Lovatt, MBA, of Edmonton, Alberta,
was mysteriously missing from the list of Commerce
graduates who are on the Off-Ice Officials crew for
the Edmonton Oilers in the last issue (our apologies,
Wayne!). Wayne runs the law practice Lovatt LLP in
Edmonton and when he’s not golfing down in Phoenix,
he’s ensuring that the television and commercial crews
are all operating in sync during the Oilers home games.
’74 Rick Radulski, BCom, of Calgary, Alberta,
is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Ancala
Resource, a natural gas company start-up. Rick was an
“Executive in Residence” at the University of Alberta
School of Business. He spoke to a group of MBA
students at a CGA MBA forum on October 15.
CLASSnotesin memor iam
James Allan Johnson, ’43 BCom, of Vancouver, British Columbia
Evan Maurice Wolfe, ’46 BCom, of Vancouver, British Columbia
Harold Park, ’48 BCom, of Kelowna, British Columbia
Francis Edward Haughian, ’48 BCom, of Ottawa, Ontario
Walter Ronald Ross, ’54 BCom, of Calgary, Alberta
Richard Young Charlton, ’71 BCom, of Edmonton, Alberta
William Harvey Walker, ’72 BCom, of Edmonton, Alberta
Thomas Christopher L. McDonald, ’93, BCom, of Edmonton, Alberta
The school of Business is saddened by the passing of these alumni:
’74 James Ralston, BCom, of Ottawa, Ontario,
was appointed Comptroller General of Canada. Prior
to taking this position, James was the Chief Financial
Officer and Assistant Commissioner of the Canada
Revenue Agency since 2003.
’77 Wendy Hassen, BCom, of Sherwood Park,
Alberta is the Principal at Wendy Hassen Facilitation.
She is a trained and energetic facilitator providing
facilitation, mediation and committee project support
services to private and public sector clients.
’77 Cathy Roozen, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, is receiving a Doctor of Laws Honourary
degree in November.
’77 Jim Prentice, BCom, of Calgary,
Alberta, as Canada’s
Honourable Minister of
the Environment, lead
the Canadian delegation
at the COP15 United
Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen
December 7 – 18.
’78 Katherine Tsang, BCom, of
Shanghai, China, was
appointed Chairperson
of Standard Chartered
Bank’s Greater China
operations in August.
She has served as the bank’s Chief Executive Officer for
China’s mainland since January 2005. Katherine will
play an important leadership role in delivering the bank’s
strategy for the region.
’79 Janice Rennie, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, has been named to the board of the new
Capital Power Corporation. Capital Power is a growth-
oriented North American independent power producer
that was formed when EPCOR Utilities spun-off its
power generation business.
’79 Ralph Young, MBA, of Edmonton, Alberta,
was nominated for a volunteer fundraiser award at the
National Philanthropy Luncheon on November 12 in
Edmonton. Ralph is a member of the Business Advisory
Council at the Alberta School of Business.
’80s’80 Peter Bowal, BCom, of Calgary, Alberta, a
former University of Calgary law professor, was recently
appointed to the Immigration and Refugee Board of
Canada for a three-year term in the Calgary office.
’80 John Colbert, MBA, of Edmonton, Alberta,
took part in the Chancellor’s Cup Golf Tournament on
June 22. John’s daughter Elyse Colbert,’08 BCom, is also
a School of Business graduate.
’80 Brian Ferguson, BCom, of Calgary, Alberta
received multiple media mentions as he took over the
helm of Cenovus, EnCana’s oil sands and refining spinoff
that officially began operating December 1. Calgary
Herald – November 28: “CEO Brian Ferguson isn’t your
typical oilman. With his accounting background and a
commerce degree, he often stood out from EnCana’s
other senior executives, as a bean counter among
engineers and geologists. His oilpatch credentials
are impeccable.”
’80 G. Keith Henning, BCom, of New York,
New York, is an Assistant Professor in the Department
of Management at the Adelphi University School
of Business. Keith is a certified human resources
professional and has worked as an executive recruiter,
organizational consultant, and human resources
consultant. He has taught at the University of Calgary
and the University of Lethbridge.
’80 Robert Seidel, BCom, of Edmonton, Alberta,
was appointed as Chair of the Alberta Innovates Health
Solutions board in November.
’80 Tim Wiles, BCom, of Edmonton, formerly
Deputy Minister of Alberta Seniors and Community
Support, was appointed Deputy Minister of Alberta
Finance and Enterprise on July 8.
’81 Paul McCuaig, MBA, of Oakville, Ontario is
currently the Regional Manager of Powerex Corp. in
Toronto. Powerex is a wholly-owned power marketing
and trading subsidy of BC Hydro, Canada’s third largest
electric utility.
’81 Brian Vaasjo, MBA, of Edmonton, Alberta,
is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Capital
Power Corporation. Brian will be the guest speaker
at the January 15 Eric Geddes Breakfast Lecture in
Edmonton at the Royal Glenora Club.
’82 Suzanne Bizon, BCom, Gabriola Island,
British Columbia, writes to say: “Four years after
graduating from the U of A, I obtained my law degree
from UBC and practiced as a litigator in Vancouver for
18 years. I have now returned to the business world as
the owner and operator of Pilot Bay Guest House on
Gabriola Island, British Columbia (close to Nanaimo).
I’ve already had some great U of A grads as guests and
would love to see more of you.” You can reach Suzanne
at 250-247-7867 or www.PilotBayGuestHouse.com.
’82 Terry Freeman, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, Managing Director for Northern Plains Capital
participated in the 2nd Annual Energy Services Summit
as a panelist. Terry recently accepted an appointment
to McCoy Corporation’s Board of Directors.
’82 Maxwell Girvan, BCom, of Calgary,
Alberta, was recently elected a Director of the Calgary
Board of Education Staff Association.
’82 Ann Wilson, MBA, Kingston, Ontario,
recently graduated with an MA, Psychology from
Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado with hopes to
meld her counseling skills with her previous corporate
experience.
’83 James Mayer, BCom, of Camrose, Alberta,
was one of the distinguished alumni inducted to the
Camrose Composite High School’s (CCHS) wall of fame
for making outstanding contributions to society and
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 33
34 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
achieving excellence, at a ceremony on November 20.
The inductees each addressed CCHS students with
words of advice and wisdom. James told the students
in attendance, “My message today is simple: education,
education, education.... Wherever your path in life takes
you or wherever you call home do not forget about
community.” He returned to Camrose after graduating
from the University of Alberta to join the family business,
Central Agencies.
’83 Brenda Leong, BCom, of Vancouver, British
Columbia, was appointed by the provincial government
as Chair and CEO of the British Columbia Securities
Commission (BCSC) in October. Prior to this undertaking,
Brenda was the Chief Operating and Chief Enforcement
Officer of the BCSC.
’84 Vincent Chahley, BCom, of Calgary,
Alberta, was appointed as Managing Director of
Corporate Finance at FirstEnergy Capital Corp. in May.
’84 Altaf (Al) Jina, BCom, of Vancouver,
British Columbia, has been reappointed to the Board of
Continuing Legal Education Society and to the Board
of Health Employers Association of British Columbia.
Al is the President of Park Place Seniors Living Inc.
which operates seniors care and residential facilities in
Alberta and British Columbia.
’84 Jim Pratt, BCom, of Langley, British
Columbia, is the Chief Executive Officer of Sepp’s
Gourmet Foods Ltd., a manufacturer of private label
frozen breakfast products. With three plants in North
America (Vancouver, Toronto, Oklahoma), Sepp’s
supplies waffles, pancakes, and French toast to
retailers such as Sobey’s and Safeway. Jim spoke to
a group of MBA students at the CGA MBA Forum that
took place at the School on October 22.
’85 Judith Athaide, MBA, of Calgary, Alberta,
was appointed to the Board of Directors of CIMARRON
Engineering Ltd, an employee owned engineering firm
specializing in the development, design, installation and
integrity maintenance of oil and gas pipeline systems
and station facilities.
’85 Joe-Anne Priel, BCom, of
Hamilton, Ontario, is the
General Manager,
Community Services for
the City of Hamilton. As
a city manager, she
oversees issues such as Ontario Works, affordable
housing, recreation centres and long-care facilities. She
led the effort to marshal resources for tackling poverty,
with the creation of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty
Reduction. Joe-Anne received the YWCA Women of
Distinction Award for her work in reducing poverty and
homelessness. The awards ceremony was held at the
Hamilton Convention Centre on May 5.
’86 Ernie Zelinski, MBA, of Edmonton,
Alberta has just released
Career Success without
a Real Job. Ernie is the
author of the
international best-sellers
How to Retire Happy,
Wild, and Free, with over
100,000 copies sold and
published in seven
foreign languages, and The Joy of Not Working, with
over 225,000 copies sold and published in 17 languages.
To download a free e-book visit: www. retirement-cafe.
com; www.love-a-recession.com.
’86 Greg Gazin, BCom, of Edmonton, Alberta,
is a tech columnist, small business and technology
speaker, and avid blogger and podcaster. He received
the Toastmasters International Presidential Citation
on August 14 in recognition of his outstanding
achievements in representing the goals and ideals of
Toastmasters International. Referred to as the “Gadget
Guy,” he has penned more than 1,000 articles for Sun
Media, Canoe.ca, Edmontonians, and others and has
appeared on numerous radio and TV programs.
CLASSnotesDIALOGUE AND DISCUSSIONERIC GEDDES LECTURE SERIESFOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
’88 Richard Damecour, MBA, of Aurora, Ontario, was the guest speaker at the November 13 Eric Geddes Breakfast
Lecture in Edmonton at the Royal Glenora Club. He spoke on the topic of “Producing Energy as if People Mattered!” Richard is the CEO of FVB Energy Inc.
Edmonton – Royal Glenora Club
november 13 – richard Damecour, ’88 MBA, CEO, FVB Energy, Toronto
Topic: “Producing Energy as if People Mattered”
January 15 - Brian Vaasjo, ’81 MBA, President and CEO, Capital Power
Topic: “Capital Power The Next Chapter: Blazing a Trail”
February 10 - Anne Smith, President and CEO, United Way
Topic: “Answering the Call - Rationalize, Renew, Reward”
Calgary – Calgary Chamber of Commerce
april (tbc) - Pat Kiernan, ’90 BCom, Anchor, NY1, New York
may 18 - ivor ruste, ’77 BCom, Executive Vice President and CFO, Cenovus Energy
June (tbc) - Guy turcotte, ’76 MBA, Chairman, President and CEO, Stone Creek Resorts
Toronto
January 19 - Court Carruthers, ’93 BCom, President, Grainger International,Toronto Marriott Airport Hotel
april 15 - Mark Maybank, ’93 BCom, President and COO, Cannacord Capital Royal York
To register please visit www.business.ualberta.ca. For further information please contact [email protected]
’86 Cynthia L. Hansen, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, is currently the Vice President Finance for
Enbridge Pipelines.
’86 Heather King, BCom, of Vancouver, British
Columbia, was appointed Vice President of Finance at
Jinshan Gold Mines in November. Heather began as a
consultant with Jinshan in January 2009.
’86 Cam McDougall, BCom, of Toronto,
Ontario, was promoted to the position of Senior Vice
President, Credit and Market Risk Management.
Since joining Manulife in 2006, he has significantly
strengthened the Credit Risk Oversight function and has
recently assumed responsibility for the Reinsurance
Credit and Market and Model Risk Oversight functions.
Cam will also assume the role of Chief Credit Officer for
Manulife Financial.
’86 Rodney Simpson, MBA, of Edmonton,
Alberta, was appointed as Business Advisor at
Meyers Norris Penny following the merger of MNP
with Redstone Management Consulting Ltd. Rod was
previously the Managing Partner of Redstone.
’87 Linda Banister, MPM, ’83 BCom, of
Edmonton, Alberta, is the President and owner of
Banister Research & Consulting Inc. Linda held an all-
day survey research workshop titled “Survey Research:
A Practical Workshop for Planning and Managing
Surveys” at the Canadian Evaluation Society Alberta
Chapter in the summer.
’87 Margaret Samuel, MBA, of Toronto,
Ontario is President, CEO, and Portfolio Manager for
Enriched Investing Incorporated.
’87 Megan Watson, BCom, of Reading,
United Kingdom, and partner Wayne Lui, ’84 BSc, have
just moved back to England after spending six years
working for BG Group in Egypt and, most
recently, Kazakhstan.
’88 Jay Mehr, BCom, of Edmonton, Alberta, was
appointed Group Vice President, Operations of Shaw
Communications Inc.
’90s’90 Dave Bodnarchuk, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of
eventIQ Inc., an event software and services company.
Dave saw an opportunity to provide not-for-profits
with a reasonably-priced, easy-to-use product that
would help them streamline their event planning, from
issuing invitations, to tracking RSVPs, to doing online
registrations. When alumni attend School of Business
events chances are high they are registering via
Dave’s system.
’90 Lisa Davis, BCom, of Calgary, Alberta, is
Partner at FentonLea Capital Corporation an equity
investor in real estate projects. Lisa is also involved
with the Calgary Childrens Centre. The centre offers
both high quality educational and recreational programs
for children.
’90 Ray Iler, BCom, of San Francisco, California,
recently joined the hedge fund team of Deloitte’s Asset
Management Services practice. Prior to joining Deloitte,
he served as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate
Secretary for Quandris Canada, an oil and gas
technology company.
’90 Wayne Wright, BCom, of
Blackfoot, Alberta,
participated in the
“Shave Your Lid for a
Kid” for Kids Cancer
Care Foundation of
Alberta. On September 4, Wayne’s head was shaved,
with a little help from his friends at the Worlds
Professional Chuckwagon Association Races in Edmonton.
Wayne raised $7500 and plus for this great cause!
’91 Bill Addington, MBA, of Edmonton, Alberta,
Executive Vice President for Canadian Western Bank,
participated in the 2nd Annual Energy Services Summit
in July. Bill was a panelist on the topic “Access to
Capital,” during an active Q & A from the audience on
practical and strategic methods for raising money and
accessing investor funds in challenging markets.
’92 Monica Norminton, MBA of Edmonton,
Alberta, is the Chief Executive Officer and President of
the Alberta Pensions Administration Corporation (APA).
She was recently appointed to the City of Edmonton
Audit Committee. At APA, Monica oversees operations
and service delivery for the employers, plan governors
and members of Alberta’s public sector pension plans,
with transactions of approximately $3 billion annually.
Prior to joining APA, Monica was an Assistant Deputy
Minister with Alberta Environment. She also worked
for the Office of the Auditor General of Alberta as Chief
Administrative Officer.
’93 Graham Colwell, BCom, joined the
University of Alberta as Consultant, Compensation and
Design, Human Resource Consulting Services, in July of
this year from ISL Engineering.
’94 Kevin Smith, BCom, of Calgary, Alberta,
was appointed as the Managing Director of Corporate
Finance at Paradigm Capital Inc in October.
’95 Eric Axford, MBA, of Fort McMurray,
Alberta, was appointed Senior Vice President,
Operations Support of Suncor Oil Sands. His role
is to drive operational excellence and responsible
operations across Suncor’s integrated businesses,
with responsibility for the company’s environment,
health and safety and sustainable development
functions, as well as corporate centres of excellence
for maintenance and reliability, technical services
and standards, business and process improvement,
manufacturing and operations analysis and workplace
learning and competency. Eric is an active supporter
of the United Way and is a past chair of Suncor’s
Calgary campaign. He has served as a board member
on the Northern Lights Health Region and is active
volunteering for various charitable initiatives in
the community.
’95 Lesley Campbell, MBA, of Edmonton,
Alberta, is joining the Provost’s Office at the University
of Alberta in the role of Director, Faculty Relations.
Lesley is also a mentor for the MBA Mentorship
program at the School of Business.
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 35
36 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
’95 Barbara Engelbart, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, is the Director of Marketing for Goodwill
Industries of Alberta. Barbara is involved with the
Advertising Club of Edmonton - Advertising Creative
Excellence (ACE) Awards. The annual ACE Awards
recognize the best advertising and design work created
by in-market agencies, design houses, freelancers,
clients, media and suppliers.
’95 Mike Lake, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, Member of
Parliament for
Edmonton-Mill
Woods-Beaumont and
Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minister of Industry, spent an afternoon
on the North Campus this August to see how the
University of Alberta has grown. He revisited his alma
mater participating in a tour, visiting world class labs
and received several briefings about the institution’s
various initiatives, including a roundtable on the School
of Energy and Environment led by Dr. Joseph Doucet of
the School of Business.
’95 Sean Price, BCom, of St. Albert,
Alberta, took a position
as Associate Vice
President (Alumni
Affairs) and Executive
Director, Alumni
Association, at the University of Alberta. Prior to
returning to his alma matter, Sean served the Edmonton
Oilers in several leadership positions, including, most
recently, as Vice President (Family Brands) and, in that
capacity, was responsible for the highly successful
launch of the new Edmonton Capitals baseball team
. ’95 Craig Senyk, BCom, of Calgary,
Alberta, writes: “Here
are our new arrivals
Chase Dillon and Claire
Danielle born on May
21. They join our
3-year-old Carter. I think we are now done adding to the
world’s population; we don’t want to have any TV reality
shows following us around!!” Craig attended the annual
Stampede breakfast for business alumni in Calgary on
July 8.
’96 Todd Nash, MBA, of Edmonton, Alberta,
was named Business Advisor at Meyers Norris
Penny following the merger of MNP with Redstone
Management Consulting Ltd. Todd had been a Partner
at Redstone.
’98 Ruth Collins-Nakai, MBA, of Edmonton,
Alberta, is a board member and chair of the Medical
Advisory Committee at Exciton Technologies Inc. and
a member of the International Advisory Committee
at ProCor, a program of the Lown Cardiovascular
Research Foundation. Ruth was honoured by the City
of Edmonton for her community service. The Annual
Salute to Excellence Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
was held on June 9 in Edmonton.
’98 Marshall McAlister, BCom, CFA, of
Edmonton, Alberta, was recently established as the
Principal for Harrow Partners Private Counsel in their
first Edmonton office. The Alberta School of Business
was proud to partner with Marshall and Harrow
Partners in a recent event that brought Dr. Meir
Statman (globally renowned for his work in Behavioural
Finance) to campus where he spoke to an intimate
crowd at Alumni House. Marshall, his wife Jenny, and
son Grayden are also proud to announce the recent
arrival of Harris Benoit on April 25, 2009.
’98 Darcie Roach, BCom, of Edmonton, Alberta,
was recently named Nominating Chair of the Board of
Directors of the Edmonton YMCA.
’99 Sean Crockett, MBA, ’94 BCom, of Tokyo,
Japan was instrumental
in organizing related
events in July for Dean
Mike Percy’s visit. Sean
is the Managing Director of the Government of Alberta’s
Japan Office. Dean Michael Percy travelled to Japan to
meet with various University clients, stakeholders and
alumni to identify potential collaboration and exchange
partners for the University of Alberta. In addition to
meeting with Japanese universities, Dean Percy and
the Government of Canada, Alberta - Japan Office
organized an alumni dinner attended by 15 alumni
and clients.
’99 Steven Visscher, BCom, of Calgary,
Alberta, is a Canadian Investment Manager and
Chartered Financial Analyst. Steven provided
investment advice to students and young alumni. The
Investment 101 seminar took place at the U of A Calgary
Centre on November 19.
’00s’00 Pamela Freeman, MBA, of Edmonton,
Alberta, accepted the position of interim CEO with TEC
Edmonton as of September 2009.
’00 James Montgomery, BCom, of Uppsala,
Sweden, attended the School’s September Alumni
Welcoming Reception while home for a holiday. James
is the Logistics Controller for Fresenius Kabi AB, Market
Company Sweden.
’00 Joel Tennison, BCom and ’99 Melissa Moulton, BCom, of Calgary, Alberta, welcomed
their daughter, Sloane Olivia (8 lbs. and 50 cm long), on
August 3, 2009. “All is well as all are happy
and healthy!”
’00 Steve Lusk, BCom, of Austin, Texas, is the
Director of Global Planning for National Instruments
(NI), a maker of process control devices and a
consistent top finisher in the 100 best companies to
work for in the US. His employers told him they were
most impressed by his experiences gained in the U of
A’s Business Co-op program and by the overall depth
and breadth of his post-secondary education.
’01 Amanda Babichuk, BCom, of Edmonton, Alberta, opened
CLASSnotes
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 37
JOiN facebook u of a business alumni association (baa)
More than 700 membersWould you do us a favour?1) if you haven’t already done so, invite your friends who are
alumni to check out our group. it’s easy. in the upper right of the BAA page there is an “invite people to join” button.
2) Click the “Share +” button and post it to your profile (just three below the invite link)
Fax: 780.492.8748
telephone: 780.492.4083toll-free in Canada & us: 1.877.362.3222
thank you for sharing your news with us, and thank you for mentioning the university of alberta school of business affiliation in your announcements where many of these classnotes are found. thank you also for keeping your contact information up to date in order that you may continue to receive
your business alumni Magazine. we encourage you to stay connected with your alma mater and your classmates!
Network: See inside front cover for upcoming events
email: [email protected]
email for life: Your U of A Alumni Association now offers a full 6GB, Web-based ualberta.net e-mail account. Visit www.ualberta.ca/alumni/emailforlife to find out more.
Mail: external relations Alberta School of Business University of Alberta 4-40 Business Building edmonton, Alberta, Canada t6G 2r6
d’Lish Urban Kitchen, a meal-assembly studio, less than
a year ago. At various stations, clients assemble fresh
local, organic and natural ingredients to create tasty
ready-to-cook, freezer-friendly packaged meals.
Amanda’s innovation won her the 2009 Entrepreneur
of the Year Award at the YWCA’s Women of
Distinction Awards.
’01 Ryan Bowhay, BCom, of Calgary,
Alberta, was appointed Vice President of Corporate
Development at the Crossing Company Inc, Canada’s
leading provider of Horizontal Directional Drilling
Services, in July. Ryan has been with the Crossing
Company since 2003.
’01 Lara Oberg-Stenson, BCom, of
Edmonton, Alberta, was recently promoted to Senior
Manager at BDO Dunwoody LLP where she provides
tax and accounting services to personal and corporate
tax clients.
’01 Catherine Vu, BCom, of Edmonton, Alberta,
is the President of Pro-Active IT Management Inc.
Catherine received the Woman of Influence Award
which honours local women across Canada. The
awards ceremony was held on November 10 at the
Crown Plaza in Edmonton. A Woman of Influence is
defined as an authentic leader, an inspiring role model,
an extraordinary achiever, a catalyst for change, is
engaged in life, and is publicly recognized. Another
honour for Catherine was to be on the finalist list for the
2009 Edmonton Chamber of Commerce Small Business
Owner of the Year Award.
’02 Farah Albert, BCom, of Edmonton, Alberta,
works in a leadership role in the Revenue Requirements
department of ATCO Gas. “ATCO has an excellent
leadership program to encourage people within the
company to acquire the skills needed to progress
upward in their careers,” says Farah. She also takes
her leadership skills outside of the office and into
her volunteer role with Junior Achievement (JA) of
Northern Alberta where she spends time acting as an
advisor for the JA program, which provides opportunity
for young people to better understand how businesses
are developed, organized, managed and operated.
’02 Duane Bentley, BCom, of
Kelowna, British
Columbia, and his wife
Janna celebrated the
one year birthday of
their first daughter, Briar
Rose, on July 14.
’02 Shannadoa Pletcher, MBA, of Spruce
Grove, Alberta, is a Project Manager at Stantec. She
attended the School of Business Brunch and Open
House during Reunion weekend on October 3 after
recently returning from Australia.
keep in touch
New linkedinhttp://tinyurl.com/baa-linkedin
website: www.business.ualberta.ca
38 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009
CLASSnotes’02 Cory Wagner, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, and his wife
Heidi bought the rights
to all four Canadian
locations for The
Melting Pot, a
Miami-based restaurant chain where you cook your
own food at the table. The Melting Pot expects to open
its first non-US location in Edmonton in January 2010.
’02 Von Whiting, MBA, ’96 BCom, of
Edmonton, Alberta, has accepted the position of Senior
Administrative Officer in the Office of the Provost and
Vice-President (Academic) at the U of A. She started
her new position on August 1.
’03 Jen Panteluk, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, has qualified to compete in the World Triathlon
Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August 2010.
’03 Cary Williams, BCom, of Edmonton, Alberta,
has moved to Edward Jones in January 2009 after
working for almost five years as a Product Manager
with J. Ennis Fabrics. In his free time, Cary is active
in the Edmonton arts community working to create
a local branch of artsScene, a national organization
that brings together young business professionals
interested in growing the arts and creative industries
in their cities. He’s also the Co-chair of the City’s “Next
Gen” Committee, which has teamed up with the U of
A Office of Alumni Affairs to bring Petcha Kucha Night
5 to Edmonton. Explains Cary, “Petcha Kucha nights
were developed in Tokyo in 2003 to allow designers,
architects, and other young creative types to present
their work in a quick, simple, and exciting format.
Edmonton was the first Canadian city west of Toronto to
host a night, and it’s fifth one should be really exciting.”
For more about Petcha Kucha Night 5 visit:
www.edmontonnextgen.ca.
’05 Launa Linaker, MBA, of
Edmonton, Alberta
writes: “If you really
listen, can you hear
what your heart is
whispering? January
2009, my heart kept whispering if not now, when! 2009
was the year I really listened! This came two years after
a tragic personal loss, family gain and growing a
business - which resulted in burn out. It was divine
timing that I heard, that I listened and created ReNEW.
The essence of ReNEW Yoga & Retreats is to create
experiences for people to journey to the sacred space
of their heart so they ultimately live with joy each and
every day. The foundational principles including
mindfulness, intention, breath and affirmations I write
about in my book and are what help me to create each
day. At ReNEW we provide different services to support
the journey including yoga, retreats, lunch seminars and
workshops. Alot of the foundational work in the
seminars is based on my DREAMER coaching process
and years of self study in eastern principles and
philosphy. I am excited to tell that I am writing a book on
deliberately designing your dreams...in fact four of my
interviewees are UofA graduates. ReNEW services
focus on corporate, to support health and wellness at
the office and in the mountains too. The retreats are
built around a common theme of strengthening and
connecting Mind, Body and Spirit - from a corporate
view - we explore concepts for discovering/creating/
recreating the heart of business - I do utilize my MBA
education! Finally I have an amazing group of certified
facilitators who I call upon from alpine guides, outward
bound guides, adventure leaders, yoga, and corporate
coaches. I am also a certififed yoga instructor and soon
certified fitness instructor. ReNEW is hosting a ReNEW
City Retreat at the UofA Alumni House March 6 & 7,
2010. You can find out about upcoming retreats, and our
corporate wellness programs and workshops at www.
renewretreat.com and www.ceoscoach.com
’05 Blaire McCalla, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, was recently promoted to Communications
Consultant in the Office of the Mayor where she is
responsible for media relations, event planning, issue
management, writing, and special projects. She is also
a member of the City’s “Next Gen” Committee and
has worked extensively with “Edzimkulu,” a society
dedicated to enriching the lives of children in South
Africa living with AIDS.
’05 Tim Yewchuk, BCom, of Vancouver, British
Columbia, President and Co-founder of SWS Digital,
was recently featured on CTV National for a quirky
iPhone application that he developed called “Poop
the World.” The new iPhone application uses GPS
technology to literally track its user’s movements. He
also produced an infomercial for a pet shampoo which
he licensed.
’06 Robert Heinrichs, MBA, of Langley, British
Columbia, started his own engineering consulting
company named Guardian Engineering in spring 2009.
’06 Tyrel Brochu, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, writes: “My
wife (Shannon) and I
have been ballroom
dance students at the
Arthur Murray studio for
the past 17 months. What started out as a desire to
learn basic social dance skills quickly grew into an
addictive (and expensive) obsession. At the end of
October, we were part of a 27‐member team from
Edmonton that went to the Superama 2009 dance
competition at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas. This is the
largest dance competition of the year, held by the Arthur
Murray franchise, featuring studios from all over the
world. This year’s event had 11,000 individual dance
entries. Of those entries, Shannon and I had 61, dancing
nine different dance styles: waltz, tango, foxtrot, rumba,
cha cha, swing, salsa, west coast swing and salsa. We
are pleased to report that we took home gold in all of
the dances we performed together and we also
received an award for Top Solo (Newcomer Division)
for our lindy hop. This was particularly rewarding since
our routine was entirely choreographed by Shannon.”
While not dancing Tyrel is a Prospect Research Analyst
for the University of Alberta.
’07 Allan Berg, BCom, of Calgary, Alberta,
joined Cormark Securities Inc. which is a leading
independent investment dealer counseling Canadian
and international institutional investors and Canadian-
listed mid-cap and emerging growth companies from
offices in Toronto, Calgary and Montreal.
ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10 39
’07 Jen Lafferty, BCom, of Edmonton, Alberta,
took a position as an Account Executive with Incite
Solutions Inc, an Edmonton-based marketing firm.
Jen was formerly with the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of Alberta.
’07 Darryl Lesiuk, MBA, ’91 BCom, of
Edmonton, Alberta, was the guest speaker in the MBA
Program International Speaker Series. Darryl spoke
to the MBA students on this fall about what is working
and what is not when doing business in China. His topic
was titled An “In the Trenches” Experience of Doing
Business In and With China. Darryl is also President of
the Business Alumni Association.
’08 Taisa Ballantyne, BCom, of Hong Kong,
China, writes: “I took
time off to do some
missionary work for the
“Youth With A Mission”
program that started in Australia and has brought me to
Chennai, India. I’ll be back in Hong Kong in early
December before heading home for Christmas. I’ve
learned so much about different cultures this year. It’s
been quite incredible!”
’08 Angela Kercher, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, a Research Analyst in the Centre for Excellence
in Operations at the School, walked her first full
marathon on August 16 in six hours and 16 minutes. She
finished 10 overall and first in her age group. She also
finished her first half marathon in Vancouver in May.
’08 Fraser Murray, MBA, of Rome, Italy, writes
to us from Italy: “Right now, I’m helping launch a new
performance management system at the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The bulk
of my job is training the staff in the Rome office, but I
also went to Bangkok to deliver training there and will
likely be off to other offices in the New Year.”
’08 Byron Wakeling, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, writes that since graduating from the School of
Business in December 2007 he has been working as a
sales rep with Xerox.
’09 Charlene Butler, MBA, of Edmonton,
Alberta, is following her heart by doing as many things
as she can fit into each day. She incorporated her
consulting company “Butler Business Solutions Ltd.”
in March. Over the summer, she helped The Edmonton
Business Revitalization Zone Council (BRZ) with the
development of their strategic and communications
plans. She had the pleasure of working with Tamara
Korassa, an MBA summer intern at the BRZ Council,
on this very successful project. Earlier in the summer,
she finished up a project that started in January with
Edmonton’s Task Force on Community Safety. This
involved developing a social return on investment
evaluative framework for the recommendations that
were released in the Reach report. In September,
she returned to teaching Risk Management at Grant
MacEwan University to third and fourth-year BCom
students and, in October, she accepted a part-time
position as Manager of the Resource Centre for
Voluntary Organizations. Charlene also has a few new
consulting projects in the pipeline, sits on the advisory
council for GMU’s insurance and risk management
program, and is considering a couple of potential
board appointments.”I had worked for a variety of
large companies in senior roles prior to returning to the
University of Alberta School of Business to complete
my MBA. My goal upon graduation was to have career
independence and the freedom to work on a wide
variety of projects of my choosing. I have realized
that dream and I love it!” Charlene also participated
in the “Homeless for a Night” fundraiser for the Youth
Emergency Shelter Society and individually r
aised $3700.
’09 Brendan O’Connor, BCom,
of Edmonton, Alberta,
writes: “ Over the past
two months I’ve been
working as an
Investment Banking
Analyst for TD Securities in the Global Energy and
Power group. TD has been very busy lately, announcing
a $4.1 billion deal. Despite the long hours (every day this
week I’ve worked until at least 12:30 am) the days go by
fairly quickly. As the most junior guy in the office, most
of my day is spent digging up research, formatting
documents, and updating charts. The stakes are high
and the level of intensity and attention to detail is like
nothing I’ve ever experienced. That being said,
everyone here is very sharp, and can offer a lot of
valuable insight to someone breaking into the world
of finance.”
’09 Nick Keyko, BCom, of Edmonton, Alberta,
and his wife Kacey moved to Australia at the end of
November to explore the country and work there for a
couple of years. Nick had been working as a Business
Development Coordinator at the Edmonton Economic
Development Corporation since before graduating with
his Commerce degree.
’09 Jeff Martens, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, is working with PricewaterhouseCoopers
and is currently working on becoming a Chartered
Accountant. He is training to run the BMO marathon
in Vancouver next spring and got in some practice
this year when he attended the Running of the Bulls in
Pamplona, Spain.
’09 Tyler Shapka, BCom, of Edmonton,
Alberta, helped move
the earth after
graduation by helping
start a landscaping
company and has been
moving around the world since. He left Canada on June
23 and spent four months in Europe before hitting Cairo,
Egypt, in October. After Egypt, he planned on spending
two months in South East Asia before settling down in
Australia where he obtained a work visa, for an
undetermined period of time
’09 Darren Tansowny, MBA, of Ottawa,
Ontario, writes: “After graduation, I moved to
Ottawa with my family and resumed working for the
Department of National Defense, albeit in a new role at
the National Headquarters. My specific organization
is called Director General Land Equipment Program
Management, or “DGLEPM” since that is quite a
mouthful. DGLEPM is responsible for all material
acquisition and support (MA&S) for land equipment for
the Canadian Forces. The specific MA&S activities vary
by capability, but in general DGLEPM is responsible
for design, development, acquisition, and in-service
support for all land equipment and systems. Land
equipment includes everything from a tent to a tank.
A significant portion of our work is ensuring that
the soldiers in Afghanistan have the best possible
equipment support. My specific job entails strategic
and annual business planning, so the MBA goes
exceptionally well with my P.Eng to allow me
to conduct business oriented planning for a
technical organization.”
40 ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS • FALL/WINTER 2009/10
ONE YEAR outAIDAN cole carruthers: FUTURE GOLDEN BEAR OR PROFESSOR?
AIdAN’S FAThER, COURT CARRUThERS, ’93
BCOm, OF mISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, IS ThE
PRESIdENT ANd ChIEF ExECUTIVE OFFICER
OF GRAINGER INTERNATIONAL, a company that in November was recognized as having one of the most admired corporate cultures in Canada in an annual study by Waterstone Human Capital. It was the first time that an industrial company had been acknowledged in this regard by the study.
“WHAT IS CRITICAL IS TO PERSEVERE. LEARN WHAT YOU CAN, LAUGH AT THE CHALLENGES, AND CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON WHERE YOU ARE GOING AND WHY. SUSTAINED PERSISTENCE IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY IS WHAT SEPARATES THE FEW PEOPLE WHO CHANGE THE WORLD, FROM THE MANY PEOPLE WHO ASPIRE TO.” Court Carruthers, ’93 BComBCom Convocation AddressMarch 2008
GOLDEN BEAR?
PROFESSOR?
Dustin Bateyko, ’01 BComCushman & Wakefield Edmonton
Bill Blais, ’98 BComVice President Land DevelopmentMaclab Enterprises
Katrina Bonnycastle President, MBA AssociationAlberta School of Business
Ross Bradford, ’79 LLB, ’85 MBA School of Business Faculty Representative
Aaron Brown, ’97 BComSenior Manager, Portfolio Research Alberta Finance BAA Past President
B A A board of d i rectors
Cheng-Hsin Chang, ’06 MBAFinancial Security AdvisorFreedom 55 Financial
Elke Christianson Assistant Dean, External Relations Alberta School of Business
Jami DrakeManager, Alumni Programs Alberta School of Business
Christopher C. Grey, ’95 MBAInvestment Advisor and Financial Planner RBC Dominion Securities Inc.
Jane Halford, ’94 BComCEO & Executive DirectorInstitute of Chartered Accountants of AlbertaU of A Alumni Council Business Representative
Darryl Lesiuk,’91 BCom, ’07 MBABAA President
Thomson Leung President, Business Students’ AssociationAlberta School of Business
Kristan Morin, ’08 BComStudent Recruitment AdvisorUniversity of Alberta Faculty of Nursing
Michael Richard, ’06 BComInvestment AdvisorCanaccord Capital Corporation
Christoph Wilser, ’06 MBAManagement Consultant
John Whitmore, ’05 BComAssistant Branch ManagerRBC Dominion Securities Inc.
B U S I N E S S adv isory counci l members
Judith Athaide, BCom (Honours),MBA, PEng, ICD.DPresident The Cogent Group IncCalgary, Alberta
Linda Banister, FCMC, CMRP, ICD.D. PresidentBanister Research & Consulting Edmonton, Alberta
Court Carruthers, BCom, MBA, CMA Senior Vice President, W.W. Grainger President, Grainger International Mississauga, Ontario
Marc de La BruyèreManaging DirectorMaclab EnterprisesEdmonton, Alberta
Rosemary DomeckiPresidentDomtex Equities IncDallas, Texas
John Ferguson, FCAChairman, Princeton Ventures LtdChairman, Suncor Energy IncChancellor Emeritus and Chairman Emeritus of the Board of GovernorsUniversity of AlbertaEdmonton, Alberta
Karl H FunkePresidentA.M.I.G. InvestmentsDirectorArcway AGMunich, Germany
Bob GomesPresident and CEOStantec IncEdmonton, Alberta
Brian HeideckerChairBoard of GovernorsUniversity of AlbertaEdmonton, Alberta
Barry James, FCAManaging PartnerPricewaterhouseCoopers LLPEdmonton, Alberta
Kent JespersenChairman and CEOLa Jolla Resources International LtdCalgary, Alberta
Irv Kipnes, PEng, LLB (Honourary)President and CEO Delcon Development Group Ltd. and Executive ChairmanLiquor Stores Income FundEdmonton, Alberta
Phil LachambrePresidentPCML Consulting IncEdmonton, Alberta
Michael LangChairmanStoneBridge Merchant Capital CorpCalgary, Alberta
Ruo Hong LiChairman, China World Peace FoundationVice Chairman, Beijing Association for International Friendly Contact and Beijing Association of EnterprisesBeijing, China
Neil ManningPresident and CEOWajax LtdMississauga, Ontario
Gay Mitchell, ICD.DDeputy ChairmanRBC Wealth ManagementRBC Toronto, Ontario
Amit Monga, PhDExecutive Professor of FinanceUniversity of Alberta School of BusinessEdmonton, Alberta
Randall MorckStephen A Jarislowsky Distinguished Chair in FinanceUniversity of Alberta School of BusinessEdmonton, Alberta
Patricia (Tricia) O’Malley, FCAChairCanadian Accounting Standards Board Toronto, Ontario
Donald J. OborowskyCEOWaiward Steel Fabricators Ltd.Edmonton, Alberta
Mike PercyStanley A Milner Professor and DeanUniversity of Alberta School of BusinessEdmonton, Alberta
Roger PhillipsHonourary DirectorIPSCO Inc.Regina, Saskatchewan
Larry PollockPresident and CEOCanadian Western BankEdmonton, Alberta
Mary Ritchie, FCAPresidentRichford Holdings LtdEdmonton, Alberta
Indira SamarasekeraPresident and Vice ChancellorUniversity of AlbertaEdmonton, Alberta
Robert SandermanPresidentOakwood Commercial VenturesDenver, Colorado
Don SwystunExecutive Vice-President andPresident, Canadian Plains DivisionEnCana CorporationCalgary, Alberta
Joseph ThompsonChairmanPCL Construction Group Inc.Edmonton, Alberta
BAC Chairman:
Guy J TurcotteChairman, President and CEOStone Creek ResortsCalgary, Alberta
Kim WardPresidentInterward Asset ManagementToronto, Ontario
Don Wheaton JrPresidentDon Wheaton LimitedEdmonton, Alberta
Steven WilliamsChief Operating OfficerSuncor Energy IncCalgary, Alberta
Ralph YoungPresident and CEOMelcor Developments LtdEdmonton, Alberta
PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40065532 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO
EXTERNAL RELATIONS UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS 4-40 BUSINESS BUILDING EDMONTON, ALBERTA CANADA T6G 2R6
e-mail: [email protected]
is for Alberta: now and Forever
In October 2008, the Alberta School of business launched a $20 million initiative
called the “Preservation of the Name” campaign. Preserving the name might seem contrary to some in
a world where universities are aligning themselves with individual’s names
for an established price. But we believe that the name ALBERTA has
more brand equity than any one person’s name. We have raised 96% of our goal but we need your help. Preservation funds
go towards protecting the name forever while sustaining the
School’s outstanding work in educating leaders of tomorrow.
As alumni, you are a part of Alberta’s reputation, its history,
and its future. Join your classmates in being part of the
Preservation of the Name Campaign by
making a preservation gift to your School –
the Alberta School of Business.
For more information, go online at
www.business.ualberta.ca or call us
at 780-492-9195.