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Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas - the Rainforest podcast showcases those who are contributing to and / or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta. Rainforest Alberta is a world-class community of dreamers and doers, connected by a common goal of making Alberta fertile ground for building, developing, and growing innovative ideas into sustainable ventures. https://rainforestab.ca
Episodes
Tuesday Sep 20, 2022
Tuesday Sep 20, 2022
Are students ready for what comes next? Take on the future growing collaboration between industry and community to close the skills gap in Alberta.
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Host: Val McCarty is in the business of helping organizations visualize, communicate, and execute strategy in real time. Her studies were acquired at both University of Alberta and Grant MacEwan University, and encompassed Management, Education, and Human Services, with an aim to continue learning. Her previous experience includes the Financial Sector, Fitness Sector, and Early Childhood Education. When Val is not at work you can find her outside with her grandkids, or looking forward to the next live jam.
Guest: Dan Olesen is working with Alberta schools to connect students to employers for paid internships, in areas of skill shortages. A work integrated learning model that puts experience before post-secondary training.
As a passionate Albertan (born and raised), and a client focused resource professional in process development and program delivery; he has a proven track record in advancing education initiatives with social responsibility. In turn, works with participating partners to effectively engage youth into internship opportunities, as part of Alberta high school off campus education initiatives.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Links:
Show Quotes:
"so what do students really need? They need the people with the same values that resonate within the rainforest social contract. They need those people to step up and say hey, I wanna give you my time and show you what I do, and maybe give you a taste for what it is so that you can make better career educated decisions."
"The biggest risk around students is employers treating them like children. And when they do that, they usually have a harder time. When we start to embrace the professional side of students, it's amazing how quickly they step into that role and they're willing to engage. But when we keep them counting Popsicle sticks, they don't feel valued."
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: New Idea Machine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
Tuesday Sep 13, 2022
Tuesday Sep 13, 2022
Geoff Zakiab and Uriel Karerwa are making the digital world more inclusive through their new not-for-profit startup IncluCity that provides user testing with a pool of very diverse testers.
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Host: Al Del Degan I have been involved in software development for more than 25 years. I have started companies, lead companies and worked for companies - doing many different things. I am honored to be considered a leader in Alberta's innovation ecosystem, and I give back as much, and often as I can. When I am not working or podcasting, you will find me pursuing my passions of photography, crypto investing, and wood working along with the occasional round of golf.
Guest: Geoff Zakaib is a community organizer with a strong interest in data and technology. Over the last 10 years he has been involved in a number of initiatives that span the public, private and social sectors. He is a Director of Data for Good and the organizer of the Calgary chapter. He co-founded CivicTechYYC and has helped to build the civic tech ecosystem across Canada. Geoff is one of the founders of IncluCity Calgary and is a partner in the Centre for Social Impact Technology.
Guest: Uriel Karerwa is the project coordinator at IncluCity Calgary, an organization devoted to the inclusion of diverse and underrepresented voices in the design of technology. Uriel is responsible for coordinating the usability tests, the volunteer UX researchers, and the network of communities in Calgary that are consulted in the inclusion-centered design model.
Uriel has a background in Neuroscience, has worked with Neurodiverse groups, and has a history of coordinating community-geared initiatives. Former radio host and podcaster, he's also presented on the TEDx stage, sharing his own atypical neurological development.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Links:
- CivicTechYYC
- Data for Good
- Volly Volunteer App
- Civic User Testing
- Vivacity
- Calgary UX
- The Digital Accessibility Handbook
Show Quotes:
"it really does require efforts from everybody and people that are willing to get involved to provide that diverse group of testers and we would do that recruiting for you and conducts the usability tests, all the while keeping in contact with our client organization to make sure that everything is as intended, as expected"
"user design and usability testing is not new. Like we're not suggesting that it is right. So our value proposition, what we bring to the table is that built in inclusive, diverse group of testers. That's really hard to build."
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: New Idea Machine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
Tuesday Sep 06, 2022
Tuesday Sep 06, 2022
Alisha Olandesca was a stay at home mom for seven years before abruptly finding herself as a small business owner and fractional CFO. Hear how her attitude of "I don't know that yet" and curiosity has lead her to become a successful entrepreneur in the tech sector showing leadership in augmented reality technology.
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Host: Margo Purcell helps organizations and teams to uncover hidden talent; and generate ideas that lead to transformational change. Margo is a creative, driven and engaging learning and development professional with over 18 years of progressive achievement in training and development, consulting, public engagement, advocacy, customer service and coaching.
Margo is a skilled leader with an established reputation for creating environments for executive teams to shift perspectives. She is a trusted advisor for major corporations to facilitate discussions that lead to achieving desired results in complex and distributed corporate environments.
Guest: Alisha Olandesca started SOS Charging Solutions 8 years ago and operated as an event rental company until the pandemic shut them down in March of 2020. She quickly changed course and began offering Web Augmented reality as a digital marketing tool. Her partner, Joel, and herself saw some great traction in 2021 and they are looking to scale their business quickly. Alisha is proud that they kept their team intact and were brave enough to do something complete new!
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Links:
Show Quotes:
"So the hydrothermal liquefaction process that we have, it was originally developed to liquefy coal."
"these products when put into landfills create problems of methane. So the landfills produce methane and it is estimated that by 2030 landfills in the world will produce 50% of human caused methane emissions."
"we can take that plastic and make a toy dinosaur for a child that child can play with the toy dinosaur. And when he's done, it gets thrown away. When we take the plastic from that dinosaur and we can turn it back into new plastics to create that circular economy."
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: New Idea Machine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
Tuesday Aug 30, 2022
Tuesday Aug 30, 2022
Talking about a zero waste future by applying the innovative partnering of technologies
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Host: Val McCarty is in the business of helping organizations visualize, communicate, and execute strategy in real time. Her studies were acquired at both University of Alberta and Grant MacEwan University, and encompassed Management, Education, and Human Services, with an aim to continue learning. Her previous experience includes the Financial Sector, Fitness Sector, and Early Childhood Education. When Val is not at work you can find her outside with her grandkids, or looking forward to the next live jam.
Guest: Peter Voldeng is an innovative engineer with an extensive background in business and industry. He thrives on developing design concepts, growth strategies, engineering processes and development, and has a strong engineering understanding of industrial, commercial, and municipal infrastructure systems. Peter Voldeng is the Founder and President of VDQ-NRG Systems.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Links:
Show Quotes:
"So the hydrothermal liquefaction process that we have, it was originally developed to liquefy coal."
"these products when put into landfills create problems of methane. So the landfills produce methane and it is estimated that by 2030 landfills in the world will produce 50% of human caused methane emissions."
"we can take that plastic and make a toy dinosaur for a child that child can play with the toy dinosaur. And when he's done, it gets thrown away. When we take the plastic from that dinosaur and we can turn it back into new plastics to create that circular economy."
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: New Idea Machine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
In this first episode of a new series that I am calling "Where are they now", I once again connect with Jim Gibson, who I originally interviewed back on episode 32 on September 24th, 2019. A lot has happened since then and Jim has some new insight into the current tech job scene.
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Host: Al Del Degan I have been involved in software development for more than 25 years. I have started companies, lead companies and worked for companies - doing many different things. I am honored to be considered a leader in Alberta's innovation ecosystem, and I give back as much, and often as I can. When I am not working or podcasting, you will find me pursuing my passions of photography, crypto investing, and wood working along with the occasional round of golf.
Guest: Jim Gibson believes we are entering a new era of Innovation and Disruption that is being fueled by exponential technologies and challenged by our centuries old linear models of organization.
Jim knows this because it has been his life’s work and he has put all of this down in his recently published book, Tip of the Spear: Our Species and Technology at a Crossroads.
Jim has spent 30 years being at the center of technology’s evolution and adoption across the world. He has formed companies in spaces that didn’t exist prior to starting the business. He has succeeded – in varying ways and degrees - in most, and failed in some. Jim has been on the front lines of the very complex and difficult process of building real companies. He has put his company’s payroll on his VISA and has raised millions in start-up capital.
Complementing his entrepreneurial and capital investment is his Management Consultant designation (CMC) along with a Bachelor of Commerce in accounting and an MBA in Finance. With this Jim understands both the accounting and the real balance sheets of the companies with whom he engages.
With Jim's recent work he has come to appreciate that some of the best technologies, innovations and breakthroughs will come from places in our global economy where we least expect.
At this stage of his life, Jim is delighted to be able to freely move about the world but he is keen to the challenge of our local innovation ecosystems. He can work from anywhere. He has traveled extensively throughout the world and is naturally empathetic and culturally sensitive.
Jim is open to new approaches to compensation and reward where risk is matched with return. He wants to generate wealth that includes new experiences, social good and being part of a change agenda for a global firm.
Jim looks forward to the next decade of establishing new ways of working – for himself and for the large, medium and small companies he will engage with across the world.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Links:
Show Quotes:
"in those situations you have to really be confident. And I I'll tell you, the first year was challenging, but it turns out it was not challenging because the institution was not like me or I wasn't like them. We are standing up a brand new school in the middle of a pandemic."
"I don't wanna get too controversial here, but in rainforest philosophy, you gotta give before you take, and so this was a perfect catalyzing opportunity."
"I'm leaning in hard on that one as a cross initiative to say, how do we build? And, students with this notion of being a better digital citizen. What does that mean? So every SAIT graduate comes out and goes I understand what it means to be agile, to be, you know safe and secure"
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: New Idea Machine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
Tuesday Aug 16, 2022
Tuesday Aug 16, 2022
Brigitte and Zac talk about all things community! Particularly, how Zac got into Community, the benefits of being community led, where community is in the Alberta tech ecosystem and their new events series called the Business of community.
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Host: Brigitte Legault is a community and strategy consultant currently working with Rainforest Alberta, TuskHub Inc., and Village Wealth. She is driven by community-led strategies that drive business results and empower its members. Connecting people and resources is her super power!
Guest: Zachary Novak is the founder of FML Studios, a community studio that helps technology companies and organizations build thriving communities.
As part of FML Studios, is Careers in Technology and Innovation a community dedicated to helping mid career professionals break into tech.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Links:
- Episode 107 of the LIBI Podcast with Zac Novak
- Careers In Technology and Innovation (CITI)
- Zac and Brigitte Community Case Study: Spontivly
- FML Studios
Show Quotes:
"I've also seen some people that are in community get promoted into brand or marketing, which makes me a little bit sad."
"The flip to community is when the members or the users or your customers get just as much value from each other as they get from what you're doing."
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: New Idea Machine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
Tuesday Aug 09, 2022
Tuesday Aug 09, 2022
Hamid Rafiei was one of those kids that loved to take things apart, figure out how they worked, and sometimes successfully put them back together with some new features that didn't exist before. This lead him to a career working with manufacturing and automation where he currently holds the role of VP Manufacturing for CoolIT Systems. Learn about implementing robots to automate a production line and the benefits of onshore manufacturing in this episode.
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Host: Al Del Degan I have been involved in software development for more than 25 years. I have started companies, lead companies and worked for companies - doing many different things. I am honored to be considered a leader in Alberta's innovation ecosystem, and I give back as much, and often as I can. When I am not working or podcasting, you will find me pursuing my passions of photography, crypto investing, and wood working along with the occasional round of golf.
Guest: Hamid Rafiei Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Electrical and Computer Engineering
As the Vice President of Manufacturing, Hamid drives production and manufacturing engineering teams for new product, process introductions, and integrated automation ensuring a smooth and efficient transition from design engineering to manufacturing production. His valuable leadership to his team guides the efficient development and implementation of product and process improvements of new and existing DLC products.
Hamid is focused on a continuous improvement mindset. He firmly believes in measuring the effectiveness of processes, studying trends, and improving the manufacturing process for the journey towards zero defects & perfect on-time performance.
Hamid is focused on a continuous improvement mindset. He firmly believes in measuring the effectiveness of processes, studying trends, and improving the manufacturing process for the journey towards zero defects & perfect on-time performance.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Links:
Show Quotes:
"Seeing how fast things move. That was the first learning point for me coming from a very large multibillion dollar company and seeing how the business is running there, joining a smaller company who's growing increasingly fast."
"There were some funny moments during that implementation and we finally find out that some of the things you can make it easier by just going to something as simple as a gravity conveyor instead of a robot that you would be able to place a component, have it travel from point a to point B"
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: New Idea Machine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
Innovation Forecasting: A structured approach to predicting future innovations and business improvements
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Host: Val McCarty is in the business of helping organizations visualize, communicate, and execute strategy in real time. Her studies were acquired at both University of Alberta and Grant MacEwan University, and encompassed Management, Education, and Human Services, with an aim to continue learning. Her previous experience includes the Financial Sector, Fitness Sector, and Early Childhood Education. When Val is not at work you can find her outside with her grandkids, or looking forward to the next live jam.
Guest: With a Bachelor of Biomedical Science, Shannon Phillips thinks like a scientist to better understand human behaviour and decision making. He’s your go-to for innovation management, organizational change management and organizational behaviour strategic planning, and innovation. He’s also trained in different psychology concepts, such as behavioural psychology, emotional intelligence, and personality psychology. Shannon loves thinking outside the box and challenging others to do so. He’s people-focused and is always trying to understand why people do what they do.
Guest: Tristan Ham has a background in human services, mainly in child protection. He did this both in Australia and in Canada. Throughout this work, Tristan worked with adult learners with frameworks from Crisis intervention to Change management. He later worked in the tech industry with recruitment and for the last few years has been working in program delivery with Startup Edmonton. His main roles with Unbounded Thinking are Business development and program delivery. You can always find this Sci-Fi nerd arguing what is and isn’t canon in the Star Wars universe!
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Links:
Show Quotes:
"[innovation forecasting] it's a way for businesses to predict or simulate their future by using that structured approach. It's kind of bringing that futurist thinking into businesses"
"Every business needs to have that survival tactic of how do I adapt. How do I become resilient? Otherwise another company is gonna come along and knock you off."
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: New Idea Machine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
When you get to that point where you are highly productive, and you feel like you can do anything, that is the state called "Flow". Jeremy Jensen has been studying flow for years and his passion is helping people lead authentic and intentional lives, rich with experiences that make them feel alive.
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Host: Peter Beaudoin Peter manages strategy and partnerships for an innovative alliance of energy companies committed to reducing environmental impacts through collaborative R&D efforts. Peter worked for more than 20 years in Asia building and investing in a variety of businesses. His most recent role outside of Canada was with the World Wildlife Fund, where he was the Chief Executive Officer of WWF China, based in Beijing. Prior to that, Peter lived in Hong Kong for 15 years working in the technology industry.
Guest: Jeremy Jensen is an entrepreneur, speaker, and mountain sports athlete - passionate about helping people lead authentic and intentional lives, rich with experiences that make them feel alive! His interests lie at the intersection of flow science, lifestyle design, and action/adventure sports.
He is the founder of Crux Academy, an online learning platform where you can learn from and engage with the world's best topic experts in the adventure community.
He is also the co-founder of Outwild, a community and event series that brings together outdoor and adventure-minded individuals to share ideas, optimize their lifestyles, create businesses, build meaningful connections, and play hard outside.
Jeremy is also the creator of the Adventurepreneur Podcast, where he shares the stories of problem solvers, change makers, athletes, and outside the box thinkers - who have built their passion for adventure, travel, and the outdoors into businesses, projects, or fulfilling lifestyles.
His main priorities are to always be growing, helping other people, building and maintaining meaningful relationships, experiencing new things, and chasing flow states.
Jeremy holds an MBA and MA in Social Entrepreneurship from the American University, a BA in Spanish from the University of Utah, and is a certified flow lecturer/coach - studying under the world’s foremost authority and thought leader on flow and optimal performance - Steven Kotler.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Links:
- Crux Academy (https://www.crux.academy/)
- Adventurepreneur Podcast (https://www.jeremyrjensen.com/podcast)
- Author: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66354.Flow)
- Author: Cal Newport (https://www.amazon.ca/Cal-Newport/e/B001IGNR0U)
- Author: Steven Kotler (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50209348-the-art-of-impossible)
- Dr. Huberman at Stanford (https://profiles.stanford.edu/andrew-huberman)
Show Quotes:
"Think about a good movie, a great conversation, playing with your kids. The moment where you're just shining in a meeting or with a colleague. Those are flow moments."
"Executives in flow are 500% more productive than not in flow. So, if you can imagine the implications over time, if you can systematize that, make it consistent. Yeah, pretty big implications."
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: New Idea Machine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
Over the years there has been a lot of businesses that have grown from the Rainforest, and long-time Rainforester, Heiko Peters, remembers the early days and how they lead to him wanting to give back to the community. Alethea Medical grew from that effort, and now helps so many people receive help from medical specialists in a fraction of the time it used to take.
Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta. The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.
Host: Al Del Degan I have been involved in software development for more than 25 years. I have started companies, lead companies and worked for companies - doing many different things. I am honored to be considered a leader in Alberta's innovation ecosystem, and I give back as much, and often as I can. When I am not working or podcasting, you will find me pursuing my passions of photography, crypto investing, and wood working along with the occasional round of golf.
Guest: Heiko Peters has been involved in all aspects of the project and software development lifecycle for 20+ years as a Developer, Technical Lead, Project Manager, Management Consultant, Executive, and Entrepreneur.
Please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. If you are interested in being either a host, a guest, or a sponsor of the show, please reach out. We are published in Google Podcasts and the iTunes store for Apple Podcasts We would be grateful if you could give us a rating as it helps spread the word about the show.
Show Links:
Show Quotes:
"So 66 is the year that that Fortran came out, Right? So we're dealing with a language now older than me. So that was interesting. And actually it was so old that it still thought it used punch cards. It actually had this C wrapper around it that took the text file and converted it back into the punch card format that the simulator was expecting."
"I start pushing transformation. It runs contrary to what they're comfortable with. Now, what they're comfortable with is what got them to where they are right now. But anyways, so eventually they get tired of me. And so I got tired of arguing with people to make them successful despite themselves and decided I was gonna make myself successful despite myself."
"So what's really weird is that the environment here is actually, I think people don't realize, it's actually much bigger than most people realize. I don't even think we even know the number. I remember Zumwalt saying it's like somewhere between 300 and 700 small companies."
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: New Idea Machine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan