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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 May 18, 2021
Tuesday May 18, 2021
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.
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.
Naheed Shivji is a serial entrepreneur and investor. He has invested in his startup cyber security company and has a lot to offer listeners in terms of his journey and success of his IT company, Rafiki Technologies. Naheed is a member of EO Calgary (Entrepreneur’s Organization) and is continuously working with other entrepreneurs while mentoring his team. Due to racial inequality, he has overcome many obstacles and has since implemented the value of diversity within his organization. His organization contributes to diminishing racial barriers and increasing diversity in the IT community and workplace environment. With over 20 years of IT experience, Naheed has brought Rafiki Technologies to where it is today. He is a passionate entrepreneur helping companies understand and embrace technology and is always searching for business best-practices while giving back to the community. Naheed works hands-on with his clients to develop winning IT strategies and smooth implementations. He is constantly learning and adapting to industry trends to maintain Rafiki Technologies’ position as a leading managed IT services company in Canada.
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 Summary
When you have been passionately dealing with technology for as long as Naheed Shivji has, you get to know it pretty well. Join us as we dive into exciting tech topics like cloud computing, cyber security, and what the future might look like.
Show Quote:
"We also saw a shift where a lot of companies where hesitant moving to the cloud"
"Education is a key piece in the cybersecurity policy"
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: SAIT School for Advanced Digital Technology
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.
Tuesday May 11, 2021
Tuesday May 11, 2021
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.
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.
Alex Villeneuve Alex Villeneuve founded Ceres while attending the Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management Program at Olds College in 2015. In the first day of the program, Alex saw the large amount of high-quality grain by-product left after the brewing process was simply thrown away in craft breweries. Seeing this underutilization of some of the best malt grade gain in the world, he was inspired to find an environmentally friendly alternative. In the following years, with the support of Olds College, government funding, prize money and his immediate family, Alex grew the company from the Ziploc experiments in his dorm room closet to a massively scalable system with custom processing equipment and client base.
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 Summary
Please join Peter Beaudoin as he discusses the entrepreneur journey of Alex Villeneuve, CEO of Ceres Solutions. Ceres Solutions operates on a truly sustainable and circular model, supporting local breweries, chefs, food processors and ranchers.
Show Quote:
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: UFA Co-operative Limited
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.
Tuesday May 04, 2021
Tuesday May 04, 2021
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.
Janay Meisser Janay Meisser is a leader; she is a curious observer, and she is the Director of Innovation at UFA Co-operative Limited, an Alberta-based farming cooperative that has been weaved into the fabric of Alberta for over a century. Janay is discovering technology that will enable the farm of the future, which is focused on Ag Technology that creates value for Alberta Producers. Janay is building and accelerating UFA's corporate innovation program in support of growth and diversification of industry in Alberta. UFA is quickly earning a voice in the Alberta innovation community, participating and acting as a moderator for panels of influencers during Ag innovation events.
Spencer Kerber Naturally curious. Founder at Bessie. The API connecting farmers to local eaters. We're changing how food gets from producers to plates. Before Bessie, I spent my career doing some engineering, some consulting—but always eating.
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 Summary
Spencer Kerber, Founder of Bessie, the API connecting farmers to local eaters. Spencer shares his journey to entrepreneurship through his passion for food and the community and experience that surround good food. Like many Spencer did not see himself as an entrepreneur, "it just kind of happened". Spencer has always dug deep into curiosity and that led him into turning his passion for food experiences into his day job.
Show Quote:
"Empowering Producers"
"Awesome experiences for customers and suppliers"
"A lot on our plate, figuratively and literally"
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: UFA Co-operative Limited
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.
Tuesday Apr 27, 2021
Tuesday Apr 27, 2021
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.
Wunmi Adekanmbi Wunmi Adekanmbi immigrated 10 years ago from Nigeria where she was a post-secondary instructor and researcher, and led a youth empowerment non profit. Wunmi is passionate about people, information and solutions - in that order. She is a strategist and a connector. Her greatest motivation is creating coherent value streams across organizational functional units using a systems thinking approach. She strives to inspire confidence and intentionality in leadership, equip teams to execute from a big picture perspective, and harness community inter-dependencies. Wunmi is the Organizer and host of Immigrant Techies Alberta, a tech enthusiast group for skilled immigrants who are in or are interested in pivoting to tech careers and startups.
Muhammad Ali Abid I love working with teams to create human-centred solutions for their challenging problems. Over the past 10 years, I have lived in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta and have worked as a clinician, administrator, improvement consultant and now a healthcare designer. I am never satisfied with the status quo, constantly curious, comfortable with uncertainty and embrace polarities. It is no surprise that I am passionate about creativity and bringing innovation to organizations. When I am not on the job, I am an active board member of the Canadian College of Health Leaders. I am also busy being a dad of two toddlers, spin-class, binging on podcasts and Netflix. I am also a social entrepreneur working to tackle elderly loneliness.
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 Summary
Ali discusses the challenges of innovation and transformation in healthcare and how Alberta Health Services Design Lab is tackling complex healthcare problems using human-centered design. The episode also touches on health equity and how Ali's initiative, GenHelp, addresses loneliness in the elderly population.
https://JoinGenHelp.com
Show Quote:
"If you can make things better, just do it. Find a need, fill a need."
"Most of the current improvement initiatives in healthcare are incremental. There's a need for transformative innovation."
"Patients today are more informed, educated and have higher expectations. They are healthcare consumers."
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: SAIT School for Advanced Digital Technology
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.
Tuesday Apr 20, 2021
Tuesday Apr 20, 2021
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.
Rebecca Finley-Schidlowsky - Rebecca is a Management Consultant who specializes in Governance and Strategic Planning. She has worked with hundreds of Boards and Senior Management Teams in the startup, private enterprise, not-for-profit and public sectors across Canada. Rebecca has been the Board Chair and Governance Committee Chair of Next Gen Men for the past 4 years and has led the development of the organization’s Board and Committee structure from the ground up. An accomplished speaker and facilitator, Rebecca has also had the privilege of being a guest speaker for MBAs/EMBAs at The Drucker School of Management based in Claremont, California (USA). Rebecca runs a Governance Basics Blitz Workshop targeted at not-for-profits and associations that has welcomed participants from Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, California, Spain, and New Zealand. Rebecca and her colleague Jeff Homer, host workshops specifically targeted at helping startups understand governance complexities.
Daniel Delgado - Daniel joined TradeSpace as a co-founder in 2018. As Co-founder Daniel oversees product development, business strategy, marketing, finance, operations, technology and team development. Prior to co-founding TradeSpace Daniel has been part of consulting engineering firms which allowed him to achieve his professional engineering status. Daniel is also the founder of a tech-enabled engineering firm (Enginectra) that is building a two-sided marketplace for mechanical and electrical engineering services. Daniel enjoys active learning about start-ups and traveling around the world with his family.
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 Summary
Rebecca talks with Daniel regarding his journey from Venezuela to Canada in search of work. While in Calgary he founded two companies, one of them being TradeSpace, a first of its kind that provides a collision space for construction companies, small manufacturers and e-commerce distribution companies giving them an ecosystem that can encourage them to grow.
TradeSpace's Instagram
Show Quote:
"The definition of luck that I really like is when opportunity meets talent "
"In general, that's where immigrants play a huge role in creating a new way of doing things. Because new ways of doing things is what is going to drive the world forward."
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: SAIT School for Advanced Digital Technology
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.
Tuesday Apr 13, 2021
Tuesday Apr 13, 2021
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.
Patrick Wu Patrick is a freelance graphic designer, UX designer, and marketing consultant with a background in biotechnology and life sciences commercialization. His career has taken him across a wide range of areas, from sales and marketing, government advocacy, ecosystem development, and now design. Since 2016, he has since been an active member in the Rainforest community, advocating for technology, innovation, and life sciences in Alberta.
Mackenzie Bedford Mackenzie Bedford is a queer emerging creative from Golden, BC, based in Calgary, AB since 2011. She built her creative foundations with a Visual Arts Diploma from Red Deer College before applying them, with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing at Mount Royal University. Establishing herself in Calgary by managing community and communications for startups and nonprofits for several years inspired her to venture out as a freelance creative strategist in 2020. Her work is often found in branding, animation and murals. She's also an introverted sci-fi lover with a penchant for karaoke.
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 Summary
Patrick interviews Mackenzie about what she's been up to since she left her role as the Community Manager of the Rainforest and began freelancing as a creative strategist and artist.
Show Quote:
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.
Tuesday Apr 06, 2021
Tuesday Apr 06, 2021
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.
Janay Meisser Janay Meisser is a leader, she is a curious observer, and she is the Director of Innovation at UFA Co-operative Limited, an Alberta based farming cooperative that has been weaved into the fabric of Alberta for over a century. Janay is discovering technology that will enable the farm of the future, focused on Ag Technology that creates value for Alberta Producers. Janay is building and accelerating UFAs corporate innovation program in support of growth and diversification of industry in Alberta. UFA is quickly earing a voice in the Alberta innovation community, participating and acting as a moderator for panels of influencers during Ag innovation events.
Karen Schuett As Co-founder and CEO of Livestock Water Recycling, the global leader of digitized manure treatment technology and named one of the Top Agtech Companies to watch in 2020 by Successful Farming magazine, Ms. Schuett oversees the integration between LWR’s overall corporate strategy and its focus on innovation. Karen has become a sought-after speaker within the agtech ecosystem. She has brought her message of lagoon free protein production to industry events across North America, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East where she sparked interest from the office of the Ministry of Climate Change & Agriculture in Dubai. In 2020 Karen was named one of the six most influential women in Canadian Agriculture for her vision of Lagoon free protein production and was selected to join Google’s first Google for Startups Accelerator for Women Founders. Most recently, LWR made the FoodTech 500 as the highest ranking Canadian agfoodtech company, claiming the 31 st spot.
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 Summary
This UFA sponsored episode has Janay Meisser chatting with Karen Schuett about something we don't spend much time thinking about. What exactly happens to water and cow manure on a farm? Well Karen has the environmental answer to that question and more.
Show Quote:
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: UFA Co-operative Limited
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
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.
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.
Stephen Wilson Stephen is experienced in sales, business development, and operations. Always looking to add a positive contribution to all stakeholders, Stephen brings high-level thinking and a broad base of experience. Stephen graduated from the Sauder School of Business with a Bachelor in Commerce. Starting his career at an event marketing company, he moved into fashion before finding his passion for electronics. Having worked with startups in the LED lighting space to a global company in power conversion, Stephen has worked in teams both small and large to raise financing, launch products, drive volume and deliver on complex custom sales.
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 Summary
In this episode we talk with Stephen Wilson VP Acceleration at the Foresight Cleantech Accelerator Centre who are transforming the Alberta cleantech ecosystem. Join us as we discuss their journey of building the cleantech development across the prairies.
Show Quote:
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.
Tuesday Mar 23, 2021
Tuesday Mar 23, 2021
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.
Adam Ludgate Adam is a technical leader who is involved in the startup/tech community and is enticed by new and innovative ways of solving problems with technology. He has worked previously with the likes of IBM Canada, AOL UK, tech startups in London's 'Silicon Roundabout' as well as with a variety of oil & gas software firms in various software development and leadership capacities.
Tyler Chisholm Tyler is the co-founder and CEO of clearmotive marketing which is full-service marketing agency that delivers marketing and communication strategies cross-channel. As host of two podcasts, They Just Get It and Collisions YYC, Tyler brings a voice to advocates, challengers and thought leaders to inspire lively dialogue and bold actions towards creating a better Calgary.
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 Summary
Tyler & Adam talk about the Collisions YYC podcast, what Tyler has learned in hosting 127 podcasts, challenges with AB tech diversification, the Alberta/Calgary tech economy, Tyler's company clearmotive marketing, and challenges in growing the Alberta tech talent base.
Show Quote:
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.
Tuesday Mar 16, 2021
Tuesday Mar 16, 2021
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.
Wunmi Adekanmbi Wunmi Adekanmbi immigrated 10 years ago from Nigeria where she was a post-secondary instructor and researcher, and led a youth empowerment non profit. Wunmi is passionate about people, information and solutions - in that order. She is a strategist and a connector. Her greatest motivation is creating coherent value streams across organizational functional units using a systems thinking approach. She strives to inspire confidence and intentionality in leadership, equip teams to execute from a big picture perspective, and harness community inter-dependencies. Wunmi is the Organizer and host of Immigrant Techies Alberta, a tech enthusiast group for skilled immigrants who are in or are interested in pivoting to tech careers and startups.
Karen McPherson Karen McPherson was born in Edmonton and grew up in the Grande Prairie area of Northern Alberta. After attending the University of Calgary, she raised two children while pursuing a career in technology, working as a Network Manager, Architect and Developer in the Manufacturing sector in Canada, Massachusetts and the United Kingdom as well as a Business Analyst and Business Continuity Consultant in the Oil & Gas sector in Calgary. In 2015, Karen was elected as the MLA for Calgary-McKay-Nose Hill on the NDP ticket. During her time in office, she was a passionate advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and those living in rural areas without stable internet access and co-sponsored the Alberta Investor Tax Credit Bill to encourage more growth in the Alberta Tech Sector, as well as introducing legislation to help get Albertans back to work. She continued this advocacy after briefly sitting as an independent and later joining the Alberta Party in October 2017. Since leaving politics Karen has become certified in Change Management, participated Full Stack Developer program and sits on the Board of a local Not For Profit, as well as continuing to advocate for reliable high-speed rural internet.
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 Summary
Karen is an advocate for a provincial strategy to ensure all Albertans have access to reliable high speed internet, and the social, educational and economic opportunities that brings to everyone. She talks about about a project she's working on to address the digital divide between rural and urban Alberta
Show Quote:
"High speed internet is like a road infrastructure. A community is disconnected without it."
"Digital divide is not a rural Alberta problem. It is an Alberta problem."
Credits...
This Episode Sponsored By: Community Now! Magazine
Episode Music: Tony Del Degan
Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan
System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.