George Melville, founding chairman and owner of Boston Pizza International Inc., has been reappointed for a three-year term as university chancellor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU). Melville’s connection to KPU goes back decades and includes roles as the parent of a KPU student, a member of the university’s board of governors, the recipient of an honorary degree and as a donor – in 2012, Melville and his wife, Sylvia, donated $500,000 to the university, the single largest donation to KPU’s Richmond campus at the time and used to create the Melville Centre for Dialogue.
Finance
Mario Furlan has been appointed to the new role of senior vice-president, real estate and specialized lending, for Canadian Western Bank while Blaine Forer has been appointed to the role of senior vice-president and regional general manager, British Columbia, at the bank.
Legal
Theresa Joo has joined Dentons’ Vancouver office as an associate in its construction, infrastructure and litigation and dispute resolution groups. Joo’s practice encompasses both project development and dispute resolution, and has clients on a variety of construction matters, including contract preparation, regulatory advice, contract disputes, negligence claims, and insurance disputes in complex multi-party litigation. During law school, Joo worked as a summer student at a large full-service law firm in Seoul, Korea, where she assisted senior counsel with international arbitration and dispute resolution matters.
Camille Chisholm has joined Lawson Lundell LLP’s Vancouver office as an associate in the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution group.
Media
Paul Welsh and Glen Edwards have joined National Public Relations as managing partner of its Vancouver office and as senior vice-president, client strategy, respectively. Welsh was recruited following Zdenka Buric’s decision to retire as managing partner of the Vancouver office. From 1995 to 2007, Welsh was at Karyo Communications, which was acquired by Edelman in 2007. Welsh then helped to guide Edelman’s expansion, including the launch of a Calgary office. From 2013 to 2016, Welsh served as chief commercial officer for Edelman Canada and helped to open Edelman’s Ottawa office.
Edwards has two decades of experience in communications, media relations and branding. Edwards also has financial communications experience in the natural resources sector for companies including Fronteer Gold, Aurora Energy Resources, Pilot Gold (now Liberty Gold) and Blue Gold (later renamed True Gold). Edwards has also recently served as contributing editor and writer for Business in Vancouver.
Non-profit
Wayne Leslie has been appointed executive director of the Down Syndrome Research Foundation. Leslie was previously CEO of BC Adaptive Snowsports.
Larry Clay, founder and president, Clay Construction Inc., has been elected chair of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association (GVHBA). Also elected to the 2017-18 executive committee: Garett Wall (first vice-chair), Centra Windows; Mark Cooper (second vice-chair), Shakespeare Homes; and Avtar Johl (secretary/treasurer), Platinum Group of Companies. Directors on the board are: Blake Hudema, Via Allegro; Blake Ponuick, Preston Mobility; Dan Glavind, Dick’s Lumber; Darren Cranston, Polygon Homes; Gary Mertens, Qualico Developments; Ian Moes, Kuhn LLP; Jake Fry, Smallworks Studios Laneway Housing; Janai York, Glacier Media Group; Jason Wolfe, FortisBC; Lynn Harrison, Harrison Marketing Resources Ltd.; Matt Robinson, Monarch Floor & Window Coverings; Randy Chin, RBC Financial; Rob Currie, Basement Systems Vancouver Inc.; and Rob Griesdale, Blackfish Homes.
Public
RavenQuest Biomed Inc., a publicly traded cannabis company, has appointed the following:
Bill Robinson will lead the company’s efforts in government and Indigenous relations and strategic partnerships. Benilda Sable will oversee the company’s quality assurance and compliance standards; she has expertise in the food, hemp and medical marijuana industries. Noel Avila will act as the company’s conduit to newly acquired Alberta Green Biotech and will oversee the construction, licensing and completion of the 35,500-square-foot production facility in Edmonton, slated for completion in mid-2018. Jason Morris is responsible for service delivery and overall project management. David Cross has been appointed chief financial officer. Marla Ritchie brings 25 years’ experience in public markets and will act as corporate secretary.
Real Estate
George Richmond has joined Frontline Real Estate Services Ltd. as a commercial sales and leasing specialist with a focus on office and retail properties located in the Fraser Valley. Richmond was previously a sales associate at CBRE Group.
Resources
John Kiernan and Rick Zimmer have been appointed chief operating officer and non-executive chairman of the board of directors, respectively, at Ascot Resources Ltd. Kiernan is a mining engineer with more than 30 years of operational development experience, including a cumulative four years as an underground miner and operating foreman. Previously, Kiernan served as vice-president, project development, at Magellan Minerals, as a mining analyst for PI Financial Corp. and as vice-president, mining/mine manager, at Roca Mines Inc. Zimmer has more than 40 years of experience in mining and project management and has served on a number of boards and board committees as an independent director.
Russell Ball, Dan Isserow and Jessica L. McDonald have been appointed to the board of directors of Trevali Mining Corp. following the voluntary resignations of Catherine Gignac, David Huberman and David Korbin. In addition, Mike Hoffman has been appointed chairman of the board, succeeding Huberman. Ball is currently CFO and executive vice-president, corporate development, of Goldcorp Inc.
Matt Wayrynen has resigned as president and CEO and as a director of WestKam Gold Corp. Dana Dziurzynski has been appointed president and CEO of the firm.
Retail
Alastair Nimmons has been appointed chief financial officer at Native Shoes. Nimmons, previously a partner with KPMG, has more than 25 years of experience in business strategy, financial management, business transformation and sustainability.
Companies on the Move
New in town
Pixhug, launched in 2016 as a photo-sharing app that turns social media actions such as likes and posts into direct donations to charities, has launched Pixhug Studios and named veteran digital producer Curtis White as the studio’s general manager. White was most recently the head of digital content at Thunderbird Entertainment, the Vancouver-based studio whose recent notable projects include Blade Runner 2049 and TheMan in the High Castle.
Bervin Construction Ltd. of Abbotsford, in connection with Pacific Mattress Recycling Inc. doing business as Mattress Recycling of Vancouver, has purchased 17 lots of privately owned industrial land in Hope for the purpose of constructing a state-of-the-art recycling facility to be opening soon.
Hats Off
Jobs West, the supported employment division of Developmental Disabilities Association, recognized the City of Richmond with an Employer of the Year award for its efforts in successfully creating an inclusive work program. The City of Richmond has placed several individuals in positions including light maintenance, café assistant, invoicing and cleaning.
In celebration of its fifth anniversary, members of the North American Jimei Alumni Association donated $10,000 to Richmond Hospital Foundation. Alumni from Jimei Primary School, Jimei Secondary School and Jimei University in China who now consider Canada their home hope to inspire other associations and organizations to play an active role and help support local health care at Richmond Hospital.
Surrey-based fibre-optic manufacturer and service provider AFL and its employees donated $15,000 to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The funds were raised via employee-driven fundraising activities, and the company matched individual staff donations.
Metropolis at Metrotown donated $7,250 to Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland’s Go Girls! program. These funds will match at-risk girls with a supportive mentor to promote physical activity, balanced eating and self-esteem.
G&F Financial Group donated $52,000 to Crossroads Hospice Society. The funds, proceeds from G&F’s annual golf tournament, will be used to help purchase new alarmed beds for all patient rooms. •
