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Development/Construction
Darin Harding has been promoted to associate at HCMA Architecture + Design; the firm now has seven principals, 10 associates and four directors. Harding joined the firm in 2017, bringing a decade of experience leading diverse teams on public space design, transportation and recreation projects.
Health/Medical
Kent McParland, Brazos Minshew, Shawn Balaghi and Jim Carter have joined Abattis Bioceuticals Corp.’s executive team, and Wolfgang Richter has joined the company’s board of directors. McParland has been appointed CFO and COO, replacing David Whitney as CFO and Rene David as COO. Minshew has been appointed head of the medical advisory board and president of the corporate advisory board of Vergence Naturals Ltd., a subsidiary of Abattis. Balaghi has been appointed head of corporate development, and Carter has been appointed head of mergers and acquisitions advisory.
Qu Biologics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing site-specific immunomodulators, a platform of immunotherapies designed to restore innate immune function, has appointed four new members to its scientific advisory board: Mihai Netea (Radboud University, Netherlands), Dieter Kabelitz (Institute of Immunology, University of Kiel, Germany), Rafick-Pierre Sekaly (Case Western Reserve University, U.S.) and Bruce Vallance (Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia).
Hospitality/Tourism/Convention
Anna Wallner, a multiple-award-winning television personality and producer, journalist and entrepreneur, recently acquired Savoury Chef Foods from former owners Kyle Nordman and Taryn Wa. Wallner is now president of the catering and event-planning company. Wallner, a former reporter for Global News, was a co-host of The Shopping Bags and Anna & Kristina’s Grocery Bag.
Legal
Roark Lewis has joined Miller Thomson’s Vancouver office as an associate in the commercial litigation group. His litigation work has included contractual and business disputes, residential tenancy matters and strata disputes.
Karen L. Snowshoe has been elected bencher for the Law Society of British Columbia. Born and raised in Vancouver, Snowshoe is a member of the Tetlit-Gwich’in Nation in Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories, and the first Indigenous woman to be elected a bencher for the Law Society. Her term begins immediately and ends on December 31, 2019. Since 2004, she has worked in diverse practice areas, including Indigenous issues, administrative law, arbitration and mediation. Her work is currently focused on providing adjudication services across Canada. Her past clients include the Indian Residential School Adjudication Secretariat, the Northwest Territories Human Rights Adjudication Panel and the Workers’ Compensation Tribunal of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Non-Profit
Port Coquitlam Community Foundation (PCCF) has appointed 14 members of the community to its newly formed Vital Signs Advisory Task Force – Ron Adolf, Taura Berg, Rob Brett, Barry Buzza, Candice Critchlow, Andrea Howorth, Gillian Kirk, William (Bill) Marshall, Drew McArthur, Shannon Mitchell, Carrie Nimmo, Stuart F. Ross, Larry Wald and George Watts. Vital Signs is a national program that leverages local knowledge combined with relevant research data provided by the Community Foundations of Canada to help determine Port Coquitlam’s most critical area of need. The process will allow the PCCF to focus on a key issue that is identified, seek solutions and provide strategic funding.
Resources
The Government of British Columbia has appointed Jennifer Dyson as chair of the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC). Dyson has 10 years of experience as an ALC commissioner (2008-17), is chair of the island panel and has an ongoing role in operating a family-run water-buffalo dairy and direct farm market in the Alberni Valley. Dyson succeeds Frank Leonard, who completed his term as ALC chair on May 14, 2018.
Steven H. Goldman has been appointed interim president and CEO at Comstock Metals Ltd. The company has accepted the resignations of David Terry as president, CEO and director, and Ken Kuchling and Douglas Turnbull as directors. Terry, Kuchling and Turnbull are leaving to pursue other interests.
Sales/Marketing
Clayton Mitchell has been promoted to director of insights and growth at Powershifter, a digital design agency. Mitchell has been with the agency for eight years, and has also worked as a freelance digital strategist. He is also an instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
Technology
Innovate BC, with a mission to guide and promote tech-sector growth, has announced its new board of directors: Alan Shaver (chair), president and vice-chancellor, Thompson Rivers University; Lesley Esford, president, Life Sciences BC; Michael Fergusson, CEO and founder, Ayogo; Suzanne Gill, executive director, corporate development, Genome BC; Joy Johnson, vice-president, research and international, Simon Fraser University; Dave Krysko, co-founder, Club Penguin, and entrepreneur-in-residence, Okanagan College; Gail Murphy, professor and vice-president of research, University of British Columbia; Peter Nunoda, president, Vancouver Community College; Jennifer Ouano, co-founder and executive producer, Pacific Content; Tom Roemer, vice-president, academic, British Columbia Institute of Technology; Benjamin Sparrow, co-founder and CEO, Saltworks; Don Stuckert, principal, dstuckert & Associates; and Alan Winter (ex-officio member), B.C. innovation commissioner.
Hats Off
Business in Vancouver welcomes submissions from local small businesses and large corporations alike that demonstrate examples of corporate philanthropy and community involvement in the Vancouver area. High-resolution images are also welcome.
Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland’s 11th annual GrapeJuice wine auction, presented by Capital Direct Income Trust, raised $108,000. Founded by McNeill Nakamoto Recruitment Group and MLA Canada, this annual event raises funds to support Big Sisters’ mentoring programs.
Manulife donated $2,500 to YWCA Metro Vancouver. The funds will give low-income families in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside the opportunity to improve their health and well-being through the Food, Facts and Fun program at YWCA Metro Vancouver. The program provides education on how to access and prepare simple, fresh, inexpensive meals, and the opportunity to increase their social support network.
The Jamal family has donated $2 million to the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation in support of the building of a high-tech medical and surgical centre at Lions Gate Hospital. Abdul Jamal, founder of real estate investment company Pacific Reach Properties, says the family was keen to support the foundation’s campaign. “We feel privileged to have called the North Shore home for so many years and wanted to give back to this community that has been so good to us.” The foundation’s campaign was launched 17 months ago, and the campaign total stands at $86.5 million, consisting of 5,064 donations from individuals, families and local businesses.
Windsor Plywood Foundation donated $12,000 to Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation. The funds will be directed to the Hearing for Kids program, to support the acquisition of specialized hearing aids for children.
Burnaby Elks Lodge No. 497 donated $2,500 to Children of the Street Society to support its prevention workshops for children and youth in Burnaby. The society’s workshops give young people the information and practical tools they need to learn how to keep themselves safe from all forms of sexual exploitation. •
