Green Economy North

Regional Business Forum

Green economy North Regional Business forum

Check this page soon for more information on the 2022 Regional Business Forum!

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The Green Economy North Regional Business Forum 2023: Building the Future was held on November 23rd, 2023! The forum featured experts in the low-carbon building industry sharing their expertise with realistic, science-based solutions to the challenges businesses face when building a green future. We also hosted roundtables, panel discussions, and keynote presentations.

Throughout the day, we enjoyed several opportunities to learn from and network with peers and colleagues from Northeastern Ontario.

Thank you for joining us this year! We will see you again in November 2024.

Special thanks to

LEadership Social: Wednesday, November 9th

In addition to the main Business Forum, Green Economy North is hosting a professional networking social the evening of November 9th from 6:30-8:30PM. The evening will feature a presentation from our keynote speaker, Bob Willard. Light refreshments will be provided and a cash bar available. This event is included in all in-person conference tickets.

Wednesday evening tickets for those not attending the Thursday conference are available for purchase separately via Eventbrite.

Tickets

Tickets to attend the 2023 Regional Business Forum: Building the Future in-person at the Northbury Hotel and Conference Centre or online are available. In-person tickets are limited!

In-person tickets include access to the EarthCare Breakfast at the same location, immediately before the Regional Business Forum.

breakfast Speakers

Giorgio Boccalon

ieso

Giorgio Boccalon, an Account Manager for ICF, is representing the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) by promoting Conservation programs and incentives. Giorgio has over 30 years’ experience in the Energy sector. He began his career at the provincial utility Ontario Hydro focusing on industrial and commercial customers and worked at various municipal utilities such as Brampton Hydro, Cambridge Hydro, and Guelph Hydro.

Giorgio has worked in the private sector promoting Energy Management. He has provided Procurement Strategies, Energy Audits, Power Quality assistance and web enabled energy profiling to the C&I market with experience working in the electricity, natural gas and propane industries. Giorgio has promoted electricity and natural gas programs at the municipal, provincial and federal level. His main focus has been on commercial, industrial and institutional customers while always applying a holistic approach to energy with his customers.

Bryana smith

enbridge

Bryana Smith is an accomplished Energy Solutions Advisor with an impressive track record in the field of commercial energy conservation. She has dedicated the last six years of her career to energy efficiency, marking her recent 15-year milestone with Enbridge. Bryana’s journey within the organization has been marked by her versatility, as she has occupied key roles in diverse departments, including environmental initiatives, health and safety, distribution operations, construction and growth, and her current focus, energy conservation. Outside the corporate realm, Bryana finds joy in a variety of personal interests. She is a passionate cook, enjoys spending time with her friends and family, and as a devoted dog owner, Bryana takes her two beloved Yorkshire Terriers, Mylo and Pip, on daily walks, adding a touch of nature and exercise to her life.

Destiny roy

smart commute sudbury

The City of Greater Sudbury has joined the Smart Commute program. This program is designed to assist both individuals and organizations in adopting efficient and sustainable modes of travel to help reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality and lower greenhouse gas emissions while helping commuters save time and money.

Smart Commute offers tools and resources that encourage and facilitate options such as carpooling, transit, cycling, walking and telework for convenient and sustainable commuting. Originating in Toronto, the Smart Commute program has helped reduce trips by lone drivers by over 1.3 million since 2004. reThink Green is working with the Greater City of Sudbury to introduce the Smart Commute Employer program to local businesses, including Green Economy members. We invite you to be part of our efforts to enhance transportation options.

amy hallman-grout

northeastern homes energy assessment

Improving your home’s energy efficiency is one of the best ways to reduce your energy costs in the longer-term, while taking robust action on climate change.

The Northern Homes Energy Assessment (NHEA) program is available to residents of the City of Greater Sudbury and surrounding area.
This program provides Home Energy Assessments – which are carried out by a Registered Energy Advisor. The assessment follows the EnerGuide standards produced by NRCan (as the primary funder), and identifies opportunities for homeowners to access government grants, incentives, and rebates!

regional business forum Speakers

special presentation: building towards net zero

Michael Cullen

habitat for humanity

Currently, Michael Cullen represents Habitat for Humanity Ontario Gateway North in the capacity of Director of Community Partnerships. This role was developed in consultation with the Habitat Board of Directors, and the office of the CEO while being able to leverage Michael’s experience in consensus-based governance, community development, and project management.

Formerly the CEO of United Way Northeast Ontario for over a decade, Michael was able to lead the organization to a regional structure serving the Cochrane, Nipissing, and Sudbury Districts. This growth was based on a successful transition from being a charity reliant on both individual and corporate giving to a model of partnership and business development that offered a more sustainable model of community impact and innovation.

Prior to his career shift into the non-profit sector, Michael was fortunate to have worked in international hotel/hospitality development. Leading international projects in Eastern and Western Europe while also freelancing to provide leadership on projects with NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, NHL Hockey, 211 Ontario, international sporting events, and many other local and regional projects.

In addition, Michael has also always had a keen interest in patent/trademark development having developed several patents and trademarks through his deep interest in innovation and creative solution-based thinking and planning.

Habitat for Humanity Ontario Gateway North is eager to expand its affordable housing agenda to meet the needs of its service area of Northern and Southern Ontario. According to Michael and partner groups

“The concept of Affordable Housing must be revolutionized by changing the way homes are designed, built, and financed as equal priorities for transformational change to take place”.

Paul Girard

Polar Maxima

Domenic Idone

MetaLigna

Michael Cullen

habitat for humanity

Bob is a leading expert on quantifying the business value of sustainability strategies. He has given over 1,500 presentations, has authored six books, and has published two white papers. He provides extensive free, open-source resources for sustainability champions.

He serves on the Future-Fit Foundation board, the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) board, and the B Corp Standards Advisory Council. He was one of the first five inductees into the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) Hall of Fame in 2011, has received two Clean50 awards, and earned 11 “Best of the World” awards as a Certified B Corp. He is an ISSP Sustainability Excellence Professional, a Future-Fit Certified Professional and Accredited Partner, and received a PhD in sustainability from the University of Toronto

More information about Bob and his resources for sustainability champions can be found at www.sustainabilityadvantage.com.

panel discussion: building sustainability in practice

Our panellists share their experience fostering change by utilizing sustainable building operations.

Steven Beites

mcewan school of architecture

Steven Beites is an Assistant Professor at the Laurentian University McEwen School of Architecture. Steven’s research explores the integration of digital technologies, computational design and robotic systems as a means to unlock innovative solutions for addressing the housing supply challenge with emphasis placed on decarbonizing the built environment.

As an educator, researcher and practitioner, his work is cross-disciplinary, operating at the intersection of technology and ecology through the development of novel automated construction processes, prefabricated assemblies and bio-based materials, all within a circular low-carbon construction framework.

ben john

georgian bay mnidoo gamii bioshphere

Having worked in the municipal and non-profit sectors, Benjamin has a wide range of experience in delivering strategies and projects that improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

As Climate & Energy Programs Manager at the Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere, Ben supports local First Nations and municipalities with climate and energy planning in a collaborative partnership called ICECAP.

His professional mantra is that all decisions should be informed and based on sound data. In applying this mantra, Ben supports ICECAP partners in planning and developing business cases for energy efficiency and fuel-switching initiatives in the areas of buildings, transportation, and waste.

Through his work, Ben hopes to help organizations achieve cost-savings, boost profitability, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

carly gasparini

community builders

Carly Gasparini is the Managing Director of Community Builders in Sudbury Ontario. She was born and raised in Sudbury but was introduced to the world of Social Enterprise when she moved to Brandon Manitoba where she was the Executive Director of a Community Renewal Organization and an Immigrant Settlement Services agency.

She got the opportunity to come home almost 2 years ago to do the work she had fallen in love with and is honoured to bring a social enterprise construction company to Greater Sudbury and to be a vocal advocate for affordable housing. Carly believes strongly in harnessing the effective business practices that make the private sector profitable and employing them to create sustainability in the non-profit sector.

brendan mcclellan

BRM energy consultants

Randy Zadra* – Canadian Automobility Enterprises

Randy Zadra has over 20 years of senior management experience with advanced technology companies. He is co-founder and board member of Automobility Enterprises and an advisor to PEM Motion GmbH, as well as board member of the World Manufacturing Forum (WMF). He has served as director at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) where he led international initiatives, and worked in Montreal, Boston, and Washington D.C. with BCE (NYSE: BCE), Teleglobe, andDatawind. He has also worked at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, MA serving as Project Director for the Entrepreneurship and Development Program. He taught several entrepreneurship courses, and served as a judge on the MIT business plan
competition for 4 years. He has studied at the University of Windsor, Carleton University and the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Jordan Wood* – Guillevin International

Jordan has a long history spanning over a decade in the electrical industry; much of which he has been consulting with specifiers, contractors, and end-users in the early, mid and post stages of energy-saving projects and retrofits. Today, Jordan manages two Guillevin International Co. locations specializing in electrical, automation, industrial, datacom, and renewable energy supply, located in North Bay and Sudbury. He is also Regional Manager of Guillevin’s Greentech division, specializing in Solar Energy and Energy storage technologies and applications. Jordan lives with his family in a certified Net-Zero home in North Bay, Ontario.

Lance Johnson* – Bur Oak Resources

Starting from a young age Lance has a background with roots in farming, construction and telecommunications. After studying engineering at the University of Manitoba he moved on to working in civil construction. Then followed by over 25 years in mining construction. He worked his way up to the project Superintendent position where he oversaw some 35 projects, and worked in seven different countries including remote locations such as the arctic and the Andes mountains.

15 years ago Lance decided on a career change that led him into the renewable energy industry. Following this he founded Bur Oak Resources Inc. Bur Oak is a licensed Electrical Contractor in Ontario and Quebec that specialises in renewable energy generation and EV charging infrastructure. During his 13 years tenure as president of Bur Oak Lance has overseen some 25 megawatts of solar construction successfully completed and commissioned. These projects included multiple feed in tariff, or grid tied, projects, NET metering projects, NET metering projects with power backup (UPS) capabilities, a microgrid demonstration project, and multiple grid independent projects spanning from Quebec to Ottawa and Manitoba.

Green Economy Leaders: Member Showcase

Colen McKeever – CDM Agency

CDM Agency is an authorized agent for Eco-Growth Environmental a Calgary-based technology company which provides green solutions to organic waste streams, by converting excess materials to clean energy.

The systems used by Eco-Growth Environmental include the EGOR, which is an organic reactor that dehydrates organic waste – reducing its weight by 80%. They also provide shredding equipment to handle cardboard, and bio-gas boilers as a renewable/alternative energy source.

Mike Mayhew – Mayhew Performance

Mayhew Performance is a boutique consulting firm which specializes in Green Energy, Net Zero GHG Projects, Battery Electric Vehicle Studies, Risk Management, Health & Safety. The organization was founded in 2020 and includes technical experts with 85+ years of combined experience in Mining Operations.

Mayhew Performance Ltd is a proud Sudbury-based business and has already committed to reducing its carbon footprint to Net Zero by 2025. Green Economy North will provide a range of supplementary solutions to support MPL through action planning as they set about achieving this goal.

Colen McKeever – CDM Agency

Mike Mayhew – Mayhew Performance

Craig Timmermans – MSD Corp

Craig Timmermans is a serial entrepreneur, who also happens to co-own Canada’s greenest and only Net Zero Radio Station, Country CFRM 103 – which is located in Little Current, Manitoulin Island.

Through his technical advisory business, Craig provides off-grid services, including the design and installation of solar, battery-based technologies, and other renewable energy systems for use in municipal and rural locations, parks, recreation and campgrounds, outdoor festivals and events, resorts, marinas, beachfronts, boardwalks, construction sites and RVs!

Kevin Fitzgerald – B2B Industrial, Inc.

B2B Industrial Inc. provides high quality products for the construction, forestry, mining, and military industries. The team is known for developing innovative solutions for customers on time and on budget.

B2B’s core products include the “Patented” Armadillo, Rhino, and MantaMAT (Patent Pending) which are firsts in the industry and can be used for fly rock and blast mitigation in the mining, construction, and military industries.

The company hires between 22-45 employees, and has operations in Copper Cliff, Sudbury and Sturgeon Falls among other locations.