People on the Move
Legal
Elyssa Lockhart has joined the partnership at McQuarrie Hunter LLP and will continue her focus on corporate law, estate planning and wealth preservation. Lockhart practises in both the Surrey office and her own office in Mission, and is also involved in her local community, as a member of the board of directors of Mission Literacy in Motion and as a member of the executive of the board of governors at the University of the Fraser Valley.
Eric Aitken has joined the Vancouver office of Dentons Canada LLP as an associate in the firm’s litigation group. Prior to this appointment, Aitken clerked at the BC Supreme Court.
Lorraine Burchynsky, administration manager, Boughton Law Corp., has been elected president of the British Columbia Legal Management Association (BCLMA) for 2016-17. The BCLMA is the largest organization in the province dedicated to providing professional development, support and networking opportunities to the B.C. legal management community.
Real Estate
Grosvenor Americas, the property development and investment company, recently promoted four people in its Vancouver office: Alex Henderson was manager, mezzanine lending, and is now vice-president, co-investment; Marc Josephson was senior development manager and is now vice-president, development; Jordan Prior was project marketing manager and is now project marketing director; and Sean Wheeler was financial analyst and is now senior analyst, co-investment.
Resources
Michael Vint, vice-president of mining, Endeavour Financial, has been appointed a director of Newmarket Gold Inc. Vint has served on the Newmarket advisory board since January 2014.
Technology
Walter Andri, principal, Ignite Consulting, has been appointed to Apivio Systems Inc.’s board of directors. Prior to founding Ignite Consulting, Andri served as president of Avaya Canada Corp. Andri has served as a member of the board of directors of UpSnap Inc. since February 2014 and Zaio Corp. since January 2016.
Companies on the move
New in town
New Haven-based communications and marketing agency GEM Advertising has opened a new office in Vancouver at 2121 – 1055 West Georgia Street. Lauren Downer will serve a dual role as GEM’s social media director and creative director. Mark Mansfield and Jonathan Mosley join Downer in the Vancouver office as director of global sales and marketing and senior account manager, respectively. GEM is currently working with TEDxStanleyPark and has done video work for the Positive Living Society of British Columbia.
Tacofino Yaletown will be opening at 1025 Mainland Street in June and will feature a 40-seat dining room and 16-seat patio, a full bar and takeout service, similar to its Burrito Bar in Gastown, at 15 West Cordova Street. Tacofino’s products are Ocean Wise-approved, antibiotic- and hormone-free, raised ethically and made locally.
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.
Residents of Chilliwack donated more than $4,000 to the Chilliwack Care and Share Community Food Bank. Donations were raised at Envision Financial’s Barn Burner BBQ, a fundraiser for the credit union’s Full Cupboard program. The program was designed to raise food, funds and awareness for food banks in the communities where Envision Financial, a division of First West Credit Union, operates.
West Vancouver Community Foundation donated $2,000 to Children of the Street Society. The funds will be directed to help fund the society’s TCO² (Taking Care of Ourselves and Taking Care of Others) school-based workshops in West Vancouver.
Port Moody Oldtimers Hockey Association donated $3,433.54 to Crossroads Hospice Society. Funds were raised through the league’s third annual hockey pool and year-end banquet, as well as donations of winnings from individual players.
WealthBar, an online investment service, has committed to donating and matching all proceeds from its events to Prosper Canada, a national charitable organization whose aim is to ensure that all financially vulnerable Canadians have access to financial information, education, services, products and advice. WealthBar regularly holds education and fireside events and has donated $2,580 so far.
Chambar Restaurant’s recent #SweetRelief fundraiser, where the restaurant stayed open for 24 hours, raised $82,500 for Universal Outreach, a Vancouver-based charitable organization. The funds will be used to support Universal Outreach’s advanced beekeeper’s training program and the Liberia Pure Honey enterprise in Africa. The program allows a mostly rural population of subsistence farmers to supplement their income with a marketable skill that does not require displacement from their family land. Beekeeping is also an alternative to income through deforestation.
The Jack and Darlene Poole Foundation donated $1 million to the University of British Columbia’s future sports and exercise medicine centre for a state-of-the-art gym. When it opens in the fall of 2017, the Jack and Darlene Poole Rehabilitation and Research Gym will be used to assess optimal training techniques, injury recovery strategies and the effects of exercise on people with cancer and other chronic diseases.•
