The BC Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association’s 2017 board of directors are: Steve Drummond (chair), Capilano Highway Services Co.; Chad Tenney (past chair), Hall Constructors; Todd Strynadka (vice-chair), Terus Construction; Scott Griffin (secretary/treasurer), Renaissance Group; Glen Barker (construction director), Norland Ltd.; Dan Beaulac (maintenance chair/training director), Nechako Northcoast Construction; Colin Blonarowitz (paving director), Emil Anderson Construction; Ross Gilmour (construction chair), Peter Kiewit Sons ULC; Kevin Higgins (maintenance director), YRB Group of Companies; Nikki Keith (service and supply chair), Wilson M. Beck Insurance; Sandi Paulson (maintenance director), Argo Group of Companies; Paul Simpson (construction director), Jacob Bros. Construction; Stan Weismiller (municipal relations director), Winvan Paving; and Joe Wrobel (worker safety director), JPW Road & Bridge.
Hospitality/Tourism/Convention
Lucy Bell has returned to the Royal BC Museum as the new head of the First Nations department and repatriation program, bringing the former ethnology and archeology departments onto one team. Bell began her career in 1995 at the Royal BC Museum as part of the Aboriginal Cultural Stewardship Program and has since developed, delivered and managed an array of initiatives aimed at increasing awareness of First Nations culture, most recently serving at the Haida Heritage and Repatriation Society. Since 2005, Bell has co-ordinated the return of more than 500 Haida ancestors from museums throughout North America and the U.K.
The museum has also appointed Gordon Fitzpatrick and Tewanee Joseph to its board of directors. Fitzpatrick is president of Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards and was former president of CedarCreek Estate Winery. Joseph is CEO of Tewanee Consulting Group Inc., and served eight years on the Squamish Nation Council.
Go2HR, B.C.’s tourism industry human resource association, has appointed designated industry health and safety specialists to assist tourism and hospitality employers with their occupational health and safety needs industry. Mark Gilbert, who was most recently the health and safety adviser for Best Buy Canada, will be responsible for businesses and employers in the Northern B.C., Vancouver Coast and Mountains – West and Vancouver Island regions. Stephanie Mallalieu, whose previous roles include health and safety in resort management, and senior positions in food service hygiene and general health and safety, will be looking after the regions of Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, Kootenay Rockies, Thompson Okanagan, and Vancouver Coast and Mountains – East.
Legal
Dianna S. Hwang and Michael J. Nadeau have joined the partnership at Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP. Hwang is a member of the firm’s health, local government and insurance practices. Nadeau is a member of the insurance, construction and engineering and professional services practices.
Jamie R. Matthews has joined the partnership of Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP. Matthews joined Farris in 2007 and has been an associate in the firm’s corporate and commercial group since 2009; he practises in a broad range of corporate practice areas, including residential and commercial real estate transactions, corporate/commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, securities and corporate finance, and public-private partnerships.
Manufacturing
Graham Fraser has been appointed chief executive officer at AG Hair. Fraser joined the company in 2000 as director of sales, was promoted to vice-president, sales, in 2002, and became president of the company in 2014.
Media
Diana Sorace has joined FortisBC as a corporate communications adviser. Prior to this appointment, Sorace was manager, media relations, at Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada.
Non-profit
The Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau, which serves as a centralized, year-round warehouse for the gathering, sorting, storing and shipping of toys to Christmas bureaus and community agencies across Metro Vancouver, recently elected six new members to its board of directors: Trista Humphries, KPMG; Areet Kaila, Clark Wilson LLP; Susan Levang, Commissary Connect; Leah Nguyen, Telus; Darya Sawycky, University of British Columbia; and Percy Tam, Great Canadian Gaming Corp.
Technology
Barrett Foster has joined Allocadia as chief revenue officer. Foster was previously vice-president of global sales at BrightEdge and has more than 17 years of sales and senior management experience in the software and tech industries, including roles at NetBase, Integrated Decision Systems, MicroPatent and Thomson Financial Services.
Companies on the Move
New acquisitions
Ecofish Research Ltd., a science-based environmental consulting firm, has acquired EcoDynamic Solutions Inc., a Courtenay-based environmental construction monitoring firm. EcoDynamic Solutions will become part of Ecofish and operate within and as part of Ecofish Research Ltd.
Optimum Talent has acquired Conroy Ross Partners, making the new combined firm the largest Canadian-owned, integrated talent management provider with a coast-to-coast presence. The national Optimum Talent team now includes 200 employees operating out of 15 offices from Vancouver to Halifax.
New in town
Parisian-trained pastry chef Elena Krasnova has opened a 1,000-square-foot stand-alone pastry shop and café at 4396 Beresford Street in Burnaby.
Hats Off
RBC’s Learn to Play project donated a $25,000 leadership grant to viaSport BC, the agency responsible for promoting and developing amateur sport in British Columbia. The funds will support the development of physical literacy skills with preschoolers in B.C.
The Rotary Foundation of Vancouver, or Rotary Hearing Foundation, donated $2,000 to the Vancouver Public Library Foundation in support of bilingual American Sign Language and English storytime sessions for hearing-impaired children and their families.
Vancouver Metropolitan Lions Club donated $28,000 to Richmond Hospital Foundation. The funds were raised at the Lions’ Project C 10th Anniversary Charity Show in December and will benefit patient care at Richmond Hospital.
RBC Foundation donated $10,000 to the Down Syndrome Research Foundation. The funds will help to support adult education and one-to-one reading programs.
The Canada Post Community Foundation donated $17,500 to PLEA Community Services Society of BC in support of KidStart, a one-to-one volunteer mentoring program for children and youth at risk across the Lower Mainland. The funds will be used to develop a male mentor recruitment campaign to help increase support to boys. •
