Craig Mitchell is an experienced modular construction consultant. A graduate of both UBC and BCIT, Craig has been in the building industry for over 25 years with the past 20 years been devoted to the modular building industry in Western Canada. Craig is currently the Director of Sales with Britco LP, an innovative award winning modular builder. He is also the Board Chair of the Manufacturers Association for Relocatable Structures (MARS), and is a Trustee of the Modular Building Institute’s (MBI) Canadian Foundation promoting education and research in the area of offsite modular construction.

Michael Nemeth is a mechanical engineer and Passive House designer in Saskatoon. When he’s not consulting he works to promote building energy efficiency standards and community renewable energy development. Michael was named as one of Canada’s top sustainability leaders under 30 by Corporate Knights magazine.

Award-winning graduate architect and community builder, Andrée Iffrig LEED AP is passionate about sustainable design. A Royal Architectural Institute of Canada medalist, she uses her design background to collaborate with others in building more sustainable communities. Andrée is the Leader of the Green Team at DIRTT Environmental Solutions and writer of the Inglewood Design Initiative, a sustainable community plan for an inner-city neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta. She is a co-founder of the Biomimicry Network in Alberta, and Chair of the Advisory Committee, Green Building Technology Access Centre, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.

In 2006, Stephani Carter turned her private war on waste and toxins into her profession, taking on the challenge of greening the building industry by founding EcoAmmo Sustainable Consulting. Today EcoAmmo offers a diverse set of key services geared toward making sustainability easy, understandable, and accessible for everyone. EcoAmmo’s purpose is to transition the world towards sustainability.

With LEED, Green Globes, Living Building Challenge, and Net Zero Energy, Stephani and her team have facilitated large and small projects and have a well-earned reputation for innovation. A self-confessed volunteer a-holic, Stephani is a founding member of the Alberta Chapter of the Canada Green Building council, Clean Air Strategic Alliance and TEDx Edmonton. She was named one of the ‘Top 50 graduates in the past 50 years’ for NAIT’s 50 year anniversary.

Matt Grace is President and Founder of Mission Green Buildings, a Calgary based consultancy dedicated to working collaboratively to deliver sustainable buildings cost effectively. Matt is a Chartered Environmentalist, LEED AP. A Built Green HD Verifier, a Green Globes Professional and professional Engineer with over 20 years’ experience in sustainable building design and assessment. His career started in England and included four years at the Building Research Establishment (BRE) researching energy efficiency in buildings, integrated renewable energy systems and the technical development of BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method).

Matt is proud to be a Director of the Alberta Chapter of the Canadian Green Building Council.

Jacob Komar, P.Eng. is the Principal and lead mechanical engineer at Revolve Engineering Inc. and is a specialist in Net Zero building design and geothermal systems. Jacob has helped design several Net Zero buildings and more than thirty commercial geothermal systems on a variety of projects ranging from multi-story commercial office buildings to apartment buildings and government facilities.

Jacob started his HVAC career in Virginia working for a leading green design firm, gaining experience in both traditional as well as green HVAC design. Upon returning to Edmonton, Jacob continued to pursue his passion for green design by focusing most of his energy on renewable systems including geothermal, solar thermal, heat recovery systems as well as energy modelling. Today, Jacob focuses solely on green building consulting, Net Zero building designs and renewable mechanical systems (including geothermal). Recent project highlights include energy consulting for the City of Edmonton on the Blatchford Redevelopment (a 550 acre carbon neutral development), as well the Mosaic Centre (Canada’s first Net Zero commercial building).

Jacob’s passion for designing sustainable, energy-efficient buildings is evident in each of his projects and he always strives to push the envelope in energy efficient designs.

Alan Darlington, PhD, is the founder and Senior VP of Nedlaw Living Walls and has received a number of awards for academic and entrepreneurial accomplishments. Alan is the ‘inventor’ of a number of patents integral to the application of plant based biofilters to the indoor space.

Dr. Darlington’s involvement with living walls biofilter started in 1994 at the Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility at the University of Guelph, in Ontario Canada. Early research was funded by the Ontario Center of Excellence (OCE) and by the European and Canadian Space agencies. The research group gained worldwide recognition for their use of biological systems to improve indoor air quality.

In 2001, Dr. Darlington commercialized the product of this research through the company, Air Quality Solutions (now Nedlaw Living Walls). The first biofilter was installed with Diamond and Schmitt Architects in 2004 as the showpiece of the University of Guelph – Humber.

Since 2004, his companies have installed over 200 biofilters around the world.

As an integral part of the sustainable building project management team at 3 Point Environmental, Melanie Ross supports a wide range of projects ranging from LEED, WELL and other third party certifications to energy management and existing building performance while managing a growing portfolio in sustainability planning and policy development.

Melanie’s nine years of experience with recognized architecture, planning and engineering firms in Calgary and Toronto has brought her a deeper understanding of the industry and a respect for various stakeholder viewpoints. Her work as a CaGBC Review Team member and Education Faculty member gives her further insight into the strategic and technical nuances of LEED projects. With applied experience in marketing and communications, Melanie drives her teams to embrace an integrated design process in order to deliver on the clients’ needs.

Melanie was recently appointed to the WELL Building Standard teaching faculty and to the WELL Taskforce, identifying the challenges for Canadian market adoption of the standard. She was also recently elected as a Director to the AB Chapter of the CaGBC.

The FMI Center for Strategic Leadership’s mission is to develop exceptional leaders one at a time, through a series of strategic leadership, succession planning and executive leadership coaching services tailored to the distinctive requirements of the design and construction industry.

As senior consultant it’s Rusty’s role is to identify the strategic leadership and organizational requirements of businesses and organizations serving the global construction marketplace and work in concert with fellow FMI subject matter experts to elevate and optimize sustainable levels of high productivity and goal attainment.

Markku Allison is a sought-after public speaker, an early proponent of the green/lean/ipd+bim movement and a pioneer in the field of design work planning.

Markku has over 25 years experience both as an award-winning designer and as a thought-leader on transformative issues in the design and construction industry. During his time with the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Markku was instrumental in developing AIA’s “Integrated Project Delivery: A Guide,” the AIA “50to50” (50 strategies to 50% carbon reduction), as well as a range of other influential industry resources and white papers.

Renée Cheng is a graduate of Harvard’s GSD and Harvard College. A registered architect, her professional experience includes work for Pei, Cobb, Freed and Partners and Richard Meier and Partners before founding Cheng-Olson Design. She taught at the University of Michigan and the University of Arizona before joining the faculty at the University of Minnesota. She has been recognized for teaching excellence with numerous teaching awards and appears on national lists of influential educators.

Her research involves documenting case studies of buildings that integrate design with emerging technologies. Her current work in Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is published by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and new research on collaborative projects by the General Services Administration (GSA) has just begun. Previously, she tracked large-scale projects by Frank Gehry and Associates as well as smaller scale CAD-CAM work done by firms such as SHoP Architects, A.R.O. and Tripyramid, focusing on how innovative technology drives change in both design and construction processes. She has widely published on these topics including editing a new chapter on Computing Technology for Architectural Graphic Standards.

Professor Cheng has also written on the topic of architectural education in the context of emerging practices and technology. These writings have appeared in the 2015 GSA report on Integrated High Performing Buildings, 2006-2012 AIA Report on Integrated Practice and the Education Summit at ACADIA in 2004. A recent publication published by Yale is entitled “Facing the Fact of BIM”.

In numerous roles, she has served the ACSA and AIA as an advisor on how Integrated Practice affects the future of architectural curricular and professional practice.

Elaine Carr is a graduate of the University of Alberta Mechanical Engineering Co-op Program and has been with Williams Engineering since her graduation in 2001. She acts as the Team Lead of the Yellowknife Mechanical group. As a Mechanical Engineer and Project Manager in our Yellowknife office, Elaine has provided mechanical engineering design, research, and inspections for a wide variety of projects across the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Elaine is a LEED® Accredited Professional with a Building Design and Construction specialty.

Susan Brattberg is co-founder and Chief Customer Officer of Global eTraining, member of the Canada BIM Council board of directors, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Alberta Women Entrepreneurs Finalist, and Business in Calgary Award winner. With a decade of expertise in implementing innovative training programs for organizations of all sizes and industries, she is a trusted source of training advice by top executives at major global corporations, universities, and government agencies.

A seasoned speaker, Susan has presented at Autodesk’s AU, OTC and ATC Summit events, as well as BIM Show Live, ENR FutureTech, BIM Forum and ASEE. She works closely with clients on training and recruiting, creating customized programs, administering awareness-raising sessions for key staff members and ensuring that courses run smoothly and effectively. Susan holds an Executive MBA and a BA in Management and Sociology with a specialization in Organizational Dynamics.

Pierre-Michel Busque, P.Eng is a thirty-year veteran of the building science industry and is regarded as one of the premiere envelope consultants in western Canada. He started his engineering tenure conducting research into best practices for building science in construction in the early 90’s working for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in Ottawa. Mr. Busque later relocated to Vancouver, BC to work as the principal building envelope consultant at Levelton Engineering for over a decade. He started his own firm, Busque Engineering, in 2008.

Ben Waddington, P.Eng spent the first 10 years of his working life as a carpenter in Calgary. He is now the Manager and COO of Busque Engineering Calgary, and has worked in the Building Envelope Engineering industry since 2008. Prior to returning to his home province of Alberta to open the Calgary branch of Busque Engineering, Mr. Waddington worked as a building envelope consultant in Vancouver. Mr. Waddington’s background as a carpenter in Alberta has proven valuable in bolstering his building science education and forensic investigations skills.

Sunny Ghataurah is one of Western Canada’s leading electrical engineers and has 6 years of experience as an electrician and more than 20 years of experience in the electrical design and construction administration of a wide range of electrical systems. He is skilled in designing high voltage installations, power systems, lighting, fire alarm systems, generators, fire pumps and control & communication systems. Sunny has become a leader in the implementation of ASHRAE & NECB on all types of projects. In addition, his portfolio includes more than 100 LEED projects, 3 Living Buildings and several regenerative projects.

Robyn T. Braley is a writer, speaker, media coach and communications specialist. He is known for his humor, knowledge, insight, and observations based on broad personal experience. He has worked with clients in commercial construction, home building supply and manufacturing for 25 years as the President of Unimark Creative. He has recently been interviewed on 930 CHED, NEWSTALK 770, 660 NEWS and various TV news programs.

Jim Fearon was appointed as VP of Central Region, overseeing operations in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, in 2011, after more than 10 years leading Hays’ Australian offices. With specific expertise in construction and property, Jim leads one of the fastest growing regions in North America. Over the years, Jim has gained a breadth of experience covering permanent, temporary and contract recruitment in a wide array of industries that include construction, engineering, property and facilities management, oil and gas, mining, energy.

How do you find – and keep – the right people in a company that doesn’t believe in job titles, considers the term “HR” a profanity, and where a millwork supervisor semi-regularly delivers a pie to the face of the CEO? That’s the challenge Talent Agent Jason Robinson faces daily at DIRTT, a hard-driving, innovative interior construction company that constantly goes against the grain of traditional business. And somehow, he’s managed to do it for 10 years without losing his sanity. (But check out the hairline.)

Chances are Jason will admit his previous 10 years handling HR (pardon the language) duties for telecom firms, travel consultants and a leading soft drink manufacturer didn’t really prepare him for his life as a DIRTTbag. But he can offer some advice in the capture, care and feeding of a diverse and driven workforce – from factory workers and sales reps to software programmers and even accountants. It’s about finding the right fit, making sure recruits understand they’re joining a company of adventurers, and making them feel they’re part of something extremely special.

Rosemary Sparks is a recognized leader and innovator in one of Canada’s fastest growing industries. She is the Executive Director of BuildForce Canada, a national industry-led organization that represents all sectors of Canada’s construction industry.

Rosemary has been instrumental in helping to shape the future of the construction industry. She works closely with a team of economists to produce BuildForce Canada’s annual labour market forecasts that have gained North America-wide recognition for their role in labour force planning. Rosemary also oversees innovative programs from online training and certification to mentoring, to build the skill and capacity of Canada’s construction industry.

Rosemary’s expertise in the construction industry spans more than two decades, first as an industry consultant, and then through her leadership at BuildForce.

Rosemary joined BuildForce Canada in 2005, as the Senior Director of Planning & Development, under its previous name Construction Sector Council. As BuildForce Canada’s Executive Director, Rosemary is one of the industry’s strongest promoters. She takes an active role in raising awareness about Canada’s construction industry, its labour market challenges and opportunities, through speaking engagements across Canada and the U.S.

As developers and Certified Passive House Consultants Rob & Mark Bernhardt develop, design and sell Passive House buildings in southwestern BC. Rob was the Passive House consultant for the first certified Passive House on Vancouver Island, a two family residence he has lived in since 2013. Rob & Mark then developed the first market strata Passive House building in Canada, selling six Victoria, BC units to strong demand. Their next development projects are two market duplex buildings, one of which is targeting Passive House Plus certification. Bernhardt Contracting is the Passive House Consultant for the first Passive House fire hall in Canada, currently being designed for the City of Vancouver and have consulted on other single and multifamily Passive House projects. Rob also works with Passive House Canada’s members, governments and industry organizations to make high performance buildings the norm.

Each high performance project is a learning experience, particularly early projects. Rob Bernhardt will outline the major design & construction lessons learned on a series of projects in southwestern BC. He also provides a developer’s perspective on the economics of Passive House buildings. The financial picture includes marketing considerations along with an outline the emerging policy initiatives incentivizing such projects and municipal responses to development applications. The pattern of market development the Bernhardt’s have experienced on Vancouver Island is typical of the market growth seen in other jurisdictions. After the first few early projects, multiple projects of various types and sizes are introduced to the market, with a growing number of buyers looking for the quality and comfort such buildings provide.

Dave Ramslie is a Principal with the Integral Group LLC and Director of Planning Research, & Sustainability. Dave is a urban planner by training, and his area of focus is on resiliency, energy policy and urban sustainable development. His work has won numerous international awards and last year he was recognized by the NRDC as one of 9 global leaders fighting climate change in cities. Recent projects include developing the City of Vancouver’s Zero Emissions Buildings Plan, leading the technical development of the Energy “Stretch Code” for British Columbia, and the next generation of the Toronto Green Standard.

“As the climate and energy planning and policy environment has matured over the past 5 years, we have seen a shift to a more metrics and building science based approach to energy conservation. Many jurisdictions are now using Passive House and its underlying metrics as a basis for next generation building codes and energy efficiency policies. Find out how different energy targets manifest themselves in different environments across Canada, and what the approximate costs and savings are for achieving passive house levels of performance in different building types.

This session will summarize recent research and costing analysis work done on behalf of the City of Vancouver, the City of Toronto, and the Province of BC to look at what the trade offs are for building high-rise passive house performance buildings. The session will also look at which jurisdictions across Canada are contemplating moves to Passive House style regulations and policy development.

Geoff Best is a graduate of the University of British Columbia. He began his career in commercial lending in Nanaimo, B.C. in 1990 with the Business Development Bank of Canada. He was promoted quickly and moved first to Prince George and then to Fort St. John. In 1995, Geoff joined GE Capital and was transferred to Alberta in 1998, where he quickly rose to Senior VP responsible for the Western Canada Region. Geoff has spent the majority of his career in Commercial Finance. At the peak of this phase of his career, Geoff ran a seven figure division, providing senior debt to all major industries in Western Canada. In 2009, Geoff left the corporate world behind to bring the proven management lessons learned into the growth and development of his own companies. The primary business in this family is Simplex Legal, with one of his ventures being a light industrial construction business. At Simplex Legal, Geoff acts as the ‘client in residence’ to bring the spirit of constant improvement, differentiation by conduct and rigorous controls to a business that is lauded by its clients for those very qualities.

Martine Boucher is originally from a small town not far from Montreal. She passed the Quebec bar in 1997 and subsequently obtained her Common Law equivalency. She was called to the Alberta bar in 2012. She has extensive experience both with a national law firm and in-house with the likes of GE and CBC. She is fully bilingual and has concentrations in Natural Resources, Financing, Aircraft, Construction and Transportation. After seven successful years in private practice, Martine decided to explore an opportunity away from the big firms and take a position as inside counsel. After a year in this role, Martine took a move to Calgary to directly support the Western Canadian region for GE Capital. She fell in love with the west and especially enjoyed the direct involvement with the opportunities and challenges business owners face. Martine performs legal services directly for clients of Simplex as well as taking on a quality control and mentoring role. Over the course of the last 3 years, she oversaw all legal aspects relating to the construction of a new sawmill and is now supporting the project team for a new tissue machine and converting facility.

Greg Dekker is VP Sales Effectiveness, for the Teknion Corporation. He is a professional facilitator who speaks, advises, and creates immersive experiences on change planning, innovation, understanding generational differences, and workplace effectiveness, and has served many of the most dynamic corporations around the globe.

Greg is the author of seminars for discovery – including Shatter!, The Jetsons, and Power Tools for Change. He leads PODIUM, a program for advanced customer collaboration. His use of tools and engaging style make learning memorable and effective.