2016 Fields on Wheels Conference Speaker Bios

Transcription

1 2016 Fields on Wheels Conference Speaker Bios Hon. Blaine Pedersen Minister, Manitoba Infrastructure Mr. Pedersen was elected as MLA for Carman in the May 2007 general election. Blaine was re-elected as MLA for the new Midland Constituency in the October 4, 2011 Provinvial Election. In August 2012 Blaine was appointed Caucus Chair, and Manitoba Food & Rural Development (MAFRD) Critic. Spring 2016 Election saw Blaine re-elected to serve the constituents of Midland. Shortly thereafter, Premier Pallister appointed Blaine as Minister of Infrastructure for Manitoba. Blaine spent over 30 successful years in the cattle feeding business buying and selling cattle in five provinces and four U.S. states. Blaine understands the need for MB to be competitive and the importance of trade with all jurisdictions outside MB. Born and raised in the Elm Creek area, Blaine has been an active community member. He has also been involved in various livestock organizations all aimed at making MB a better place to work and live. Blaine believes communities must work together to realize their potential and address shortcomings. Revitalizing Midland Constituency, in consultation with residents- from youth to seniors- is his top priority. Blaine and wife Dianne live in Elm Creek. Their family consists of daughter Janice (Martin), sons Warren (Indira), and Lyall (Jude) and 5 grandchildren.

2 Dr. Brian T. Oleson Head, Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, University of Manitoba Dr. Brian T. Oleson is the Department Head of the Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. His duties include teaching and carrying out research and extension with a focus on grain markets, marketing, co-operatives, market outlook. One of his current interests is farmer marketing tools and price instability in grain markets. Brian grew up in the Interlake, a mixed farming and commercial fishing area of Manitoba, Canada and received his doctorate from the University of Minnesota. His earlier working positions, before joining the University of Manitoba in 2002, include over two decades in the grain trade in various marketing and analysis positions with the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) including Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs. Brian has traveled on business to over 60 countries, including trade missions and GATT/NAFTA/WTO negotiations. He served as an industry advisor to the Canadian government during the Uruguay Round and was also a industry advisory member to the Canadian team in Doha, Qatar for the launch of the current never-ending WTO Round. Dr. Joe Glauber Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy (former Chief Economist, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture) Dr. Joe Glauber is the former Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture ; former U.S. chief agricultural negotiator in the WTO Doha talks; and is currently Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington D.C. Joe Glauber is a Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, DC where his areas of interest are price volatility, global grain reserves, crop insurance and trade. Prior to joining IFPRI, Glauber spent over 30 years at the U.S. Department of Agriculture including as Chief Economist from 2008 to As Chief Economist, he was responsible for the Department s agricultural forecasts and projections, oversaw climate, energy and regulatory issues, and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation.From , Glauber was the Special Doha Agricultural Envoy at the office of the U.S. Trade Representative where he served as chief agricultural negotiator in the Doha talks. He served as economic adviser at the so-called Blair House agreements leading to the completion of the Uruguay Round negotiations. He is the author of numerous studies on crop insurance, disaster policy and U.S. farm policy.

3 Doug Mills Senior Account Representative, Port of Vancouver bulk products. Doug Mills brings more than 30 years of experience to his work at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, in marine, air, road and rail modes of transportation. Doug joined the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority in 2000, serving in the Statistics, Shore Operations, Supply Chain and most recently, Trade Development departments of the Port, where he now holds the position of Senior Account Representative for the Bulk and Breakbulk cargo sectors. Cargo commodities in Doug s portfolio include coal, potash, sulphur, grain, forest products, project cargos, automobiles, and liquid Born and raised in Vancouver, Doug holds a Bachelors Degree in Business and Liberal Arts from Simon Fraser University, as well as a Diploma in Marketing Management Technology and Transportation Distribution Management from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Mark Dyck Director, Logistics, G3 Canada Mr. Dyck has been involved in Logistics since His major responsibilities include coordinating movement of G3 grain from elevator to port, to the USA, and to Mexico. He is responsible for managing G3 s relationships with the railways. Mark is also responsible for east coast and west coast vessel operations, as well as lake freight chartering. Mark is the Chairman of the Board of Great Sandhills Railway, a 195 KM short line railway in Saskatchewan and sits on the G3 Algoma board managing a pool of lakers. He has previously held positions with the CWB as Senior Manager, Rail Logistics, and as a Transportation Analyst. Mark received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Manitoba, majoring in Agricultural Economics. Mark was raised on a grain farm near Headingley, Manitoba.

4 Greg Hamilton Corporate Development Manager, CN Rail Greg Hamilton is a Corporate Development Manager with CN. Transitioning back to CN s Montreal headquarters earlier this year following over a decade in Vancouver, he is now engaging with CN s regulatory files. He has held a variety of positions within CN s financial organization since beginning his career in 1995, and also has front-line operating experience as a qualified conductor working in mainline and yard service. Greg has a Bachelor of Commerce, Certificate in Accounting, and an MBA from McGill University, and holds a professional designation with the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia. Hon. Ralph Eichler Minister, Manitoba Agriculture Mr. Eichler was appointed Minister of Agriculture on May 3, He was first elected as the MLA for Lakeside in He was reelected in 2007, 2011 and He has previously served as the PC Opposition Critic for Agriculture, Municipal Government and Manitoba Hydro. In addition to his duties in the Manitoba Legislature, Ralph was elected by his peers as a Director to the State Agriculture Rural Leaders Board, a cross-border group with members from Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The group brings together stakeholders from provincial, state, and federal governments to discuss and develop agriculture policy and to exchange best practices which played a large role in repealing the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). Ralph is a former purebred cattle producer, the former owner/operator of Prairie Farm and Ranch Supply, and currently owns Ray s Auction Service. As an agri-business owner, he understands the importance of a healthy and sustainable rural economy. Ralph also served for 8 years as the Administrator for the Interlake School Division and strongly believes in building opportunities for young people. Ralph is an active volunteer in his community, having served in various roles with many organizations including the Teulon and Area Lions Club, the Stonewall Royal Canadian Legion Branch #52, the Interlake Riding Club, the Interlake Community Foundation Board, and the Teulon Golf and Country Club. Ralph and his family are also active members of their local church. Ralph and his wife Gail have two sons, a daughter and son-in-law, and three grandchildren.

5 Oksana Exell President & CEO, WESTAC Ms. Oksana Exell was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Western Transportation Advisory Council in October of 2014, assuming responsibility for WESTAC's strategic direction and leadership as it advances its role as the premier forum for transportation industry leaders in Western Canada. With background in both private and public sectors, she served most recently as founding principal and Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Gateway Skills Table, at the initiation of the Government of Canada. Oksana received her BA from McGill University and Masters in Public Administration from University of Victoria and early in her career served in a policy role in the Government of British Columbia. Subsequently she acted as an advocate for small business in Western Canada as regional Executive Director of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. As her career progressed she was made vice-president, then president, of the British Columbia Trade Development Corporation, a Crown corporation. While engaged in the private sector she fulfilled the roles of CEO of the Vancouver-based corporation, Watertrax, an applications service provider, and COO of the geoscience corporation Terraprobe of Vancouver. Steve Pratte Policy Manager, Canadian Canola Growers Association Steve Pratte is a Policy Manager with the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) where he leads the transportation file on behalf of 43,000 Canadian canola producers and represents their interests on several grain sector and multi-commodity industry and government initiatives. He has worked in transportation policy and systems planning in both the private and public sectors. Steve has a Bachelor of Arts, Diploma (Civil Engineering Technology), Master of Arts (Transportation Geography) and has completed the Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation (CITT) supply chain management program. He holds professional designations with the Canadian Institute of Planners (MCIP) and CITT (CCLP).

6 Jeff Edwards AVP, Service Design and Car Management, CP Rail Jeff Edwards is the Assistant Vice President Service Design & Car Management at CP Rail. He is responsible for Service Design, Car Management, Capital Infrastructure planning and Fuel. Within this role, Jeff manages the sizing and distribution of the Grain Hopper fleet. Jeff began his career at CP in 2001, and has worked in Finance, Operations and Commercial. Jeff has a Bachelor s degree in Economics from the University of Western Ontario, and holds an MBA from the University of Calgary. Jeff is a CFA Charter holder and started his career at CP on the Financial Analysis team prior to moving into a Manager role in Car Management. He has spent time as a Train Master in Edmonton, as the Manager of Investor Relations and was the Director of Sales for Intermodal based in Toronto. Most recently Jeff was in charge of the Operations Center in Calgary. Dr. Barry E. Prentice Professor, I.H. Asper School of Business Dr. Barry Prentice is a respected Canadian transportation and agricultural economist. He is Professor of Supply Chain Management and a Professional Associate of the Transport Institute of the I.H. Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. Dr. Prentice studied under Dr. Ed Trychniewicz and the late professors Clay Gilson and Daryl Kraft, who were the leading academics in the field of grain transportation during its transition from the era of Statutory Freight Rates, to the WGTA and the Estey Grain and Arthur Kroeger Reports. Since 1996, Dr. Prentice has organized the annual Fields on Wheels conferences that have continued to plot developments in grain transportation since the end of the Crow Benefit to the current time. He has a comprehensive knowledge of the grain supply chain and logistics theory that he has taught at the University of Manitoba since Dr. Prentice has authored or co-authored more than 250 reports and papers on various aspects of grain transportation, including the emerging use of containerization.

7 Chris D. Ferris Senior Grains Analyst Canada, Informa Economics IEG As the Senior Grain Market Analyst, Chris Ferris provides guidance to clients in the grains, oilseeds and special crops sectors. Prior to joining Informa Economics IEG in 2012, Chris worked with the Canadian Wheat Board as a market analyst for Latin America & the Caribbean. In this role, he supported the company s marketing and risk management programs. Chris grew up on a grain and cattle farm near Elkhorn, Manitoba and worked in the livestock trade before becoming an analyst. He holds a Master of Arts degree in economics from the University of Manitoba. Brian Innes Vice President, Government Relations, Canola Council Mr. Innes leads the Canola Council s government relations activities including trade policy, market access and regulatory affairs. During his time at the Council he has led the development of the industry s market access strategy and has worked closely on market access issues and the negotiation of bi-lateral and plurilateral free trade negotiations such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He also serves as the president of the Canadian Agri-food Trade Alliance (CAFTA), an organization promoting a more open international trading environment for agriculture and agri-food. Prior to joining the Canola Council, Brian was a senior consultant with the Ottawa office of an international public affairs firm. Brian also worked on Parliament Hill for the Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of National Defence and an Industry Critic. He holds a B.Sc., Agriculture from the University of Guelph and M.Sc., Agricultural Economics from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK.

8 Harvey Brooks General Manager, Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission Raised on a mixed farming operation in Rosthern, SK, Mr. Brooks has extensive experience in Western Canada s agriculture industry and has served in such positions as Director of Policy and Economic Research for the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, Co-operative Chair in Agricultural Marketing and Business at the University of Alberta and Head of Corporate Policy for the Canadian Wheat Board. A former deputy minister with the Government of Saskatchewan, he served four different departments during his tenure: Agriculture and Food, Government Relations, Highways and Transportation, and Rural Revitalization. Recently he served as deputy minister for Yukon in the departments of Economic Development and Community Services. He received his doctorate in economics from Iowa State University and his M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Saskatchewan. His career has focused on economic development and sustainability, encompassing policy, research, management consulting, and management and operations. Along with a significant amount of public and private sector experience, Harvey brings with him expertise in cross-disciplinary approaches to industry development.