Past Speakers

Thursday, September 26

Speaker: John Rose
Founder & CEO of Rose Security

John Rose started Rose Security in 2003, and has grown the business to 20+ people with offices in New Westminster and Calgary.

In our interview with John, he'll share:

The story of how his first client convinced him to start his business
Insights into how he's achieved his sales targets of $1+ million/year
Why he developed a clear vision 10 years into his business, and how it led to some long-time staff leaving the business
How two years of personal health issues impacted his business
How he sees his faith being lived out in his business

Thursday, October 24

Speaker: Stephen Stow
Founder & Managing Director of PhysioCare at Home

Stephen started PhysioCare at Home with his wife Jillian in 2004, providing in-home physiotherapy to seniors in Canada. Since then they have grown to 20+ physiotherapists in 4 cities.

In our interview with Stephen, we'll discuss:

The story of why and how he started a business at a young age
How he was able to grow his business to be in 5 cities across Canada
The value of investing in personal growth as a business owner
What he learned about Cost of Goods sold and having a Profit First mindset
The advantages and challenges of having contractors versus employees
His experience at the Arrow Leadership program and how that helped him clarify his personal and business vision

Thursday, November 28

Speaker: Darrell Lim
Principal Consultant of Oak Management Consulting

Darrell has run Oak Management Consulting for 10 years. As an executive coach, he helps leaders find clarity and confidence to lead the change they desire in themselves and teams they lead.

In our interview with Darrell, we'll discuss:

Why he became a coach
The value of coaching for an entrepreneur
How an entrepreneur can use coaching skills to more effectively manage their team and clients
The difference between strategy and tactics
The value of strategic planning for a small business
Why coaching, rather than consulting, allows him to better live out his calling

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Speaker: Josephreen Luk

Founder of Bloom Accounting

After 10 years in the accounting industry and a failed business, Josephreen started Bloom Accounting to provide full cycle accounting services to small businesses.

In our interview with Jo, she'll share:

The story of why she left her 9-5 accounting job to start her own business
What she learned from running a Christian bookstore for 3 years and having to shut it down
Common bookkeeping and accounting challenges that small businesses face
Why having a good understanding of your business numbers makes a difference
How she uses technology to save her clients money and save herself time
How her failed business shook her faith and how she sees the connection of faith and business now

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Speaker: Brian Ho

Founder & Managing Director of Flowmarq Creative

Brian started Flowmarq Creative in 2007, a Richmond-based creative and advertising agency with clients in North America, Europe, and Asia.

In our interview with Brian, we'll discuss:

The story of why and how he started his business
How he was able to grow his business to be a team of 8 people
His experience working as the lead pastor of Crucible Church and running his business at the same time, and why he eventually left his pastoral job
What marketing strategy is and how it could benefit a small business
The value of branding and design to a small business
How he develops his team by giving them increasing responsibility and a path for growth
How he sees his Christian faith shapes his work in business and marketing

Thursday, April 23, 2020

Speaker: Donna Cheung

Co-Founder & Executive Producer of Wakefield Productions

Donna and her husband Nouver started Wakefield Productions in 2011. As Executive Producer, Donna’s role is to identify and engage in heartfelt storytelling that creates awareness for organizations and helps them build long-term brand loyalty with their audience.

In our interview with Donna, she'll share:

How Wakefield Productions was started
The value of storytelling for businesses and organizations
What makes a good story and how businesses can tell better stories
What she believes is God's call for Christian entrepreneurs
Why and how their team went through a 25-year visioning process last year

Thursday, May 28

Speaker: Josh Davis
President, Speedee Transport and Go Lily Software Solutions

Josh helped Speedee grow from 3 to over 100 employees becoming the fastest growing transportation company in BC and completing a successful merger with one of the largest transportation companies in Canada. Josh also helped to start Lily Software Solutions and was recognized at the 2019 Business in Vancouver BC CTO awards as Innovator of the year.

In our interview with Josh, we'll discuss:

The story of how he started his businesses
How he was able to grow from 3 to 100+ employees just a few years
The challenges of growing a business so quickly
How he had to grow as a leader in the midst of changes of his business
The story of how he sold his business
How his faith impacts his work and business

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Speaker: Bernie Willock
Co-Owner of Pine Lodge Contracting

Bernie has experience running 4 businesses over his career, including his current one Pine Lodge Contracting. His second business was running two Lazy-Boy furniture stores on Vancouver Island that consistently ranked in the top 2% of profitability among 300+ North American stores. Bernie's also served as the president and CEO of Food for the Hungry Canada.

In our interview with Bernie, he'll share:

His story of starting 4 businesses throughout his career
What it looks like to design a business that reflected the kingdom of God
The open-book policy he used to share his financials with staff and the impact it made
The 25% profit sharing plan he developed to reward his employees
How giving away 25% profits to help the global community engaged his staff to do their best work
How he shifted Food for the Hungry's mindset from seeing businesses as donors to treating them like partners

Thursday, Aug 27, 2020
11:00am - 12:00pm

Speaker: Esther De Wolde
CEO, Phantom Screens

Esther is the CEO and one of the founders of Phantom Screens, a leading brand in the retractable screen industry. She started the business out of her garage 28 years ago and has won Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award.

In our interview with Esther, we'll discuss:

The story of how she started her businesses
How she attributes her business' success to serving its people, its customers and its business partners with respect and with integrity
How she focuses on her strengths as a leader
The value of reflection in business
Why she created a formal advisory board to keep her and her team accountable, and how that has helped
How she honours her faith by pursuing the dream of improving the lives of my customers, employees and partners

Thursday, Sep 24, 2020
11:00am - 12:00pm

Speaker: Rob Antonides
Founder & President, Apex Motion Control

Rob started Apex Motion Control 20 years ago. As a full service automation company, Rob and his team design and build robotics systems for bakeries, food producers, and manufacturing companies. His team is currently building a robotics system that will package 3.5 million masks per day in Kelowna when it is fully operational.

In our interview with Rob, he'll share:

The story of how he moved from consulting for companies like Coca-Cola & Boeing to become a manufacturing company
The highlights and challenges of running a business for 20 years
How his company ended up focusing on designing and building robotics systems for the bakery industry
The future of automation and the impact it will have on the economy
How his faith impacts his work and business

Thursday, Oct 22, 2020
11:00am - 12:00pm

Speaker: Daniel Anggara
Co-Founder & Partner, Reconcile Business Solutions

Daniel is the Co-Founder and Partner of Reconcile Business Solutions. He and his partner Grayson Bain have staff in Vancouver, Toronto, and in the Philippines, and focus on offering sales, HR, and financial services to help small businesses grow.

In our interview with Daniel, we'll discuss:

Why his partner calls him a reluctant entrepreneur
How his failed non-profit in the Philippines opened the door for him to start his business
Things he's learned from managing a team of 6 people based in the Philippines for the past 8 years
How he feels about hiring "cheap" labour from the Philippines
Ways he helps small businesses develop simple financial systems to save them time and money
How he sees his work as helping bring God's justice here on earth

Thursday, Nov 26, 2020
11:00am - 12:00pm

Speaker: Rod Olson
Owner & Farmer, Leaf & Lyre Urban Farms

Rod started Leaf & Lyre Urban Farms 10 years ago, which is a regenerative farming social enterprise based in Calgary. He is also the General Manager at YYC Growers & Distributors, which grows and distributes nutrient-dense, regeneratively-grown food to Calgary residents.

In our interview with Rod, he'll share:

How he started his urban farming business
How he partners with Calgary homeowners to use their backyards to grow vegetables
The highlights and challenges of running Leaf & Lyre over 10 years
The importance of the regenerative farming movement
The farming work he does with the refugee and Indigenous community
How his work as a farmer has deepened his faith and motivated him to pursue the work of reconciliation with the Indigenous community