UDI Fraser Valley Open for Business Abbotsford (2016)
Name:
UDI Fraser Valley Open for Business Abbotsford (2016)
Date:
April 14, 2016
Time:
7:00 AM - 9:40 AM PDT
Registration:
Sorry, public registration for this event has been closed.
Event Description:
Tomorrow’s Thinking Today – be part of the next story
Come and hear about the City of Abbotsford’s exciting new direction. Featured speaker Don Campbell and a diverse panel will provide an overview of the vision for the community.
Mayor Henry Braun
Henry has been an Abbotsford resident for close to six decades and was the co-owner, president and CEO of Abbotsford-based Pacific Northern Rail Contractors Corp up until his retirement in 2003. Henry was also involved with companies that developed and owned commercial and residential income producing real estate properties. As a long time Abbotsford businessman, he is enjoying the opportunity to put his years of business experience to work for the city and people of Abbotsford.
Henry understands that great communities don’t happen without involvement, and has served on the Abbotsford Police Board, the Economic Development Commission of the City of Abbotsford, the Abbotsford Airport Authority Board of Directors, the Trinity Western University School of Business advisory board, the board of directors of the Organized Crime Agency of B.C. as well as a member of the Board of Directors for Canada Place Corporation. In 2008, Henry received the Order of Abbotsford for his dedication to making Abbotsford a better place.
Henry was elected to serve as a Council Member with the City of Abbotsford in 2011 and served one term. In November 2014, Henry was elected to serve as the Mayor of Abbotsford. Henry is a champion for the City of Abbotsford. He is a strategic thinker and exemplifies this as Mayor with a strategic plan focusing on Abbotsford as the hub of the Fraser Valley composed of four integral cornerstones - a vibrant economy, fiscal discipline, organizational alignment and complete community.
Henry is proud of his own community of family members that includes being married 44 years to his wife, Velma, their three children and seven amazing grandchildren. This unique community is his inspiration for making sure Abbotsford remains a wonderful place in which to grow up and grow old, well into the future!
Alexandria Mitchell – City of Abbotsford Economic Development Officer
Alexandria Mitchell is Economic Development Officer at the City of Abbotsford. She focuses on the community’s strategic sectors of Agriculture, Aerospace, and Manufacturing; leading Abbotsford’s Business Retention and Expansion program.
In this role she is a facilitator, connector, and catalyst to support the growth of businesses in the community and she greatly enjoys being a resource for small business.
Through her work as an economic developer and public affairs professional with global experience, Alex has worked on renewable energy advancement and energy partnerships both in Canada and the Asia Pacific region.
Alexandria has a background as a small business owner, writer, editor, publisher and public relations professional - from covering the Olympic Games in London, looking at low carbon development in Guyana, working on sustainability in New Delhi, to working as an analyst at high level government negotiations on climate change.
She studied Political Sciences at the University of British Columbia and is currently working towards her Ecd. Designation (Certified Economic Developer, Economic Developers Association of Canada). Alex is a fellow in SFU Beedie School’s Social Innovation Lab (RADIUS) and is a Weston Loran Scholar.
Being an Abbotsford local provides her unique insight into the needs of the community and the business owners who contribute to making Abbotsford the hub of the Fraser Valley.
Mark Neill – City of Abbotsford Director of Community Planning
Mr. Neill is the Director of Community Planning at the City of Abbotsford. With expertise in community and development planning, public engagement and strategic implementation, his experience touches on all aspects of the planning and development process.
Mark has been in his role as Director of Community Planning for approximately 3½ years. Prior to that Mark worked as the Manager of Development Planning for the Township of Langley.
Mark was raised in Abbotsford and is a graduate of UFV with a bachelor of arts degree. He went on to obtain his masters degree in city planning from the University of Dalhousie in Nova Scotia.
In his role as Director of Community Planning with the City of Abbotsford, he manages and oversees the long range land use planning functions. His department is currently undertaking a major review and update to the City’s Official Community Plan through a project known as Abbotsforward. This project is intended to cast a new vision for the City of Abbotsford and what it may look like as a city of 200,000 people.
Parm Sidhu- Abbotsford International Airport General Manager
A visionary leader with a passion for community, Parm Sidhu is known for his commitment to service.
Over the past fifteen years at Abbotsford International Airport (YXX) Parm has held a series of progressively senior roles which prepared him well for his current role as the Airport General Manager. He holds an Airport Operations Management certificate from BCIT, is an active member of the Canadian Airport Council Security Committee & Operations/Technical Committee and most recently earned his Bachelor’s degree from Simon Fraser University.
His leadership includes fostering regional collaboration to help ensure continual growth and development of Abbotsford International Airport. His numerous community development & volunteer roles throughout the Fraser Valley include Director with the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce and the Surrey Board of Trade and various sub-committees with the Canadian Airports Council.
Being born and raised in Abbotsford gives him insight to what matters most to the residents and businesses that the Airport serves. His innovative approaches focus on exceptional guest services and partner relations are attributes he’s recognized for on a daily basis.
Don Campbell- Real Estate Investment Network Senior Analyst Investor, Philanthropist & Best-Selling Author
Don R. Campbell is a Canadian-based real estate investor, researcher, author and educator. He is a Founding Partner and Senior Analyst of the Real Estate Investment Network, and owner of Cutting Edge Research Inc., both of which have entered their 22nd year of providing unbiased research and analysis on the Canadian real estate markets.
He and his experienced team are leaders in providing Canada’s most current real estate investment education programs and economic research materials.
Don made his first investment into residential real estate in BC’s Fraser Valley back in 1985 and hasn’t looked back since. While teaching and sharing his research with thousands of Canadians, Don continues to add to his personal real estate portfolio, and now has extensive residential, industrial and agriculture
holdings across the country. As a realist and analyst, he takes complex economic subjects and makes them understandable for investors.
Don is the author of many best-selling books and donates 100% of his author royalties from all of his books directly to Habitat for Humanity and so far he and the members of REIN have raised over $1.2 million to build homes for those in need of a hand-up.
Campbell’s comprehensive education programs, in combination with his extensive economic research, attract attention in Canadian business circles because of their effectiveness and down-to earth practicality. As a result of his direct focus on the economics and fundamentals of real estate — not hype and emotions - Don is a go-to person for national and local TV, magazines, newspapers and radio whenever the discussion of real estate arises.
Don shares his strategies and economic research at monthly meetings, events, and on-line with the many
members of the Real Estate Investment Network. To date, REIN members have purchased well in excess of 35,000 properties valued at more than $4.4 billion. Today, REIN has more than 2,500 members who range in age from 16 to 70; many have been members for more than 10 years.
