2012 Prodigy Group Committee

Jesse Szczepanowski | Chair

Jesse Szczepanowski is the Director of Marketing for Marv Holland Apparel – one of Western Canada’s largest corporate and industrial apparel manufacturing and distribution companies. In addition, Jesse helps manage his family business enterprise which includes several real estate and investment holdings, including Salmon Beach Recreational Village on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management (with distinction) from Royal Roads University and remains actively involved with the University including his appointment to the Eric C. Douglass Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies Advisory Council. Jesse is an advocate for family business and is a member of Vancouver Island Canadian Association of Family Enterprise (CAFE).

As 2012 Chair of the Prodigy Group, Jesse leads a team of dedicated committee members who are focused on creating networking and development opportunities for the emerging leaders of Victoria. Looking forward to an awesome 2012!

Lori Muñoz | Vice Chair

Lori Muñoz works in fund development for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Victoria. She has held the position of Events & Special Services Supervisor for the last four years. Previous to her involvement in non- profits, she studied 18 years of classical piano with four years focused on a Piano Performance Degree. She became a Piano and Theory teacher at the Daniel Lapp’s House of Music for two years. Lori now teaches privately in her own studio.

Always eager for new challenges, she has gone back to UVic and is currently enrolled in the Public Relations Program. Lori is committed to being an active member in the community and volunteers and supports children and arts organizations in Victoria.

Larry Beatty | Special Events

Larry is a Chartered Accountant with Green Horwood & Co LLP, a locally owned and operated accounting firm in Victoria. Larry relocated to Victoria in 2002 after obtaining his Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Saskatchewan. His expertise includes audits and reviews of small to mid-sized corporations and charities, personal and corporate income tax preparation and planning, as well as providing estate, financial and trust planning services.
Larry keeps active in the local community. He has been involved in various volunteer positions such as Kid Sport Victoria, Maritime Museum of BC, and Big Brother Big. He also enjoys staying active in a variety of physical activities including hockey, baseball, skiing and golf.

Michael Chu | Mingles

With over four years of experience in the financial services industry, Michael Chu is a Financial Advisor with Desjardins Financial Security. Michael also co-founded and sold a local software company and attended Camosun College.

Born and raised in Victoria, Michael wants to see Victoria become the economic center that he believes is possible. He also believes that Victoria has the potential to be a leader in a clean economy and values organizations like the Chamber and the Prodigy Group for bringing together community leaders.

Heather Crow | Secretary

Heather is a Chartered Accountant currently working at KPMG in Victoria. She has worked at the firm since 2006 in the audit practice. During her time at KPMG she completed a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Victoria, a Master of Professional Accounting at the University of Saskatchewan, as well as earning her CA designation.

Born and raised in Victoria, Heather is fifth generation Victorian. She has a passion for travel and when time permits, is found exploring new places, attempting new adventures, and creating new memories. In addition to travelling, you can find Heather enjoying athletics (previously a provincial soccer player who competed in national and international competitions), and outdoor activities. Heather has been on the Victoria Organizing Committee for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk since 2011. Prior to her involvement with Light the Night, she was the Registration Coordinator for the CIBC Run for the Cure.

Heather has joined the Prodigy Group as the Secretary and looks forward to connecting with other emerging professionals in the community.

Cory Fry | Mentorship

Cory thrives on pursuing business opportunities and partnerships that create revenue and momentum for an organization. He currently works in business development with The Truffles Group and Health Care Leaders of BC. A leader and excellent connector, Cory has developed a reputation for generating big ideas, spearheading community development initiatives and connecting people with opportunities to excel, which is why he is excited to be contributing to the mentorship program with the Prodigy Group. Born and raised in Vancouver, he is proud to call Victoria home, and enjoys cycling, playing tennis, singing loudly, and diving into a good book. Cory will likely never beat Joshua Hample in a game of golf, but he will always be a few yards further off the tee.

Joshua Hample | Mentorship

Joshua is a graduate of Royal Roads University with a Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management. While in school, Joshua was the sole proprietor of Hample Painting Enterprises for four years, where he learned the “in’s and out’s” of running your own business. Post graduation, he has taken on the role of Small Business Advisor with TD Canada Trust and is dedicated to ensuring the needs of local businesses are being met. His goal is to help create a tight-knit network of business professionals to best serve the Greater Victoria area. Joshua’s desire to be actively involved in his community will best be served as the sponsorship lead with the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce Prodigy Group. Outside of TD and the PG, Joshua loves golfing, enjoying local Victoria patios and traveling the globe experiencing other cultures.

Al Hasham | Chamber Board Liaison

Al Hasham, owner of a family owned and locally operated Courier & Furniture Company doing business as Maximum Express Courier & Freight & Maximum Furniture. Through his involvement with the local business community and his dedicated commitment to the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, Al has seen his companies excel and achieve tremendous success. Built on the basic philosophy that all business should aspire to, “provide total satisfaction to the customer and be competitive through customization of services and rates that are catered to the unique needs of the customer” Al has believed success will follow.

In addition to being a small business owner, Al has always made time to support local community efforts including volunteering for the World Partnership Walk for the last 15 years. Al serves on the Membership Committee at the Greater Victoria Chamber.

Claire Helm | Communications

Claire graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Real Estate and Marketing. While in University, Claire co-founded The Young Women in Business Network, and was also an executive member of JDC West as VP Marketing. After University, Claire worked as a Product Line Manager for SaskTel in their marketing division, and later as an Advertising Campaign Manager for FCC, an agri-finance company. Drawing on both her marketing and real estate background, Claire has since launched and is now running her own real estate practice under DFH Real Estate Ltd. This year, Claire will be awarded an MLS Bronze Standing for Victoria real estate sales in 2011.

Claire is extremely hardworking, and exceptionally passionate about Victoria Real Estate and giving back to the community. A small part of how Claire gives back is through her role as Communications Lead with the Prodigy Group, a committee of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce. She is also an active volunteer with Junior Achievement of BC.

In her spare time (very spare) you can usually find Claire snowboarding, cooking, golfing, wakeboarding, travelling, watching hockey, or spending time with friends and family.

Janell Karst | Past Chair

Janell is a Strategic Marketing, Communications & Events Specialist with CGI Information Technology & Management Consultants Inc. where she works with the Global Communications team and is responsible for Western Canada. In this new role, Janell is excited to work on a wide variety of initiatives including internal communications, external communications, developing & executing world-class client and member events, and in elevating and marketing our Corporate Social Responsibility efforts across the West. Janell is thrilled to take on this new role, and to ultimately bring more brand awareness of CGI to the West.

Janell completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Royal Roads University and a Business Administration degree in finance & marketing at Camosun College.

Janell is the Past Chair of the Prodigy Group and serves on the Strategic Communications Committee. When not networking, volunteering or building a solid career – she can be found outdoors enjoying all that Vancouver Island has to offer.

Ryan Labelle | Communications

Ryan operates Honeycomb Webworks; a friendly web design firm helping people use the Internet to achieve success in marketing, sales and advertising.

Ryan became a certified Internet professional in 2001. He holds an Associate Certificate from BCIT and has twice been certified by Microsoft to design and develop web applications.

Ryan is an active board member of the the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and Peninsula Celebrations Society.

Laurel Loxam | Special Events

Laurel is a Mortgage Broker with Harbour View Mortgages, Dominion Lending Centres. Laurel moved to Victoria in 2009 after completing her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Tourism and Sport Management at Vancouver Island University. Laurel specializes in Mortgage Management, where her main goal is “to be your mortgage broker for life”. Laurel is an active member in the community and apart from the Prodigy Group she sits on the Board for the British Columbia Schizophrenia Society and has a passion to learn more and spread the word about mental health issues and how they impact our local community.

Laurel is an extremely hardworking and driven individual who is very passionate about her career. Whether it be first time home buyers or individuals looking to expand their real estate portfolio, she loves working with each client every step of the way so they feel extremely comfortable and confident throughout their entire experience.

In her “free time” Laurel enjoys running, boot camps, hiking, cooking, watching and playing sports and spending time with family and friends.

Teagan McKay | Communications

Teagan has been a web developer for the past five years and is currently employed at Honeycomb Webworks, where he helps local businesses develop and maintain their successful online presence. He equally enjoys both the creative and technical aspects of web design and development, and is passionate about the increasing impact that online marketing continues to have on the business world.

Born and raised in Victoria, Teagan loves the west coast life. He enjoys travelling, and goes snowboarding and wakeboarding any chance he gets.

Lindsay Nielsen | Communications

Lindsay Nielsen is the Associate Producer for Cedarwood Productions, a local video production company that produces television shows, documentaries, and corporate/promotional videos. Lindsay is passionate about her work in the video industry; she loves the constant creativity and the opportunities to tell peoples’ stories.

Born and raised in Alberta, Lindsay has always been drawn to Vancouver Island, and she’s returned frequently throughout the years. Lindsay graduated from SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary with her Television Production diploma, and two months later she moved to Victoria to complete her BA in Professional Communications at Royal Roads University.

Lindsay loves learning, and knows she isn’t finished her educational journey quite yet. She continues to learn from amazing leaders through her work, and through the Prodigy Group as their Communications Reporter.

Monica Powell | Special Events

Monica is an event manager, and owner of Monica Powell Event Management, a small company that provides event management services from concept development to post event analysis. Monica currently works with a number of charity and business organizations in Victoria. Prior to starting her own company, she worked for Chemistry Consulting group were she was involved in the production of multi-day, province wide conferences.

Monica was born and raised in Victoria, and is a graduate of the University of Victoria.

When she is not at work, Monica enjoys hiking with her husband, Todd and Yellow Lab, Juno.

Lee Richardson | Community Connections

Lee Richardson is the founder and owner of Richardson Sport Inc., operating Sportball programs in Victoria and in the Lower Mainland. Currently, Richardson Sport teaches the Sportball program 1500 children per season. He has completed academic studies in Primary Education and Environmental Science (B.Sc. – Royal Roads University and B. E. – York University). In the past Lee worked as a teacher, ski school director, Sportball Franchise Owner and staff trainer for community centers. He has developed an environmental awareness camp called EcoQuest and currently is an active Account Executive with the United Way, Vice President of Centennial Day Care Society and the Vice Chair for B2B Networking Group. Recently Lee has also become the vice-chair of The Vancouver Island Royal Roads Alumni Association. In 2010 Richardson Sport Inc. began managing the Non-Profit Braefoot Community Association, where Lee is now the Executive Director.

Torbjorn Rive | Community Connections

Working primarily in the forestry industry since 2003, Torbjorn is now a fundraiser, proposal-writer and management consultant for First Nations and other community organizations in BC. Always an entrepreneur at heart, Torbjorn finally started his company thinkWest Management in 2010 and began interacting with other entrepreneurs and business leaders in Victoria to make new friends and grow his company network.

As a Canadian / Dane who was born and raised in Asia, Torbjorn loves building business, designing creative projects, and interacting in the cultural environment that working with First Nations offers.

His academic background is as diverse as his upbringing with a BA from UBC and multiple diplomas in project management, business writing, and ecological restoration studies from UVic.

Joshua Schmidt | Membership

Joshua holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a focus in Entrepreneurial Management from Royal Roads University, in addition to an Advertising Diploma from Sheridan Institute of Technology & Design. As an eco-preneur with firmly rooted ethics, Joshua understands the importance of balancing environmental/social policy with economic profitability in order to create successful change. Utilizing his knowledge of values-based marketing and communications Josh builds viral community initiatives focused on positive growth, and is the Canadian “founder” of the Carrotmob movement. Currently Joshua sits on the Board of Directors for Community Microlending and acts as Treasurer for the association, in addition to his role as an advisor with the Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) club which he founded in 2006 at Royal Roads University. In his spare time Joshua engages youth in public/private high schools and post-secondary institutions to learn about the emerging values-based economy and how to thrive within it.

Richard Van Leeuwen | Treasurer

Richard is a Chartered Accountant and is currently working with the Academy of Learning. His experience covers a broad range of topics including finance and accounting, both personal and corporate taxation, as well as operations and administration. Prior to joining the Academy of Learning, Richard worked for KPMG, a “big four” accounting firm in Victoria.

Outside of work, Richard enjoys travelling various parts of the world, skiing the mountains of Alberta and BC and getting out for a ride on his bike.

Jared Webb | Membership

Jared Webb is a Life Agent and Investment Funds Advisor with Fernhill Financial Corporation, a family owned and locally operated financial services firm in Victoria. With a passion for excellence and a unique ability to work with his clients, he has provided the exceptional service associated with Fernhill Financial Corporation since 2006.

Jared completed his Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Entrepreneurial Management from Royal Roads University in 2007 and continues to further his knowledge through the pursuit of industry designations and continuing education.

It was at Royal Roads that Jared met a few fellow students that would go on to become members of Prodigy Group. His respect for the hard work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit of these individuals was the decisive element that encouraged Jared to become involved with Prodigy Group.

Jared is currently also the Membership Chair of the Vancouver Island Chapter of Advocis and has been a member at large since 2006. Advocis, formerly The Financial Advisors Association of Canada, is the oldest and largest voluntary professional membership association of financial advisors in Canada.

As part of a balanced lifestyle, Jared enjoys playing hockey and soccer on the weekends; yet most importantly, he enjoys spending time with his family.