The History of the Alberta Enterprise Group

In 2007 a group of business leaders banded together to create an ambitious new business advocacy organization. The mandate of the group was to make Alberta a better place to live and do business, thereby creating long-term and unprecedented prosperity for every Albertan.

Over the years, both collectively and as individual members of AEG, we’ve succeeded in sharing Alberta’s story with the world. We effectively communicate the benefits of doing business in our province, we positively inform the public and policy makers on complex and challenging issues facing the province and the country, and we create real change as the community requires.

AEG members employ over 100,000 Albertans and generate billions in economic activity each year, stimulating and guiding the business climate to better serve us all.

Why AEG?

Advance your business with the many advantages provided through AEG, an organization that connects Alberta’s business leaders with decision makers and stakeholders across the region. Get in the know and have a hand in influencing the success of your business and others like it. Put your bottom line in focus with a group that has their finger on the pulse.

As Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders we all have to do our part

Marcel Coutu

President and CEO, Canadian Oil Sands

“Canadian Oil Sands is a proud member of AEG. We recognize the important role they play in ensuring Alberta businesses remain productive and prosperous. Through events such as the mission to Quebec in 2012, AEG has also shown they are a proud and positive voice across Canada for the oil sands industry.”

www.cdnoilsands.com

Steven Kim

Investment Advisor, RBC Wealth Management

“AEG Membership has helped me to connect with top tier decision makers in Alberta business. With that, I’ve gained valuable insight and local market intelligence through Alberta’s business leaders. I have become a member of AEG for business but also because I’ve been a life long member of the Alberta community. AEG has given me a way to contribute in shaping Alberta’s bright future.”

www.rbcwealthmanagement.com

Brendan Connolly

Owner Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse / Alliance Building maintenance

“I’ve been a member from the early days of the Alberta Enterprise Group. I have traveled on missions,attended meetings and work on projects and platforms. What I always tell people is ‘get involved’ it has turned out to be a great group of connections with great people doing great things. One of the best groups I’ve ever been a part of.”

www.ruthschrissteakhouse.ca

Catherine Brownlee is the President of Alberta Enterprise Group where she brings over 30 years’ experience in business consulting across all sectors. Her database of over 85,000 contacts demonstrates her capacity to motivate, build and achieve results. She was recognized by her peers for her outstanding leadership with a Women of Influence

Award, and a Paul Harris Award through the Rotary Club of Calgary. Catherine is also the co-author of three bestsellers. Want to Work in Oil and Gas? Cat’s Tips to Get the Job of Your Dreams and How to Sell in Any Economy, the latter of which hit the number one on Amazon, in three categories, on its first day of release.

In her spare time, Catherine is committed to serving the community through the Rotary Club, Stampede Park. Her passion is seen in the areas of business, politics, tech and AI, human rights, serving children, and disadvantaged communities.

You can Email Catherine at Catherine@albertaenterprisegroup.com

Mr. Faucher is an entrepreneur with diverse business interests. He is President of GMS Aggregates Inc., an aggregate business located north of Fort McMurray in the heart of the oil sands deposits. GMS Aggregates is the sole owner of the Glacier Outwash gravel deposit. GMS Aggregates is also the owner of gravel deposits in Peace River, Westlock, and Clyde, Alberta.

Mr. Faucher was appointed as a director of the Company as of 2012.

Shane Wenzel followed his father into the home building industry at a young age, learning the inner workings of the company with a hands-on perspective at job sites. He moved into sales and marketing, ultimately taking on the role as senior vice-president of sales and marketing.

Shane is hard-wired into new technologies, and has crafted a high profile for the company on social media and online as well as introduced leading edge innovations to the Shane Homes Group of Companies product line based on customer input. In 2010, he became the company’s president, sharing Cal’s passion of putting customers first, with honesty and integrity. Shane serves on the board of directors of BILD Calgary Region.

Mr. O’Flynn is President and Co-owner of Prism Flow Products Inc. Prism is a wholesale valve manufacturers’ representative since 1995. Mr. O’Flynn has served on several boards and fundraising initiatives. He has served as the Chairman of Alberta Alpine Ski Association, as a board member of Alpine Canada Alpin (Canadian National Ski Team), and on the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation.

Mr. O’Flynn currently serves on the Boards of the Edmonton Eskimos, and the Jerry Forbes Centre for Community Spirit. Mr. O’Flynn is the long-time Co-Chair of the Mustard Seed golf tournament, the charity’s largest annual fundraiser. Mr. O’Flynn is active in the community of Beaumont, Alberta where he has been a resident for 32 years.

Cal Nichols started his career in oil and gas as a commission agent for Esso and has spent most of his life in petroleum marketing and related industries as well as real estate development. In 1984, as a result of deregulation, Cal was a founding partner in Northridge Petroleum Marketing Inc. which was the first privately owned company in crude oil and gas marketing in Canada.

He created Gasland Oil Ltd. in 1985, which grew to over 50 branded independent petroleum outlets in Western Canada. Nichols is best known for spearheading a group of local investors in 1998 to purchase the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club and prevent them from leaving the City. Cal went on to serve as Chairman and NHL Governor for ten years.

Cal has been inducted into the Alberta Business Hall of Fame and has been recognized by many other organizations for his continued efforts in his community.

David Martens is a successful entrepreneur based in a Grande Prairie. David has a long history of business development and innovation in many sectors including construction, real estate and the beverage industry.

David is an engaged and vocal advocate for reducing unnecessary regulatory red-tape at the municipal, provincial and federal level and competitive tax rates for Alberta businesses. In their free time David and his wife Gert enjoy traveling, cycling and advocating for Alberta’s oil and gas industry.

Mr. Rajotte, recently stepped down from the AEG board to assume a key role as the senior representative for Alberta in Washington DC.Former Rogers Communications vice-president and former Edmonton MP Mr. Rajotte will play a key role, “The crisis in our energy industry underscores the need for Albertans to have strong relations with policy makers and business leaders in the United States,”Premier Jason Kenney said.
James Rajotte was a member of the House of Commons for 15 years.He was elected to the House of Commons in 2000 as the Member of Parliament for Edmonton-Southwest, and was re-elected as the Member of Parliament for Edmonton-Leduc in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2011.

He served as the Chair of the Standing Committee on Finance during the 40th and 41st Parliaments (2008-2015), and was Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Industry Science and Technology in the 39th Parliament (2006-08).

Congratulations James, and thank you for your work with Alberta Enterprise Group, and now serving Alberta and Canada in Washington.

Bruce has extensive experience in providing audit, accounting and business advisory services to large family-owned enterprises, private equity-backed organizations and publicly traded entities. In recent years, he has led several due diligence teams assisting clients with strategic business acquisitions. Prior to founding the Firm in 1995, Bruce was a partner with the international accounting firm of Deloitte, where he served as director for 15 years, served on three of the firms strategic planning committees and chaired the Canadian firms Consumer Products Committee.

As a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta, Bruce has sat on both the Canadian Institute’s Auditing Standards Committee and the Provincial institute’s committee dealing with financial reporting for Credit Unions. He is also very involved in the Edmonton community, having chaired the professional section of the United Way Collection Campaign, the Finance Committee of OLPH Catholic Parish, the Klondike Chuckwagon Derby Committee and the fundraising committee for an Alberta cabinet minister. Bruce currently is a Director of the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation and is a trustee for the Franciscan Friars of Western Canada.

Tim Shipton is the Vice President of Corporate Communications & Government Relations for the Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG), the parent company of the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club. OEG is focused on expanding a broad range of sports and entertainment offerings, delivering outstanding fan experiences, securing major new sponsorships and events, and operating the new home of the Edmonton Oilers, Rogers Place. Tim has a wealth of experience that spans the private, government and not-for-profit sectors.

In his role at Oilers Entertainment Group, Tim oversees all aspect of external relations for the company including public relations, media, community and government relations. Tim also acts as the lead liaison with Canadian news media on behalf of OEG.

Tim also works closely with the Katz Group on planning and communications related to the Ice District, Canada’s largest mixed use development. A native of Oil Country, Tim is known for his highly entrepreneurial and collaborative leadership style and has successfully led teams to deliver results. His work in telling the Alberta story across Canada and around the world has earned him Top 40 Under 40 honours from Avenue Magazine and he was named a Rising Star by Oilweek Magazine.

Steven is an Investment Advisor with RBC Wealth Management, Dominion Securities. Mr. Kim is a graduate of the University of Alberta, where he obtained a Bachelor of Commerce Degree with a major in Finance. A firm believer in ongoing education, he has acquired the advanced industry designations of  Financial Management Advisor (FMA), Canadian Investment Manager (CIM) and Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI).

Mr. Kim harnesses his knowledge and 19 years of experience to develop comprehensive wealth management solutions for his clients.

Branko Culo began a career in Oil & Gas, that led to gaining valuable experience in the areas of team and project management. Following a desire to pursue entrepreneurism, he became a partner at Express Employment Professionals and the Specialized Recruiting group in 2008. In his role with EEP; SRG he is responsible for overseeing recruiting divisions in Office/Administration, Accounting/Finance, Technical Search, Executive Search & Contract Placement (Engineering/Skilled Trades/Manufacturing/Construction Leadership/Management/Sales, IT, etc.

), that support 400+ individual Albertan companies annually. Branko, also, served as a consultant to Express’s international headquarters from November 2019-2022 as a member of their Innovations Committee to identify and experiment with turnkey and future based technology solutions that included Blockchain, AI/ML, Virtual Reality and Power BI data solutions. Believing in giving back to the community, Branko, served as a proud Rotarian from 2016-2022 and maintains a “Friends of Rotary” standing today.

A senior human resource and labour relations practitioner who has held executive positions in health care and telecommunications, I founded Windowpane Management in 1996. My vision was to create a human resources firm that provides tailored and practical HR advice and strategies to meet the unique needs of each organization whether on a retainer based, on-going basis or as a specific project. I am committed to responsive, timely and accessible service, and have welcomed the availability of technology to foster Windowpane’s ability to meet this commitment. Going anywhere without my computer and/or mobile device is simply not an option.

Eighteen years later, Windowpane continues to move forward to support workplaces dealing with emerging issues such as diversity; telework and social media. I am particularly pleased to be able to effectively provide services to organizations in more remote areas of the Province by leveraging in-person contact with technology.

Mr. Muller is President and Co-Owner of Caron Transportation Systems, Caron Transportation Systems USA and Interload Services Ltd. These three companies provide safe, dependable, trusted service to the mining, oilfield, petrochemical, pulp/paper, water treatment, manufacturing and construction industries.

The main Canadian service area covers a large portion of Western Canada.Recently the service area has grown to include Northwest and Southwest United States.The fleet includes over 350 tractors and 750 liquid tankers, aggregate, pneumatic and cryogenic trailers.

Mr. Muller is a Past Chairman of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, a Past Board Member of the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation and a supporting member of several charitable organizations.

Mr. Muller was appointed as a director of the Company as of 2009.

Peter Kiss is the President and Chief Executive Office of Morgan Construction and Environmental Ltd. (“Morgan”), a heavy civil construction company that he has nurtured and grown for over 20 years. Morgan has had significant success as a major competitor in Western Canada, with over 700 employees, four branch offices, and plans for expansion when the time is right.

Peter served as Co-chairman (2015) and Chairman (2016) following directorship with the Canadian Energy Executive Association. In addition, Peter sat on the Board of YPO and Edmonton Economic Development Corporation.

Peter is involved in a number of other businesses providing investment and advisory level support to privately held companies including: waste removal and transfer, timber and land clearing, and commercial and industrial demolition.

Mr. Kiss is new to the board of directors of the Company in of 2019.