Highlights of Qualifications

·         Extensive commercial and international consulting including venture capital investment analysis, asset acquisition and management with experience in China.

·         Unique experience in agricultural investment due to 5 senior positions in both debt and venture capital finance, with 35 years of successful experience placing capital.

·         Experienced in small business finance, start up, turnarounds and ownership.

·         Rated in top quartile of North American executives by recognized testing process.

Management Experience

CEO Interactive Management Group (Current)

·         Founder, owner of a consulting firm focused on commercial, international & agricultural consulting and investment management.

·         Specializing in due diligence, finance, market analysis, business start up, succession planning, and project management.

·         Extensive experience dealing with Chinese investors.

·         Provided international consulting service to John Deere to establish a new division called Food Origins and to do the due diligence on biogas.

·         Provided consulting to large-scale agricultural projects for the purpose of feasibility, expansion, financing, project management and succession planning.

·         Sourced financing for existing and start up companies, including the development of business plans and market assessments.

Director, Agri-Food Equity Fund, SAF.  (April 1999 to March 2002)

·         Led a start up venture capital team of 10 investment managers, who invested in small and medium-sized value adding agricultural businesses.

·         Member of the Board of ADF and Board of Sask Forest Centre, chairman of the Federal Provincial Investment Attraction team, chairman of the investment attraction teams for pulses, specialized livestock and agroforestry,

·         Member of the senior management team responsible for the development of the agricultural industry, a budget of $250 million and over 900 staff.

A.V.P. Business Development  FCC (1997-1999)

·         Established the strategic alliance with U.S. Farm Credit Services, resulting in joint machinery manufacturer’s financing, an exchange of products and a sharing of systems development experience and a comparison of risk management practices.

·         Pursued a diverse range of business development projects such as “Business Planning for Agricultural Ventures”, specialized high risk projects such as a proposal for financing of the hopper cars, through to the acquisition of large portfolios.

A.V.P. Portfolio Management FCC (1993-1997)

·         Developed the national risk management process using a model to calculate the probability of loss on individual loans. This is segmented by enterprise and region and was used to control risk exposure on a macro basis.

A.V.P. Lending FCC (1989-1993)

·         Responsible for half of the Saskatchewan lending operations, an $ 800 M. portfolio and 90 staff. Extensive experience with banking legislation, legal processes for recovery, negotiating and managing conflict.  Experienced in all types of enterprises due to lending experience in four provinces.

A.V.P. Administration FCC (1984-1989)

·         Managed the leasing and construction of new office space, along with resolving problems with existing leased office space.

·         Responsible for all human resource management of 180 employees, staff hiring and dismissals, budget management, and responsible for regional accounting activities.

·         Developed the employee assistance program in the region, implemented an employee equity program and implemented an early retirement incentive program.

Staff Motivation

·         Received one of the highest Human Resource Index scores in FCC. (Measures level of staff satisfaction with supervisor)

·         Industry recognition, elected as Past President of Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists, President of the Canadian Agri-Marketing Association in Saskatchewan, Past Chairman of the Board of Aginfonet. (www.aginfonet.com)

Systems Experience 

·         Lead player in the conversion of a legacy mainframe loan accounting system to Altel software. Converted all mainframe reporting systems to data extracts, which are manipulated by PC’s (over 60,000 clients).

·         Led the team to which established the scorecard lending system and developed the farm machinery leasing products.

·         Recognized as an Internet expert in agriculture, elected as Chairman of the Board of Aginfonet the “number one” Internet site for Saskatchewan farmers.

Creativity and Productivity 

·         Consistently rated as above fully satisfactory in PREE’s through out career. Promoted to the A.V.P. level at age 32, from Manager Loans in Winnipeg (1980-1984),

·         Previously a Research Officer in Ottawa (1978-1980) and previously a Lending Officer in Edmonton, (1977-1978), after starting as a Credit Advisor in Morden, Manitoba in April 1973.  

·         Researched, designed, drafted and personally constructed a passive solar home in Winnipeg. This required working 100 hours a week for one and a half years. The design resulted in reduction of heating costs to less $200 per year and an overall $26 per square foot construction cost.

·         Business Process Re-Engineering, in 1995 completed the course taught by Michael Hammer and had functioned as part of the Business Process Reengineering implementation team. Project leader of the scorecard development team, which dramatically changed the time required to process low risk loans for both non-mortgage and mortgage lending, reduced time to process loans to 15 minutes from 8 hours.

·         Recognized through out SAF and FCC as visionary with respect to both the future of agriculture and technology and the ensuing impact on a financial institution.

·         Public Speaking, often asked to give public presentations on agriculture and technology.

·         Bilingual, while living in Regina developed sufficient proficiency to give a 40 minute presentation to the Quebec region without notes or assistance.

Education

·         Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, University of Manitoba, 1973

·         Banff School of Management, Executive Development Program, 1993

·         Seven years of part time study, resulting in becoming functionally bilingual.

·         Numerous self-study initiatives as a result of projects and business opportunities.

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