Our presenters

Senior Principal, Vice President - Institutional, Kassian

Bill is one of Canada's leading architects and is internationally recognized as a planetarium and observatory design specialist. Over four decades, he has designed 750 buildings in Canada and abroad, specializing in public buildings in the cultural, educational, municipal, health, safety, and justice sectors. He combines his extensive design experience with an inclusive and direct leadership style.  He listens. He researches. He cares. To him, function, cost, and beauty are not mutually exclusive; great design is made by embracing all three and driving to a solution that significantly exceeds his client's expectations.

Bill has joined Debbie Hick’s group of multi-disciplinary industry experts, which brings together the perspectives and experience of owners, constructors, and consultants to address complex challenges collaboratively.

Bill’s accomplishments include the University of Calgary’s Taylor Family Digital Library; National Music Centre, Calgary; Calgary Courts Centre; Guangzhou Planetarium, China; Alder Planetarium, Chicago, Illinois; Grande Prairie Library and Art Gallery, Red Deer Performing Arts Centre and Simon Fraser University Trottier Observatory.  As a Senior Principal at Kasian, he leads the delivery of architectural, strategic planning (master planning and programming), and interior planning and urban planning services.

With an eye towards staying on the leading edge of developments in law and business, Blake has a keen awareness of what leaders need to keep projects, people, and businesses on track. This is achieved through the organization and efficient services Blake provides all his clients. No stranger to the courtroom, Blake has appeared before all levels of Court in Alberta as well as the Supreme Court of Canada. Blake practises construction litigation (including liens), employment and human rights law (including WCB issues), contract disputes, debt recovery, and shareholder disputes.

A dedicated construction professional with over 40 years of experience in the Alberta marketplace. Bob has recently retired from Graham Construction where he was Vice-President, Prairies. He developed and led a regional team of construction groups in Western Canada, focused on performance and client satisfaction. His prior experience includes leadership roles at Ledcor and PCL with an extensive list of major projects as project manager and executive-in-charge. He was also part of a significant team executing major projects in Alberta’s Oil and Gas market by developing strategic initiatives.

Bob has an excellent reputation for building teams, motivating staff, and overcoming challenges in the delivery of construction projects. He has developed strong personal relationships throughout all facets of the industry including Clients, Consultants, and Trades. Bob is past Chair of the Calgary Construction Association and Alberta Construction Association and was on the Board and Executive of the Canadian Construction Association, as well as chair of national construction industry organizations, focused on BIM and Lean Construction

Brad Stevenson is Unitech Construction Management’s Chief Operating Officer. He has been with Unitech for 15 years in a number of different roles including operations, finance, human resources, safety, business development, and information technology. Brad has the overall responsibility for integrating all of Unitech’s Construction Management divisions into one cohesive unit. He has been responsible for integrating Unitech’s systems, processes, and procedures, with a focus on team collaboration, into how Unitech does business day to day. He monitors and assists all personnel to ensure everyone in the company is living our core values of being client-goal-driven, collaborative, concise, firm, fair, and fun through our collaborative construction-proven process.

Brian Soutar is a professional engineer and professional quantity surveyor with over 40 years of project management, procurement, design, contract management, estimating, and quantity surveying experience. He has worked on commercial, institutional, industrial, mining, transportation, water development, and multi-family residential projects in Canada, the US, the UK, and Africa. Half of his career has been in the private sector, where he has worked for construction companies in project manager, estimator, and construction superintendent roles; for design firms in project manager and branch manager roles; and for developers in project manager roles. In the public sector, he has held cost manager, project manager, director of major capital projects, and executive director positions. He led four portfolios for Alberta Infrastructure: procurement, the Project Management Office, cost management, and capital planning. Brian believes passionately in collaboration and has served on many multi-sector teams, including as chair of the Institute for BIM in Canada, and the Canadian Construction Document Committee’s task force to create the standard contract for Integrated Project Delivery.

Carter has been working with the Federal Government for over three years, beginning with the Office of the Procurement Ombud (OPO), a neutral and independent organization of the Government of Canada that helps resolve contracting disputes between businesses and the federal government. Carter has now transitioned into a position with Procurement Assistance Canada (PAC). He is directly addressing the front end of procurement help services, where PAC represents the views of smaller businesses and encourages their participation in federal government procurement.

Chad is the President of Integrity Design Studios Inc. Chad is a "Georgie" award-winning designer and has been designing commercial, industrial, and high-end residential construction projects for over twenty years. He received his AScT in Building Science at BCIT and graduated with honours and an award resulting from a design competition.

Chad joined the Applied Science Technologist Association in January of 1995. He is an experienced trainer that has taught technical drafting and AutoCAD 3D (BIM) at a University level. Chad also holds a residential builders license.

Christy Nikel is the President and Principal of Lean U Consulting, located in Kelowna, BC.  As a Master Lean Black Belt with more than 18 years of experience teaching and applying the tools, her goal is to share Lean thinking in a practical, effective, and energizing way.  

Clayton is a Human Resources Professional specializing in Learning and Development with over 10,000 hours of facilitation. Clayton has refined his craft by providing outstanding facilitation on a multitude of topics. Workshops include Leadership, Coaching & Mentoring, Conflict Resolution, Teamwork, Sales Techniques, Customer Service, Mental Health First Aid, and Presentation Skills. In addition, he leads a fantastic group of Corporate Trainers. Clayton has been in corporate training since 2004 and is known for his dynamic, motivating, and humorous speaking style.

In combination with course creation and classroom facilitation, Clayton is an avid lifelong learner. He is an active member of the Institute for Performance and Learning, Human Resources Management Association of B.C and a graduate of the Sauder School of Business, Justice Institute of British Columbia, and Royal Roads University (M.A.)

Clayton’s strength comes through his unique ability to use his business experiences to understand the knowledge/skills participants need to increase their performance and productivity. Clayton designs and delivers programs in a way that excites and motivates participants to use new skills and change their behaviors. Most integral is his belief that education and a sense of enjoyment are interdependent for the adult learner; he consistently looks for ways to integrate them into everything he does.

Clint Kissoon, President of FENAK Estimating Services Ltd., is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor (MRICS), Chartered Construction Manager (FCIOB), a Professional Quantity Surveyor (PQS(F)), and has written and published several construction textbooks including Cost Control for Contractors, Estimating in Building Construction, and is the Technical Author for the RICS/CIQS Project Monitoring Guidance Note. Clint was the 2009 recipient of the Construction Institute of Canada (TCIC) Chancellor’s award for excellence.