Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce to Host Third Annual Procurement, Employment and Partnerships (PEP) Conference and Tradeshow

GREATER SUDBURY, January 15, 2020 – On January 21st and 22nd, the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB), will host their third annual Procurement, Employment and Partnerships (PEP) Conference and Tradeshow, presented by SNC-Lavalin.

WHEN:          Tuesday, January 21st, 2020, 7:45 am – 5:00 pm

                        Wednesday, January 22nd, 2020, 7:45 am – 3:30 pm

WHERE:        Holiday Inn, 1696 Regent Street, Sudbury ON, P3E 3Z8

The PEP Conference and Tradeshow, the chamber’s largest event of the year, is designed to ignite industry-wide discussions on ways Ontario can build and benefit from innovative supply chain management, address the shortage of skilled workers, and build progressive partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. This will include panel discussions on lessons on developing and sustaining local procurement frameworks, strategies to develop local and regional work forces, and the advantages of partnerships.

To find out more information about the PEP Conference, please visit https://pepconference.ca/.

The chamber will also be hosting a Gala on Tuesday, January 21st, presented by KGHM. Following on the success of the 2019 Gala, the 2020 Gala will include the presentation of three awards: Indigenous Entrepreneur of the Year award, Indigenous Enterprise of the Year award, and the Business Partnership of the Year award.

WHEN:          Tuesday, January 21st, 2020, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

WHERE:        Ristorante Verdicchio – Enoteca Natura, 1351-D Kelly Lake Road, Sudbury, ON P3E 5P5

AWARDS:      Indigenous Entrepreneur of the Year

                        Indigenous Enterprise of the Year

                        Business Partnership of the Year

                        Note: Awards presentation is scheduled to begin at 7:45 pm.

KEYNOTE:   Chef Rich Francis, Aboriginal Culinary Concepts and District Red

                        Note: Keynote address is scheduled to begin at 8:00 pm.

Both the PEP Conference and the Gala are open to the media.

Keynote Speakers include:

  • Mark Baker, VP Projects, Noront Resources Ltd.
  • Melanie Debassige, Executive Director, Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation
  • Chef Rich Francis, Chef, Aboriginal Culinary Concepts & District Red
  • Cheryl Recollet, Researcher/Facilitator, Robinson Huron Treaty Confederation

Presenters include:

  • Derek Chum, Vice President, Indigenous Relations, Hydro One
  • JP Gladu, President & CEO, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business
  • Matt Jamieson, President/CEO, Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation
  • Anthony Lawley, International Recruitment & Immigration Specialist, IVEY Group
  • Jason Thompson, Owner, Superior Strategies and Aanigitoon Development Services
  • Asima Vezina, President and Vice-Chancellor, Algoma University

Moderators include:

  • Reggie Caverson, Executive Director, Workforce Planning for Sudbury & Manitoulin
  • Ed Collins, Manager of Indigenous Relations, DST Consulting Engineers
  • Steve Dyck, Vice President, Ontario Government Relations, SNC-Lavalin Inc.
  • John Febbraro, Manager Business Development, Community Development and Enterprise Services, City of Sault Ste. Marie
  • Dean Gatien, Vice President, PowerTel
  • Shannon Katary, Director of Marketing & Communications, Maestro Digital Mine
  • Michael Reasbeck, Owner, Reasbeck Construction Inc.

Panelists include:

  • Reg Canard, Employment Services Officer, Gezhtoojig Employment and Training
  • Stacey Cress, Mining Project Manager, Waubetek Business Development Corporation
  • Malcolm Croskery, Chief Operating Officer, Pioneer Construction Inc.
  • Kaella-Marie Earle, Youth Delegate
  • David Eva, Chief Executive Officer, Capstone Infrastructure
  • Michael Fox, President, Indigenous Community Engagement
  • Shane Fugere, Indigenous Relations Representative, LiUNA
  • Simon Gagné, Project Director, Kiewit
  • Susan George, ICT Sector Lead/Program Advisor, SSMIC
  • Carolyn Hepburn, Dean, School of Indigenous Studies & Academic Upgrading, Sault College of Applied Arts & Technology
  • Dan Hollingsworth, Executive Director, Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corp.
  • Paul-Emile McNab, Director, Business Development and Strategic Initiatives at CCAB
  • Joe Melisek, Advisory Services Associate, BDO Canada LLP
  • Theresa Nyabeze, Past President, WISE – Women in Science and Engineering
  • Francesca Ottoni, Senior Vice-President, Marketing & Business Development, Candu Energy
  • Don Parkinson, Consultation Lead, SNC-Lavalin Inc.
  • Dave Rector, Co-Chief Executor, Rector Machine Works
  • Jennifer Rushton, Vice President, Lottery and Gaming, PQA Testing
  • Brianna Simeoni, Training and Recruitment Coordinator, SCR Mining and Tunnelling
  • Jahanzeb Sohail, Electrical EIT – Product Development, Maestro Digital Mine
  • Brenda Stenta, Manager, Corporate Communications and Branding, Algoma Steel Inc.
  • Larry Villeneuve, Director, Indigenous Department, LiUNA
  • Gord Wickham, Vice-President, Colliers Project Leaders
  • Alicia Woods, CEO & Founder, Covergalls
  • Leah Young, Senior Consultant, Stratos Inc.

The chamber gratefully acknowledges the support of its sponsors for making the PEP Conference possible.

PEP Conference and Tradeshow 2020 Sponsors:

Title Sponsor: SNC-Lavalin

Partner: Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business

Gold Sponsors: Canadian National Railway, Colliers Project Leaders, Fisher Wavy, LiUNA

Silver Sponsors: Ontario Power Generation, Pioneer Construction, Vale Canada 

Marketing and Advertising Partner: Petryna Advertising

Programme Sponsor: Kiewit

Bronze Sponsor: Ethier Sand & Gravel

Networking Sponsors: DST Consulting Engineers, Greater Sudbury Development Corporation (GSDC), SCR Mining & Tunnelling, PLATO Testing

Youth Delegate Sponsor: Glencore

Media Sponsor: CTV

Gala:

Title Sponsor: KGHM

Silver Sponsor: Wajax

Keynote Sponsor: Rector Machine Works

Wine Sponsor: Spectrum Telecom Group

Award Sponsors: CTV, Northern Ontario Business

-30-