Dalibor Houdek, Ph.d | ||
Forintek, Group Leader - Alberta | ||
| Dalibor joined the Forintek team in 2000. Dalibor is responsible for the delivery of our technology transfer services throughout Alberta. He provides technical assistance to the value-added industry in the areas of log homes and timber frame structures, prefabricated homes and building components, and other secondary manufacturing.
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Jean Favreau, M.Sc. B.Sc. | ||
Program leader in Precision Forestry and Value Chain Optimization | ||
| Jean became a member of FPInnovations back in 1984 and is currently a program leader in Precision Forestry and Value Chain Optimization, FERIC division. Previously, Jean spent 4 years as a consultant in forest engineering providing his services to many engineering firms. He has knowledgeable expertise in the following: |  | |
Marianne Berube | ||
Ontario Wood WORKS! Executive Director | ||
| Born in North Bay, Ontario, Marianne Berube graduated from Nipissing and Marianne has been the Ontario WoodWORKS! Executive Director for the past 8 years. She has been successful in launching the Wood WORKS! project in Ontario, and increasing wood consumption across the Province. She was the founder of the annual Wood Awards Gala-an annual event, that honours innovative wood buildings and the people that are creating them. Marianne recently won the 2007 Northern Ontario Business Influential Women’s Award, acknowledging her perseverance and success in implementing the Wood WORKS! Project in Ontario. |  | |
Carl Tremblay, Ph.D | ||
Research Scientist, FPInnovations-Forintek | ||
| Carl Tremblay is a Research Scientist at the Value-Added Products department of FPInnovations-Forintek, Eastern Division. He has a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a Ph.D. in wood sciences from Laval University, Quebec. He is a member of the Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec. Following his Ph.D. in wood drying modeling, he joined the wood drying group of Forintek in 1997 as a Research Scientist. He worked for seven years on many projects including the performance assessment of superheated steam vacuum drying technology, impact of curve sawing on kiln drying and MSR grading and air drying used as a pre-treatment of softwood lumber while pursuing his works on wood drying modeling. He joined the Value-Added department of Forintek in January 2004. He has worked on projects related to thermally modified wood and secondary processing of hardwood for furniture industry. |  | |
Barbara Bell | ||
Owner, Formativ Design | ||
| Barbara Bell is an industrial designer with a specialization in wood products. Her company, Formativ Design, has been working with the Canadian Wood Products Industry in the area of product design and development for the last eight years. She works with individual manufacturers as well as organizations such as FPInnovations (both the East and West Labs), The Faculty of Forestry (UBC) and The Wood Products Group (New Brunswick). The kinds of projects Barbara works on range from; designing products from concept to prototype, conducting design research such as trend tracking and analysis, to speaking to industry about the value of design and innovation. |  | |
Bob Giroux | ||
President of the Soanbert Group | ||
| Bob Giroux is the founder and President of the Soanbert group of companies, where Soanbert Corp. is the sales and marketing division, and whereas Soanbert Consulting Group specializes in Management Consulting, primarily within the forest product industry. A native of Northern Ontario and a graduate of the Lake Superior States University with a Master in Business Administration, he began his career with Dubreuil Brothers in 1983. He held a number of mid to senior management positions with the Buchanan Group, Malette Inc and Tembec Forest Product Group. In 1997, he decided to leave Tembec in order to take one full year to complete his Masters degree. While pursuing his studies, a number of industry peers asked him for advice on special projects and soon realized that he could fill a void in the forest industry with his accumulative experience, and that’s how Soanbert was created in 1998. Since then, Bob has accumulated a wealth of knowledge in all aspects of the business that stretches far beyond his initial 15 years sales & marketing experience within the forest industry and now for the last 10 years, he has always been willing and ready to share his opinions with anyone who is willing to listen. |  | |
Dr. Chris Risbrudt | ||
Director of the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin | ||
| Dr. Christopher Risbrudt is the Director of the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin. FPL is the nation’s leading wood research institute. Dr. Risbrudt oversees the more than 200 scientists and support staff at FPL who conduct research on expanded and diverse aspects of wood use. He has held numerous Washington Office and field leadership positions with the Forest Service, including: Director, Strategic Planning and Resource Assessment Staff; Director, Ecosystem Management Coordination; Deputy Regional Forester, Northern Region; and Director, Policy Analysis. Dr. Risbrudt earned a bachelor’s degree in 1972 from the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree in 1976 and a doctorate degree in 1979 from Michigan State University. He is a member of the Society of American Foresters, Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. |  | |
Robert Jonkman, P.Eng | ||
Manager, Structural Engineering and Sustainable Design, Canadian Wood Council | ||
| Completing a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and Management degree at McMaster University in Hamilton in 1994, Rob worked for one year at a structural engineering consulting firm and over nine years at Normerica Building Systems, a Canadian manufacturer of Post and Beam Homes and Clubhouses as their “Design and Engineering Supervisor”. Joining the Codes & Engineering division of the Canadian Wood Council in September 2005 as “Manager of Structural Engineering”, Rob’s primary focus became overseeing the development of the Woodworks Engineering Software Suite to better meet the needs of practicing engineers and architects. In 2007, with the increased worldwide emphasis on climate change, Rob was asked to become CWC’s expert voice on matters of green building and sustainability, and shortly thereafter added the “& Sustainable Design” to his now lengthy title of “Manager, Structural Engineering and Sustainable Design”. |  | |
Tim Brigham | ||
Coordinator for Education and Capacity-Building at the Centre for Non-Timber Resources at Royal Roads University | ||
| Tim Brigham is the Coordinator for Education and Capacity-Building at the Centre for Non-Timber Resources at Royal Roads University in Victoria. Tim has been involved in numerous projects focused on community economic development, both in Canada and internationally, mainly with Aboriginal communities. His primary interest is in consulting and training on business development in the area of non-timber forest products (NTFPs). A sampling of the projects he has worked on include: NTFP economic opportunities assessment for the Kitasoo/Xaixais First Nation; NTFP strategic plan development for Cowichan Tribes; NTFP educational strategy and training delivery for the Neskonlith Indian Band; the development of a guide to Good Practices for Plant Identification for the Herbal Industry; and development of the NTFP educational program for the Northern Forest Diversification Centre in The Pas, Manitoba. In Russia, Tim is working on CIDA funded projects (since the year 2000) focused on the ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable development of NTFPs in communities in Siberia and the Russian Far East. Tim has a BA in Geography and Anthropology from the University of Victoria, and a MA in Geography from Carleton University in Ottawa. |  | |
Percy Champagne | ||
Industry Advisor for Value Added Wood sector, Forintek Canada Corporation | ||
| Percy Champagne spent 9 years in the mining and smelting industry as a boiler engineer. He then joined the Forest Products Industry In 1978 in Longlac Ontario. In the Forest Industry Percy has been a Chief Boiler Engineer, Maintenance Superintendent, Operations Superintendent, OSB mill manager, Safety and Preventative Maintenance manager and most recently the Director / General Manager for Voyageur Panel Ltd. In July 2005 Percy joined Forintek Canada Corporation. He currently is an Industry Advisor for the Value Added Wood sector in Northwestern Ontario. |  | |
Geoff Schimmel | ||
Chairman, Ontario Wood Products Export Association | ||
| With over twenty years of experience in the wood industry, Geoff Schimmel carries a deep understanding across the spectrum of forest management to value-added marketing to end-users. For eleven years as President of Loyalist Forest Products, he’s guided the company’s growth through an innovative blend of technology, marketing, and value-added strategies. Prior to this, he was Vice- President of Business Development for a hardwood industry software development company in the United States. He is currently active as the Chairman of the Ontario Wood Products Export Association and is pursuing his BComm degree at Queen’s University. He has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe to both develop business opportunity and to understand foreign cultures and peoples through direct experiences. Geoff is husband to a wonderful wife, and father to three vibrant young boys. He is active with children in his local community as a volunteer Scouts Canada leader. His family finds the outdoors a year round source of inspiration through canoe tripping, climbing and backcountry hiking together. |  | |
Justin Frape | ||
Founder, President and Senior SR&ED Consultant, Telos Business Solutions | ||
| Justin Frape is the founder, President and Senior SR&ED Consultant at Telos Business Solutions of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Telos Business Solutions helps private businesses obtain funding for their research and development using the Scientific Research and Experimental Development program. Justin has experience with a wide variety of research and development programs, ranging from manufacturing and software development to agriculture and forestry. Justin also shares his knowledge and experience about the benefits of the SR&ED program at conferences and workshops. |  | |
Brian Kurikka | ||
General Manager of Confederation College Forestry Centre | ||
| Brian Kurikka serves as the General Manager of Confederation College Forestry Centre. He has been involved in the forestry sector for over 30 years in management positions with Forest Companies and Forestry Equipment Marketing. Brian has extensive knowledge of the Northern Ontario forest industry, with strong management and marketing skills. Projects that Brian is currently involved with include forest biomass for energy, value added wood products, and several workforce development initiatives. |  |
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