2022 ALBERTA BUSINESS HALL OF FAME – SOUTHERN ALBERTA // COVER
2022 Alberta Business Hall of Fame - Southern Alberta CELEBRATING SOUTHERN ALBERTA’S GREAT BUSINESS LEADERS BY MELANIE DARBYSHIRE
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n its 18th year, the Alberta Business Hall of Fame is set to celebrate the lifetime achievements of five of the province’s esteemed business leaders. Successful in different fields in different ways, they have all demonstrated superior business acumen, entrepreneurialism and a generosity of spirit that makes them deserving of induction into the Business Hall of Fame. “Each year, inductees are honoured with our gratitude and admiration for their contributions to the economic development and prosperity of Alberta,” says Melissa From, president and CEO of Junior Achievement Southern Alberta (JASA), which presents the Induction Ceremony and Celebration. “As leading examples of achievement in business and in life, these individuals have demonstrated the qualities necessary to ensure the success and competitiveness of our province, our country and in a global marketplace.” The Induction Ceremony and Celebration, which takes place on October 6 at the Hyatt Regency in Calgary, is the signature fundraising initiative in support of JASA. This year’s inductees include three women, three engineers and two accountants. They are Dr. Elizabeth M. Cannon, an internationally celebrated geomatics engineer and president emerita of the University of Calgary; Wayne and Eleanor Chiu, founders of Trico Homes and the Trico Charitable Foundation; Nancy Knowlton, founder of SMART Technologies and Nureva Inc.; and Charlie Fischer, past president and CEO of Nexen. JASA is a non-profit organization which delivers a wide selection of educational programs focusing on financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Through partnerships with educators and volunteers from local businesses, JASA offers important interactive, hands-on learning experiences to students in all communities across southern Alberta. “During the 2021-2022 school year, JASA taught financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship skills to over
40,000 students,” From explains. “All programs align with Alberta’s new curriculum and are provided free of charge to schools thanks to the generosity of donors and sponsors. JASA is a member of JA Canada and JA Worldwide and has been a leader in youth business education programs for over 60 years.” The work that JASA does has been particularly important coming out of two years of pandemic. “Self-efficacy is the idea that people who believe they will succeed are far more likely than others to actually succeed,” From notes. “This is a crucial characteristic to develop in today’s youth. The good news is research shows that self-efficacy can be taught in two primary ways – mastering skills through hands-on learning and experiences (JA programming) and through observing the success of others who have high levels of self-efficacy (JA volunteers in the classroom). As Alberta continues to lead the country in economic recovery, traditional sectors will flourish while incredible growth will continue in the start-up and tech sectors. Alberta’s attractiveness as a place to live and work, particularly to its younger residents, will rise. “There is so much opportunity in Alberta right now, and an ecosystem that is really enabling young people to create their own opportunity,” From marvels. “I hope that all of these great things will result in more of our young people realizing that they can do really cool stuff here in their home province.” ABOVE: MELISSA FROM, PRESIDENT & CEO OF JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA PHOTO SOURCE: BOOKSTRUCKER
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AUGUST 2022 // BUSINESS IN CALGARY // BUSINESSINCALGARY.COM
