Instructors

CONSTRUCTING MINDS LEE KELLY

Lee Kelly M.A.A.T.O., P.GSC is Founder and President of Constructing Minds Inc., a company dedicated to providing relevant and applicable training to Canada’s construction industry. Lee has boots on the ground experience. With over 35 years of Construction Management/General Contracting experience under her belt, Lee has gained extensive construction knowledge and a solid foundation in construction practices, processes and procedures in all contract delivery formats. Lee knows construction because she has built it. Lee has been a long serving member on the National Gold Seal Committee, has won the Construction Institute of Canada (TCIC) “Chancellor’s Award of Excellence” and has earned certificates in “Teaching and Training Adults” and “Instructional Design”. Lee’s enthusiasm for training makes her a highly informative, interactive, motivated and sought-after trainer from coast to coast.

DEBBIE HICKS & ASSOCIATES DEBBIE HICKS

With a comprehensive and varied education background, learning has been at the core of Debbie’s career. She was President of the Southern Interior Construction Association in B.C. for 22 years, liaising with the buyers of construction services, architects, engineers and contractors in advocacy and education. In addition, her experience as the owner representative for the construction of the new Clubhouse for the Kelowna Yacht Club has provided additional perspective. She has been fortunate to work with the Alberta Construction Association to facilitate industry dialogue on “Optimizing the Flow of Money” and “Non-Standard Contract Clauses and their Costs”. Through these experiences, with a lot of passion and enthusiasm, Debbie is able to bring both knowledge and insight into her work and presentations for the construction industry.

INVENIO BUSINESS CONSULTING RICHARD ZONDAG, MBA, B.S.M.E

Richard Zondag, owner of Invenio Business Consulting, has 22 years of experience in the engineered heavy construction industry. He spent 11 of those years as VP of Operations with P&L responsibility in Europe, the U.S.A. and South America. During that period, Richard was responsible for complex multimillion-dollar projects in the civil, power, petrochemical and offshore industries working for EPC’s and owners. His experience covers a rich mixture of leadership, strategic management, project management, asset management and financial management. Richard is a professor in the post graduate program “Construction Management” and the degree program “Architectural Project and Facility Management” at Conestoga College.

MICHAEL ATKINSON FORMER PRESIDENT, CANADIAN CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION

CONSTRUCTIONLAB DEREK SMITH, M.A.A.T.O.

Derek Smith is a trained design professional in architecture and has been responsible for the design, construction drawings and contract administration of over $300 million in commercial, institutional, industrial and residential projects. He delivers timely and best practice workshops in-class and on-line. Derek has helped solve contract administration and project management challenges for large buyers of design and construction services including Walmart, Rogers, Recipe Unlimited, Allied properties and Akelius. He has worked with over 4,000 construction and design professionals and is a member of numerous organizations, including the Institute for Performance and Learning.

MARK TAYLOR CONSTRUCTION ADVISORY SERVICES LTD. MARK TAYLOR, P.ENG, (Non-practicing), GSC

Mark has over 30 years construction industry experience, having spent most of his time working with construction companies in Canada and the UK. He has been Vice-President, Permanent Modular Construction, Director of Operations and Senior Construction Manager. Mark uses that experience to work with contractors to develop and improve the systems and processes they need to operate effectively and profit in today’s market. Mark is constantly seeking to find new ways to improve our industry and how we build.

Michael Atkinson is a leading specialist in the area of standard construction practices and is highly regarded for his knowledge of the Canadian construction industry. Michael was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal designated for Canadians demonstrating outstanding service in the construction industry. Michael is a past President of the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) and past Secretary to the Canadian Construction Documents Committee. He served as a member of the Industrial Security Advisory Board and the Construction Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association, as well as Private Sector Vice-Chair of the Municipal Infrastructure Forum established by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

ES COMPUTER TRAINING ANNE LEROUX

Anne Leroux, B.A.Sc., M.A.Sc., P.Eng., is a founding partner of ES Computer Training and Technologies, ESCTT Inc. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, Anne is a professional engineer with over 30 years of experience in construction engineering and project management. Anne possesses prolific experience in the field and as a consultant. She has been responsible for the development and implementation of numerous software programs used in the construction and architectural industries today.

ES COMPUTER TRAINING GREG LEROUX

An IT consultant and computer instructor to the construction industry since 2008, Greg Leroux has become an authority on getting construction firms to maximize their productivity through the use of information technology. Greg is not only an expert with standard construction software, but has developed custom VBA data management applications for general contractors, sub trades, and estimators. His seminars have been featured at construction associations across the country, including a role as a speaker at the 2015 OGCA symposium.

PERRY EDUCATIONAL SERVICES LTD. PHIL PERRY, P.ENG.

Phil Perry has more than 30 years experience in the construction industry, most of which was managing industrial projects for General Contractors. He has been teaching Post-Secondary Construction Management Courses for the last twelve years for organizations such as the Edmonton Construction Association, Calgary Construction Association, Winnipeg Construction Association, Ontario Roadbuilders Association, Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association, University of Alberta Faculty of Extension, and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. He has been facilitating Better Supervision programs since 2009. He has facilitated over 400 courses and taught more than 3,000 students over the last four years. In his spare time, Phil is a Master Course Facilitator for a National Sports Organization and chaired their National Coaching/Instructional Program for four years. He was the recipient of the 2018 IG Wealth Management Community National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Coach Developer Award.

RALPH LEMBCKE & ASSOCIATES RALPH LEMBCKE, P. GSC

Ralph has over 40 years experience as a contractor and as a college level construction professor. He holds a certificate in Construction Engineering Technology and Management from Fanshawe College, and a teaching certificate from St. Clair College. His career has taken him from estimator to project manager, from self-employed contractor to a 30-year career as a professor with the Donald J. Smith School of Building Technology at Fanshawe College in London, where he still teaches part-time. He was a 25-year member of the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyor (PQS - Professional Quantity Surveyor) and is currently a charter member of the Construction and Design Educators Council of Canada. Ralph sits on the board of advisors for the CDECC as well as for an Ontario based construction company. Construction contracts, quantity surveying, estimating, construction materials and techniques, and building economics are his primary areas of expertise.