Trevor Lewington

Trevor is CEO of Economic Development Lethbridge and has vast experience in the agri-food and manufacturing sectors. Trevor holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in human resource management, has completed a change leadership certificate with Cornell University and is a certified human resources professional through CPHR Alberta. He is also a certified logistics professional through the Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation.

Prior to joining Economic Development Lethbridge, Trevor was the manufacturing director of the Western Canada supply chain for PepsiCo Foods Canada (Frito-Lay plants.) Through his career with PepsiCo Foods Canada, Trevor held progressively more senior management positions and was responsible for three manufacturing plants in southern Alberta. His experience in industry, as a small business owner and in the public sector provides Trevor with the ability to bring a robust perspective to his position at Economic Development Lethbridge and has helped enhance initiatives that drive economic growth in southern Alberta.

Carlo Dade

Carlo is director of the Trade and Investment Centre at the Canada West Foundation (CWF), a think tank focused on increasing growth and profitability in western Canada’s export economy. He is currently a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C., a senior fellow in the University of Ottawa’s School of International Development and Global Studies as well as a member of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI.)

Carlo is also a frequent media commentator on trade issues in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

Dan Dibbelt

Dan Dibbelt is a northern economic development specialist. He is the past executive director of the Northern Alberta Development Council and the Northwest Corridor Development Corporation. He is the past chair of the Peace Country Development Corporation, Branding the Peace and Alberta Beef North.

Currently, Dan manages his own consulting company and is the executive director for the Peace Region Economic Development Alliance, the Regional Economic Development Initiative and the Northern Transportation Advocacy Bureau, which combined cover all of Northwest Alberta. Dan has a long history in working with governments and industry in advancing value-added production in the northwest.

Scott Exner

Scott is a partner in MLT Aikins LLP, a full-service law firm of more than 240 lawyers with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg.

Scott has more than 25 years’ experience in providing legal advice in the agribusiness sector, particularly with widely held companies, on corporate finance, securities and corporate governance. He has also been active in securing legislative change to promote the growth and development of agribusiness.

Scott has been recognized as a top lawyer in agriculture and food products in Canada by Chambers Canada..

Corey Keith

Corey helps companies and organizations think strategically, focus on key success factors and find the money they need to be successful. He worked in the banking industry for 25 years, at one point managing a portfolio of $100 million. He served as vice-president, business development, with an early-stage technology company and as senior investment manager with a private-investment firm. He formed his own management consulting company in 2003, Keith & Associates, that provides strategic business perspectives.

A regular speaker on business issues, Corey has delivered over 250 presentations across Canada. He also founded and served as president of AVNet, a not-for-profit “angel” investor group that connected Alberta companies with a national network of more than 150 private investors. Corey is a past director of the Mississauga Technology Association, the Toronto Biotechnology Incubator and the Alberta Agrivalue Business Facilitators.

Kimmo Lucas

Former president and CEO of three natural health and biopharmaceutical companies, Kimmo has more than 20 years of experience launching products from lab bench through scale up to branded premium products selling globally. He has led senior management teams and raised millions of dollars preparing companies for public listing. He’s also been a director of several boards for both public and private companies, and was chair of the Western Canada Functional Food Network.

Kimmo’s love of the natural ingredient and functional food market led him to build Top Health Ingredients (THI) to bring more products and ingredients to the functional food markets, helping small companies achieve success along the way. As CEO of Top Health Ingredients, Kimmo strives to find and bring to market the most innovative and high-quality products to meet the increasing global demand for improved health and health-care solutions.

Sandra Marocco

Sandra’s specialty is building strategic business connections, providing vision, creativity and proven success working with major brands and media.

As vice-president industry partnerships and chief marketing officer at NAIT, she and her team develop meaningful relationships with industry, donors and government through unique strategic partnerships and programs, and in fundraising and alumni relations.

Previously, Sandra spent more than two decades working in various marketing, media and communications roles, primarily with the Edmonton Journal and Postmedia Network. She has extensive not-for-profit board experience and governance training, and spent a decade serving on the board of Ronald McDonald House Northern Alberta, including two terms as board president.