Chief Executive Officer, director, founder and key developer of the vision for API Labs. As a career, Mr. Metzler has been involved in research and market development across numerous industries in Canada and internationally: including over 20 years of experience developing and launching new products.
Ryan has been farming with his family in the Southern Alberta area since 1974. He is a second generation farmer and a partner in Mercer Seeds Ltd., a local seed cleaning and seed distributor and a past president of the Alberta Seed Growers Association. In 2010 Ryan and Annette, his wife, were recipients of the Alberta Outstanding Young Farmers Award.
Steven is the former President of Sakai Spice (Canada) Corporation, a company that manufactures mustard flour and wasabi for export to markets around the world. Mr. McDonnell obtained his Chartered Accountant designation in 1978. Since 1978 he has been involved in the special crops contracting, marketing and processing industries internationally and has overseen the construction and commissioning of grain/food processing facilities.
Born and raised in Calgary, AB, Bill attended the University of Calgary graduating with degree in English in the mid-eighties. He immediately went to work at BMO where he worked in commercial banking for the ensuing 5 years. His Banking career was interrupted when he took a foray into the golf industry, where he was a Class "A" Club and Teaching Professional for 9 years. After returning to Banking in 2000, Bill spent the next 23 years focusing in the corporate and commercial lending space developing expertise in many areas:
Patrick Hinds joined Western Tractor, a John Deere Dealership as Corporate Controller in May 2014. As the top financial executive, he is responsible for Western Tractor’s financial operations, including accounting, treasury, tax, budgeting, insurance, and internal audit. He is also a member of the Executive team that sets strategic direction for the organization. Mr. Hinds has varied experience as a senior financial executive, predominantly in the private sector. This included roles as Chief Financial Officer of Westridge Cabinets (Red Deer, AB) as well as Chief Financial Officer at Carmanah Design and Manufacturing (Vancouver, BC). Both of these organizations were partially owned by Private Equity. Mr. Hinds earned his CPA (CMA) designation in 1994 (Valedictorian for the Province of BC) and holds a Honours Diploma in Business Administration – Finance from Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton, Alberta. He has also held a variety of volunteer positions including with the Rossland Museum, CMHA (North Vancouver), Lethbridge Soccer, as well as Vernon Soccer.
Randy Pettipas is the CEO of Global Public Affairs. With decades of experience, he is a trusted advisor to many of Canada’s business leaders. Randy provides expert leadership and guides the overall growth strategy for Global Public Affairs. Since 1997, Global’s reach has extended beyond Ottawa to offices in federal, provincial, and municipal jurisdictions, providing team-based service offerings to clients across Canada and internationally. Before Global, Randy held senior positions in the federal government, serving as a Minister’s Chief of Staff and a senior advisor on issues in Western Canada, both in the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition and the Prime Minister’s Office. Randy currently serves on the advisory board of the Canada Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. Randy calls Calgary home and is an active community volunteer. He serves on the boards of Arts Commons and the Calgary Chapter of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD). Randy is also the past board chair of Hospice Calgary and a past board member at the Calgary Zoo.