AGENDA

Chamber of Commerce January Dinner Meeting

Drinkwaters Public House

10965 Lakeshore Road, Port Alberni, BC, V9Y 8Z8

5:30pm Networking

6:00pm Dinner - 3 Course:

1^st Course: Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup served with a Herb & Parmesan Crustini

2^nd Course: Braised Pork Shoulder, Teragon Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Local Winter Vegetable Medley

3^rd Course: House-made Chocolate Truffles and Biscotti, served with Coffee Service.

6:30 pm - Welcome Address - Jan Lavertu- President AVCOC

6:40pm --Bill/Jan to introduce and announce the three winners of the Try Home First Program for December 2015

6:50pm - Self Introductions:

7:00pm: Mr. Doug Podetz:  Doug Podetz lives in Nanoose Bay with his wife Ellie and currently has an Industry Training Authority office in Nanaimo.He has had a very successful 35-year career involved trades training within industry, the secondary and post-secondary systems and within program standards at both the provincial and national levels. He completed his Millwright apprenticeship in BC and acquired his Red Seal Certification and has mentored apprentices within the mining sector. He has taught at the secondary and post-secondary levels.  He has had several administrative roles within the Surrey School District as District Career Program Coordinator and at Kwantlen Polythechnical University as a Manager & Associate Dean.For the past eight years he has had a number of responsibilities within ITA – Manager, Director and more recently he is focusing on field work on Vancouver Island as an Apprenticeship Advisor. His work within the ITA has allowed him to work closely with industry, post-secondary institution Deans and instructors, apprentices, employers and other provinces to ensure that ITA’s apprenticeship programs are achieving the high standards required for BC’s certifications and Interprovincial Red Seal trades.

7:20pm: Ryan Dvorak with Greg Freethy and Neelam Parmar; Speaking about Career Programming at ADSS. http://adsscareercentre.weebly.com/

Ryan Dvorak has been the Project Based Learning and Forestry teacher at ADSS for 8 years. He is now tackling the PBL 10 program and is the Secondary School Apprenticeship Coordinator and anything else Greg wants him to do.

Greg is the District Lead for Career Programs and the Career Education Coordinator at Alberni District Secondary School. Greg enjoys working with others to develop a variety of unique programs and services to support and encourage all students within School District 70 (Alberni).

Neelam Parmar been an educator in the district since 2004, with the past 5+ years being at ADSS.  This is his first year working in the Career Centre bringing new ideas to the department.

7:40pm: Mr. Randy Hanna / Ms. Brenda Hanna - Owners Pacific Seaplanes Inc. Randy and his partner Brenda will join us and provide an exciting update on their plans and business objectives for Float Plane Transportation to/from Port Alberni and other destinations. Very exciting plans! 

Brenda was born in Dickinson, North Dakota. Her beginning years included moving from base to base as her father was in the US Air force, years later settling in the BC Interior on the family’s Cattle Ranch. On the ranch, there is always lots to do, and it took team work, which she believes taught her strong work ethic, resilience and following the family motto ‘You get the job done’. No cattle ranch is complete without horses and neither was Brenda. At the age of 16, her passion for horses led her to Santa Barbara, California, where she worked at the polo club training horses for 3 years. On her return to BC in 79 she discovered there wasn’t strong demand for horse trainers at that time, so when offered a job in a band, she took it. Over time she became an accomplished performing artist, published songwriter, traveling the road for over 6 years cross Canada, the US and overseas. In search of some peace Brenda moved to Vancouver Island in 1987, bought and operated a business in Parksville. Her business experience grew and so did her passion for great customer care.

Brenda met her now husband late 1987, who introduced her to the island and its beauty from above. They were married in 1990 in Nanaimo. Brenda worked with her husband building their airline and raising 4 children, as if there wasn’t enough to do, she managed to integrate horses into their lives, and even today she operates a team of Belgians providing a carriage service for weddings and special events. Brenda’s sure 2016 will be a great year, excited at the opportunities for connecting adventure, new friends and services to the community. 

• Randy hails from Nanaimo BC, raised on Ladysmith Harbour and began flying on his dad's knee.
• After graduating high school Randy earned his private pilots license at age 17.
• His first flying job was for AirWest Airlines as a Twin Otter co-pilot in 1977.
• After leaving Air West, Randy began flying Captain on various seaplanes for small coastal airlines and by 1981 was hired at Pacific Rim Airlines, Alberni.
• Later he flew seaplanes in the South Pacific in Fiji, though sad to leave the west coast, adventure called. After Fiji he moved to Australia and flew and taught seaplane flying there for several years.
• Returning from overseas early 1985, he was hired to fly a Canadian prototype single engine water bomber in BC, Alaska and the NW USA.
• No sooner had he finished this job, he was rehired at Pacific Rim Airlines, back on the coast. After a season in Tofino, and with support from Greg Trenholme, the owner of then Pacific Rim Airlines, Randy was among the first applicants to the Canadian Transportation Agency to receive his own domestic airline license in 1986, as Canada had just deregulated its transportation policy.
• Randy met Brenda in the late eighties and the two were married in Nanaimo in 1990. The two worked well together and set about building the airline. After 12 years Hanna Air Services sold in 1998, so the couple with 4 children now, moved to the Central Pacific Nation of the Marshall Islands, where Randy took up the position of Chief Executive Officer of the National Airline. 
• Upon return to Canada in late 2000 Randy and Brenda opened a new airline named 'Amigo Airways', and the two pioneered a new air route between Nanaimo Harbour and YVR. Amigo was bought out by Seair in late 2006.
• In 2007 Randy was hired by West Coast Air as a Captain on Twin Otters on the company's Flag route; Vancouver to Victoria Harbours. West Coast Air was sold in 2011, so Randy returned to fly on the west coast out of Tofino.
• Still passionate about our west coast and nearly 20,000 hours flying experience Randy founded Pacific Seaplanes in 2013, with a plan. The company received its airline license early 2015 and new routes were created between Vancouver and Bamfield/Barkley Sound. Working side by side together with Brenda once again, the couple grew the new service, bringing us together, here, today.