Business

Building Alberta’s first craft distillery

From drinks executive to diplomat, adventure travel outfitter to creator of Canada’s largest chain of veterinary clinics, David Farran is a pioneer.

David connects a love for agriculture, a deep understanding of craft artisanal spirits and a conviction that Alberta should be the home of ‘best in class’ distilled products. David’s storied career gave him a special skill set to support the founding of Alberta’s first craft distillery.

David’s awards and accolades include Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies, Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People and many others.


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Time will either promote you or expose you

Sir Darren Jacklin stands as a paragon of professional achievement and philanthropic dedication, with a career marked by significant accomplishments and a life dedicated to global impact.

Over 25 years, he has personally trained executives and teams from 157 Fortune 500 companies, showcasing his unparalleled expertise in corporate training and personal development.

A seasoned world traveler, Sir Darren has visited over 50 countries across four continents, enriching his global perspective and enhancing his ability to connect with diverse audiences.

As a world-class speaker and corporate trainer, he has shared his knowledge with over 1 million people worldwide, directly impacting countless lives through his engaging and transformative educational sessions.

His prowess and influence have been recognized at some of the highest levels of the financial world, having had the honor of ringing the Closing Bell at Nasdaq three times and the Opening Bell at the CBOE Exchange in Chicago for Vocodia Holdings Corp. (VHAI), further cementing his standing in the global business community.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Sir Darren’s commitment to philanthropy is profound.

He is actively engaged in raising $100 million for Global Philanthropy Projects, channeled through his International LY2NK Foundation and Elevate 2 Educate (E2E) initiatives.

His work aims to create sustainable, positive change across the globe, reflecting his dedication to leveraging his success for the greater good.

Sir Darren’s business acumen is also evident in his role as the first Independent Board of Directors Member of eXp World Holdings (Nasdaq: EXPI), a multi-billion dollar international real estate company.

His decade-long service to the company is a testament to his strategic vision and leadership, contributing to the growth and success of over 85,000 licensed real estate agents and brokers in 24 countries.

His advisory roles extend to multiple international boards across various sectors, including real estate, cyber security, artificial intelligence, and travel, where his insights and expertise continue to drive innovation and growth.

As an investor and partner in multiple international companies, Sir Darren’s entrepreneurial spirit and financial acumen have not only contributed to his status as a multimillionaire but have also inspired and facilitated numerous ventures across the globe.

An acclaimed international author, his book “UNTIL I BECOME” has empowered and motivated a global audience, sharing his journey and the lessons learned along the way.

His contributions to global philanthropy and entrepreneurship were formally recognized in 2022 when he was knighted by His Royal Highness of The Royal Order of Cappadocia from Spain, a prestigious acknowledgment of his efforts to make a tangible difference worldwide.

Sir Darren’s adventurous spirit and commitment to challenging himself are demonstrated by his successful summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in 2023 and his planned expedition to Mount Vinson in Antarctica in 2025 to raise funds for his philanthropic foundation.

With over 7,000 written goals, Sir Darren Jacklin’s life is a testament to the power of ambition, discipline, and the desire to leave a lasting impact on the world.

His journey reflects a relentless pursuit of excellence, both personally and professionally, and a deep-rooted commitment to making a difference in the lives of others.

“Get ready for an inspiring conversation with Sir Darren Jacklin, a man who embodies achievement and philanthropy.

Over 25 years, he’s trained executives from 157 Fortune 500 companies, traveled to over 50 countries and inspired over a million people through his speaking.

He’s even rung the Nasdaq Closing Bell three times! Sir Darren’s dedication to global change shines through his International LY2NK Foundation, aiming to raise $100 million for philanthropy.

As the first independent board member of eXp World Holdings, he’s a leader in real estate and beyond.


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Prioritize customer success

Amar Singh, the CEO and co-founder of Elevated Signals in Vancouver, began his entrepreneurial path at the LaunchPad tech accelerator where he met co-founders Benn and Hardeep. Their shared passion for cleantech and agtech led them to establish Elevated Signals, aiming to modernize manufacturing software for emerging sustainable industries. Amar brings a decade of experience managing multi-million dollar projects, including notable research facilities like the Biotron Experimental Climate Change Research Centre and the extraterrestrial Autonomous Robotic Greenhouse. His work is driven by a commitment to enhancing global health and societal well-being, focusing on food security and environmental sustainability.


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Creating Happy Campers

Dave Wald is a native Calgarian having only lived for a few years in Vancouver when he was a kid. His love of adventuring and camping began during his family’s many trips in their 80’s station wagon and beat-up old tent trailer. Today, Dave has over 20 years of experience working in the outdoor recreation industry as a marketing professional. A memorable trip to Iceland in 2013 was the inspiration for Karma Campervans, the rental company he started in 2018 with his business partners. What started as five vans has grown to over 100 campervans built, locations across Canada, custom van projects, and a fantastic team passionate about creating amazing experiences for Karma Campervans Guests. Dave’s a family man who loves adventuring with his wife, two kids, and the family dog.


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Your business can get a $2,400 grant

Ilya Goldman, has been in the internet marketing industry since 1996. He started his own web design and online marketing company in 2001 with a goal of bringing more businesses into the world wide web. He has worked on over a thousand web projects. His clients include huge organizations such as UBC Press, McGill Press, as well as very small companies with self-employed individuals. He is also certified by both Google and Microsoft. He has a wealth of knowledge on web design and online marketing through nearly 2 decades in this field. Whenever he works with clients he wants them to be aware of anything that would be helpful to them such as specific business grants for up to $15,000 and $2400 for digital presence.


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Invest in yourself! Tracking, planning and marketing are the keys to success

Bryan Macaulay is a visual storyteller. Since his father opened Village Studio in 1977, Bryan has been providing timeless photography to Grimsby and the Niagara area. His experiences over the last 30 years in the business have been life-changing. His entrepreneurial resolve, drive, and creativity have allowed him to pivot the business which has kept it healthy.


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How to smell out a good deal when buying a business

Today, our guest is Trevor Van Heemert. After briefly attempting employment in his early 20s, Trevor resigned with no plan and bought a $150 bike trailer for scooping up merch from street-side free piles for consignment. That fateful purchase led to the offer to take over a struggling bicycle-based compost pickup operation in Victoria called Pedal to Petal. He brought it from decrepitude into a brief golden age, before the City brought its own taxpayer-funded compost trucks in to crush all the green waste operators out of business. Undiscouraged, Trevor launched his bucket website FiveGallonIdeas.com to showcase dozens of repurpose projects for the countless buckets in his now useless business inventory. Having established a pattern of redeeming struggling enterprises, Trevor was presented with an opportunity to buy an arcade manufacturer in Vancouver. After a grueling negotiation process, he and his business partner took possession of the 13-year-old salvage operation in April 2024.


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Exploring the Transition: From Corporate to Entrepreneurial Drive

Kim Tabac is a dynamic business executive with over 25 years of experience designing and executing people & culture strategies for leading organizations across various industries. Best known for building high-performing teams, designing game-changing employee engagement strategies, developing differentiated and irresistible employee experiences, delivering highly valued health & wellness programs, and driving the adoption of innovation and technology to disrupt traditional HR practices.

This interview helps us understand the migration from corporate to entrepreneurial drive… it’s quite refreshing. In Kim’s words, “I think there is something that that is unique about somebody who is an entrepreneur. And those are people who aren’t just gonna settle for what’s available. They either have an idea or they have a solution. And they wanna make an impact. They wanna make a change. And they know that they can make that change. They can leave that change. It takes a whole bunch of confidence, obviously a lot of support, and a lot of resilience.”


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How We Gather Matters: The New Formula for Purpose-Driven Events to Create More Impact and Less Waste

Leor Rotchild is an author, speaker, and consultant with 20 years of sustainable business experience.

Leor is the Senior Director at Upswing Solutions, a B Corp-certified boutique consulting firm where he supports government and private sector clients to decarbonize their supply chains, address human rights risks, and deeply integrate purpose and sustainability into their core strategies.

Leor’s background includes leading a national association called Canadian Business for Social Responsibility and co-founder of a sustainable events company called Do It Green.

In his new book, entitled How We Gather Matters, Leor makes the case for better utilizing major events as a powerful platform for societal change and lays out a blueprint for a more purposeful, inclusive and sustainable approach to bringing people together.


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On a mission to reshape the pretzel experience

Ashley Ehmann is the Co-Founder of TWIGZ Pretzels. Formally trained as a teacher, she enjoys the daily unique challenges that entrepreneurship brings. Ashley is passionate about building community, and is excited about using TWIGZ to empower others, and grow the brand into a household name across Canada.


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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