Oil, Gas & Mining

Major oil & gas industry innovation – securing a North American supply of lithium

Alex Wylie has a proven track record of building high-growth businesses and is now President and CEO of Volt Lithium Corp. Alex is leading a game-changing technological shift in the oil and gas industry aiming to be North America’s first commercial producer of lithium from oilfield brine.

The vision is to secure a supply of lithium for Canada and other markets including the USA and global destinations currently involved in oil and gas extraction. Leveraging existing infrastructure, building a permanent testing facility, and collaborative partners in R&D and implementation Volt Lithium is undertaking what others thought was impossible.

On today’s podcast we’ll hear about:

  • How to find solutions ‘right under your nose’ that might not yet seem obvious
  • Oil & gas industry partnerships on lithium production
  • Strategic advantages to scale in Canada and Alberta
  • Why lithium is important for a better future

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From oilpatch layoff to successful entrepreneurial journey

In 2017, Sean Alexander and his family built a home in the new community of Harmony, a lake community just west of Calgary. For a side business, outside of his oil & gas career, Sean began importing Standup Paddleboards (SUPs) to sell to his neighbours out of his garage in late 2019, branding them KAILANI. Shortly after that, he realized not everyone wanted to paddleboard, so he expanded his product range and began manufacturing and importing brightly coloured coolers and started initially selling them to his Friday night shinny hockey team. In early 2020, he found himself laid off from his job in the oil and gas sector, and that’s when he decided to go all in on his idea of starting an outdoor lifestyle company.

Eight months later, following a 7-day road trip through the interior of BC, he had secured $130,000 in purchase orders for his colourful collection of coolers, landing him a $1M investment with an Alberta-based private equity group. On November 2, Sean appeared in episode 7 of Season 18 on Dragons’ Den and secured a $1,000,000 deal with Wes Hall, $500,000 for 15% of his company and an additional $500,000 as an Operating Line of Credit. You can view the segment at https://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden/pitches/kailani.

Today, he is selling coast-to-coast in over 200 retailers, 120 Pro Shops, 50 Promotional Marketing Companies and successfully selling in his Amazon Canada Storefront. He is an Official Partner with PGA Alberta and as of Nov 28th, 2023, and just signed a 3 year Agreement as a National Partner with the CPRA, Canadian Professional Rodeo Association, which is the sanctioning body for Pro Rodeo Events in Canada with 1100+ Athlete Members.


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Geotechnical engineering for logistically challenged and remote projects throughout Canada

Adam Temple launched the wildly successful Inline Group at just 22 years old, after learning some tough lessons, like losing $300,000 in another venture.

Inline Group is a Geotechnical Engineering, Materials Testing, and Surveying company pursuing logistically challenged and remote projects throughout Canada.

Adam Temple has lead his company to amazing successes, including doubling its growth initiatives, investing in people, and charging forward with incredible corporate social responsibility initiatives. Hear his take on this in this week’s episode.


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Using A.I. to Quickly and Accurately Detect the Source and Severity of Gas Emissions in Real Time

Alex MacGregor has worked as a professional in the oil and gas industry for over 10 years including eight years in energy technology. He was formerly the Canadian sales and distribution manager for Ambyint and prior to that worked as a consultant for Aucerna in their Canadian, Australian, and Houston offices. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Geological Engineering from the University of British Columbia.

Qube Technologies Inc. (Qube), a new Calgary-based technology company, uses artificial intelligence and low-cost, high-sensitivity sensors to continuously and autonomously measure a host of gases in real-time to detect the source and severity of emissions faster than traditional industry approaches.


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Dan Balaban is a Canadian ‘Powerhouse’ Leading Energy Transition Through an Aligned Mindset & Messaging, Entrepreneurial Initiatives and Global Impact Investing

Dan Balaban is the Co-Founder, President and CEO of Greengate Power, a leading Canadian renewable energy company. Based in Calgary, Dan is an award-winning entrepreneur with a proven track record of successful business ventures.

Dan leads the Greengate team, which has been successfully developing renewable energy projects of unprecedented scale in Canada for more than a decade. To date, Greengate has developed nearly $2 billion of operating or near-construction renewable energy projects, including Canada’s largest wind and solar energy projects, providing clean energy to more than 350,000 homes.

Prior to starting Greengate, Dan was the Founder, President and CEO of Roughneck.ca, a leading provider of software solutions to the Canadian oil and gas industry. Prior to that, Dan worked as a management consultant with EY and PwC.

Dan graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science. He was named one of Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People in 2010 and 2013 by Alberta Venture magazine, a winner of Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Prairies in 2012, and named one of Canada’s Clean50 for 2015.

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Jean Brassard est président et fondateur de Nemesis Intelligence, qui révolutionne l’industrie minière souterraine en arpentant et en traitant des fichiers numériques 3D=

Détenteur d’un baccalauréat en architecture, M. Jean Brassard à toujours oeuvré dans le domaine des relevés et de la documentation. Depuis l’obtention de son diplôme en 1989, il a mené plusieurs activités reliées aux technologies de prise de données, que ce soit par la fondation d’une entreprise spécialisée dans les relevés photogrammétriques qu’il a dirigé pendant plus de 10 ans ou son implication actuelle dans une firme oeuvrant dans la métrologie utilisant la numérisation laser. Il a en outre été président du comité scientifique des relevés et de la documentation d’Icomos Canada pendant quatre ans et a donné plusieurs conférences sur les méthodes et processus de prise de données. M. Brassard est présent dans le secteur de la numérisation laser depuis 1998 et a à son actif plusieurs projets importants réalisés dans des domaines aussi variés que la culture, le divertissement et depuis quelques années, l’industrie lourde et les mines. Au cours des dernières années, M. Brassard a développé une grande expertise des relevés et du traitement de fichiers numériques 3D pour des clients comme RTA, RTFT, RTA Énergie, IOC, Graymont, ELKEM, Bombardier ainsi que les plus importantes firmes d’ingénierie. Il a fait partie d’une équipe qui a développé un outil de métrologie de pointe composé d’un robot industriel et d’un capteur laser.

Actuellement, les efforts de M. Brassard portent sur le développement de Nemesis Intelligence, compagnie qu’il a fondée en 2013 et qui propose la plateforme Prometheus qui s’annonce comme la prochaine technologie de rupture pour les mines souterraines. Nemesis Intelligence intègre aujourd’hui l’intelligence artificielle pour une approche résolument tournée vers le mouvement des « mines 4.0 ».

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Leor Rotchild is Aggregating Canada’s Business Sustainability Heroes Into a Powerhouse for Good, from Pipelines to Turbines

Leor Rotchild is the Calgary-based Executive Director of Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (CBSR), where he champions responsible Canadian business as a force for good in the world. He also hosts a podcast called Pipelines & Turbines, which features interviews and commentary about topical energy and sustainability issues.

Leor started his career in the international development sector and spent several years as a sustainability leader in Alberta’s energy sector. He founded a social enterprise specialized in zero-waste events and consulted to several clients in energy, clothing and apparel, and professional services.

Leor joined CBSR after completing a long term consulting assignment with the Energy Futures Lab, where he helped to launch a new social innovation platform to accelerate Alberta’s energy transition.

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Raj Singh, Founder & CEO of Fuelled, Which Allows Vetted Partners and Equipment Owners to Monetize Surplus Equipment with No Risk

In today’s challenging economic climate, it’s more important than ever to celebrate a business success story. Calgary-based Fuelled, the exclusive online reseller of new and used idle energy equipment, has placed No. 5 out of 400 on the 2020 Report on Business ranking of Canada’s Top Growing Companies. The top Alberta company on this year’s ranking, Fuelled earned its spot with a three-year growth of 6,661%. The company’s platform allows vetted partners and equipment owners to monetize surplus equipment with no risk – a tremendous opportunity for oil and gas producers and services companies to stay competitive during these trying times. It’s a disruptive business model, shaking up the industry during a time when resiliency and innovation are top of mind. We speak with Raj Singh, Founder and CEO.

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