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Industry Connect and AGM
About
2023 Taste of Summer: Industry Connect and AGM
Join us for a day of learning, networking and enjoying a beautiful evening in the vineyard!
Rockway Vineyards – St. CatharinesÂ
10:30 – 11:15 am: Brian Ettkin, Numerator – Consumer Research Report
11:15 – 11:45 am: Rita Sterne, Greenhouse Technology Network – Growing Innovation for Ontario’s Greenhouse Industry
11:45 am – 1:00 pm: Enjoy a delicious lunch and get to know your peers with a fun networking game!
1:00 – 2:00 pm: Annual General Meeting
2:15 – 2:45 pm – Tim Nash, Good Investing – The Green Economy is Bigger than you Think!
2:45 – 3:15 pm – Dr. Mike von Massow, Guelph University
3:15 – 4:00 pm – Fire side chat with Tim Nash and Dr. von Massow, moderated by Anne Gaviola, Global News
5:00 – 8:00 pm –Â Join us for an evening of food and drinks, networking, and a wine tour/tasting!
Hotel AccommodationsÂ
A block of hotel rooms has been reserved at the Hampton Inn by Hilton in St. Catharines. Those wishing to reserve a room should note that when purchasing tickets. Guests will be expected to pay for the room upon arrival at the hotel. No-shows will receive an invoice from the OPMA to cover the room charges.
Transportation
Transportation will be made available from the hotel to the venue and back:
9:45 am – Transportation will be available from the hotel to the venue
8:00 pm – Transportation will be available from the venue to the hotel
Speaker Bios:
Brian Ettkin, NumeratorÂ
As the head of Strategy and Solutions for Numerator Canada, Brian brings nearly two decades of industry experience to helping clients understand changing consumer behaviour. Prior to joining Numerator, Brian worked at Walmart Canada for nearly ten years and before that, he worked for The Nielsen Company. His career has brought him to four countries, including the United States, Japan, Russia and Canada.
Rita Sterne, Greenhouse Technology Network
Rita Sterne is Project Manager at the Greenhouse Technology Network (GTN), a group of five Research Centres led by Niagara College that are “Growing Innovation for Ontario’s Greenhouse Industry”. In this role, Rita connects small and medium-sized Ontario businesses facing greenhouse-related technology challenges with Research Centre experts, facilities, and project funding from Federal Development Ontario. Rita earned her PhD (Mgmt) from the University of Guelph and completed postdoctoral research focused on the value created through the adoption of robotics across Ontario’s greenhouse industry.
Tim Nash, Good Investing
As the founder of Good Investing, Tim Nash has helped thousands of Canadians align their investment portfolio with their values. Tim earned his BA in Economics from Dalhousie University and his Master’s in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability from the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden.
As an expert on socially responsible investing, sustainability, and impact investing, he is regularly featured in publications such as CBC, BNNBloomberg, and the Globe and Mail. Tim is the host of Responsible Investing for a Sustainable Economy, a weekly podcast from The Toronto Star.
Dr. Mike von Massow, the University of Guelph
Mike is an Associate Professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics at the University of Guelph and the OAC Chair in Food Systems Leadership.  He joined the University of Guelph in 2010 upon completing his PhD. He worked in a variety of operations and marketing roles in the agri-food industry before going back into academic life and beginning his Doctoral studies in pricing strategy.  He also spent time working as a management consultant and policy researcher.  His industry experience informs both his teaching and his research program. Mike is interested in how people think about food with recent work focusing on labeling, novel food products, animal welfare and antibiotic use. Mike’s research also considers the structure and performance of food value chains, including farm practices, as they evolve in response to changing consumer preferences and other factors.
Mike speaks frequently to a variety of groups about issues relating to food and food production. He has written for the Globe and Mail and other publications and is often quoted on radio and in the media.   As a frequent blogger with a strong presence on broadcast, print and social media, Mike committed to sharing research and perspective in a manner that helps to inform public policy and private strategy. Mike has also introduced his FoodFocus Podcast to discuss issues of interest in the food space.
Anne Gaviola, Global News
Anne Gaviola is a Senior Digital Broadcast Journalist with Global News and host of The Peak On Global. Based in Toronto, she has been covering the business beat for more than 15 years and her areas of interest include disruptive technology, housing and the future of work. Anne’s career in journalism includes experience at CTV, BNN Bloomberg, VICE, CBC and The Weather Network.