S2 Ep. 11 Reimaging Real Estate w/ Maxim Olshevsky

Eva Friesen joins the podcast this week to discuss what it means to build a community where everyone has the opportunity to participate. Eva is the CEO of the Calgary Foundation and has focused her career in serving as a leader in the charitable sector to help build a more resilient community in Calgary. 

Eva talks about the interdependency of having a thriving community and a strong economy, noting the importance of having more people feeling like they’re contribute to their community in a productive way is an excellent check and balance. Eva also talks about how the Calgary Foundation’s granting program not only by contributing financial support, but also builds capacities of other organizations through partnerships. 

Luke Avezedo is the Film Commissioner with Calgary Economic Development and joins this week to add a little glamour to the conversation to talk about the creative industries in Alberta. He tells us how major production houses are consistently choosing Alberta based on our world-renowned crews, incredible landscapes, and our willingness to be open for business. 

Luke shares the history of how the creative industries has been fostered over decades of work and how much has gone into creating an ecosystem of talent, resources, and relationships that can support the industry well into the future. He discusses the economic impact and shares staggering numbers, hundreds of millions of the dollars, and the need to continue to develop a talent pipeline to ensure we can sustain our growth. He says that entry into the industry is truly ageless and that the future will be as bright, and as creative, as we want.

Maxim Olshevsky joins the conversation this week to talk about his unique philosophies around commercial real estate development. Maxim is a proud Calgarian, investor and entrepreneur, and as President of the Astra Group of companies he's committed to creating positive community impacts by tackling unconventional development projects. Maxim shares his thoughts about the future of Alberta's economy (spoiler alert: it's really positive!) and how growth will be key to our bright future.  

Maxim talks about building and leading his four companies with hard work, quick decision-making, and focusing on the people behind the bricks and mortar. Maxim discusses the importance of understanding the community needs and impacts when it comes to re-imagining buildings that have lost their utility. He explains that people and community must be the primary consideration in order to be successful, both in life and in commercial real estate. 

Beth Kerr sits down with the founder of Laura Brows, Laura Frostad, to discuss how she's created a cult following for her popular eyebrow brand, the launch of her global make-up line Relume, and how she balances life as a busy mom and entrepreneur. Laura shares her thoughts about disrupting the beauty industry and the challenges small business owners face when trying to pursue their dreams. 

Laura discusses how she moved to Calgary with now-husband from Southern California, where she was raised by her single mother as the youngest of three siblings. Laura shares that her work ethic resulted from watching her mom work multiple jobs to support the family, and that she was forced to be a very independent at an early age. She credits this to her resiliency for being able to start Laura Brows and grow her business despite the challenges of being an entrepreneur. She talks about why the women of Calgary love her brow work and how she was able to build such a loyal clientele base through word of mouth, and how the Calgary 'micro community' is such an incredible support for small businesses. 

Laura shares that her brother's struggles with mental health was her inspiration for creating a social enterprise in Relume, and how she hopes to continue to grow that brand and give back to organizations that support mental health. 

Wellington is joined by Jim Button who shares his experiences building brands, building companies, and building communities. He talks about finding purpose and joy; and of course, his love of beer. 

Wellington and Jim talk learning hard lessons in failed businesses and how to be a successful entrepreneur in competitive markets. Jim talks about bringing people together through entrepreneurship, community events, and the social lubricant he calls beer. The pair discuss the challenges facing Calgary and Alberta about  false narratives having to do with opportunities that exist in various industries, particularly around the energy industry. Jim notes that we need to start sharing our success stories of innovation and technology, and how many different types of jobs are available in our market. 

Jim shares his ongoing journey with terminal kidney cancer, also known as renal cell carcinoma, and how he finds comfort in writing for his blog, Gather With Jim. He says that it takes a village to build communities and keep them thriving, but that the most important ingredient to success is staying positive and giving back. 

Wellington talks with Doug van Spronsen about building a technology company that's focused on helping people do their best, do things differently and co-creating solutions will ensure success in the long run for their clients.  

Doug talks about his success as an entrepreneur in Alberta and growing a globally focused business right here in Calgary. He talks about Canada and Alberta's reputation abroad as being a location of choice to do business and how that translates into attracting and retaining top talent for supporting the tech ecosystem that's being built locally. He also discusses his optimism about Alberta's ability to solve problems, be innovative, and re-invent our economic history of boom/bust cycles to overcome challenges and expand opportunities. He talks about the importance of funding ideas and enhancing funding models to expand how we are viewing innovation and technology to answer questions about how we fulfill our needs. 

About Doug: 

Doug van Spronsen is the CEO and co-founder of Versett, a strategic design firm that works with high-growth companies to capitalize on emerging behaviours, markets and technologies.  Established in 2012, Versett's global team of over 350 specialists bring together rigorous research, exceptional design and software engineering to create and scale world-class digital platforms and interfaces. In the past year, the company has worked extensively with clients like American Express, TD Bank, Visa and Getty Images across a variety of global projects. Each month, millions of people use the apps, products and digital businesses the firm has designed. Versett is headquartered in Calgary and has offices in Vancouver, Paris, Frankfurt, Toronto and Ho Chi Minh City. He also serves on the boards of Connect First Credit Union and True North Water. Doug was EY's Entrepreneur of the Year (Prairies) for Technology in 2019 and was named one of Avenue's Top 40 Under 40 in 2018.

connectFirst Credit Union: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

Versett: Website

Wellington sits down with Adam Legge, President of the Business Council of Alberta to discuss the BCA's recently released report, Define the Decade: A Framework for Prosperity for Albertans. The pair talk about what a good life in Alberta looks like over the next years and what it's going to take to get us there. Define the Decade outlines a vision for Alberta's competitive, inclusive and sustainable economy over the next 10 years and gives a roadmap to help ensure all Albertans have access to be successful, healthy and fulfilled...

Wellington sits down with Maud Salvi, Executive Director of Sled Island Music & Arts Festival to discuss the economic benefits of the arts. They talk about the importance of arts and culture to help build thriving, successful communities. Maud shares her tips and tricks for how to make the most of your Sled Island experience on your journey to discover new artists and musicians. https://www.sledisland.com/

Desirée Bombenon, CEO & Chief Disruption Office at SureCall, and Käthe Lemon, President of RedPoint Media & Marketing Solutions, join Wellington to discuss economic optimism, telling Alberta's story and the great realization.

Joined by guest Terry Rock from Platform Calgary, Wellington talks about the role innovation will play in disrupting Alberta's economy.