Spotlight on the Speakers
KRIS
PORLIER
Manager of Training
St. John Ambulance
Alberta Council
Kris Porlier is the
manager of training for
St. John Ambulance,
Alberta Council. He is an
advanced care paramedic
and a reserve medical
assistant with the Royal Canadian Medical Service. Kris
has a Bachelor of Biological Sciences from the University
of Alberta with a minor in Psychology. He has taken
active volunteer roles with both military peer support
programs and the Edmonton Police Victim Services Unit.
He currently volunteers with the Jessica Martel Memorial
Foundation and the Paramedic Pay It Forward Award. Kris
maintains casual employment as a child and youth care
worker, tissue specialist and paramedic. He is currently
completing his Master of Education.
Listen to Kris speak about mental health in the workplace on
Thursday, Nov. 14 starting at 3:30 p.m. in the Alhambra Room.
GRAHAM
SHERMAN
Owner
Tool Shed Brewing
Company
Graham Sherman and his
business partner, Jeff Orr,
are two “high-level geeks”
who met in Afghanistan
in 2007. At that time, they
were working on contracts
for the Canadian and U.S. government and military,
installing encrypted, tactical communication networks. By
day, they rolled around the war zone in armoured vehicles,
geeking out in the world of satellite communications.
By night, they aimed their obsessive, high level geekery
at mastering coffee, competitive BBQ, controlling their
respective homes back in Calgary with their iPhones…and,
finally, with mastering the craft of brewing artisan beer.
Now, only four years after the very first batched brewed
in Graham’s backyard, Tool Shed Brewing Company has a
new 15,000 square foot home in Calgary with beers being
sold in over 1,000 locations across Western Canada. The
company was also nominated as Canadian Entrepreneur of
the Year. The duo was named co-winners of the “40 Under
40” recognition from Avenue magazine.
K E Y N O T E S P E A K E R S
Graham and Jeff’s meteoric rise in the beer industry
is due to a level of authentic, infectious passion rarely
witnessed in any industry combined with an incredibly
unique approach to the social media world we live in. The
moment you hear their story, you understand that simply
drinking a Tool Shed beer represents an appreciation of
the grassroots struggle of quitting your job and going after
your dreams – AT ALL COSTS!
Hear Graham’s story during the Lunch Awards on Friday,
Nov. 15 starting at 11:45 a.m. in the Van Horne Ballroom.
DANNY
HOOPER
Entertainer and Emcee
Raised on a cattle ranch
near Tomahawk, Alta.,
Danny Hooper is a
household name in many
Alberta homes. Mention his
name and almost everyone
will have a story about
Danny Hooper’s Stockyard,
an Edmonton nightclub in the 1980s.
Danny has been in the entertainment business for
as long as he can remember. By age 10, he was already
charging neighborhood kids a dime to attend magic shows,
talent nights and haunted houses in the family garage.
“I love to entertain people,” said Danny, who 50 years
later is still enjoying a full-throttle and enviable career as
an award-winning media personality, bestselling author,
recording artist, motivational speaker, professional emcee
and fundraising auctioneer. And speaking of success, he
says it’s really no secret.
“You need to pursue your passion; that’s the first key
to finding true happiness and fulfillment in life. Also,
when you love what you do for a living, it produces a lot
of energy.”
The second key to Danny’s enduring success is his talent
for self-reinvention. From his early days on the road as
a travelling musician to fundraising auctioneer, raising
millions of dollars for non-profits every year, Danny is one
of a kind.
What exactly is the “secret sauce” that has sustained
this man’s career for more than 40 years? When pressed,
the 26-time host and emcee of the Big Valley Jamboree
grins and replies, “I know how to make people laugh!”
Laugh with Danny as he emcees the Chairman’s Gala on
Friday night, starting at 7:00 p.m. in the Van Horne Ballroom. n
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