Fields on Wheels 2023 - Speakers | Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences

Frank Dahan

Director of Transport Services and Global Fuel Strategy for Montreal based worldwide shipowner Canada Steamship Lines.

Frank has over 25 years of experience in the shipping, Oil and energy industries. In his current role he spearheads commercial fleet operations on the Canadian fleet.

In addition to leading the Global fuel desk and overseeing the fuel procurement strategy of CSL’s operations, Frank also supports all sustainable alternative fuel initiatives at Group CSL Inc, such as the Biofuel Fuel Testing program, which was launched in 2019 and is to date one of the largest ongoing B100 Biodiesel trial on marine engines in the world.

Thibault Denamiel

Associate fellow with the Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

Thibault’s work with the Scholl Chair includes researching the role of immigration policy on innovation in advanced technologies, export controls, and transatlantic cooperation on climate and trade policy. His work has been featured in Politico, Inside U.S. Trade, and Reuters. During his time in graduate school, Thibault has worked for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the International Trade Administration, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, among others. Thibault holds an MA in international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a BA in international relations with honours from New York University.

Fred Ghatala

Director for Carbon and Sustainability of Advanced Biofuels Canada

A national industry association established to promote the production and use of advanced biofuels in Canada. ABFC members are global leaders in commercial production of advanced biofuels and technology development, with over 34 billion litres of installed annual production capacity worldwide. Fred leads ABFC’s work to establish biofuel carbon value, lifecycle analyses in regulations, sector engagement in sustainability initiatives, and expanding advanced biofuel use into aviation and marine sectors

Bruce Hodgson

Director of Market Development for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation

Bruce is responsible for initiatives to attract more traffic, including both traditional and new cargoes, into the Great Lakes / Seaway system and positioning Hwy H2O as a key component of the North American intermodal transportation system.

Having worked for a variety of organizations, such as Norasia Container Line Canada Ltd., Wheels Pacific Freights Systems Inc., Westwood Shipping Lines and International Sea-Land Shipping Service Ltd, Mr. Hodgson has a wide knowledge of inter-modal shipping, both nationally and internationally.

Gunther Jochum

Farm owner and advocate

Gunter's family moved to Canada from Germany in 1980 to provide more opportunity for their family in the agriculture industry. Gunter and Crystal raised 4 daughters and are now in the process of transitioning the farm to the next generation.

Gunter obtained his Diploma in Agriculture at U of M. He is keen to engage in activities that strengthen the ag industry to ensure the sustainability of farming for future generations. Gunter maintains a strong presence on social media advocating for agriculture and enjoys being active on the Wheat Growers as a voice for Western Canadian farmers.

Pamela Kolochuk

CEO of Peak of the Market

Named CEO in July 2021. A CPA, MBA and Certified Change Leader with over fifteen years of experience in senior financial leadership, Pamela is renowned for her innovative growth strategies and for creating engaged, productive employee teams. Pam is grateful for her grower and industry connections that have served her well throughout her education and work-life.

Born and raised on a dairy farm south of St. Claude, Manitoba, Pam has been part of the agriculture industry ever since. First, working for large Canadian grain companies and now Peak in produce.

A life-long learner herself, Pam has been a school trustee in Winnipeg's Louis Riel School Division since 2018, where she dedicates much of her time to ensuring that children have access to quality, inclusive and accessible education. When she isn't in the office, you can find her in Winkler visiting Growers and checking out fields. In her "off time", she is a big CFL Blue Bomber Football Game fan, lover of golf and Disney fanatic.

Barry Prentice

Professor, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba

Dr. Prentice is a Professor of Supply Chain Management, at the I.H. Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba, and Director of the Transport Institute. In 1999, National Transportation Week named him Manitoba Transportation Person of the Year. He was instrumental in founding a new Department of Supply Chain Management (SCM) at the I. H. Asper School of Business in 2003 that now offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in this field. In 2009, Dr. Prentice was made an Honourary Life Member of the Canadian Transportation Research Forum. Since 2015, he is a Fellow in Transportation at the Northern Policy Institute.

Bill Rempel

CEO of Steve's Livestock Transport and group of companies

Bill is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the business, including the development and execution of long-term strategies aimed at increasing shareholder value. Prior to becoming CEO, he held various senior positions within the company, including Chief Operating Officer.

Before joining Steve's, Bill spent 20 years in the Poultry industry, where he served as the Director of Live Operations for Granny’s Poultry in Winnipeg. In that role, he had responsibilities for live transport, hatchery operations, and managing producer relations.

As part of Steve's strategic initiative to expand operations in western Canada, Bill and his family moved back to Manitoba after spending five years in Alberta. Bill, his wife Lori, and their children now reside outside Steinbach, Manitoba. Bill is a graduate with honours from Red River College in Winnipeg, holding a degree in Business Administration.

Daniel Santos

CEO of Evotrux

Daniel has a passion for leveraging technology to drive business innovation. Daniel has spent over 25 years in logistics. His experience spans warehousing, distribution, road transport, and rail.

Evotrux is a game-changing freight management platform that Daniel helped found in 2018. With Evotrux, Daniel is driving continuous innovation, transparency, and efficiency into one of the world's largest and most important sectors.

Outside of his professional pursuits, Daniel is a father of 2, a basketball coach, and a mediocre golfer.

Chris Vervaet

Executive Director, Canadian Oilseed Processors Association

Chris Vervaet is the Executive Director of the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association (COPA), representing its members on matters pertaining to the oilseed processing industry. Chris is also a senior executive with the Canola Council of Canada (CCC), providing leadership on topics impacting all segments of the canola value chain.

His work in these roles has focused on the growing opportunities and challenges for the canola industry as the world transitions to a lower carbon future. He leads the value chain’s efforts on renewable fuels, working closely with government and industry partners on key regulatory initiatives, including Canada’s Clean Fuel Regulation and the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard.

Michael Von Massow

Professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics at the University of Guelph

Mike is interested in how people think about food with recent work focusing on labelling, alternative proteins, 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.