The Ambition Project

Heidi McKillop - A Stranded Nation

Heidi McKillop is a former Calgary waitress turned documentary film producer. With no film experience and her only initial budget being from tips, Heidi was able to produce a high-quality, passion-fuelled documentary on the obstacles faced by the Alberta oil and gas industry. Watch the full film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_ZPFJ2eAUw [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_ZPFJ2eAUw] "The environment is arguably the most debated topic of modern Canadian politics. The use of hydrocarbons has become a central political discourse within Canada. The decision to build a national pipeline to meet international demand has left Canadians divided and uncertain. A Stranded Nation is a documentary about our national interests, a competitive oil and gas sector, and the benefits it provides to all Canadians." The Ambition Project features ambitious Calgary entrepreneurs and talks about their struggles and what it has taken them to become successful. The series is intended to be a source of entertainment, motivation, inspiration, and education for up-and-coming business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn more about the series here: https://www.symbolsyndication.com/the-ambition-project/ [https://www.symbolsyndication.com/the-ambition-project/] Learn more about Flagship Business Brokers: https://flagshipbrokers.ca [https://flagshipbrokers.ca] Learn more about Business Link: http://businesslink.ca [http://businesslink.ca]

Lazar Radulović - Building Serbia's Largest Food Distribution Business

In this episode of the Ambition Project, we deviate a little bit from the usual Calgary entrepreneurs. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to interview Lazar Radulović while visiting family in Canada, founder of M&L International [https://www.mlinternational.rs/] which is the largest food distribution company in Serbia and one of the largest in Eastern Europe. In this interview we talk about the differences in doing business in Eastern Europe, the challenges posed by harsh economic conditions and the differences in lifestyle. We hope you enjoy our interview with this highly successful businessman and restauranteur.  We hope you enjoy this interview and local Calgary podcast. Please subscribe and leave us a review on Itunes or Spotify.

Patrick Chiu - Trico Communities & Trico Group

In this interview Jonathan Hafichuk sits down with Patrick Chiu who is the general manager of Trico Communities and the president of the Trico Group which is an umbrella over the Chiu family companies including Trico homes. Trico homes was started by Wayne Chiu and is one of the most prominent home builders in the Calgary area with 150+ employees and builds over 250 houses a year. In this interview we discuss a wide range of topics including aspiring to take over a massive family business and the doubts that come along with that, ongoing education to better run a large company, systems and processes, facing racism, doing social good while being profitable and why Trico Homes became a b corp. We also talk about dealing with the stress and the loneliness of being in upper management and being an entrepreneur. Learn more about Trico Homes: https://tricohomes.com/ [https://tricohomes.com/] We hope you enjoy this interview and local Calgary podcast. Please subscribe and leave us a review on Itunes or Spotify.

Megan Stanley - Founder of Dogma Training and Pet Services

Megan Stanley is the founder of Dogma Training and pet services. Through Dogma (which she has run in Calgary for 14 years), she promotes responsible dog training and and is an advocate for reward based training opposed to punishment based training. She also sits on the board of the Canadian Association of Professional Dog trainers and was formerly the chair of the board of directors of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. She often speaks internationally on dog training topics and is striving to have the industry regulated in Canada.    In this interview we delve into a variety of topics ranging from how she went from working in web design to becoming a dog trainer, the impact the minimum wage increase had on her business as well as how she deals with the stress and the struggles of managing 20 employees.    If you’re looking for a dog trainer in Calgary, we highly recommend you check out Dogma: https://www.dogmatraining.com [https://www.dogmatraining.com/]    We hope you enjoy this interview and local Calgary podcast. Please subscribe and leave us a review on Itunes or Spotify.

David Allwright - Dean of Business and Technology at Bow Valley College

In this interview, Jonathan Hafichuk talks to Dr. David Allwright, the Dean of Business and Technology at Bow Valley College [https://bowvalleycollege.ca/] in Calgary, Alberta. They cover a wide range of topics including how the Chiu School of Business works with entrepreneurs, benefits and shortcomings of traditional post-secondary, David’s history working in energy and for the Hudson’s Bay Company as well as how AI is becoming the future of education.  We hope you enjoy this interview and local Calgary podcast. Please subscribe and leave us a review on Itunes or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7JBZxMKxb87tlKbMxMkdeW].