Ray Bassett
Ray Bassett has been in the construction surety industry since 1984. He has led both the “claims” practice and the “underwriting” practice for leading national surety companies in Canada. Over the past 36 years, through several economic cycles, Ray has learned from construction companies of all sizes, in all sectors and all regions of Canada and the U.S. His current role with Travelers Canada includes client relationships with national and larger regional construction companies, strategic initiatives in product development and technology, professional development of staff, and business strategy for the Construction Services group for Travelers in North America.
Ray has served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) since March 2010, has chaired the MS&S Council, and has chaired an executive committee focused on federal prompt payment. Ray was elected as First National Vice-Chair of the CCA Board in spring 2020.
A large part of Ray’s focus since joining Travelers in 2007 has been improving collaboration and value among stakeholders in the construction industry, including public and private project owners, the construction and project finance lending community, financial ratings agencies, consultants, the construction law bar, and the surety industry. Some recent examples include CCA’s initiative on prompt payment leading to the Federal Prompt Payment Act, participating as an advisory group member on the review leading to the updated Ontario Construction Act, and is a speaker in York University’s Osgoode Professional Development’s Continuing Legal Education Program. In 2017, Ray was honoured by his colleagues in the Canadian surety industry with the Surety Association of Canada’s President Award.
Ray studied philosophy and English literature at the University of Toronto and has done executive programs at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and the London Business School.
Ray and his wife Janice have three adult children and live in Jackson’s Point, Ontario on the south shore of Lake Simcoe.
Alex Carrick
Alex Carrick has degrees in economics from the University of Western Ontario and the University of Toronto. For the first 13 years of his career, he worked for the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction. For the latest three decades-plus, he’s been with the company that has become ConstructConnect, first as Canadian Chief Economist, then as U.S. Chief Economist as well. He has written thousands of articles and delivered numerous presentations on the world, U.S. & Canadian economic and construction outlooks and he has a strong social media presence, with tens of thousands of followers on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Tim Coldwell
Tim Coldwell is a husband, dad and Mohawk entrepreneur focused on leading by serving, culture, and the monetization of ideas. He serves as President of Chandos, a purpose driven national technical builder leading change in the Canadian construction industry. Chandos is the largest B-Corp certified contractor in the world and is proud to be one hundred percent employee owned. We believe value is created when leaders combine the power of purpose with existing business models to solve the world’s greatest problems.
Under Tim’s leadership, Chandos has forged partnerships with social enterprises across Canada focusing on employment of at-risk youth and those who are under-represented in the construction industry. Tim is an advisor to San Francisco’s Center for Innovation in the Design & Construction Industry and was the founding board chair of the Integrated Project Delivery Alliance. Tim has been named a recipient of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 and is an alumnus of the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference.
Maryscott Greenwood
Maryscott (“Scotty”) Greenwood’s experience spans numerous roles, including corporate director, CEO, founder and diplomat. Ms. Greenwood is the founding partner of Crestview Strategy US LLC, a government relations consultancy based in Washington, D.C. She has served in local and federal government, as well as on corporate and non-profit boards.
An expert in Canada/US relations, Ms. Greenwood has over two decades of designing and implementing successful stakeholder engagement programs for clients across North America. Sectors of focus include energy & power infrastructure, life sciences, and supply chain management.
Ms. Greenwood is the CEO of the Canadian American Business Council, the premier bilateral trade association whose members are Fortune 500 companies from various sectors, including Amazon, Google, ConocoPhillips, Coca-Cola, CN and Pfizer, to name a few.
Known for her keen insights into the public policy environment impacting business, Ms. Greenwood is a strategist, communications expert and frequent speaker on political & trade policy issues internationally.
Peter Hall
Peter Hall joined Export Development Canada (EDC) in November 2004. With over 30 years of experience in economic analysis and forecasting, Mr. Hall is responsible for overseeing EDC’s economic analysis, country risk assessment and corporate research groups. In addition to preparing strategic advice for senior management at EDC, Mr. Hall is a featured speaker at conferences, international roundtables and policy forums, and regularly appears in television, radio and print media commenting on the world economy and Canadian international trade issues.
He produces a widely circulated print and video weekly commentary covering an eclectic range of current global economic issues. Prior to joining EDC, Mr. Hall directed the economic forecasting activities of the Conference Board of Canada. Mr. Hall has served as president of both the Canadian Association for Business Economics, a 600- member national association of professional economists, and its largest local chapter, the Ottawa Economics Association. He has also been a volunteer board and committee member for two Ottawa area private schools. Mr. Hall has degrees in economics from both Carleton University and the University of Toronto.
Robert Hasell
Robert Hasell is the President & CEO of the Emil Anderson Group. The Emil Anderson Group is a people focussed, fourth generation family owned company, founded in 1938 by Emil Anderson. EAG owns and operates ten (10) independent businesses in the Civil Construction, Asphalt Paving, Highway Maintenance, Land Development, Property Management, Residential Construction and Commercial Construction Industries. Robert achieved a degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Alberta and is a practicing Professional Engineer. Robert is married (Crystal) and has two children (Bobby 12 & Isabella 10).
Brendan Nobes
Brendan is a construction professional with a background encompassing all facets of the construction industry. A graduate of Mount Allison University and the Nova Scotia Community College, Brendan is a Gold Seal Certified Project Manager and Estimator. Brendan is also certified as CM-LEAN and CM-BIM from the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America.
Brendan has almost 30 years’ experience in the construction industry and has worked as a site superintendent, senior estimator, senior project manager as well as a project manager representing the owner. His most notable projects include McInnes Cooper Law office renovation in St. John’s, Newfoundland; Nova Scotia Power, head office relocation; Halifax International Airport parking garage; Fountain Academy at Sacred Heart School; and the Nova Centre complex located in Downtown Halifax.
Active in several associations, Brendan sits on the Board for the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) and serves as chair of the CCA General Contractors Advisory Council. He is also CCA’s representative on the Canadian Construction Documents Council (CCDC) and was past Chair of the Construction Association of Nova Scotia (CANS).
Mary Van Buren
Mary is a proven leader with an exceptional track record in advancing member interests. She is an expert in marketing, communications, strategy and digital and has worked in the private, public and non-profit sectors. Prior to becoming the president of the Canadian Construction Association, she held executive positions with MD Financial Management, Export Development Canada and the Canadian Real Estate Association. She holds an MBA in international business from McGill and a B.Com from the University of Ottawa. She is a Certified Association Executive and bilingual in English and French. Mary is a proven leader with an exceptional track record in advancing member interests. She is an expert in marketing, communications, strategy and digital and has worked in the private, public and non-profit sectors. Prior to becoming the president of the Canadian Construction Association, she held executive positions with MD Financial Management, Export Development Canada and the Canadian Real Estate Association. She holds an MBA in international business from McGill and a B.Com from the University of Ottawa. She is a Certified Association Executive and bilingual in English and French.
Julie Zulich
Julie Zulich is President and Co-CEO of TESC Contracting Company Ltd. With a 20-year track record of execution and leadership excellence, Julie possesses expertise in strategy development, health, safety and environment, and operations management. She has held various leadership positions within TESC Contracting Company Ltd. and, as the first female President of the company, is a strong promoter of diversity in the industry. Julie also holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from Laurentian University.
Born and raised in northern Ontario, Julie is passionate about giving back through volunteerism. In Sudbury, she is an active Board Member, as well as Chair of the Sudbury Chapter of Hope’s Eating Disorder Support Services. She is also on the Board of Directors for the Kivi Park Community Foundation. Julie is also a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in the industry. In 2019, she was elected First Chair of the Women in Mechanical Construction (WIMC), a committee of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada (MCAC) that offers a forum for female professionals in the industry to connect, interact, and share experiences. Not long afterwards, she was appointed the first female board member of the MCAC, and of the Electrical Contractors Association of Northern Ontario (ECANO) in 2021.