Tag: avenue edmonton

Avenue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2016

Tonight, Avenue Edmonton unveiled their latest cohort of Top 40 Under 40 honorees at the Royal Alberta Museum. This is the eighth year that the magazine has recognized amazing young Edmontonians doing great things in our city.

“Really, the fact that each annual list features so many people with new perspectives, ideas and causes is a tribute to how Edmonton incubates those who like to strike out on their own. We are a city of entrepreneurs and people unencumbered by worrying about what others think of us.”

“This year’s class is another exciting and eclectic mix of business leaders, philanthropists, doctors, scientists, fashionistas, artists and visionaries. They’ve all accomplished great things before they’ve hit their 40th birthdays. We can’t wait to see what they will do next.”

After including everyone on the cover last year, the magazine returns in 2016 to featuring a single honoree, Sylvia Soo:

Sylvia Soo

Here’s the Top 40 for 2016 and where you can find them online (in alphabetical order):

Congratulations to everyone who was recognized this year! I look forward to learning more about this new group of Top 40 alumni. You can read the November 2016 issue online here.

top 40 under 40

There were five judges who worked to determine this year’s cohort:

  • Trudy Callaghan, Avenue Edmonton Associate Publisher
  • Carolyn Campbell, Deputy City Manager, Communications & Engagement, City of Edmonton
  • Ken Crocker, Assistant Dean, Advancement at University of Alberta School of Business
  • David Jones, Sergeant, Edmonton Police
  • Dave Mowat, CEO, ATB Financial

Nominations for 2017 are open here and the deadline to nominate someone is April 30, 2017. Keep an eye on this page for updates. You can also follow Avenue Edmonton on Twitter.

Want to see who made the list in past years? Check out my posts from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.

Avenue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2015

Tonight, Avenue Edmonton unveiled their latest cohort of Top 40 Under 40 honorees at the Edmonton EXPO Centre. This is the seventh year that the magazine has recognized amazing young Edmontonians doing great things in our city.

“They are our educators, innovators and entrepreneurs. They rule the C-suite and both the corporate and volunteer boardrooms. Whether in the arts, non-profits, oil and gas, law, finance or medicine, they are doing more and doing it better and faster. That’s what makes them the 2015 class of Top 40 Under 40.”

The event was emceed by Global Edmonton’s Emily Mertz and was even livestreamed using Periscope.

top 40 under 40 for 2015

Here’s the Top 40 for 2015 and where you can find them online (in alphabetical order):

Congratulations to everyone who was recognized this year! I look forward to learning more about this new group of Top 40 alumni.

top 40 under 40 for 2015

The annual Top 40 issue is always one of Avenue Edmonton’s biggest, and this year they’ve gone in a different direction with the cover. Unlike past editions which featured just one member of the Top 40, this year the cover will feature all 40 honorees.

There were five judges who worked to determine this year’s cohort:

  • Don Iveson, Mayor
  • Linda Huffman, Arts Habitat Edmonton Executive Director
  • Trudy Callaghan, Avenue Edmonton Associate Publisher
  • Tina Thomas, EPL Director Marketing & Fund Development
  • Brad Ferguson, EEDC CEO

Nominations for 2016 aren’t open just yet, but keep an eye on this page for updates. You can also follow Avenue Edmonton on Twitter.

Want to see who made the list in past years? Check out my posts from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Avenue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2014

top40Tonight, Avenue Edmonton unveiled their latest cohort of Top 40 Under 40 honorees at the TELUS World of Science. This is the sixth year that the magazine has recognized amazing young Edmontonians doing great things in our city.

“Every year, Avenue magazine recognizes Capital Region’s most exceptional young community leaders. The Top 40 Under 40 list honours individuals under the age of 40 who are excelling in their careers, giving back to the community and raising the profile of Edmonton.”

The event was emceed by Global Edmonton’s Gord Steinke who told attendees, “let’s swagger tonight!”

Here’s the Top 40 for 2014 and where you can find them online (in alphabetical order):

Congratulations to everyone who was recognized this year! I look forward to learning more about this new group of Top 40 alumni.

On the cover this year is Robin Mazumder, who is also a Make Something Edmonton board member. Inside the magazine, you’ll find a neat interior cover too. Apparently this issue is the biggest one Avenue Edmonton has ever released.

Nominations for 2015 aren’t open just yet, but keep an eye on this page for updates. You can learn more by reading the FAQ.

Want to see who made the list in past years? Check out my posts from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Avenue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2013

With the unveiling tonight of Avenue Edmonton’s fifth annual Top 40 Under 40, there have now been 200 amazing, young Edmontonians recognized. The latest group was honored this evening at the Royal Alberta Museum.

Every year, Avenue magazine recognizes Capital Region’s most exceptional young community leaders. The Top 40 Under 40 list honours individuals under the age of 40 who are excelling in their careers, giving back to the community and raising the profile of Edmonton.

Both Minister of Culture Heather Klimchuk and Mayor Don Iveson (who was recognized in 2009) brought greetings to the event. “This is a city that loves to defy expectations,” the mayor said. “There are many leaders in this room. There might even be a mayor among you!”

Here’s the Top 40 for 2013 and where you can find them online (in alphabetical order):

Congratulations to all the winners! There are some names there that have me saying “finally” and others who I’m happy to be introduced to. I look forward to learning more about this new group of Top 40 alumni.

For those of you who care about such things, the average of this year’s list is 34.3 and there are 24 males and 16 females.

The cover of the new issue features Aaryn Flynn. You can read more about all of the individuals above at Avenue Edmonton. There’s lots more to see on Twitter using the #top40yeg hashtag too.

Want to see who made the list in past years? Check out my posts from 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.

Avenue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2012

The fourth annual Top 40 Under 40 list was unveiled this evening at MKT.

Every year, Avenue magazine recognizes Capital Region’s most exceptional young business leaders. The Top 40 Under 40 list honours individuals under the age of 40 who are excelling in their careers, giving back to the community and raising the profile of Edmonton.

Here’s the Top 40 for 2012 and where you can find them online (in alphabetical order):

Tonight’s awards ceremony was hosted by Global Edmonton’s Vassey Kapelos and was sponsored by Celebration Homes, MacEwan University, and Century Hospitality. I couldn’t make it tonight, but judging by the #top40yeg hashtag on Twitter, it sounds like it was a great party! The website still is not updated (and like past years was down for a while) but when they get that sorted you should be able to see all the details here. The November issue should be on stands across the city soon.

Congratulations to all the winners!

To learn about even more members of Edmonton’s growing Top 40 community, check out the class of 2009, 2010, and 2011.

Media Monday Edmonton: Omar Mouallem

A couple of weeks ago, Omar Mouallem and I sat down at Credo Coffee on 104 Street to chat. As the Associate Editor of Avenue Edmonton magazine, Omar and I have crossed paths many times over the last couple of years. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to ask, but I wanted to learn more about him and I was certain we’d have an interesting conversation. We did.

omar mouallem

Omar grew up in High Prairie and spent a lot of time in Slave Lake, so Edmonton was really more of a third home. When he was 17, Omar moved to Vancouver. He wanted to make it as a filmmaker in the big city. One day, he met a homeless person with a screenplay and it completely changed his perspective on things. It turned out that in Vancouver, Omar was just one of many, many people trying to make it as a filmmaker. “It was a healthy dose of reality, realizing I’m not that unique.”

Eventually after “drifting” for a while, Omar decided he wanted to travel, in particular to see more of the Middle East. He arranged a trip to Lebanon, and planned to make a stop in Edmonton first for his brother’s wedding. While he was here, six days before his flight across the Atlantic, war broke out in Lebanon. The Israeli defense bombed the airport tarmacs, and Omar quickly realized he wasn’t going to Lebanon. He had already packed up everything in Vancouver, so he couldn’t go back there either. He was stuck in Edmonton. “I was a little bitter honestly,” he told me. “I did not want to live in Edmonton.”

When he was growing up, Edmonton was always “the city” to Omar. He knew enough to decide he did not want to live here. But about a year after being grounded in Edmonton, Omar started to see the city differently. “It just totally flipped on me,” he said. By the time he eventually made the trip to Lebanon later that year, he found himself excited to come back home. Back to Edmonton.

I asked Omar what changed his mind about the city. “Editors and publishers took a chance on me here that they wouldn’t have elsewhere.” The positions he took at Vue Weekly, Canadian Arab News, and 24 Hours were entry-level, but were more than he could have achieved at his age in a bigger city like Vancouver. The pool of talent in the media industry is just smaller here than it is in Vancouver. “The negative side,” Omar explained, “is that you can hit your glass ceiling early.” He thinks that may be why we have issues with “brain drain” here in Edmonton. In May of 2008, Omar landed an internship at Avenue Edmonton, and that’s when the change really took hold. Omar realized he could have a career, and started identifying more as a young professional than as an artist. His move away from the north end of the city had an impact too. “Once I moved downtown, I realized how great the city was.”

It was his second time applying for an internship at Avenue. They take interns every three to six months, a program supported by the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association (they cover half the wage). Omar’s internship lasted three months, and then was renewed for another three months. After that, he was promoted to assistant editor, a full-time position at the magazine. Six months later he was promoted again, this time to associate editor, his current position.

Omar had spent time freelancing in his career, so I asked him what he found most different about being on the other side. “How far ahead magazines work” was what surprised him most. When we met at the end of October, the team had just finished work on the November issue and was already working on the December, January, February, and March issues. “Being timely is very difficult,” he told me. That’s the reason Avenue has not written much about the arena debate, though not for lack of wanting. “I would love to do investigative, thorough reporting on the arena.” His time as a freelancer has been beneficial to Omar as an editor. “I try to have more personalized relationships with my writers,” he told me, recounting his experience. “I don’t want to be just a name in their emails.”

A few months ago, Omar added another title to his resume when he became a blogger for AOL’s Canadian travel blog. “It’s a pretty sweet gig.” Responsible for one post per week, Omar is free to write about pretty much anything he likes. He wrote about What the Truck?! back in September, for instance. Omar started making websites when he was just 14, and learned HTML and other web skills along the way, so doing the posts for AOL is nothing new. You could say that he went from new media to old media, to a certain extent. I asked him if he enjoyed the contrast between editing at Avenue and writing blog articles. He confessed he prefers his role at Avenue. “I like the meticulousness that goes into articles for the magazine,” Omar told me. He talked me through the editing process. “Getting the copy, reading it for the first time, reading it a second time with a pen, editing, proofing it a couple times, fact-checking, it’s great.” He paused and thought for a moment. “I like the attention to detail that comes with magazines.”

We turned to the constantly evolving media landscape, and the impact of technology on magazines in particular. Omar thinks the changes recently are positive. “The quality of a magazine shows when you read it.” He recognizes that fewer people will pickup magazines over time, but thinks that general magazines will face a bigger challenge than topic-focused ones. Those magazines have an opportunity. “Good tablet apps have made the magazine experience better than I ever thought it could be.” The issue of length plays a factor in that experience. “No one has found a way to make the 4000 word article readable online,” Omar said. He thinks that’s why there has been a resurgence in long-form writing. “Magazines are made for writers,” he stated. “I’m a writer at heart.” Then, reminding himself that he has only been in the business for a few years: “I love magazines.”

I wondered which publications Omar enjoys reading. He mentioned Wired, The Walrus, Maisonneuve, GQ, and Toronto Life. I jumped in and asked if he reads any local publications. “The Journal, Vue Weekly, and some blogs,” he said. “I probably pick through Sharon’s blog the most.” We talked about why a local, generalist online publication hasn’t yet emerged in our city. “Maybe there’s too much media in Edmonton already,” he suggested.

Omar’s perspective on Edmonton remains positive, and as can you tell from one of his recent blog posts he still loves downtown. “It’s amazing how much the city has changed in just the last five years.” Through his work at Avenue and now AOL, Omar is helping to change the way people view our city for the better. You might say he’s exactly the kind of person we should be worried about losing, but I think that’s the wrong way to look at it. “A lot of Edmontonians simply don’t want to be in a coffee shop on 104th street talking about media and downtown,” he said as were discussing the car culture that persists in our city. But Omar is one of the relatively few Edmontonians who does want to talk about those things. He’s not here because he has to be, he’s here because he wants to be.

I’m sure the last thing Omar expected when he found himself “stuck” here years ago was that he would become an ambassador for the city, but he has. Omar found his passion for magazines and the media industry here, and now he’s taking advantage of the opportunity to help others see Edmonton for the great city it is.

Avenue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2011

top 40 under 40The third annual Top 40 Under 40 list was unveiled this evening at the Winspear Centre. Avenue Edmonton has once again highlighted an amazing group of Edmontonians doing some really great things in our city.

“We are extremely proud to celebrate this accomplished, creative and insightful group of fellow citizens,” said Avenue publisher Orville Chubb. “They exemplify the best of Edmonton’s spirit.”

Here’s the Top 40 for 2011 and where you can find them online (in alphabetical order):

The eagle-eyed among you may notice that there are actually 41 names in the list. The editor’s note in the issue explains the reason for this, but essentially there was some communication issues – the top 40 are busy people after all! The average age this year is 34.1, up from 33.4 in 2009 but down slightly from 34.6 in 2010.

Top 40 Under 40 for 2011
Erica Viegas graces the cover

Top 40 Under 40 for 2011
Erica Viegas, Tina Thomas, and Kari Skelton

Top 40 Under 40 for 2011
Todd Babiak

Top 40 Under 40 for 2011
Karen McDonald

Top 40 Under 40 for 2011
Christine Causing

Top 40 Under 40 for 2011
Cam Linke

Some of the names on the list are new to me, and that’s great – I love learning about awesome Edmontonians! I feel fortunate to know some of the others quite well. Congratulations to all!

The November issue of Avenue Magazine will be on stands across the city as of October 29. Watch for nominations for the 2012 list to open in the spring.

My photos from tonight’s event are here. See also my posts about the Class of 2010 and Class of 2009.

Avenue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2010

The second annual Top 40 Under 40 list was unveiled tonight at the Art Gallery of Alberta at a very well-attended event. In a city that could use a little more self-congratulation, I think it’s great that Avenue Edmonton is recognizing the efforts of such a diverse and interesting group of Edmontonians:

Each year, Avenue’s Top 40 Under 40 recognizes the individuals in Greater Edmonton who are leading the city through this period of growth and change. Aside from being under 40, there is no common denominator defining them. Their focus may be on hospitality, humanitarianism or health; they are environmentalists and entrepreneurs, educators and entertainers, lawyers and fundraisers and more. Some don’t even have professions — just passions that become successful ventures, and in turn, raise the city’s profile. We recognize them individually because each one succeeds and leads in his or her field, but we celebrate them collectively because together they enrich our city.

You can read all about the Top 40 Under 40 here. There was a little discussion tonight about whether or not the average age of the list had gone up, and it has, but only slightly – from 33.4 in 2009 to 34.6 in 2010.

2010 Edmonton Top 40 Under 40

The lovely Tegan Martin-Drysdale is on the cover of the November issue. Here’s where to find her and the other Top 40 members online (in alphabetical order):

You can follow all the people on Twitter here.

I thought the event tonight ran very smoothly! It was still full of people, but there was more room to move this year. Here are some photos from the evening:

2010 Edmonton Top 40 Under 40
Chris Bolivar, Michael Brechtel, Chris LaBossiere

2010 Edmonton Top 40 Under 40
The crowd gathering to celebrate!

2010 Edmonton Top 40 Under 40
Amanda Woodward receives her award.

2010 Edmonton Top 40 Under 40
Chris LaBossiere with Don, Greg, and Jill.

2010 Edmonton Top 40 Under 40
Dave Cournoyer celebrates with Kyla!

2010 Edmonton Top 40 Under 40

Congratulations to everyone who made the list this year!

You can read my post about last year’s list here. You can see the rest of my photos here.

Alumni outreach at the University of Alberta

A little over a month ago, Avenue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2009 was announced and I was fortunate enough to make the list. So many people have said “congrats” in tweets, wall posts, emails, and other messages, and I really appreciate all of them, thank you! I was somewhat surprised, however, to receive a letter and a follow-up email from the University of Alberta’s Office of External Relations.

The letter itself was fairly standard, and basically said that as I am a graduate of the University they wanted to offer congratulations. The email was from Jen Panteluk, a Development Officer at the Office of External Relations. She invited me to meet for coffee, and I happily accepted. We met at Credo Coffee yesterday afternoon and had a great chat about what I do, what she does, and about social media and the University of Alberta.

I learned that Jen is meeting with as many U of A grads on the list as she can, and that the idea to do so was hers. Alumni Affairs rightly or wrongly has a reputation of only reaching out to alumni when they are able to contribute back to the University financially. Jen decided to do something about that perception, and that’s why she pitched the idea of meeting with the Top 40 Under 40 grads. I think it’s fantastic!

Jen and I talked about social media quite a bit, and how effectively local schools are using it. Slowly but surely the various U of A departments are starting to embrace social media. For instance, you can keep up with Alumni Affairs on Twitter and on Facebook. There’s a long way to go, however!

If you’re on Twitter, use the hashtag #ualberta for U of A related stuff. SU President Kory Mathewson and his colleagues are hoping it becomes the standard, because it’s less ambiguous than the rival #uofa. Makes sense to me!

Avenue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2009

Avenue Edmonton’s first annual Top 40 Under 40 will appear in the November issue of the magazine, available at various locations around the city. Here’s what it’s all about:

When trying to imagine the future of Edmonton, one has to picture the future faces that will shape it. These faces are of urban planners mapping the new city, community workers enhancing our quality of life, entrepreneurs enriching the local economy and artists sending our brand out to the world. In Avenue’s inaugural Top 40 Under 40, we seek to honour the brightest and most talented individuals under the age of 40 who are excelling in their careers, giving back to the community and raising the city’s profile. They are the generation of today making a better future for the people of tomorrow.

I’m truly honored to be part of such a fantastic group of Edmontonians. Last night’s event (at Sabor Divino) was lots of fun, and I met some great people. It was a little cramped though, and a little loud. That means next year’s will be even better! Here are some photos:

This is the image that appears for my page online. The one in the magazine is different, but I really like both. I think 3TEN Photography did an amazing job with all the photos!

Avenue Top 40 Under 40 Edmonton

Major congrats to Cary Williams, who is featured on the cover of the issue. Such a great choice, and it’s a great photo too! You can read his article here.

Avenue Top 40 Under 40 EdmontonAvenue Top 40 Under 40 Edmonton

Thanks to Sharon for taking photos last night!

Avenue Top 40 Under 40 EdmontonAvenue Top 40 Under 40 Edmonton

The Top 40 Under 40 list is important, not because the people on the list are looking for recognition, but because it helps to remind us that there are lots of incredibly passionate people working to make Edmonton a better place to live.

The issue comes out November 1st (it’ll likely start appearing around the city this weekend). You can follow Avenue Edmonton on Twitter.

I also want to pass along my congratulations to the Top 40 Under 40 for Calgary!