Avenue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2011

By Mack D. Male · October 26, 2011 at 6:00pm

The 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):

Tim Adams, CBC Reporter
Erick Ambtman – @ErickAmbtman, Executive Director, Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers
Todd Babiak – @babiak, Writer, Co-Founder of Story Engine
Maurizio Capano, VP Northern Alberta, Stuart Olson Dominion Construction Ltd.
Darren Caul, Director, Alberta Gang Reduction Strategy
Christine Causing, Coordinator, Edmonton’s NextGen Initiative
Kori Chilibeck – @korichilibeck, Founder and CEO, Earth Group and Earth Water International
Dr. Alexander Clark, Professor and Associate Dean, University of Alberta’s Faculty of Nursing
Josh Classen – @joshclassen, Chief Meteorologist, CTV Edmonton
Daniel Costa – @danielc0sta, Chef and Owner, Corso 32
Diana Davidson, Director of Public Library Service Branch, Municipal Affairs
Tannis Davidson – @tannisdavidson, President, My Filosophy
James Dean – @JamesDeanPT, Founding Director, St. Albert Physical Therapy & Sports Injury Clinic
Fiona Farrell, Creative Director, Donovan Creative
Jennifer Fisk – @FreestoneJenn, Founder, Freestone Communications
Jason Golinowski, Senior Communications Advisor, Natural Resources Canada
Jason Gregor – @JasonGregor, Host, The Jason Gregor Show
Ted Halabi, Publisher, SOS Children’s Safety Magazine
Kristy Harcourt, Training & Rural Development Coordinator, Canadian Red Cross RespectED program
Dawn Harsch, Founder, Exquisicare Inc.
Chris Hayduk, Sergeant, Edmonton Police Service
Christy Holtby – @christyholtby, Director of Development, University Hospital Foundation
Lauren Hughes – @Lohughes, Creative Director, Mousy Browns
Jeff Johnston, Industrial Designer (University of Alberta)
Kyle Kasawski – @kylekasawski, President, Provident Solar Ltd.
Cam Linke – @camlinke, CEO, Touch Metric; and Co-Founder, Startup Edmonton
Rowena Manansala, Program Manager, Chimo Youth Retreat Centre
Marie-Alice Mandhich, Orthodontist and Clinical instructor, University of Alberta
Logan Mardhani-Bayne – @lmardhanibayne, Managing Director, Health Technology Assessment International
Ryan McCourt, Sculptor and Owner of Common Sense Gallery
Karen McDonald, Director of Community Relations, Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton
Robert McLeod – @mcleodteam, Managing Director, McLeod Project Marketing
Peter Osborne, Senior Associate, GEC Architecture
David Papp – @DavidPapp, President, Microtek Corporation
Dr. Jaggi Rao, Founder and Medical Director, Telederm Canada
Sean Rayner – @seanDrayner, President, Vet’s Sheet Metal Ltd.
Javier Salazar – @Javier_ST, Vice President, Junior Achievement of Northern Alberta
Kari Skelton – @KariSkelton, Host of my Edmonton and The Wake Up! Show with Jason and Kari
Tina Thomas, Director of Marketing and Fund Development, Edmonton Public Library
Erica Viegas – @ericaviegas, Writer, Musician, Fund developer (University of Alberta)
Dr. Jonathan Withey, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Grant MacEwan

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.

Erica Viegas graces the cover

Erica Viegas, Tina Thomas, and Kari Skelton

Todd Babiak

Karen McDonald

Christine Causing

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

By Mack D. Male · October 27, 2010 at 11:44pm

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.

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:

Chris Bolivar, Michael Brechtel, Chris LaBossiere

The crowd gathering to celebrate!

Amanda Woodward receives her award.

Chris LaBossiere with Don, Greg, and Jill.

Dave Cournoyer celebrates with Kyla!

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

By Mack D. Male · December 8, 2009 at 3:15pm

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

By Mack D. Male · October 30, 2009 at 9:30am

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!

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.

Thanks to Sharon for taking photos last night!

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!