Facilitator: Debbie Hicks, BSc
With a comprehensive and varied education background, learning has been at the core of her career. As former President of the Southern Interior Construction Association in BC for 22 years, liaising with the buyers of construction services, architects, engineers and contractors in advocacy and education brings a solid base to her expertise. In addition, her experience as the owner representative for the construction of the new Clubhouse for the Kelowna Yacht Club has provided additional perspective. She has been fortunate to work with the Alberta Construction Association to facilitate industry dialogue on “Optimizing the Flow of Money” and “Non-Standard Contract Clauses and their Costs”. Through these experiences, with a lot of passion and enthusiasm, Debbie is able to bring both knowledge and insight into her work and presentations for the construction industry.
Mark Scharf, BA Hons, MHA, Calgary Health Region and University of Calgary (retired), Senior Director
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Mark recently retired from the University of Calgary where he was responsible for the delivery of capital projects across the organization. The annual workload entailed approximately 400 capital and renovation projects per year with an annual project spend of approximately $150M. During his 12- year tenure as Director, the Project Management Office delivered 9 new buildings including multiple teaching and applied research buildings, major infrastructure renewals, new residence halls and a new main library. Mark was actively engaged with procuring design and construction teams and negotiating and overseeing a wide variety of contracts including Design Build, Construction Management at Risk, Lump Sum and performance-based engagements.
Mark brings 30 plus years of public sector experience with both post-secondary and health organizations including the Calgary Health Region and Age Care Senior Communities. Mark takes pride in building strong teams, mentoring the next generation of project professionals and engaging diverse stakeholders in achieving outstanding results.
Keith Robinson FCSC, RSW, LEED® AP, DIALOG, Associate (retired), Research and Development, Specifications
Keith Robinson graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) as an architectural technologist in 1980, and has worked as a specifications writer since 1981. Keith worked for DIALOG; a multidiscipline architectural and engineering company, since December 1996 until his retirement in early 2023.
Keith’s primary role in the last 25 years of his career was writing construction documentation (specifications and contracts) for technically complex, unique and innovative projects. His project experience ranged from hospital and university campuses, high rise construction, bridge and tunnel infrastructure, and commercial/retail developments. His duties at DIALOG included maintaining the in-house master specification and technical library, and addressing various challenges associated with identifying building materials to address environmentally sustainable construction work results. Keith prepared contract documents for all forms of construction delivery including standard stipulated price agreements, construction management and design build agreements, and public/private partnerships.
Amy Spark, Bird Construction, Team Lead, Proposals & Marketing - Buildings West & Major Infrastructure
My favorite quote " the proof is in the pudding".
When it comes to pursuit and marketing, the only way to be successful is with a strong process and a unified team response which is also adaptable and scalable to the opportunity.
Amy is a strong pursuit and marketing professional with over 12 years of experience supporting various industries including pipeline, heavy civil, highway maintenance and construction, industrial, healthcare, major infrastructure, and utilities. Amy possesses extensive experience in the management of small and large-scale proposals. She recognizes the industry shift to create customized content in a competitive market in addition to the need to make proposals and marketing a collaborative effort.
Amy is passionate about learning and teaching others in our industry. In the last four years, Amy has graduated from Digital Publishing and Graphic Design in addition to other certifications related to proposal and market management. Currently, Amy facilitates technical writing and grammar workshops aimed at empowering others to gain confidence in their technical writing.
Bob Hildenbrandt, P.Eng., LEED® AP, GSC (retired)
A dedicated construction professional with over 40 years of experience in the Alberta marketplace. Bob has recently retired from Graham Construction where he was Vice-President, Prairies. He developed and led a regional team of construction groups in Western Canada, focused on performance and client satisfaction.
His prior experience includes leadership roles at Ledcor and PCL with an extensive list of major projects as project manager and executive-in-charge. He was also part of a significant team executing major projects in Alberta’s Oil and Gas market by developing strategic initiatives. Bob has an excellent reputation in building teams, motivating staff, and overcoming challenges in the delivery of construction projects. He has developed strong personal relationships throughout all facets of the industry including Clients, Consultants and Trades.
Bob is a past Chair of the Calgary Construction Association and Alberta Construction Association, and was on the Board and Executive of the Canadian Construction Association, as well as chair of national construction industry organizations focused on BIM and Lean Construction.
