Delta Chamber of Commerce
2007/08 Board of Directors

President
Maria De Vries
604-943-8368
maria@mariadevries.org

Maria DeVries, president of a family-owned investment business, is President of the Delta Chamber of Commerce. Maria is a community advocate who is dedicated to partnering with businesses and other community groups to provide growth, prosperity and a healthy quality of life in Delta. A life-long learner, she has pursued a self-directed learning program through the Justice Institute of B.C., S.F.U.’s certificate program in Community Economy Development, and many other seminars and forums. Maria has served the Delta Chamber of Commerce in various capacities in recent years, including Chair of the Sustainable Community Economic Council and as a founding member of the Tilbury Eco-Industrial Partnership (TEIP), for which she received an Environmental Award in the Business category from the Burns Bog Conservation Society. She has served previously on the board of the Delta Arts Council and the Delta Healthcare Association and as a founding member of the Delta Sports Hall of Fame. Maria, her husband and two children live in Tsawwassen.

1st Vice President
Greg Muirhead
604-526-2129
gregm@natgtelecom.com

Greg Muirhead is a telephone sales consultant with North American Telecommunications Group, on Annacis Island. Over 15 years prior to his current position Greg has worked mainly in sales for various office related equipment and services companies. He earned a Diploma in Marketing Management from the BC Institute of Technology and a Telecommunications Management Certificate from Vancouver Community College. Born and raised in Vancouver, Greg moved to Ladner in 1991 where he lives with his wife and two daughters. He is a past Director of the Ladner Business Association.

2nd Vice President
Norm Stark
Phone: 604-251-9218
nstark@tsi.bc.ca

Norman Stark is President and CEO of TSI Terminal Systems Inc. A Master Mariner with over 40 years in the marine industry, Norman began his career in the British Merchant Marine. After 12 years at sea he took his first land-based position as a Port Captain in Antwerp, Belgium. He moved to Canada in 1977, first taking a position as Assistant Harbour Master in the Port of Saint John then four years later as Harbour Master in the Port of Halifax. In 1985 he joined the Vancouver Port Authority as Assistant Port Manager, where he then served as President and CEO from 1990 to 2001, overseeing $360 million in expansion, including Deltaport. Norman has served on a broad range of industry-related and community boards and is currently serving on others, including the Asia Pacific Trade Council advising the Premier of BC

Treasurer
Mario Costa
604-943-2811
mario@shpak.com

Mario Costa is a Senior Accountant at Shpak and Company in Tsawwassen. For the past three years Mario has been serving on the Delta Chamber of Commerce board as Treasurer/Secretary. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma in Accounting from UBC. In 2002 he earned his Chartered Accountant designation. He is married to Dr. Giulia DeVuono of the Tsawwassen Optometry Clinic.

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Past President
Gerry Beltgens
604-952-5546
agcourseware.com

Gerry Beltgens is president of AG Integrated Courseware, a division of AG Advisors Group Inc., a Delta company which assists organizations with integrating online learning systems into their professional development programs. Gerry was a residential construction contractor for 12 years early in his career. In the early 1980s, after studies in Engineering Technology at Camosun College in Victoria he began an 18-year career as a technology consultant and trainer to the manufacturing, engineering, construction and heavy construction industries. In 2004 he completed an M.A. degree in Leadership and Training at Royal Roads University in Victoria. More recently he has served as Director of Skills Training for the BC division of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association. He is a previous past president of the Delta Chamber of Commerce and was co-chair of Delta Communities in Action from 2002 to 2006.

Director
Lorraine Bissett
604-276-4137
LBissett@richmond.ca

Lorraine Bissett is Owner/Operator of Bissett Farms Ltd. and Westham Island Estate Winery, which she runs with her three adult children. She and her family operate the first UPICK and READY picked berry farm on Westham Island and the 1st winery in the Corporation of Delta. Lorraine and her late husband farmed in Delta for 35 years. The winery was a dream of her husband's, but she brought it into production after his death in 2002. In 2005 her operation was one of three finalists for Delta Business of the Year award and in the same year won recognition as a tourism destination. With her extensive farming background, Lorraine serves by appointment of the Mayor and Council of Delta as the representative for the Agriculture Advisory Board at the Greater Vancouver Regionsal District. For the past 33 years she has also worked for the City of Richmond where she now serves as the Payroll Supervisor. In additon to her many responsibilities she is also a breeeder and exhibitor of English Springer Spaniels with many Confirmation Champions and Obedience Champions to her credit.

Director
Patricia Fleming
604-946-9828
pfleming@drssociety.bc.ca

Patricia Fleming is Executive Director of DRS Earthwise Society, a community based non-profit society with a mandate to promote the creation of a sustainable community through environmental education and stewardship. Prior to that position Patricia was an Instructor in the Landscape Horticulture program at Kwantlen University College, integrating sustainability objectives into the design curriculum. She came to Kwantlen after many years as principal of the design firm, Landscape Concepts, which specialized in using the principles of ecology to create sustainable landscapes. Among her many accomplishments are projects she designed in Delta such as the award winning Earthwise Garden at Brown Street, the McKitrick Earthwise Garden, and the new Boundary Bay Earthwise Garden currently under construction in Tsawwassen. Patricia holds Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and M.A. in Community Planning degrees from UBC. Patricia and her husband live in Delta where she has lived and raised two children for over 25 years.

Director
Clint Morgan
604-952-2200
cmorgan@delcocontainer.com

Clint Morgan is President of Delta Container Inc., located in the Tilbury Industrial Park and specializing in the storage, maintenance and repair of intermodal containers. Clint has been in the transportation industry for 30 years, first in the trucking sector, and for the last 23 years in the marine side of transportation. Clint is also involved in various community and industry related committees and projects, with the aim of putting his knowledge of transportation to work in the service of the industry and the Delta community.

Director
Orv Nickel
604-948-9344
orvnickel@msn.com

Orville (Orv) A. Nickel is President of O.N.E. Corporation, a strategic planning, business planning and risk management business in Delta. Orv has built his business around more than 25 years in law enforcement with the RCMP primarily focused on white collar crime. He also spent significant time in adult education related to law enforcment particulars of corporate cime, ethics and public speaking. He has a BA degree from Simon Fraser University and an MBA degree fom Queens University. Orv loves to golf, ski and teach martial arts.

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Director
Bobby Pawar
604-761-4222
pawar_bobby@yahoo.ca

Bobby Pawar runs his own consulting business in North Delta. Some of his current work has been as marketing project manager for some local real estate development companies. Prior to starting his consulting business, Bobby was a provincial Corrections/ Probation Officer for eight years. The six years prior to that included marketing director for a company and a community project and a contract as business analyst with BMO Harris Private Banking Inc. in Toronto and Montreal. He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Windsor, a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Psychology from Simon Fraser University and a Diploma in Criminology from Douglas College. He also serves on Delta Corporation’s Community Planning Advisory Committee and on the Government Relations Committee for the Surrey Board of Trade. He served for two years on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Delta.

Director
Peter Podovinikoff
Phone: 604-541-9895
E-mail: ppodovinikoff@telus.net

Peter Podovinikoff is Vice-Chair of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority Board of Directors. He is also the Past-President of Envision Credit Union, which began in Delta and is now headquartered in Langley, with branches throughout the Lower Mainland. Peter has been active in credit union management and community service in Delta for over 20 years. He is committed to ensuring balanced economic growth and an improved quality of life in Delta.

Director
Jacque Small
604-952-0306
jacquesmall@telus.net

Jacque Small operates Catalyst Business Coaching in Delta, offering training presentations and executive coaching to senior managers and their teams on how to accelerate the achievement of their personal and professional goals. Prior to founding Catalyst, Jacque worked 10 years with a major financial institution in Canada and eight years prior to that in financial and office management. Jacque holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation from the international CFA Institute, a Master of Economics degree from Simon Fraser University, and a Certified Executive Coach certificate from Royal Roads University. She is the past President of the DRS Earthwise Society and Delta Toastmasters and an avid golfer.