Jay Sanderson is the founder of Backroads Reclamation and a national leader in developing circular infrastructure for Canada’s built environment. With over 20 years of experience in heavy transport, logistics, and materials handling—including roles at Halliburton, Mammoet, Bantrel and ConocoPhillips—Jay brings a systems-driven, operations-first lens to solving complex waste and recovery challenges. In 2020, as […]
Archive | Speaker
Sophie Langlois-Blouin
Sophie Langlois-Blouin is a seasoned manager with 20 years’ experience in the environmental field. With a master’s degree in environment and a bachelor’s degree in communications, she stands out for her extensive expertise in project management and strategic development. As Project Director – Deposit & Circular Economy at Machinex, Sophie designs and implements deployment strategies […]
Don McKenzie
Don McKenzie is the Owner of McKenzieIBC, a 2nd generation family business specializing in packaging solutions for Agricultural, Industrial and Food/Beverage Inputs. With a focus on IBCs – (Intermediate Bulk Containers), McKenzieIBC has been influencing packaging designs and finding unique solutions for critical value chains for over 32 years! Don started his professional career as […]
Christopher Wai
Chris is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sixone, a company revolutionizing blended plastic recycling. Sixone’s technology selectively extracts useful materials from complex waste – starting with polyester from post-consumer textiles – into high-quality circular polymers. Prior to founding Sixone, Chris was an executive at Texhong Textile Group and was both an operator and investor in […]
Joanne Dafoe
Joanne Dafoe is the Owner and President of ChopValue YYC, the Calgary microfactory that remanufactures used bamboo chopsticks into furniture and décor. A lifelong Calgarian with a design background and entrepreneurial spirit, Joanne launched ChopValue YYC in 2020 after connecting with the concept during the pandemic. Under her leadership, the microfactory has partnered with dozens […]
Christina Seidel
Christina holds a PhD in Engineering Management and has an extensive background in Circular Economy and waste reduction. She operates sonnevera international corp., a waste reduction consulting firm, and was the Executive Director of the Recycling Council of Alberta for over 30 years, where she was very involved in the waste management policy development arena […]
Riley Dewan
Riley Dewan is a Métis entrepreneur and founder of Circular Supply Inc., an Indigenous owned company that turns discarded personal protective equipment into a resource. After years in oil and gas, he saw pallets of gloves and hard hats go to landfill and set out to build a simple closed loop system. Circular Supply pairs […]
Rick Penner
Rick is an innovator with a deep passion for developing solutions that address sustainability challenges with a focus on circularity. As President of Emerge Knowledge Design Inc, Rick has spent the last 24 years successfully guiding the transformation of Re-TRAC™ from a great idea to a one of the most widely used material management reporting […]
Blaire Gaalaas
Blaire Gaalaas is Managing Director for Alberta and the Yukon at Circular Materials. In this role, Blaire is responsible for overseeing Circular Materials’ extended producer responsibility (EPR) recycling program operations in Alberta and the Yukon, ensuring compliance with the regulatory frameworks in both regions. Her strategic vision, deep knowledge of regulatory environments and exceptional team […]
Lauren Degenstein
Lauren Degenstein (she/her) is the Sustainability, Training/Production Coordinator at Davey Textile Solutions Inc. in Edmonton, Alberta. She holds a Master of Science in Human Ecology (Clothing & Textiles) from the University of Alberta, where her research focused on product stewardship and the environmental impacts of the textile industry. She is also Co-Chair of the Canadian […]