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What facilities have you worked in? BC
Place Stadium, Vancouver, British Columbia; SkyDome (Rogers Centre),
Toronto, Ontario; and Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario.
What is your favorite food or restaurant?
My favorite food is great pasta dishes stuffed with lots of
vegetables. My favorite restaurant is a place called “Opus” in Toronto. It
has great food and a fancy, chic, Toronto/New York City atmosphere.
What book are you currently
reading (or what is your favorite book)?
I don’t have any favorites. The book I’m reading right now is Control
Your Destiny or Someone Else Will by Noel Tichy and Stratford Sherman.
What CD or cassette is in your car right now?
Prince’s Greatest Hits.
What is the most unique (non-traditional) event you
ever had in a facility you’ve worked in? There have been
many but the most memorable was Snowcross (indoor snowmobile racing). They
brought in 200 trucks of snow, and the snow melted and flooded out our event
level. We had to deal with all the water damage and my staff has never
jokingly let me forget it.
What is a motto,
inspiration or quote you try to live by? ”Have fun at work
every day.” If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, don’t do it. In our
business, we have constant changes and different challenges every day. I
love it. I’m excited to get to work every day.
Why did you choose to pursue the CFE? It
was part of my outplacement from prison. Seriously, I avoided pursuing CFE
for a few years. I didn’t understand that there was value until I truly
studied the program. I learned that the CFE really does reflect the
professional people in the industry who are committed to continuous
improvement and also giving back their knowledge and expertise.
What has been a benefit or is a benefit of having a
CFE? The CFE designation has given me recognition among my peers
as an acknowledgement of my commitment and passion for the industry. It also
proved to me that I belonged to that distinguished group of people.
Would you recommend attaining CFE to other
international colleagues? Why? Yes. We are responsible for
excellence in the public assembly management industry. The more we develop
industry professionals, the better prepared they will be to provide
leadership in their venues. The CFE designation helps to bolster the image
of the IAAM and give credibility to our voice in matters of venue safety and
security, the production of live entertainment and sports, and customer
service.
What couldn’t you live without? My
family.
What’s your most prized possession? Not
sure I really have one.
What’s your favorite place on earth?
Cairns, Australia, and the Great Barrier Reef.
What’s your most favorite moment in sports history?
No question — the Blue Jays winning the World Series in 1993. I
was running the building at the time.
What’s the one thing most people would be surprised
to learn about you? As a Canadian, I never played hockey as a kid
— and that I come from a family of nine kids. I survived growing up with six
sisters and two brothers.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I left the industry on two occasions thinking I wanted a “normal life.” I
worked at a theme park, “Ontario Place,” for four years. On another
occasion, I managed corporate real estate holdings for more than 1,100
buildings. On both occasions, I missed the excitement I feel every day in
the venue management business. I left both and came back to the industry I
love. fm |
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