EBA Talks — Edmonton Business Association

Welcome to EBA Talks

We’re excited to have you join us for EBA Talks, a day of inspiring conversations, practical insights, and industry connections. This page has everything you need to make the most of your experience.

What You’ll Find Here

Speaker Lineup & Bios
Learn more about our incredible speakers — their backgrounds, expertise, and what they’ll be sharing at EBA Talks.
Agenda for the Day
Review the full event schedule, so you can plan ahead and be sure not to miss the sessions most relevant to you.
Our Sponsors
Discover the organizations that make EBA Talks possible. [Link to sponsor page]

Additional Resources

To make your experience even smoother, we’ve also included:

Networking Opportunities – Details on breaks, receptions, and how you can connect with fellow attendees.
Downloadable Materials – Slides or resources provided by speakers (when available).
Contact Information – Quick access if you have questions before or during the event.

lori-ann muenzer.

Success isn’t born—it’s built in your mind.

And no one knows this better than our keynote speaker today Lori-Ann Muenzer (say Mun-zer).

She wasn’t always the fastest. Or the strongest. But she believed—and she refused to give up.

For 17 years, she faced setbacks and near misses before she finally broke through. And when she did…..

Lori-Ann didn’t just win—she made history!

At 38 years old, Lori-Ann shocked the world—becoming Canada’s first-ever Olympic CYCLING Champion.

What set her apart wasn’t talent—it was her mindset. It was the ability to RISE under pressure, when everything was on the line.

Today, as a Business Mindset Breakthrough Coach, she brings that same Olympic strategy to business leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals who want to achieve breakthrough results—faster, smarter, and without burning out.

Get ready— because Lori-Ann’s going to take you on a bike ride. Not the kind you coast through. But the kind that will leave you inspired, energized, and ready to push past your own limits.

Lori-Ann’s journey matters because the same strategies that create Olympic Champions also creates Business Champions. And Lori-Ann knows exactly how to take you there.

The University of Alberta is one of Canada’s leading research-intensive universities and can assist your company as you innovate your products and services. We have a wide range of expertise, and many opportunities for you to engage. These include technologies available for license, research collaborations, student interns, access to specialized equipment and expertise, customized training, etc. There are also many ways to leverage grants and other programs to reduce the cost of these interactions. During this presentation, we will touch on some of these programs and how they can benefit local companies. Interactions with the greater Edmonton community will also be discussed.

The Biology of Innovation: Why Innovation is Hardwired in Human Nature

Innovation isn't just about technology or creative thinking—it's fundamentally biological. As we face an era of unprecedented change where ideas evolve faster than ever before, understanding the biological foundations of innovation becomes critical for organizations and entrepreneurs alike. Understanding innovation as biology rather than just methodology helps explain why motivation drives innovation success, why attention span directly impacts innovative capacity, and why organizations must nurture future-focused mindsets to build truly innovative cultures. In our hyperconnected world where collective intelligence accelerates change, the organizations and individuals who understand and work with their biological innovation capacity will have a significant competitive advantage.

Tristan Ham

Co-Founder at Unbounded thinking

Tristan@unboundedthinking.com

"Jason Hogan has spent more than twenty-five years at the intersection of technology, innovation, and education. His career began with the Department of National Defense, where he served as a Satellite Radio Communications Operator, managing critical communication systems under demanding conditions. That early experience taught him the value of precision, reliability, and adaptability — lessons that continue to shape his approach today.

From there, Jason advanced through roles with global leaders such as Comcast, IBM, and Telus, expanding his expertise across enterprise systems, infrastructure, and web development. At Alberta Blue Cross, he was selected to pioneer their very first innovation department. In that role, Jason became known not just as a builder of solutions, but as a powerful innovator who truly understands the innovation process — from sparking creative ideas to embedding them into workflows that deliver measurable impact.

Over time, Jason cultivated a strong focus on eLearning and adult education, enabling teams to not only adopt new technologies but also to embrace change with confidence. When the pandemic accelerated the rise of artificial intelligence, Jason recognized the shift as a defining moment. He immersed himself in AI, experimenting, testing, and integrating it into real-world systems to deliver results.

Today, at Solid Technology Solutions, Jason leads projects in AI-powered web applications, enterprise automation, and digital training. He also shares his expertise widely, running workshops and training sessions that help organizations harness AI effectively.

Jason’s current passion is advancing AI Agents — intelligent systems designed to reason, adapt, and collaborate in ways that extend human capability. His work reflects both a vision for the future of AI and a proven track record of turning bold ideas into practical innovation."

LEADERSHIP PANEL:

How you treat people matters.

Our lives and workplaces are built on moments. Some, like promotions, new projects, and leadership changes are big, but the vast majority are small.

Passing comments, the way feedback is delivered, the tone of an email, or whether someone feels heard at the end of a long day, it’s the small interactions between people that creates meaning and lasting impact, one way or the other.

Treating people with positive intent isn’t just a “soft skill”, it can be a strategic driver of performance, commitment, and retention. Positive moments compound into trust, loyalty, and motivation. They give employees the confidence to take risks, innovate, and stay invested in their work. On the other hand, negative moments can have oversized, lasting consequences. A single incident can overshadow months of good work, erode trust, and cause someone to disengage or even leave.

People don’t remember everything you said or did, but they remember how you made them feel. And those feelings drive how much effort they give, how committed they are, and how long they stay.

It takes very little skill, and just a bit of self-awareness, for a leader to make the choice to create more positive moments and develop a workplace where people thrive.

The takeaway is simple: culture is defined by how people treat each other. Moments matter. How you treat people matters.

What makes someone a great leader?

It’s not the job title. It’s not the corner office. And it’s definitely not having all the answers.

In this engaging and insightful talk, entrepreneur and creative leader Matt Aubin shares a fresh perspective on leadership. One rooted not in ego or authority, but in the energy we bring into the room and the belief we pass on to others.

Drawing on his experience leading high-performing teams at KEEN Creative and over 150 entrepreneurs through EO Edmonton, Matt unpacks how clarity, confidence, and empowerment are the real drivers behind great leadership. Through real stories and practical insights, he reminds us that people don’t need more control, they need more momentum, support, and vision.

Whether you’re running a company, managing a team, or simply aiming to lead with more purpose, this short talk will leave you thinking differently about your role, and inspired to energize the people around you.

The Mindset of the Leader

In leadership, strategy and systems are often seen as the keys to success. Yet research and experience show that these elements account for only a small fraction of results. The real driver—responsible for as much as 95% of success—is mindset.

The talk explored the idea that an organization can never outperform the mindset of its leader. Using the Results Formula—thoughts create feelings, feelings drive actions, and actions produce results—attendees were invited to consider how their internal state directly shapes external outcomes.

A powerful metaphor compared a leader’s paradigm to a computer’s operating system. Just as outdated software cannot run modern applications effectively, outdated patterns of thought limit what leaders and their teams can achieve. Upgrading mindset, like upgrading an operating system, unlocks new levels of performance and possibility.

This was brought to life with a striking example from business. Two groups of owners in the same industry, working with the same market conditions, products, and advertising strategy, achieved dramatically different results. One group saw modest revenue increases of 5–10%, while the other achieved growth of 40–60%. The difference was not the strategy, but the mindset they brought to it—whether fear and doubt, or vision and possibility.

The session concluded with three practical keys for leaders to strengthen their mindset:

1. Lead from a Vision – Anchor decisions in a compelling future, not present limitations.

2. Invest in Upgrading Your Mindset as a Leader – Treat mindset like essential infrastructure that must be continually developed.

3. Have Tools to Manage Fear and Circumstances – Build practices that allow you to stay grounded and resilient when challenges arise.

The central message was clear: mindset sets the ceiling. When leaders upgrade their thinking, they elevate not only their own results but also the performance of their teams and organizations.