STAC 2018 Conference & Exhibition

STAC is thrilled to host an incredible lineup of speakers, moderators and trainers at the STAC 2018 Conference & Exhibition.

View STAC 2018 contributors by category here:

Additional speakers and moderators may be added to the list below as they are confirmed in the weeks ahead. Check back routinely for regular updates, or request to receive email updates by sending a request to [email protected]


Keynote Speakers

Duncan Stewart
Deloitte TMT Predictions 2018

Duncan is the Director of TMT Research for Deloitte Canada, and is a globally recognized expert on the forecasting of consumer and enterprise technology, media & telecommunications trends. He presents regularly at conferences and to companies on marketing, technology, consumer trends, and the longer term TMT outlook. He also works with individual clients (across all industries) in assessing the impact of technological, demographic, and regulatory changes on their business strategies.

He is a member of Deloitte’s national TMT executive team, and co-author of Deloitte Research’s annual Predictions report on trends in TMT. He is also conducting cross industry research for Deloitte in Latin America, as well as the Nordics (Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway) in 2017/18.

Duncan has over 25 years of experience in the TMT industry. As an analyst and portfolio manager, he has provided research or made investments in the entire Canadian technology and telecommunications sector, and won the Canadian Technology Fund Manager of the Year award in its inaugural year. In his time as an investor he deployed a cumulative $2 billion of capital into global TMT markets.

Duncan has a high profile media presence and is frequently interviewed on technology, media and telecommunications issues. He has been a technology columnist for the Globe and Mail, CBC Radio and the National Post.

He is a CFA® charterholder and also holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.


Jim Tracy
The Human Factor

Jim Tracy is the chairman of the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE), the CEO of Legacy Telecommunications and The Legacy Companies, and has over 30 years of experience in Senior Management of commercial construction and engineered products manufacturing.

Jim has high tuition experience with civil and structural work and has specialized in extremely remote work places in hostile environments across the Western United States, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, the Pacific Rim and Antarctica. He is certified or qualified as a tower climber, welder, teacher, high performance pilot, snow cat operator, safety trainer, rigger, auctioneer, counselor and working dog handler. He has been working on his credentials as a husband for 38 years and remains a work in progress.

As CEO and founding partner of The Legacy Companies, Jim’s focus is creating a team vision for the people who execute projects for Legacy’s diverse areas of expertise. Jim has 20 years of experience in tower and power line infrastructure construction, including managing multiple site and extremely remote environment projects.

Jim is involved in the leadership of diverse and select organizations which include:

  • National Association of Tower Erectors, Board Chairman
  • Tower Family Charitable Trust, Founding President, Director
  • National Wireless Safety Alliance, Founding Past President
  • Pilot’s for Christ International, West Regional Director
  • The Mission House, Past Vice President and Director

Jim has a great passion for safety and team building through a dynamic work environment, and offers an unrelenting focus on coaching personal responsibility in life and team accountability in the workplace.


Tiara Dietrich
Staying Focused on Safety

Tiara Dietrich was nine months pregnant when her life – and her family – were turned upside-down by a preventable workplace incident.

Five years later, the Saskatchewan-native is sharing her story as a poignant reminder of the need to remain constantly vigilant to hazard identification and safety preparation.

Tiara graduated with distinction from the University of Saskatchewan and currently teaches third- and fourth-grade students at Saskatoon Public School Division.

She also has a boisterous 4-year-old son.


All Speakers & Moderators

  • Adam Gale – President, Vertical Specialties Inc.
  • Aimee Arseneault – Safety Manager, Tridon Communications
  • Asma Arefeen – Civil Engineer, Rogers
  • Bradley Tetarenko – Western Canadian Business LeadESDC – Labour Program
  • Brent Hrywkiw – Western Canadian Business LeadStantec
  • Cathy Zemp – Operations ManagerTELUS
  • Chantale Neapole – Senior Manager of Member Services and Events, CWTA
  • Clay Parchewsky – Vice President of Health, Safety and EnvironmentWesTower
  • Craig McLellan – Safety ConsultantNouvelle Hauteur
  • Dale Barber – Director of Operations – Network ServicesSBA Communications
  • Dan Renaud – Senior Health and Safety AdvisorTelecon Group
  • Dean McDougall – Fitness-to-Work ReviewerSureHire Occupational Health Testing
  • Deanna Spring – National Quality Manager – BuildingsWSP Canada
  • Denis Darveau – Senior Director of Wireless Construction, Vidéotron
  • Dennis Graham – Senior Manager – Health Safety and Environment, CBC/Radio-Canada
  • Devin Finnigan – Engineering Manager – ProductTrylon
  • Dominique Valdez President, eSystem Training Solutions
  • Douglas King – Project ManagerBig King Construction
  • Duncan Stewart – Director of TMT ResearchDeloitte Canada
  • Ed Hachey – Vice President – Canada, SBA Canada
  • Eric Smith – Vice-President, Regulatory AffairsCWTA
  • Gordon Lyman – PresidenteSystem Training Solutions
  • Greg Gasbarre – PresidentTitan-AEX
  • Greg Small – PresidentElevated Insight & Engineering
  • Hervé Landreville – Vice PresidentGRAVI-T ZERO
  • Jason DeHetre – Manager RF Operations and Construction StandardsTELUS
  • Jason Rule – Safety InspectorTransport Canada
  • Jeanne Piercey – OwnerP-SEC
  • Jeff Carr – Consulting and Service Solutions, Huawei Technologies
  • Jeremy Buckles – Safety and Compliance Manager – International, SBA Communications
  • Jerry Bezner – Director of Tower and Accessory SalesAlliance Corporation
  • Jim Tracy – ChairmanNational Association of Tower Erectors (NATE)
  • Johanna Chavez Lares, ing. M.Sc.A. – Corrosion Team LeaderEnglobe
  • John Lamond – National Sales Director, GME Supply Co.
  • John Wahba, Ph.D., P.Eng., P.E. – Principal EngineerTurris Corp.
  • John Dennis – DirectorDynamic Rescue Systems
  • Jonathan Millette – Director – Inspections and Surveys, Pinargon
  • Jonathan Walsh, P.Eng. – VP Telecoms & Asset Integrity DivisionTiller Engineering Inc. (TEI)
  • KC Yip – Project ManagerTELUS
  • Keith Ranney – Director, National Implementation and Network ManagementBell Mobility
  • Kevin Sunderman – NACE-Trained Corrosion ProfessionalStantec
  • Luc Marceau – Vice President of Staffing and Support Solutions, NWS Wireless
  • Marina Guerra – Senior Manager of Network ConstructionBell Mobility
  • Michael MacDougall – Director of OperationsTower Power Group
  • Murray Hunt – V.P. Operations, Canadian UAV Solutions Inc.
  • Nathan Schauerte – PresidentWesTower Communications
  • Nicholas Kyonka Program Manager, Structure, Tower & Antenna Council
  • Randy Carroll – Director of EngineeringWesTower
  • Rick Guenette – OwnerGravisys
  • Rick Tiller – President & CEOTiller Engineering
  • Ron O’Neil – Director3M Fall Protection Group
  • Sam Fadlallah – Manager of Civil EngineeringRogers
  • Scott Connor – Director of TrainingTEAM-1 Academy
  • Serge Arseneault, P.Eng. – Senior Project and National Standards ManagerWSP
  • Serge Charron – Director, Site OperationsSBA Canada
  • Sharyn Gravelle – Vice President of TelecommunicationsWSP Canada
  • Shaun Barry – Senior Structural Engineer, Comtech
  • Simon Weisman, P.Eng. M.A.Sc., FCSCE – PresidentWeisman Consultants
  • Tammy Hawkins – Chief Operations OfficerAlberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA)
  • Terence Saar – Manager Business Process & AnalysisBell Mobility
  • Tiara Dietrich – TeacherSaskatoon Public School Division
  • Tom Morin – Director of Manufacturing, NWS Wireless

Conference Co-Chairs

STAC 2018 Conference Co-Chairs
Clay Parchewksy (WesTower) and Keith Ranney (Bell Mobility) have been members of the STAC Steering Committee since its inception and are the STAC 2018 Conference Co-Chairs.

Clay Parchewsky is the Vice President of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) at WesTower Communications Ltd in Canada. Through his 20 years in the wireless and broadcast tower industry, Clay has worked on tower installations, maintenance and reinforcing projects across North American. He has worked through the full breadth of challenges our industry can offer including from “turn key” tall tower builds, antenna mast and transmission lines, and cellular network projects. Some of his work has included projects in excess of 2,000’.

Prior to joining WesTower Communications, Clay worked with LeBlanc & Royale, LeBlanc Broadcast Ltd and Radian. He is also a certified commercial diver and a journeyman crane operator by trade.

While Clay remains active on tower projects his main focus today at WesTower is providing leadership and oversight for all aspects of the company’s comprehensive Occupational Health and Safety program. He is driven to expand WesTower’s safety landscape to a standard unsurpassed in the industry. Clay has a particular passion for fall protection issues and safety procedures for working at heights, and he represented the North American tower industry as a voting technical committee member on Fall Protection with the CSA z259. Clay helped to lead the efforts to found Canada’s Structure, Tower & Antenna Council (STAC), which works to ensure communication towers continue to be constructed with the highest regard to worker safety. He has been very active within STAC over the past three years, including by serving on the STAC Steering Committee and leading the STAC Workplace Health & Safety Committee.

Keith Ranney is National Director, Wireless Implementation for Bell and has domestic and International experience in telecommunications with managing, planning, implementation, and optimization of Wireless networks. Managing Bell’s Tower site portfolio across Canada that consists of greater that 8000 locations, Keith is also responsible at Bell for National standards in Real Estate Acquisition & renewal, Construction, and Co-location.

Keith Started his career with Bell Canada in 1987, after graduating from the DeVry Institute of Technology and Continuing Education in Queens and York University studying Business Management. Over the past 30 years, Keith has worked in various groups within Bell, including Bell Canada and Bell Mobility, including Field Services & Fibre and Cable Repair, PMO, Finance, RF Engineering, Transport, Network Operations Control, Field Services, Customer Operations, Business Planning and Information Systems.

Keith is also a founding member of the STAC Steering Committee and the lead of the STAC New and Emerging Technologies Committee.