Board of Directors

Shane F. Groarke
President

GP Law

After several years of working for a prominent law firm, Shane decided to strike out on his own and start his own law firm – GP Law – in 2019.  He has specialized in family law for nearly a decade.  He has extensive litigation and trial experience and regularly appears before the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King's Bench of Alberta.

As a business owner recognizing the exceptional opportunity for growth, development and revitalization in the City he grew up in, Shane became actively involved as a Board Director with the Airdrie Regional Chamber of Commerce.  He was elected as the former Vice President and current President of the Chamber, which supports over 600 local and regional business and non-profit members by enhancing entrepreneurship through connection and advocacy at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.

Shane is a devoted husband and father.  He enjoys spending quality time with his family and friends, running, hiking, travelling, photography, and playing soccer, tennis and hockey.  He wears the No. 7 shirt for Real Sasquatch SC in the CUSA League, and is an avid supporter of Chelsea FC and Forge FC, and a lifelong Flames fan.

Carmen Richards
Vice President

MNP LLP

Carmen has worked as an accountant in the public practice sector for over 17 years, where she has absorbed an array of knowledge and experience from different types of businesses in various industries.  Accounting is so much more than just crunching numbers, it’s an opportunity to help businesses grow, succeed, and guide them in the right direction to do so.  Carmen previously volunteered on the executive for the Rotary Club of Airdrie as treasurer for 3.5 years and is currently a member of the Airdrie Agricultural Society.    

Prior to her career in accounting, Carmen co-owned a restaurant where she learned a lot about starting a business without any direction and she believes that groups like the Chamber of Commerce are key support networks for business owners.  She looks forward to working with the Chamber, and she will embrace the opportunity to learn from other business owners in this community.

Tim Unger
Second Vice President

TELUS

Tim has over 20 years in sales and business development. His strong commitment to detail and exceptional customer growth has been the key to his success in business. He is extremely passionate about community and business development.

His experience and expertise in business range from retail to travel and hotel management where he now sits in the technology and communication sector as a Manager - Community and Service Excellence with Telus Communications. Tim has also over the years worked with local farms, food banks, care facilities and other municipalities, building gardens and playgrounds as he truly has a passion for contributing to his community.

Tim believes firmly in the interests of Airdrie’s business and community. It is an honor to help represent Airdrie and its business and he wants to help be a positive and influential member that helps shape policy and programs that can be a driver in creating meaningful differences in our local business, community, and government. He believes in being an advocate for our city is important to all of us. Tim feels lucky to be a part of this team and family.

Michelle Arnason
Treasurer

Michelle Arnason, Chartered Professional Accountant

Michelle spent many years in larger accounting firms in various positions and realized she was very passionate about working with small business owners. She founded her own accounting firm with nothing but an ambitious goal and desire to change how small businesses felt about the relationship with their accountant. Michelle loves to work with business owners to make their accounting make sense to them so they can continue to focus on what they love, running their business!

As a business owner and someone who works hands on with clients in various industries, Michelle brings valuable insights to the chamber.  Michelle is committed to giving back within the community and making a difference for small businesses. Michelle looks forward to being a part of the Chamber’s growth and impact on the Airdrie business community as a whole.

Ami Ballman
Past President

RARE Cannabis Co.

Ami Ballman co-founded RARE Cannabis Co. A locally owned cannabis store focused on building community, sharing knowledge, and reinventing how consumers shop for recreational cannabis through an innovative shopping experience, known as the Mood Movement.

Ami graduated from Mount Royal University with a Bachelors of Communication. She focused her efforts as a retail marketing specialist helping small businesses connect the dots between lead generation, customer experience and their bottom lines. Volunteering with the Airdrie Chamber of Commerce has given Ami the opportunity to support positive outcomes for business through advocacy, shared connection & innovation. She is honoured to join the Chamber for another year and to lean on her experience as a business owner to help drive positive, palpable change for businesses & the community.

Jay Raymundo
Director

NRG Fitness

Jay graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons.) degree from the Asper School of Business in Winnipeg, Manitoba with a double major in Small Business Management/Entrepreneurship and Marketing.  He worked in retail sales as well as retail banking, financial planning and held both an insurance license and Canadian Securities. He managed a small book of Small Business Banking clients.  

He created, owned, and operated Mabuhay Calgary (Calgary's first Filipino Community Newspaper. He is currently a part owner in the F45 Training Franchise here in Airdrie and has owned and operated NRG Fitness Inc. since 2006.

Joining the Chamber board not only fueled Jay’s passion to serve, but to has also enabled him to make a difference in the Airdrie community while networking and building relationships with our local small businesses here in Airdrie.  Through those relationships, Jay has and will continue to embrace all the personal learning and development that he can transfer to strengthen my business.

Suze Casey
Director

Belief Re-patterning; Learn It – LIVE IT Transformational Seminars Inc.

Entrepreneur for 2+ decades, Suze built a community of trained coaches across Canada and the US. In addition, she actively coaches and mentors business owners, organizations and individuals, is a bestselling author, radio show host, experienced speaker and facilitator.

Suze holds a MEd specializing in Curriculum Development and Learning Strategies, taught for 20 years, was a Learning Process Consultant for 3 years and the Consultant responsible for acquisition of all resources, community outreach and building positive school culture for the building of a new school.

In addition, she is currently the Artistic Director of The Calgary Folk Club (+30 years), an active Board member for 40 years, one of the Founders of The Calgary Folk Festival, Showcase Coordinator for the International Folk Alliance for 11 years, and was a Board Member of the Canadian Folk Music Awards for 5 years.

Suze is currently also a Board Member of ADVAS (Airdrie and District Victim’s Assistance Society).

She brings a positive, realistic, and pragmatic approach to all situations with wide experience across business, education, not for profit, and arts communities. She moved to Airdrie in 2018 to contribute to a community and make a positive difference. She welcomes the connections she has made and will continue to make through her involvement in Chamber activities and enjoys her role as Membership Committee Chair for the Chamber.

Suze knows there is an enormous need for organizations, business owners, managers, and teams to refocus and recharge, and she has a unique skill set to support the positive growth. She understands home-based business and looks forward to actively encouraging membership involvement. She has a great deal of respect and admiration for the Chamber Team. The staff and Board are responsive, personable, knowledgeable and a real asset to Airdrie businesses.  She is excited to contribute to the vibrancy and vision the Chamber brings to our community.

Kate Norris
Director

First and Main Financial

Kate is a local Airdrie financial advisor with over 8 years of industry experience- dedicated to helping small businesses and families cut through the noise and bring order to their financial lives.

Kate partnered with Sun Life in 2016 with the goal of being able to help people better understand their options. Financial literacy and education has been a top priority since day 1. Financial concepts like insurance planning, investment vehicles, tax strategies etc. are all so misunderstood and poorly taught through the public school system. Kate came to recognize this gap and make it her mission to help bring financial literacy to the community. As a recent CFP® graduate, she uses this knowledge to help inform clients to make educated financial decisions for their business and family. Specializing in retirement and estate planning.

Realizing Airdrie was underrepresented, in early 2019 she decided to make a move and join the community to help service and to educate locally. Since that time, Kate and her team have made every effort to get involved with the local community. Some recent examples include; volunteering to present at financial literacy events, actively engaging with Airdrie Chamber of Commerce, giving back in fundraisers such as ‘ 100 Women Who Care’. She’s looking forward to deepening these roots and finding additional ways to give back.

Michael Curtis
Director

The Response Team

Michael is a born and raised Albertan and is a local Emergency Management Consultant with over 34 years of experience in the field.  He holds a Graduate Diploma in Disaster and Emergency Management and currently operates two safety management, emergency management, and business continuity consulting companies where he and his team create heroes in other people’s organizations.

 Starting in 1989 in the EMS world his 13-year career fueled his soul and passion for helping others.  In 2002 he and his business partner (and more importantly wife of 27 years) initiated the beginnings of the consulting firm that they now own and operate.  The Response Team has worked with many different industries including oil and gas, municipalities, small medium and large sized businesses, manufacturing, NGOs, aviation, non-profits, food processing, construction, and at the community level.  Michael is currently a member of three deployable Incident Management Teams at a regional, national, and international level.

Michael and his family moved to Airdrie in 2009.  They are a family of four, whose passion for small business has run for four generations.  Michael’s passion for service includes dozens of volunteer positions over the last 13 years in Airdrie as well as a 28-year career as a reservist in the Royal Canadian Air Force.  In his spare time, he enjoys camping and travelling, is an amateur radio operator, and instructs for post secondary institutions in the disaster and emergency management field of practice.

Jerry Cristobal
Director

InsureLine Brokers

Jerry had a long history of experience as a planner, coordinator, supervisor and business analyst at a large manufacturing company New Flyer Motorcoach, North America’s Bus Leader. One of his proudest accomplishments there was when he designed a system that they use all over north America to this day. During his time in Manitoba, he also had a part time mortgage broker position that went on for 15 years. He then moved to Alberta and pursued the mortgage field full time for businesses such as Quantus, BMO, and CIBC. He eventually found a different avenue and career path in life and started to sell insurance for Allstate in 2015. He became one of the top agents in Alberta. Shortly after he chose to become an insurance broker to accommodate a wider range of options for clients and center of influences. He has retained relationships with all his prior work experiences. In his current business he is looking to grow by 200% by the end of this year. He has been an active part of the chamber since 2014 and he looks forward to continuing to serve our business community moving forward.   Jerry is honored to be invited onto the Airdrie Regional Chamber of Commerce board of directors.

James Moller
Director

CrossIron Mills (Jones Lang LaSalle)

James Moller is an experienced Vice President and General Manager with a strong background in shopping centre property management. Born and raised in Alberta, James brings a deep understanding of the local market to his role. With over 25 years of experience in the real estate industry, James has developed a demonstrated history of success.

With a Bachelor's degree in Management, specializing in Marketing and Human Resources from The University of Lethbridge, James has a solid educational foundation to complement his extensive work experience.

Before joining JLL, James worked as a General Manager at Mayfair Shopping Centre and Coquitlam Centre in British Columbia. In 2009, he returned to Alberta to open CrossIron Mills, a Super Regional Shopping Center. James then took on the position of General Manager for the Alberta region at Ivanhoé Cambridge, a prominent real estate firm. In 2021, he was promoted to Vice President, overseeing both the Alberta and Manitoba regions. During his 12.5-year tenure at Ivanhoé Cambridge and 3 years at JLL, James demonstrated dedication and exceptional leadership skills that significantly contributed to the growth and success of both companies.

Beyond his professional endeavors, James' commitment to the business community is evident through his involvement with the Balzac Business Community Association. As a board member since 2010 and the President from 2015 to 2023, he actively engaged in fostering the growth and success of the Balzac region's business community.

Joining the Chamber board allows James to further fuel his passion for growth and make a positive impact on the Airdrie, Balzac, and surrounding communities. With his wealth of experience, industry knowledge, and community engagement, James Moller brings a dynamic and well-rounded perspective to the Board of Directors, making a meaningful difference to the organization and the broader community.

Colleen Stewart
Director

Ralph’s Motorsports is an Alberta based business that has been family owned and operated for 54 years serving Calgary and surrounding areas.  Born and raised in a small Alberta town, Colleen is passionate about community, reputation, and customer service.

Colleen holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, specializing in Finance from The University of Calgary.  Colleen later earned the Certified Purchasing Professional designation.

Since April 2000, Colleen has been the General Manager of Ralph’s Motorsports.  In this role, she brings a strong business foundation, a focus on integrity and customer service and a strong drive for growth.  She is committed to her employees, the company’s customers, and most of all the continued success of a family-owned business with a great reputation.

Before joining Ralph’s Motorsports, Colleen worked for Imperial Oil Ltd. from 1991 to 1995 as a Materials and Services Contract Specialist, specifically looking after purchase requirements for Imperial Oil’s Strathcona Refinery.  In 1995, Colleen left Imperial Oil with two co-workers to start up Procall Management Ltd., a consulting company focused on driving success working with oil and gas contractors.  In 2000, Procall Management Ltd. was sold to Flint Energy and Colleen made the decision to return to the family business, where she has been fully engaged since.

Colleen has been an active member of the Balzac Business Community Association for the past 8 years, since moving the business to Balzac.  Colleen’s interest in joining the Chamber board is driven by her recognition of this vast Airdrie – Balzac area working together to foster tighter business relationships.  Owning a business in the Balzac area, Colleen recognizes the positive development of businesses within the area and the need for a strong business community and connection between the Airdrie and Balzac regions.

Tara Levick
City Liaison

City of Airdrie

Tara has been with the Economic Development department at the City of Airdrie since April 2011. She holds a Diploma in Administrative Information Management from SAIT and has earned her Economic Development Certificate from the University of Waterloo. She is passionate about working with the Airdrie business community and helping entrepreneurs achieve their dreams. Her responsibilities mainly fall within the Business Development core service helping with business retention and expansion along with entrepreneurial support services.

Tara is a born and raised Airdronian with no plans to leave. She enjoys her liaison role on the board as it’s a monthly chance to interact directly with business leaders in the community and hear directly from them. Open communication between the City and Chamber members is a top priority for Tara.