About this Event
Employee Ownership, Succession and the Future of Canadian Business
Featuring Chad Friesen, CEO of Friesens Corporation
What happens to a successful business when its owner is ready to step away?
Join Alberta Business Alliance for a buffet lunch and a timely conversation about employee ownership, succession and the future of Canadian business.
Employee Ownership Trusts and Business Succession
An Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) holds shares in a business for the benefit of its employees. For owners considering succession, employee ownership can offer a path to realize fair value, preserve their legacy, maintain leadership continuity and keep ownership rooted in the community.
What You Will Learn
Chad will share the Friesens story—from sole proprietorship to family ownership to one of Canada’s longest-standing employee-owned companies—and the role Friesens played in advancing Employee Ownership Trust legislation and tax incentives in Canada.
Drawing on firsthand experience as CEO, employee-owner, board member and trustee, Chad will offer a candid look at how employee ownership works in practice: its structure, benefits, trade-offs and governance, and its impact on culture, performance, employees and communities.
He will explore why EOTs remain an underused succession option for Canadian businesses, and how this model can help preserve business legacies, strengthen local economies and support Canadian economic sovereignty.
Chad will also introduce the Tallgrass Employee-Owner Equity Fund and its work to remove obstacles for business owners and help more Canadian companies transition to an EOT.
Discussion and Audience Questions
Following Chad’s keynote presentation, Taylor Sekhon will join him for a discussion on employee ownership and business succession, with an opportunity for audience questions.
Taylor Sekhon is the Founder of Advara Holdings Inc., which advises on and invests in transactions that enable employees or other key stakeholders to become owners. He previously led employee ownership at BMO and employee ownership investments at Social Capital Partners.
This luncheon brings together business owners, executives, chief financial officers, professional advisers and other Alberta business leaders to explore ownership and succession.
A buffet lunch is included. Buffet service begins at 11:30 a.m. during registration. Guests are welcome to continue eating during the presentation.
Event Sponsorship Opportunities
Put your business in the room at Who Will Own Your Business Next? Showcase your organization to Alberta business leaders through one of our event sponsorship opportunities: Platinum ($1,000), Gold ($500) or Silver ($250).
View or download the sponsorship package (PDF)
For sponsorship enquiries, contact Catherine Brownlee at [email protected] or 403-861-2001.
Agenda
🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Registration and Buffet Lunch
Info: Buffet lunch service begins at 11:30 a.m. during registration. The presentation begins at noon, and guests are welcome to continue eating during the presentation.
🕑: 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Welcome, Keynote Presentation, Discussion and Audience Questions
Info: Chad Friesen will deliver the keynote presentation, followed by a discussion with Taylor Sekhon, Founder of Advara Holdings Inc., and an opportunity for audience questions.
🕑: 01:00 PM - 01:30 PM
Networking
Event venue & nearby stays
The Ranchmen's Club, Calgary, Canada
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.