2019 Speakers

Frank O’Dea is a celebrated businessman who has launched and led a number of successful not-for-profits and businesses, including the Second Cup and Street Kids International. He is an inspiring speaker who shares his lessons-learned from his days of living on the streets to his receiving the Order of Canada. It is a wonderful, educational and moving story.

In his early teens, Frank O’Dea’s life went off the rails into a downward spiral. By the time he was 21, he was living in 50-cent-a-night flop houses in Toronto’s bowery district. At 23 years of age, with the courage to hope for a better life, and the spirit to forge ahead, Frank began the long road back. Fighting all of those obstacles that hold back the homeless, the impoverished and the destitute, he overcame and rejoined society.

Within a few short years, he co-founded Second Cup, which soon became the largest chain of gourmet coffees and teas in the country. Building on that success, he co-found Proshred Security (now Iron Mountain Canada), a company that pioneered the entire industry of on-site document destruction. He grew that company into an international organization with operations in Canada, Europe and the United States.

Even as a struggling entrepreneur, Frank took steps to give back to the community. He began serving on the boards of charities and not-for-profit organizations. He co-found Street Kids International, an organization developed to help homeless children in third world countries, through education and self-reliance programs. He became the founding Chair of War Child (Canada), an organization that provides assistance against suffering and abuse for children in war affected countries. Frank went on to launch the Canadian Landmine Foundation, an organization that raises funds and awareness for the dismantling of minefields around the world. With support from the United Nations, the US State Department, External Affairs Canada, he went on to initiate that organization’s most successful, worldwide annual fund-raising program, “Night of a Thousand Dinners”, with participation of thousands of donors from some 29 countries.

Frank’s achievements are, of course, a work in progress for which he has received much public recognition. He has received two honorary university degrees and is an Officer of the Order of Canada. He is currently a member of the Advisory Committee of World Financial Group and is the Chair of Cuso International, a development agency operating in 22 countries. This incredibly inspiring story of resilience and triumph in the face of adversity is retold in his captivating autobiography, “When All You Have Is Hope”.

Want to learn more? www.frankodea.com 

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Steve is the founder and president of Reticle Ventures Canada Incorporated (Reticle), a premium security services consultancy, training provider and prime contractor. He is passionate about National Security and Public Safety issues and remains committed to supporting the men and women who protect our way of life.

As a Special Operations Assaulter Officer and Army Military Engineer Steve was fortunate to have had a diversified career with a variety of operational deployments adding significant depth to the breadth of his experience. He is one of a select group of combat leaders that have multiple deployments conducting global operations that span the entire spectrum of conflict.

He has extensive tactical experience having conducted multiple operations within the following mission sets: Humanitarian Relief and Disaster Recovery, UN Chapter 7, Non-Combatant Evacuation, Counter-Insurgency, as well as domestic and international Counter-Terrorism (CT) operations. His experience as a commander and senior staff officer in both national and international headquarters has provided him with unique insights into the interagency domain.

Steve completed selection and training for Canada’s national counter-terrorism unit – Joint Task Force Two (JTF2). He was an Assault and Specialist Squadron Commander for 5 years, a senior special operations & CT staff officer for 3 years and was the unit Commanding Officer and Base Commander from 2009-2011. He was the National CT Task Force Commander for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, the 2010 G8/G20 Summits, as well as other National Security operational deployments.

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree, a Master of Defence Studies and a Master of Strategic Studies. He lives with his wife and daughter in Kingston, Ontario.

Guy Laflamme has been producing major events and commemorations for over 30 years. Guy is now invited as guest speaker in Asia, Europe and across North America including presentations as part of the TEDx conference series. From 2014 to 2018 he was the Executive Director and Producer of Ottawa 2017, leading the production of 12 full months and over 200 events and experiences to celebrate Canada 150th Anniversary. Ottawa 2017 was the biggest celebration in Ottawa’s history, with an economic impact of over 250 million dollars and 11 million participants.

Mr. Laflamme has produced some of the most impressive large-scale events that Ottawa has ever seen, including the Red Bull Crashed Ice, La Machine- a monumental ambulatory theater production attended by close to one million people, Ottawa Welcomes the World, Mìwàte a sound and light show to pay tribute to Indigenous people, Kontinuum the world first underground multimedia production, the Red Bull Global Rallycross, Stanley cup 125th celebration, Ignite 150 a series of artistic stunts, Canada’s Table, Agri 150 and Sky Lounge. Those events have animated the city of Ottawa with a new energy and changed the way people perceive Ottawa, both throughout the country, and around the world.

In addition to his role of head of celebrations for Ottawa 2017, he was also the Chair of the International Festival and Events Association in 2016, and served as Chair of the 2017, 2012 and 2002 JUNO Awards Host Committee for Canada’s music industry celebration. As Senior Vice-President of the National Capital Commission he was head of major commemorations and monuments, was responsible for official residences (residences of the Prime Minister of Canada and the Governor General), while managing communications and visitor services for Canada’s Capital. Mr. Laflamme has been guest speaker in South Korea, Dubai, Romania, Brazil and in the United-States, he experienced and assessed major events in over 25 countries.

His previous successes have included Canada Day Celebrations, Winterlude, Mosaika (a spectacular Sound and Light Show on Parliament Hill) as the Senior Vice President of Capital Experience with the National Capital Commission. He conceived and produced the spectacular H2K millennium show for Casino Lac Leamy, and seen by over one billion people on the international TV broadcast Today 2000. He also acted as Chair of the Genie Awards Host Committee in 2009, Canada’s film industry annual gala.

He has been a professor with the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management and with the Executive MBA program for 25 years and has also been teaching for over eight years with the University of Bucharest Business School. With his university students, Mr. Laflamme lead a humanitarian project “Making Niger Our Business” to deliver half a million dollars in humanitarian benefits to Niger. Over 75 local charity groups were also provided with business plans created with his EMBA students. Guy Laflamme was Chair of the United Way campaign for the Outaouais in 2011.

Guy Laflamme was named Tourism person of the year by Tourism Ottawa and Tourism Outaouais, was recognized as the marketing person of the year by the Montreal Marketing Association. In 2017, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Travel Industry Association of Ontario, was named by Radio-Canada- Le Droit as the 2017 Ottawa person of the year. The University of Ottawa recognized him as the 2017 Alumni of the year and was awarded the Order of Ottawa. Guy Laflamme and Ottawa 2017 received 15 awards from the International Festivals and Events Associations in 2016-2017.