Ask the Experts Expo

Gillian Fairley is the General Manager of Community Futures South Georgian Bay. For over 12 years, she has assisted businesses in the community, providing mentoring, resources, and advice during all phases of business start-up, development, and growth. She has also participated in numerous economic development initiatives that have supported community and business growth. Gillian has extensive project management, economic development, and management consulting experience. She has worked with organizations throughout the Unites States, as well as in the U.K., Germany, and Sweden. Gillian has consulted for the public and private sectors, including the automotive, manufacturing, financial services, insurance, and real estate sectors. She is passionate about supporting small business and community development.

Community Futures South Georgian Bay is a federally funded not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and growth of businesses in the region. Its mandate is to develop and diversify the local economy, by being a one-stop business resource for new and expanding businesses. Community Future South Georgian Bay accomplishes this through business loans, a coaching/mentoring program, business counselling, and support for community economic development.  

Gerry Hogenhout is the founding principal of Hogenhout & Associates. Gerry began his career in the tax department at Deloitte and Touche Chartered Accountants before entering the investment world. He eventually becoming the only Canadian to be licensed in all five of the different and separate regulated investment marketplaces (stocks/bonds, mutual funds, private equity, mortgages, and insurance) while also holding a Chartered Professional Accountant designation. During his investment career Gerry has become a prominent real estate investor while creating many of the real estate investment structures offered within Canadian Investment Services. With this unique investment background, as well as a desire to ensure investment clients have their best interests properly served, Gerry became the founding principle of Canadian Investment Services, a division of Hogenhout & Associates Incorporated.

Amanda O’Keefe-Major is an insurance broker at Absolute Insurance. For four years, Amanda has been helping clients purchase insurance policies that are tailored to their individualized situation. Her areas of specialization include personal home and auto insurance along with builder’s risk and small business owners’ insurance.

Absolute Insurance Brokers provides advice clients need to make an educated decision when purchasing insurance for cars, houses, business, work vehicles, farm operations and life insurance. 

Dana Gidge is the Director of HR Consulting with RLB People, at RLB LLP. With over 23 years of industry experience, and a Business Degree in Accounting and Finance, along with her CHRL designation, she has a passion for building relationships and focuses on creating business value and optimizing people assets. Dana consults and advises clients on strategic human resources matters, including interim assignments and fractional HR roles. She is skilled in workplace investigation, labour relations, pay equity advising, and leads the external HR Consulting team, RLB People, at RLB LLP.

RLB People is a full-service HR Consulting Firm connected to RLB Chartered Professional Accountants. In business for over 10 years, it provides exceptional services for RLB Accounting clients and non-clients alike.