Management Team

Bern Kotelko

Bern Kotelko is currently the President of Highland Feeders Limited. and has presided over Highland’s growth from a small mixed farming operation to an annual $60Million revenue agribusiness.

Bern graduated from the University of Alberta in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, and is a Professional Agrologist. In 2001, he completed the Canadian Securities Course, and in 2007, the ICD “Director’s Education Program”.

Bern is one of Alberta’s top strategic thinkers and has extensive experience in financial oversight, business development, and innovation.

Present Directorships:

• Co-Chair, Alberta Prion Research Institute Management Board
• Director, ATB Financial, a financial services corporation with $16Billion in assets
• Director, Winnipeg Commodities Exchange
• Director, Spring Creek Ranch, an innovative, whole value-chain natural fed, hormone and antibiotic free beef marketing company
• Advisory Committee member for the Alberta Value-Added & Technology Commercialization Task Force

Past Directorships Include:

• Chairman, AVAC (Alberta Value Added Corporation), an agrivalue investment group with assets of $90Million leveraged to $275Million
• Founding Trustee, Alberta Ingenuity Fund, a $500Million fund for research and innovation in Alberta
• Director, AFSC (Alberta Agriculture Financial Services), a financial services company with an agricultural focus having assets of $1.8Billion. Served as chair of the Audit and Credit Committees
• Director, Alberta Economic Development Authority

Recent Recognition and Awards:

• University of Alberta, “Alumni Award of Excellence”, 2002
• Alberta Institute of Agrologists ”Distinguished Agrologist Award”, 1998

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Evan Chrapko

Evan Chrapko has been the founder & CEO of a number of companies. His accomplishments include launching, building and single-handedly negotiating the sale of The DocSpace Company for $811 million (US$ 568 million) in 30 months. He then co-founded Time Industrial Inc. as its President and CEO, along with his brother Shane.

Evan holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of Alberta, and is a Chartered Accountant (with a ‘CA.IT’ specialty).  Evan also earned an Ivy League law degree (JD; Columbia), in New York City.

Evan is the co-inventor of two software patents, a lifetime member of American MENSA and an alumnus of the Henry Crown ethical leadership group at the Aspen Institute in Aspen, Colorado. Evan is also a member and executive member of Alberta’s Young President’s Organization (YPO) chapter.

Both of the Chrapko brothers credit their rural upbringing for their emphasis on rapid, high-quality execution and ethical business practices.

Selected Present Directorships:

• Alberta's Premier appointed Evan to the Alberta Royalty Review panel ("ARRP") as one of its 6 members. ARRP's mandate was to assess whether Albertans are receiving their fair share of revenue from oil and gas extracted from the province. Alberta's oil reserves are ranked #2 (size) in the world, second only to Saudi Arabia. The ARRP's terms of reference covered all corporate income taxes, fees/bonus bids and royalties. ARRP's recommended changes had a net present value of $27 bil. (re: increased govt. "take") on an asset base of $300 bil. In the first 3 weeks of the release of ARRP's "Our Fair Share" report, over half a million people from around the world downloaded a copy. See www.AlbertaRoyaltyReview.ca
• Board of Directors of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, an organization that boasts one of the highest concentrations of affiliated Nobel Laureates of any entity on the planet. See www.CIFAR.ca ("See Far").

Recent Recognition and Awards:

• University of Alberta and the Institute of Chartered Accountants bestowed Evan with separate "Early Career Achievement" awards 
• Mr. Chrapko was named one of the Top 100 in 100 – the entrepreneurs who contributed most to the development of Alberta over the past century – in Alberta Venture magazine's centennial collectors' edition
• Mr. Chrapko was named one of the Top 10 people to influence the technology sector when he and his brother Shane won the Leaf Initiative Award in Silicon Valley
• Evan was a nominee for both the national Canadian Top 40 Under 40 award and the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year designation

Both Evan and Shane appear in a Canadian bestseller titled "Innovation Nation", and their accomplishments have been written up in textbooks and numerous articles over the years.  They are frequently called upon to speak or be interviewed about their life story and they have consulted about global business issues around the world.

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Mike Kotelko

Mike Kotelko is currently the Vice-President of Highland Feeders Ltd. and has been the operational mastermind during Highland’s phenomenal growth from a small mixed farming operation to an annual $60Million revenue agribusiness. Mike is also the General Manager of Highmark Renewables.

Mike holds a diploma in agricultural engineering. In 2001, he completed the Canadian Securities Course.

Mike is one of Alberta’s top agribusiness leaders, and is a co-inventor of the GPADS technology, and has personally overseen the development and continuous improvement of GPADS from a conceptual idea to the success it is today.

Present Directorships Include:

• Director, Alberta BioProducts Association

Past Directorships Include:

• Director, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association
• Director, Alberta Beef Producers’ Cattle Feeder Council

Recent Recognition and Awards:

• Emerald Award, along with the GPADS development team
• ATB Financial Growing Alberta Leadership Award
• Recognized for leadership in one of the “Fastest Growing Companies in Canada” by Profit, Canada’s entrepreneurship magazine

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Shane Chrapko

Alongside his brother, Evan, Shane’s accomplishments include launching, building and selling The DocSpace Company for $811Million (US$ 568 million) in 30 months. They then co-founded Time Industrial Inc. with Shane in charge of all Sales, Business Development and Partnerships for the company.
 
Mr. Chrapko holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from the University of Alberta, and is a Professional Agrologist.  During his time on campus, Shane was the President of Bar None, presiding over a Guiness Book of World Records annual event (largest indoor Country & Western dance/saloon). 

After University but before joining his brother in business, Shane held increasingly-responsible positions with Cargill (one of the largest private companies in the world), TD Bank (one of Canada's Top 3 Schedule A big banks), BASF (Top 5 international integrated chemical & sciences company) and West Fraser Mills, a resource company in Western Canada.  In all cases, he was either on an accelerated/fast-track management program or in management itself.

Both of the Chrapko brothers credit their rural upbringing for their emphasis on rapid, high-quality execution and ethical business practices.

Present Directorships

• Member of the University of Alberta Faculty of Science Visiting Committee
• IVAC committee member.  IVAC is a fund of funds subset of the Alberta Value Added Corporation (AVAC), chartered with diversifying Alberta's economy by making $30 million of early stage investments in bio-science, life science and information technology businesses

Recent Recognition and Awards:

• The University of Alberta selected Shane for a rare "Early Career Achievement" award, chosen from a pool of approximately 100,000 (est.) candidates eligible that year (2000), acknowledging people who built extraordinarily successful careers within ten years of graduating
• Mr. Chrapko was named one of the Top 10 people to influence the technology sector when he and his brother Evan won the Leaf Initiative Award in Silicon Valley

Shane and his brother both appear in a Canadian bestseller titled "Innovation Nation", and their accomplishments have also been written up in textbooks and numerous articles over the years.  They are frequently called upon to speak or be interviewed about their life story and, between them they have consulted about global business issues around the world.