Chad Hughes invites James Thurston, a longtime friend and experienced land agent, to the show to discuss insights on their generation and its alignment with the industry. James Thurston reflects on his journey, emphasizing the importance of networking and building relationships during his time in the land agent program. He shares how chance and curiosity led him to the field, working on the Alliance pipeline and later in various locations across Western Canada. James explores the unique characte...
Mar 11, 2024•51 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Host Chad Hughes welcomes Blandon Granger, Supervisor of Real Estate Services for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), to the show. Blandon has been in the energy industry at SMUD for the past seventeen years and supervises asset management and complex acquisitions. He talks with Chad about the impacts of EV charging and urban development on his role. Blandon explains that SMUD has a “very aggressive” zero carbon plan and by 2030 wants all their energy to be from clean sources. He t...
Feb 26, 2024•49 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Host Chad Hughes welcomes Jennifer Tidmarsh, Vice President of Indigenous Relations & Partnerships with Ontario Power Generation, to the show. Jennifer talks about the development of small modular reactors in the nuclear space and the challenges surrounding presenting those solutions to the community. Jennifer explains some of the public perceptions around nuclear power that have been shaped by events like Three Mile Island, Fukushima, and Chernobyl, and even pop culture references like the nucl...
Feb 12, 2024•48 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Host Chad Hughes welcomes Pablo Gutiérrez, Managing Director of O’Gorman&Hagerman professional services firm, to the show to talk about what it’s like to acquire land access and engage with the public in Mexico. O’Gorman&Hagerman started in corporate law but moved to provide agrarian services which is where they now specialize. Pablo explains that Mexico has public and private property, just like the US and Canada, but they also have ejidos and communities which are social property mainly in rur...
Jan 29, 2024•51 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Host Chad Hughes welcomes Robert McCallum, President of McCallum Environmental, to the show. Robert has been working in the environmental consulting industry for over 25 years and he specifically brings his experience in working across varied Canadian provincial jurisdictions to the conversation. Robert is a professional biologist registered in Alberta and though he started his career in oil and gas, in 2003 he was pulled into a renewable energy project and has been working in the renewable spac...
Jan 15, 2024•42 min•Season 3Ep. 2
In the inaugural episode of Elevated Access’ third season, Chad Hughes is joined by Senior Real Estate Infrastructure Advisor Gordon MacNair. Gordon has spent time with the RWA and worked across more than six countries. He shares advice along with the similarities and differences between the jurisdictions. Gordon worked in the BC Ministry of Highways and later for Ontario Hydro, among other companies in his career, which has given him great experience in acquiring land for major land assemblies....
Jan 01, 2024•38 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Chad Hughes is joined by Tim Robillard, Vice-Presisdent of Engagement & Operations for Communica Public Affairs, to discuss the energy transition. Tim draws from his background and experience to talk about how the energy transition may create new interests or concerns for stakeholders in the future. Tim has been in the energy industry in various roles for over 25 years. He got his start in peer mediation programs in high school which taught him the value of people talking things through. Mediati...
Jun 02, 2023•58 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Chad Hughes welcomes Jeff Burke - Environment, Land and Emissions Governance for TC Energy - to the show to talk about non-technical risk across jurisdictions. Jeff addresses common challenges that can be expected whether you’re in Canada, the US, or Mexico, and shares great advice for land access professionals. Jeff started out in construction and maintenance projects for a Canadian national railway company. Through that he gained an understanding of the ways in which industry impacts land owne...
May 19, 2023•41 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Jon Lovink, Western Canada’s most experienced media coach, joins Chad Hughes on the show to talk about trust and the media. Jon has a program called CRED which is effective for building trust in scenarios from one-on-one conversations to crisis or media. He gets into details with Chad. Jon describes how he started in news, first as a reporter and eventually as a senior producer for CBC News, which led him to coaching. His speciality, what his company focuses on, is media coaching. At its core, J...
May 05, 2023•55 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Chad Hughes welcomes Charles Neustaedter, the Realty Section Manager at the City of Surrey in BC, to the show to discuss negotiations. Their conversation covers different types of negotiating as well as the importance of preparation in determining the right approach to use. When Charles started at the City of Surrey in 1993, things were very different. He has seen a lot of growth in both the city and technology surrounding his job through the years. He also credits his time with the City as prov...
Apr 21, 2023•47 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Chad Hughes welcomes Eric Barnett, Director of Development for Vistra Corp, to the show to discuss A&D activity in the renewable space as well as evaluating and mitigating risk. Eric has a long career in land and much to share with access professionals and developers alike. Eric explains how his current role involves assessing how to repurpose real estate owned by the company. They are focused on renewables and Eric is excited by the challenges of looking into the environmental aspects of a reti...
Apr 07, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Chad Hughes welcomes Mark Bradley, Principal Owner of Marram Consulting Ltd and Team Lead at Trans-Northern Pipelines Inc, to the show to discuss “the quiet coexistence between pipeline operators and the public”. Mark shares from his wealth of experience in building post-construction relationships. Mark’s education is in urban and regional planning, a bit of an untraditional background for someone in the land world. While his classmates dreamed of designing beautiful neighborhoods, Mark decided ...
Mar 24, 2023•37 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Chad Hughes welcomes Andrea Carolan, Managing Director of Public Private Property in Adelaide, Australia, to the show for insight into challenges in her sector. Andrea talks about her career in valuation and sheds light on what approaches are different between urban and rural appraisal. Following her father into valuation, Andrea identifies as a second generation valuer. She still uses things she learned through his mentorship and philosophies. She founded her company, Public Private Property, i...
Mar 10, 2023•44 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Chad Hughes hosts Thomas Schaffer, Senior Manager for Transmission Right-of-Way at American Electric Power, on the show to discuss the work AEP is doing and how they engage with customers in meaningful ways. They delve into Thomas’ career history and what the future has in store for the industry. Thomas came into acquisition through working a summer job at the courthouse in Columbus, Ohio. He started learning about title ownership at the courthouse and that led into easement which ultimately lan...
Feb 24, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Chad Hughes welcomes Richard McNally of O R Colan to the podcast to discuss his career in the right of way space. They discuss human resourcing complexities and resource scarcity in the industry, drawing on Richard’s extensive experiences and insight. Richard is Vice President of ORC’s Utility Division which he says gives him the opportunity to use his history as a go-getter and to trust and delegate to the strong leadership team beneath him. He highlights how ORC puts a strong focus on their va...
Feb 10, 2023•41 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Chad Hughes invites Nikki Sitch, Manager of Land and Community Inclusion at Kiwetinohk Energy Corp, to the show to talk about her career journey and the insights she has on attributes that lead to success. As Nikki talks, it becomes clear that she lives what she believes in regards to creating your own future. Nikki claims she got into land “by fluke” as she moved from receptionist at AltaGas to being a Junior Land Admin in the Land Department. She learned on the job and enjoyed it, so she got h...
Jan 27, 2023•45 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Chad Hughes invites Kala Belding, Technology Strategy Manager of Wireless Real Estate for Telus, to the show to share her insights on the key attributes that lead to success in real estate management or access roles. Kala’s career journey has given her clear sight into what skills and attributes of her own aid in her current role. Kala describes how each of her previous career roles equipped her with knowledge that, when paired with her natural attributes, makes her well suited to her role. She ...
Jan 13, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Chad Hughes welcomes Mike Anderson, Manager of Surface Land at Tamarack Acquisition Corp, to the show. Chad centers this episode around Indigenous participation in the industry. Mike is able to shed a lot of light on what Tamarack has been doing in their approach to building relationships and creating opportunities for Indigenous communities through their projects. Mike has been a surface land agent in Alberta for twenty-two years and progressively made his way up through junior, intermediate, a...
Dec 30, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Chad Hughes welcomes Brent Leftwich, President of Leftwich Management Inc., to the show. They discuss Brent’s 32+ years experience leading Contract Land Staff (CLS), which he transformed into one of North America’s largest independent right of way and land management companies. Brent shares how he grew the business, introduced key technological advancements, and his insights into the right of way industry. Brent Leftwich earned a BA in Geography with a concentration in Urban Planning and Public ...
Dec 16, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Chad Hughes welcomes Paul Scannell, Manager of Real Estate and Title for Geenex Solar LLC, to the show to talk about title in relation to access. Paul has the better part of 15 years of experience in the sector and sheds light on the intricacies of title, including how minerals for subsurface can affect surface rights. Paul Scannell started in oil and gas research after college before meeting someone who identified his knack for understanding title. That meeting led him into doing title work for...
Dec 02, 2022•49 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Chad Hughes meets with Jon Yoachim, innovator and Founder of Part & Parcel, to discuss Jon’s background in land access and dive into the details of Part & Parcel. As a matchmaking marketplace that connects access professionals with companies that are hiring, Part & Parcel is set to be a fascinating new resource for the industry. Jon Yoachim has a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate and Land Use Economics, has worked in land acquisition for the likes of Hillard Energy and Faulk & Foster, and in 20...
Mar 16, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Chad Hughes welcomes Glenn Miller, Land Negotiator and Energy Professional, to the show to discuss his 25+ year career. Together, they dig deep into Glenn’s learning experience with an offshore gas exploration project off the East coast of Cape Breton Island. Glenn Miller grew up on a mixed grain farm North East of Calgary which instilled in him a strong work ethic and respect for the land. In the early 80s a well was drilled on their home quarter and that piqued his interest in how it worked an...
Feb 23, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Dayna Morgan, COO at BRITT RADIUS, discusses how the land access industry is changing. She shares how stepping into leadership alongside two other strong women has propelled personal and professional evolution that serves employees and clients alike. Dayna started work at BRITT RADIUS when she was still in university; she enjoyed the work and found a strong mentor in founder Ray Ramsay who invited her to stay on and learn from him. She speaks firsthand to the value of mentorship and in having th...
Feb 09, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Nicola Millions-Hollamby is an Instructor and Coordinator in the Olds College land access training program. Nicola sheds light on the qualities that make students successful, the relevance and transferable content contained in the course material, and how the industry has contributed to the program’s success. Nicola had, in the past, pursued land agent studies at Olds College which led to her career in the land access sector and her work in the oil and gas and utilities sectors. From there she w...
Jan 19, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 10
David Gould has over 32 years of experience as a mediator, working to help others resolve conflict. David and Chad Hughes explore the nature of conflict, breaking down how our stories are told, and David shares advice on how he deals with and de-escalates conflict ahead of time. While David Gould started his career as a lawyer, a litigator, he engaged in mediation training in 1988 and, in his words, became “enamored with it”. He has mediated in situations as varied as with the Canadian insurance...
Dec 15, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Travis Warren has extensive experience securing access for renewable energy development across the United States. He discusses with Chad Hughes some of the key differences between access needs for renewable energy projects versus access required for pipeline projects. Travis began his career in land access in 2006 in the renewable sector. He trained on the job with a company in Texas and learned both access and renewable energy at the same time. While the majority of his career has been supporti...
Dec 01, 2021•55 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Dan Tocher, Vice President Stakeholder Relations for Greengate Power, has worked on some of the largest renewable energy projects in Canada. He walks Chad Hughes through his career and the skills that have assisted him in becoming a leader in his field, and how he deployed these skills in acquiring the access required for the Travers Solar Project. Dan Tocher grew up in Guelph, Ontario and it wasn’t until he moved to Alberta in 2005 when someone offhandedly said to him “you should be a land man”...
Nov 17, 2021•45 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Chris Lupaschuk started in land acquisition in 2005 while attending Olds College. In 2017 his career journey led him to a copper mining project in the Republic of Serbia where he developed the first successful land acquisition and resettlement program in the country. Moving from Canada to Serbia was a giant leap for Chris Lupaschuk and his family but in examining the opportunity he realized that “it really had to do with the adventures, when we actually looked on a map and saw where Serbia was, ...
Nov 03, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Chris Bakker has over 20 years of access experience in the oil and gas and mining sectors. In today’s episode, he breaks down lessons he’s learned and experiences he’s had that have shaped how he approaches business with his company Avanti Energy. In 2002/2003 Chris worked in Eastern Europe, specifically in Romania, where he says things worked in a manner that was 180 degrees different from how they work here. That eye-opening experience taught him to very much consider the culture and communiti...
Oct 20, 2021•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 5
Jason Gouw has 25+ years of experience managing land acquisition and engagement programs and has seen substantial changes in the industry with how stakeholders and Indigenous communities participate. He believes collaborative relationships and transparent engagement are the keys to the progressive future of land access. Having grown up on an irrigation farm, one with cows, Jason was no stranger to agricultural considerations but he knew early on that farming was not his path. After an enjoyable ...
Oct 06, 2021•56 min•Season 1Ep. 4
