North Forge is excited to welcome five new members to the family! 

Krista Kowaluk has joined the North Forge team as interim Program and Communications Manager for Whitney Moir’s maternity leave. Krista was immersed in communication arts, advertising, and publications through her father’s marketing career growing up. “Speaking to an audience with understanding,” Krista noted, was ingrained from an early age. A natural career progression for her was utilizing this customer-focused mindset. She realized she was instinctively interested in marketing and followed in her father’s footsteps, noticing only in hindsight after she’d landed in the industry. North Forge drew Krista in, as she sees the team as an innovative, inclusive, and futuristic group that thinks big. “Giving everyone with an idea an opportunity to grow and work hard to achieve their dreams,” she feels, is North Forge’s greatest strength. She’s looking forward to collaborating with the team who see Manitoba’s growth potential.

On track to becoming one of the top incubator accelerators in Canada, North Forge has assembled an incredible team of contractors to ensure we are offering the best in class to all our founders! 

We welcome two new Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, Rosalie Harms and Peter Moreira. Rosalie Harms (CPA, CMA, MBA) has nearly 20 years of professional experience in financial management, business advising and consulting, economic development, teaching, workshop development, and facilitation for both the private and not-for-profit sectors in multiple industries. Rosalie combines her commercial and business lending background with her accounting experience to assist clients in developing realistic strategic plans and financial projections for new ventures and expansionary projects. In addition to managing a small consulting practice, Rosalie is currently the Department Chair of the Department of Business and Administration in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Winnipeg.

Peter Moreira (CPA, CGA, MBA) has over 15 years of professional experience in financial management, economic development, business consulting, planning, and teaching. Managing clients and developing effective relationships has been a big part of his career that started during his time with RBC Royal Bank. Peter continued his role in economic development with the Province of Manitoba Government to his current business consulting practice. His ability to provide advice and planning to companies and organizations in a wide variety of industries comes from this previous experience and the experience gained in an earlier role working in a CFO capacity with the Province of Manitoba Government as an Assistant Deputy Minister. In addition to his consulting practice, Peter shares his knowledge and experience as a continuing Faculty Member with the University of Winnipeg, in the Faculty of Business and Economics, and is a regular Session Leader in the Professional Education Program with the CPA Western School of Business.

Joining as Growth Coaches are Rodrigo de Alvarenga and Joel Semeniuk. Rodrigo is the CEO and Founder of HAG.Group, Managing Partner of Konsälidön, Executive Board Member with Dacar Quimica Do Brasil, Startup Mentor with Copernicus Accelerator, Visiting Professor with FAE Centro Universitário, Advisor for Startup Grind, and a Superhero with The Superhero Project. Fuelled by his passion for leadership, start-ups, tech, and social-based entrepreneurship, Rodrigo is a venture builder, angel investor, entrepreneur, consultant, mentor, and speaker. He believes that people are the only factor that makes any business endeavour successful and one of a kind. He is passionate about sharing the development of disruptive ideas and his knowledge and expertise with a global audience of aspiring entrepreneurs. As a lifelong learner, Rodrigo is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Production Engineering and Systems, focusing on venture building. 

Joel Semeniuk is the Founder of ImagiNET Ventures and Imaginet Resources Corp., Founder of HORIZONthree, Vice President of Corporate Growth and Innovation with Communitech, Venture Partner with Fresco Capital, Board Member for Tech Manitoba and The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and a Microsoft Regional Director. For over 25 years, Joel has been helping organizations transform by leveraging emerging technologies to optimize and differentiate their business. He examines and creates the methods, processes, and best practices for business innovation. Joel works almost exclusively with start-ups or executives at large organizations to reimagine business with technology such as the cloud, mobile, AI, and augmented reality, focusing on how technology enables more efficient collaboration and productivity. He helps unlock their potential by building and supporting a culture of innovation and rapid continuous improvement. Semeniuk wants to influence change on a massive scale and create a tipping point for the future of work.