Who We Are
Dale Leier, Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Born and raised in Lethbridge, I spent Sundays as a kid roaming through the old TCA hanger wrapping my arms around airplane tires as tall as me. So, no surprise then that when I graduated from LCI in 1971 I promptly headed off to the arctic to work as a Radio Operator/Flight Specialist for Transport Canada, Panarctic Oil and Dome Petroleum.
Returning to attend the University of Lethbridge from 1974 until 1978 , I rejoined Transport Canada to train as an Air Traffic Controller. Then, in 1980, I was assigned to the the Lethbridge Control Tower for initial training. This was just the first of a dozen different assignments to airports in Alberta, the NWT and BC.
Along the way I had the opportunity to scratch my entrepreneurial itch by importing and distributing consumer electronics, opening a computer store, taking my Canadian Securities Course, opening the office for Investors Group in Yellowknife, followed by opening an award- winning Domino’s Pizza store even when the experts said it would never work. Sales records were decimated and it remains one of the highest grossing stores in Canada.
It was during my final posting to the Victoria International Airport that I met my life partner, Jacqueline Mignault, one day while getting a haircut. Jackie, it turned out, not only shared my interest in aviation, but working for the City of Victoria in various administrative capacities including the City Clerk’s Office/Deputy Returning Officer. This, followed by positions for the BC Ministry of Finance Controller General.
Over the next 20 years I have been involved in an amazing range of business, employment and partnerships as the future continues to write itself in ways I could have never imagined. Yet, so much of what has transpired before simply serves as stepping stone to the next exciting chapter. The learning never stops and hopefully never does.
Academic...
Corporate...
Creative...
The SkyTroller game app for the iPhone. Built upon my experience as an Air Traffic Controller the premise is to keep enroute aircraft from colliding by reassigning altitudes as the transition through your block of airspace. Challenging.
Co-founded with the head of Simon Fraser Universities Industry Liaison Office, the Western Universities Technology Innovation Fund is a novel seed capital co-investment fund used to commercialize academic research and technology startups. To date over $11 million has been raised to catalyze seed funding for 111 technology startups.
wind regime assessments for bankability require the collection of an entire year of wind data. Previously this required a $3.0 million investment to build a one-time only fixed platform. By combining an AXYS weather buoy with a LiDar atmospheric wind sensor, we replaced the platform with a reusable floating sensor that cost only $1.0 million each.
Not-For-Profit...
The Canadian Association of Vehicle Importers was established in response to a disinformation campaign by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia under the direction of the former head of the BC Motor Vehicle Dealers Association. ICBC unsuccessfully lobbied the CCMTA to ban them from Canadian Roads. After being called to testify in person before a Senate Transport Committee on vehicle imports, RHD vehicles continue to be enjoyed by enthusiasts.
No problem is too big or too complicated to solve. Breaking it down into a series of smaller problems renders it far less daunting. At that point practical options emerge and an effective solution acheived.
