About SaskWorks

Doug Frondall is the President of Transitus Mergers & Acquisitions Inc. a firm specializing in mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance.  He was previously Managing Partner and CEO of Virtus Group, LLP, (2001 to 2014) an independent accounting and business advisory firm. He is Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant, Certified Valuation Analyst and a Chartered Merger and Acquisition Professional. Doug’s primary focus involves working with privately-held businesses, facilitating mergers and acquisitions, providing litigation support, business valuations and general business advisory services. He has also facilitated numerous exit plans, assisting clients with ownership transition, independent business valuations, structuring internal buyouts and negotiating third party sales. Mr. Frondall serves as the chair of SaskWorks’ board of directors.

Terry Schneider was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan. He graduated from the University of Regina in 1980 with a B. Ed majoring in secondary science. Mr. Schneider retired from the Consumers’ Coop Refinery/Upgrader Complex in 2013 after 32 years of service. He currently sits as a director on the board of Sherwood Co-op Association. Mr. Schneider serves as the vice-chair of SaskWorks’ board of directors.

Michael Fix was the Senior Vice-President, Corporate Development of Concentra Financial Services Association for the period 2005 to September 2011 and now acts as a business consultant to clients that include those in the  financial services industry. Previously, Mr. Fix was General Manager of Concentra Commercial Leasing, the credit union system’s nationally-branded leasing company. In addition to his experience on a number of for-profit and not-for-profit Boards, Mr. Fix is a former Saskatchewan Government appointee to the Agreement on Internal Trade Dispute Resolution Panel.

Brent Banda is the President of Banda Marketing, a Saskatoon-based strategic marketing and business planning firm. Prior to launching the company in 1997, Mr. Banda earned an MBA from the University of Saskatchewan and taught as an Assistant Professor at St. Francis Xavier University (Nova Scotia, Canada) in the areas of advertising, professional sales and marketing management. As a complement to his consulting work, Mr. Banda has volunteered on a number of boards in both the social services and business sectors, including Family Service Saskatoon, the North Saskatoon Business Association, and the Saskatoon Club.

Ron Carlson was the Administrative Vice-President for the SaskWorks Venture Fund’s sponsor, the Communications, Energy & Paperworkers’ Union, until his retirement in the fall of 2005. Mr. Carlson was a National Staff Representative of the sponsor and previous to this position he served as an officer of the sponsor since 2003 plus other positions such as Local Vice-President, Chief Steward and Shop Steward. Mr. Carlson was an active member of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour on various committees and executive and was intimately involved with the Canadian Labour Congress on the Public Sector Review Committee.

Dave Meyers has been employed at ERCO Worldwide as a process operator since 1983 and is the treasurer of Local 609 of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union. He served as an Executive Member of the now-dissolved Saskatchewan Process Training Network and is a past member of the SIAST Power Engineering Advisory Board.

Daryl Schwartz was born and raised in White City, Saskatchewan. Mr. Schwartz has been employed by the Consumers’ Coop Refinery Limited since 1987, initially as a Process Operator. In 2001 he attended SIAST in Moose Jaw in the Instrumentation Technician program, and in 2005 acquired the level of Journeymen Instrumentation Technician and presently holds the position of Instrumentation Lead. Mr. Schwartz is presently a Trustee of UNIFOR, Local 594.

Kevin Stangeland received his Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Calgary in 1984. Mr. Stangeland articled with Touche Ross & Company and received his chartered accountant designation in 1987. From 1987 to 1993 Mr. Stangeland held various financial and strategic planning positions with North Canadian Oils Ltd., culminating in the position of Director, Project Development. In 1993, Mr. Stangeland co-founded UFR Urban Forest Recyclers Inc., a molded paper products recycling firm located in Swift Current, Saskatchewan and was that company’s Chief Executive Officer and President until 2016. Mr. Stangeland has been on the board of directors of Saskworks since its inception and has been on a number of corporate boards for both private and public companies as well as a Saskatchewan Crown corporation.and is very active in industry and local organizations.

Kathy Zwick was born and raised on a farm near Ryerson, Saskatchewan. She began a 36-year career as a Clerk Stenographer at SaskPower in Regina in 1975, and became a member of Local 9-649 of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union.  Through several mergers, OCAWIU Local 9-649 became Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada Local 649.  Ms. Zwick was an active member of her Union throughout her working career and held appointed or elected office almost continuously.  She was elected to the CEP National Women’s Committee and to the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour executive for several terms. In 2001, Ms. Zwick became an Assistant to the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada Local 649 President, a position she held until her retirement in 2012.