The Ampersand - Unplugged

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Ampersand: Unplugged, we sit down with our very own Cam McDonald (or, Cameron, when we're being serious). Originally hailing from Sydney Australia, Cam chased his wife to Canada and has been living in Calgary ever since. He shares stories about fatherhood, raising his two young kids while balancing a busy career. We also share some hilarious Vegas stori...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Ampersand: Unplugged we sit down with another of Calgary's Mayoral candidates, Brad Field. A lifelong Calgarian and business owner, Brad is the 'outsider' candidate, not from City Hall and bringing the perspective of a business owner and community member to the Mayor's Chair. Join us as we discuss trains from Calgary to Banff, doing polit...

Send us Fan Mail Having worked in 9 different industries and across Canada, Bob Sartor, CEO of the Calgary Airport Authority, joins us on this episode of the podcast to discuss all things airport. Who’s Bob’s customer? Why does it even matter? Why passengers are guests and why that matters. Bob candidly discusses the challenges of managing through the pandemic and the virtues of never reading a bo...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Ampersand: Unplugged we sit down with the owner of Murrieta’s West Coast Bar & Grill. Not only is Murrieta’s the long-time neighbour and friend of Pekarsky & Co. in the old Alberta Hotel Building, but its owner, Ron Salverda, is a truly fascinating person with lots to say. Having studied architecture in school and growing up with one of the top 10 ch...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode of The Ampersand: Unplugged we sit down with City Councillor and Mayoral candidate, Jeff Davison.  Jeff shares his views on Calgary “the Mecca of opportunity,” a “hand up, not hand out city,” how he plans to “expand the base, not the rate” and how “he can, and will” bring the city through its Covid recovery. If the Mayor’s chair doesn’t become Jeff’s, we are certai...

Send us Fan Mail Join us for a great conversation with Jordan Singer, President of Henry Singer Fashion Group, as we explore the similarities between men’s fashion and executive search, building trust, curating the customer experience and why you should never look at the back of your head when the barber holds the mirror up. Jordan, a third-generation business owner, walks us through the challenge...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we spend some quality time with Jyoti Gondek. City Councillor. Entrepreneur. Mother. Leader. Businessperson. Wife. Citizen. Friend. Daughter. Problem solver. Expert in how cities work. Current Ward 3 Councillor and mayoral candidate, Jyoti is a driven city builder, entrepreneur and diversity champion. She shares her story with us. From Winnipeg to Wainwright, Greyh...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Ampersand: Unplugged we sit down, albeit virtually and with no end of technical difficulties, with four of Calgary’s legendary city builders. Jim Gray, George Brookman, Rod McKay and Brian Felesky discuss everything from white hats to green lines; from why Calgary made a mistake in not bidding for the 2026 Olympics and how one generation of city builders pas...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Ampersand: Unplugged, our co-hosts unpack dysfunction, the Popeye Syndrome, creating safe spaces, looking at your proclivities and living to 143 years of age. A fascinating and candid discussion about leadership and where it's headed, assessments and how they're to be used, and finding your blind spots with Pekarsky & Co. Director, Leadership D...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Ampersand: Unplugged, we sit down with Pekarsky & Co. Partner and longest-serving employee, Ranju Shergill. Affectionately known around the firm as "Mom," Ranju is often referred to as the operational conscience of the enterprise. She is also an immigrant and she leads the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion initiative at Pekarsky & Co. and f...

Send us Fan Mail We recently sat down with Adam Hayes, Managing Principal of Cresa, a commercial real estate advisory firm that exclusively advises, represents and advances the interests of commercial real estate occupiers – no landlords, no developers. Adam shared his views about downtown Calgary, the once-in-a-generation tenant's market and described entire office towers that currently sit...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Ampersand: Unplugged, our inaugural podcast, our two co-hosts, Kiara Marika and Adam Pekarsky, sit down to discuss the idea behind the podcast, the evolution of the firm that brought us to this point and set the stage for future episodes.  While this candid conversation between two colleagues and friends reveals some little known facts about Pekarsky & C...