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Canada and Georgia: Teaming Up For Tomorrow
Georgia has always enjoyed a steadfast partnership with Canada, its largest export buyer. But in the last few years, trade disputes followed by a pandemic have brought uncharacteristic uncertainty to the usually vibrant U.S.-Canada relationship.
The two sides have discovered a renewed sense of purposeful collaboration, especially as supply-chain challenges and geopolitical upheaval force a rethinking of globalization.
The return of the Southeast U.S.-Canadian Provinces Alliance’s annual conference to Savannah June 19-20 provides an ample occasion to reflect on the state of Georgia-Canada ties and uncover prospects for future investment and trade partnership.
Global Atlanta recently completed a preview trip to Quebec, the province that helped spearhead the alliance 15 years ago along with Georgia. The itinerary included interviews with cutting-edge companies in complementary industries such as health, aerospace, film, energy and electric mobility — all areas where a collaborative approach could make both sides stronger.
Join Managing Editor Trevor Williams and a panel of experts at the Cobb Chamber of Commerce June 7 at 5 p.m., as Global Atlanta recaps the trip, releases a special report and renews the conversation on Georgia-Canada ties in Atlanta, starting with a focus on Quebec.
Speakers:
- Keynote Address: James Hill, Consul General of Canada in Atlanta
- Opening Remarks: Dina Khismatulina, Atlanta Managing Attorney, The Manely Firm
Canadian Company Presentations:
- *Jean-François Marchand, Marketing Director, UgoWork
- *Julianna Egressy, VP of Supply Chain, Medicom Inc.
- *Patrick Gervais, VP Marketing and communications, LION Electric
Panel Discussion:
- Moderated by: Trevor Williams, Managing Editor, Global Atlanta
- Laura Dawson, Executive Director, Future Borders Coalition
-
David Weiner, Delegate, Quebec Delégation Atlanta
- *Benoit Montreuil, Coca-Cola Chair in Material Handling and Distribution; Director, Supply Chain & Logistics Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology
*Virtual speakers
Speakers Bios
James Hill
Consul General of Canada in Atlanta
Mr. Hill most recently served as Canada’s ambassador to Costa Rica; he enjoyed serving as the envoy to that Central American country as well as Honduras and Nicaragua. Earlier in his career, Mr. Hill was posted in Seattle as consul general. A young Mr. Hill studied history at the University of Saskatchewan and taught English in Japan, where the feeling of immersion was exhilarating; he joined the foreign service in 1989. After a first assignment in Tehran, Mr. Hill was sent to Rio de Janeiro, where he served as consul and trade commissioner for Canada in that part of Brazil. As he moved up the chain — aided by his Portuguese proficiency — Mr. Hill never shied away from a challenge, serving as high commissioner (equivalent to ambassador) in Mozambique, chargé d’Affaires in Kuwait and in Libya; deputy head of mission in Afghanistan, head of the Kosovo diplomatic observer mission, among other posts back at headquarters in Ottawa. Now, he brings that résumé to bear for Canada in Atlanta.
Dina Khismatulina
Atlanta Managing Attorney, The Manely Firm
A native of Siberia, Russia, Dina Khismatulina is an LLM graduate of Emory University School of Law. She earned her first law degree in 1999 from Tomsk State University, one of the top law schools in Russia. After graduation, Dina worked as an in-house counsel for an Internet mass media company in Siberia. From 1999 to 2002 she worked as in-house counsel for one of the subsidiaries of Gazprom JSC, the top natural gas producer in Russia and one of the largest companies in the world, where she focused on contract, corporate, and antitrust matters.
Dina is fluent in English and Russian, and she is a member of the American Society of International Law as well as its Women in International Law section.
Dina lives in Sandy Springs with her husband and children. She is an avid tennis player and a member of ALTA and USTA. Dina is admitted to practice law in Russia as well as here in Georgia where she has been admitted to Georgia State and Superior Courts, as well as the Georgia Court of Appeals.
Dina and the Lawrenceville team were proudly recognized by Gwinnett Magazine as 2021 and 2022’s Best of Gwinnett’s “Best Family Law Attorney.”
Dina is active in her professional community and has served as Co-President of the Gwinnett County Bar Family Law Section since 2019, where she actively helps lead and support Gwinnett Bar events. Dina is an active partner with Global Atlanta in service and support of Georgia’s consulate community She has been selected as a 2020-2022 Super Lawyer and highlighted nationally in Super Lawyer’s Magazine article “Catching the American Dream” that features her professionalism and international experiences. Also, with the recent relocation of The Manely Firm’s Atlanta office, Dina now acts as the Managing Attorney in Atlanta.
Trevor Williams
Managing Editor, Global Atlanta
A versatile digital journalist, Trevor Williams has spent more than a decade writing on international business and trade for Global Atlanta,
an online news service covering Atlanta’s intersection with the global economy.
He has undertaken journalism trips to 30+ countries on fve continents, uncovering stories that reveal both the perils and promise
of globalization by intentionally crossing cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic barriers. Trevor focuses intently on Asia and also has written extensively on foreign direct investment, trade policy and exports, Georgia’s ties with China, and Atlanta’s emergence as a payments hub, among many other topics. His deep knowledge of Atlanta’s business landscape coupled with his grasp of international affairs has made him a sought-after moderator for globally oriented events in the city.
Trevor graduated from the University of Georgia with dual bachelor’s degrees in Magazine Journalism and Religion, as well as a minor in
Chinese Language and Literature. He is a proud husband and father of two young sons, as well as the editor of “Making Men: Five Steps to Growing Up,” a book outlining fve steps that fathers can use to grow their sons into manhood. He recently edited Consular Conversations, a book compiling interviews with 25 diplomats over two years of live events he spearheaded and moderated at Global Atlanta. He recently took over as publisher of Grounded Global Media LLC, the publication’s parent company.
Trevor’s freelance work has appeared in AramcoWorld, China Daily, Site Selection magazine (online), Nuernberger Zeitung, Khabar, InSite
magazine, Breakaway magazine, Brio, Boundless.org, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, and China Business Review.
Laura Dawson
Executive Director, Future Borders Coalition
Laura has experience in advancing policy research and thought leadership at the nexus of digital transformation and public sector innovation. She has sixteen years’ experience providing advice to government officials on international policy issues and twenty years of project design, execution and management experience.
Her past experiences include: North America Lead, Amazon Web Services Institute; Director of the Canada Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; Founder, Dawson Strategic; Senior Economic Specialist, US Embassy in Canada; Professor of International Affairs and Public Policy
Laura is a former senior advisor on U.S.-Canada economic issues for the U.S. Department of State ($1.3 trillion in annual two-way trade and investment). Experienced interagency liaison on economic affairs with U.S. State Department, National Security Council, USTR, Treasury, Homeland Security, Foreign Agricultural Service and Customs and Border Protection.
Appointed Québec’s delegate in Atlanta in March 2021, David Weiner took office the following May. A career diplomat, Mr. Weiner served in Canada’s foreign service for 30 years, with postings in seven cities on three continents.
Mr. Weiner most recently served as Consul and Senior Trade Commissioner at the Consulate General of Canada in Atlanta, where he and his team were instrumental in bringing several major investments to Canada.
Mr. Weiner previously worked at the Consulate General of Canada in Dallas, where he won the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers award for outstanding commercial success for Canada. In Dallas, he was also recognized for his team’s outstanding performance, which ranked third in the world in terms of commercial success. While in Texas, Mr. Weiner also completed several major projects that led to new foreign investment in Canada.
Mr. Weiner also served in Detroit, where he was instrumental in reviving automotive trade between Canada and the United States after the economic recession. While there, he further stood out with his impressive results in attracting investments.
Mr. Weiner has also served at Canadian embassies in Washington, Brasilia, and Berlin, and helped open the Canadian Consulate in Philadelphia. He has extensive experience in international business development and trade policy. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Mr. Weiner held international sales and marketing positions in the pharmaceutical and vaccine industries.
David Weiner is a graduate of McGill University, where he earned a Bachelor of International Affairs and International Trade. He is married to Marilda Weiner and has two adult children.
*Benoit Montreuil
Coca-Cola Chair in Material Handling and Distribution; Director, Supply Chain & Logistics Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology
Benoit Montreuil is the Coca-Cola Material Handling & Distribution Chair and Professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech. He is also Director of the Physical Internet Center and Co-Director of the Supply Chain & Logistics Institute.
Dr. Montreuil is leading the International Physical Internet Initiative, engaging academic, industry and government leaders worldwide into research and innovation projects on smart, hyperconnected and sustainable logistics, supply chains, transportation, businesses and regions.
His main research interests generically lie in developing concepts, methodologies and technologies for creating, optimizing, transforming and enabling businesses, supply chains and value creation networks to thrive in a fast evolving hyperconnected world.
Jean-François Marchand
Marketing Director, UgoWork
Jean-Francois Marchand, P. Eng. is UgoWork’s Marketing director. He values contributing to the improvement of people’s lives and the world we live in by developing products that are close to his core values. As a seasoned member of the technology industry, Jean-François brings a unique perspective to the organization and through this pursuit of excellence, he relies on his engineering background and leadership qualities to bring material handling to new heights.
Prior to UgoWork, Jean-François worked internationally as an operations manager for Creaform (creaform3d.com), a provider of portable and automated 3D measurement technologies. Jean-François holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Sherbrooke university as a student athlete. He is also a member of l’Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec.
Julianna Egressy
VP of Supply Chain, Medicom Inc.
