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Consulting and Implementation Services Bios Patti Gera | Bobbe Poncelet | Shana Laird | Sarah Leslie Patti Gera | I have worked in leadership roles in for-profit and non-profit organizations since I was a teenager, beginning at the local truck stop in Fort Qu'Appelle where I became a supervisor at the age of 17. My parents were pillars of the community, working in the post office and the credit union, and volunteering their time for many organizations and community projects. My older brother taught me lots of things, many of them incredibly fun and barely legal, but the lesson that really stood out for me is that what's done is done. You can't unring a bell. Don't waste your energy regretting it, just get on with the job of learning from it and putting things on a better path. I came to Saskatoon in the early 80's to pursue a boy and an education. The boy dumped me, but I graduated with honours in business administration from Saskatoon Business College in 1985 and went on to land a job with a local credit union. Much to my Mom's disappointment, I quickly learned that banking wasn't for me. Rigid procedures made my eyes cross and my hair stand on end. Soon I moved on to find work that allowed me to exercise my creativity and resourcefulness. I have worked in hospitality where I learned to make every step and every action count and to do ten things at once; in retail management where I loved designing displays and helping people; in insurance where I pioneered new systems for better workflows and discovered a passion for analysis. I then discovered the non-profit world as Executive Director for the Saskatoon Home Builders' Association and then the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival. It was here, in these environments, where groups of passionate people would come together to create things of value, that I learned the power of visioning, value identification, the setting of objectives and policy. It was here, in these environments, that I learned that I am most productive and effective when I am applying best practices, vision and creativity to activities that make our communities better places to be. Over the years I have learned that my perspective is my perspective and nothing more. That curiosity, humility, stakeholder engagement and collaboration are the keys to great results. I enjoy breaking new ground, leveraging strengths, and building enjoyment and satisfaction. I love the stories and dreams behind our projects and our clients. I think of myself as an interpreter of those stories and dreams. If I were a musician I'd ply my talents in jazz and folk. Some day I want to tell stories on film. I love working with Saskatchewan's young people because they are fresh thinkers with a global perspective, because they care about others, because they are enterprising and hard working and because they believe. I enjoy work most when I am free to choose what I spend my time on and when I am inspired. That is why I started verve2 with Bobbe in 2005. And that is why I lead business development and planning and design - it allows me to stay ahead of the game and in the space where creativity and big picture thinking can thrive in my head and then flourish in reality in the hands of competent and passionate people. The most fun and rewarding thing I've ever done professionally is what I do with My Future is Here. We've accomplished a lot, but in many ways, I feel like its just begun. There are so many possibilities and the desired outcomes of this initiative are as close to my heart as you can get. Working with passionate Saskatchewan people of all ages with a common goal in mind is the most inspiring energy I've ever experienced. I have a fiancé and two happy, funny, smart and genuinely good teenagers. In my spare time I most enjoy being active in nature, good music, home improvement and landscaping, reading about wellness for people and organizations, and spending time with my family. I absolutely love and am passionate about Saskatchewan and yes, my future is here. Bobbe Poncelet | From my early days, I have worked in a variety of businesses or organizations where ‘wearing many hats’ was what we did…because it was the only way to get the job done! Because of this, I am as adept at answering the phone and doing payroll as I am at planning events and raising money! These experiences have provided me not only with the opportunity to learn, learn and learn some more, but also have given me the chance to experience many areas of business and to find the ones I really am passionate about. I am the youngest of eight children. This may have been the first place where I learned to wear many hats, now that I think about it! Daughter, sister, floor washer, cook and gardener – to name a few, and all before the age of 10. My family moved from the farm after my parents had the horrifying realization that not one of their offspring planned to pursue a life in farming. Like Patti, I graduated from Saskatoon Business College in 1985 (I kind of remember seeing that short girl there) and went on to hone my skills and knowledge in a business environment. My work experiences prior to starting verve2 have taken me through both for and not-for profit organizations. Some of the roles I’ve played are administrative assistant, fund development officer, executive assistant, special events coordinator, capital campaign coordinator and office manager. I feel I’ve been blessed to have worked in many small businesses or organizations doing big things and it is from these experiences that I draw much of my inspiration. People often tell me that I’m good at talking, good at listening and good at making people feel happy and that’s probably why I enjoy heading up the sponsorship marketing side of our business. Whether I’m talking to an organization about how they attract more sponsorship dollars and build their capacity through a professionally developed program, or to a prospective sponsor about how a purchase of a sponsorship marketing package with the right property can help them meet their business objectives, I am in my happy place – building relationships, communicating, being creative, problem solving and helping them meet their objectives so that they are happy too. The other thing I get to do in my job that brings fun and satisfaction is applying my creativity to event designs and planning. Events are so much fun – yes, a lot of work and endless detail, but when injected with our verve2 style, very satisfying experiences. Patti and I made a pact about the event planning part of our company when we started. We promised that we wouldn’t take on events simply because they showed up at our door, that they would need to be something that we could inject our magic into to create a surprising and memorable experience for all involved. Our values for event design and implementation services mean that we are not the company in town with the most events in our portfolio. What we aim for is to be the company in town who has the most memorable and satisfying events in our portfolio. Our clients will vouch for that. I have a wonderful man whom I share my life with and a beautiful teenage daughter who is just like me in so many ways! In my spare time I enjoy hanging out with my very large family of brothers, sisters, inlaws, nephews and nieces. I play guitar and am passionate about music. I love good food and good wine equally. Time spent outdoors is always a pleasure – whether camping, walking along the river or growing a garden. Shana Laird | Shana will be along shortly. Right now she's up to her eyeballs in MyFiH deadlines. Sarah Leslie | A communicator from birth, I am right at home at verve2 where I get to combine my love for communication, creativity, organization and professionalism on a daily basis. It’s a dream! I’m new to Saskatoon and I’m proud to call it home. My wanderlust has taken me around the world but some secret force brought me back to Saskatchewan and to a city that I didn’t know. At 17 I moved overseas to Denmark and spent a year drinking cappuccinos on the cobblestones and pretending to study. I graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree in International Political Science and a passion for civil society and global development. Like so many other Calgary grads, I was swept up into the oil & gas biz right after graduation, and spent a couple of years in the Middle East in an international public relations role for a large Iraqi oil project. Dubai was larger-than-life and taught me so many things that I’m even still realizing. I have a huge respect for culture and traditions and feel honoured to have been embraced by so many distinct cultures and given the opportunity to learn from them.
I love being around people, it is where I draw my personal
energy from. I put myself through university as a waitress and as a
receptionist before aspiring to a career in communications. I pride myself
on doing all of these jobs well, jobs where success is largely measured by
just how personable you are. One of the most important skills that my
adventures have taught me is that communication is all about relating to
the person you’re dealing with. From Foreign Ambassadors and the Iraqi
Ministry of Oil, to Alberta Millwrights and Saskatchewan Truck Drivers-
its all about making people feel comfortable within their own zone. You
learn how to be an excellent listener and adaptable to just about
anything. I’m not sure, but I think that its rare to love creating and design as much as details and organization. Maybe that’s why I get so excited about doing events and communications planning for our amazing clients. I am so excited to grow and evolve with the fabulous women of verve2, and now that I’m back in Sasky- to spend all my free time up at the lake!
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