Chapter Membership
Chapter President Marilyn Loewen
Chapter Membership 188
Chapter President Terri Smolar
Chapter Membership 150
Chapter President Michele Pankratz
Chapter Membership
Chapter President Maureen Simons, ABC
Chapter Membership 280
Chapter President Jody Smiling / Gail Pickard, ABC
Chapter Membership 299
Chapter President Gail Pickard, ABC
Chapter Membership
Chapter President Gary Carr
Chapter Membership
Chapter President Jennifer Wah, ABC, MC, IABC Fellow
Chapter Membership 300+
Chapter President Paul Mlodzik, ABC, MC
Chapter Membership 300+
Chapter President Erin Driscoll, ABC
Vancouver was in the spotlight in the 1990s as the IABC World Conference came to the city for the first time in 1990. Membership continued to grow as more events were held and more connections were made.
Jean Cormier APR, of Cormier Communications, was given the honour of being named IABC Fellow. Becoming a Fellow denotes a body of achievement by a communicator who has had a significant impact not only on their organization and IABC, but also on the communication profession at large. Jean is pictured at a CPRS event in 2008 when he was made a CPRS Life Member.
Karen Lee, ABC, MC, was given the honour by the national body in 1994, having been a member since 1987. She is a communications and public affairs consultant, specializing in strategic communications for the not-for- profit and public sectors. As leader of communications, she was a member of the executive team for Providence Health Care from 1998-2002. Prior to that, Karen was owner and principal consultant of The KJ Lee Group, a public relations and graphic design agency that was ranked the 10th largest agency in Vancouver when it closed and through which many local chapter members got their start in the profession.
IABC/BC Jobline launched and a total of 10 jobs were posted during the chapter year.
Peter Roaf was chair of the local host committee which he dubbed the “Dream Team”. He said: "The team delivered a highly rated program for conference visitors to an excellent professional standard, including the night out at Science World, Dine Around and tours of the city. At the end of May, it rained much of the time. As soon as everyone went home, the sun came out and essentially stayed out through early Fall. Barbara Puffer and Tom Puffer, both from Connecticut, were married during the conference."
Peter Roaf didn't know it then, but 1990 would change his life - that was the year he met his wife - then Elise Stoesser - through IABC. He says: "A Carleton University Journalism School student colleague, then IABC Regina member, introduced me to her chapter colleague, Elise Stoesser, at the 1990 IABC world conference in Vancouver. Then we crossed paths at Canadian and International conferences of IABC and at Canada District One (now Western Canada) and International Executive Board meetings, on which I served four years. Elise was on the Executive Board with a portfolio position and I, for two of the four years, as Canada District One Director, then she succeeded me as District Director. I attended the 1996 IABC Canada Conference in Regina. Elise co-chaired that conference. Then the following year she moved to the Vancouver area. And the rest is history." The couple are pictured here in 2001 at Peter's son's wedding.
John Almond was first involved with IABC/BC this year. He said: "In 1990, I moved to Vancouver and I became a partner in Vision Communications, which specializes in digital communications and data services for homes and businesses. One day, as I was chatting to my neighbour, I was generously offered a ticket to a breakfast event for communications professionals that was organized by IABC/BC. I went to the event knowing absolutely nothing about the Association or the BC chapter. Little did I know that this one event would have a transformative impact on my future both professionally and personally." John's first event as a sponsor was working with Gail Pickard, ABC, on the Communicator of the Year Award. John has been a member since the 1990s and was President in 2010/11.
Peter Roaf (left) on Grouse Mountain touring Vancouver with Sue Hamilton and IABC Chair Al Wann, both of Washington, DC, at the1990 IABC World Conference in Vancouver.
Gail Pickard said her first conference as an IABC/BC member opened her eyes: "I just remember my mind being completely blown. And coming back to work, I was like, 'OK, we have to get rid of this substandard newsletter'. I was just kind of on steroids about all the things we had to fix. I had found my profession at that conference. Before it was a job, but at the conference I found my profession."
During the early 1990s people communicated with the contacts they met at World Conferences through Post-it notes on a conference notice board. Many social and business meetings were set up this way.
Peter Hammond took over responsibility for the Ragged Right newsletter.
The Communicator of the Year Award went to Ray Smith, President and CEO, MacMillan Bloedel
Gary Carr on what meeting Terri Smolar through IABC/BC meant for him: "Terri Smolar was one of those people. She spoke at the first ever recruiting event I went to and I remember just graduating from SFU Communications and listening to her and staring up at her like she was this big light. I was like 'I don't know what you're saying, but I want to follow you like this big light'." Terri would eventually go on to offer Gary his first communications role.
Chapter awards were a way for members to celebrate each other's successes. Prior to the awards being rebranded as the Blue Wave Awards and then the Wave Awards, each year had its own theme and visual identity.
Erika Wah joined the chapter as a student member in 1993. "I am so grateful for all my leadership development at IABC/BC - both formally at Dare to Lead and the Leadership Institutes and informally at every meeting/event/afterparty/sunset with fellow IABC/BCers! I'm grateful for that amazing herd around me - we roamed together for many years and while I relocated to California many years ago now, IABC/BC is still home."
Jean Cormier APR, of Cormier Communications, was given the honour of being named IABC Fellow. Becoming a Fellow denotes a body of achievement by a communicator who has had a significant impact not only on their organization and IABC, but also on the communication profession at large. Jean is pictured at a CPRS event in 2008 when he was made a CPRS Life Member.
Karen Lee, ABC, MC, was given the honour by the national body in 1994, having been a member since 1987. She is a communications and public affairs consultant, specializing in strategic communications for the not-for- profit and public sectors. As leader of communications, she was a member of the executive team for Providence Health Care from 1998-2002. Prior to that, Karen was owner and principal consultant of The KJ Lee Group, a public relations and graphic design agency that was ranked the 10th largest agency in Vancouver when it closed and through which many local chapter members got their start in the profession.
IABC International Chair Marcia Vaughan visited the BC chapter.
IABC/BC Jobline launched and a total of 10 jobs were posted during the chapter year.
The Technology portfolio was created in the chapter to help members respond to the rapid adoption of newer technology such as email.
The Ragged Right newsletter was redesigned in the fall, as was the Member Directory, which shifted to a binder format.
Gail Pickard, ABC, was Past President for the 1995/1996 year. "In the prior year we had done a re-branding exercise as the chapter logo at that time was a simple text version of the IABC International logo. The resulting design was a blue “swoosh” which some people – much to the designer’s chagrin – thought looked like a wave!" The chapter decided to name them the "Blue Wave" awards.
New student scholarships formed and Gail Pickard, ABC, was able to secure sponsorship from his employer at the time, Richmond Savings (later to become Coast Capital Savings).
In 1996, the IABC/BC Board of Directors identified a need to pass on the valuable experience of each year's chapter board; both to help avoid 're-inventing the wheel' and to ensure that the operation of the chapter is consistent from year to year. The IABC BC Policy and Procedures Manual was created to capture the formal policies and day-to-day operating procedures of the BC Chapter of IABC.
DeNel Sedo, IABC/BC member and co-coordinator of the communication co-op education program at Simon Fraser University, was accepted to SFU into the PhD program in Communications. Shown here with Jennifer Wah (left) and Eduarda Hodgins.
IABC International launched a pilot, electronic version of its print magazine Communication World.
Canadian Corporate News sponsored the faxing of the mini newsletter Now You Know, a supplement to the Ragged Right newsletter. Parallel Strategies stepped in as sponsor.
“Club Tech” was formed as a new Strategic Interest Group (SIG) headed by Nancy Grenier, co-director of the chapter’s technology committee with Erika Wah. The group’s aim was to network and discuss issues related to communications and technology.
The Editors’ Club lived on, despite the departure of member Ron Shewchuk, ABC, MC, from Westcoast Energy and BC. Ron and his wife relocated to Calgary for Ron’s new job at Suncor. Jeff Howard took over leadership of this popular club which Ruth Raymond,ABC helped to form.
Chapter members have historically performed very well at national (Silver Leaf) and International (Gold Quill) awards. Jennifer Wah, ABC, MC, IABC Fellow, recalls her first international win: "I think I was doing some work at Vancouver General Hospital. I was on site there and there was a professional development session at lunchtime. I came in, and I might as well have won an Oscar, I was so excited. I saw my peeps and I was like 'I've won!' It really meant a lot."
The sudden death of Richmond Savings' CEO Kirk Lawrie accelerated the need for professional development on creating a crisis communication plan.
A new IABC International Code of Ethics was completed by Canada District 1 member Moses Kanhai and introduced at the Canada Conference and the Dare To Lead workshop that same year.
IABC/BC became a member of the Vancouver Board of Trade.
Rick Hansen, known as the Man in Motion, was presented with the Communicator of the Year Award for his work raising awareness for people with disabilities. Chapter president Gary Carr said at the event, held at the top of Grouse Mountain, “No individual’s determination or accomplishments better represent the theme of this year’s Blue Wave Awards – View from the Top.”
Three bylaw changes were made this year at the Annual General Meeting. Two were simple correction to typos, but the third was to enshrine the succession of the Executive Vice President into the President Elect role.
The Accreditation Challenge launched with a goal of increasing the number of chapter members with their ABC to 10% of members by the year 2000 (from 5%). Gail Pickard, ABC and Jennifer Wah, ABC achieved their ABC designations this year.
Ragged Right, the chapter newsletter, went online, but was still being printed and mailed directly to members.
The “President’s Award” was proposed by Jennifer Wah, ABC, MC, IABC Fellow to recognize the outstanding volunteer achievements of an individual chapter member. The award was presented to the first recipient, Barb Winegar, at the Blue Wave Awards in June.
Planning had already started for the impacts of Y2K and a Strategic Interest Group (SIG) was created for Year 2000 Communicators.
Fred Dawkins, ABC, was chair of the Editors’ club, and meetings averaged approximately 10 people throughout the chapter year. Ruth Raymond was a long-time volunteer involved with the Ragged Right newsletter, and the two became a couple.
IABC/BC received the international Chapter Management Award of Excellence for Professional Development in 1999.
Peter Roaf (pictured with Elise Roaf, who was given the MC honour the previous year) held senior management positions in communication for the regional healthcare system and later had his own consulting business. He now serves the Rotary Club of Ladner as a past president and public relations chair and the local Delta Foundation as board director. He also serves Rotary as Public Relations Chair for the 49 clubs from Greater Vancouver up the coast to Kitimat.
Elise Roaf, ABC, MC was appointed the local chair for the 2000 IABC International Conference.
An IABC International dues increase was a hot topic of debate, following 10 years with no increase, leading up to the International Board meeting in February 1999. The $25 annual dues increase was subsequently approved.
The chapter launched its Virtual Portfolio, a dedicated space on the IABC/BC website for communication professionals to showcase their work and market their services.
Web sites were added as a new category to the national IABC Silver Leaf Awards.
Rainbow Press took over printing of Ragged Right and Wood Overnight Distributors took care of delivery.
Entertainer at the gala dinner “divining” the thoughts of Peter Roaf, who chaired the local conference host committee.
IABC/BC offered an eight-session mini-conference for $75. Speakers included Adrian Harper, ABC and Bob Spence from CBC Radio.
The annual chapter awards program was called the Awards of Excellence.
The chapter year kickoff event was held at the Diane Farris Art Gallery and was attended by about 70 people. Chapter President Marilyn Loewen said, “It’s refreshing to see so many new and prospective members in the crowd.”
After Hours information sharing and networking events were held in May at CKVU (former TV stations) and in June at the Delta River Inn.
The IABC Foundation and TPF&C (a Towers Perrin company) co-sponsored a telephone survey of all Canadian IABC members.
The District of North Vancouver celebrated its 100th birthday in 1991
Burnaby was incorporated as a city. It had previously been a municipality.
Vancouver experienced water shortages in the summer of 1992. The average household water demand can more than double during the summer, with a great deal of the total water used for lawn sprinkling.
Chief Joe Mathias of the Squamish Nation signed on behalf of the First Nations of BC at the BC Treaty Commission signing. The agreement between the federal and provincial governments, and BC’s First Nations established a process to negotiate modern-day treaties.
The year-end volunteer event was called Salsa and Sun by the Sea and was a three-hour harbour cruise.
Karen Lee, ABC, MC, (shown here at a later chapter event with Jennifer Wah and Ryan Williams) led the team that planned and hosted a highly successful Canada Conference.
The BC Lions defeated Baltimore 26 to 23 to win the Grey Cup before hometown fans in Vancouver. It was the Lions’ first Grey Cup victory in nine years and the third in their 40-year history.
The Income Tax Regulations were revised to require all associations/societies to submit income tax forms
Ninety local teams competed in the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival in False Creek, together with many other Canadian and international teams.
The Vancouver Canucks face off against the New York Rangers in game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately the team loses 2-3, causing riots in downtown Vancouver with up to 70,000 people and 540 police officers, resulting in $1.1 million worth of property damage and 200 injuries.
In an effort to promote membership, chapter President Gail Pickard, ABC, and Student Services Director Alison Osborne visited Kwantlen College’s Business Publications class, and Gail also spoke to Langara College’s journalism students.
For the second year in a row, the chapter hosted a volunteer recognition event with 'A Summer Evening Cruise'.
General Motors Place, now Rogers Arena, opens as the new home for the Vancouver Canucks and the Vancouver Grizzlies.
General Motors Place, now Rogers Arena, opens as the new home for the Vancouver Canucks and the Vancouver Grizzlies.
The theme for this year's IABC International Conference was 'Influence the Future'. The keynote speaker was Deborah Tannen, PHD, author of “Talking from 9 to 5: Women and Men in the Workplace: Language, Sex and Power”.
The first “Blue Wave Awards” event re-branded the chapter awards program to align with the new IABC/BC visual identity designed by Parallel Strategies, which included the tagline Communicators in Motion.
The chapter hosted a session with Mike Heron, chairman of IABC International, and Val Mellesmoen, Canada District 1 Director, to share information about how IABC can be a more valuable resource for those in the profession.
Eduarda Hodgins, ABC, spoke at the Ragan Conference on “The Electronic Newsletter: Secrets to Success”. At NORSAT International at the time, Eduarda was asked to speak about the e-newsletter Connections she started while at the Vancouver Stock Exchange.
George Madden, Partner at Pinton, Forrest & Madden, an executive search firm, spoke at a meeting of “The Senators” – an informal gathering of IABC/BC chapter past presidents.
Twenty members stepped up and volunteered to be mentors for students. The program was coordinated by Alison Osborne and Suzanne Biehl.
The first International Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew World Championships are held in Vancouver.
A panel session on Crisis Communications was held, featuring Trace Acres (BC Transit), Pat Evans (BC Children’s and Women’s Hospitals), and Gary Ley (National PR).
The Holiday Social became an annual event that was one of the best attended during each chapter year.
To help with the issue of too many IABC events in June, and poor historical turnout at the AGM, Jennifer Wah, ABC, MC, IABC Fellow, and Gail Pickard, ABC, proposed to the chapter to combine the AGM and volunteer recognition events into one.
The Editors’ Club toured the Vancouver Public Library and Kathi Hagan wrote a front page feature in Ragged Right about what the participants learned about VPL’s information sources, in spite of “the advent of new technologies such as the Internet”.
The chapter hosted some very high profile, international speakers including Shel Holtz, ABC, on Writing for the Wired World, Les Potter, ABC, on Strategic Planning for Communication Leadership and Angela Sinickas, ABC, on Measuring Leading Edge Communication.
IABC Canada Conference was held in Edmonton, Alberta. IABC/BC members captured 11 Silver Leaf Awards in the national IABC awards program, which were presented at the conference.
The Communicator of the Year in 1999 was Tom Stephens, President and CEO of MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. Mr. Stephen’s commitment to open and ongoing communication with employees, stakeholders and the media earned him this honour. The award was presented at the Blue Wave Awards gala. Jennifer Wah, ABC, MC, IABC Fellow received the President’s Award as Volunteer of the Year at the same event..
The 1998 Communicator of the Year, Dr. Martha Piper, spoke to the chapter about her recent success as President of the University of British Columbia (UBC).
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IABC chapter photos Peter Roaf with A. Kishi, G. McGrath, J. Finney.
Chapter President Maureen Simons (right) with Fred Morley and another member.
The annual Holiday Social is a great tradition. Shown here with "Santa" are Peter Roaf (left) and John Almond.
Volunteers were treated to a boat cruise as recognition of their efforts over the year.
Gary Carr held a "meet the board" event to kick off his year as chapter president.
There is always good networking and fun to be had when Gary Carr is at your table.
Chapter President Paul Mlodzik shared a mid-year progress report on chapter activities in the December Ragged Right newsletter, with holiday-themed images and reports from each board member.
Volunteer event
From right to left, Fred Morley, Adrian Harper, and Harold Simons