Management

Jordan Hokanson

President & CEO

Jordan is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hokanson Capital – an Edmonton-based, multi-faceted capital investment company with a keen eye for recognizing opportunity, both locally and abroad. His integrity and relationship-focused strategy comes from understanding the importance of sharing information, and the ability to identify win-win opportunities. That understanding and ability has helped Hokanson Capital, along with its stakeholders and partners, succeed.

Jordan is an active Edmonton community member through his board service and other involvements, and has also served as a director on a number of community boards throughout Alberta. Jordan is also an active member of YPO, the premier leadership organization of chief executives. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (1998) from the University of Western Ontario, a Petroleum Engineering Technology Diploma (2000) from NAIT, and an MBA (2006) from the University of Alberta.

Brad Gechel

Chief Financial Officer

Brad is an operationally- and strategically-focused financial executive with experience in high growth mid-market supply and service entities, including oilfield services, construction, and automotive collision repair. His expansive skill set includes strategy, M&A acquisition and divestiture, governance models, corporate financing, treasury and risk management, and financial process development.

When not in the office, Brad enjoys time with his family at their cabin, and any and all sports – whether it’s playing hockey or golf, or watching his two children in their sporting activities. Brad has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Manitoba and his CPA, CA designations.

Shiva Dean

Vice President – Private Equity

Shiva is an accomplished business leader with a strong background in international business. He has lived and worked in Singapore, Dubai and Oman, where he led regional teams for a global Fortune 100 company. Shiva has a wide range of experience across a number of industry sectors, including supply chain logistics, energy (nuclear, oil and gas, renewables, carbon capture and sequestration, entertainment, and hospitality. He is experienced in overseeing businesses that range from new start-ups to those generating over $240 million per year in revenue.

Shiva has a combined honours degree from Western University and has attended executive training programs from both the Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Massachusetts and the Columbia Business School in New York City. He holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and currently serves as President of the board for the Friends of the Northern Alberta International Children’s Festival, as a board director with Habitat for Humanity Edmonton and holds a federally appointed position on the Board of the Nanaimo Port Authority.

Our Governance

We are a family-owned business who respects, values, and listens to the input, governance and direction from our board of directors. Our board is comprised of experts in the key industries where we invest, along with family members who share our vision and values for Hokanson Capital. We run Hokanson Capital according to the same exacting standards as a public company, and expect our partners to do the same.

Board of Directors

Michael Ross

Chairman of the Board

Michael is currently Director and co-founder of a family-held business advisory firm. In 2012 he retired as CEO of Conroy Ross Partners. Prior to that he was a Partner at Ernst & Young, initially responsible for the management of the Edmonton consulting practice. Michael’s area of responsibility grew to overseeing the Alberta market and ultimately he became National Managing Partner for Entrepreneurial and Middle Market Consulting in Canada.

Throughout his career, Michael has worked with, and advised, private equity firms, boards of directors, and senior executives in the areas of visioning, culture assessment, business strategy, organizational and business design, merger and acquisition integration, succession planning, and executive recruitment. Michael is a lifelong learner whose designations include FCPA, FCMA, CMC, CPHR, ICD.D, and NACD. He chairs the boards of HCI Filtration Inc., and Energera Inc. He also serves on boards for FYI Doctors, Norseman Group Ltd. (Lead Director), and Fountain Tire Ltd. Michael is an Honorary Member of the Alberta Association of Architects (MAAA) and is a recipient of the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Award.

Art Froehlich

Art is currently a strategic advisor with AdFarm, one of North America’s largest agriculture and food marketing and communications companies. Over the past 30 years he has held senior positions with Hoechst Canada Inc., Alberta Wheat Pool, and Westcan Malting. Art currently sits on a number of corporate boards including Richardson International Ltd., Rite Way Mfg. Co. Ltd, RR46, Radicle, and FBSciences.

Larry Ruud

Larry has been actively involved in farming and ranching for over 25 years, holding positions in ownership, management, and operations. He is co-founder of Raised Right Pets, a pet food and treat business based in the U.S. Larry is a past director of Viterra, and a former partner at Meyers Norris Penny where he led their agriculture management consulting team.

Catherine M. Roozen

After graduating from the University of Alberta in 1977 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, Catherine worked with the North West Trust Company until 1981 in the area of Branch Operations and as Vice-President, Investments. In 1981, she joined Cathton Investments Ltd., a private investment company with interests in banking, broadcasting, ranching, and real estate development. Currently, Catherine is a Director and Secretary of the Allard Foundation Ltd., Chair and Director of Cathton Investments Ltd., and serves on the boards of Melcor Developments Ltd. and EPCOR.

Rod Graham

Rod is a Senior Corporate Executive with extensive experience in finance and investment, modular construction, manufacturing, automotive, and resource services. As Chief Executive Officer and President of First Industries Corporation and First Truck Centre, he is responsible for executing the strategic direction and ongoing operations of both companies. As the former CEO of Horizon North, Rod was instrumental in the company becoming part of the solution to improving accessibility and inclusiveness in the construction sector.

As a committed community member, Rod has served on a number of public, private and not-for-profit boards, including the Business Council of Canada, the Dean’s Advisory Council at Thompson Rivers University, the Young Presidents Organization, and the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation. Rod holds an MBA from the University of Western Ontario, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation from the CFA Institute, and an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfred Laurier University. He is also a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) program.

Kevin Uebelein

Kevin is a career institutional investor and senior corporate executive. His experience includes managing investments in public and private equities and fixed income, real estate, infrastructure, and alternative asset classes. Most recently Kevin served as Chief Executive Officer at the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), which manages over $180 billion of provincial pension and other assets across all asset classes. Prior to AIMCo, Kevin was CEO of the global institutional asset management subsidiary of Fidelity Investments, based in Boston Massachusetts.

Kevin is an active community member and volunteer. He is the founder and Chair of the AIMCo Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting financial literacy. He also serves as Chair of the Business Advisory Council to the University of Alberta School of Business. Previously he served on the Premier’s Economic Recovery Council and has served on several investment industry boards. Kevin is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He also holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.