About the Speaker

Feversham Ontario

What it Takes to be Competitive in Canada

Ryan L'Abbe, Vice President - Operations  & Human Resources , shares his thoughts and insights on the challenges that have faced Ice River Springs Water Company as it has grown over the last decade.  The unique challenges that the company has faced  leading up to and during the recession have propelled it to identify and capture new business opportunities.  By forging closer relationships with its customers, a focus on delivery to the customer, and an ongoing drive to produce at the lowest-cost, Ice River has responded to the challenges and has identified new manufacturing opportunities that it plans to sei ze.  Ryan will also share his beliefs on the challenges that face Canadian companies expanding into the US market and what factors made its expansion a success.

Featured Best Practice(s)
Managing growth, Managing environmental challenges, Building and managing remote teams, Operational excellence/lean principles, Operating in Canada and the US

About the Speaker:

Ryan L'Abbe, VP Operations and Human Resources, Ice River Springs
Joined Ice River Springs Water Company Inc. in 2007 as Plant Manager - Feversham Plant Promoted to Vice President - Human Resources in January 2008 Promoted to newly created role of Vice President - Operations & Human Resources in January 2010 and now has overall responsibility for Ice River's operations in North America. Prior to joining Ice River,  served in a variety of HR and Operations roles with Labatt Brewing Company and was the Brewery Manager of the Keith's Brewery in Halifax from 2004-2007. Ryan is an experienced manufacturing and human resources leader with expertise in key performance metrics, building effective teams and the design of effective and efficient operational systems.