Powerful connections to North America’s elite contractors

Brayden’s career began inauspiciously: he sold pest control door-to-door in Colorado during university to rid himself of a speech impediment. But within four years he had not only conquered his stutter, he had become the company’s youngest Sales Manager and trained over 100 other staff. Then, at 23, he co-founded a residential cleaning service company in Vancouver and in five years grew it to a staff of 30 in that city and on Vancouver Island.

Brayden’s experience building businesses from the ground up serves him well as Business Coach for Breakthrough Academy, as does his determination to help others achieve their dreams. Brayden is also inspired by his colleagues: having been a stand-out on many teams in the past, he is now among a host of all-stars – and motivated to constantly be better in his daily task of nurturing entrepreneurs.

Brayden, his wife Sonja, and their two sons IIija and Luka live in Port Coquitlam, B.C. and love seeking adventure close to home as well as abroad. Brayden is also a Jiu-Jitsu enthusiast and keeps himself limber at the gym and on the basketball court.

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After two years of growing her first business in Calgary as a College Pro franchisee, Ashley was tasked with expanding College Pro Window Cleaners franchises across Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. During that three–year stint, Ashley undertook certification programs for coaching, facilitation, conflict, communication, situational leadership, and priority management. This in turn enabled her to lead a community–based program aimed at making connections and building relationships in her new home of Vancouver, before joining Breakthrough Academy in 2017.

At BTA, Ashley uses her knowledge as a psychology/economics Honours graduate and her leadership, coaching, time management, and organizational skills to help entrepreneurs create the businesses and lives they have always dreamed of. As a Accelerator Coach Lead, she is passionate about developing strategic plans and the journey towards achieving them.

Outside of work, Ashley and her husband Jeremy’s lives are enriched by their two daughters, Rosie and Claire; together, they love discovering and experiencing all that B.C. has to offer. Ashley also practices yoga and enjoys spending quiet time leafing through the pages of a good book.

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After running a hugely successful painting business in Vancouver, B.C. with Student Works, Thomas went on to become District Manager where he coached, consulted, and mentored more than 30 franchise operators across the province. Taking a position in Management Consulting, Thomas was able to help provide entrepreneurs with the tools to scale businesses, while also completing an MBA in Business Administration.

As a Business Coach at Breakthrough Academy, Thomas is able to bring a strong balance of business acumen and practical entrepreneurship to help contracting leaders grow both personally and in business, and to affect positive change in the construction industry overall.

Outside of work, Thomas is a true West Coast boy: you are likely to find him competing in beach volleyball, taking “lethal” strikes on the soccer pitch (which he insists is open for debate), carving fresh lines on his skis, lake swimming, camping out under the stars, or soaking in new cultures in far flung places.

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When Ryan worked for FedEx and Enterprise, he specialized in creating dynamic systems and protocols that, along with his leadership skills, propelled large teams towards success. But Ryan was always driven to build something of his own, and with his experience in operations management, coaching, and recruitment he put those skills to the test with Good Life Juice, the first cold pressed juice company on Vancouver Island – and grew it to the point where he could comfortably step back and let others manage the business.

His well-rounded knowledge of the intricacies of entrepreneurship and a passion to help others makes Ryan an invaluable Breakthrough Academy business coach. Plus, his role enables him to get to know BTA members and their businesses on a personal level, ensuring they don’t learn every lesson the hard way – as he did.

During his off hours, Ryan loves travelling and staying close to home in equal measures. When he’s not getting lost in a Central American jungle or climbing through a box canyon in Arizona, he enjoys exploring the wilderness near his home base of Nanaimo, B.C., drinking coffee, and playing board games.

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Graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce, Mike started his career with a large organization working as a key account manager. He quickly established his core goals centred on providing a high-level of service and delivering a cohesive project environment. He enjoys collaborating with others, working as part of a team, and prides himself on creating great relationships with the people around him as he works hard to ensure efficiency and success. Over the past eight years, Mike gained a wealth of knowledge by building a thriving landscape construction and trucking company from the ground up. He worked with a wide variety of projects; from small residential to large commercial landscape jobs.

Mike came to Breakthrough Academy with the desire to help business owners find solutions to their challenges and achieve their goals. He loves getting involved in BTA causes, such as the referral trip in Mexico where he and other BTA members helped build two homes for underprivileged families.

Mike recharges his batteries by keeping active in and around his home of Nanaimo, B.C., hiking with his partner Julie, and enjoying anything related to motorsports.

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Ian’s fascination with bringing the academic and practical worlds together in his own life has resulted in a remarkable career. He obtained degrees in finance, international business, and the sciences during his seven-year stint at university, and then spent 20 years in the construction industry heavily involved in the general contracting, concrete, and landscaping sectors. As a College Pro franchisee, he also set every record for revenue, quality, profit, and tech productivity in the company’s near 50-year history.

As a Breakthrough Academy Business Coach & Lead Facilitator, Ian is motivated by his colleagues, the clients he serves, and the opportunity to change the contracting industry for the better. Having watched his father toil too many hours for not enough money, Ian is proud of the personal development and business improvements he facilitates.

In his spare time, Ian enjoys reading and writing, travelling, music, horses, boxing, snowboarding, photography, vehicles, and most sports – as well as world travel. He’s extremely committed to family and friends and keeps health his primary focus through fitness, faith, and continuous learning.

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Shane is the epitome of a good old fashioned success story, having worked his way from a boots-on-the-ground employee to becoming a shining example of a great and impactful leader. During his 16 years with Flight Centre he went from selling travel to eventually becoming an area leader overseeing 15 shops in Toronto with a staff of 130. In fact, the VPs in Australia were so impressed by his numbers and people skills that he was given a monumental task: to uproot his family for two years and move to Australia to an area that was seeing a $700,000 annual loss. In less than one year, he turned it around to become a $1 million net profit business; the fifth most improved area in the entire world. During his time at Flight Centre Shane became involved in everything from recruiting, onboarding and training to marketing and brand development.

Having worn so many hats and with his solution-driven mindset Shane is perfect for his role as business coach for BTA. He loves nothing more than helping people become the best version of themselves. Working together on unique solutions and then holding each other accountable in order to bring those ideas to life and ensure personal and business success is what gets him out of bed in the morning. For Shane, his passion lies in changing lives, for both the leaders and their employees.

Travel is obviously in Shane’s DNA, plus, he has worked in four countries (Canada, the U.S., Australia, and the U.K.) which gives him a unique global insight into the business world and different cultures. When he’s not hopping on a plane, you will find Shane at a Toronto Raptors game (he’s a season ticket holder), playing basketball in what he jokingly calls “the old mans’ league,” and spending time with his wife Janet and their two kids, Alexis and Reid, in their hometown of Toronto. When you chat with him, don’t forget to ask him about his huge sneaker collection!

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If you are looking for a complete understanding of the construction industry built on an unbelievably varied life of experience, you would be hard pressed to find someone more suited than Owen. Since beginning his career as a rodman on a survey crew, he has worked in a variety of construction-related businesses, including consulting engineering, utilities, construction and land development. He has held many roles ranging from draftsman to chief operating officer. That resume is absolutely incredible, and throughout all of that experience, the strands of leadership, team building and operational excellence have been continuously upheld. Because of his deep understanding and desire to help others become their best selves, Owen is the ideal mentor for the BTA Community as they embark on their entrepreneurial journey.

To put it simply, people are what drive Owen. Despite his introverted personality, he enjoys coaching, mentoring and guiding others in achieving success when they are unsure of how to get there. Everywhere he has been, he has been a mass driver for growth in order to reach as many people as possible. Taking one company from 200 to 2400 team members in the span of 10 years. Owen is thrilled to share his knowledge and experience in a way that helps our Members find their success and allows them to forge their own path forward. With a deeply held belief that everyone has the extraordinary inside them, he is ready to help everyone he connects with in our community to find it.

To match his amazing career accolades, Owen also has a truly amazing family, with his wife and two children, who are his true passion in life. He also loves getting out on the golf course, running a new trail or out to the water to fish. Owen has always enjoyed challenging himself. He became a triathlete, forcing himself to learn to swim. Later he became a coach, helping triathletes to find their best.

Sometimes, while challenging himself, he has taken the path less traveled. Maybe TOO less traveled. Since, on separate occasions, he has actually found himself face to face with moose, mountain lions, wolves and black bears and lived to tell the tale!

With extensive experience as a consultant, executive, and owner in the construction industry, Jennifer has a wealth of expertise in the entire journey of the trades entrepreneur. Over her career, she has owned and operated three companies. The most recent was a Design + Build construction company, which Jennifer founded from the ground up and operated for nine years, focused first on extensive renovations before branching out into new construction and spec homes. Her practical experience in transforming businesses from concepts to profitable ventures is a priceless gift to the BTA community, which she fervently supports. 

Jennifer's remarkable career would not have been possible without her unwavering drive and commitment. For her, the aim has always been clear, to help others succeed and realize their full potential. In her international journey, Jennifer has taken every opportunity to focus on raising up those around her and helping them to grow beyond what they thought possible. This service-oriented and giving approach is ideal for the BTA team and truly embodies our core value of "genuinely care about people."

As you might expect from a job that has taken her all around the world, Jennifer loves to travel, and she shares this passion with her three incredible children and three wonderful grandchildren. When she is at home, she also loves spending some time in nature, hiking or cycling, or exercising her continued love of service by volunteering in her community.

Jason Alcott brings over a decade of entrepreneurial and leadership experience to his role at Breakthrough Academy. As a seasoned operations professional, Jason has a proven track record of driving business growth and optimizing processes across various industries.

Most recently, in his General Management role at Weatherguard Gutters, Jason demonstrated his ability to transform businesses and achieve remarkable results. He and the amazing team he supported increased top-line revenue by 30% and net profit by 20% over a five-year period. His expertise in operational efficiency led to reducing lead times from 8 weeks to just 1 week, while also increasing average job size by over 50%.

Jason's diverse background includes experience in sales leadership, business development, and project management. At Miracle Ear-Canada, he successfully managed a network of 20 locations and led a team of 50 staff members. His strategic approach to business challenges is evident in his achievements, including the successful relocation and rebuilding of a call center team from Minneapolis to Vancouver. 

With a Bachelor of Business Administration from Trinity Western University and additional training in professional sales and public speaking, Jason combines academic knowledge with practical business acumen. He is passionate about empowering entrepreneurs and their teams to reach their full potential through effective systems and leadership development.

When he's not coaching great businesses, Jason enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife and three little girls exploring the great outdoors in beautiful BC. He’s also an avid reader and enjoys creating content to share what he is learning with others. 

Tell Lee he can’t do something, and he will show you he can! Case in point: 20 years ago, while living in Scotland, he was headhunted by Aramco Services Company to become site manager in Saudi Arabia, overseeing the development of health services throughout several compounds. His friends told him there was no way a Scottish lad could cope in a dry country…  60 days later, he was on the plane. Lee has global experience in helping companies navigate their way through rapid growth strategies. As regional corporate director at Steve Nash Sports Club in Vancouver, he was involved in the company’s mass expansion – growing from 1 club to 18 in five years. Lee also has extensive expertise in developing & implementing franchising strategies and new market programs, and a deep understanding of the tech realm. He co-authored the book ‘How To Sell In ANY Economy’ – a must-read for business leaders and owners who want to sell without selling out.

Prior to joining BTA, Lee ran FSQ Consulting alongside four business partners, working with companies of all sizes, in all sectors, to find their purpose and create processes that led to measurable profits and performance. Today we are lucky to have Lee as a Business Coach at BTA. His passion lies in helping business leaders attain their Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGS). Whether that dream is to spend 6 months a year on a beach, or have more time with the family, he is dedicated to get you there (and probably quicker than you ever expected).

Scotland-born Lee now lives on Vancouver Island – the perfect place for him to explore his passions of surfing and mountain biking. As a dedicated family man he understands the importance of switching off from this fast-paced tech world and heading back into nature to recharge, often camping out with his wife Marlene and their three kids, Colin, Jack, and Olivia. Lee is a firm believer in the value of doing something that scares you for personal growth; he once decided to train to become a boxer – this was grueling both physically and mentally. Two rounds in the ring and he said never again. It just goes to show he’s not afraid to give anything a go.

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Craig hails from modest roots and is a self-confessed former workaholic who has finally discovered the joys of work-life balance. He started work at a very young age and went on to juggle three jobs to put himself through school before joining the automotive sector (he studied Business Admin, Accounting at Sheridan College and Business Operations Management at DeVry University). At the age of 26 Craig was running an automotive plant and overseeing 300 people. Throughout his 20+ year career, Craig has taken a number of businesses on explosive growth journeys: one being a structural steel firm that went from $15 million to $100 million in sales. While at the company he managed to penetrate an untapped market in Canada with interlock bricks mold repair and in 2.5 years increased sales of the company from 0 to $4 million through the careful implementation of management systems and processes. In his first year of running his own company (ACS All Canadian Sorting & All Canadian Safety – one of six he was running at the time), he brought in $7.5 million in sales.

Mentoring business leaders to success is a true passion for Craig. As a Business Coach he has a deep understanding of what it takes to grow a business, from training to new product launches and beyond, and has seen success after success. Craig will humbly admit that he fell into the entrepreneurial trap of work, work, work, but finally saw the light. His experience really is second to none. It allows him to see things differently. He loves nothing more than taking those hard-knock business lessons as well as his successes and helping other entrepreneurs live the life they dream of.

Ontario born and bred, is an outdoor enthusiast. Craig passed his love of the outdoors down to both his daughters, Jessica and Christina. After hanging up his dirt biking boots, he took to ATVing and racks up 1000s of miles a year. When he’s not braaaping it up, you will find him enjoying the outdoors, or even fishing up in Northern Ontario year-round. He’s also a city boy at heart. He and his girlfriend love socializing, going to shows and the theatre, watching his friends DJ at the local clubs, and going to restaurants. Don’t tell him we told you this, but he’s a bit of a chef himself, too. If you’re lucky, he may just invite you round for his signature prime rib special!

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