Meet Our Instructors
Phil Roth
Capital Consulting and Training
Phil is a certified Microsoft Office specialist, with credentials in Excel, Word & PowerPoint. He is privileged to be a part time instructor at Conestoga College. Phil is one of those guys who considers Microsoft Excel to be exciting stuff, and has a passion for communicating this contagious excitement through training & education.
Gladys Bowman
Quickbooks Instructor
Gladys has worked in accounting and finance for the last 10+ years for small to mid-size companies. She has recently graduated from Laurentian University with her Bachelor of Commerce degree and has a CPA designation. She is overseeing all the financial aspects of Horizon Quest which include invoicing, payroll, payables, and receivables.
Christy Martin
WHMIS & Safe Food Handling
Through her previous employment with Canada Post, Federal Government and a variety of volunteer positions, Christy has developed exceptional strength in people management, coaching and training. She has successfully led and developed employees to reach optimal productivity while reaching performance expectations. Christy has spent many years volunteering in the communities where she has lived, working with youth and adults. Christy is committed to lifelong learning and professional development. Christy spends many hours hiking the trails around Elora and Fergus with her Husky and camera.
Marcus Krueger
Safety Training Specialist
Providing safety training for Elevating work platforms, Tele-handlers/Lift trucks, WHMIS, Asbestos awareness, Fall Protection and other mechanical equipment for 20+ years.
Luke Kuepfer
Leadership Developer and Life Coach
Luke Kuepfer is a founder and former Field Director of Global Tribes Outreach (GTO), a non-profit organization in Southeast Asia. He taught school for three years in Western Canada before serving with GTO for ten years. His extensive experience in missions mobilization, leadership training, and team development has taken him to four continents over the last 20 years.
Luke has a Masters in Christian leadership from Asbury Theological Seminary and is the President of the Reverb Network—a non-profit dedicated to developing leaders around the world.He speaks, trains, and coaches in both business and non-profit spheres. Luke is flexible and easily adaptable to change, committed to personal growth and a lifetime of learning. He is dedicated to motivating everyone toward missional thinking and practice in all areas of life. Luke firmly believes that having our thinking challenged is not enough; it must be translated into change. He is married to Amy and has three children—Brittany, Courtney, and Jamin. Having climbed 20 of Colorado’s 14-ers; Luke’s family hopes to summit all 53 before his energy runs out.
Tina Heathers
Specializes in Human Development
Tina specializes in human development and has been involved with ministry for many years. Her background also includes a Masters Degree in Business and several years in corporate management, training, and entrepreneurship.
Shirley Bauman
Spanish Trainer
Returning to Canada after years of living in Mexico where I taught literacy to indigenous people I pursued getting my Adult Literacy Educator certificate. I have been teaching Adult Literacy in an ESL environment for 5 years and am the coordinator for an ESL school. I love the Spanish language and Latin America and find great pleasure in helping others learn to enjoy them too.
Taylor Schmidt
Certified Congenital Deaf-Blind Specialist
Tayler is a Certified Congenital Deaf-Blind Specialist (CCDBS-2). She is a graduate of the Intervenor for Deaf-blind Persons and also the American Sign Language and Deaf Studies Programs at George Brown College. Tayler has 10 years of experience with sign language – both American Sign Language and Signed Exact English – and is currently working as a full-time Intervenor. Tayler is looking forward to sharing her knowledge of sign language with the Horizon Quest community.
Murray G. Smith
Principal – The Achievement Centre
Murray Smith is a Principal with The Achievement Centre (TAC), a firm which focuses on bringing out the most in an organization and helping clients to bridge the gap between knowing what to do and doing it. Murray is pleased to participate with Horizon Quest in providing TAC’s proven sales development training, Pure-Selling™.
Murray’s knowledge of business, sales and leadership has been earned through a career that started as a small business entrepreneur wearing “all the hats” and then transitioned into a professional sales and leadership career in the insurance industry where his passion for training and leadership development was recognized in his appointment as Senior Manager responsible for sales and leadership training.
Since 2008, Murray has been a part-time faculty member at Kitchener, Ontario’s Conestoga College, School of Business. He currently teaches Leadership, Communications and Business courses to our future business leaders and entrepreneurs. Murray joined the Achievement Centre in 2011and together with the TAC team helps individuals and businesses “bridge the gap between knowing what to do and doing it.”
Doug Daymond
Managing Director at According 2 Plans+
Doug comes to the Horizon Quest seminar team having 30+ years as a seasoned executive with extensive corporate and entrepreneurial experience in CPG’s, pet, consumer electronics, natural health & wellness, golf, B2B and entrepreneur / small business consulting industries.
He has vast expertise in leading teams and building businesses, in both large corporations and smaller more entrepreneurial environments. A serial entrepreneur at heart, Doug has founded and developed many companies including a recent venture that he brought to the forefront of the global natural health and wellness industry.
Doug is the Founder, Managing Director of According 2 Plans+ (A2P+) based out of Kitchener, Ontario where he continues to inspire, empower and educate small businesses wanting business improvement and growth solutions as well as aspiring entrepreneurs who want to take their new venture concept to market. His complementary marketing savvy, practical experience, innovative business solutions and diverse relationship network gives him the unique ability to advise his clients on how to build sustainable, exciting new ventures both domestically and internationally. Visit www.according2plans.ca
Harold DeVries
Program Lead – Small Business Advisor
I exist to serve by helping others build foundations under their “castles in the air.” Since 1999 I have had the honour of assisting others with the development of their business ventures Through one-on-one consultations, coaching and experiential learning techniques, I have been instrumental in the development and launch of more than 200 businesses. As Program Lead/Small Business Advisor with the Guelph-Wellington Business Enterprise Centre I consult with individuals with dreams and aspirations of running their own business.
Some years ago I was dubbed “Metaphor Man” by a group of young entrepreneurs with whom I was working. This moniker was given me in response to a teaching technique I used to help them understand new concepts by relating them to everyday things. I continue to use this technique with great success.
Shanan Cunnington
French Instructor
Shanan Cunnington grew up with a Francophone grandmother and followed her passion for languages through to university. Currently, she is an instructional designer and facilitator with a focus on teaching French, team building events, and empowerment workshops.
Benjamin Goodwin
Success Guide, Speaker & Student
Contributing author to the Amazon Best Seller Desire, Discipline, and Determination – Lessons from Bold Thought Leaders, Benjamin Goodwin is President of Goodwin Consulting Group, LLC, based out of Lake Stevens, Washington, and is the Managing Attorney at Goodwin Legal and Business Solutions, PLLC. As a consultant Benjamin specializes in Organizational Change Management and Business Development – helping businesses manage changes in process, production, technology, and employee matters . In practical fashion, his law firm works its estate planning business into business development consulting to help small to medium business owners prepare, secure, and cement their legacy for future generations.
Benjamin began his career as a Change Management Practitioner and Trainer, at a fortune 100 company based in Issaquah, Washington. Working first in the warehouse and then at Corporate Headquarters, Benjamin help develop the OCM department and then stayed as a trainer/practitioner for the various projects until 2016 when he left to attend law school. Benjamin graduated law school in 2019, became licensed as an attorney in Washington state in 2020 and started his firm in 2021.
While in law school, Benjamin was completing the last few years of his second city council term – serving as President of the Lynnwood City Council – the youngest councilmember to hold that position in the history of the city.
Benjamin has been a speaker for over 15 years, using stories, humor, and heartfelt messages to teach and persuade learners at Toastmasters, civic organizations, thrice at the State of the City address in his hometown, and varied corporate and organizational events.
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest near the base of the mighty St. John’s Bridge in Portland, Oregon and now living 20 miles north of Seattle, Benjamin enjoys spending time outdoors in the PNW with his wife, four kids, and 5-year-old pit bull-mutt mix, Scout. His passion is to help people and businesses cement their legacies for the generations who follow!
Dr. Ingrid Brand
As the founder of Brand Intercultural, Ingrid is deeply committed to advancing intercultural capacity – at the individual, group or organizational level – to build a sense of belonging in today’s increasingly diverse settings.
Ingrid has worked in the field of education for 20 years and she holds a Doctorate in Education. Ingrid has held leadership positions at universities in Kuwait, Jordan, and Egypt, and she taught Intercultural Communication courses at the university level in Canada.