Credit unions know the value of small businesses
That’s why Credit Unions of Alberta offers two Alberta-based businesses $25,000 each to propel innovation and power growth as part of the Big Future Innovation Grant.
2024 Winners
The Jungle Farm
The Jungle Farm is a centennial family farm in Red Deer County that offers family u-pick fun grown by Blaine, Leona, and their three sons and including fruits, vegetables, and flowers. You can find everything from strawberries, raspberries, and lettuce to pumpkins, artichokes, and potted flowers.
Learn more: thejunglefarm.com
The Jungle Farm
ShiftPro
ShiftPro is an innovative workforce management platform that simplifies shift scheduling and employee coordination. Designed for businesses across various industries, it features automated scheduling, real-time notifications, and user-friendly tools to enhance productivity and reduce administrative burdens. ShiftPro empowers companies to optimize operations, improve communication, and ensure seamless workforce management.
Learn more: shiftpro.io
ShiftPro
2024 Judges
Cheryl Mason
Cheryl Mason is the Chief People and Culture Officer with Christian Credit Union. She brings over 35 years of banking experience including partnering with members as an advisor, in leadership and most recently in executive roles where she has the opportunity to influence the strategic direction and priorities of the credit union. She is also a certified executive coach and enjoys working with people to overcome barriers and embrace their potential. She is excited to have the opportunity to support innovation and small business owners as they pursue their dreams. Dream BIG!
Cheryl Mason
Christian Credit Union
Shaf Rana
Shaf Rana, Financial Planner, Wealth Management.
Shaf has 19 years of diverse experience in the financial services industry, where his career started at a Financial Institution in East Africa, then expanded to a wide range of roles at the Servus Credit Union. Starting off at the retail branch, moving on to the Commercial Business Banking department, then becoming a Relationship Manager for Cash Management team in the Business Solutions department, and now a Wealth Financial Planner. Shaf celebrated 17 years with Servus this past August.
Shaf currently sits on the executive team of the Emerging Leaders of Alberta as the Executive Chair and prior to that as Vice Chair. He is passionate about leadership and loves helping people find their purpose and be better individuals altogether.
Family comes first for Shaf, he has 2 beautiful daughters and a wonderful wife. This consumes most of his personal time. If there is any time to spare, he likes watching football, Formula 1, learning new things and working on projects around the house.
What is Innovation:
Innovation to me is trying new things and bringing new ways/ideas to solve problems while creating value for our clients. It is as simple as taking things that exist and putting them together in a new way. This can be products and services or experiences for our clients. Innovation should be replicable and ever improving. We need to be nimble to be able to change and innovate on the fly with our ever-changing markets and client demands. To be innovative we need to be fearless and ready to fail through the journey, by doing this we allow ourselves to get back up, learn and push the limits to where we want to be.
Shaf Rana
connectFirst and Servus Credit Union
Muhammad Shalwani
Muhammad Shalwani, CA, CFA is a well-rounded CPA & CFA designated finance professional, with extensive experience, including 14+ years in the financial services industry. Muhammad is the Head of Partnerships at connectFirst and Servus Credit Union and has previous experience as the VP, Financial Reporting for Coast Capital CU. He also worked for 7+ years at firms such as Ernst & Young and PwC, in various finance related advisory roles.
Muhammad Shalwani
connectFirst and Servus Credit Union
The Big Future Innovation Grant is brought to you by Credit Unions of Alberta and Alberta Central.
Credit Unions of Alberta represents the 12 credit unions located across the province and Alberta Central is the central banking facility and trade association for Alberta’s credit unions. You can stay in the loop on all the Credit Unions of Alberta grants and scholarships by subscribing here.
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