Meet Our Professional Development Trainers
ACSBE is proud to have a team of highly-skilled trainers who, in addition to being expert presenters and facilitators, are experienced business development professionals who "walk the talk" every day.
Tim Alison
Tim Alison is an experienced small business coach, entrepreneur, and public speaker. He is best known as the founder and president of Maritrain Limited (1988-2006), a Meteghan based e-learning company that generated more than $10,000,000 in sales.
Tim is the author of Life with an Ocean View: Creating Success and Happiness Away from the Rat Race (Icon Publishing 2003). Tim is a frequent public speaker and welcomes the opportunity to share his experiences while challenging audiences to re-evaluate how they define success. He has a special appreciation for fellow entrepreneurs and for individuals and organizations that promote entrepreneurship and community economic development. He also enjoys working with and meeting youth.
Tim is actively involved in his community and is currently a Board Member for the Nova Scotia Division of the Canadian Cancer Society. He lives with his wife Debbie in
Tim delivers our Succession Planning and Big Growth Strategies for Small Business workshops and can be reached at 902-769-7168 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Sarah Allen
Sarah Allen has been assisting Business Counsellors across Canada to enhance their counseling skills since 2003. As a trainer and facilitator with the APEC Training and Certification Program for Small Business Counsellors she has been involved in the development and delivery of many professional development programs for counselors and business clients. She enjoys the opportunity to connect with counselors and to share best practices while advancing entrepreneurship in Canada.
Sarah has a background in Business Administration with a Bachelors degree from Acadia University. She and has been involved in Business Development for the past 10 years. Her roles at the Acadia Centre for Social and Business Entrepreneurship (ACSBE) have included: Business Counsellor, Learning Manager, Trainer, and National Manager of the APEC program.
Her experiences as an entrepreneur and small business owner give her an in-depth appreciation for the challenges and rewards of business, as well as, assisting individuals to start, develop, and grow their businesses.
Sarah is the lead trainer for our APEC Training and Certification Program for Small Business Counsellors and can be reached at 902-543-0089 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tammy Forrester
Since the inception of her own event planning firm in 1998, Tammy has taken on numerous projects and contracts from grand opening and customer appreciation events to coordinating provincial and Canadian fundraising events. Tammy has also developed and implemented marketing plans for organizations, lead sales and customer service seminars for small companies, facilitated focus groups and training and assisted with hands-on company development. She enjoys the challenges and excitement of assisting with the building blocks that enable people, companies and organizations to grow whether that is through marketing and promotional events, conference planning or business training.
Tammy has a Bachelor of Commerce degree (Marketing) from the University of Saskatchewan and earned the APEC Certified Business Counsellor desgination, as part of an international certification program for small business counsellors endorsed by Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation and Industry Canada.
Tammy delivers our Strategic Planning for Business Development Professionals workshop and APEC Training and Certification Program for Small Business Counsellors in Western Canada. She can be reached at 306-384-6044 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Andy Horsnell
As a founding staff member of ACSBE (1989 to 1998), Andy possesses an in-depth knowledge of the Centre’s entrepreneurial and professional development programs, having designed several of them. Between 1998 and 2010, Andy worked as an entrepreneurship trainer and consultant throughout Canada and the USA, and is pleased to bring that experience to his new role at ACSBE as Manager of Professional Development.
Andy earned a business degree and adult education certificate from Acadia University, a certificate in competency-based learning from Holland College, and has worked extensively in Action Learning and enterprise learning. He has extensive volunteer experience, having served on the boards of directors of numerous community organizations. His diverse education and experience enable Andy to skillfully undertake a range of projects, and he looks forward to growing ACSBE’s Professional Development into a thriving, high-impact enterprise.
Andy delivers our Strategic Planning for Business Development Professionals workshop and can be reached at 866-654-4499 (toll free in Canada)or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Lisa Lowthers
Lisa had ten years of community development experience prior to coming to ACSBE in 1994. She has been involved in business advisory capacity for over ten years and has been a trainer for over fifteen years. She has served as the learning manager for a national small business certification program and was the third person in Canada to receive APEC Certified Business Counsellor designation, as part of an international certification program for small business counsellors endorsed by Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation and Industry Canada. Lisa has run the Student Consulting Program at Acadia University for several years matching community service learning opportunities to student teams, and is also actively involved in the community based asset mapping program at ACSBE. She is also manager of our entrepreneurial education programming and works to embed entrepreneurship across campus at Acadia University and beyond.
Lisa holds a degree in Public Relations from
Lisa plays an active role in our APEC Training and Certification Program for Small Business Counsellors and can be reached at 902-585-1805 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Chris Pelham
Chris is the former Executive Director of the Acadia Centre for Social and Business Entrepreneurship (ACSBE) and Head of APEC-IBIZ (Canada). He has in excess of thirty-five years of community development, entrepreneurial education, not for profit management, and business advisory experience. This experience has been gained as Development Officer for the City Of Halifax, National property Director of the Heritage Canada Foundation, Executive Director of the Windsor Business Improvement District Commission, Windsor West Hants Community Futures and Business Development Centre, and the Acadia Centre for Social and Business Entrepreneurship.
Chris hold a degree in Marketing and Finance from Saint Mary's University and a certificate in Adult Training from Acadia University and a certificate in Competency-Based Education from Holland College. He is a certified small business counsellor under the
Chris was the founding chairman of the Professional Standards Committee and vice chair of the Coordinating Council for APEC-IBIZ, a director of the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (CCSBE). He serves and has served on many not for profit boards and provides strategic planning services to the not for profit sector. As a business entrepreneur Chris has owned or owns small businesses in retail, construction, real estate, professional services, and agriculture.
Chris was awarded the lifetime achievement award from the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship for his contribution to entrepreneurial education in
Chris plays an active role in our APEC Training and Certification Program for Small Business Counsellors and can be reached at 902-670-5682 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Craig Place
Craig has worked at Acadia University for 20 years, first as a member of the teaching staff of the Department of Earth and Environmental Science, and later joining the Acadia Institute for Teaching and Technology, eventually becoming its manager and acting-director. In 2008 Craig left Acadia to pursue his own business futurvue Communications, which focuses on using the principles of change management and the effective use of technology to help businesses increase their environmental sustainability.
Craig has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and in the early 90’s after deciding that the Internet would be “good for business” he started a web design company in 1994 and became a franchise owner of an Internet Service Provider. For the past 17 years Craig has helped businesses with their web strategies which he continues to do for a variety of clients as a member of the Media Mechanics Inc. team, a growing web development company based in Halifax. Craig also loves to pass on what he learns and has recently given presentations on Social Media, Google Analytics, and “Using the Internet for Competitive Intelligence and Market Research”.
Craig is the lead curriculum designer and project manager for Get Connected, an ACSBE program to help small rural businesses in Nova Scotia use technology to grow their business. He can be reached at 902-670-9701 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Ron Robichaud
Ron Robichaud is the Executive Director of the Acadia Centre for Social and Business Entrepreneurship (ACSBE) and has more than twenty five years experience in operations, finance, small business management and community development. Ron is Past-President of the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and is currently Chair of the Professional Standards Committee for APEC-IBIZ, an internationally recognized program that certifies Small Business Counsellors around the world.
Ron is an accomplished and passionate educator. He is an adjunct Professor at
Ron has a proven ability to analyze key business drivers and to develop strategies to support organizational values and growth. He is a founding member of the Mud Creek Rotary Club, and lives with his wife Connie in
Ron delivers our Succession Planning and Financial Analysis workshops and can be reached at 902-585-1889 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
