OUR VISION
Business Uniting For A Thriving Mississauga
What is MERG?
The Mississauga Economic Resiliency Group (MERG) is the vehicle through which senior-level leaders from the corporate, academic, and not-for-profit sectors connect, collaborate, and develop practical solutions aimed at driving business success and economic prosperity in Mississauga.
Why did MBOT create MERG?
MERG was launched in September 2020 with a vision of “Business Uniting For A Thriving Mississauga”. Initially created in response to the many challenges associated with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the program has since evolved into a trusted forum for CEOs from across Mississauga’s diverse economy to share ideas, explore partnerships, and collectively build our economic capacity.
Who is involved?
MERG is currently engaging more than 50 senior-level decision makers from Mississauga’s most prominent and influential private-sector employers, not-for-profits, academic institutions, and others who firmly believe in the potential of Mississauga to lead Ontario and Canada’s economic recovery by leveraging our unique assets and developing innovative, scalable, and results-driven solutions to meet today’s most pressing challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities.
Core Values
CONNECT
COLLABORATE
DEVELOP
MBOT Chair
Steve Rhone
President - Weston Forest Products Inc.
Steve Rhone has been a vital part of Weston Forest for over 30 years, beginning with a junior role as a labourer in Operations. Since then he has held management roles in every part of the company, including turns as Mill Manager, Night Shift Supervisor, Hardwood Product Manager, US Sales Manager, Vice President of Finance and Operations, and his current role as President.
MBOT President and CEO
Trevor McPherson
President & CEO - Mississauga Board of Trade
Trevor is a not-for-profit senior executive with extensive experience in economic development, and driving domestic and international business growth. He is well versed in government relations, stakeholder engagement and consensus building, having held numerous positions at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce over the past 15 years, most recently as Vice President, Member Services. One of Trevor’s most significant accomplishments is the Ontario Economic Summit, a high-profile forum that engages leaders from business, government, labour, academia and the NGO community in a collaborative effort to determine ways to grow Ontario’s economy.
MERG Chair
Ken Tencer
CEO - Spyder Works Inc.
He is co-developer of The 90% Rule®, a success-tested innovation process that enables businesses of all sizes to identify, filter and implement growth opportunities. A successful entrepreneur and business developer, Ken has built international-scale companies spanning manufacturing, product development, distribution and professional services. As CEO of Spyder Works®, Ken helps companies with both branding and innovation strategy. His insights on entrepreneurship and innovation appear in his monthly column for Canada’s National Newspaper, the Globe & Mail.
MERG Vice Chair
Paul Meo
President & CEO - NTN Bearing Corporation
Paul (Paolo) Meo is President and CEO of NTN Bearing Corporation of Canada, overlooking both the sales and manufacturing operations headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario. Meo is a graduate of York University’s Schulich Executive Program, and the CMOE (Centre for Management & Organization Effectiveness). Meo started his career with NTN 37 years ago, playing a pivotal role in NTN's continuous growth and expansion in the Canadian bearing market.
MERG Vice Chair
Dr. Alexandra Gillespie
Principal - University of Toronto Mississauga
& Vice President - University of Toronto
Alexandra Gillespie is VP of the University of Toronto & Principal of U of T Mississauga, where she works as chief executive officer for a campus of more than 16,500 students and 3,750 employees. She is the first woman to be appointed to this position. Alex loves working at UTM because she believes in the power of collaboration and community—of bringing talented people together to learn from each other and spark discovery & innovation. And she takes pride in U of T as North America’s top public university for the employability of its graduates. Alex comes to this role after 20 years as a professor at UTM, where she has lived since completing her graduate and postgraduate work at the Universities of Oxford & Cambridge. She looks forward to many more years in Mississauga as U of T works to make good on its promise: to give students a lift of a lifetime.
SECTOR LEADERS
CEO & President - Microbix Biosystems Inc
Cameron is the President and CEO of Microbix and also serves on its Board of Directors. Cameron has over 30 years’ experience as a leader, director, executive, equity research analyst, investment banker, and corporate advisor. He is also a Board Director and Audit Committee Chair of TSX-listed iFabric Corp., serves as Life Sciences and Healthcare Sector Leader for the Mississauga Board of Trade, and is a Board Director of Naegis Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Before Microbix, Cameron held senior leadership roles at TSX and TSX-venture listed life-sciences companies. Prior to his operational work, he headed the life-sciences activities of two national investment dealers after a decade as a top-ranked equity research analyst. He has also been an advisor to Global Affairs Canada, and a director of other public and private companies.
President - McKenna Logistics Centres
John is the third-generation owner and president of McKenna Logistics Centres. He has also served on the board of the International Warehouse Logistics Association and its Canadian Council. John is a part-time professor at Humber College in the faculty of business and the supply chain management program. He also advises the CEO of Trillium Health Partners and is a member of the Interim Governing Council for Mississauga’s Ontario Health Team. John received his MBA from Ivey Business School. In 2015 and was awarded Business Person of the Year by the Mississauga Board of Trade.
Stephen Gascoine
Director & General Manager - Oxford Properties Group
Steve is a commercial real estate professional with over 25 years of real estate industry experience, ranging from office leasing to retail operations. Steve is currently the Director and General Manager of Square One Shopping Centre with Oxford Properties Group. As Director and General Manager of Square One Shopping Centre, Steve is very involved with the future evolution of the shopping centre as well as the upcoming development activities of the Square One District. Prior to taking on his role at Square One, Steve was the General Manager at Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre. Steve has a Bachelor of Science degree from Western and has also earned several industry designations including his RPA, CPM and CSM. Steve has been part of several committees and boards including with the City of Vaughan.
Paul Meo
President - NTN Bearing Corporation of Canada
Paul (Paolo) Meo is President and CEO of NTN Bearing Corporation of Canada, overlooking both the sales and manufacturing operations headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario. Meo is a graduate of York University’s Schulich Executive Program, and the CMOE (Centre for Management & Organization Effectiveness). Meo started his career with NTN 37 years ago, playing a pivotal role in NTN's continuous growth and expansion in the Canadian bearing market. Meo's company vision is "to transform into Canada’s leader of the Ultimate Bearing Experience." Founded in 1918, NTN is one of the world's largest producers of premium quality ball and roller bearings, long recognized for the most stringent quality standards in the industry.
Sameer Sharma
President - Crown Group of Hotels
Sameer helped create and grow his family business as Director of Crown Group of Hotels, which owns and operates multiple hotels under internationally known flags such as: Marriott, Hilton, InterContinental Hotel Group and Choice Hotels. Today, Crown Group of Hotels employs over 300 people having established itself in a very short period taking its Hotel’s portfolio from under $10 million 6 years ago to over $150 million. Crown Group of Hotels currently operates in: Mississauga, Brampton, Ottawa, Barrie, Burlington & Sarnia. He was the recipient of the award for “Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2017” by the Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce and Mississauga Board of Trade where he now sits on the Board of Directors.
Dr. Alexandra Gillespie
Principal - University of Toronto Mississauga
& Vice President - University of Toronto
After completing her BA (Hons.) in English at Victoria University of Wellington, Gillespie attended Oxford’s Corpus Christi College where she earned an MSt and DPhil. She went on to a Research Fellowship at Balliol College, Oxford, and a Library Fellowship at Darwin College, Cambridge, before coming to UTM as a professor of English in 2004. Since then, she has directed numerous projects of national and international significance, shaping educational policies, priorities, and practices as Chair of UTM’s Department of English & Drama; as an early member of Toronto’s Initiative for Diversity & Excellence; as the first Director of the Jackman Humanities Institute’s Digital Humanities Network; and as UTM’s Vice-Presidential Special Advisor in Research.
Meghan Nicholls, CFRE
CEO - The Mississauga Food Bank
With a career path focused in the nonprofit sector, Meghan has worked with organizations dedicated to social causes such as women’s development, international relief, and youth mental health.
Driven by a passion for ending hunger and seeing poverty reduced in her own community, she is proud of her contribution over the last 12 years to the significant growth of The Mississauga Food Bank. Meghan was named CEO in 2018 and now leads the food bank team to work towards their vision of A Mississauga Where No One Goes Hungry.
In addition to her love for the nonprofit sector, she loves her husband Alex, being an auntie, new technology, and a good cup of tea.
