The Board of Directors

The South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce is pleased to share its list of Board of Directors for the 2020/2021 term. The term of the elected Board is from July 1 - June the following year (when the Annual General Meeting is held). 

President

Patricia Lapeña

BC Regional Director, LegalShield

Vice President

Stewart Peddemors

Realtor and Owner, Stewart Peddemors PREC, RE/MAX Colonial Pacific Realty 

Stewart Peddemors has been a Chamber Member since 1991. His time a local business person serving as the President of the Marine Drive Merchants association, City Councillor from 1996 to 2008 and as a Local RE/MAX Agent since 2006 has prepared Stewart to be well rounded supporter of the Business communities of White Rock and South Surrey.

Secretary

Grace Cleveland

Lawyer, Cleveland Doan LLP

Treasurer

Tingting Chi, CPA, CGA

Directors:

Bob Bezubiak

Retired Banker

Bob has lived in South Surrey/White Rock for the past 34 years with plans to continue to make this area his home. For the past 22 years, he has worked in White Rock in a leadership position with TD Bank. His involvement with the local business community goes back to when he first started working in the area leading and co-leading events to attract more tourists such as the Semiahmoo Bay Regatta, Annual Christmas Sail Boat Parade , TD Concerts At The Pier and as a board member of the previous White Rock Tourism. More recently, he organized a group of business leaders called Friends of the Pier to raise funds for the rebuild of the pier. 

Grady Flinn

CEO & Founder, Flinnwest Solutions Inc.

Shelley Grenier

General Manager,Oceana PARC

With over two decades of experience working in the senior living field, Shelley Grenier offers extensive insight into a growing segment of our population and joint client base.  Shelley hopes to share this insight and experience with members of the South Surrey and White Rock Chamber of Commerce as it addresses the opportunities and challenges that will inevitably arise in the coming years.

As the General Manager of Oceana PARC and past retirement communities, Shelley is intimately familiar with the challenges of operating a successful business and the importance of relationship building and supporting one another in the combined pursuit of success for each individual member which together benefits the community as a whole.

Shelley recently relocated her family to White Rock and is personally and professionally invested in the success of the greater South Surrey and White Rock area economically, environmentally and socially.  She feels very fortunate to have the support of her employer Parc Retirement Living. She  has a passion for making connections and is committed to contributing to her community.

Linda Holmes

Investment Advisor and Financial Planner, RBC Dominion Securities Inc.

Linda is an investment advisor and financial planner with RBC Dominion Securities. With the firm since 1999, she has more than 20 years of financial-industry experience. Her connection to the Semiahmoo Peninsula, however, spans decades.

Born in White Rock, Linda grew up in Surrey, and studied business administration – with a major in finance – at Simon Fraser University. Although her career took her to Toronto for a few years, family and community drew her back to South Surrey.

Linda has been a member of the South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce since the summer of 2017, and has enjoyed being an ambassador at several chamber events.  She is also a member of the Semiahmoo Rotary Club and an advocate for women in business .

Linda is highly organized, and has been involved in the development and oversight of several major business initiatives for RBC Dominion Securities, Canada’s number-one wealth management firm. Her skills have not gone unrecognized. She has received a number of performance awards over the years for going above and beyond in her various roles with the company. Linda knows how to lead, but is also a highly competent team player.

Outside of her professional life, Linda loves to dance, catch up with friends and enjoys the outdoors. Integrity, compassion and equality are core values to Linda, and she is confident they will serve her well in representing the chamber.

Ramona Kaptyn

President, CARP White Rock/Surrey

Ramona Kaptyn is a graduate of Ryerson University (Journalism) and the University of Toronto (Education and Political Science).

She is a communications specialist and has worked as a reporter, travel writer, editor, teacher, hotel managing director, event planner and fundraiser in Canada, Australia, England and Spain. From 2002 to 2008, she worked in international development in South and South East Asian countries to contribute to a more equitable world. Some projects were funded by the Canadian International Development Organization (CIDA). Her most memorable one was in Bangladesh where she was an Organizational Development Advisor to four NGOs. Focus was on good governance and micro-credit. Her last overseas job was in Malaysia preparing Grade 12 scholarship students for entry into Canadian universities.

Ramona has also been a Executive Director, Communications Director and fundraiser for a variety of non-profit organizations in Toronto, ON and was a Program Coordinator at Sources Community Resource Centres in White Rock, BC. As well, she has served as a Director or President on a variety of boards and clubs including York Central Hospital Foundation in Richmond Hill, ON. In California, where her American sister lives, Ramona helped organize several Bachelor Auctions and Women’s Shows benefiting a women’s shelter and other charities.

Ramona works from her home office in South Surrey for Sheraton Parkway Hotel in Toronto, and is President of the White Rock/Surrey Chapter of CARP – A New Vision of Aging for Canada. Ramona landed in White Rock/South Surrey quite by accident in July 2009; she loves it here and says she is ‘home at last’.

Beth Kish

Administrative Director, Surrey Bailliffs

Ernie Klassen

Owner, Ashberry & Logan, The Art of Flowers

Ernie has been involved with many not-for-profits during his adult life. He started his volunteer work growing up in a church in Abbotsford where he sang in choirs and was involved in many social groups within the church. He also compiled many church photo albums for various churches while he owned Imagemakers Photography Studio from 1982 to 1990. This was his first business, which he sold when he became the Executive Director for the Upper Fraser Valley Neurological Society. He formed this non-profit society when his second child was born with cerebral palsy. There were not services for families who had children with disabilities. He formed a society, became the president, and shortly thereafter was asked to be the executive director of this organization. He held this position for 9 years and, during that time, he also became the Executive Director of the BC and Yukon Association for Child Development and Rehabilitation services. Most recently, he has been on the board of the BIA first as a director and 5 years as president. In the last local election, he also ran for a position as a city councillor. Currently, he is the president for a fairly new society called the White Rock Pride Society, which he has been fortunate enough to help form 3 years ago. He has been involved in lots of fundraisers and has contributed often to all varieties of fundraisers and non-profit events. 

Kendelle Pollitt

Lawyer, Pier Law and Mediation

Dwayne Weidendorf

Black Press Media 

Dwayne is an executive with Black Press Media and is currently the Group Publisher/ General Manager of the Peace Arch News, Surrey Now, Yukon News and the Vantage Way Press Centre.

Dwayne is proud to be a director at the South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce and is a keen advocate for local businesses. He is married to his wife Lorraine and has two wonderful teenage children Drew and Bree. When not immersed in business, Dwayne is a practising third degree black belt in Wado Ryu Karate and an avid downhill skier.