Arthur Mercer has 25 years’ experience in areas of government, economic development as well as business operations that include public companies and private sector development.
SBBC Board of Directors
Barb Steele
Barb is a serial entrepreneur, business owner and investor in the Vancouver business community.
Barry Hartman
[Treasurer] Barry Hartman is the co-founder and CEO of 505-Junk, an award-winning junk removal and recycling business based in Richmond. 505-Junk is the first of its kind to build custom trucks equipped with scales, which allows truck teams to charge clients by exact weight.
505-Junk partners with local charities and recycling depots and has diverted millions of pounds of waste from landfills. The company is currently partnering with franchisees across Canada. Hartman serves on the Board of Directors for Small Business BC and frequently speaks at high schools and universities about youth leadership and entrepreneurship.
Debbie Smollett
Debbie Smollett is currently the Executive Director, Small Business Branch, B.C. Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. Debbie sits on the Board as the appointed provincial government representative. Debbie’s career with the public service spans over 15 years, with more than 10 years in senior management roles, leading a diverse range of projects and multi-disciplinary teams.
Emily Kerr
[Vice Chair] Emily is Vice President, Business Banking at Bank of Montreal where she leads a team of Relationship Managers dedicated to serving the small business sector across the Greater Vancouver area. Emily is an entrepreneurial, visionary leader known for consistently delivering an exceptional client experience and business results through a team of highly motivated professionals.
Prior to joining BMO, Emily held both client-facing and leadership roles with RBC’s Commercial Financial Services team. Her experience spans pharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods, and financial services.
Outside of her work in the financial services industry, Emily has gained first-hand entrepreneurial experience as co-owner of two large-scale residential heritage home re-development projects in the City of Vancouver. On both of these “side hustles”, Emily was responsible for managing the financial aspects of the projects, sourcing construction materials, and managing sub-trades. Both projects were completed successfully under development permits and were later sold at a capital gain.
Concurrent with her volunteer board position at Small Business BC, Emily also volunteers as Director, Major Events role with Association of Women in Finance. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University and Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University. Outside of work, Emily enjoys golf, yoga, and music.
Fiona Forbes
Fiona Forbes is a TV powerhouse with over 20 years of experience both in front of the camera as a host and behind the scenes as a producer. Over the course of her career, she has interviewed A-listers to Prime Ministers, rock stars to astrophysicists and has garnered many awards and nominations for her work in the film and television industry. Fiona is currently living in her hometown of Vancouver.
Joyce Yip
[Chair] Joyce Yip is a passionate clean technology strategist, strategic partnership and supply leader, project manager and governance adviser. She is the Managing Director of FTXT (Canada) Energy Technology Co. Ltd.
Mark C. Smith
Mark Smith is the President and CEO of Query Fusion, a multidimensional company working in the areas of technology, customer experience and distribution. Fusion is the Query sandbox where ideas are generated, innovation happens, and new products, services and companies emerge.
Richard Sehmer
Richard Sehmer is a co-owner and partner at Murphy & Company LLP where he practices mainly in the area of business law.
Tammy Schulz
Tammy Schulz is the Director General of Operations at Western Economic Diversification Canada. She is a Public Service Executive with a unique and outstanding combination of experience in program delivery, communications, strategic planning and change management. A confident and credible manager with demonstrated leadership and team-building skills who is committed to achieving optimal results with a focus on partnership and collaboration.
Vince Prince
Vince is currently the Executive Director for the Aboriginal Business and Community Development Centre.