Marcel Dionne

NHL Top 100 Player

Marcel Dionne was born in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada. Marcel was drafted 2nd overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 1971. In 1975 he left the Detroit Red Wings and signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings. Dionne flourished in California, recording six 50+ goal seasons as the centerpiece of the “Triple Crown Line” with Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer. After 12 years with the Kings, Marcel was then traded to the New York Rangers and retired in 1988-89. Marcel won the Art Ross Trophy, twice the Lady Byng and twice the Lester Person Trophy. Marcel played eighteen seasons in the NHL and had eight 100+ point seasons. Dionne had an impressive record representing Canada in international hockey. While he did not dress, a young Marcel Dionne was part of the 1972 roster Canadian team in the historic series against the Soviets. In 1976, Dionne assisted on the game winning goal to give Canada a victory in the ’76 Canada Cup. He was part of three bronze-winning teams in the World Hockey Championships, and had been named the best player in the 1978 tournament. Marcel Dionne was part of the most stunning comeback in the NHL playoffs in recent history. In 1982, in the decisive game, the Los Angeles Kings trailed the Edmonton Oilers 5-0 going into the third period. Amazingly, the Kings scored five unanswered goals against a young Oilers team that included Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, Anderson, and Coffey, with the fifth goal coming with less than a minute left. The Kings won the game in sudden-death overtime. Dionne had assisted on both the first and fifth goals, in the 6-5 win. The win became known as “Miracle on Manchester”, as the Kings arena was on Manchester Boulevard at the time.
He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992 and remains the fifth All-time leader in points 1,771 and fourth goals 731. He was also inducted in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2012, and in a gift fit for a King, presented Marcel Dionne with a Stanley Cup ring. Marcel now owns and operates Marcel Dionne Inc. a 8,000 square foot sports marketing/retail company in Niagara Falls Ontario. In 2011, he opened a breakfast diner which is attached to his retail shop called the BlueLine Diner (http://www.bluelinediner.com/home).

Bernard Colas

L.L.D.

International Trade & Intellectual Property

Bernard Colas has over 30 years of experience in international trade law and intellectual property. This experience was acquired in Montreal, Sorel, London and Paris by advising manufacturing, technology and service businesses as well as foreign governments.

As part of his practice, he advises and represents his clients’ interests during negotiations, transactions, licenses and international contracts and during their operations and implantation overseas and in international litigation. He provides advice pertaining to the enforcement and the development of international trade agreements and helps his clients develop commercial and industrial strategies while taking advantage of international trade laws.

Before co-founding CMKZ, Bernard Colas worked at a large business law firm and as a legal advisor at the International Federation of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms (IFPI) in London and at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. He also acted as trade law specialist for World Bank and CIDA projects advising governments such as Lithuania, Algeria, Togo, Comoros and Mauritania in relation to the WTO and trade liberalization.

Bernard Colas is former president of the Canadian branch of the International Law Association (ILA) and sits on the board of many bodies, including the Montreal Council of International Relations (CORIM). He is Honorary Consul of Mauritania.

Holder of a doctorate degree in international economic and environmental law of the University of Paris, Bernard Colas teaches and is the author of many articles and books on international trade law, notably of Global Economic Co-operation: A guide to Agreements and Organizations, and Treaties and International Documents Used in International Trade Law. He is a trademark agent, an accredited mediator and appointed to the roster of candidates to serve on panels established under Chapter 19 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Tareq Hadhad

Founder

Peace by Chocolate

Tareq Hadhad is telling his story. He was a Syrian refugee, longtime peacekeeping advocate and now living his new life with his entrepreneurial family in Canada’s east coast. Tareq is the founder of Peace by Chocolate, a medical researcher and is passionate about peace and entrepreneurship.

In 2012 the Hadhads home and factory that housed the family chocolate-making business were destroyed which forced them to seek safety in other countries. A former medical student at Damascus University, Tareq joined medial relief efforts after arriving in Lebanon. Tareq and his family were welcomed to Canada on a community-based sponsorship in December 2015.

His family relaunched the family business to recreate the chocolates they once exported across the Middle East. Tareq’s father explains: “I felt like I had come back to life.” Peace by Chocolate started with a humble beginning, turning out chocolates from the family’s new kitchen. Today they are making about 250,000 pieces of chocolate a month with plans to triple the production in their new factory after their story has turned to an international inspirational phenomenon.

Tareq and his family are now focused on job creation. They utilize a network of Syrian refugees from across Nova Scotia to help with distribution and support the local economy. The plan is to expand across Canada, offering other newcomers job opportunities.

In September 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau opened his speech to the United Nations Leaders’ Summit on Refugees detailing the family’s success story. This is just one side of the story. As Tareq says, “There are thousands of successes around the country. The responsibility that we have now is to share the positive things that Syrians are doing.”

“This is the message . . . if you offer the newcomers a welcoming arm, kindness and support, they can succeed faster.”

Tareq has spoken at the Amnesty International’s Human Rights Conference in Calgary, Halifax Chamber of Commerce Annual Spring Dinner, a remarkable TEDx talk at Dalhousie University and to several corporate and government organizations. He has done over 400 interviews with different news teams across North America. Tareq speaks on the compelling story of his family, the positive impact of the Syrian refugees and the spirit of entrepreneurship.