In Between Meetings, Phil Robertson, co-founder of Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters, shares how an engineering mindset shaped the way he builds coffee systems from green coffee preservation to roasting precision to café execution. We dig into why “radical consistency” is the real product, why the hardest part is protecting the raw ingredient across global supply chains, and how freezing green coffee became the key to stable quality. Phil also breaks down the thinking behind building a custom 45kg roaster with an unusually wide batch-size range, what “direct trade done properly” looks like in real negotiations, and the culture lessons that come with scaling from one café to many.

Takeaways:

• Radical consistency is built through systems and discipline.
• The hardest part of coffee quality is the raw ingredient and the supply chain before roasting.
• Coffee is a living seed; preserving viability is a quality strategy.
• Freezing green coffee “locks in” consistency and reduces quality decay over time.
• Building a custom roaster was about rejecting artificial constraints.
• Direct trade is ongoing dialogue: cost of production, margins, and value for customers.
• Scaling culture is a daily discipline including hiring, clarity of values, and protecting the team dynamic.
• Early mistake: chasing perfection while sacrificing customer experience and empathy.
• Recovery and growth came from diversification, stronger leadership, and rebuilding the company better.

Phil Robertson is the co-founder of Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters in Calgary. Trained as an engineer, he applies systems thinking to sourcing, green coffee preservation, roasting, and café operations with a focus on consistency, quality, and long-term partnerships.

Between Meetings is a video podcast with industry leaders, startup founders, and ecosystem builders. Each episode explores the realities of building, investing, and supporting innovation while catching guests between meetings during a car ride across town. Along the way, they share inspiring stories, personal experiences, industry insights, and practical advice. Since 2023, Between Meetings has been helping tell Calgary’s innovation story one conversation at a time.

Support the show

🎙 Follow the host Marian Danko on LinkedIn.

Find us on YouTube and LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening/watching.

In Between Meetings, Max Schramm, President & CEO of Lufthansa Technik Canada, shares how growing up in Eastern Germany shaped his resilience and leadership, and what brought him to Canada. We dig into why Lufthansa Technik expanded in Calgary (not the obvious choice in a Montreal-dominant aerospace country), what it takes to build a world-class engine maintenance operation, and how the SAIT partnership aims to solve a skills and accessibility gap, not a “labour shortage.” Max also compares Calgary’s ecosystem to Montreal’s, explains what’s still missing locally, and paints a vision for what a thriving aerospace and MRO hub in Alberta could look like over the next decade.

Takeaways:

• Canada doesn’t have a labour shortage, it has a skills and accessibility shortage.
• Quality, reliability, and safety are non-negotiable operating principles.
• Calgary’s edge is collaboration, agility, and a can-do mindset.
• SAIT partnership builds a direct pathway into engine maintenance skills.
• Accessibility matters: tuition, salary, and tools remove invisible hurdles.
• Montreal remains critical; Calgary adds new capacity and westward coverage.
• Calgary needs stronger ecosystem connection and a unified industry voice.
• A thriving future means world-class MRO density and stronger airline networks.

Max Schramm is President & CEO of Lufthansa Technik Canada and has spent 16 years in aviation within the Lufthansa group. He leads growth, workforce development, and ecosystem-building initiatives designed to expand Canada’s aerospace maintenance and engine repair capabilities.

Between Meetings is a video podcast with industry leaders, startup founders, and ecosystem builders. Each episode explores the realities of building, investing, and supporting innovation while catching guests between meetings during a car ride across town. Along the way, they share inspiring stories, personal experiences, industry insights, and practical advice. Since 2023, Between Meetings has been helping tell Calgary’s innovation story one conversation at a time.

Support the show

🎙 Follow the host Marian Danko on LinkedIn.

Find us on YouTube and LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening/watching.

In this Between Meetings episode, Lisa Davis shares how STEM Innovation Academy went from idea to Alberta’s first new charter school in 25 years, the policies and facilities that made it possible, and how a clear instructional model keeps culture consistent across campuses. She details the UCalgary MOU, the MIT partnership that enables advanced STEM content for teachers and students, and how industry-aligned projects build confidence and career clarity. Looking ahead, Lisa calls for more ambition in education, expansion to meet demand, and a provincial STEM Centre of Excellence.

Takeaways:

• Opened Alberta’s first new charter school in 25 years, built for innovation.
• Charter schools are the entrepreneurs of public education.
• Turned an office tower into a “Charter Innovation Hub.
• Clear model, shared assessments, and data keep culture consistent.
• Partnerships (UCalgary MOU, MIT) tighten the school-to-university transition.
• Real industry projects make learning relevant and practical.
• Multiple on-ramps (robotics levels, biomedical) help close participation gaps.
• Call for more provincial ambition and a STEM Centre of Excellence to share playbooks with any Alberta school.

Lisa Davis is the Founder of STEM Innovation Academy and STEM Collegiate two of Alberta’s top-ranked STEM charter schools. Her schools lead the province in Math and Science achievement and hold Canada’s only K–12 partnership with MIT’s Beaver Works. She’s passionate about expanding access to STEM education and building Alberta’s future innovation talent.

Between Meetings is a video podcast with industry leaders, startup founders, and ecosystem builders. Each episode explores the realities of building, investing, and supporting innovation while catching guests between meetings during a car ride across town. Along the way, they share inspiring stories, personal experiences, industry insights, and practical advice. Since 2023, Between Meetings has been helping tell Calgary’s innovation story one conversation at a time.

Support the show

🎙 Follow the host Marian Danko on LinkedIn.

Find us on YouTube and LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening/watching.