Meet our team

Blue Sky Thinkers

Blue Sky has assembled a diverse management team with backgrounds in agriculture, technology, law, finance, sales and marketing. Together they bring a wealth of complementary experience, knowledge and skills to build on Blue Sky’s vision of becoming world leaders in whole hemp plant utilization while driving value for people, the planet, and their partners.
Michael RimellCo-Founder & CFO
Luke DeeringVP Business Development CBD
Andrew PotterCo-Founder & CEO
Wilson JohnsonCo-Founder & Chief Agronomist
Devin DuboisVP Legal & Regulatory
Ben CarnevaleVP Sales & Marketing

Michael Rimell

Co-Founder & CFO
Michael Rimmell

After a fulfilling career in the finance and energy industry, Mike began assessing opportunities to capitalize on the incredible change which is occurring in this world. Canada’s emerging hemp industry provided the ideal opportunity to utilize his experience and energy to help develop Canada’s next big industry. Mike brings 15 years capital markets experience to the team, most recently as Head of Canadian Oil & Gas Research for a major global investment bank. Prior to that, Mike spent five years as the lead global resource/utilities analyst for a large UK based pension fund, and three years with the corporate finance team of Canada’s largest oil and gas producer executing a transformational business development strategy.

In his free time, Mike spends his time between the city, the mountains and the west coast with wife, two young daughters and growing puppy. Mike is a life long tennis player, skier, hiker, and world traveller.

Mike’s educational background consists of a BSc and MA in Economics, and he is a CFA charter holder.

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Luke Deering

VP Business Development CBD
Luke Deering

Growing up on a ranch in northern British Columbia, Luke developed a passion for agriculture at an early age. After graduating from Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s horticulture program in 2001, with a speciality in greenhouse production, Luke launched his career on Canada’s West Coast. Luke is thrilled to be working in the emerging hemp industry. He is particularly interested in the commercial production requirements of hemp cultivation for food and fibre. With a keen sense for business and an entrepreneurial spirit, Luke has owned and operated a variety of businesses on southern Vancouver Island, most recently serving as owner and CEO of Access West, an office equipment supplier in Victoria, B.C.

On his downtime, Luke can be found camping and fishing at his favourite nature spots on Vancouver Island or tending to his veggie garden at his home in Sooke, B.C., where he lives with wife and two young children.

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Andrew Potter

Co-Founder & CEO
Andrew Potter

After a successful career in oil and gas & finance, Andrew was looking for an opportunity that would satisfy his entrepreneurial spirit, pay the bills and make a positive impact for people and the planet. Andrew quickly saw the opportunity and value in Canada’s emerging hemp industry (an area he first explored ~20 years ago in a university project.)

With over 15 years of capital markets experience, Andrew is well known for early identification of major trends & themes and consistently achieved top ranking in institutional client surveys. Before founding BSHV, Andrew was MD of the energy team with CIBC and formerly - VP of Strategic Planning & Corporate Strategy at Cenovus Energy

Beyond Blue Sky, Andrew enjoys skiing, tennis, travelling and spending time with his lovely wife and two teenage children. Andrew and his wife Jen are strong advocates for Mental Health with Andrew currently sitting on the board of directors for the Alberta chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).

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Wilson Johnson

Co-Founder & Chief Agronomist
Wilson Johnson

Wilson’s farming roots run deep. In fact, his family has been farming the land in and around Rosetown, Saskatchewan for over 4 generations. Wilson brings deep agronomic knowledge coupled with a locals ‘lay of the land’ and is responsible for watching over 8,000 acres of prime farmland in Western Canada, with the potential to expand up to 20,000 acres through Blue Sky’s farmer-partner network.

Wanting to expand his knowledge of agriculture, Wilson attended the University of Saskatchewan and graduated with a BSc in Plant Science in 2003. After working for a number of Crop Input Suppliers, he went on to start a consulting company called Soil Sense Inc. in 2004 dealing directly with large farm corporations. Wilson has worked with these growers ever since and many of these producers are growing Hemp in 2018 for BSHV. In late 2017, with his partner Devin Dubois, Wilson Co-founded FieldAlytics Solutions Canada. FieldAlytics is a comprehensive cloud-based precision ag software utilized by many Agricultural Equipment Dealers, Crop Input Suppliers and producers in Canada.

Wilson was born and raised on his family farm near Rosetown, Saskatchewan where he currently lives with his wife and children. Wilson has a strong passion for sustainable agriculture and is extremely excited about the opportunities that Hemp brings to producers, processors, consumers - and for the next generation who take over the legacy of his land.

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Devin Dubois

VP Legal & Regulatory
Devin Dubois

Devin was born and raised as part of a family farm operation near the town of Rosetown in west-central Saskatchewan. Post-graduation, Devin garnered a BA in political science from the University of Calgary, an MA in Communication from Ryerson and York Universities in Toronto, followed by a law degree from the University of Saskatchewan. Devin practised law in Saskatchewan for a number of years, serving primarily agriculture retailers, agricultural equipment vendors and ag-creditors. Devin was Vice-president and Corporate Counsel to a large John Deere equipment dealership group before he joined Wilson Johnston to found FieldAlytics Solutions Canada Ltd., a company that provides precision agriculture software, tools and advice to equipment dealers, ag input suppliers and independent agronomists.

In case you were wondering...Yes, Devin was a competitive clay target shooter for many years, spending time on Canada’s national team, but more recently has resorted to more pedestrian pursuits like jogging with any two of his three kids in the stroller in front of him. Devin lives in Saskatoon with his wife Maeghan and three children.

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Ben Carnevale

VP Sales & Marketing
Ben Carnevale

Ben brings over 17 years of experience as both a food scientist & sales director within the food ingredients industry. His rare combination of technical expertise combined with deep relationships within the food & fine ingredients sector enable Ben to add real value to Blue Sky’s growing customer list.  

Not only is food science Ben’s job, it is also his passion. In his free time, you can find Ben in his home ‘test-kitchen’ brewing up his own concoctions from hemp pancakes to plant-based hemp burgers. Ben is also a pioneer in spotting and creating trends and chances are good he’s been involved in bringing some of your favourite food products to the market. 

Although his experience has been in the food and fine ingredients space, Ben has a growing interest and passion for the full scope of applications for hemp - from food to wellness, personal care, through to textiles, fuels sources, plastics and more. 

Prior to joining Blue Sky, Ben was the director of Sales and R&D at Blendtek Ingredients. Previously, Ben was the General Sales Manager of a global distributor, responsible for a team of 25 and total revenue of $243 mm.

Connect With Me
×

Michael Rimell

Co-Founder & CFO Click to Read Bio +
Michael Rimmell

After a fulfilling career in the finance and energy industry, Mike began assessing opportunities to capitalize on the incredible change which is occurring in this world. Canada’s emerging hemp industry provided the ideal opportunity to utilize his experience and energy to help develop Canada’s next big industry. Mike brings 15 years capital markets experience to the team, most recently as Head of Canadian Oil & Gas Research for a major global investment bank. Prior to that, Mike spent five years as the lead global resource/utilities analyst for a large UK based pension fund, and three years with the corporate finance team of Canada’s largest oil and gas producer executing a transformational business development strategy.

In his free time, Mike spends his time between the city, the mountains and the west coast with wife, two young daughters and growing puppy. Mike is a life long tennis player, skier, hiker, and world traveller.

Mike’s educational background consists of a BSc and MA in Economics, and he is a CFA charter holder.

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Luke Deering

VP Business Development CBD Click to Read Bio +
Luke Deering

Growing up on a ranch in northern British Columbia, Luke developed a passion for agriculture at an early age. After graduating from Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s horticulture program in 2001, with a speciality in greenhouse production, Luke launched his career on Canada’s West Coast. Luke is thrilled to be working in the emerging hemp industry. He is particularly interested in the commercial production requirements of hemp cultivation for food and fibre. With a keen sense for business and an entrepreneurial spirit, Luke has owned and operated a variety of businesses on southern Vancouver Island, most recently serving as owner and CEO of Access West, an office equipment supplier in Victoria, B.C.

On his downtime, Luke can be found camping and fishing at his favourite nature spots on Vancouver Island or tending to his veggie garden at his home in Sooke, B.C., where he lives with wife and two young children.

×

Andrew Potter

Co-Founder & CEO Click to Read Bio +
Andrew Potter

After a successful career in oil and gas & finance, Andrew was looking for an opportunity that would satisfy his entrepreneurial spirit, pay the bills and make a positive impact for people and the planet. Andrew quickly saw the opportunity and value in Canada’s emerging hemp industry (an area he first explored ~20 years ago in a university project.)

With over 15 years of capital markets experience, Andrew is well known for early identification of major trends & themes and consistently achieved top ranking in institutional client surveys. Before founding BSHV, Andrew was MD of the energy team with CIBC and formerly - VP of Strategic Planning & Corporate Strategy at Cenovus Energy

Beyond Blue Sky, Andrew enjoys skiing, tennis, travelling and spending time with his lovely wife and two teenage children. Andrew and his wife Jen are strong advocates for Mental Health with Andrew currently sitting on the board of directors for the Alberta chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).

×

Wilson Johnson

Co-Founder & Chief Agronomist Click to Read Bio +
Wilson Johnson

Wilson’s farming roots run deep. In fact, his family has been farming the land in and around Rosetown, Saskatchewan for over 4 generations. Wilson brings deep agronomic knowledge coupled with a locals ‘lay of the land’ and is responsible for watching over 8,000 acres of prime farmland in Western Canada, with the potential to expand up to 20,000 acres through Blue Sky’s farmer-partner network.

Wanting to expand his knowledge of agriculture, Wilson attended the University of Saskatchewan and graduated with a BSc in Plant Science in 2003. After working for a number of Crop Input Suppliers, he went on to start a consulting company called Soil Sense Inc. in 2004 dealing directly with large farm corporations. Wilson has worked with these growers ever since and many of these producers are growing Hemp in 2018 for BSHV. In late 2017, with his partner Devin Dubois, Wilson Co-founded FieldAlytics Solutions Canada. FieldAlytics is a comprehensive cloud-based precision ag software utilized by many Agricultural Equipment Dealers, Crop Input Suppliers and producers in Canada.

Wilson was born and raised on his family farm near Rosetown, Saskatchewan where he currently lives with his wife and children. Wilson has a strong passion for sustainable agriculture and is extremely excited about the opportunities that Hemp brings to producers, processors, consumers - and for the next generation who take over the legacy of his land.

×

Devin Dubois

VP Legal & Regulatory Click to Read Bio +
Devin Dubois

Devin was born and raised as part of a family farm operation near the town of Rosetown in west-central Saskatchewan. Post-graduation, Devin garnered a BA in political science from the University of Calgary, an MA in Communication from Ryerson and York Universities in Toronto, followed by a law degree from the University of Saskatchewan. Devin practised law in Saskatchewan for a number of years, serving primarily agriculture retailers, agricultural equipment vendors and ag-creditors. Devin was Vice-president and Corporate Counsel to a large John Deere equipment dealership group before he joined Wilson Johnston to found FieldAlytics Solutions Canada Ltd., a company that provides precision agriculture software, tools and advice to equipment dealers, ag input suppliers and independent agronomists.

In case you were wondering...Yes, Devin was a competitive clay target shooter for many years, spending time on Canada’s national team, but more recently has resorted to more pedestrian pursuits like jogging with any two of his three kids in the stroller in front of him. Devin lives in Saskatoon with his wife Maeghan and three children.

×

Ben Carnevale

VP Sales & Marketing Click to Read Bio +
Ben Carnevale

Ben brings over 17 years of experience as both a food scientist & sales director within the food ingredients industry. His rare combination of technical expertise combined with deep relationships within the food & fine ingredients sector enable Ben to add real value to Blue Sky’s growing customer list.  

Not only is food science Ben’s job, it is also his passion. In his free time, you can find Ben in his home ‘test-kitchen’ brewing up his own concoctions from hemp pancakes to plant-based hemp burgers. Ben is also a pioneer in spotting and creating trends and chances are good he’s been involved in bringing some of your favourite food products to the market. 

Although his experience has been in the food and fine ingredients space, Ben has a growing interest and passion for the full scope of applications for hemp - from food to wellness, personal care, through to textiles, fuels sources, plastics and more. 

Prior to joining Blue Sky, Ben was the director of Sales and R&D at Blendtek Ingredients. Previously, Ben was the General Sales Manager of a global distributor, responsible for a team of 25 and total revenue of $243 mm.

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