NSB Logo Peter van Stolk Peter van Stolk

Peter van Stolk

Speaker Exclusive

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Business Innovator, Founder of Jones Soda & former CEO of SPUD.ca

Business speaker Peter van Stolk led Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery or SPUD.ca™, the largest pure-play online grocer in Canada to becoming a publicly traded company as Freshlocal. A marketing maverick, he has a unique approach to promoting his products, an intense connection to his consumers and an uncanny ability to predict trends. He inspires audiences to think outside the box when it comes to connecting with customers. Through the contribution of all proceeds from his speeches, Peter is directly responsible for building numerous schools in developing countries, as well as countless donations to organizations that focus on women, children, and cancer research. 

Keynote Speeches

Virtual Keynotes & Webinars
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The Key To Your Staying Power - Values & Sustainability
Canadian consumers will pay a premium for two things: products that reflect their value system and products that are made in Canada. It is increasingly more important for brands to provide transparency around how their products are made and sourced, and the footprint it has on the rest of the world, which is why van Stolk’s Spud put such an emphasis on sustainability and climate change. Aside from online grocery delivery, SPUD’s platform ‘FoodX’ has partnered with Walmart to eliminate plastic waste in their grocery bags.
 
In this heartfelt and tactical keynote, you’ll learn:
• Your brand’s human story that changes the perception of your company from corporation to a living, breathing entity they, as the consumer, can contribute to 
• How to showcase your social purpose in every detail, including all touch-points both online and in-person
• Communicating your sustainability and, if applicable, the Made in Canada advantage 
Riding the Rollercoaster: Lessons in Business, Life, and the Jones & SPUD Story

Marketing maverick, Peter van Stolk, has a unique approach to promoting his products, an intense connection to his consumers, and an uncanny ability to predict trends. His work has attracted the attention of the New York Times, CNN, People Magazine, and Inc. Magazine. In this presentation, Peter shares his nontraditional methods for reaching out to customers and his opportunities and challenges of running a sustainable business. This is an ideal platform for local entrepreneurs, creative professionals, and others – whether you’re looking for inspiration, trade secrets, and/or the opportunity to hear from one of North America’s top creative minds.

 

Innovative Marketing & Customer Focused Strategies

The way people use the internet is evolving. Traditional outreach methods have become less effective and your marketing program can no longer consist of simply buying media. For you to reach your desired audience you must adapt your methodology and become more social. You must be adaptable, organic, engaging, and always in touch with your audience.

Rejecting traditional PR and marketing tactics, and with virtually no money, van Stolk launched Jones Soda and attracted endless media attention. Van Stolk explains how his brash, innovative and incredibly successful approach to marketing and publicity works.

van Stolk has built brands with consumer loyalty from the ground up.  Grounding is planting your brand in places where your consumer likes to be. Hear how Peter ‘grounded his brand’ and created his own rules to break into the saturated food and beverage markets.

 

Audience reviews:

  • The presentation was phenomenal! Peter van Stolk was a hit. We've heard so much great feedback already. We usually have people sneaking out by 1:30 but everyone stayed put and we had to turn people away.

    - Canadian Public Relations Society
  • Peter was perfect and everyone enjoyed the event tremendously. Everything was perfect. Really, it couldn't have been a better presentation and spot on for the subject matter focus for our company.

    - Director of Communications & Brand, Pushpay
  • What I didn’t expect is so much passion and energy from you...you wouldn’t believe how fired up I was after it was over. I’ll tell (you) how brilliant the presentation was and how truly inspirational it all was.

    - Audience member, Royal Roads University
  • Peter was absolutely refreshing yesterday. Each of his presentations was slightly different and I enjoyed each. He has so much charisma and connects so quickly to the kids it was amazing.

    - Calgary Board of Education
  • Our membership was astounded by your down to earth and awe-inspiring presentation!

    - Calgary Region Home Builders Association
  • Ontario Made Awards was a fantastic moment to celebrate Ontario’s great things. And Peter had an amazing message delivered, especially the personal stories and tips shared. They were great for the audience! - Ontario Program Administrator, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
 

Speaker Biography

Peter van Stolk has a unique approach to promoting his products, an intense connection to his consumers, and an uncanny ability to predict trends. He helps organizations around the world with a broad range of business-innovation challenges, including how to compete, how to market a product, and how to build a successful business.

He helped take SPUD.ca public as Freshlocal Solutions – now the parent company of the former SPUD’s core brands including Spud.ca, delivering fresh, organic, local produce and groceries in markets in B.C. and Alberta and FoodX Technologies, which provides an eGrocery Management Solution (eGMS) software platform for retailers.

As CEO of Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery or SPUD.ca™, Peter helped build it to become the largest pure-play online grocer in Canada. SPUD.ca  focused on creating meaningful relationships with Canadians around the benefits of local, organic food.  SPUD.ca built community among its customers both online and off with a unique omnichannel strategy of hyper-local small markets through its retail brands, Be Fresh Local Market, Blush Lane Organics and Organic Acres Market. van Stolk believes: “Food will have the greatest impact on our generation. How we think about food, how we buy food, and how we consume food will change, and we are excited to be a part of this transformation”.

As founder of Jones Soda Company in 1987, van Stolk served as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors until 2007. Jones Soda was one of the first consumer branded companies that recognized the potential of Social Media in creating emotional connections with its consumers.

van Stolk has been recognized for his business savvy and innovative branding strategies in various publications such as The New York Times®, CNN®, Wall Street Journal®, Fast CompanyTM, Inc.MagazineTM and People Magazine®. Peter has received numerous business awards including Price, Waterhouse, Coopers’ 40 under 40, Brand Week’s Top 100 Marketer, and was chosen as one of Canada’s Top One Hundred Canadians by MacLean’s Magazine®.