Our Team
Greg Skotnicki, President
Greg knows from experience there’s no other sector quite like agriculture — which is why it takes a
uniquely expert team to support owner-operators who are transitioning their businesses. He’s proud to
have led Market Maker Agriculture in that mission since it was founded in 2016, helping strengthen and
develop the management capacity of its portfolio companies while creating opportunities for staff at all
levels of the Market Maker team to hone their skills and contribute to decisions in a meaningful way.
Greg is a champion of building trusted relationships and making the best decisions for the long term. He came to Market Maker from an executive role at Manderley Turf Products Inc., Canada’s largest sod producer. Under his leadership, Manderley was named one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies in 2011. Greg holds an MBA from Queen’s University and a B.Eng degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada.
Greg is a champion of building trusted relationships and making the best decisions for the long term. He came to Market Maker from an executive role at Manderley Turf Products Inc., Canada’s largest sod producer. Under his leadership, Manderley was named one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies in 2011. Greg holds an MBA from Queen’s University and a B.Eng degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada.
Jean-Jean “JJ” Vanasse, Vice-President Acquisitions
“JJ” Vanasse has spent most of his career working for privately owned, family-run agriculture businesses.
In a past role as President of Property Management at Bonnefield, he visited farm families across Canada
to learn about their challenges and needs and understands how hard they work to put food on tables.
Since 2019, he has led the acquisition activities at Market Maker Agriculture, from early stages through to
closing transactions for handoff to onboarding.
Over his career, JJ has been directly involved in raising more than $750 million in private equity capital for various businesses. He has also guided many businesses through ownership transition: as the company being acquired and as the acquirer -- always with a view to setting them up for success in their next phase. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
Over his career, JJ has been directly involved in raising more than $750 million in private equity capital for various businesses. He has also guided many businesses through ownership transition: as the company being acquired and as the acquirer -- always with a view to setting them up for success in their next phase. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
Chris Verrilli, Vice-President Finance
Chris acts as mentor, coach and advisor to finance teams in Market Maker Agriculture’s portfolio of
companies, supporting them as they explore new ways of doing business and attracting talent to succeed
and build on the legacies of the owners who started them.
A Chartered Professional Accountant, Chris has been Vice-President Finance at Market Maker since 2020. He brings more than a decade of experience in agriculture, real estate, private equity and retail. He has developed finance teams, modernized and streamlined finance systems and infrastructure, worked on merger and acquisition transactions, and helped raise private equity funding.
A Chartered Professional Accountant, Chris has been Vice-President Finance at Market Maker since 2020. He brings more than a decade of experience in agriculture, real estate, private equity and retail. He has developed finance teams, modernized and streamlined finance systems and infrastructure, worked on merger and acquisition transactions, and helped raise private equity funding.
Lisa Courtney Lloyd, Vice-President Business Development
Combining creativity with clear thinking, Lisa sets the strategies that strengthen Market Marker’s reputation as a trusted partner in the agricultural sector. Lisa makes sure the Market Maker team understands what a successful transition means for each owner/operator and creates space for
discussions that will lead to mutually beneficial outcomes. She relies on her business and marketing
acumen to develop deep understanding of industries, companies and markets to help ensure that every
acquired agribusiness is a solid, long-term fit for Market Maker.
Lisa has held a variety of marketing and business roles throughout her career, including more than a decade of working in the agricultural sector as Vice-President of Marketing for Bonnefield. She is a recipient of a Gold Quill Award for excellence in business communications from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). Lisa is an active volunteer in her community, donating her time to Ottawa’s Parkdale Food Centre.
Lisa has held a variety of marketing and business roles throughout her career, including more than a decade of working in the agricultural sector as Vice-President of Marketing for Bonnefield. She is a recipient of a Gold Quill Award for excellence in business communications from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). Lisa is an active volunteer in her community, donating her time to Ottawa’s Parkdale Food Centre.
Cédric St-Amand, Controller
Cédric typically works with clients from the due diligence stage of a transaction through to closing. He
takes pride in clear, open communication and creating a comfortable space for clients to ask questions as
they make important decisions about the future of their business. A Market Maker Agriculture team
member since 2019, his duties include financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, providing support to
the board, supervising the controllers of portfolio companies and supporting the Chief Financial Officer.
Cédric is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a graduate of Université du Québec en Outaouais, where he specialized in accounting.
Cédric is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a graduate of Université du Québec en Outaouais, where he specialized in accounting.
Médéric Duplessis-Savard, Financial Analyst
When investment opportunities arise at Market Maker Agriculture, Médéric’s thorough financial analysis is
a key part of the investment recommendation process. Appreciating the responsibility of this step, he
works diligently to explore all aspects of prospective businesses and provide a clear picture of fit with the
rest of the Market Maker portfolio. He also provides the financial analysis to determine a company’s
purchase price.
Médéric has been with Market Maker since 2020, starting as a senior accountant. He is currently pursuing the CFA designation and has completed level 1 and 2. He is a graduate of HEC Montréal’s Bachelor of Business Administration program, where he specialized in finance.
Denisa Johnova, Senior Accountant
Denisa Johnova believes in teamwork, fairness, treating others with respect and being open and
transparent. Those convictions guide every aspect of her work as Market Maker Agriculture’s Senior
Accountant, a role she began in January 2022. She contributes to consolidated and non-consolidated
budgets and reforecasts, prepares monthly and quarterly financial reporting packages, and drafts closing
activity reports. She also provides financial analysis support during the acquisition process and helps
onboard new companies.
Denisa earned her Honours Bachelor of Commerce from Nipissing University with a specialization in accounting, and is also a graduate of Algonquin College’s Business Administration Advanced Diploma program.
Denisa earned her Honours Bachelor of Commerce from Nipissing University with a specialization in accounting, and is also a graduate of Algonquin College’s Business Administration Advanced Diploma program.
Steve Kaminski, Advisor
Steve is a CPA, CA and has been building successful companies for more than two decades. He brings
vision and a strong financial understanding to the businesses he works with, drawing on more than 24
years in the real estate industry. Steve is a member of the Market Maker board and the investment
committee. Steve is also a partner at Colonnade Investments and holds several executive positions within
its portfolio of companies.