Powell retires from nonprofit, relaunches consulting biz

Six years after taking the helm of CEO at the BC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences (BC CAHS) in Campbell River, BC, Dr Jim Powell is bidding the nonprofit goodbye and relaunching his consulting business.

Fidelis Aquaculture Management, a consulting company Powell founded 11 years ago in Campbell River, will offer service contracts that address issues that affect both wild fish and cultured fish, said Powell. These include broodstock and smolt optimization, animal welfare, biosecurity, drug development and registration, conservation and recovery of endangered species.

Powell, who will soon celebrate his 40^th year in the industry, leaves the aquatic research facility in a very good position, former colleagues said.

“During the six years that Jim directed the organization, he led the development of the management team and followed a belief of developing employees from within, which led to financial stability and growth. Through this approach, the BC CAHS staff were able to build their internal capabilities and create an Outreach and Education program,” says Maureen Ritter, Chair of the BC CAHS Board.

Moreover, under Powell’s leadership, the nonprofit centre obtained ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation and numerous Canada Food Inspection Agency and US Fish and Wildlife Service certifications. This allowed the lab to support a wider range of research and offer diagnostics services that gave it financial independence, the centre said in a statement.

Powell recently secured funding for the creation of an aquatic animal health wet lab at BC CAHS, enabling the facility to expand its aquatic animal health research and environmental monitoring services in the province.