The Williams Group | Communications and Business Solutions for Growth

The TWGWilliams Group of Companies

We build the strategies, systems and stories that help organizations rise.
Welcome to The Williams Group
The Williams Group is strategy-first advisory firm built on a rare combination of real-world leadership, entrepreneurial grit, and deep operational experience. For more than 15 years, we’ve been helping organizations find clarity, strengthen their identity, and build the systems they need to grow, whether they are nonprofits, member-driven associations, political campaigns, or established businesses looking for a more strategic path forward.
What makes us different is that our expertise wasn’t learned from the outside looking in. It was built through decades of inside experience leading organizations, navigating boardrooms, shaping policy conversations, building brands, managing change, and guiding teams through growth. We’ve been in the roles our clients now occupy and we understand what it feels like to carry that responsibility.
Our work began in corporate settings and later evolved into community leadership, entrepreneurship, and strategic consulting. Over the years, we’ve led major initiatives in both urban and rural environments, and the impact of our work has been felt far beyond the communities where those projects began. The quality remains the same whether we’re supporting a big-city campaign or strengthening a small-town nonprofit — what changes is simply the scale and context.

A Foundation in Commerce, Technology & Transformation
Long before The Williams Group became known for strategic advisory, we built and grew our own commercial enterprises. What began as a traditional retail operation has transformed into a thriving e-commerce and supply platform that now serves customers across Western and Central Canada. We evolved from bricks-and-mortar storefronts into a digital-first business by leveraging our background in telecommunications, IT, software design, and customer experience.
Our ongoing success and first-hand experience in real-world business applications and problem solving is a core foundation of our expertise, including:
digital transformation
operational scaling
managing partner and dealer networks
customer lifecycle strategy
adapting to shifting markets and technologies
It also means we don’t simply advise clients on systems; we run systems. We understand the complexities because we’re working in that world every day.
Why It Matters to Our Clients
Our perspective is shaped by lived experience at every level of leadership from corporate roles to community stewardship, from managing high-stakes campaigns to guiding organizations through governance change. We know how hard it is for boards, volunteers, executives and founders to move forward when:
fundraising misses the mark
the organization struggles to tell its story
branding feels outdated or fragmented
board turnover creates uncertainty
internal capacity is stretched thin
political or advocacy work needs a stronger strategic foundation
Organizations often assume they can solve these challenges with more content, more staff, or more tools — even AI. But technology alone cannot provide the judgment, positioning, narrative understanding, political experience, or organizational insight needed to create real progress. That requires human clarity, thoughtful architecture, and steady leadership.
That’s where we come in.
How We Help
We work closely with each organization to design a custom strategic framework. No templates, no one-size-fits-all playbooks and no “services menu.” Every client’s path is unique and our job is to build the structure that fits their mission, their capacity and their next stage of growth.
For some, that means rebuilding brand identity.

For others, it means engineering a complete fundraising or communications system.

For others still, it means navigating political complexity, campaign strategy, stakeholder relationships, or governance transitions.
Our goal is always the same: To be the architects of clarity and momentum, so your organization can move forward with purpose and confidence.

Let's Write the Next Chapter Together!
Our Team
Michael Williams, Founder & Strategy Architect
Michael's leadership journey began in Calgary, beginning in media sales and ascending to multiple management roles, leading high performing teams to record revenue generation. But the turning point came when he left the corporate world to build his own business, a transition that reshaped not only his career, but his values. As he grew his companies, Michael made a commitment: If the community supports our work, then we owe something meaningful to that community.
Over the last 15 years, that commitment has translated into deep involvement in local organizations, nonprofit boards, community initiatives, youth sports and regional advocacy. In those roles, Mike gained a wealth of insight into how organizations really function including the dynamics between boards and volunteers, the barriers to fundraising, politics that shape decision-making and the communication gaps that often stall progress.
Michael's business acumen has been demonstrated throughout his career, from providing guidance to hundreds of businesses and organizations as a marketing consultant to transitioning his own company from a bricks and mortar operation to a growing national e-commerce retailer, holding firm against some of the largest brands in the world today.
Mike brings a uniquely grounded perspective: the strategic mind of a corporate leader, the operational discipline of a successful entrepreneur and the empathy of someone who has worked inside the very organizations he now supports.
Denise Bryan-Williams, Chief Communications Architect
Denise brings a rare blend of strategic clarity, creative instinct and organizational discipline to every project she leads. Her early career in Calgary included senior roles as a VP of Marketing and a provincial sales director, where she helped shape brand direction, guide large teams and steward national-level initiatives.
After moving into community leadership, she spent a decade directing a Chamber of Commerce giving her firsthand insight into how boards, volunteers, and local organizations succeed, or stall, when navigating complex goals.
Denise is also known for her exceptional eye for style, design and presentation. Her ability to refine a brand’s visual identity, elevate messaging and craft high-impact promotional experiences is matched by her strength in building the roadmaps that make those ideas achievable.
Today, Denise is a cornerstone of The Williams Group’s strategic practice: a steady, insightful architect who helps clients align their brand, culture, and communications with the outcomes they hope to achieve.

Jason Heistad, Labour Relations | Board Governance
Jason’s career has been shaped by decades spent at the crossroads of community service, labour advocacy, and local governance. From executive leadership roles in major provincial organizations to multiple terms in municipal office, he has developed a rare ability to understand how institutions function from the inside — and how to strengthen them.
His experience spans labour relations, government engagement, pensions, membership-driven organizations, and public-sector accountability. That breadth enables him to help nonprofits and advocacy groups navigate complex issues with clarity and confidence.
Jason brings a grounded, community-first perspective, coupled with a deep understanding of how policy, people, and organizational structures interact. His insight helps clients stabilize governance, strengthen board performance, and position their work with credibility in both local and provincial contexts.
Liming Qian, Technical Project Services
Liming is our IT Lead and Director of Technical Project Services at the Williams Group of Companies. Liming brings over 30 years of unparalleled experience in IT project management to our team. His extensive career has seen him work across multiple levels of government and private industry, leading successful projects for Alberta Health Services, Sprint USA, The City of Winnipeg and the City of Edmonton.

As a project consultant with the Williams Group, Liming has been instrumental in developing custom workflow automation software applications for our clients over the past 15 years, many of which have been in use for over 10 years.

Liming holds two master degrees in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and Computer Engineering.

Richard Adams
Rich is a managing partner through Chamber Supply Co. where he expertly oversees the Saskatchewan Government and other regional businesses and organizations. Based out Moose Jaw, SK, Rich plays a vital role in ensuring the seamless operation and growth of our supply services within these key regions.

For over 20 years, Rich has worked with young people as a high school basketball coach and his financial acumen has caused him to be tapped numerous times as a volunteer for multiple organizations to act as their treasurer.

His ability to cultivate and maintain strong relationships with government entities, non-profits and local businesses in Saskatchewan ensures that Chamber Supply Co. consistently meets and exceeds client expectations.

Todd Schlender
Todd along with his wife Krista are the dynamic duo behind Stettler Business Solutions, where they also work as independent agents of Chamber Supply Co.

Todd is an active volunteer as a referee assignor with Stettler Minor Hockey and mentors youth officials on the ice as well. Krista has been a dedicated volunteer for several years with RM Danceology and the Stettler Railway's annual Polar Express Holiday Train Ride.

Todd and Krista combine their expertise to effectively oversee operations and foster strong relationships within the Eastern Alberta region. Their hands-on involvement and personalized attention to each client ensure that Stettler Business Solutions consistently delivers high-quality service, driving success and satisfaction for businesses throughout Eastern Alberta.

Isiah Williams
Isiah leads many of our video projects within the Williams Communications division, lending his talent and creativity to high-profile productions and providing voiceover work.

An accomplished stage actor and musician, Isiah has honed his craft with Prime Stock Theatre Company over several years, performing leading roles in numerous Shakespearean plays, including King Lear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Hamlet. In addition, he has had leading roles in productions for the Central Alberta One-Act Play Festival and most recently, the Edmonton Fringe Festival.

Patricia Bezel
Patricia is our dedicated Indigenous Business Development Representative for The Williams Group. With a deep commitment to fostering Indigenous to Indigenous business relationships, Patricia plays a crucial role in our mission to support and empower Indigenous communities through meaningful economic partnerships and also worked alongside Denise to help coordinate and execute our Indigenous Scholarship program.

Patricia's responsibilities include building and facilitating strong, sustainable business connections between Indigenous enterprises. Her work involves not only identifying and nurturing new opportunities but also ensuring that these relationships are mutually beneficial and grounded in respect and cultural understanding.