Design

Kyle Kotack headshot
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It takes a lot of hard work by the right people to get there

Design, Marketing & Advertising 00:17:50

Kyle Kotack believes in being extraordinary — you must be memorable or risk being missed. As the President of Skylar Media Group, a powerhouse integrated digital agency, Kyle leads a team of over 25 to build strategic plans and creative branding for forward-thinking clients. After the recession of 2009 through till 2012, Kyle took the instrumental risk to pivot the business away from print and began Skylar’s evolution. Through multiple pivots, Skylar ultimately has become a full solution digital agency that is dynamic by design, ideal for our rapidly changing world.

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Robin Kovitz headshot
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Pivoting from a career in the financial industry to being an entrepreneur

Design, Retail 00:18:29

Robin Kovitz is the President & CEO of Baskits Inc., one of Canada’s fastest growing companies. Baskits designs, manufactures and delivers unique and luxurious gifts across Canada and the US. With over 50,000 customers from around the world, Baskits makes the art of gifting quick and easy through its online stores, catalog/call center, warehouse, and retail locations. In 2020, and again in 2021, Baskits was recognized as one of the Top Growing Companies in Canada by the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business Magazine.

Prior to acquiring Baskits in 2014, Robin worked in private equity on the buyouts of mid-sized companies and as a Summer Consultant at the Boston Consulting Group where she led a part of a large-scale cost reduction project at a Canadian bank. She also played an active role in the sale of her family’s western Canadian food manufacturing and distribution businesses. She began her career in Mergers and Acquisitions investment banking at CIBC World Markets and was recognized with the Chairman’s Award in 2005.

As a sought-after speaker and commentator on “Entrepreneurship through Acquisition”, digital retail and the topic of “Mompreneurship” Robin frequently serves as a guest lecturer at both the Yale School of Management and the Harvard Business School. She and/or Baskits have been featured in a number of leading publications, including: Forbes, House & Home, Elle Canada, Canadian Business, Huffington Post, Style at Home and on Global News, Your Morning Show.

Robin currently serves as a consultant to the Admissions Marketing team at the Harvard Business School and as a member of Young Presidents’ Organization. She holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University where she was a Rutherford Scholar. In 2017, and again in 2021, she was recognized as a Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 award winner. In 2021, Robin received the Women of Inspiration Award from the Universal Womens Network. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.

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Emma May headshot
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A woman of many hats as a lawyer, realtor and fashion retailer

Design, Legal, Real Estate, Retail 00:16:05

Emma May is the Founder of the digitally native fashion brand SophieGrace and the boutique real estate brokerage Charles Real Estate. A former corporate lawyer, Emma has worked in film and television and was a senior staffer to former Alberta Premier Jim Prentice.

Emma has consistently demonstrated commitment to her community. Following the floods of 2013 she Co-Founded the Calgary River Communities Action Group and advocated on behalf of her fellow Calgarians for policy and mitigation that would protect the City of Calgary in years to come.

In 2014, because of her activism, Premier Jim Prentice appointed Emma Executive Director, Office of the Premier, Southern Alberta. Her responsibilities included stakeholder relations, strategic policy development, issues management, and public affairs. She was responsible for the management and public programming of McDougall Centre and directed and collaborated with Provincial Administration on Flood Recovery Policy and Process. Emma also assisted in the consultation and re-write of Bill 10 (Gay Straight Alliances In Schools) in order for it to achieve unanimous all-party support.

Emma was called to the British Columbia Bar in 2000 and to the Alberta Bar in 2002.

As a lawyer, Emma explored best practices regarding corporate structure, intellectual property matters, strategic planning, and contractual concerns. She was also responsible for the negotiation and drafting contracts relating to financing, insurance, cast, union and guild related matters.

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Elle AyoubZadeh headshot
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Learn how Elle AyoubZadeh operates a local business with global vision and mission

Business, Design, Fashion & Garments 00:23:12

Elle AyoubZadeh is Zvelle Founder and Creative Director. Elle is a bold, ambitious Canadian entrepreneur, and a woman of colour who has founded a local business with a global mission and vision. She has had the grit to persevere in the finance industry as a woman and visible minority, and later dive into the world of entrepreneurship challenging us to rethink how fashion should portray female beauty and achievement. Zvelle has enjoyed commercial success and Zvelle’s shoes have been spotted on public figures from Sophie Trudeau to Bella Hadid.

This year Minister Chrystia Freeland purchased Zvelle shoes to wear to budget day. Read more at Toronto Star.

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Annabelle Mastalic headshot
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Annabelle Mastalic went from trained nurse to interior designer in pursuit of her passions

Architecture, Business, Design 00:21:40

Based in Calgary, Alberta – Annabelle Mastalic officially launched ADM Interiors in May of 2019. With 17 years of experience as a trained nurse, Annabelle transitioned to interior design, leaning into two of her passions, a love for minimalism and a life-long fascination for design.

Because of her background, she brings a unique lens in her approach to designing spaces that are both beautiful, but also take her client’s health and wellness needs into consideration. Through her medical training, she is able to identify solutions and prompt conversations with clients to consider how they can bring wellness to the forefront of their homes and designs.

She is the first designer in Alberta to become a Certified Living In Place Professional (CLIPP) from the Living in Place Institute (Living In Place focuses on making all homes accessible to people of every age and ability, including helping seniors to age in place) and a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) from the National Association of Home Builders. Both designations enable her to identify and offer solutions for home accessibility, comfort, and safety in every home.

Annabelle’s timeless aesthetic and ‘less is more’ design approach/philosophy, focuses on removing daily burdens to create functional spaces that allow people to live with ease, comfort and beauty. Her designs are inspired by three core values – wellbeing, minimalism, and bringing the homeowner’s story to the forefront of the designs. Especially as we have spent more time at home over the past year, she is passionate about designing homes that are beautiful, meaningful, and are spaces where we can live well and thrive.

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Marika Styba headshot
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A Flower Shop Named After a Shakespearean Character

Agriculture, Art & Culture, Design, Retail 00:18:21

Marika Styba is the Owner of Peaseblossoms, which opened its doors in 1995 with a unique name based on the work of playwright William Shakespeare.

Peaseblossom was an attending flower fairy to Titania the fairy queen in William Shakespeare’s play ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. As time wore on, by the Victorian Era, a peaseblossom became synonymous with simply being a flower fairy. Sweet, charming and whimsical are all traits Styba loves about her shop and she thinks the name suits them to a ‘t’. The small flower shop has seen steady business in the past year even during the pandemic as people continue to want connections with others through the beauty of flowers.

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Laura Nezri Chetrit headshot
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Solve a problem you’ve experienced and do everything for as long as possible

Business, Design, Retail 00:16:04

Laura Nezri Chetrit is the Founder & Creative Director of Maison Tess.; an online Canadian luxury home linen brand, offering premium-quality and sustainable bedding that brings your home to life. With a background in fashion and real estate, Laura launched Maison Tess. in 2017– who, when decorating her dream family home, realized there was a gap in the market when it came to finding bedding that was both practical and stylish. As Laura explains, “We aim to help people dress their homes the same way they do their wardrobe. With fashion, people dress to show an authentic expression of who they are and that is exactly the feeling we want to bring into your home.” Laura named Maison Tess. after her family; T for Thomas, her husband, E for her son Elie, and double S for her daughter Sasha.

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Melissa Lambert headshot
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Quand le Girlpower mène un mouvement de sacs véganes

Business, Design, Fashion & Garments, Retail 00:19:13

Mélissa Lambert est une femme de tête et de convictions qui, ne trouvant pas le produit de ses rêves sur le marché, a décidé de lancer sa propre marque de sacs à dos et sacs à main. Avec plus de 10 ans d’expérience en communication et en gestion de marque, Mélissa a voulu se lancer un nouveau défi; celui de réinventer la mode du sac à dos. Étant convaincue qu’il est possible d’allier confort avec élégance, l’entrepreneur lance sa marque de sac en cuir végane, certifié Peta en 2017. Lambert est issu d’une histoire d’amour entre la maternité et l’envie de changer le monde, un achat consciencieux à la fois. C’est lorsqu’elle attendait son 3ème enfant que Mélissa eut l’idée de lancer son entreprise, avec le rêve d’un modèle d’affaires responsable, écologique et du slow fashion.

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Thomas Girard headshot
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Thomas Girard, Emerging Scholar award recipient discusses the evolution of design & where it’s going

Business, Design 00:16:07

Thomas Girard (http://www.thomaskgirard.com) is a 4x Emerging Scholar award recipient and has taught undergraduate level interaction design in three countries. One of his notable Emerging Scholar awards was granted at the Design Principles and Practices Conference in Barcelona, Spain, where the theme was “No Boundaries Design”. He is based in Vancouver, Canada, where he was born and educated.

Want to make sure your #smallbusiness is protected in case of the unexpected? The Co-operators Can Help! To find a Cooperators advisor and get started today go to lp.cooperators.ca/canadapodcast

Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest #entrepreneur podcasts and news? Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter.

Doug Van Spronsen headshot
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Doug Van Spronsen

Design, Tech 00:20:04

Doug Van Spronsen is a Partner at Versett a product design and technology company.

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