Retail

Second-hand fashion is growing 15 times faster than ever before!

From her earliest memories of playing dress-up in her mother’s closet, Courtney Watkins has always loved fashion and finding creative ways to showcase her style for less. She got her start in fashion pursuing a degree in Merchandise Marketing in Los Angeles. From working as a celeb stylist to a trend forecaster, she ran and scaled a Saw Mill to start her entrepreneurial journey. She then went on to create a company that values sustainability, interpersonal relationships and luxury fashion. Watkins has nearly a decade of experience running Canada’s fastest-growing luxury e-commerce + retail resale boutique, Mine & Yours, based in Vancouver BC.


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Indigenous-owned ethical, sustainable and natural hair care products from Edmonton

Vanessa Marshall was born and raised in a small town in northern Alberta. She has two kids and a loving husband. She grew up in a sustainably oriented family and taking care of the earth and its animals has always been a passion of hers. She leads a plant-based lifestyle and does her best to reduce her carbon footprint whenever possible. She is passionate about her family and business and loves to spread kindness. Jack59 is an Indigenous-owned and operated company located in Edmonton Alberta, Canada. They believe in the highest quality ingredients, locally sourced whenever possible. Their passion lies in creating amazing hair products and their mission is to provide amazing hair days while reducing people’s carbon footprints.


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A Flower Shop Named After a Shakespearean Character

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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Comment démarrer une entreprise en alimentation

Alexane Thiffeault est co-fondatrice de Les Snorôs; une entreprise qui offre des gaufres congelées à base de légumes aux parents voulant favoriser les saines habitudes alimentaires de leurs enfants. Diplômée du baccalauréat en science et technologie des aliments, Alexane est reconnue pour son sens de l’organisation et son dynamisme contagieux.


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From a stay-at-home mom with a sweet tooth and big ambitions to a well known confectionary brand!

Kathy Leskow, Founder of Confetti Sweets, was a stay-at-home mom with a sweet tooth and big ambitions. She started off baking cookies in her home kitchen and selling them at local farmer’s markets. In 2014, Kathy secured a storefront for Confetti Sweets in Sherwood Park and now employs a team of 25. Kathy has expanded her reach in Alberta and now sells her cookie mix at grocery stores throughout the province. During the pandemic, she branched out and founded Confetti Collective where they sell curated local food from small producers. Kathy has a commerce degree from the University of Lethbridge with a major in marketing and has experience in the event planning and hospitality industries. She is no longer found scooping cookie dough and baking, but working on growing the business and seizing all opportunities that come her way.


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Des nappes éducatives et écologiques pour petits et grands! Découvrez les merveilleux produits de BiMoo avec la présidente Julie Blais

Julie Blais travaillait en comptabilité depuis 15 ans, lorsque l’idée de fonder sa propre entreprise lui est apparue nécessaire. Elle adore relever des défis et est motivée par le dépassement et l’accomplissement de soi. Elle a développé les nappes éducatives à colorier BiMoo pour enfants et maintenant pour répondre aux besoins des adultes et des aînés.

Sa mission est d’offrir aux parents et aux professionnels un outil pédagogique novateur et ludique ainsi qu’une alternative à la médication et au numérique. Je considère l’humain comme étant le cœur d’une entreprise, et je vois la mobilisation, l’écoute et la collaboration comme des éléments essentiels à la force d’une équipe et de l’entreprise en soi.


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If it has to do with Facility Maintenance or Utility Data Management, Wayne Beamish is your go-to!

Wayne Beamish is a problem solver. As an Army Brat born in Marville, France, Wayne is no stranger to transition. His family moved a few times during his upbringing, but desiring his own adventure, ended up in Banff, Alberta after high school. Wayne worked in the booming restaurant/industry for a stint and ended up soon after in Lake Tahoe, California where became a Certified Millwright, husband and father. He then moved to Ottawa, Ontario, working in the cabinetmaking/millworking industry for over 10 years. In 2001, after energy deregulation occurred in Ontario, one of his clients asked him if he could prepare a white paper on the impact deregulation will have on the industry. Wayne researched, studied, and read up on the issue, yielding a document that landed him his first client. Powerhouse Management was born. It began as a consultancy firm, now it’s a facility maintenance and data utility management company with multiple national clients (Rexa ll, Staples, SmartCentres).

Wayne is a member of ConnexFM, a multi-site Facilities Management network bringing together FM’s as well as supplier professionals in North America. Wayne has contributed to their publications through articles and has been part of their ‘Daily Grind’ program.


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How two engineers teamed up to produce a better night’s sleep

Marty Furse has a BASc in Engineering Physics from UBC, was General Manager of International Business at Creo Inc (now Kodak), and subsequently co-founder and CEO of two successful high-tech imaging companies, QImaging Corp. and Prosilica Inc., both of which were sold to their leading competitors achieving excellent returns for investors. Marty’s broad experience includes strategic management, technology development, manufacturing, design, project management, sales and marketing, and international distribution.

Jason Elliott holds a BASc in Systems Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a MASc in Mechanical Engineering from UBC. Jason has extensive product development experience in various industries including fuel cell technology, laser optics, precision mechanics, and solar energy. He has worked many products from concept through manufacturing and sales. Jason also has many years’ experience managing large global product development and manufacturing teams to achieve challenging product delivery goals.

Perfectly Snug Inc. was founded November 18, 2018 to develop a product solution for people who experience temperature-related sleep problems. They developed an air-conditioned mattress topper that both cools and heats each side of the bed using smart sensors and controls to regulate sleep temperature. Their patent-pending Smart Topper is placed on top of the customer’s bed and is designed to preserve the underlying character of the bed (whether soft, or firm, etc.), and is provided with low voltage DC power to safely operate the fans and heaters embedded in the topper and controlled by either a smartphone app, or by manual controls located on the sides of the topper.


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Breaking down gender stereotypes with baby clothing

In the winter of 2016, as several of her friends and family members were preparing to give birth, Nancy Caouette was struck by the dichotomy in children’s fashion. She realized most baby and children’s clothing available on the market were pink or blue. Nancy then questioned the impact of fashion on child development, but especially the integration of gender stereotypes. Why are clothes for boys differently cut than girls? Why are certain colours banned for one sex and not for the other, why, why, why?

Growing up, Nancy spent her free time in her family’s sewing studio where she was greatly inspired by her mother’s talents in tailoring. In 2016, equipped with all kinds of fabrics and brimming, as well as her mother’s help, Nancy set about creating unique and personalized pieces for each of the mothers-to-be around her. The enthusiasm was instantaneous. A few days later, she presented her personal project on social media. Charmed by the idea, thousands of users subscribed to her page in just a few hours. From there, The Little Yogi Company was born. Six months later, while the brand was still growing in notoriety, the young entrepreneur left behind her career to devote herself completely to building her company.

Prior to launching The Little Yogi Company, Nancy was a therapist with a degree in Special Education, a bachelor’s degree in Sexology, and a DESS in Perinatal Psychology. Nancy felt she was performing well, but not fulfilled. Her entrepreneurial and creative side was not sufficiently stimulated. With The Little Yogi Company, that has all changed. Today, more than anything else, Nancy and her brand are working to remove gender restrictions. “We are challenging the garment and fashion industry in a positive and constructive way to leave behind a world split in two: princesses or princes. At Little Yogi Company, we believe that colours have no gender! We let kids be kids.” says Nancy Caouette, Founder and President of The Little Yogi Company.

The Little Yogi Company is based on a deep-rooted system of values. All of the clothing designs are firstly hand-drawn and then printed using non-toxic water-based ink on 100% organic fabrics. The company offers a product of exceptional quality and eco-conscious while providing a contemporary and unique look. #AllIsNotBlueOrPink


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How to Turn a Hobby Into a Full-Time Business

Bridget Calvank, CEO, C & C Candle Company Inc, started out simply making candles just over 17 years ago and has decided to expand the company to help other candlers create their own beautiful designs. She discusses how she turned a hobby into a full-time business.


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