Behind the Business

The Scented Market began with a simple idea: to create a space where high-quality, thoughtfully crafted scents could bring comfort and joy to every home. Founded by Kristy Lynn Miller, The Scented Market has blossomed into a beloved destination for fragrance enthusiasts who value premium, sustainable products. With an eye for detail and a commitment to excellence, Kristy has transformed her passio...

Listen to Ian McLean as he interviews Tova Davidson, Executive Director of Sustainable Waterloo Region. Learn about Tova's extensive career journey which started in communications/marketing, and what led her into the environmental world for the past 10+ years. Get a look Behind the Business  in Waterloo Region with Ian McLean, President & CEO of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of C...

In this episode our CEO Ian Mclean sits down with David Schooley who has 30+ years of entrepreneurial experience, 17 years in real estate and negotiation training from both Harvard Business School and Harvard Law, it’s no wonder David (aka “The Negotiator”) has been dubbed the Michael Jordan of real estate. As an award-winning Broker with RE/MAX Twin City, a Director with the Real Estate Council o...

Champion boxer (super middleweight) and certified coach and trainer, Syd “The Jewel” Vanderpool brings more than 13 years of professional boxing and training experience to his members.  Syd has extensively trained with some of the world’s finest trainers including the legendary Emanuel Stewart, Goody Petronelli, John Davenport, Alrick Dougherty and Roberta Snider. Syd’s unique abilities in and out...

From East to West Chef Sandor has served up fine dining experiences to fast food and everything in between. His mom says he was a brat in high school and always worked in restaurants to save money for his cars. That motivation turned into a life's passion. If only they'd had a crystal ball to see that he would eventually combine both vehicles and food. We're so glad he did! Fo'...

Dr. Mike Moffatt is the Senior Director of Policy and Innovation at the Smart Prosperity Institute and an Assistant Professor in the Business, Economics and Public Policy group at Ivey Business School, Western University. Mike’s research at SPI focuses on the intersection of regional economic development, building child-friendly, climate-friendly housing and communities, and clean innovation. In 2...

Sage Advisory Co. is in itself a Small Business that has found its niche helping other small business owners find the success in their industry that they’re after. They have 15 years of experience working in both local and nation-wide Canadian markets, as well as international markets such as the United States, Australia, UAE, and LATAM. Sage's experience spans industries such as B2B (busines...

Jacklyn Warmington is the Chief Operating Officer at Den 1880 - a historic building with a modern spirit, located in the heart of Waterloo, Ontario. With community and collaboration at its core, it offers a vibrant setting where people feel inspired to work, connect, and feel at home, away from home.  Get a look Behind the Business  in Waterloo Region with Ian McLean, President & CEO of the Gr...

Worm Wrangler serves our community of students, hobbyists, enthusiasts, and fellow professionals in all things worms and vermicompost. They specialize in vermicomposting—composting using earthworms—to promote sustainable soil management. Since its inception, Worm Wrangler has grown to include breeding and selling various worm species, creating sustainable soil amendments and tools, and providing e...

Leigh Merswolke is the Chief Executive Officer at LCM Property Services based in Waterloo, Ontario.  LCM Property Services Inc. is an experienced building services provider, serving Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and the surrounding area. They specialize in providing Value Added Services, including professional cleaning services.  Get a look Behind the Business  in Waterloo Region with Ian...

The Appleflats story began in the summer of 1993, when the parents of company founders Glen and Alex Smyth, along with an aunt and uncle, finished building a house on their newly purchased farmer's field and planted a crabapple tree in the front yeard to celebrate this milestone.  A crabapple was chosen because of beautiful blossoms in the spring. Over the years, as Glen and Alex grew, so did...

Tracy is founder of Valko Financial, Chief Visionary Officer and a motivational speaker. She has been a pillar of service and inspiration to the finance and mortgage industry for more than twenty-five years. Her professional foundation has been built on heart-centred leadership, honesty, integrity, commitment and professionalism. Tracy has seen it all in her 25+ years of experience in the mortgage...

Steve Zago and Adam Wright had made a career as airline pilots. Their mutual passion for aviation drove these two lifelong friends to become business partners and create the Lost Aviator Coffee Company. “There are few things that beat the beauty of soaring about the earth at 40,000 feet,” Steve said. “It gives you a different perspective of the natural beauty of the world and it is often accompani...

Pierre Cléroux was appointed Vice President, Research and Chief Economist at BDC in 2012. Pierre leads a team of experts who analyze economic data to identify business and sector trends impacting Canadian entrepreneurs. A seasoned speaker, he regularly travels across the country to help business owners understand the risks and opportunities presented by the economic environment. Mr. Cléroux is als...

As President and CEO of President, St. Mary's General Hospital Foundation, Susan works with donors, partners, and community members to invest in best-in-class healthcare provided by St. Mary’s General Hospital. Located in the heart of Kitchener, the hospital has served the community since 1924 and is home to the Regional Cardiac Centre that provides care to 1.2 million residents from 28 refer...

In this episode, our CEO Ian Mclean sits down with Andrew Tepperman, President of Tepperman’s. They discuss the long-standing history of this Ontario-based furniture retailer. Andrew outlines how the company leverages its heritage and decades of customer service experience, alongside modern brand and format innovations, to remain competitive in a highly saturated market. Get a look Behind the Busi...

Professor Charles is a microbiologist with expertise in bacterial molecular genetics. His research group studies the mechanisms of gene regulatory circuits that control the interactions of Rhizobiales bacteria such as Sinorhizobium meliloti with their eukaryal hosts. The group also develops methods for functional metagenomics using alternate surrogate hosts, and employs these methods to isolate no...

Check out the latest episode of your Chamber's Behind the Business podcast. This week, Ian McLean is joined by Fauzia Mazhar, Executive Director at Coalition of Muslim Women of KW. Come listen to Fauzia's career journey, and learn about her passion to advocate on the behalf of Muslim women in Waterloo Region. Get a look Behind the Business  in Waterloo Region with Ian McLean, President &...

Welcome to another exciting edition of your Chamber's Behind the Business podcast. This week Ian is joined by Joe Birch, Chief Operating Officer and Governor of the Kitchener Rangers.  Come learn about Joe's interesting career journey that led him into the sports world, and much more!  Get a look Behind the Business  in Waterloo Region with Ian McLean, President & CEO of the Greater...

Get a look Behind the Business  in Waterloo Region with Ian McLean, President & CEO of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Murray is the Dean of the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University. He previously held faculty appointments at the University of Alberta, the Ivey School of Business, and Monash University (Australia), as well as visiting professorships at INSEAD (France) and TU Dublin (Ireland). Most recently he served as Acting Dean (2021-2023) and Vice Dean (2017 to 2021) at...

Welcome to another edition of our Behind the Business Podcast! This week, Ian is joined by Ren Navarro, Owner/Operator of B. Diversity. Group. The two talk about various  topics that include Ren's interesting career journey in beer that has now transformed into much more.  This is our last podcast episode before we break for the summer. please enjoy!   Get a look Behind the Business  in Water...

Welcome to another episode of our Behind the Business podcast! This week Ian is joined by Brian Bazely, Co-founder of Driverseat. The two speak on numerous topics including their shared history together, and Brian's very interesting career journey!  Get a look Behind the Business  in Waterloo Region with Ian McLean, President & CEO of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.

Welcome to another edition of our Behind the Business podcast! This week Ian is joined by Melissa Durrell, CEO of Durrell Communications. They speak on a variety of topics including their long history in the Region together, Melissa's career journey, and more!  Get a look Behind the Business  in Waterloo Region with Ian McLean, President & CEO of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of...

Welcome to another episode of our Behind the Business Podcast! This week Ian is joined by Neha Juwale, Owner of BookMyTherapy! She is the recent winner of Health & Wellness award at the 2024 KW Oktoberfest Rogers Women of the Year Awards! Come learn about her career journey as an immigrant from India to starting her own business!  Get a look Behind the Business  in Waterloo Region with Ian McL...