Canada’s Entrepreneur

Having started 11 companies to date, Scott Duke is a lifetime entrepreneur. Most recently, Scott founded OpnRoad, an M&A advisory firm based out of Revelstoke, British Columbia that assists business owners across North America sell or purchase companies within the $2M – $20M in revenue range. You can find out more about OpnRoad and its services here . In addition, Scott serves as the VP of sales f...

Ryan Mracek , founder of Keylo Inc. (Canada-wide) and the broker of Keylo.ca in Edmonton, had a vision years ago to make it so anyone could buy and sell at home at a fair market value instantly and painlessly. Mracek was originally an accountant then moved into construction before settling on a career in real estate. Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesse...

Entraîneuse, naturopathe et coach en relation d’aide, Mylène Massé est une passionnée de la santé. Sa mission : aider les femmes et les hommes à devenir la meilleure version d’eux-même par l’activité physique, une alimentation équilibrée et un grand amour de soi. Elle a débuté son parcours professionnel comme hôtelière pour enfin retrouver sa passion de toujours depuis 2013. Passant de prof de cou...

Don Ludlow , Vice-President of Small Business, Partnerships & Strategy, RBC , provides strategic oversight and leads a team that is responsible for delivering marketing-leading solutions, partnerships and client experiences that go beyond traditional banking to help Canadian entrepreneurs successfully start, manage and grow their business. He also manages the development of RBC’s strategy for the...

Tracy Bell is a corporate exec turned start-up CEO. In 2016, a health scare in the family prompted Tracy and her husband to reimagine the way tea is processed in an effort to extract more antioxidants. That concept led to the creation of a new category of tea - called Fresh-Leaf TEA - and a product that is being called "the future of tea" by industry leaders. In 2017 their innovation was named Bes...

Sherry Shannon-Vanstone is the founder and current president and CEO of Profound Impact™️️️️️️ Corporation . Profound Impact is a tech company based in the Toronto-Waterloo Corridor whose digital platform supports alumni relations and digital communities focused on careers, research and academic connections. Sherry is a leader for women pursuing STEM careers. A mathematician, entrepreneur, innovat...

Natalie Doyle Oldfield is the author of The Power of Trust: How Top Companies Build, Manage and Protect It and President of Success Through Trust . Recognized as one of Canada’s Most Inspiring Women Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs in 2021, she’s on a mission to help business owners grow their companies. She’s been named one of the world’s Top Thought Leaders in Trust for 5 consecutive years by...

Dino Falvo is VP Business Development, Alberta-East for Mario's Gelati and Director, Brand & Strategic Development and Owner/Operator of Amato Gelato Cafe . The two businesses operate together in providing authentic gelato to stores and restaurants across Canada as well as offering an authentic Italian experience in its cafes. The cafe brand is now ready for franchise opportunities across Canada....

Vivian Liu stumbled into the auto industry via a marketing competition back in 2015, from there she suddenly found herself in rural BC managing and consulting dealerships in sales and marketing as a District Manager. 7 years later, she has managed over 80 dealerships from BC to all the way to Saskatchewan on behalf of General Motors. In her tenure at GM, she was responsible for growing the Cadilla...

Dan Pronovost has 25+ years of experience in the software industry, as a developer, manager, and entrepreneur. Driven by results, tactical and pragmatic, always focused on execution: build it and ship it. Driftscape is a Canadian startup whose core product is a local discovery and travel app. More than 60 organizations use the app to share their stories and over 7000 points of interest, events, an...

Gennaro Silvestri , President/CEO, Apé Canada and Tag Intercontinental , discusses some of the cool things his companies are bringing to Canada so people can enjoy la dolce vita. The Apé is the original Italian three-wheeler, an icon that continues to evolve while remaining true to itself. Presented to the general public as a concept on November 23, 1946 at the Milan International Cycle and Motorc...

Kimberly White-Vincent began her career as a Registered Massage Therapist and solo-preneur in 2002 after graduating from the Kine Concept Institute of Massage Therapy. Having grown up in the beautiful countryside of Southern New Brunswick, she pursued her career in Saint John, N.B. where she grew her practice. As the first entrepreneur of her family, she navigated entrepreneurship on her own while...

David Tiefenbach , Owner, Atta-Boy Property Inspections , grew up in a small town just east of Regina and spent a lot of time at his grandparents' grain farm. It was an integral part of his life at a young age. After high school he went into the plumbing and gas fitting trade, moved to Edmonton 2005 and started his plumbing business in 2006. In 2017 he was excited to get into the cannabis business...

Laura McNutt's post secondary education prepared her for a lifetime of creative pursuits: Laura studied Fine Arts, Environmental Design, then earned a Masters of Architecture at Technical University of Nova Scotia. Following 15 years in the architecture industry, she taught I.B. Fine Art, and engaged in the film industry. Laura’s professional design career crossed film, architecture, fine art, and...

Over the past 30+ years Renée Safrata has worked with thousands of companies and executives throughout North America and Europe, helping them to connect, adopt new behaviors, and become confident members of highly functioning teams. As CEO and Founder, she oversees Vivo Team’s full spectrum learning experience, develops leaders and teams through live, online training, coaching, and people analytic...

Maciej Jastrzebski innovator and entrepreneur with 15 years of experience in new technology development, project implementation, and technology commercialization in the metals and mining industries. He is co-founder and CEO of Li-Metal and is a\the named inventor on 15 patent families. Li-Metal has is addressing the growing need in advanced batteries to deliver lithium metal anodes cost effectivel...

Teresa Vozza ( www.teresavozza.ca )is a leadership expert, certified executive coach, and former Human Resources Executive with over 20 years of corporate experience, most recently at Allianz Partners as CHRO. She is highly skilled in leading change, building executive acumen, and communicating with impact. She is a go-to coach for highly accomplished corporate professionals who are looking to ser...

AJ Slivinski is an accomplished author and award winning team leader. He wrote "The Leadership Code" which focuses on world class performance through values based leadership - real-life principles and strategies he executed while heading an international based corporation and leading their team to #1 for customer service in the contact center industry after just four years. AJ is a visionary with...

Anthony MacNeil is a seasoned entrepreneur living in Atlantic Canada and has recently launched an organized youth sports franchise system . After 30 years and six businesses, Anthony felt it was the (right) time to step beyond his comfort zone and create a business outside the typical geographical boundaries that he was accustomed to operating his other businesses. His entrepreneurial journey of e...

Heesoo Cho , Co-Founder and Managing Director of SABI Mind , is an operational leader who previously worked in operations & strategy at large Canadian companies. He has extensive experience in strategic planning and the execution of high-complexity and multi-disciplinary programs. With over 10 years of leadership experience and a track record in successfully managing and operating over $30 million...

Lisa J Lawrence – Co-founder, President and designer. Lisa has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in art and design from the University of Alberta. She has managed a variety of rapid growth retail and entertainment businesses in both the fashion and art industries. She has in depth experience in design and is the creator of all the collections for Lawrence Scott Atelier . She oversees all operations a...

Conceptualized by Canadian chef, Adam Ryan , Fire & Flora offers an immersive dining experience, underscored by elevated plant-based cuisine and Canadian-grown ingredients. This fine dining establishment is both a destination for discerning foodies and a celebrated local hot spot for residents of the Beltline neighbourhood. As interest in plant-based dining continues to grow, chef Ryan’s innovativ...

Greg Vanclief is CEO of Elentra and a seasoned Tech industry investor with a passion for building successful companies and developing global market opportunities. He believes in the power of straightforward objective business advice delivered with honesty. With 20+ years of executive experience developing high-tech companies from start-ups to publicly traded multinationals - he delivers some great...

Chris Friesen currently serves as the President & CEO of Mint Smartwash , a company that owns and operates a chain of exterior express car washes predominantly in Canada and one location in the United States. Mint Smartwash is now the largest Express Car Wash chain in Canada with seven washes open and an. eighth scheduled to open in July. Chris is a born and raised Calgarian. He is a Professional...

Tanya Zurock , founder of Wild Prairie Soap Company , first began making natural soap in her quest to find better solutions to help resolve her young children's dry and sensitive skin. Thanks to her upbringing on a Canadian farm, she used her knowledge of natural and organic ingredients to create soap that was not only effective but provided a better, natural alternative to commercially manufactur...