November 2014

NLOWE I e-Newsletter I November 2014
What’s
Inside
NLOWE Awards 2014
Red Carpet Moments
Regional Profile: Western
Spotlight: Vanessa de Sousa
Silva
Upcoming Events
NLOWE Head Office
2nd Floor, Regatta Plaza II
84-86 Elizabeth Avenue
St. John’s, NL A1A 1W7
TEL: (709) 754.5555
FAX: (709) 754.0079
TOLL-FREE: 1.888.NLOWE.11
E-MAIL: info@nlowe.org
Send your feedback, inquiries and Spotlight
Q&A forms to info@nlowe.org.
NLOWE offers services to women in business
thanks to the financial support of the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
2014 Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winners - Helen MacKinnon, A Holding Place (StartUp); Lesley Oake, Lesley Oake School of Dance (Youth); Jackie McCann-Scott, Invested Mama
(Innovation); Geoff Parker, Senior Project Manager, Hebron Project (representing Corporation of the
Year); Barbara Doran, Morag Loves Company (Export); Bonnie Cook, Abbyshot Clothiers (Visionary);
Angela Parsons, Royal K9 Inc. (Community Impact); and Margot Mayo, Jema International Travel
Clinic (Entrepreneurial Excellence).
2014 Award Winners Announced
Women business owners received
the red carpet treatment at NLOWE’s
2014 annual awards gala on Oct. 30
in St. John’s, where eight awards were
handed out to exceptional women
business owners and the corporations
that support them.
Margot Mayo, owner of Jema
International Travel Clinic in St. John’s,
was awarded the RBC Royal Bank
Entrepreneurial
Excellence
Award,
the pinnacle award at the 2014
Entrepreneur of the Year Awards Gala.
Jema International Travel Clinic offers
pre and post travel consultation and
vaccination services. The award comes
following a hard fought journey by
Mayo to establish nurses as medical care
professionals by the Canada Revenue
Agency and reduce the taxation of
the administration of vaccinations by
nurses compared to physicians. The
gala was held at the Sheraton Hotel
Newfoundland in St. John’s.
“After winning this award, maybe
the sky is the limit,” said Mayo prior
to the gala, “but when you own your
own business, you can never rest on
your laurels. There’s always room for
improvement, for expansion, and there
are so many things out there that I’d
still like to incorporate and I’m looking
forward to trying them.”
Mayo was just one of seven women
business owners honoured with
Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
Continued on page 3.
www.nlowe.org
NLOWE Awards
Thank you to our
Supporters
Red Carpet Moments
NLOWE gave women entrepreneurs the red carpet treatment on October30th at the
2014 Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
Atlantic Canada
Opportunities Agency
Government of
Newfoundland & Labrador
Award Sponsors
RBC Royal Bank
College of the North Atlantic
Newfoundland & Labrador Credit Union
Scotiabank
Cox & Palmer
Hebron Project
Gold Sponsor
Statoil
Hilda Broomfield-Letemplier (Pressure Pipe Steel
Fabrication Ltd.), Renee Attwood (Bussey Porter
Hétu Certified General Accountants), Karen Attwood
(Academy for Mathematics & English), and Wanda
Chislett (CBDC Trinity Conception) strut their stuff on
the red carpet.
Kayla Chippett and Bernie Pickett of
RBC Royal Bank share a hug on the
red carpet!
Bronze Sponsor
Pressure Pipe Steel Fabrication Ltd.
Media Sponsors
Hits FM
The Telegram
VOCM
Corporate Tables
Abbyshot Clothiers
Business Development Bank of Canada
College of the North Atlantic
Cox & Palmer
Emera Newfoundland and Labrador
Grant Thornton and Stewart McKelvey
Hebron Project
Husky Energy
Jema International Travel Clinic
Royal Bank of Canada
Tougui
VOCM & Hits FM
Susan Day (The Office Yogi), Kathleen Dwyer (KCD
Creative Services), Lisa Payne (Life Transitions), and
Susan Power (Higher Talent Inc.) strike a pose.
Host, Amy House, poses with College
of the North Atlantic Board Member,
Donna Stone.
Check out #nloweawards on
twitter for all the highlights
from the evening!
Our outstanding women business owners and winners
of 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year Awards take over the
red carpet!
The deadline for submissions for the next issue of NewsLink is Wednesday, Nov. 19. Member
news may be submitted to jreddy@nlowe.org. NLOWE reserves the right to edit and/or decline
submissions.
www.nlowe.org
NLOWE
“Award Winners...” con’t...
Barbara Doran, Director, Producer,
and Owner of Morag Loves Company,
took home the Export Award. New
to NLOWE’s awards program this
year, the Export Award, presented by
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency,
recognizes a woman business owner
who has excelled in export and can
demonstrate notable growth in her
overall business as a direct result of
entering new international markets.
Doran has been producing film and
television for over twenty five years,
including major motion picture, The
Grand Seduction (2013), and television
mini-series, Random Passage (2002).
Her company is an internationally
experienced production house with
films in distribution throughout the
world.
“It’s terrific winning this award and
to be recognized,” said Doran, “it’s
necessary for women to have their own
collective voice, to get together, to
share your experiences and talk about
your challenges and solutions. It’s a
community.”
Lesley Oake, owner of Lesley Oake
School of Dance in Grand FallsWindsor, won the College of the North
Atlantic Youth Entrepreneur of the Year
Award, which recognizes a successful
entrepreneur who is 35 years of age
or under. Her advice for other young
entrepreneurs is, “don’t let anybody
else tell you what your dreams should
be. If you have a passion for something
and you truly love what you’re doing
then go after it and you will achieve it
if you’re determined.”
Helen MacKinnon, owner of A
Holding Place, a private practice
counseling centre in St. John’s, took
home the Newfoundland and Labrador
Credit Union Start-up Award, which
recognizes a successful entrepreneur
who has been in business for two to
five years. Having started her business
Member Mentions...
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Smart Learning &
Development Solutions in Twillingate,
owned by Sharon Dominey, Heart &
Sole Enterprises in Carbonear, owned
by Shannon Doyle, and A Holding
Place in St. John’s, owned by Helen
later in life, MacKinnon notes, “My
mother calls me a late bloomer. I guess
my hope in telling my story is that I
can be an inspiration to women. Any
woman who thinks ‘it’s too late’ or ‘I’m
too old’, look at me, I did it!”
The winner of the Community Impact
Award, sponsored by the Hebron
Project, was Angela Parsons, owner
of Royal K9 Spa, Resort & Training in
Deer Lake. Of learning that she would
be receiving the Community Impact
Award, Parsons said, “I was speechless,
and I’m not speechless very often.
Winning this award means a lot to me.
I’m very touched, honoured and very
appreciative.”
Jackie McCann-Scott, founder of
Invested Mama, a female focused
financial planning, speaking and
blogging business said of winning the
Scotiabank Innovation Award, “Your
head is down, you’re plugging away
and some days you’re thinking ‘Is this
work really making the difference I
think it is?’ Then someone nominates
you for this award and reassures you
that you’re on the right path.”
The Visionary Award, sponsored by
Cox & Palmer, was awarded to Bonnie
Cook, owner of Abbyshot Clothiers Ltd.
“It’s been a humbling experience to
be taking this award back to the team
at AbbyShot,” said Bonnie Cook, “they
excel in creating visions that become
our reality every day!”
In addition to the seven women
business owners honoured at the
awards gala, the Hebron Project was
awarded the Corporation of the Year
Award for their contribution to the
development of women entrepreneurs
and the active inclusion of womenowned businesses in their supply chain.
“Diversity is important on a project
because when we get people from
different backgrounds with different
perspectives all coming together, I
really think we come up with better
ideas and better solutions,” said Geoff
Parker, Senior Project Manager for
the Hebron Project, “We’re pleased to
work with and expand opportunities
for local businesses as a result of our
supplier diversity program.”
“NLOWE is pleased to honour the
achievements of the winners of this
year’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards,”
says Alison Stoodley, president of
NLOWE’s Board of Directors. “This
evening’s winners are helping create
a stronger and more diverse business
landscape in this province and we are
happy to celebrate them and their
contributions.”
The awards gala was attended
by over 200 people including the
Honourable Judy Manning, Minister of
Justice and Public Safety and Attorney
General, Minister Responsible for
the Status of Women and Minister
Responsible for Fire and Emergency
Services-Newfoundland and Labrador,
the Honourable Darin King, Minister
of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural
Development and Minister Responsible
for the Research and Development
Corporation, and Karen Skinner,
Director of Enterprise Development
for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities
Agency as well as other government
representatives, members of the
business community and industry
professionals from across the province.
In addition to the 2014 Entrepreneur
of the Year Award sponsors listed
above, gala sponsors include, Gold
Sponsor, Statoil and Bronze Sponsor,
Pressure Pipe Steel Fabrication Ltd.
NLOWE has been handing out
Entrepreneur of the Year Awards since
1998. Over 150 nominations were
received this year and in the past,
winners have gone on to win national
accolades.
Mackinnon. All three companies
recently obtained their WEConnect
International Certification.
in the category of Information
Technology. Congratulations, what an
accomplishment!
Cindy Roma and Sydney Ryan,
owners of Telelink in St. John’s
were the recent winners of the
2014 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur
of the Year Atlantic region award
www.nlowe.org
Regional Profile: Western
“Buying Local” in Corner Brook
NLOWE is always looking for ways to
network and connect with the business
community, and that is exactly what
we do through our ‘Buy Local’ Business
Crawls. We started hosting business
crawls in the fall of 2012 as fun way to
promote women-owned businesses
within local communities.
Since
its inception, NLOWE has delivered
ten business crawls throughout the
province with over 120 women-owned
businesses participating. In the past
year, three business crawls took place
in the western region of the island in
Rocky Harbour, Woody Point & Norris
Point, in Stephenville & area and in Deer
Lake, with 37 businesses participating.
In October, we were delighted to host
another business crawl in the area;
this time in Corner Brook during Small
Business Week.
The purpose of the ‘Buy Local’Business
Crawls are to encourage people to get
out, discover and support the fantastic
businesses in their communities and
surrounding areas. As a business
owner, it is a great way to promote
your business, gain new customers,
promote “buying local”, and grow the
local economy.
During a ‘Buy Local’ Business Crawl,
NLOWE staff, various community
stakeholders, and women businesses
owners visit participating local womenowned businesses, meet the owners
and learn about their products and
services; and of course there is always
time for shopping!
The Corner Brook ‘Buy Local’ Business
Crawl saw NLOWE staff and company
visit 12 local women-owned businesses
throughout the day.
The day started off with a warm
welcome with a visit to Island Orthodics,
owned by Jody Basha, where we were
greeted with coffee and muffins.
www.nlowe.org
Our next stop was to Balanced Boby
Massage Therapy Clinic, operated
by Mandi Hulan. Mandi has recently
implemented an online booking
service for her clients, which has been
a great time management resource for
her business.
Next, our business crawl journey took
us to New Reflections Unisex Salon,
Tanning & Spa. The wonderful staff
gave us “crawlers” a tour of their facility
and discussed their various services.
Susan’s Boutique was the next stop
of the day. Here, the “crawlers” had
a chance to browse the beautiful
selection of clothing and accessories.
It is safe to say that the “crawlers”
purchased a few items during this visit.
After the shopping, there was a need
for a little relaxation. What better way
to relax than to visit the Ocean View Inn
& Day Spa, owned by Patti Reid. The
Inn has a breathtaking view of the Bay
of Islands.
The adventure didn’t stop there;
next we stopped by Empire Atlantic,
owned by Lisa Roberts. Empire Atlantic
specializes in custom t-shirt printing,
graphic design and collectibles.
The Healthy Vibe was our next stop.
Owner, Paulette Fudge, has stores
located in both Corner Brook and St.
John’s and just celebrated 16 years in
business.
From here we ventured to Derma
Electrolysis, owned by Cathy George,
which has locations in both Corner Brook
and Mount Pearl.
Next up, was Mala, owned by Niki
Hollahan, a soon to be opened shop in
Corner Brook. Mala specializes in local
crafts, natural fibres, and eco-friendly
products.
Next on our list was Rugged Edge,
owned by Melissa Young. Here they
sell various motor sport equipment
and have expanded into selling seal
skin apparel.
Soon, our journey took us to the
business of a past NLOWE Youth
Entrepreneur of the Year award
winner, Amy Gallant, who has recently
opened the first and only 24 hours
fitness facility in Corner Brook, Counter
Balance Conditioning and Fitness Inc.
Finally after a long but exciting day,
our last stop was Jennifer’s Restaurant
and Bar. Here the “crawlers” had a
chance to reflect on the wonderful day,
the personal tours, the relationships
developed, and yes, the lighter wallets.
Business Crawls are a fantastic way
to engage and network with local
women-owned businesses that may
not have the opportunity to do so in
other capacities. NLOWE has plans to
deliver more business crawls in the
future – so stay tuned for a location
near you!
Western contacts
Joanne Gillis
Business Start-up Advisor
Phone: 709.632.5122
Toll-free: 1.877.632.1205
E-mail: jgillis@nlowe.org
Marvella Wells
Business Growth Advisor
Phone: 709.632.5068
Toll-free: 1.866.632.5069
E-mail: mwells@nlowe.org
Members
Spotlight
Vanessa de Sousa Silva has created a
winning design for her business.
Born and raised in Fortaleza, Brazil,
Vanessa has been immersed in a
creative culture from a young age.
She graduated with a bachelor degree
in Graphic Design from Fanor-DeVry
University in 2007 but it was her work
experience in the design industry
where she truly honed her craft.
Vanessa has more than a decade of
experience in the fashion industry in
Brazil as a graphic designer, making
prints, patterns, labels, tags, bags and
buttons, as well as conducting color
and trend research and executing
fashion campaigns. She realized she
had found her calling when, with her
help, the company for which she was
employed experienced incredible
growth in sales and production,
expanding from three stores to 12.
With her degree, her experience,
and her unique vision, Vanessa
packed up and moved to Canada to
establish herself in a new market. In
January of 2013, Vanessa opened
her own graphic design studio in
St. John’s, Colorido Studio. Through
Colorido Studio, Vanessa works on
a variety of projects involving visual
communication, branding, packaging,
signage, stationary, fashion, and
more. Her company offers innovative
Member Mentions...
Welcome to our new members!
Heather Bryant, Newfie Nomad
Photography, Deer Lake
Libby Carew, Libby Carew
Communications, St. John’s
Charlene Carr, Charlene Carr
Communications, St. John’s
Marjorie Clarke, Tru Salon Suites,
Mount Pearl
Shelley Cleary, Shelleys Specialties,
Happy Valley-Goose Bay
Gladys Dalton, Tapsnap, St. John’s
Janet Davis, Norton’s Cove Studio Inc.,
Wesleyville
Tracy Denniston, Denniston Holdings
Inc., Nain
Vaness de Sousa Silva
Colorido Studio
St. John’s
art direction, graphic design and
branding creation for print and
digital communication, specializing
in four main services; branding, print
design, social media design, and web
design. Vanessa sees each project as
a challenge to provide an inspired
design and create solutions that will
help her clients meet their goals.
In addition to owning and operating
Colorido Studio, in 2014, Vanessa
designed a project to satisfy her love of
fashion and experience in the industry.
Through her other business, Wooca,
Vanessa designs upcycled fur and
sweater accessories. The collections
combine authentic handmade crochet,
upcycled fur, vintage sweaters and
jackets, and other knitted fabrics
Barbara Doran, Morag Loves
Company, St. John’s
Anne E. Fagan, Fagan Consulting, St.
John’s
Cynthia Ferrie, KEENi Website
Solutions, St. John’s
Terri Gilbert, Hideaway Pub, Deer Lake
Suzanne Hurley, Spracklin Hurley, St.
John’s
Roseanne Jaml, Seedlings, St. John’s
Lori King, Tapsnap, St. John’s
Margot Mayo, Jema International
Travel Clinic, St. John’s
Betty Nolan, Rockin’ Knits, Mount Pearl
Wendy Pardy Daniels, Advantage
Accounting & Consulting Ltd., St.
John’s
to produce beautiful and unique
accessories that give the wearer a soft
and cozy feeling all year long.
Throughout
Vanessa’s
journey
to entrepreneurship, she received
support from great mentors. Her first
employer, Mariangêla Bindi, gave her
the opportunity to demonstrate her
capabilities just as she was beginning
her studies in Graphic Design, before
she had any experience. Her last
employer, Fátima Vasconcelos, also
believed in her talent and allowed
her to dream and create freely. Both
employers helped give Vanessa the
confidence and support she needed
to strike out on her own and see her
vision come to life. As Vanessa says,
“never underestimate yourself because
you are capable of doing amazing
things if you work hard and don’t give
up easily.”
If you would like to learn more
about Colorido Studio, check it out
online at www.coloridostudio.com,
on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
coloridostudio, or contact Vanessa
at
coloridostudio@yahoo.ca
or
709.770.2438. For more information
about Wooca, visit www.facebook.
com/wooca.co or contact Vanessa by
email at vana.wooca@gmail.com.
TerriLynn Robbins, Robbins
Enterprises Gardens & Landscapes,
Deer Lake
Natalie Shea, Sutton Aurora Realty,
Portugal Cove-St. Philips
Stephanie Sills Smith, SpeechLanguage Pathology at Home
Darlene Spracklin-Reid, Spracklin
Hurley, St. John’s
Nadine Tremblay, Traduction Nadine
Tremblay, St. John’s
Jocelyn Vallis, BayFabulousJewelry,
Portugal Cove-St. Philips
Renee White, Renee White Music
Therapy, St. John’s
www.nlowe.org
Events
Nov. 19: NLOWE Presents Cameron
Herold
Cameron Herold, Founder of
BackPocket COO, Former COO of
1-800-GOT-JUNK? & author of DOUBLE,
DOUBLE will be sharing his experience
and insights at a workshop and
luncheon on Tuesday, November
18th at the Delta St. John’s Hotel &
Conference Centre.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear
from one of the most sought after
business minds in North America.
Morning Workshop: From Zero to Good
(How to Build A $100 Million+ Business)
Managing business growth can be an
exhilarating experience, but it can also
be an intimidating one. In this dynamic
session, Cameron reveals the systems
all companies need to grow and how
to do it while making a profit.
Keynote Luncheon: Leadership Letters
to My Younger Self
During this session Cameron will share
fifty-eight hardcore leadership lessons
that he has actually learned in 20 years
of building 4 fast growth companies.
Attend one or both sessions.
Deadline to Register: Friday, Nov. 14
For more information or to register
for these sessions, visit www.nlowe.org/
cameronherold
Nov. 26: Supplier Diversity
Information Session
Supplier Diversity is a business
program that encourages the use of
diverse-owned vendors, including
women-owned businesses, as suppliers
to corporations and governments.
Join this free online information
session and learn how Supplier
Diversity can open doors for you and
your business. You will also learn about
the various national and international
certifications available to women
business owners and the benefits of
becoming certified.
Offered via online Webinar on
Wednesday, November 26 from 9-9:30
a.m.
Register for this session by visiting
www.nlowe.org/events.
Celebrate the Holidays with NLOWE
Take the time out this busy holiday
season to network with your fellow
women business owners and register
for a NLOWE Holiday event in your
area.
HEAD OFFICE
St. John’s
Holiday Mixer
Thursday, December 4
7:00-9:00 p.m.
Comfort Inn Airport, St. John’s
Kristy Martell, Chief Operating Officer
Bay Roberts
Holiday Mixer
Monday, December 1
7:00-9:00 p.m.
Bay Roberts Visitor Centre,
Veteran’s Memorial Highway
Ashton Lane, Business Growth
Advisor, Avalon
Grand Falls-Windsor
Christmas Networking Luncheon
Wednesday, December 10
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Mount Peyton Hotel, 214 Lincoln Rd.
Melissa Wheeler, Business
Connections Coordinator
Corner Brook
Christmas Coffee
Tuesday, December 16
9:00-11:00 a.m.
NLOWE Office, 93 West Street,
Happy Valley-Goose Bay
Christmas Coffee
Wednesday, December 10
9:00-11:00 a.m.
Hotel North II, 382 Hamilton River Rd.
Register for this session by visiting
www.nlowe.org/events.
Melissa Field, Outreach Coordinator
Tammy Hapgood, Business Start-up
Advisor, Avalon
Judy Raske, Office Manager
Julieanne Reddy, Marketing &
Communications Coordinator
Deborah Youden, Export Consultant
REGIONAL STAFF
Katherine Baikie-Pottle, Business
Start-up Advisor, Labrador
Colette Crosbie, Business Start-up
Advisor, Eastern
Paula Flood, Business Growth Advisor,
Eastern
Joanne Gillis, Business Start-up
Advisor, Western
Lindsay Mercer, Business Start-up
Advisor, Central
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Betsy Saunders, Business Growth
Advisor, Central
Alison Stoodley, President
Marvella Wells, Business Growth
Advisor, Western & Labrador
Bernice Walker, Vice-President
Paulette Fudge, Executive Member
Renee Attwood, At Large Director
Hilda Broomfield-Letemplier,
Labrador Director
Eddi Kenny, Avalon Director
Cathy Martin, At Large Director
Pauline Pennell, At Large Director
Andrea Sharpe, Eastern Director
Mandy Woodland, Appointed Director
www.nlowe.org
Paula Sheppard, Chief Executive
Officer
NLOWE Head Office
2nd Floor, Regatta Plaza II
84-86 Elizabeth Avenue
St. John’s, NL A1A 1W7
TEL: (709) 754.5555
FAX: (709) 754.0079
TOLL-FREE: 1.888.NLOWE.11
E-MAIL: info@nlowe.org