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Note: Speakers and schedule subject to change without notice.

2020 Symposium Sessions

Morning Keynote Speaker: Zita Cobb

What Art has to do with the price of fish: Community Economics on Fogo Island

Zita Cobb is Founder and CEO of Shorefast, Inkeeper of Fogo Island Inn, and an eighth generation Fogo Islander. She will share the story of Shorefast's projects on Fogo Island, which began with contemporary art and now comprise a holistic set of charitable programs organized around knowledge as well as three social businesses (including Fogo Island Inn) that return all profits to the community they were founded to serve.

This session will be led by Zita Cobb. Following a successful career in high-tech, Zita returned to her home of Fogo Island to help grow another leg on the economy to complement the Island’s fishery. Shorefast’s notable achievements to date comprise a holistic set of charitable initiatives, including the world-class artist-in-residence program Fogo Island Arts (fogoislandarts.ca), and three innovative social businesses whose operating surpluses are returned to Shorefast for reinvestment in further community development work. Specifically, Shorefast is behind the award-winning, 29-suite Fogo Island Inn (fogoislandinn.ca), the Woodshop on Fogo Island (woodshopfogoisland.ca), and Fogo Island Fish. Shorefast has pioneered the innovative practice economic nutrition labelling for its social businesses, transparently demonstrating “where the money goes.” Shorefast’s model is both unwaveringly specific and infinitely spreadable, holding relevance for communities worldwide.

In 2016, Zita was awarded the Order of Canada in recognition of Shorefast’s work in collaboration with the community of Fogo Island to help secure a more resilient future for this singular rural place.

Lunch & Learn Keynote Speaker: Ashleigh Weeden

Presenting Partner:

Living on the Edge

Edges can be both exciting and scary - we can feel like we are on the edge of discovery or feel pushed to the edges and forgotten. Rural, remote, and island businesses often find themselves walking a tightrope between marketing the unique value of the places they call home as being different, ‘on the edge’ and undiscovered by urban consumers and decision-makers, and the difficulty of keeping a clear line of sight to the authentic expertise and experience embedded in communities that cannot be commodified. Now more than ever, we may find ourselves engaging with our ‘edginess’ in many different ways. How do we engage in the delicate dance of celebrating what gives us our ‘edge’ without losing or dulling what makes it special? Business women across Atlantic Canada may be uniquely positioned to lead the development of exciting, diverse futures for their businesses and communities by leveraging their rich history of being ‘on the edge’ to their advantage. This session will share stories from rural and island community economic development initiatives in Canada and Scotland to explore what it means to live and work ‘on the edge’ – and offer participants practical insights and ideas for leveraging their specific place-based experiences and expertise to connect with their consumers and support vibrant futures for their communities

Ashleigh Weeden is an award-winning rural innovator who splits her time between Ontario’s Bruce and Wellington Counties. A long-time advocate for community engagement, open government, and meaningful applied technological innovation, Ashleigh’s work leading Grey County’s Connected County Initiative directly contributed to the County receiving recognition as one of the Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2017 by the Intelligent Community Forum and the top achiever in its population category in the 2018 ‘By the Numbers’ report from the ICF.

Ashleigh is currently completing her PhD in Rural Studies at the University of Guelph. Her research interests include rural innovation, community capacity building, and future-oriented public policy.

Afternoon Keynote Speaker: Dr. Wendy Cukier

Presenting Partner:

The Value of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

Dr. Wendy Cukier, leader of the Women Entrepreneur Knowledge Hub (WEKH) will be our Afternoon Keynote speaker. WEKH shares research and resources on women entrepreneurs in Canada. Made up of 10 regional hubs, WEKH operates in both official languages and includes a network of over 250 organizations, reaching more than 100,000 women entrepreneurs. It is part of the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy that claims to increase women entrepreneurs’ access to financing, talent, networks and expertise.

Dr. Cukier is Professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy and Academic Director of the Diversity Institute at the Ted Rogers School of Management Ryerson University. Dr. Wendy Cukier is one of Canada’s leading experts in disruptive technologies, innovation processes, and diversity and inclusion. The Diversity Institute works with partners on projects (including several with OCC) aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion in leadership and entrepreneurship. Wendy leads the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, funded by the Government of Canada which promote inclusive supports for women and other diverse entrepreneurs. Wendy was also an integral part of the bid for the new $260m Ryerson-led Future Skills Centre, funded by the Government of Canada and now leads a program of research focused driving innovative approaches to bridges the skills gap. She has helped create and grow several successful startups and social ventures including Flybits, Think2Thing, the Madeleine Collective, and Growing North (now Green Iglu).

Presenter: Julie Pellissier-Lush

The Power of Storytelling

It can be challenging to honour our individual stories and to value them as an important part of our professional personas. As an actor, writer, and poet, Julie has used storytelling to communicate with audiences most of her life. Drawing on her story titled "Reconciliation", Julie will share the lesson of how we may all look inward and outward to recognize and celebrate the power of who we are and our interconnection to each other and to our community.

Julie Pellissier-Lush M.S.M, actress, and bestselling author of My Mi’kmaq Mother, Poet Laureate for PEI, recipient of the Queens jubilee medal in 2013, the Meritorious Service Medal recipient in 2017, and the Senators 150 metal in April 2019. She grew up all over Eastern Canada and spent a number of years in Winnipeg, Manitoba, before coming back home. Julie is a graduate from the University of Winnipeg in 2000 with a double major in Psychology and Human Resource Management. She writes, acts, and does photography to preserve the history and culture of the Mi’kmaq for future generations. Julie wrote the poems for the play Mi’kmaq Legends which has been performed on many different stages in the Atlantic region. It is her hope that this play will someday travel across Canada and beyond so more people have the opportunity to learn about the rich Mi’kmaq history! Julie lives in PEI with her husband Rick, her five children, and her granddaughter Miah.

Presenter: Virginia (Ginny) McGowan

Presenting Partner:

The Resilient Entrepreneur: What You Really Need to Know About Bouncing Back

Resilience, the ability to bounce back in the face of adversity, is critical in the era of climate change and the pandemic. It's also an essential skill for entrepreneurs at any time. In session, Virginia will review why resilience is so important and what the real science says: it's not just your mindfulness and other practices that focus on changing you. That's because self-improvement only goes so far. Real resilience lies in changing your world by creating a community of support and opportunity. Learn about different strategies that science tells us can help entrepreneurs achieve just that.

Virginia (Ginny) McGowan is a social scientist turned entrepreneur. She co-founded McGowan & Co: The Write Edit Group, a borderless enterprise serving a global clientele, and is the sole proprietor of The Business Mentoring Solution. which focuses on all things mentoring for entrepreneurs. In addition to her scholarly works, Ginny is the author of a multiple award-winning book Harness the Power of Mentoring: How to Find and Work with the Right Mentor—A Guide for the Solopreneur (2019) and is designing an accompanying online course and workbook that will be released in early 2021. She coaches, mentors, and edits nonfiction book authors; writes grant proposals and reports; edits nonfiction scholarly works; researches and writes literature reviews for academic client; and creates white papers for B2B. She recently completed a children’s book that will be published this fall. In 2019, Ginny was appointed to the federal Expert Panel for the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy and serves on three local Boards of Directors. She was the architect and manager of PEIBWA’s mentorship program for women entrepreneurs (2014 to 2017) and, with Phil Ferraro, designed and piloted a successful program for Island youth with barriers to employment: Engaging Youth in the Era of Climate Change (2019 to 2020). She received a 2019 WISE 50 Over 50 Award for her entrepreneurial work. Her passion, mission, and purpose is to help entrepreneurs build the healthy, effective relationships they need to rise to new heights and realize their true potential. She’s been married to Rick Forsyth for (gasp) 42 years and has two adult children and three grandchildren. Her sanity has been saved by the addition of a Havanese, Pepper, to a rather chaotic household.

Presenter: Dee Enright

Is Social Media the Right Thing for Your Business? The Why, When and How of Using Social Media in your Marketing Mix.

As business owners we are faced everyday with choices and challenges. Where do we allocate resources human and financial? How do you know how much time and money to spend promoting and advertising your business and where does social media fit? Or does it? You will gain insights into identifying your audience and building a touch point profile. We will review the steps you can take to identify the right channels and places to connect with your audience, reasons why you should and should not use social media, and some tips and tricks for effective communications, and messaging. And finally, we will review the pros and cons of managing your own social media channels or engaging an outside consultant.

Hailing from the east coast and with a background in public relations, marketing and entrepreneurship, Dee has used her unique skill set to start and build not one, but three successful companies. For just over a decade, Dee owned and operated a 26-person, award winning, international marketing agency and management consulting firm (Outside the Cube) based out of Whitehorse, Yukon with clients across Canada, Alaska, Belize, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and the UK; and, in 2016 she moved back east to purchase and operate a bed and breakfast, Charlotte’s Rose Inn which she has since sold. She founded JEBBCA Holdings, a holding company that focuses on real estate and start up investments in 2009. In April 2020 Dee launched JEBBCA strategies as part of JEBBCA Holdings which focuses on providing independent marketing reviews, and access to a senior strategic planner for marketing, advertising, communications and business and sales development. She attributes her businesses’ success to the focus on export and developing partners, clients, and networks internationally. Dee has the ability to distil complex issues and clearly articulate steps to achieve success. She is a firm believer that any written strategy is only strategic if it can actually be executed. Her goal is to provide value and help clients grow their businesses and brands. She continues to act as CEO for JEBBCA Holdings Ltd.

Presenter: Ryan McCarville

Presenting Partner:

(Still) Coping with COVID-19 - Five Workplace Return FAQs

As more businesses re-open, more employers are bringing more employees back into the workplace. But while COVID-19 restrictions have eased, they haven’t disappeared – and the threat of a second wave looms large. Employers are continuing their efforts to cope with COVID-19’s workplace employment implications, while preparing to protect their business from the effects of a resurgence. Join McInnes Cooper Labour & Employment Lawyer Ryan McCarville for practical answers to five questions employers are asking about returning employees to the workplace during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Ryan’s practice is focused on labour & employment and litigation. He regularly provides advice to employers on a wide array of labour & employment law matters including employee discipline, employee termination, employment contracts, wrongful dismissal claims, and workplace investigations. His practice also involves advising employers with respect to grievances, collective agreement interpretation, labour relations, and human rights issues.

Ryan also provides advice and representation to businesses in a variety of matters, including commercial contract disputes and construction matters.

Ryan is a member of the Law Society of Prince Edward Island and the Canadian Bar Association. He is also a board member of the Construction Association of Prince Edward Island and the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Atlantic Region.

Presenter: Maria Dow

Cloud Accounting: It's easy to see the big picture from the clouds.

Cloud Accounting provides you reliable up to date information to make those important business decisions. This workshop, presented by Maria Dow of Grant Thornton LLP, will provide an overview of cloud accounting and how it's changing the way financial reporting is done and saving you time so that you can focus more of your attention on the big picture, like growing your business.

Maria is a Manager with Grant Thornton LLP, a leading Canadian accounting and business advisory firm providing audit, tax, and advisory services—locally and across Canada—to dynamic privately owned, publicly listed, and public sector organizations.

Presenter & Performer: Rachel Beck

Closing Café with Rachel Beck - Stronger Than You Know

Award-winning singer-songwriter Rachel Beck is well-known across Canada for her rich and soulful performances of her own music as well as refreshing covers of classic hits. She's also an enterprising entrepreneur who has chosen to manage her own career -- from bookings to merchandise. The COVID-19 pandemic stopped the tour for her new album "Stronger Than You Know" in its tracks and, like many others, she has had to find creative ways to regain momentum and to continue sharing her music with her fans. Rachel will help us wrap-up our day by sharing highlights of her journey and performing a few of the songs from the new album.

Stronger Than You Know follows Rachel Beck’s self-titled debut, which garnered two ECMA nominations, two Music PEI Awards, and a SOCAN #1 Award. In addition to hitting #1 on the CBC Music Top 20 Chart in March 2018, Beck’s single Reckless Heart was named one of the Top 100 Canadian Songs of 2018 and ranked #4 on the All Canadian Fan Favourites of 2018 by CBC Music.

Beck’s tour highlights include performing for Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, appearing twice at the legendary Stan Rogers Folk Festival, opening the 2019 ECMA Gala Awards Show, and playing beautiful festivals and stages from the Rogue Folk Club in Vancouver, BC to the Imperial Theatre in Saint John, NB. Her live show is exposed, empowering, connective. “Rachel Beck knows how to bring an audience together, as she gives her all on both musical and personal levels, creating an atmosphere that is at once seductive and celebratory–an invitation to joy.” (Lynn Ann Bradley)

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