A graduate from McMaster University with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications Studies, Abigail holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from Sheridan College. Abigail has more than 10 years of on-air community reporting, online marketing, and television broadcasting. Over the years, she has produced several children’s programs on CTS and YES TV including the nationally aired music education TV show, “The Family!" and continues as segment producer at Trillium College as well as running her own marketing and social media strategies, working with clients in Hamilton and the GTA.

Andrew’s mother Lori often recites that she knew from the day he was born he would one day lead a life of service and connection. Andrew was raised in an environment where community involvement was always encouraged. He graduated from York University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, and then completed his MBA from the DeGroote School of Business in 2011. Andrew started his career working in the real estate industry, and is now partner in the family business—B Media Solutions—an advertising and consulting firm specializing in marketing projects. He has helped increase the brand awareness of Temple Metal Solutions, his strongest client, and helps guide and grow business.

Born in Hamilton and raised in Dundas, Barry practices litigation at Ross & McBride LLP where he is a partner. Barry is involved in many aspects of the community including acting volunteer at the Advocates’ Society, the Ontario Bar Association, the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and the Social Inclusion Committee at Mohawk College.

As the event, marketing and committee coordinator for the Oakville Chamber of Commerce, Carina is responsible for managing a multitude of events ranging from 50 people to 2,500. Carina has managed high profile political and business leaders including: Justin Trudeau; Kathleen Wynne; Brad Duguid, Federal Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt; and RBC CEO Gord Nixon. Carina creates the privilege of managing the Chamber’s new geo-public speech of the Bank of Canada’s new governor, Stephen S. Poloz dedicated as progressive community, Carina serves on the Young Professionals Committee for Ronald McDonald House Hamilton and participates in many community initiatives.

Dakota grew up working in her mother’s clothing store, opening her own shop when she was 19. Dakota, now 24, is a self-taught writer and a natural talent for fostering and encouraging others. Opening Dakota Mae Boutique & Beauty Bar in 2008 made her Hamilton’s youngest entrepreneur. As a fashion designer and writer, she also encourages and motivates other teens. She currently sponsors the Wish Kids program, a charity fund-raiser that has collected $50,000 and sends sick children to Disney World, and supports the Maria Relief Fund, raising nearly $5,000 for sick children in St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Nepal. Dakota now engages 20+ students with practical and inspirational design opportunities to help realize their dreams.

Gerry Kavanaugh, the founder and president of Apex Composites Inc., spent his teenage years as an aspiring race car driver. A successful race car driver is able to push his race car to its limits while understanding how his decisions affect the competition, and is always looking for the next hundredths of a second to improve. At age 21, Gerry applied these principles to a small composites workshop with high performance components for racing teams. Years later, Gerry’s drive and vision have expanded Apex Composites from a small motorsports facility into a professional growing aerospace and defence manufacturer.

Jessica’s entrepreneurial spirit and passion for success are what have brought her from fundraising assistant to regional director in just five years. Starting her career with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in 1998 as a fundraising assistant, Jessica’s role grew to include the position of regional coordinator, and then onto management. She recently began a new career with the Canadian Liver Foundation (CLF) as the director of regional business development.
Jessica oversees Eastern Canada chapters, is very excited to apply the experience gained in her career, putting her creative insight and best practices to good use.

Kevin is a fully licensed mortgage advisor at Loewen Group Mortgages. He realizes that every individual is different, and finding the right mortgage is the key to Canadians being able to reach their goals. Since joining Loewen in 2010, Kevin is active member of the Hamilton community. He contributes to the position of vice-chair of the Young Entrepreneur Board which is a division of the Hamilton Hive, and the council at Mohawk College. Kevin supports several local charities including City Kidz and the Canadian Cancer Society.

Lisa Cowey is the owner and creative director of Provoke Creative—a marketing communications agency in Hamilton that does branding, website design, provoke visual identity and PR work. She uses her unique, creative and strategic approach to get her clients’ businesses and organizations noticed.
Lisa is helping spearhead the new 7Up Glossy with other local organizations to give back to their communities, and organizations by taking them to the next level.

Matteo has been an active member of the government, community, working with leaders in government, communication organizations and the private sector through various institutions, initiatives and projects—all focused on making Hamilton better. Since his arrival to the city as a McMaster University exchange student, Matteo has become a leader in this community and has his degree in political science. Matteo is a professional marketing consultant and branding and marketing business developer. Matteo has supported the careers of both the Hamilton Hive and the Young Entrepreneurs and Professionals division at the Chamber. He is extremely proud of Jennifer, his wife and a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient.

Mindy Tweedle founded the award-winning Tweedle Productions, and has filmed in Germany, Indonesia, U.S., Jordan, on TV shows in Canada, Germany, the U.S., and has produced mini-series and segments for the Canada-wide “Think INK!" TV show. Always connected with the Mohawk “Lee Street,” she has served as head of the “Honour Roll" at Mohawk College of Journalism, and was voted as a Mohawk College Alumni of Distinction. Mindy has received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee for her work in the community.

Remo Di Fronzo has a career spanning 15 years with various investment management firms across Canada, progressing successively as a lead-advisor in public investments and client relationship management roles. Remo began his banking career at HSBC, first in Business Banking as senior account manager, and then moved into Commercial Banking. He subsequently accepted the position of Regional Head Canada and the Finance Committee at Ronald McDonald House Hamilton. He has served as Chair of the Villa Italia Foundation Advisory Board, and has led fundraising and charitable initiatives. Remo has also lectured at McMaster’s W Booth School Executive MBA Program and the Ivy School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

Ryan is a Chartered Accountant, having joined Grant Thornton LLP in 2010 through a merger with PKF Hill LLP of Toronto. He transferred to the Hamilton office of Grant Thornton in 2011 and has since immersed himself in the community. Living in Stoney Creek with his wife Jenn and daughter Emily, Ryan volunteers his time on the board of the Philharmonic Orchestra, serving on the HPO Strategic Committees and Finance Committee. He is a member of Faith Christian Reformed Church in Burlington, and supports several charities including the United Way, World Vision and the Mark Preece Family House.

Waqar Malik is a young entrepreneur with a loving personality. He immigrated to Canada in 2009 in the season of a hard-working labor man with the work ethic of a self-taught common man. This hustler, Waqar started going to school in pursuit of a better career. Along with his education he and his family, an urban clothing brand for 2nd-generation immigrants to express themselves and him. His passion was realized here with the opportunity to serve as V.P. of sales for The Cast Project. Since 2014, over the last year since moving to a firm called InBOLD Media, Waqar is always there for the community and friends.

At BHH Benefits, Adam takes pride in combining resourceful-thinking with a logical, result-oriented mind—all the while striving to deliver healthier business practices for his valued clients.A strong interest in the ever-evolving health and insurance sector has permitted him to connect with many of Canada’s top business professionals. He has developed a unique business approach around retirement area quickly that offers solutions for every type of client need and request.He has been mentored by some of Canada’s top insurance professionals, enabling him to fast track his career. Since 2011, his passion and work ethic has never grown.

As the owner of DeSantis Occupational Therapy Services (D.O.T.S), Angela provides occupational therapy as well as legal services to individuals. She receives referrals from physicians, lawyers, healthcare professionals, insurance companies, Veterans Affairs Canada, and the Royal Canadian Legion. She has an interest in physical and mental health; her occupational therapy approach is based on past work experience as a therapist/manager that she has 10 years of experience three years ago. She focuses on making people independent in what they want to do, whether it's household, work or school.

Brian Bickford is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario. He has single-handedly created one of the top and fastest growing translation companies in Canada—Pendleton Translations Limited.
Pendleton Translations Limited offers translation, interpretation and equipment rental services throughout North America. The firm has a head office in Milton, and satellite offices in Niagara, Ottawa, Montreal and New Brunswick. Brian is a devoted philanthropist; the CLF foundation donates 2% of its gross profit to hospitals that provide cancer support. In addition, Brian is also a proud supporter of the Milton District Hospital Foundation.

Cary-Ann Oestreicher is the owner of Potential Unlimited—a life and leadership coaching firm for women, holds an MBA, and has worked in a variety of senior roles prior to starting the V.P. level. Cary-Ann has presented at the Danish International Business School, the Aarhus University and the University of the West Indies. She was named one of the 10 Most Inspiring MBA Women Influencer of the Year by Top MBA, in recognition of her business. Cary-Ann is regularly hired by companies to help develop leaders and entrepreneurs.

Ellery’s first job at 14 was at Springy’s, a family-owned business on Barton Street. Here, he helped complete stock and shelf-stocked orders. After completing a steamfitter apprenticeship, he went into the oil and refinery field. In 2007, Ellery, his brother and their family took over Springy’s, transforming the original location into a clearance centre, as well as launching their online store. They opened a second location at 1500 Upper James where their focus spans from inflatable rentals to strollers, car seats and growing furniture to toddler’s toys. Ellery is proud to be part of a family-owned business that’s serving a fourth generation of loyal customers.

Jenn Hudder is partner and operations director at KITESTRING Creative Branding Studio, and the recipient of the Hamilton Spectator’s Best New Business Award. She has 13 years of industry experience and served on the Loyalist College Advertising and Marketing Communications Advisory Committee as an alumna. A proud Hamiltonian, she contributes to the community through 100in1Day and KIA, and participates in the SDEC Access to Professions Program.

Joe is the CEO of the Carmen’s Group and President of the Best Western C Hotel by Carmen’s. Joe thrives on maintaining the successes of his highly reputable family business. As an active member of the community, he is passionate about charitable initiatives he is part of. He currently sits as chair of Mohawk Road, has taken on the role of fundraising chair of the Canadian Diabetes Association, and supports a number of community groups including Shriners, City of Hope, the United Way, Good Shepherd, Interval House, and Neighbour 2 Neighbour, to name a few.

Recognizing a growing market for web design, video and social media support, Kyle Kuchmey founded New Motto in the creative technologies as a versatile background in digital technologies and business training at Mohawk College, guiding the direction of New Motto. He specializes in bringing his clients the best creativity the company has to offer—connecting the right information and talents with the right project.

Louis Grilli is a business lawyer at Agro Zaffiro LLP, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University, and a Juris Doctorate and a Masters of Business Administration from Dalhousie University. Louis’ practice focuses in the areas of corporate transactions, commercial equity financing and commercial real estate, and he provides his clients with sophisticated forward-thinking transactional advice. Louis also represents his clients through merger and acquisition transactions, the commercial transactions and litigation strategy. He also mentors students, groups and the general public. Here, he regularly works with entrepreneurs, medical businesses, private corporations and non-profit organizations.

For the past five years, Michael has been the coordinator, marketing and communications at Hamilton’s Economic Development Office, generating local, regional and national awareness areas for Hamilton. He is a founding member and founding board member of the Hamilton HIVE, a free program, ensured by professional network. Currently, he is the founding chair of the City of Hamilton’s new Young Professional group.

Born as the fourth child into an education family (his mother was a teacher and his dad was a principal), Nathan grew up watching his parents showing their students the “best way of life”—and now as a principal, he is committed to helping Hamilton students achieve their full potential. In small-business, Nathan has a new focus through his business Diced, which he runs with his wife Angie. He gives his time to Coach 4 Food, HPS, HDA and local charities. Diced makes his life fun and easy as he meets so many new people. With his career, he’s committed to making a difference in local schools, helping others find dreams that can have a big impact—wherever they land.

Ryan is the president of LinxSmart—a Hamilton-based web development firm founded in 2006. He has been nominated three times for the Chamber of Commerce awards, and was the winner of the Young Entrepreneur Award and the Innovation Award. In 2012 CIBPA Business Distinction Award. He is a service-oriented entrepreneur, director of technology for SOAP Youth—a non profit—As a Service software, the massage software and chiropractic industries, serving thousands of users.

Sean is a government affairs specialist at Tim Hortons Inc. He works closely with elected officials and employees at the national, provincial and civic levels. An active member of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce, Sean sits on both the Advocacy and Government Relations Committee, and the Oakville Young Professionals and Entrepreneurial Leadership Committee for Toronto Sports & Boxing. He is also responsible for delivering Part 6 of Boxing Ontario clinics and has been doing so since February 2015. Living in Oakville, Sean is married with a daughter, with a baby boy expected in the coming weeks.

Kabuki Spa & Skin Centre was born five years ago. Alexis Fletcher describes it as “morphing” from a tiny urban storefront to a full-service spa and wellness centre on Locke Street South. Under Alexis’ guidance, the spa has since increased exponentially. Alexis credits Kabuki Spa’s successful growth to the efforts of her three employees, and to unique products that push evolution. Kabuki Spa is also striving to be Hamilton’s first non-surgical health spa offering natural and organic products. Her wellness brings out the inner beauty in all that she provides.

April Detzler is a young budding professional in occupational health and wellness management. Graduating from the Faculty of Science at Wilfrid Laurier University in kinesiology, April quickly obtained her designations to combine and apply her skills and professionalism within the occupational wellness discipline. In 2008, she coordinated National Healthy Workplace Month for the Ontario division with 805 internal and 15,000 external participants. She has been involved in managing wellness ventures, April has coordinated community-wide assessments for the City of Hamilton and Niagara Region. The Healthy Lifestyle Program offered by Brady and Associates Inc. aims to improve occupational level of service and efficiency of the program.

After achieving her childhood dream of working as a zookeeper, Brittany soon realized her passion for fitness and wellness—mainly because of a life-changing knee injury and the income was low. After years of being sick, she jumped at the opportunity—returning to school to become a personal trainer so she could make the change that helped save her life. Brittany has quickly become a dynamic industry leader, inspiring women across North America, and has been asked to teach internationally. Brittany is passionate about helping others design their healthiest lifestyles and is an avid traveler and yoga enthusiast.

Cecilia is a Certified General Accountant located in the Hamilton area. Serving clients in Hamilton and surrounding areas, she is the owner of Kaizen Accounting, a practice that assists clients prepare income taxes and financial statement documentation. Cecilia helps business owners by helping and grow through continuous improvement innovations. As part of her commitment to the community, she has been an active representative of the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF), the sponsor of the Junior Achievement Program, and a campaign officer and board member of Project “Charity,” a non-profit that enhances the quality of life for diabetics.

Evan is active in Hamilton-Halton’s commercial real estate industry, both as development project manager with Wilson Blanchard, and as a commercial realtor with Blair Blanchard Stapleton. Specializing in office and industrial real estate properties, Evan’s knowledge and skill has been strengthened by a solid understanding of finance and corporate tax law and business. His diverse skill set allows him to provide insight from an investor’s, management’s and customer’s standpoint.

Jeremy Racicot is a Certified Financial Planner, investment advisor and founding partner of The Bay West Group. The Bay West Group is a leading investment and insurance advisory firm focused on family values. The firm has absorbed 17 financial advisory practices since its inception in 2006. Jeremy leads and manages a team of approximately $100-million. Jeremy is a member of the Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore and chairs the Kidsfest Committee, and serves as treasurer of the committees for Canada’s Largest Ribfest. He’s an avid runner, golfer, musician and father. Jeremy resides in Burlington with his wife Karen and their three children—Ella, Noah and Aiden.

Jon graduated from Ryerson University in Toronto in 2008 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Architectural Science. He received his Master’s Degree from Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan, and moved to Hamilton in February. Jon is currently the project manager for Chamberlain Architectural Services Limited. Over the past few years he has developed architect project planning, simple design, and mastered how to move to the construction phase. He has helped bring important corporate retail stores including Hamilton Cardinals to the Hamilton and Burlington region. Jon is married to his amazing and wonderful wife, Harmony

Len Kamerman leads a team that works with small and mid-sized businesses to provide them with the best technology: Relationship Management (CRM) software that’s easier to use and increases sales. Len manages shares of businesses across Canada to help them understand their clients. In the last 11 years, helping businesses across many fields, Len has seen tremendous gains for himself and provide better service. His responsibilities with technology include building, assessment, implementation and project management, and his support for a number of popular systems including ACT! and Microsoft CRM.

Martinus Geleynse owns MGI Media, a Hamilton-based media planning company, and is the founder and director of Hamilton’s 24-hour film festival, the Hamilton24. He is the publisher of urbanicity magazine, Hamilton’s urban magazine, and owns a network of downtown businesses including MGI. As a lifelong Hamiltonian, Martinus hosts his weekly long-form interview show on Cable 14, and is a regular personality on CHCH’s Square Off. In addition to his media work, Martinus curates a series of urban bus tours, which have included trips

Michelle started her insurance career working at Lombard Canada in Toronto, and returned to Hamilton to join Dalton Timmis Insurance Group in 2003. With 12 years of industry experience, she has earned the trust and loyalty of her clients by providing unparalleled customer service and strategic risk-management solutions. She resides in Hamilton with her parents and grandparents, owns her own business and several rental properties. She is passionate about her community and family is important to her. She recently chaired the Barry Foster & David Lee Memorial Golf Tournament, and volunteers with the B’Nai Brith Hamilton Sports Celebrity Dinner.

Rachael Finnerty established Fermata Music Therapy after graduating from Wilfrid Laurier with a Masters in Music Therapy in 2001. The Fermata team now provides music therapy to individuals with autism, developmental delays, learning disabilities, acquired brain injuries, mental health issues and neurological impairment. She developed the NoBounds music education program, enabling therapists to guide students through developmental milestones. Rachael teaches music therapy courses, which she now teaches at McMaster University and the University of Windsor. She has also recently founded The PARENT Project and manages a Skills Link health care employment program.

Ryan is the marketing communications specialist at fastfact) design initiative. At McMaster University, Ryan specialized in theatre & film, with a major in political science and honours BFA. Ryan is an experienced marketer and communications strategist with award-winning skills in marketing, public relations and event management. Ryan was presented with TV Cogeco’s Arts Award, and Best in Class Award—Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec. Ryan has been an active volunteer in Hamilton for the past eight years—in arts, advocating, developing, and promoting the creative community

Wade practices human rights and employment law at Ross & McBride LLP and is a strong advocate for social justice, representing individuals from various areas across Ontario with legal. Wade earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Toronto and recently completed a Masters of Law (LLM) from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Wade has worked with McMaster, Ryerson University, the Ontario Ministry of Education, Deportation, and a judge on the Ontario Labour Relations Board overseeing workplace discrimination matters and has appeared extensively on TV and CBC shows.