Get ready for an exciting edition of the Behind the Business Podcast as Ian McLean sits down with Victoria Baby, CEO of KW Human Society. 

Baby has dedicated her career to supporting communities through work with a variety of provincial and national charities and has a passion for animals, their welfare, and the human-animal bond that resonates deeply with the Humane Society’s mission and values.

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

Get ready for an exciting edition of the Behind the Business Podcast as Ian McLean sits down with Bob Connors, general manager of Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre 

Bob has been at WWFC since 17 years and has played a vital part in the smooth operations. Learn more about this journey and career insights in this episode. WWFC were also awarded with the Environment & Sustainability Award at the Business Excellence Awards Gala 2025.

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

Get ready for an exciting edition of the Behind the Business Podcast as Ian McLean sits down with Mandy Bujold, former Canadian Boxing Champion & gold medalist. 

She now works as a Manager of Industry/Community Partnerships at the Grand Valley Construction Association and is the Founder of Champions for Charity. 

Learn about Mandy's incredible career journey, her life after boxing, and why donating to charities is so important. 

The Grand Valley Construction Association was the recent recipient of the Community Builder of the Year Award at the 2025 Business Excellence Awards Gala, Presented by Cowan Insurance Group. 

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

In this episode our CEO Ian McLean sits down with Chris Floyd - President of OTIP (Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan) 

Chris began his career in insurance as a claims adjustor at Gore Mutual Insurance in 1986. He joined OTIP in 1994 as a Service Manager, and advanced to the role of Vice-President shortly after. Chris has been serving as the President of Individual Insurance Services since 2004, overseeing operations for both the OTIP/RAEO Insurance Brokers Inc. and TW Insurance Brokers Inc. companies.

Chris is a Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) and a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors Program from the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. In addition to his work with IBAC, Chris also served as President of the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario from 2013 to 2014.

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

Black-owned businesses are very much a part of the food scene in Waterloo region.

Specialty grocery stores, ice cream shops, restaurants where you can enjoy Ethiopian doro wot and Jamaican patties and local bakeries offer delicious dishes and flavours not found in other food businesses.

Rochelle Williams started her baking and cake decorating business in late 2020. Her website explains "the Black perspective," which has helped shape her as a baker and artist. She rebranded her Kitchener business in Dec. 2022 as The Dessert Artist. 

She is also the Young Professional of the Year at Business Excellence Awards 2025

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

Brentwood Livery, offering services in chauffeured-driven service, is proud to contribute to the best community in Canada, not only for work but for play. At Brentwood, “transforming transportation into an unforgettable life experience” is the underlying mission. The company’s success is strongly rooted in the value placed on relationships with guests, employees and the community as a whole. Since 1990, Brentwood has focused on delivering exceptional value, striving to exceed expectations.

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

Ascnd Media is a full-service production company offering dynamic cinematography and photography.

Founded in 2019 by Sheldon Thompson, the purpose of Ascnd is to pursue creativity in every way possible while continuing to raise the bar.

Sheldon explains their philosophy as a way of moving forward and to exceed expectations by going above and beyond with every one of their projects.

From the collaborative draft process, to directing, to capturing photos and visuals, to audio production, Ascnd Media is able to produce all stages of production uniquely based on your needs.

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

Welcome to a very exciting edition of the Behind the Business Podcast hosted by Ian McLean, President/CEO of the KW Chamber. This week, Ian sits down with the Chamber's very own Jenna Petker, Director of Healthcare & Physician Recruitment on behalf of the community to the KW4 area. 

Jenna has been recruiting physicians to the community for over 9 years and has played an integral role in healthcare advocacy and health human resource strategy. 

Find out more about her incredible efforts, the critical need for doctors at this  time, the history of the program, and much more. 

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

Eric leads Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF), and works with the Board of Directors, committees, and team to further the vision of ensuring our communities are “equitable, connected, and sustainable; and people are thriving”. He has overall responsibility for the operations of the organization and collaborates with people locally, provincially, and nationally to develop innovative ways to influence lasting social change by maximizing philanthropic opportunities. 

Eric oversees WRCF’s strategic activities linked to our core area of focus: Social Infrastructure. Please contact Eric if you want to learn more about the strategic direction of WRCF, potential partnership opportunities, WRCF’s impact investment strategy, or potential impact investment projects.

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

Welcome to a very unique episode of the Behind the Business Podcast with Ian McLean. Today’s episode is going to be a bit different. Ian will not be joined by a business owner or community builder. 

Instead, he's using today’s episode to answer all your questions on the tariff threats by the United States, and how it could affect your business. He's gathered the most commonly asked questions that the KW Chamber has been receiving, and is ready to answer them all!

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