Ellen Parker not only owns and manages a public relations and media business, she lives it! From her relentless charity work in the community and schools to helping small businesses manage through the Covid crisis to having a solid understanding of the nuances of each ot the main social media platforms, Ellen  really relates to what is happening with her public: the Calgary community. 

To learn more about Ellen Parker and her team at Parker PR and Parker Media, click on one or more of the links below: 

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Parker PR website | https://parkerpr.ca/ 

Parker PR on Instagram | @parkerpr 

Parker PR on Twitter | @parkerprca 

Parker PR on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/parkerprca/ 

Parker PR on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/parker-pr-corp./ 

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Ellen Parker on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-parker-8653378b/

Kevin’s 17+ years with Sturgess Architecture has clearly gone beyond the 3D CAD drawings, the cladding of a city building or the fence surrounding a house. His ideas on community, connecting, combining old and new (social media, technology), spatial awareness, Covid and creativity, training and learning and even issues of climate change, provides a real indication that the firm he has taken over from Jeremy Sturgess, takes into consideration the 4 decades of history that preceded him. 

To learn more about Sturgess Architecture (_SA), click on one or more of the links below: 

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Sturgess Architecture website | https://www.sturgessarchitecture.com/ 

Sturgess Architecture on Instagram | @sturgessarchitecture 

Sturgess Architecture on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/sturgess-architecture/ 

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Kevin Harrison on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-harrison-2b1a471b/

“You had me at Chocolate” is one of the key phrases when you visit the website of Dwarf Stars and it is clear from the photos of the Pumpkin Seed Butter Cups on their Instagram page why that phrase exists! 

Kathryn has done her homework when it comes to understanding the key ingredients in the Dwarf Stars vegan and allergy-friendly chocolates and it seems that she is helping others to gain such knowledge through regular postings on the company blog. 

To learn more about Dwarf Stars, click on one or more of the links below: 

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Dwarf Stars on Instagram | @dwarf.stars 

Dwarf Stars on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/dwarfstarsco 

Dwarf Stars on Twitter | @dwarfstarsco

Dwarf Stars Website | https://dwarfstars.ca/ 

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Kathryn Kozody on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kkozody/

It appears that the “Sober Curious” movement has become a thing in Calgary and the founder and CEO of Sexy AF Spirits (AF stands for “Alcohol-Free” in case you are wondering) wants to ensure your “Liquid to Lips” experience is amazing without the “next day” side affects. 

To learn more about Jo-anne and her Sexy AF Spirits business, click on one or more of the links below: 

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Sexy AF Spirits on Instagram | @sexyafspirits 

Sexy AF Spirits on Twitter | @sexyafspirits 

Sexy AF Spirits Website | https://sexyafspirits.com/ 

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Jo-Anne Reynolds on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sexyafspirits/

In my view, Andre really takes the “personal” side of being a Personal Financial Planner seriously and he does this by continuously asking his clients to think of two personal questions: (1) Where am I? and (2) Will I be okay? In fact, a lot of our chat frequently reverted back to these questions whether it was Covid, market volatility, Crypto-currency or small business digitation. 

To learn more about the work of Andre and Dentro Financial, click on one or more of the links below: 

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Dentro Financial website | https://dentrofinancial.com/ 

Dentro Financial on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/dentro-financial/ 

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Andre Degagne on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/andre-degagne-00aa8019b/

Jeffery (also known as Jeff or JP) has been “Open” with startups and founders for a long time, dating back to his days as an internal IT / dev guy for the Loblaw’s grocery chain. In those days, Jeffrey used his server room to meet with startups that “pitched” their ideas for the Loblaw ecosystem; fast forward a few years and now Jeffery and his Open People Network (“OPN”) team use Zoom, YouTube, Podcasts and social media to bring entrepreneurs and investors together. 

Jeffery did get on the end of the Kaboose, drove down Route 15 and made a HardBoot before he landed on the OPN gig! 

To learn more about the work of Open People Network, click on one or more of the links below: 

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Open People Network 

Website | https://opn.ninja/ 

LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/openpeoplenetwork/

Instagram | @openpeoplenetwork 

Twitter | https://twitter.com/Opeoplenetwork 

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/Opeoplenetwork/?_rdc=1&_rdr 

YouTube | http://bit.ly/2MZzdGj 

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Affiliate companies: 

Supporters Fund | website: https://supportersfund.com

HardBoot Inc | website: https://www.hardbootinc.com

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Jeffery Potvin on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefferypotvin/

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Venture Capital | Founders | Startups | Startup | Technology | Innovation | Deeptech | Fintech | Financial services | Consumer Packaged Goods | CPG | Pharmaceuticals | Healthcare | Healthtech | Toronto incubators | Toronto Accelerators | York Angel Network | University of Toronto | Small business | Seed capital | Angel Investors | Pitch Presentation | Fundraising | Digital Marketing | Social Media | Entrepreneur | Entrepreneurs | Entrepreneurship | 

The Venture Mentoring Service of Alberta (VMSA) follows the MIT framework set in place in the year 2000 to provide free mentoring advice to entrepreneurs from volunteer mentors. The MIT program has 100+ organizations like VMSA across North America and other global locations, that matches local entrepreneurs with seasoned mentors from their local community. 

As Chris Doble, the project manager for the Calgary-based entity, outlined during our chat: “…the primary focus of the VMSA is to provide leadership advice and focus on the individual and less on how to operate their business…” 

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To learn more about the work of Venture Mentoring Service of Alberta (VMSA), click on one or more of the links below:  

Venture Mentoring Service of Alberta (VMSA) website | https://www.vmsalberta.org/ 

VMSA on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/vmsa/ 

Chris Doble on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-doble-976b017a/

Finding a fresh salad for lunch inspired Jon Karwacki to join with Derek Rucki to create “Inspired Go”, a tech enabled platform to order fresh salad — at work. When Covid hit, Derek and Jon found that their customers, although working from home, still needed to eat. That inspired them to change their method of ordering from text messages to a mobile-enabled app. 

Two key partnerships ensure they have a reliable fresh food supply (via Star Produce) and timely delivery (via Routeique). 

Entrepreneurial minded students from Mount Royal University (which Derek is an alumni), use of social media (Facebook and Instagram) and constant communication with customers (email and newsletters) appear to be recipe to scale across Canada (now in YYC, YVR and YXE) 

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To learn more about Inspired Go, click on one or more of the links below: 

Inspired Go website | https://inspiredgo.ca/ 

Inspired Go on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspired-go/ 

Inspired Go on Instagram | @inspired.go 

Inspired Go on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/inspired.go/ 

Derek Rucki on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-rucki-3481b447/ 

Jon Karwacki on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-karwacki-4a49521a5/

Graeme Math, and his co-founders Jeff Weaver and Kevin Black, are seeking to democratize HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) for the small to medium sized oil & gas, mining and industrial companies that may not be in a position to engage full-time HSE experts.

Combining years of practical experience, a mobile-enabled technical platform and a focus on data management, InUnison ensures it clients are fully compliant with health and safety regulations. Also, by automating much of the manual paperwork associated with key processes, InUnison clients are able to free up their HSE staff to work on more value-added and higher impact activities.

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To learn more about InUnison, click on the links below:

InUnison website | https://inunison.io/

InUnison on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/inunisontech/

Graeme Math on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/graeme-math-a0732555/