Topic: People
Elizabeth Garrett
“Just like becoming an expert in wine - you learn by drinking it, the best you can afford - you learn great food by finding the best there is, whether simply or luxurious. Then you savor it, analyze it, discuss it with your companions, and you compare it with other experiences” - Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking
Emily Konrath
Emily is a small business enthusiast with a passion for homegrown talent. Emily was born and raised in Wolfville, studied her Bachelor of Commerce degree at Saint Mary’s University and obtained her Masters in International Business from Jönköping, Sweden. Emily has lived and studied in cities across Canada and abroad in Germany and Sweden.
Emily is an Economic Development Officer with the Valley Regional Enterprise Network, a municipal corporation that works as a catalyst for regional economic development in the Annapolis Valley. Emily is tasked with sector development of five core sectors that present key opportunities for growth and investment attraction (Agriculture; Information, Communications and Technologies (ICT); Manufacturing, Sustainable Energy; and Tourism). Previously, Emily worked as an International Trade Consultant working with firms interested in exporting to international markets where she travelled across Europe, South America, and the Caribbean matching businesses to international opportunities.
Evan Hill
Evan works with small to medium businesses in solving marketing hurdles, content creation, product launches, and digital growth. After working as an analyst in the hedge fund industry, he co-found an apparel design & distribution company that focused on student travel. Then spent 3 years in Toronto and the US with a content marketing company that generated digital athletic training content for young athletes. He’s worked with clients & brands such as Recode, Cut, @Dunk, Hyperice, APL Athletics, Sports1Marketing, Susar Lee Restaurants, and Nova Scotia Fisherman Bodycare. Evan was born in Nova Scotia and is an Acadia Business Alumn.
Frances Schagen
Frances is a small business innovator. She geeks out over business strategy, business models and building entrepreneurial ecosystems. She believe that’s the kind of thinking we need to save the world. Frances helps create places where entrepreneurship can thrive within our business and within our community.
Business innovation is essential for us to solve our biggest issues and to succeed in the world today. Business theory was developed for large business and small business is not a little big business. Frances has been on this quest for decades, talking to 1000’s of business owners and reading 1000’s of books.
Gary Morton
Gary is a business development consultant/coach that for over 30 years has worked with farms, business and organization clients to find and develop new value added ideas, profit and success from what they do. This includes product development, commercialization, business planning, market development (domestic and export), product launch, training programs and managing business growth around new products and services.
Genevieve Allen Hearn
Genevieve is an arts administrator, specializing in organizing cultural events and festivals. Currently, Genevieve is working for the Atlantic Public Arts Funders, organizing an Indigenous Arts Symposium for Atlantic Canada. She is part-owner and Operations Manager of The Grapevine, the Annapolis Valley’s bi-weekly arts and culture publication. Her volunteer work includes serving on the board of Uncommon Common Art, the Kentville Art Gallery Society, and the Youth Engagement Working Group for the Municipality of the County of Kings. While completing her Masters in Art-Based Community Development, Genevieve was the project manager for the Kings County Cultural Map. She spends every free minute raising the coolest toddler in town.
Geoff Crouse
Geoff has more than 17 years of combined Software Engineering and Information Technology Consulting experience.
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Technical Sales Engineer, specializing in medium to large scale Drupal CMS projects including new development, site audits and analysis, and expert support services.
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Account Management, coordinating customer projects with engineering and support teams from initial conception to final delivery, and continued support.
Geoff’s profile picture was created by a robot inspired by Peggy’s Cove. Peggy’s Cove pic care of Wikipedia.
Hope Latta
Hope is in her senior year of Computer Science at Acadia University. She loves teaching and encouraging people to learn computer science. While in her undergrad, she worked two co-op terms in the security industry. This past summer she studied web design and directing at Harvard University. Locally, she won the Best Overall Physical Sciences Project grades 7-12 two years in a row at the Annapolis Valley Regional Science Fair. She also represented Nova Scotia at the Canada Wide National Science Fair. When she isn’t coding, she loves dance and various performing arts activities.
Ian McKay
“Creative Technician”…what the heck is that?
I see my role, primarily, as that of a possibilitist. I listen closely to your ideas, what you hope to create, the problem you are working and then share with you the possibilities technology may offer. My years of immersion in Maker culture, joyfully exploring new and unusual uses for the wonders of emerging and age-old tech, provide me with a deep pool of possible solutions to your creative problems. While I am happy to help suggest solutions and inform you of the possibilities and challenges, I always keep in mind that the piece is YOUR work and will strive to help YOUR vision come to fruition. In those cases where a more collaborative model is what you are seeking, I would love to work with you to make our ideas a reality.
Jeremy Lutes
Jeremy Lutes is a Partner at Equilibrium Engineering. Jeremy has been successfully managing and operating businesses since 1998. Previous to Equilibrium, Jeremy was the Business Analyst for Internetworking Atlantic (IAI), a private Halifax based telecommunications company.
From a volunteer perspective, Jeremy was previously on the Board of Directors of the Halifax Pop Explosion for twelve years, and the Music Nova Scotia Board of Directors for three years. These positions illustrate a long-standing passion for the arts.