Inspiring People

Welcome to the EESJ profiles page, where we take a closer look at local young entrepreneurs.

Natalie McClune Holly McKay David Veale Pete Stoddart

Shannon Merrifield Chris & Adrian Nadeau Bob Keleher & Simon Pearn

Natalie McClune
Sylvan Learing Centre

As a former teacher and  Director of Education at the Sylvan Learning Centre in Fredericton I saw first-hand the changes the centre made in so many family’s lives. With this experience, I felt that taking the next step and opening a centre of my own in Saint John was something I needed to do.

It took much more than just the idea to get the centre up and running for the first class on November 4, 2002. It involved close to a year of planning which included two trips to Sylvan corporate headquarters in Baltimore for intensive training. However, the time I spent on preparation was well worth the effort.

Sylvan Learning Centre is the nation’s leader in providing supplemental education to students of all ages and skill levels. Personalized education is something I take very seriously. At Sylvan Learning Centre we get kids excited about learning, and it shows. We know when children feel better about school, they feel better about themselves.

I can’t imagine doing anything else and I am so excited to have this opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children in the Saint John area.

http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com/Rothesay/index.cfm

Back to top

Holly McKay
Workin’ Folk Art

Holly McKay has always had a love for Commercial Art. After graduation she moved to Saint John to develop her career in graphic design. Here she began to rekindle her roots with her love for art and painting.

Holly sums up her feelings in her own words: "There is a thriving arts community in New Brunswick and it has provided me with many opportunities to evolve into the artist I am today. Festivals have become a wonderful way to spur ideas that may evolve into a wider variety of art. I now sell my work at 3 galleries in Atlantic Canada, and attend many festivals and events throughout the year.

Part of the reward has always been in people’s reactions to my art. They can’t help but laugh or smile." 

http://www.workinfolkart.com/index.html

Back to top

David Veale
Profiles Global

Profiles Global (Atlantic) is a human resource consulting firm that specializes in the effective use of behavioural assessments in the workplace. We offer the People Productivity Services (PPS) to help organizations make those difficult and very costly ‘people decisions’ in any of the following areas:

• Recruitment and Selection
• Career and Succession Planning
• Coaching and Self-Development
• Management Training
• Sales Training
• Team Building
• Outplacement

Find out what our clients are saying about us: http://www.profilesglobal.com/pageloader.asp?pagename=clients

All you have to do is look at my profile results to understand why I started this business. Among other things, my profile describes me as having a high need for people interaction, always looking for new challenges and having the ability to multitask (I’ll stick with my strengths and won’t go into my “limitations”!). Well, becoming an entrepreneur in the human resource industry was a perfect fit for my profile. Profiles Global is coming up to its 3rd anniversary (May 1st) and the last three years has been challenging, exciting and at times very exhausting. I consider myself very lucky as I have a fantastic team around me who are as passionate about this company as I am. Becoming an entrepreneur is not without its risks but if you have a belief in your product or service and you are up to the challenge it can be extremely rewarding.

Dave Veale
Profiles Global (Atlantic) Inc.
Ph: (506) 642-7722
http://www.profilesglobal.com

Back to top

Pete Stoddart
Saint John Ale House and Cougars

Peter Stoddart is an ardent advocate for Saint John, showing other young people, by example, that Saint John is a great place to live and work. He ventured into self-employment in January 2002 with the opening of Cougars Lounge on the Market Square Boardwalk. Within two years he and his partner Trevor Pierce, opened The Saint John Ale House.

At 25, Peter entered the highly competitive world of hospitality and hasn’t looked back. Giving back to the community and strong partnerships have become an important part of his success strategy. He understands the value of a strong reputation and is a strong supporter of local charities and sports teams.

When it comes to running his business Peter believes “If it’s possible to do, we’ll do it”. Peter’s "can-do" attitude has served him well in an industry with an 80% failure rate. Cougars Lounge and the Saint John Ale House are thriving.

http://www.saintjohnalehouse.com
http://www.cougarslounge.ca

Back to top

Shannon Merrifield
Handworks

Maggie, my dog, insisted that I be able to bring her to work with me. Over the years she has seen my progression from arts student, to human resources administrator, to floater, to the culinary arts, knowing all along that I was unwittingly preparing myself to be self-employed.

When I lived in British Columbia I learned to juggle school, a job and explore the great white north. After high school, I went to France to live for a year where I learned French, learned about culture and food, and how to order coffee correctly. During my vigorous training in the culinary arts, I learned to be proactive, how to depend on my senses, to always use common sense, and that a falling knife has no handle.

Throughout this long journey it became clear that I was not destined for those lovely 9-5 jobs full of security and routine. I needed something more - a place where I could use all my skills with abandon, somewhere I could exercise my sense of judgment, somewhere I could be free to make my own mistakes and celebrate my successes, and somewhere I could bring my dog to work.

Handworks went up for sale and I immediately knew it was my future. It was what I’d been training for. No matter how many doors closed, I knew I’d  find a way. In July 2000, I took over the helm and have never looked back. Maggie thinks it is OK too!

Back to top

Chris & Adrian Nadeau
Evolving Solutions

My brother Adrian and I formed a partnership in August of 2001. We always wanted to own our own business, but neither of us could find something on our own. So we realized the best thing to do was combine our skill sets. My role is in Business Development, which is to initiate, build, and form technical and enjoyable relationship with Evolving Solutions’ customers. Adrian’s role with Evolving Solutions is to lead the software development team that is responsible for the architecture, development, testing, and deployment of all software solutions for our customers.

We knew that in order to operate a successful business, it was important to do something we loved. Prior to owning the business we both played hockey at the university & professional levels. We have a love for hockey, so we decided to develop an online tool for coaches in hockey. The service was picked up and tested by two NHL teams and a number of other coaches at the junior, college and semi-professional levels. We have since gone on to develop and create online solutions for many different industries.

We love what we do, we love educating and we love providing our customers ways to use technology, which will improve their business.

Back to top

Bob Keleher and Simon Pearn
Power Washing Solutions

Simon Pearn and myself, Bob Keleher started our own business (Power Washing Solutions) in the summer of 2007.  We were fed up with the existing 9-5 summer jobs. We wanted to have our earnings be a direct reflection of how hard we worked and knew self-employment was the key. 
 
We steam clean the exterior of houses and decks, aswell as commercial buildings. There is a large market for this type of work in eastern Canada.

We started by researching our market in the Summer of 2007 to see if our service was viable. We found an abundance of work and launched full time during the summer of 2008. During the 2008-2009 school year we converted our business plan to be sold to other University students as a franchise. We wanted to empower other students to earn valuable experience by running thier own business while generating money for tuition.

Our University (UNBF) sponsored us to take our franchise plan on the road to several Business plan competitions including the Enterprise National Finals in Vancouver.

We are now operating 2 crews in Saint John, 2 in Fredericton and have Franchisee's working in Southern Ontario.

Next year Simon and I will be participating in the International Business and Entrepreneurship Centre's ACTIVATOR program at UNBF. We will be particpating as team leaders in the development of a new business idea provided by the University.

Back to top