Date/Time
Date(s) - 29/09/2017
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Location
The Old School Community Gathering Place
Categories
Entrepreneurs across Nova Scotia are demonstrating innovative new ways of building their business with great success. Come and hear from a unique panel of thought leaders who will share some of their ideas that are helping them differentiate their business in this unique market.
Speakers:
- Emma Kiley, Uprooted Market & Cafe
- Rebecca Atkinson, Sober Island Brewing Company
- Ryan Veltmeyer, Artpreneurs
Tickets are $15 for members and $25 for non members.
Emma Kiley, founder, Uprooted Market & Cafe
Emma graduated from Dalhousie University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science with a Double Major in Environmental Science and Environment, Sustainability & Society (ESS). Her degree focused largely on the negative impacts of our current food system, the importance of strengthening community, and the role of grassroots initiatives in supporting a local economy.
While attending Dalhousie, Emma frequently visited the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market. There she saw firsthand the influence that the market was having on the community. Upon graduating from Dalhousie, Emma moved to Dublin, Ireland where she developed a deep appreciation for their local food culture and pride in buying local. She also became accustomed to stopping into the local shop on the way home from work, where she would often run into a neighbour and have a chat with the local butcher.
Upon returning to Nova Scotia, Emma identified the need for a similar local shop and community hub, right here in Musquodoboit Harbour where she grew up. A place where friends could meet for coffee, where residents could bump into a neighbour they hadn’t seen in weeks, and a place where visitors could stop and marvel at the beauty of this community.
Rebecca Atkinson, founder, Sober Island Brewing Company
Rebecca Atkinson created Sober Island Brewing Company after her discovery of an Oyster Stout in Wales sparked her creativity. Her love for the ocean and home brought her back to Sheet Harbour in 2015 where she began working on building her business. Eleven months later, Sober Island Brewing Company launched at the Saltscapes Expo with their beer truck. From that point on, Rebecca became a regular on social media feeds and is always promoting not only her business but all the businesses on the Eastern Shore. She is active with the Chamber of Commerce and her family’s business The Henley House Pub and Restaurant. She is currently putting the final touches on phase 2 of her plan which is a 1000L system attached to the Henley House. Sober Island Brewing will take on their final phase which is a destination focused microbrewery situated on Sober Island where people can enjoy a beer on the patio, dock their boats, kayak up to the shore, play horseshoes or take a hike to the rock beach.
Ryan Veltmeyer, Co-Founder, Youth Art Connection
Ryan Veltmeyer is a professional musician and youth community developer. Before co-founding Youth Art Connection with Ann Denny in 2012, Ryan worked with the Halifax Public Libraries, the HeartWood Centre for Community Youth Development, Arts Express and other organizations to engage youth in leading in their lives and in their community. As Co-founder of Youth Art Connection, Ryan has been able to bring his two great passions together of art and community youth development. Always taking action and innovating to use the power of youth and the arts to address social and economic issues, Ryan has spoken at various conferences and events including the Communities Foundation of Canada’s Shift Disturber’s in 2016, the Nova Scotia Growing a Creative Economy Conference in 2016, and this fall will be speaking at the Creative Cities Network of Canada’s 2017 Summit in Halifax.
Ryan has also participated in competitive national and regional leadership programs including 21 Inc, and the Banff Centre for the Arts’ ‘Getting to Maybe’ program for system entrepreneurs, and was recognized recently in Now Nova Scotia as a finalist for the Halifax Social Innovation Award.
Ryan believes that art, innovation and the open-mindedness of youth is key to finding new solutions to complex social and economic problems in Nova Scotia, and is passionate about working with communities across the province to build their capacity to do just this.
Moderator:
Allison Kouzovnikov is passionate about local, living economies and the power of high functioning, deeply-connected communities. A constantly curious and life-long learner, Allison has an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and Neuroscience, a law degree and an MBA.
Allison is a lawyer by trade and she practiced law for six years before committing herself fully to the Community Foundation of Nova Scotia – a public charitable foundation which she built from scratch and now holds more than $5 million in assets and $25 million in bequests.
Following the Community Foundation, Allison worked for two years as President of Zita Cobb’s critically-acclaimed Shorefast Foundation which in turn owns and operates three social businesses: the Fogo Island Inn, Fogo Island Shop and Fogo Island Fish, all on – you guessed it – Fogo Island, Newfoundland.
In 2017, Allison made a bold move back into the private sector where she is now a member of the Consulting and Deals Team at PwC in Halifax. PwC’s purpose is to help build trust in society and solve important problems and Allison hopes to share a bit of that purpose through her participation today.
