ENTREPRENEUR NOMINEES
(40+)
For women 40+, initiating and/or administering an enterprise or business.
Award Presented by:
Miranda O'Sullivan, Real Estate Broker with Chestnut Park West
Dima Aldera
Shortly after moving to Kitchener-Waterloo from Syria, Dima graduated from Conestoga's graphic design program and operationalized her entrepreneurial mindset. She established "9b pencil design," serving clients in Canada and Dubai, and combined her entrepreneurial skills with her passion for helping those in need. Driven by the plight of her home country, Dima joined Conestoga’s Venture Lab to develop her humanitarian project, a not-for-profit online interactive platform called Findsuri.org. Findsuri helps Syrian families to search for loved ones who went missing during the war and earthquake crisis and due to land migrations and displacement throughout the Mediterranean.
Maria Kyveris
Maria is President of MAKEM Developments, a residential land development business and also co-owner of PK Homes. She has a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Waterloo. She started as an entrepreneur in 2017 with PK Homes, and since joining the business, has been an integral part of the over 300% growth the company has experienced. During her tenure, she successfully spearheaded the first land development project of the company, and has worked on strategic growth of the company over her seven years. In her limited spare time, Maria contributes back to her community and industry.
Juanita Metzger
A passion for community, slow travel, and hyper local experiences make guided walking tours the ideal business for Juanita. Prior to launching Stroll Walking Tours, a first-of-its-kind venture in Waterloo Region, Juanita worked in neighbourhood community development, focused on placemaking, urban space and connecting people to the places where they live. As a walker, she coordinated and led Jane’s Walk Waterloo Region for six years. Through Stroll, Juanita and her team of local guides curate small group walking tours designed to connect participants to places, spaces, people, and stories. They work extra hard to broaden our stories beyond the well-known Euro-centric histories of our region. Juanita also shares her local and travel experiences in publications such as The Globe and Mail, Grand Magazine, The Community Edition and various community publications.
Ajoa Mintah
Ajoa Mintah is a trailblazing chemical engineer turned ice cream entrepreneur. Recognized as an exceptional Black woman, she transitioned from her career in chemical engineering to pursue her passion for crafting delicious frozen treats. With determination and creativity, she founded her own ice cream business, Four All ice cream, embodying resilience and innovation in the culinary world. Ajoa's journey serves as an inspiring example of following one's dreams and redefining success on one's own terms.
Leslie Morris
With more than 20 years in the mortgage industry, Leslie has a depth of knowledge and experience in residential mortgages, renewals, second mortgages, bank turndowns, and debt consolidation. She provides support to a wide variety of clients, including those who are new to Canada, self-employed, refinancing, or first time home-owners. Leslie's mission is to ensure her clients’ mortgage transaction is as seamless and stress-free as possible. Her dedication, drive, and passion for her work and supporting her clients have left a lasting impact on the community.
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Destiny Moser
After spending 17 years in the fast-paced tech world, Destiny found herself driven towards a bigger calling. Today, as the owner of FoodZen, a personal chef and pre-made meal service, she aims to ease family schedules, support work/life balance, and empower seniors with local, nutritious meals. As an Indigenous chef, Destiny prioritizes hyper-local, and ultra-seasonal dishes, favouring whole foods. Collaborating with the Indigenous community, she educates on food sovereignty and sustainability. In 2022, seizing the growing interest in Indigenous culture, Destiny co-founded Cedar Spoon Indigenous Catering with Bingemans. Cedar Spoon highlights pre-settler Indigenous cuisine, advancing reconciliation while honouring heritage.
Ren Navarro
In 2018, Ren created Beer. Diversity., a company/advocacy group whose focus was for folks to be able to have open conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion one beer at a time. With the evolution of the company into non-alcohol spheres, she introduced B. Diversity. in early 2023. This expansion aims to create safer spaces in which to have open and honest conversations and support to create meaningful change in a multitude of industries both in KW and beyond. Ren is a fearless champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion within Waterloo Region, Canada, the United States, and the UK. She aims to uplift others and create space for hard conversations in safe environments.
Erica Shelley
Dr. Erica Shelley is Kitchener’s “Queen Bee.” Her love of honey and deep concern about the decline in honeybee populations led to the founding of Best for Bees in 2010 to “save the bees, one hive at a time.” As founder and CEO, with a background in microbiology, Erica offers beekeeping consulting services, research, and product development to promote honeybee health for commercial and hobby beekeepers, worldwide. Her award-winning, patent-pending invention, the ProtectaBEE™ beehive entrance, protects hives from predators, disease, and pests like the Varroa mite.
Cindy Ward
Dr. Cindy Ward is a dynamic Kitchener woman and lifelong entrepreneur with over ten local businesses started in KW, including the original Boathouse in 2004. She earned her PhD late in life, at age 47, and encourages others to always keep learning. Recently Cindy landed a spot on CBC’s Dragon’s Den for her newest business, Dr. Ward’s Fresh Mist, an ecological genius of a company that makes plant-based air fresheners. Cindy is the epitome of the phrase “aim higher” despite the difficulties of life and at 56 she is a well-loved and respected role model in our community.