With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1222419
30 BCBUSINESS APRIL 2020 F I N A L I S T MEREDITH GARRITSEN F O U N D E R + O W N E R , H E R V A N A C O W O R K I N G C O L L E C T I V E F I N A L I S T ALYSSA MELNYK V I C E - P R E S I D E N T , S T R A T E G I C E N G A G E M E N T + C O M M U N I C A - T I O N S , C A S T L E M A I N G R O U P BORN IN THE VIL- LAGE of Zeballos on the northwest of Vancouver Island, Alyssa Melnyk spent her formative years in rural and remote parts of Western Canada, where her parents worked with Indig- enous communi- ties. "The social injustice between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians was pretty apparent, and it impacted me greatly," explains Melnyk, who has a master's in political science and public policy from the Uni- versity of Regina. Before join- ing advisory firm Castlemain Group in 2018, Melnyk spent four years as policy adviser to Jody Wilson-Raybould, then regional chief of the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations. Vancouver-based Castlemain, whose clients include some 150 Indigenous com- munities and orga- nizations across Canada, helps bridge relationships between its clients and parties looking to work with them on everything from legislative reform to economic develop- ment. "The com- mon denominator is that we support the interest of the nation," Melnyk says. "We're building their capacity." –J.N.W. F I N A L I S T S TARA BLACK + MARION SCOTT C O - F O U N D E R S + C O - O W N E R S , O R I G I N B A K E R Y NEITHER TARA BLACK NOR MARION SCOTT is celiac, but, seeing a need in Victoria to support the gluten-sensitive com- munity, they founded Origin Bakery in 2009. "Food's a big thing; it brings people together," Scott observes. "You feel like an outsider at social gatherings if you can't partake." Friends since their high school days in the Comox Valley, Scott and Black had long toyed with the idea of going into busi- ness together. Scott, who attended culinary school at Camosun College, later earned a BA in French at the University of Calgary and worked for WestJet. Black completed culinary school at North Island College; before partnering with Scott, she served as executive pastry chef at Victoria's Inn at Laurel Point. Origin now has 42 employees across two locations, a tradi- tional bakery in Victoria and a café in Langford. Black, a Red Seal–certified chef, leads back-end operations—recipe develop- ment, baker training and quality control—while Scott focuses on the front end—customers, marketing, communications and retail setup. Expansion into the wholesale market is on the horizon in 2020. —J.N.W. F I N A L I S T TESSA MCLOUGHLIN F O U N D E R + D I R E C T O R , K W E N C H E N T E R P R I S E S THE IDEAL ONE-STOP SHOP for Australian-born Tessa McLoughlin includes an exercise facility, a library, food options, a personal care centre and social opportunities, all in a beautiful locale. Such a place didn't exist in Victoria, so she decided to build one. "I realized that coworking could be the base of my vision for the club," she says. • In 2017, McLoughlin opened KWENCH (an acronym for knowledge, wellness, experiences, nov- elty, curiosity/connection fostering health/happiness) in a 5,000-square-foot hub downtown. Two years later, she more than quadrupled its footprint by moving to the Rock Bay area. • With more than 200 members, KWENCH is at 40-percent capacity. McLoughlin plans to expand into the Lower Mainland this year. —J.N.W. BEFORE STARTING Hervana, Meredith Gar- ritsen was director of business development for RDK Products, a Vancouver-based solar lighting specialist. When her employer moved the company to Atlanta, she stayed put. "I fell in love with the idea of having a space where women could operate and chase after what they want without having to justify their right to do that," says Kelowna-raised Garritsen. Launched in 2018 in downtown Vancouver, Hervana offers desk space, private offices, profes- sional development and social support to its 60 members, 90 percent of whom are women. Next, Hervana plans to expand its programming to help members achieve their business goals. —J.N.W.