Evelyn Ernst
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John Crace
A semi-retired architect, John lives with his wife Pamela in a 19th century farmhouse near Mahone Bay. With their dog, Piper, they keep a few chickens, honeybees, and a large garden. John serves on several boards and has been a member of the Nova Scotia Round Table for the Environment and Sustainable Prosperity since 2016. He created and, until 2019, delivered a course in Entrepreneurship at the
Dalhousie School of Architecture. He publishes the odd cartoon and plays tenor saxophone in the Mahone Bay Legion Swing Band. |
Elspeth McLean-Wile
A familiar face to many in Lunenburg County, Elspeth McLean-Wile has been a driving force behind the creation of LIFT and gathering the first advisors, all while organizing a smooth succession of the Wile's Lake Farm Market (a business she founded 38 years ago) into new hands. She is passionate about seeing rural communities remain vibrant and exciting places to live.
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Jennifer Naugler
Jennifer Naugler is the owner of Simple Local Life, a media company celebrating life on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, which promotes local businesses and events through Facebook Live series, content creation, local gift guides and more. Simple Local Life is a trusted resource in her small, rural market. Jennifer volunteers her time with the United Way, Rooted Food Project, Souls Harbour and the Bridgewater Garden Club.
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Fiona Horgan
A lifelong passionate retailer, Fiona has developed and led buying teams for some of Canada's most iconic retail brands. Always inspired by creative and unique independent retailers, in 2020 she left her corporate role for an entrepreneurial one and founded The Art and Science of Retail, an online educational platform for independent retailers, enabling her to combine her extensive retail knowledge and her love of coaching to help independent retailers become the thriving
businesses that form the backbone of our communities, add flavour to our lives, and inspiration to our souls. In 2022 she and her husband relocated to a century home in Lunenburg with their two dogs and two cats. Fiona is thrilled to give back to their new community and support the LIFT initiative of helping young businesses grow and contribute to a thriving local economy. |
Josh King
Josh knows numbers. He has spent over a decade in a variety of Accounting and Finance-related roles including 4 years in Public Accounting where he obtained his Chartered Accountant designation in 2014. After leaving Public Accounting in 2015, he spent seven years in a number of Corporate Accounting & Finance positions at High Liner Foods before transitioning to his current role as an Investment Advisor in teh Financial Industry. His passion for building and maintaining meaningful relationships and the enjoyment of working with clients led him to his current role. Josh is originally from Cape Breton but he and his wife Chelsea, who was born and raised in Lunenburg County, moved to the South Shore in 2014. They have two young children and are proud to call the Bridgewater area home.
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Jen Laughlin
Co-founder, with her husband Aiden, of Schoolhouse Gluten Free Gourmet in Martins Point, Jen has lived experience as a young mom growing a business. While currently working in her business, Jen is doing some consulting for the Town of Bridgewater and also mentoring a new business as a volunteer through Futurepeneur. Jen's focus is setting up business systems for efficiency, with a strong interest in mentoring others.
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Alastair Jarvis
Alastair brings over two decades of experience in technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation, with a commitment to creating value for communities, teams, and climate goals. As the former VP of Entrepreneurship and Technology Strategy at the American Forest Foundation, he led their agile transformation and technology strategy, empowering private landowners in forest stewardship. He co-founded WoodsCamp, a platform aiding family forest owners in conservation, contributing to significant CO2 sequestration. Alastair has led diverse teams and consulted in AI, VR, and healthcare video games. His early career included leading development of EA Sports titles with HB Studios where he joined as Producer and was later General Manager across their Lunenburg and Halifax studios. A woodlot owner since 2006, he advocated for an innovation strategy in response to the 2012 Bowater Mill closure in Liverpool. He is the founder of Statolith, a startup using remote sensing and AI in the procurement of sustainable forest material for Carbon Dioxide Removal projects. Dedicated to learning, Alastair values cultural competence and inclusivity. He and his wife Shannon live in Lunenburg with their two children.
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Nicole Knickle-Hatt
Nicole has a passion for talking with people in the ideation stage, when they are just developing a business idea and clarifying the direction they will go. With a background in idea development from years of working in Mash Up Lab's Dream Business program, and experience running a local construction business with her husband, Nicole is a great addition to the LIFT team.
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Perhaps You?
If you have lived experience as a successful entrepreneur or business skills at a management level, LIFT would love to have you onboard.
We are especially looking for people with strengths in restaurant management, marketing, the trades, and technology. |
