- This event has passed.
Weekly Coffee Chat with Special Guest: Martina MacDonald!
October 19, 2018 @ 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Calling all entrepreneurs! Come have your Friday morning coffee with us at Startup Zone! Bring your business ideas, questions, and grievances and get some great advice from local, like-minded entrepreneurs!
Our special guest for October 19th is Martina MacDonald, Executive Director of the Canadian Business Development Corporation & General Manager of the Eastern PEI Rural Action Centres!
Martina Mac Donald is one of a family of ten children, raised in Cardigan, in a family of entrepreneurs, lead by her father starting Cardigan Feed Service Ltd. some 50 years ago, Martina grew up knowing what it took to open and take risks in operating a small business in Eastern P.E.I.
After studies at UPEI, Martina worked in several small businesses in Kings County but always wanted to follow her father’s lead and start her own business and so in 1993, she started “Second Glance Interiors “, operating 7 chain stores in Atlantic Canada for 20 years.
She has since sold her business to pursue a new career at 50… a promise to the family to exit retail.
For the last 8 years, Martina has held the position of Executive Director of the Canadian Business Development Corporation, known as the CBDC, a lending organization created in the 1990’s for financial support for small businesses. As well she is the manager of the Rural Action Centre in both Montague and Souris, a one-stop shop for small business start-ups, or inquiries.
Every day is a new day – working with entrepreneurs with passion and ideas for start-up or expansion.
Sometimes all that is required by a client is an ear, sometimes a microloan and sometimes partnering with other lending institutions to create a huge project.
Martina now lives in Brudenell with her husband Lester and together they have raised 4 children to adulthood.
Martina loves her job and has a great team with her, making small changes one job at a time.