2008 Alumni

Northeast | Private Sector

Donna Hilsinger
Sault Ste. Marie

Hospitality is in Donna Hilsinger’s blood.

“I grew up literally on the front line of the hospitality business,” said Hilsinger, recalling her first job as a bus lady wiping down tables at the family owned and operated Kentucky Fried Chicken in Sault Ste. Marie.
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Northeast | Public Sector

Dee Adrian
North Bay

Operating North Bay’s Capitol Centre has been a blessing and curse for Diane “Dee” Adrian.

Yet, she can’t imagine doing any other line of work that’s quite as satisfying, says the northeast public sector award recipient.
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Northeast | Young Entrepreneur

Melissa Kelly
Timmins

When Melissa Kelly opened L’Académie de danse - Melissa Kelly Dance Academy in a renovated church in Timmins in September 2005, she was hoping to have at least 60 students. To her surprise, 140 people showed up on registration day.
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Northwest | Private Sector

Lori Martineau
Marathon

As a young high school girl in Sault Ste. Marie, Lori Martineau never dreamt that working as a car hop at the local A&W might foreshadow her eventual career as an entrepreneur.

Roller skating around the parking lot carrying trays of food, Martineau was content with just making a little money at a job she enjoyed.
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Northwest | Public Sector

Rebecca Johnson
Thunder Bay

Rebecca Johnson readily admits she’s a
joiner.

If there’s an advisory board, a steering committee or a task force in need of a helping hand, it’s the humble and soft-spoken Thunder Bay native who steps forward.
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Northwest | Young Entrepreneur

Rama Agarwal
Thunder Bay

Rama Agarwal has a head for numbers. It was apparent from the start. As a precocious nine-year-old, she helped out in the family business, doing the payroll at her parents’ grocery store in Thunder Bay. But life, unlike numbers, doesn’t always follow a predictable path.
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