kingstonchamber.ca
Board of Directors
Director Biographies
WOODBURY, Donna
Chair
Rogers Wireless Express / WE Visual Solutions
President & Co-owner
Donna and her business partner, Don Woodbury, opened their first Rogers wireless store in 1993 and have never looked back. Today, Wireless Express is the largest Rogers’ dealer in Ontario and third largest in Canada, employing 250 people.
Donna describes herself as creative, competitive, and passionate about business and people. She recognizes opportunities and responds swiftly and successfully. Realizing their stores required point-of-sale marketing materials, she started an in-house production company that today is considered a leader in large format print and graphic design services. The company produces materials for all Wireless Express stores as well as numerous Kingston businesses.
Donna’s accomplishments did not go unnoticed by the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce. She was named Business Person of the Year in 2004 and received the President’s Award in 2008 for demonstrating tremendous work and benefit to the local business community.
RYCE, John
Past President
Certified Financial Planner / Division Director
Not only does John help clients with their financial planning needs, he is also responsible for the recruitment, training and mentoring of Investor Group consultants.
John was born and raised in Kingston and started his professional life at Fort Henry where he worked for 18 years. Soon after joining Investors Group, he obtained his Certified Financial Planning (CFP) designation. He recently celebrated his 14th anniversary with IG.
2012 marks John’s 8th year on the Chamber’s Board of Directors. As President, he looks forward to the implementation of the new 5-year strategic plan that will lay the foundation for future boards. As part of the strategy, John also recognizes the need to continually form stronger partnerships and improve communications to ensure the Chamber truly reflects and attracts the entire business community.
John describes Kingston as a thriving, beautiful city, a city he will continually strive to ensure remains the best place to live and do business in.
HUGHES, Bill
1st Vice-Chair
Managing Director
Bill provides cloud based information technology solutions and opportunities to small and medium sized businesses. Weehooey is a Google Apps Authorized Reseller, Lenovo Business Partner, a Certified TalkSwitch Partner, and network integrator for babyTEL Inc.
Bill has lived and breathed computers from a young age, which has benefitted many companies in various sectors. Before moving to Kingston, as Vice-President of Sales at chemical distribution company Phancorp Inc., Bill drove annual sales from one-million dollars in 1998 to nearly twelve million by 2005 and built an IT infrastructure that provided a significant competitive advantage.
Bill joined the Chamber’s Board of Directors for the learning opportunity and to make a difference for Kingston’s business community. He would like to build on the success of the MegaMixer, to have it recognized it as the annual must-attend business-to-business event for Eastern Ontario.
AGOSTINO, Anthony
2nd Vice Chair
President & CEO
Anthony may be best known as a former television host and producer, but for nearly nine years, he has operated Viva Productions. In 2010, he left the media to focus on his company full-time, working with the private and not-for-profit sectors to provide television and video production, editing, motion graphics, animation, and media training services.
Professionally, Anthony is most proud of the fact that what he loves to do - producing video content – benefits clients throughout Ontario.
Anthony joined the Chamber because of his belief in the passion of businesses and entrepreneurs and the drive to make Kingston a greater place to live and work. As Director, Anthony will help ensure the Chamber effectively communicates its mission to become the voice of business in our community and member organizations thrive and grow together.
SHERRIS, Martin
3RD Vice-Chair
Director of Business Management
As a lifelong resident of Kingston, and part of the local business community for the past 20 years, Martin is passionate about Kingston’s growth and development.
Martin’s business expertise for the past 18 years has been in the waste and recycling service industry throughout the Kingston area. After working in sales and management for both major companies in the region, he decided to go back to his roots and now works as the Sales and Business Development Manager for Manco Recycling Systems, a local independent company delivering creative solutions for recycling and waste in the Kingston region.
Martin believes that we do not live in a vacuum and those that are rewarded with success in business and in life need to give back to those in the community that need our help. To this end, Martin was a founding member of the 2nd Civitan Club in Kingston and President of the club in 2008. The club continues to raise funds and awareness for those less fortunate in our community.
As the recipient in 2008 of the Kingston Chamber Large Business of the Year Award (Waste Services Inc.), Martin has experienced firsthand the value of membership that the Kingston Chamber brings.
He is motivated and dedicated to the long-term growth and success of your Kingston Chamber and feels that Kingston has all the ingredients here to become one of Canada’s most sustainable cities.
TOPPING, Trevor
Director
Chartered Accountant, Chartered Business Valuator
Trevor and his wife Amy moved to Kingston in the summer of 2012 after 8 years in Vancouver. He was born and raised in Peterborough and completed a degree in Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University. Trevor received his CA designation in 2009 and his Chartered Business Valuators (CBV) designation in 2012.
Trevor provides accounting services and also works in business valuations and forensic accounting at Wilkinson & Company LLP, Eastern Ontario’s leading regional accounting firm with offices in Kingston, Belleville and Trenton. Wilkinson employs over 100 people who provide knowledge, resources and an extensive list of services to a wide range of industries.
Trevor joined the Chamber’s Board of Directors for the opportunity to get to know Kingston’s business community and help in any way he can.
BAXBY, Ted
Director
President & Owner
Anything you need your corporate identity on, Ted can have it done for you. Attention Getters specializes in custom embroidered garments, sportswear and promotional products as well as digital printing and signage. Ted works with companies and organizations to help choose the best promotional product to compliment any marketing effort.
After graduating from St. Lawrence College in business administration and marketing, Ted worked at Grand & Toy and then managed his parents’ sign and vinyl graphic shop that received the 1992 Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award. In 2007, Ted purchased Attention Getters, which has experienced double digit growth every year since.
Ted believes the Chamber provides an excellent opportunity to grow your business through networking and community involvement. He hopes his marketing expertise can help raise the Chamber’s profile.
FAIR, Matthew
Director
CEO
Matthew and his Wife Lindsey moved to Kingston in 1999. They first founded Inter Kingston Web Design in 2000 and in 2008 re-branded and incorporated as 14 Theories Inc. Between Inter Kingston and 14 Theories Inc. Matthew has led the development of over 170 full scale websites.
Matthew’s primary goal is developing web projects that provide a real return on investment for 14 Theories customers.
Matthew’s ongoing involvement with the Chamber is as a result of the once-strong connection with the Kingston Junior Chamber (JCI Kingston) and would like to see young professionals actively involved in chamber events and membership again.
HENDERSON, John
Director
Henderson Total Maintenance / Response IT
CEO, Owner
After John and his wife chose Kingston 23 years ago as the city to raise their family, John opened Henderson’s Total Maintenance Ltd. to provide property maintenance, janitorial services and general contracting services.
After ten years of growing that business, John developed Response I.T., offering computer sales and service, website development as well as software and database design.
John’s business philosophy revolves around customer service. If you’re not making your clients happy, someone else will. His staff wholeheartedly believes that educating clients about their unique situations and available options, enables them to make informed decisions.
John also believes in the importance of the Chamber. He says membership is more than a sticker on the door; it’s a valuable commodity that can greatly benefit all businesses in the community when utilized to its full potential.
GLASSPOOLE, Donna
Director
General Manager
Donna’s true passion is newspaper publishing and as GM with the local EMC papers, she is thrilled to be working with ‘the best team’ to produce a quality, community-focused newspaper that serves the residents of Kingston and Frontenac County. Donna is certainly no stranger to media. She has worked in television, radio, online advertising and newspapers for 30 years. Before joining EMC, she started with the Kingston Whig Standard in 1994 and progressed through the company being named a Vice President with Sun Media. She has made Kingston home since 1984 with her husband Lorne Matthews Glasspoole and 3 children. In the early part of her career, Donna also was a small business owner.
Donna became involved with the Chamber through a partnership to launch a new Business-to-Business monthly publication called Kingston Business Today. She looks forward to contributing her expertise to the Chamber Board.
ILAN, Lisa
Director
Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)
Senior Manager
Lisa has over 23 years in commercial lending experience, working with small to large enterprises. She is a graduate of the University of Windsor with an Honours BComm. Her innovative style and focus on putting entrepreneurs first has helped the Kingston BDC be one of the most successful Business Centres in Canada, both in customer service and productivity. At the BDC, she offers tailored financing and consulting solutions to business owners to help them grow and prosper.
Lisa embraces this philosophy and brings it to the Board of the Chamber of Commerce. She believes the Chamber’s role in the community is to encourage and support businesses to help ensure their success. By advocating for business owners, the Chamber can add tremendous value to the community and to the lives of entrepreneurs.
KIMPINSKI, Diane
Director
Co-owner / Marketing Manager
Diane, a Georgian College business - marketing graduate, operates Canada’s largest digital imaging and large format sign franchise. She doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to customer service because her clients expect and deserve to be treated with respect.
Since starting the company nearly three years ago, Diane has built a tremendous network of clients by embracing all social media tools and participating in numerous community organizations and events. She joined the Chamber because it’s a great place to meet people from all business sectors. Diane joined the Board to help implement new and innovative ideas that will benefit Kingston businesses in an ever-changing competitive market.
Diane wants to make a difference and puts herself ‘out there’ to ensure she understands the community’s business climate. With that knowledge, she believes the Chamber can continue to attract more members and provide opportunities for everyone to succeed.
LEPAGE, Lynne
Director
President
An accounting oversight by a tree cutter was the catalyst that sparked the brainchild for Lynne’s company. The local business never provided an invoice so was never paid. The lost revenue was an unnecessary mistake that Lynne realized many small businesses most likely experience. If only they had a shoebox.
Since 2008, Shoebox Services has provided accounting, income tax and bookkeeping services. The shoebox is an important organization tool for Lynne who keeps one handy for her clients to put in all receipts and statements.
Lynne describes herself as ‘crazy about numbers’ and the ‘network queen’ in Kingston. She’s been an active member of the Chamber since opening her business and has found it to be essential for making contacts and helping elevate her company’s profile.
BONHAM, Andrew
Director
Cunningham Swan Carty Little & Bonham LLP
Partner
Andrew Bonham is a Partner in Cunningham Swan’s Business Law and Wills & Estates groups with a particular emphasis on taxation law. He is currently working towards his Masters of Law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. Andrew can advise clients on various tax matters including taxpayer representation in disputes with Canada Revenue Agency, and estate, business and succession planning.
Born and raised in Kingston, Andrew holds degrees in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Law from Queen’s University. He has taught segments of Business Law for the Law Society of Upper Canada Bar Admission Course and is a former sessional lecturer in computer assisted legal research at the Queen’s University Faculty of Law.
Andrew is excited at the opportunity to serve on the Chamber’s Board and to work closely with other members of the local business community to improve the business climate in Kingston.
Andrew and his wife Alison have three young daughters.
ROGERS, Sam
Director
Owner
In 2012, Sam launched Sam Rogers Consulting, an environmental engineering and management company that helps clients reduce their environmental impact, act in a more sustainable manner, and comply with environmental laws. He is committed to helping organizations develop and sustain viable solutions that ensure environmental protection.
Sam was born in Washington, DC, raised in Maryland, and then lived in Ottawa before making his way to Kingston in 1998 to attend Queen’s University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Applied Mathematics and Civil Engineering. He then went on to obtain a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering.
Sam brings engineering and scientific points of view to the Chamber of Commerce. He would like to find ways to better promote the Kingston business community and help young professionals find more opportunities.
WHALEN, Shawn
Director
Marketing and Promotions Director
Shawn develops the marketing campaigns for two of Kingston’s top rated radio stations. For the past decade, he has worked in radio focusing his efforts on brand positioning, a tough job considering the number of stations and the size of the market. Obviously his efforts have paid off given that both 98.3 FLY FM and 98.9 THE DRIVE perform exceptionally well in their target demographic, a measure of success in the radio industry.
Shawn was invited to sit on the Chamber committee organizing last year’s Mega Mixer. He found the experience so rewarding, he decided to step up his involvement by sitting on the Board. Shawn feels he’s able to learn a great deal from other Directors and contribute his new media, social media and technology experience to benefit the Chamber and its members.
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© 2010 Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce
Innovation Park, 945 Princess Street Kingston Ontario K7L 3N6 Canada
Phone: (613) 548-4453 | Fax: (613) 548-4743 | info@kingstonchamber.ca