We are excited about this issue as it kicks off our Heading to the Highlands Series, spotlighting some of the amazing businesses that make Cape Breton the perfect four-season destination. Cape Smokey has delighted visitors with exceptional skiing from mountain to ocean along one of Canada’s most scenic and popular destination areas, since the early 70’s. Unfortunately, after a lodge fire in 1979, the ski hill fell out of the spotlight. Ski Cape Smokey operated under the passion and perseverance of local community volunteers, from the early 90’s until 2019, when the property was purchased by new owners. We spoke with Martin Kejval, CEO of Cape Smokey Holdings about his vision to make Cape Smokey into a year-round adventure destination for outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds. With their second anniversary just around the corner, we wanted to celebrate the occasion and revisit our conversation with Brenna MacNeil who is not only the founder of the missbrenna brand, which is a classy Cape Breton apparel and goods company but also the owner of a modern curated community corner store offering traditional and specialty grocery products, a café and of course her amazing missbrenna brand products. Brenna’s return to her roots in Inverness has helped her not only build a stronger business and brand but also help support other Cape Breton vendors and artists following their dream of entrepreneurship. We revisit our conversation with The Clairestone Inn owner, Shauna Austin, who was missing inspiration and felt a calling back to her hometown in Cape Breton, on the remote Isle Madame, Nova Scotia after being away from home for many years to continue her entrepreneurial journey. It was inspiring to learn how returning to Cape Breton’s Island off the Island and her roots got her to unwind and get back to her happy place personally and professionally, close to her family. December also means the start of winter which brings for most of Canada and the US, shorter days, longer nights, frigid temperatures, and winter weather that can trap us inside. The change in weather may impact everyone’s mood negatively temporarily as they adjust, but for some, the winter blues can lead to significant mental health challenges that can affect their personal and work life. These are the signs and ways to beat the winter blues. This month’s “in the spotlight,” segment is a Q&A between the Canadian Energy Centre and Bryan Detchou, senior director of natural resources, environment, and sustainability with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce about unleashing Canada’s competitive advantage in energy and natural resources. As always, my team and I want to thank everyone who made this issue possible, and we look forward to sharing more stories about growing industries, successful businesses, and brands, and the entrepreneurs making it all happen. EDITOR’S SPOTLIGHT
MANAGING DIRECTOR Rod Gregg EDITOR Lee Ann Atwater ACCOUNTS & ADMIN Calli Gregg COMMUNICATION, RESEARCH & ADMIN Tristyn Gaudette EDITORIAL & PROJECT MANAGER Ashley Davis Kate Lindsay CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Megan Callahan Cody Ciona
Shannon Ferguson Gabrielle Gamblin Will Gibson Darryll Gillard Deborah Jaremko Kris McCarthy Laura Mitchell Ryan Myson Teresa Siqueira Elizabeth Spencer Amanda Stellisano
WEB DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT Joe Uttaro GRAPHIC DESIGN TEAM Sara Kay Brittany Pickrem Ashley Tatlock SOCIAL MEDIA
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