For 25 years I managed the family business which evolved from a lumber wholesaler into a DIY home improvement distributor. The 70′s & 80′s were very good but we had to close the business in the 90′s because globalisation and new business technology made our services redundant. For seven years I owned and operated a computer training franchise, Productivity Point International, which I sold in 2002.

Since 2002, in EmpowerYou.ca, I help entrepreneurs, small businesses, family businesses, professionals, not-for-profits, and individuals with business technology. My experience in entrepreneurship, business management, business technology, and volunteering gives excellent value to my clients.

I was born in 1945 in Montreal, Canada and grew up with six sisters. My father and mother owned a lumber business so we had a comfortable life. I attended the University of New Brunswick from 1963-67.

With my sister Barbara Foreman at Higgins Beach, Maine, summer 1953.

Fishing with my Dad in Quebec’s La Verendrye Park around 1962.

The family, l to r, Bev, Patti, Kara, Mom, Ron, Kathy, Barbara, Marilyn. (We lost our father in 1993.)