Staci Millard

Staci Millard

Age: 33

Small business ambassador Staci Millard has been making an influential impact in the community through her accounting service S. Millard Chartered Professional Accounting.

“I started my own accounting firm as soon as I moved here,” she said. “It was the best experience and I feel I have been able to make a difference in the lives of small business owners.”

Millard is well-known for helping sponsor social profit initiatives and volunteers her time by teaching training courses through Wood Buffalo Economic Development.

She’s the treasurer for the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce, a director for the Fort McMurray Airport Authority and a director for the Keyano College’s board of governors. Millard also is a strong voice for local women in business and hosts the semi-annual Women’s Business event.

“I think the best cause is supporting small businesses,” Millard shared on what she’s most passionate about. “I have dedicated my life to it because I believe small businesses give back to the community. They are homegrown and genuine. They have lots of struggles and I think they need all the help they can get.”

Like others who made the move to the city, Millard came to Fort McMurray with a small, two-year plan with her husband. But their decision to stay quickly changed in a short six months.

When asked about her favourite Fort McMurray memory, she said it was the day that they made the decision to become permanent residents.

“My husband had been busy working non-stop and we had always travelled away during his weekends off,” she said. “We finally called in sick one day and got to explore the city. I had been getting to know it through my clients and work, and it was amazing to see him fall in love with it, too. That day, we decided that Fort McMurray wasn’t just a blip in our timeline, but our forever home.”