Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce congratulates board members Kristi Hines and Staci Millard on provincial business recognition

Two of Fort McMurray’s female entrepreneurs will be celebrated Tuesday, May 14 in Edmonton at the Edmonton Expo Centre as finalists in the 2019 Alberta Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Awards.

“We are incredibly proud of the contributions that both Staci Millard and Kristi Hines have made to our regional business community, but it is exceptional to see them recognized on the provincial level by the Alberta Women Entrepreneurs Awards organization,” said Bryce Kumka, President of the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce. “This is a testament to their work and leadership within their own organizations and the wider community as professionals dedicated to being excellent and forward-thinking entrepreneurs. They are both additionally advocates and volunteers within the social-profit sector and always available to support other entrepreneurs and business leaders.”

Kristi Hines, of Hines Health Services, and Staci Millard, of S. Millard Professional Corporation, are amongst a total of 180 entrepreneurs who were nominated from across the province, and two of only nine finalists.

Hines has been nominated for the AWE Upsurge Award, which is presented to an entrepreneur who has built a solid foundation for her business, and is now experiencing rapid growth and significant expansion opportunity.

Hines currently serves as the First Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and is the founder of Hines Health Services, which is a community leader in medical testing and assessment in the workplace. Hines Health Services has a national network with 120 affiliate locations across Canada to help assist thousands of employees through businesses in numerous sectors in oil and gas, construction and government. In 2017, Hines Health Services was named the Small Business of the Year at the Chamber Awards and in 2018 received the Professional Services Business of the Year. Her newest project is working on an impairment app called WAIT in conjunction with funding from the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Fund.

The AWE Emerging Entrepreneur Award is the category Millard has been nominated in. This award is presented to an entrepreneur who has built a strong, scalable business foundation, and has achieved early success with strong market potential.

Millard currently serves as the Treasurer for the Chamber of Commerce and is aspiring to grow her firm beyond accounting services and beyond Fort McMurray in the coming months. Her firm, S. Millard Professional Corporation focuses on not just quality year-end accounting advice but also on an advisory basis to assist with growing and maintaining efficient businesses and organizations. She received the title of female entrepreneur of the year for the Chamber Awards in 2018 for her efforts in the female business community and has held five semi-annual events for women professionals and business owners.

The Alberta Women Entrepreneurs Association is a province-wide organization, founded in 1995, and focuses on connecting women with access to capital, training and workshops, business advising and mentorship opportunities. They additionally provide start-up programs and services and provide support to women to grow their businesses and expand into new markets.

For more information:

Joanne Roberts
Executive Director, Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce jroberts@fortmcmurraychamber.ca