Fall Business and Leadership Conference
Our 2026 Fall Business and Leadership Conference will be on Thursday, October 29, 2026.
Fall 2026 Information
Introduction, Registration and Cancellation Policy
It’s back! In response to Renfrew County’s growing need for local, affordable, and quality professional development opportunities, Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus presents its annual Fall Business Leadership Conference to business and organizational leaders on Thursday, October 29, 2026. Participants can join the conference from their homes or offices or come on campus to network with other conference registrants.
Please note: Registration closes on Wednesday, October 28 at noon EST.
Early Bird Registration Fee (Until September 30, 2026): $250 + tax and Eventbrite fees (includes 2 keynote addresses, choice of 3 workshops, refreshment breaks, lunch, and an after conference social.
Registration Fee as of October 1, 2026: $300 + tax and Eventbrite fees (includes 2 keynote addresses, choice of 3 workshops, refreshment breaks, lunch and an after conference social.
*** Special bonus: Register 3 or more employees and receive one bonus registration for free! If you register 3 or more employees to attend the conference, please email Brittany Devine at: devineb@algonquincollege.com or call 613-735-4700 x 2831 to complete the registration for your bonus registration. ***
*Please note: If you would like to receive an invoice and are registering 5 or more employees, please contact 613-735-4700 ext. 2831 to arrange an invoice.
Conference Cancellation Policy
Substitution:
- If, after registering, you are unable to attend, you may appoint someone from your organization to attend in your place.
- Please advise substitutions in writing. All substitutions can be emailed to Brittany Devine at: devineb@algonquincollege.com
- When requesting a substitution, please indicate which workshops your substitute wishes to attend if they are different from the ones you registered for. We will attempt to accommodate; however, our ability to do so depends on workshop availability and the timing of the request. If we are unable to accommodate, your substitution will be registered in the workshops you originally registered for.
Refund:
- Cancellation before October 21, 2026: 100% refund, minus Eventbrite processing fee.
- Cancellation less than 7 days before the conference (after October 21, 2026): No refunds can be issued.
- Cancellation must be in writing. Cancellation notice can be emailed to Brittany Devine at: devineb@algonquincollege.com
Conference Schedule
| 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | Registration and Networking/Light Refreshments |
| 8:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. | Welcome to the Conference |
|
8:45 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. |
Keynote Address | Kevin Vallely – Pulling Together – How Purpose and Connection Create Stronger Teams |
| 9:50 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. |
Workshop Block # 1
|
| 11:00 a.m. to 11:25 a.m. | Refreshment Break |
| 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. |
Workshop Block # 2
|
| 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. | Lunch Hour |
| 1:15 – 1:25 p.m. | Presentation of the Business Innovation Award |
| 1:30 p.m. to 2:40 p.m. |
Workshop Block # 3
|
| 2:45 p.m. to 3:55 p.m. |
Pleneary |
| 4 p.m. to 4:10 p.m. | Closing remarks and evaluations |
| 4:10 pm to 5:30 p.m. | After-Conference Social sponsored by Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce |
Business Innovation Award Nomination
Algonquin College, Pembroke Campus, would like to recognize a local business/organization for innovation through a special award. This award will be presented to a business that has demonstrated a unique Business Innovation that sets them apart from other similar local businesses.
1. Nomination Guidelines
a. You are entitled to nominate any business/organization, including your own.
c. Include at least one letter of support with your submission.
d. Submit the completed form below and letters by the deadline of 4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 2, 2026.
2. Award Presentation
The winner will receive two free registrations for the 2026 Fall Business Leadership Conference. The nominees will be contacted by Algonquin College and invited to attend the conference on Thursday, October 29, where the award will be announced and presented.
For more information, contact Jodi Bucholtz at bucholj@algonquincollege.com.
Thank you to our Business Innovation Award sponsor, Renfrew County Community Futures Development Corporation.
Previous Business Innovation Award Winners
2025
Under the leadership of Zoe Nolan and her mother Tanya, Mount Molson Dairy Bar has transformed a nostalgic landmark into a hub of community life and creativity. Their vision represents not just adaptive reuse, but a heartfelt continuation of family legacy, building on the entrepreneurial spirit of Zoe’s grandparents, Fred and Edna Molson, who once operated the ski hill.
From day one, Mount Molson Dairy Bar has taken pride in celebrating local flavours and local partnerships, using Kawartha Dairy Ice Cream, collaborating with DogHouse Brewery, Barron Canyon Coffee, and Hideman’s Baked Bliss, and dreaming up deliciously inventive treats like craft beer floats, butter tart pairings, and handmade ice cream sandwiches. Every scoop tells a story of collaboration, creativity, and community pride.
2024
The Pilon Family Funeral Home, under the leadership of Andre Pilon and his family, has implemented several innovative practices that set them apart in the Ottawa Valley. Their early adoption of virtual services during COVID-19 allowed them to serve families when gatherings were restricted, with over 1,000 virtual attendees at some services. Additionally, in 2020, they introduced aquamation, an eco-friendly, water-based cremation alternative, making them one of only four facilities in Ontario to offer this service. This innovation has drawn families from beyond Arnprior, enhancing their reputation and reach. With around 600 aquamation cycles completed since its introduction, the Pilon Family has become a leader in offering modern, compassionate, and sustainable funeral services.
Their forward-thinking approach not only helped them navigate pandemic restrictions but also positioned them as a pioneer in environmentally friendly funeral care. The ability to offer aquamation in-house provides peace of mind for families and highlights their commitment to empowering families with more choices. This innovation has elevated their standing as the largest general provider in the region.
2023
The Petawawa Container Market offers a creative and forward-thinking approach to supporting small businesses and fostering community engagement. Unlike traditional markets, Petawawa invested in permanent container structures equipped with electrical features, lighting, and dynamic signage, creating a professional and welcoming space for aspiring entrepreneurs.
The market operates every weekend from spring through fall, providing vendors with an affordable way to gain exposure without the overhead costs associated with a storefront. Special programming, such as youth entrepreneur showcases, live music, and themed events tied to community celebrations, has further boosted its success.
With the addition of a permanent food truck and steady foot traffic from nearby sports and recreation facilities, the container market has quickly become a vibrant hub for both residents and visitors. It represents an innovative model that combines business support, community connection, and local culture freshly and sustainably.
2022
The Renfrew County District Health Unit was awarded the 2022 Business Innovation award for its extraordinary effort in coordinating COVID-19 vaccination clinics across the county. This work involved building partnerships with multiple organizations and venues while coordinating a team of volunteers. This was being done while the health unit was stretched in its response to providing public health leadership to municipalities, public and private businesses and the broader community.
2021
The Central Canada Hockey League was awarded the Business Innovation Award in 2021 for its creativity in allowing its teams to play developmental scrimmages during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league paired teams into geographical districts and had to alter playing rules to protect players from the spread of the coronavirus, before vaccines were introduced. This included non-body contact games, no traditional face-offs and limitations on the number of players in dressing rooms. These modifications allowed the league to resume a regular season in the fall of 2021.
2020
Pembroke’s venerable SkyLight Drive-In will forever remember the summer of 2020. The outdoor movie theatre reinvented itself at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was shuttering many entertainment businesses due to provincial and health unit restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. With no new movies being released, the Drive-In brought back classic films and welcomed special events, such as concerts, church services, and the Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce Awards night. It resulted in a boom in business as something old became something new. Owners Kevin Marshall and Kathy Lepine were awarded the Business Innovation Award for their creativity and community partnerships that made the Sky Light Drive-In a destination during the pandemic.
2019
Valley Eats, operated by Ryan Schmidt and Dan Renaud, is a start-up company that has created an app connecting great food across the Valley and increasing revenue for various small businesses that may not otherwise receive business. The app was created locally and focuses on supporting local businesses that meet the needs of consumers. With user experience in mind, this company makes ordering on the go effortless. With options like delivery, pre-order for pick up, or even reserve and order for dine-in. All done in the palm of your hand. This entrepreneurial endeavour has made local restaurants more accessible to all with a 20km delivery radius. This app provides a greater reach for restaurants, putting your delicious food on the tables of an untapped audience. There is no question that the business has created a niche company that caters to the Valley.
2018
Paperback Events and Consulting is a start-up company that was established less than two years ago. By employing a strategic approach to networking, the company has quickly established a strong reputation and identified niche markets in which to excel. The Mil-Spouse Collective is a great example. Building on their intimate knowledge as military spouses, the two company owners have launched a national conference set to begin in 2019, focusing on equipping military spouses with the skills and confidence needed to pursue or strengthen their entrepreneurial endeavours. The Mil-Spouse Collective won first prize at the Start-Up Canada Pitch Night held here at the college last June. Since launching, the company has revolutionized the way networking occurs in the Ottawa Valley. Social events can evolve into strategic brainstorming sessions, and every event has a story to tell. New events have been brought to our region by the business, including Ottawa Valley’s first craft beer festival and the Pop-Up Baby Show. The company has even supported dog parties. There is no doubt that the business has carved out a niche as a specialty event planning company.
2017
Whitewater Brewing Company of Cobden has been in operation since 2012 and is one of the fastest-growing craft breweries in Ontario. The business was started by three friends who admitted they knew nothing about brewing beer and started their business with a glorified home brewing system that kept them working long days, seven days a week. Often sleep-deprived, but never deterred, the young men kept experimenting with different flavours, and very quickly, it was apparent that the product had hit the mark, as craft beers like Farmer’s Daughter became commonplace in bars and restaurants throughout the Ottawa Valley. The business has grown exponentially, expanding to a significantly larger operation in the village of Cobden and now employing 52 full-time staff members. To differentiate their business from competitors, they took a chapter out of the past, offering home delivery of their product. Over a dozen people each week take advantage of this growing service. A new drive-through service has also just opened.
2016
SRB Technologies Canada Inc. of Pembroke recognized solving a supply chain issue within their company through a strategic investment in their infrastructure. The company made a decision to expand its operations to include a plastic injection molding shop. They did this because of the unpredictability of their supply chain. By making this investment, they will be able to manage their inventory much more effectively, create more jobs at their local manufacturing facility, and ultimately reduce their dependence on other companies to meet their needs.
In photo above, Christopher Doré presents Stephane Levesque, President, SRB Technologies and Ross Fitzpatrick, VP, SRB Technologies with the 2016 Business Innovator Award
Become a Conference Sponsor
Fall Business Conference Sponsorship Package
This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the conference attendees in an impactful way and to promote your business or organization to a group of engaged professionals. Please email Jodi Bucholtz at bucholj@algonquincollege.com for more information.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER – Kevin Vallely
Keynote Address: Pulling Together – How Purpose and Connection Create Stronger Teams
Like a rowing crew that must work in perfect sync, the best teams are united by trust, shared purpose, and real human connection. Kevin’s Arctic expedition shows how these qualities build powerful cultures where people—and performance—thrive.
Key Takeaways:
- How to create a shared purpose that inspires and unites your team.
- How trust, openness, and vulnerability build strong relationships at work.
- How inclusive teams perform better by drawing on diverse strengths.
- Practical ways to build a team culture where people feel they truly belong.
- This keynote inspires teams to work better together—and achieve more—by connecting with purpose.
Kevin Vallely is an internationally recognized explorer, award-winning architect and leadership expert who has spent his life pushing the limits of human potential—both in the wildest places on Earth and in the Boardroom.
A Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and a member of the esteemed Explorers Club, Kevin has led and participated in some of the most extreme human-powered expeditions on the planet. His adventures are more than physical feats—they are powerful case studies in leadership, resilience, teamwork, and adaptability under pressure.
As a keynote speaker, Kevin delivers inspiring and practical keynote presentations on leadership, resilience, teamwork, and navigating uncertainty. He connects the lessons learned from all of his journeys to the challenges of today’s fast-changing business world, inspiring leaders and teams to lead with courage, clarity, and adaptability.
WORKSHOP SPEAKERS
Workshop Topic: The Fog, the Clock and the Call – Leading through urgency, uncertainty and imperfect information
Leaders are often expected to make sound decisions before the full picture is clear. In fact, even at the best of times, information may be incomplete, time may be limited, and the consequences may be significant. In these moments, effective leadership is not about waiting for certainty; it is about knowing how to think clearly, worry selectively, and make the call. This interactive workshop will ask three important questions, while guiding leaders through a real-world scenario. Think HBR meets a leadership simulation, with a little pressure added for realism.
Victoria Miles is a Strategic Partner at Vision Wheel
Victoria Miles has spent more than 30 years helping leaders and organizations understand the art and science behind long-lasting culture change and is respected for challenging organizations to see their most pressing business issues from a new point of view. Her recent work has taken her from boardrooms and classrooms to communities across Nunavut, supporting teams with decision-making, communications, employee engagement, performance, team effectiveness and organizational growth. She is known for making complex ideas practical, asking the questions others may be avoiding, and creating learning experiences that are thoughtful, candid and never cookie-cutter. She and her husband share five children, and call Ottawa home with the 3 youngest, while the 2 globe-trotting eldest have flown the nest. Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn.
Workshop Topic: The Leadership Energy Audit – Design a Leadership Rhythm that Sustains You
In this world of growing complexity, even the most capable leaders are feeling drained—not just by their daily workload, but by the pace and pressure of modern life.
Energy is shaped by more than the amount of time we spend completing tasks. It’s influenced by how we engage with different aspects of our work and life, the expectations we carry, and the patterns of thinking that quietly consume our attention. As complexity grows, it’s essential for leaders to be deeply aware of what depletes their energy and what truly sustains them.
This practical workshop invites you to step back and take an honest, non-judgmental look at where your energy is going. Through a series of guided exercises, you’ll explore what genuinely energizes you—and what depletes you. You’ll create a personal blueprint for an energetically sustainable workday, uncover the inner and outer shifts that will create the biggest difference, and identify one meaningful next step to put into practice immediately.
You’ll leave with:
- Greater awareness of what fuels and drains you
- A practical blueprint for a more sustainable daily rhythm
- A key mindset shift to practice
- A clear next step to help you lead with a more sustainable rhythm
Whether you’re leading a team, driving culture change, supporting fellow leaders, or simply wanting to sustain your impact without running on empty, you’ll leave with practical insights you can apply right away.
Rebecca Wilson is an award-winning Executive Coach, Speaker, and Mindfulness Teacher with deep expertise in leadership and organizational development.
She founded Arborvida ConsciousLeadership to help high-impact leaders quiet their busy minds, sharpen their focus, and lead with presence in a rapidly changing world.
Rebecca brings together a background in business, high-performance coaching, and wellness. Prior to launching Arborvida, she served as Senior Director at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Consulting and Director of Strategy & Transformation at Perley Health.
Workshop Topic: Courageous Conversations
Communication can take all kinds of forms and, when done effectively, can help us to build strong relationships both at work and in our personal lives. Often, we are presented with situations that require a difficult and/or uncomfortable conversation. Sometimes it takes “courage” to initiate such conversations. Through the sharing of effective practice, key strategies for success and case studies, participants will have an opportunity to learn and apply strategies that will make courageous conversations more positive and productive.
By the end of the workshop, participants will have had the opportunity to:
- Use a courageous conversation framework to prepare for a difficult conversation;
- Discover techniques to turn difficult conversations into productive conversations;
Nicole Sammut has spent the past 15 years supporting employee growth and development at Algonquin College.
As a Learning and Development Specialist, she helped redesign and co-facilitate the Algonquin Leadership in Education Institute (ALEI Program) and is currently developing the Managing @AC program for new people leaders. She is passionate about creating inclusive, empowering learning experiences that help employees thrive personally and professionally.
Workshop Topic: Building Trust – A Critical, Yet Much Overlooked Must Have For High Performing Teams
Most teams say trust is important.
Far fewer can explain what creates it, what destroys it—or whether they truly have it.
When trust is low, people hold back. Difficult conversations get avoided. Collaboration suffers. Performance follows.
This fast-paced, interactive session gets beyond the buzzwords and makes trust practical and actionable. Using the Competence + Character (C+C) Trust Framework, participants will explore what drives trust, uncover the often-overlooked enemies of trust, and assess how trust is really showing up within their teams. Participants will leave with specific, practical actions they can immediately use to strengthen trust, openness and team performance. Because high-performing teams don’t just hope trust exists. They build it.
Jeff Lucier is an entrepreneur, corporate leader, certified coach and Founder and Principal of Catylyst Leadership Development.
Jeff Lucier has walked in many shoes throughout his career. From working in corporate Canada to his Master’s degree in Management Studies, he has maintained that exceptional leadership is a critical business advantage for all companies. Passionate about developing and growing leaders, Jeff works across industries, equipping leaders and teams with the skills and confidence needed to perform effectively and confidently. Reach Jeff directly at jlucier@catylystld.com or 613-250-8101.
About Catylyst Leadership Development: Catylyst delivers practical leadership solutions for complex and challenging times. Our mandate is to drive disruption, growth and change and we are proud of the work that we do with our clients. Our programs, workshops and products are carefully crafted, direct, challenging and immediately implementable. Learn more about our services in Executive Coaching, Leadership Development and Team Performance at CatylystLD.com
Collaborative Marketing
Thanks to our past and present sponsors for helping to make this professional development opportunity possible:
