Three other female business leaders to be recognized with Entrepreneur Awards on May 23, 2018.
For Immediate Release, May 23, 2018
REGINA SK – Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Hillberg & Berk Rachel Mielke today became the first recipient of Women Entrepreneurs Saskatchewan’s (WESK) Celebration of Achievement Award. WESK is highlighting the province’s female business leaders at its inaugural Celebration of Achievement Gala & Entrepreneur Awards in Regina.
WESK’s Celebration of Achievement Award pays tribute to an exceptional female entrepreneur who has built a business in Saskatchewan with a significant impact on the economy and the community.
“We are thrilled to announce that WESK’s first Celebration of Achievement Award is presented to Hillberg & Berk’s Rachel Mielke,” WESK CEO Prabha Mitchell said.
“Hillberg & Berk continues to make waves across the country and indeed the world, from its seasonal collections which celebrate women’s achievement and the beauty of the Canadian landscape to sparkle balls for all Canadian Football League teams, and designing custom rings for Canada’s Olympic Athletes to creating two custom brooches for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Rachel is an inspirational leader and a true role model for women in business in Saskatchewan and beyond.”
Mielke notes that empowering women has always been at the heart of Hillberg & Berk.
“When I started the company I was passionate about empowering women and figuring out how we could do more for the women who buy our product than just sell them beautiful jewellery,” Mielke said. “We’ve worked diligently to feature and tell the stories of incredibly inspiring women. The birth of my own daughter pushed me even further in that direction to really focus on equality and women’s empowerment and making that a core part of our business in everything that we do at Hillberg & Berk.”
In addition to the Celebration of Achievement Award, WESK will also present three other awards to recognize outstanding Saskatchewan female business leaders in the following categories: Emerging Entrepreneur, Innovator, and Growth & Expansion.
The Emerging Entrepreneur Award will be presented to a female entrepreneur who has built a strong, scalable business foundation and has achieved early success with strong market potential. The finalists for this award are: Meagan Barabash (Bravo Dance Co.); Jeanny Buan (Viahera Canada); and, Heather Murphy (Authentically: Business and Life Solutions)
The Innovator Award will be presented to a female entrepreneur who has built an innovation or technology-based business and has achieved early success with strong market potential. The finalists for this award are: Caitlin Barlas, Julie Gryba, and Bailey Wilmot (The Local Kitchen); Brooke Longpre (Sound Solar Systems Inc.); and, Jackie Martin (Viking Innovations Ltd.)
The Growth & Expansion Award will be presented to a female entrepreneur who has built a solid foundation for her business and is now experiencing rapid growth and significant expansion opportunity for her business by strengthening her leadership capacity and developing new market opportunities. The finalists for this award are: Connie Buchanan (Zoom Zoom Groom, PreZoomably Cats, and Apex Academy); Colleen Haussecker (Canadian Organic Spice & Herb Co. Inc.); and, Jordana Jacobson (Cravings Maternity-Baby-Kids)
“The Celebration of Achievement Gala & Entrepreneur Awards is the only event of its kind in Saskatchewan that brings together female entrepreneurs with representatives from government, industry, media, and educational institutions to celebrate the outstanding contributions of inspiring female entrepreneurs,” Mitchell said.
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For more information:
Katelyn Bruce
Marketing & Communications Officer
WESK
DIRECT: 306.260.2931
ABOUT WESK
Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan’s (WESK) vision is for all Saskatchewan entrepreneurs have an equal opportunity to achieve success and recognition. Entrepreneurship is a catalyst for independence, economic development, employment, growth, innovation, and equality. For more than 20 years, WESK has worked with hundreds of women, helping them start, purchase and expand businesses. WESK is a non-profit, membership-based organization that provides business advisory and support services; start-up, purchase and expansion lending; mentoring and networking; and a variety of learning opportunities from seminars and webinars to events. Since 1995, WESK has provided more than $30 million in loans and professional advice to women across the province. Together, women entrepreneurs and WESK have shaped and enhanced the Saskatchewan economy. WESK is supported by Western Economic Diversification Canada.