Sharon Michaud, General Manager
United Supply Inc. Timmins, ON

Sharon is the general manager of United Supply Inc. in Timmins and oversees the United Industrial, Swish, and Chevron Lubricant divisions. United Supply Inc. has been a fortunate recipient of various NOB awards over the years.

Sharon attended Humber College where she graduated in 1995. Her early days of employment with United Supply (a family-owned company) saw her participate in various departments of the organization to better understand the inner workings of both the business and the company. After a regimented and strict tutelage of 11 years in various capacities, she became general manager.

Irene Kozlowski, President
Sencia Canada Ltd., Thunder Bay, ON

Irene Kozlowski, president of Sencia Canada Ltd. is committed to the North, working with government, business, and non-profit organizations to help grow businesses across Northern Ontario. As co-founder of Sencia Canada Ltd., a software technology firm located in Thunder Bay, she has seen tremendous growth since it opened its doors in June 2001.

Irene shares her experience and expertise with other entrepreneurs at various conferences and events and encourages them to expand their reach. "Building confidence in our business community is pivotal in building a strong economy", says Irene. "There is absolutely no reason why businesses in Northern Ontario cannot be just as powerful as businesses in major metropolitan cities."

Mike Gibbons, President
Synergy Controls Corporation, Sudbury, ON

Mike Gribbons is a Sudbury-born entrepreneur. After completing his education at the University of Waterloo for Mechanical Engineering, Mike went on to lead a successful expansion effort for a mid-sized distribution company. After seven years of continuous expansion, Mike yearned for a new challenge that would only be cured by owning his business.

Mike and his wife, Jodi, found Synergy Controls Corporation in 1992. Mike and the Synergy team have won many sales awards including 13 "Most Valuable Representative" awards based on total sales in Canada. In addition, Mike and his team were awarded two Innovation Awards in 2006 from the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce and Northern Ontario Business.

Dr. David Pearson, Professor
Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON

Dr. David Pearson is a professor for the Department of Earth Science and is co-director of the Science Communication Program at Laurentian University. He served as project director for Science North from 1980 to 1986, and remains as an associate director, participating in special projects.

He has hosted two landmark television series: "Understanding the Earth" for TV Ontario, and "Down to Earth" for Mid-Canada Television, as well as a weekly radio spot, "Radio Lab", for CBC Northern Ontario radio.

David received the Ward Neale Medal from the Geological Association of Canada for promotion of the Earth Sciences in Canada in 2001 and the McNeil medal for science communication from the Royal Society of Canada in 2003.

Ed Chilton, Treasurer/Project Co-Ordinator
Five Nations Energy Inc., Timmins, ON

Ed Chilton serves as the president of the Kimesskanemenow Corporation, which oversees winter road serving of the coastal communities of the western James Bay region. He has worked with First Nation communities in power and fibre optic infrastructure development for most of his professional career, with the last 13 years as project co-ordinator for Five Nations Energy.

Ed has worked as a project co-ordinator for the Moose Cree First Nation in bringing the Lower Mattagami River hydro electric re-development project to the development stage. He also serves on the board of the Amisk-Kodim Corporation to ensure that First Nations participate in area natural resource development projects.

In 2003, Ed was honoured with the Executive of the Year Award at the Nishnawbe Aski Nations Business Awards.