Thank you to everyone who joined us for our first virtual-edition of the AWE Awards on October 1st, 2020! It was an evening of great inspiration and encouragement, and reminded us of how grateful we are to be part of such an engaged and supportive entrepreneurial community in Alberta.

Although we would have loved to have been able to celebrate with you in-person, it was truly wonderful to see so many people come together virtually to recognize some of our province’s most outstanding entrepreneurs. For those of you who were not able to join us, you can view the entire event online here.

AWE was delighted to have Carrie Doll as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. As an entrepreneur herself, Carrie understands the unique journey of owning your own business.

We were also joined by Justin Riemer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Alberta Region, Western Economic Diversification Canada, who spoke about some of the creative ways that women entrepreneurs have pivoted their businesses over the last few months – producing hand sanitizer, masks, and moving services online. He underscored the importance of supporting female entrepreneurs, noting that “helping more women become entrepreneurs is both the right thing to do for our society, and the smart thing to do for our economy.”

A common theme of the evening was that despite all the uncertainty, challenges, and sleepless nights – entrepreneurship is an incredibly rewarding path for many women. Heather Lastiwka, Vice-President of Adaptation at ATB Financial summed it up best when she remarked that "entrepreneurship is a symphony of freedom and sacrifice, empowerment and mistakes, risks and ultimately rewards."

We are pleased to share that the 2020 AWE Awards Recipients are:

Emerging Entrepreneur Award: Kristina Botelho, Kb&co

As the "kb" in Kb & co, Kristina opened the "fast casual plant-based café" on 104th Street downtown after experiencing the health benefits of a plant-based diet. In June 2016, Kristina unleashed her creations to the public opening her first location. 1.5 years later, she expanded into the southwest of Edmonton and since then has continued to grow the concept into St. Albert, Kelowna, BC and Calgary.

When accepting her award, Kristina commented “I share this [award] with all of those who were nominated because I know the struggle. I know the pain; I know the heartache and I know what you guys have been going through and I'm just so grateful to be chosen."

Upsurge Entrepreneur Award: Kendall and Justine Barber, Poppy Barley

Kendall and Justine Barber are the Co-Founders of Poppy Barley, a company rethinking every step of the footwear industry. Partnering with family-owned factories in Mexico and Brazil, they ethically craft polished, foundational footwear and chic, functional accessories—selling them at fair prices and donating 1% of sales back into our communities.

In their acceptance video, they shared that “For us entrepreneurship has been like a seven-year roller coaster, there's been a lot of up and downs...but I think when it comes down to it our biggest wish at the end is going to be that we get to do it all again.”

Indigenous Entrepreneur Award: Koleya Karringten, Absolute Combustion International

Koleya Karringten has spent a decade successfully designing and developing ground-breaking cleantech solutions for multiple industry sectors, including aerospace and Oil & Gas. She is a driving force in Alberta’s blockchain technology industry as the Executive Director of the Alberta Blockchain Consortium (ABC), and co-founder and board member of the Canadian Blockchain Association for Women (CBAW). Koleya strongly believes that uniting diverse voices behind a common goal is the path to creating a fairer, more sustainable and prosperous Alberta.

When accepting her award Koleya underscored the importance of role models, stating that “I hope that every young girl watching this knows that no matter what you can do it, you can be successful. You can be a woman in STEM."

Celebration of Achievement Award: Lara Murphy and Karen Ryan, Ryan Murphy Construction

When Lara and Karen met on a Banff construction site in 2008, they turned their shared experiences and ideas into a strategic plan and vision on which Ryan Murphy Construction was founded. This vision is simple but unique: Ryan Murphy Construction is highly approachable, transparent, and responsive. Eliminating the assumption that everyone knows how to build, they opt to educate clients throughout the construction process - an innovative model.

In her speech last night Lara Murphy shared that "being an entrepreneur is not always easy, there's no path put forward for us. We all make our own path and that takes bravery and courage."

Congratulations to all of the 2020 nominees, finalists, and recipients! Although the awards ceremony is over for this year, women entrepreneurs will continue to be leaders and trailblazers in our communities.

As Marcela Mandeville, CEO of AWE, remarked last night “The talent, the leadership, and the passion of women entrepreneurs in this province is incredible. We’ve come so far in the last 25 years...we are so proud to support you and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Thank you to our AWE Awards sponsors!

Presenting Sponsor