Forty Under 40

Heather Desjardins, founder and owner, the Open Door Educational Services

June 21, 2019

Editor's Note

Each year, OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade choose 40 of the region’s top young entrepreneurs and business executives and recognize them for their professional achievements, expertise and community service.

In these profiles, OBJ highlights some of this year’s recipients – their impressive accomplishments, what drives them and how they like to spend their downtime away from the business world.
See the full list of recipient profiles here and be sure to check out photos of the 2019 gala here.

2019-06-21

Education: Bachelor of education, University of Ottawa (2008); bachelor of arts in English and visual arts, University of Ottawa (2007)

Biggest obstacle overcome: Bootstrapping my business while going through pregnancy, having a newborn and now a toddler diagnosed with autism has been a challenge.

Biggest influences: Susan Barton has dedicated herself to raising awareness about dyslexia for parents and educators. My parents have always been a remarkable example of integrity, caring and living full and admirable lives.

OBJ360 (Sponsored)

Attendees bid on artwork donated to the Ottawa Art Gallery’s Give to Get Art Auction. Photo by Melody Habbouche.

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Rethinking the design process

Paris, Tokyo, or Berlin, even if we don’t have centuries of urban legacy to build on. We have an official plan that, initially, sets out ambitious planning goals. The minutiae

First job: Cashier at Beaver Lumber

Advice I’d give the younger me: Focus on the things that really matter and don’t spend so much time worrying about what others think of you and stressing out about the small stuff.

Favourite movie: It feels like my favourite movie changes every day based on my mood. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is great, though. Is it cheating that it is a trilogy?