At first glance, Shirley Westeinde appears to be an eloquent, fashionable and unassuming. After a little digging, it becomes apparent that not only is she all of those things – but she’s also a passionate philanthropist, savvy entrepreneur, an industry trailblazer and a Best Ottawa Business Awards (BOBs) Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
Shirley Westeinde and several select guests enjoy lunch following a taping of the InsideTrack.Show.
Ms. Westeinde recently shared her experiences over lunch with a select group of Ottawa business executives following a taping of The Inside Track. The fast-paced web series, produced in partnership with Ottawa recruiting firm Stevenson & White, combines the entertaining aspects of a talk show while uncovering exclusive business insights from local industry leaders.
Ms. Westeinde’s impressive career started as a homecare nurse before she co-founded Westeinde Construction with her husband in 1978. She went on to become the first and only female chair of the Building Owners’ and Managers’ Association’s (BOMA) Ottawa chapter. Her achievements don’t end there – she was also the first woman president of the Canadian Construction Association, the first female chair of the Ottawa Economic Development Corp. (a pre-cursor to Invest Ottawa) and is still an active philanthropist with, among others, the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Care Group.
During the show, Ms. Westeinde discussed her start in entrepreneurship and how she found success by focusing on specific objectives while approaching problems with hard work and enthusiasm.
Watch the full episode and read more about Ms. Westeinde by visiting The Inside Track’s website here.
