We are excited to be joined in October by Mary Van Buren, President of the Canadian Construction Association (CCA), and Melissa Dupuis, founder and CEO of Athena Property Management.
But first, we are excited to announce that from 6-7pm, we will be hosting a Women's Power Hour. It will take place before the regularly schedule OREIO event.
The power hour will be hosted by Dakota Warkentin and Victoria Cluney. Both are the leaders of InvestHER Ottawa Chapter, which is a monthly meet-up here in Ottawa designed to support and educate Women investing in real estate and creating financial independence.
Our guest speaker is Danielle Chaisson will talk about confidence and common challenges that women often face investing in real estate.
Back to our main event, Mary will be discussing the CCA, trends in the construction industry, the lasting impact of women in construction, and the lingering effects of COVID on the industry. And, Melissa will touch on her journey to becoming a full-time real estate investor, some of the unique challenges of being a female in real estate, and feeding the fire that keeps her business growing.
Here is a bit more about Mary...
Mary Van Buren is the president of the Canadian Construction Association (CCA). Mary is an expert in marketing, communications, strategy and digital, she has worked in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors and has held executive roles at leading associations and not-for-profits, including the Canadian Medical Association’s subsidiary, MD Financial Management, and Export Development Canada. In her most recent role as vice-president of marketing and IT at the Canadian Real Estate Association, Mary led a team of 60 to grow its premier services, REALTOR.ca and WEBForms® in the double digits, collaborating with over 90 boards and associations across Canada, significantly generating member value and promoting the value of REALTORS®. In addition to her broad business experience and financial acumen, Mary holds an MBA in international business from McGill and a B. Com from the University of Ottawa, is bilingual and is a Certified Association Executive.
Here is a bit more about Melissa...
Born and raised in the Niagara Region, Melissa’s passion for real estate investing evolved over the past decade to ultimately include property management not just for herself but for others like her – busy professionals, every-day people with investment properties, and serious investors scaling their portfolios.
In 2021, after a lengthy career in financial services spanning from investment consulting to operational efficiency, Melissa took the great leap many real estate investors aspire to - full time real estate investing.
Athena Property Management was named after the goddess of wisdom and war, handicraft and strategy. Prioritizing defensive tactics to manage the risks of owning investment properties while recognizing the wonderful opportunities available as quality housing providers, Melissa clearly has a passion for property management and all the challenges it produces.
In addition to raising a teenager, a tweenager and a threenager, as well as keeping her husband entertained with adventures in real estate, Melissa regularly listens to Landlord Tenant Board (LTB) hearings for fun and enjoys spending time in tropical places and posting pictures of all the great food she’s eating.
