As the executive director of the Elkford Chamber of Commerce and founder of EV Ergonomics Corp., Shawna Bryant is passionate about a lot of things and creating a safe, conscious work culture is one of the most important to her.

Having spent 12 years as a Site Supervisor in Oil and Gas managing staff, contractors and projects she gained an acute understanding of the risks involved in their daily work lives. During this time she identified a lack of training and education to employees on the job.

Seizing the opportunity to provide companies with a working process to adopt into their culture and minimize hazards and injuries seen in each industry across Canada she started EV Ergonomics Corp.

Since 2008 Shawna has consulted with various companies across a number of industries to provide professional employee programs that build positive, lasting work habits, train in health and safety and aim to avoid injuries in the workplace.

She has expanded her business services over time to not only provide consultation during employee onboarding, but also provide continuing support and training by engaging the employee on their own personal wellbeing goals in the workplace.

Shawna has learned the importance of listening to her client’s individual needs and strives to build engaging relationships through developing employee programs and employer packages one on one with each company.

Mentor Q&A

Q. What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs based on what you learned?

Sit down and envision what the outcome is you would like to achieve. What is it that you would like your business to accomplish as an end result and then work backwards.

Try to not stress about time being a factor as many of us are so busy that we feel as though we have to rush something out the door in order to start. Taking the time to start with your vision and the end outcome you want to achieve and working backwards to build your businesses will help you to manage all the pieces needed to create your business.

Q. Can you tell us about a mentor who provided guidance in your life and the impact they had on your life and business today?

I had a mentor that helped me to break through what I thought were limitations due to age and gender.  These barriers were stopping me from letting my voice be heard and gaining the confidence to go after what I believe is right in the industry I work in.

Starting my career off as a young women in a robust male dominated industry had a lot of challenges and I had found my eagerness start to slip away due to the challenges faced.
My boss was a great mentor to me on how to overcome those challenges and helped to build the belief system I now have within, to continue growing my career path with confidence while continuing to help others.

Q. Why do you volunteer your time as a mentor to help less experienced women business owners?

I truly believe that volunteering as a mentor helps to provide opportunities to other women business owners that may not have that opportunity normally.  Being able to help others and offer insight and advice so they do not face the same challenges is a true passion of mine.

It takes a village to raise a child, why not a village to raise each other’s experiences and knowledge to face adversity together.

I believe in volunteering in the community and helping other entrepreneurs become their best selves in business. As an Executive Director for the Elkford Chamber of Commerce, I am able to volunteer and mentor businesses on the challenges faced today in our economy and offer resources to businesses to help them thrive.

Find out more about current Mentoring Opportunities with WeBC and how you can get involved by visiting our mentoring webpage.

Where to Find EV Ergonomics Corp.

EV Ergonomics Corp.