Women in Business Committee of Medicine Hat announces 2026 Inspire Award Nominees

Ashley Mitchell, Owner/Operator, Elemental Magick Holistic Healing
Dallas McManaman, Owner/Store Manager, FreshCo Medicine Hat
Janice Kirchner, Co-Owner, Safety Connections
Kaylee Cook, Owner/Operator, Bumbleboo Boutique
Dr. Reagan Weeks, Superintendent and CEO, Prairie Rose Public Schools
Samantha Knibbs, Owner/Operator, SKFitness
Sarah Scahill, Founder/Consultant, ExecRN & NervePoint Health Technologies Inc.; Councillor, College of Registered Nurses of Alberta
Shay Hardekopf, Operations Manager, Root Cellar Food and Wellness Hub

WIB committee chair Jolene Martineau says the number of nominees is in line with previous years, with typical totals ranging between five and eight.

She adds that selecting the winner is not an easy task.

“We get five judges. They’re random community members or business owners, two males, three females. We provide them with a rubric and with all of the information that came along with the nomination for each individual, including reference letters,” Martineau said.

“Each individual nominated also has to fill out a little questionnaire we provide to the judges, who meet and go over each of the nominees’ information, discuss, chat, and then they have a rubric that they complete.”

She adds that the nominee with the highest score on the rubric is normally the winner.

The award, now in its 14th year, aims to highlight the achievements of women in business and bring greater awareness to their contributions in Medicine Hat.

Martineau says nominees can be recognized more than once over time.

“You can be nominated year after year, but you can’t win it more than once every 10 years,” Martineau said.

The winner will be announced at The WIB Inspire Luncheon on June 5 at Higdon Hall on the Stampede grounds. The luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. that day.

Tickets are expected to go on sale within the next week, announced through the group’s social media channels.

The winner will receive the award from the 2025 winner, Chelsea Eresman, who works at Medicine Hat College’s Center for Innovation.

A group of three panelists for the 2025 nominees will each answer three general questions they had been given previously.

“It’s all about what was your biggest barrier to getting to where you are, how to stay focused and motivated and that kind of stuff,” Martineau said.

Organizers say plans are also underway to expand the awards program next year to include multiple categories.

For more information, visit @WIBMedicineHat on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or www.wibmedicinehat.com.

by Jesse Gill

Women in Business Committee of Medicine Hat announces 2026 Inspire Award Nominees

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