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| Marianne
Bertrand |
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| Inspired
by a gift of ineffective dog boots for her Basset hounds, Marianne
Bertrand set out to build a better mousetrap, in her case, a
better dog boot. Thus was sown the seed of innovation and Muttluks
was born. |
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Encouragement
for the Muttluks concept came quickly when the first one
hundred and thirty sets sold out in less than a week to
local Toronto area pet stores who also recognized the
need for quality canine paw wear. Ms Bertrand's entrepreneurial
instincts had again proven right on the mark. |
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| Before
starting Muttluks, Ms Bertrand had applied a similar, 'necessity
is the mother of invention,' logic to the construction business.
Active as a consultant and designer in home renovations, her
expertise in the environmental and non-toxic construction field
developed out of health issues in her own life and her experience
with environmental sensitivities. She recognized the opportunity
to provide household audits and environmental renovations for
people with allergies and sensitivities to building materials.
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| From
a business standpoint, as she would later do with Muttluks,
Marianne Bertrand had found a niche not being addressed in the
marketplace. As a result of her innovations, the residential
renovation company was awarded the Canada Mortgage and Housing
Corporation (CMHC) 1995 Healthy Housing Award. |
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Ms
Bertrand has also become a much sought after speaker at
various business associations and networking groups. Her
unique blend of entrepreneurial chutzpah and innovative
product design is not only a winning combination, but
has proven to be quite inspirational to novice entrepreneurs. |
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In
fact, she could easily be taken for a Renaissance woman. Montreal
born and raised, she holds a BA in Business Administration from
Acadia University with a major in Accounting and Small Business.
Ms Bertrand is a graduate of the Canadian Securities Commission
Course and also pursued a degree in Interior Design at Ryerson
Polytechnic University. With new Muttluks products on the drawing
board and her keen sense for developing innovative concepts,
Marianne Bertrand personifies the entrepreneurial spirit of
small business owners today.
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