Jessica Dawe will use her horticulture diploma from Kemptville College of Agriculture and Technology in southeastern Ontario to help manage the Island Roots Market Co-operative’s Winter Farmers’ Market, which opens Oct. 19.
The co-op believes that her skills and experience with small and start-up business, as well as her skill as an educator and public speaker, will boost its efforts at constructing a new market building at Beban Park.
As manager, Dawe will be looking for additional sources of funding, new market space and ways to spread the consumer visits across the three hours per week that the market is open.
The Wednesday afternoon Pleasant Valley market is busy at 3 p.m. and Dawe hopes to shift shoppers to slower hours near 4:30-5 p.m. to relieve pressure.