International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate the achievements of women, acknowledge their challenges, and continue to uplift and support each other. Together, we break barriers, shatter stereotypes, and pave the way for a more inclusive future. To commemorate this important day, we would like to shine a spotlight on 5 remarkable Burnaby Heights woman entrepreneurs.

Amelia Kleinschmidt – Global Pet Foods

Amelia opened up her first Global Pet Foods in the Heights in late 2019. As a young entrepreneur, Amelia was inspired to enter the pet industry by the owner of another small pet shop where she used to work part-time. Her dedication and resilience, along with immense support from family, ultimately helped her overcome many hardships, and finally to achieve her dream. 

Burnaby Heights was Amelia’s top choice to open a store at as she really appreciates the supportive community in the neighborhood. At Global Pet Foods, Amelia always prioritizes quality pet food products that are free from preservatives and harmful ingredients, as well as providing friendly and knowledgeable customer service. Offering fellow pet owners the products and expertise to make the best choice for their pets has always been her main goal. 

Amelia also strives to create a positive and supportive environment for both the team and the community, the same way she was influenced in her previous experiences. As a businesswoman, Amelia encourages all women to be confident, not to be afraid to advocate for ourselves, and to actively build connections with others in our community. 

Florence Yip – North Burnaby Physiotherapy and Wellness 

Florence Yip, founder and director of North Burnaby Physiotherapy and Wellness, has been a staple in the Heights community for more than 13 years. 

She has always had an affinity for sports and maintaining an active lifestyle. This love of sports as a youth led to many interactions with physiotherapists, which piqued her interest to pursue a career as a physio herself. Despite physiotherapy being a very competitive field to enter, she made her dream a reality, opening North Burnaby Physiotherapy and Wellness clinic in 2010. Her vision for the clinic was to create a professional, and collaborative environment with educated, driven, and like-minded individuals. 

While Florence has navigated the challenges of running a small business and a family, she continues to devote her time and effort learning new practices and skills through post graduate studies such as a Diploma of Advanced Manual and Manipulative Physiotherapy. Florence fosters a positive work environment so that her team is motivated to keep learning and improving their skills. This provides patients with the best care and a variety of practice options. 

Based on her experience as an entrepreneur, her advice for every woman is to have clear goals, great planning, efficient time-management and most importantly, prioritize self-care.

Jean – Chad Thai Restaurant 

Chad Thai restaurant has been serving customers on the Heights for more than 12 years. The owner, Jean, immigrated to Canada with the intention to start her own business. With her strong passion in sharing the unique flavors of Thai cuisine with the world, opening a restaurant was an obvious decision. 

At Chad Thai, Jean heavily values the sense of community and her relationship with her customers. She shares a sincere connection with many of her regulars, expressing mutual care and support for one another. She often decorates her store window with heartwarming messages to convey her love and appreciation for the community. 

Jean’s all-time goal is to share a variety of authentic Thai street food with the local community at an affordable price. All the food at Chad Thai strictly has no MSG added as she wants to show the natural flavors of Thai cuisine. Some of her personal favourites include Laap (salad), Lad Na, and Pad Siew. 

Jean’s role model both in life and business is her mother. Through each and every obstacle she has faced, she holds her mother’s words close to her heart, “A better life comes to those who work hard and give back.” She encourages all women to “never give up, keep going, learn to adapt and give back. The solution is not always simple or obvious, so keep looking for alternative solutions. Every difficulty can be overcome.” 

Marmar Rabiei – Gilmore Pharmacy 

Marmar started running Gilmore Pharmacy back in late 2022, after working there for a few years. She moved to Canada from Iran when she was young and pursued her studies in the field of pharmacy due to her passion for chemistry and helping others. Having been a pharmacist for almost 20 years, she never thought that having her own pharmacy was an option. However, when the opportunity arose, she decided to take a chance, using her experience of managing other pharmacies, and her familiarity with the store. 

When things get hard in life, Marmar has a positive mindset: she sees challenges as opportunities. When she took over Gilmore Pharmacy, it used to only operate under a delivery-only mode. However, she saw the possibility of expanding the business by extending store hours and including more products and services, like prescription, non-prescription, injections, and free deliveries. Marmar’s goal is to provide the best care possible with the lowest prices. She fosters an inclusive environment where everyone is treated equally and wants people to feel comfortable coming to her for any health-related issues.

”Have a goal, know which direction you want to go, and just choose to do something that you enjoy wholeheartedly,” is the advice Marmar wishes to offer to every woman to keep ourselves motivated. Marmar shares a strong passion for her job and would like to use her knowledge and experience to help anyone in need. After her recent accomplishment in creating a compounding lab at the pharmacy that allows the team to make tablets and creams, her next step is to establish a vaccination centre.  

Taylor Thurston – Burnaby Heights Integrative Healthcare

Dr. Taylor Thurston first came to Burnaby Heights as a student shadowing another doctor at the clinic. The friendly and tight-knit community really captured her heart, so she returned years later to join Burnaby Heights Integrative Healthcare to provide care for people in the neighborhood. 

As a woman who has suffered from her own mental health struggles and received naturopathic care, Dr. Taylor understands that those who are going through a similar situation often need a lot more support from different areas, other than medication alone. This includes aspects like nutrition, lifestyle, nutraceutical, etc. “I became a naturopathic doctor to help people the same way I was helped, in terms of both conventional and naturopathic care.” 

She stresses the importance of knowing each of her patients in depth because it helps her to find the root causes of diseases so she can create a tailored treatment plan with suitable approaches. She also emphasizes educating patients on what’s going on with their body throughout the healing process. 

“Nature is a special space for me because I can clear my head, which is good for my mental health, decrease stress, and prevent burnout.” Dr. Taylor highly recommends everyone to spend more time in nature as a way to step away from the hustle and bustle of daily life in the city.