Our Team

Cathy Edwards

Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Cathy is our entrepreneurial wizard, who guides steering committees deftly through the process of planning their business. She helps groups identify their markets, gauge the feasibility of their plans, pull together a budget, and much more.

Her superpower is taking large projects and breaking them down into manageable pieces and pathways. Cathy loves helping groups incubate their ideas into reality – and they love working with her to meet their goals.

How she got here

Cathy has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan and a law degree from the University of Calgary. She left law to pursue entrepreneurial ventures and hasn’t looked back.  She has a passion for start-ups and has successfully launched and managed several ventures, including Heart Linked Community Service Co-operative.

In her free time, you can find her…

  • Hosting dinner parties
  • Enjoying cat memes

Fun facts

  • Cathy was the recipient of the YWCA’s Woman of Distinction Award for Entrepreneurship in 2023.

Favourites

  • Destination: Llaranc, Spain
  • TV show: RuPaul’s Drag Race
Back

“Heather and the team at Co-operatives First are top-notch. Not only their knowledge but their understanding of the project. They have truly helped us along every step of the way. Their timely response and knowledge of the steps are extraordinary. They are forthcoming with information. This is one of the most knowledgeable and friendliest teams I have ever had the pleasure of working with.”

Weyburn Theatre

“Co-operatives First made the process of establishing our Artisan Co-operative a very clear and easy process. The expanse of available tools and resources provided by Co-operatives First answers many questions and lightens the workload. Greatly appreciate having the connections made with Trista and Kyle, they keep the co-operative moving forward.”

Nehiyawaskiy Indigenous Peoples Art Co-op

“Our experience working with the Co-operatives First team was absolutely fabulous. The staff was accommodating, knowledgeable and patient. It was truly a breath of fresh air to have such a wealth of skill and resources available to a non-profit. They were invaluable to our successful launch!”

Heart Linked Community Services Cooperative

“Working with Co-operatives First was fantastic! We are still new to the cooperative world, and we relied heavily on their advice and expertise when drafting our rules/bylaws, and our memorandum of association. The team has experience with many different cooperative models, so they provided advice on what has and hasn’t worked for other cooperatives. We wouldn’t have been able to incorporate without their help!”

Ananda Cooperative

“We have had a very positive experience with everyone at Co-operatives First. They have helped us in multiple ways. Right from the first step in knowing how to incorporate, how to set our business and offering ideas for us to help steer us in the right direction plus allowing us to really make our own decisions. If our decisions go off track, they have gently guided us back to where we needed to be. The Co-operatives first guys are always eager to answer questions, and give ideas to us that got us off the ground.”

South East Butcher Block