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J U N E 2 - 1 3 , 2 0 1 4 Don’t miss this! A breakfast meeting with guest speaker: Tickets: $90 plus HST Scan to Purchase Tickets Call : 905-632-4444 for more info www.metroland.com/arlenedickinson Date: June 2, 2014 - 7:00 am to 10:00 am Venue: Burlington Convention Centre, 1120 Burloak Dr., Burlington Meet our local entrepreneur… Rosanne Longo As Longo’s Spokesperson and Contributing Writer, Rosanne is the “voice of Longo’s”. She is the creator of the Fresh Traditions blog, a forum for customers to share ideas, recipes and continue the conversations that inspire creating memorable food experiences. Rosanne will be sharing her story and more tips for aspiring or struggling entrepreneurs when she speaks at the Breakfast Seminar Series on June 2, presented by Metroland Media Group. The family behind Longo’s, from left, Anthony Longo, Rosie Yeatman, Rosanne Longo, Joey Longo, Gus Longo (founder), Jenny Passafiume, Carolyn Longo, Marie Iuglio and Mike Longo. | photo Special to Burlington Post Rosanne Longo’s job doesn’t feel like work because she loves what she does. According to the Longo’s Family Chari- table Foundation chair, having passion for what you do is the best way to become successful. Longo will be sharing her story and more tips for aspiring or struggling entre- preneurs when she speaks at the Breakfast Seminar Series on June 2, presented by Metroland Media Group. It takes place at the Burlington Conven- tion Centre, 1120 Burloak Dr., from 7-10:00 a.m. The seminar, which will be headlined by ‘dragon’ and prominent entrepreneur Arlene Dickinson – one of five venture capitalists on CBC’s Dragon’s Den – is part of Entrepreneur Week (June 2-13). The week recognizes the successes of local entrepreneurs as a community while encouraging others to be innovative in or- der to drive the local economy. “I’m really excited to be representing our family in the entrepreneurial spirit. We’ve been a part of the (Halton) community for 42 years. The fact they chose us makes me really proud,” said Longo. Possessing an entrepreneurial spirit means being enthusiastic, innovative and taking risks in what you do, Longo said. “In our family, my dad and two uncles – the three founders of Longo’s – their vision was not to just build a business to provide opportunities for themselves, but to pro- vide opportunities for those around them,” said Longo. “It was for the team members to keep them with us and to work with our ven- dor and community partners to make the world a better place.” Longo’s has been a family-owned food retailer since 1956 and currently operates 26 stores across the GTA, including two in Oakville as well as in Burlington and Mil- ton. Longo earned a business degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1993. She be- gan working full time with the company in 1995 and then became the foundation chair after its inception in 1998. “I worked outside of the family business when I graduated for a little bit. I was ac- tually going to be a chartered accountant, but my real passion was for food,” said Longo. “I came back to the family busi- ness when the time was right and when there was an opportunity to use the skills I gained.” In 2009, Longo’s launched a partnership with Oakville chef and restaurateur Julia Hanna to operate Kids Culinary Commu- nity – a not-for-profit organization edu- cating children for free on healthy eating habits and basic cooking skills – at Longo’s Lofts. The partnership has since grown to include Hanna’s other efforts – the Fam- ily Culinary Community (FCC) and Seniors Culinary Community (SCC) – collectively known as HealthyFam. The collaboration, said Longo, has been very successful, with Longo’s offering the programs at all nine loft locations. “The goal is to inspire healthy families to instill a love of good food and teach young people, families and seniors how to cook healthy (meals). The importance of shar- ing a meal together is key,” said Longo. The foundation chair noted adapting to change, forward-thinking and a “con- tinuous journey” of learning are other attributes that make an entrepreneur or business successful. “As a budding entrepreneur or some- body trying to start something new, learn- ing is never done. You have to be a risk-tak- er. Some of those things will be successful and some won’t,” said Longo. Tickets to the Breakfast Seminar Series cost $90. For more information or to pur- chase tickets, call 905-632-4444 or visit www.metroland.com/arlenedickinson — By Nathan Howes, Special to the Post Arlene Dickinson Local entrepreneur to speak at June 2 seminar Breakfast Seminar Series PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Beaver Oakville
