Thank You and Farewell, Pat McNamara

Thank you and farewell

After 8 incredible years of service, Pat McNamara is stepping down from Business in the Streets’ (BITS) Board of Directors. As one of three founding directors and the organization’s first financial supporter, Pat played an essential role in helping BITS navigate its early years as a registered charity.

An award-winning entrepreneur, Pat used the passion and experience she developed from building her own organizations, APEX Public Relations, and Ruckus Digital, to help others explore all that entrepreneurship has to offer.

“Pat has a deep love and appreciation for entrepreneurship and the people that choose it for their own pathway. Throughout the many years that I have had the pleasure of working with her, it was always incredibly clear that she had one goal in mind – to ensure the aspirations of young entrepreneurs were not inhibited due to a lack of access to training or capital,” says Kyle Monczak, Executive Director of BITS.

In addition to playing an active role as BITS director, Pat launched Ignite Capital, her own nonprofit organization, in 2013 to provide marginalized groups with access to a mix of grants and microloans to grow their businesses. In the organization’s six-year history, more than $450,000 in seed capital was successfully facilitated to 35 Ontario-based entrepreneurs.

Pat has been an active volunteer providing mentorship and advisory support to the many entrepreneurs who participated in both BITS and Ignite Capital’s programming. She was also a frequent guest at BITS pitch events where she provided honest and thoughtful critiques to dozens of entrepreneur’s business ideas.

Sarah Hashem, BITS Board Chair says “We owe Pat a debt of gratitude for Chairing BITS’ Board of Directors through the organization’s most challenging times. Thanks to Pat’s relentless commitment, the BITS team today ⁠— Board, Management and Staff ⁠— are stronger than ever before.”

Thanks to Pat’s ongoing support, BITS has been able to reach the lives of over 600 youth providing them with access to top-quality entrepreneurship training and over $150,000 in financial support.

On behalf of the entire BITS community, we wish Pat all the best on the next leg of her journey!