A Year-End Update from IWSCC
The holiday season is approaching and with it, the urge to reflect on 2024’s accomplishments and lessons to leap into 2025 with confidence! In case you missed us, here’s a rundown of IWSCC’s biggest changes, updates, and announcements this year.
IWSCC’s Newest Director
IWSCC’s leadership is a reflection of our community: Entrepreneurs, allies, and advocates whose mission is to succeed and share their success with others. Our board of directors embody our missions of stigma reduction, support, and inclusion for Veteran-Owned and Disabled-Owned businesses across Canada.
That’s why we’re pleased to welcome our newest Director: Adrienne Ottolino! As both the newest and youngest director, Adrienne brings fresh perspective thanks to her own lived experience and her expertise in accessibility and inclusion. While she may be our newest director officially, Adrienne has worked closely with IWSCC since its founding and we couldn’t be happier to welcome her officially to our leadership. You can learn more about our Board (and our Staff!) when you click here.
Welcome to Our Newest Corporate Members!
IWSCC Corporate Members represent the real desire in Canada to work with more Veteran-Owned and Disabled-Owned businesses. Private and public organizations of all kinds connect with and join the IWSCC community because they recognize the innovation and success diversity brings to the table.
In 2024 we welcomed Metrolinx, Promotional Source, and Ontario’s Region of Peel, and our membership just keeps growing. We’re pleased to welcome our newest Corporate Members in 2025: Air Canada and Cundari Group! As our community grows, so too does Canada’s investment and support for Veteran-Owned and Disabled-owned businesses.
Want to learn more about IWSCC’s Corporate Membership? Click here!
Joining IWSCC is Easier than Ever
This year we’re proud to announce that IWSCC works with over 50 Veteran-Owned and Disabled-Owned businesses, Certifying Dsiabled-Owned and Veteran-Owned businesses from coast to coast. Certified Suppliers are the community we were founded to support, and we’re making it easier than ever to join our community.
In the past, joining the IWSCC involved an annual membership fee, as well as a smaller one-time fee to support first-time collection and review of supplier information. Thanks to our continued growth we’re excited to announce that we’re waiving that one-time fee, saving every new supplier $100, removing the cost barrier for new applications.
We also introduced a new way for our existing suppliers to save with our Referral Program. Any existing suppliers that welcome someone new to our community save 100% of the cost of their next renewal, extending their membership at no cost!
Bigger Community, Bigger Events
In 2025 we’re changing in more ways than one thanks to our growth. As our community grows and changes, the ways we connect professionals will too. That’s why in 2025 we’ll be hosting new, bigger, and better virtual networking events.
We’re ready to welcome even more Corporate Members and Certified Suppliers to each opportunity bringing more value than ever to each event you attend. Of course, we’ll also continue our grassroots approach to connecting, referring, and recommending opportunities wherever we find them as our network of incredible partners grows, too. Get ready for new ways to network, learn, and succeed with IWSCC in 2025!
Celebrating our Community in 2025
This year, we were proud to host our second annual National Entrepreneurship Forums, Reach and Evolve. In 2023 we noticed some gaps; There just weren’t spaces dedicated to Veteran-Owned or Disabled-Owned businesses and their supporters to gather, connect, and share resources, and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished so far.
In 2025 we’re growing the ways we celebrate and give back to our community by unveiling all-new awards for each forum. Nominated by community members, IWSCC is excited to provide a space for our community to highlight those organizations and individuals that go above and beyond. We hope you’ll join us in May at our third annual Reach Forum, and in November for Evolve where we’ll award an Outstanding Disabled-Owned or Veteran-Owned business, an Outstanding Corporate Member, and an Outstanding Community Member.
Empowering Supplier Diversity’s Growth
Our last update this year is one of our most exciting. Hard at work behind the scenes, IWSCC will soon pilot an all-new supplier diversity platform: Diversity Match.
We aren’t quite ready to share all of the details, but we believe that it’s time to bring Supplier Diversity into the future and remove the hassle for suppliers and buyers alike by providing a one-stop shop for connections and opportunities. Say goodbye to spreadsheets, and hello to the next step in Supplier Diversity Technology. We’ll have more to share early next year, so be sure to stay tuned for more updates!
Of course, we always have more exciting plans and initiatives as we explore new ways to represent, include, support, and empower Veteran-Owned and Disabled-Owned businesses. For now, IWSCC wishes everyone a Happy Holiday Season and New Year!
