Angela’s Biography

Business Coach and Business Disaster Recovery Specialist

As one of the leading business and disaster recovery consultants in Canada, Angela Groeneveld credits her inner drive and elemental values to a piece of advice she received from her earliest role models: “Angela, walk tall and be strong, you are who you are.”

The simple yet profound wisdom of her parents, whose strength, confidence, and independence laid the groundwork for her entrepreneurial spirit, was directed towards a young woman full of doubts. However, like all good advice, it resounds because it expresses a universal message of hope, faith, and commitment to presenting your best possible self to the world.

 Angela loves helping entrepreneurs because she is one. Her vast experience ranges from the cattle industry to the fashion and health & wellness industries and beyond. There isn’t an area of business that she hasn’t achieved success in, both as a business owner and as a mentor and coach.

This desire to bring out the best in others has allowed her to play a critical leadership role for governments and communities seeking effective economic and disaster recovery guidelines. Angela’s expertise proved invaluable following the devastation caused by the 2013 High River floods where, as Renewal Manager, she was key in the development of a temporary business park for displaced businesses. The first of its kind in Canada, this park provided local businesses with a central location in which to operate, allowing them to stay in operation and revitalizing the downtown core. 

High River’s continued commercial and residential growth is a testament to Angela’s vision and resourcefulness. While FEMA states that an average of 30-40% of businesses affected by a disaster close within a period of 2 years, High River’s success rate has been measured at 80% - meaning that 80% of flood-affected businesses were still in operation after 2 years.

Angela’s flood recovery strategies would later undergo a literal trial by fire in Fort McMurray, Alberta. After the largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta’s history, Angela participated in the Business Recovery Panel and assisted the Economic Development Office for a year after the disaster. Following a keynote speech at a subsequent recovery trade show, she was hired in partnership with Economic Developers Alberta (EDA) and Red Cross to build and implement the Fort McMurray (RMWB) Recovery Hotline. She also contributed to the Business and Economic Disaster Recovery Plan that was presented to the Government of Alberta and the RMWB Economic Development Department. This template was later expanded to the RMWB local business stakeholders and adopted by Council. In January 2017 Angela volunteered to participate with a team of EDO’s to conduct an Economic Opportunities Assessment for Fort McMurray.

Angela’s insight has helped businesses, organizations, and individuals of every size, from federal and provincial governments to mom and pop shops, to thrive in the face of economic and disaster-related turmoil and emerge more confident, disciplined, and stronger than ever before, and she looks forward to helping you achieve your goals.

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