ence” Oct 25/06 supplement Inlell 9 and communications. As a high | chico Student in Ottawa, she took a co- op placement at Telesat Canada, where one of her days involved a two-hour tour of an advertising firm. Bonn was immediately in love. She watched closely and, at the end of the tour, asked the woman how to do what she did. The woman told her to take eneonisn College's creative advertisi progra She did. Immediately out of school, Bonn was hired by a two-man advertis- ing shop known as Souris and Petitti, which served as a fast learning experi- ence at the smallest firm in Canada. About a year and a half later, she was hired at a small marketing firm, where’ she lasted six months before she was recruited for mega-firm Saatchi and | Saatchi. At 23, she found herself working in Toronto as an account executive for clients such as Hewlett-Packard Canada, Maple Leaf Foods, Walt Disney R Attractions and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. It took her out of her comfort zone % and | into a firm with hundreds of colleagues. From | there, she worked for Cossette Marketing ‘ Communications on an arguably larger file - General Mills Canada, none its snacks and Ye a in Toronto that © she met her husband, | Trenton nati . Tied in 2001. was ninihetied back to = Beno to help with a w firm about a year fate, and the decision f aes ee overnight to. | “There, Bonn was faced | with a few options. Did she start a family? Did she find a new direction? The wondering lasted until she was oe for the Trentval grant gram for cntepeaene : and she started a firm in the basement of her house. It ue called The Market Plac Three veaie later, The Market Place has flour- | ished. Four months ago, it merged with Rene Dick’s Scout Design. Dick nomi- nated her for the Women in Business award: “T'm a huge champion of Cassandra,” he said. Before their merger, he could recognize her work from the “level of quali- Comey ' Cosand ier Photo by Samantha Craggs Cassandra Bonn ty" he said. He attributes her success to the per- sonal touch she brings to every account. “When she takes on a client, there’s an amount of personal time she devotes to it,” he said. “She gets personally involved in each company and its ae <a don't always see that with marketing i cisiol ity of Bonn’s clients have become friends, Dick said. That includes local clients, and the ones from A to Chicago. initially planned to locate their office oe ees But when they saw their current build- ing, the pieces fell into place, Bonn said. It used to , house VIA Rail employees, and had sat empty for about 20 years before it was eke for Engine. 1 Bonn, who was also nominate ‘0 years ago, lends her skills to a variety of delecee activities. | She is on the executive for the Festival of Trees, a | director on the Belleville and District Chamber of Commerce, a friend of the Quinte Ballet School, a | member of the Business Networking Group and on the executive of the Women’s Sales and Ad Club of | Belleville. She is also joining the local Rotary Cup. | and teaches golf to kids. Her volunteer activities have served not only as a, personal fulfillment, but a way to network. “Col f-om a market where I knew no one, very quickly I've developed this great network of friends, associates and business professionals,” she said. “Being from a small community, we all rely on each other at some point in time.” Gender inequality still exists in high-level adver- tising, not so much in specifics but in subtleties, said Bonn. It has never affected her, mie one and it definitely does not intimidate et ae good examples, most of all her “I've always been a big erin "of women sup- porting women,” she ieee oe had strong female role models in my life - en with a strong work ethic and a strong, per aie. . | don’t think we promote ourselves enough.”