PEC Chamber

2024-2025 Board of Directors and Staff

Role and Responsibilities of Directors
Chair
Co-Chair
Treasurer
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Appointed
Chair

Lawrence Mosselson
The Behar Group Realty Inc., 
Senior Vice President, Retail Advisor | Broker

Lawrence is a seasoned real estate executive with 28 years of experience across Canada.  He has significant experience in landlord and tenant retail leasing and sales, existing and greenfield strategic site analysis, hospital and healthcare retail strategy creation and implementation and a proven track record of asset management of retail, office, and industrial properties. Lawrence is a licenced real estate Broker in the Province of Ontario and he has an M.B.A. from Schulich School of Business, with a specialization in Real Property.  Lawrence previously served as the Vice-Chair of the St. Lawrence Market Precinct Advisory Committee, and he is actively involved in the Board of Directors of Kehillat Shaarei Torah of Toronto, where he serves as Board Secretary. Lawrence hopes to use his diverse experience in various areas of commercial real estate to help both new and existing Prince Edward County businesses.

                                                                

Co-Chair

Michelle Alphonso
Walton Hallman Associates

With over 20 years of experience as a retail luxury marketing specialist, I bring a wealth of knowledge to the table. As a business owner and the Canadian sales agent for Metrowire, Liebherr Lab Refrigeration and others in the commercial, industrial and health care sectors I have transferred my skills in store planning and execution to special projects. Further as a business owner I have honed my proficiency in Quickbooks (as a Pro) for over two decades which has enabled me to efficiently prepare accrual based financial documents for year-end presentations to accountants both for Walton Hallman Associates and selected ecommerce clients. I launched a business in Prince Edward County in 2023 for the love of one of my hobbies.                                                         
Treasurer

Lesley Cronk
Certified Financial Advisor, CP

Lesley Cronk is a Certified Financial Planner and Certified Executor Advisor. Lesley has worked in the financial services industry for the past 25 years and recently joined the Board to serve as Treasurer. Lesley is passionate about educating and helping clients navigate the ever-changing landscape of financial and estate planning. Since 2016, Lesley has also served as Treasurer on the Children’s Safety Village in Belleville. Lesley and her husband Dennis live on their family farm in Bloomfield with their son Emmanuel, and her 2 horses, Suede and Shady. 

Director

Jason Clarke
Bare Bone Distillery, Owner

Family owned business in Hillier with wife Nicole and daughters Sydney and Summer who attend CML Snider. 22 years as Private Club Chief Operating Officer. St. George’s Golf and Country Club, Mississaugua Golf and Country Club, Toronto Lawn Tennis Club, Manitoba Club, Halifax Club and Arts and Letters Club of Toronto. Educated in Business Management and Distilling at Cornell University. Past National President of the Canadian Society of Club Managers, First Canadian to serve on the Platinum Clubs of the World Advisory Board, Past President of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, Past Executive Committee and Board of Governors of the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Hosted the Invictus Games as the first venue to offer golf as an official sport.

Director

Peter Drummond
​PSD+G Strategy Group, Strategy Advisor

As principal and founder at PSD+G Strategy Group, Peter has devoted over 30 years to helping his clients achieve business success. With his wisdom, wit and creativity, he partnered with a keen desire to understand their core strategic challenge. Peter has earned a loyal following among big brands, start ups and not-for profits. With a passion to share his knowledge and experience and help grow a new generation of thinkers, Peter has recently joined the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University as an Adjunct Professor teaching in the Executive MBA program and the Master Management of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Peter has a BFA in Communication Arts & Design from Virginia Commonwealth University and attended the Graduate School of Business Executive Management Program at Columbia University. Peter also sits on the Board of the Council of Great Lakes Region and Gilda’s Toronto.

Director

Craig Robson
Crimson Cider, Founder & CEO

Craig retired from a 35 year career in Financial services and moved to PEC in 2018 to create Crimson Cider Company.  With the business now able to sustain itself post-Covid, Craig is looking forward to giving more of his time to the community.

Interests- reading, golf, travel 

Director

Colin Gillis
McDougall Insurance Brokers Limited

Colin is originally from the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, with many similarities to Prince Edward County, he found it very easy to call The County home 3 years ago. Colin has a background in Finance and Banking and he is currently a Commercial Insurance Broker and the Branch Manager with McDougall Insurance in Picton.

Director

Scott Hart
​​Drake Devonshire Inn, General Manager

Scott Hart moved to the County after spending 18 years in the British Virgin Islands where he built, owned and operated The Dove (regularly named one of the Caribbean's top 50 restaurants) along with the small boutique hotel Frenchman’s. In 2015 Scott took the helm as General Manager at Peter Island Resort and Spa, one of the premier luxury private island resorts in the world. 
Returning to Canada in 2017 County, Scott joined Drake Hotel Properties where he has served as Director of Operations, Chief Operating Officer and currently as General Manager of the Drake Devonshire and Motor Inn. With the Drake, Scott has been awarded Top 15 Hotels in Canada (Conde Nast 2018), Top 10 City Hotels in Canada (Travel & Leisure 2020), Best New Hotels in the World (Conde Nast Hot List 2020), Best Hotels in the World Readers' Choice Award (Conde Nast Traveler 2020 and 2023) and as one of Canada's Top Small + Medium Employers (SME 2024). Scott has had the honor to previously serve on the BVI Chamber of Commerce and presently sits on the Board of Directors for the fantastic local music festival Big Lake Arts.  Scott has lived in Wellington since 2018 with his wife Paloma and children Jude and Lola.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
Director

Shannon Hunter
​Wander The ResortFounder & President

Shannon Hunter is the founder of Wander The Resort, a lakefront cabin retreat located in Prince Edward County. Inspired by Nordic minimalism, Tulum’s design-forward boutique hotels and County comforts, she is now on a mission to redefine the resort experience from top-to-bottom. Wander was recognized by Condé Nast Traveler as the best new hotel in Canada and featured on Travel + Leisure’s “It List” of the Best New Hotels in the World in 2021. Since then, Wander has expanded to include The Beach Club at Wander and Gather at Wander, the resort’s new onsite restaurant, catering to locals and visitors alike. In 2022, Shannon was an RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards Ones to Watch Recipient. Shannon lives in Prince Edward County with her husband and two children. 
Appointed

Chris Braney
​​​Council Representative

Chris is our Prince Edward County Councillor representing Hillier, and brings 30 years of leadership experience in municipal governance, policy, and finance.  Chris has also had the privilege of serving as Vice-Chair and Chair of two school boards.  

He is also a proud Chamber Member and farmer who grows apples and grapes for Cider production at his farm, Cold Creek Vineyards in Hillier. His connections to the Prince Edward County municipal, farming, and business communities has given him extensive experience with integrated strategic planning that addresses community development, advocacy, community engagement, and relationship building with elected officials and local agencies. 

Meet Our Staff

The PEC Chamber of Commerce staff is a dedicated and dynamic team, united in their mission to support local businesses and drive economic growth through strategic planning, advocacy, and impactful networking initiatives. 


Each person plays a crucial role in shaping the positive culture at the PEC Chamber of Commerce.


Duarte Da Silva

CEO

The key representative and advocate for business owners and employers in the community. Providing leadership and direction to the achievement of the PEC Chamber’s mission and objectives, Duarte acts as a liaison among members, the board of directors, staff, volunteers, government, and partners. He is a skilled convenor of multi-stakeholder collaborations. Duarte is a passionate advocate for the smart, vibrant development of Prince Edward County.

Rita Romano

Office and Special Projects Administrator

Manages and oversees the daily operations of the office and has significant impact on hospitality and information resources for guest services. Rita came to the County in 2019 to work remotely for a corporate insurance company located in Toronto. She then started her own business as a virtual assistant/bookkeeper. Her deep experience in office management supporting, at times, over 350 employees combined with an outgoing, friendly personality makes her a strong ally for our members. 

The Prince Edward County Chamber of Commerce represents members and advocates for business across all industries in Prince Edward County. 
We are continuing to build a diverse and representative Board of Directors to drive the Chamber’s strategic direction and governance. Broad business experience, skills and spirit of service are critical as we look to the future.

If you are an advocate for local business, can lend your voice and skills to the Board of Directors, and are a member in good standing with the Chamber, you could be on the Board.

We're here to help.

Call or email us & we will connect you with the resources you need.