The Kawartha Small Business Podcast · The Kawartha Small Business Podcast

172: Marylee Boston

·48 min·1 clip

The episode opens with a familiar welcome and a nod to the Fenland Falls shout-outs that Mary Lee Boston often gives on the show. That sets a local, practical tone right away. Mary Lee represents the Fenland Falls and District Chamber of Commerce, and the conversation keeps that role grounded in day-to-day work rather than title alone. The hosts talk about how the chamber supports the Kawarthas as a place where small businesses can thrive and how the podcast helps Mary Lee stay plugged into what is happening across the area. One of the main threads is leadership turnover. Mary Lee explains that the chamber has moved from being run by business owners themselves to a larger board where people can rotate through leadership, serve as president for a few years, and then hand things off to someone else. The goal is to keep momentum moving without leaning on one person to carry everything. The conversation also comes back to how different people bring different strengths to the same table, especially when community projects and city coordination come up. Mary Lee says the job has taught her a lot, including how municipal government works and how citizens and businesses can take part in that process. She and the hosts also talk about a deputation at council, which she describes as nerve-wracking but worthwhile, and about hearing from engaged people across the community. Her background comes up too: 18 years as a deputy clerk and a criminal justice background before moving into chamber work. She says she moved to the area in February 2018 because her husband was born and raised there, which helps explain the personal connection she feels to the region. The episode also leaves room for the ordinary realities behind volunteer leadership. There are meetings, short-notice asks, and the steady need for enough people to help. Mary Lee notes that her husband is supportive, helps build things, and steps in when they are short on volunteers. By the end, the conversation feels like a grounded look at how community, advocacy, and small-business confidence fit together.

As heard by us

A chamber conversation about local business momentum, volunteer leadership, and the work of showing up.

This episode stays close to the practical work of keeping a chamber useful. Rotating leadership, board members with different strengths, and the slow grind of keeping momentum all come through clearly.

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Why you'd press play

If you want to hear how a chamber keeps a small town moving, start here.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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