Draft:Mandy Rennehan

• Comment: Not convinced of this person's notability. Sketchy sourcing includes several interviews (primary, per WP:IV), her own company website (also primary), plus some broken links. We need multiple instances of significant coverage (in-depth, analytical, more than passing mentions - WP:GNG) about Rennehan in published reliable independent secondary sources with genuine reputations for accuracy and fact-checking. Paul W (talk) 17:17, 6 October 2026 (UTC)

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Mandy Rennehan (born in 1975; also known as Mandy “Bear” Rennehan) is a Canadian entepreneur, contractor, television personality, and advocate for careers in the skilled trades. She is the founder and chief executive officer of Freshco, a Canadian retail maintenance and construction company, operating in Canada and the United States, serving Fortune 500 companies such as Nike, Apple, Home Depot, and Anthropologie.

Early life and career

Rennehan was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. She grew up in a family of six, with her father, Gary Rennehan, who was a fisherman, her mother, Diane Rennehan, and her three brothers. According to accounts of her early life, Rennehan began earning money at the age of 10 by collecting and selling bait to local fishermen.

Rennehan left home at 18, with a hockey bag and very little money in hand, and moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Without formal post-secondary education or professional training in construction, she started calling local contractors to gain experience and offer her services for free. She worked in several areas of the construction trades, including flooring, plumbing, electrical work, heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

Her first significant experience in the construction industry was a flooring project in Halifax. She subsequently developed a reputation through referrals all across the Maritimes and began obtaining work experiences from larger organizations such as Canada Post, Irving Oil, and Salter Street Films. By her early 20s, she had expanded her business activities beyond the Maritime provinces and was also able to put her first down payment on a house in Halifax.

Career

Rennehan founded Freshco in 1995, at the age of 19. The company initially focused on construction and maintenance services, but over time developped into a full-service retail facilitied provider. Its services now include maintenance, construction projects and reconstruction.

Rennehan initially financed the company herself, and was also self-taught in finance and accounting. In an interview with Women of Influence, she said that she self-funded the business for its first five years before obtaining and line of credit from the bank after establishing cashflow and business credibility.

Freshco's business model provides clients with a single point of contact for all maintenance services: construction, renovations, repairs, emergency work, etc. The company evolved across Canada and the eastern United States, gaining client companies such as Apple, Gap, Lululemon and Nike.

Rennehan has described her experience as a woman working in a predominantly male construction industry as an influence on her advocacy for greater participation in the skilled trades. A 2024 case study by the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management reported that women represented more than 70 percent of Freshco's workforce at that time. It was difficult for Rennehan to get into the entrepreneurship industry because she was judged for her sexuality and personality, known as being very straightforward. As she entered the construction industry, she realised it was mostly men working, but she continued to persue her dreams:

“As an East Coaster, you grow up with a good liver and a personality, so I was the same way with these guys as I was with my brothers: I brought my personality game, and I think the respect I had for what they did went along with that.” – Mandy Rennehan

Advocacy and public speaking

Rennehan has advocated for careers in the skilled trades, particularly among women and other groups that have been underrepresented in the industry. “Freshco’s tagline is “Building Pride” Because not only are we a woman-owned or LGBTQ-owned company; we’re a company that believes in talent, period. I don’t complicate diversity and inclusion.” - Mandy Rennehan.

She gave many motivational speeches, with the goal to "change how society looks down on blue collar workers". Rennehan took pride in being a gay woman in the construction industry, that’s where the name Freshco came from:

“I just kept working and working until finally I went, I’m good at this. And that’s where the name Freshco came from—because I was the fresh face, the only woman in the industry.” – Mandy Rennehan.

She has participated in mentorship, scholarship and training initiatives and has spoken publicly about the skilled-trades labour shortage.

She has also promoted the participation of young women in skilled trades through initiatives such as The Jill of All Trades, of which she is the international ambassador, which encourages young women in grades 9 through 12 to explore careers in the trades.

Television

In 2022, Rennehan became the host of “Trading Up with Mandy Rennehan” on HGTV, where she returns to Yarmouth to invest in and renovate historic properties while working with apprentices. The program premiered in May 2022.

Publications

She wrote a book called “The Blue Collar CEO, My Gutsy Journey from Rookie Contractor to Multi-millionaire Construction Boss”, giving insight into her life and her journey from one end of business to another.

Awards and accomplishments

Rennehan has received numerous business and professional awards.

• Officer of The Order of Canada (November 2025)
• CGLCC- LGBT Business of the Year (November 2025)
• King Charles III coronation medal, Governor General of Canada (June 2025)
• (WXN’s) Top 100 Most Powerful Women – Hall of Fame (2022)
• Atlantic Business Magazine’s Top CEO for the Atlantic Provinces (2019)
• Doctorate Degree from Mount Saint Vincent University (May 2019)
• Honorary Bachelor of Science Degree from SAIT College (2019)
• Canada’s Most Admired CEO (2018)
• Toronto Region Board of Trade Business Leader of the Year (late 2018)
• Top 25 Women of Influence (September 2018)
• Growth 500 Excellence in Innovation (2018)
• The RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur “Momentum” Award (2017)

Personal life

Rennehan has publicly discussed her identity as a lesbian and her experiences as a gay woman working in the construction industry. Her advocacy and public speaking have frequently addressed diversity and participation in the skilled trades.

Rennehan lives in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia with her partner Lauren and two West Highland Terriers.