(Photo Supplied: Frances Jean poses outside of her business the City Centre Car Wash in August, 2015. Girls Inc. )
Girls Inc. of Northern Alberta and Syncrude have named Frances Jean as the third nominee for the Women of Inspiration series 2015-16.
Mrs.Jean moved to Fort McMurray in 1967 when her husband took a job with G.C.O.S which would become Suncor. She quickly opened her first of many local businesses under the name of Jeans Gifts and Stationary.
She started the community’s first newspaper, the McMurray Courier and while acting as the reporter, writer, and editor she broke the ‘men only’ rule at the Chamber of Commerce in 1972 after writing a scathing editorial about the rule.
On her 80th birthday Jean launched her book “More Than Oil: Trappers, Traders and Settlers of Northern Alberta”. She still works a 50 hour work week running the City Centre Car Wash and her property holding company the City Centre Group.
Jean has won multiple awards including Alberta’s Retail of the Year Award in 1994 along with Alberta’s Small Businessperson of the Year, and in 1997 she was honoured with the Keyano Distinguished Citizen Award and the Rotary Club of Fort McMurray Integrity Award.
She was invited for tea with the Queen in the Royal Gardens of Buckingham Palace.
Jean and 11 other nominees will be honoured at the Women of Inspiration Celebration in June 2016.
