Carolyn West-Price Touhey founded SmartBiz in the Comox Valley region of Vancouver Island in 2006.  In addition to her consulting work with Canadian clients, Carolyn continues to assist US clients through IMPACT Marketing & Public Relations, the company she founded in 1990.

Carolyn founded both companies after seeing a void in the market for professional marketing consulting aimed at small businesses and professional service providers.

In addition to working with many long-term and project clients, Carolyn is a member of the continuing education faculty at North Island College on Vancouver Island; she also provides workshops and seminars for various non-profit groups on the Island, including Community Futures.
Prior to moving to Canada, Carolyn was

• a member of the practitioner faculty at Johns Hopkins University School of Professional Studies in Business & Education, Graduate Division

• a member of the adjunct faculty at Loyola College in Baltimore

• columnist for the Howard County Business Monthly and frequent contributor to other local business papers and trade publications, including the Telecommunicator and Connections

• a member of the Public Relations Society of America and The American Marketing Association

• a frequent presenter of seminars and workshops throughout the U.S. and Canada for owners of small businesses and non-profit organizations, including ATSI, AASTA, WSTA.

She is also the recipient of various BUSINESS AWARDS, including:

• Business of the Year, Comox Valley Home-Based Business Association (2010)

• Women In Business Advocate of the Year , Small Business Administration award for the State of Maryland (2000)

• Equal Business Opportunity award for Individual Achievement (1990) for Howard County, Maryland

• Volunteer of the Year award from the Business Women's Network (1999)

• Maryland's Top 100 Women (1996)

• Trainer/Education Advocate of the Year , Small Business Administration award for the State of Maryland (1994)

• Young Entrepreneur of the Year --Runner Up--Small Business Administration award for the State of Maryland (1993)

Carolyn earned her MBA from Loyola College, where she also earned her BBA in marketing with honors.

In her "spare time," Carolyn and her husband run Two Eagles Lodge, a new bed and breakfast in Comox Valley, which won the 2010 Vancouver Island Better Business Bureau Torch Award for ethical business practices and community involvement.

Her hobbies include spending time with her horses, scuba, boating, kayaking, skiing and spending time with friends.