Her interest in the retail sector began as a university student. Upon attaining her Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Applied Geography from Ryerson University, she pursued a career in research in the retail sector. She worked for several years at the Centre for the Study of Commercial Activity at Ryerson University where she first worked as an Assistant Education Coordinator for the Retail Learning Initiative and then as a Geographic Information Analyst. Her main skills are in location analysis and mapping as well as collection and insightful analysis of data. She has participated in a variety of research projects ranging from studies on the entertainment sector, to developing national databases on commercial activity and studies on foreign retailers in Canada. She has also assisted in the coordination of students across Canada for the collection of data related to power centres, shopping centres and commercial strips in main urban centers.