Colleen Cole

Colleen Cole is President and CEO of PERMACRETE® Systems Limited, franchisor of the PERMA-DRY® brand.

In 1978 with three small children and nothing but a dream, she and her late husband, Bill Cole, founded their concrete restoration and waterproofing business. This was a huge gamble as they were launching a new concept in basement crack repair with no prior business experience and no financial backing! Their innovative concept revolutionized the basement crack repair market and by 1985 they began manufacturing their own line of products. In 1990, having become recognized as leaders in their industry, they began to franchise their business model, eventually building it into a world class brand.

Colleen's role was central to the success of the company as she transitioned her focus from construction to manufacturing and then to franchising. In 2009, after losing Bill to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Colleen became President and CEO of the business, a position she had never dreamed of holding. She was a natural fit for her new role with her wealth of 30 years of experience. Today her oldest son, Danny, who shares Colleen's vision for the company's future and holds the role of Vice President and COO, is transitioning to take over the reins as Colleen follows her passion, advocating for women and children workd wide..

Colleen has faced the same challenges many other entrepreneurial women face: struggling to balance business demands with family, keeping the image of a strong woman in a male dominated industry, and wanting to be there for everyone. While many of us like to hide from the word guilt, or try to ignore that we face any feelings of it, Colleen has bravely shared her story of the struggles she experienced with it throughout her life. Colleen's first book, GUILT - The Secret War of Successful Women was launched in September 2013 and has already won 2 awards!

We invite you to join the journey with this very successful entrepreneur, consultant, author, philanthropist; mother of 3, grandmother of 11, and amazing storyteller and teacher!