Our Staff
Our Staff
At Ave Maria Gift and Specialties we pride ourselves on having Prince George's best customer service. Many of our team members are herbalists and engage in monthly training to ensure that we are up to date on the science and products that can help our customers maintain and regain their health. Over the years, we have had some great characters pass through our staff room, and every day we have the privileged of rubbing shoulders with some very caring human beings both as fellow workers and customers!
Together with his wife Rolande, Louis Matte wanted to serve their community in Prince George with products and knowledge that would embrace the embodiment of health. So, Ave Maria was born. Louis is a successful businessman in Prince George, who has never forgotten his humble beginning in business with his very first landscaping business he started while teaching the youth of Prince George during the day. Louis has had the loving support of Rolande during his business ventures, and the great blessing of raising their 11 children. Louis and Rolande are very fond of their former business partner, Dave Fuller. Dave moved on to new adventures in 2017 and they wish him peace, love and success in his future.
Dawn Matte is the General Manager at Ave Maria Specialties. Dawn specializes in the inner workings of the business and makes sure the store is running like a well-oiled machine. During the days, you can often find Dawn at Ave Maria working behind the scenes or out in the aisles, making sure that our shoppers get the very best customer service!
Josephine is our hard-working Grocery Manager who has been working with us at Ave Maria since she changed careers from being a school teacher in 1997. Josephine is a Chartered herbalist, a Bach Flower level 2 practitioner, and a Certified Aromatherapist. In addition, Josephine loves animals, gardening and music!
Marie started her working life at Ave Maria in 1988 when the store began, and she was still in high school. Marie is our Supplement manager and as being a Chartered Herbalist. Marie routinely takes care of the store, and sometimes gets confused for Ave Maria herself. Marie loves running, kayaking, and coffee with her daughters, husband, and friends in her spare time.
Emy came to work for us in 1997 when she started to help us set up our original POS system. Because of her hard work and close attention to detail, Emy has been one of the backbones of the store for many years. Ordering and managing the bulk department. Emy is now the floor manager at Ave Maria and takes care of any customer needs throughout the day. In addition, Emy loves cooking and spending time with her son Michael.
Theresa is a fantastic chartered herbalist who came to work for us in 1999 at Mother Maria's. Theresa is a wealth of knowledge and has a knack for making complex information sound simple so customers can understand it. Theresa loves to spend time with her family and playing her guitar when not working. Theresa has now taken on the managerial position of our Health and Beauty department. If you need any of your health challenges addressed, come and see Theresa!
Warren has been working at Ave Maria since 2012 as a Chartered Herbalist. Warren loves to hear your stories and share his growing knowledge of herbs and health products. He can also be found in our book departments. So whether you are looking for the latest read for your body, mind, or soul, he has a book for you!
Irene is a Chartered herbalist who came to work for us straight off the boat from the Ukraine many years ago. Irene loves spending time with her family and loves coming to work at the store where she can impart her knowledge and help customers. In addition, Irene enjoys creating friendly relationships with her customers and seeing them come back year after year.
Eileen has been working at Ave Maria since 2013 and is a Chartered Herbalist and assistant vitamin manager to Marie. She enjoys helping customers get results in their health issues. In addition, Eileen loves to speak Spanish, dance, and spend time with her family.
Catherine works at Ave Maria putting out groceries and helping Marie keep the store clean. When not working Catherine loves visiting with her friends and hanging out with her cat.