From Harp to Hardhat
Though classically trained, Chantal Dubé has led a life of pure improvisation.
If life followed sheet music, Chantal Dubé probably would have lost interest years ago.
Instead, the Director of Business Development at Polair HVAC has spent her life doing what great musicians do best: knowing how to listen and when to play, adapting quickly, and improvising with confidence.
Long before she was building relationships in Ontario's HVAC industry, Dubé was building a career around an instrument few people ever dare touch; the harp.
Growing up in Welland, Ontario, she was immersed in music from an early age. Her mother was a piano teacher, her father an entrepreneur, and by age 12, Dubé had fallen in love with the harp after hearing its distinctive sound in orchestral performances.
While most classically trained musicians dream of concert halls. Dubé had other plans.
At 15, she performed her first wedding and immediately discovered her niche.
"There was something magical about it," she recalls. While others pursued degrees and orchestral careers, Dubé focused on building a business. She combined piano & harp teaching during the week with wedding performances on weekends, eventually becoming one of the most sought-after wedding harpists in the Greater Toronto Area. Admittedly, the competition was slim-to-none.
Her entrepreneurial instincts were already showing.
Years before social media became standard marketing practice, Dubé was creating cinematic YouTube videos featuring elaborate gowns, floral arrangements, and wedding venues to help prospective clients imagine their own special day. Those videos caught the attention of thousands of brides, and eventually someone more iconic.
One day, she received an email from famed producer Maneesh Bidaye who was working with Drake.
At first, she assumed it was more ‘fake’ than Drake.
Within days, Dubé found herself in a top-secret, top-tier recording studio, improvising harp arrangements for tracks that would appear on Drake's blockbuster album Views. Her work can be heard on songs including "Keep the Family Close," "Childs Play," and "U With Me?"
The experience led to another career highlight: opening the SOCAN Awards alongside some of Canada's biggest music stars.
For many people, that might have been the pinnacle.
For Dubé, it was simply another movement in an ever-evolving composition.
Meanwhile, her husband, Dwaine Dyke, was following a path of his own. An HVAC technician by trade, he eventually grew restless in a predictable municipal role and launched Polair HVAC.
Dubé wasn't thrilled at first.
Having grown-up surrounded by entrepreneurs, she thought she had escaped the uncertainty of business ownership.
Instead, she found herself helping build one.
Drawing on lessons from the wedding industry, she immediately focused on branding, helping create the Polair name, logo, website, and marketing strategy. She understood something many trades businesses overlook --perception matters.
Today, Polair HVAC of Halton Hills, Ontario has grown into a successful service-focused company known for its customer education, strong culture, and remarkable employee retention. Not surprisingly, Polair HVAC has expanded to include Polair Golf (simulators), Polair Power Shot (hockey simulators), and Polair Electric, creating a family of companies united under one recognizable and trusted brand.
Even then, life wasn't finished improvising.
In 2021, a severe concussion forced Dubé to step away from her wedding career and focus on recovery. For many people, such a setback would have been defining.
Instead, it became another transition.
By 2025, she jokingly offered to try Business Development for Polair HVAC for "just four days."
Nearly a year later, she was still doing it and loving every minute.
Today, Dubé has become a familiar face throughout Ontario's HVAC and construction community, particularly among women in the industry. She combines relationship-building, marketing expertise, and genuine authenticity to connect with clients and partners in ways that feel refreshingly personal and valuable.
As if managing four businesses wasn't enough, she recently added another unexpected role to her resume: Campaign Manager for a municipal mayoral campaign in the town of Halton Hills.
It's the kind of opportunity she never planned for.
Then again, that's been the rhythm of her life.
From wedding harpist to recording artist. From entrepreneur to business developer. From musician to community leader, at every turn, Dubé has embraced the unexpected with curiosity and enthusiasm and an ‘all-in’ dedication to everyone she employs, meets and knows.
Perhaps that's why her story feels less like a carefully written score and more like a great jazz performance.
From music to sports and the trades, hers continues to be a truly ’note’-worthy life.
That’s ‘classic’ Chantal.
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