Spirit of Young Entrepreneurs Recognized
ADVANCE: Not to be used before 7 p.m. Friday, April 30. Please guard against premature use.
Young people are a force to be reckoned with in today's economy, and nowhere is that more apparent than at the annual Young Entrepreneurs Going Places Conference, hosted by the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development.
Seven awards were handed out at the conference's gala awards banquet at Halifax's World Trade and Convention Centre on Friday night in recognition of the achievements of young Atlantic Canadian entrepreneurs and their supporters. A 14-year-old baker, a 15-year-old comic-book artist and a 16-year-old ice-cream shop owner were among the winners.
When life gave Matt Finbow lemmings, he made The Adventures of Arthur Lemming, a comic strip that appears monthly in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald and quarterly in the Parent-Child Guide Book. The series depicts the wild adventures of a naive lemming who gets into trouble with everyone from dinosaurs to the Beatles. His comic books have sold more than 600 copies and have landed him a number of public appearances and requests for custom work. Mr. Finbow tied for the prestigious Student Entrepreneur of the Year award, sponsored by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
Matthew Cloutier, who also won for Student Entrepreneur of the Year, has been baking and selling cookies since attending an Open for Business entrepreneurship summer camp two years ago. He sells his cookies at the Dartmouth Farmers' Market and supplies cookies to conferences and meetings.
"The cookies are amazing, even awesome!" wrote Debora Walsh of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, who regularly orders Mr. Cloutier's cookies for meetings. And the 14-year-old is as popular as his cookies are. "I find Matt to be a charming, polite and service-oriented entrepreneur who understands the importance of meeting the needs of his clients in a pleasant way," added Ms. Walsh.
The Industry Canada-sponsored Innovation Award, which goes to an original business that is out of the ordinary, went to Brian Brown, 30, and Derek Penney, 28, of ClearSpan Ltd. Mr. Brown and Mr. Penney have been making their mark on the Nova Scotian landscape with innovative temporary and semi-permanent structures made from steel tubing and PVC fabric. Their products attract a wide variety of clients, from farmers to special-events planners. In September 1998, ClearSpan was asked to build structures to assist in the disaster relief effort following the crash of Swissair Flight 111. Their sales over a six-month period in 1998 totalled $400,000, and ClearSpan is anticipating sales of more than $1 million this year.
The YES Entrepreneurial Award goes to a YES loan recipient who has created profit in an innovative way. And indeed, 16-year-old Chris MacIsaac found himself a cool niche three years ago in Isaacs Harbour, N.S., when the town's general store closed. With no place to go in the summer for treats like ice cream, he created a summer job for himself and filled a need in the community by establishing Chris' Little Stop. Mr. MacIsaac has taken advantage of the many programs available to young entrepreneurs, including the I Want to Be a Millionaire program and a five-month training course through the St. FX Enterprise Development Centre called Ideas in Entrepreneurship. Now, he's giving back to the entrepreneurial community by volunteering to speak to other young entrepreneurs.
The Service Excellence Award, sponsored by the Royal Bank, is given to a business that goes beyond the mere servicing of its clients and consistently demonstrates service excellence. The award went to Michael Sanderson, founder and owner of Sandman Video in the basement of the Dalhousie Student Union Building. Mr. Sanderson takes the time to get to know his customers and goes out of his way to service their needs. "He remembers nearly all of his customers by name, movie choices and conversations they've had together," said customer Claudia Sheehy. "It takes a special person to make renting a video a truly enjoyable experience."
The Entrepreneurship and Technology Award sponsored by MT&T is presented to a business that has shown an innovative approach to incorporating technology into its activities. Winner Jason McGrath, 27, has built a highly successful company with a client list over 100 strong and counting. KLJ Computer Solutions Inc., which employs five people all under the age of 30, specializes in the development of customized database applications, call-centre technology and consulting. His clients have included MT&T, IBM, AVCO and Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance of Canada.
Two awards were also given to supporters of young entrepreneurs. The Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year Award, sponsored by the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Culture, went to Brian Vardy of Bishop's College High School, St. John's, Nfld. The Supporter of Young Entrepreneurs Award, sponsored by CBC-TV, went to Earl Covin of the Royal Bank.
The three-day Young Entrepreneurs Going Places Conference continues to May 1 with a trade show at Mic Mac Mall, Dartmouth.
The Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development has a broad mandate covering many facets of entrepreneurship. The centre is a joint venture funded by the Department of Education and Culture and the Canada/Nova Scotia COOPERATION Agreement on Economic Diversification. The agreement is managed by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Economic Development and Tourism.