News Release Archive
EDUCATION/CULTURE--YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR WINNERS
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EDITORS NOTE: EMBARGOED UNTIL 7 P.M.
Ben Crowe, owner of Crowe's Snowboard Apparel in Windsor, N.S.,
has won the Student Entrepreneur Award at the third annual Young
Entrepreneurs Going Places Conference 1997 being held in Sydney.
Several awards were presented this evening (Friday) at the awards
gala, held at the Canada Games Complex, University College of
Cape Breton. More than 500 young entrepreneurs have gathered to
network, learn and share at this three-day event hosted by the
Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development. The
conference wraps up tomorrow.
The Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award is sponsored by
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and is a highlight of the
awards ceremonies. This prestigious recognition is bestowed upon
a well-planned business that has completed extensive research of
the market, has taken creative and innovative steps to market its
product or service and has the potential to grow. David Dingwall,
federal health minister and a Cape Breton MP, presented the
award.
Crowe designs high-end snowboard clothing and casual skateboard
apparel made from top-quality materials. He also makes the
patterns and sews the prototypes. The clothing is manufactured at
a Montreal factory to fill orders from across Canada.
Crowe, an avid snowboarder himself -- for the past four years, he
has ranked in the top two places for the Nova Scotia Overall
-- knows that snowboarding is the fastest-growing winter sport in
the world. His apparel has been so successful that he is having
difficulty keeping up with the demand. His designs come in two
lines: Crowe for men and Chickadee for women.
Anna Dirksen and Demore Barnes, hosts of CBC-TV's Street Cents,
emceed the evening festivities and after the awards presentation,
the crowds were treated to a modern Cape Breton ceilidh featuring
three young entrepreneurial Cape Breton bands, Mastadon Ridge,
Soup and Slainte Mhath.
"More and more, we are seeing young people creating jobs for
themselves," said Chris Curtis, chief entrepreneurship officer
for the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development.
"This conference is helping our youth develop the
entrepreneurship skills necessary for them to succeed. Young
entrepreneurs are rapidly becoming a driving force in our economy
and we are recognizing them for their achievements."
The other winners were:
The Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year Award was presented to
Juanita Romard of Riverview High School, Coxheath, N.S. The award
is sponsored by the Nova Scotia Department of Education and
Culture and was presented by Bob LeBlanc, director of English
program services, Department of Education and Culture. The award
recognizes outstanding entrepreneurship leadership in a teacher
who ignites the entrepreneurship spirit in his or her students
and is a champion of entrepreneurship within his or her school
and/or community.
Ms. Romard teaches the Entrepreneurship 12 course at Riverview
High School. Her students describe her as a modern teacher with
outstanding knowledge who takes the time to share students'
concerns. She makes her class fun and interesting and motivates
her students with an upbeat and lively teaching style. They trust
her when she tells them not to be afraid to try new things.
Bryce Hartnell of Oasis Environmental Society, Bedford, N.S., won
the Environmental Business Award sponsored by the Nova Scotia
Department of the Environment. It is presented to a business
whose focus is directly related to environmental protection or
enhancement and promotes innovative approaches to environmental
management. Mr. Wayne Adams, Nova Scotia minister of the
environment, presented the award.
The Oasis Environmental Society began its Oasis day camp in 1994
and is an opportunity for children to learn about the environment
through recreation. Through cartoon-like mysteries (in which the
children become the heroes of the plot), the children explore and
learn about health, nature and sustainable living. Their health
and environmental behaviors are significantly improved as a
result. Oasis has grown and in 1996, there were 10 camps across
Nova Scotia, one in New Brunswick and plans are under way to
expand to Ontario.
Greg A. Redden of Newport, N.S., Sea Fever Kayaks was the
recipient of the Innovation Award, a $500 cash prize sponsored by
Industry Canada. Tom Boyd, from Intellectual Property, presented
the award, which goes to a business or product that is original
and out of the ordinary or is technology-based and brings out
aspects of intellectual property (patents, industrial design,
trademarks, topographies).
Redden's business motto is Custom Built Uniqueness, Hand-Crafted
Quality. Sea Fever Kayaks is a sea kayak design and construction
company manufacturing tension-skin kayaks that draw on a long
history of proven performance. Appreciation of our natural
environment is a theme that is evident in his work. Redden, an
architectural graduate, is in the process of developing his
second enterprise -- an architectural design consulting business.
Mr. Adams, the environment minister, also presented The
Innovative Approach to Environmental Management Award to Les
Doucet and Joseph Waldron of Deadly Designs, New Waterford, N.S.
The award is sponsored by the Nova Scotia Department of the
Environment and goes to a business that incorporates an
innovative approach within its business practices to protect the
environment.
Deadly Designs is a graphic arts business spawned through the
National Centre for Youth Leadership where Doucet and Waldron are
participants. These two enterprising New Waterford boys have
designed and written a comic book, A Mutant Cape Breton,
emphasizing the Sydney tar ponds environmental hazard. The
storyline was borne when the Nova Scotia government was
contemplating enclosing the tar ponds in concrete. Doucet and
Waldron's next project is a comic/coloring book for Two Rivers
Wildlife Park in Marion Bridge. They also plan to co-ordinate day
camps for children incorporating the concepts of environmental
conservation and appreciation.
The Royal Bank Service Excellence Award is presented to a
business that goes beyond the mere servicing of its clients and
consistently demonstrates service excellence. It was presented by
Jack Neima, manager, Royal Bank, Sydney area, to Michael
Sponagle, Morgan Hicks, Carrie Donovan, Mary Middleton, Post Road
Tea Room, Mount Uniacke, N.S.
The Post Road Tea Roo, located in Uniacke Estate Museum Park, is
a unique 1850s-style establishment with a welcoming and quaint
ambience. This enterprising quartet of Grade 9 students serves
sandwiches, desserts and refreshments and sells museum souvenirs
and local craft items on consignment. Each student changes
positions on monthly to broaden their business skills. They have
made a valuable contribution to their community by hiring two
employees, providing a venue for local artists and craftspeople
and purchasing much of their inventory locally. Customers remark
that the service is consistency friendly and efficient, the place
is spotless and the atmosphere is warm and cozy.
Richelle P. Brown, Shelby's Emporium, Windsor, N.S., won the
Supporter of Young Entrepreneurs Award, sponsored by Enterprise
Cape Breton Corp. Archie Gallagher presented the award to Brown,
a person who continually supports and fosters entrepreneurship as
a way of life in today's society.
Shelby's Emporium is a retail outlet that showcases Annapolis
Valley and Maritime artisans and craftspeople. A fee is paid to
rent space so busy craftspeople can have a monthly venue for
their wares as opposed to weekend trade shows and craft fairs. A
close relationship develops between staff and the artists and
Brown requires all her staff to be knowledgeable about the
artisans and their products. Brown is also actively involved in
community economic development serving as a director for the
Hants Regional Development Authority and a director for the West
Hants Tourism Association.
Beckie Stephens of Brookfield, N.S., received the Y.E.S. (Youth
Entrepreneurial Skills) Award, sponsored by the Nova Scotia
Department of Economic Development and Tourism. Daniel Ross,
Ross Screenprint and past YES recipient, presented this year's
award that is given to a YES loan recipient who has demonstrated
determination and the ability to overcome obstacles to create a
profit in an innovative way.
Stephens is a second-year biology student at the Nova Scotia
Agricultural College. Her business is untitled at this time, but
this creative entrepreneur supplies restaurants, grocery
roadstands and specialty markets with hearty green, red and
yellow peppers. Stephens also won a Young Entrepreneur Award of
Merit from the Nova Scotia Department of Economic Development and
Tourism this February.
Other highlights of the conference were keynote speakers Jennifer
Corson and Marty Janowitz, manager, Environmental Science Group,
Jacques Whitford. Corson is the host of specialty TV channel
WTN's The Resourceful Renovator and President of the Renovator's
ReSource Inc. Janowitz, former executive director of the Clean
Nova Scotia Foundation is a motivational speaker with over 20
years' experience as an environmental and management educator,
facilitator and planner in the environmental sciences, higher
education, private and non-profit sectors.
A trade show at the Mayflower Mall is scheduled for tomorrow, May
3; this gives the delegates an opportunity to showcase their
products and services.
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, managed by the Atlantic Canada
Opportunities Agency and the Department of Economic Development
and Tourism.
The Young Entrepreneurs Going Places Conference 1997 is sponsored
by the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Culture, Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency, the Nova Scotia Department of
Economic Development and Tourism, Nova Scotia Department of the
Environment, Human Resources Development Canada, Royal Bank,
Stora Port Hawkesbury Ltd., Jacques Whitford and MT & T.
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Contact: Colin Craig
Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development
902-424-7246 or 1-800-590-8481 (within Atlantic Canada)
Steve Fairbairn
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
902-424-5836
trp May 2, 1997 - 5 p.m.
