Meet the Students – Derrick

Meet the Students

 Derrick LaValley – Derrick’s Smoked Fish

 The Business Enterprise Centre of Saugeen Shores is pleased to announce that Derrick LaValley, of The Chippewa’s of Nawash Unceded First Nation (Cape Croker) has been accepted into the Summer Company Program and will be starting up and running Derrick’s Smoked fish.

Derrick’s Smoked Fish will be buying fresh Georgian Bay whitefish caught by local fisherman, filleting it and then using real wood to naturally smoke the fish. Smoked fish is a cured meat; it is smoked to keep it preserved without refrigeration for about 7 days. It is a perfect treat for campers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. Using his family’s smoking techniques with a pinch of sea salt and smoking longer than most gives Derrick’s fish a distinct flavour that every fish lover will enjoy.

He will be selling his fish at his home which are on the road that vacationers travel to get to the camp ground, and at his aunt’s “Kitty’s Corner Store”, which is close to the government dock. The Chippewa’s of Nawash Unceded First Nation is situated on Georgian Bay and contains breath-taking views of beautiful rock formations in addition to sparkling water. This makes it a great place to live and boasts a vibrant tourism market with 100’s of visitors traveling on day trips as well as staying in the Cape Croker Indian Park which provides camping for both trailers and tents. The park is located about 30 minutes from the nearest town, so once they arrive, they want to stay. Derrick’s Smoked Fish will be a tasty treat for them when they arrive and throughout their stay.

The Summer Company program is sponsored by the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation. Derrick will be receiving an award of up to $3,000, as well as business training and mentoring to start up and run Derrick’s Smoked Fish. In the fall Derrick will be entering his first year of business management at Humber College.

Meet the Students – Connor

Connor Stewart - The Computer Shoppe & Repairs in Paisley

 The Business Enterprise Centre of Saugeen Shores is pleased to announce that Connor Stewart of the Paisley area has been accepted into the Summer Company Program. This program is sponsored by the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation. Connor will be receiving an award of up to $3,000, as well as business training and mentoring to start up and run his Computer Shoppe and Repairs store this summer. In the Fall,Connor will be returning to the University of Waterloo, going into his 4^th year of Philosophy Honours.

 Having worked at the Bluewater District School Board as a computer technician, and with 2 years of studying Computer Science at University of Waterloo, Connor decided he was up for the challenge of running his own business and applied to the program.

 He has just opened his business, “Computer Shoppe & Repairs”; located at 468 Queens Street South in the village of Paisley. His phone number is 519-385-4433.

 Connor offers a great blend of quality products, customer service and technical support.  With standard computers at competitive pricing, Connor is willing to order special components, perform installations, troubleshoot, provide tutoring, and even transfer precious memories on VHS tapes to DVDs. In addition, he builds and sells Media Centres. These machines allow users to simultaneously watch and record TV, surf the net, and listen to music. He has set his hours from 8am – 7pm Monday through Friday and from 10am – 7pm on Saturday so as to offer convenient drop-off and pick-up times.

The Saugeen Shores BR+E Final Report Presented to Council

The Saugeen Shores Business Retention and Expansion Project’s Final Report was presented to Mayor and Council at the May 28th Committee of the Whole.

 This project was a joint effort between The Town of Saugeen Shores, The Business Enterprise Centre of Saugeen Shores, The Saugeen Shores Chamber of Commerce, Saugeen Sustainability Volunteer and Resource Centre, and the Four County Labour Market Planning Board (the Partners).

The project surveyed 86 businesses, asking them 115 questions on all aspects of running a business in Saugeen Shores. The BR+E Task Force, made up of representatives from the project partners as well as business owners, reviewed the key findings of the data summary report. The group noted recurring themes that included, more focused Economic Development initiatives, streamlining some Municipal processes for business, continued focus on improving the vitality of the two downtowns, addressing workforce development issues and a need for enhanced methods for communication among all parties. The report also identified avenues for both the Business Enterprise Centre and the Chamber of Commerce to improve their support to business. 

 Both Mayor Smith and Deputy Mayor Charbonneau extended their personal thanks to everyone involved, especially the business owners and to the volunteer visitors who donated their time and efforts to the project.  The final report illustrates some key steps that can be implemented to improve the business climate in Saugeen Shores.

The next step of the project will be to develop a work plan for the implementation of actions brought forward in the report. Milestones of the implementation stage will be detailed on the Saugeen Shores web site. A copy of the final report is also available on the website at www.saugeenshores.ca/business

Meet the Mentors – Erin Zorzi

 “Meet the Mentors” is our blog on the professionals who volunteer their time to help our Summer Company Entrepreneurs build their dream company. These professionals have diverse backgrounds and offer unique insight into overcoming obstacles that all start-ups face. They are the reason that the Summer Company program is so successful – it’s about real students getting real help to make real money. This series is meant to let students understand who will be there to help them if they get accepted into the Summer Company Program in Bruce County.

 Erin Zorzi 

Erin is a long time resident of Port Elgin but has lived in a variety of places other than Ontario, including Manitoba, Pakistan and Taiwan.  She is married for 34 years to Paul who recently retired from Bruce Power. They have 2 children (both married), and Erin is also a grandma (if you can believe it).

 Formerly, Erin was the Branch Manager of Meridian Credit Union. She is now retired from banking, but is keeping busy with Zorzi Consulting, a company she and her husband started to provide variety of support services for seniors.

 Erin still finds time to volunteer as the Vice Chair for the Saugeen Memorial Hospital Foundation, Treasurer of Faith Lutheran Church, and is involved with the Rotary Club of Port Elgin. She also currently sits on the Business Advisory Committee for the Business Enterprise Centre of Saugeen Shores.

 A summer company mentor for three years now, Erin enjoys the experience immensely.  She is amazed at how thorough Summer Company students are to have thought through everything – from the viability of the concept, to start-up costs, to marketing, to procuring inventory.

 She finds it incredible to watch these young people take their plan and bring it to life as a business, placing a huge responsibility squarely on their own shoulders.  To assist them to work through their challenges and celebrate with them their successes is an honour that Erin treasures.

 Erin also believes that the whole program is mutually rewarding for the student, the mentor, and business in Ontario; it fosters appreciation of business ownership whether the student chooses to become an entrepreneur or chooses to work for one.

Meet the Mentors – Mike Bolton

 “Meet the Mentors” is our blog on the professionals who volunteer their time to help our Summer Company Entrepreneurs build their dream company. These professionals have diverse backgrounds and offer unique insight into overcoming obstacles that all start-ups face. They are the reason that the Summer Company program is so successful – it’s about real students getting real help to make real money. This series is meant to let students understand who will be there to help them if they get accepted into the Summer Company Program in Bruce County.

Mike Bolton

Mike Bolton is married to Abby his partner for 24 years and has two grown children. He enjoys running, hiking, golf, reading and travel.

Mike is a Chartered Accountant practicing in Port Elgin. He is a partner in the National accounting firm BDO Canada LLP. BDO has offices across Canada in centres both large and small. BDO’s main market for services is small business owners.

Mike grew up in Walkerton and moved to Port Elgin in 1990 to take over the BDO accounting office. He deals with small business owners by helping them organize and run their business as well as assisting with income tax planning and return preparation. Mike also runs a large auditing practice that does financial audits for non-profit organizations as well as small businesses.

Mike spends time helping BDO Canada LLP stay current on the latest accounting and auditing issues. He is one of 8 BDO partners from across Canada that sits on a steering committee to determine how professional standards are applied at BDO. Mike also sits on the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants AcSB’s Private Enterprises Advisory Committee that helps sets accounting standards for small businesses across Canada.

Mike assists the Summer Company participants by assisting with accounting and tax related questions as well as bringing general business knowledge to the discussions.

Mike enjoys helping the students because the fresh ideas they bring to discussions. Their enthusiasm they show in running their businesses rubs off and reminds him how much fun it is to learn something new.

Meet the Mentors – Tony Sheard

 Meet the Mentors” is our blog on the professionals who volunteer their time to help our Summer Company Entrepreneurs build their dream company. These professionals have diverse backgrounds and offer unique insight into overcoming obstacles that all start-ups face.  They are the reason that the Summer Company program is so successful – it’s about real students getting real help to make real money.  This series is meant to let students understand who will be there to help them if they get accepted into the Summer Company Program in Bruce County.

Tony Sheard

Tony was born in Yorkshire, England and he’s married to Sylvia and has one daughter. Sylvia is a Breast Cancer Survivor and since 2009, Tony has supported her Team along with the infamous Pretty Boys that have raised over $82,000 for  Breast Cancer related charities through Sylvia’s Ladies Day Out ‘Pretty in Pink’ initiative.

Tony is now retired but during his career he’s worked within the power generation sector and draws on experience working in the UK, North Africa, USA and in Canada since September 2000. He was a senior manager with strengths as both an HR professional and general manager with particular expertise in the areas of compensation, benefits, pensions, collective bargaining, recruitment, customer service, due diligence and business planning.

Since retirement, Tony’s become active in the community, being currently President of Southampton Rotary Club and the Vocational Services Chair for Rotary District 6330, a crew member and guide for the Marine Heritage Society on Chantry Island Tours, a member of Southampton Art School, Saugeen Shores Probus Club, and the Southampton Residents Association. In July he will take on the role of Assistant Governor for Area 1 of the Rotary District. 

He’s been a mentor on the Summer Company Program as part of Rotary’s vocational service program for the past 3 years. He thoroughly enjoys providing support and assistance to the young people on the program from his extensive business background.

He takes comfort from watching the participants from a wide range of backgrounds with diverse business ideas mature and increase in confidence through the short life of the program. He particularly enjoys the enthusiasm and vitality that the young people bring to solving problems to make their businesses thrive.

Look for our “Meet the Mentors of Summer Company in Bruce County” Series

If you are someone who  is thinking about applying to Summer Company in Bruce County, watch for our new blog series “Meet the Mentors”. Over the next few weeks we will post short Bios about the people who really make Summer Company a success.  For students in Bruce County, our mentors are wonderful people, who not only have great business skills, but also have a great time helping young entrepreneurs grow their dream companies. 

The mentoring component of Summer Company is what really what make this Ontario government program such a fantastic way to start a business. Real professionals giving real advice. Successful candidates have this amazing support network to turn to for advice on every aspect of running a business.

So if you are thinking of applying to Summer Company, read our series to learn about who will be there to help you ever step of the way.

Program Helps Small Businesses Hire an E-Business Intern

The Small Business Internship Program seeks to improve the competitiveness of SMEs (small/medium enterprises) by supporting businesses to actively market on-line and improve their competitiveness with e-business practices and technologies.

Your firm will receive financial support towards the employment of post-secondary students who will work on e-business projects. The Government of Canada will reimburse up to 75% of the eligible wages and related expenses such as statutory employee benefits, to a maximum of $10,000. Your firm is responsible for covering other expenses such as fringe benefits and overhead costs. Support will be available for twelve weeks.

PLEASE NOTE: Funding is limited and based on a first-come first-served basis so apply ASAP

For more information, please follow the link to Industry Canada’s website
 http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/sbip-pspe.nsf/eng/home

or contact the Business Enterprise Centre for general enquiries 519-832-2082

Aboriginal community profits from diversity, business success

Entrepreneurial spirit thrives in proper medium

Aboriginal business is a fast-growing sector of the Canadian economy. According to recent TD Economics estimates, aboriginal development corporations generated $8-billion in revenue in 2011, operating in sectors including airlines, mining, tourism, energy, manufacturing, environmental services and more. Small, independently owned businesses fared equally well, recording revenue of almost $1-billion, more than doubling their income over the past decade.

Statistics indicate that, despite ongoing social issues, there is growing business capacity in aboriginal communities and good reason to be hopeful about the future. According to a 2011 Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business survey, more than 250 economic development corporations are active in Canada today, with approximately 75% having been in business for 10 years or more. TD Economics’ forecast says combined revenue for development corporations and small business will reach $13-billion over the next five years.

Training and education remain high priorities, with several development corporations identifying employee training, recruiting and retention as important issues. Larger still were issues surrounding access to capital, with 60% noting concerns about access to credit.

Source: National Post, February 2, 2012

Going Global Workshop: An Introduction to International Trade – March 1st in Hanover

There will be a series of seven different workshops (please see flyers).

The first one (An Introduction to International Trade) will be held in Hanover, Kitchener and Thunder Bay.

Target audience:
The workshop is tailored to small and medium companies (SME). The workshops are sponsored by the Wood Manufacturing Council and the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry. Preference will be given to participants of the woodworking industry, however we believe we have enough seats to accommodate every interested company.

Companies, considering starting to export in the near future, as well as companies with some export experience will benefit from this workshop. The content of the workshop is industry neutral, however some of the case studies are from the woodworking and furniture industry.

The content of the Introduction course will help owners, middle management, sales, shipping and finance staff to get a better understanding and will help preventing costly mistakes.

After participating in the introductory course companies can decide on the more detailed courses held in Toronto/ GTA.

When and where
The Workshop will take place
on March 1, 2012, 8am (for more details see website/registration)
at the P&H Recreation Centre
at 269 7th Ave Hanover, Ont.

Cost / Discount for Bluewater Wood Alliance Members:
The workshop is substantially subsidized! The fee for the workshop is $50, taxes (Certified International Trade Professional presenter, 100-plus-page takeaway references tool and breakfast included).

Bluewater Alliance members receive 25% discount. Additionally, a second attendee from a member company will receive 50% off.

To register for the workshop, go to www.wmc-cfb.ca/goingglobal/on, ‘Create an account’ (about one minute), then ‘Register’ for the workshop in Hanover. You will have a choice of payment through PayPal by credit card or by cheque.

GG Intro Contents

GG-Hanover-flyer