The Young and the Enterprising

Markham, ON ~ November 2, 2007 ~ The winners of the 2007 Young Entrepreneur Awards were announced today at a celebration featuring Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti , Members of Council, students, parents, teachers, principals, and mentors. They gathered to honour enterprising local students who excelled at planning and running their own companies, including the local winner of the Secondary School Business Plan Competition, and those students who successfully completed the Ontario Summer Company Program.

Each of these young entrepreneurs had a great idea and a commitment to hard work”, said Markham, Mayor Frank Scarpitti. We believe it is important to support their development with the expertise and financial assistance that will ensure their success.

The Secondary School Business Plan Competition and the Ontario Summer Company Program assist students to start and run their own summer businesses, and are initiatives of the Ontario Ministry of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, with support from the Town of Markham's Small Business Enterprise Centre.

The Town of Markham is commited to finding and nurturing entrepreneurial talent, said Sandra Tam, Manager, Markham Small Business Enterpise Centre.

The Secondary School Business Plan Competition encourages high school students to develop a business concept , write a small business plan and submit it for evaluation for prizes from $200 to $500.

The Summer Company program provides hands-on business training and mentoring - together with awards of up to $3,000 - to help full-time students run their own summer businesses. An integral part of the success of the Summer Company program is the Community Mentoring Group. Volunteer business advisors are on hand to meet with the program partipants bi-weekly to provide support, guidance, advice and skills development.

Another role model the students could follow was Master of Ceremonies Melaire Abernethy. She was a finalist in the Secondary School Business Plan Competition in 2004, and has been working at the Markham Small Business Enterprise Centre for the past summers.