Friday, November 2, 2007

Young Entrepreneur Awards Winners

First Prize Winner: Lorraine Norman
Brother Andre Catholic High School

Business Plan: Ignite the Fire Restaurant - an in -restaurant eatery that also provides takeout,
delivery and catering services.

Finalists:

Jacquelyn Chin-Stang Yah Mon Restaurant
Anne Li Camp Lango
Kevin Peck SnoWars Inc.
Peter Paltekroff Peltekoff Golf Cart GPS
Jessica Wong and Gelaine Santiago Caspian Clothing Co.

Judging Panel : Sandra Tam, Manager
Ted Northcott, Regional Advisor Markham Small Business
Entrepreneurship Branch Enterprise Centre
Ontario Minisry of Small Business Town of Markham
and Entrepreneurship

Ontario Summer Company 2007 Winners

Anitha Chiu I-PACS Design Solutions
Queen's University, Year 3 Provides custom web page design, business
cards and company logos

Caroline Hung Ready for Success
York University, Year 4 Provides high quality one-on-one tutoring and
enrichment service for students, from
Kindergarten to grade 6

Carmen Law E-Clips Productions
St,Augustine Catholic High School, Grade 12 Creates promotional informercial video medium
for small businesses

Community Mentoring Group:

Matthew Bodkin Jim Stewart, MBA Stephen Wong
President and Systems Design Cheif Executive Officer President
InnovationOne Applied Technology Profit PATH ESM, Group, Inc.



Keynote Speaker: Matthew Bodkin, InnovationOne; Master of Ceremonies: Melanie Abnethy:
Honorary Guest Presenter: Ted Northcott, Regional Advisor, Ministry of Small Business, and
Entrepreneurship.

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.

Chan Named Citizenship And Immigration Minister

Markham-Unionville MPP Michael Chan is Ontario’s new citizenship and immigration minister.Chan, who was revenue minister, received the new portfolio as part of Premier Dalton McGuinty’s cabinet shuffle on Tuesday.Among his priorities will be ensuring skilled newcomers are able to work in their professions without any bureaucratic delays.

With files from Yorkregion.com


- ER

Press Release - Markham Citizens Asked to Make Their Opinions Count

Markham, ON…Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti and Town Council are seeking community input on proposed areas of strategic focus through an exciting online process and public consultation campaign during a month-long virtual Town Hall meeting throughout November.

Come to the community and media launch to learn more and to try the innovative program, which uses high-tech software in a new way to gather public opinion.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007 1 – 2 p.m. Great Hall - Markham Civic Centre 101 Town Centre Blvd., Markham (northwest corner of Highway 7 and Warden Avenue)

Building Markham’s Future Together

Friday Sports Report

OHL: Kitchener 8 Oshawa 3

York Region Athletics

Sr. Girls' Basketball — Aurora 53 (Beth Hagarty, 14), St. Theresa of Lisieux 46 (Noelle Zletni, 19); St. Joan of Arc 31 (Janan Issa and Amira Fawadleh, 10), Woodbridge 21 (Shanice Yarde, 11); St. Robert 51 (Morgan Luters, 23), Middlefield 34 (Gillian Maburaj, 10); Father McGivney 58 (Tanieka Swaby, 16), Richmond Green 33 (Janet Joslin, 13); St Augustine 36 (Rachel Sue, 16), Milliken Mills 30 (Phylicia Choo-Yick and T.J.Akinrinola, 9);

Jr. Girls' Basketball — Toronto District Christian 35 (Curtiss Straatsma, 10), Father Bressani 10 (Laura D'Angelo, 8); Richmond Green 38 (Danielle Harris, 9), Father McGivney 26 (Chika Ofoha, 8)

Tonight

NHL: Toronto at New Jersey

NBA: Toronto at New Jersey

AHL: Toronto at W-B/Scranton

OHL: Oshawa vs. Brampton; 7:30pm, Powerade Centre. Niagara vs. Mississauga; 7:30pm, Hershey Centre.

OPJHL: Ajax vs. Markham; 7:30pm, Centennial Arena

With files from thestar.com

- ER