BDC and Futurpreneur Canada announce regional finalists of the 2014 BDC Mentorship Award

BDC and Futurpreneur Canada announce regional finalists of the 2014 BDC Mentorship Award

Award recognizes a Canadian business mentor credited by their peers for having provided valuable advice and support

MONTREAL & TORONTO, April 16, 2014 — The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and the Futurpreneur Canada today announced the regional finalists of the 2014 BDC Mentorship Award. The annual award aims to raise awareness about the importance of mentorship and the role mentors play in the development of their mentees’ professional skills and abilities.

“From coast to coast to coast, we received over a hundred nominations for this inaugural edition of BDC Mentorship Award,” said Michel Bergeron, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Marketing at BDC. “It has been great to see so many mentors and mentees from across the country join us in helping raise awareness about the importance of mentorship and the invaluable support and encouragement it provides entrepreneurs, both young and old.”

Julia Deans, CEO of Futurpreneur Canada, added: “We are thrilled by how much interest the new BDC Mentorship Award has generated. Our research shows that mentors make a profound and lasting difference in cultivating an entrepreneurs’ confidence, and also become strong advocates for their business and success. We’re pleased to recognize and celebrate their work with this award.”

The regional finalists of the 2014 BDC Mentorship Award are:

• Ellen Farrell
  Halifax, Nova Scotia
• Ken Leblanc
  Moncton, New Brunswick
• Christiane Bélanger
  Quebec City, Quebec
• Vicky Saunders
  Toronto, Ontario
• Ryan Jackson
  Medicine Hat, Alberta
• Gary Bizzo
  Vancouver, British Columbia

The recipient of the 2014 BDC Mentorship Award will be announced at CYBF’s Action Entrepreneurship: Growing Young Enterprise Canadian Summit in Toronto on May 14, 2014. It is one of four new entrepreneurship awards launched by BDC that will promote and recognize Canadian entrepreneurs in four key areas: mentorship, innovation, resiliency and serial entrepreneurship. These awards are in addition to the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award, a contest where entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35 are invited to present a turning point their company has reached and the solution they propose to take their business to the next level.

About BDC

Canada’s business development bank, BDC, puts entrepreneurs first. With almost 2,000 employees and more than 100 business centres across the country, BDC offers financing, subordinate financing, venture capital and consulting services to more than 28,000 small and medium-sized companies. Their success is vital to Canada’s economic prosperity.

About Futurpreneur Canada

Futurpreneur Canada is a national non-profit organization dedicated to growing Canada’s economy one young entrepreneur at a time. We look at character, not collateral, when providing youth aged 18-39 with pre-launch coaching, business resources, low-interest financing of up to $15,000, and industry-leading mentoring to help them launch and sustain successful businesses. Futurpreneur Canada’s co-financing partner, the Business Development Bank of Canada, leverages Futurpreneur Canada’s application process to provide up to $30,000 in additional support for Futurpreneur Canada entrepreneurs.

Established in 1996, Futurpreneur Canada has been recognized as a global leader in advancing youth entrepreneurship. Futurpreneur Canada is a founding member of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance, the Canadian member of The Prince’s Youth Business International, and the Canadian host of Global Entrepreneurship Week. staging.futurpreneur.ca. @Futurpreneur.

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For more information, contact:
Maeve Hannigan
Veritas Communications
T – 416-955-4570
C – 647-618-8621
Email: hannigan@veritasinc.com