Canadian troops report for duty at intensive week-long entrepreneurial boot camp
The Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur kicks off Based in Business series at Memorial University
July 18, 2013, St. John’s, Newfoundland – On Monday, July 22, nineteen transitioning Canadian Forces members from across Canada will gather at Memorial University to participate in Based in Business, a week-long, all-expense-paid entrepreneurial boot camp founded by Enactus Memorial and presented in partnership with the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF).
Participants at the award-winning Based in Business will develop their business ideas through classroom presentations, seminars, discussions and one-on-one time with experienced professionals, students and faculty from Memorial University’s Faculty of Business Administration. This is the first of three such boot camps across Canada, with the second taking place at the Paul J. Hill School of Business, University of Regina, from August 10-18, and the third at Université Laval from August 18-24.
“As participants in this program, we have been blessed with this incredible opportunity to be taught, supported, mentored and inspired by the best,” said Lieutenant-Commander Kathryn Hodgson, a retired Personnel Selection Officer with the Royal Canadian Navy and graduate of last year’s Based in Business. “The entire team helped us realize our passion, potential, skills and energy, and set me on a course toward success in further developing and creating my business.”
The boot camp is an integral part of The Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur, a unique, national program of Prince’s Charities Canada—the Canadian charitable office for HRH The Prince of Wales—for transitioning Canadian Forces members interested in making the move from a military career to entrepreneurship. The program provides education, financing and mentorship to give these military members the best chance at business success.
“The Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur is about giving options to those who’ve served their country,” said Amanda Sherrington, President and CEO of Prince’s Charities Canada. “This program is a continuation of the Prince of Wales’s ongoing commitment to the Canadian Forces.”
“We are pleased to offer our full support in providing pathways to entrepreneurship for the men and women who have served our country with tireless dedication,” said Julia Deans, CEO, CYBF. “We are honoured to work alongside the Prince’s Charities Canada to expand upon this highly successful program, and we’re committed to ensuring our troops have access to the resources they deserve to start and run successful businesses.”
The Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur program is supported by the Department of National Defense and Veteran’s Affairs Canada, and is sponsored by True Patriot Love, Mosaic, The Queen’s Silver Jubilee Trust, The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation and Canada Company. It was created and built upon the foundation of CYBF’s 17 years of experience in mentoring and financing new entrepreneurs and the Based in Business educational boot camp developed and offered by Enactus Memorial.
Participants of this year’s Based in Business boot camp at Memorial University include:
Alan King, Oromocto, NB
Andrew Lafleche, Pembroke, ON
Anthony Rotondi, Hamilton, ON
Brian MacPherson, Harrowsmith, ON
Cindy Dickson, Kingston, ON
Daniel Long, Noonan, NB
Derek Hughes, Ottawa, ON
Edward Switzer, Halifax, NS
Genevieve Noel, Gatineau, QC
Ghislain Pitre, Dartmouth, NS
Janick Lemieux, Toronto, ON
Jason Lamont, Kingston, ON
Jason Steeves, Chelsea, QC
John Blakeley, Ottawa, ON
Kenneth White, Upper Tantallon, NS
Michelle Tremblay,Carlton Place, ON
Scott Gooch, Annan, ON
Tony (Anthony) Lynch, Moncton, NB
Alfred Turcotte, Pembroke, ON
-30-
Canadian Youth Business Foundation
The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to growing Canada’s economy one young entrepreneur at a time. CYBF looks at character, not collateral, when providing youth aged 18-39 with pre-launch coaching, business resources, start-up financing and mentoring to help them launch and sustain successful businesses. CYBF has been recognized as a global leader in advancing youth entrepreneurship, is a founding member of the global G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance), the Canadian member of the Prince’s Youth Business International, and the Canadian Host of Global Entrepreneurship Week (November 18-24, 2013). Visit www.cybf.ca.
Prince’s Charities Canada
Prince’s Charities Canada (PCC) expands and enhances the Canadian charitable work of HRH The Prince of Wales. The work of PCC is focused on The Prince of Wales’s core interests, which have been well established in the UK for more than 30 years. These include improving the lives of disadvantaged youth, education, responsible business, improving the built environment, regeneration of heritage and environmental sustainability. PCC works with existing Canadian charities already connected to The Prince and facilitates new opportunities for charitable organizations in Canada and the U.K. to work together.
The organization’s objectives are guided by the work of The Prince’s Charities, a group of 16 non-profit U.K. organizations, of which The Prince of Wales is President. These charities collectively work in 38 countries and form the largest multi-cause charitable enterprise in the U.K., raising nearly $200 million each year. Initiatives are focused on The Prince’s main areas of work and are delivered by our partner organizations. Visit www.princescharities.ca
Enactus Memorial
Enactus is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing skills to become socially responsible business leaders. The Memorial University chapter has been internationally recognized for its program, “Based in Business,” which provides military veterans with business-skills training in a one-week summer residential setting. Visit enactus.org.
Media are invited to attend the boot camp during the week, as well as the closing reception on Saturday, July 27, from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact:
Matthew Rowe (on-site contact)
Manager, Charitable Operations, Prince’s Charities Canada (PCC)
416-967-2940
Cell: 416-576-3969
Matthew.Rowe@princescharities.ca
Lesley Wilmot
Director, Marketing and Communications, CYBF
(416) 408-2923, ext. 2203
lwilmot@cybf.ca
