Top businesses announced for 2012 Canadian Youth Business Foundation Chairman’s Awards
Top businesses announced for 2012 Canadian Youth Business Foundation Chairman’s Awards
Youth-led businesses fuel economic prosperity and growth
TORONTO, ON (October 18, 2012) – During Small Business Week®, the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) is pleased to announce the winners of the Best Business Awards for the 2012 CYBF Chairman’s Awards program.
“Entrepreneurs are the driving force behind Canada’s continued economic recovery and future growth,” says John Risley, Chairman, CYBF Board of Directors. “Through these Awards, we celebrate the advancements that young entrepreneurs have made in the past year and we are proud to recognize the positive impact that they will have on Canada’s future.”
From a company that can revolutionize hip replacement surgery to one helping create a thriving African middle class with fair employment, these winning businesses are prime examples of how bright young entrepreneurs are building a better tomorrow while inspiring other young people to become the next generation of business leaders.
The award winners received coaching, business resources, start-up financing and mentoring through CYBF to help them launch their businesses. Each will each receive $1,000, and will compete for the National Best Business Award Grand Prize: $20,000 for business expansion. The awards will be presented at an event held at Toronto’s CN Tower on November 14, 2012, as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) Canada celebrations.
“Congratulations to this year’s applicants for their significant contributions to the business communities in which they operate, as well as to the greater Canadian economy,” says Risley. “All of the thousands of entrepreneurs we’ve supported are outstanding representatives of the calibre of young and emerging entrepreneurs in our country and we’re proud to have been involved in their crucial early stages.”
The 2012 Chairman’s Awards winners are:
Best Innovative Business: Discovering, developing or refining a new or existing product, service or method
Avenir Medical Inc.
Entrepreneurs: Armen Bakirtzian, Richard Fanson and Andre Hladio
www.avenirmedical.com
Best Green Business: Embodying sustainability, or offering a product or service that provides a clear environmental benefit
Growing City
Entrepreneur: Lisa von Sturmer
www.GrowingCity.ca
Best Socially-Minded Business: Uses business operations as an avenue to create and organize social change
Oliberté Limited
Entrepreneur: Tal Dehtiar
www.oliberte.com
Best Emerging Business: Demonstrating an established customer base and market presence and experiencing profitability (one-to-three years in business)
Fiddleheads Kids Shop Inc.
Entrepreneur: Lisa Donaldson
www.gofiddleheads.com
Best Expanding Business: demonstrating an established customer base and market presence and experiencing profitability (more than three years in business)
TalentEgg Inc.
Entrepreneur: Lauren Friese
www.talentegg.ca
To read about these award winners or for additional information on CYBF, please visit www.cybf.ca/awards.
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Canadian Youth Business Foundation – Canada’s Entrepreneur Gateway
The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) is the ‘go to’ place for youth entrepreneurship. As a national organization, we are dedicated to growing Canada’s economy one young entrepreneur at a time. We look at character not collateral, when providing youth, age 18-39, with pre-launch coaching, business resources, start-up financing and mentoring to help them launch and sustain a successful entrepreneurial business. CYBF is the founder of the G20 Young Entrepreneur Summit (G20 YES) and founding member of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance (G20 YEA). www.cybf.ca.
® Small Business Week is a registered trademark of the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC).
For more information please contact:
Lesley Wilmot
Director, Marketing and Communications, CYBF
(416) 408-2923, ext. 2203
lwilmot@cybf.ca
