Thunder Bay – BUSINESS – The Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) is pleased to announce another two rounds of successful entrepreneurs who participated in the Starter Company Plus program. The final rounds of the 2020 program saw a total of eighteen business owners go through the program. Over the past year, there has been a total of thirty-five local entrepreneurs to successfully complete the program and receive the $5000 grant, totaling $175,000, the highest in the program’s history.
“Being able to support the continuous growth of our small business community is crucial to the success and recovery of our local economy,” says Eric Zakrewski, CEO, Thunder Bay CEDC. “Last year our Board of Directors approved additional funding to ensure more entrepreneurs were able to participate in the program and were supported through the pandemic. Along with high participation rates we are seeing some of our highest application numbers as well. With interest continuing to grow, the CEDC looks forward to supporting more local businesses and entrepreneurs through a strong recovery.”
The program is supported by the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade and is lead locally by the Thunder Bay and District Entrepreneur Centre, part of the Thunder Bay CEDC. The goal of the program is to mentor and train local entrepreneurs who are looking to start up, expand or purchase an existing business. Participants completed workshops relating to market research, labour and employment law, insurance, wealth management, and social media marketing. Upon being approved for the grant the participants will begin their mentorship with a local professional.
“Dorset Pier Mental Health is extremely grateful for the opportunity to have participated in the Starter Plus Company program,” said Danielle Rider, Owner, Dorset Pier Mental Health. “The opportunity to attend a variety of information sessions that spoke to different areas of business development was valuable in our understanding and development of our practice. The grant is being used to fund our website and brand development – a much-needed component of our business plan! Thank you for the opportunity, CEDC!”
The eighteen successful participants for the Starter Company Plus program are as follows:
- Awesome Earth
- Big Sack Co.
- Northern Heights Co.
- One Time Brew
- Shumka Dust
- Sociable Thunder Bay
- Stony Wilds
- Wildwood Cafe
And
- Allam Heating & Cooling Ltd.
- Dorset Pier Mental Health
- Fantastico Foods
- Jennifer’s Gluten-Free Kitchen
- North Shore Puzzles
- OPT IN HR
- Such a Nice Day (S.A.N.D) Adventures
- The Refill Co.
- Waxxed Candle Co.
- Zuback Chiropractic and Rehab
Participants include 15 start-ups and 3 expansions.
Visit www.gotothunderbay.ca/startercompanyplus for more information about the program.
