NEWS RELEASE
THUNDER BAY CEDC
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THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) would like to congratulate the successful Summer Company students who started and managed their own small business this past summer. The Summer Company program is administered by the Thunder Bay and District Entrepreneur Centre and has seen 88 students go through the program since 2014.
“The students learn a lot from the hands-on experience and mentoring provided by Summer Company,” said Eric Zakrewski, Thunder Bay CEDC chief executive officer. “It gives young people a taste of entrepreneurship with little risk involved. Many Summer Company participants continue their businesses after the program has ended and eventually develop into full-time entrepreneurs.”
The Summer Company program kicked off at the beginning of the summer with the students receiving a $1,500 grant to cover start-up cost for their new summer business. Throughout the summer, participants worked with a local mentor and attended workshops based on customer service, marketing, bookkeeping, and insurance. Once all of the program requirements were met, the participants were given another $1,500 grant to help with any incurred costs associated with their business.
"It was a great experience to start my own business, Mummu's Pulla, through the Summer Company Program.” Says Ailiin Snell, Owner of Mummu’s Pulla. “Before the start of my business, I participated in multiple workshops; in one of them, I was taught how to cultivate good customer relations with my clients. Once I launched my business, I was paired with a mentor, who was an experienced business owner in the community. It was beneficial to have regular meetings and be able to ask questions of someone who had gone through the same process themselves. Overall, I am glad to have had the experience."
The participating students are as follows:
William Hollins, owner of Key Components 3D Printing and Design
Travis Hensrud, owner of Elite Window Washing Co.
Noah Barile, owner of Parkdale Lawn Care
Jaimie Nadon, owner of Sargent Swampy Art
Zakk Hoxell, owner of Heartless
Hailey Sohlman, owner of The Art of a Chicken
Abigail Sherlock, owner of Aspect Ontario
Ailiin Snell, owner of Mummu’s Pulla
Seven students operated their business in Thunder Bay and one student operated in the Greenstone district.
