Made in Markham Awards recognize future business powerhouses

MARKHAM, ON –  September 19, 2018 – Join the City of Markham on Friday, September 21 to recognize promising innovators and entrepreneurs at the launch of Made in Markham, formerly known as the Young Entrepreneurs Awards.

“Markham is home to the second largest tech-hub in Canada with a diverse, highly-skilled and educated workforce,” says Mayor Frank Scarpitti. “Our community is also a leader in business management and we are proud to support the next generation of business professionals and celebrate their successes as they embark on their entrepreneurial journey.”

The City of Markham is in the heart of Ontario's innovation corridor. With more than 1,500 high-tech and life sciences companies creating more than 37,000 jobs, Markham is a key player, outperforming Kitchener-Waterloo and Ottawa.

Jointly funded by the City of Markham and the Government of Ontario, Markham Small Business Centre (MSBC) provides aspiring entrepreneurs and existing small businesses with high quality one-on-one management consulting, educational training, and the business resources needed to sustain their growth in today’s competitive marketplace.
This event champions the social and economic impact that the MSBC has in our community, particularly in providing entrepreneurs with essential resources required to start their own business.

The Made in Markham Awards recognize future innovators who attended Entrepreneur Summer Camp, the local winners of the Business Plan Competition, students who have successfully completed the Ontario Summer Company Program and those who have become Starter Company Plus Entrepreneurs.

When:

Friday, September 21, 2018
Reception: 2:30 p.m. | Formal Presentation: 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Where:

Markham Civic Centre - Council Chamber
101 Town Centre Boulevard

Who:

Mayor Frank Scarpitti
Members of Council
Markham Small Business Centre

The Entrepreneur Summer Camp brings together campers 12-14 years of age to learn all aspects of running a business within one week. At the end of the week, products are sold at the Civic Centre, as well as at the MSBC online store. All profit will be donated to United Way at the end of the Camp.

The Business Plan Competition is open to students in Grades 9 to 12 at any Markham high school and to post-secondary students living in Markham. The challenge encourages students to develop a business concept, undertake research to determine feasibility and write a business plan to develop their entrepreneurial skills.

The Summer Company Program is open to students ages 15-29 and provides hands-on business training and mentoring – together with awards of up to $3,000 – to help enterprising young people start up and run their own summer businesses.

The Starter Company Plus Program is open to anyone over 18 years old who are not attending school full-time and helps them to start, expand or purchase their own business through guidance, business training and mentorship, and the opportunity to apply for grant funding up to $5,000.

These programs are run by the Markham Small Business Centre and the City of Markham, with support from the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

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Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti's Office: Lama Nicolas, Senior Communications Advisor at lnicolas@markham.ca or 416-671-2890

For all other media inquiries related to this news release:
Erynn Sally, Media Relations Coordinator at esally@markham.ca or 416-737-2684