www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday August 23, 2006 - 7 LIESA KORTMANN/ OAKVILLE BEAVER IN GOOD COMPANY: The 2006 Summer Company Program participants were introduced at a recent press conference by Acting Regional Chair Carol D'Amelio, staff from the Halton Region Business Development Centre and Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (MSBE) Harinder Takhar and Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn. Halton's Summer Company gives young entrepreneurs a head start By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Don't let the t-shirts, flip-flops and beach shorts fool you: the 2006 graduates of Halton Region's Summer Company program proved they are indeed business leaders in the making. Each of the 19 young people the largest turnout ever for the local program - runs their own company, with products and services ranging from hand-crafted jewelry and website design to summer camps and chartered fishing trips. All are secondary and post-secondary students between the ages of 15 and 29. "The McGuinty government is on the side of small business and entrepreneurs who help Ontario prosper," said Ontario Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Harinder Takhar, on hand to offer his congratulations during the recent graduation at Halton Regional Centre. The government is spending more than $1 million in 2006 to provide 370 students across the province with firsthand experience in starting their own summer businesses. This initiative provides hands-on business training and mentoring, together with awards of up to $3,000. Small Business Enterprise Centres and other groups help deliver the Summer Company program to students across the province. Locally, the Halton Region Business Development Centre co-ordinates the program and delivers it through volunteer business mentoring groups. Successful applicants are chosen through a competitive process, based on the business plans they submit, their understanding of the business idea and the probability of success. Once students are accepted for the program, they receive an award of up to $1,500 in early summer to help with business start-up costs, and a $1,500 award in the fall after successfully completing the program and returning to school. They also get a minimum of 12 hours of business training and the opportunity to meet with a local community mentoring group for support and advice. The students include Oakville's Rosaleen Ford, who attended Sheridan College to study Illustration and now operates Rosaleen Ford Portraiture. Ford - an artist who uses a variety of media from oil paint to pastels to create portraits (people to pets) from in-person sittings and from photographs credits Summer Company's start-up money with helping establish her enterprise. Since artistic types are not always adept at the business side of things, Ford said the mentoring expertise also proved invaluable. Further illustrating the breadth of talent and determination among the grads is Oakville's Michael Aquan-Assee, of Sheridan College, who operates Minds Eye Motivation, providing motivational products featuring his own original artwork. "The Summer Company experience has been very rewarding," said AquanAssee. "I found out a great deal about myself during this process. The support and guidance from the mentors, as well as networking with fellow participants, will create long-lasting business and personal relationships." The remaining Oakville graduates of the Summer Company program include: · Rebecca Basciano, of Oakville Trafalgar High School, operates Becca's Books, the first new and second-hand book store in the community of Sauble Beach. · Kathryn Christensen, of University of Western Ontario, runs Ear-Resistible, providing custom-designed, unique hand-crafted jewelry sold through small upscale boutiques in Oakville, Bronte and Burlington. · Kirk Dabols, of Iroquois Ridge High School, established Ridge Lawn Services, providing lawn services for Iroquois Ridge area homeowners, including mowing, trimming, raking, gardening and planting. · Jordan De Jong, of University of Western Ontario, runs Fin-natic Sport Fishing, offering charter fishing trips along the north shores of Lake Ontario. · Evan Dinsmore, of Iroquois Ridge High School, operates Concord Design, providing website design, graphic design, and stock photography services. · Alex Harris, of Iroquois Ridge High School, started Endelea Software Distributions, producing and selling CDs with various home and business software applications. · Brianna Knowles, of Oakville Trafalgar High School, operates TryHard Rugby, a youth rugby skills development summer camp. · Amar Mann, of McMaster University, started Streak-Free Window Cleaning, offering residential and commercial window cleaning services. · Paul Marai, of University of Toronto, operates Oakville Tutoring Services, providing multi-subject area elementary and secondary level tutoring. · Oliver Marler, of McMaster University, provides auto detailing and home maintenance services through Cleaner Image. · Conor O'Hara, of University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, operates Safety Curbs, providing professionally painted property addresses on curbs of homes in South Halton.