HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2015-05-13, Page 66 News Record • Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Win This Space contestants unveiled
Marco Vigliotti
Postmedia Network
When the Win This Space
competition was announced
last month, organizer Jan Haw-
ley said she hoped it would
attract at least 10 serious appli-
cants - maybe even 15 if she
was especially fortunate.
Her all -too modest projec-
tions, however, greatly missed
the mark, with 26 contenders
stepping forward to submit
preliminary business ideas in
hopes of winning free rent for
a year at a storefront in Sea -
forth or Brussels.
The participants, publicly
introduced during an April
30 launch event at the Sea -
forth Golf Club, are bringing
forward a wide range of pro-
spective retail opportunities,
including an organic -
focused cafe, quilt shop,
photo studio and refur-
bished furniture store.
"That is awesome," Hawley,
Huron East's economic devel-
opment officer, said of the
number of applicants. "I'm
overwhelmed by the response
The contest, modelled after
a similar promotion launched
in the south-central Ontario
township of Uxbridge in 2013,
also grants the winner hun-
dreds of dollars worth of in-
kind professional services, as
well as financial and market-
ing assistance.
The concept, Hawley
explains, is to inspire and
nurture prospective entre-
preneurs in the municipality
by providing hands-on mar-
keting and business plan-
ning advice.
All applicants must attend
workshops organized by the
Huron Small Business Enter-
prise Centre focusing on the
fundamentals of starting a
business from cost projec-
tions to advertising pitches.
Each workshop will also
involve assignments,
research, and coaching on
how to create a successful
business model. Once com-
pleted, the entrants will sub-
mit their business plans to
the Huron East Economic
Development Department
to be reviewed by the Win
This Space judging panel,
which will then select the
top five candidates.
The finalists will attend a
grand finale event sometime in
June where they'll be granted
one last opportunity to win
over the judges with their con-
cept and business model.
Hawley claims that those
who do not win will still ben-
efit from the valuable know-
how gleaned from the semi-
nars and collective wisdom
of the experienced mentors
who will offer guidance dur-
ing the competition.
"If you can complete the
training -we have excellent
consultants and mentors
who are part of this - you're
Marco Vigliotti Postmedia Network
The contestants and organizers for Huron East's innovative Win This Space contest pose at the
introductory gala hosted at the Seaforth Golf Club on April 30.
going to come out with a
solid business plan and
that's gold," she told the
assembled crowd inside the
scenic golf course's main
building. "You're not going
to be alone, our goal is to see
you through this process."
Among the participants in
attendance at the catered
gala were the contest's first
success stories - Jared and
Heather Gowan who have
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Special meeting of Councils of
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on Thurs. May 14 at 7pm in Seaforth
since dropped out after
securing a lease for a build-
ing on Seaforth's Main Street
to open their proposed
24-hour gym.
Both said they still plan to
attend the free workshops.
Joe Steffler, Huron East's
deputy mayor, who was also
in attendance, seized the
opportunity to applaud the
municipality for supporting
the innovative contest, while
chastising Huron County for
"sitting back" on the eco-
nomic development file.
"(Huron County) became
chairman of the pity club
and our population shows it
- it's been declining," he said
of the county's sluggish
BMW
approach to finding ways to
rejuvenate the region.
Steffler did commend the
county for eventually creating
the Huron County Economic
Development, which works
in collaboration with similar
organizations set up by its
member municipalities.
As for Win This Space, he
argued it could be a boon for
the entire region, saying
"what's good for Huron East
is good for Huron County!'
While acknowledging that
attracting businesses to rural
Ontario remained difficult,
Hawley said she thought the
municipality was "overcom-
ing that," with the contest
acting as a "great kick start."
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