TISDALE — Community Futures NewSask celebrated the region’s up and coming youth entrepreneurs.
At the Youth Business Excellence Awards May 5, awards were presented to students from the Kinistin Business Group, Nipawin’s LP Miller, St. Brieux, Naicam and Hudson Bay.
The Kinistin group, which attends Tisdale Middle & Secondary School, operates Tasty Towne Catering, a functioning business created when the students saw a need for such a service in their area. For group member Wesley Brabant, it was his third time at the awards, while for Bentley Scott, it was his first.
“I think it’s encouraging and it inspires us,” Scott said, “to get more and get out there and work harder.”
“It feels good because the first time we came here, we only got one prize and the third time, we got more than the first time,” said Brabant.
This year, the group, which also includes Kirkland Ahpey, Eja Severeight, Aidan Lumberjack and Taya Thomas, received best business venture for a Grade 10 to 12 group, an agricultural business award and a special achievement award.
Brabant said business continues to go well for Tasty Towne Catering.
“We actually get a lot of requests to cook for venues and stuff like that. It feels good knowing that we can improve our work.”
He also added it was good to see a lot of young entrepreneurs coming to these awards.
Roan Woodward, along with his partner Cohen Morin, received third place for a Grade 6 to 9 group businessplan for a hockey camp aimed at ages 12 and under. They also received a special achievement award.
The LP Miller student said he and Morin got the idea based on their experience.
“I play hockey lots and it’s really fun.”
Woodward said he thought the awards were a good experience and that they’d work on the business plan for next year.
“It was me and Cohen and I think it was a good idea and I think we’ll try and make it better next year.”
St. Brieux School received five awards at the event.
“I was really proud of them for all of the work they did and it’s just really nice for them to get some recognition,” said Jeremy Rolheiser, the teacher that taught their entrepreneurship class. For those students, creating business plans was a class requirement, so for the students, entering the awards just requires filling out an extra form.
The teacher said the plans were based on what the students like.
“We had some kids that really liked food, so they wanted to make their business plans about the food they love to eat, we had lots of athletic kids, so they made business plans about the sports they are into, like basketball.”
Business Plan – Individual Grade 6-9
Heidi Bergen, LP Miller
Olivia Myhre, LP Miller
Kathryn MacDonald, LP Miller
Business Plan – Individual Grade 10-12
Jan Mark Rosalin, St. Brieux
Business Plan – Group Grade 6-9
Shawna Woloshyn, Jaylyn Berthold and Jayne Waterhouse, Naicam
McKenna Nygren and Jade Missler, Naicam
Cohen Morin and Roan Woodward, LP Miller
Business Plan – Group Grade 10-12
Madeleine Tohmas and Makenzie Kovacs, St. Brieux
Kaileigh Thorlakson and Taylor Eisner, St. Brieux
Wendy Ruiz and Luigi Mendoza, St. Brieux
Business Venture – Individual Grade 10-12
Brianna Paskell, Hudson Bay
Business Venture – Group Grade 10-12
Kirkland Ahpey, Eja Severeight, Aidan Lumberjack, Taya Thomas, Wesley Brabant and Bentley Scott, Kinistin Business Group
Agricultural Business Award
Kirkland Ahpey, Eja Severeight, Aidan Lumberjack, Taya Thomas, Wesley Brabant and Bentley Scott, Kinistin Business Group
NewSask Memorial Award
Brianna Paskell, Hudson Bay
