Choose Cornwall
Cornwall, Ontario – The Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre spring session of the popular Starter Company Plus program is pleased to announce seven successful grant recipients.
The Starter Company Plus program provides free hands-on training for new entrepreneurs interested in start-up support for their business. The 12-week program is open to Cornwall, SDG and Akwesasne residents in the spring and fall. Funding is provided by the Province of Ontario and administered by the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre (CBEC).
Participants receive assistance to start, grow, or buy a small business which includes training, mentoring and support provided by CBEC with help from local industry experts. A limited number of participants are invited to pitch their new business to a grant panel in order to qualify for the grant. Applicants with the highest scores are eligible for the grant, which can be spent on equipment, supplies, marketing and a number of other business growth initiatives.
“The Starter Company Plus program has proven to be an excellent resource for local entrepreneurs looking to start or expand their business”, said Shauna Baggs, Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre. “It is always a pleasure to witness new entrepreneurs build on their business idea and develop confidence throughout the program. Working with such a wide variety of business owners across Cornwall, SDG and Akwesasne is very rewarding and I look forward to seeing all participating businesses succeed”.
The 2023 fall session was very competitive, with an initial enrollment of 49 entrepreneurs. Following weeks of hard work, only 14 participants were selected to pitch their business idea to the grant panel with seven participants receiving the grant up to $4,500.
Congratulations to the Fall 2023 Starter Company PLUS Recipients:
Melissa St Louis – Seaway Charters – Your Local Transportation
Brett Conway – Aminoats Inc.
Robyn Neville – Neville HVAC/R Inc.
Angela Youngs – Ground Soap
Judy Read – Celebrate Events
Emily Millar – MOOD Kits
Curtis Kenny – CKFX3D
The Starter Company PLUS program has been offered through the Business Enterprise Centre since late 2013. To date, the program has assisted 153 businesses and awarded $663,000 in grants.
The above entrepreneurs and dozens of other small businesses were mentioned in the 2023 Year in Review report from Cornwall Economic Development. To see the presentation, please follow this link:
Next Intake
The application period for the next session of Starter Company PLUS will open February 1st, 2024 and will close on February 29th, 2024 at 4:00 pm. Click here for eligibility requirements and other general information on the program: https://businessenterprisecentre.ca/.
About the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre
The Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre helps small business owners and entrepreneurs succeed in Cornwall, Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry & Akwesasne by offering information, tools and support during the start-up and growth stages of business operation. This includes administration of the Summer Company and Starter Company PLUS programs. The Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre is operated by Cornwall Economic Development and funded in part by the Government of Ontario.
The Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre is located at 100 Water Street East (Cornwall Civic Complex):
Web: https://businessenterprisecentre.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CornwallBiz
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cornwall-business-enterprise-centre
