The 2007 Niagara Entrepreneur of the Year Award winners announced

NIAGARA FALLS, ON — Winners of the 14th annual Niagara Entrepreneur of the Year Awards were announced at the Sheraton Fallsview Hotel & Conference Centre on Feb. 29.

“Each winning entry’s extraordinary work ethic and responsibility to the community exemplifies the spirit of a true entrepreneur,” said Stan Pride, Chair of the Niagara Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. “Their keen business sense, passion and determination are second to none. Each winning entry is the consummate entrepreneur and very deserving of being named one of the Niagara region’s top entrepreneurs.”

The winners of the 2007 Niagara Entrepreneur of the Year Awards are as follows:

Innovative Small Business — Niagara Inflatables & Games Inc., Nancy Schappert, St. Catharines

Established Enterprise — Royal LePage, Niagara Real Estate Centre, Margie Spence, St. Catharines

Technological Innovation — Silicon Knights, Denis Dyack, St. Catharines

Tourism Enterprise — Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours, John Kinney, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Family Enterprise — Riverbend Inn & Vineyard, Jill, John and Henry Wiens, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Emerging Entrepreneur — Davo Inc., Dave Mooradian, Thorold

The Niagara Entrepreneur of the Year Awards also bestowed awards to:

Lifetime Achievement Award — John Howard, John Howard Cellars of Distinction

Community Contribution Award—George Darte, George Darte Funeral Chapel

Hall of Fame Historical Award—Suzanne Rochon-Burnett

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure

ST. CATHARINES — Opening your own business can be a scary prospect. Just ask Mike Thorne, President of JUST JUNK headquartered in Niagara.

In 2003, Thorne was working with one of Canada’s largest corporations in Toronto. Sitting at his desk in a sea of cubicles, he was given the job of figuring out a way to remove old office equipment from the 7th floor of his building. After dialing and surfing the web unsuccessfully in search of a junk removal company, it hit him — he realized everything in this world would one day need to be removed and disposed of.

“It was an epiphany,” said Thorne. “Within a couple of weeks I had left my well paying position and life in Toronto and moved back to my hometown in St. Catharines. I bought a $500.00 cargo van, called my one-man-in-a-van operation JUST JUNK and I opened for business.”

After placing a primitive ad in the classifieds Thorne’s suspected hunch was correct; everybody owned junk. He spent his days picking up anything from anywhere, and nights were spent working on building a business model and interviewing employees.

Since this time, JUST JUNK has grown by leaps and bounds. The Niagara based company now has a centralized call centre, 12 employees who spend much of their day interviewing prospective franchisees. The company has been recognized with numerous entrepreneurial awards, and in 2007 (after turning down multiple franchise prospects) incorporated JUST JUNK Franchising Corporation and sold the rights to Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville and Mississauga.

“Everybody wants an environmentally desirable solution for their junk problems, and we have proven that in southern Ontario. We are in the process of expanding JUST JUNK nationally and one day internationally. After examining demographics and waste statistics from across Canada, there is room for tremendous growth. There are an abundance of Franchise opportunities across Canada, and I encourage anyone who has thought about opening their own business to give JUST JUNK a good look. We have a great business model with an exceptional support structure. It works,” added Thorne.

Selecting a franchise is not a spur of the moment decision and it takes time and consideration to find the right fit for your needs. Before venturing down that road, it’s important to find the right idea and see whether you have what it takes.

Mike Thorne offers these top five reasons to consider a JUST JUNK franchise:

1. The most precious commodity today is time. Industry experts predict demand for junk removal services will continue to grow at an accelerated rate as time-starved consumers continue to buy time-saving services well into the 21st century.

2. We are now living in a throw-away society where products are routinely purchased and then simply discarded after only a few short useful years.

3. Aging baby boomers are looking for a fast and easy way to dispose of and recycle a lifetime’s worth of “junk” as they downsize and simplify their lives.

4. The do-it-yourself renovation industry is booming. Renting a disposal bin or taking the junk to the landfill using a personal vehicle or rental truck is not a simple, practical or cost-effective solution.

5. Curbside programs are becoming more restrictive with the items residents are permitted to place at the curb and in many cases finding the labour to get everything curbside is often impossible. Curbside programs do not recycle junk either.

“We are now receiving inquiries from all over the U.S. and Canada and are aiming to have 100 franchises in the next five years. This is just the beginning,” added Thorne.

St. Catharines–Thorold Prosperity Council welcomes new Chair

ST. CATHARINES — Rob DePetris, Vice President of Silicon Knights, and member of the St. Catharines–Thorold Prosperity Council, has been appointed to the position of Chair of the Prosperity Council. DePetris’s appointment coincides with the Council’s establishment of a set of paths to prosperity for St. Catharines and Thorold.

“The Prosperity Council has been examining areas of opportunity in our community in which the Council could be a catalyst for economic growth,” explains DePetris. “We’ve reviewed other communities where business civic organizations have taken an active role in creating successful vision plans and we’ve looked at the unique strengths of our community. We are now in a position to build a long-term plan that is specifically designed to tap into the strengths of our communities.”

The St. Catharines–Thorold Prosperity Council was formed in June 2007. Comprised of business, academia, community leaders and St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan and Thorold Mayor Henry D’Angela, the Council is in the process of establishing taskforce committees for the five paths of prosperity identified by the group. The five paths include: Interactive Media Development; Commercialization and Incubation of Innovation; Growing the Green Market; Capitalizing on Tourism and Culture; and Building Health & Wellness Opportunities.

“The five paths represent areas of future economic growth that will be an important part of Niagara’s ability to diversify its economy,” continues DePetris. “We are confident that we have the nucleus of a process that will deliver results, and that will culminate in a long-term vision creating more prosperity in our communities.”