Driving Canada's Business Success

Québec entrepreneurs Yan and Sébastien Gagnon of GG Telecom win CYBF 2009 National Best Business Award

Victoriaville start-up wins $20,000 towards business expansion

Left to right: John Risley, Chairman of CYBF; the Honourable Diane Ablonczy Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism); Vivian Prokop, CEO of CYBF; Sébastien Gagnon, co-owner of GG Telecom; Yan Gagnon, co-owner of GG Telecom
Photo: Dave Morrow Photography

November 16th, 2009, Toronto, Ontario: Today, in celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week Canada (GEW Canada), the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) recognized Québec entrepreneurial brothers Yan and Sébastien Gagnon of GG Telecom with the CYBF 2009 National Best Business Award. The award, which gives a prize of $20,000 towards business expansion*, is part of the CYBF Chairman's Awards Celebration, an event proudly presented by RBC, with National Media Partners the National Post and the CBC, Platinum Partner Spin Master Ltd, Gold Partner BDC, and Partners TD Bank Financial Group; KPMG; Research in Motion, and the University of Toronto. The Delta Chelsea Hotel is the official hotel of GEW Canada.

GG Telecom was chosen by a judging panel made up of leaders in business and entrepreneurship, from a pool of award-winning entrepreneurs from across Canada.

"Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of this nation," said Vivian Prokop, CEO of the Canadian Youth Business foundation. "We need more producers, more innovators and more risk-takers like GG Telecom to continue to build a stronger Canada. Today, CYBF is proud to honour GG Telecom with the 2009 CYBF National Best Business Award and their fellow award-winning new entrepreneurs, who are the future of Canada, as well as the role models who inspire them."

In addition to the CYBF 2009 National Best Business Award winner, CYBF celebrated 19 other remarkable Canadians, and their outstanding contributions to entrepreneurship. The exceptional individuals were honoured at the Celebration, held at The Carlu in Toronto, Ontario.

Honouring their outstanding contributions to Canada's entrepreneurial spirit, Mr. David Aisenstat, President & CEO, The Keg Steakhouse & Bar and Mr. W. Brett Wilson, Managing Director & President, Prairie Merchant Corporation each received the 2009 CYBF Nation Builder Award at the celebration.

"I am humbled that CYBF would choose to honour me with the Nation Builder award this year," said Mr. David Aisenstat. "Throughout my career, I have been mentored by incredible entrepreneurs that have provided guidance and wisdom along the way. I believe passionately in the value of mentoring, and wholeheartedly support the work that CYBF is doing to ignite the entrepreneurial mindset in young Canadians".

"The CYBF Nation Builder award is particularly meaningful because it recognizes two of my biggest personal passions - entrepreneurship and mentoring," added Mr. W. Brett Wilson. "I am an enthusiastic promoter of entrepreneurship because I believe running a business can be one of life's great adventures. Mentoring young business leaders does more than build better employees or business partners, it builds better people who become better parents, friends, and community builders. By celebrating individual strengths and passing on skills and knowledge, we make our business sectors, and whole communities, stronger."

More than 350 business and government dignitaries, along with students and aspiring entrepreneurs, celebrated the great achievements of CYBF's outstanding young entrepreneurs, mentors and community partners from across the country.

The award winners from the west to east coast of Canada are as follows:

2009 CYBF British Columbia Best Business Award
GumDrops Wet Weather Boutique
www.gumdropsonline.com
Shanda Jerrett

2009 CYBF British Columbia Outstanding Mentor Award
Fi Dastoor, Mentor to Shanda Jerrett, GumDrops Wet Weather Boutique

2009 CYBF British Columbia Outstanding Community Partner Award
Self Employment Entrepreneur Development Society (SEEDS)
www.seedsbdc.com
Monika Laul Verma

2009 CYBF Alberta Best Business Award
Douglas Square Physiotherapy Centre
Bryan Shopka

2009 CYBF National and Alberta Outstanding Mentor Award
Rosemarie Enslin, Mentor to Sarah Khallad, she was stunning and Melanie Breitkreutz, Be'ato Coffee Company Inc.

2009 CYBF Alberta Outstanding Community Partner Award
Small Business Resource Centers Inc.
www.bizwhiz.com
Linda Griffioen

2009 CYBF Central Prairies Best Business Award
Hoopla Clothing
www.hooplaclothing.ca
Jessica Williamson

2009 CYBF Central Prairies Outstanding Mentor Award
Albert Norman, Mentor to Jessica Williamson, Hoopla Clothing

2009 CYBF Central Prairies Outstanding Community Partner Award
Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth
www.edu.gov.mb.ca
Shaun Hampton

2009 CYBF Ontario Best Business Award
BioPed North Bay
www.bioped.com
Crystal Kaufman

2009 CYBF Ontario Outstanding Mentor Award
Shevaun Voisin, Mentor to Janine Keller Ng, Blue Skies Yoga & Eco Store

2009 CYBF National and Ontario Outstanding Community Partner Award
Hamilton Small Business Enterprise Centre
www.investinhamilton.ca/small-business
Chris Farrell/Kristin Huigenbos

2009 CYBF National and Québec Best Business Award
GG Telecom
www.spypoint.ca
Yan and Sébastien Gagnon

2009 CYBF Québec Outstanding Mentor Award
Michel Girard, Mentor to Pierre-Alexandre Villeneuve Tremblay and Mélanie Larin, Lavéco Mobile Inc.

2009 CYBF Québec Outstanding Community Partner Award
Développment économique - CLD Gatineau (DE-CLDG)
www.directiongatineau.ca
Gérald Lanoix

2009 CYBF Atlantic Canada Best Business Award
The Brooklyn Warehouse
www.brooklynwarehouse.ca
George Christakos

2009 CYBF Atlantic Canada Outstanding Mentor Award
Lana Pinsky, Mentor to Kim Dao, Bang Dao, and Chitsanupong Prathumma, Talay Thai Restaurant Limited and Cha Baa Thai Restaurant Limited

2009 CYBF Atlantic Canada Outstanding Community Partner Award
CEED Centre for Entrepreneurship Education & Development
www.ceed.info
Shawn Cunningham

* The award money is privately funded by an anonymous third party.

To read about these amazing award winners, or to find out more about CYBF, please visit www.cybf.ca

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Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) - www.gewcanada.com

From November 16th to the 22nd, more than 100 countries will come together to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), a movement to inspire millions of people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity. GEW Canada will be connecting hundreds of organizations to champion a culture of entrepreneurship and mentoring, through local, national and global initiatives. Students, educators, young adults, entrepreneurs, business leaders, mentors, employees, non-profit leaders, corporations, governments, and many others will participate in a wide range of programs. The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) is the Official Host for GEW Canada.

For more information, visit www.gewcanada.com.

The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF)
Canada's Entrepreneur Gateway - www.cybf.ca

The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) is the 'go to' place for youth entrepreneurship. As a national charity, we are dedicated to growing our nation's economy one young entrepreneur at a time. We look at character not collateral, when providing youth, age 18-34, with pre-launch coaching, business resources, start-up financing and mentoring, to help them launch and sustain a successful entrepreneurial business.

Founded in 1996, CYBF has invested to date in more than 3,300 young entrepreneurs, whose businesses have created more than 16,600 new jobs, $93 million in tax revenue and hundreds of millions of dollars in sales and export revenue. CYBF delivers its program coast to coast through a national network of more than 150 community partners and 3,000 volunteers including business mentors.

Information about CYBF is available at www.cybf.ca.

Media Contact: Lori Paris, Senior Manager, Media Relations and Communications, CYBF
Tel: (416) 408-2923 x 2120 E-mail: lparis@cybf.ca

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Media Contacts:

CYBF: Lori Paris, Senior Manager, Media Relations & Communications
Tel: (416) 408-2923 x 2120. E-mail:

The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF)
Canada’s Entrepreneur Gateway – www.cybf.ca

The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) is the ‘go to’ place for youth entrepreneurship. As a national charity, we are dedicated to growing our nation’s economy one young entrepreneur at a time. We look at character not collateral, when providing youth, age 18-34, with pre-launch coaching, business resources, start-up financing and mentoring, to help them launch and sustain a successful entrepreneurial business.

CYBF is the Canadian model of the Prince’s Trust and a leading member of the Prince’s Youth Business International.

Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) – www.gewcanada.com
From November 16th to the 22nd, more than 100 countries will come together to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), a movement to inspire millions of people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity. GEW Canada will be connecting hundreds of organizations to champion a culture of entrepreneurship and mentoring, through local, national and global initiatives. Students, educators, young adults, entrepreneurs, business leaders, mentors, employees, non-profit leaders, corporations, governments, and many others will participate in a wide range of programs. The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) is the Official Host for GEW Canada.

Driving Canada's Business Success By Helping Youth Help Themselves