2011 Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

Pictured above: Anne Comozzi (left), Winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2011, and finalists Sue Chessell, David Dahr and Heidi Mackay

We had a strong group of well deserving finalists. Congratulations go out to Anne Comozzi on being named the 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year Award! Anne is an artist, writer and the owner/operator of the Anne Camozzi Art & Design Studio near Antigonish. We congratulate the other three finalists, Sue Chessell, David Dahr, and Heidi Mackey, for their outstanding achievements and entrepreneurial spirit.

The event began with break-off workshops featuring discussions on the business of visual arts, music and writing. Participants took part in small group discussions  before meeting back in the main ballroom to network and to enjoy the food and refreshments. The night featured two panel discussions, Industry Insiders and Entrepreneurs in the Arts.

The Industry Insiders panel had a great variety of experts. EDN was privileged to have Nate Crawford, Executive Director of the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, Robbie MacGregor, Publisher and co-founder of Invisible Publishing, Serge Samson, Education and Events Coordinator at Music Nova Scotia, Brandt Eisner, Owner/Director of Swoon Fine Arts, and Peter Kirby, Tourism, Culture and Heritage Program Officer for Nova Scotia, provide their valuable insights into their industries.

The Entrepreneurs in the Arts panel brought together a diverse group of entrepreneurs from the community and EDN was thrilled to have Ken Ward, painter, musician and writer, Ross Burns, capoeira performer and Gypsophila musician, Tim Worthington, craftsperson/potter and Amelia Curran, Juno award winning musician discuss their entrepreneurial spirit with the evening’s guests.

This year, EDN was excited to award the 2011 Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award, presented by Lori MacLean by Encana, to Matthew Colgan! Matthew has found recent success selling his hand crafted wooden pens. This award was created to introduce and recognize a newly emerging entrepreneur from our community who is on the path to become a future winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award!

Pictured above: Matthew Colgan, Recipient of Encana’s Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2011

It was a very exciting evening and EDN thanks Mary Jane Copps for moderating the discussions, past co-op students and to all the other volunteers for their hard work and dedication.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support the event and we are looking forward to seeing you next year!

2010 Entrepreneur of the Year Event and EDN’s 15th Anniversary

The 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year event also celebrated the 15th anniversary of EDN. It was a full house of EDN members, friends and staff. With a final tally of 146 attendees the event proved itself to be a great success! Member displays lined the walls at one end of the ballroom, showcasing a variety of products EDN members have to offer.

Brad McRae, the guest speaker at this years event, spent time discussing his views on leadership. McRae holds the position of Director at the Atlantic Leadership Development Institute in both Halifax, Nova Scotia and Kingston, Jamaica. He is a best-selling author, having written eight books as well as being a keynote presenter and consultant.

A panel discussion was held which discussed “Tips and Techniques for Accessing Equity Funding”. This years panel was made up of Ross Finlay—First Angel Network, Stephen Hartlen—Innovacorp, Troy desBarres—MagicLamp Software, and Mickey McDonald—Micco Companies. The panel shared advice from their own experience in this area as well as addressing a number of questions from the guests.

We would like to congratulate Dan MacNeil on winning the 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year Award! He is the mayor as well as founder of OurTownEarth. OurTownEarth is a virtual town, social networking, and information resource site. Its priority is to create a community as well as equal opportunities for people with disabilities. Congratulations are also in order for this years nominees! — Anna Quon—freelance writer, Krista Cook — Voice Waves Atlantic, Nadine Wentzell— Adult Educator, and Susan Roper — Empowerment Connection. These members have all been accomplishing quite a lot within their business and we would like to recognize them for their work.

2009 Entrepreneur of the Year Event

Mike Perrier, Entrepreneur of the Year, and Roswell James, President of the Board

The evening of the 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year awards was a great success!
The event kicked off with guest speaker Dan MacNeil of Our Town Earth
proclaiming “Life was not a box of chocolates, sometimes I didn’t like what
I ended up with, so I would pick again. If life deals you a hand that you are
not content with, you have the opportunity to take another card. Create
opportunities, learn to take chances, and make dreams reality.” This was
just the beginning of what would be a wonderful night.

There was a lively panel discussion covering ‘The Media and Your Business’
with two guest panelists, Pamela Scott Crace from Progress Media Group, and
Steven Proctor from the Chronicle Herald. Both panelists answered questions
from our members and gave great insight into the world of publicity. This portion
of the event was moderated by EDN’s very own Archie Gillis.

The final part of the evening – the presentation of the Entrepreneur of
the Year Award – brought tears to many in attendance. There were six
great nominees: Tracy Sheffield, Terry Stewart, Danielle Bordage, Sue
Chessell, Nancy Marshall, and Mike Perrier. Each entrepreneur had a unique and
inspiring story that was artfully delivered by EDN’s Vice President, Nicole Smith.

Winner of the 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year Award is Mike Perrier. Mike has
owned and operated Perrier’s Concrete Homes for the last nine years, and was
thrilled to accept the award. Before beginning his business, Mike made his living
working as an aluminum window and door technician. He then moved on to teach
construction at Amherst’s School for the Deaf. Mike continues to be active in
advocating for the rights of the deaf and hard of hearing.

Mike took care to establish solid working relationships with customers, contractors
and suppliers. After accepting the award, he reflected “When I built my first house,
there were mistakes; I didn’t make very much money on that house. But I persevered; my first year in business, I built one house. Today I am booked in
advance all year long.” Truly a story of success and inspiration, Mike Perrier is a
testament to hard work, perseverance, and living your dream.