|
(Wolfville,
NS) - Acadia University rewarded students and
community members for their entrepreneurial contributions and
innovative ideas during its annual Entrepreneurial Spirit Banquet
last evening.
The winners of three
unique student competitions: the Entrepreneurial Challenge, the
Wesley Nicol Business Plan Competition, and the Atlantic Engineering
Competition were recognized. Dr. Abdullah Kirumira was also honoured
with the Acadia University President’s Entrepreneurial Award.
Leading up to the
banquet, close to 100 Acadia University students from several
academic disciplines demonstrated their abilities in competitions
designed to generate interest and skills in entrepreneurship.
The Entrepreneurial
Challenge, which took place on March 6th, is organized by the Acadia
Centre for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The competition
provides an opportunity for students to explore entrepreneurship
from a multidisciplinary perspective. It also provides a platform
for students to share ideas, form new relationships, and develop
attitudes and business skills needed to identify business
opportunities.
The winner of the gold
prize in the Entrepreneurial Challenge, valued at $1,000, was
second-year Masters of Recreation Management student Gair MacInnis.
MacInnis’ project explored the possibility of a Christmas wreath
recycling business in Wolfville to reduce the number of wreaths
deposited into landfill sites. Visit
www.acsbe.com/ec06awards.htm to view additional winners.
The Wes Nicol
Competition, a traditional business plan competition, which
determines Acadia’s representation at the national competition in
Ottawa on March 23rd, was won by second-year Business student Hal
Montgomery for his proposed mussel hatchery. Montgomery received a
$6,000 award for his efforts. Visit
http://business.acadiau.ca/NicolCase/Nicol.htm to view
additional award recipients.
The winning design
team from the Atlantic Engineering Competition, held last month at
Dalhousie University, was also acknowledged. Rob Greenop, Stacy
Murray, Megan Trimper and Mitchell Whyte compete this weekend in the
Canadian finals of the competition in Montreal.
Dr. Abdullah Kirumira,
the Acadia University President’s Entrepreneurial Award recipient,
is an entrepreneur and innovator who has enjoyed world-wide success.
Dr. Kirumira has incorporated concern for community and social
benefits with the development of his groundbreaking rapid HIV test.
He has worked to educate society about HIV while his biochemical
companies have helped the local economy thrive. Dr. Kirumira is a
former biochemistry professor at Acadia University and is currently
the President and CEO of Biomedica Diagnostic Systems in Windsor,
Nova Scotia.
Dr. Kirumira is the
third recipient of the President’s Entrepreneurial Award. The first
recipient was Kenneth Irving, CEO of Irving Oil Ltd., and last
year’s recipients were Jeff and Debra Moore, owners of Just Us
Coffee Roasters.
The banquet guest
speaker was Marina Atwell, President of Velocity Entertainment. An
accomplished professional with a diverse marketing, communications
and management background, Ms. Atwell spoke on the 4 P's of
Entrepreneurship: Performance, Passion, Persistence & People.
Her advice for being successful in business was to focus on your
unique abilities and realize the importance of people and
relationships.
Acadia University, in
Wolfville, Nova Scotia, has long been recognized as one of Canada’s
premier undergraduate institutions. With its nationally and
internationally recognized research initiatives, small class sizes
and technology-rich teaching and learning environment, Acadia offers
students an experience that includes academic achievement combined
with personal growth and development. For more information about
Acadia, visit our website at
http://www.acadiau.ca
-30-
|
