The 16th edition of the regional finals of the Concours québécois en entrepreneuriat, held in Sainte-Geneviève-de-Berthier, showcased the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit of the Lanaudière region, and provided an opportunity to discover some inspiring and noteworthy entrepreneurial projects! Over 250 people attended this major event to discover the winning projects, which will go on to the national selection finals. The Lanaudière region crowned 18 entrepreneurial projects and awarded 29,500$ in bursaries.
The honorary president of this 16th edition, Jean-Sébastien Martin, general manager of the Café Culturel de la Chasse-Galerie, stressed the importance of such a competition for the development of their project. "Take advantage of the great visibility offered to you today and after the event. Be opportunistic and ride the wave...Every time a microphone presents itself, be ready to take advantage of it.
e're ready to sell us your ideas, products and services. Your projects are innovative and surprising, and they deserve to be known in the region and beyond!"
Review of the 16th edition
This year, the Concours québécois en entrepreneuriat Lanaudière attracted no fewer than 105 Student Entrepreneurship projects. This category encourages initiatives that contribute to the development of entrepreneurial values in schools and extracurricular activities, from primary school to university. The Business Creation component is aimed at people aged 18 and over who are in the early stages of realizing their business project. For this 16th edition, 68 business projects were submitted. The 16th edition set a new record as the year with the highest number of business start-up submissions.
The success of the entrepreneurial adventure in Lanaudière is the result of close collaboration between the region's educational institutions and socio-economic organizations over many years. Coordinated by Lanaudière économique, this 16th edition is implemented by the CLD and SADC de la MRC de Autray. The competition is also overseen by members of the Centres locaux de développement (C
LD), Sociétés d'aide au développement des collectivités (SADC), Carrefour jeunesse-emploi (CJE), Coopérative de développement régionale de Lanaudière (CDR), Commission scolaire des Samares and Commission scolaire des Affluents.
New in 2014 - Live webcasting on the Internet
For this 16th edition, the Concours québécois en entrepreneuriat Lanaudière enabled the finalists' loved ones to follow the winners' unveiling in real time via webcast and social networks. As it's always difficult to welcome all the candidates' friends and family, this way of doing things allowed the winning projects to shine in homes across Quebec!
2014 ENTREPRISE CREATION AWARD WINNERS :
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Biofood
Les herbes gourmandes, Saint-Norbert - Louis-Vincent Larose and Charles Verdy - Trade
La Grigne, artisan bakery, Joliette - Matthieu Chartier - Social economy
Coopérative de solidarité de la Matawinie - Marc Champoux, Jean-François Champoux and Réjean Lachance - Export, processing, production
Jalbert Wrought Iron, L'Assomption - Jean-René Jalbert - Femmessor
Café Ohanna inc. Saint-Donat, Geneviève Cloutier and Geneviève Mercier - Innovation, technology and engineering
Beehivr Technologie, Repentigny-Jean-Philippe Laforge Solutions
Controlmatik inc,Terrebonne - Guillaume Levasseur and Éric Thuotte - Services for individuals
45 degrees North, Saint-Calixte - Steve Maillette - Jury's favorite
Paysage Gourmand, Rawdon-Guillaume Pelland - Corporate Services
Services d'arbre expert inc, Lavaltrie -Maxime Plouffe - Business transfer
Brandon Équipement de Camion inc., Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon - Sylvain Lemaire and Benoit Lemair - Popular vote
Dimanche Matin, Joliette - Annie-Claude St-Jean - Réussite inc.
La Source Bains Nordiques, Rawdon - Patrice Lalancette, Caroline Simard
2014 STUDENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD WINNERS :
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Primary cycle 1 (grades 1 and 2)
Du plaisir pour guérir, École Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci et Sainte-Émile, Entrelacs - Primary cycle 2 (grades 3 and 4)
Bazaar and spaghetti dinner, École de l'Aubier, Saint-Lin-Laurentides - Primary cycle 3 (grades 5 and 6)
Low-cost bookstore, École La Source d'Autray, Lanoraie
Le petit magasin scolaire, Sacré-Coeur-de-Jésus School, Crabtree - Secondary Cycle 1 (Grades 1 and 2)
Friperie Bermon, Bermon High School, Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon - Secondary Cycle 2 (Grades 3, 4 and 5)
Blanc-soins du corps products, Havre-Jeunesse high school, Sainte-Julienne - Special education
Chewin gum, École secondaire Félix-Leclerc, Repentigny - Popular vote
Du plaisir pour guérir, École Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci et Sainte-Émile, Entrelacs
For a description of the winning projects and more information about the Lanaudière Entrepreneurship Contest, visit www.entreprenez.qc.ca