The results of the 17th annual Québec Entrepreneurship Contest are in, and the winners for the Matawinie RCM are now known! In all, five (5) local winners in business start-ups from the Matawinie RCM. Two (2) other MRC businesses are also in the running at regional level for the Réussite inc. and Transfert d'entreprise awards.
The local committee for the Concours québécois en entrepreneuriat en Matawinie is made up of a representative from the Centre local de développement (CLD) and the Société d'aide au développement de la collectivité (SADC). The latter oversaw the competition at local level, and ensured the constitution of a jury committee made up of local and regional players. Projects were evaluated according to a number of criteria, including market analysis, business plan, financial and marketing plan, as well as the entrepreneurial profile of the promoter(s). At a press conference, the committee proudly unveiled the winning companies.
The local winners for the Matawinie MRC are :
Category Farming, processing, production
Catherine Bastien and Pascale Boulé for PRAVI, Rawdon
Design and sale of natural and organic personal care products.
Biofood category
Claude Archambault, for Plaisir Dégust-Art inc. of Saint-Jean-de-Matha.
Molecular dark chocolate mousses using regional ingredients.
Business Services category
Alexandre Drapeau, for Arch Design, Sainte-Béatrix
Custom architectural plans for construction and renovation.
Trade category
Karine Therrien, for Boutique Flamingo, Chertsey
Creation of an exclusive collection of vintage clothing reproductions.
Social economy category
Nathalie Lajoie, representative of the collective enterprise, Boîtes d'ici et Cie, of Saint-Jean-de-Matha
Purchase and redistribution of low-cost fresh market garden produce.
About the competition
The goal of the Québec Entrepreneurship Contest is to support the development of entrepreneurship in Québec by rewarding concrete initiatives in both the Student Entrepreneurship and Business Creation segments, throughout the province. Through its Business Creation division, the Contest encourages entrepreneurs in the early stages of their business start-up to present their business projects, and thus contribute to their growth.
An operation of this scale requires the financial participation of major partners. At the national level, we would like to highlight the unfailing support of Desjardins, Vidéotron, the Quebec government, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Les Affaires newspaper and Gaz Métro.
At the local level, we've been counting on the support of the SADC and CLD Matawinie for many years, as well as the Carrefour jeunesse-emploi Matawinie for the Student Entrepreneurship component. We would also like to mention our support in coordinating the regional competition with Lanaudière économique.
The regional winners will be announced shortly...
This year's Regional Gala will be held on wednesday may 6 at Collège Esther-Blondin in Saint-Jacques. This will be an opportunity to reward the winners of the Competition, and to share in the excitement and emotion of all the young students and new entrepreneurs who will have the joy of seeing their project rewarded, and who will celebrate the accomplishment of their efforts.
