Toronto, ON (Thursday, March 11, 2010) – Niagara College’s “Students In Free Enterprise” or SIFE team has been named the 2010 TD SIFE Entrepreneurship Challenge Regional Champion by national charitable organization Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) and proud program supporter TD.

All Ontario and Quebec based SIFE teams were judged by live panels of business professionals, and regional champions were announced on Monday March 8th in Toronto at the 2010 ACE Central Canada Regional Exposition.

SIFE Niagara College stood out to the judges because of their dedication to underprivileged co-operatives in developing countries, aspiring student entrepreneurs and current business owners. Through SIFE Niagara College’s efforts the following projects are currently in operation, at no cost to participants:

• Fair Trade Niagara - creates economic opportunities for underprivileged co-operatives in developing countries while creating international and local jobs. Currently the team is working with three countries - South Africa, Argentina and Peru, has created 17 jobs and over $275,000 in economic opportunity.
• Ready, Set, Succeed - educates and assists entrepreneurs in the Niagara Region on how to create a sustainable business through one-on-one mentorship with local business owners. Currently this program as created 19 jobs and over $650,000 in economic opportunity.

"We are very honoured and excited to have won this award,” explains Kari Spry of SIFE Niagara College. “It’s great to see all of our hard work being recognized and it truly inspires us to continue to create an impact in our community."

The end goal of this annual challenge is for SIFE teams to provide guidance and mentorship to aspiring entrepreneurs as well as work directly with local businesses to help improve their operations, profitability, and job creation. Teams have been provided the necessary tools and training from ACE to develop and implement their extensive projects to help others. The Niagara College team will now move on to the national level of competition taking place in Calgary on May 11th.

“We know how important it is to build a foundation of leadership and entrepreneurial skills at a young age,” says Paul Douglas, Executive Vice President, TD Business Banking. “Through the TD SIFE Entrepreneurship challenge, we can play a role in growing the next leaders of Canadian businesses.”

About ACE
Founded in the mid-1980s, Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) is a national, charitable organization that is teaching and igniting young Canadians to create brighter futures for themselves and their communities. ACE delivers a team-based program called Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) and an individual-based program, the Student Entrepreneur National Competition. These programs provide university and college students access to real world experience, through the implementation of outreach projects and business ventures that complement in-class studies. Students involved in ACE make a meaningful contribution to their communities today, and discover their potential to achieve an even greater impact as the leaders of tomorrow. Last year, ACE students created 600 jobs, logged 260,000 volunteer hours, impacted 63,000 people, and generated over $40 million in economic activity. ACE is currently established on over 50 post-secondary campuses across Canada.

Contact:
Jaime Szegvary
Communications Consultant, ACE
416.619.8994
jaime@acecanada.ca 

Kari Spry
SIFE Niagara College
289.969.0342
karispry@hotmail.com
Aceniagara@yahoo.ca 

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