Clause No. 21 in Report No. 3 of Committee of the Whole was adopted, without amendment, by the Council of The Regional Municipality of York at its meeting held on October 17, 2013.

21 YORK SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISE CENTRE

2013 SUMMER COMPANY UPDATE

1. RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that Council receive this report for information.

2. PURPOSE

This report provides Council with an overview of the York Small BusinessEnterprise Centre (YSBEC) 2013 Summer Company Program, a provincial initiativedesigned to teach entrepreneurship to youth and create new business start-ups andjobs.

3. BACKGROUND

York Small Business Enterprise Centre delivers the Summer CompanyProgram on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade andEmployment (MEDTE)

The Summer Company Program is a youth entrepreneurship initiative launched bythe Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment (MEDTE) in 2001and delivered through 57 Small Business Enterprise Centres across Ontario. TheProgram offers students between the ages of 15-29 grants up to $3,000 to start abusiness and successfully complete their Summer Company Program.

Students apply online through MEDTE and then complete a business plan outlining theiridea for the summer, working closely with the YSBEC staff. After extensive businessplanning, there is a final interview process to determine the top candidates to accept intoSummer Company. Upon approval of the business plan, the successful applicantsreceive 8-12 weeks of hands-on business training and mentoring to help with the start-upand running of their businesses.

Committee of the Whole recommends adoption of the following recommendation contained within the report dated October 3, 2013 from the Executive Director, Corporate and Strategic Planning:

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Clause No. 21 2 Report No. 3 Committee of the Whole

The YSBEC is the program provider of the Summer Company Program for the northern six municipalities of Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, King, Newmarket and Whitchurch-Stouffville in York Region. Funding is received from the Province and the YSBEC then coordinates and executes the Program based on a set of provincial guidelines. Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan also deliver this program through their own Small Business Enterprise Centres. Summer Company has been operational in the northern six municipalities since 2004 with 117 students successfully completing the program The YSBEC began offering the Summer Company Program in the northern six municipalities of the Region in 2004. Since then, 117 students have successfully completed the program, creating local employment, generating revenues that flow into the community, and receiving grants totalling $351,000 from the Province. Province of Ontario has indicated interest in increased focus on youth As part of the 2013 Ontario budget, it was announced that $295 million over two years would be dedicated to helping young people find jobs. It is anticipated that a portion of this funding will go towards helping young people start businesses and that programming like Summer Company will receive a greater emphasis from the province.

4. ANALYSIS AND OPTIONS Fifteen youth entrepreneurs earned revenue and provincial grants totalling over $93,500 in 2013 The YSBEC received 52 applications for the 2013 program while being allocated 15 spots by the Province. Fifteen summer businesses were approved to participate and 14 successfully completed the 2013 Program, starting businesses that included: a swim school, animation design, an artist, custom greeting card maker, 4 landscaping services, driveway sealing, coconut vendor at fairs, handyman services, leather goods retailer, interior and exterior painting, t-shirt design and an eco-friendly retail business. A photo list of 2013 participants appears as an attachment to this report (see Attachment 1). Three students from Newmarket, five from Aurora, two from King, one from East Gwillimbury and two from Whitchurch-Stouffville participated in this year’s program. Two students from Richmond Hill also participated through the YSBEC as their Centre was already at capacity. Sales revenue for the businesses totalled over $51,500 supplemented by $42,000 in grants to the students from the Province.

Clause No. 21 3 Report No. 3 Committee of the Whole

The Summer Company Program benefits York Region through entrepreneurship development and job creation The Summer Company Program is a key element in the Regions’ youth entrepreneurship program. Developing entrepreneurial and business operating skills in youth is important in helping to build the next generation of business owners and entrepreneurs that will keep York Region’s economy vibrant. In addition, the program creates employment for the summer for the students themselves and staff that they hire. In some cases the businesses continue on throughout the year and beyond, and a number of York Summer Company graduates have turned their summer start-ups into permanent businesses, leasing space and hiring staff. Local business leaders have been engaged as mentors to students The YSBEC actively performs outreach into the business community to obtain volunteer mentors for the Summer Company Program. Bi-weekly mentor meetings occur throughout the summer where the students are able to draw upon the advice, skill set and experience that each mentor possesses. The 2013 Program had nine external mentors, each with a diverse skill set (see Table 1).

Table 1 2013 Summer Company Mentors

Name Type Organization Vern Cunningham Entrepreneur Cube Investments Ltd. Claudine Johns Franchise Owner Krown Rust Control - Aurora Alexandra Kallio Commercial Banking National Bank Danielle Koren Marketing Specialist Improvance Inc. Steve McGowan COO & CFO Matias Corporation Lori McIsaac Project Manager Dupont Contracting Group Inc. Brian North Entrepreneur The Ellis Studios Limited Stewart Petrie Entrepreneur Carafe Wine Makers Cindy Phillips Entrepreneur Cindy Phillips Consulting

The Summer Company Program is actively promoted by the Province and the Region The Province actively promotes the Summer Company Program and businesses created through a dedicated website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, LinkedIn profile and an annual Summer Company Yearbook publication to raise awareness regarding the Program among youth. The Region actively promotes the Program and businesses created through its own communication channels, including posting information on its various social media outlets. These Provincial and Regional promotions assist in raising program awareness within communities and help drive sales for the student businesses.

Clause No. 21 4 Report No. 3 Committee of the Whole

Summer Company helps set the stage for longer term business opportunities for students The focus of the Summer Company Program is on helping students start their own businesses in order to provide summer employment, the program also results in longer term business opportunities for those students. In 2011, 60% of these businesses formed across the Province continued to operate after the summer and of these, many continue to grow and hire employees. Examples in York Region include: • Danielle Schleese, a 2012 student, continues to operate Faced: Professional Makeup

and Artistry full time in the summer and on a part time basis as she continues her studies.

• Swim Stars, created in 2012 by Christie MacLeod, is another example and success of how Summer Company creates full-time summer jobs for students. Christie began her company in 2012 and continued to operate this summer, building upon last year’s success and experience to create full-time employment for herself, while also contracting work on as-needed basis.

• Rosa Alaimo, founder of Eco Girl in 2013, plans to continue her business once summer is over due to her success and passion of creating an eco-friendly business while also raising environmental awareness. This summer, Rosa was featured on City News Toronto to highlight the benefits of her business, appeared in the Stouffville Tribune and also did an interview for ‘A Greener York’ featured on Rogers TV. Rosa was able to clearly state her objective and also discuss the operation of her business of ‘turning trash into treasures’. Rosa recently launched ‘Waste Buster Program’ for the community to donate unwanted items to her business, building upon her message of sustainable living.

• Peter Barbosa started ITelligent through the Summer Company Program in 2009 when he was 19. The company focused on providing information technology services to local companies. After completing his studies, Peter continued with the company and now services customers across the Greater Toronto Area.

Link to Key Council-approved Plans The Summer Company Program supports the Economic Vitality Strategic Priority area of the 2011to 2015 Strategic Plan by increasing the number of jobs, the number of small business start-ups and the percentage of people living and working in the Region, all of which lead to increased employment opportunities for those living in York Region.

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5. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS Provincial funding is critical to the success of the Summer Company Program The Summer Company Program would not be possible without the funding and support received from the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment. In 2013 the Province provided $62,500 for the Program delivered through the York Small Business Enterprise Centre, including $42,000 in student grants, $19,000 in base funding for Regional staff resources, and $1,500 to market the Program. In 2013 the students generated over $51,500 in revenue over the 12 week period. Including grants, this represents $93,500 worth of goods and services flowing into the York Region economy.

6. LOCAL MUNICIPAL IMPACT The Summer Company Program has a direct municipal and Regional impact on youth employment. In the northern six communities since 2004, Summer Company has resulted directly in 117 youth entrepreneurs receiving $351,000 in grants. Sales revenue over the past two years have been over $231,500, helping stimulate the local economy as these entrepreneurs need to purchase supplies and services to operate.

7. CONCLUSION The Summer Company Program is a Provincial youth entrepreneurship initiative delivered by the York Small Business Enterprise Centre on behalf of the northern six communities. Since 2004, 117 student businesses have successfully completed the program earning provincial grants totalling $351,000. Fifteen student businesses covering a range of products and services were launched through the Program in 2013, generating business and grant revenue in excess of $93,500. The Program promotes business formation, job creation, local spending, and develops entrepreneurial skills in youth through business leader mentorship. For more information on this report, please contact Doug Lindeblom, Director of Economic Strategy at 905-830-4444 Ext. 1503. The Senior Management Group has reviewed this report.

(The attachment referred to in this clause is attached to this report.)

Attachment 1 Small Business Enterprise Centre

2013 Summer Company Participants

Glenn Mendonsa - eklektisk Alex Harris – WellNorth Goods Sophie Bile – Sophie’s Swimmers

Chris Kwapis – Green Planet Student Mowing Rosa Alaimo – Eco Girl Laura Seminara – Ribbon and Lace Cards

Richard Nassour – A-Star Lawn Care Rob Mackay – Student Pro Lawn Care Tredel Lambert – Tre Anime

Daniel Abdallah – MOWERS Landscaping Taylor Monti – Tuition Sealers Melvin Nolan – Melvin Nolan Painting

Eric Bagnall - EBL

Phillip Litwack – Coco Loco