Fleming College Hosts Technology Showcase To Help Community Businesses

Fleming College is virtually hosting the 2021 Innovation and Technology Showcase, an annual event students create technological solutions for real-world challenges for businesses and communities on Thursday at 10:00 a.m.

The top 10 of 67 teams — five businesses and five technology teams —will display their projects before a panel of 15 judges to determine the winner of the top prize money.

The following are the top 10 projects:

• Josephine Management Co. Ltd.

• Rfid Accessibility Tool

• Smart Spice Rack

• Fleming College Interactive Greeting System

• Fix-a-Leak Plumba Web App

• A Small Town Restaurant Looks Up

• Marketing Strategy for Parkhill Realtors Group

• Crestwood Alumni Better Together

• Bob Nurse RCPA

• Fleming Regsitrar’s Office Commmunications Plan

Fleming invites the public to honour the competing students and view the results as they will be announced on April 29 at 3:00 p.m.

The event is in partnership with Bell who has sponsored the event for the past several years.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Nomad Striking Company, Inspire, Trillium Automobile Dealers Association and 2021 Business Summit

Mike Doherty has renamed and relocated his business. Formerly Dohjo Muay Thai & Fitness on Charlotte street, Mike has renamed his company Nomad Striking Academy and set up a new studio at 1748 Syer Line in Fraserville, just South of Kawartha Downs.

Mike has classes for kids, teens, adults and special needs in Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and Boxing. You’ll find Nomad Striking Academy on Facebook and Instagram.

Inspire: The Women’s Portrait Project has extended the deadline for their #SheInspiresMe project to April 22 at midnight.

Inspire, conceived by local photographer Heather Doughty, is dedicated to celebrating inspiring women. This year, in a wonderful pandemic pivot, Heather is handing the lens over to YOU. If there is a woman in your life who inspires you, just submit a photo along with two or three sentences by Thursday at midnight.

Congratulations to Michael Eatson, Dealer Principal at Peterborough Volkswagen on being selected as President of the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association (TADA) at their recent Annual General Meeting.

TADA represents over 1,100 new car dealers in Ontario. Eatson is planning to focus his term on attracting the next generation of auto professionals, and the post-pandemic recovery. He is also following in his father, Peter’s footsteps, who was President in 2002.

The Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce and Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development are presenting the 2021 Business Summit all this week.

There is no charge to attend the online events which will focus on recovery, foster connections and offer knowledge on upcoming trends.

Workshops include photography, email marketing, inventory management, the customer experience, a funders forum and the daily networking tournament. Get your free tickets at the Peterborough Chamber’s official website.

 “Like” StoosNews page on Facebook here!

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring The Dirty Burger Company, USB Escape, Propel Physiotherapy and Local Peterborough!

Dirty Burger opened last week. Owner Om Patel is serving up fresh ground beef smash burgers, hand-cut fries and delicious veggie dishes. What is a smash burger? The meat is formed by hand into balls and then smashed onto a scorching hot griddle. Open for pickup and delivery, the Dirty Burger is located at 211 Hunter Street in Downtown Peterborough.

USB Escape is an immersive take-home escape room company that ships games right to your front door! The horror-based game features eight major puzzles, 13 hidden puzzles and one meta puzzle that is played entirely on a USB stick from your laptop or desktop computer.

There are over three and a half hours of gameplay and owner Keith Dozois says USB Escape has chalked up sales in seven different countries, has been featured on countless podcasts, streaming channels and game review sites! USB Escape is available for purchase at just $14.99 on their official website!

Propel Physiotherapy recently announced the addition of Registered Physiotherapist Christine Davies. Propel is located in Etobicoke, Pickering and Peterborough and specializes in the treatment of neurological and orthopedic conditions caused by motor vehicle accidents, workplace accidents, and sports injuries.

Finally a shoutout to all of our local businesses who once again find themselves with nothing but pick up and delivery options. Hopefully you will all go out of your way to support our local business community by helping them get through the next few weeks. Whether its curbside pick-up, delivery, whatever works, please think local, #lovelocalptbo

 “Like” StoosNews page on Facebook here!

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Local Chef Celebrates Restaurant Grand Opening With Free Burger Promotion

A dream come true for local chef and entrepreneur Om Patel as he opens “The Dirty Burger Company” with 50 free burgers on Thursday before its grand opening on Friday.

Om Patel during his tenure at Moj Foods. The Dirty Burger Company plans to have a patio and liquor license in the summer. Photo Courtesy of Whitney Lu.

The free food is to celebrate the grand opening of Patel’s first brick-and-mortar business. The burger joint is located at 211 Hunter St. W., the former location of the Hunter Street Tavern.

Customers can get a free burger through a link on their Facebook or Instagram in an online sign-up form starting at 5:00 p.m. in five or ten-minute intervals. This format will allow customers to get their burgers quickly and safely with the pandemic restrictions in place.

The three-ounce all-beef burger is paired automatically paired with onions, pickles and special sauce atop a potato bun. All other toppings are available upon request. Photo Courtesy of Whitney Lu.

Patel was a Fleming College graduate in culinary and previously operated Moj Foods located on The Queensway. His family has been in Peterborough for over 40 years and is of Indian descent. Patel uses flavours from his heritage to bring an added twist to the food.

“We’re really excited to offer Peterborough a fresh take on the classic hamburger,” said Will Trebbne, General Manager. “Om wants to bring good food back to Peterborough with an East Indian influence.”

A fried potato patty is one of two vegetarian options the restaurant offers. Avocado tacos with pico de gallo and refried beans is the other vegetarian main. Photo Courtesy of Whitney Lu.

The joint will serve three-ounce smash burgers with pickles, onions, Patel’s special sauce and a choice of other toppings. Trebbne would not disclose what specifically is in the special sauce but noted that it is a mayo base with a unique mild pepper.

Patel’s restaurant will offer authentic Indian-inspired veggie dishes and a variety of unique sides in addition to his burgers.

The toppings of onions, pickles and special sauce that come with the burger are Patel’s favourite according to the media press release. Photo Courtesy of Whitney Lu.

Many businesses have closed from the pandemic but Trebbne said Patel saw the opening to run a restaurant and fulfill his dream.

“Not a lot of people are opening restaurants, it’s a risky endeavour but it’s really exciting,” he said. “He’s been looking for a place to lease ever since last fall and we just had this opportunity.”

The Dirty Burger Company is offering takeout or delivery while orders can be done online — on their direct website or food delivery apps — or via phone at 705-400-7335.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Ontario Government Declares State of Emergency With Stay-At-Home Order Restrictions

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has declared a state of emergency including a province-wide stay-at-home order in a live stream press conference in Toronto at Queen’s Park on Wednesday.

The four-week order will take place at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday after top public health officials and Ottawa urged the province to do more to contain the COVID-19 variants.

The same officials reported a surge in patient overflow in hospitals and ICUs in the last week according to Ford.

During the order, Ontario plans to roll out mobile clinics to vaccine those aged 18+ who need it the most such as workers in the high-risk locations.

“These next four weeks are absolutely critical,” said Ford. “We’ve come so far already and we just need to stick together a little longer. because hope is on the horizon.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford (pictured) announced an “emergency brake” shutdown on Apr. 1. Over 2.7 million vaccines have been administered in Ontario since the press conference. Screenshot.

The following are the restrictions the Government of Ontario is putting into place in addition to the “emergency brake” shutdown on Thursday:

• Grocers and pharmacies are allowed for indoor shopping

• Garden centers can stay open

• Big box and discount store retailers can sell essential items such as food, pet care, medicine, cleaning supplies and personal items

  • All other items and are restricted to curbside pickup or delivery

  • If the store sells the non-essential items in addition to food and pharmaceutical items, the sections must be blocked off

• Non-essential retailers are limited to curbside pickup and delivery from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

• Residential evictions will be suspended

• Shopping malls are restricted to specific purposes such as access to designated pickup locations via appointment

Any eligible person who wants to book a vaccine appointment can visit the Government of Ontario website or call 1-888-999-6488.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Y-Drive PTBO, Canadian Life Science, Tru Faces, Donna Williams and Hugh Foley

PTBOCanada is delighted to be running StooNews columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…

Stu somehow missed this business when they launched last year so here’s a shoutout to Y-Drive Ptbo, Peterborough’s home-grown rideshare company.

With 31 drivers, 4000 downloads and 7000 rides completed, co-owners Erica Young and Rob Davidson are justifiably proud of their company growth.

If you have a look at their social media and here on PTBOCanada they’ve found many ways to give back including recently replacing a bike that had been stolen from a young Peterborough boy.

Canadian Life Science is a local company located on Jameson Drive here in Peterborough. They are analytical, chromatography and dissolution products distributors and they recently developed and introduced two rapid response COVID-19 tests, one for antigens, the other for antibodies, with results in 15 minutes. If you are in a point of care, in-patient care setting, check out their website.

Tru Faces is a wonderful new initiative recently launched by sisters Emilee and Hannah. Both visually impaired, the sisters want to build a community where people with disabilities can connect with one another, have someone to talk to and have someone who understands how they feel.

They also want to educate others about disabilities, raise awareness and break a few stereotypes. They have t-shirts for sale, seeking a sponsor to help them build their ambassador program and are looking to build the Tru Faces community.  

Congratulations to Donna Williams who recently announced that after eight years at the Holiday Inn she is moving on to join the team at Vandermeulen Plumbing. 

We also send congrats to Hugh Foley on the publication of his new book: Tales from Seanchai. A fun collection of short stories and lore from Ireland and Canada's Celtic cultures. Just look for Hugh or Theresa Foley on Facebook for details.

 “Like” StoosNews page on Facebook here!

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Ascent Summit 2021, Wine Wagon, BioPed Footcare, Coach Cora and Community Futures Peterborough

PTBOCanada is delighted to be running StooNews columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…

Ascent Summit 2021 – The Roadmap to Financial Freedom, a special day of financial business training presented by Robert Gauvreau Chartered Professional Accountants.

Your ticket for the April 9 full-day event gets you a number of world-class speakers on how to drive results during a time of restrictions. Details and tickets at their official website.

Matt and Kimberley Medeiros recently rolled out their new business – The Wine Wagon Mobile Bar. With more and more people planning outdoor events, the Wine Wagon provides a custom experience for everything from weddings to birthday parties and special events.

Stationed out of two hubs, Peterborough and Caledon, Wine Wagon Mobile Bar is a 14-foot vintage-style custom-built bar and bartending service.

Bioped Footcare Peterborough is opening a second location in Peterborough at 665 The Queensway adding to their current location at 445 George St N.

In addition to their advanced foot care, orthotics, footwear, inserts, lower limb braces and compression stockings, Bioped is pleased to welcome Certified Canadian Chiropodist, Alexandra Sanidas to their team! Alexandra provides medical foot care, including routine diabetic footcare.

Cora Whittington is a well-known transformational coach. She offers life coaching, transformational leadership, facilitation, strategic planning and team building.

Cora recently introduced a new website along with a free strategy session for leaders who are considering online training or facilitation, as well as a free session for individuals wanting to feel less stressed and seeking ways to move forward. You can book these sessions on her new website.

Community Futures Peterborough is presenting, “A Local Recipe for Reinvention – why Peterborough problems require Peterborough solutions on Thursday, Apr. 1, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The guest speaker is Michael Konopaski and you can register on Eventbrite.

“Like” StoosNews page on Facebook here!

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Elegant Edged Catering, Staples Maple Syrup, Viren D'Souza, Brian Norman and Workforce Development Board

PTBOCanada is delighted to be running StooNews columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…

Jessica Harpur recently launched her new business, Elegant Edged Catering. Jessica is offering homemade gourmet meals to be delivered throughout Peterborough and the surrounding area. The extensive menu includes chicken, beef, salmon and vegetarian, soups, lots of frozen gourmet to go, a spring menu delivered hot to your door, as well as catering platters. You’ll find Elegant Edged Catering on Facebook.

It’s perfect Maple Syrup weather! Staples Maple Syrup became certified organic with ECOcert Canada. Fresh Maple Syrup is available for porch pickup at the farm in Cavan or at the original Saturday Farmers’ Market. Detail on Facebook at Staples Maple Syrup or call 705-944-5501.

Congratulations to Peterborough resident Viren D’Souza, who was recently named as one of Canada’s Top 50 in Agriculture by Canadian Western Agribition. Recognized in the Innovators category, Viren developed, or refined products in the dairy automation industry, baler-compactors, and small-scale anaerobic digesters. You’ll find Viren D’Souza on Facebook 613-532-6455.

Congratulations to Brian Norman, who recently joined the Auto Connect Sales team. With over 40 years in the local car business, Brian is well known and respected.  

The Workforce Development Board is interested in hearing about the impact on the local workforce. If you are unemployed, trying to find a better job, or wanting to re-enter the workforce, the ten-minute survey will help them identify the impact, issues and obstacles.

“Like” StoosNews page on Facebook here!

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Fleming Grad Supports Local With Online Game Show Business

The opportunity to be a game show contestant for prizes from local businesses can be a reality through Ryan Smith’s Quiz Show Trivia.

The business is an entertainment and services firm through game show-formats provided to be either informative or leisurely.

It offers clients to participate in game shows to win prizes, a training video alternative and a sponsorship opportunity for local owners.

Games are customizable to suit all skill levels, topics, event settings and having a professional host or self-hosted online or in person. Those options are filled through the website on a trivia preferences survey.

Prizes are through five different categories such as music, technology, food, exclusive deals and gift cards.

Event settings allow clients to have the option of adding entertainment value to their show with local performers or celebrity guests such as mindreaders or magicians.

“We want local and independent artists to be supported with this show,” said Smith. “In addition to the sponsorship, we work with local artists. They provide the art and music to the game show.”

Products such as Amazon Echos, Google Homes and branded merchandise have been common prize giveaways that were provided by local businesses and artists. Photo courtesy of Ryan Smith.

Smith, a Fleming graduate created the business last year in March. The inspiration came from several Zoom calls with friends from being stale.

“We had played a version of Jeopardy just using some proprietary software,” remarked Smith. “Whenever everyone’s catching up on their third and fourth Zoom call, they’re not much to talk about.”

Ryan Smith (pictured) is a Fleming College alumnus and graduated in Marketing. He spent three years in Peterborough from 2007-2010. Photo courtesy of Ryan Smith.

Several clients from Peterborough have played games through Smith’s business and want to target the city’s local business for sponsorship opportunities as soon as possible.

“My ethos is all about supporting local, independent business and art,“ says Smith. “I’d love to get it done in my college town.”

Trivia, puzzles, music and video are game formats Quiz Show Trivia provides to their clients. Photo courtesy of Ryan Smith.

Sponsors are offered in-game and social media advertising and promotion while having their product or brand be given as prizes. 100% of the sponsorship money is given back out.

“It’s a zero-profit gain,” he remarked. “We don’t gain any money off it. That’s what game shows are about. it’s about adding values to our games in a way that we can get out to local businesses.”

If you want your business to be a sponsor for Quiz Show Trivia can email Smith at game.triviashow@gmail.com.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.