Local Indigenous Business Owner Semi-Finalist in Pow Wow Pitch

Dominique O'Bonsawin, owner of cedarlilie a beadwork and craft supply shop, is a semi-finalist in the Pow Wow Pitch. Pow Wow Pitch is a a grassroots community of Indigenous entrepreneurs across Turtle Island.

Dominique O’Bonsawin and her dog Cedar. Photo courtesy of Dominique O’Bonsawin

O'Bonsawin is of both French-Canadian and Abenaki heritage and started learning beadwork about five years ago while attending university in Ottawa.

“It was an important part of me reconnecting to my community and the larger Indigenous community in Canada,” she said.

As she gained interest in the craft she began to notice a lack of Indigenous owned bead stores in the country. She began to buy beads in bulk for her own use and selling any extras she had.

“I started running out of beads and realized this was a market I could tap into,” she said. “Before I knew it I had to make my own website.”

O'Bonsawin has now been selling beads and craft supplies for about a year and a half.

An example of Dominique O’Bonsawin’s beading. These pieces were completed along with her mother and sister. Photo courtesy of Dominique O’Bonsawin.

The Pow Wow Pitch competition is for Indigenous entrepreneurs across North America. It shines a light on vendors, artists, business builders and innovators from all backgrounds and industries, whether just starting or looking to grow to the next level.

This year, more than 1,500 Indigenous entrepreneurs pitched their businesses online for a chance to win cash prizes ranging from $500 to $25,000.

O'Bonsawin was one of those entrepreneurs and was surprised to find that she was chosen as a semi-finalist.

“I had a few people reach out to me and tell me to apply, but I didn’t think I was there yet. I’m still kind of figuring out this whole thing,” she said.

“All we had to do was submit a one minute video of what we would do with the money if we were to win,” she said. “It caught and I thought ‘okay this is for real now’.”

Of the over 1600 entries there are 156 semi-finalists who now must pitch their business plan live to a board of panelists.

O'Bonsawin is also eligible to win the peoples choice award, which would send her straight to the finals. The peoples choice award is based on the amount of votes a contestant receives, anyone is welcome to participate in voting.

More beadwork by Dominique O’Bonsawin.

O'Bonsawin’s pitch can be viewed here on September 22, 2021.

If she wins the Pow Wow Pitch competition she plans to expand her business and while she plans on doing so anyways, winning this competition would allow her to do it sooner.

Through beading O'Bonsawin has had the opportunity to connect with a new community of people.

“I didn’t grow up knowing much about my roots until I became a young adult and started doing that work myself, and I’m still learning. It’s an ongoing journey of reconnection,” she said.

O'Bonsawin hopes that people realize that beadwork is about building a community, and anyone can do it.

“I’ve met a lot of people who are in the exact position as I am. They’re doing their best to learn their language and know the people. It’s so beautiful to meet people that are going through the same thing you are and i think its even more beautiful that we can do that through beadwork.”

To view all the semi-finalists in the Pow Wow Pitch click here.

To vote for a winner in the peoples choice award fill out this online form.

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StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Prana Wellness Studio, Peppers Pet Food and Supplies, Fork in the Road and A1 Lighting

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

Lil Miss Perfect Services is rebranding to Prana Wellness Studio. Operating out of Bloom Health at 727 Lansdowne Street, owner Lyndele Gauci offers restorative, foundational and gentle flow yoga, Reiki treatments and weekly home-cooked meals. For details and to book an appointment, look for Prana Wellness Studio on Facebook and Instagram.

Peppers Pet Food & Supplies recently opened at 24 Front St W. Hastings. Owner Jason McGill is quite the entrepreneur, owning McGillicafey's Pub & Eatery, Banjos Grill, Studio3A and working on opening "Baker's & Beans" Bakery and "THE Market Place", all in Hastings.

Peppers Pet Food & Supplies carries pet foods in kibble, semi-moist, raw, freeze-dried, canned and tetra packs. They also offer lots of toys, accessories, litter, clothing and more for dogs, cats, fish and small animals. Open Monday to Saturday, check out Peppers Pet Food and Supplies on Facebook.

Fork in the Road Country Market is a great new store, located at 2989 Lakefield Road, across from Paris Marine next to Overstock Liquidation. Owners Ozzy and Dawn Duncan offer fresh baked goods, beautiful fruits and vegetables, one-of-a-kind goods, local sauces, spreads, jams and lots more.

There are lots of local products to choose from, everything from Doo Doo’s Butter Tarts to the famous SKH Feta dips. They can make up a charcuterie board for you and will be opening their own onsite food truck soon. Stop in or look for forkintheroadcountrymarket.com or find them on Facebook or Instagram.

Harry Friedrich emigrated to Canada from Germany in 1975 and established a very successful electrical contracting company. Harry is now capitalizing on his wealth of knowledge and extensive lighting experience with the creation of A1 Lighting.

After a lighting audit, A1 will produce an engineering report that provides a detailed analysis of your current lighting system and the savings that you will realize by retrofitting to LED technologies. Details are at a1lighting.net.

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Local Entrepreneur Receives Top 10 Honours From International Magazine

Robert Gauvreau is an author, accountant, public speaker and now can add a top 10 disrupting entrepreneur to that list last week Thursday.

Robert Gauvreau is a graduate of Holy Cross Secondary School and Trent University. Photo Courtesy of Gauvreau CPA.

Disruptors Magazine, an information magazine for successful leaders, executives, investors and entrepreneurs, listed Gauvreau in their top 10 list in the world in no particular order.

“A disruptor is really somebody who does not accept the status quo,” explained Gauvreau. “It’s just somebody is not willing to accept the way things are and wants to change how things are done.”

Gauvreau shares the top 10 list with other entrepreneurs spanning across the world in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. Photo Courtesy of Gauvreau CPA.

Gauvreau, owner of accounting firm Gauvreau & Associates Chartered Professional Accountants — also known as Gauvreau CPA — says he has was honoured to be recognized but believes the bar on his business has been set even higher.

“It’s almost like there’s extra responsibility now,” explained Gauvreau. When you’re being named as being a disruptor in your industry, now there’s this new responsibility to really enhance some of those changes and take things to the next level.”

Gauvreau was the only Canadian recognized as part of the top 10 disruptors list. Photo Courtesy of Gauvreau CPA.

Several disruptions that Gauvreau has done to make the list are public speaking including virtual summits to help entrepreneurs, author books achieving financial freedom, building a law firm and host online courses as some examples.

Gauvreau centres his business around community, financial and entrepreneurial development with his business.

“We’ve got three words outside our wall outside of the elevator: people, passion and integrity,” explained Gauvreau. “Let’s continue to support each other and collaborate.”

Gauvreau CPA plans to go from 35 to 50 employees by January of next year. The business will build a law firm starting in September.

“Peterborough is a great community but together collaboratively, we continue to build an even greater place and that’s exciting,” said Gauvreau.

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Former Trent Student Founds Website Incentivizing People to Shop Locally

In an innovative and creative way to incentivize people to shop local while promoting small businesses, former Trent student Nick Mitchell founded a new community engagement project called “Take a Challenge, Make a Change" (TACMAC).

Mitchell has been a lifeguard instructor in Kenya and a chef in British Columbia. Photo Courtesy of TACMAC.

Launching this Thursday, the website encourages participants — primarily post-secondary students — to engage in fun challenges to earn discounts or rewards and support charity while supporting small businesses.

Challenges are complete by posting a picture of themselves at the establishments on Instagram with the hashtag #TACMACJACKPOT. Anyone who enters will be registered for a weekly jackpot for a chance to donate $100 —money supplied by TACMAC — to a charity of the winner’s choice.

The charitable idea stemmed from Mitchell’s time working at One Roof Community Centre. It inspired him to create a business dedicated to giving back to the community. The inspiration for creating TACMAC came from his time at Trent where his friends and classmates knew of very few places to spend time and shop in town and go to the same place repeatedly.

"I’ve come across so many of my fellow peers who time after time say there's nothing to do in Peterborough," said Mitchell. "The response was that they didn't know this (certain places) even existed."

Some examples include having a home cook-off with a friend based on one ingredient from The Food Shop or purchasing crickets from the House of Scales and make a meal from them.

TACMAC creates an outlet for students to experience Peterborough outside of the ‘campus bubble” according to Mitchell.

Photo Courtesy of TACMAC.

Businesses can register themselves through TACMAC’s website for a small fee to allow customers to take part in their challenges. The incentive is another way for entrepreneurs to promote and advertise their businesses.

Mitchell says the timing of TACMAC could not be any better since some people are unsure of what is open or closed during the current stages of the pandemic.

"It just gives people a clear-cut path to activities in Peterborough," said Mitchell. "There's probably going to be a lot of confusion to what's okay. When they see it on the website, it kind of reduces a bit of the anxiety."

Over 20 businesses have registered for TACMAC.

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StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Peterborough of Commerce, Rapid Screening Kits, Art Gallery of Peterborough and Electric City Special Needs Hockey Club

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

A significant announcement last week as the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce and Tourism and the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce announced plans to pursue consolidation of the two organizations.

Unanimous votes to proceed from both Boards sets the stage for an approval vote of the respective members this fall. The consolidated Chamber will result in over 1100 members with nine full-time staff, in two offices as well as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing office in Lakefield.

Speaking of the Chamber, local businesses can now access Rapid Screening Kits that allow businesses to test for antigens and provide an early warning sign that an employee might have been exposed to COVID-19.

The program is being promoted by local Chambers, with the logistics, pick up and drop off location and staffing being provided by MPP Dave Smith. The program is another pandemic tool that helps keep staff and customers safe, and businesses open. For details and to register and order testing kits, visit peterboroughchamber.ca.

The Art Gallery of Peterborough and this year’s participating artists are gearing up for the 37th Annual Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour on September 25-26.

One of the longest-running studio tours in Ontario, the Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour offers the public a unique chance to view art in the working spaces of artists.

This year’s self-driving tour features 43 artists and makers at 36 studio locations across the City and County of Peterborough, where you can enjoy painting, jewelry, glass art, woodworking, pottery, textiles and more. Details at agp.on.ca

The Electric City Special Needs Hockey Club is reminding everyone of their important annual fundraiser – the Electric City Candle Company. Each year the players and coaches get together for a pouring party, making as many soy-based candles as they can, in a variety of amazing scents. The candle sales are an important part of the funding, allowing the club to provide opportunities for any child or adult with physical or developmental special needs. For details visit electriccityspecialneedshockey.com

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Six Local Youth Entrepreneurs Launch Summer Businesses

Six local youth entrepreneurs have recently launched their summer business ventures thanks to the Summer Company program offered by Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development’s Business Advisory Centre (BAC).

(Top row from left to right) Ainsley Dunn, Drew McFadden, Grace Holmquist (Bottom row from left to right_ Owen Gerrard, Timothy Mills, Lawson Hill. Photo Courtesy of Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development.

The Summer Company Program is the Government of Ontario’s flagship youth entrepreneurship program which helps youth aged 15-29 try their hand at business ownership by connecting them with up to $3,000 in start-up funding, one-on-one guidance from BAC staff, advice and mentorship from local business leaders, access to business workshops, training and resources and business support.

“This year’s group are committed and passionate youth entrepreneurs. Enrolling in a program like Summer Company requires dedication and a desire to learn and improve small business knowledge. Each of the six students has taken their unique skillset and experiences and turned them into marketable and sought-after products and services,” said Suzanne McCrimmon, Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development’s Director of Business Development. “We are grateful to the Province of Ontario for their continued support of the Summer Company program. These youth business owners are learning skills that they will take with them for the rest of their lives.”

This summer’s group of youth entrepreneurs includes:

Creatively Dunn (Norwood, ON) – Owner Ainsley Dunn is currently taking the Indigenous Bachelor of Education program at Trent University and handcrafts all-natural, sustainable handcrafted wooden toys and playsets for children. Her product line includes anything from themed sets, peg people, playdough stampers, stacking toys and Indigenous education sets.

Drew’s Chicks (Cavan Monaghan, ON) – Sharing his passion and love for chickens, Drew McFadden, founder of Drew’s Chicks provides complete chick kits to young families, teachers, and retirement homes. The kits include an enclosed cage, heat lamp, bedding, food, and water containers as well as two baby chicks that customers foster for two weeks, after which time they return to his farm as egg-laying chickens. In addition to chicks, Drew has expanded his fostering services to include baby quail and ducklings.

She Stitch (Douro-Dummer, ON) – Founder Grace Holmquist, a local high school student from Lakefield is a maker who designs and creates reusable bags for shopping and boating, with a focus on striving to reduce the use of plastic bags and creating beautiful, practical, stylish, and unique designs.

Trent Lakes Property Maintenance (Trent Lakes, ON) – Completing his last year of the paramedic program at Fleming College, Lawson Hill offers property maintenance services including painting, grass cutting, spring cleanups and more, focus on offering week-day services to allow homeowners time to enjoy their cottage properties on the weekends.

OG LawnCare (Lakefield, ON) – Owen Gerrard is a local student, entrepreneur offering affordable lawn care services using 100 per cent eco-friendly electric equipment instead of environmentally harmful gas-powered machines which offers clients an opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint.

3D Casting (Peterborough, ON) – Timothy Mills is a recent University of Guelph Mechanical Engineering grad returning to work on his Master of Applied Science. Leveraging his engineering knowledge and skills to launch a manufacturing start-up, he offers casting designs, prototypes and manufacturing of small plastic and aluminum parts through a combination of 3D printing and investment casting.

The Peterborough & the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre, operated by Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development has been the proud program provider for the City and County of Peterborough since 2001.

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StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring The Well, Sullivan Law, The Venue and MPP David Smith

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

Lisa Marie Hughes opened her business, just in time to have it shut down by the pandemic.

The Well offers Healing Massage, Hot Stone and Reiki treatments. The Well is located in a very cool space at 25 Reid Street in Lakefield just behind The Stuff Store and the Post Office. The building is also home to a number of other businesses such as Jenny Barr’s The Studio. The Reid Street Boutique, an artisan market and more. Find them at thewell-studio.com or on Instagram.

Sullivan Law recently welcomed Seabourne Geale-Barker to the firm. Seabourne will continue her wills, estate administration and real estate practice at Sullivan Law, 195 Sherbrooke St., sullivanlawptbo.ca

Congratulations to Kevin and April Sendel, owners of Personal Touch Catering and Personal Touch Banquet Hall, on their purchase of The Venue in downtown Peterborough.

Kevin and April will be keeping The Venue name and are preparing to open on Sept. 1. They are also continuing to operate Personal Touch Catering and Banquet Hall. Kevin and April bring tremendous local experience with them and a team of over 30 employees. Congratulations to Mike and Catia Skinner on creating The Venue in the first place, and on a great run. For bookings call 705-876-0008. Venueptbo.com personaltouchcatering.ca personaltouchbanquethall.com

MPP Dave Smith, the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce and the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce and Tourism have launched a program to provide rapid testing kits for the Peterborough City and County businesses community.

The rapid antigen test kits are free and are designed to catch COVID-19, prevent outbreaks and keep our local businesses, service providers open and their employees and customers safe.

The test kits screen for asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 in the workplace that might otherwise be missed. Businesses must register and order the kits through the online portal and once your kits are ordered they can be picked up at MPP Smith’s office at 1123 Water St. N. A link to the portal can be found at peterboroughchamber.ca. For details call MPP Smiths office (705)-742-3777.

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Rotospa Hot Tubs Burns To The Ground After Massive Fire

A major fire sparked overnight at Rotospa Hot Tubs in Lakefield has caused the building to burn to the ground.

Photo By PTBOCanada.

OPP has closed off 8th Line Smith and Centre Line and Buckhorn Road as firefighters are battling the fires Friday morning.

Detours are set in place a road closure is in place for several hours according to the OPP.

The 8th Line Smith is closed between Centre Line and Buckhorn Road. @SelwynTownship Fire Department is currently battling a fire at Rotospa. #PtboOPP has detours in place. The road closure will be in place for several hours. Updates to follow. @Ptbo_Canada @PtboCounty ^ja

— OPP Central Region (@OPP_CR) July 16, 2021

PTBOCanada contacted owner Bill Prentice but was unwilling to comment about the situation at the time. The business focuses on selling, building and servicing hot tubs.

No injuries have been reported at this time and no employees were present when the fire had occurred.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

PTBOCanada will update this article as the story develops.

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Local Budding Entrepreneurs Pitch For Business Startup Grants In Summer Course

Twelve entrepreneurs were selected for the Summer 2021 Intake of Starter Company Plus offered through the Peterborough & the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre (BAC).

Photo Courtesy of the BAC.

The program provides a five-week course in business training from business experts across Peterborough and the Kawarthas.

It is funding by the Government of Ontario and has been running through the BAC since 2017. This program is designed to provide business training for entrepreneurs of all levels in Peterborough County who are launching a business or expanding an existing business (that has been operating for five years or less).

"I am excited to kick off this intake of Starter Company Plus. The group of entrepreneurs and small business owners joining us are varied in backgrounds, experience and have each created a unique business,” explains Hillary Manion, entrepreneurship officer.

Six of the participants will be awarded a grant of $5,000 based on the overall strength of their business plan and pitch.

“When we discussed why they were starting their businesses on the first day of the program, we heard stories of people new to Peterborough and people who are turning their hobbies into a full-time business,” said Manion. “COVID-19 has given people time to think about following their passions.”

All workshops and consultations will be done online with a focus on digital platforms, marketing and communication as well as financial acumen and mental well-being.

"These entrepreneurs are a testament to the strong business community in the City and County of Peterborough,” added Manion. “They are all confident and looking forward to joining their fellow small businesses owners in supporting the residents of Peterborough and the Kawarthas."

An overview of the 12 participants follows and full biographies for each business can be found by visiting peterboroughed.ca/starter.

• April Roy: Shopkwe – a personal shopping business dedicated to helping busy people

• Barry Wiskel: Bearcat Games – developer of original card and board games for all ages

• Chris Carvalho: East City Knife Sharpening – knife sharpening for all types of knives with 24-hour turnaround service

• Emily Nigro: Dead End Lures – a family-owned eco-friendly fishing lure company

• Jeremy Pastic: The Karma Hammer – a natural builder, specializing in the use of healthy, sustainable building materials

• Kelsey Watts: Worthy Truth Wellness – mindful movement yoga classes offering a kind space of compassion and non-judgmental awareness

• Ken Seaboyer: Ask Transport – quality, reliable and on-time transportation service

• Lucas Graham: Countdown Creative – a full-service E-Commerce agency that helps small businesses start selling online

• Mike Mullin: Double M Contracting – a year-round property maintenance and management business

• Sam and Nate White: Nateure’s Plant Based Food Company – producing plant-based meat and cheese alternatives

• Suzanne Schmidt: Suzanne’s Hot Stuff – hand-crafted, small-batch gluten-free hot sauces, pepper jellies, jerk marinade, mango salsa and more

• Tuncay Alkan and Laura Wilson: MEZE – a vegan deli and café serving traditional Turkish food and drink

Anyone eligible is invited to apply when the program reopens in the fall. Eligibility criteria can be found by visiting peterboroughed.ca/starter.

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