The votes are in: Canada selects 2013 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award winner and runner-up

British Columbia snowboard maverick Max Jenke hits new heights and wins $25,000 in consulting services in BDC online contest

MONTREAL, June 17, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) today announced that the turning point project, Brand Endeavor—submitted by finalist Max Jenke, founder of Endeavor Design in Vancouver, British Columbia— received the second-highest number of votes in the 2013 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest. Endeavor Design  has won $25,000 in BDC consulting services that will help the company drive sales in the U.S. market and propel global business growth.

The runner-up project involves scaling up marketing in order to secure a bigger share of the vast market south of the border and realize the full potential of his three complementary brands. "As we formalize our plans, BDC Consulting will bring an objective perspective and valuable outside feedback," he says. "The online contest was a real education in social marketing. As a global brand, we learned how well a community-based social marketing strategy could work. It was awesome having the whole snowboarding industry behind us."

"Max's project promises to blaze new trails for his company, adding to its global reach," says Michel Bergeron, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Public Affairs at BDC.  "The BDC Consulting services he receives will add complementary expertise to help Endeavor Design take its plans to the next level and advance the company's strong growth prospects."

Max was amazed by the massive supporter response: "We made this about snowboarding, not about the company, and it was exciting to see people rallying behind it. We're utterly overwhelmed by how many people came through for us, every single day. It's humbling. To all of you, I can only say thank you!"

The 2013 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award winner and the recipient of the $100,000 grand prize, is the project Equipment Edge, submitted by Joel Pinel of WOW Factor Media in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

Nine projects competed for Canada's votes in the 2013 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award online voting contest which ran from May 22 to June 11.  The following finalists described, via video, a turning point their company has reached and their solution to achieve future growth and success:

• Brand Endeavor, Max Jenke, 34, Endeavor Design Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia
  
  
• A Space With Taste, Marc LeBlanc, 33, Liquor Lodge, Jasper, Alberta
  
  
• Equipment Edge, Joel Pinel, 28, WOW Factor Media, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
  
  
• Kid City, Deena Caplette, 28, Kid City Inc., Winnipeg, Manitoba
  
  
• DealTap, Milan Baic, 26, Cordon Media Inc., Toronto, Ontario
  
  
• Power Up Eco-Change, Jocelyn Doucet, 31, Services Kengtek Inc., Montreal, Quebec
  
  
• Cool Expansion, Matt Cormier, 28, Arcticold Refrigeration, Saint-Antoine, New Brunswick
  
  
• Vine Into Gourmet Line, Timothy Stokdijk, 35, and Kimberly Stokdijk, 35, Stokdijk Greenhouses Ltd., Beaver Brook, Nova Scotia
  
  
• Ready to Reboot, Sarah Lynn Russell, 29, Distinctive Interiors Ltd., Blaketown, Newfoundland

About the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest
Created by the Business Development Bank of Canada in 1988, the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest pays tribute to remarkable Canadian entrepreneurs between 18 and 35 years of age.  In this year's edition, nine finalists were shortlisted to compete for a $100,000 grand prize. The winner was selected by public vote and the contest runner-up received a prize of $25,000 in consulting services. The Financial Post and La Presse were the media partners of the 2013 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award.  www.bdc.ca/yea

About BDC
Canada's business development bank, BDC puts entrepreneurs first.  With almost 2,000 employees and more than 100 business centres across the country, BDC offers financing, subordinate financing, venture capital, securitization and consulting services to more than 28,000 small and medium-sized companies.  Their success is vital to Canada's economic prosperity.

SOURCE: Business Development Bank of Canada

For further information:

Maria Constantinescu
Senior Advisor, Public Relations
Business Development Bank of Canada
(514) 496-7146
maria.constantinescu@bdc.ca