Year; Online entrepreneurs in Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec also
awarded top prizes
TORONTO, Oct. 12 /CNW/ - A university student from Winnipeg, Manitoba who started out selling video games online from his basement has won the inaugural "eBay Canadian Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award," receiving $3,000 to help grow his business. The award was a new category created specifically for 18 - 24 year-olds as part of eBay's third annual "eBay Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year Awards."
The annual eBay awards program was created to recognize Canadians, from small towns to urban downtowns, who are running successful online businesses; selling everything from golf practice nets and high-end bicycle parts, to vintage t-shirts and original artwork to customers around the world.
<< This year's winners are as follows: - The eBay Canadian Young Entrepreneur of the Year (open to 18 - 24 year-olds) - Jade Pearce, Winnipeg, MB (eBay User ID: pnpgames) - The 2007 eBay Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year First Place Winner - Trevor Weldon, West Chezzetcook, NS (eBay User ID: cleblancweldon) - Second Place - James Applegath, Toronto, ON (eBay User ID: defunkd_vintage) - Third Place (tied) - Osnat Tzadok, Thornhill, ON (eBay User ID: os-box) and Jean-Francois Lapointe, Gatineau, QC (eBay User ID: nomade20000) >>
Hundreds of Canadian e-Business owners entered this year's third annual competition with the hope of being crowned eBay's Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year. Entrants were asked to submit essays detailing their business philosophies and innovations, and describe significant business challenges they have faced and how they overcame them.
"This year's winners prove that eBay is an ideal business partner for Canadian entrepreneurs regardless of their age or geographic location," says Andrew Sloss, Interim Country Manager, eBay Canada. "It's important for us to recognize these savvy business owners and their contribution to the Canadian economy by paying tribute to their innovation and competitive spirit."
Winners of this year's awards were chosen by an esteemed panel of industry leaders and past winners including Brian Scudamore, CEO and Founder, 1-800-GOT-JUNK?; Marilyn Bild, eBay business owner and the 2006 eBay Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year; and Andrew Wahl, Senior Technology Reporter, Canadian Business magazine.
"It's exciting to see the level of success these small business owners have been able to achieve, some in a very short period of time," says judge and 2006 winner Marilyn Bild. "Canadian entrepreneurs from across the country are building solid careers, and attracting loyal customers all over the world through eBay."
Prizes for the eBay Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year Awards are $5,000 for first place, $2,000 for second place, and $1,000 for third place. The winner of the eBay Canadian Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award receives $3,000.
The Winners - eBay's Top Five Entrepreneurs
As eBay Canada's Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Jade Pearce has grown his eBay business from a part-time hobby into a busy online enterprise, just recently opening a retail storefront with office space and four employees. As a young CEO and head of a business that now sells more than 400 video games a week, Jade is also managing to complete a business degree at the University of Winnipeg. http://stores.ebay.ca/PNP-GAMES
The 2007 eBay Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year Trevor Weldon of West Chezzetcook, Nova Scotia, was looking for a way to stay home with his daughter, while supplementing his wife's income. Tapping into the growing worldwide popularity of golf by selling golf practice nets on eBay, Trevor is able to work part-time, reserving most of his day for his family. http://stores.ebay.ca/Golf-Practice-Cage-Nets
Initially selling on eBay as a way to de-clutter his over-crowed house, second place winner James Applegath now sells more than 150 vintage concert T-shirts each month to AC/DC and Guns N' Roses fans around the world, in countries that include Australia, Germany, France, and the UK. http://stores.ebay.ca/The-Defunkd-Store
eBay has been the key to commercial success for third place winner, artist Osnat Tzadok, who sells more than 40 original paintings online each month. Her work has even landed on the set of the hit TV show Prison Break, and she has recently signed a contract with a high-profile movie production house. It's also a family business, with her husband acting as her website/shipping manager. http://search.ebay.ca/_W0QQsassZos-box
In just eight months, third place winner Jean-Francois Lapointe of Gatineau, Quebec has turned his business selling high-end bike parts on eBay into a full-time job. His customers are from around the world, and look to him for those hard-to-find, specialty parts not often carried in traditional retail bike stores. http://stores.ebay.ca/nomade2000032
<< Canadian eBayers - Quick Facts - Of the approximately 24 million Internet users in Canada, 1 in 4 are currently registered on eBay. - More than 33,000 Canadian sellers use eBay as a primary or secondary source of income.* - Canadians spent over $1 billion (US) on eBay in the past 12 months. - eBay is the number one visited retail site in Canada, and is visited by almost 1 out of every 2 Canadians online. In Canada, eBay was visited by more than 10 million unique Canadian visitors in August 2007.(xx) * (Source: ACNielsen International Research for eBay in May 2006) (xx)(Source: ComScore Media Metrix, August 2007) >>
For additional information about selling on eBay, please visit www.ebay.ca
About eBay Canada
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eBay is the World's Online Marketplace(TM) with more than 240 million registered users worldwide. Founded in 1995, eBay created a powerful platform for the sale of goods and services by a passionate community of individuals and businesses. eBay enables trade on a local, national, and international basis with customized sites in 38 markets around the world. Through an array of services, such as its payment solution provider PayPal, eBay is enabling global e-commerce for an ever-growing online community.
SOURCE: eBay Canada
For media inquiries, please contact: Laura Watton/Tonisha Robinson, Environics Communications, (416) 969-2766/(416) 969-2759, lwatton@environicspr.com/trobinson@environicspr.com; Erin Sufrin, eBay Canada, (416) 969-2291, esufrin@ebay.ca
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