Waterloo, ON ( March 3, 2009) – Tom Henderson, owner of ProScape Land Design & Construction and full time student at Wilfrid Laurier University, has been named one of three Ontario Student Entrepreneur Provincial Champions by national charitable organization, Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship, ACE, and proud program supporter, CIBC.

Since 2003, Tom, a Business student, has owned and operated ProScape Land Design & Construction, designing and building outdoor living spaces such as complete site design, interlocking, flagstone, plant installation, and landscape outdoor lighting. Weekly lawn and garden maintenance services are also offered to all clients. His passion for designing and building landscape has allowed him to provide quality outdoor living spaces to all his customers.

Operating ProScape Land Design & Construction has provided Tom with the opportunity to: 

·         Increase his gross revenues by over 178% in the Summer of 2008

·         Hire 5 full-time and 2 part-time workers in the Summer of 2008

·         Re-invested almost all of his earnings back into his business to acquire 3 trucks, 1 heavy dump trailer and multiple machines and tools.

“I am extremely happy to have won the title of the Ontario Provincial Student Entrepreneur Champion, says Tom. “Entering the ACE competition has been a great experience and it has also taught me a lot about myself and made me much more aware of my accomplishments throughout my life.”

The regional round of competition will take place at the 2009 ACE Regional Exposition in Toronto, Ontario on March 13, 2009. Provincial Champions will each present their business to a live panel of business professionals who will decide the two Regional Champions, who will each receive a $1,000 cash prize and move on to the final round of competition taking place at the 2009 ACE National Exposition in Toronto on May 6, 2009. The National Champion will be named and will receive a $10,000 cash prize and represent Canada at the international level of competition, the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards, if he or she qualifies.

“Given the changing economy student entrepreneurs are being forced to take on new challenges to ensure their businesses thrive” says Amy Harder, President of ACE. “ACE provides an experience that strengthens and supports student development to create a more sustainable and enterprising Canada.”

For more information about the Student Entrepreneur Competition taking place regionally and nationally in 2009 please visit www.aceexpos.ca.

About ACE
Founded in the mid-1980s, ACE is a national charitable organization that is teaching and igniting young Canadians to create brighter futures for themselves and their communities through enterprise. Working in partnership with business and higher education, ACE operates a team-based program, Students In Free Enterprise ,SIFE, and an individual-based program, Student Entrepreneur. Through these two programs, ACE guides students along the path to becoming the champions that will define the enterprising mission of Canada. For more information about ACE, visit www.acecanada.ca.

Operated by ACE and proudly presented by CIBC, the Student Entrepreneur Program is the only National program to focus solely on full time Canadian post secondary student entrepreneurs. It is a program that strives to enrich participant’s lives through feedback, recognition and networking opportunities.

- 30 -

For more information, please contact:

Andrea Louden
Coordinator, Communications and Events
ACE (Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship)
416.304.1566 ext 233
1.800.766.8169 ext 233
andrea@acecanada.ca
www.acecanada.ca
www.aceexpos.ca

Tom Henderson
Owner- ProScape Land Design & Construction
Tel: 905-330-5069
tom_henderson@hotmail.com