Toronto, ON (Wednesday, March 3, 2010) – Saint Mary’s University “Students In Free Enterprise” or SIFE team has been named the 2010 TD SIFE Entrepreneurship Challenge Regional Champion by national charitable organization Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) and proud program supporter TD.

All Atlantic based SIFE teams were judged by live panels of business professionals and regional champions were announced on Friday February 26th in Halifax at the 2010 ACE Atlantic Regional Exposition, proudly supported by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

The SIFE team from Saint Mary’s University stood out to the judges because of their dedication to building an entrepreneurial spirit among young people, aspiring entrepreneurs and current business owners. Their notable accomplishments include the annual “TRUMPED” competition inspired by the hit TV series “The Apprentice”, which involves university and college teams who create and implement fundraisers and marketing campaigns. This past year 67 teams of over 200 students raised $83,000 in just 21 days.

"Being recognized as the TD Entrepreneurship Champion is an honor, especially considering the level of competition,” explains SIFE SMU President, Nick Tingley. “We are very proud of the impact we've had in our school and community and winning this award is a nice bonus."

The end goal of this annual challenge is for SIFE teams to provide guidance and mentorship to aspiring entrepreneurs as well as work directly with local businesses to help improve their operations, profitability, and job creation. Teams have been provided the necessary tools and training from ACE and TD to develop and implement their extensive projects to help others. The Saint Mary’s SIFE team will now move on to the national level of competition taking place in Calgary on May 11th.

“TD has been instrumental in leading this national initiative and we thank them for their continued support”, explains ACE President, Amy Harder. “I would also like to thank ACOA for their support in Atlantic Canada; with their assistance we continue to provide a platform for young people to explore entrepreneurship as a viable career option.” 

About ACE
Founded in the mid-1980s, Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) is a national, charitable organization that is teaching and igniting young Canadians to create brighter futures for themselves and their communities. ACE delivers a team-based program called Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) and an individual-based program, the Student Entrepreneur National Competition. These programs provide university and college students access to real world experience, through the implementation of outreach projects and business ventures that complement in-class studies. Students involved in ACE make a meaningful contribution to their communities today, and discover their potential to achieve an even greater impact as the leaders of tomorrow. Last year, ACE students created 600 jobs, logged 260,000 volunteer hours, impacted 63,000 people, and generated over $40 million in economic activity. ACE is currently established on over 50 post-secondary campuses across Canada.

Contact:
Jaime Szegvary
Communications Consultant, ACE
416.619.8994
jaime@acecanada.ca      

Nick Tingley
SIFE SMU President
902.877.2488
nick.tingley@live.ca

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