MBOT, BDO, BDC and RICC host “Competitiveness Starts With Innovative Entrepreneurs” luncheon
(Mississauga, Ontario – October 18, 2011) Mississauga Board of Trade (MBOT), along with Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), BDO, and Research Innovation Commercialization Centre (RICC), hosted a Small Business Week luncheon event, focusing on informing and inspiring small-to-medium sized businesses to become more competitive and successful through innovation.
The luncheon, “Competitiveness Starts With Innovative Entrepreneurs,” was held at International Centre from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Members and guests enjoyed a buffet lunch and chance to network before listening to keynote speaker, Jean-René Halde, BDC President & CEO, and a business panel who shared experiences and success stories by striving to be more innovative.
Ian MacFadden, Vice President, Financing & Consulting, GTA West for BDC and 2011 MBOT Chair, welcomed guests with opening remarks emphasizing the importance of innovation in business and introduced Keynote Speaker, Jene-Rene Halde.
Mr. Halde discussed how innovative entrepreneurs can shape the future of business and their individual companies. Local entrepreneur and panelist, Larry Cox, Polaris Transportation, was praised for innovative thinking, which created new products and business opportunities. More importantly, Mr. Halde said these products and opportunities solved problems people didn’t even know they had; a point that was stressed during the keynote speech. Mr. Halde highlighted the importance for business to be proactive; “you can’t wait for customers to come to you with problems…you must see it before they do.” This was one of the key advantages Steve Jobs had as an entrepreneur said Mr. Halde. “He knew what we wanted before we knew we wanted it.”
Robert Cherun of UCIT Online Security Inc. and Christohper Johnsen, BDO Solutions, were also panelists for the event, facilitated by John Switzer, Chair of RIC Centre.
One suggestion for business made by Mr. Halde was to focus on one specialty your company will be good at and become a world-class competitor. Mr. Halde left the event with one quote of advice for everyone, “Think Big, Act Small, Fail Fast, and Learn Rapidly.”
Paul Boucher, Associate, BDO, brought the event to a close, commenting on the day’s topic: innovation. “What we see is that innovation results in many great successes but also many fails. But if you never try, you won’t succeed.” Asking the crowd what they had learned, Boucher stressed the importance of taking away the fact that we need to choose to innovate and keep innovation as the core of our business.
For additional information please contact Sheldon Leiba at (905) 273 6151 ext. 27 or visit www.mbot.com.
As the voice of business since 1976, Mississauga Board of Trade is a private-sector, not-for-profit business organization representing approximately 1,500 businesses, employing 65,000 people in Mississauga. MBOT is well positioned to meet the needs of business by using its considerable influence at all levels of government. As the forum for business, MBOT works together to influence public policy and promote a better understanding of the marketplace among policy makers, media and the general public.
Media Contact:
Sheldon Leiba
President & CEO
Mississauga Board of Trade
905-273-6151 ext. 27
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www.mbot.com
