Entrepreneur Of The Year

Wednesday, 10 June 2015 15:17

Two local businesses were recognized with Entrepreneur of the year awards at the Oxford Small Business Support Centre Annual General Meeting.

Two local businesses were recognized with Entrepreneur of the year awards at the Oxford Small Business Support Centre Annual General Meeting.

The businesses honoured had both received a loan from the centre to help get their business started. Rob and Clayton MacKay won the award for the Ontario Self Employment Benefit Program which is no longer available. They are cousins and started Flawless Fence and Deck back in 2012 when the two were out of work at the same time and realized they liked working together and both brought different skill sets to the table. Through hard work and attention to detail the cousins were able to turn it into a very successful business. Rob Mackay says they couldn't of done it without the help they received from the Ontario Self Employment Benefit Program. " We went through the OSEB program, they helped us out tremendously, gave us the knowledge and skills to get a business up and running."

Winning the award through the Access to Capital Loan Program was Jonathon Clow. Clow owns Inspire Chiropractic and Natural Health Solutions in Ingersoll and recently moved back to the area with his wife and kids. He had been living in B.C. where he used the CFDC loan to start his first business and then used it again to get started in Ingersoll. Clow tells Heart FM it would be really difficult for small business owners like himself to get a start without organizations like the Oxford Small Business Centre. "Banks don't often look kindly on small business owners, especially those of us just coming out of school, if they had not been around I'm not sure I would have been able to manage in the beginning. It's nice to be given the opportunity to start something, to be able to do what you love to do and see that grow as a result." Clow wanted to thank the Oxford Small Business Support Centre after receiving the award and said without organizations like this one it would be really tough for entrepreneurs to get their start.