Dragons’ Den Meaford – 2nd Annual, Bigger and Better… Meaford Contestants Recognized
Posted by John Malloy on 10/20/2010
Congratulations to the chamber of Commerce who work so hard to make this event such a great success.
It was a packed house at Meaford Hall last night for the second annual Dragons’ Den Meaford presented by the Meaford & District Chamber of Commerce. At the night’s end, a grand total of almost $25,700 in cash and prizes was awarded to contestants who pitched their business ideas to a panel of five local business ‘Dragons’.
First place winner was Nicholas Schaut of Meaford with winnings in the amount of almost $11,000 in cash and prizes. Nicholas won the Dragons over with his idea of developing a farm business to grow hops organically for the craft brewing industry.
In second place was David French of Thornbury, who walked away with just under $9,000 in cash and prizes for his advanced technology to capture high definition aerial video.
In addition to almost $8,000 in Dragon contributions between them, the top two winners also received a share of $3,000 in cash donated by the Centre For Business & Economic Development. There were also numerous additional prizes from sponsors for the top two including media advertising packages, web hosting and design, and business bank accounts from financial institutions.
The competition featured twelve contestants who were invited to come prepared with their business pitches. Of those twelve, seven finalists, pre-determined by a Meaford Chamber selection committee, were called to the stage to present in a Price Is Right ‘come on down’ approach.
Of the other finalists, Meaford’s Darryl Hindle won $2,500 in cash and prizes for Quench Buggy, a water dispensing unit to help eliminate the use of plastic water bottles, particularly at public events. James McIntosh of Meaford received almost $1,800 in prizes for The Duxbury Cidre Co. Ltd., a business to manufacture hard cider and apple products from Meaford apples. Kathy Bell, also of Meaford, garnered almost $600 in cash and prizes for ePRESSions Electronic Press, an idea to help published authors format their work for the electronic marketplace. All seven finalists also received mentoring packages from the Business Enterprise Centre.
All proceeds from Dragons’ Den Meaford will go directly towards a bursary for a Georgian Bay Secondary School (GBSS) student pursuing a career in business or marketing.
This year’s Dragons were Paul Penny of Walker Mowers, Terry Scott of Scott Clay Products, Barbara Kay of The 100 Mile Market, Rick Galbraith of the Rotary Club of Meaford, and Liz Harris of the Meaford & District Chamber of Commerce.
Due to popular demand, the Meaford & District Chamber of Commerce would also like to recognize those other contestants who submitted business proposals. Malcolm Cook of Meaford presented Blue Harbour Studio, a sole proprietorship allowing customers to transform their memories on camera onto a large canvas and mount on frames for home/office decoration. Collingwood’s Reg Sheffield spoke about Escarpment Outfitters, a company offering local brands reflective of escarpment area living such as clothing, food items, home décor and more.
There were also contestants who did not make the stage but whose business pitches were received by the Dragons. Jason Whaley of Meaford submitted his idea of operating a small fleet of bicycles, kayaks, canoes, cross country skis and snowshoes for seasonal rentals by Meaford Harbour. Meaford’s Joyce Taylor proposed The Dog Barkery and Community Café, a retail/pet café serving people and their pets with beverages, pet munchies, doggie jackets and other gear. Krista Barrasso of Collingwood brought forward It’s All About Me, ‘believe in yourself’ mirror graffiti geared towards girls to promote positive thinking and self esteem. George Overbeek of Owen Sound submitted Log Cabin In A Box, a project kit to grow selected trees from seeds. Meaford’s John Malloy offered up Network News Daily.com, an online news publication that would be turned into a print product and distributed throughout the region with a focus on tourism and green issues. And James Hickey (location unknown) envisioned the creation of road construction stop signs lit with super bright LEDs for better visibility.
The Chamber acknowledges and congratulates all ideas received. For more information, please contact Jamie Pettit at 519-538-1640 or business@mdcc.ca.
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