THUNDER BAY — Fifteen Thunder Bay-area entrepreneurs have been awarded $5,000 grants to develop or expand their businesses.
The recipients were chosen by the Thunder Bay & District Entrepreneur Centre, which operates out of the offices of the Community Economic Development Commission.
The centre's Starter Company program, now in its sixth year, is funded by the provincial government.
Participants are mentored and trained for four to six weeks before they become eligible to apply for a grant.
Those that receive a grant are then paired with a mentor for three months.
The successful applicants this year are:
- Babylon Lounge
- Beefcake Burger Factory
- Eat Local Pizza
- Groggy Toad Coffee House
- Ignite Behaviour Consulting
- Lakehead Brewing Co.
- Lullaby's Boutique
- Sweet North Bakery
- Border Giant Inc.
- Dawson Trail Brewery
- Lynac Lithium Technology
- Morgan School of Highland Dancing
- Retail Loss Prevention and Security Services
- Swell Bakery
- The Creative
Lankinen plans to renovate his kitchen and dining room, and install new technology-assisted systems in the ordering process.
Since 2014, the Entrepreneur Centre has trained almost 150 business people, and provided financial assistance to more than 100.
