UPEI student takes part in National Nicol Award Competition
After placing first in the local competition, UPEI's Jill Harris was then chosen by a national selection panel to take part in the 2013 National Nicol Entrepreneurial Award Competition and Gala Dinner held in Ottawa recently. Harris, a mature student in her fourth-year of the UPEI business studies program, was one of six finalists selected among students from 17 participating universities across Canada to present at the prestigious Ottawa event.
Harris, an avid gardener and full-time student, was told by the judges that she had a great pitch, Q&A period, logo design, and brand name for her business idea which introduces a nutrient-rich, organic mulch and soil conditioner packaged as a premium light-weight product for the gardening market, both on a regional and national scale. During her studies, Harris compiled information from research that revealed a valuable commodity to the horticulture industry. This business also presents an opportunity for a new manufacturing and employment venture for rural PEI.
She continues to pursue the research and development of her business idea, and although it's still in the preliminary stages, Harris anticipates starting the business upon finishing her degree in the fall.
'The courses I studied during my program such as integrated communications, managerial accounting, corporate finance, project management, operations, and marketing strategy gave me the knowledge and skill-set to feel confident enough to present any product to potential consumers,' said Harris. 'Competing and being judged by a distinguished panel of seasoned entrepreneurs in the Nicol competition was verification that my idea may indeed be viable.'
UPEI's Dean of the School of Business Alan Duncan believes entrepreneurship is a key engine that will drive future prosperity in Prince Edward Island. 'The Nicol competition is a fantastic forum that encourages students to take their ideas to the next stage. Jill has demonstrated knowledge and passion, and has convinced both local and national judges that she can transform her concept into a successful business,' he said. 'Just watch her succeed and thrive. We are fortunate to have such students here at UPEI.'
The Nicol Entrepreneurial Award is a national program designed to generate and reward interest in entrepreneurship on the part of undergraduate students in any faculty or field of study at participating universities across Canada. Launched in 1997, this program now awards over $100,000 in prize money each year to individual students or student teams who submit winning plans for their entrepreneurial business ideas.
The 2013 first place prize was awarded to University of Waterloo's Emily Peat and her business idea 'EcoPlace Organics.'
