Grant Thornton Entrepreneurial Playground opens at UPEI
Representatives from Grant Thornton’s PEI office, Kathy O’Rourke, Managing Partner; Chris Gallant, Partner; and Ryan Innis, Principal, joined UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, Dean of Business Jurgen Krause, faculty, and several students recently to officially open the Grant Thornton Entrepreneurial Playground.
Housed within the Hostetter Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, which aims to advance entrepreneurship education and research, especially in industries of relevance to PEI, the Grant Thornton Entrepreneurial Playground is a collaborative space that encourages creative discussions, presentations, and meetings.
“Grant Thornton’s generous support is a testimony to their belief in the quality of our programs and education we are delivering at UPEI,” said President Abd-El-Aziz. “Their contribution is more than just a financial one to upgrade space; this initiative has given us the opportunity to create an environment for students to succeed as entrepreneurs. And most importantly, members of Grant Thornton’s PEI office will serve as mentors to our students. I am so very thankful to Kathy, Chris, and Ryan at Grant Thornton for championing this initiative.”
Grant Thornton has contributed financially to develop the physical space, but members of the PEI office will also participate in activities such as mentoring students who have a business idea and need support in bringing their idea to fruition. In particular, Grant Thornton will offer expertise in accounting, financial services, and tax planning.
Matthew Pauley, Assistant Professor, Entrepreneurship with the Faculty of Business and Director of the Hostetter Centre indicated that the Playground concept has already begun to take off.
Pauley said, “We have already met with over a dozen students from several faculties. I’ll first be working one-on-one with them to develop business plans around their idea. Then, along with a network of mentors and experts, we will assist them after they begin their business and are in the early, vital stages of being entrepreneurs.”
Two students who have started working with Pauley at the Centre, and who attended the Playground opening, are Rudolph Al Aswad (Faculty of Business, Finance major) and Iker Zulbaran (Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering). They are looking to convert what started as an idea in the Engineering club into a business.
Zulbaran said, “We knew we needed support to help us launch our concept into the marketplace. The Grant Thornton Entrepreneurial Playground and Hostetter Centre will provide the assistance we need to develop a strategic business and financial plan. We are very thankful for their help.”
Grant Thornton has a long association with UPEI and each year hires 4-5 students into its CPA program.
Gallant said, “Grant Thornton is proud that many of our employees in the PEI office, as well as many clients, are UPEI graduates. We are equally pleased to be associated with the Playground, which will help develop future entrepreneurs. We look forward to being on-campus to help students grow their ideas into businesses.”
