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by Allisa Blanchard

Cate MacNeill has dreamed about opening her own restaurant for a long time.

As a part-time student in the Retail Sales and Marketing program at Holland College, one of her major assignments was to draw up a business plan. Naturally, she decided to use her restaurant idea. While she received an excellent rating for the plan from her instructor, she was also curious about what reaction her work would get from the business community. That's one of the reasons she entered the entrepreneurial awards competition sponsored by the Rotary Club of Charlottetown Royalty. The judges liked her idea--she won the competition and the $1,000 prize that goes with it. Cate received half of the prize immediately and will get the remaining $500 when she opens "Island Memories."

Cate views the competition as a dress rehearsal of sorts. Currently employed as a customer service representative at Island Telecom, she is not ready to venture back into the world of owning a business just yet -- she previously owned a video production business.

"It is nice to have that seal of approval if the time came you ever wanted to take it to a bank," Cate said.

Cate credits the training she gained in the retail sales and marketing course for the success. The course offers training in such areas as customer sales and service, advertising, accounting, marketing, store layout, visual merchandising, buying, inventory control and human resource management. She is especially grateful that the course allows students to go on a part-time basis, which allowed her to maintain employment from the time she took her first night course in 1998 until she graduated this year. However, with lunch hours, evenings and weekends taken up studying, she said it was a challenge.

That's something Mary Carr-Chaisson can relate to. Along with Francine Smith, she won the second prize of $750 for their plan to open a gallery that would showcase Mary's own line of commercial and fine art. In addition to going to school part-time, Mary also works and has a pre-school aged daughter.

While Francine has pursued full-time employment, Mary is starting along the road to opening her own gallery. Last summer, she sold her work in a number of craft and speciality shops through the province.

"However, I kind of got started a little late, so I'm hoping to have even more stores this year," she said. "I have also lined up some stores in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, so I'm quite pleased with how it is going."

Working out of her home, Mary said she is also toying with the idea of setting up a gallery on the premises. However, she added "I don't want to take on too much-- I plan to do it in stages."

The third prize of $500 went to Lisa Carter and Courtney Morrison for their idea of "Shear Motion"--a mobile hair styling service that comes directly into the home. However, they have put their idea on hold at least for the moment. Courtney is employed full-time as assistant store manager at Jeans Experts and Lisa left the province following graduation to pursue other opportunities.

"These students took what they had learned over the last two years in the Retail program and came up with very impressive business plans. They all shared an entrepreneurial spirit." commented Debi Forse, Instructor of the Retail Sales and Marketing program.

Forse also noted the different ages, work backgrounds and status of the winning students: one student came directly from high school, two had owned their own business; they were part-time and full-time students; they were married with children and single. Despite these differences, all four were able to take advantage of Holland College?s flexible learning environment.

Myron MacKay of the Rotary Club of Charlottetown Royalty said the awards have been offered for the past several years. MacKay said they have resulted in several successful start-ups such as the car wash in Stratford.

"We want to encourage people who have an entrepreneurial spirit to follow their dream," MacKay said. "Creating more business is good for the Island economy so everybody is a winner."

He said in addition to the prizes, the winners also receive free legal and accounting help to set up their business.