Albertan wins the first ever BDC Mentorship Award

BDC and CYBF congratulate Ryan Jackson for his time and dedication mentoring entrepreneurs

TORONTO, May 14, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and the Canadian Business Youth Foundation (CYBF) are pleased to name Mr. Ryan Jackson of Medicine Hat, Alberta as the inaugural winner of the 2014 BDC Mentorship Award. Jackson is the principal and managing director of RAMECO Consulting Group and the former Entrepreneur in Residence at Medicine Hat College. Mr. Jackson was overjoyed to be recognized at today's announcement during at the CYBF Action Entrepreneurship: Growing Young Enterprise Canadian Summit in Toronto.

"I have been lucky to have had several great mentors in my life, so it was important to me to pay-it-forward and become a mentor myself," said Jackson. "You can feel pretty isolated as an entrepreneur so it's important to have someone in your corner that wants to see you succeed as much as you do.  A person that isn't afraid to tell you when you're heading down the wrong path and someone you can openly commiserate with. I find it incredibly rewarding and I am honoured to be recognized." 

Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), Maxime Bernier, congratulated Mr. Jackson, adding: "There are many people who contribute to the success of businesses and give freely of their time and experience to inspire others.  Through the BDC Mentorship Award, we recognize the positive impact that Mr. Jackson and others have on Canada's next generation of entrepreneurs."

The BDC Mentorship Award recognizes an outstanding Canadian business mentor credited by their peers for providing valuable advice and support through a significant commitment of time and effort that has led to the creation and growth of Canadian companies by building their mentees' professional skills and abilities.

"Mr. Jackson truly embodies all of the qualities we were looking for in a winner and it was an honour to present him with the first-ever BDC Mentorship Award ," said Julia Deans, CEO, CYBF, who also announced earlier today that CYBF is changing its name to Futurpreneur Canada. "A number of his mentees wrote to us in support of his nomination and all spoke highly of his endless support and willingness to offer his time and expertise in their pursuit of success.

Michel Bergeron, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Marketing at BDC, stated: "Our research demonstrates that entrepreneurs that receive external advice often outperform their peers. It is important that high-quality mentors decide to volunteer as the benefits of their involvement can be tremendous. We hope this story serves as inspiration to encourage more people to provide young entrepreneurs with the invaluable support and encouragement they need to grow."

The BDC Mentorship Award is one of four new entrepreneurship awards launched by BDC this year that promote and recognize Canadian entrepreneurs in four key areas: mentorship, innovation, resiliency and entrepreneurship champion.

More details can be found at www.bdc.ca/awards or at www.cybf.ca/bdcmentorshipaward.

About BDC
Canada's business development bank, BDC, puts entrepreneurs first. With almost 2,000 employees and more than 100 business centres across the country, BDC offers financing, subordinate financing, venture capital and consulting services to more than 28,000 small and medium-sized companies. Their success is vital to Canada's economic prosperity.

About Canadian Youth Business Foundation – Futurpreneur Canada
The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) is changing its name to Futurpreneur Canada to reflect the aspirations of the young business owners supported today and into the future. CYBF has been fuelling the entrepreneurial passions of Canada's young enterprise for nearly two decades, and is the only national, non-profit organization that provides a full spectrum of financing, mentoring and support tools to Canadians aged 18-39. This support helps ensure their success and transforms lives and communities.

Image with caption: "Ryan C. Jackson receives first-ever BDC Mentorship Award. From left to right: Julia Deans, CEO, CYBF, Michel Bergeron, SVP of Marketing and Public Affairs, BDC, Ryan C. Jackson, RAMECO Consulting and John Risley, Chairman, CYBF. (CNW Group/Business Development Bank of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140514_C3278_PHOTO_EN_2152.jpg

SOURCE: Business Development Bank of Canada

Hayley Shaughnessy, Veritas Communications, T - 416-955-4587, Email: [email protected]