OCRI Entrepreneurship Centre to Deliver Junior Achievement Program for Ottawa Youth

Ottawa, ON – Wednesday October 21, 2009 – OCRI is pleased to announce that the highly-regarded Junior Achievement (JA) program will be offered in Ottawa by OCRI’s Entrepreneurship Centre this fall. Junior Achievement and OCRI’s Entrepreneurship Centre have joined in a strategic partnership that will benefit all parties including the schools, teachers and students who participate in the various programs. OCRI is committed to providing valuable grass-roots programs that enable and encourage the development of our next generation of business leaders.

Junior Achievement fulfills a very important role in the business and entrepreneurial education ecosystem in Ottawa with approximately 10,000 students participating each year. “We are proud to have signed a licensing agreement with Junior Achievement Canada to deliver the entire realm of JA programs. The first to be offered is JA TITAN, an online business simulation program. We look forward to getting things back on track and providing Ottawa’s youth with access to programs that promote innovation and entrepreneurship.” explains Stephen Daze, Executive Director, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, OCRI.

OCRI is committed to ensuring that entrepreneurship is considered a viable career option by today’s young business minds and future industry leaders. There is a disconnect between the reality of the economic growth patterns witnessed in our business community and the development of business skills in our school systems. Of note, a recent Kauffman Foundation survey found that four of ten young people between the ages of eight and 21 would like to start their own business in the future. But, over the past several years, business and entrepreneurship classes in high schools have been eroded as a result of condensing the curriculum. In order to ensure sustained economic growth, OCRI firmly believes that innovation and entrepreneurship must be taught throughout a student’s academic career, beginning in the earliest grades, which is why programs such as those offered through Junior Achievement are so important to the community.

“Junior Achievement programs such as JA TITAN, Company Program and Economics for Success provide our youth with excellent learning opportunities,” said Ottawa Mayor Larry O’Brien. “We are so pleased that OCRI and Junior Achievement have partnered to offer these fantastic programs to Ottawa students and we look forward to a very successful JA outreach in the city.”

Currently, The OCRI Entrepreneurship Centre delivers a variety of youth entrepreneurship programs including TalentBridge, Summer Company, the High School Business Plan Competition and the Annual Youth Business Conference. By combining the JA programming with OCRI’s existing youth programs, its strong resource base, infrastructure and support, the result will be an integrated suite of youth entrepreneurship programming.

“Each year, Junior Achievement reaches more than 210,000 students in 400 communities across Canada and we count on many generous business volunteers to help deliver our programs,” says Ross W. Maund, President and CEO, JA Canada. “OCRI is an excellent community-based organization with a strong commitment to youth, entrepreneurship and innovation. We know that our programs are in good hands with OCRI’s Entrepreneurship Centre taking the lead and we look forward to a successful partnership.”

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About OCRI:
Leading the way for Ottawa, OCRI is the city’s economic development agency. OCRI is the rallying point to bring business, education, research and talent together to create the winning economic conditions that allow Ottawa’s knowledge-based companies to thrive locally and compete globally. At OCRI we promote sustainable economic development to maintain our high quality of life. For more information on OCRI visit our website at www.ocri.ca and for more information on the Ottawa Region please visit www.ottawaregion.com.

About JA Canada™ (Junior Achievement)
For over 50 years, Junior Achievement learning experiences have helped young Canadians discover financial literacy, entrepreneurial and work readiness skills so they can achieve their highest potential as citizens of our global community. Across Canada, Junior Achievement reaches over 210,000 students annually with 10,000 dedicated business volunteers in over 400 communities delivering a suite of eight national curriculum-matched programs. Since 1955, 2.5 million Canadian youth have participated in our business and entrepreneurial education programs free-of-charge.

Junior Achievement advocates business in the community, foster the entrepreneurial spirit by inspiring youth to start-up a company, create a career plan and make better financial decisions. Get involved and make life achievements possible for your future customers, employees and leaders. For more information, visit www.jacan.org.

For information contact:

Kim Cunningham
Manager, External Communications
OCRI
Office: (613) 828-6274 ext. 256
Cell: (613) 851-0768
kcunningham@ocri.ca

Stephen Ashworth
Vice President, Education
JA Canada™
Business: (416) 622-4602 ext. 227
sashworth@jacan.org

Ontario Technology Corridor wins Award from the International Economic Development Council

Canadian Organizations Recognized for Collaboration Initiative

October 6, 2009 (Ottawa, ON) – OCRI is pleased to announce that the Ontario Technology Corridor (OTC) partnership program between Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa Region, Waterloo Region, City of London and Niagara Region, has been selected to receive the Regionalism and Cross-border Collaboration award for cities with a population greater than 200,000, at the 2009 International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) Excellence in Economic Development Awards. A panel of economic development experts consisting of members from both the public and private sectors selected the project.

The award will be presented at a ceremony on Tuesday, October 6th during the 2009 IEDC Annual Conference in Reno, Nevada. Mike Darch, Executive Director, Global Marketing, OCRI and one of the founders of the OTC program is in attendance to accept the award on behalf of all Corridor partners.

Employing nearly 256,000 people among 5,900 companies, the Ontario Technology Corridor offers one of the world’s best educated, motivated and stable workforces, excellent growth opportunities, a low-risk business environment, and generous R&D tax credits that are the envy of other G-8 countries.

“When we set out to establish the Ontario Technology Corridor, our main objective was to develop a sustainable and unique way to attract, retain and expand foreign direct investment across the the entire region,” explains Mike Darch. “Thanks to our strong and strategic alliances with each other, and the support of Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and the federal government’s Invest Canada-Community Initiatives, we have been able to enhance our global presence and create a mutually beneficial approach based on co-opitition rather than competition enabling us to represent close to 6,000 companies in the corridor, spanning the software, photonics, wireless, cleantech, digital media, life sciences, and microelectronics sectors.”

OTC was formed six years ago, creating Canada’s largest Information Communications Technology (ICT) cluster representing the province of Ontario’s top three ICT clusters – Ottawa region, Greater Toronto Area and Waterloo region. This initiative has evolved into a strong, cohesive and strategic partnership among five communities, recently welcoming Niagara Region and City of London into the partnership, and the federal and provincial governments working together with private sector partners to promote the ICT and digital media/gaming attributes of the corridor.

The OTC is fast becoming a global model for “co-opitition” creating an environment where communities that normally might act independently as competitors are able to work together to leverage complementary strengths and achieve a common benefit.

“Furthering economic development is rarely a simple task in the best of times, advancing the cause in the midst of a global financial crisis is nothing less than arduous,” said Ian Bromley, IEDC chair. “As the consequences of the widespread economic turmoil have taken hold, we have seen our members become even more ardent proponents of economic development, flying in the face of one of the most challenging economic environments we have experienced in our careers. We proudly present this award in recognition of OTC’s significant impact during these difficult times.”

The IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development Awards recognizes the world’s best economic development programs, partnerships and marketing materials including the use of the internet and new media.

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About OCRI:
Leading the way for Ottawa, OCRI is the city’s economic development agency. OCRI is the rallying point to bring business, education, research and talent together to create the winning economic conditions that allow Ottawa’s knowledge-based companies to thrive locally and compete globally. At OCRI we promote sustainable economic development to maintain our high quality of life. For more information on OCRI visit our website at www.ocri.ca and for more information on the Ottawa Region please visit www.ottawaregion.com.

For more information please contact:
Kim Cunningham
Manager, External Communications
OCRI
Tel: (613) 828-6274 x256
Cell: (613) 851-0768
Email: kcunningham@ocri.ca

Local businesses get easy access to new suite of tools needed to survive and thrive in tough economic times

OTTAWA, ON, July 16, 2009 – OCRI’s Entrepreneurship Centre has launched its latest suite of services called “Survive and Thrive” which is targeted at businesses currently in operation but in need of assistance and guidance to identify and leverage opportunities during these challenging economic times. This program is possible thanks to the support of the City of Ottawa and numerous companies and individuals who have contributed content.

Across Canada, small businesses account for nearly 98 per cent of all enterprises. Ottawa closely reflects this statistic where small and medium-sized businesses are a key economic driver. The fiscal strain and risk faced by SMEs makes them vulnerable and has the potential to negatively impact their labour force, competitiveness and productivity. The Survive and Thrive series provides content, tools, resources and an interactive peer exchange of information that can help address critical business needs.

“Surviving a global economic downturn is a big enough challenge for any company. Being able to identify opportunities and avoid the typical pitfalls along the way is the key to thriving despite the worrisome trend,” says Stephen Daze, Executive Director, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, OCRI. “While it’s hard to place a value on mentorship and the interactive sharing of best practices, both the City of Ottawa and OCRI are very optimistic that the entrepreneurs and small business owners who tap into this service will benefit greatly.”

“Some 28,000 small businesses help to sustain Ottawa’s economy,” said Acting Mayor Doug Thompson. “To make sure that they not only survive, but thrive, the City is working with OCRI to support and advance initiatives in the local economy and create favourable conditions for local business and entrepreneurs.“

Program content is available via several mechanisms including: print, web reference materials, case studies and video vignettes. Currently, OCRI’s Entrepreneurship Centre is developing industry specific, community roundtables and mentoring sessions. Additional content from the local business community is welcomed. Those with content that may be appropriate for the Survive and Thrive series are invited to contact the Entrepreneurship Centre directly.

Content themes include:

• Financial: managing cash flow; using ratio analysis to understand financial health; inventory control and management; managing receivables and payables; benchmarking financial to industry averages; negotiating/re-negotiating leases; supplier payment options; financing/re-financing options; etc.
• Marketing and Sales: review and analysis of marketing options; efficiency and effectiveness of advertising, networking and branding in difficult times; techniques to capture market share; etc.
• Human Resources: attracting, retaining, managing and motivating in difficult times; restructuring, layoff and termination legal issues; etc.

Entrepreneurs interested in taking advantage of the expertise and information available through the Survive and Thrive series are invited to visit Survive and Thrive online or contact OCRI’s Entrepreneurship Centre directly.

For a complete listing of contributors, please visit Survive and Thrive.

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About OCRI:

Leading the way for Ottawa, OCRI is the city’s economic development agency. OCRI is the rallying point to bring business, education, research and talent together to create the winning economic conditions that allow Ottawa’s knowledge-based companies to thrive locally and compete globally. At OCRI we promote sustainable economic development to maintain our high quality of life. For more information on OCRI visit our website at www.ocri.ca and for more information on the Ottawa Region please visit www.ottawaregion.com.

For more information please contact:

Kim Cunningham
Manager, External Communications
OCRI
Business: (613) 828 6274 ext.256
Cell: (613) 851 0768
Email: kcunningham@ocri.ca