Halifax’s Mary Jane Copps wins BDC Mentorship Award, presented by Futurpreneur Canada
For immediate release
TORONTO (May 31, 2016) – At today’s Action Entrepreneurship Canadian Summit in Toronto, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and Futurpreneur Canada announced Mary Jane Copps as the winner of the 2016 BDC Mentorship Award.
Copps has been an entrepreneur herself for 29 years and has been actively mentoring through Futurpreneur Canada for the past six years. In 2006, she introduced The Phone Lady brand, and has since worked with over 400 businesses, providing them with the skills to communicate effectively on the phone. Copps’ expertise has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Globe & Mail, The National Post, Huffington Post, CBC, CTV and more.
“I’m honoured to be chosen for this award – to be given the opportunity to champion mentoring,” said Mary Jane Copps, Founder, The Phone Lady. “It takes tremendous courage to be an entrepreneur and it’s vital that both support and knowledge are easily available. Across the country, our economic growth now depends on our ability to support entrepreneurship.”
“Mentors are one of the most valuable resources an entrepreneur can tap into to accelerate their learning curve and optimize the impact of their efforts” said Michel Bergeron, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Public Affairs at BDC. “We congratulate Mary Jane on winning the BDC Mentorship Award and salute her efforts to support the new generations of business owners.”
“Mary Jane Copps is a valued Futurpreneur Canada mentor who is incredibly deserving of this award,” said Nicole Osmond, Regional Director, Atlantic Canada, Futurpreneur Canada. “She is a successful, well known and regarded entrepreneur and community leader, who is a generous and committed supporter to her mentees. She helps her mentees focus on what’s important as well as building their confidence to make good business decisions. On top of this, she is an active member of her community who is committed to growing entrepreneurship across Canada.”
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.
The BDC Mentorship Award was one of five awards that Futurpreneur presented today. Other awards included the Clearwater Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the Shopify Grit Award, the Youth Business International Beyond Borders Award and the RBC Community Partner Award.
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About Futurpreneur Canada
Futurpreneur Canada (formerly the Canadian Youth Business Foundation, or CYBF) has been fueling the entrepreneurial passions of Canada’s young enterprise for nearly two decades. We are the only national, non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39. Our internationally recognized mentoring program hand matches young entrepreneurs with a business expert from a network of more than 2,800 volunteer mentors. Futurpreneur Canada is a founding member of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance, the Canadian member of Youth Business International, and the Canadian host of Global Entrepreneurship Week. www.futurpreneur.ca. Facebook: Futurpreneur Twitter: @Futurpreneur
For interview opportunities and media inquiries, please contact:
Meghan Paton
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Futurpreneur Canada
416-408-2923 x 2207
mpaton@futurpreneur.ca