Toronto’s Kailey Gilchrist wins the Clearwater Entrepreneur of the Year Award, presented by Futurpreneur Canada
For immediate release
TORONTO (May 31, 2016) – At today’s Action Entrepreneurship Canadian Summit in Toronto, Futurpreneur Canada and Clearwater presented Kailey Gilchrist, owner of NONA Vegan, with Clearwater’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The award recognizes an entrepreneur who demonstrates not only financial success, but also industry disruption, community involvement and leadership.
“It’s such an honour to be recognized by Futurpreneur: an organization that I so strongly admire and one that has helped me so much in my journey as an entrepreneur,” said Gilchrist.
Kailey is the owner of NONA Vegan Foods Ltd., a Toronto-based start-up specializing in dairy-free, gluten-free, cashew-based cream sauces. Nona Vegan’s Alfredo, cheese and carbonara-style sauces are sold across Ontario and are a regular sighting at local food festivals and events.
Kailey was selected as the award-winner by a panel of judges at Futurpreneur Canada for demonstrating an incredible amount of leadership, perseverance and overall success as an entrepreneur. Nona Vegan fills a gap in the market, offering healthy vegan sauces that taste as good, or maybe even better than the originals. Last year, Nona Vegan won the “Best of Fest” title at the Toronto Mac and Cheese Festival. Deeply committed to the entrepreneurial community, Kailey gives back by supporting and mentoring other young entrepreneurs.
“It was a real honour to present Kailey with this award on behalf of Clearwater,” said John Risley, co-founder and President, Clearwater Fine Foods. “As a long-time entrepreneur, it’s exciting to watch the next generation of Canadian entrepreneurs like Kailey who are pursuing their ideas, taking risks and building a more innovative and entrepreneurial Canada.”
“Kailey is the perfect example of an entrepreneur who found something that they loved, and then used that passion to start a successful business,” said Scott Bowman, Senior Director, Ontario, Futurpreneur Canada. “What makes her a clear winner for this particular award is that she is as dedicated to supporting the entrepreneurial community as she is to the success of her business.”
The Entrepreneur of the Year Award was one of five awards that Futurpreneur presented today. Other awards included the BDC Mentorship 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
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