Victoria’s Toni Desrosiers, creator of Abeego Designs Inc., has won $25,000 worth of Business Development Bank of Canada consulting services. She is the runner-up in BDC’s Young Entrepreneur Award. Desrosiers created a resusable, biodegradable, beeswax-coated fabric food wrap as an alternative to using plastic containers. The award will allow her to move ahead with efforts to line up an agreement with an environmentally conscious U.S. distribution firm.
Fizzy fun at farm café
Island Soda Works is starting Brewtopia, a farm café at 1430 Errington Rd. in Errington. Mandolyn Jonasson, who calls herself the head soda-jerk, will be selling her non-alcoholic naturally fermented probiotic soda pop and tacos. Customers can sit on tables or use picnic blankets that are on hand. The café’s grand opening is July 1. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.
Students earn leadership prize
Liam Grigg, of Spectrum Community School and Leah Vlassis, of Belmont Secondary School, have won The Keg Spirit Foundation Next Generation Leaders Forum Award with Junior Achievement of B.C.
Grigg, a Grade 12 honour roll student, has been accepted into the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business at UVic. Vlassis, a Grade 12 honour roll student at Belmont Secondary School participated in the school’s scholarship and university prep clubs. Each of the students took part in various JA programs.
They receive trips to Peterborough, Ont., to participate in the Next Generation Leaders Forum from Aug. 18 to 22.
Compensation nod in Comox
Directors of the Comox Valley Airport Commission have voted to compensate board members. Annual compensation divided among nine board members will total $49,000 or 1.2 per cent of 2012/13 operating revenue. The decision to compensate brings the airport in line with most Canada, a commission statement said.
New director at Bateman centre
Aimée Ippersiel will be taking on the role of managing director of the Robert Bateman Centre. Ippersiel joined in April 2013 as manager of marketing and communications, part of the team for the new centre that opened in May 2013 in the Steamship Terminal along the Inner Harbour. — Times Colonist
