The Meaford Chamber of Commerce has announced that the contestants for Dragons’ Den 2016 have been finalized and their names are ready to be released.
“Thank you to everyone who prepared a Business Plan and applied to be a contestant. Without the willingness of our contestants to put themselves and their business ideas out there, we wouldn’t have an event! Thank you to everyone for their hard work and allowing us to be a part of your entrepreneurial journey, we wish you all the best of luck!” said the Chamber.
The Contestants for Dragons’ Den 2016 are:
Adam McCarter- Chaimberg Challenge
Georgie Donais- Mutable Arts
Rob & Sharin MacLeod- The Last Radicals
Vic Barreiras- Barreiras Home Inventory Service
Russ Ellis & Chris Taylor- CTRE Productions
This year’s contestants offer a little bit of everything, say the Chamber.
“With focuses on Physical Fitness, Performing Arts, Screen Printing and Production, Home Inventory and Insurance Loss, and Broadcasting and Media Production these businesses are in heavy competition with one another. With a mix like this, it’s anyone’s guess at who could walk away victorious,” said the Chamber.
The event will again feature the “Audience Choice” award this year, which will be awarded to the contestant who receives the most votes from the audience during the event. Five dollars from every ticket sold will be put into a prize fund to be awarded at the end of the evening.
“Here’s your chance to become even more involved in this very popular event by having your say, and giving our contestants that little extra boost! Voting will take place at intermission and the winner will be announced on stage at the end of the night,” said the Chamber.
The Dragons for this year have also been announced:
Cindy Gretton– President of E&H Property Management. Established in 1986 by her parents, Cindy assumed the role of President in 2005 and has now doubled the number portfolios being managed. Cindy takes great pride in her family run business and is happy to have her daughter and daughter-in-law as part owners of the company. Cindy believes a “Good Base” are the building blocks for any business and its success. Cindy is back for her second stint as an esteemed Dragon, having participated last year as well, Welcome back Cindy!
Ross Kentner– Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal Winner and GM of Bayshore Broadcasting’s 8 Radio Stations in South Central Ontario, Ross is a highly regarded business person in the community. Past President of the Ontario Association of Broadcasters, Past Chair of Community Foundation Grey Bruce, a Lifetime Achievement Award: The Radio-Television News Directors Associate of Canada and a voice you’d recognize in an instant barely begins to describe Ross and his community spirit and accomplishments within our area. A true local gem, Ross lives in Meaford with his wife Ruth Ann and this is his first time as a Dragon, Welcome Ross!
April Stewart– Founder of Landlord Legal, April who is affectionately nicknamed “The Terminator” by her fellow legal professionals and clients has one goal- to save Landlords from the nightmare of bad tenants and get them out of their property, fast! She has appeared on Global TV’s 16×9 series, on CTV Canada AM and also in Toronto Life Magazine, just to name a few. April’s no non-sense, professional way of dealing with her clients and their situations is an unbelievable testament to her pride in the work she does. April is also a returning Dragon, back for another round of Dragon fire… Welcome back April!
Rick Lorenz– Pharmacist and Founder of Meaford Pharmacy, Rick is an active Rotarian and a Board Member of the Meaford Chamber of Commerce. Rick’s management philosophy is to lead by example, build strong relationships with clients and the community, and to always be on the lookout for new technologies to provide a competitive edge. Rick conducts HIV research in rural Uganda, and has had his most recent paper “Caregivers’ Attitudes towards HIV Testing and Disclosure of HIV Status to At-Risk Children in Rural Uganda” published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS-ONE. This is Rick’s first year of being a Dragon, Welcome Rick!
Darryl Hindle– Chief Hydration Officer of Quench Buggy, Darryl is a previous Dragons’ Den contestant and winner of the “Audience Choice Award”! Darryl took his idea that was pitched to the Dragons’ and now runs an extremely successful business within the Municipality of Meaford as well as offering his services worldwide. Darryl is always looking for ways to improve upon products and processes, and that has helped Quench Buggy evolve into what it is today. Darryl has a background in Mechanical Engineering, and has worked with various automotive related companies in positions such as Industrial Engineer, Applications Engineer and Launch Facilitator. Darryl then decided to move on to work in the family business in customer service which is where the idea for Quench Buggy was hatched. We are so pleased to have a former contestant join us this year as a Dragon and look forward to his feedback for this year’s contestants. Welcome back Darryl, only this time on the other side of the table!
Join Tyler Boyle and Dean Hollins as they host the 8th Annual Dragons’ Den on October 26th at 7:30pm at Meaford Hall. Watch as the contestant’s pitch their Business Plans to the Dragons’ for the chance to walk away with upwards of $30,000.00 in cash and in-kind prizes for their business start-up or expansion.
“With these Dragons’ at the table the show is sure to be packed with insight, expertise, motivation and certainly a bit of fun and humour, the show is definitely not to be missed!” suggests the Chamber.
Tickets are $25.00 + HST and are available at the Meaford Hall Box Office 519.538.0463 or www.meafordhall.ca.
