An Iqaluit resident has been named eBay Canada's 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year for using the power of the Internet to sell Inuit art globally. The winner of eBay's fourth annual Canada Entrepreneur of the Year competition will receive $5,000 to help grow his business.
The awards program recognizes Canadians who run successful online businesses. For 2008, eBay introduced two new categories: Enviropreneur of the Year - for Canadians who adopt sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices when selling on eBay; and Mompreneur of the Year - for Canadian parents who use eBay to balance their entrepreneurial instincts with family life. This year's winners are as follows:
eBay Canada's 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year - Bryan Hellwig from Iqaluit, Nunavut (eBay ID: ringseal).
eBay Canada's 2008 Young Entrepreneur of the Year - Matt Oehmen, age 23, from Ottawa, Ontario (eBay ID: honestredsrecords)
eBay Canada's 2008 Enviropreneur of the Year - Marcello Biocchi Montreal, Quebec (eBay ID: cello10)
eBay Canada's 2008 Mompreneur(*)of the Year - Jennifer Fiander from Hampton, New Brunswick (eBay ID: angelsmiles123)
Winners of this year's program were chosen by a panel of industry experts and past winners including: Dr. Hadi Dowlatabadi, Professor at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability for the University of British Columbia; Kathryn Betchold, founder of the Mompreneur(*) Networking Group; and Jade Pearce, eBay business owner and recipient of eBay Canada's 2007 Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.