Winners of the CDN-NDG entrepreneurship contest revealed

PME MTL Centre-Ville, in partnership with the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, is proud to announce the winners of the very first entrepreneurship contest in Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grace.

Two contests to stimulate commercial entrepreneurship

The Entreprendre Queen-Mary and Entreprendre Sherbrooke Ouest contests were aimed both at new entrepreneurs wishing to set up shop on Sherbrooke Street West (from the boundary with the City of Westmount to Cavendish Boulevard) and on Queen Mary (from Lemieux Street to Clanranald Avenue) and at businesses already present there wishing to diversify their commercial offering. The contests encouraged innovative projects that stand out for their originality, their strength and their ability to meet the needs of residents, students and workers in the neighbourhoods.

Objective: to reward innovative and original entrepreneurial projects that contribute to the revitalization of the two targeted streets.

Economic development is a priority for our administration. So we wanted to go even further by offering complete support to our winning merchants! I am very proud that the entrepreneurship contest is being enhanced in this way to welcome these entrepreneurs to our borough.

Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, mayor of the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

The four winners

Four grants of $25,000, for a total of $100,000, as well as several hours of personalized support were awarded.

The two winners of the Entreprendre Queen-Mary contest:

• Restaurant Tru-India – $25,000

4961D Queen Mary Road
Tru-India is a restaurant specializing in Northern Indian cuisine that offers an exotic culinary experience.

• MI.BA - projet Espresso Bar 1720  – $25,000

5400 Queen Mary Road
Espresso Bar 1720 is a neighbourhood café offering a varied selection of typically Italian products.

The two winners of the Entreprendre Sherbrooke Ouest contest:

• Micro Espresso Café - NDG – $25,000

5707 Sherbrooke Street West
Micro Espresso is a specialty roaster and one-stop shop for all coffee needs. Their specialty is fresh coffee roasted locally and available on site or for delivery.

• Épicerie Mange-Tout – $25,000

5854 Sherbrooke Street West
Épicerie Mange-Tout is a unique concept that combines delicatessen, fish market and butcher.

A big bonus

In addition to the grants totaling $100,000 offered through PME MTL Centre-Ville, a bonus of $40,000 max. from the borough already make it possible to offer additional advisory services to the winning entrepreneurs thanks to Détail Formation.

Knowing that one in three new businesses doesn’t reach the five-year mark, this advisory assistance will make it possible to strengthen the winning projects. They will be able to stay in business longer and also generate positive and sustainable benefits.

Marie-Ève Cadieux, Senior Director – Commercial Entrepreneurship at PME MTL Centre-Ville

^{Photos : Mélanie Dusseault et Myriam Baril-Tessier}