Young entrepreneurs in Timmins vie for $10,000 in business pitch competition

TIMMINS -

A new contest for entrepreneurs in Timmins will help get their products reaching new levels.  

Link North created the opportunity and has been working with two young business owners to get them ready for 'Pitch 2021' and a chance to win a cash prize.

Jared Rodgers and Jessica West have created their own products which they are now selling but have hopes of reaching more people in places outside of the city. 

West is the founder of Tresor Kombucha, a fermented, effervescent tea.

"I specifically formulated my recipe so they’re very light tasting, almost more like a natural pop than like a really hard, heavy vinegar Kombucha," described West.

And Rodgers is the owner of 'Jared's Metal art', fabricated ornamental signs. 

"They’re personalized, custom and made here in Timmins; made in the North for people in the North," said Rodgers.

Both are young and eager to grow their businesses and have even selected to face off in Link North's 'Pitch 2021' competition. 

They are vying for a $10,000 prize among other in-kind donations such as consulting. 

"They do their 10-minute pitch and then the judges will have questions about what they’re pitching about; what they’re looking at doing and then following that there will be an announcement of who the winner is," said Ross MacDonald, a business development specialist with Link North. 

People who want to watch 'Pitch 2021' can live-stream it from YouTube on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. however, they will need to register for free with Link North to view it. 

Rodgers said if he wins he'll put the money towards growing his place of business.

"I’m going to be using it to put up a proper shop and get going into more wholesale marketing and bring my signs to the masses."

And West said if she wins, she wants to expand into Southern Ontario. 

"Probiotic gut health can really influence brain health and so I think to have a company really bring mental health and bring health to the forefront, we’re really missing that in the Kombucha market right now," she said.

Link North officials said 'Pitch 2021' is much more than a competition.  The video-recorded pitches from Rodgers and West will also be distributed to more than four hundred angel investors in northern Ontario.