Titan Excellence at the 2023 E.R. Monaco Young Entrepreneurs Award
Business and Entrepreneurship students at Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School were honored to attend the 10th Anniversary of the E.R. Monaco Young Entrepreneurs Awards. In 2011, Mary Monaco approached The Hamilton Business Centre after her father passed, to start a program in his memory, wherein students have a chance to try their hand at running their own business. Like her father, Eustachio Monaco did. Throughout his success in business, Eustachio firmly believed in helping others. He gave generously to charitable organizations that enforced the development of personal skills and education of the less advantaged in society so that they could become independent and self-sufficient. The Monaco family wanted to continue this legacy, and so this E.R. Monaco Business Plan Competition Awards was born. At this 10th Anniversary mark, the awards have been renamed to the E.R. Monaco Young Entrepreneurs Awards. This event was attended by participating students, their parent, along with teacher and Principal as well as other City of Hamilton staff and industry professionals.
There were 23 students from Bishop Tonnos C.S.S. in attendance at the awards banquet along with other students from other schools in the city, hosted by the City of Hamilton’s Business Centre. These students, along with many other students, submitted business plans for the competition, that were evaluated by a panel of judges weeks before the banquet. The awards banquet finished Titan strong with monetary awards going to Bishop Tonnos students who placed as follows: 1st: Olivia Almeida and Vanessa Serafini for On Track Web Flippers; 2nd: Ethan Cisarovsky, Paolo Spadano, and Karlo Macasevic for Royal Cleaning Co; 3rd: Mary Ilori and Duygu Genez for Grub Galore; and 4th: Sofia Bialach and Julia Bomben for Pups on The Move. With 1st place being Bishop Tonnos CSS student winners, the school is given the honour of having the trophy for the year. All student attendees received amazing SWAG bags and tickets to a FORGE game.
Students who participated in the City’s Summer Company Program also attended the dinner and shared marketing materials of their companies. Bishop Tonnos students Nathan Leon-McCall for ShowRoom AutoCare and William Youngberg for Fratelli Property Maintenance were also celebrated for their hard work
There were 7 schools and 37 business plans represented at the banquet. Congratulations to all the students who participated in the competition. Bishop Tonnos CSS had a total of 45 students who participated in the business plan competition. Each of them gained valuable experience in what it takes to put together a business plan. Students valued the hands-on learning and the opportunity to work as a team. The students who placed top overall expressed that hard work does pay off," says Teacher Gelsie Riverso-Casella. She also stated, “It is rewarding as a teacher to see students reach their potential and be recognized for it. We are so grateful to the Monaco family and The Hamilton Business Centre for this opportunity.”
