Reinvent This Space finalists named

LEAMINGTON — Four entrepreneurs who want to set up shop in uptown Leamington are finalists in the Reinvent This Space competition.

Run by the Municipality of Leamington in partnership with the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Centre (SBEC), a division of Invest WindsorEssex, the Reinvent This Space contest will see the winner get a year’s worth of rent up to $15,000 to locate a new business in uptown Leamington.

The contest participants will also receive in depth training and support from the SBEC.

A panel of local business leaders reviewed proposals and have selected the following finalists (in no particular order):

Alissa Enns – plantbased bakery.

Aggie Toole – Lebanese bakery.

Cephra Hasfal – café serving East Asian street food.

Aaron Dvernychuk – Artisan ice cream, gelato and frozen desserts shop.

“We’ve received some great business ideas for this year’s Reinvent This Space competition,” said Mayor Hilda MacDonald. “All submissions received have something truly unique to offer and would be great additions to Leamington’s uptown.”

The next phase of the competition will see the finalists participate in a series of business development workshops delivered by the SBEC.

Workshops will be held in February and will cover various topics needed for the finalists to complete a fully developed business plan.

Following completion of the workshops, finalists will receive mentorship to prepare and submit their final business plans and make a pitch to a panel of judges on March 23, 2022. The judges will then select an overall winner in April 2022.

Finalist profiles will be featured on www.reinventleamington.com and the Municipality of Leamington Facebook page.