January 31, 2005 Summerside, Prince Edward Island At a breakfast reception this morning, ProfitLearn PEI, in cooperation with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the Province of Prince Edward Island announced the launching of Jump Start Your Business coaching on PEI. A $45,000 contribution ($35,000 from ACOA and $10,000 from PEI Business Development) will allow 30 small and medium- sized PEI businesses to take part in the Jump Start Your Business process developed by Doug Hall, founder and Chairman of the famous "Eureka! Ranch" based in Cincinnati, Ohio. "This is a tremendous opportunity for local businesses to acquire high level marketing skills to ensure the future success of their businesses," noted the Honourable Joe McGuire, Minister for ACOA. "I am very pleased that ACOA is providing a much needed contribution to make this program available to Island businesses." The Jump Start program begins with a one-day coaching workshop to inspire participating companies to develop the marketing messages that will drive their future sales and marketing successes. After the workshop, the companies receive two research reports from the "Eureka! Ranch" headquarters. These reports will quantify the expected improvement from their marketing messages and give them ideas for further enhancements. As an additional support, PEI Business Development will provide follow-up coaching to help ensure the companies translate their new insights into long-term business success. "We are very lucky here in PEI to have the services of such a prestigious training facility as the Eureka! Ranch, said The Honourable Greg Deighan, Speaker of the PEI Legislature, on behalf of Development and Technology Minister Mike Currie. "The provincial government is committed to small businesses and to helping them grow and thrive. The Eureka! Ranch is a valued and important partner and we welcome their involvement in the development of small business in this province." The Jump Start Your Business process on PEI will be exactly the same as the process offered by "Eureka! Ranch" to Fortune 500 companies such as Procter and Gamble, Ford Motor Company, Bank of America, and Walt Disney. A number of years ago, Doug Hall took his training program for corporate America and turned it into a package that would benefit the small and micro-businesses prevalent in Atlantic Canada. The idea sprang from the work he had carried out in PEI researching his book Jump Start Your Business Brain which was written for small business and features a dozen Island businesses. Doug Hall, a summer resident of PEI, made his business fortune advising major corporations, creating the "Eureka! Ranch" think-tank that has been named the best in America by Inc. Magazine, CIO Magazine and A&E Top 10. While he spends much of his time working with Fortune 500 corporations, his heart remains with smaller entrepreneurs, as can be read in his books and heard on his national public radio show Brain Brew. The Jump Start Your Business training will be run by ProfitLearn PEI, a unit within the Centre for Life-Long Learning at the University of Prince Edward Island. The workshops will begin in March. Businesses interested in finding out more, are encouraged to contact Marg Weeks at ProfitLearn at 1-800-270-4795. - 30 - For more information, please contact: Ron Crozier Office of the Minister for ACOA (613) 888-4150 Ann Thurlow Development and Technology (902) 569-0571 Marg Weeks Coordinator, ProfitLearn PEI Centre for Life-Long Learning University of Prince Edward Island (902) 566-0408 marweeks@upei.ca http://profitlearn.upei.ca Wes Harrison ACOA PEI & Tourism (902) 368-0842 wes.harrison@acoa-apeca.gc.ca
