VIDEOS: Inaugural Leeds Grenville’s Greatest Entrepreneur Competition Held Wednesday Night in Prescott

Prescott – The inaugural Leeds Grenville’s Greatest Entrepreneur competition, hosted by both the Community Futures Grenville and 1000 Islands CDCs, wrapped up last night with an inspiring Pitch Gala celebrating innovation, resilience, and the incredible entrepreneurial talent across our region.

Presented by 1000 Islands Community Development Corporation and Community Futures Grenville, the competition attracted 26 applications from across Leeds and Grenville. Following a competitive review process, six outstanding finalists advanced to the live Pitch Gala held on January 28, 2026, at Prescott Town Hall, where two grand prize winners were selected—one from each organization’s service area.

The Grand Prize Winners were:

• Tempo Drive Music Studio (Kemptville) — CF Grenville service area

• Curran Reading Corner (Brockville) — 1000 Islands CDC service area

Each grand prize winner received $10,000 in cash plus over $10,000 in in-kind business support to help accelerate their next stage of growth. Huge congratulations to both businesses for their outstanding pitches and community impact!

We also celebrate our exceptional finalists, each of whom received a $1,500 cash prize:

• Gan Fitness (Gananoque)
• GreenVeil Packaging (Kemptville)
• Monday Nutrition(Spencerville)
• QueenCare (Brockville)

A sincere thank-you to our panel of judges for their thoughtful feedback and dedication to supporting local entrepreneurs. Your insight, care, and commitment made this competition meaningful and rigorous.

Judges noted the strength of the finalists and the difficulty of selecting winners from such a talented group. “The quality of the pitches was exceptional,” said Wendy Onstein, Chair of Community Futures Grenville and one of the panel of five judges. “Each finalist demonstrated a clear vision, a strong understanding of their market, and a deep commitment to building something meaningful in their community. Choosing the winners was incredibly challenging because every entrepreneur brought forward a compelling and viable business.”

Wendy Merkley, Vice-Chair of 1000 Islands Community Development Corporation, and another judge on the panel, emphasized the broader impact of the competition on the region. “What stood out most was the passion and resilience of these entrepreneurs,” said Merkley. “These businesses are solving real problems, creating opportunities, and contributing to a stronger local economy. Leeds and Grenville should be incredibly proud of the talent showcased through this competition.”

Organizers say the first year of Leeds Grenville’s Greatest Entrepreneur exceeded expectations and highlighted the depth of entrepreneurial talent across the region.

“This competition was created to shine a spotlight on local entrepreneurs and give them meaningful support to grow,” said Trish McNamara, Executive Director of 1000 Islands Community Development Corporation. “The finalists, winners, judges, sponsors, and community came together to make this inaugural year a tremendous success, and we’re excited to see where these businesses go next.”

Leeds Grenville’s Greatest Entrepreneur is made possible through the generous support of community sponsors who believe in investing locally and supporting entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey. A special thank-you goes to iTrepreneur, the Innovation Sponsor, for providing all finalists with access to AI-powered business coaching to support their continued growth beyond the competition.

Learn more: www.lggreatestentrepreneur.ca

We gratefully acknowledge the funding of the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).