Posted on Thursday, November 18th, 2021
In honour of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day on November 19, 2021, we are profiling a few Algonquin students past and present who are entrepreneurs.
The Cupcake Lounge has been an Ottawa success story from the day the first outlet opened in the ByWard Market in 2011. Not even a pandemic could diminish the consistent appeal of this haven for dessert lovers established by entrepreneur and life-long baker Claudia Arizmendi.
“We have a very strong business,” says Arizmendi, President and CEO of The Cupcake Lounge and a graduate of Algonquin College’s Baking and Pastry Arts program (Class of 2007). “At some point, people began to worry that we were too focused, that cupcakes were a trend that might fade. But we held firm because we felt that a cupcake is like a slice of a really good-quality cake, baked fresh and in a perfect single portion.
“That’s what I wanted to give to my customers right from the start and that’s what they keep coming back to enjoy.”
Arizmendi moved to Canada from Mexico in 1994 and started a family shortly thereafter. At this stage, the prospect of one day launching her own business was little more than a dream.
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Posted on Wednesday, November 17th, 2021
In honour of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day on November 19, 2021, we are profiling a few Algonquin students past and present who are entrepreneurs.
Learning the ins and outs of life as an entrepreneur is changing the mindset and the future prospects of a young businesswoman studying at Algonquin College online from her home on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin.
For the past eight years, Puran, 26, has been operating a car rental business in Saint Maarten, the Dutch portion of the island 300 km east of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea. Tourism is the lifeblood of the 87 square-kilometre island, which has been divided between the Dutch and the French since 1648.
“Tourism is really the only business we have,” Puran says, and in good years it is a very good business indeed. About one million people visit the island annually in peak times, enough to keep Puran and her many competitors busy.
But the economy of Saint Martin has suffered massively since 2017, when it was one of the Caribbean islands devastated by Hurricane Irma. The Category 5 storm destroyed roughly one-third of the buildings on the Dutch side and damaged 90 per cent of structures. Seventy per cent of Puran’s uninsured inventory was damaged or destroyed by the storm.
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Posted on Wednesday, October 27th, 2021
The Ontario government is investing up to $100 million to add an additional 2,000 nurses to the long-term care sector by 2024-25. The
government will do this by supporting the training of thousands of personal support workers (PSWs) and nurses who want to advance their careers in long-term care.
Today’s investment supports the government’s Long-Term Care Staffing Plan, which was launched last year and sets out actions that will educate, train and help recruit tens of thousands of new health care staff through partnerships with sector partners, long-term care homes, and education and training providers, so that homes can provide an average of four hours of direct care per resident per day.
“We are pleased to learn about this important investment in the education of more nurses and personal support workers,” said Claude Brulé, President and CEO of Algonquin College. “Algonquin looks forward to welcoming those who wish to advance their careers in these important fields and help the long-term care sector meet its increasing demand for skilled employees.” Read more >
