As anticipated, every day is a new and fresh experience for me here at the E-Institute.  I’ve been so busy the last two weeks that I did not have time to write my blog.  Tonight, I am trying to make up for the lost entries.  Things are happening fast, and I’d hate to miss capturing and cataloguing the excitement  and all the other emotions that I am feeling.

Once again,  it’s the time of year to honor the school alumni entrepreneurs who have been successful in their endeavours.   Nominations are in and the faculty and staff start the process of voting as to who should get the award.

As our graduates come from different backgrounds,  and work in different fields, different categories are set up to avoid us comparing apples with oranges.   As usual, categories include:   High-Tech, Manufacturing, Consulting, Construction,  Home-based, Wholesale/Import, Retail, and Perseverance.

Today, we reviewed the stories behind each nominated entrepreneur,  what challenges they faced and what they did to overcome these challenges.  The reason why they should receive the award?  We look at other factors such as community involvement, number of jobs created and the sustainability issue.

Choosing the finalists for each category was not too difficult, but awarding the main winner for each category and the Main Entrepreneur award proved to be tough.  There are many strong candidates, and our feelings and biases tend to get in the way.  After a whole day of deliberations and discussions, everybody felt good about the final choices.

It was not something I have experienced before, and I felt good to be a part of the process.   The award ceremony is scheduled for next month, and we now have to plan for the gala ceremony.

One thing I want to add is that the award plaque is very symbolic.   The bars in a bar graph, showing a continual upward spike represents profit.    I find it very attractive and elegant.

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Filed under: Life at E-Institute