A Grade 12 student at Northern Collegiate launched a 3D printing business this summer with the help of the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership [SLEP].
Jared Waller was one of six young entrepreneurs selected by SLEP to participate in the Summer Company Program for youth.
He says he purchased two 3D printers and ended up getting a lot of jobs from people looking for hard to find parts for older houses.
"I had light switch covers, a vent cover, radiator covers," says Waller.
He says he was a bit surprised by the age of his clients.
"I got a lot of work from people who were 40 or above and I thought it would be a younger audience."
Waller says his hardest project was designing a virtual reality [VR] headset, which took nearly 40 hours to print.
As part of the program, students returning to school receive up to $3,000 to launch their business, as well as mentoring and training in various aspects of entrepreneurship.
"This has been an important partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development for 19 years now," says SLEP Chief Executive Officer Stephen Thompson. "In chatting with a number of the students, they're interested in carrying their businesses forward next summer, as well as into the future."
Thompson says the other students ran produce and concession stands, one started a multimedia business and another manufactured beehives.
He says the program is one of many offered by their business enterprise centre that also provides free one-on-one business counselling to hundreds of clients each year.
(Left to right.) Lambton County Warden Bill Weber, Summer Company Program participants Collin Boyd, Matt Hayter, Jared Waller, Cole Douglas and Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership CEO, Stephen Thompson celebrate the completion of their eight-week program. August 28, 2018 Photo by Melanie Irwin.
