Steinbach Chamber Challenge former finalists praise initiative

The Steinbach Chamber Challenge is returning for its third year and past participants say the event positively affected their businesses.

Clinton Plett, who owns Plemark Welding, and was the Challenge’s inaugural winner in 2024, said his business has grown and diversified since he won the first-place prize of $1,000.

He invested his winnings into buying new tools, such as a torch to cut through thicker steel and a hammer drill for welding in structures. The growth he experienced also allowed him to buy a trailer.

Plett said the Challenge really forced him to concentrate on his finances.

“I’d say I ran the numbers of my business more in depth than I had before. I don’t know, I just figured more things out about my business that I’ve used now. Just what my profits are and how much I need to pay a float and how much I need for a float…”

Twelve-year-old Seth Friesen was last year’s winner, and he also invested his first-place winnings to pay for start-up costs for his business, Stay Fresh, which provides a monthly subscription service for homeowners to replace their water softener salts and furnace filters. Seth plans on having a booth at the Chamber Challenge.

“But it was just such a great moment (participating in the Challenge) and it was just so fun,” said Seth, noting the Challenge was also a great advertisement for his business. He said he would like to participate again if he comes up with another idea.

Seth’s father, Lyle Friesen, who owns the landscaping business Urban Yard, said the Challenge was a good exercise to “work this idea out” and see how people responded to it, which gave Seth the confidence to make the business a reality and to launch his website next week.

Lyle also said Stay Fresh’s submission to the contest was a family affair.

“I would recommend it to families that this is a good opportunity for them to grow together as a family and also for their kids to grow in confidence and business experience. You know, talking in front of people, thinking through your business ideas, asking lots of questions. So, as a family, I felt it was a huge blessing.”

Steinbach Chamber of Commerce, which hosts the event, executive director Tessa Masi visits middle schools and high schools in the Southeast every year to promote the event to youth.

“The chamber really values entrepreneurship and talking to students about entrepreneurship is something that’s important to us,” she said. “We want to inspire young entrepreneurs, so that’s something we’ve been doing regularly.”

The Challenge has three cash prizes, $1,000 for first place, $750 for second place, and $500 for third place with 10 presenters competing for the three prizes. Last year, 160 applications were submitted to the chamber, 60 more than the previous year.

“The chances of walking away with a prize if you’re selected is pretty good,” said Masi. “But I think they’re also just excited to start, or not to start, but to continue growing that muscle of thinking about unique business ideas.”

Both Plett and Friesen said contestants need to have a solid business plan and that they need to know their plan and their product very well in order to impress the five judges.

“Be as in-depth as you can with your business plan and especially finances, that really shows that you’re really thinking about it and that you’re really invested in your business,” said Plett.

Some of the unique business ideas submitted over the two years of the Challenge include a 3D printed cooling system to cool down gaming systems and a sneaker cleaning business that did not damage the sneaker.

“I think the opportunities are endless, and we’ve seen a lot of really, really unique ideas,” said Masi.

The prizes are awarded by MNP (first place), Smith Neufeld Jodoin (second place), and Scholars of Steinbach (third place). All representatives of the prize sponsors sit on the committee for the Challenge. They all said their businesses wanted to support the community and its entrepreneurial youth.

“I just feel like right now we’re in a situation where kids go to school and then they go to university and then they get a job. And I think somewhere along the way we forgot that, hey, like, entrepreneurs are the backbone of our economy, and we need to make sure that we’re still helping encourage those individuals who do have that entrepreneurial spirit,” said Scholars owner Sajda Siemens.

Jeremy Dyck, senior manager from MNP, said to be a successful entrepreneur, you just have to do something slightly better than someone else and just because someone is “already in that space” doesn’t mean “you can’t jump in as well.”

“Part of the Chamber Challenge is dispelling the notion that you have to be somehow specially gifted in order to start a business,” he said.

Smith Neufeld Jodoin lawyer and Challenge coordinator Cassandra Bueckert wants kids who are thinking of participating to understand that ideas “need to be cultivated in order to flourish.”

“And the right supports and just all of the different businesses that get together in – not only making this happen – but also offering their services afterwards to these young kids, it’s really important…we encourage them to reach out to us.”

Masi said the entrepreneurial spirit among youth is high in the Southeast as last year the age range of participants was eight years old to 16.

“I think for the chamber, we really value youth entrepreneurship and value the youth in our community because that is the next generation coming up as well. We want to do everything that we can to fan that flame and grow and inspire that,” she said.

Masi encourages the public to come out and watch the presentations.

“The pitches are fantastic. They are really interesting and sometimes even really entertaining. I guess last year, we had an eight-year-old who was pitching his lawn mowing business and he showed up in a little tuxedo. He stole the show. He was such a great communicator.”

The deadline to enter the Chamber Challenge is March 6 with presentations being held on April 16 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Steinbach Christian School. For youth who are interested in participating, visit steinbachchamber.com/chamber-blog/2026-steinbach-chamber-challenge.