Jul 16, 2010 - 04:30 AM

Jennifer Stone

DURHAM -- When Matthew Rizzuto says he received 'seed money' from the government to start his summer business, he means it literally.

The 15-year-old Utica resident is one of several Durham young people taking part in the Province's Summer Company program. The program gives people ages 15 to 29, who are still enrolled in school and plan to return in the fall, grants to start summer businesses.

The businesses Durham youth have started up this year take a variety of forms, from teaching swimming lessons in the young entrepreneurs' backyard pools, to helping market agricultural businesses. In Matthew's case, he's started his own agricultural business by using almost an acre of his family's property and turning it into a garden, producing vegetables to be sold at farmers' markets and via direct sales.

The program provides $1,500 in start-up money, then at the end of the summer, an additional $1,500 to those who meet certain criteria, said Wenda Abel of the Business Advisory Centre of Durham.

"The kinds of businesses they're operating are ones that can be launched quickly and have good potential to generate revenue and profit," she said.

It's the 10th year the program has been offered.

While students are only eligible for the grants for one summer, "a great number of (participants) operate their business every summer throughout their school career," Ms. Abel said.

For Matthew, the start-up money was exactly what he needed to get going. With the initial $1,500, he bought a variety of items, including a pump to allow him to bring water from a nearby river, assorted implements and of course, seeds.

For Whitby's Jamie Bell, 17, and Bowmanville's Justin Graffi, 18, it meant buying pool safety equipment and other items to begin their separate though similar businesses. The two use their family's backyard pools to teach swimming lessons. Both are trained lifeguards and swimming instructors, and both offer private or semi-private lessons.

"It's gone really well," said Mr. Graffi, who will attend McGill University in the fall.

A great deal of the grant was spent on marketing items -- signs and flyers and the like -- with a third of it going toward pool safety equipment, said the Bowmanville resident.

Both he and Jamie, who just finished Grade 12 at Sinclair Secondary and plans to pursue studies in funeral services, say they did their research and found they could offer their services at comparable or lower prices to what municipal pools were charging.

Showing their businesses' viability and competitiveness is part of the program: before being accepted into Summer Company, the prospective entrepreneurs have to complete a business plan and undergo an interview process, Ms. Abel said.

The program "really has a huge value in terms of helping young people develop entrepreneurial skills, business acumen and leadership skills," she said.

For Enniskillen's Bruce Sargent, it provides even more than that. The program is affording him the opportunity to mix his heritage with his future. Raised on the family dairy farm, the 19 year old said he knew he didn't want to go into farming as a career. High school courses and extra-curricular activities led him to the world of multi-media, which he's now studying. He's spending this summer helping agricultural and other businesses market themselves, by providing graphic design, video production, web development and production services.

Mr. Sargent is going into his second year at the University of Guelph. Despite his farming roots, he plans a future in multi-media and the grant he got from summer company is allowing him to combine the two. Agricultural operations require websites and other marketing tools and having someone with a farm background help design them, "as opposed to calling someone in from the city and having to explain the whole (farm) operation to them," is a benefit to the client, he said.

It's been a good experience, and will help with his future career, Mr. Sargent said.

Summer Company has been "a huge benefit," he said.