STEPHENVILLE -
As Jennifer Evans works to grow her business, she's appreciative of the support she has received from the from the Long Range Community Business Development Corporation.
A piece of her work was highlighted during Community Business Development Corporation Day on Wednesday as she baked and decorated the cake for the celebration. The Long Range CBDC is one of 41 CBDCs located throughout Atlantic Canada that marked the seventh annual celebration.
The theme for the day by the Long Range CBDC board and staff was to pay tribute to all businesses in the area and Mary Lambert Skinner, executive director, felt Jennifer's Sweet Occasions - the business run by Evans - was amongst those of note.
Evans' only formal training took place almost 25 years ago when she took a cake-decorating course and she's been at it since that time. All the rest of what she's learned has come from her mom Mary Whalen, whom she said was an excellent baker and taught her well.
Originally from Heatherton, she and her mom once operated a home-based bakery there selling all types of baked goods. Today, Evans just specializes in cakes and chocolate, which keeps her busy.
She's now getting more and more into transfer sheet cakes because people like cakes that have different shapes to them.
"I want to shape it and make it look like the object requested rather than just air brushing in something like some other places do," she said.
A loan through the Long Range Community Business Development Corporation helped her get her business off the ground but Evans is as well appreciative of the business advice she has received from people at the corporation.
"I attended a meeting on how to promote your business they sponsored and that has helped out and now the folks at the corporation have encouraged me to get involved in Bay Expo and I think that will boost my business even more," she said.
Bay Expo is an annual business exposition sponsored by the Bay St. George Chamber of Commerce and held at Stephenville Dome. She plans to have a booth in this year's event on May 29 and 30.
It's her hope to go full time at her business as currently she works part-time at Dominion Store in Stephenville.
"Business has picked up because of my previous marketing and I think getting the word out further at Bay Expo will get it moving even more," she said.