Anti-Bullying Rally set for this Saturday in Hampton

(Hampton, NB) Love is louder. That’s the message being brought to a rally being held this Saturday in Hampton. Outraged by the recent act of bullying that took place in her former school, when a Grade 6 student was held down by two schoolmates who cut her hair, rally organizer Leanne Cochrane was compelled to do something.

“I’m just a mom who heard about the incident like everyone else,” says Cochrane. “But the story touched me and I felt compelled to do something. It’s not about me or even about this student. It’s about an act of bullying and an opportunity to raise awareness in our community.”

Love is Louder, the international anti-bullying slogan, will be the message behind the outdoor rally scheduled for Saturday, January 21^st from 11:00 am – 1:00 at the Hampton Pavilion. The rally will include music, refreshments, martial arts demonstrations from Master Phillip Yang, DJ Persona, Dance troops,a poetry reading, a motivational speech by the International Man of Motivation, Brad LeBlanc, and conclude with a special demonstration of peace.

Cochrane expects a good crowd for Saturday’s event: “The response has been great with local business owners wanting to pitch in with products and services. And word has spread like wild fire from Facebook. There are over 200 people who have liked our page or shown their support with a message. Even from as far away as Germany!”

Donations will be accepted at the event, with proceeds going to Bullying Canada. For more information about the rally, call Leanne Cochrane at 506-653-0113 or visit the Facebook page: Love is Louder Anti-bullying rally/fundraiser.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
Saint John, New Brunswick  

Barb Stegemann has a lot going for her these days. In the past year she has won a “2011 Woman Innovator of the Year” award and was named a national finalist for Chatelaine’s “Women of the Year” competition. Barb recently had the chance to attend the APEC Women and the Economy Summit hosted by Hillary Clinton. Barb was given the opportunity to speak with with Ambassador Melanne Veveer, Ambassador at Large for Women’s Global Issues who presented her with her award. Barb is an amazing entrepreneur who found international fame after sleighing the Dragon’s in CBC’s dragons den with her international perfume business.

The organizers of SPARK have just announced that Barb will be the official emcee of the event which is taking place on October 6th at Harbour Station.”This is a dream come true” said Stegemann who has always dreamed of meeting Trump. Stegemann is a professional speaker and is truly looking forward to sharing the stage with: Donald J Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and Danny Williams.

“We are so excited to have Barb as our emcee for the event” said Momentum Group CEO Brad LeBlanc “we know that her appeal to women in leadership along with her energizing presentation skills will yet again bring the event to a whole new level”.

SPARK is presented by Lexus of Saint John and supported by many regional sponsors. Full sponsor listing can be found on the official event website at sparkcanada.ca. Tickets to SPARK are still available, though floor seats are sold out.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

In a CBC News interview with Harry Forestell on September 14, 2011 Donald Trump said “Canada is more entrepreneurial than the United States”. The interview was a promotional tool to excite Canada about Trump’s upcoming visit to Saint John, New Brunswick for the SPARK conference. Trump will be joined by former mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani and former Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador Danny Williams for a conference that is attracting thousands of people from across the country.

SPARK is a live speaking event taking place on October 6, 2011 at Harbour Station in Saint John. The conference is organized by 22 year-old serial entrepreneur Brad LeBlanc and his self-described “amazing” team at The Momentum Group.

In the interview Donald was positive, slick, supportive, and expressed his excitement about his first ever trip to Atlantic Canada.

When asked what secret ingredient helped him succeed Trump said “I had a great mentor”. He then continued by saying “Having the enthusiasm and the love for what you’re doing makes you successful”.

When asked what motivated him he answered by saying “I like creating the canvas” and later continued by saying “I really enjoy creating something special”.

The theme for the conference is “Crash. Learn. Conquer.” and when asked about his darkest moment Trump described the crash of the real estate market in the early 90′s which resulted in immense debt. When asked how he overcame the immense financial and other challenges Trump said “I worked really, really hard for 3-4 years… And today my company is bigger and more successful than it ever was”. During this interview Trump encompassed the true heart of the conference by placing such enthusiasm on perseverance, hard work and never giving up.

Brad LeBlanc (founder of the event) said “Trump was spectacular during the interview, as he will be at the event”. He continued by saying “The brand he has built, the lessons he has learned, and the impact he has had on the economy is almost unparalleled.”

Forestell (the interviewer) asked jokingly if Trump was confusing our New Brunswick for the New Brunswick in New Jersey and Trump, with certainty, answered “they are not mixed up, and yours is probably even more beautiful”.

When asked if he was excited about his trip to New Brunswick Trump answered “I hear it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth”.

Trump, in his true self-promoting nature, reminded the viewers that “The Art of the Deal” is “the number one business book of all time”.

In a surprisingly humble fashion, Trump then commended the NB interviewer on his “great reputation”.

SPARK is a high-impact event designed to encourage people from all walks of life to try, risk, and dare to be different. Its message will challenge people to dig deep and be the very best they can be. Leaders from around the world will share their stories of failure and how persistence has lead them to great success.

Lexus of Saint John is the proud presenting sponsor of the event. It is also supported my many other amazing regional, and local sponsors who deserve a great round of applause. Their information can be found on the official SPARK website.

The interview with trump can be found at http://bit.ly/trumpcbc

While thousands of tickets have already been sold – Tickets ARE still available for the event by visiting sparkcanada.ca or by contacting the organizers directly at 1-506-642-5956.

How many times do you have the chance to ask Donald Trump a question?

I’m going to have the very rare opportunity to sit down and ask the one and only Donald J. Trump a few questions, live and in person on October 6th in Saint John, New Brunswick. Instead of asking the questions that I have – I want to open it up to those from across the country and into the New England States who are joining us for the event – what would you ask the Donald?

From now until the event, we’ll be taking questions from anyone attending SPARK on October 6th at Harbour Station – just fill in the form below with your ticket information, and I might just ask your question and credit you.

So in the famous words of William Shakespeare – “Go to. Go to.”

Donald Trump is speaking alongside former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani, and former Premier of Newfoundland & Labrador (and entrepreneur extraordinaire Danny Williams at SPARK live at Harbour Station on October 6th. A few tickets are still available to the event – but are going quickly. It’s all powered by Lexus of Saint John, CGA, Plasticraft, Chandler, Enterprise Saint John, Saint John Industrial Parks, and our other amazing sponsors! For more event information and tickets, go to sparkcanada.ca.

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Published September 7, 2011 in Saint John’s Telegraph-Journal, Page B1 
Article by Natalie Stechyson
Read Original 

Brad LeBlanc, chief entrepreneurial officer for The Momentum Group, says the city of Saint John is already seeing financial perks from the upcoming SPARK event, where Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani will be speaking. Since the announcement, jobs have been created for seven people working directly on the event. Photo by Kâté Braydon/Telegraph-Journal.

Saint John could see around $3 million in economic spinoffs when Donald Trump visits the city next month, those involved in the event say.

The Momentum Group Inc. announced in the spring that the American business magnate, along with former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Newfoundland premier Danny Williams, would be speaking at SPARK, a motivational event in the Port City.

Event officials are expecting about 5,000 to 6,000 people to attend the Oct. 6 event at Harbour Station. And with about half of those people likely to come from out of town, they’ll need places to sleep and eat.

All told, the event “certainly could be in excess of $3 million in spinoff” for the city, said Stephen Carson, the CEO of Enterprise Saint John.

“Normally when speakers of this calibre are brought together you’d be in a major metropolitan centre – in Toronto or Boston or New York,” Carson said.

“So when they happen in a community like Saint John, it’s a tremendous boost – not only to get us on the radar screen of these major players in business, but there are direct impacts, which are the dollars and cents spent by people attending the event.”

Saint John is already seeing the economic benefits of Donald Trump’s golden touch, said Brad LeBlanc, the chief entrepreneurial officer of The Momentum Group.

“The fact that we employ seven people – we think that’s a big, big deal. Especially in these economic times,” LeBlanc said.

While LeBlanc said it’s nearly impossible to predict the total economic spinoff of the event, his last event in Moncton – the Atlantic Dream Festival – brought in about $3 million for the city.

Now it’s time for Saint John to see some benefits, LeBlanc said.

“A lot of the corporate leaders and political leaders here in Saint John came to us and said ‘listen, Saint John is tired of being overlooked as a venue for these events. It’s tired of all of the events going to Moncton and to Halifax,’” LeBlanc said. “And we were really convinced to do this.”

One of the key benefits for Saint John will be employment, LeBlanc said. Not just for those working directly on the event, but outsourced firms, law firms and “dozens and dozens” of security guards, plus an extra four bodyguards for the speakers.

There will also be the taxes from every ticket sold, speaker fees and venue rentals, LeBlanc said.

But the biggest part of an economic spinoff is the money people spend outside of the event, LeBlanc said.

“We know the event is going to have hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars that we’re spending in this community, but we’re talking about millions of dollars when we’re talking about all of the other things, including air travel, hotel rooms and food.”

Tickets for SPARK range from $169 to $259 before taxes and fees. Subsidies can be arranged for students.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
SAINT JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK

The entrepreneurially minded leadership team at Lexus of Saint John are providing a once in a lifetime opportunity to a lucky fan attending SPARK. Through their Facebook page they have launched a contest that is designed to grow their social following while sharing inspiration.

From August 17 until September 23 the public is invited to “Like” the official Lexus of Saint John Facebook Page. To be entered to win an opportunity to attend the very exclusive and invite-only “Meet and Greet” event with Donald Trump, fans must share something that inspires them about any of the SPARK speakers. It takes only moments to do and one lucky fan (who will be chosen at random) will win the opportunity of a lifetime and a VIP seat at SPARK. This prize pacakge is worth over $2500.

Cathy Coyle of Lexus says “We are very proud to be the presenting sponsor of SPARK and honored to work with Brad LeBlanc and The Momentum Group on this world class event. The lucky winner of the VIP package will also receive further pampering from Lexus of Saint John. Details will be revealed upon presentation of this amazing prize. Thanking everyone in advance, for ‘liking’ the Lexus of Saint John Facebook page.”

SPARK is a high-impact event designed to encourage people from all walks of life to try, risk, and dare to be different. Speakers include Danny Williams, Rudy Guiliani and Donald Trump. Its message will challenge people to dig deep and be the very best they can be. Leaders from around the world will share their stories of failure and how persistence has led them to great success. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit sparkcanada.ca. Lexus of Saint John is the presenting sponsor of SPARK. Also supporting the event as regional sponsors are Rocky’s Sports Bar, CGA, Chandler, Plasticraft, Enterprise Saint John, Saint John Industrial Parks and Enterprise Greater Moncton.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
SAINT JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK  

Celebrity party stories have nothing on what is going to be the best after-party in Saint John history! Political dignitaries from coast-to-coast, Atlantic mayors, company executives, elite package holders and events sponsors for SPARK will be in attendance for the event’s exclusive after-party taking place at Saint John’s infamous Rocky’s Sports Bar on Thursday, October 6, 2011. The rumour mill is running strong with anticipation of what celebrity guests will be arriving unannounced.

After walking down the red carpet, the much anticipated after-party will also feature live music, awards-worthy swag bags, Beverly Hills style paparazzi, casino style showgirls and fabulous prizes. Over and above the glitz and glamour of the event, The Momentum Group hopes to SPARK conversation and opportunities for guests to meet and shake hands with some of the speakers.

Rocky’s holds the reputation of being one of the best sports bars in Canada. They have believed in and have supported SPARK from its inception. “The bar’s new owners Bill and Norma Eaton are superstars in our books. They have opened their bar to this opportunity and have been absolute hospitality ambassadors to the beautiful city of Saint John. We could not have done this without them”, says CEO of The Momentum Group, Brad LeBlanc.

Besides boasting a crave-worthy menu and authentic sports bar décor, the bar also features one of Canada’s best flair bartenders. Sometimes known as extreme bartending, flair bartending involves the bartender actually becoming your entertainer as they juggle bottles, flip shakers and manipulate flaming liquors. All things combined, the event is sure to be a winning experience and offer memories unsurpassed.

SPARK is a high-impact event designed to encourage people from all walks of life to try, risk, and dare to be different. Speakers include Danny Williams, Rudy Guiliani and Donald Trump. Its message will challenge people to dig deep and be the very best they can be. Leaders from around the world will share their stories of failure and how persistence has led them to great success. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit sparkcanada.ca.