Alumni Entrepreneur Toolkit launched at DC Talks: Alumni Series Posted on November 28, 2025 at 11:34 am. At the latest DC Talks: Alumni Series event, Durham College (DC) welcomed a panel of five graduates who all have one thing in common – they leveraged their DC education to turn bold ideas into thriving ventures. Hosted in the Rotary Global Classroom at DC, this event explored the lasting connection between education, business and community. “I was able to make all kinds of contacts in the school,” explained Paul Fritzsch, a Horticulture – Food and Farming graduate whose business idea developed during his time as a student. “I was able to come back and get help with marketing ideas, stay connected with those coming out of the program, and access breaks on insurance – you need it when you’re starting a business!” Panel moderator Ariel Sully, Associate Vice President, Advancement and Alumni Relations, also announced the new Alumni Entrepreneur Toolkit, which pulls together many of the valuable resources Paul and fellow alumni entrepreneurs tap into to support their business growth. The toolkit includes information about promotion and advertising, opportunities for startup funding and growth support, savings on business insurance, and programs available through DC’s Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship on topics including AI, cybersecurity, and intellectual property protection. Hosted by the Durham College Alumni Association and supported by Kleurvision, this event was also a part of ‘Do It In Durham Entrepreneurship Week,’ Durham Region’s celebration of entrepreneurship held each November during Global Entrepreneurship Week. Read on to get to know the panellists or watch the full recording of DC Talks: Alumni Series “From Education to Entrepreneur.” Brittany Charlton Law Clerk Advanced, Class of 2016 Brittany Charlton is a Forbes 30U30 entrepreneur and founder of Chocovate Labs. In 2017, Brittany started Ohh! Foods, a line of allergen-friendly, vegan, and gluten-free snacks inspired by her own food allergy. What started as a personal mission became a national brand, landing on shelves in Walmart, Costco, and 1,000+ retail doors across Canada. In 2025, she launched Chocovate Labs, a food-tech company developing cocoa-free chocolate that looks, tastes, and performs like traditional chocolate, without using a single cocoa bean. As cocoa prices skyrocket and supply chains strain, Chocovate Labs helps global food brands future-proof their chocolate products through scalable, sustainable alternatives. Paul Fritzsch Horticulture – Food and Farming, Class of 2023 After a 20-year career in software technology, Paul decided to follow a lifelong passion for agriculture and return to college. While at DC, he participated in the Student Work program, where he gained invaluable experience in his role as Community and Edible Gardens Ambassador representing the Barrett Centre of Innovation in Sustainable Urban Agriculture. During his last semester, he founded Urban Farm Solutions, an urban agriculture company with a mission to help create holistic communities that are food-sovereign and connected to the health of their own environments. By transforming underutilized urban green spaces into productive and beautiful market gardens, much of the food grown can be donated to local food banks and care organizations. Zenon Issel Mechanical Engineering Technology, Class of 1998 Zenon is a mechanical engineer turned entrepreneur with a diverse career spanning engineering, business development, and brand leadership across industries and continents. After graduating from Durham College, Zenon spent over two decades with Solar Turbines where he designed turbomachinery products and managed a team supporting billions in annual revenue. Today, Zenon calls Hawai‘i home, where he blends his technical background with his entrepreneurial drive. Together with his wife, Cindy, he co-founded Surf-fur, a performance outerwear brand that pioneered a new product category in the watersports industry. For nearly 20 years, Surf-fur has provided warmth, safety, and protection to ocean enthusiasts and professionals worldwide, including members of the military and special operations. Nicole Morais Hospitality Management – Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism, Class of 2016 Nicole is the founder and CEO of Crave Doughnuts. Launched in 2018, Crave has become a local favourite in Durham Region with its first location in Whitby followed by a second in Oshawa, collectively selling approximately 5,000 doughnuts per week. Nicole has been passionate about hospitality for as long as she can remember and fell in love with the idea of creating memorable experiences through food while connecting with her community. With a focus on locally sourced, quality ingredients, Nicole and the team at Crave bring joy to people’s lives with doughnuts handmade with love from scratch. Shanondoah Nicholson Event Management, Class of 2013 Shanondoah is an award-winning event planner who makes magic happen. After 15 years of in-house roles in various industries, she has recently taken Beyond the BEO full time, offering not only her own event planning services, but career coaching and training for event professionals. Shanondoah has a unique ability to understand both her client’s, and her client’s clients’ needs, intuitively. These lead to her routinely producing experiences that attendees speak about for years to come. She is also the creator and host of the Beyond the BEO podcast, which routinely features notable industry guests discussing important topics to further educate listeners about all aspects of the events industry. SHARE:
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