CREDIT: PHOTOS PROVIDED BY AWARD WINNERS (NICK HOLLINGER, NICOLE SNOBELEN AND KELVIN VAN RIJN)
Fanshawe alumni received six of the 20 spots on Business London magazine's 2018 Twenty in their 20's list. Three of the six grads include Nick Hollinger (left), Nicole Snobelen (centre) and Kelvin Van Rijn (right).

Business London magazine published the 2018 Twenty in their 20s list in the October issue of their magazine. Fanshawe alumni took six of those spots by showing exceptional career accomplishments at such a young age.

An event will be held on November 22 at 6:30 p.m. to recognize Business London's 2018 twenty in their 20s. The event will be at Design House London and tickets can be purchased for $30 per person. Visit businesslondon.ca for more information.

Interrobang spoke with some of the alumni, who shared how their experience at Fanshawe contributed to their success so early on in their career.

Nick Hollinger

Hollinger graduated from the business administration marketing (BAM) advanced diploma in 2016. He is now the co-founder and CEO of Visitor Queue, a business- to-business (B2B) software company that identifies the name, contact details and user data of the businesses that visit a company's website.

“Fanshawe provided me with a lot of hands on skills and real world practical skills that allowed me to accelerate quickly and grow rather than trying to apply theory,” Hollinger said. “Fanshawe definitely shaped me in the right ways to be where I am now and I would 100 per cent recommend that program [BAM] to anybody that asks about it.”

While at Fanshawe, Hollinger said he also participated in the community consultancy program that allowed him to deal with live clients and provided him with real world knowledge.

“My co-founder also graduated from the computer software program at Fanshawe,” Hollinger said. “I look after the business side and he looks after the technology and computer side of it.”

To find out more about Visitor Queue, visit visitorqueue.com.

Nicole Snobelen

Snobelen graduated from the fashion design program in 2012. She is now the owner and operator of a fashion company called Evelynn by Nicole Snobelen.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed about being a fashion designer and always had this drive to make the world a better place,” Snobelen said. “Being able to make your dreams a reality and live a life you've created, is magical.”

Snobelen said that the fashion design program at Fanshawe taught her the ins and outs of the fashion industry and Leap Junction provided her with incredible support.

“Fanshawe has been a huge support system for me while starting my business,” Snobelen said. “Annette Markvoort, Leap Junction's entrepreneurial animator, became a mentor for me and helped me build a more sustainable business.”

Snobelen said that her entrepreneurial journey started when she had nothing to wear to an interview upon graduating from Fanshawe.

“Not having much money saved up and student debt, I decided to make myself a dress to wear to the interviews instead of purchasing one,” Snobelen said. “I posted a photo of myself wearing the dress on social media and I mentioned that I had made the dress. Almost immediately after, women started messaging me asking me to make them one and I started doing custom work.”

In addition to designing custom clothing, Snobelen also said that she started The Abby Fund which is a non-profit that aims to lift the spirits of children suffering from illness.

“Battling my own illnesses, I saw an opportunity to use my talents as a fashion designer to give back and brighten the days of sick children,” Snobelen said. “We volunteer our time to meet with children in the hospital to design their dream dresses or superhero capes, which we then bring to life and gift to them. We take children out of very difficult situations and watch them embody the superheroes and princesses they truly are.”

To learn more about Snobelen's company, visit evelynnbns.ca.

Kelvin Van Rijn

Van Rijn graduated from the business marketing program in 2015 and is now the owner of The Fritter Shop that provides specialty desserts with the focus on bringing the sweet excitement of the Dutch New Year's treat of fritters.

“We bring a fresh new spin to what dessert can be. We have a total of 12 constant flavours and we add a new seasonal flavour for a couple of months,” Van Rijn said. “Our bakery is located in St. Thomas at 779 Talbot St., but we sell most of our fritters in London at local farmer's markets like The Market at Western Fair District, Masonville Market (seasonal) and Western University Market (seasonal).”

Van Rijn said that he had the idea to start a fritter shop before he started at Fanshawe and the business marketing program prepared him to start the business.

“My teachers were a huge help in getting my process started,” Van Rijn said. “Before I graduated I got introduced to Leap Junction, the entrepreneurship hub at Fanshawe. The help I got there was instrumental to my success as they showed me the ins and outs of running a business.”

Van Rijn also said that Fanshawe continues to support him and his business by ordering from The Fritter Shop and promoting his business through school media sources.

“I've been in business for close to three years now and it's true what they say about entrepreneurship, it definitely has its ups and downs but the ups outweigh the downs drastically,” Van Rijn said. “Receiving this award is one of the biggest ups I've had to date and for me, its confirmation that The Fritter Shop will be a success.”

To learn more about Kelvin and The Fritter Shop, visit thefrittershop.com.

Alexander Sworik

According to Fanshawe Alumni, Sworik graduated from business marketing in 2013 and general arts and science film studies in 2014. He is now the creative director at Echelon Creative Studios, a video production company based in London. To learn more about Echelon Creative Studio, visit echeloncreative.tv.

Amanda Tadgell

According to Fanshawe Alumni, Tadgell received a diploma in business marketing in 2013 and went on to complete the BAM program in 2014. She is now the director of digital operations at tbk Creative. To learn more about tbk Creative, visit tbkcreative.com.

Nick Spina

According to Fanshawe Alumni, Spina completed the police foundations program in 2003. Spina is now the President and CEO of Life- Fit Foods, a company that aims to provide people with chef-prepared meals to help them reach their fitness goals. To learn more about LiveFit Foods, visit livefitfoods.ca.