Funeral Futurist on Mentorship at Entrepreneurship Centre Opening

Funeral Futurist speaks on Mentorship at the Launch of the
Eric Douglass Centre for Entrepreneurship at Royal Roads University

Victoria, BC - Royal Roads University announced today the creation of the Eric Douglass Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies, the legacy of a colourful Edmonton entrepreneur who left the family farm at 13 and went on to achieve success in Alberta’s transport, construction and development sectors. The centre has been created with a $1.7 million bequest from the estate of Eric Douglass, who, with his wife Helena, had been a long-time supporter of RRU’s Faculty of Management.

The first activity to be launched at the centre will be a mentorship program that will match would-be entrepreneurs from the university’s Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Studies program with mentors who will provide guidance in skills development, networking, and developing socially responsible enterprises.

“Our goal is not just to help people make a profit but to make a difference in the world while they’re doing it,” said Dr. Brent Mainprize, the RRU business professor who has been named director of the new centre. “Entrepreneurs are leaders of change, who better than them to be leaders of socially responsible change?”

Funeral Futurist Robin Heppell, an RRU Entrepreneurial Studies graduate, addressed the audience on the benefits the program and the importance of mentorship. “Although mentorship was not a major focus of the program, mentorship was always around us. Peer-to-peer mentoring is a by-product of this program, but more importantly we could always rely on advice and guidance from our External Entrepreneurial Advisors, Shelley Peever and Roger Mundell,” reflected Heppell. “And it goes without saying that mentorship is just one the invaluable attributes of Dr. Mainprize. I would not be in the position that I am today without the great counsel offered by these mentors,” he added.

Heppell then shared the time that Mundell imparted some negotiation tactics called the “Friday Afternoon Phone Call.” He concluded by conveying his excitement about the creation of the Eric Douglass Centre for Entrepreneurship. “It is initiatives like this that makes me proud to be Royal Roads Alumnus. It is just not a university that just enrolls students and grants degrees, but is genuinely committed to the continual development of its learners and the betterment of the community.”

The centre will also lead research, outreach and teaching activities, for example developing entrepreneurial education workshops for educators, writing Canadian case studies, and providing economic development support to First Nations and other communities.

RRU’s president emeritus, Dr. Gerry Kelly, who first met Eric and Helena Douglass 20 years ago in Edmonton, says the new centre is a fitting legacy that reflects the couple’s work ethic and Eric’s entrepreneurial spirit. “Eric could see possibilities others couldn’t see and he had the fortitude to take chances as only an entrepreneur can do,” said Kelly. “Helena supported Eric throughout his career, so this really is a joint honour for this remarkable couple.”