There was sweat and maybe a few tears…

A toxic river and ping pong pandemonium…

Blindfolded artists and “tasty” treats…

It was fast, hard, and A LOT of fun!

The Amazing Race 2012 was a hit! Downtown Victoria was taken over by Prodigy members in their bright green tee-shirts as they raced their way through 8 Kilometers of the city, stopping off to complete mental and physical team challenges along the way. All proceeds from this amazing event will be donated to Community Micro-lending and BC Junior Achievement.

Everyone fought hard and had a great time, but the Green Machine from TD Small Business Banking took the win, finishing the race in just 3 hours and 36 minutes. Congratulations Dorian, Josh, Kristen and Sheryl on racing hard and having a win to show for it!
The runners up in the race were:
2nd Place – Our Pace or Yours – Fernhill Financial – Beth, Jake, Melanie, and Jared, finishing in 4 hours.
3rd Place – Bingo Fingers – Krista, Jeremy, Dan, and Saskia finishing in 4 hour and 1 minute.
4th Place – 8 Legs, 4 Heads, No Clue – Ben, Karthik, Hurrian, and Kym finishing in 4 hours and 2 minutes.
As you can see, the competition was fierce, and also very, very close. Another team won in their own right- receiving the Spirit Award for giving just a little bit extra energy and a few more smiles. Congratulations on your Spirit Award team GT Going Concern from Grant Thornton, and to Courtney, Hayley, Kent, ad Albert for being your good-natured selves.
Now that the race is over you have time to rest for another year- but come next April another set of challenges awaits! Will you be ready?

This year’s Amazing Race wouldn’t have been possible without our amazing sponsors:

Presenting Sponsor

Event Partners

Challenge Sponsors

Prize Sponsors

Bubby’s Kitchen
Cactus Club
Capitol Iron
IMAX Victoria
KPMG
Maximum Express
Maximum Furniture
Moxies
Prospect Lake Golf Club
Royal BC Museum
Sportball
The Maritime Museum of BC
Wild Play

Come celebrate the success of Prodigy Group’s Mentorship Program and the many ongoing developmental partnerships that this program has fostered. Guest speaker Terry Farmer, Accent Inns’ former CEO and winner of the 2012 Governors’ Lifetime Achievement Award, will speak about the importance of mentorship for both the mentor and the mentee, as well as share some of his favourite business insights with us.

Looking forward to seeing you there… feel free to wear your kilt!

Thursday, May 10 | 5:00 – 7:00 pm
The Bard & Banker, 1022 Government Street

RSVP to mingles@prodigygroup.ca

There’s only a few days left to sign up to compete in the adrenaline pumping and challenging Prodigy Group Amazing Race!  Call: 250.217.0772 to register!

The year’s race will be held on Saturday April 21^st from 12:00PM to 6:00PM.  This dash will challenge you both physically and mentally by testing your problem solving and teamwork skills against a host of other competitors in this half day adventure.  Come share your post race tales and congratulate the winners over beverages and appetizers during the after party at The Clubhouse in the Strathcona Hotel.

Awesome prizes will be given away to the top finishers, and of course, the bragging rights will be awarded to the winning team.  Gather your team of four and sign up today!  Don’t want to miss out on the fun and can’t rally a team?  Sign up individually, or as part of a two or three person group and we’d be happy to match you up with other participants to create a team.

Funds raised from the Prodigy Group Amazing Race will go to supporting

Community Micro Lending and Junior Achievement BC.

Register by calling: 250.217.0772    Please click here for more information or to register.

Prefer to help make the magic happen?  We are looking for volunteers to run the challenges.  Please email volunteer@prodigygroup.ca if you’re interested.

Presenting Sponsor:

Event Partners:

Challenge Sponsors:

The Prodigy Group’s March mingle was held on the 8th at Veneto Tapa Lounge, located in the Victoria landmark Hotel Rialto. Great food has a way of making our mingles even better, and there was plenty of that going around. The Veneto Tapa Lounge spoiled the members with tasty tapas all night long.

Another Amazing Race announcement was made with a reminder that the deadline for early registration is almost here. If you register by March 23rd (tomorrow!) a team of 4 will cost only $100, or $25 for a single participant. The deadline is also the 23rd for event sponsors who want to be a part of this amazing marketing opportunity. So if you’re interested in sponsoring this popular and super fun event, act quickly and contact events@prodigygroup.ca.

Two bittersweet goodbyes from the Great Victoria business community and the Prodigy Group were announced during the mingle. Our current president Jesse Szczepanowski is stepping down to follow his career path to Edmonton, where he has a new and exciting business opportunity. Another sad goodbye was to Janell Karst, our 2011 chair, who is also moving to Edmonton. Although it’s sad to see them go, we’re also extremely happy for them because Jesse and Janell have some other great news: they’re getting married. We’ve always said the Prodigy Group brings people together… Congratulations Jesse and Janell, we’ll miss you. Thank you so much for all your hard work with the Prodigy Board over the last 4 years.

It’s great to see the community that’s forming at these events, a community of leading business professionals that is growing stronger every month. Next month we have two great events to attend, our April mingle and the Amazing Race which takes place on April 21st. We’ll see you there!

Check out the photos from our March Mingle here »

a) A way to grow your professional network through an awesome team-building challenge
b) A mutually beneficial mix of valued sponsors, emerging professionals, and established business leaders
c) The only way to beat Al Hasham in a Chamber-related challenge
d) All of the above and more

If you answered correctly by selecting (D), you likely have been an Amazing Race participant in the past. If you answered anything other than D, then I can only assume you have not attended before, and that you absolutely need to do so in 2012! Either way, register for the 2012 Amazing Race today!

Join the Prodigy Group for a fast-paced trek across Victoria that features action-packed mental and physical challenges. After your team crosses the finish line, you can re-live the triumphs (and tribulations) over drinks and appetizers at an awesome post-race party at Club 9ONE9 in the Strathcona Hotel!

CLICK TO REGISTER TODAY!

Don’t Wait, Or It Will Be Too Late! Early Bird deadline ends March 23rd, 2012!

The Prodigy Group Amazing Race is quickly approaching and we are now on the search for volunteers to help make this event a success!  The Amazing Race, which will be held on Saturday April 21 from 11am – 4pm, is an adrenaline pumping race which takes 100 participants on a fast-paced trek across Victoria, competing in various physical and mental challenges along the way.  Once everyone has crossed the finish line, we’ll be congratulating the winners and sharing race stories over drinks and appetizers at the after-race social!

We are looking for volunteers to help on race day, running the different challenges.  All race day volunteers will get a souvenir Prodigy Group Amazing Race t-shirt and invitation to the after-race social!

If you are interested in volunteering, please send us an email at volunteer@prodigygroup.ca with your contact info and we’ll be in touch with the scheduling information.  Volunteers must be 19 years of age and older.

As a volunteer, you’re guaranteed to have a great time watching the teams trying to complete the unique challenges.  It is also a great way to network amongst Victoria’s emerging leaders and business professionals in a unique, energy filled setting.  Not only is this event a lot of fun, but all proceeds will be donated to our partner charities: Community Micro Lending and Junior Achievement.

Please click here for more information about the race.

If you would prefer have a little more action and would like to compete in the race, you can sign up here. You can register as a team of 4 or as an individual and we’ll match up with 3 other racers.  Early bird registration deadline is March 23^rd, so make sure to sign up soon!

Spring is in the air! Come out and celebrate at the Prodigy Group’s March Mingle. Spring your business forward by networking with Victoria’s emerging leaders and leading business professionals at Veneto Tapa Lounge, located in the heart of downtown Victoria. It’s going to be a great night filled with delicious tapas, unique
cocktails – and not to mention – Victoria’s best and brightest in business. We look forward to seeing you all there!

March 8: 5:00-7:00 pm,
Veneto Tapa Lounge, 1450 Douglas Street
www.venetodining.com

RSVP @ prodigygroup.ca

The Prodigy Group’s second mingle of the year had a great turn out, and as usual, great company! Grant Thornton hosted our February mingle in their downtown office at 888 Fort Street. Business professionals from all over Victoria came for the good conversation and networking, with delicious appetizers from Cook’s Day Off. The night ended on a high note, and a musical one, when Wally Rolofs from Royal LePage won a 32GB iPod Touch as the evening’s door prize!

A slideshow from last year’s Amazing Race was played, which raised big laughs and excitement as the crowd reminisced about last year’s event. This year’s race promises to be even better! Registration is now open, and you can sign up as a team or as an individual here. Make sure you do it soon, because this is a unique networking event you don’t want to miss!

Also during the event, the Prodigy Group announced that we are seeking mentors and mentees for our 2012 Mentorship Program. The program matches emerging leaders with exemplary business professionals to promote professional and personal advancement among Victoria’s leaders. As a mentee, this is your chance to learn and grow personally and professionally. As a mentor, this is your chance to share your knowledge and to give back. Email mentorship@prodigygroup.ca if you’re interested, or if you want more information about the program.

Overall, the February Prodigy Group mingle at Grant Thornton was a great success. We look forward to seeing you next month on Thursday March 8th!

Happy Valentine’s Day, and here are some event photos for you to peruse:

The race is on! Join us for the Prodigy Group’s annual Amazing Race on Saturday, April 21st at 11am.
Prodigy Group’s Amazing Race is a mental and physical challenge that takes you on a fast-paced trek across Victoria, with various unique challenges along the way. After the race is done (and of course you’ve won) you can relish in your victory over drinks and appetizers at the after-race social!

A-MAZE-ING prizes will be given away to all the top teams, so play your cards wisely and you yourself could hold one of these elite spots. If you’re not the sporty, competitive type – not to worry! Prizes will also be awarded for the top team spirit award. Not only is this event a lot of fun, but all proceeds go to our partner charities: Community Micro Lending and Junior Achievement BC.

Is there a better way to meet someone than to beat someone? We don’t think so! Gather up three of your favorite professionals and sign up as a team, or sign up as an individual and meet your team at the race. All you need to do is sign up, give us your t-shirt size, and on April 21st get your race on! Registration is now open- sign up below today.

Register on the Chamber site

See you there!

If even after reading about how much fun this year’s Amazing Race will be… you’d still prefer to just cheer everyone on from the sidelines… we’re also looking for event volunteers! Please contact specialevents@prodigygroup.ca if you are interested in helping out with this year’s Race.

Come celebrate Valentine’s week by meeting some great new people! The Prodigy Group invites you join us at Grant Thornton from 5:00 – 7:00 pm on February 9th for appetizers and drinks. Come out and mingle with emerging business professionals and business leaders of Greater Victoria. We look forward to seeing you there – it’s going to be a great night!

• When: Thursday, February 9th, 2012 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM
• Where: Grant Thornton, 888 Fort Street

RSVP to mingles@prodigygroup.ca