Georgian College

BUSINESS MARKETING, 2014 AND ADVERTISING AND MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS, 2015 CO-FOUNDER, PRESSA INC. ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT 2019 PREMIER'S AWARD NOMINEES Each year, Georgian nominates seven outstanding alumni for the Colleges Ontario Premier's Awards. Since 1992, these awards have celebrated Ontario college graduates and the important social and economic contribution they make throughout Ontario and the world. To suggest a graduate for future nomination, email alumni@georgiancollege.ca. JESSE HAMBLY As a two-time Georgian College graduate, ambitious entrepreneur and co-founder of Pressa Inc., Jesse Hambly is helping to revolutionize the water bottle industry. While enrolled in Georgian's Advertising and Marketing Communications program, Jesse watched his fellow students putting fruit into their water for flavour, and decided to try it himself. Not impressed with the results, he was inspired to create the Pressa Bottle, and Pressa Inc. was born. Working alongside his two brothers Mason and Luke, they purchased a 3-D printer and made prototypes of the product, which included a unique design that allowed users to press and juice fruit into their water - a healthy alternative to sugary additives or soft drinks. Using these prototypes, they launched a kickstarter campaign to fund the cost of the moulds, raising $37,000. Pressa Inc. secured a spot in the JumpStart Program at the Accelerator Centre in Waterloo, receiving approximately $30,000 in funding from the program. They found a manufacturer in China, and began working with retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue and Staples. In 2017, Jesse and his brothers appeared on Dragons Den. At this point, Pressa Inc. already had $70,000 in sales in a seven-month period. Asking for $150,000 for 20 per cent of the business, Jesse and his brothers received offers from four of the Dragons. When asked what it's like to work with his brothers all the time, Jesse laughs and says he gets this question a lot. "We don't always see eye to eye, that's normal, but we understand each other's strengths and weaknesses really well, and that's a benefit to us. A disagreement is just a constructive way of coming up with a better solution." Today, the Pressa bottle is on the shelves of Chapters, Dillard's (with 430 stores across the US) and sold through Amazon, as well as other major retailers, and the company now has distribution centres in China, the US and Canada and can ship to 95 per cent of Europe within six-to-eight business days. RECENT GRADUATE CATEGORY 2019 PREMIER'S AWARD NOMINEE 22 GEORGIANVIEW 2019-20 WINTER

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