Barry Hartman was one of over 20 delegates from Canada to attend the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Summit in Istanbul last month.
The purpose of the threeday summit was to boost youth entrepreneurship worldwide, said Hartman, the co-founder and CEO of a junk removal and recycling company.
The 27-year-old entrepreneur, originally from Tsawwassen, is also a member of the Delta Chamber of Commerce's board of directors.
Hartman estimated 600 young entrepreneurs attended the gathering in Turkey. When asked which ideas he took to the summit, Hartman said his focus was the "triple bottom line" concept where businesses just don't concentrate on profits but the environment and community as well.
"That was my key point going down there, seeing if there were different programs or grants or policy that could be implemented on a government level that could support these young entrepreneurs that were trying to make a difference in their community," he said.
Hartman said it was great to connect with other entrepreneurs from around the world. He said he felt every conversation he had was meaningful and that it was neat to see how people in similar industries operate their businesses in different countries.
Hartman started his company, 505-Junk, in his parents' basement in
Tsawwassen with his business partner. It has since grown to employ seven full-time staff and serves the Greater Vancouver area.
Last month's summit produced a "communique" that "urges G20 leaders and others to recognize the importance of encouraging a culture of entrepreneurship as a key way to address the world's twin challenges of slowing growth and rising youth unemployment," according to a press release from of Futurpreneur Canada, a founding member of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs' Alliance.
