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UNB Saint John student and entrepreneur wins two community awards

Author: UNB Newsroom

Posted on Dec 13, 2021

Category: UNB Saint John

Agunbiade Seun Richards, a PhD candidate in interdisciplinary studies at the University of New Brunswick, has received two community awards for his successful delivery business, Door2Door Pickup Couriers, which provides accessible and affordable services to newcomers in Saint John.

Mr. Richards won the Immigrant Entrepreneur award from the 40th anniversary celebration of PRUDE Inc. which doubled as its fifth annual Diversity Champion Awards. His company also won two platinum awards from CommunityVotes Saint John 2021, in the courier service and delivery categories. These awards celebrate and recognize outstanding businesses that play key roles within the Saint John community.

“Every nomination is an honour and very humbling. However, this year's PRUDE 5th Diversity Champions Award is very significant in many ways,” says Mr. Richards. “All the nominees in the Immigrant Entrepreneurs category are my friends and customers so that makes it a little emotional. I am grateful that our contributions as newcomers are being recognized.”

Mr. Richards is a social entrepreneur from Nigeria. In 2018, Mr. Richards and his family relocated from Dubai to New Brunswick on the provincial nomination programme for skilled workers. In 2019, he decided to attain his PhD in interdisciplinary studies with a research focus on how immigrant entrepreneurship impacts economic development and population growth of Atlantic Canada.

The idea to start Door2Door Pickup Couriers came from his own personal experiences as a newcomer to Saint John and the unique challenges he faced while settling in New Brunswick.

“This award means a great deal to the team at Door2Door. It signifies an appreciation and recognition of the sacrifice we are making for the good of our community,” says Mr. Richards. “It’s a motivation to do more. That's more hard work, appropriating our vision to align with that of the city and province, and driving the mission with all sense of purpose and direction.”

Earlier this year, Mr. Richards launched Door2Door Pickup Courier mobile delivery app on Apple and Android and has invested in sustainable delivery solutions by adding the option of using zero-emission delivery vehicles.

Media contact: Kathleen McLaughlin