Erica Mintz, 26
Entrepreneur

Cashing in on her knack for gifts
She can get you anything - from mugs to the Super Bowl

The agenda book on Erica Mintz's desk is thick and every page is packed with scribbled appointments, just a little hint of the frenetic pace the 26-year-old entrepreneur maintains. Mintz started her own corporate gift giving business in her parent's house in 1999 with $5,000. The company Unique Corporate Gift, now has an office on De la Savane St., seven employees and over $750,000 in sales.

It offers a line of 60,000 gifts and services that businesses purchase for promotions or to reward employees and top customers. The gifts range from the standard- mugs, caps, and pens- to the unusual- custom paintings, a massage or seats at the Super Bowl. Mintz, a slender brunette who brims with enthusiasm, admits to being driven, even "a bit obsessed." "If you tell me I can't have something, I won't believe it. You have to be passionate about what you're doing." But she insists she won't allow her career to dominate her life. Despite a busy schedule of social, charitable and athletic activities, the centre of her life is her family- her husband, businessman Hilly Diamond, and her parents, Gary and Rosalie Mintz. "If I have a pressing issue those are the three people that I talk to. No one else," said Mintz, an only child.

Many of her weekends are spent in the Laurentians where her family owns a cottage in Sainte- Agathe. Mintz, who studied and taught ballet for 15 years, also loves to travel, especially in Europe. "It's hard to leave my business but I like to make time away," she said. She admits, however, to taking a laptop on vacations and phoning the office at least three times a day.

In town, she makes a daily, early morning pilgrimage to the YMHA where she does weight training and aerobics. Every second week, she volunteers helping patients in the emergency room of the Jewish General Hospital. She comforts patients by chatting with them or getting the m blankets. She started there after her grandfather fell ill and was rushed to the hospital.

She holds a degree in psychology from McGill and considered an MBA but decided to jump into the real word of business instead. She began her career with a two- year stint in marketing at Future Electronics.

At 24, she started her company with help from her family. But soon, giants like Charles Schwab, America Online and ABN Amro bank found her online. Mintz, who continues to cold- call companies, has a knack for selling. The corporate gift industry is highly competitive but Mintz said her company has an edge by being resourceful. "When I get an appointment, I usually come away with some business."
Mintz said the business will hit $2 million in he next few years. But she wants to keep it at a manageable size. "I want to have everything in balance. It's the superwoman complex. They say it's difficult but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."