If you`re looking for comfortable, locally made patio furniture, look no further than Nick Dymond, a Ray`s Place Rent-A-Youth veteran who is branching out this year thanks to the provincial government`s “Summer Company” program, which provides students with a $1,500 grant up front in exchange for a credible business plan and another $1,500 in September, should they meet all the program’s requirements.

Dymond, who calls himself a “hands-on guy” who has been building things since he was a young child, came up with the idea for his company, “Dymond Finish,” after achieving a high mark for a Muskoka Chair he built during a Grade 12 tech class at Stayner Collegiate Institute.

He now plans to take orders for them and build them all summer, selling them for $90 per chair, $120 if you want it stained and $150 if you want it painted. He’s also experimenting with a bench design as well as an outdoor coffee table that features a polished concrete top and wooden legs. Should business take off, he’s willing to do custom orders as well; to that end, he’s building up a reference binder of different DIY outdoor furniture projects that customers can browse and choose from.

The Summer Company program, which Dymond heard about through his involvement with Ray’s Place, is administered by the Greater Collingwood Small Business Enterprise Centre. In all, five students in the area were awarded with grants this year. Besides the money, the program also offers mentoring opportunities; Creemore’s Doug Mills has been Dymond’s mentor, helping him with his business plan and other arrangements.

Throughout the summer, Dymond will have examples of his work on display at the Ray’s Place booth at the Creemore Farmers’ Market. He can also be reached at 705-984-6969 or by emailing nick_dymond@hotmail.com.