EY is proud to announce the 2013 Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists today. The announcement marks 20 years of shining the spotlight on leading entrepreneurs revving the job creation engine across Canada and around the world. The theme of job creation was very clear at EY’s World Entrepreneur Of The Year (WEOY) awards held in Monaco last month. Together, the 47 companies gathered at the event represented a remarkable 59,000 jobs created in the last three years alone.
That finding was compounded by EY’s latest report, Global Job Creation, which found the leading entrepreneur survey respondents are continuing to hire, not only to support their entry into new markets but to meet new demand for goods and services. Accordingly, the future of job creation is set to come not from the big corporations or government, but from entrepreneurs who represent 66% of job creation within the OECD and 85% within the EU.
“There’s no denying the impact entrepreneurs have on job creation,” says Voyer. “And our Pacific Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists are no exception — their relentless focus on turning innovative ideas into realities is helping pave the way to a better working world.”
From coast to coast our finalists represent 50,909 jobs in Canada.
That’s something that WEOY keynote speaker Kofi Annan called a crucial step toward tackling youth unemployment. Voyer adds: “Research shows that entrepreneurs recognize that their businesses have a crucial role to play in tackling the youth unemployment crisis — but to reach their potential they need our support. It’s up to all of us to empower the next generation.”
Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates the contribution and spirit of entrepreneurs everywhere. The Canadian program is in its 20th year of honouring the country’s most impressive entrepreneurs from all areas of business. Award finalists are chosen based on their vision, leadership, financial success and social responsibility.
“We’ve been celebrating the achievements of local entrepreneurs for 20 years now and their stories still continue to amaze and impress us,” says Ron Voyer, Pacific Entrepreneur Of The Year program director. “These entrepreneurs have put Pacific Canada on the map — growing local industry and creating jobs and opportunities that continue to attract the attention of global players.”
The Pacific winners will be announced at a gala on 4 October. The overall winner will represent the region at the national gala held in Toronto on 27 November.
The 2013 Pacific finalists for Entrepreneur Of The Year:
Business-to-business products and services
Randy Bartsch – Ecotex Healthcare Linen Service | Abbotsford – Provides linen services to hospitals and medical facilities in the western United States and Canada.
Shannon Rogers, Warren Roy – Global Relay Communications Inc. | Vancouver – An expert in compliance messaging solutions, including compliance archiving, messaging, mobile and collaboration.
Barbara Ross-Denroche – The Refinery Leadership Partners Inc. | Vancouver – A global leadership development firm.
Business-to-consumer products and services
Jeff Booth, Robert Banks – BuildDirect Technologies Inc. | Vancouver – An online platform for anyone to buy high-quality building materials in volume quantities for less money than retail.
Tom Skidmore – GLENTEL Inc. | Burnaby – A leading provider of innovative and reliable wireless communications services and solutions, offering a choice of network carrier and wireless or mobile products to consumers and commercial customers.
Charles Chang – Vega | Burnaby – Leading formulator of plant-based health and sport performance products.
Cleantech
James Dean – dPoint Technologies Inc. | Vancouver – Manufactures and sells polymer membrane materials and energy recovery ventilation (ERV) exchanger technology that significantly improves the energy efficiency, health and comfort of commercial and residential buildings.
Glenn Johnson – Endurance Wind Power, Inc. | Surrey – Manufactures wind turbines designed to provide an efficient, reliable, safe and quiet, renewable form of energy for distributed wind power applications.
Andrew Bamber – Minesense Technologies Ltd. | North Vancouver – Provides a proven platform for the sensing and sorting of low-grade ore to a level of sensitivity unprecedented in the industry.
Emerging entrepreneur
Shahrzad Rafati – BroadbandTV | Vancouver – Helps content creators become more successful online by providing them with advanced tools and technology.
Jamie Garratt - Idea Rebel | Vancouver – A digital marketing agency that develops world-class social, mobile and web experiences.
John Skinner – Painted Rock Estate Winery Ltd. | Penticton – An ultra-premium Okanagan estate vineyard/winery competing with wines on the international stage.
Information technology
Igor Faletski, John Boxall, Peter McLachlan – Mobify | Vancouver – A platform for launching fast, adaptive websites for every device and screen.
Markus Frind – Plentyoffish Media Inc. | Vancouver – Online personals service.
Andrew Reid – Vision Critical | Vancouver – Develops insight community technologies, provides solutions that enable businesses to engage with thousands of customers continuously to gather insights that help drive better decisions.
Manufacturing
Elana Rosenfeld – Kicking Horse Coffee Co. Ltd. | Invermere – Canada’s number-one selling Organic Fair Trade coffee, recognized nationally and abroad for its exceptional quality, distinctive, sophisticated and fun-loving brand.
Mark Wolverton – Lush North America | Vancouver – Manufacturer and retailer of fresh, natural, handmade and ethically produced hair and skin products.
Jan Stimpson – White House Design Company Inc. | Burnaby – Designs, product develops, markets, manufactures and wholesales lifestyle women’s wear.
Mining and metals
Clive Johnson - B2Gold Corp. | Vancouver – A Vancouver-based gold producer with three operating mines and a strong portfolio of development and exploration assets in Nicaragua, Colombia, Namibia and Uruguay.
Jeffrey Stibbard – JDS Energy & Mining, Inc. | Kelowna – Focuses on delivering quality engineering, construction, procurement management solutions, heavy equipment leasing, evaluation design, transport solutions, open pit and underground mining operations.
Robert Quartermain – Pretium Resources Inc. | Vancouver – A gold exploration and development company focused on advancing the Brucejack Project in northern British Columbia, which is one of the largest and highest-grading undeveloped gold projects in the world.
“Entrepreneurs pack a big punch when it comes to their contributions to our local and national economies,” says Rob Jolley, Prairies Entrepreneur Of The Year program director. “But what’s even more important is their ability to create jobs and provide opportunities for the next generation.”
The Prairies winners will be announced at a gala on 17 October. The overall winner will represent the region at the national gala held in Toronto on 27 November.
The 2013 Prairies finalists for Entrepreneur Of The Year:
Business-to-business products and services
Darcy Tofin – Central Water & Equipment Services Ltd. | Saskatoon – A water/liquids handling service and related product supply company serving a wide range of industries in Western Canada.
Jeff Polovick – The Driving Force Inc. | Edmonton – Offers vehicle rentals and sales and leasing services for a variety of industries in Western Canada and the Arctic.
Kyle Powell - SureHire Occupational Testing | Nisku – A national full-service occupational testing company with a suite of specialized services providing employers a full picture of their workforce.
Geoffrey Gyles, Kerry Green – Wolf Trax, Inc. | Winnipeg – Manufactures leading-edge, research-proven micronutrients and plant nutrition products designed for the agriculture and horticulture industries.
Business-to-consumer products and services
Dale Wishewan – Booster Juice | Edmonton – An international quick service restaurant chain offering customers premium real fruit smoothies, fresh squeezed juices, hot food and snacks in a fun, vibrant atmosphere.
Audrey Brattberg, Holly Brattberg, Elmer Brattberg, Susan Brattberg – The Brattberg Group | Edmonton – Provides opportunities for people through skills training, including: Academy of Learning, Digital School, Complete Corporate Training and Global eTraining.
Richard Brink – Weddingstar Inc. | Dunmore – Designs, manufactures and distributes wedding-related products worldwide.
Cleantech
Mogens Smed – DIRTT Environmental Solutions | Calgary – Manufactures prefabricated modular solutions for building interiors, including walls, power, data networks, flooring and millwork to create sustainable, adaptable and enduring environments with clean construction.
Graham Illingworth – Genalta Power Inc. | Calgary – An independent power producer converting waste into usable electricity.
Mark Chisick – Urbanmine Inc. | Winnipeg – Purchases scrap metal, recycles it and markets the product as feed stock for rolling mills, foundries and refineries throughout the world.
Emerging entrepreneur
John Stevens - ENTREC Corporation | Spruce Grove – A leading provider of heavy-haul and heavy-lift services, including heavy-haul transportation, crane services, engineering and support for the energy, construction and infrastructure industries.
Dallas Lenius, Dean Hall – Force Pile Driving | Red Deer – Focuses on pile material sales and installation services.
Dr. Dennis Filips - Innovative Trauma Care | Edmonton – A medical device company developing and manufacturing products for pre-hospital, point-of-injury trauma care.
Dan Smith, Darrell Boulter, Gregory Hartman, Paul Smith - RIDE Inc. | Drayton Valley – Designs, manufactures and distributes emergency egress equipment for escape from any configuration of elevated platform.
Energy services
Russ Hebblethwaite – Enviro Vault Canada Ltd. | Calgary – Dedicated to improving performance and safety of oil and gas operations, while reducing the environmental impact.
Merv Pidherney – M. Pidherney’s Trucking Ltd. | Rocky Mountain House – Provides oilfield construction, civil construction, remediation and reclamation services, sand and gravel sales, concrete supply and delivery, and specialty equipment services.
Don Sutherland – Studon Electric & Controls | Red Deer – Connects people to the grid in the energy, commercial, industrial, forestry and agricultural sectors.
Manufacturing
Thane Russell - Absolute Completion Technologies Ltd. | Calgary – Develops and manufactures well completion technologies, specializing in sand control solutions.
Joe Makowecki – Heritage Frozen Foods Ltd. | Edmonton – Produces over three million perogies per day in a state-of-the-art food processing facility, providing consumers with a variety of flavours.
Mike Fata – Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods | Winnipeg – The world’s largest hemp food manufacturer to grow, make and sell hemp foods.
Oil and gas
David Bouchier, Nicole Bourque-Bouchier – The Bouchier Group | Fort McMurray – A leading service provider, committed to building and enhancing sustainable business relationships that strengthen our community.
Menno Admiraal – Western Camp Services Ltd. | Edmonton – Provides remote accommodation services to the natural resource industries in Western Canada.
Alex MacAusland, Dale Tremblay, Jeffrey Bowers – Western Energy Services Corp. | Calgary – Provides contract drilling services in Canada and the US.
Professional and financial services
Steve King - Alaris Royalty Corp. | Calgary – Provides alternative financing to a diversified range of profitable, well-managed private businesses in North America.
Jean-Pierre Parenty – Parenty Reitmeier Translation Services | Winnipeg – Specializes in technical translation and localization in more than 100 languages for global clients.
S. Orme Asher – S.O. Asher Consultants Ltd. | Saskatoon – A turnkey service provider specializing solely in the development and management of lottery programs for nonprofit organizations.
Real estate and construction
Jerry Naqvi – Cameron Development Corporation | Edmonton – Specializes in commercial development projects of the highest standard and quality.
Reza Nasseri – Landmark Group of Builders Ltd. | Edmonton – One of the largest production homebuilders in Alberta specializing in developing sustainable building.
Allison Grafton – Rockwood Custom Homes | Calgary – An exclusive, boutique custom home renovation and construction company that provides a full suite of architectural design, construction and interior design services.
Sean Rayner – Vets Sheet Metal Ltd. | Edmonton – Specializes in the construction and service/maintenance of industrial, commercial and institutional HVAC systems.
Technology and communications
Craig Mackenzie – Ontracks Consulting | Edmonton – A leading implementer of enterprise asset management software, working with clients around the world to improve their operational performance.
Michael Sikorsky – Robots and Pencils Inc. | Calgary – Develops iPhone and iPad apps, creators of the Spy vs Spy #1 app around the world.
Tara Kelly – SPLICE Software Inc. | Calgary – Provides personalized data-driven multichannel communications across virtually any industry group that communicates regularly with its customer base and requires customer attention, trust and listenership.
“Our Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists are helping lay the foundation for a better working world,” says Colleen McMorrow, National and Ontario Entrepreneur Of The Year program director. “In Ontario and across Canada, their contributions go well beyond the bottom line — they’re job creators. That’s why it’s so important to support our entrepreneurs and the next generation of entrepreneurial talent. When we stand behind these business leaders and empower them to thrive, there’s no limit to what they can achieve.”
The Ontario winners will be announced at a gala on 24 October. The overall winner will represent the region at the national gala held in Toronto on 27 November.
The 2013 Ontario finalists for Entrepreneur Of The Year:
Business Services
Bill Shaver – DMC Mining Services | Richmond Hill – Provides mining services such as pre-feasibility studies, technical engineering services, raise boring and excavation, civil and mine construction, lateral development, shaft sinking and contract mining.
Peter Stavropoulos – FlexITy Solutions Inc. | Richmond Hill – Provides infrastructure solutions, managed services, and full lifecycle support.
Ann Kaplan – iFinance Canada Inc. | Toronto – Provides consumer loans to Canadians for medical, dental, veterinary and home improvement needs.
Frank Wilson – TES The Employment Solution | Toronto – Supplies handpicked contract, permanent and temporary personnel for IT, engineering, technical and skilled trades positions across North America, and implements large-scale IT infrastructure expansions/upgrades.
Business-to-consumer products and services
Christopher Szybbo – CBI Health Group | Toronto – A health care services and management company, operates clinics and facilities for patients and communities in Canada.
Walter Heidary – ChildVentures Early Learning Academy | Burlington – A multiunit business offering outstanding child care and preschool education to 0-6 year-olds using proprietary curriculum blends of three models.
Marion Witz – Elizabeth Grant Int. Inc. | Toronto – Manufactures and distributes a line of luxurious skin care on shopping channels globally.
Cleantech and manufacturing
Keith Bechard – Entropex | Sarnia – Makes sustainable packaging possible.
Ernie Lynch – Lynch Fluid Controls Inc. | Mississauga – Conceptualizes 3D modeling/designing, planning, engineering, automated manufacturing, assembling and validating fluid power motion control manifolds and integrated hydraulic systems.
John Kimmel – Normerica Inc. | Mississauga – Manufactures all-natural dog biscuits, treats and wet dog food.
Cathy Buckingham – TNR Industrial Doors Inc. | Barrie – Manufactures high-performance rubber doors with patented curtain locks, guides and bottom bars for the industrial/commercial markets.
Emerging entrepreneur
Robert Offley – CentriLogic Inc. | Mississauga – Provides international hybrid hosting, cloud computing, co-location and data center solutions, with headquarters in Canada and data center facilities throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
Luis Navas – Global Governance Advisors | Toronto – A global professional advisory firm that exclusively assists boards, executives and investment organizations in maximizing the effectiveness of their executive compensation, board governance and overall human resources committee mandate.
Lawrence Krimker – Ontario Consumers Home Services | Toronto – Long-term rental of high-efficiency products (furnace, air conditioners, water softeners, water filtration systems and smart thermostats).
Shaheen Ahmad – SPL Consultants Limited | Woodbridge – A multidisciplined consulting engineering firm specializing in geotechnical, environmental and hydrogeological engineering, materials engineering and inspections.
Food and beverage
George Croft – Brick Brewing Co. Limited | Kitchener – Manufactures and distributes beer and ready-to-drink beverages for consumption across Canada.
John Lettieri – Hero Certified Burgers | Toronto – The first Canadian franchise to offer 100% Heritage Angus Beef, completely free of additives, growth hormones, steroids and antibiotics.
Paul Mastronardi – Mastronardi Produce Ltd. | Kingsville – A greenhouse operation that encompasses product research, growing, marketing and distribution of gourmet hydroponic produce while maintaining environmental priorities and exceeding industry food safety standards.
Mohamad Fakih – Paramount Fine Foods | Toronto – Provides authentic Middle Eastern foods through its chain of restaurants, halal butcher shops and wholesale food distribution outlets in Ontario.
Media and entertainment
Alex Mustakas – Drayton Entertainment | Cambridge – An award-winning circuit of seven live theatres operating in six communities across Ontario: Cambridge, Drayton, Grand Bend, Penetanguishene, Waterloo and St. Jacobs.
Neil Sweeney – JUICE Mobile | Toronto – Provides solutions to brands and publishers looking to respond to the rapid growth and adoption of mobile devices among consumers.
David Ciccarelli – Voices.com | London – An online marketplace that connects businesses with professional voice talents.
Real estate/construction
Geoffrey Smith – EllisDon Corporation | Mississauga – A general contractor specializing in construction and project management as well as a variety of construction services such as BIM, ICT and sustainable building.
Alan Whitten – Huntington Properties Ottawa Inc. | Ottawa – Asset and property management in commercial real estate focusing on the National Capital Region of Canada and the surrounding area.
Fred Losani – Losani Homes Group of Companies | Stoney Creek – A residential and commercial builder and land developer.
Mary Picard – Maram Building Corp. | Woodbridge – A general contractor specializing in new construction, development, renovation, structural restoration, commercial, industrial, institutional and residential construction.
Software and technology
John Baker – Desire2Learn Inc. | Kitchener – A global leader in cloud-based (SaaS) learning solutions with over 750 clients and 10 million learners in higher education, K-12, health care, government and the corporate sector.
Kyle MacDonald – Phoenix Interactive Design Inc. | London – Designs and develops mission-critical software for banks that operate complex and sophisticated self-service systems commonly known as automated teller machines (ATMs).
Alex Rodov – QA Consultants | Toronto – North America’s largest software testing firm.
Young entrepreneur
Alkarim Nasser – BNOTIONS | Toronto – Focuses on strategy, design and the development of mobile, web and social products.
Anatoliy Melnichuk, Michele Romanow, Ryan Marien – Buytopia.ca | Toronto – A leading online discount retailer offering deals on everything from restaurants, spas and activities to Canada’s largest retailers and branded products.
Matt Rendall – Clearpath Robotics | Kitchener – A global provider for unmanned vehicle systems serving over 25 countries worldwide.
Lauren Friese – TalentEgg Inc. | Toronto – Canada’s most popular job board and online career resource for college and university students and recent graduates.
Special citation — Social entrepreneur
Social entrepreneur is a unique category that awards a special citation to an entrepreneur whose achievements have driven large-scale social change and improved people’s lives or quality of life.
Scott Gilmore – Building Markets | Ottawa – Connects local entrepreneurs in developing economies like Afghanistan, Liberia and Myanmar to global contracts and credit.
“Our Québec Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists are no strangers to overcoming adversity and seizing new business opportunities,” says Luc Charbonneau, Québec Entrepreneur Of The Year program co-director. “But what’s even more impressive is each of their contributions beyond the bottom line — together they’re helping us build a better working world.”
“The entrepreneurial drive to build businesses and create jobs is alive and thriving in Québec,” says Daniel Baer, Québec Entrepreneur Of The Year program co-director. “As evidence of this entrepreneurial spirit, we received a record number of nominations from Québec entrepreneurs under the age of 30, and of entrepreneurial businesses created within the last five years. Our finalists are at the forefront of job and wealth creation.”
The Québec winners will be announced at a gala on 30 October. The overall winner will represent the region at the national gala held in Toronto on 27 November.
The 2013 Québec finalists for Entrepreneur Of The Year:
Business-to-business products and services
Gulshan Arora – Biena Inc. | Saint-Hyacinthe – Designs and produces probiotic dairy products and enzymes.
André Laramée – Groupe CVTech Inc. | Drummondville – Provides construction and maintenance of electrical transmission and distribution lines, powerhouses and power stations, as well as pruning services.
Stéphane Chevigny – Groupe Intersand Canada | Boucherville – Producer of finest-quality cat litter, exporting to specialty pet stores in over 28 countries.
Business-to-consumer products and services
Robin Barré – Artizan | Pointe-Claire – Develops, designs, wholesales and retails a line of fashion accessories and apparel geared towards women, with retail outlets located in airports, and wholesale.
Luc Maurice – Le Groupe Maurice | Saint-Laurent – Develops, manages and owns residences for retirees.
Mario Jutras, Stephen Bray – P.H. Vitres d’autos Inc. | Sainte-Perpétue – Sells, distributes and installs automobile windshields and windows, also offering related automotive products.
Emerging entrepreneur
Alain Lefrançois – Epsylon Concept Inc. | Québec City – Manufactures and installs prefabricated aluminum and glass curtain walls for the commercial and institutional markets.
Mohamed Hage – Lufa Farms | Montréal – Pioneered commercial urban rooftop farms, produces more than 100 tons of vegetables without chemical pesticides, herbicides or fungicides annually.
Eduardo Mandri, Jérôme Guidollet – Tuango Inc. | Montréal – Offers daily deals for restaurants, spas, activities, shows, hotels, products and more.
Health sciences
Ronald Reuben – A.R. Medicom Inc. | Lachine – Enhances, manufactures and distributes high-quality infection-control, single-use and oral health care prepared products for the medical, dental, industrial and veterinary and laboratory markets.
Éric Gervais – Duchesnay Inc. | Blainville
A unique health care company primarily dedicated to safeguarding the health of expectant women, advancing maternal-fetal medicine.
Daniel Minogue – Minogue Medical Inc. | Montréal – Specializes in the delivery of innovative medical technologies to hospitals and medical clinics, and provides nutritional and supplemental products for weight-conscious patients and athletes.
Information technology
David Baazov – Amaya Gaming Group Inc. | Pointe-Claire – Designs, develops, manufactures, distributes and sells technology-based gaming solutions for the regulated gaming industry worldwide.
Mark Soucy – InnovMetric Logiciels Inc. | Québec City – The premier supplier of universal software platform 3D metrology solutions for industrial manufacturers.
Jacques Delarochellière – ISAAC Instruments Inc. | Chambly – Develops complete vehicle telemetry solutions and provides a one-stop shop for user-friendly, reliable and powerful software, recorders, sensors and communication modules.
Media and entertainment
Mark Sherman – Media Experts | Montréal – Canada’s largest independent media services company.
Michael Reha – Newad | Montréal – Provides advertisers with media faces to reach young and affluent urban adults.
Eric Boyko – Stingray Digital | Montréal – Leading provider of multi-platform music services for television service operators worldwide.
Professional/financial services
Jeff Mitelman – Advanceit Financial Corporation | Montréal – Provides cash advances to small and medium-sized businesses.
Bernard Asselin – Communications Bleublancrouge Inc. | Montréal – An integrated marketing communications agency.
Pascal Fortin – GoSecure Inc. | Montréal – Provides cutting-edge technical security testing services and security operations consulting.
Real estate and construction
Marc Dutil - Groupe Canam Inc. | Saint-Georges – Provides component design and manufacturing services for the construction industry.
Louis Lemay – Lemay | Montréal – Offers an array of integrated design services including architecture, urban design, interior design, landscape architecture, brand imaging, graphic design, energy efficiency and project management.
Robert Michaud – Ramp-Art Inc. | Lévis – Manufactures upscale, multi-unit, residential highrise and hotel railing products.
Technology and communications
Sanjay Bakshani, Vicken Kanadjian – Cesium Telecom Inc. | Mont-Royal – One of North America’s leading distributors of original branded accessories (OEM) and other select wireless-related and consumer electronic products.
Sylvain Boucher – Ergoresearch Ltd. | Laval – The leading manufacturer of intelligent orthotics and a trendsetter in the development of medical equipment and software for the orthopedics market.
Constance Raymond, Jean-Françoys Brousseau – Outbox Holding CRB Inc. | Montréal – Manages and processes worldwide high-volume ticket sales for venues and shows over an easy-to-use, innovative technology platform.
Young entrepreneur
Simon Bertrand - Crudessence Kombucha | Montréal – Produces and sells the organic and fair trade health beverage RISE Kombucha in more than 600 stores across Canada.
Hicham Ratnani, Yifeng Song – Frank & Oak | Montréal – A leading menswear brand and e-tailor that designs, manufactures and curates a monthly collection of fine clothing and accessories.
Simon De Baene – Groupe GSoft | Montréal – Montréal’s leader in agile software development.
Mitchell Sweibel – Montreal Office Maintenance (M.O.M.) | Mont-Royal – Provides cleaning and maintenance services to commercial and residential clients.
Special citation — Social entrepreneur
Social entrepreneur is a unique category that awards a special citation to an entrepreneur whose achievements have driven large-scale social change and improved people’s lives or quality of life.
Claudine Labelle – Fillactive | Sainte-Thérèse – Helps teenage girls discover the advantages and the enjoyment that come from taking part in physical activity in an environment that is positive, promotes a healthy self image and is open to all teenage girls.
“Entrepreneurs have an immense impact on our local and national economies that goes well beyond the bottom line,” says Jim Lutes, Atlantic Entrepreneur Of The Year program director. “These business leaders seize the day and create jobs, no matter what the local economic forecast. EY has said it before and we’ll say it again — entrepreneurs really are helping build a better working world. Our Atlantic Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists are no exception to the research. They’re championing new opportunities at home and abroad for the next generation.”
The Atlantic winners will be announced at a gala on 3 October. The gala will also honour Daniel E. (Danny) Williams with the 2013 Atlantic Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of his substantial achievements as a successful lawyer and businessman, and a dedicated public servant.
The overall winner will represent the region at the national gala held in Toronto on 27 November.
The 2013 Atlantic finalists for Entrepreneur Of The Year:
Business-to-business products and services
Francis McGuire - Major Drilling Group International Inc. | Moncton – One of the world’s largest drilling services companies, primarily servicing the mining industry, with extensive field operations in North, South and Central America, Africa, Australia and Asia.
Bernard J. (Tanny) Collins - PF Collins International Trade Solutions | St. John’s – Provides international trade solutions including: freight forwarding, customs brokerage, consulting, project logistics, warehousing, immigration, marine agency, and crating and distribution services.
Greg Drodge, Terry King - Talon Energy Services | St. John’s – Provides full-service energy services and solutions to the oil and gas, resource, and heavy industrial sectors, including: personnel, engineering, fabrication, and construction services.
Business-to-consumer products and services
Jim Crosby – Crosby Molasses Co. Ltd. | Saint John – Food processing that manufactures an ever-expanding line of dry-sugar-based products and syrups, with distribution in Canada, the New England states and other international locations.
Dwight Fraser - Franchise Management Inc. | Woodstock – One of the largest Pizza Hut franchisee operators in Canada, owning and operating restaurants across Canada and the US.
Ken LeBlanc - PropertyGuys.com | Moncton – Provides a network of real estate professionals, local expertise, detailed listings, and unique online tools that enable homeowners to sell their own home without paying high agent commissions.
Anne Whelan - Seafair Capital | St. John’s – Owns successful and growing companies in the health care, real estate and industrial supply sectors.
Emerging entrepreneur
Bill Pratt - ANG Food Services Ltd. | Dartmouth – Offers a completely unique gourmet experience at Halifax’s first gourmet burger restaurant and a modern Mexican restaurant.
Colin Gillis - IPECC | Halifax – Specializes in acting as owners’ representatives, provides turnkey solutions which include computer-aided design, construction and relocation management and emergency planning.
David MacKinnon - Novawise, Inc. | Halifax -Makes powerful and flexible mobile data collection software.
Information technology
Tom Gilgan - G2 Research Ltd. | Dartmouth – Produces analysis software for national security organizations that analyzes location data to produce a “Pattern-of-Life”, predict future travel and identify meetings across multiple tracks.
Dave Grebenc, Roxanne Fairweather – Innovatia Inc. | Saint John – Delivers knowledge management services to clients in both the ICT and energy sectors in three primary areas: documentation, learning solutions and technical support.
Pat d’Entremont, David Nicholson - Nicom IT Solutions | Halifax – Helps local businesses run more effectively and find new customers by providing IT professional services, web design and internet marketing. Also provides professional advisory services and software products to the seaport industry.
Bill Adams, Greg Patey, Paul Tobin - STI Technologies Limited | Halifax – Connects physicians, patients, pharmacy and pharma with a variety of card-based programs empowering choice amongst healthcare professionals and patients, improving patient outcomes.
Manufacturing
Jason Aspin – Aspin Kemp & Associates | Stratford – Delivers innovative products, technically advanced services, integrated systems documentation and world-class training primarily to the marine and offshore industry.
Sean Dunbar – Northampton Brewing Company Ltd. | Northampton – Brewing since 1995, Picaroons Traditional Ales is New Brunswick’s first new-generation microbrewery.
John Xidos – Techlink Entertainment | Sydney – An inventive gaming technology provider based in Nova Scotia, consistently introducing first-to-market offerings in gaming machines, games, systems and responsible-gambling tools.
Professional services
Mike Cormier – Crandall Engineering Ltd. | Moncton – A locally owned consulting engineering firm providing services throughout Atlantic Canada in civil, municipal, transportation, mechanical and electrical engineering.
Dr. John McManaman – Docbraces | Moncton – An orthodontic clinic with four practices throughout the Maritimes.
Charlie Oliver – Martek Morgan Finch Inc. | St. John’s – Provides various real estate and professional services.
Bob Owens, Dave MacFadyen – Owens MacFadyen Group | Saint John – An independent wealth management firm providing comprehensive advice to high-income, high-net-worth business owners and professionals.
Real estate/construction
Craig Williams – Future Group Company | Torbay – Encompasses land development, residential and commercial construction, real estate services, and residential and commercial civil construction in Newfoundland and Labrador, along with residential construction in Nova Scotia.
Doug Doucet – rcs Construction Inc. | Bedford – A general contractor building and renovating spaces for clients in the commercial, retail, institutional, corporate and hospitality sectors in the Atlantic provinces.
Aris Vautour – Sira Enterprises Ltd. | Moncton – Creates communities for living and is the leader in quality apartment living in New Brunswick.