Announcing the 2015 Private Business Growth Award finalists

Ten Canadian companies selected for their commitment to strategic business growth

TORONTO/OTTAWA, Oct. 28, 2015 /CNW/ - The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Grant Thornton LLP are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2015 Private Business Growth Award. The award recognizes the integral role Canada's private businesses play in our country's economy by celebrating the success of those that have implemented strategic growth. The 10 Canadian private businesses were selected for their commitment to such sustainable, holistic growth strategies.

"Growing a successful, sustainable private business is no easy feat—but it can be done," says Phil Noble, Executive Partner and CEO, Grant Thornton. "The purpose of the Private Business Growth Award is to showcase those companies that are getting it right—fearlessly introducing new product lines and entering new markets, developing new employee engagement strategies and demonstrating different models of leadership—and setting their businesses up for long-term success. We think this is an important thing to celebrate and it's an important message to relay to others."

The 2015 Private Business Growth Award finalists are (in alphabetical order):

• Baby Gourmet, Calgary, AB
• Cooke Aquaculture, Saint John, NB
• dentalcorp, Toronto, ON
• Fiera Foods Company, Toronto, ON
• Global Relay Communications Inc., Vancouver, BC
• Kids & Company, Richmond Hill, ON
• Medgate Inc., Toronto, ON
• Nicola Wealth Management, Vancouver, BC
• StarTech.com, London, ON
• Skyline Group of Companies, Guelph, ON

"When Canadian businesses get the edge on their competitors, they create new jobs and generate greater prosperity for communities across the country. Those that grow strategically by looking past the next quarter raise the bar for others that follow and deserve to be celebrated. This year's finalists are examples of companies that are building a Canada that wins." says Hon. Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of The Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

To judge Canada's great private businesses, you need a jury of equally accomplished peers. This year's jury members hail from across the country and various industries. They include:

• The Honourable Perrin Beatty, President and CEO, The Canadian Chamber of Commerce
• Christiane Bergevin, Executive Vice President, Desjardins Group Partnerships and Business Development, Desjardins Group
• Peggy Cunningham, Professor and RA Jodrey Chair, Dalhousie University
• Sean Stanleigh, Managing Editor, Globe Content Studio, The Globe and Mail
• Malcolm Hunter, President, Deeley Group of Companies
• Phil Noble, Executive Partner and CEO, Grant Thornton LLP
• John E. Peller, President and CEO, Andrew Peller Limited
• Paul Straus, President, Home Hardware Stores Limited

In selecting the 10 finalists, jury members used the following five criteria to assess strategic growth across various aspects of the nominees' businesses:

• Innovation: Developing new products and services, bringing old products to market in a new way, as well as improving the efficiency and effectiveness of internal processes.
• Market development: How they go to market and expand into new domestic or international markets.
• People and culture: Investing in their people by helping employees learn and develop as a critical part of overall growth.
• Strategic leadership: How they interact with partners, stakeholders, their succession planning and community involvement.
• Improvements in financial measures: Ensuring revenue growth and improvements in profitability.

All of the finalists will be celebrated, and the winner announced, at a gala at The Design Exchange on November 25, 2015 in Toronto. The evening will be hosted by renowned Canadian business journalist, Dierdre McMurdy. 

About the Private Business Growth Award
The Private Business Growth Award recognizes Canadian-owned, privately-held businesses that have been in business a minimum of three years, have $5 million or more in revenues and have demonstrated outstanding strategic growth. A partnership between The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Grant Thornton LLP, this national business award was created to recognize and celebrate the successful growth of private businesses in Canada. A jury of high-profile Canadian business leaders selects 10 finalists and one winning company based on the following criteria: innovation, market development, people and culture, strategic leadership, and improvements in financial measures. For further information, visit www.privatebusinessgrowthaward.com.

About Grant Thornton LLP
Grant Thornton LLP is a leading Canadian accounting and advisory firm providing audit, tax and advisory services to private and public organizations. We help dynamic organizations unlock their potential for growth by providing meaningful, actionable advice through a broad range of services.

Together with the Quebec firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton LLP, Grant Thornton in Canada has approximately 4,000 people in offices across Canada. Grant Thornton LLP is a Canadian member of Grant Thornton International Ltd, whose member firms operate in over 100 countries worldwide. For further information, visit www.grantthornton.ca.

About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the vital connection between business and the federal government. Through its network of over 450 chambers of commerce and boards of trade, representing 200,000 businesses of all sizes in all sectors of the economy and in all regions, it helps shape public policy and decision-making to the benefit of businesses, communities and families across Canada. For further information, visit www.chamber.ca.

SOURCE Grant Thornton LLP

Image with caption: "The Private Business Growth Award presented by The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Grant Thornton LLP (CNW Group/Grant Thornton LLP)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151028_C5919_PHOTO_EN_530414.jpg

Sheila Scott, National Marketing Manager, Grant Thornton LLP, T [phone], E [email protected]; G. Will Dubreuil, Director, Public Affairs & Media Relations, The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, T [phone] x231, E [email protected]