Calgary's Dr. Alan Ulsifer of FYidoctors named Canada's Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2012

Game-changing vision and leadership earns top honours  

TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2013 /CNW/ - Dr. Alan Ulsifer, President and Chief Executive Officer of FYidoctors — Canada's largest independent eye care product and service provider — is this year's National Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year winner.

"Dr. Alan Ulsifer's achievements are no small feat. His innovative vision of merging full scope optometric practices into a single entity — the first of its kind in the country — transformed Canada's optometry industry," says Colleen McMorrow, Partner and National Director, Entrepreneur Of The Year. "These kinds of innovative solutions that overcome a struggling economy take strong leadership and an even stronger team."

That's something Ernst & Young finds common to many entrepreneurs. The recent report, Defying gravity: high-growth entrepreneurship in a slow-growth economy, which surveys more than 600 US Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012 finalists, shows that over 40% believe their greatest source of success is assembling the right management team — a finding that rings true in Canada as well, McMorrow says.

"High-performing entrepreneurs understand the power and potential of developing strong people teams," she adds. "They excel at creating these teams, innovating among them and instilling vision and passion in them."

More than 25% of respondents also believe that their ability to identify and develop talent is their biggest strength — a quality Alan has proven is key.

"Having the right people in place can mean the difference between overcoming roadblocks and hitting them head on," says McMorrow. "Alan's commitment to building leaders, not just managers, at all levels of the business is what makes FYidoctors a true stand-out."

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year recognizes the spirit and contribution of entrepreneurs here and around the world. The Canadian program is in its 19th year of honouring the country's most impressive entrepreneurs from all areas of business. Award winners are chosen based on a number of factors, including their vision, leadership, financial performance and social responsibility.

For more information on Defying gravity, click here.

National special citations awarded:

Many of the award winners across the country stand out not only as leaders in their industry, but also for the unique mark they've made on the entrepreneurial landscape. The following entrepreneurs are Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year category award recipients in their regions and were also selected by the national judges as special citation honourees. These entrepreneurs have demonstrated outstanding growth through environmentally conscious global expansion, leadership by embracing business challenges and opportunities with passion, purpose and execution, and realized unprecedented financial results.

Pacific
Frederick Davidson
Energold Drilling Corp. | Vancouver, British Columbia
energold.com
Outstanding growth

The largest frontier specialty contract commodity drilling company in the world operating across metals, energy and manufacturing.

Ontario
Jon Hantho
Maxxam Analytics | Mississauga
maxxam.ca
Entrepreneurial leadership

Canadian market leader in analytical services and solutions to the energy, environmental, food and DNA industries.

Robert Herjavec
The Herjavec Group | Toronto
herjavecgroup.com
Financial performance

IT security/infrastructure integration firm specializing in security solutions, WAN acceleration and emerging technologies.

What's next?
The 2013 World Entrepreneur Of The Year^® awards will be held June 6 to 9 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Dr. Alan Ulsifer, Canada's Entrepreneur Of The Year, will compete with more than 50 other country recipients for the title of Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year^®.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year
Nominees are reviewed by an independent judging panel composed of several distinguished business leaders and previous award recipients. The 2012 national judging panel consisted of Peter Barnes, Founding Shareholder, DeepGreen Resources Inc. (and 2010 Pacific Entrepreneur Of The Year mining category winner); Jean Cloutier, Vice President Finance and Operations, Outdoor Gear Canada (and 2010 Quebec Entrepreneur Of The Year manufacturing category winner); Mike Duff, President and Chief Executive Officer, Design Group Staffing Services (and 2006 Prairies Entrepreneur Of The Year professional/financial services category winner); Mike Mallory, New Brunswick Group Chair, TEC Group; David R. Shaw, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Knightsbridge Human Capital Management (and 2010 Ontario Entrepreneur Of The Year professional/financial services category winner, 2010 National Special Citation, Customer-Driven Excellence); and Carol Stephenson, Dean, Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario.

For more information on the program, FAQs and key dates, please visit ey.com/ca/EOY.

Follow us on Twitter @EYCanada: #EOYNational

This year's national program sponsors are National Post, La Presse and RDI.

About Ernst & Young's Entrepreneurial Services practice
Ernst & Young LLP's Entrepreneurial Services practice guides Canadian entrepreneurs by delivering integrated services tailored to their goals and needs at every stage of the business lifecycle. We are the world leader in advising, guiding and recognizing the entrepreneurs who propel the economy — and community — forward.

For more information, please visit ey.com/ca/Entrepreneurs.

About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 167,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

For more information, please visit ey.com/ca.

Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.

For further information, please contact:

SOURCE: Ernst & Young

Erika Bennett
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416 943 5497

Sarah Shields
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604 648 3607

Julie Fournier
[email protected]
514 874 4308