Dr. Allen Eaves of STEMCELL Technologies Inc. named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Pacific 2016

Annual awards gala celebrates outstanding local entrepreneurs

VANCOUVER, Oct. 1, 2016 /CNW/ - Dr. Allen Eaves, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of STEMCELL Technologies, a global biotechnology company that supplies tools and services to enable life science research, is this year's Entrepreneur Of The Year Pacific winner.

"Allen's accomplishments as an entrepreneur and a scientist are incredible," says Lui Petrollini, Entrepreneur Of The Year Pacific Program Director. "Most people look to slow down their life in retirement, but Allen has done the opposite. He used his experience to focus on creating products and services he developed while doing his scientific research. As a result, STEMCELL's strides in the biotechnology industry are having a global impact."

The seeds for STEMCELL Technologies were planted in 1981 at the Terry Fox Laboratories at the University of British Columbia. Eaves was unsatisfied with the tools available to him for his cancer research and his team started creating their own blood stem cell culture media. Within twelve years, the demand for his products was so great, Eaves launched STEMCELL Technologies. Since then, it has become the largest biotech company in Canada.

"This entrepreneurial journey is a classic story of finding a need in an industry and capitalizing on it," says Petrollini. "Allen started his business by creating a product he wanted for himself. Customers followed and he was able to fund more of his own research. That cycle continued until he had enough products and customers to start his own company. It even continues today as he creates even more new products to feed a fast growing industry."

Since 1993, the company has grown 20% each year and now has more than 800 employees and 2000 cell biology research tools. Furthermore, STEMCELL Technologies continues to reinvest all its profits into developing products for the international research community. Their commitment to the scientific community allows them to provide educational opportunities, webinars and workshops to keep researchers up-to-date with developments in their fields.

As the Pacific region's EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016, Allen will compete with top entrepreneurs from the Prairies, Atlantic, Ontario and Quebec regions for the national honour of Canada's EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016, to be presented at a gala celebration on 22 November 2016 in Toronto. In June 2017, Canada's EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016 will move to the world stage to compete with more than 50 country recipients for the title of EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year.

More information
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Visit ey.com/ca/eoy for more program details and a complete list of category finalists and gala dates in the regions. 

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Pacific 2016 category award recipients:

Business-to-business products and services

Allen Eaves
STEMCELL Technologies | Vancouver, British Columbia
http://www.stemcell.com/
A privately-owned biotechnology company that develops speciality cell culture media, cell separation products and ancillary reagents for life science research.

Business-to-consumer products and services

Elana Rosenfeld
Kicking Horse Coffee | Invermere
www.kickinghorsecoffee.com
Organic fair trade coffee roaster, offering the best coffees from exotic destinations around the world, roasted in the freshest air with precision equipment.

Construction

Jason Jacob, Scott Jacob, and Todd Jacob
Jacob Bros. Construction Inc. | Surrey
www.jacobbros.ca
A multi-disciplined general contractor with expertise in both heavy civil & building construction projects.

Consumer technology

Sean Clark and Roger Hardy
Shoes.com | Vancouver
www.shoes.com
Online footwear and apparel retailer, offering over 500 brands to 8 million customers across the USA and Canada via online properties including SHOEme.ca, SHOES.COM and OnlineShoes.com.

Emerging technology

Timothy Berman
Fluxwerx Illumination Inc. | Surrey
www.fluxwerx.com
Synthesizes industrial design, optical engineering and LED technology to manufacture distinctive lighting products. Breakthrough proprietary anidolic optics technology offers substantial energy savings, lighting quality, and remarkable lifetime.

Fintech

Cody Green
Canada Drives | Vancouver
www.canadadrives.ca
A fintech company that enables consumers to secure auto financing online before their vehicle purchase at a dealership that has changed the landscape of auto sales in Canada.  

Healthcare services

John Dehart, Ken Sim, and Cathy Thorpe
Nurse Next Door Home Care Services | Vancouver
www.nursenextdoor.com
Delivers flexible, affordable and quality care options to seniors, with a full spectrum of home care services ranging from weekly companionship to around-the-clock care from a registered nurse.

Infrastructure

Paul Dunstan
Plenary Group Ltd. | Vancouver
www.plenarygroup.com
An international infrastructure business working on projects in the Americas and the Asia Pacific region and encompassing finance, planning, design and construction, complementary commercial development, asset management and operations.

Marketing technology

Matias Marquez
Buyatab Online Inc. | Vancouver
www.buyatab.com
Provides a seamless solution for digital gift cards to be sold on merchants' online properties and delivered via email or text message, which helps merchants drive growth, acquire customers, increase B2B revenue and leverage prepaid solutions into loyalty and incentive marketing programs.

Retail/ Hospitality

Jean-Pierre LeBlanc and Kate Ross LeBlanc
Saje Natural Business Inc. | Vancouver
www.saje.ca
Develops and markets plant-derived alternatives to pharmaceutical medicine, and connects people to natural remedies and products to help the body detoxify and rejuvenate.

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential, and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in 60 countries.

The 2016 Pacific region independent judging panel consists of Ryan Beedie, President, Beedie Group; Charles Chang, President & Founder, Lyra Growth Partners; Ashley Cooper, President Paladin Security; Christine Cooper, Division Head Corporate Finance Division, BMO Bank of Montreal; Debra Hewson, President, Odlum Brown; Shannon Rogers, President and General Counsel, Global Relay; Lisa Shields, CEO FI.SPAN Services Inc.; Bill Tam, President, BC Technology Industry Association.

This year's program national sponsors are TEC Canada, La Presse, RDI, The TMX Group, The Globe and Mail Inc., Merrill Corporation, Kira Talent, Air Canada and The Printing House Limited. The Pacific regional sponsors are BCBusiness, Hunt Personnel/Temporarily Yours, Sauder School of Business, UBC, Four Seasons Hotel and Leone.

EY is a proud sponsor of Next Canada.

About EY's Growth Markets Network
EY's worldwide Strategic Growth Markets Network is dedicated to serving the changing needs of high-growth companies. For more than 30 years, we've helped many of the world's most dynamic and ambitious companies grow into market leaders. Whether working with international mid-cap companies or early-stage venture-backed businesses, our professionals draw upon their extensive experience, insight and global resources to help your business succeed.

About EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. For more than 150 years in Canada, we've delivered the insights and quality services that help build trust and confidence in capital markets here and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

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SOURCE EY (Ernst & Young)

about this press release, gala information and sponsorship opportunities, please contact: Leigh Kjekstad, [email protected], 604 648 3807; Julie Fournier, [email protected], 514 874 4308; Sasha Anopina, [email protected], 416 943 2637