Entrepreneurs create jobs that build a better working world in Canada - and beyond
CALGARY, July 4, 2013 /CNW/ - EY is proud to announce the 2013 Prairies 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.
"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 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.
"Our Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists are no exception," says Jolley. "Across Canada and in the Prairies, our entrepreneurs are generating jobs and raising the living standards where they operate."
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. Jolley adds: "Entrepreneurs may be leading the charge against youth unemployment but we all have a part to play. It's up to business and government alike to work together to enable our entrepreneurs to reach their potential — that's how each of us can build a better working world."
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.
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
centralwater.net
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
drivingforce.ca
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
surehire.ca
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
wolftrax.com
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
boosterjuice.com
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
globaletraining.ca
Provides opportunities for people through skills training, including: Academy of Learning, Digital School, Complete Corporate Training and Global eTraining.
Richard Brink
Weddingstar Inc. | Dunmore
weddingstar.com
Designs, manufactures and distributes wedding-related products worldwide.
Cleantech
Mogens Smed
DIRTT Environmental Solutions | Calgary
dirtt.net
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
genaltapower.com
An independent power producer converting waste into usable electricity.
Mark Chisick
Urbanmine Inc. | Winnipeg
urbanmine.ca
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
entrec.com
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
forcepiledriving.com
Focuses on pile material sales and installation services.
Dr. Dennis Filips
Innovative Trauma Care | Edmonton
itraumacare.com
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
rideinc.com
Designs, manufactures and distributes emergency egress equipment for escape from any configuration of elevated platform.
Energy services
Russ Hebblethwaite
Enviro Vault Canada Ltd. | Calgary
envirovault.com
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
pidherneys.com
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
studon.com
Connects people to the grid in the energy, commercial, industrial, forestry and agricultural sectors.
Manufacturing
Thane Russell
Absolute Completion Technologies Ltd. | Calgary
absolutect.com
Develops and manufactures well completion technologies, specializing in sand control solutions.
Joe Makowecki
Heritage Frozen Foods Ltd. | Edmonton
cheemo.com
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
manitobaharvest.com
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
thebouchiergroup.com
A leading service provider, committed to building and enhancing sustainable business relationships that strengthen our community.
Menno Admiraal
Western Camp Services Ltd. | Edmonton
westerncampservices.com
Provides remote accommodation services to the natural resource industries in Western Canada.
Alex MacAusland, Dale Tremblay, Jeffrey Bowers
Western Energy Services Corp. | Calgary
wesc.ca
Provides contract drilling services in Canada and the US.
Professional and financial services
Steve King
Alaris Royalty Corp. | Calgary
alarisroyalty.com
Provides alternative financing to a diversified range of profitable, well-managed private businesses in North America.
Jean-Pierre Parenty
Parenty Reitmeier Translation Services | Winnipeg
parentyreitmeier.com
Specializes in technical translation and localization in more than 100 languages for global clients.
S. Orme Asher
S.O. Asher Consultants Ltd. | Saskatoon
soasher.com
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
camdevcorp.com
Specializes in commercial development projects of the highest standard and quality.
Reza Nasseri
Landmark Group of Builders Ltd. | Edmonton
landmarkgroup.ca
One of the largest production homebuilders in Alberta specializing in developing sustainable building.
Allison Grafton
Rockwood Custom Homes | Calgary
rockwoodcustomhomes.com
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
vetssheetmetal.com
Specializes in the construction and service/maintenance of industrial, commercial and institutional HVAC systems.
Technology and communications
Craig Mackenzie
Ontracks Consulting | Edmonton
ontracksconsulting.com
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
robotsandpencils.com
Develops iPhone and iPad apps, creators of the Spy vs Spy #1 app around the world.
Tara Kelly
SPLICE Software Inc. | Calgary
splicesoftware.com
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.
About Entrepreneur Of The Year
Entrepreneurs turn us on. To new ideas, new ways of thinking and new possibilities. We've shone the spotlight on entrepreneurs for 20 years — and we've only just begun. Nominees are reviewed by an independent judging panel composed of several distinguished business leaders and previous award recipients. The 2013 Prairies judging panel consisted of Tony Franceschini, retired President and CEO, Stantec Inc.; Linda Hohol, Corporate Director; Curt Vossen, President, Richardson International; Kelley Smith, Independent Consultant; and Stephanie Yong, Director, W. Brett Wilson Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence.
For more information on the program, FAQs, and key dates, please visit ey.com/ca/EOY.
For more information about the Prairies Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards gala on 17 October 2013 and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Louise Hyland at 403 206 5372 or [email protected].
Follow us on Twitter @EYCanada: #EOY20, #EOYPrairies.
This year's national program sponsors are National Post, La Presse, RDI and Merrill DataSite. In the Prairies, Entrepreneur Of The Year is sponsored by Business in Calgary, Business in Edmonton, and the Calgary Herald.
About EY's Entrepreneurial Services practice
EY'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's 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 EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets 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.
For more information, please visit ey.com/ca.
EY refers to the global organization and may refer to one or more of the 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 more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.
SOURCE: EY (Ernst & Young)
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