Québec region's legacy-building entrepreneurs advance to finalist stage of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ program

MONTREAL, July 9, 2015 /CNW/ - Accelerating growth, driving innovation and building a strong legacy are what Canadian entrepreneurs do, every day. This year, EY is celebrating the achievements of 36 entrepreneurial stars in the Québec region through the prestigious EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program. 

These inspiring category finalists were chosen by an independent panel of judges. One of these category winners will be named the overall Québec winner, who will compete with winners from four other regions – Pacific, Prairies, Ontario and Atlantic – to become Canada's EY Entrepreneur Of The Year. The Canadian winner will go on to compete globally with more than 50 countries for the title of EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year in June 2016.

"The Canadian economy rests on the shoulders of its entrepreneurs," says Luc Charbonneau, EY's Québec Entrepreneur Of The Year program co-director. "It's important to recognize their contributions in terms of innovation, job creation and legacy."

"This year's finalists inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs, create opportunities for others and give back to their communities – accomplishments we must celebrate," says Daniel Baer, EY's Québec Entrepreneur Of The Year program co-director.

The Canadian Entrepreneur Of The Year program is in its 22^nd year of recognizing, celebrating and telling the inspiring stories of the country's most impressive entrepreneurs from all areas of business and at different stages of their entrepreneurial journey. Award finalists are chosen based on their vision, leadership, innovation, financial success, personal integrity, and work in giving back to their communities.

The Québec winners will be announced at a gala on 22 October 2015.

More information
Follow @EYCanada, #EOY and #EOYQuebec on Twitter for the latest event updates
Visit ey.com/ca/eoy for more program details and a complete list of category finalists and gala d
tes in the regions. 

The 2015 QuébecEY Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists

Business-to-Business Products and Services

Michel Farley and Martial Vincent
Groupe Varitron Technologies Inc. | Saint-Hubert
www.varitron.ca
Electronics assembly company operating across a range of industries: medical, defense, automotive, rail, aeronautics, aerospace, security, automated systems and medical support.

François-Xavier Souvay
Lumenpulse Inc. | Montreal, Quebec
www.lumenpulse.com 
Designs, develops, manufactures and sells a wide range of high performance and sustainable specification-grade LED lighting solutions for commercial, institutional and urban environments.

David Parent
PixMob (ESKI Inc.) | Montreal, Quebec
www.pixmob.com 
Wireless interactive LED lighting technology specializing in creating performances within an audience, at concerts or other events. Each person becomes a pixel, transforming the crowd into a huge display screen.

Business-to-Consumer Products and Services

Jeremy Oldland
Hatley | Lasalle, Quebec
www.hatley.com/en_ca/
A wholesale and retail family-run business that has seen excellent growth and success in the its 30 years in business.

Mark Pascal
Kombi Sports Inc. | Mont-Royal, Quebec
www.kombicanada.com
A leading international sports accessories brand, catering to outdoor winter enthusiasts of all kinds.

Tammy Hattem
Vêtements de Sports Stone Lizard Inc. | Blainville, Quebec
www.raphaelu.ca 
Specializing in the creation, production and distribution of school uniforms, the company has two clothing lines: Raphaël U (stylish school uniforms) and StoneLizard (sports collection). Style, durability and expertise are the values driving their brand.

Cleantech

Mario Lépine
Aéro Mag 2000 Inc. | Saint-Laurent, Quebec
www.aeromag2000.com 
Specializes in the planning, design, management, operation and maintenance of centralized de-icing facilities in 12 international airports.

Robert Weldon
CM Labs Simulations Inc. | Montreal, Quebec
www.cm-labs.com
Delivers virtual software evironments to promote crew preparedness, efficiency, and safety, optimizing operations and reducing risk to people and the environment during complex operations.

Mathilde Gosselin
Materium | Granby, Quebec
www.materium.ca
Developed patented hollow silica microspheres with an extremely low density (up to 10 times lighter than water), which allowed for the creation of unique products.

Construction

Carlos Le Houx
EPM Mécanic | Laval, Quebec
www.epm-mecanic.com 
Company specializing in air conditioning, heating, ventilation and refrigeration services and installation.

Robert Doyon
Groupe Atis inc. | Longueuil, Quebec
www.atisgroup.ca
A leading manufacturer and distributor of windows and doors in Canada, with nine manufacturing facilities, 14 corporate points of sale, over 1400 employees and operations all across Canada.

Éric Périgny
Réno-Assistance | Laval, Quebec
www.renoassistance.ca 
Provides a form of protection against bad contractors, helping people find the right contractors for their renovation projects, and performing a thorough verification before giving contractors their stamp of approval.

Emerging Entrepreneur

Pascal Nataf
Affordance Studio | Saint-Laurent, Quebec
www.affordancestudio.com 
Specializing in serious game and gamification, the company uses techniques inspired by the video game industry as levers for engagement, communication and learning.

Francis Davidson Tanguay et Lucas Pellan
Flatbook | Montreal, Quebec
www.flatbook.co
With apartments in over 30 cities, Flatbook is the first worldwide brand for apartments rented to travellers.

David Chateauneuf, Hugo Dallaire et Philippe Morin
Red Barrels | Montreal, Quebec
http://www.redbarrelsgames.com 
Video game studio focused on single player downloadable games for PC and consoles. Outlast, their first game, is available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, with a new chapter coming soon.

Information Technology

Greg Adelstein and Kyle Pilot
iGotcha Media | Montreal, Quebec
www.igotchamedia.com
Helps businesses achieve their digital signage goals by delivering eye-catching, entertaining and informative digital signage networks, video walls, kiosks and content.

Albert Dang-Vu
Mirego | Quebec, Quebec
http://www.mirego.com/en
With unique expertise in the mobile market, assists clients with each step of creation, development and deployment of their digital strategy.

Kévin Bouchard
Voonyx | Lac-Beauport, Quebec
http://www.voonyx.ca 
A custom IT solutions company whose mission is to provide clients with a team of elite professionals, advisors offering added value and key resources for their projects.

Manufacturing

Dominique Brown
Les Chocolats Favoris Inc. | Quebec, Quebec
www.chocolatsfavoris.com 
Artisanal chocolate maker offering a range of inventive and exclusive chocolate products, including 12 flavours of chocolate ice cream cone dips. These dips are all available as pre-packaged fondues.

Harold Abrams
MSC International Inc. | Saint-Laurent, Quebec
www.msc-international.com
A manufacturer of kitchenware and sells its own private label products around the world under the name Joie.

Stephen Hamelin
Vortex Aquatic Structures International Inc. | Pointe-Claire, Quebec
www.vortex-intl.com
Manufactures aquatic play, landscape and entertainment structures for public and commercial settings. Developed industry-leading water management systems that conserve water and energy while maintaining playability.

Media and Entertainment

Nicolas Chrétien
Crakmedia | Quebec, Quebec
http://www.crakmedia.com/ 
International web marketing agency specializing in web traffic monetization and operating an advertising network generating over 20 billion impressions monthly, in addition to daily sales in over 200 countries.

Denis Doré
Squeeze Studio Animation inc. | Quebec, Quebec
www.squeezestudio.com 
3D character animation services for designers and producers across a wide range of digital products, from TV to video games, including movies and ads.

Ashkan Karbasfrooshan
WatchMojo.com | Montreal, Quebec
www.watchmojo.com
Produces original video programming on the people, places and trends that viewers are passionate about. It has become one of the largest producers, publishers and syndicators of video content for broadband platforms.

Real Estate

Michel Léonard
Fonds de placement immobilier BTB | Montreal, Quebec
www.btbreit.com 
Real estate investment trust listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:BTB.UN) that owns 73 industrial, commercial, and office properties.

Richard Ouellette et Maxime Vandal
Les Ensembliers Inc. | Montreal, Quebec
www.ensembliers.com 
Company specializing in the art of planning and supervising the harmonious and coherent design and execution of architectural interiors and their furnishings.

Michel Parent
Logisco Groupe Immobilier | Saint-Romuald, Quebec
www.logisco.com 
Building and managing multi-residential and commercial buildings for over 50 years.

Service Business

Michel Dubuc
Aedifica Inc. | Montreal, Quebec
www.aedifica.com 
Professional architecture, design and engineering services firm with 125 employees in Montréal, and an engineering office with a team of 40 in the United States.

Greg Rokos
ESI Technologies | Montreal, Quebec
www.esitechnologies.com
Leader in the fields of datacenter design and deployment, storage and virtualization solutions integration, ESI ensures security, availability and efficient management of data and cost-effective control of its growth.

Ghislain Arsenault
Truck N Roll | Dorval, Quebec
www.trucknroll.com 
Company operating in the transportation industry and serving the performing arts, delivering stage equipment for the majority of shows throughout North America.

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 140 cities in 50 countries.

The 2015 Québec independent  judging panel consists of Chris Arsenault, Associate director, iNovia Capital; Jean-Françoys Brousseau, President and CEO, Outbox Holding CRB Inc., 2013 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Technology and Communications category winner, and National Entrepreneur Of The Year Customer-Driven Excellence Special Citation recipient; Anne Darche, President, Pertinence Inc.; Martin Deschênes, President and CEO, Groupe Deschênes inc. and 2003  EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Business To Business category winner; Sam Scalia, President, Samcon Inc. and 2009 Québec Entrepreneur Of The Year Real Estate/Construction category winner.

This year's national program sponsors are National Post, TEC Canada, La Presse, RDI, TMX, Merrill DataSite, Kira Talent, Air Canada, The Printing House Limited. The Québec regional sponsor is Fonds de solidarité FTQ.

About EY's Strategic 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.

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

Follow us on Twitter @EYCanada, #EOY

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)

For further information about this press release, gala information and sponsorship opportunities, please contact: Erika Bennett, [email protected], 403 206 5157; Julie Fournier, [email protected], 514 874 4308; Sasha Anopina, [email protected], 416 943 2637