/R E P E A T -- Glenn Johnson of Endurance Wind Power, Inc. named 2013 Pacific EY Entrepreneur Of The Year/

EY celebrates 20 years of inspirational entrepreneurs

VANCOUVER, Oct. 5, 2013 /CNW/ - EY celebrated 20 years of honouring great entrepreneurs by presenting Glenn Johnson of Endurance Wind Power, Inc. — a leading manufacturer of advanced wind turbines — with its 2013 Pacific EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award.

"We're celebrating 20 years of recognizing outstanding entrepreneurs in Canada in true Entrepreneur Of The Year fashion — by shining the light on a new group of local talent," says Ron Voyer, Pacific Entrepreneur Of The Year program director. "Glenn Johnson is an entrepreneur whose aspirations always impress and achievements never cease to amaze."

Glenn has always had an eye for opportunity. At a young age he collected out-of-bounds golf balls from a local golf club, cleaned them up and resold them to the same people who had hit them out of the park. That was just the beginning. Glenn founded Endurance Wind Power, Inc. in 2007 after several previous entrepreneurial successes and in five short years cemented the company as a global leader.

"Glenn proves that anything is possible with determination," says Voyer. "Endurance began its journey with just six prototype wind turbines in the US. Today, it boasts more than 600 across two continents."

These stories are exactly the kind of inspiration we need to share with the next generation of entrepreneurs to encourage them to follow their own ambitions, adds Voyer.

Though Canada scores very highly on its entrepreneurship culture, relatively low levels of self-employment suggest there's room for larger numbers of people to be encouraged to capitalize on the country's supportive environment, according to EY's G20 Entrepreneurship Barometer 2013.

"Celebrating entrepreneurial achievements is a key component of creating a culture that engages the next generation of entrepreneurs — something our research shows is lacking in Canada," says Voyer. "Entrepreneur Of The Year is just one way we pay tribute to the immense impact entrepreneurs have on our society. And with 20 years of motivation behind us, there's no stopping now."

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 gala also honoured Karen Flavelle of Purdys Chocolatier with the 2013 EY Family Business Award of Excellence in celebration of generations of entrepreneurial achievement.

Category winners of the 2013 Pacific EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards:

Business-to-business products and services

Shannon Rogers, Warren Roy
Global Relay Communications Inc. | Vancouver
globalrelay.com
An expert in compliance messaging solutions, including compliance archiving, messaging, mobile and collaboration.

Business-to-consumer products and services

Tom Skidmore
GLENTEL Inc. | Burnaby
glentel.com
A leading provider of innovative and reliable wireless communications services and solutions, offering a choice of network carrier and wireless or mobile products to consumers and commercial customers.

Cleantech

Glenn Johnson
Endurance Wind Power, Inc. | Surrey
endurancewindpower.com
Manufactures wind turbines designed to provide an efficient, reliable, safe and quiet, renewable form of energy for distributed wind power applications.

Emerging entrepreneur

Shahrzad Rafati
BroadbandTV | Vancouver
broadbandtvcorp.com
Helps content creators become more successful online by providing them with advanced tools and technology.

Information technology

Markus Frind
Plentyoffish Media Inc. | Vancouver
plentyoffish.com
Online personals service.

Manufacturing

Mark Wolverton
LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics| Vancouver
lush.com
Manufacturer and retailer of fresh, natural, handmade and ethically produced hair and skin products.

Mining and metals

Clive Johnson
B2Gold Corp. | Vancouver
b2gold.com
A Vancouver-based gold producer with three operating mines and a strong portfolio of development and exploration assets in Nicaragua, Colombia, Namibia and Uruguay.

What's next?
As the Pacific region's 2013 Entrepreneur Of The Year, Glenn will compete with top entrepreneurs from the Atlantic, Prairies, Ontario and Quebec regions for the national honour of Canada's EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2013, to be presented at a gala celebration on 27 November 2013 in Toronto. In June 2014, Canada's Entrepreneur Of The Year 2013 will move to the world stage to compete with more than 50 country recipients for the title of EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year.

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 Pacific judging panel consisted of Peter Barnes, 2010 Pacific Entrepreneur Of The Year winner, Mining and metals, and Founding Shareholder, DeepGreen Resources; Wanda Costuros, Corporate Director; Fred Davidson, 2012 Pacific Entrepreneur Of The Year winner, Mining and metals, and President and CEO, Energold Drilling Corp.; Steven Gula, 2012 Pacific Entrepreneur Of The Year winner, Manufacturing, and President, NII Northern International Inc.; Diane Johnson, 2011 Pacific Entrepreneur Of The Year Special citation winner and President and CEO, Descriptive Video Works; Mary Jordan, Corporate Director and Chair, Vancouver Airport Authority; Donald McInnes, 2011 Pacific Entrepreneur Of The Year winner, Cleantech, and Executive Vice Chairman, Alterra Power Corp.; and Catherine Osler, President, TEC Canada.

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

For more information about our National Entrepreneur Of The Year awards gala on 27 November 2013, please contact Julie Olden at 416 943 2062 or [email protected].

Follow us on Twitter @EYCanada: #EOY20, #EOYPacific.

This year's national program sponsors are National Post, La Presse, RDI and Merrill DataSite. In Pacific, Canada Wide Media is the platinum sponsor, Hunt Personnel/Temporarily Yours and Sauder School of Business are the silver sponsors, and Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver is the patron sponsor.

About EY's Strategic Growth Markets practice
EY's 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. As you grow your business into a market leader, you'll face many challenges and opportunities. That's where our Strategic Growth Market professionals can help.

Our Global Strategic Growth Markets practice guides leading high-growth companies on their way to market leadership. Our multi-disciplinary team of elite professionals provides perspective and advice to accelerate growth. That includes initial public offering- and venture capital-related services.

We are the world's leader in advising, guiding entrepreneurs who propel the economy — and community — forward. And we do this at the most basic level by giving entrepreneurs the recognition they deserve through our Entrepreneur Of The Year and Entrepreneurial Winning Women program. Our annual Strategic Growth Forum also brings together top CEOs, entrepreneurs, influential business and government leaders, investors and advisors from around the world.

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)

Sarah Shields
[email protected]
604 648 3607

Erika Bennett
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416 943 5497

Julie Fournier 
[email protected]
514 874 4308