EY celebrates outstanding family entrepreneurship
MONTRÉAL, July 26, 2016 /CNW/ - When you open a fridge in any Canadian home, there's a good chance there's a Saputo product inside. What started as a local cheese company has grown over the past 62 years to become one of the top 10 dairy processors in the world. From humble beginnings, the Company has since expanded its product offerings and reach to worldwide consumers, while remaining true to its roots. This fall, EY will celebrate the Saputo family with the EY Family Business Award of Excellence.
Saputo is a family business to the core. In 1950, in the wake of the Second World War, Giuseppe Saputo immigrated to Canada from Italy, and the rest of the family soon followed. Four years later, the Saputo family founded a cheese-making company bearing their name. Through the effort, determination, sacrifices and courage of each member of the family, they established themselves in Montréal's Italian community.
In addition to its success in the dairy industry, the Saputo family is part of the fabric of Montréal. As, generous philanthropists, they support a variety of different causes. Among them, Saputo Inc. aims to promote healthy living initiatives, while the family's private charitable foundations help Montréal's most vulnerable populations.
Over time, the family's entrepreneurial spirit has led to investments in other sectors of activity across the city, most notably the Montréal Impact and its professional soccer stadium, Stade Saputo, which helps promote soccer in Québec.
"The Saputo story is tremendous," says Daniel Baer, EY's Québec Entrepreneur Of The Year program co-director. "Giuseppe Saputo built a small business based on his Italian upbringing. He and his family worked tirelessly to make the company a success locally and worldwide. The Saputo brand remains, at its core, a family business which takes pride in perpetuating their legacy to the next generation, continuing a vision started more than six decades ago. And beyond the corporate world, the family gives back to the Montréal community, a commitment at the core of the family's values, cementing the Saputo name at the heart of Montréal. This is a well-deserved award for one of Canada's leading families."
"The Saputo family continues to grow their footprint around the world while being socially responsible and community oriented," says Luc Charbonneau, EY's Québec Entrepreneur Of The Year program co-director. "Awareness of the communities in which they operate, adaptation to local needs and tastes, and generous to a fault are all hallmarks of the Saputo name. It is an honour to recognize such an entrepreneurial success story".
"We are truly honoured by this recognition. Our family is proud of how Saputo has grown over three generations, while maintaining its family values", says Emanuele (Lino) Saputo, Chairman of the Board of Saputo Inc.
"While our operations have expanded globally and we have grown to $11 billion in revenues, Saputo Inc. started in Montréal and it continues to be our home. We are proud to have both our Corporate and Canadian Division headquarters in Montréal," says Lino A. Saputo, Jr., Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board of Saputo Inc.
"As a family, we've always made it a priority to give back to the community that has supported us over the years," says Joey Saputo, President of the Montreal Impact and Stade Saputo. "Whether it be through our different foundations or with the development of young soccer players through our Academy, we believe it's important to contribute at every level."
Lino Saputo Jr. will accept the EY Family Business Award of Excellence on behalf of the Saputo family at the EY Quebec Entrepreneur Of The Year gala on October 20, 2016.
For event updates, visit us at ey.com/ca/eoy or follow us on Twitter @EYCanada and use #EOYQuebec to join the conversation.
For more information about the awards gala, please contact Sophie Leclerc at 514 879 8173 or [email protected]
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.
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.
For more information about the program, FAQs and key dates, please visit ey.com/ca/EOY.
Follow us on Twitter @EYCanada, #EOY
About the Family Business Award of Excellence
The award recognizes leaders of outstanding entrepreneurial families, whose companies exist in at least the 3rd generation. It honours companies that have a tradition of successfully balancing business and family issues, growing the business through innovation, and contributing through philanthropic or social engagement. The selected families support these traditions with sustainable, long-term strategies that include effective and transparent corporate governance.
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.
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)
Sasha Anopina, [email protected], 416 943 2637; Julie Fournier, [email protected], 514 874 4308; Leigh Kjekstad, [email protected], 604 648 3807
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