BC Business
Entrepreneur of the Year | BCBusiness
EY released its full list of finalists for its Entrepreneur of the Year awards, co-sponsored by BCBusiness, featuring 29 entrepreneurs from a range of industries and from across B.C. “Our finalists continue to achieve incredible economic growth and make a name for Canada on the world stage,” said Lui Petrollini, program director, in a statement. “But it’s their role in job creation that really makes us proud. Our survey shows that last year’s finalists created jobs at an average pace of 25 per cent in 2012.” This year’s Pacific region finalists employ to close to 5,000 across Canada. That number grows to 37,000 when all Entrepreneur of the Year regions are accounted for. A survey conducted by EY found that Canada’s 2013 program finalists recorded average year-over-year revenue growth of 37 per cent, above the global average of 29 per cent. The Pacific winners will be announced at a gala on September 30, and the overall winner will represent the Pacific region at a national gala held November 25 in Toronto. The Pacific region finalists include: Business-to-business products and services Thomas Leavitt, Leavitt Machinery, Langley Rick Gibbs, Neutron Factory Works, Delta Scott Edmonds, Webtech Wireless Inc., Burnaby Business-to-consumer products and services Natacha Beim, CEFA Early Learning, Vancouver Brad, Mike and Mitch Trotman, Trotman Automotive Group, Surrey Charles Chang, Vega, Burnaby Emerging entrepreneur Vern Brownell, D-Wave Systems Inc., Burnaby Franck Point, Madeleine (Canada) Investments Ltd., Vancouver Lisa Tuningley, T-Rail Products Inc., Surrey Energy Larrie York, Frontier Power Products Ltd., Delta Carlos Villavicencio, Natural Trade Ltd., North Vancouver Aaron Rokstad, Rokstad Power Corporation, Coquitlam Entertainment and hospitality Sergio Cocchia and Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia, Absolute Spa Group – Crew Management Ltd., Vancouver Jason and Sacha Mclean, The McLean Group of Companies, Vancouver Thomas Haas, Thomas Haas Chocolates & Patisserie, North Vancouver Information technology Ho Kim, CAMACC Systems Inc., Saanichton Stephane Bourque, Incognito Software Inc., Vancouver Jack Newton, Themis Solutions Inc. (Clio), Burnaby Mining and exploration Bradford Cooke, Endeavour Silver Corp., Vancouver Ross McElroy and Devinder Randhawa, Fission Uranium Corp., Kelowna Mark O’Dea, True Gold Mining Inc., Vancouver Manufacturing Dan Eisenhardt, Recon Instruments Inc., Vancouver Jake Fry, Smallworks Studios/Laneway Housing Inc., Vancouver Steve Curtis, Zag Group Inc., Vancouver