Entrepreneur of the Year 2025: Why Matt Lewis left banking to build Braidy Corporation

Matt Lewis spent a decade in banking before realizing he needed a change. “I was sitting across the desk from entrepreneurs, leaders, business owners and their executive teams, and I thought that I was on the wrong side of the table,” says Lewis, who grew up in White Rock. “So, I decided I was young and naive enough to give it a shot for myself.”

In 2012, Lewis acquired his first business, Port Coquitlam-based textile distributor TrendTex Fabrics. That acquisition laid the groundwork for Braidy Corporation, a Surrey-based private holding company that’s expanding with a “buy, hold and grow” model.

“‘Buy, squeeze and flip’ is generic. It’s transactional,” Lewis argues. “For operating businesses with a long-term mindset, you need to truly understand what makes the business tick, what makes the company go around, and it’s far more fulfilling.”

Lewis named the company after his children—“Br” from Brenna, “ai” from Claire and “dy” from Cody. That sense of legacy continues to shape Braidy’s role in the market today as an increasing number of baby boomers struggle to find people to take over their businesses.

“We are very often a succession plan for a business owner,” says Lewis. His company has acquired 13 businesses to date, spanning textile manufacturing and distribution, roofing and HVAC accessory manufacturing, among others. “The fact that we don’t have outside investors to answer to—negating the need to buy, squeeze and flip—resonates very deeply for some business owners.”

Braidy operates with a core team of six and has some 600 people across its operating companies. Its revenues are in the hundreds of millions, while TrendTex Fabrics now claims the title of being the largest distributor of printed cotton fabric for the hobby and craft industry in Canada.

In  2025, Braidy Corporation acquired Langley-based K-Line Trailers, a manufacturer of dump truck boxes and heavy equipment trailers.

“In the short term, we’re focused on integrating that business,” Lewis says. Braidy typically buys new-industry businesses with annual EBITDA between $2 million and $10 million. “But over the longer term, we’re going to continue to buy great businesses in industries that we feel we can understand and can take a long-term approach on.”

How do you celebrate your achievements?

We go to fun concerts and sporting events.

An odd job you’ve had?

I used to fill potholes for the city of Surrey.

An embarrassing obsession?

I don’t like prime numbers.