Honouring some of the province's boldest and most innovative business leaders is always a special occasion.
In 2018, though, BCBusiness marks a milestone: the 25th anniversary of our partnership with Ernst & Young (EY). From cleantech to mining to tourism and hospitality, the latest EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program for the Pacific Region upholds a long tradition of excellence. The 35 women and men chosen by the judges—including winners in nine categories and the overall Pacific Region winner—show why B.C. deserves its reputation for producing top-notch entrepreneurs. Congratulations to everyone, and here’s to another 25 years of EOY!
BUSINESS TO CONSUMER
Christian Chia (Pacific Region Overall Winner)
President and CEO, OpenRoad Auto Group
Jason McDougall
CEO, FHC Enterprises
Josh Penner
CEO, Meridian Meats & Seafood
TOURISM + HOSPITALITY
Daniel Frankel
Founder and CEO, Tap & Barrel Restaurants
Mandy Farmer
President and CEO, Accent Inns
Ryan Moreno
CEO and Principal, Joseph Richard Group
TURNAROUND
Drew Green
CEO, Indochino Apparel
Randy MacEwen
President and CEO, Ballard Power Systems
Jamil Murji
President and CEO, Inter-Urban Delivery Service + Argus Carriers
CLEANTECH
Dr. Zak El-Ramly
President & CEO, ZE PowerGroup Inc. & ZE Power Engineering Inc.
Randy MacEwen
President and CEO, Clevest Solutions
Raminder Grewal
President, Keystone Environmental
MINING + RESOURCES
Paul Matysek
CEO, Bedrock Capital Corp.
Neil Woodyer
CEO and director, Leagold Mining Corp.
David Strang + Noel Dunn
President and CEO + Executive Chair, Ero Copper Corp.
TECHNOLOGY
Shahrzad Rafati
Founder and CEO, BroadbandTV Corp.
David Gens
Founder, President and CEO, Merchant Advance Capital
Morgan Carey
Founder and CEO, Real Estate Webmasters
Rick Perreault
Co-founder and CEO, Unbounce
SOCIAL IMPACT
Ian Walker
President, Left Coast Naturals
Zeeshan Hayat + Karina Hayat
Co-founder and CEO + Co-founder and President, Prizm Media
Jon Friesen + Randy Shier
CEO + President, Mission Group Enterprises
EMERGING ENTREPRENEUR
Chris Guillemet + Davide Xausa + Boris Martin
Co-founder and CEO + Co-founder and President + Co-founder and VP Operations, Velofix Group of Companies
Michael Gilbert
Founder and CEO, SemiosBio Technologies
Ian Crosby
Co-founder and CEO, Bench Accounting
SERVICES
Mike Lalonde
Founder and President, Blue Pine Enterprises
Claudia Sjoberg
Founder and President, Pedalheads Group
Joel Abramson
CEO, Fully Managed
Matt Collingwood + Tamsin Plaxton
Co-founders, Tamwood Group of Companies
How the Winners Were Chosen
The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is an annual global awards program administered by Ernst & Young (EY). Canada’s Pacific Region program is overseen by EY, which selects judges from among business leaders and past EOY winners. Judges evaluate the nominees based on several factors, including vision, leadership, innovation, financial performance and social responsibility. The Pacific Region overall winner is one of five regional winners who compete for Canada’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year; the Canadian winner advances to an annual competition, held in Monte Carlo, that sees World Entrepreneur Of The Year chosen from among 60 country winners. Details of the nomination process and judging criteria are available at ey.com/ca/EOY. Nominations are accepted year-round.
