Prairies entrepreneurs are growing their businesses with a burning passion

Finalists announced for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 Prairies program

CALGARY, July 17, 2018 /CNW/ - Each year EY recognizes entrepreneurs who drive growth, live outside the box and disrupt with purpose. Today, the firm has named 48 finalists across 10 categories in its EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^® Awards 2018 Prairies program.  

"A common theme among this year's Prairies finalists is their tremendous passion for their teams, communities and businesses," says Rob Jolley, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Prairies Program Director. "This translates into a strong vision, relentless innovation and motivated employees. All of which are key success factors in moving any business forward."

There is a strong showing across several industries in the Prairies region this year. Traditional industries including Oil & Gas and Real Estate are making a comeback, while a surge in nominations in Food & Beverage and Technology are shaking things up.

"Over the last several years we've seen entrepreneurs respond to market changes with new innovations that redefine industries," says Jolley. "Things like data analytics and IoT to track the location and performance of equipment, tools to produce more efficient oil production sites, and new products in safe power to meet changing demands."

Prairies entrepreneurs understand that being resilient amid disruption is more than just short-term change. That's consistent with the 2018 EY Growth Barometer finding that middle-market companies are adapting business models and embracing technology to drive long-term growth. Among the Prairies finalists, that has translated into annual combined revenues of in excess of $1.5 billion and a combined workforce of more than 7,000 people.

For 25 years, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^® Awards program has recognized the achievements of Canada's entrepreneurial trailblazers ? recognizing more than 3,800 finalists and presenting more than 1,000 awards to inspiring Canadian entrepreneurs.

View the full list of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 Prairies finalists

What's next?

The Prairies finalists will come together on 18 October 2018 in Calgary, where EY will name one winner in each of the 10 categories selected by the independent panel of judges. One of those category winners will be named the overall Prairies Entrepreneur Of The Year and will later compete with regional winners from Atlantic, Québec, Ontario and Pacific for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Canada title. The Canadian winner will go on to compete with winners from across the globe for the title of EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year in June 2019.

More information

Follow @EYCanada, #EOYCanada and #EOYPrairies on Twitter for the latest event updates.

Visit ey.com/ca/eoy for more program details and information on how to attend one of the regional galas across the country.

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^®

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs. The program 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 awards program of its kind, 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 145 cities in more than 60 countries. ey.com/eoy

The 2018 Prairies independent judging panel consists of Kristi Cawthorn, President, Startec Compression & Process; Laurie Goldberg, CEO & Executive Chairman, People Corporation; Lorne Jacobson, Vice Chairman, TriWest Capital Partners; Marcela Mandeville, CEO, Alberta Women Entrepreneurs; Tim Melton, Chairman of the Board, Melcor; and Brenda Nowakowski, Vice President Finance, JNE Welding. 

This year's program national sponsors are ICI RDI, The TMX Group, The Globe and Mail Inc., Media One Creative, Merrill Corporation, Kira Talent, Air Canada and The Printing House Limited. Prairies regional sponsor is TEC Canada.

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. Follow us on Twitter @EYCanada.

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)