2009 ERNST&YOUNG ONTARIO REGION ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CATEGORY AWARD WINNER
Tom Jenkins, executive chairman and chief strategy officer for open text Corp. of Waterloo, can rightly claim a major role in changing the way business is done around the world. Since joining open text in 1994, he has helped turn it into one of the first true internet companies. its enterprise content management software is now used by 50 million people in 114 countries, and open text has grown into a global titan with $786-million in revenues and 3,500 employees.
“Tom Jenkins’ exceptional vision distinguished him in the highly competitive digital sector. He radically changed the way we use the internet in business,” says Colleen Mc-Morrow, national and ontario Director of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards. “Entrepreneurs like him drive economies and build communities. they make a difference by transforming ideas into reality.”
OTHER WINNERS
Category Business-to-business products and services
Winners Oliver Bock, Gabrielle Chevalier, Mark Smith - Solutions 2 Go Inc., Mississauga
Solutions 2 Go offers unique services to video game makers from its Mississauga headquarters. the five-year-old company is a master of distribution. no need to tackle the intricacies of identifying vendors, signing them up and then shipping product.
Solutions 2 Go offers some of the biggest game makers in the world a choice of options—from the traditional through a master distribution agreement or exclusive rights. the goal is to give newcomers a head start on sales and to provide existing makers a cost-efficient alternative solution to the challenges of creating their own distribution network.
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Category Business-to-consumer products and services
Winners Ronnen Harary, Anton Rabie, Ben Varadi - Spinmaster Ltd., Toronto
Spin Master has been designing, developing, manufacturing and marketing consumer products for children around the world since 1994 and is recognized as a global growth leader within the toy industry.
Spin Master is best known for such popular brands as boy’s action phenomena and 2009 toy of the Year Bakugan Battle Brawlers, the 2008 toy of the Year winner air Hogs, the aquadoodle, tech Deck and Moon sand. the company has entered children’s media with the launch of spin Master Entertainment, a division focusing on the design, development and production of television and other media properties.
Spin Master employs more than 600 people with offices in toronto, los angeles, paris, london, Hong Kong and Mexico.
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Category Clean technology
Winners: Timothy Haig, Kevin Norton - Biox Corp., Oakville
Biox is a technology and manufacturing company whose global growth is being fuelled by proprietary technologies in biodiesel production. Biox has a fully operational world-class biodiesel plant located in Hamilton with a capacity of 67 million litres a year.
The company’s innovative, proprietary and patented production process is significantly faster and achieves higher yields than any competing technology, and it has the ability to use the widest variety of feedstocks ranging from pure seed oils to animal fats to recovered vegetable oils with no change to the production process.
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Category Emerging entrepreneur
Winner Robert Deluce - Porter Airlines Inc., Toronto
Porter Airlines Inc. is a regional passenger carrier based at toronto City Centre airport. Using propeller-driven aircraft, the airline currently serves toronto, ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, new York (newark) and Chicago (Midway) with seasonal flights to Mt. tremblant.
Flights to Thunder Bay began on June 26, 2009. porter plans to fly to at least 17 short-haul Canadian and U.s. destinations in the future and has found a ready market among business travellers and ordinary consumers alike.
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Category Financial services
Winner Wesley Hall - Kingsdale Shareholder Services Inc., Toronto
Kingsdale Shareholder Services Inc. provides strategic shareholder communication and consulting services. through its multi-dimensional mechanism for communicating with shareholders, Kingsdale can help secure the success of any transaction driven by shareholder votes.
For takeover bids, proxy fights, special and routine shareholder meetings, Kingsdale offers an array of specialized programs and services including proxy solicitation, information agent, depository, corporate governance advice and other shareholder-related services. Kingsdale’s core services are complemented by an expert team of senior-level professionals who work directly with corporate management, including chief executive officers, chief financial officers, general counsel, corporate secretaries, investor relations and professional corporate advisors such as lawyers and investment bankers.
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Category Manufacturing
Winner Dr. Allan Carswell - Optech Inc., Concord
Optech Inc. is global market leader in the development, manufacture and support of advanced laser-based surveying, mapping and imaging instruments. its three divisions specialize in terrestrial surveying, marine surveying and industrial and 3D imaging.
With 200 employees and a U.s.-based subsidiary, optech pioneered technology such as airborne laser bathymetry and ground-based differential absorption lidar systems to monitor stratospheric ozone. Canadian-owned and operated since 1974, it has grown from a small company into a world leader in its field.
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Category Media and entertainment
Winner Darren Throop - E1 Entertainment, Toronto
Entertainment one is a leading diversified, independent creator and distributor of television, music and film in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United states, Holland and Belgium.
With 1,500 staff and annual revenues of about $650-million, it is now the no. 1 proprietary independent television company in Canada and the no. 1 independent record label in the United states. its 2009 film releases include the megahits Twilight and Knowing.
E1 has a vast content library with more than 4,000 feature films, 2,800 hours of television programming and 15,000 music tracks.
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Category Mining and metals
Winner Peter Marrone - Yamana Gold Inc., Toronto
Yamana is a gold producer engaged in both gold mining and related activities including exploration, extraction, processing and reclamation. the company has significant properties involved in gold and other precious metals production, development, and exploration of land positions in Brazil, Chile, argentina, Mexico and Central america.
Yamana has nine operating gold mines, two of which are currently in the commissioning stage and four gold development stage projects.
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Category social entrepreneur
Winner Diane Dupuy - Famous People Players, Etobicoke
Diane Dupuy founded Famous people players, a theatrical black-light stage show company, in 1974 as a way of showcasing the considerable talents of people with intellectual disabilities. today, the company has an impressive track record of critical and commercial productions and its own dinner theatre.
Ms. Dupuy’s company has toured with liberace, performed on Broadway and at Radio City Music Hall and been the subject of a CBs Emmy award-winning movie. in 2007, the company acquired 84 acres of land in ancaster, ont., for a theatre, restaurant, camp and educational centre all targeted to those with special needs.
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Category technology and communications
Winner Marzio Pozzuoli - RuggedCom Inc., Woodbridge
RuggedComm is a leading provider of rugged communications networking solutions. they ensure dependability for mission-critical applications in harsh environments.
The company’s products can now be found in electrical power substations, oil refineries, military operations, roadside traffic control cabinets and metals and minerals processing plants around the world. its next generation of ip-based solutions and products suitable for electric power smart grids are fast becoming market leaders.
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Category Young entrepreneur
Winner Sam Zaid - Apption Software Corp., Ottawa
Apption takes old software and makes it new again. apption uses its own artificial intelligence technology and a deep understanding of business needs and procedures to modernize older, inefficient and costly-to-use software.
The company also has the ability to modularize core business functions into independent services that withstand the efects of time. this fosters code reuse and open data sharing, Mr. Zaid says. the focus is on creating reusable, service-oriented architecture.
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