MONTREAL, July 7 /CNW Telbec/ - Entrepreneurial-minded companies are
growing with incredible speed and quickly entering into the ranks of the
world's largest corporations, Ernst & Young said today when unveiling this
year's finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards.
"Even the simplest idea can become a profitable business. That's why we
honour our finalists. With their entrepreneurial thinking they build
prosperous businesses and create jobs," stated François Dufresne, Director of
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards program in Québec, and a
partner with Ernst & Young Montréal. "The unflagging energy and innovative
spirit of Québec entrepreneurs are truly remarkable."
Historically, economists, academics and industry leaders have agreed that
recessions foster the innovative thinking synonymous with entrepreneurship. As
referenced in Ernst & Young's publication, Entrepreneurship and innovation,
many of today's most recognizable brands were actually born during recessions.
Many of these so-called "downturn babies" now have market capitalizations in
the hundreds of millions, or even billions, of dollars.
"Innovation stimulates economic growth, and that means there is no time
like a downturn to take advantage of entrepreneurial thinking," says Dufresne.
"Companies cannot afford to be paralyzed by fear. The global recession
represents an unprecedented opportunity for growth."
A recent Ernst & Young survey, Seizing opportunities, shows many
entrepreneurs already have the right idea. Ninety-three percent of respondents
said that, despite the economic downturn, they are broadening their customer
base and entering new markets.
"It's reassuring to see that many entrepreneurs are already taking bold
steps forward," Dufresne notes. "No company is ever too big to have an
entrepreneurial focus. By building the right corporate culture, even large
corporations can think outside the box and drive new ways of doing business."
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards recognize the spirit and contribution
of entrepreneurs here and around the world. The Canadian program is in its
16th year of honouring the country's most impressive entrepreneurs from all
areas of business.
The names of the Québec winners will be announced at a banquet in
Montréal on October 1, and the overall winner will represent Québec at the
national banquet being held in Vancouver on November 24.
The 2009 Québec finalists for Entrepreneur of the Year are:Business-to-business products and services
Etienne Borgeat
PCO Innovation - Montréal, pco-innovation.com
International independent consulting and services group specializing in
the implementation of computer tools and methodologies.
Benoit La Salle
SEMAFO inc. - Saint-Laurent, semafo.com
Canadian-based mining company with gold production and exploration
activities in West Africa.
Jacques Landreville
Uni-Select inc. - Boucherville, uni-select.com
Distributor of auto parts in Canada and the United States.
Business-to-consumer products and services
Jean-François Bernier
Bio Spectra - Montréal, bio-spectra.com
Develops eco-friendly domestic consumer products: notably, the eco-
friendly ATTITUDE(R) line of household cleaning products.
Dany Savard
Groupe Girafe - Blainville, groupegirafe.com
Pivate health-care services.
Roger Fugère
Lecavalier Auto Parts - Sainte-Sophie, lecavalier.com
Auto parts recycler.
Bianka Grand-Maison, Yan Grand Maison,
Savons Prolav Inc. - Laval, bio-green.ca/en/
Manufactures biodegradable, eco-friendly household cleaners.
Cleantech
Jacques Larivière
DEMILEC Inc. - Boisbriand, demilec.com
Specializes in the research, development and manufacture of several high-
quality polyurethane foam systems.
Thierry Pagé
Odotech inc. - Montréal, odotech.com
Odour measurement and monitoring technologies.
Pierre Goudreault
Sani Marc Group - Laval, sanimarc.com
Manufacturer and distributor of specialty cleaning and sanitation
products for the food and beverage, sanitation, and swimming pool and spa
markets.
Emerging entrepreneur
Patrick Grégoire, Jules Paquette
Boréal - Information Strategies - Magog, boreal-is.com
Information technology company active in the field of information and
geomatic technologies and integration of strategic systems in large-scale
companies.
Michelle Laflamme
Emovi - Laval, emovi.ca/index_en.htm
Develops, manufactures and markets cutting-edge clinical tools that
provide better diagnoses, better follow-up and the best treatments for
people with joint injuries or diseases.
Jason Neale
OmniGlobe Networks Inc. - Pointe-Claire, omniglobe.com
Global telecommunications company that delivers reliable and affordable
broadband, cellular and satellite communications services to areas around
the world where terrestrial communications are unavailable, unreliable or
too expensive.
Manufacturing
Shyam Gupta
SDP Components Inc. - Dorval, sdp.ca
Designs, manufactures and distributes high-power RF isolators and
circulators to the wireless infrastructure industry.
Paul Habib
Dualam Plastics (1993) Inc. - Montréal, dualam.com
Conception and manufacturing of corrosion resistant products
Claude Messiaen
Techsol Marine - Québec City, techsolmarine.com
Specialist in marine electrical engineering. Techsol designs and installs
alarm, control and monitoring systems.
Real estate/construction
Natalie Voland
Complexe Dompark - Montréal, complexedompark.com
Project developer and manager for commercial office loft buildings along
the Lachine Canal in Montréal.
Rune Kongshaug
Ensemble Terre-Ciel - Montréal, ensembleterreciel.com
Research, eco-design and eco-construction.
Sam Scalia
Samcon Inc. - Montréal, samcon.ca
Condominium construction in Montréal.
Social entrepreneur
Danielle Danault
Cardio Plein Air inc. - Longueuil, cardiopleinair.com/en
Fitness training outdoors.
Gilles Cossette
Certex - Saint-Hubert, certexcanada.com
Sheltered work centre that specializes in the recyling of clothing and
textiles.
Jean-François Archambault
La Tablée des Chefs - Longueuil, tableedeschefs.org/eng/home.htm
Community involvement vehicle for chefs, cooks and pastry chefs in
Québec.
Technology
Richard Maltais, Pascal Pilon
Averna - Montréal, averna.com
Provides test systems and solutions that help communications device-
makers improve the quality of their products.
Eric Brunelle, André d'Orsonnens, Bertrand Pelletier
Druide informatique Inc. - Montréal, druide.com
Software designer and retailer (developers of Antidote).
Marc-André Poulin
Victrix - Montréal, victrix.ca
Information technology company offering integrated services with three
sectors of activity: consulting services, outsourcing and IT products.
The Québec Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards is presented in
collaboration with Desjardins. National program sponsors are La Presse,
RDI, Global Television Network and the National Post.About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and
advisory services. Worldwide, our 135,000 people are united by our shared
values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by
helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their
potential. For more information, please visit ey.com/ca.
For further information: Marie-Eve Graniero,
marie-eve.graniero@ca.ey.com, (514) 874 4313; Amanda Olliver,
amanda.olliver@ca.ey.com, (416) 943 7121; Brooke McLachlan,
brooke.mclachlan@ca.ey.com, (604) 899 3597
