Ernst & Young names Dani Reiss of Canada Goose Inc. the 2011 Ontario Entrepreneur Of The Year

Ernst & Young recognizes entrepreneurs who exemplify vision and innovation

TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2011 /CNW/ - Dani Reiss, President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Goose Inc. — an iconic, high-quality, "made in Canada" outerwear manufacturer — is this year's Ontario Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year^® winner.

"Entrepreneurs possess a determined mindset, an innovative nature and a willingness to take risks without fear of failure," says Colleen McMorrow, National and Ontario Director of Entrepreneur Of The Year. "Dani risked everything by rebranding his family's company as Canada Goose. But it paid off. Today, the company is an industry leader and strong example for the 'made in Canada' movement — one that consumers continue to embrace on a global scale."

Canada Goose has built its reputation on core values of best-in-class quality, functionality, authenticity and technical innovation. But it takes more than an inspired idea to get from startup to standout. Leading entrepreneurs surround themselves with the right people — who not only have the technical and business skills to take the company forward, but also share their leader's values.

"Dani owes his success not only to his vision but to the colleagues and advisors around him who contributed to it," says McMorrow. "With their help, he has navigated the tumultuous landscape of domestic apparel manufacturing and reinvented a company that exists today as one of the only globally recognized Canadian clothing brands."

This kind of forward-looking approach can be critical to an entrepreneur's success. In fact, Nature or nurture? Ernst & Young's global survey of leading entrepreneurs, found 76% of those polled cited vision as the top quality necessary to achieve success.

Entrepreneur Of The Year recognizes the spirit and contribution of entrepreneurs here and around the world. The Canadian program is in its 18th year of honouring the country's most impressive entrepreneurs from all areas of business. Award winners are chosen based on a number of factors, including their vision, leadership, financial performance and social responsibility.

Category winners of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 Ontario Awards:

Business-to-business products and services

Razor Suleman
Achievers l Toronto
achievers.com
An employee-recognition solution that helps companies drive performance. Unlike traditional service award programs, it creates authentic moments of recognition that resonate with a multigenerational workforce.

Business-to-consumer products and services

Dani Reiss
Canada Goose l Toronto
canada-goose.com
Manufactures the world's best-quality outerwear, all made in Canada. In its 50+ years of manufacturing in Canada, the company has become an iconic, premier, premium, global brand.

Emerging entrepreneur

Kunal Gupta
Polar Mobile l Toronto
polarmobile.com
Enables world-class media companies to extend their brand and content to mobile through a scalable software platform.

Media and entertainment

Lorne Abony
Mood Media Corporation l Toronto
moodmedia.com
A leading in-store media specialist. Using music, visual and scent media, the company creates and delivers memorable consumer experiences that increase loyalty, create brand differentiation and maximize point-of-sale revenues.

Professional services

Vladimir Stritesky
exp Global Inc. l Brampton
exp.com
Engineering, project management, environment and urban planning.

Real estate/construction

Dr. Ronald Schlegel
RBJ Schlegel Holdings Inc. l Kitchener
rbjschlegel.com
Encompasses five divisions: Schlegel Villages, Homewood Health Centre, Homewood Human Solutions, Schlegel Urban Developments and Farming.

Technology

John Poulos
Dominion Voting Systems Corporation l Toronto
dominionvoting.com
Develops knowledge-based proprietary solutions and services for the elections industry, and markets, sells and licenses them to domestic international markets.

Young entrepreneur

Matthew Corrin
Freshii l Toronto
freshii.com
A "Lettuce Eatery" devoted 100% to making a salad just the way you like it. Choose your greens, your toppings, your toppings' toppings and, of course, your dressing.

Special citation - Social entrepreneur

This special citation is a unique category among the awards. It's given in recognition of an entrepreneur whose achievements have driven large-scale social change and improved people's lives or quality of life.

Greg Overholt
Students Offering Support (SOS) l Waterloo
studentsofferingsupport.ca
A social venture that supports chapters residing within universities across North America. Each chapter runs Exam-AID review sessions, taught by volunteers funding education projects in developing nations.

What's next?
As Ontario's 2011 Entrepreneur Of The Year, Dani will compete with Robert Little (Pacific winner), Mac Van Wielingen (Prairies winner), Marcel Lebrun, Chris Newton and Chris Ramsey (Atlantic winners) and Sean Roosen (Quebec winner) for the national honour of Canada's Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011. That award will be presented at a gala celebration November 23, 2011, in Toronto.

In June 2012, Canada's Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 will move to the world stage to compete with 50 country recipients for the title of Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year®.

About Entrepreneur of The Year
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards honour the spirit and contribution of entrepreneurs here and around the world. Nominees are reviewed by an independent judging panel, which is composed of several distinguished business leaders and previous award recipients. The 2011 Ontario region judging panel consisted of Andrew Bergstrom, Executive Vice President, Managing Director, Cossette Communications Inc; Ginny Dybenko, Acting Executive Director, University of Waterloo; Andrew Claerhout, Vice-President, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan; Don Morrison, Senior Managing Director and Country Head, OMERS Private Equity; Dr. Ilse Treurnicht, Chief Executive Officer, MaRS Discovery District; David R. Shaw, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Knightsbridge Human Capital Management Inc., 2010 Ontario award recipient for the professional/financial services category and 2010 national special citation recipient for customer-driven excellence.

For more information on the program, FAQs, and key dates please visit ey.com/ca/EOY.

This year's national program sponsors are National Post, La Presse and RDI.

About Ernst & Young LLP's Entrepreneurial Services practice
Ernst & Young LLP's Entrepreneurial Services practice serves Canada's entrepreneurs by delivering integrated business advisory services in assurance, tax, transactions and advisory services to help them drive growth and create value. Our team of professionals has a track record of focusing on the issues and needs of companies as they grow from early stage to become market leaders. Ernst & Young has long worked with and celebrated the achievements of Canadian men and women who create the products, services and jobs that propel Canada's economy and communities forward. For more information, please visit ey.com/ca/Entrepreneurs. A world leader in advising, guiding and recognizing entrepreneurs, you can also learn about Ernst & Young's work with entrepreneurs by visiting business.financialpost.com/category/thirty-second-mentor.

About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 152,000 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.

Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of 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.

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