Alain Bouchard wins the 2017 International Horatio Alger Award

– Founder and Executive Chairman of the Board of Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. to be honoured at Washington, D.C. ceremony –

MONTREAL, Dec. 6, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Alain Bouchard, one of Canada's most accomplished business figures, has been chosen to receive the International Horatio Alger Award in 2017, the Horatio Alger Association of Canada announced today.

The International Horatio Alger Award is presented each year by the Washington, D.C.-based Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Inc. to an individual who has persevered through challenges to become a successful entrepreneur and community leader. Recipients of the Award become lifelong members of the Horatio Alger Association of Canada and its American affiliate and serve as role models for its young scholarship recipients. Mr. Bouchard will be honoured in Washington, D.C., during the 70^th Annual Horatio Alger Awards Induction Ceremonies, which take place March 30–April 1, 2017.

"If anyone represents the idea of pulling oneself up by their bootstraps, it is Alain Bouchard," said Prem Watsa, President of the Horatio Alger Association of Canada. "Alain beat the odds time and again to become one of this country's greatest business leaders. His remarkable success story and achievements make him an ideal Member of the Horatio Alger Association of Canada as we continue to expand and promote Canadian achievement."

Mr. Bouchard was born in Chicoutimi, Quebec, five hours northeast of Montreal. His early years were marked by a typical middle class lifestyle, but that all changed when his father's business collapsed. The family relocated further northeast where Mr. Bouchard's father could find work. The family of eight lived in a humble home. Mr. Bouchard learned about business watching his father struggle, and at the same time vowed to eventually build his own business that would be so strong, he would never fall back into poverty – a promise he ultimately kept. After acquiring his first dépanneur (convenience store) in 1980, he never stopped expanding the business, turning Couche-Tard into a global empire with over 12,000 locations.

"I am honoured and humbled to be joining the Horatio Alger Association and all of its esteemed Members," said Mr. Bouchard. "I am inspired by the Association's work helping hard-working students across Canada gain a higher education. I can't wait to get involved and help these young people achieve their dreams."

Mr. Bouchard is a dedicated philanthropist and a recognized leader in Canadian and Quebec society. He is an Officer of the National Order of Quebec, was named Canada's Outstanding CEO of the Year in 2012, a Great Economic Builder of Quebec by the Institute for governance (IGOPP), was the recipient of the NACS Insight International Convenience Leader of the Year award and the Fraser Institute's T. Patrick Boyle Founder's award in 2014. He has served on the boards of multiple companies and foundations. His induction into the Horatio Alger Association will allow him to continue serving as role model and a mentor to young Canadians across the country.

About the Horatio Alger Association of Canada

The Horatio Alger Association of Canada, the Canadian affiliate of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., is a charitable organization dedicated to the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles. The Association honours the achievements of outstanding individuals who have succeeded in spite of adversity by bestowing to them the Horatio Alger Award and granting them lifetime membership into the Association. Through the generosity of Horatio Alger Members, the Horatio Alger Association of Canada awards scholarships annually to deserving young people in every province and territory. Members of the Association include Dominic D'Alessandro, Murray Edwards, Serge Godin, Wayne Gretzky, Rebecca MacDonald, the late G. Wallace F. McCain, the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, Jim Pattison, Gerald W. Schwartz, Isadore Sharp, Prem Watsa and Rick Waugh. For more information, visit www.horatioalger.ca. The Association can also be found on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

SOURCE Horatio Alger Association of Canada

For further information: Tom Kott, HATLEY Strategy Advisors, 514.316.7082, [e-mail]