Several members of the Atlantic Canadian startup community are featured among the 26 finalists named Wednesday for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Atlantic 2016 awards program.
The list of nominees includes entrepreneurs whose names appear regularly in Entrevestor, including Ed Clarke of Global Ad Source of St. John’s, Saar Fabrikant of Halifax’s B4Checkin and Travis McDonough of Kinduct Technologies of Halifax.
"Entrepreneurship is about finding new ways to approach challenging problems. It's about growing your community while growing your business, and building prosperity for yourself, as well as others," Gina Kinsman, Entrepreneur Of The Year Atlantic program director, said in a statement. "This year's finalists in our region are diverse and brimming with ideas to help build a better world for the next generation.
An independent panel of judges will name winners in a number of categories, and one of the category winners as the overall Atlantic winner. That winner will then compete with winners from Québec, Ontario, Prairies and Pacific regions for the Canadian Entrepreneur Of The Year title. The Canadian winner will go on to compete with winners from more than 50 countries for the title of EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year, in June 2017.
One side note: The Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in Ontario also features one team that has links to Atlantic Canada. Daniel Bartek, Robert Besant, and Cam McDonald of the Iconic Brewing Company of Oakville were nominated in the Young and Emerging category. Formerly known as Sage Mixology, the team’s origins go back to the Starting Lean program at Dalhousie University.
The Atlantic Canadian nominees are:
The 2016 Atlantic EY Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists
Business Services
Don Mills
Corporate Research Associates Inc. | Halifax, Nova Scotia
Provides insight and strategic direction to clients using state-of-the-art research, as well as strategic consulting services in both official languages.
Keith Brideau
Historica | Saint John, New Brunswick
Known for their quality work and positive community impact, Historica designs, develops, builds, renovates, leases and manages real estate.
Judith Bobbitt
Oceans Limited | St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador
Offers services in physical oceanography, marine weather forecasting, iceberg profiling, bio-monitoring of fish health, plus climate & oceanography studies.
Paul Pynn
One Wind Services Inc. | Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
A professional service organization serving the North American wind energy market.
Business-to-Business Products and Services
Bob Kiely
Envirem Organics Inc. | Fredericton, New Brunswick
Provides innovative recycling solutions and manufactures a line of value-added bio-products from waste.
Ed Clarke
Global Ad Source | St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador
Provides capture and analysis of competitor advertising campaigns and brand strategies across 80 countries and seven media types.
Brad Langille
GoGold Resources Inc. | Halifax, Nova Scotia
A Canadian-based gold and silver producer with properties in Mexico.
Thomas Soucy
Groupe Westco Inc. | Saint-François-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick
One of Canada's largest integrated poultry farming organizations, with hatcheries, breeding farms and related shipping companies.
Business-to-Consumer Products and Services
Alex MacLean
East Coast Lifestyle | Halifax, Nova Scotia
Designs and produces unique, high-profile clothing that showcases Atlantic Canadian pride.
Bert and Jonathan Hickman
Hickman Automotive Group | St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador
A fourth-generation family automobile business, Hickman Automotive Group owns and operates 12 locations that offer multiple vehicle brands.
Dave Powell
Powell Group of Companies | Bay Roberts, Newfoundland & Labrador
Newfoundland's largest wholesale distributor to independent grocers – a network encompassing supermarkets, rental units, a shopping plaza, and Atlantic Grocery Distributors.
Health Sciences
David Ford and Andrew Steeves
BioScript Pharmacy Ltd. | Moncton, New Brunswick
A specialty pharmacy supporting the unique biological and specialty pharmaceutical needs of patients managing complex illnesses and the physicians who treat them.
Charlene Brophy
FONEMED | St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador
A patient-centered platform incorporating technology and disease-specific protocols to provide 24/7 teletriage support, remote biometric monitoring, and behavioral health counseling to 10 million individuals globally.
Lesley Steele
Vet Alliance Inc. | Fredericton, New Brunswick
Canada's largest organized affiliate buyers group for veterinary hospitals, helping independent veterinary practices thrive.
Hospitality/Tourism
Hanspeter Stutz
Grand Pre Wines Ltd. | Grand Pre, Nova Scotia
Atlantic Canada's oldest farm winery, developing special wines true to Nova Scotia.
Tony Nahas
Mezza Lebanese Restaurant Group | Halifax, Nova Scotia
A fast-casual franchise chain specializing in Lebanese cuisine that uses locally sourced meats, poultry, produce, and bread.
Bill Mahoney
Regal Realty Limited | St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador
Owns, manages and develops commercial, hotel and residential real estate. Holdings include the Murray Premises Hotel and St. John's Executive Suites.
Information Technology
Saar Fabrikant
B4Checkin | Halifax, Nova Scotia
A developer and provider of cloud-based software solutions for the hospitality industry.
Travis McDonough
Kinduct Technologies Inc. | Halifax, Nova Scotia
Specializes in human performance software solutions for professional and amateur sports organizations as well as military, public safety, and health and wellness organizations.
Todd Hiscock
Beaufort Solutions Inc. | St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador
Provides easy-to-use software to customers around the world that enable them to deliver high-quality digital solutions.
Russell Pelley
GRi Simulation Inc | Mount Pearl, Newfoundland & Labrador
A software development company that focuses on real-time 3D simulation, visualization, and integrated engineering technologies for critical marine activities.
Media and Entertainment
Paul Rigg
Copernicus Studios Inc. | Halifax, Nova Scotia
Develops original entertainment media, supplies animated television content, and produces gaming and educational content for the evolving apps market.
Mike Johnston
REDspace Inc. | Bedford, Nova Scotia
A digital studio specializing in creating interactive experiences for large broadcasters and media brands all over the world. Services include website and application development, game production, design and animation, live event support and more.
Phil Otto
Revolve Branding Inc. | Bedford, Nova Scotia
A full-service branding and marketing firm serving clients across Canada and the US, with a knack for overcoming complex challenges with simple, strategic solutions.
