EoY Awards,
On Sept. 23 at a gala event in Vancouver, John Anderson, chairman, president and chief executive of the Oppenheimer Group, an international distributor of fruit and vegetables, was named Entrepreneur Of The Year Pacific for 2015 after winning the award for the food and beverage distribution category.
“(John’s) integrity, work ethic, taste for innovation and commitment to transparency have transformed the company from a small operation in Vancouver to an international, fullservice produce marketing force to be reckoned with,” said Lui Petrollini, director for the Pacific program.
Anderson started out as a warehouseman at Oppenheimer in 1975. By 1993, he had opened an office in the U.S., introduced North America to fruit from Chile and New Zealand, and became the CEO. He credits his many successes to his focus on constant change and strong relationships. Under Anderson’s leadership, Oppenheimer tripled the volume of product that goes through it and has seen 14 consecutive years of record profitability.
This year’s gala also honoured the Louie family, owners of the H.Y. Louie Co. Ltd., with the EY Family Business Award of Excellence. From a small Vancouver general store in the early 1900s to a sprawling empire of grocery, pharmacy and wholesale businesses today, the family has always strived to be true to its core values and maintained exemplary business ethics. It has cemented its legacy not just in business, but in giving back to its communities — namely healthcare, education and the arts.
Category award recipients are: Business services, Steve Troyer, Troyer Ventures Ltd., troyer.ca; business-to-business products and services, Christopher Krywulak, iQmetrix, iQmetrix.com; business-to-consumer products and services, Brian Scudamore, 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, 1800gotjunk.com/ca_en; emerging entrepreneur, Trevor Styan, Northern Civil Energy Inc., northerncivil.ca; hospitality and tourism, Jim Wyse, Burrowing Owl Vineyards Ltd., bovwine.ca; innovative technology — financial services, Lisa Shields, Hyperwallet Systems Inc., hyperwallet.com; real estate and construction, Renee Wasylyk, Troika Management Corp., troikadevelopments.com; technology, Shafin Diamond Tejani, Victory Square Labs, victorysquare.com; turnaround entrepreneur, Neil Woodyer, Endeavour Mining Corp., endeavourminining.com.
This year’s national program sponsors are TEC Canada, La Presse, RDI, TMX, Merrill DataSite, Kira Talent, Air Canada, The Printing House Limited. Pacific regional sponsors are BC Business, Leone, Hunt Personnel/ Temporarily Yours, Sauder School of Business and Four Seasons Hotel.
Follow @EYC anada, #EOY and #EOYPacific on Twitter for the latest event updates. Visit ey.com/ca/eoy for more program details and a complete list of category finalists and gala dates in the regions.