Kelowna locals, Jonathan Friesen and Randall Shier of Mission Group Enterprises, have been listed as finalists in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Pacific program.
Each year EY recognizes entrepreneurs who drive growth, live outside the box and disrupt with purpose. The firm has named 35 finalists across nine categories in its EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards 2018 Pacific program.
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Jonathan and Randall are named in the new Social Impact category, created to highlight businesses built around having a positive, social impact within the local community and beyond its borders.
“We’ve seen a lot of change in entrepreneurs from the Pacific region over the years,” Lui Petrollini, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Pacific program director said in a press release. “New companies with cutting-edge products and services are entering the market, while long-standing businesses are welcoming disruption with innovation. Altogether, the region is seeing more diversified sectors, more women in leadership and more businesses reaching global markets.”
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More than half of this year’s finalists have businesses with an international presence. The growth strategy being applied by these businesses is consistent with 2018 EY Growth Barometer survey results, which finds middle-market businesses are prioritizing entry into new overseas markets to drive growth.
“Pacific entrepreneurs are building businesses that contribute to local development and employment while growing Canada’s global footprint,” Petrollini said in a press release. “The businesses of this year’s finalists employ more than 9,858 people and see annual revenues of over $2.43 billion — now that’s something worth celebrating.”
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The Pacific finalists will come together on Sept. 25 in Vancouver, where EY will name one winner in each of the nine categories selected by the independent panel of judges. One of those category winners will be named the overall Pacific Entrepreneur Of The Year and will later compete with regional winners from Atlantic, Québec, Ontario and Prairies for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Canada title. The Canadian winner will go on to compete with winners from across the globe for the title of EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year in June next year.
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