With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/950283
ApRIL 2018 BCBusiness 49 It's no secret that British Columbia is home to some of the most ambitious, creative and daring business minds in the country. From billionaire Jim Pattison to fashion mogul Brian Hill, there's something about the Pacific coast that nourishes a particular kind of entre- preneurship—the kind that dreams big, wins big and gives big. For 25 years, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program has recog- nized the best and brightest B.C. has to offer, honouring nearly 240 winners to date. Lui Petrollini, EOY program director for the Pacific Region, says the province's winners do have certain things in common. "They all have a vision. They all give back to their communities, and they tend to be very good people managers," the EY assurance partner reflects. "They begin with a vision, and they take a lot of risks and sacrifice a lot to get where they are. How many times have I heard stories where, from a financial standpoint, the entrepreneurs have leveraged everything they own, including their homes, to pursue a dream? And the people that we're honouring have been successful in achieving their dreams." The winners receive more than recognition; they become members of an elite group, with opportunities to forge new connections among a global network of EOY alumni that extends to 145 cities in some 60 countries. Regional win- ners compete on the national stage, and national champions vie for the ultimate prize: EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year. With a program of such breadth and scope, says Petrollini, EOY winners past and pres- ent have come to represent the best in business and entrepreneurship around the world. "It's become known as the only truly global awards program of its kind, and it's brought the top entrepreneurs forward to share their stories," he observes. EOY honorees ga i n access to exclusive events such as the annual EY Strategic Growth Forum in Palm Springs, California, a five-day November confer- ence featuring renowned figures from busi- ness, entertainment and philanthropy. In 2017, speakers included NBA Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O'Neal; Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis; New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft; and 2017 World Entrepreneur Of The Year Murad Al-Katib, president and CEO of As the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards for the pacific Region mark a quarter-century, we offer insights and success stories from EOY winners past and present b y J e s s i C A W e R B hoW they DiD it CeleBR AT ING 25 y e A R S s P e c i a l F e a t u r e