Canadian entrepreneurs raising the bar on business success

(Calgary, 3 July 2008)—Today’s entrepreneurs continue to fill a critical role in the success of the Canadian economy, Ernst & Young said today when unveiling this year’s finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards.

"The energy, ingenuity, resiliency and passion displayed by our Prairies entrepreneurs are inspiring,” said Barry Munro, Director of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards program for the Prairies region. “This year's Prairies Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists are leaving their mark and making us leaders in our region, in our country and around the globe."

The Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards honour the spirit and contribution of entrepreneurs here and around the world. This year, the Canadian program is proudly celebrating a milestone anniversary — 15 years of honouring the country’s most impressive entrepreneurs from all areas of business.

In 2007, Canada’s own Guy Laliberté (founder of Cirque du Soleil) brought home top honours, winning the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award. This year’s finalists embark on the same path, providing great examples of entrepreneurism at its best. The Prairies region winners will be announced at a banquet on October 21, and the overall winner will represent the region at the national banquet in November.

The 2008 Prairies region finalists for Entrepreneur of the Year are:

Biotechnology and Technology

Clifford Giese, Kevin Giese
BioMS Medical
Edmonton, Alberta
www.biomsmedical.com
Biotechnology company that develops and commercializes novel therapeutic technologies. It has exclusive licence of MBP8298, a proprietary techology in late-stage clinical trial, for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Chris Lumb
Micralyne Inc.
Edmonton, Alberta
www.micralyne.com
Developer and manufacturer of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based products for the communications, energy, life sciences and transportation markets. MEMS technology enables industrial components to be significantly smaller, faster and less expensive.

John MacInnes
Print Audit
Calgary, Alberta
www.printaudit.com
Developer of print-tracking software and hardware solutions that enable organizations to analyze, reduce and recover their printing and photocopying costs.

Bob Kennedy
WiBand Communications
Winnipeg, Manitoba
www.wiband.com
Supplier of high-speed local and wide area networks and Internet access using fixed wireless technology up to one gigabyte per second.

Business-to-Business Products and Services

Gail Murphy
Sara Consulting & Promotions Inc.
Edmonton, Alberta
www.saraconsulting.com
Promotional services provider that creates successful product experiences and builds relationships between retailers, manufacturers and consumers.

Chris Vilcsak
Solution 105 Consulting Ltd.
Edmonton, Alberta
www.solution105.com
Provider of full utility management services, including historical billing reviews, load profiling, budget creation/variance reporting, procurement assistance, monitoring and verification services, as well as online systems for monitoring budgets, real-time prices and automating a response to price spikes.

Ven Côté
ZCL Composites Inc.
Edmonton, Alberta
www.zcl.com
North America's largest manufacturer of fibreglass underground storage tanks, with over 500 employees and 13 manufacturing facilities across Canada, the US and the Netherlands.

Business-to-Consumer Products and Services

Eveline Charles
EvelineCharles Salons Spas
Edmonton, Alberta
www.evelinecharles.com
Found in seven locations in Alberta and British Columbia, EvelineCharles Salons and Spas operates hair salons, day spas, the EvelineCharles Academy of Cosmetology and Esthetics, and manufactures a product line in body care, cosmetics, hair care, hair colour, nail care and styling tools.

Brent Hesje, Brian Hesje
Fountain Tire
Edmonton, Alberta
www.fountaintire.com
Provides sales and automotive service from 140 locations, including six retread plants, four distribution centres and a specialized mine service company.

Debbie Bolton
Norwex Enviro Products Inc.
Dauphin, Manitoba
www.norwex.ca
Growing organization with consultants worldwide; committed to offering quality environmentally friendly personal care and cleaning products.

Emerging Entrepreneur

Charles Caldwell, Bruce Gilkes
C4i Consultants Incorporated
Calgary, Alberta
www.c4ic.com
Software development and training services company that specializes in the design and employment of simulations, communication, collaboration and planning software.

Dean Andres, Kelly Long, Pieter Spinder
Carmen Creek Gourmet Meats
Calgary, Alberta
www.carmencreek.com
Marketer and distributor of branded, high-end, value-added fresh and frozen bison products originating from select producers.

Alan Ulsifer
FYi Eye Doctors
Calgary, Alberta
www.fyidoctors.com
Collaboration of 70 optometry clinics across Canada that provide regular and emergency eye care, contact lenses, prescription and non-prescription eyewear as well as one-of-a-kind products.

Energy Services

John W.H. Geddes, Bill Lingard
Flint Energy Services Ltd.
Calgary, Alberta
www.flintenergy.com
Provider of field and facilities construction, maintenance, safety and oilfield transporation services, and production equipment for oil and gas companies throughout North America.

Dan Klemke
KMC Mining
Edmonton, Alberta
www.kmcmining.com
Provider of contract mining in the Athabasca oil sands sector.

Dave Tuccaro
Tuccaro Inc. Group of Companies
Fort McMurray, Alberta
www.tuccaroinc.com
Provides a range of services to the oil industry: heavy equipment mining, fuel and lube services, technical staffing, analytical and lab services, geological core processing, water/vacuum truck services and premium bottled water.

Manufacturing

Peter A. Muhlenfeld, Reinhard Muhlenfeld
Champion Petfoods Ltd.
Morinville, Alberta
www.championpetfoods.com
Manufacturer of world-class pet foods from regional ingredients.

Ralph Fasoli
Clemro Western Ltd.
Calgary, Alberta
www.clemro.com
Manufacturer of aggregate, mining and recycling equipment, including jaw crushers, cone crushers, incline screens, horizontal screens, vibratory feeders, stackers, conveyors, control towers, idlers, head and tail pulleys, portable plants, and stationary plants for the road building and mining industries.

Earl McLaren
Manitoba Starch Products
Carberry, Manitoba
www.manitobastarch.com
The sole Canadian producer and distributor of food-grade potato starch to customers throughout Canada and the United States.

Kevin Halliday
Spindle, Stairs & Railings
Calgary, Alberta
www.greatstairs.com
One of Canada's leading designers and manufacturers of made-to-order staircases, custom railings and interior finished products.

Oil and Gas Producers

Scott Saxberg
Crescent Point Energy Trust
Calgary, Alberta
www.crescentpointenergy.com
Oil and gas income trust creating value-added growth in reserves, production and cash flow by acquiring, exploiting and developing high-quality, long-life, light and medium oil and natural gas properties.

Dana Coffield
Gran Tierra Energy Inc.
Calgary, Alberta
International oil and gas exploration and production company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas properties in Colombia, Argentina and Peru.

Brett Herman
TriStar Oil & Gas Ltd.
Calgary, Alberta
www.tristaroilandgas.com
Oil and natural gas company engaging in the exploration, acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas reserves, primarily in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Real Estate/Construction/Financial Services

Andrew Clark, Bill Giebelhaus, Paul Verhesen
Clark Builders
Edmonton, Alberta
www.clarkbuilders.com
Construction company providing general contracting and construction management services to industrial, commercial, institutional and municipal clients, primarily in Western and Northern Canada.

Sine Chadi
Imperial Equities Inc.
Edmonton, Alberta
www.imperialequities.com
Industrial landlord focused on the acquisition, development and/or redevelopment of real estate, as well as the distribution of pharmaceuticals through its wholly owned subsidiary.

Keith Turner
Meridian Merchant Capital Canada Ltd.
Calgary, Alberta
www.meridiancanada.com
Merchant banking firm providing corporate finance advisory services and access to capital to established Western Canadian private companies.

The national program sponsors are Global Television Network, National Post, La Presse and RDI. The Prairies region sponsors are Calgary Inc. and the Calgary Herald.

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