Four Burnaby businesses make short list for entrepreneurial awards

Some Burnaby businesses are getting some recognition by making the shortlist for regional entrepreneurial awards.

Earnst & Young has announced its 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year Pacific finalists, and the list includes four Burnaby businesses in three categories.

Spud.ca CEO Peter van Stolk (in the social impact category); Raminder Grewal, Keystone Environmental president (environmental products and services); Caitlin Dunne, Jeff Roberts, Jon Havelock and Ken Seethram of Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (consumer products and services); and Vern Milani, president of Milani Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning (consumer products and services).

Each year, EY recognizes entrepreneurs “who are bettering the world around them and cutting through the noise of this transformative age,” a press release on the event reads.

The four Burnaby businesses are among 42 finalists in nine categories for the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

“This year’s finalists certainly meet [the] criteria,” said Lui Petrollini, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Pacific program director. “They’re innovative thinkers who capitalize on market trends and disrupt traditional industries. And they’re doing it all while maintaining strong business integrity and extended community engagement.”

Altogether, the 42 regional finalists employ about 7,500 people and generate an annual revenue of just about $1.5 billion.

“It’s great to see the diversity of our finalists continue to grow year over year along with the makeup of our community,” Petrollini said.

“Beyond different industries, we have entrepreneurs with diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, age and genders coming into the program from across the region beyond the greater Vancouver area.”

The Pacific finalists will come together on Oct. 3 in Vancouver at the annual awards gala, 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 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year and will later compete with regional winners from Prairies, Ontario, Québec and Atlantic for the title of Canada’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year.

The Canadian winner will go on to compete with national winners from across the globe for the title of EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year in June 2020.

Read the original article here: https://www.burnabynow.com/business/four-burnaby-businesses-make-short-list-for-entrepreneurial-awards-1.23885054