Each year EY recognizes unstoppable entrepreneurs who are bettering the world around them and cutting through the noise of this Transformative Age. Today, the firm named 42 finalists across 9 categories in its EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® Awards 2019 Pacific program and Milani Plumbing, Heating, & Air Conditioning’s president, Vern Milani, is one of them!
“Unstoppable entrepreneurs are resilient and courageous, and show strong leadership by creating a business culture where risk-taking is rewarded,” says Lui Petrollini, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Pacific Program Director. “This year’s finalists certainly meet those criteria. 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.”
Consistent with the findings from the EY Global Capital Confidence Barometer, economic uncertainty does not appear to be slowing these entrepreneurs down. Pacific finalists are a true representation of how dynamic the market is — with some players emerging in new industries, others evolving mature industries and some even diversifying current business models to withstand tough market pressures. Together, this year’s 42 Pacific regional finalists currently employ approximately 7,500 people and generate annual revenues of nearly $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,” says Petrollini. “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. This diversity is reflective of what makes a strong and inclusive economy, and we’re proud to honour that through the program.”
View the full list of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2019 Pacific finalists
What’s next?
The Pacific finalists will come together on 3 October 2019 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.