Celebrating Business
Success In Canada
The CanadianSME Business Awards is designed to recognize and applaud the contribution that small business owners provide to Canada’s economy. Because the SME industry plays such a crucial role in Canada’s economy, we want to provide our support and recognition to the entrepreneurs who work hard in making their small businesses a success.
Canadian entrepreneurs are more than just business owners of a... successful company. They are the innovators of our country. Through their flourishing businesses, they push our economy to the next level and are what our communities are structured on.
The CanadianSME Business Awards is an important date on our calendars because it marks the day that we celebrate and congratulate those who have made a positive contribution to our country’s economy. Since the inception of the CanadianSME Business Award, we’ve had a very successful turnout with hundreds of small business owners as guests and celebrated over 350 diverse businesses from across Canada. This year we want to continue to show that same support and appreciation for our small and medium-sized businesses.
Editor's Choice Award
Coming from a humble background, Raman Dua believes in converting every challenge into an opportunity. With an MBA Degree and 5 years of experience in a multi-national company, Raman moved to Canada in 2003, dreaming of becoming an entrepreneur. After a few hits & misses, he decided on Real Estate as a career and established Save Max Real Estate Inc in 2010, out of a basement in Brampton. He is presently the CEO of Save Max.
RBC Small Business of
the Year - Top 1
( Up to 10 employees )
Tammy Phan is the CEO and Founder of Luxe Du Jour. Luxe Du Jour is a luxury consignment company offering an incredible selection of pre-loved, professionally authenticated designer handbags. Shoppers can choose to buy or sell pre-owned purses, rent bags for a short period of time, or send an item to the Luxe Bag Spa to be professionally restored by an in-house expert.
Recovery looks different for all small businesses however it is essential in order to keep growing and getting closer to your goal. Never let adversity keep you from your dreams, things must fall apart before better things can come.
Luxe Du Jour is a luxury consignment company offering an incredible selection of pre-loved, professionally authenticated designer handbags. Shoppers can choose to buy or sell pre-owned purses, rent bags for a short period of time, or send an item to the Luxe Bag Spa to be professionally restored by an in-house expert.
RBC Small Business of
the Year - Top 2
( Up to 10 employees )
Entrepreneurial at heart, Steff always looks for opportunities to collaborate and elevate the status quo. With 13 years in business, two degrees, a strategic planning certificate, and eleven years focused purely on strategic marketing; your complex business challenges are her jam. She is a magnetic presence who leads from the front lines, Stephanie O’Brien is an accomplished keynote speaker, facilitator, CEO, business owner, event organizer, influencer, community ambassador, and investor.
Being recognized by Canadian SME Small Business Magazine is a great validation of our efforts to build our company over the past few years, especially the last 18 months through the pandemic. This has primarily been the result of the support of our Channel Partners and Customers and the extremely hard work and dedication of our entire team.
That’s it, get a business coach.
Get a certified business coach to help you, guide you, support you, and mentor you along your path. The tools and experience they have can really shortcut the painful process of becoming a sustainable, profitable, predictable, stable business that has an emotional connection.” – Stephanie O’Brien, President.
RBC Small Business of
the Year - Top 3
( Up to 10 employees )
Studying abroad has its perks and risks, but with Education Consultants Canada (ECC) on board, one can sail the ship smoothly! Education Consultants Canada (ECC) caters to an umbrella of study programs from Masters, Bachelors programs to Diploma, Post-Graduate Certificate, College Certificate, and Transfer programs.
Over the past years, education has undergone a massive change in terms of its pedagogy and in terms of the choices of study. The versatility Education Consultants Canada (ECC) offers, is not just with the program formats but with the choice in the field of study too. We cover a broad spectrum of courses from Technology, Arts, Sciences, Health Studies, Law, Media, Hospitality, Trades, and Business.
Sanchari Sen Rai is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of EDUCATION CONSULTANTS CANADA (ECC) Inc. As committed facilitators who build bridges between aspirations and achievements, ECC provides strategic consulting, including education plans & development for higher education abroad. Working with institutions in Canada, US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, ECC helps to guide international students on an academic journey towards a successful career path.
Sanchari believes it is vitally important and a social obligation for businesses to give back to the community all that one has learned and earned when one is in a position to do so to create empowering teams and individuals.
Winning this award validates the work of our bold, relentless team of international students who are extremely passionate about what they do and own every bit of it. They go above and beyond to support and guide every student who comes to EDUCATION CONSULTANTS CANADA (ECC)Inc. for solutions.
Other than that, we are thankful for the support we receive from our partnered institutions, associates all over the globe, other channel partners and our teams in India, the Philippines and Vietnam. Last but not the least, Abhay Rai, (Founder) whose vision is to understand the unique need of every international student and make a mission to provide them with a “One-stop shop solution”.
UPS Small Business of
the Year - Top 1
( Up to 100 employees )
Ruth oversees the 1Milk2Sugars PR & Social Media divisions and manages daily operations in the Toronto office. Drawing on her 15+ years of experience in marketing and public relations, Ruth excels at building integrated campaign strategies that generate meaningful results. Her proven ability to scale new business, foster client relations and expand the skillset of her fellow Sugars has solidified Ruth as a leader and mentor on the team.
UPS Small Business of
the Year - Top 2
( Up to 100 employees )
Fatima Zaidi is the CEO and Founder of Quill Inc. a full-service podcast hosting platform and production agency that supports brands in creating their podcasts, and CoHost a podcast growth and analytics tool. Fatima’s recognized as a valuable member of the tech and podcast landscape, winning two Top 30 under 30 awards, the Young Professional of the Year by Notable Life, Veuve Clicquot’s Bold Future Award, WICM Content Marketing award, and one of Flare Magazine’s Top 100 Women.
UPS Small Business of
the Year - Top 3
( Up to 100 employees )
We make a point to listen, ask questions and learn as much as we can about you. Why is this important? Because every client is different. Every project is unique. By getting to know your goals, your pain points, your passions and your audience, we can develop the best possible strategies and solutions for you.
Garima Gupta, Founder-CEO of Artha Learning, strives to bring innovation to the eLearning industry through immersive and engaging learning. As an award-winning, end-to-end learning solutions company specializing in all forms of digital learning, Artha Learning strives to make learning more meaningful when learners connect to the material and associate it with the work they do in the real world. Our company’s mission is to design engaging learning strategies that combine technology and design.
In our team, we have been asking ourselves, “When we can learn so much from YouTube, gaming, Google, and even Tiktok, why does institutional learning design seem so unintuitive and uninspiring?”. Artha Learning is changing that narrative by bringing pedagogically sound and visually stimulating digital learning to all learners.
Technopreneur of
the Year Award
As a Certified B Corp, we opened up and were audited to a global sustainability standard so that you know you can trust us. It’s important to us because it’s not what you say, but what you do, that matters.
We have built into our DNA a focus on people, planet and profit. We have set out to be wildly successful, so we can use that success to have an impact on our staff, our clients, our communities and our world. We invite you to be a part of that!
Tara Milburn is the founder of Ethical Swag, a company that takes the guesswork out of sourcing sustainable promotional products. Having seen companies struggle to demonstrate their culture and values through their brand touch points, Tara started an e-commerce platform to make relevant, resonant, and responsible buying easy. She came to entrepreneurship in her 50s, determined to create a different kind of business–one in which profit, planet, and people coexist. Ethical Swag is impacting lives through meaningful work and using the power of business to enact lasting change. The result is two solved problems for each client: improved sustainability performance, and responsible, branded products that employees and clients can be proud to carry.
Some may think we sell products with logos. Yes, we do that. The point is that it is not what you sell, it is why you sell it and the impact you can have! Thanks to our use of technology, we are able to amplify our impact and that of our clients.
Best Business Innovation
We pair top talent, innovation, and technology to transform the buying and selling experience, from dreaming about buying a new home, to closing the sale, and everything in between.
Properly currently operates in the Greater Toronto Area, and Greater Vancouver Area. We’ll soon be expanding across Canada.
Anshul Ruparell is the co-founder, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Properly, a Canadian tech-enabled real estate brokerage that is making real estate customer-centric from ‘search’ to ‘sale’.
Properly’s Sale Assurance enables Canadians to buy their next home before selling their current home, without stress or risk. Properly’s free digital products enable Canadians to search and discover new homes online and its AI-powered pricing models enable Canadians to instantly access and track the value of their existing home. Properly is headquartered in Toronto, has raised over $160 million from top investors, and is currently growing revenue over 50% per month. Anshul has been featured in publications such as the Globe & Mail and Financial Post, has appeared on BNN, and was recognized as one of the most influential Torontonians of 2020 by Toronto Life.
Entrepreneur of the Year
We’re not a bank. We don’t work for a bank. We work for you, our client.
We’re one of the fastest growing mortgage companies in Canada — and our approach to mortgage financing is as fresh as it gets. We believe in putting the power in your hands, where it belongs.
We’re tapped in to a nationwide network of more than 250 top lenders. We make them compete for the privilege of your business – not the other way around. We cut through the red tape, filter through the fine print, and get straight to the bottom line. Then we bring you the best offers on the market, answer every question you have, and let you decide on the loan offer that makes the most sense to you.
From the first phone call to the final signature, we’ll fight to get you the lowest interest rates, the quickest approval, and the most cash possible. You’ll see proof of the CMI difference in your bank account every month
Bryan is the visionary behind CMI Financial Group. Under his leadership, CMI has grown from a family-owned brokerage to become Canada’s premier private mortgage lender and one of the fastest-growing companies in Canada.
As a driving force in the Canadian private lending and mortgage financing industries, Bryan is recognized for his leadership and innovation. In addition to his vision, he brings expertise in residential, construction and commercial financing to the team. Bryan is passionate about the private lending industry and is committed to helping advance and streamline private lending practices across Canada.
My best advice to small business owners is to do what you’ve always done, and channel that same spirit of creativity and unconventional thinking. Remain fearless and never accept that something is impossible. Stay curious and never stop questioning how things could be done better. Anticipate change and challenge. Remain nimble and willing and able to pivot. Stay focused on the big picture. These are the constants that will continue to serve you as we enter this phase of recovery.
Young Entrepreneur of
the Year
The DNA of East Coast Lifestyle is simple: it’s about being proud of where you’re from. East Coast Lifestyle acknowledges that we were established and operate in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. In March of 2013, Alex MacLean, a senior Business student at Acadia University was asked to start a temporary business for an Entrepreneurship class project. With an $800 loan from his dad and a passion to rep his coast, Alex produced his first 30 East Coast Lifestyle hoodies and sold them to his closest friends. Using the proceeds from the first batch, ECL began distribution from the trunk of Alex’s car and on his mom’s front lawn for several months until the birth of the popular anchor logo.
Within weeks, ECL became a staple on social media with thousands of photos of East Coasters showcasing their pride from all around the world. The hype continued to escalate by the day as pictures of celebrities representing their coast made their way to social media. From hockey superstar Sidney Crosby to Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah and singing sensation Ed Sheeran, EastCoast Lifestyle solidified its place as the staple brand of the East Coast. Specializing in everything surf, snow and street, East Coast Lifestyle gives everyone an opportunity to wear their heart on their sleeve with fresh designs and high-quality clothing. East Coast Lifestyle allows you to bring a piece of home with you wherever you go – helping you connect with your coast from around the world.
Excellence in Data Privacy
& Security Award
Our Director of IT Systems and Data Management has dedicated time each week to keep up to date on the latest cybersecurity threats and data breaches, a practice which Capstone ITS highly recommends all small businesses invest some time into. Both literature and news inform Security Tuesday, a weekly newsletter sent out to our entire Capstone ITS team to communicate relevant cybersecurity practices and reinforce our culture of digital literacy. Security Tuesday presents summaries of recent data breaches, cyber-attacks, and relevant new methodologies to secure systems. Background information on practices and procedures is also provided to support our efforts to protect the Capstone ITS infrastructure and our team from threats.
Congratulations to our team who have shown true dedication to cyber security.
A very special thanks to our Director of IT Systems and Data Management for all your hard work and unwavering passion for technology and training!
Black Entrepreneur of
the Year
Lisa Dennis has been a rehabilitation professional since 1999 and is the founder of Lisa’s Holistic Rehab & Neurofeedback. She has struggled with personal experiences of her own brain-based disorders (trauma, concussions, anxiety, depression, poor attention, reading difficulties) and this drives her to find interventions to help heal brains so that people of all ages can live a productive, meaningful life. She is also a doctoral student at Boston University and offers various workshops to help her community such as a Racism Rehabilitation experiential workshop with teachers and Early Childhood Educators (ECE) to reflect and act on their racial bias so that black and aboriginal children don’t end up on the school to prison pipeline. Lisa’s Holistic Rehab & Neurofeedback is committed to providing cutting-edge interventions that change the brain’s ability to heal itself. They help people of all ages by offering comprehensive assessments and innovative treatment options from across the globe to those suffering from chronic symptoms of trauma, attention issues, concussions, reading difficulties, sensory processing difficulties, anxiety, depression, balance, walking, migraines, and light sensitivity. Lisa is an out-of-the-box thinker and provides a holistic, culturally competent, client-centred service.
Digital & E-Commerce Business
of
the Year Award
Our mission is to make life better, whether it is creating a worry-free experience that results in clients achieving their goals, or proactively helping a new hire maximize their professional development with a on-going training programs.
We maintain several prestige partnerships, including the Google Premier Partner designation, reserved for the top 4% of Google Partners globally. We are also a Facebook Marketing Partner and Shopify Partner.
Brock Murray is the co-founder and COO of seoplus+. As the driving force behind this award-winning, full-service digital agency, Brock’s passion is to help businesses establish, grow, and maintain their online presence. With the help of SEO, PPC, social media, content marketing, and more, Brock and his team help clients of varying sizes and verticals, from small, local retailers to large, multinational enterprise companies.
Business Woman of the Year
Andrea Sesum is a founder of HER Digital Academy, a global social impact school for women in tech.
She had her start in an education industry 18 years ago and had since then build several higher education schools in Canada & globally. Today, she work closely with companies, institutions and governments on bridging the global skills gap by helping them deliver industry relevant programs.
Although Andrea was born and grew up in former Yugoslavia during the civil war, Canada is her home now and where she
lives with my husband and two girls. Experiencing a civil unrest as a very young person has taught her the fragility of society, and how education can be life-changing in the face of adversity. Education was the key to Andrea’s empowerment and was instrumental in helping her build a successful career in a profession that not only she loves, but that also allows her to help others change lives.
I am excited to know that CanadianSME Team and its sponsors are always paying attention, taking notes and working relentlessly to support and recognize the Canadian entrepreneurial community. I would like to congratulate all the nominees and winners of the 2021 awards. It’s an honour to be included among such a great list of trailblazing Canadian entrepreneurs.
Business of the Year -
Top 1
( 100+ Employees )
Beginning in 1994, Shawn has spearheaded The Answer Company’s growth to become one of the largest Independent ERP and Accounting software implementation and consulting firms in Canada. Shawn works actively with top technology partners like Sage and Acumatica to bring their solutions to life with customers. With over thirty years of experience implementing financial and management software systems, Shawn has contributed to every facet of improving clients’ businesses. Taking an active role in the company’s operations, Shawn is focused on propelling clients forward with technology. His emphasis on delivering phenomenal customer service has been instrumental in the company’s success and has become a pillar in The Answer Company’s culture.
On behalf of all of us at The Answer Company, I would like to extend a warm congratulations to all my fellow award winners and a major thank you to the CanadianSME Magazine for celebrating business success in Canada.
Business of the Year -
Top 2
( 100+ Employees )
People were beginning to transform the way they engaged with the world (Instagram, WhatsApp, and Snapchat), find a future partner (online dating), bank/invest (online and mobile banking), and even communicate their feelings (emojis/memes).
In comparison, traditional market research questions, methodologies and 5-point scale response options were starting to feel a little bit Shakespearian. The ways in which the industry was collecting information from people meant forcing them to communicate in unnatural ways, and this resulted in unnatural answers and intel that didn’t predict genuine human behavior.
This incomplete data was being presented to clients in long PowerPoint decks (or complex, confusing dashboards) that didn’t speak to them in the language of business. Researchers were presenting top-two-box scores and indexes vs. norms when what businesses truly care about is volume and revenue.
We’ve built a business that addresses these issues, developing methodologies and technology solutions that deliver insights to clients in the language of their business.
A passion for strategy and innovation led Paul into consumer insights after finishing his degree in Strategic Management at EDHEC Business School in France. Paul currently spends most of his time focused on strategic growth opportunities, which includes investment opportunities with private equity and venture capital, acquisition opportunities for geographic and portfolio expansion, and additional revenue generating opportunities within Dig’s current operations.
Business of the Year -
Top 3
( 100+ Employees )
Fresh Prep was started in the Winter of 2014 by childhood friends Becky Brauer, Dhruv Sood and Husein Rahemtulla who were all in search of an easier answer to the question “what’s for dinner?” For busy people they found there were too many obstacles to cooking a wholesome meal at home and that made it all too appealing to just grab fast food instead. They figured there had to be a better option and that’s why they started Fresh Prep.
Startup Business of the year
Best Professional Services award
Shawna Melbourn is a non-diet Registered Dietitian, an Approved Supervisor through the International Association for Eating Disorder Professionals (CEDS-S), and a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. Shawna has dedicated her entire career of choice to supporting individuals and families to nurture recovery from eating disorders, disordered eating and chronic dieting.
With almost 20 years of dedicating her career to this vulnerable and rewarding population, Shawna developed an online training course just for Registered Dietitians. Dietitians generally do not learn how to support eating disorders in school, which has left many dietitians underprepared to support in a caring and safe approach. In ED for RDs: Eating Disorder EDucation for Registered Dietitians online courses, Shawna shares her years of training, clinical experience and evidence-based approaches to eating disorder care.
ED for RDs is a proud recipient of the 2021 Canadian SME Awards for Professional Services.
Immigrant Entrepreneur of
the Year
ApplyBoard has grown to become the world’s largest online platform for international student recruitment, assisting more than 300,000 students with their educational journeys. In 2019, ApplyBoard was named the fastest-growing technology company in Canada by Deloitte, ranking #1 on the Technology Fast 50™ list. In 2021, ApplyBoard ranked #8 on LinkedIn’s Top Startups List in Canada.
Our team has grown rapidly in the past six years, and we now have 1,500+ team members across the globe. The ApplyBoard headquarters is located in downtown Kitchener, ON, with representatives in more than 25 other countries including India, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Nepal, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States.
As the son of two educators, Martin’s instinctive passion for education and modest upbringing in Iran led him to value the pivotal role learning plays in creating opportunity. Long before setting foot in Canada, Martin made his name as a serial innovator. At a young age, he discovered that he had a talent for creating and building systems. At 16, he landed his first order for one of his inventions.
During his undergraduate studies in Iran, Martin founded his first startup, where he invented and sold six different inventions. These inventions led to him winning the gold medal at the Geneva International Invention show in 2009.
Inspirational Leader of
the Year
As Co-Founder and chairwoman of INKAS® Group of Companies, Margarita Simkin has been successfully building businesses and brands from scratch and bringing strategic direction to all divisions within the company. Margarita has been instrumental in building INKAS into a global brand known for continuous industry-leading innovations and leading multiple brands which have gone on to be acquired by major players in their industries. Among her accomplishments are founding and serving as the President of INKAS® Security Services Ltd. for over two decades, where her vision and unwavering work ethic led the company to rapidly become one of Canada’s top 3 Cash-in-Transit providers. She is pivotal to the strategic direction of the company and spearheads the expansion of the various divisions, both functionally and geographically, in order to drive the business to new heights.
Fintech Business of the Year
How come we can buy almost everything online, but for business insurance, we need to make multiple phone calls, wait for a quote, send documents via fax and then go to the broker’s office?
At Zensurance we do things a little differently. We work hard at helping business owners save time by allowing them to request a quote online, 24/7, without having to speak to anyone. We understand how this is different from traditional insurance brokers, and that is exactly what motivated us to create an online brokerage!
,br> While our business is carried out online, we have a face and a place. We’re 100+ people working passionately across Canada to make getting business insurance a fast and easy process. If a business owner ever has to file a claim, we’re there to provide support.
Danish Yusuf is the CEO and founder of Zensurance, a Toronto-based technology startup focused on commercial insurance products and distribution. Danish is a former leader in McKinsey & Company’s Digital Insurance practice, supporting insurance clients globally in defining their digital strategy. Prior to McKinsey, Danish was a software architect and developer at IBM Canada. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering from the University of Toronto and has an MBA from Harvard Business School.
The Fastest Growing Company
Buying or selling a home should be a celebrated milestone, but too often instead it’s stressful, risky, and expensive.
We pair top talent, innovation, and technology to transform the buying and selling experience, from dreaming about buying a new home, to closing the sale, and everything in between.
Properly currently operates in the Greater Toronto Area, and Greater Vancouver Area. We’ll soon be expanding across Canada.
Anshul Ruparell is the co-founder, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Properly, a Canadian tech-enabled real estate brokerage that is making real estate customer-centric from ‘search’ to ‘sale’.
Properly’s Sale Assurance enables Canadians to buy their next home before selling their current home, without stress or risk. Properly’s free digital products enable Canadians to search and discover new homes online and its AI-powered pricing models enable Canadians to instantly access and track the value of their existing home. Properly is headquartered in Toronto, has raised over $160 million from top investors, and is currently growing revenue over 50% per month. Anshul has been featured in publications such as the Globe & Mail and Financial Post, has appeared on BNN, and was recognized as one of the most influential Torontonians of 2020 by Toronto Life.
Thank you CanadianSME Small Business Magazine for awarding Properly with the Fastest Growing Company award. Our exponential growth has meant that more Canadians can buy or sell a home with confidence through a seamless, reimagined real estate experience.
We’re grateful to be among such great companies in the small business community. Our team continues to grow and is motivated by the impact we’re making within the industry. We’re looking forward to continuing this momentum as we work to make real estate more customer-centric.
Exporter of the Year
As Co-Founder and chairwoman of INKAS® Group of Companies, Margarita Simkin has been successfully building businesses and brands from scratch and bringing strategic direction to all divisions within the company. Margarita has been instrumental in building INKAS into a global brand known for continuous industry-leading innovations, and leading multiple brands which have gone on to be acquired by major players in their industries. Among her accomplishments are founding and serving as the President of INKAS® Security Services Ltd. for over two decades, where her vision and unwavering work ethic led the company to rapidly become one of Canada’s top 3 Cash-in-Transit providers. She is pivotal to the strategic direction of the company and spearheads the expansion of the various divisions, both functionally and geographically, in order to drive the business to new heights.
The automotive industry was especially hard-hit during the pandemic, when lockdowns caused an unprecedented halt in vehicle production and a bottleneck in the global supply chain. But while other automotive companies were shutting their doors, INKAS continued to grow. This is because, in order to build a business that is sustainable in an ever-evolving world, it is critical that entrepreneurs focus on reimagining their business in the face of disruptions, broadening or modifying their offerings to create stability, look for new opportunities to remain competitive, and develop lean yet flexible operations by using a data-driven approach to evaluate what is actually working. Furthermore, global demand continues to be the driving force behind INKAS exponential year-over-year growth so as the world begins to reopen, we hope to inspire other Canadian entrepreneurs to explore the endless opportunities that lay beyond our borders.
Customer Service Excellence
meowbox is run by real people, who really love cats, and who care about their customers. We sincerely hope you can feel that.
It is our mission to get you as passionate as we are to try out new products and enrich the lives of your kitties. meowbox is our way of providing you with an exciting way to give your kitties the exercise, stimulation and happiness they deserve.
Aside from serving as meowbox’s head of opurrations, Olivia is a world traveller, aspiring polyglot, and cat mom to office mischief-makers Zac and Harvey. She never turns down ketchup chips or a good theme party.
The Best Business Support Organization
Upon graduation the entrepreneurs receive formal certification from YEDI, and the opportunity to pitch to potential investors, including our own Venture Fund.
Marat Ressin has led an incredible 20+ year career as an internationally successful businessman in business and real estate development. Having completed his PhD in Economics with a specialization in “small business crisis management,” Marat Ressin has extensive expertise in growing small businesses that attract investment, and has successfully reinvented and rehabilitated over 30 businesses from a variety of industries. Marat personally believes in the importance of social impact and has volunteered his knowledge to many not-for-profit organizations to help them become more efficient and achieve their goals.
YEDI’s mission is to educate, inspire, and nurture entrepreneurs and not-for-profit leaders with unrivalled programs, resources and mentorship that enable them to drive innovation and generate prosperity in Canada and around the world.
Indigenous Entrepreneur
of the Year
Growing up on a farm with parents owning a butcher shop; it was a natural decision for the farm to start selling Federally inspected rabbits to local butcher shops, grocery stores and restaurants, thus the business grew so did our products.
My passion for pets and meat products can be traced back to my pre-professional days. I grew up with my father farming and my parents running a local butcher shop in the town of Lakefield, ON. I worked in the Butchershop after school and on weekends. Being a 4-H member in both the Beef and Dairy groups, hanging out with our dogs, cats and farm animals or riding horses with friends. I have always been involved with animals and lots of pets. The reason? Well, they bring us joy, support and most of all unconditional love and happiness. Right now, my passion is the health and wellness of pet treats and farming animals to produce high-quality Treats for pets so they can live their best lives.
At 18, I left home for my education at the University of Manitoba. I enjoyed university very much and excelled on the university Track and Field Team. I also worked at the university while attending Agricultural classes. After university, I attended Red River College and completed a business program.
As an Aboriginal woman in a male-dominated sector, I hope by achieving these awards it helps to show our youth and really anyone seeking a new career that at any age you can be successful and build your own business.
The Best Team of
the Year Award
Whether via commercial aircraft or one of the company’s fully equipped Lear air ambulances, Fox Flight’s staff of licensed and experienced physicians, registered nurses and respiratory therapists can respond immediately to meet your medical repatriation needs – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
David Fox has been an active healthcare practitioner for more than three decades and a leader in the international medical repatriation industry for more than 25 years. He holds a degree in Nursing and Health Promotion and has worked as a critical care nurse in Emergency, ICU and NICU units in major metropolitan hospitals in Canada and the US. He founded Fox Flight Air Ambulance in Toronto in 1997 specializing in aeromedical transport and commercial escort services. Today, Fox Flight operates a fleet of four Learjet air ambulances and employs an experienced staff of medical and aviation professionals engaged in bringing sick and injured travellers home from wherever they are in the world.
Editor's Choice Award
Coming from a humble background, Raman Dua believes in converting every challenge into an opportunity. With an MBA Degree and 5 years of experience in a multi-national company, Raman moved to Canada in 2003, dreaming of becoming an entrepreneur. After a few hits & misses, he decided on Real Estate as a career and established Save Max Real Estate Inc in 2010, out of a basement in Brampton. He is presently the CEO of Save Max.
I am truly humbled to be recognized and receive the Canadian SME Editor’s Choice Award for Entrepreneurship. In today’s world, entrepreneurship goes hand in hand with risk-taking, hard work, and being street smart. The real meaning of success for me is creating success for others and that is the true meaning of being successful for me. I am a true believer in giving someone fish to eat is great; but teaching them to fish is even greater as they will never starve. And I like to lead by example I would like to commend the SME Magazine on this year’s edition of Awards and the hard work they put in to recognize Canadian small businesses.
The Best Place To Work
Sara Thomas has over fifteen years of global experience leading people and culture at start-up, scale-up, and enterprise-level companies. She is an accomplished and empathetic leader who can connect with individuals at all levels of an organization with a focus on understanding what motivates and drives them. Her focus is to put the “human” back in human resources.
Sara has proven results by partnering with leaders throughout an organization to become better people managers– ensuring they think strategically about their teams, plan for growth and retention, and minimize managerial blind spots.
