Ernst & Young celebrates Atlantic finalists for 2009 Entrepreneur Of The Year(R)

        Firm says today's entrepreneurs are tomorrow's market leaders

    HALIFAX, July 7 /CNW Telbec/ - Entrepreneurial-minded companies are
growing with incredible speed and quickly entering into the ranks of the
world's largest corporations, Ernst & Young said today when unveiling this
year's finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards.
    "By embracing the entrepreneurial spirit, this year's finalists are
growing businesses, creating jobs and building communities despite daunting
economic challenges," says Joyce Hoeven, Partner and Atlantic Director of the
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards. "Entrepreneurs who seize the
opportunities that arise in adversity can ignite a spark, and propel our
economy forward."
    Historically, economists, academics and industry leaders have agreed that
recessions foster the innovative thinking synonymous with entrepreneurship. As
referenced in Ernst & Young's publication, Entrepreneurship and innovation,
many of today's most recognizable brands were actually born during recessions.
Many of these so-called "downturn babies" now have market capitalizations in
the hundreds of millions, or even billions, of dollars.
    "Innovation stimulates economic growth, and that means there is no time
like a downturn to take advantage of entrepreneurial thinking," says Hoeven.
"Companies cannot afford to be paralyzed by fear. The global recession
represents an unprecedented opportunity for growth."
    A recent Ernst & Young survey, Seizing opportunities, shows many
entrepreneurs already have the right idea. Ninety-three percent of respondents
said that, despite the economic downturn, they are broadening their customer
base and entering new markets.
    "It's reassuring to see that many entrepreneurs are already taking bold
steps forward," Hoeven notes. "No company is ever too big to have an
entrepreneurial focus. By building the right corporate culture, even large
corporations can think outside the box and drive new ways of doing business."
    The Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards recognize the spirit and contribution
of entrepreneurs here and around the world. The Canadian program is in its
16th year of honouring the country's most impressive entrepreneurs from all
areas of business.
    The Atlantic winners will be announced at a banquet on October 1, and the
overall winner will represent the region at the national banquet held in
Vancouver on November 24.

    The 2009 Atlantic finalists for Entrepreneur Of The Year are:

    Business-to-business products and services

    Rod Kerr
    Frontier Technologies l Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, frontiertech.net
    Offers a range of services for its residential and business customers in
    the cable/telecommunications industry.

    Normand Caissie
    Imperial Manufacturing Group l Richibucto, New Brunswick,
    imperialgroup.ca
    Produces high-quality products while striving to be a low-cost producer
    in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and building products
    industries.

    Business-to-consumer products and services

    Andrew Bell
    Bell Group of Companies l St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador,
    cohens.ca
    A diversified private company operating in business-to-business products
    and services and business-to-consumer products.

    Steven Kay
    The Orb Factory Limited l Halifax, Nova Scotia, orbfactory.com
    Designs, manufactures, sells and distributes children's crafts and
    activities to international markets.

    Ivan Cassell, Luke Reynolds
    Western Petroleum Newfoundland Limited l Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and
    Labrador, westernpetroleum.ca
    Newfoundland's largest independently owned supplier of automotive fuels
    and home heating products.

    David Wilson
    Wilson Group of Companies l Truro, Nova Scotia, wilsons.ca
    Heating/cooling equipment manufacturer, distributor and installer, as
    well as fuel marketer, ski hill operator.

    Consumer products

    Sidney Hynes
    Oceanex Inc. l St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, oceanex.com
    Provider of intermodal transportation services that operates two ice-
    class Ro-Ro vessels and oneice-class container vessel, two marine
    terminals and a fleet of over 2,500 containers. Also handles third-party
    vessels.

    Susan Helliwell
    PRAXES Emergency Specialists Inc. l Halifax, Nova Scotia, praxes.ca
    Provides medical services to companies and governments with remote
    operations. Providestele-medical advice by specialist emergency
    physicians, as well as medical staff (RNs, paramedics, PAs) who provide
    health care at remote worksites.

    Emerging entrepreneur

    Luke Conrad
    Cartoon Conrad Productions Inc. l Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia,
    cartoonconrad.com
    Founded in 2004 to create and produce high-quality, entertaining
    animation for kids and teens. On top of working on several animated
    television series, Cartoon Conrad creates interactive multimedia,
    training modules for businesses and nursing, graphic design and flash-
    based gaming.

    George Donovan
    Gogii Games l Moncton, New Brunswick, gogiigames.com
    Casual games publisher/developer working with developers and IP owners to
    help develop, distribute and license its IP or products to retail, online
    and alternative channels worldwide.

    Moya Cahill
    PanGeo Subsea l St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, pangeosubsea.com
    Technology development and service delivery company specializing in 3D
    and 4D acoustic imaging solutions for oil and gas, and other energy
    industries.

    Jay Aird, Mike Beauchamp
    Volt Media Limited l Halifax, Nova Scotia, voltmedia.ca
    Digital media company specializing in media innovation and targeted ad
    networks.

    Manufacturing

    Steven Kelley
    Charlottetown Metal Products Ltd. l Winsloe, Prince Edward Island,
    cmpequipment.com
    Designer and manufacturer of industrial stainless steel food-processing
    equipment. Offers full in-house design with 3D CAD, complete custom
    manufacturing and full-service installation and commissioning for the
    shellfish, fruit and vegetable, and meat and poultry industries.

    Jason Dawe, Dean Pelley
    Mad Rock Marine Solutions Inc. l St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador,
    madrock.ca
    Marine evacuation technology development company specializing in lifeboat
    release gear.

    Daniel Vienneau
    Nanoptix Inc. l Dieppe, New Brunswick, nanoptix.com
    Designer and manufacturer of thermal printers for gaming, lottery and
    kiosk applications.

    Professional/financial services

    Keith Newhook
    AMC Brokerage Limited l Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador,
    amcbrokerage.com
    Financial services brokerage company.

    Glen McMinn, Peter Wuensch
    Breakhouse Inc. l Halifax, Nova Scotia, breakhouse.ca
    Multidisciplinary studio comprising design-focused individuals from
    varied backgrounds, including architecture, graphic and interactive
    design, interior architecture, industrial design, fine art and
    illustration.

    Fred Wade
    Fireworks F/X Inc. l Grand Pré, Nova Scotia, fireworksfx.com
    Specializes in pyrotechnics and special effects.

    Rodney Colbourne, Steve Green, Steve MacDougall
    OTS Offshore Technologies Services Ltd. l Sydney, Nova Scotia, otsl.ca
    Provider of commissioning and start-up services for the oil and gas
    industries.

    Social entrepreneur

    William Gale
    Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative l Saint John, New Brunswick,
    bcapi.ca
    Non-profit charitable organization established in 1997 to help
    substantially reduce Saint John's poverty cycle by helping vulnerable
    children, teens and parents gain the assets they need to succeed in
    school and achieve economic self-sufficiency.

    Keith Hamilton
    Laing House l Halifax, Nova Scotia, lainghouse.org
    Charitable organization that empowers youth aged 16 to 30 living with
    mental illness through innovative youth engagement and peer support.

    Geoff Eaton
    Young Adult Cancer Canada l St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador,
    youngadultcancer.ca
    Leading advocacy and support organization for young adults dealing with
    cancer.

    Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year is sponsored nationally by Global
    Television Network, National Post, La Presse and RDI.

    About Ernst & Young

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advisory services. Worldwide, our 135,000 people are united by our shared
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For further information: Marie-Eve Graniero, (514) 874-4313,
marie-eve.graniero@ca.ey.com; Amanda Olliver, (416) 943-7121,
amanda.olliver@ca.ey.com; Brooke McLachlan, (604) 899-3597,
brooke.mclachlan@ca.ey.com