NPA | Entrepreneurship

2011 | Jeffrey B.H. Min

Jeffrey Min opened his first Korean supermarket in North York in 2003. In that short time, he has: 

Mastered the “subtle language of business” 
Come to understand and reconcile the differences between Canadian and Korean cultures 
Built a prosperous businesses through fair and generous business practices with the local community

Jeffrey now owns and manages two Galleria Supermarkets (the original one at Yonge and Steeles and a new one at Don Mills and York Mills), each one with 120 employees. The Galleria Supermarket has been featured in the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers magazine. Galleria Supermarket has also won “Grocer of the Year” Award from the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers two years in a row, 2009 and 2010.

2010 | Sam Bouji

In 1997, Sam Bouji founded the Global Educational Trust Plan (Global Plan) – a program that permits growth on contributions to remain tax-sheltered while in the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP). The Plan combined the best features of existing Group Scholarship Plans while adding flexibility and other features that appealed to young families.

Today Sam Bouji is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Global Educational Marketing Corporation and the Global Educational Trust Plan. His company has assisted more than 75,000 families and employs 1,000 sales representatives across Canada and 100 full-time employees from many cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

2009 | Neena and Vijay Kanwar

Neena Kanwar has served as President of the Independent Diagnostic Clinics Association for 15 years and as a Director on the Boards of both St. Michael’s Hospital and Sherbourne Health Care Corporation in Toronto. She was named to Profit Magazine’s Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs in 2007 and 2006 and Chatelaine’s Top 100 Women Business Owners List in five of the last six years. In 2001, she was recognized as the Businesswoman of the Year by the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Vijay Kanwar is also President and Director of Lambardar Inc, designing, planning and coordinating the construction of state-of-the-art medical facilities. He was Founder President of Transamerica Medical Inc., a medical supply company specializing in bulk purchasing arrangements. An active member of the Young President’s Organization and Mississauga Advisory Group, he also serves on the Boards of Directors of Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), the Raptors Foundation, the United Way of Peel Region and the National Ballet School of Canada.

2008 | Bernardo Riveros

In 1996, Bernardo Riveros came to Canada from Colombia as an international student. Having fallen in love with this country and its people, he decided to immigrate and in 1998 became a permanent resident. With a background in the film industry, Bernardo began to look for work but quickly encountered a major barrier: lack of Canadian experience. “Even though Canada is a multicultural country, I feel that unfortunately discrimination is an issue . . .” After months of desperately seeking employment, Bernardo decided to join his friend who had just started his own business and became part of the International Language Academy of Canada (ILAC).

Today, ten years later, ILAC is an industry leader in Canada. In 2007, ILAC received in London UK the Language Travel Magazine Award as the LTM Star English Language School of North America. That same year ILAC also received the Top Choice Award as the Top Language School of the year in Toronto. In 2006 ILAC was shortlisted for the LTM Star English Language School and in 2005 the readers of Eye Weekly Magazine voted ILAC as the best language school in Toronto.

2007 | Bruce Poon Tip

At the age of 22, Bruce Poon Tip moved to Toronto to start G.A.P Adventures, a one-person operation offering a few tours to South America. He believed that, like himself, many others would want to experience “real world” travel – seeking adventure and authentic experiences. As a start-up company, he faced financing and credibility challenges due to his age. Undaunted, he forged on with his dream.

Today, G.A.P Adventures offers thousands of small group adventures, safaris and expeditions on all seven continents, with revenue approaching $100 million and a network of nearly 500 employees around the world. G.A.P Adventures offers low impact, grassroots experiences, with a focus on culture, nature and active travel, to over 50,000 passengers a year. G.A.P Adventures’ sustainable style of travel means that it strives to ensure all tours have minimal impact on the environment, respects local people and cultures, offers economic benefit to local businesses and communities, provides a memorable experience for travelers, and protects destinations for future generations.

2006 | Gaetano Gagliano

A 37-year-old farmer who immigrated to Canada from Sicily in 1954 with his growing family laid the foundation for what has become Canada’s largest privately owned communications company. Even though Gaetano Gagliano spoke no English and had little money, he had the strength of conviction to fuel his vision of growing a successful business. He is a true pioneer!

Gaetano’s first job in Canada was laying track for CP Rail. After the company laid off its workers a year and half later, he plunged into his dream of becoming a printer. He got a job as a cleaner in a printing shop, where he advanced his knowledge of the printing business. In 1956, Gaetano bought a press of his own and started a printing operation in the basement of his family home. He worked long hours printing business cards and wedding invitations. Gaetano would eventually name the company St. Joseph Printing and expand the business by learning new printing methods and investing in new technology.

2005 | David N. Tavares

When David Tavares learned about the new CRTC regulation ending the monopoly of Canadian phone companies, his passion for telecommunications resurfaced. He quickly took advantage of this opportunity, upgraded his knowledge of new technologies and started a telecommunications business.

Today, David Tavares owns GlobeStar Systems, which operates from a 65,000 square feet complex in Toronto, has offices in Montreal and Calgary and earns $50 million annually in sales. The company manufactures and designs unique software applications for wireless integration solutions. 

The most innovative of their applications is ConnexALL, a modular software program that integrates a wide range of communication resources to any system and gives the user the ability to access real time data anywhere in the office, on the road or out of the country. 

2004 | Mahesh Agarwal

Mahesh Agarwal is the sole owner of Medionics International Inc., a company specializing in the design and manufacture of home dialysis equipment. The company’s worldwide business has expanded to include markets in Japan, China, India and Mexico. While over the years Medionics has faced tough competition from large multinationals, Mahesh has maintained a position for his products through innovation and research. His products are all patented inventions recognized by physicians around the world and have made a huge, positive impact on the quality of lives of people needing dialysis.

2003 | Klaus Nienkämper

Born in Duisburg, Germany, Klaus Nienkämper arrived in Canada in 1960 with $36 in his pocket and a language barrier to overcome. His first job was at a car wash on Toronto’s King Street. However, intent on making modern furniture, Klaus began working with respected designers and in 1968, with minimal capital, established a company that introduced classic European imports to the Canadian market. In the seventies and eighties Nienkämper became a licensed manufacturer for Swiss Design, DeSede and Knoll products.

Today, The The Nienkamper Store occupies a restored historical building on King Street. Owned by Klaus since 1968, this furniture showroom initiated the transformation of a decaying neighbourhood into a design district.

2002 | Uwe Petroschke

Through sheer determination, hard work and a passion for what he was doing, Uwe Petroschke built a successful trucking and warehouse company. In 1997, Totalline Transport’s earnings reached $9.7 million and in 2000 annual sales topped $27 million. Today the company offers many types of trucking services to markets throughout Canada and operates from a new custom built 130,000 sq. ft. facility in Brampton. In 2001, Uwe responded to customers’ requests and founded TLC Logistics, a full service logistics company focusing on the U.S. cross-border markets.

Uwe has a collaborative management style - includes his management team in key decisions and regularly involves employees in many of the business activities he participates in. Totalline also prides itself on its community involvement. Uwe supports a wide spectrum of charities and community events from food banks, shelters, minor league baseball and hockey to Adopt-a-Family and the Shriners Children’s Wish Foundation.

Uwe was awarded the 1999 Brampton Outstanding Business Achievement Award and in 2000 the Ontario Chamber of Commerce awarded him the Outstanding Business Achievement Award.

2001 | Harinder Takhar

In 1982, Harinder Takhar joined Timex Canada Inc. where he became the company's CFO. From there he moved to Linear Technology Inc./Gennum Corporation as Vice President, Finance and Operations before joining Agra Industries Ltd. as Vice President and CFO.

Born in India, Harinder Takhar arrived in Canada in 1974 with a Masters degree in Economics and Political Science and little money. Unable to find employment in the financial sector, he worked in a factory while studying for a Certified Management Accountant designation.

2000 | Alfred F. Choo

Dr. Choo founded the Vita-Tech Laboratories in 1984 to address the need for a faster and more effective means of providing testing services to the veterinary community. Starting with capital borrowed from his parents and relying on his own expertise and the assistance of one technician and one driver, Dr. Choo has developed his organization into Canada's largest laboratory for diagnostic testing to the veterinary field. The company currently employs more than 127 people and has earned a prominent reputation in North America for its DNA diagnostic procedures. The laboratories provide services to veterinary practitioners and corporate clients including universities, feed manufacturers, contract research firms, pharmaceutical companies, livestock producers, processing facilities, and many others. 

1999 | Manoucher Etminan

Manoucher Etminan, a successful businessman in his native Iran, moved to England in the late 1970s due to the political uncertainty in his native country. He immigrated to Canada in 1983 at the age of 31. Following a series of low paying, survival jobs, Manoucher’s entrepreneurial spirit and creativity led him to develop a vegetable condiment based on a Persian recipe. He cooked Torshi in his home and marketed it to upscale grocery outlets by providing samples to shoppers. Soon he was supplying 1,000 jars to high-end grocery stores each month. To expand his business, he began distributing bread similar to that sold in Iran and sold it to his established high-end clientele.

In the early years he employed three people and supplied his local customers with fresh bread daily and supplied frozen bread to his European customers. As his business grew internationally, Manoucher concentrated on frozen breads. He has been credited in England with helping to change existing government regulations to permit different sizes and weights of breads to be sold in stores – creating an expanded market for premium breads.

1998 | Govin Misir

In 1986 Govin and his wife, Molly, started a consulting and software businesss (SLM Software Inc.) specializing in computer systems for electronic banking and successfully bid on a business opportunity at the Manitoba Credit Union. However, in the 1980s the industry was dominated by a few large players, mostly U.S. based, and as a result, Govin looked offshore for potential customers, the first being Chile and Peru. To ensure he could communicate effectively with his customers he learned Spanish. SLM prides itself on providing support in the language of their customers and learning the country's business and cultural customs. The Canadian offices support worldwide business and cultural awareness: currently, 16 foreign languages are used in the Toronto office alone. 

1997 | Fred Sorkin

Hummingbird President and Chief Executive Officer, Fred Sorkin, came to Canada from Lithuania in 1976 following a distinguished career as a computer scientist and Chief of the Soviet Union’s largest computer manufacturing firm. Fred earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Moscow University, as well as two masters degrees in mathematics and electronics from state universities in Vilnius, Lithuania and is often regarded as the world’s most educated computer technology C.E.O. 

1996 | Drago Harmic and Halil Fehmi

In 1980, while working for the same company, Drago Harmic and Halil Fehmi formed a partnership and using their own personal savings and homes as collateral, began manufacturing small precision springs. 

Today, Dominion Spring Industries Corporation is one of the most modernized spring manufacturing facilities in North America and produces springs used primarily in the automotive industry. They began with annual sales of $60,000 and two employees (themselves). Today they have annual sales of $12 million and the company employs 70 highly-skilled individuals, representing 15 different nationalities. 

1995 | Sam Ghazouli

In 1965 Sam Ghazouli joined Eli Lilly & Company as an analytical chemist. He worked in progressive positions for almost 19 years, travelling all over the world and setting up successful new operations for the company. In 1986, Sam recognized an opportunity to use his entrepreneurial skills to develop a new business. He invested his life savings in BrandsElite, a distributor of leading brands of liquor, perfumes, cosmetics and luxury gifts to duty free shops.

1994 | Attena Filate

Attena arrived in Canada from Ethiopia in 1974. After working in Toronto as a bartender for seven years, he decided to start his own business. A natural entrepreneur, Attena opened the first traditional Ethiopian restaurant in Toronto called The Queen of Sheba. As a successful business leader, Attena has made numerous donations to the Ethiopian community and has been a pioneer of its establishment in Toronto.

1993 | Kim Hua

In 1989, Kim Hua opened her first PHO restaurant. Each year since that time she has opened a new restaurant, doubling sales and the number of employees. Eager to share her experience with others, Kim volunteers as a mentor to other immigrant women in an entrepreneurship program sponsored by George Brown College.