Congratulations to the teams at Give and Go Prepared Foods and Vidyard, two companies in which OMERS is invested, for being recognized amongst Ontario’s top entrepreneurs for 2014. A third company invested in by OMERS, Great Expressions Dental Centers, also recently received an EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 Award, in the Michigan and Northwest Ohio region.
Give and Go, whose high-quality baked desserts are enjoyed by customers around the world, won 2014 Ontario EY Entrepreneur of the Year in the Food and Hospitality division. Devon Galloway and Michael Litt, co-founders of world-leading video marketing platform Vidyard, were winners in the Young Entrepreneur category.
Under the leadership of CEO Joel Flatt and COO Todd Parsons, Give and Go has grown into a highly successful international supplier of popular desserts and sweet baked goods including two-bite brownies and Kimberley’s Bakeshoppe cupcakes.
"Joel, Todd and the entire Give and Go team have worked tirelessly to position the business as the leader in the portion controlled sweet baked goods sector. The Ontario EY Entrepreneur of the Year award is an achievement that has truly been earned and we are proud of our continued partnership with Give and Go,” said Don Morrison, Executive Managing Director at OMERS Private Equity.
Mr. Litt and Mr.Galloway have distinguished themselves by identifying and creating an elegant and easy-to-use solution for an everyday business problem with significant market potential.
"These awards clearly show the scope of OMERS investments in entrepreneurial companies. We were delighted to invest in Vidyard in its first significant funding round, and we continue to see huge potential in Mike and Devon’s vision and transformative solution for how companies use video content to grow their businesses,” said Kevin Kimsa, Managing Director, OMERS Ventures.
Rich Beckman, CEO of leading dental service organization Great Expressions, was presented with the award in the Consumer Services category in Detroit earlier this year.
“Rich Beckman has expertly balanced growth through acquisition with a strong culture that unifies Great Expressions,” said Michael Graham, Executive Managing Director at OMERS Private Equity. “Rich and his team have demonstrated a unique ability to make Great Expressions better as well as bigger and we congratulate them on receiving this well-deserved recognition.”
EY Entrepreneur of the Year celebrates the contribution and spirit of entrepreneurs around the world, recognizing business leaders in more than 145 cities across more than 60 countries. The Canadian program is in its 21st year of honouring the country's most impressive entrepreneurs from all areas of business. Award finalists are chosen based on their vision, leadership, financial success and social responsibility.
