Outstanding entrepreneurs honoured

By NA LI in Toronto | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2017-03-31 04:05

The recipients of 2017 Chinese Canadian Entrepreneur Awards pose at the awards gala on March 25 in Toronto. From left: Best Start-up Award winner Erwin Lee of Hubnest Inc; Best International Business Award winner David Khazanski of INKAS Armored Vehicle Manufacturing; Entrepreneur of the Year winner Sylvester Chuang of HSC Holdings Inc; Peter Lawler of BDC, a co-chair of the awards event; Lifetime Achievement Award winner Robert H. Lee of Prospero Group; Most Progressive Award winner Daniel Cheng of Process Fusion Inc; Award of Merit winner Jackey Jan of CN Global Distributor Inc; Best Asia Pacific Business Award winner Jeff W.N. Leung of JET; and Most Innovative Award winner Jianhua Zhu of BioNeutra Global Corp. NA LI / CHINA DAILY

Eight outstanding Chinese Canadian entrepreneurs from across Canada were honoured recently in Toronto.

The award event was hosted by the Association of Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurs (ACCE), along with the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), the Center of Entrepreneurship, Centennial College, PwC, the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Growth and the Ontario Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science.

"It is exciting to note that 20 years have passed since the ACCE founded these prestigious awards to recognize both individuals and companies for their excellence in entrepreneurship in the Chinese Canadian business community," said Peter Lawler, senior VP at BDC and a co-chair of this year's event. "Nominations for the 2017 awards were accepted from across Canada."

Eight award winners were honored in categories including Best International Business, Best Asia Pacific Business, Best Start-up, Most Innovative, Most Progressive, Best Community Service, Award of Merit, and Entrepreneur of the Year. Robert H. Lee from Vancouver was the recipient of the 2017 ACCE Lifetime Achievement Award.

Michael Denham, president and CEO of BDC, delivered a keynote speech about the entrepreneurial spirit of ambition, purpose and resilience.

As a part of the ACCE's tradition of giving back to the community, the association presented donation cheques to the Hong Fook Mental Health Foundation and the ALS Double Play. In addition, eight local college and university students were selected as this year's recipients of the ACCE Scholarship, sponsored by KPMG.

"Our mission is to encourage entrepreneurship and to strengthen the competitiveness of Chinese-Canadian businesses in the global market," said Irwin Li, president of ACCE. "We also seek to assist Chinese Canadians in developing new businesses by providing quality training in the form of seminars, workshops, conferences and special programs, as well as a network where members can share resources and provide mutual support."

More than 1,000 guests attended the 21th annual ACCE Chinese Canadian Entrepreneur Awards. Those in attendance included successful entrepreneurs, business and community leaders, government officials, as well as members of associations and professional groups from both the Chinese community and the community at large.