NIAGARA ENTREPRENEUR - Key Persons
David Howes was born in St. Catharines and educated at local schools. After high school, he attended the University of Western Michigan, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree. David received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Brock University.
After some years in the petroleum business he joined the family business, Lincoln Fabrics Ltd., an industrial fabric producer, as the Plant Manager. In 1983 David assumed the position of President and CEO of the company from his father A. Stewart Howes, who founded the company in 1955. Under David's leadership, Lincoln maintained a manufacturing and head office facility in St. Catharines, and expanded to include subsidiary companies both in Toronto and Geneva, Alabama. Lincoln is a successful niche weaving company specializing in ballistics fabrics (for the military and police etc.), and flame resistant fabrics (re-lighters and industrial safety clothing, etc.).
David has always had a passion for his community, and has given of his time, talent, and treasure, for the benefit of Niagara. His great work and tireless effort to build wasn't limited to his vocation as David and Lincoln Fabrics are generous and committed community builders. At the time of award, David was director and past chair of the Business Education Council, Co-Chair of the Wise Guys Charity Fund, member of the Niagara Health Systems Niagara North Campaign Cabinet, member St. Catharines Community Fund development team, Chair of the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame and the St. Catharines Athlete & Sportsperson of the year selection committees, Chair of the Joint Executive Committee steering the downtown Arts Center and Brock University School of Fine and Performing Arts development. David is a past board member of the YMCA of Niagara, Past President of the St. Catharines Golf & Country Club, and past Provincial appointee to the Niagara Parks Commission. He has also been a longtime supporter of Brock University, having served 12 years on its Board of Trustees, as trustee, chair, and immediate past chair before stepping down in 2012.
Our community benefits on many levels from David's contributions to the region from being a well-respected businessman, a leader, an entrepreneur, a volunteer and a philanthropist. His contributions to Niagara are immeasurable.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Niagara Falls Sunrise Rotary Club
Doug Frazer is a shining example of a successful Niagara entrepreneur. Upon graduation from university, Doug established a small dry mix concrete packaging plant that would grow over the next four decades to have three Ontario locations and multi-millions of dollars in sales.
Doug's entrepreneurial success has not been limited to the building products industry. He has also been a passionate supporter of Niagara's tourism industry. In 1990, Ride Niagara, a motion-based simulator ride over Niagara Falls that Doug raised capital for, was recognized with the International World Class Attraction of the Year Award, beating out entries from big-name competitors like Universal Studios.
In 2007, Doug was asked to chair the Region of Niagara's newly established Niagara Growth Fund. For the next decade, Doug helped ensure the strategic use of the $6-million fund to support Niagara's small businesses. Inspired by the caliber of Niagara's entrepreneurial talent, Doug went on to become the Founding Director of the Niagara Angel Network. He has also served on the boards of many community organizations, including the World Trade Centre Buffalo Niagara, Niagara Health System, Pathstone Mental Health Foundation, Habitat for Humanity's Port Colborne Build, and the Niagara Gateway Group. Doug's generous nature was recognized with Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Awards from both Stoney Creek and Port Colborne and a Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal.
Today, Doug is an active member of the Niagara Falls Sunrise Rotary Club, and through his company, Frazer Holdings, provides both capital and guidance to a diverse collection of Niagara companies.
Ed Freeland's life has been described by many as "the consummate Canadian success story". Through a lifetime of hard work and determination, Ed earned a reputation for being one of North America's most respected entrepreneurs in the customs brokerage industry.
His career began soon after the end of WWII when he and a partner opened Peace Bridge Brokerage Limited in Fort Erie. Working from a cramped office above a taxi company, Ed applied enthusiasm, determination and grit to every endeavour, as well as a commitment to provide customers with the highest level of standards and service. Business grew steadily and branch offices were established in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland and Toronto. At the time of award, Peace Bridge Brokerage Group had 45 offices, employing more than 800 people throughout Canada and the United States. The head office has always remained in Fort Erie.
At an age when many have retired to a quieter lifestyle, Ed continued as a fulltime chairman and Chief Executive Officer at PBB Group, and was active in both business and community affairs. The Edward J. Freeland Foundation has contributed assets of more than $5 million to the community. The Fort Erie YMCA was named in his honour and through his foundation. Ed also donated 18 acres of land for the new Fort Erie town hall and Leisureplex centre. While he did not enjoy the benefit of a formal education, Ed has been an enthusiastic supporter of Brock University, and in particular, the business school. He was the founder of the Fort Erie Kinsmen Club and served as President of the Canadian Kinsmen Club. Ed has received numerous awards and citations of the years, including an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Brock University. He was also nominated for the Order of Canada.
Ed Werner, along with his three partners, Scott Abbott, Chris Haney, and John Haney, brought the board game, Trivial Pursuit, to the world. Ed, a lawyer by profession, was the founding President and Chairman of the Board of Horn Abbott Ltd., the company they formed to direct the business of their product.
Under the guidance of Ed Werner, the company grew from a group with an idea for a game about trivia to a group that owned a multimillion-dollar product: Trivial Pursuit. Ed directed the business aspects of the project which included raising start-up capital, property protection, supplier contracts, production, accounting, marketing, and, ultimately, the negotiation of the largest royalty contract in the history of the board game industry.
It was his tenacity that prompted his partners to nickname him "the Doberman". The game is now an international icon produced worldwide in 19 languages and 33 countries.
Ed was raised in St. Catharines where he participated in football, rowing, and hockey. The latter led to a scholarship at Colgate University where he graduated cum laude. After a year of playing professional hockey in Austria, Ed attended law school at the University of Western Ontario. He then returned to St. Catharines to join the law firm of Chown, Cairns where he specialized in corporate and labour law. In addition to practicing law, Ed was elected to and served on the Lincoln County Board of Education, and taught at the Business Departments of both Brock University and Niagara College.
The opportunities brought by Trivial Pursuit have allowed Ed to diversify his entrepreneurial interests into a multitude of areas including hotels, restaurants, rental properties, land development, and the wine industry.
Ever mindful of Trivial Pursuit's humble beginnings, he has also helped numerous fledgling entrepreneurs with start- up capital and advice He has given back to the community by serving with and supporting the Business Education Council, the Niagara Enterprise Agency, LACAC, Friends of the Harbour, Brock University Hockey, and Niagara Falls Minor Hockey. Ed's business and community involvement has been recognized with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Business Achievement Award, induction into the Canadian Toy Industry Hall of Fame, and the Ontario Heritage Foundation Community Recognition Award.
Company founder, John Walker, came to Canada from Scotland in the 1840s. He trained and worked as a marble cutter and in 1875 he started his own stone cutting business in the town of Merritton. Over the years, the company was strengthened by tradition while being dedicated to progress.
John Howard is a superior example of entrepreneurial success and commitment to giving back to the community.
Joseph Peller's career began as a medical doctor following his graduation from the University of Toronto in 1948. An accomplished physician and researcher, he practiced medicine for over 20 years. In 1965, Dr. Peller left his position as Chief of Medicine at the Hamilton Civic Hospital to join his father, Andrew Peller, who founded Andrés Wines in 1961.
Joseph was drawn into his father's business through a sense of family loyalty. He shared his father's burning entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to help bring to reality his dream of operating a world-class winery. The characteristics that made Joe Peller an outstanding physician also made him a successful entrepreneur. His loyalty and commitment, strong work ethic, ability to create leaders, and his willingness to listen to people are all factors that influenced his success.
Joe served as President of Andrés Wines from 1966 to 1976 and later took over from his father, Andrew, as Chairman and CEO. Joe was instrumental in developing Andrés Wines into one of Canada's leading vintners with operations in almost every province producing a full range of wines.
Throughout his career, Joe has been active in his community, serving on several hospital and educational boards as well as serving as Chairman of the Canadian Wine Institute for over ten years. Joe has served as Director-at-Large for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Royfund Equity Ltd., and served as a member of the Board of Governors of Royal Mutual Funds. Dr. Peller has earned a reputation of aggressively addressing the international trade environment in an attempt to open markets. It is as a proud son, father of six, and loving husband to his wife Connie, Dr. Joseph A. Peller has earned the honour of lifetime achievement.
Ken Fowler became one of Niagara region's most successful entrepreneurs by identifying and making the most of opportunities. Successful ventures in real estate and hospitality industries early in his career evolved into a broad spectrum of additional entrepreneurial activities.
A self-described hands-on entrepreneurial investor, at the time of award, Ken was involved in approximately 35 ventures with most of his interest held by Ken Fowler Enterprises Limited, or wholly-owned subsidiaries. He relied on his ability to bring good judgement and sound advice as sufficient assets to maintain a position of influence in his business association. This tool became his capital, which was used, along with his experience, in an entrepreneurial manor to succeed in virtually every business venture he undertook.
Ken learned, however, that some ventures don't succeed, for instance A and A Records, Chicken Chicken and Takee Outee (a Chinese fast food concept). All of which provided insightful lessons that guided him for future investments. Ken was: Chairman of Lincoln Capital Corporation, a Toronto Stock Exchange listed Investment Banker; a Director of Home Capital Group Inc., a TSE listed company whose major asset comprises Home Savings and Loan Corporation with assets in excess of $375 million; and Chairman of SIR Corp, a multi-concept restaurant company.
At the time of the award Ken had made an investment in the Queen's Landing Hotel in Niagara on the Lake. His real estate interests included investments in land, subdivisions, office and industrial malls, shopping malls, and apartment projects in Ontario, Alberta, as well as Colorado, Arizona, Texas and Ohio. Other ventures Ken undertook included: Tourist InfoVision; Bukamaranga Bean Conpany; International Music Distribution Inc. and Tri-Part Protection Inc., a residential and commercial security company.
Ken's other business investments included ownership positions and directorships at the Academy of Learning, a franchised computer skills school, and Jumbo Systems Inc. With partners Roy Cairns, Kerry Howe and Desmond Vaughan, Ken Fowler contributed to the funds which led to the construction of Brock University's home for the Faculty of Business, Taro Hall. He was a trustee of Brock University and co-chaired the advisory committee of the Burgoyne Centre for entrepreneurship. In recognition of his many contributions to business and education, Ken Fowler was awarded an honorary Doctorate by Brock in 1993. He served as the Faculty of Business first ever Executive-in-Residence in 1994.
Job Titles:
- President and Founder of Ch Teau
Paul Bosc, President and founder of Ch teau des Charmes, was born in French Algeria, where his ancestors had migrated from France in the 1840s. Paul represented the fifth generation of his family born into the wine industry. He was the first member of his family to return to France to formally study the art of winemaking and viticulture. Upon completing his studies at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, he returned to French Algeria and became General Manager of one of the country's largest and most successful co-operatives.
In 1962, France granted Algeria independence after a seven-year war which motivated Paul, with his wife Andrée and son Paul André, to leave the country of his birth, losing everything. The Boscs eventually immigrated to Canada in 1963, making their way to Quebec, where their second son, Pierre-Jean, was born. In 1964, after working for Quebec's liquor control board, Paul joined Ch teau Gai Wines in Niagara Falls as winemaker and over a 15-year career ultimately became director of research and development. It was during this time that Paul became convinced that the Canadian wine industry had to move away from its traditional native grape source if it was going to survive. He began experimenting with classic European varieties and, by the early 1970s was producing small lots of fine wines that garnered much attention from wine writers throughout North America.
By 1978, Paul was certain that the estate winery model was critical to repositioning the Canadian wine industry along quality lines and Ch teau des Charmes was born. The winery was founded in Niagara-on-the-Lake with the planting of a 60-acre vineyard - Canada's first dedicated exclusively to the European grape varieties that make the finest wines. Paul also believes in being a custodian of the land on which his vines were planted. He is still dedicated to the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices in order to produce exceptional quality grapes now and for generations to come.
In 1994, Ch teau des Charmes opened its new state-of-the-art winery and visitor centre. It was immediately hailed as an agri-tourism landmark. Paul's vision of a world-class Niagara wine industry led by high quality estate wines has reached fruition. Paul Bosc contributed to the evolution of Canada's wine industry by displaying his abilities as an innovator with passion and flair. Throughout his career, he has distinguished himself as a dynamic mentor who shares his knowledge freely with others. In addition to winning hundreds of medals at national and international wine competitions, Paul Bosc has received the following awards for his contributions to our world-class wine industry: 1996 honourary doctorate from Brock University, 1999 recipient of the Order of Ontario, 2003 recipient of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, 2005 recipient of The Order of Canada and 2006 Niagara-on-the-Lake Citizens of the Year shared with his wife Andrée.
As president of Rankin Construction, Tom Rankin has made significant contributions to the development of the Niagara region's infrastructure over the past 32 years. In addition to constructing bridges, roads and waterways, Rankin has expanded his business to include handling radioactive waste and the building renewable energy projects.
Through Tom's vision, Rankin established an impressive list of civil engineering projects in Niagara, including the expansion of the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge and repairing the 80-year old concrete walls of the Welland Canal.
Tom has not only helped build the community but has also been dedicated to giving back to the community. In 2006, Tom decided to fully support a new charity, The Rankin Cancer Run, with a mandate to raise funds for Niagara's cancer care services. At the time of this award, the run had raised over $1 million dollars.
Tom's entrepreneurial spirit has allowed him to expand in his field and continue to grow his company. He exemplifies how combining vision, innovation and technology can grow a company and a community.
Roy Cairns practiced law in the corporate and real estate development field for more than 40 years, and was the founder of Chown, Cairns, one of the largest law firms in St. Catharines. Together with the late Ken Fowler and the late Kerry T. Howe, he formed the Taro group, a St. Catharines-based company involved in many businesses, including land and commercial developments and the construction of homes and apartment buildings in Canada and the US.
Taro formed Home Savings and Loan Corporation and also owned several industrial companies including Taro Aggregates, a large Hamilton-based quarry in asphalt producer and landfill operation. Roy was a director and major shareholder of several corporations including Lincoln Capital, Philip Environmental, Jumbo Video and Querty Systems Inc., which owned more than 100 registered schools called Academy of Learning. Roy was also vice-president, secretary-treasurer and a major stakeholder of Landcorp Ontario Limited, a St. Catharines-based private company that developed commercial and residential properties in southern Ontario. Landcorp has completed many projects in the Niagara region including several shopping plazas, office buildings and subdivisions.
Roy was the major shareholder in Fire Monitoring of Canada, a rapidly growing St. Catharines company with a unique fire protection system for commercial and public buildings, which has been recognized by the Fire Chiefs Association of Canada as the best direct monitoring system available.
Working in partnership with Ken Fowler, Roy was active in the restaurant business, and is a major shareholder and director of SIR Cor. Roy was also the sole owner of Charlesway Corporation Limited, an investment company involved in real estate development projects in southern Ontario, Arizona, Colorado and Buffalo.
Job Titles:
- President of Rankin Construction
- Rankin Construction Inc.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Niagara Regional Development Corporation
Bill Vermeer came to Canada from Holland in 1952 with a background in greenhouse growing. Upon his arrival, he deferred his childhood dreams of owning his own greenhouse business to support his family by working factory and construction jobs. In 1959, he had the opportunity to return to his greenhouse roots, and was employed by Westbrook Greenhouses Limited. He quickly became a partner and acquired 100% ownership in 1971.
In addition to his industry involvement, Bill has been a member of the Niagara Regional Development Corporation, supported numerous activities within the Town of Grimsby and is an active member of his church community. Bill has received a Cecil Delworth Research Foundation "Living Tribute" award for his lifetime contribution to the Canadian Floriculture Industry and the Bicentennial Certificate of Merit from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.