Laureates

Dr. A.E. “Dal” Grauer (1906-1961) was regarded as one of the most brilliant men of his generation. He had an enormous influence on business, education and culture throughout British Columbia and Canada. At his passing in 1961, he was President and Chairman of the British Columbia Power Corporation and its subsidiary, the BC Electric Company, and was serving his second term as Chancellor and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the University of British Columbia.

Norm Francis dedicated more than 20 years to building high profile technology companies that showcase the entrepreneurial spirit, technology innovation and global leadership that resides in Canada. A computer science graduate and Chartered Accountant, he co-founded Basic Software Group (BSG) in the late 1970’s which developed ACCPAC and Simply Accounting.

Tom Foord is a tireless community volunteer and an exceptional business leader who, forty-six years ago, started Kal Tire in Vernon. Kal Tire is the largest independent tire dealer in Canada, with over 1,500 employees. Foord began his business with the purchase of a small garage, and after providing service to B.C.'s forestry and mining industries in the 1950s and 60s, his operations continued to successfully expand to a present day total of over 150 stores.

Earl Finning is the founder of Finning International. He began the company on January 4, 1933, with a $50,000 bank loan and a staff of six, with the sole distribution rights for Caterpillar Tractor Products and Services in BC.

Born in Ireland in 1854, William Farrell has been credited as consolidating virtually all of the telephone interests throughout BC to create the foundation of the BC Telephone Company/TELUS as we know it today.

Jack Diamond has left an indelible mark on the history of British Columbia, as a businessman, sportsman, philanthropist and community-minded citizen.

A native of Vancouver, John V. Clyne began his career in the field of law, attending the University of British Columbia and called to the British Columbia bar in 1927. Twenty years later, he was appointed Chairman of the Canadian Maritime Commission, overseeing the transition of wartime shipping to peace-time use.

Brian Canfield presently serves as the Chair of the Board of TELUS Corporation. His distinguished career in the Canadian telecom industry, which began as an apprentice switchboard installer in 1956, spans 55 years of service to TELUS and to its predecessor, BC TEL.

Born in Victoria in 1941, Alex Campbell is known as a Vancouver Island business success story. He started in the grocery business at 15 years of age not as an owner but as an employee, bagging groceries and stocking shelves at Super Value.

Jeannette Foster Kennedy or “Jennie” was born in Toronto, Ontario to James and Martha Kennedy. Losing both parents by the time Jennie was 12 years old, she moved to Owen Sound, Ontario to live with her Aunt, Mrs. Robert Paterson.