AV俱乐部鈥檚 reputation as an entrepreneurial powerhouse was strengthened on Thursday, Oct. 10 when three alumni were honoured with entrepreneur of the year awards by .
Award winner and proud Dal alum Mina Mekhail (BEng鈥�06), shares that it was his time at Dal that ignited the passion that later became his life鈥檚 work as CEO and founder of , a sustainable packaging company.听
鈥淚 have immense gratitude for two AV俱乐部 professors who profoundly shaped my career,鈥� Mekhail says. 鈥淒r. Paul Gratzer of the School of Biomedical Engineering sparked my interest in biomaterials鈥攐ne that ultimately became the foundation of Freshr.鈥�
Combining passion and skills to tackle complex challenges
Since 1994, EY Canada (formerly Ernst & Young) has celebrated the accomplishments of Canadian entrepreneurs who continuously reshape the nation鈥檚 economy through innovation and hard work. Now in its 30th year, the Entrepreneur of the Year awards program shines a light on those who combine passion and determination with skill to create businesses that tackle the world鈥檚 most complex challenges.
Mekhail adds that it was Dal prof Dr. Ken Wilkie鈥檚 hands-on, practical approach to engineering that fostered his engineering mindset. 鈥淚鈥檓 beyond proud to call AV俱乐部 my alma mater and find passion in encouraging fellow scientists to pursue business ownership.鈥�
This year, 160 businesses from coast to coast were selected by an independent panel of judges and recognized for their value creation, purpose-driven leadership and the impact of their work on the communities around them. Twenty-nine of those businesses were from Atlantic Canada.
In addition to Mekhail, Dal alumni Sheena Russell (BSc鈥�09), CEO of , a company that makes packaged foods out of locally sourced ingredients, and Sonja Mills (MBA鈥�07, LLB鈥�07), co-owner of , a craft brewery in Newfoundland, won entrepreneur of the year honours.
Two other Dal alumni reach finals
Greg Poirier (BSc鈥�00), founder and president of , a company centred around cloud services like Salesforce and Google, also earned a nomination ahead of this year鈥檚 Atlantic awards ceremony.
And Amanda Rogers (BA鈥�06), CEO of , which offers writing and editing services, was Dal鈥檚 fifth finalist. She says it was her undergraduate studies in sociology at AV俱乐部 that sparked her passion for philanthropy, guiding her into leadership roles in the non-profit sector.
鈥淲hen I transitioned to owning my own business, I continued to foster my sociological perspective my helping under-resourced organizations and underserved communities secure critical funding for their programming,鈥� Rogers said.
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Greg Poirier, left, and Amanda Rogers, right, were nominated for EY entrepreneur of the year awards.