TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GreenField Specialty Alcohols Inc. was announced as the winner of the 2013 Private Business Growth Award, presented by The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Grant Thornton LLP, at a gala event held at the Fairmont Royal York last night.
GreenField Specialty Alcohols Inc. is the leading specialty alcohols producer in Canada, with a focus on high purity medical and pharmaceutical alcohols, corn-based bulk industrial alcohol, packaged alcohol and fuel ethanol, as well as associated agricultural co-products. Headquartered in Toronto, the 20-year-old company owns and operates four state-of-the-art manufacturing plants in Canada, as well as three alcohol packaging plants in Canada and the United States.
From a standing start, GreenField has grown to manufacture 1.7 million litres of fuel-ethanol per day, as well as alcohol for more than 4,500 consumer and industrial products. By the time someone in Canada leaves their home in the morning, chances are they’ve used GreenField’s products several times. Its alcohol can be found in toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo, shaving cream, after-shave, cologne, perfume, deodorant, medicines, soaps and even hairspray, as well as dishwasher detergent, household cleaners, and flavourings. GreenField also makes co-products from the alcohol productions process, including distillers grains for animal feed, corn oil and carbon dioxide, ensuring that there is virtually no waste from the manufacturing process. As a true innovator, GreenField has developed a process to produce fuel ethanol from cellulosic feedstocks such as corn cobs, stover, leaves, hay, grasses and wood waste which will be commercialized over the next few years.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Grant Thornton LLP first announced the launch of the Private Business Growth Award earlier this year. The new annual business award recognizes Canadian privately-held businesses that are successful at creating growth beyond their top or bottom line. The jury evaluated over 50 submissions from companies across Canada whose growth strategy encompasses a broad range of activities across their business, such as innovation (including new ways of working); product and service development; expansion into new domestic or international markets; development of people and culture (helping employees learn and develop); improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of internal processes; improvements in stakeholder relations; improvements in financial measures or governance; and leadership through a combination of reason and instinct to grow the business.
“Private business plays such a significant and vital role in our Canadian economy that both Grant Thornton LLP and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce felt it was important to establish a national business award to recognize and celebrate the many private business success stories from across the country, many of which go untold,” said Phil Noble, Executive Partner and Chief Executive Officer, Grant Thornton LLP. “We congratulate GreenField on being the inaugural winner of the Award.”
The jury for the 2013 Private Business Growth Award was made up of representatives from the worlds of business and academia. They were: The Honourable Perrin Beatty, President and CEO, The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Peggy Cunningham, Dean of the Faculty of Management and RA Jodrey Chair, Dalhousie University, Derek DeCloet, Editor, Report on Business, Globe and Mail, David Ghermezian, President, Triple Five Group of Companies, Malcolm Hunter, President and Chief Operating Officer, Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada, Phil Noble, FCA, Executive Partner and CEO, Grant Thornton LLP, John E. Peller, LLB, President and CEO, Andrew Peller Limited, and Paul Straus, President and CEO, Home Hardware Stores Limited.
Other finalists for the 2013 Private Business Growth Award were: Boréalis (Magog, QC), Brandt Industries Ltd. (Regina, SK), Di Gregorio Group (Thunder Bay, ON), Emterra Group (Burlington, ON), Global Relay (Vancouver, BC), Imperial Manufacturing Group Inc. (Dieppe, NB), Kids & Company (Richmond Hill, ON), Polycorp Ltd. (Elora, ON) and Richelieu Group (Montreal, QC).
“Entrepreneurial spirit runs strong, as we saw from the amazing variety of submissions to the award,” adds The Honourable Perrin Beatty, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “The jury certainly had a tough job, and we commend all of the businesses who shared their stories, including all of the ten finalists and our winner. It is encouraging to see the breadth and depth of passion in the stories of entrepreneurs from all across Canada.”
About Grant Thornton LLP
Grant Thornton LLP is a leading
Canadian accounting and advisory firm providing audit, tax and advisory
services to private and public organizations. We help dynamic
organizations unlock their potential for growth by providing meaningful,
actionable advice through a broad range of services. Together with the
Quebec firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton LLP, Grant Thornton in Canada
has approximately 4,000 people in offices across Canada. Grant Thornton
LLP is a Canadian member of Grant Thornton International Ltd, whose
member firms operate in over 100 countries worldwide.
About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
The Canadian Chamber
of Commerce is the vital connection between business and the federal
government. Through its network of over 450 chambers of commerce and
boards of trade, representing 200,000 businesses of all sizes in all
sectors of the economy and in all regions, it helps shape public policy
and decision-making to the benefit of businesses, communities and
families across Canada.
