Dani Reiss, President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Goose Inc. — an iconic, high-quality, "made in Canada" outerwear manufacturer — is this year's National Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year winner.
"What better way to celebrate Canadian entrepreneurship than by honouring someone who's built his company around a made-in-Canada strategy for success," says Colleen McMorrow, National and Ontario Director of Entrepreneur Of The Year. "Dani's core values of best-in-class quality, functionality, authenticity and technical innovation have taken Canada Goose to new heights of market leadership."
Entrepreneurs contribute to more than just the economy — they create new products, new production methods, new markets and new forms of organization. They are agents of change. And influencing change begins by pairing vision with an innovative mindset.
"In today's marketplace, innovation isn't just about reinventing the wheel. It must also mean understanding your customers' changing needs and improving on what already exists," says McMorrow.
Ernst & Young's report Competing for growth reveals that innovating based on potential customers — rather than current ones — is hurting, not helping, the bottom line for many companies. What's more, 63% of companies reported that incremental product/service innovation has been more successful than transformational innovation.
Getting the right systems in place to analyze your customer base is a smart move that could shift your product development in new, profitable directions. Better understanding customer needs is already driving an explosion of product development, particularly in the retail space.
"Dani risked it all when he decided to rebrand his family's company, but his determined mindset and innovative nature paid off. Today, Canada Goose Inc. is an industry leader, reaching consumers on a global scale," says McMorrow. "Great ideas are few and far between, and when you imagine something exceptional, taking the right strategic risk can reap a significant reward."
Dani competed against leading entrepreneurs from across the country: Pacific winner Robert Little, Regency Fireplace Products; Prairies winner Mac Van Wielingen, ARC Financial Corp.; Quebec winner Sean Roosen, Osisko Mining Corporation; and Atlantic winners Marcel LeBrun, Chris Newton and Chris Ramsey, Radian6 Inc.
Entrepreneur Of The Year recognizes the spirit and contribution of entrepreneurs here and around the world. The Canadian program is in its 18th year of honouring the country's most impressive entrepreneurs from all areas of business. Award winners are chosen based on a number of factors, including their vision, leadership, financial performance and social responsibility.
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