Imagup General Magazine 2024
What names cross your mind when asked to list the most famous businessmen in Canada? You can never miss identifying someone in the list of the most prominent businessmen in Canada. Thankfully, we’ll look at the successful businessmen.
With several inventions and some outstanding business ideas traced to Canada, it is good to know the persons behind these successes. Here are some of the famous names in the business that has made Canada stand out in the entrepreneurship world.
The List of Famous Canadian Businessmen to look out for
Whether you want to invest in Canada as an entrepreneur or want information on some of the best businessmen, this list fits your needs. It explains each entrepreneur’s brief lifestyle and what they do to rank them high in the business world. Have a look.
1. Eugene Melnyk
Eugene Melnyk, a famous Canadian businessman and philanthropist, was born on May 27, 1959. He has been living in the Barbados area since 1991 and is currently the sole owner, chairman, and governor of Ottawa Senators- an ice hockey franchise of the National Hockey League (NHL).
In 2017, he ranked as the 79th wealthiest Canadian in a Canadian Business Magazine list of top 100 wealthiest people in Canada. His net worth was $1.21 billion, which has slightly dropped to $1.20 billion in 2024.
After a series of successful business ventures in the medical supplies field, Eugene decided to try a new venture – becoming a sports franchise businessman.
He began this journey with an investment he made by buying St. Michael Majors of the Ontario Hockey League. He then went ahead to buy the ownership of Mississauga Ice Dogs in 2006 and resold it in 2007 to facilitate the Majors’ movement to Mississauga.
On May 10, 2012, he sold the St. Michael Majors for an unknown price to Elliott Kerr, prompting him to focus on the Ottawa Senators hockey team. During his tenure as the owner of the team, it was ranked 23rd highest valued franchise at US$355 million.
Despite the team’s gains, the fan base seemed dissatisfied by his input in the team and therefore started calling for him to sell the team. That never came to be up to date.
2. Michelle Romanow
At only 35 years, Michelle’s business accomplishments have seen her appear in the CBC’s Dragon Den show, which shot her to fame. Her appearance on the show made her the youngest entrepreneur ever to brace the screens from the show.
She first ventured into a business while still completing her engineering degree, which saw her graduating with a profit of $100,000. At only 25 years, she had already mastered the art of managing three companies, which were all doing well. The number of companies under her name grew to five by the time she hit 33 years.
Some of the notable companies linked to her include Buytopia and Clearbanc, which she co-founded and is president. She is also the only Canadian featured on Forbes ‘Millenials on a Mission’.
3. Rick Perrault
While in Vancouver, BC in 2009, Rick Perrault founded Unbounce. He created a tech solution company to help businesses drive leads, customers, and sales using effective landing pages. However, it was until 2010 that he officially launched his business to start serving his customers.
At Unbounce, he came up with the ‘Zigging when others Zag’ term, which he uses to set himself apart from other businesses. Whatever zigging is, it seems to be working well for Perrault. After only four years of official operation, the company managed to plug in a revenue of $7 million in 2014.
Currently, Unbound is continuing to support its customers with significant conversions, which has led them to record considerable benefits in the e-commerce platforms. Companies seeking Unbounce’s services can now avoid broker developers’ expenses and the hassle of bottlenecks.
4. Brad Templeton
Brad Templeton excels in many skills that have seen him venture into a chain of businesses. Born in June 1960, the Canadian has ventured into several business fields, including working as a/an:
- Photographer
- Writer
- Online community pioneer
- News publisher
- Software developer
- Comedian
- Civil rights advocate
- Public speaker
- Self-driving car consultant
- Educator, and
- Futurist
Brad’s most notable projects in entrepreneurship include founding and being the CEO of ClariNet communications in 1989. The company was the first founded to engage in commercial activities over the early internet usage.
Brad further went ahead to be a part of the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s growth and development since 1997 and became its chairman between 2000 and 2010. His other vital projects include his excellent works in Electrical Frontier Foundation, Software Career, rec.humor.funny and USENET.
5. Calvin Edward Ayre
Born on May 25, 1961, Calvin Ayre is a notable Canadian-Antiguan entrepreneur living in Antigua and Barbuda. He founded the Ayre Group and Bodog entertainment brand, which prompted his success as an entrepreneur.
Calvin launched an online gambling company known as Bodog in 2000, spiraling him into becoming a billionaire. His popularity increased in the online gaming endeavors that saw him land on the front cover of Forbes magazine’s annual Billionaires edition of 2006. He also featured on Star magazine’s list of ‘Most Eligible Billionaire bachelors’ in 2007.
In 2012, he rubbed shoulders with the US Attorney for Maryland, who charged him for illegal gambling and money laundering. However, the Antiguan government viewed the charges labeled against him as ‘completely contrary to binding international agreements.’ All these charges labeled against him were dropped in 2017 when he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge.
He was later appointed an Economic Envoy for Antigua and Barbuda in charge of cryptocurrency-related advisories. He also launched a televised poker series known as Calvin Ayre WildCard Poker on Fox Sports, which featured pro and celebrity players.
The players faced off against online qualifiers for prizes. Being an early investor in Bitcoin, he announced plans to build a $100 million five-star resort on Antigua Valley Church beach with the proceeds he had made from his Bitcoin investments.
6. Ryan Holmes
Ryan Holmes’ name is not new in the entrepreneurship world. Born in BC, Holmes began his entrepreneurship journey in high school and has grown to test his prowess in various ventures. He tested his entrepreneurial skills in running a pizza joint and a paintball company before he finally landed his current most successful venture ever.
Today he is the successful CEO of Hootsuite, which he launched in 2008 as a social media management tool. Hootsuite is today recognized globally as the most extensively-used management tool. It brags of over 18 million users.
Ryan has supported entrepreneurial growth as a community by always sharing his great business ideas with like-minded fellows.
7. Mathew Tsoumaris
If you’ve heard of Honeycomb Hospitality, then you probably already know of Mathew Tsoumaris. He is one of the co-founders of this widely loved culinary and hospitality venture. Born in Toronto, he never confined himself in his birth city but emerged as an avid traveler, a nightlife connoisseur, and above all, a serial entrepreneur.
His passion for culinary and hospitality has seen him desire to transform Toronto’s culinary and nightlife scene. That explains why he got involved in creating numerous entertainment venues before the creation of Honeycomb Hospitality. These venues include:
- Wildflower
- Cheval
- Everleigh
- 1812
- Valdez
- Cobra
- The Ballroom Bowling
- Digital Dreams Festival
The Honeycomb was created to achieve one outstanding mandate: to bring out a unique hospitality management company that ensures people come first. With Tsoumaris’ help, Honeycomb made four of the most popular culinary and nightlife venues in Toronto. These four include Petty Cash, Dasha, Baro, and the Citizen.
8. Steve Georgiev
Steve Georgiev has an insatiable desire for innovative businesses and projects. He began his career with a logistic company that has since evolved into creative ideas that he continually develops to become large scale businesses.
Steve is one of the founders at JDG, a modern hospitality group that owns and manages several nightlife and restaurant venues. He has also co-founded a touring international dinner festival known as Dinner with a View. He also co-founded Mr. Black Technologies, which helps clients to manage venues globally using the software.
Following the legalization of cannabis in some states, Georgiev looks to build a cannabis brand kicking off in ten retail stores. These stores will start functioning soon, after which he plans to expand them to several regions.
During the pandemic, he got the inspiration to build a hot yoga and fitness pop-up event in his Lmnts Studios. His business experience running for over 21 years keeps him coming up with business ideas even in the most challenging times.
Final Words
When looking for every resource to start a business, you will need to grab any information to help your business grow. Following these already established entrepreneurs and learning more about them can help you overcome your business obstacles. Whether you want to start a business in Canada or elsewhere globally, you can always follow these sensational success stories to help shape yours.
