Deluce gestures warmly towards his office where to the left of his uncluttered desk rests a pile of framed portraits that chronicle his roots and achievements in the aviation industry. Despite their significance, they emit an unpretentious display as they rest on the floor stacked against the walls.

He’s particularly amused by Mr. Porter in the room, a playful figure of the company mascot fashioned with leftover parts and pieces from Bombardier. The model was a gift from the aircraft company when it delivered Porter’s 20th Dash 8 Q400 turboprop back in 2010. In an advertising world saturated with puppies and bunnies, the raccoon seems an unlikely choice to represent a corporate brand, but Deluce applauds the curious creature for its persistent personality. “I think we have a lot of individuals who can be equally thought of as Mr., Mrs. or Miss Porter within our organization. I think they are quite determined, and they manage to find ways around the little challenges or speed bumps … they seem to come out on top in achieving the end-result.”

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Born to aviation parents in a family of nine children, the Deluce name has been a fixture in the industry for more than five decades. Deluce’s father, Stanley Deluce, was a Hawker Hurricane fighter pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II before launching White River Air Services. The company eventually purchased Austin Airways, one of the oldest airlines in Canada to connect people to remote communities before its interest was sold to Air Canada in 1986. The family patriarch also broke new ground when he established air-ambulance jet service in Ontario. Deluce nostalgically selects a frame of his father from his collection, where the family patriarch is dressed in a tuxedo for his induction into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame in 2008.

As former executive of the family business Air Ontario (which was sold to Air Canada), Deluce is well aware of the trajectory new entrants endure in a sky monopolized by travel juggernauts and unpredictable fuel prices. Six years after Deluce resigned as its CEO, Canada 3000 took an unexpected nosedive due to a decrease in passengers in a post 9-11 world. Other airlines stuck in the rut of the shaky airline scene include Skyservice Airlines and Roots Air, a start-up that closed the same year it opened.

Internalizing the unrelenting qualities of his company’s furry face, Deluce has steered the regional airline of Porter through some difficult terrain. Long before the financial meltdown of 2008-2009, a strategic yet controversial bridge that would connect passengers to the island airport was proposed by the Toronto Port Authority (TPA), but later cancelled by the city after former mayor David Miller, who opposed the project to preserve Toronto Harbour, was elected in 2003. “The bridge not going ahead probably helped us in the end. It allowed us more time to put together a stronger management team, and to probably attract significantly stronger financing … It took us a couple more years to get ready and to do the alternative plan, but things happen for a reason, and we really haven’t look back,” says Deluce, who received an undisclosed amount of compensation after settling a lawsuit against the city of Toronto and the Canadian Federal Government. Privately owned Porter, which has suspended an initial public offering, is waiting for an appropriate market and financing requirement to go public.

After the bridge setback, Deluce turned towards improving access to the airport, which resulted in two new ferries financed by the TPA. The romantic route to the airport arrives every 15 minutes and takes 90 seconds to reach the island airport, where there are two departure lounges. As early as next year, construction on a $45-million pedestrian-only tunnel proposed by the TPA will commence. “Sometimes you’re given a lemon, and sometimes you have to turn it into lemonade,” he says. However shy and polite in his manners and conversation, Deluce is not one to be miscalculated when it comes to getting what he wants.

Since its inception, Deluce has shrewdly readied his course against major competitors such as Air Canada and WestJet, tightly controlling Porter’s breathing space in a climate stifled with volatility. “He’s setting out to run a very successful airline,” comments Joseph R. D’Cruz, a professor of strategic management at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. In the same year that Porter Airlines launched, Air Canada was ejected from the island airport by the Deluce-owned Regco Holdings Inc. (now Porter Aviation Holdings), which purchased the terminal being used by Air Canada Jazz. This allowed Porter total domination at Billy Bishop – up until now. After an enduring court battle, Air Canada returned to the island earlier this year, operating 30 takeoff/landing slots compared to Porter’s 172. But Deluce doesn’t mind having his enemies closer: as the landlord of the airport’s operating bases, Air Canada has to pay him terminal fees. “Air Canada really played into Deluce’s hands because it treated the airport very poorly. Porter actually rescued the airport from bankruptcy. Firstly, [Porter] bought the terminal buildings from the airport, which improved the airport’s cash flow, and secondly, it signed a long-term, very favourable contract with the airport. Air Canada brought those problems onto itself because it refused to sign a long-term contract,” says D’Cruz, who doesn’t foresee Air Canada’s presence as a major threat to Porter.

Apart from the challenges, the licensed pilot, whose description of flying parallels his business approach, remains an optimistic leader. “It’s actually quite pleasant popping through the cloud and have nothing but sunshine up above.”

To date, Porter has flown over five million passengers in its short history, with more than 200,000 of its passengers originating from Toronto’s 905 area code. This year marks the fifth anniversary for the regional airline, whose number of employees has significantly risen from 200 to 1,300 since its first scheduled flight to Ottawa in 2006. Catering to a monied, corporate crowd, Porter will have attained its 26th  fuel-efficient Bombardier turboprop by the end of this year. It is also considering increasing its five U.S. destinations to include Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and introduce packaged vacations in 2012. The low-cost airline currently travels to 13 major Canadian cities, including Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins – areas that were hard to get to affordably before Porter came along. “I think that defines our success – the fact that we regularly now carry in excess of 200,000 passengers per month, whereas our predecessor, Air Canada, when they were here at this airport in their last 12 months of operating from Toronto City Airport, they only carried – now I’m not talking about a month now but in their last 12 months – they only carried about 20,000 passengers. In a single month we are now carrying better than 10 times what they carried in a full year.” Air Canada continues to be the nation’s largest airline, with air transport to over 180 destinations.

Sometimes good things can come in small packages. The compact airline delivers an all-round pleasurable experience for its time-sensitive business travellers, with free bottled water and soft drinks, specialty coffee, muffins and sandwiches in its lounges. Onboard service includes complimentary beer and wine served in glassware as you sit back on leather seats with extra legroom. “It’s a different experience when you come here, maybe it’s a bit shorter for a person to get to [Toronto] Pearson [International Airport], but it’s a much more complicated experience,” relates Deluce.  The early days of flying are further evoked with flight attendants fitted in retro outfits and pillbox hats – a look recently emphasized with the explosive popularity of the TV series Pan Am.

Deluce acknowledges that a strong business plan and financial backing were key factors to confronting the tumultuous airline industry, as well as adhering to the company foundation blocks of “speed, convenience and service.” His son Michael Deluce is Porter’s chief commercial officer, part of a seasoned management of over 70.

While service and business savvy have contributed immensely to the success of Porter Airlines, Deluce’s origins play an integral role. Deluce recalls his first memory on a plane: sitting on a cushion on a seat next to his father, who would allow him to fly while the plane was in flight. Aviation was in his blood long before earning his wings as a commercial pilot or signing off on corporate deals. “There’s lots of things I’ll never forget about him,” says Deluce of his mentor. “I think that the basic business philosophy in terms of treating individuals the way you would want to be treated yourself – that’s probably something that I can remember him always sort of using as a basic guiding principal in terms of how he dealt with individuals in a fair manner. And I think we try to do that here, too.”
www.flyporter.com

Most people would go on to become a doctor after getting a double degree in microbiology and biochemistry, but as you’ll soon discover, Kaplan is not like most people. Instead, the University of Toronto graduate decided to turn his talents as a caricaturist into a career and hit the Yellow Brick Road in pursuit of pursuing the celebrities he grew up celebrating. His affinity for the famous began at adolescence, when a young Kaplan would sit in front of a bunny-eared television set and draw portraits of his favourite stars from Hollywood Squares, The Brady Bunch and The Lucy Show. “I think sometimes things are innate, I mean who tells a seven-year-old to start sketching Charlie Chaplin or Lucille Ball?” says Kaplan, who began studying and corresponding with legendary caricaturist to the stars, Al Hirschfeld. “I thought, ‘I want to be like him, I want to do what he does.’ That’s when I started to draw caricatures a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, like all the time!”

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Kaplan began pitching his cartoons to local newspapers and was almost immediately syndicated in Canada. As his success snowballed, he proceeded to push his “Where are they Now” column to nearly 60 newspapers in the U.S. that picked it up. His idea to send cartoons directly to celebrities was probably one of his greatest. “You never know what’s going to happen, so if you don’t try anything, nothing will happen,” says Kaplan, who had to resort to phone books and mail in a pre-dot-com era. When he started getting positive feedback and thank-you letters from people like George Michael, John Travolta and Quentin Tarantino, Kaplan became captivated. One instance of gratitude particularly rings a bell: “I answered the phone and someone said, ‘Please hold for Bono.’ I was like, ‘what!?’”

Eventually it got to a point where Kaplan wanted the people he sketched on paper to come to life. He wanted to meet them face-to-face. He started pitching TV concepts to production companies and eventually, Totally Tracked Down got picked up in 2010. “I was pitching it as a producer and they said, ‘Well, why don’t you host it?’” So the offbeat, spikey haired, self-proclaimed “nut bar” from Woodbridge set out to Los Angeles to track down stars like Seinfeld’s Estelle Harris and The Brady Bunch’s Christopher Knight. Sometimes he’d have to jump through hoops and harass family and friends, while other times he’d just happen to be at the right place at the right time. “You have to think positive and you attract positivity. Here I am, I have this affinity towards celebrities, and I bump into them,” says Kaplan, which was the case when he spotted Lindsay Lohan outside the Beverley Hills Hotel on one of his days off. “I saw her walk in and followed her … the whole time we were talking she held my hand, she never let go of my hand once and she always looked me right in the eyes, sweet as can be.” Totally Tracked Down was cancelled when a new production company came in, but Kaplan was consoled when his show was posthumously nominated for a Gemini award.

When Kaplan looks back on his career, he’s proud of the decisions he’s made. His cartoons are still published between 400 – 500 times a year in various North American newspapers, and his mind permeates with new show concepts he hopes to create. As for his time spent studying sciences in university? He would never erase those years; it’s there that he fell in love with his wife of 21 years, Frances. The couple has three children. “Follow your heart, that’s the first thing. Do whatever you want in life because if you do what you want you’ll be successful because you’re happy.”

www.marshallarts.ca

No one, especially in the world of technology, has influenced more lives than Jobs. Rival developer Bill Gates spoke of the pleasure of knowing him, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg thanked him for showing “what you build can change the world,” celebrities wished him a heartfelt farewell, U.S. President Barack Obama acknowledged his greatness, and millions of people around the globe Tweeted, Facebooked, and paid tribute to the memory of Steven P. Jobs. Who else could match such a feat?

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“Steve Jobs, one of the most widely respected and recognized technology pioneers of our age, is largely responsible for putting a personal computer in our home and more recently, in our pocket,” says Canadian technology expert Marc Saltzman. “He changed how technology products should look, how we interact with them and what we could do with them as tools to enhance and enrich our lives.”

He helped bring the Apple II – the first complete, ready-to-use, right-out-of-the-box personal computer – to the public in 1977. He also co-founded Pixar Animation Studio in 1986, and introduced the world to the first entirely computer-generated feature film, Toy Story, in 1995. When he returned to Apple in 1997 to salvage the sinking company, he didn’t listen to the likes of Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Computer, when he suggested shutting the company down. Instead, Jobs brought a renaissance to computing.

It was a remarkable time. There was a stark revolution in the tech world, something never seen before: technology was sexy. It wasn’t just about speed and productivity – computers were forming to the individual’s personality and lifestyle. With the release of products like the colour-varied iMac (1998) and the portable iPod (2001), technology was fashionable. Celebrities were being asked, “What’s on you iPod?” Desktop computers were stylistically clean and sleek, and those iconic earbuds were instant style statements. These were devices you could proudly show off without shame or embarrassment. Without question, geek was in.

Technology was now something that could match your wardrobe, and computers were far more approachable than those hulking towers ominously looming over desks. And all the while there was Steve Jobs, smiling in his standard black turtleneck and blue jeans, unveiling each new piece of tech, and always adding, “But there’s just one more thing.”

Jobs just understood where technology was going. He recognized that the merger of science and art – functionality and design; technology and personal expression – were what resonated with people. “There’s certain products in our life that when you see them you really appreciate the fact that they speak to you,” says John Pliniussen, associate professor and specialist of e-marketing, sales and innovation at Queen’s University. Jobs wasn’t an engineer or a programmer; he was an architect forming tools that shaped our world – ones appreciated for their beauty as much as their abilities.

His philosophy towards tech was reflected in Apple’s marketing direction. While other companies would promote their products on speed and performance like some horse-power-pumping sports car, Apple instead focused on what mattered: connectivity. Apple  devices talked to each other. They could interface together in ways that no other tech developer could match. Your iPod easily connects to your Mac, and iTunes automatically organizes your music. Simple. Clean. Accessible. “I think, mostly, they [the public] love how user-friendly the products are and how they interface with each other so seamlessly,” adds Pliniussen.

But it wasn’t just connectivity between devices – it was the way these products connected people. When he took the stage on Jan. 9, 2007, and unveiled the iPhone, Jobs was bringing another revolution to the world. Sure, there were smartphones before, but none had the soul of the iPhone. Users now held the power of a portable computer in the palm of their hand, but the real strength was in how it changed our interactions with others. It became the benchmark imitated by a throng of hangers-on all trying to capture its magic through touch screens and apps.

When the iPad was revealed in 2010 – heralded a ‘post-PC’ device – it was just one more innovation that would carry other developers on its coattails. Competing tablet devices can play all the music, movies and games they want, but it’s the simplicity and emotional connection that Apple’s products create that always drew the attention of the world. It’s no secret: no one wants a tablet – they want an iPad.

I asked a close friend who is quite the Apple aficionado why Jobs had resonated so profoundly with him. He explains that Jobs was a “storyteller.” People didn’t just connect with his products, but with him. His soon to be released authorized biography has already topped Amazon’s bestseller list – a testament to this ability. He was personable. He was innovative. And he was genuine. While we can read stories about his brutal honesty or his arrogant demeanour (he certainly wasn’t afraid to call out competitors onstage), he really felt that technology could revolutionize our lives – that our organization and interaction could be shaped by our beloved devices. He lived every day as if it was his last and never feared failure. He was always reaching and never listened to the naysayers. And he always encouraged, as he said in his commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005, to “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” Of the end he said,“Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new … Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

As I sit in front of my iMac and listen to my iPod Touch, Jobs’ influence is undeniable. Macs are a staple in design studios, iPads are being used more and more in classrooms, and Apple is one of the most profitable companies in the world. Jobs has brought us this far, but who will be next to take up the flame?  Either way, when history books are cracked 20 years from now, Jobs will be the man remembered, unquestionably, for shifting the world’s technological paradigm. Who knows, they’ll probably even have an app for that.

You can imagine the surreal experience of enjoying that cup of coffee with Chilton a day after the official launch of his long-awaited follow-up, The Wealthy Barber Returns. The conversation coincidentally takes place amongst a backdrop of books at The Fairmont Royal York’s Library Bar; books by authors that likely didn’t smash Canadian publishing records like he has. “I still look back now 22 years later and shake my head at the whole thing,” he says, crediting much of his success to mass word-of-mouth. Chilton had no plans of putting his economic pointers on paper a second time. It was a growing frustration with Canadian’s low savings rates and high-borrowing trends that caused him to concede. “I know it sounds a little corny, but I think the final piece that motivated me is that I don’t think there’s much of a link between consumer spending and happiness … plus I had a lot of new things I wanted to say,” says Chilton, who earned the highest mark in the country on the Canadian Securities Course in ’85.

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In addition to exploring the psychological realms of money, The Wealthy Barber Returns forges ahead with its popular maxim of saving at least 10 – 15 per cent of your earnings. It also places a new prominence on the culture of spending, the harsh realities of chasing the stock market and the role of banks in today’s volatile economy. “It’s tough to save, because it’s tough not to spend. So when I wrote this book I really gave a lot of thought to how to position it in a way that actually changes behaviour … I thought if I could introduce enough stories and humour and everything else, I might be able to get people to look at it,” he says. This timely 224-page financial guide is delivered directly from Chilton, rather than his fictional proxy, Roy the Barber.

Readers can dine comfortably knowing that Chilton is a chef who eats at his own restaurant. The man warning society not to spend beyond its means lives in a modest 1,300 sq. ft. house, doesn’t have a garage, cottage or boat, and derives no apparent happiness from haute couture. “I don’t like all that stuff, I find it a burden to even be worrying about it,” he says, sipping a Coke. “I have a sweet life.”

Since he’s returned, Chilton has been doing back-to-back interviews and book signings. The Wealthy Barber Returns is currently No. 1 on several best-selling lists, and based on his vocalized passion, this conversation could have continued for hours if it weren’t for a reporter visibly waiting his turn in the wings.

Before Chilton departs, a card-carrier of his cult-like following emerges. “You’re the Wealthy Barber, right?” the woman asks, perfectly timed. “I read your book many years ago, you taught me to pay myself first,” she says. As he offers her a copy of his latest release, there’s a sense that Canadians are safe for at least a little while longer. “I would love to have people 10 years from now say, ‘Hey, I read the book and I’m
saving more.’”  www.wealthybarber.com

The daily defeats of door-knocking spurred sleepless nights and fears of not being able to feed his two young kids on a commission-based salary. “I just ran out of steam. I borrowed the last dollar I could on the credit card, borrowed the last dollar I could on the line of credit, couldn’t refinance my house anymore; I was down to the last drop,” he says of a situation that many Canadians face.

Weekends were the worst for Tarantino. While he would savour staying inside the house with his wife, Anna, and kids Nicholas and Cristina, the possibility of having to sell their family home was becoming an alarming reality. “For two days, I didn’t have to acknowledge another week of failure, I was numb.”

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That all changed one afternoon when Anna brought home the movie Invincible, based on American football legend Vince Papale, who famously beat the odds when he became a wide receiver with the Philadelphia Eagles at the age of 30. “There was something that gravitated me to that movie, it was as if I knew this guy, I knew what he was going through, it just touched me,” says Tarantino, adding that he’s watched the film at least 60 times with his family since.

Once the credits appeared, Tarantino made a decision to drastically alter his attitude, eliminating all excuses. What he once considered failures became lessons. Today he is a highly successful mortgage broker with Dominion Lending Centre. “Who would have thought I’d be where I am now five years ago?” says Tarantino, who travels to southern Italy with his family every summer. “I could have bought that million-dollar home, but that is not me or Anna. We have deep roots in our neighbourhood and our community.” And when Tarantino noticed his son writing jersey No. 8 on the back of his shirts and one day heard him say, ‘I’m like Vince Papale, I don’t give up,’ he realized he wasn’t the only one who was positively impacted by Invincible.

If it weren’t for his son’s incessant pleas to meet the former footballer, Tarantino might not have gotten the courage to reach out to him. “To my surprise … he answered my email,” he says. The online exchanges led to a phone conversation, and serendipitously, Tarantino made arrangements for Papale to come to Vaughan and speak at an event he was hosting
for realtors.

When he arrived, Papale spent time touring Toronto with the Tarantino family. “We were instant friends … we’re brothers,” says Papale, who was unbelievably humbled when he heard how his story touched Tarantino’s life. The message that he translated to the crowd was a clear one: it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, everyone is capable of having that invincible moment. “Surround yourself with good people, persevere, and never give up – give it a shot, what do you have to lose?”

With a family history of heart disease and a father who suffered two heart attacks in his 40s, Neena felt inclined to pursue a career in cardiology. In the early ’80s, she obtained a degree in nuclear medicine from the Toronto Institute of Medical Technology, which led to a position at St. Michael’s Hospital as a nuclear medicine technologist. It was there that she became perturbed by the long waits patients endured to see doctors, take tests and receive results, noticing a major gap in the field of health care. “I felt like something better could be done.”

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Rather than watch these issues progress, she took initiative, and in a valiant demonstration of faith and ambition, Neena and Vijay  sold their family home to finance the development of KMH Cardiology and Diagnostic Centres’ first facility in Mississauga. “The thought never occurred to me that it wasn’t going to work. I didn’t have any thoughts, my only thought was, ‘this is what I want to do. So what do I have to do to get it done?’” says Neena.

Today, KMH has grown to more than 10 locations across Ontario, Canada and Maryland, U.S., and has provided more than 600,000 cardiology, nuclear cardiology and nuclear medicine diagnostic tests. “It created a different environment on how humans should be respected, treated and how quickly and efficiently testing should be done. Businesses exist to serve people, and one must give back to communities,” says Vijay, who was named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006 for his work as KMH’s president and chief financial officer.

By providing timely services to approximately 90 – 100,000 community members annually, KMH helps detect health problems while still in their early stages, allotting hospitals more time to care for the critically ill. “If you know that there is something wrong with you,  then there is the possibility of a cure. We just love what we do. We are able to have an impact on people’s lives,” says Neena.

Neena has overcome several obstacles to get to where she is today, but according to her, having the XX gene has never been one of them. “If you think that being a woman is going to make a difference, than it will, but at the end of the day, if you want what you want you are going to do whatever you can to get what you want. I don’t think it makes a difference if you are a woman or a man,” she says. “Woman is twice smarter than man,” adds Vijay.

Being honoured by a roomful of people isn’t an inaugural experience for Neena, who could easily fill a library with accolades. From her entrepreneurship to numerous philanthropic endeavours, Neena makes it clear that you can’t simply wait around for success to fall on your lap – you have to get out there and grab it. “If you have a goal in mind, or if there is something you really want to do, then figure out how to get it done and do it.”
www.kmhlabs.com

Today, Guizzetti Developments Inc., which has revolutionized the Yonge Street Corridor with high-density, mid-sized commercial and residential projects, is a testament to the fortified bond between father and son. “I’ve never been afraid to make sacrifices,” says Giovanni, who left his hometown in Bergamo, Italy when he was 26. Arriving in Halifax on his birthday in 1956, he travelled to Montreal for work where he humbly accepted pay of 80 cents an hour. Patient and inquisitive for opportunities, Giovanni landed a job cutting wood in Timmins, Ont., which increased his daily income from $10 to $40. Looking back, he had no idea he would one day be at the helm of a transportation, real estate and construction domain creating employment opportunities for others.

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When work waned during the cold winter months, Giovanni used his savings to buy a truck. “I was working day and night to make money, hauling and loading wood by hand,” he recalls. In 1960, he married Luisa, a pretty brunette from Welland, Ont. They settled in Richmond Hill and had three children: Danny, Emma and Stefano. Just four years after landing in Halifax, Giovanni became a partner in The Richvale Garage at Yonge Street and Edgar Avenue. As founder and president of Woodbine Truck Centre Ltd., Giovanni was in the driver’s seat of a number 1 national distributor for International Harvest Trucks. In addition, Giovanni imported Californian grapes and grape juice for winemaking with Guizzetti Bros Importing. In 1980, Giovanni became the president of Central Mack Truck Sales Ltd., which became the number 1 distributor of Mack trucks in the world, and was acknowledged as one of the top 10 companies in Ontario. During this time, the town of Richmond Hill awarded Giovanni for his outstanding performance in business.

Having dabbled in various industries throughout the years, Giovanni has proven his strong work ethic. “I was always on time – I was never late,” says Giovanni, now 80. He still sneaks into the office “to talk to people and pretend he’s working,” he admits with a laugh. Despite his age, Giovanni’s memory remains muscular, as he vividly recalls his early days as a farmer in northern Italy. When he was drafted to the army in the region of Le Marche, he showed promise and potential. His first mission moved him quickly up the ranks after he successfully destroyed a barn in just one shot.

Throughout the years, his sharp eye never wavered. “He takes initiative and does the best he can in whatever he does,” says Stefano, president of Guizzetti Developments. “He doesn’t do anything mediocre … he does it or just doesn’t do it at all. I’ve always admired my father’s integrity – his word means everything.” To date, the company has acquired over 1 million sq. ft. of real estate. Its latest feat is The Grand Genesis, a luxury condominium of approximately 300 residences on Yonge Street and Edgar Avenue. “I’m proud to set an example of what Richmond Hill requires,” says Stefano. “I take it as a big responsibility. Our decisions have to take into careful consideration the various goals and objections of both the surrounding local community and the municipality at large.”

The Grand Genesis complex will secure the highest level of certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System with Gold Certification, which helps to better the environment with sustainable green building practices. “I’m so proud of our LEED goal. We are taking initiative by providing a gold standard when it’s not required.”

Attracting first-time buyers, young professionals and empty nesters, The Grand Genesis will debut in the spring of 2011. “What’s most exciting is that we are going to be creating up to 400 jobs in the next few years,” says Stefano. Apart from increasing employment, Guizzetti Developments supports Habitat for Humanity, Rosalie Hall and United Way. Recently, Guizzetti Developments generously donated a home and a substantial donation to Yellow Brick House, a women’s shelter desperately in need of housing for abused women and children.

“Through my father’s hard work over the years – his sweat – I’m grateful for the opportunity to have acquired the real estate that he has, and trusting me to develop these properties, which has enabled me to create Guizzetti Developments.”

www.guizzetti.com
905.597.0200

Though he admits that the road to success has its bumps, Ferri chooses to embrace all challenges, as they are essential facets for progress. Catering to a wide range of clientele in Toronto, Vaughan and even Alberta, Ferri’s group furthered its time-honoured reputation by adding BMW, Mini, and most recently, Ford and Lincoln to its distinguished roster of dealerships. “You need to be able to service your customers, not just with one brand, but multiple brands. We touch on every angle, that’s the beauty of this,” says Ferri, who spent his adolescence apprenticing at Ferrari in Italy – envisioning the day he would be able to own his own. Diversification was the key motive behind Ferri’s latest acquisition – Pine Tree Ford and Lincoln. “The most valuable thing that you can compile in a business is your database. By enhancing our marquee, we are generating a larger selection of automobiles that we can offer our customers,” says Ferri, adding that it also gives him great pleasure to now distribute North American products.

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While Ferri’s coveted cars certainly keep him busy, he always finds time to give back to the community. Over the past 11 years, The Remo Ferri Group of Automobiles has fulfilled generous commitments to a variety of charities, especially SickKids Foundation. “I had a dream, and my dream was to work for Ferrari; when I look at kids, they love Ferrari too, and these kids have dreams of their own, so what better way to help?” he explains. With three progeny of his own, Ferri has a natural affinity for younger generations. His daughter manages The Remo Ferri Group of Automobiles’ HR department and his youngest is a 21-month-old boy. “Every time he sees the Ferrari emblem he yells, ‘Pappi, pappi!’ It’s unbelievable.”

When Ferri isn’t delivering fast cars, spending time with family or being a philanthropist, he’s fulfilling his childhood fantasies at the racetrack. “I actually believe that you have to follow your passions – if you do, you will be successful. I truly believe that.”
www.remoferrigroup.com
www.pinetreefordlincoln.com
www.ferrariofontario.com

Christine Magee

As someone who runs a business that tells people how important it is to get a good night’s rest, Christine Magee practises what she preaches. President, co-founder and well-recognized spokesperson of Sleep Country Canada, Magee is one of our nation’s leading businesswomen and mother of two. She worked at the National Bank of Canada, where she met her future business partners, Gordon Lownds and Stephen Gunn, before her entrepreneurial instinct to jump into mattress retail took over in 1994. Magee has turned Sleep Country into Canada’s No. 1 mattress retailer and has been counting sheep ever since. Besides its comfy Sealys and Sertas, Sleep Country Canada is best known for its catchy “Why buy a mattress anywhere else?” radio jingle. www.sleepcountry.ca

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Harry Rosen

Hats off to Harry Rosen! His tailoring acumen and penchant for the apparel industry has over the years led to him being recognized as the king of retail fashion. His shops across Canada are legendary, as is his philosophy of quality and class. Not one to turn his bespoke back to loyal and new customers, Rosen continues to service customers and walk the Harry Rosen sales floor. At 74, Rosen has been active in numerous philanthropic endeavours, which include but are not limited to the Canadian Paraplegic Association and Mount Sinai Friends for Life Campaign. www.harryrosen.com

Gerry Schwartz

Investing in you is sound business advice from successful investor Gerry Schwartz. In 1983, he founded Onex, an investment firm whose billion-dollar portfolio includes Celestica, Spirit Aerosystems and Cineplex Entertainment. Before that, he launched CanWest Capital Corp. with media magnate Izzy Asper. A Scotiabank director since 1999, Schwartz first caught a glimpse of the world of business while working in his dad’s auto shop in Winnipeg. The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business Magazine pegs Schwartz’s net worth at $1.5 billion. www.onex.com

Michael Lee-Chin

Passionate about building a legacy, Michael Lee-Chin’s Portland Holdings Inc. has a mantra of doing well and doing good. Portland Holdings owns a diverse collection of companies in Canada and the Caribbean, one of which is the National Commercial Bank of Jamaica. Since Lee-Chin purchased the bank in 2002, it has grown to be the largest in the country with a formidable reputation of building a better Jamaica. The eldest of nine children, Lee-Chin was born a leader. www.portlandholdings.com

Michael Budman

Athletes, like the rest of the Canadian population, continue to outfit themselves in a defining Canuck culture brand. Inspired by childhood experiences at summer camp,  Michael Budman co-founded Roots in 1973. At the time, he and his partner, Don Green, knew very little of the corporate world. They just knew that they wanted to offer the public the Negative Heel Shoe, which became an instant hit among the masses. There are now 120 Roots locations across North America. www.canada.roots.com

Aitken’s storied past helped pave the way for Verity. As a former top-tier investment analyst and successful entrepreneur, Aitken often found herself at all-male roundtables. “Most of the industries that I’d been involved in were male-dominated, especially at the senior level, and I thought ‘this is just wrong,’” she says. Aitken was aware that companies in which women held senior positions had enhanced fiscal performance, so she began questioning the gender discrepancies. “In my view, what was missing was the mentoring and networking that is made less available to women. That led me to thinking, there should be a place where women can go to form these informal networks that lead to business development and information exchange in a supportive environment.”

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Aitken’s determined efforts to create a community where flourishing women come together to share ideas and perpetuate peace is one of her biggest feats. Established in 2004, Verity was meticulously planned, flawlessly produced and is continually evolving. “When you walk through the doors of Verity, everything gets stripped away – it doesn’t matter what your business card says, how old you are, where you’re from or where you’re going – we are all just members of this magnificent community,” says Tonie Chaltas, CIO of the respected PR firm Hill and Knowlton.

Within the spacious confines of Verity’s luxurious 55,000 sq. ft. headquarters are stunning meeting rooms and lounge areas, an advanced fitness centre, luxurious lodgings, a full-service spa, a convenient flower shop and Toronto’s distinguished George Restaurant. “The club is all about saving time for women and creating a sanctuary where they are able to give themselves something back,” says Aitken, who, as a businesswoman and mother of six boys, knows a thing or two about the value of time. “There are, of course, also the clubs within the club, like the wine club, book club, investment club, chess club and even Scrabble club,” she adds.

Verity also offers support groups for divorced women, women in transition, mothers, kids, and more. MasterMIND is a unique program that matches career-minded women to discuss business challenges and develop solutions. “It’s like having your own personal advisory board. It has been one of the most rewarding and valuable career development programs I have ever participated in,” says Chaltas.

“What brings these women together is like-mindedness. They want more out of life, they want to learn more, they want to be enriched.” – Mary Aitken

Lauded by Profit Magazine as one of Canada’s fastest growing companies, Verity’s membership consists of hundreds of strong-minded women. “They’re the most diverse and dynamic women you can meet. From artists to broadcasters to investment bankers, doctors, entrepreneurs, it’s all ages and all backgrounds,” says Aitken, who was recognized as one of Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs by Profit. “What brings these women together is like-mindedness. They want more out of life, they want to learn more, they want to be enriched,” she adds.

Many of these women are not only standouts in their professional lives but also in their personal communities. Several of them are privileged today because they were able to overcome personal setbacks in the past. Verity members use their success as a platform to help those who are disadvantaged. “Our support of the Salvation Army in Regent Park has provided opportunities for young girls to discover their potential through the Verity Girls Club,” says Verity member and CEO of ORENDA, Peggie Pelosi. The Girls Club provides mentorship to disadvantaged youth. “It’s all about building self-esteem, which is the most important thing for these girls going forward. If they believe that anything is possible, then they can reach higher and set their goals accordingly,” says Aitken. One of the ways they achieve this is by taking the girls to some of the members’ professional work environments and highlight their future potential. Verity opens the doors of George Restaurant each Christmas to the residents of Regent Park for a communal feast.

One might wonder how a mother of six, who had never actively participated in a club before, could create such a large and fast-growing all-female club. But Aitken had a vision that exceeded anyone’s preconceived notions. “I’ve never really focused on stereotypes. I just get on with what I have to do and I do it. I wanted to make an impact and a contribution, and this is my way of giving back to the women who are generations behind me.”

www.verity.ca
416.368.6006