PropertyGuys.com CEO is among the First Three New Brunswickers Inducted to Top 50 CEO

Despite differences in era and industry, all three share timeless business practices and principles that provide good examples for young entrepreneurs.

Moncton, NB (May 14, 2007) – Our region’s young entrepreneurs need look no further than their own backyard to find suitable role models to emulate. New Brunswick shone at Atlantic Business Magazine’s Annual Top 50 CEO Awards gala last Thursday, with three Moncton businessmen being inducted into the Top CEO Hall of Fame. Sharing the spotlight at the glitzy Halifax event were Ken LeBlanc of PropertyGuys.com, Bernard Imbeault of Pizza Delight fame, and Wes Armour of Armour Transport.

This was the first time New Brunswickers made the Hall of Fame list.

“It’s a tremendous honour to be included with these industry giants,” says LeBlanc, who at 38, is at the helm of the country’s fastest growing private real estate marketing company. “They have been in business for decades, are excellent role models, and have gained immense respect from their peers.”

Although worlds apart in terms of time, technology and business landscape – both Imbeault and Armour started their businesses in the 1960’s – it is significant that each subscribes to similar business principles that remain timeless in relevance and effectiveness. And through adherence to these principles, each achieved remarkable success in his own field, providing examples for the region’s entrepreneurial youth, while successfully balancing family and community involvement.

Beyond this, the three Moncton-area businessmen share other commonalities: Each started modestly – with little more than a firm focus and a belief in his own capabilities. Imbeault built a small pizza outlet into a national franchise chain, Armour led a struggling family business into mainstream transportation, and LeBlanc is shifting the real estate paradigm. Each had the energy of youth when he started; each faced formidable competition; each persevered through many challenges.

LeBlanc remembers his first paying customer. The Riverview resident wanted to sell his house privately and put his faith in two green university pals who said they had a better idea for selling real estate. The year was 1998 and with less than $100 between them, he and Jeremy Dumont made their way to the client’s home in Jeremy’s dad’s van. Their tools of the trade were a modest private sale marketing website, a 35 mm camera, and an old election yard sign, repainted with a telephone number and website address. They wrote up their first contract on a blank piece of paper at the kitchen table.

“Our team bootstrapped for four to five years and grew the company through word of mouth and one-on-one honest dealings with people,” says LeBlanc. “This was the grassroots foundation of our company and still is today. Our franchisees still meet with people at kitchen tables.”

“That’s why this particular award means so much to all of us here at PropertyGuys.com,” says LeBlanc. “It’s being recognized for the principles that my partners and myself believe in and adhere to daily. It’s the acknowledgement that successful entrepreneurship isn’t just about making money. It’s about following your conscience, dreaming big and adopting a brand and style of leadership that enables positive change in the lives of others.”

Nominees for the Top 50 CEO list are assessed on business and leadership acumen, reaction to challenges, sustained growth, and commitment to community and industry. While the selection criteria for achieving the Top 50 list is, in itself, commendable in that it focuses more on ethical and social standards than company size or profits, admittance to the Hall of Fame is particularly meaningful as it is reserved for CEO’s who have made the Top 50 list five times. The 2007 Awards Gala was held May 5, 2007 at the Cunard Centre, in Halifax, N.S.

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About Atlantic Business Magazine’s Top 50 CEO List
Annually, since 1999, Atlantic Business Magazine chooses Atlantic Canada’s most accomplished business leaders for their Top 50 CEO list. The purpose is to not only recognize exceptional corporate achievements but also use their example to instruct other companies and business leaders on how to achieve similar success. Those making the Top 50 CEO selection are not recognized for salary or size, but for exemplary business leadership and social responsibility.

Contact information:

Dawn Chafe, Editor
Atlantic Business Magazine
Tel: Tel: 902-482-4510
Website: www.atlanticbusinessmagazine.com