Waterloo Region Entrepreneur Hall of Fame

The Waterloo Region Entrepreneur Hall of Fame celebrates local business founders who have made a positive, lasting impact in our community. Originally created by the Prosperity Council, the event was hosted by Communitech from 2006 to 2012 and had been on hiatus until JA Waterloo Region revived the event in 2015 as an evolution of JA’s long-standing Business Spirit Awards. We are pleased to celebrate Waterloo Region’s entrepreneurial leaders, past and present, while we strive to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs who are involved in JA’s programs.

For almost five decades, this year’s Laureates, the Flanagan family has shone strongly within Waterloo Region and beyond. Since Joe and Dee Flanagan founded Flanagan Foodservice in 1977, the company has grown from humble beginnings into what is now the largest Canadian-owned food service distributor in the country.