Fifty of Canada's leading private organizations, spanning a wide array of industries, have earned the distinction of Best Managed Company by demonstrating business excellence through a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management abilities and practices.
"After two years of shoring up, de-leveraging balance sheets and focusing on cost reduction strategies, Canadian businesses now have growth back on the agenda," said John Hughes, Deloitte partner, Private Company Services, and national leader of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies Program. "Clearly we're not out of the woods yet, but one of the most impressive aspects of this year's award recipients is the focus of management teams and employees on growth and investment."
"By pursuing innovation and investing in meeting the needs of their clients, this year's winners have made a positive impact in the Canadian marketplace," said Jon Hountalas, executive vice president of business banking, CIBC. "We applaud their success and we're proud to recognize their contribution to Canadian business."
This year's winners understand the ability to innovate is a strategic competitive advantage for their organizations. Whether it's the shop floor, back office or the front-line delivery of products or services, re-engineering operations continues to be on the agendas of Canada's Best Managed Companies.
A continuing theme for Canadian private companies is managing their exposure to the U.S. market. Many companies see this as a huge opportunity to capture market share, grow revenue, relocate manufacturing facilities and engage in M&A activities. On the flip side, another emerging theme is Best Managed Companies' desire to reduce their exposure to the U.S., and pursue acquisitions or other collaborative investments such as joint ventures and alliances on a global scale, with growing interest in South America, Europe, China and other parts of Southeast Asia.
Helping their customers weather the last year was a key focus of Best Managed Companies. While many companies focused internally, this year's winners concentrated on their customers' issues and how to solve them as a means of strengthening their own business.
In support of their overall growth, Best Managed Companies increased their adoption of green strategies. Those tied to the energy supply chain saw significant opportunities in serving an expanding global market domestically and internationally. Others investigated how making their organization greener could support cost-reduction initiatives, increase their reputation as good corporate citizens by protecting the environment, and help to attract the socially conscious Gen-Y labour force.
The following is a list of the 50 Best Managed Companies of 2010:
