Ken Keis, President & CEO of CRG International,Inc., was presented with an Entrepreneurial Leader Award. The presentation from The Centre for Entrepeneurial Leaders took place at the 4th Annual Entrepreneurial Forum held in the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre on October 29th, 2008.

“Excellent and inspiring!” “It was awesome!” “Thoroughly enjoyed the program—will be back again next year.” “Very inspiring—thank you!” “Excellent program and venue.” “Great program, great venue, very well run and professional.”

This was the response from the 500-person sell-out crowd that attended the 4th Annual Entrepreneur Forum on October 29th at the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre.

The annual event, which focuses on Christian-based entrepreneurial leadership, is believed to be the largest of its kind in the world, drawing attendees from throughout Canada, the US and Europe. The event is organized by the Centre for Entrepreneurial Leaders (CEL) at the School of Business, Trinity Western University (www.eleaders.org).

There were display booths of sponsors, a range of silent auction items and a stellar list of podium presenters, highlighted by a world-class keynote speaker. A trademark feature of the Forum continues to be the extensive networking that occurs throughout the evening.

The Forum continues to gather momentum, having more than doubled in size over the past four years. As one attendee said, the CEL “has targeted the right niche—the desire for people to understand and to be inspired by entrepreneurial leadership.”

Media coverage included Christian Info Society, Make It Business and TechVibes. In addition, JoyTV recorded the event. They also set up “The Daily Show” on location and co-host Laura-Lynn Tyler interviewed keynote speakers and got sound bytes from attendees to the Forum proceedings.

Dr. Rick Goossen, Founder & Director of the CEL, began the evening by addressing two questions. First, why is there a Centre? The CEL was established to pursue the vision “to empower entrepreneurial leaders for global impact.” The CEL is a catalyst to inspire entrepreneurial leaders to have a positive impact in their businesses, churches and in society.

Second, why have this Forum? There are two reasons: to be a resource and to attract resources. The Forum is a way for the CEL to provide an evening of inspiration delivered by world class speakers. At the same time, the Forum is intended to raise support and develop relationships in the entrepreneurial community.

The keynote speaker was Larry Farrell, of Farrell International, a company that has likely taught more people about entrepreneurship than any other in the world. Larry, based in Staunton, VI, spoke about the essentials of entrepreneurship: sense of mission; customer/product focus, high-speed innovation and self-inspired behavior. As one attendee summed up, “Larry Farrell was excellent!” Others said he was “world class” and “top drawer!”

Dr. Rick Goossen noted that the success of the event reflected the key entrepreneurial principle of teamwork. The Administrative Manager, CEL, Michelle Sui, helped facilitate the evening’s proceedings and worked with numerous businesses to coordinate support leading up to the Forum. In addition, student team leaders, Christian Dent and Amanda Pereira, managed the contribution of 25 TWU entrepreneurship students.

A number of entrepreneurial leaders were honored with the CEL’s“Entrepreneurial Leader Award:” Barry Borthistle, TriVita Inc.; Steve Casey, All Season Motor Sports; C. Esther De Wolde, Phantom Screens; Les Hewitt, Power of Focus Inc.; Ken Keis, CRG International; and Howie Kroon, Palliser International. These individuals had shared their entrepreneurial and faith journeys in the annual volume ofEntrepreneurial Leaders: Reflections on Faith at Work (Vol. 4). To order a copy of the book, please visit their bookstore at www.eleaders.org.