Elite program honours local CEO

Larry Hilworth feels honoured to have been chosen to participate in a prestigious academic program for entrepreneurs.

"I felt a little like, 'why me?' at first, a little humble," said the CEO of Maple Farm Equipment.

QuantumShift, a partnership between London Ontario's Richard Ivey School of Business, KPMG Enterprise, TD Commercial Banking and the Globe and Mail, seeks out dynamic business people from diverse companies across the country for an intensive five-day course at the acclaimed business school.

"It's really top-level training," Hilworth said. "I think the biggest benefit is it exposes you to actual case studies of businesses. It helps me identify potential issues that we might avoid and helps us take our business to the next level."

According to a press release, Ivey and KPMG started the program in 2004 because: "Helping these firms grow and improve their productivity is essential to building a more competitive Canada."

It notes small and medium businesses represent 97 per cent of independent Canadian businesses, account for half the country's GDP and employ more than six million people.

Only 40 entrepreneurs are invited to participate in the elite program.

In addition to plenty of learning, Hilworth said it was a great networking opportunity.

Maple Farm Equipment was founded in 1964. In 1984, the company was awarded the John Deere franchise in Yorkton and, in 1991, entered a partnership with Preeceville Implements, another John Deere dealership.

Hilworth joined the company in 1999. Under his stewardship the company has grown to seven dealerships, Yorkton, Preeceville, Balcarres, Wynyard, Foam Lake, Moosomin and Russell, Manitoba, under the Maple Farm Group Partnership.

Last year Maple diversified with a cellular telephone division with six locations in the province.