DeFehr honored as entrepreneur
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, December 3, 2001
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Art DeFehr, president and chief executive officer of Palliser Furniture, has received the Prairies' Lifetime Achievement Award, part of the Ernst & Young 2001 Entrepreneur of the Year awards program.
DeFehr, who has headed the big Canadian producer since 1984, was described by the organizers as "a well-rounded entrepreneur with numerous talents and skills in business, diplomacy and humanitarian causes."
At the beginning of his career, DeFehr had intended to go into the Canadian diplomatic service, but was rejected after losing his security clearance for participating in a civil rights march. He went to Harvard University, where he obtained an MBA degree in 1967.
Under his leadership, Palliser's sales have grown from C$100 million to about C$500 million. The company is believed to be the largest private-sector employer in Manitoba.
In addition to his business interests, DeFehr has dedicated considerable time and energy to a variety of humanitarian causes. These include helping rebuild the agricultural sector of Cambodia, helping establish the Lithuanian Christian College in Russia, working in civil war reconstruction in Bangladesh, and working in United Nations-sponsored refugee camps in Somalia. Palliser donates 12% of pretax income to the DeFehr Foundation, which supports many causes.
"DeFehr's story of business and personal success is an inspiration to emerging entrepreneurs everywhere," said John Murphy, managing partner of Ernst & Young's office in Calgary, Alberta. "His entrepreneurial success is matched by his compassion for his fellow man. We are honored to recognize him as a person whose superior business drive and personal dedication have contributed significantly to the local, national and international community."
| John Murphy, left, of Ernst & Young, presents the Prairies' Lifetime Achievement Award to Palliser's Art DeFehr. |
