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JOURNALISM:
Junior
Achievement [Download
.doc version]
JA Biz Hall 2004, by Jeffrey Reed
Special
to BUSINESS LONDON
David
Patchell-Evans, CEO of GoodLife Fitness
Clubs, finds irony in the fact he is
both an exercise fanatic and the
youngest-ever inductee to the London
Business Hall of Fame. However, the
51-year-old owner of the world’s
largest privately-owned fitness company
also finds satisfaction in joining much
senior members of the Hall.
The late
Joseph Jeffery, a diversified
businessperson and former London Life
Insurance Company president (from 1958
to 1982), will be honoured along with
Patchell-Evans at the 14th
Annual London Business Hall of Fame
Induction Dinner on October 20. The two
latest laureates join a long list of
inductees, including John Labatt II and
Henry J. McManus, charter Hall members
in 1990, and last year’s inductees,
Mitchell A. Baran and Warren R. Schram.
Junior
Achievement of London & District
established the Hall as a way to
recognize members of London’s business
community who have exemplified the true
definition of entrepreneurship. JA
London was founded in 1963, and today
offers 10,000 children and youth in
London and area economic education
through partnership with local business.
Patchell-Evans
was twice sold on fitness – at age 19
following a serious motorcycle injury,
and later in life when arthritis forced
him to keep active. The Toronto native
expressed his entrepreneurial spirit
before he graduated from the University
of Western Ontario with an Honours
degree in Physical Education. Entering
Huron College "on a student loan
and a prayer," Patchell-Evans
operated a snowplow business, and in
1979 used his earnings to purchase a
2,000-square-foot fitness club.
"I
had 120 (plowing) contracts, including
Fred Kingsmill, a London Business Hall
of Fame member (1999)," says
Patchell-Evans. "I learned from all
of those businesspeople. To be inducted
is a surprise and an honour, especially
when I see the accomplishments of the
previous inductees."
Patchell-Evans
is also a deserving inductee. Overseeing
90 fitness clubs across Canada, he was
awarded the London Chamber of Commerce
Outstanding Business Achievement Award
in 1995, and saw GoodLife Fitness
recently recognized by the National Post
as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed
Companies.
An
involved community member, Patchell-Evans
lends support to numerous causes. Most
recently, he made a personal donation of
$750,000 to a UWO neuroscience research
team to establish the Kilee Patchell-Evans
Autism Research Group.
Barry
Fitzgerald, president and CEO, JA London
& District, says Patchell-Evans’
biography "reads like an incredible
success story. He’s a true
entrepreneur with a strong work ethic
who has given back in an incredible way
to this community."
Jeffery
was also an involved London
businessperson. He was a successful
lawyer, banker, broadcaster, and Naval
Officer who earned the rank of Captain
during World War II. Jeffery played
important roles within many businesses,
including London Life, Jeffery &
Jeffery, Barristers & Solicitors,
The Toronto Dominion Bank, and London
Broadcasters Ltd. His community
involvement included roles with
YMCA-YWCA and UWO Board of Governors.
Jeffery died in 1999.
"Jeffery
had a very diverse background – an
incredible well-rounded story,"
says Fitzgerald.
Also at
the October 20 dinner, a special tribute
will be paid to the late Margaret (Miggsie)
Lawson, a beloved London philanthropist
affectionately known as "The Little
Hummingbird," and a past member of
JA London’s advisory board of
trustees. Lawson died in May 2004.
Says
Fitzgerald, "She held JA, and other
philanthropic efforts, close to her
heart."
JA London
will also award Stephen Middlemiss, a
senior support engineer with Netcon
Technologies, with the Alumni Award of
Achievement. Middlemiss has been a JA
volunteer for two decades.
SNAPSHOT
> The
JA-established (1990) London Business
Hall of Fame, sponsored by JA and housed
on the second floor of the London Public
Library central branch, recognizes two
new inductees October 20 at the London
Convention Centre: David Patchell-Evans,
owner and CEO of GoodLife Fitness Clubs;
and the late Joseph Jeffery, former
president of London Life and lawyer with
Jeffery and Jeffery, Barristers &
Solicitors.
> JA
will also pay tribute to the late
Margaret (Miggsie) Lawson, a London
philanthropist and supporter of JA who
died in 2004.
>
Stephen Middlemiss, a senior support
engineer with Netcon Technologies and
long-time JA volunteer, will receive the
Alumni Award of Achievement.
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