Mattamy Homes founder named Laurier’s Outstanding Business Leader for 2009

WATERLOO – Peter Gilgan, president and chief executive officer of Mattamy Homes Corp., has been named Laurier’s Outstanding Business Leader for 2009. The award will be presented at a private luncheon on Wednesday, January 6, 2010 in the Senate and Board Chamber at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Gilgan was selected for this prestigious award in recognition of his significant achievements in the residential construction industry — Mattamy is Canada’s biggest home builder, having constructed more than 46,000 homes — and for his extensive community involvement.

“We were very impressed by Peter’s entrepreneurial spirit and by the new standard of quality and competitiveness he has achieved in his field,” said Ginny Dybenko, Laurier’s dean of business and economics. “His dedication to community building, and to charity work that supports Canada’s youth, really makes him the ideal recipient of this award.”

Gilgan founded Mattamy Homes in 1978 to construct distinctive, individual-looking homes designed around human needs. His company has built houses in 76 Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and U.S. communities and has pioneered new approaches to community building. In 2006, Gilgan donated $1 million to the YMCA’s 50th anniversary campaign. He was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2007.

The Laurier Outstanding Business Leader Award has been presented annually since 1987 by the Laurier School of Business & Economics. Recipients are chosen for their outstanding leadership and management qualities by a selection committee made up of industry, academia and community leaders. Award winners are business leaders who exemplify the qualities and characteristics of leadership and management excellence that the school seeks to develop in its students. View a list of past recipients.