Each year, Junior Achievement New Brunswick recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of some of the province’s most prominent business leaders. Today, JA New Brunswick is pleased to announce the 2019 Class being named to the Junior Achievement New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame: Steve Burns, John and Woody Craig and Gaëtan Thomas. On October 29th, 2019 these influential leaders of change will be inducted at the annual gala event being held at Casino New Brunswick.
“It is a great privilege to honour these four individuals for their significant professional and personal contributions made for the prosperity of our province,” says Connie Woodside, President and CEO of Junior Achievement New Brunswick. “They are fantastic examples of the power of vision, determination and leadership – three things we strive to instill in the Junior Achievers we work with every day.”
Steve Burns was born in Fredericton in 1970. He is the founding member of Bulletproof Solutions Inc., an IT Security and Networking services firm and an international leader in the cyber security space. Bulletproof Solutions employs 180 people and has been recognized as one of Canada’s top employers. Bulletproof Solutions was sold to a US IT giant in 2016 but Steve remains the CEO under new ownership. Steve has been named Atlantic Business Magazine’s Top 50 CEO’s for 5 consecutive years from 2008-2012 and was also named to their Top 50 CEO’s Hall of Fame in 2008 as one of its youngest members.
Craig Manufacturing Ltd. Was founded by the late Woodford (Woody) Craig in 1946. Woody was joined by his son John Craig, the current CEO, in 1976 and continued to lead the growth and development of the company headquartered in Hartland, New Brunswick. Craig is a leading North American manufacturer of heavy equipment attachments for wheel loaders, excavators, dozers, backhoes and more. In 2018, Craig was awarded a $25,000,000 contract to build 845 truck bodies for the Department of National Defense. Craig has over 200 employees with representatives in Canada and the United States, and four facilities across Canada.
Gaëtan Thomas has served as President & CEO of NB Power since 2010. Before earning a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick, Gaëtan grew up in a tiny Francophone village in Northern New Brunswick. A loyal and lifelong employee of the utility, he has worked in all aspects of the business. Gaëtan was honoured by Atlantic Business Magazine as a Top 50 CEO in 2015, 2016 and 2018. With his vision for a made-in-New Brunswick smart grid supported by customer-centric technology and workforce aimed at creating a greener, more sustainable province, NB Power hopes to reduce reliance fossil fuels, lowering costs and keeping customer rates low and stable.
“This year’s group of laureates are business leaders in three very different industries,” says Britt Dysart, Chair of the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement New Brunswick. “Together they have had an important positive impact on our province.”
About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement is an international not-for-profit organization that brings together business leaders, educators, parents and the community to help prepare youth for their future. Junior Achievement Canada remains the nation’s largest developer of business education programs for students aged 8 to 19. The Business Hall of Fame gala is JA New Brunswick’s largest fundraiser, and has to date raised more than $3 million to further our mission of instilling in our youth the value of an education based on our three pillars, financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship.