Greg Brophy, 44, founder and CEO of Oakville-based Securit, died in a small-plane crash in Alaska at the end of September.
Three others, including Greg's brother Sean Brophy, 49, also died in the crash.
A passion for business and a desire to create a highly successful enterprise led Greg to found Shred-it, the document-destruction division of Securit, in 1988. As president and CEO, he built Shred-it into one of the world's leading onsite document-destruction companies. Today, Securit has grown to become a network of more than 140 branches and 2,600 employees serving 150,000 customers in 16 countries.
In 1993, he was the winner of the federal Business Development Bank's Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Ontario, selected for his innovative spirit, business success and community involvement.
In 1994, he was honoured as the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, and in 1995 he was recognized as one of Canada's Top 40 under 40. Securit was named one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
In 2003, he created the Securit Foundation and dedicated more than $1 million to charity and education projects in developing countries and places where Securit operates.
He is survived by his wife Tracey and their three children, Christopher, Megan and Kirsten.
Business Edge interviewed Greg Brophy shortly before his death.
