Ernst & Young honoured its 2008 Entrepreneurs of the Year from across Canada on Wednesday, and long-time investment industry player George Armoyan took the prize for the Atlantic Canada region.

Armoyan is president and CEO of Clarke Inc., the parent company of a number of wholly owned operating companies and divisions, and an activist catalyst investor with a diversified portfolio of investments. He also serves a president of private investment company Geosam Investments Ltd.

Clarke subsidiaries are widely varied, including entities in transportation, information technology, shipping, and others. The Halifax-based company’s capital management arm pursues investments in publicly traded and privately held small- and mid-cap companies across various industries

Since joining Armoyan as a member of its board of directors in 2001, Armoyan has transformed the company from a transportation firm to a wide-reaching activist catalyst investment company.

Armoyan is known for leading a slew of mergers and acquisitions and capitalizing on turn-around opportunities, and is recognized for “the effectiveness of his prudently aggressive approach,” according to Clarke’s Web site.

Armoyan also serves on the boards of several other public companies, including Cordy Oilfield Services Inc., General Donlee Income Fund, Royal Host REIT, TerraVest Income Fund and Shermag Inc.

The national Entrepreneur of the Year Award went to Dr. Piyush Patel, co-founder of Allied Research International, which conducts early clinical, bioanalytical and niche late stage research services.

Other award winners included the leaders of companies ranging from retailers and manufacturers to mining and construction firms.

IE