Businessman Allan Andrews never sells children short.
He has, time and again, seen their ability to learn at a very young age. And he continues to beam over what he considers their great capacity for integrity and honesty.
"A lot of people don't realize how bright kids are and a lot of people don't tell them that they can do something great with their lives,'' he said.
"Once they know they can do something great with their lives and somebody encourages them they go on to do great things.''
As a youth educator, motivator and entrepreneur, Andrews has spent his diverse career nurturing youth to grow their strengths and skills.
That laudable career was recognized Wednesday with Andrews being announced as one of the three 2012 inductees into the P.E.I. Business Hall of Fame.
He will be formally inducted on June 5 at the Junior Achievement P.E.I. Business Hall of Fame Awards Gala and Induction ceremonies at the Delta Prince Edward along with Bill Andrew. Russel Dockendorff, Sr., who died in 2009, will be inducted posthumously.
Esther Dockendorff, who worked with her father for 30 years, says the man who came to be known as the P.E.I. Mussell King would have been "awfully pleased'' and humbled by the honour.
She called the recognition a wonderful tribute to her father's perseverance and determination - an award that means a great deal to the family.
Dockendorf, who was born in Mount Hope, P.E.I., is heralded as a true pioneer in the mussel industry in the province.
He first harvested shellfish in the late 1970's to supplement his income as a lobster fisherman.
Over the next 30 years, he put the product on the international market and made P.E.I. the largest producer of North America's cultured mussels. He later turned his sights on buyers in Europe, China and Israel.
P.E.I. Mussell King has grown into one of the largest mussel farming operations in Canada and the most technologically advanced mussel plant in North America, employing over 100 people.
A devout Christian who kept the bible on his desk, Dockendorff was by nature a very giving person. He once said it was being able to help people that made working worthwhile.
He donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for everything from medical bills to heating fuel for homes in his community.
Bill Andrew, who lives in Alberta, was not able to attend Wednesday's announcement.
His business acumen, entrepreneurial spirit and generosity were cited as earning him entry this year into the P.E.I. Business Hall of Fame.
Andrew, who has been chancellor of UPEI since 2006, has taken great strides to develop the harness racing industry in the province.
He is founder and owner, with his brother Brian, of Meridian Farms -- a family run Standardbred breeding operation with two farms, a home farm in Milton, P.E.I. and a western farm in Okotoks, Alberta.
The recent decision to relocate Meridian's Alberta stallion operation to P.E.I. underscores the Meridian Farms vision to build a North American centre of excellence on P.E.I.
Since the mid-1970's, Andrew has held various positions in the Canadian Petroleum Industry, most recently as president and CEO of Penn West Exploration, one of Canada's largest independent oil and gas companies.
In addition to his ongoing role as UPEI's chancellor, Andrew's community service in the province includes serving on the Board of the Confederation Centre of the Arts, honorary chair of the Montgomery Land Trust, active member of the P.E.I. Harness Racing Industry Association and a member of the Board of Wind Energy Institute of Canada.
Allan Andrews says he is thrilled to be entering the Business Hall of Fame with the likes of Dockendorff and Andrew.
"I'm very humbled to be in the same realm as so many other great people - great business people,'' he said.
For many years, Andrews was the provincial youth coordinator and supervisor of allied youth with the P.E.I. Department of Education.
During his tenure with the education department, he established numerous youth programs including: the P.E.I. Council of Smoking and Health, P.E.I. Citizen's Council on Drug Abuse, and the first Island wide highway clean-up program which is still in existence today.
In 1979, Andrews turned his focus to entrepreneurship in founding the Andrews Hockey Growth Programs now in its 33rd year of operation.
Andrews Hockey has become the largest single location hockey school in the world. More than 25 graduates have played in the NHL and hundreds more have played professionally.
Thousands of graduates have received athletic scholarships to Canadian and American universities.
Businessman Allan Andrews never sells children short.
He has, time and again, seen their ability to learn at a very young age. And he continues to beam over what he considers their great capacity for integrity and honesty.
"A lot of people don't realize how bright kids are and a lot of people don't tell them that they can do something great with their lives,'' he said.
"Once they know they can do something great with their lives and somebody encourages them they go on to do great things.''
As a youth educator, motivator and entrepreneur, Andrews has spent his diverse career nurturing youth to grow their strengths and skills.
That laudable career was recognized Wednesday with Andrews being announced as one of the three 2012 inductees into the P.E.I. Business Hall of Fame.
He will be formally inducted on June 5 at the Junior Achievement P.E.I. Business Hall of Fame Awards Gala and Induction ceremonies at the Delta Prince Edward along with Bill Andrew. Russel Dockendorff, Sr., who died in 2009, will be inducted posthumously.
Esther Dockendorff, who worked with her father for 30 years, says the man who came to be known as the P.E.I. Mussell King would have been "awfully pleased'' and humbled by the honour.
She called the recognition a wonderful tribute to her father's perseverance and determination - an award that means a great deal to the family.
Dockendorf, who was born in Mount Hope, P.E.I., is heralded as a true pioneer in the mussel industry in the province.
He first harvested shellfish in the late 1970's to supplement his income as a lobster fisherman.
Over the next 30 years, he put the product on the international market and made P.E.I. the largest producer of North America's cultured mussels. He later turned his sights on buyers in Europe, China and Israel.
P.E.I. Mussell King has grown into one of the largest mussel farming operations in Canada and the most technologically advanced mussel plant in North America, employing over 100 people.
A devout Christian who kept the bible on his desk, Dockendorff was by nature a very giving person. He once said it was being able to help people that made working worthwhile.
He donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for everything from medical bills to heating fuel for homes in his community.
Bill Andrew, who lives in Alberta, was not able to attend Wednesday's announcement.
His business acumen, entrepreneurial spirit and generosity were cited as earning him entry this year into the P.E.I. Business Hall of Fame.
Andrew, who has been chancellor of UPEI since 2006, has taken great strides to develop the harness racing industry in the province.
He is founder and owner, with his brother Brian, of Meridian Farms -- a family run Standardbred breeding operation with two farms, a home farm in Milton, P.E.I. and a western farm in Okotoks, Alberta.
The recent decision to relocate Meridian's Alberta stallion operation to P.E.I. underscores the Meridian Farms vision to build a North American centre of excellence on P.E.I.
Since the mid-1970's, Andrew has held various positions in the Canadian Petroleum Industry, most recently as president and CEO of Penn West Exploration, one of Canada's largest independent oil and gas companies.
In addition to his ongoing role as UPEI's chancellor, Andrew's community service in the province includes serving on the Board of the Confederation Centre of the Arts, honorary chair of the Montgomery Land Trust, active member of the P.E.I. Harness Racing Industry Association and a member of the Board of Wind Energy Institute of Canada.
Allan Andrews says he is thrilled to be entering the Business Hall of Fame with the likes of Dockendorff and Andrew.
"I'm very humbled to be in the same realm as so many other great people - great business people,'' he said.
For many years, Andrews was the provincial youth coordinator and supervisor of allied youth with the P.E.I. Department of Education.
During his tenure with the education department, he established numerous youth programs including: the P.E.I. Council of Smoking and Health, P.E.I. Citizen's Council on Drug Abuse, and the first Island wide highway clean-up program which is still in existence today.
In 1979, Andrews turned his focus to entrepreneurship in founding the Andrews Hockey Growth Programs now in its 33rd year of operation.
Andrews Hockey has become the largest single location hockey school in the world. More than 25 graduates have played in the NHL and hundreds more have played professionally.
Thousands of graduates have received athletic scholarships to Canadian and American universities.
