London, ON – June 8, 2023. At the London and District Business Hall of Fame Laureate announcement event, held at the London Public Library, Central Branch on June 8th, Junior Achievement South Western Ontario was pleased to announce Allan Drewlo, President of Drewlo Holdings and Jill Wilcox, Owner of Jill’s Table, as the 2023 Laureates.
Established in 1990, the London and District Business Hall of Fame supports the work of JA South Western Ontario. It was created to honour respected members of the London and area business community, past and present, for their outstanding contributions to business, entrepreneurship and philanthropy.
Allan Drewlo is President of Drewlo Holdings, a family-owned business that has been developing, constructing and managing apartment buildings for over 60 years. Since taking the reins from his father, Allan has continued to grow the businesses significantly and now has completed over 14,000 units across South Western Ontario. Allan is a co-founder of the Ironstone Building Company, which develops and builds hundreds of single and multi-housing units in the London area annually, and he was recently awarded the Jim MacKinnon Community Builder Award for his impact as an activist. Among his numerous philanthropic efforts, Allan established a Research Chair in the Kidney Unit at University Hospital in memory of his late father Eugene.
For more than 25 years, Jill Wilcox has been leading cooking classes, most recently at her award-winning specialty food and kitchen store Jill’s Table, and for more than 40 years has been a celebrated food columnist for the London Free Press and Post Media. She is also the author of six cookbooks. Jill has received numerous accolades including the London Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Award in the small business category and Retailer of the Year Award for Housewares and Gourmet Foods, awarded by the Canadian Gift and Tablewares Association. Jill is an active business and community leader and started The Jill Wilcox Foundation in 2012 to grant funding to food-related and education projects that support women and children in need.
“Our 2023 Laureates could not be a better example of what it means to be a business leader,” said Karen Gallant, President and CEO of JA South Western Ontario. “Allan and Jill have made outstanding contributions to the London region in the areas of business, entrepreneurship and philanthropy and serve as an inspiration to us all. We look forward to celebrating them at our Gala in October and invite the community to join us.”
The 2023 London and District Business Hall of Fame Gala induction ceremony will take place October 25th, 2023, at RBC Place London, with Libro Credit Union as presenting sponsor. Tickets to the event are on sale now for $1,400 for a table of 8, and $175 for individuals. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Visit https://jaswo.org/lbhf/ for tickets or further information.
