London and District Business Hall of Fame

October 25th, 2023 | RBC Place London | 5:00 pm

Junior Achievement South Western Ontario is pleased to announce Allan Drewlo, President of Drewlo Holdings and Jill Wilcox, Owner of Jill’s Table, as the 2023 Laureates. The 2023 London and District Business Hall of Fame Gala induction ceremony will take place October 25th, 2023, at RBC Place London.

The Inductees were announced live at the London Public Library on June 8th, 2023.

Each year, in recognition of outstanding contributions and ethics in business, Hall of Fame Laureates are nominated and selected by respected members of the London and District business community.

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.

This annual signature gala event showcases the lives of the Inductees allowing us to learn about their achievements and how they have developed and nurtured their legacies. The 2023 London and District Business Hall of Fame Inductees will join a distinguished list of previous Laureates whose portraits are showcased in the London and District Business Hall of Fame Gallery located in the London Public Library, downtown London.


About the 2023 Laureates

ALLAN DREWLO
President of Drewlo Holdings

After graduating from Western, Allan Drewlo has spent 39 years working in the real estate development and property management industry. He currently is the President of Drewlo Holdings, which is ranked top 10 in Canada for property management and ownership.

Allan is known for his expertise in apartments, rentals, investment properties, and real estate transactions. Allan continues his father Eugen Drewlo’s mission and vision to create lasting and sustainable communities in Southwestern Ontario.

Allan has served as FRPO Chair Person for the last 2 years, while also holding the position of Vice President of The Ironstone Building Company, which builds singles, towns, and midrises. In addition, he is an active member or executive of numerous organizations such as London Development Institute (LDI), London Home Builders Association (LHBA), London Property Management Association (LPMA), and Federation of Rental Housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO).  Allan is highly dedicated to his charitable pursuits that impact people’s lives. Included among these organizations are: The Kidney Foundation, London Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Grand Theatre London, and many more

JILL WILCOX
Owner of Jill’s Table

Jill Wilcox is the owner of Jill’s Table, an award-winning specialty food and kitchen store in London, Ontario.

For more than 25 years, Jill has been leading cooking classes, most recently at Jill’s Table, and for more than 40 years has been a celebrated food columnist for the London Free Press and Post Media.  Jill leads culinary tours to France, Italy and Portugal and has been the subject of numerous national magazine and newspaper articles.

Jill has been awarded London Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Award in the small business category, The London Y Women of Excellence award in the Business, Trades and Profession category and PHHS  Laudable Londoner.

Jill’s Table is also a proud recipient of the Retailer of the Year Award for Housewares and Gourmet Foods, awarded by the Canadian Gift and Tablewares Association.

The Jill Wilcox Foundation was started in 2012 to grant funding to food-related and education projects that support women and children in need. Her efforts have benefited many worthy local organizations including, Investing in Children, Youth Opportunities Limited, Growing Chefs, Woodeden Easter Seals Camp, Children’s Centre, Fanshawe College and Mission Services of London. Jill is an active member in the local food movement and has volunteered her time on a number of food-related boards and committees. 

She has also been an active business leader, a past board member of the London Chamber of Commerce and a member of the organizing committee for the Business Cares Food Drive.

Jill has published six cookbooks including, Jill’s Soups Stews & Breads,  Jill’s Essentials , Jill’s Starters, Jill’s Soups, Welcome to Jill’s Table and The Creative Kitchen.

She and her husband have five children, two grandchildren and a large extended family who regularly share dinner at her large table.

London and District Business Hall of Fame Laureates

1990

John Labbatt II

Henry J. McManus

1991

Col Thomas F.G. Lawson

J. Allyn Taylor

1992

Walter J. Blackburn

William Mowbray Sifton

1993

Sir Adam Beck

Edwin R. Jarmain

1994

A.M. (Mac) Cuddy

Colonel D.B. Weldon

1995

Donald J. Smith

Col. J. Gordon Thompson

1997

Jack W. Adams

Earl H. Orser

1998

Merv L. Lahn

Ron Logan/ Gord Patton

1999

Richard G. Ivey

T. Fred Kingsmill

2000

Tony J. Crncich Sr.

J. Allyn Taylor*

2001

Ronald C. Dawson

Norton P. Wolf

2002

John (Jake) H. Moore

Andrew M. Spriet

2003

Mitchell A. Baran

Warren R. Schram

2004

Cpt. Joseph Jeffery

David Patchell-Evans

2005

T. Brayl Copp

Peter J. Ivey

2006

Henry J. Jones

H.J. (Hank) Vander Laan

2007

Gen Alexander R. McIntosh

John C. Nash

2008

Gloria Dona

Dr. Geno Francolini

2009

Sheldon Aaron

Donald J. McDougall

2010

Bill Brady

Bob Siskind

2011

Perry Ferguson

John Strybosch

2012

Paul Cocker

Carol Stephenson

2013

Tony Marsman

Howard Rundle

2014

Denis Crane/ Wayne Dunn

Terry Zavitz

2015

Vito Frijia

Col. James G. Thompson

2016

Don Crich

Paul Seed/ Ken Kalopsis

2017

John Drake

Mike Smith

2018

Bill Gray

Claude Pensa

2019

Jeff M. Macoun

Richard Sifton

2020

Kyle MacDonald

Ewart and Edwin McLaughlin

2021

Karen Fryday-Field

Joel McLean

2022

Tina Bax

Michelle Quintyn

The London and District Business Hall of Fame Gallery is located in the London Public Library, downtown London.

* Laureate of the Century

I’m going to use this information I learned today to help me make my overall decision on what career option I want to pursue. I’m also using this information to improve on how I present myself to potential employers and others.

– JA Student