Winnipeg’s Innovair Group Named Canada’s Family Enterprise of the Year
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Innovair Group, a Winnipeg-based supplier of industrial and medical gases that has been family-owned since 1946, has been named Canada’s Family Enterprise of the Year at the 2026 Family Enterprise of the Year Awards (the FEYAs), presented by Family Enterprise Canada at the annual Family Enterprise Symposium in Vancouver.
The award, the highest honour in the Canadian family business community, was accepted on stage by third-generation president and owner Grant Cockshott and fourth-generation family member Owen Cockshott in front of a large audience of family business owners, professionals and community leaders from across the country.
Family-owned businesses make up 63 percent of all private-sector companies in Canada, generate nearly $575 billion in GDP and employ 6.9 million people — about half of all private-sector jobs in the country.
The FEYAs recognize the families and individuals whose leadership, vision and values exemplify the best of this vital economic force.
From Acetylene to National Leadership: The Innovair Story
Innovair Group’s origins are as modest as they are Canadian. What began eight decades ago as a small acetylene gas distributor in Winnipeg has grown, under three generations of the Cockshott family, into the country’s largest independent supplier and distributor of industrial and medical gases, equipment, and related technologies.
Today, the company encompasses four operating divisions — Innovair Industrial, Innovair Automation, Medigas Manitoba, and Innovair Medical — serving commercial, healthcare, and industrial clients nationwide. Its products and services range from custom gas applications and welding solutions to robotic automation and respiratory care equipment for hospitals and home care.
With nearly 100 employees and a fleet of specialized delivery equipment, Innovair has embedded lean thinking and continuous improvement into its culture for more than a decade. The company’s commitment to operational excellence, safety, and customer responsiveness has positioned it as a critical supplier to sectors that keep Canadian industry and healthcare running.
“Innovair’s story is one of sustainable growth, innovation, and leadership excellence,” said Steve Beauchesne, CEO of Family Enterprise Canada. “The Cockshott family has built something remarkable — a business that respects its heritage while embracing future-focused leadership, and that strengthens Manitoba’s economic footprint while inspiring confidence in the longevity and vitality of the family enterprise model.”
The selection committee assessed nominees on governance, leadership, stewardship, innovation, succession, culture and long-term impact. Innovair was selected from a group of three finalists, which also included Burrowing Owl Estate Winery of Oliver, British Columbia and Vanden Bussche Irrigation of Delhi, Ontario.
Four Awards Honour Excellence Across the Family Enterprise Community
Along with the Family Enterprise of the Year, the 2026 FEYAs acknowledged outstanding contributions in three other categories.
Impact & Sustainability Award — Armour Valve Ltd. (Toronto, Ontario)
Family-owned since 1971, Armour Valve has expanded from a small partnership into Canada’s trusted supplier of specialty valves and process equipment, serving energy, power, chemical, mining and district energy sectors nationwide. The company has held ISO 9001 certification continuously since 1997 and is part of the Canada Net Zero Challenge.
Armour Valve’s long-standing dedication to employee culture — with many team members remaining for decades — reflects a values-driven business where technical excellence and people-first leadership go hand in hand.
Philanthropy & Stewardship Award — Christina Sorbara (Toronto, Ontario)
A third-generation member of the Sorbara Group of Companies — a trailblazer in Canadian real estate for over 80 years — Christina Sorbara has elevated her family’s tradition of giving into an elegant and expansive model of philanthropic leadership.
As Executive Vice President of the Sorbara Group, she developed a gamified employee giving program that integrated philanthropy into the company’s culture. She chairs The Sam Sorbara Charitable Foundation, sits on the board of SickKids Foundation, co-chairs a campaign at Ontario Tech University, and authored a children’s book celebrating diverse family structures, donating copies to the Toronto Public Library.
Sorbara, an accredited Family Enterprise Advisor and Academic Fellow at the Family Business Institute, has transitioned from being a passive donor to an active architect of systemic change.
Next Generation (NxG) Leadership Award — Aliya Rota (Edmonton, Alberta)
A Chartered Professional Accountant with a Master of Professional Accounting, Aliya Rota is a third-generation member of Alberta’s Cameron Corporation. Beyond her professional contributions to the family enterprise, Rota serves on the boards of Concerts in Care Alberta and the Health Arts Society of Alberta, leads a financial literacy initiative for vulnerable populations, and has been a passionate advocate for next-generation engagement and local community events within the Family Enterprise Canada network.
A competitive dancer since age four, her leadership combines professional precision with a strong dedication to the arts and community service.
Family Enterprise of the Year Finalists
Burrowing Owl Estate Winery (Oliver, British Columbia)
Established in 1993 by Jim and Midge Wyse and now run by second-generation CEO Chris Wyse and VP of Marketing & Hospitality Kerri Wyse McNolty, Burrowing Owl has received national and international praise for its premium wines and environmental stewardship.
The winery’s solar power system reduces a large part of its energy consumption, and all proceeds from on-site wine tastings benefit the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of BC and the Nature Trust of BC — raising over $2 million so far. The estate provides more than 150 local jobs and has grown to nine international markets.
Vanden Bussche Irrigation (Delhi, Ontario)
A family-owned Canadian business since 1954, Vanden Bussche Irrigation has expanded from a small local supplier into one of Canada’s leading providers of irrigation and water management solutions, serving agriculture, turf, golf, landscape and residential sectors.
The company has at least 10 employees with over 20 years of service and several generations of families who have built their careers within the enterprise. President Marc Vanden Bussche received a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to agriculture and the community.
About the Family Enterprise of the Year Awards (FEYAs)
The FEYAs are awarded annually by Family Enterprise Canada to recognize excellence in family enterprise leadership, governance, sustainability, philanthropy and generational stewardship. The 2026 awards were presented at the Family Enterprise Symposium in Vancouver, Canada’s leading annual gathering for enterprising families.
About Family Enterprise Canada (FEC)
Family Enterprise Canada is the national member association for family-owned enterprises, offering resources, advocacy, education and community to support enterprising families in building lasting legacies. Family-owned enterprises make up 63 percent of all private-sector firms in Canada, generate around $575 billion in real GDP and employ 6.9 million Canadians.
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