Keith Bilous, President and CEO, ICUC Moderation Services Inc., Winnipeg.
Each year, Caldwell Partners International chooses 40 Canadians who were under 40 in the past year to honour for their outstanding achievements. Click here to learn more about the program, and find more winners in the list below.
Keith Bilous celebrated his last birthday in style, roaring up to his new custom-built home in suburban Winnipeg in a Tesla Roadster, his 39th birthday gift to himself.
It's not that the founder and president of a social media monitoring company bought the electric sports car because of its low environmental impact or the status its high price tag carries.
"I don't consider myself an environmentalist. I like things that are exciting, fun, creative."
ICUC Moderation Services, the company Mr. Bilous started in 2002, grew out of his awareness that there was money to be made in the new world of social media technology and his passion for ventures that excite people - himself included.
In addition to ICUC's management team, the company employs 165 people worldwide who track Internet comments for clients that include major corporate and news organizations. The monitors ensure that published comments protect the client's brand and fall within "acceptable guidelines that the client sets."
Unacceptable comments express racism and other forms of discrimination. "Unfortunately there is still so much hate within society and people," Mr. Bilous says. "It's upsetting."
His home-office consists of him and one other inhabitant - his six-year-old English Bulldog named Ray Charles.
Starting as a salesman after dropping out of university after one year, and with his parents as inspiration for his work ethic, he found he could be successful, excite people with new ideas, make money and have a good time doing it.
With a young family now, he's looking forward to being involved with his kids as they grow up and to building a bigger and better company.
"I get excited by being the guy behind that growth. I get excited by my personal growth and by the new areas that will emerge in the future."
More winners:
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Karen Bakker, 39 -
Keith Bilous, 39 -
Leonard Brody, 39 -
Naman Budhdeo, 38 -
Michael Burns, 39 -
Craig Campbell, 34 -
Norie Campbell, 39 -
Jody Campeau, 39 -
Cody Church, 39 -
Brian Coombes, 36 -
Matthew Corrin, 29 -
Frederick Dryden, 39 -
Dominic Giroux, 35 -
Deirdre Horgan, 38 -
Kyle Jeworski, 36 -
Nicholas Johnson, 38 -
Dr. Kirsten Johnson, 39 -
Kevin Li, 39 -
Stewart Lyons, 37 -
Muhammad Mamdani, 39 -
Andy McCreath, 35, and Christian Darbyshire, 35 -
Calvin McDonald, 39 -
Duke McKenzie, 35 -
Glori Meldrum, 37 -
Michele Mosca, 39 -
Suresh Narine, 39 -
Sean O'Reilly, 36 -
John Poulos, 36 -
Andrew Reid, 34 -
Gregory Roberts, 38 -
Angela Santiago, 39 -
Bradley Schwartz, 39 -
Leerom Segal, 31 -
Som Seif, 34 -
Natasha Sharpe, 39 -
Andrew Smith, 38 -
Steve Sousa, 39 -
Marie-Pier St-Hilaire, 33 -
David Vocadlo, 37 -
Nolan Watson, 31