Black Business & Professional Association honours U of T alumnus
Published: March 20, 2012
Materials Science and Engineering alumnus Andrew N. Forde has been named the recipient of the 2012 Harry Jerome Young Entrepreneur Award by the Black Business and Professional Association (BPPA). The Young Entrepreneur category recognizes a distinguished professional between the ages of 18 to 35 who embodies entrepreneurial spirit and success, the proven ability to turn business vision into reality and possesses personal integrity as well as the ability to influence others to action.
Forde is a budding young entrepreneur with an eye for innovative solutions. His first start-up, Sommerfeld Solutions, operates in three broad areas: mining, information technology, and healthcare. One of Sommerfeld Solutions’ top accomplishments is The Electronic Chat (TEC), a product designed to streamline charting, logistics, and patient care in the healthcare industry. Currently, TEC is being prototyped with support of over $750,000 from the Canadian government to further expand this technology. Forde has also established The Forde Institute, a non-profit global centre for research, focusing on technological innovations and their resulting impact on humanity to promote responsible innovation, research and entrepreneurship.
“The leadership taken by Mr. Forde shows that he excels at outreach to the community, provides a catalyst for development of new product/technology initiatives while maintaining a humanitarian approach centered very much on the assistance and success of others,” says Professor Steven J. Thorpe, Associate Chair of Graduate Studies for the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and one of Forde’s principle award nominators. “Mr. Forde is just the type of role model that our Faculty strives to create in our graduates and is a most deserving recipient of this recognition.”
Forde will be honoured with his award at this year’s BBPA gala to be held on April 28, 2012. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of this award, named after Harry Jerome, an elite Canadian track and field athlete in the 1960s.
