ACC to present Jim Treliving with honorary diploma

ACC will be awarding Jim Treliving with an honorary diploma in Business Administration at the college’s upcoming graduation ceremony in Brandon on June 12, 2014.

“We are thrilled to have Jim accept this honour,” said Mark Frison, president of ACC. “His hard work, passion and generosity are values that our graduates can aspire to.”

I'm very honoured to be joining the convocation at ACC and accepting a diploma in Business Administration, said Jim Treliving, chairman and owner of Boston Pizza International. I joined the RCMP straight from high school in Virden and never had the chance to pursue formal education in business. Over the years, I have seen the enormous value of post-secondary education among my employees, partners, family and friends. I'm pleased to join this year's graduating class at ACC to recognize their academic achievements and to wish them all the very best as they move forward with their careers.

Born and raised in Virden, Treliving spent eight years with the RCMP before building a business empire that spans multiple industries across North America. He and his business partner, George Melville, manage and invest in a collection of companies under T&M Group—including the prominent Boston Pizza—together exceeding annual sales of $1 billion.

Treliving reached celebrity status on the successful CBC television showDragons’ Den, offering valuable business advice and potential investment to aspiring entrepreneurs. He also co-hosts a CBC reality television program called The Big Decision where he and fellow entrepreneur, Arlene Dickinson, travel across Canada visiting struggling businesses to help put them on the path to success.

A notable philanthropist, Treliving has raised and donated more than $18 million dollars to Canadian charities since 1990 as a director on the Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects. He and his wife, Sandi, personally donated $1 million to the CAMH Foundation Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in 2012. His book Decisions: Making the Right Ones and Righting the Wrong Ones made non-fiction best sellers lists across North America in 2012. All proceeds were donated to Canadian charities.

He has served on a number of boards, including the David Foster Foundation, the Jays Care Foundation and was recently named chairman of the Hockey Canada Foundation.

ACC awards honorary diplomas to those who demonstrate excellence in their personal and professional accomplishments. Past honorary diploma recipients in Brandon include Bob Mazer (2010), Dennis Hunt (2011), Carmel Olson (2012) and David Baxter (2013).

The graduation ceremony takes place on Thursday, June 12 at 2 p.m. at the Keystone Centre in Brandon.