Tong Louie and Brandt Louie

Class of 2012

As the former President of Vancouver-based H.Y. Louie Ltd., Mr. Tong Louie is posthumously inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame with his son, current Chairman and CEO, H.Y. Louie Co. Ltd., and Chairman of the Board, London Drugs, Mr. Brandt Louie.

Tong Louie took a modest grocery and restaurant supply company started by his father Hok Yat Louie, and turned it into a successful retail chain of over a hundred drugstores and supermarkets in Western Canada. This growth and early entrepreneurial success of the H.Y. Louie group of companies including London Drugs and IGA, was not lost on Brandt who has grown the retail powerhouse to 75 stores; the second largest retailer in British Columbia.

During the last decade, continued innovation at H.Y. Louie and Brandt’s entrepreneurial spirit have led to the birth of London Drugs’ sister companies - London Air Services and Sonora Resort - which have also become leaders in their respective industries. Known for their commitment to the greater business community and economic growth in Canada, Tong and Brandt have both served as Directors of the Board at several key Canadian companies including the Royal Bank of Canada where Brandt continues to serve as director today. Brandt also participates on the global stage, as governor representing the Food and Beverage Industry, each year at the World Economic forum.

Both Tong and Brandt have held honourable positions at Canadian health and educational institutions; Tong, as Chairman and Governor at a variety of organizations including the Canadian Diabetes Association and the University of British Columbia, and Brandt currently as Chancellor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University; council of governors, Vancouver Community College; governor, Vancouver Board of Trade and the B.C. Business Council; trustee of the Fraser Institute, and Director of the Historical-Dominion Foundation of Canada.

Tong Louie’s philanthropic legacy continues today through Brandt Louie and his extended family’s work at the London Drugs Foundation and the Tong and Geraldine Louie Family Foundation. Each year, the Louie family foundations support many health, educational and arts programs across Canada.