Bill Loewen
William H. "Bill" Loewen is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and political activist in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Loewen was raised in Elkhorn, Manitoba, and later moved to Winnipeg. His wife Shirley Loewen is a prominent figure in the Winnipeg arts community. His nephew John Loewen is a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. He was named to the Order of Canada in 1999. In 2008 he was inducted into the Winnipeg Citizens Hall of Fame - Winnipeg Free Press 17 September 2008.
Loewen is a chartered accountant. He launched the payroll cheque company Comcheq Services in 1968 on an investment of $15,000, and turned the company into a national success. Comcheq's revenue was $24 million in 1990, and it had 453 workers. Loewen was named Manitoba Executive of the Year in May 1990.
He sold the company to the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in 1992, and expressed disappointment when the CIBC sold it to an American firm in 1998. He retained control of a division called TelPay, and used this entity to secure a customer's electronic bill-paying contracts with many financial institutions including National Bank of Canada in 1999. Telpay Inc. was named "innovator of the year" by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce in 2004, and received the Distinguished Treasury Award from the Treasury Management Association of Canada (TMAC) the following year. He spoke against bank mergers in 1998, arguing that Canadian banks were already too large and powerful.
Winnipeg Mayor Susan Thompson appointed Loewen to head the Winnipeg Millennium Committee in 1997. In this capacity, he was responsible for planning events for the city's millennium festivities.
In November 2007 he was appointed to the Canadian Payments Association Bill Payment Task Force, a committee set up to respond to complaints that bill payment processing in Canada is too slow.
On November 9, 2010 he was presented with the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba, "Winnipeg Free Press" 9 November 2010.
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