Oct. 5, 2022 — Press release from the Burlington Chamber of Commerce

The Burlington Chamber of Commerce team is excited to announce the recipients of the 2021 AND 2022 Distinguished Entrepreneur Awards:
Jeff Paikin, President at New Horizon Development Group (2021) and Conrad Zurini, Broker of Record of RE/MAX Escarpment Realty (2022).

The RBC Distinguished Entrepreneurs Dinner will be held on October 20, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. at the Burlington Convention Centre to honour Jeff and Conrad! The evening will feature live entertainment from artists including the nationally-renowned Canadian Brass, a three-course Jewish-Italian fusion inspired gourmet meal, opportunity to celebrate with our two honourees, and an unforgettable emcee and inductors! Chaired by 2011 Distinguished Entrepreneur, Ron Foxcroft, you will not want to miss out on this highly anticipated event!

See below for details of each of the Distinguished Entrepreneurs.

Jeff Paikin biography
President and co-founder of New Horizon Development Group, Jeff Paikin, was born and raised in Hamilton. After receiving his education at Mount Allison University, Jeff returned home in his early 20s to work for his family’s company, Ennis Paikin Steel.

On a number of successful bids for reinforcing steel to be used in high-rise condo construction, office towers, and the SkyDome, Jeff became enamored with the idea of complete design and construction. It wasn’t until 1993 that the dream of New Horizon Development Group became a reality.

At New Horizon, Jeff’s primary responsibilities include land acquisition, product development, marketing and financing of new projects — as well as the coordination of the company’s community involvement.

Jeff has been active in the West End Home Builders’ Association (WEHBA) for years, serving as its president in 2003. On the national stage, he was a founding member of the Canadian Home Builders’ Urban Council, helping to ensure that the voice of builders in large urban centres was adequately represented. The WEHBA awarded him the National Roof Topper Award in 2003, the President’s Award of Merit in 2004, and the Paul Wright Memorial Award in 2009.

In 2013, Jeff was named Hamilton’s Citizen of the Year for his outstanding commitment to the region. The award recognized a host of philanthropic initiatives, including having chaired the Hamilton Halton Home Builders’ Association (HHHBA), been a board member of the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS), and an organizer of the former annual B’Nai Brith Sports Celebrity Dinner, to name a few.

Conrad Zurini biography
Conrad working alongside his family, has always had a strong passion for real estate and improving the overall client experience. As the broker/owner of the #1 brokerage in Burlington, Hamilton, and Niagara under the brokerage names of RE/MAX Escarpment and RE/MAX Niagara, with 14 offices which stretch from Fort Erie to Oakville. Conrad is constantly working to develop new systems, education, software, and innovative technology to elevate the industry through his 900+ agent network. RE/MAX Escarpment-Niagara continues to lead the local real estate industry in average unit sales per agent (18+), nearly 15,000 transactions, and just over 10.7 billion in annual sales. In 2014 and 2020, Conrad was recognized as the RE/MAX Broker of the Year for a multi-office company for all of Canada, the only broker in history to receive that honour twice, out of 1000 brokerages, in a 10-year period. RE/MAX Escarpment-Niagara is also the proud recipient of nine Consumer Choice Awards in Hamilton (2014–2022) and five in Niagara (2018–2022).

As the former chair of the Affordable Housing flagship for 10 years, Conrad is passionate about his community, and is working to create affordable housing projects through private and public partnerships, that will improve not only the economic outlook of our region, but also the future of its residents.

In 2022, Conrad, along with the New Horizon Development Group, have begun construction of the first of a multi-building initiative to bring affordable and market rental purpose built apartments in Burlington, Hamilton and Niagara. Further, 2022 marks the 27th year that RE/MAX Escarpment-Niagara have been a major contributor to the Children’s Miracle Network locally. RE/MAX Escarpment and Niagara believe in supporting several shelter-based charitable organizations, and are proud to be a founding donor to the soon-to-be built Children’s Hospice, which will serve families throughout the Golden Horseshoe.

Conrad is a leader, a mentor, a software developer, an international speaker, and a futurist for what he envisions as the ultimate consumer experience within the real estate/financial services sector.

Visit burlingtonchamber.com for more about the distinguished entrepreneurs and their stories of inspiration.