James Andrew Estill, CMOOnt (born April 8, 1957) is a Canadian technology entrepreneur, executive, and philanthropist who has been serving as CEO of appliance manufacturer Danby Appliances Ltd since 2015.[1] During the course of his career, Estill has invested in 150 start-up companies[2] and received international attention for sponsoring the resettling of Syrian refugee families in Canada.[3] In recognition of his philanthropic efforts, Estill received the Order of Ontario in June 2017[4] and was named to the Order of Canada in July 2018,[5] and received a King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2024.[6]
Estill studied engineering at the University of Waterloo, graduating in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Design Engineering.[7]
Business career
1980–1999
In his final year of university, he started his first company, EMJ Data Systems. Estill sold computer equipment and software, soon transitioning into distribution.[8] The business grew quickly, became publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, and withstood that era's downturn in the IT industry.[citation needed]
Estill served as a founding board member of Research in Motion/BlackBerry in 1997, before the company went public. 1997 also found him acting as one of the founding members of Communitech,[11] an organization devoted to helping tech companies grow and find their place in the market.
2000–2009
In 2003, EMJ purchased the Canadian operations of DaisyTek Canada, doubling their distribution size to more than $350 million in consolidated revenue.[12] At its height, EMJ had 350 employees and $350 million in annual sales.[13]
In June 2004, Synnex Canada purchased EMJ Data Systems for $56 million.[14] As part of the deal, Estill took over as CEO of Synnex's Canadian division. During the five years that he ran Synnex from 2004 to 2009, sales for the company grew from $800 million to $2 billion.[10]
In 2008, Estill was granted patent number 8244567 for gamification in ERP systems.[15]
2010–present
In 2010, Estill left BlackBerry Limited[citation needed] and published his first book, Time Leadership – Lessons from a CEO and followed that publication three years later with Zero to $2 Billion: The Marketing and Branding Story Behind the Growth.[citation needed] Estill also serves on the advisory board of OMERS Ventures, one of Canada's largest pension funds, which began operations in 2011.[citation needed]
Estill came out of semi-retirement to assume the post of CEO at Guelph, Ontario-based Danby Products in 2015.[1] In 2017, Estill purchased Danby Products and its subsidiaries from John Wood and his family. Under his guidance, the company resumed manufacturing some of its products in Canada for the first time in a number of years.[16]
In 2023, Estill purchased Valcom Manufacturing Group,[17] a company that designs and manufactures of a full range of antennas.
In 2024, Estill purchased Arctic Snowplows,[18] a Canadian company that manufactures snow plows.
Seed investor
In addition to the businesses he started on his own, Estill also served as a seed investor for over 150 companies, including well.ca,[19] Printeron, Miovision, Clearpath Robotics, Postrank, Touch Bistro, Spicer, Inex, and Border Networks.[citation needed] Jim has also been granted patents for a variety of inventions, predominantly in the appliance arena.[20]
Philanthropy
In November 2015, Estill decided to sponsor the immigration of 50 Syrian families to Guelph, Ontario.[21] He rallied church groups and 800 volunteers across the city and worked closely with the Islamic community.[22] Estill has now sponsored 87 families for resettlement.[23] 47 families had relocated by the end of 2016. The total number of families Estill has helped has grown and totals more than 200 people.[24]
In addition to his own project, Estill also contributed his finances to help a nine-year-old local boy realize his family's dream of sponsoring a Syrian family in Canada.[25]
1 2 Del Nibletto, Paolo (June 19, 2015). "Jim Estill has a new CEO position". Computer Dealer News. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
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