Canada's Best Managed Companies
Oaken Equipment Named One of Canada’s Best Managed Companies
Toronto, ON—[May 14, 2024]—Oaken Equipment was recognized for its industry-leading performance, its national business practices, and its sustained growth by receiving the prestigious 2024 Canada’s Best Managed Companies award.
Celebrating over 30 years, Canada’s Best Managed Companies program awards excellence in private Canadian-owned companies with revenues of $50 million or greater. To attain the designation, companies are evaluated on their leadership in the areas of strategy, culture and commitment, capabilities, innovation, governance and financial performance.
“I’m thrilled for Oaken Equipment to be recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies. It’s a testament to a lot of hard work put in by the entire team across our dealership network,” said Kai Sørensen, President and co-owner of Oaken Equipment. “We’re focused on building a business anchored in our core values that’s delivering industry-leading customer support and performance. Being recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies is something we’ll proudly display throughout our organization to further reinforce why this is a great place to work and why we’re a great company to embrace as a trusted partner.”
Canada’s Best Managed Companies is one of the country’s leading business awards programs, recognizing innovative and world‑class businesses. Every year, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies compete for this designation in a rigorous and independent evaluation process.
Applicants are evaluated by an independent panel of judges with representation from program sponsors and special guests.
“Our dealership network is fortunate to represent Bobcat, a market leading brand of compact construction equipment. That said, we fully appreciate that Oaken is not the only company that sells, rents and provides after sales support in this sector.” Sørensen said. “There are lots of brands and dealers that will help someone push, pull, or move dirt. What we realized is a rock-solid, consistent, values-based organization and culture were key to our growth and success. It’s not about the products, it’s about the people we have supporting them that makes all the difference. We’re a people first organization with an overall purpose to help those around us provide for themselves and their families. For our customers, Oaken aims to be a one-stop-shop for all their compact construction equipment needs. We strive to provide a level of service, equipment uptime, and support at a speed and efficiency that helps our customers’ businesses be more profitable, thus helping them provide for those they hold most dear. The recognition of our unique culture, as well as Oaken’s focus on innovation and digitization to fuel our rapid growth are what we feel has positioned us as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies.”
The 2024 cohort of Best Managed companies share common themes such as having a people-centric culture, targeting effective ESG strategies, and accelerating operational digitization.
“Best Managed is a prestigious award that recognizes the significant and ongoing contributions within Canada’s business landscape,” said Derrick Dempster, Partner, Deloitte Private and Co-Leader, Canada’s Best Managed Companies program. “Companies such as Oaken Equipment who attain this high standard of excellence demonstrate consistent adaptability, versatility, and strategic acuity. Year after year, they thrive in a competitive, rapidly changing market and should be proud of their growth.”
About Canada’s Best Managed Companies Program
Canada’s Best Managed Companies program continues to be the mark of excellence for privately-owned Canadian companies. Every year since the launch of the program in 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices. The awards are granted on four levels: 1) Canada’s Best Managed Companies new winner, one of the new winners selected each year; 2) Canada’s Best Managed Companies winner, award recipients that have re-applied and successfully retained their Best Managed designation for two additional years, subject to annual operational and financial review; 3) Gold Standard winner, after three consecutive years of maintaining their Best Managed status, these winners have demonstrated their commitment to the program and successfully retained their award for 4-6 consecutive years; 4) Platinum Club member, winners that have maintained their Best Managed status for seven years or more. Program sponsors are Deloitte Private, CIBC, The Globe and Mail, and TMX Group. For more information, visit www.bestmanagedcompanies.ca.
About Oaken Equipment
Oaken Equipment is Canada’s largest Bobcat equipment dealer network, comprised of two Bobcat of Toronto locations, Bobcat of Windsor, Bobcat of Barrie, and Bobcat of Muskoka. Each location includes an experienced sales department, a highly-skilled service department, the largest parts inventory in Canada and a ready-to-go rental department. We offer a wide range of versatile Bobcat machines and attachments for a diverse range of industrial and construction markets including paving, demolition, excavation, recycling, landscaping, agriculture, and property development. Our customers range in size from single person owner-operators to enterprise contractors with operations and projects across North America. We service a wide territory in Central, Southern and Southwestern Ontario to support all our customers’ needs and ensure consistent uptime to maximize their profitability.
