For building his family insurance business into a successful national company and dedicating himself to the heritage of Newfoundland, Paul Jolliffe Johnson was today named the recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2004 Atlantic Lifetime Achievement award.

The award will be presented at a banquet in Halifax on October 7.

“Paul J. Johnson’s commitment to his company and his community definitely deserves to be recognized,” said John Carter, director of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program for the Atlantic region, in a release. “His outstanding record of business success and philanthropy goes back nearly five decades. This is an appropriate time to celebrate the many endeavours he has quietly pursued during his career.”

From his hometown of St. John’s, Johnson, age 75, served as president and CEO of Johnson Insurance Ltd. for 45 years. Under his leadership, the company, founded by his grandfather in 1880, grew to more than 40 branches coast to coast, offering a full range of insurance, benefits and administration. In 1997, Johnson sold his parent company, The Johnson Corp., to Royal & SunAlliance Insurance Group.

The Johnson Family Foundation, established in 1987 to focus talents and finances on preserving and promoting the heritage of Newfoundland, continues the efforts originally championed by Johnson’s father, Arthur. The foundation has initiated and funded more than 15 significant projects, including museums, parks and books.

Johnson is currently chairman of the Grand Concourse Authority, the Johnson GEO CENTRE on Signal Hill and the Newfoundland Railway Coastal Museum.

Now in its 11th year in Canada, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program was founded by Ernst & Young to celebrate great entrepreneurs and heighten awareness of the economic impact of entrepreneurial ventures.