VICTORIA – AERS founder Anthony Sukow was on hand to receive the University of Victoria’s annual Craigdarroch Research Award on behalf of himself and his brother and co-founder Andrew Sukow last week.  As graduates of the University, both founders were gratified to receive the University of Victoria Innovation and Development Corporation Entrepreneurship Award.

This recognizes the company’s excellence in providing data analytics and research tools in decision support, and AERS’ longstanding vision to deliver practical research based on transactional data.  “We were grateful to have been selected for this honour among such a fine group of peers,” said Anthony Sukow, “and this further underscores the strength of our longstanding partnership with UVic.“

The Craigdarroch Research Awards were established by the University of Victoria to recognize excellence in research, and were awarded for the first time in October 2003. The awards are named for Craigdarroch Castle, which served as home to the University of Victoria’s predecessor institution, Victoria College, from 1921 to 1946. Anthony and Andrew Sukow received one of six awards handed out to seven recipients.

AERS was conceived when both Andrew and Anthony Sukow were students at the University of Victoria, and operated out of the University until September 2005.  During its earliest stages, the first-time entrepreneurs benefited from significant mentorship, investment, and other support from the University, among other individuals and organizations.

Advanced E-commerce Research Systems Inc. specializes in delivering e-commerce-based analytics and insight to support the investment, product management, marketing, and advertising decisions of its thousands of clients. AERS does this based on its core competencies in storing and mining large e-commerce datasets. AERS is comprised of two main divisions: Terapeak supplies auction analysis to eBay sellers and buyers through an on-line web interface, while Advanced delivers data and custom research to the business sector. The company was founded in 2004, and monitors over ten million consumer transactions daily.

Media contacts:

AERS – Anthony Sukow
250-483-3270
anthony [at] aers.ca

UVic Communications – Valerie Shore
250-721-7641
vshore [at] uvic.ca

Commenting on the appointment, Ian H. Stewart, Q.C. and AERS Chair says, “Thrifty Foods is a Vancouver Island success story and one of Canada’s most respected providers of high-quality products. Alex Campbell is widely respected and will bring to the company his unrivalled experience in adapting business processes to facilitate continued growth and success.”

Prior to joining the board, Campbell built Vancouver Island’s single largest private sector company into a small empire of 4,100 employees. In 2007, he sold his company to Sobeys Inc. and continues to be involved in an advisory capacity.

“Given its past achievements and its energetic pursuit of new technological horizons, AERS exhibits tremendous growth potential,” says Campbell. “I know that long-term relationships require and thrive on integrity, honesty and clarity of communications, loyalty, respect and service. AERS and its employees share these values and are committed to upholding them in all aspects of AERS business affairs. I am honored and delighted to join this team.”

Other board members include: Rhys T. Eyton; Robin H. French; David H. McMillan; James H. Reed; Fred Speckeen, President and CEO; Brent Sternig;
Andrew E.R. Sukow, Chief Technical Officer; and Anthony E. R. Sukow, Executive Vice President and Board Secretary. For a full biography of the AERS Board of Directors, please use the following link: http://www.aers.ca/board.php

“Our board directors enjoy a strong collaborative relationship. The members bring a wealth of diverse knowledge and experience to the company. Collectively the board has more than 250 years of combined business expertise spanning such diverse sectors as telecommunications, entertainment, grocery, media, and transportation. We welcome Mr. Campbell and look forward to working with him,” adds President and CEO Fred Speckeen.

About Advanced Economic Research Systems Inc.

Advanced Economic Research Systems is a fast growing e-commerce data and analytics company. Privately held, the company is headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The company has two strategic business units – Terapeak and Data Unison, which deliver data and analytics based on the world’s largest e-commerce platform, eBay.

Today, AERS is eBay’s only market data reseller and has established itself as the pre-eminent provider of the most up-to-date, thorough, and relevant e-commerce marketplace reporting available. Currently, AERS websites receive over 1,000,000 page views per month.  For more information: www.aers.ca

For further information: Moira King, Moira King Communications, Mobile:
(250) 217-0659, Email: moiraking [a] shaw.ca, Fax: (250) 658-3493