Save the date!
May 21, 2026
For Immediate Release
Friday, February 27, 2026
Junior Achievement of Newfoundland and Labrador announces the 2026 JA Business Hall of Fame Inductees
The achievements of these individuals will be recognized at the May 21st, 2026 Gala Dinner and Induction Ceremony.
The inductees:
Since 1990, the Junior Achievement Newfoundland and Labrador Business Hall of Fame has recognized and celebrated business excellence in our province. In addition to celebrating excellence, the Business Hall of Fame is JA’s signature fundraiser, supporting work that focuses on financial literacy, workforce learning and entrepreneurship. Junior Achievement (JA) is a registered charity whose purpose is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. In Newfoundland and Labrador, JA provides learning experiences to students in grades 1-12. Programs are delivered in-person, virtually and through hybrid models.
Quotes:
“We look forward to celebrating the achievements of the individuals on May 21st. JA works with young people to help them create skillsets and mindsets to build thriving communities and the 2026 inductees are indeed exceptional role models for Newfoundland and Labrador’s youth.” – Sandra Patterson, President and CEO
Media Contact:
Sandra Patterson
President and CEO, JA Newfoundland and Labrador
spatterson@janl.org
709 753-9533
Backgrounder – Inductee Bios:
Brian Chafe, CEO of De Havilland Canada and former CEO of Pal Aerospace
Brian has a long history in the Canadian aerospace industry, spending 22 years at PAL Aerospace, with his last role as President and CEO of the PAL Group of Companies.
At PAL, Brian and his team took a small, regional company, found market segments in which they could not only participate but win, and transformed PAL into a global aerospace participant with staff and operations on three continents. The company was acquired by Exchange Income Corporation in 2015.
When Brian retired from PAL in 2019, the company had almost 1000 employees and was one of the largest and most profitable employers in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Brian was born and raised in the province and received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Memorial University before earning an MBA at the Ivey School of Business at Western University. He also attained a CMA designation. In 2017, he was named the Atlantic Canada Business Magazine’s CEO of the year.
Since 2022, Brian has served as Chief Executive Officer of De Havilland Canada. In this role, he oversees the strategy and operations of all divisions of De Havilland Canada. Brian was enticed back after retirement to take on the task of rebuilding this iconic Canadian company and preparing it to succeed in its second century.
Regina McCarthy, founder and Mark McCarthy, President, McCarthy’s Party
In 1982, Regina had an idea that would shape the future of tourism in Newfoundland and Labrador. She believed that visitors to the province deserved more than self-deprecating Newfie jokes or misconceptions about its economy and culture. They needed someone who could share the true story of Newfoundland—its rich history, unique ecology, vibrant economy, and deep-rooted traditions. With this vision in mind, Regina designed a 7-day tour of Newfoundland and mailed out her itinerary to a handful of potential customers. Only one person responded: Dr. Avery Wiseman. Regina drove Dr. Wiseman across the island in the family station wagon, offering him an authentic, unfiltered experience of Newfoundland. Impressed by both the destination and the guide, Dr. Wiseman contacted the Harvard Alumni Association and recommended they visit Newfoundland with Regina.
Thus, McCarthy’s Party was born, with Regina, her husband Jim, and their four sons—Andrew, Mark, Jason, and David—making up the initial team. The tours grew in popularity, and the McCarthy family worked tirelessly each summer to provide their guests with an unforgettable, authentic experience.
In the late 1980s, Regina recognized a new opportunity as hotels began offering more meeting spaces. With the growing meeting and convention market in mind, she expanded her services to include destination management, offering decor, local tours, and musical acts to enhance group experiences.
By 1997, McCarthy’s Party had reached a crossroads. Regina’s sons had moved away, and she needed to decide the future of the company. When her son Mark graduated with an MBA, he agreed to return home and take the reins—on the condition that he would have the freedom to grow and expand the business. Regina had instilled in Mark the core values of the company: offering the best tour guiding and assistance to groups who wanted to “See It, Taste It, Feel It, Live It!” Mark embraced this principle, and his parent’s assistance, as he assumed leadership and later took full ownership of McCarthy’s Party in 2004.
Under Mark’s leadership, McCarthy’s Party flourished. In those 28 years, the company expanded significantly. While continuing to offer multi-day cross-island tours, local tours, and destination management services, Mark grew the company’s reach. McCarthy’s Party now employs more than 70 full-time and part-time staff members, delivers over 80 multi-day tours to over 3,000 people annually, and provides local tours in and around St. John’s to over 8,000 visitors. Additionally, the company serves more than 40 meeting and convention groups each year. 90% of all revenue generated by the company stays in Newfoundland and Labrador and is largely spread out over small communities from Red Bay to Renews.
Expanding beyond the province, McCarthy’s Party now offers multi-day tours across the Maritimes as well as in Ireland and the UK, making it one of the largest inbound tour companies in Canada. McCarthy’s Party have been recognized with numerous tourism awards.
Today, while technology and social media play an important role in marketing, the company’s true ambassadors are its loyal clients. Their recommendations bring new travelers each year, ensuring that McCarthy’s Party remains the trusted choice for those seeking authentic Newfoundland experiences.
John Steele, CEO of Long Play Capital and Catherine Steele, Entrepreneur (Posthumously)
John Steele is the CEO of Steele Hotels, CEO of Long Play Capital Corporation, President of Brigus Production Company Inc. and part-owner of SPS Entertainment (NL Regiment Hockey Club). He began his career with Steele Hotels in 1991 and has since overseen all seven locations across Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as an additional location in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Under his leadership, Brigus Production Company Inc. produces the renowned Iceberg Alley Performance Tent in St. John’s.
Previously, John worked with Newfoundland Capital Corporation Limited and its subsidiary, Newcap Inc., from March 1988 to October 2018, holding various positions, including President of its Newfoundland and Labrador operations, until the company was sold in 2018.
His contributions have been widely recognized. In 2018, the Iceberg Alley Performance Tent was awarded Best Event of the Year by the City of St. John’s, and in 2022, it was a finalist for an Atlantic Excellence Award in the Event of the Year category with a budget under $500,000. John is a past Board member of the 2025 Canada Games Revenue Generation Committee. He has also served on the “In This Together” Capital Campaign Committee of the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation, as a Board member of Newfoundland Capital Corporation and Stingray, and as President of the Board of Directors of the VOCM Cares Foundation. In 2018, John was honoured as Humanitarian of the Year by the Canadian Red Cross.
John’s mother, Janet Catherine Steele was born in 1930 in Grand Bank, NL. After graduating from Mount Allison University, Catherine taught music at Prince of Wales Collegiate, St. John’s, NL which she loved.
Following a period of living in Portsmouth, England, where her husband Harry was posted to a specialized Royal Navy training school, the couple were posted to Halifax/Dartmouth, NS. It was here, while starting and raising her young family, Catherine‘s enthusiasm for business was ignited and cultivated through the purchase, renovation, and selling of homes bought through foreclosure.
With her success and entrepreneurial spirit thriving, Catherine continued her quest to locate similar homes to renovate following their posting to Gander. With no residential homes available, she learned of the Albatross Motel’s availability, through bankruptcy, which presented a new challenge for Catherine. With her natural people skills, and after learning the hotel business, the Albatross, in time, became another success story.
With her husband‘s retirement from military life, in 1974, Catherine‘s love and success in business became the catalyst for a family business career. With equal enthusiasm, the business grew. Over subsequent years, the Steele family acquired and incorporated Sinbad’s LImited, Irving West, Limited and Hotel Gander Limited, which continue today.