On Friday, November 4, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario appointed Dr. Steve Gupta to the Order of Ontario. The Order of Ontario is the province's highest civilian honour. This is awarded to an Ontarian who has shown the highest level of excellence and achievement in any field, and whose impact has left a lasting legacy in our province, in our country, and around the world.

Dr. Gupta, Executive Chairman of The Gupta Group, immigrated to Ontario from India in 1971 with just $108 in his pocket and he is now recognized as a leader in the hospitality and condominium industries. Over the last 40 years, Dr. Gupta invested in and developed communities across Ontario for millions of citizens. He started by purchasing a single highway car and truck stop in Port Hope in 1978. Since then, he has built The Gupta Group, an award-winning organization with 25 hotels and counting across Ontario and Quebec, two high-rise residential and one commercial properties, and five more high-rise residential projects under development.

Dr. Gupta has developed many prominent projects that have led to thousands of jobs created in Ontario. From 1981 to 1996 when Dr. Gupta developed several projects in Port Hope, the town's population grew by over 50 per cent. Furthermore, The Gupta Group's 25 hotels and counting have directly uplifted tourism for core communities across Ontario.

Aside from these achievements, Dr. Gupta made it his personal mandate to lead philanthropic initiatives around the globe. He built Eye Camps in rural India, where over 50,000 patients have been treated for eye disease, given life-changing surgeries, and more. He helped Gujarat after the devastating earthquake and built sanitation systems for girls' schools. He also has supported the Toronto International Film Festival for over a decade through sponsoring the Steve and Rashmi Gupta box office. He has also sat on numerous governing boards including Centenary Hospital/Rouge Valley Health System, Ontario College of Pharmacists, and the University of Toronto, to name a select few.

"It is an incredible honour to be appointed to the 2021 Order of Ontario and recognized in this way. When we immigrated here in 1971, I wanted to provide more for my family and am humbled to have played a part, however small, in also helping Ontario communities grow," says Dr. Steve Gupta, Founder and Executive Chairman, The Gupta Group.

"I have watched my father, since my early childhood years, work so hard to build up The Gupta Group from one gas station in Port Hope to what it is today. He is an inspiration, a mentor, and a true example of humble excellence," says Reetu Gupta, Chairwoman and Ambassadress, The Gupta Group.

Dr. Gupta has received dozens of other awards and honors including the Skills of Change Entrepreneurship Excellence Award, the Transformation Institute's Innovation Award, RBC's Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award, and Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Ontario (Real Estate and Hotels). He is also a recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and Gold Medal, in addition to receiving the prestigious Doctor of Laws honoris causa from Ryerson University.

ABOUT THE GUPTA GROUP AND EASTON'S GROUP OF HOTELS

The Gupta Group is the parent company for the Gupta family's global investment portfolio, including The Easton's Group of Hotels, Gupta Group Mining, Gupta Group Developments, Rogue Insight Capital, and more. The Easton's Group of Hotels is one of Canada's largest private hotel developers and managers and has grown into a major force in the hospitality and service industry across Ontario and Quebec. Easton's flagship hotel properties include renowned brands such as Hilton, Marriott and Holiday Inn in diverse locations from downtown Toronto to Kingston, Thunder Bay, and Montréal.

With a dynamic leadership team and an abiding passion for excellence, Easton's Group of Hotels is aggressively expanding to new locations with diverse offerings for the demanding business and leisure traveler. In the highly competitive hotel industry, the Easton's Group of Hotels' core advantages are prime locations, premium quality and superb service.

Rogue Insight Capital is a venture capital and alternative asset investment fund that finds visionaries who dare to transform the world around them through unique, innovative businesses and provides these companies with strategy, direction, capital and an extensive network. Rogue's primary mandates include investing in female, immigrant, and visible minority founders, as well as companies that are making a social impact on their community.