On THU MAY13-04, in Grand Forks, ND - Peter Nygård, Founder & Chairman of NYGÅRD International, was inducted into the University North Dakota (UND) Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.

The UND Entrepreneur Hall of Fame was established in 1986 by the UND's Center for Innovation to recognize longstanding (25 years or more) UND entrepreneurs for their entrepreneurial contributions nationally and internationally. The award citation committee agreed that Peter Nygård should be recognized for "his leadership & significant contributions to the fashion industry through Nygård International. Peter's 35 years of significant and successful growth and use of technology in a very competitive industry, made him an excellent choice for this award".

The award signifies Nygård's innovative spirit in many areas -- building products, processes, technologies, businesses & organizations -- for solving problems & inventing new concepts. By doing so he has contributed immeasurably to the standard of living, economy & general well-being of an enormous number of people.

Nygård's entrepreneurial story began in 1967-- 3 years after graduating from the UND, he gathered his life savings & borrowed capital to purchase 20% of a ladies garment manufacturer, which within a few years he owned outright.

Today, he operates a women's ready-to-wear business with annual sales in excess of $500M, employing over 12,000 people worldwide. The roots of the company are in Manitoba, Canada with over 50% of the business in the United States. The company has facilities in Toronto, Winnipeg, Los Angeles, New York, Hong Kong, Mexico, Sri Lanka and throughout the Orient. The company has a retail division that consists of 200+ stores across North America.

Nygård is a driven & meticulous man who has created a 'Standard of Excellence' for the Canadian women's fashion industry -- Nygård is the #1 recognized label in the Canadian marketplace. His signature is also recognized in fashion centers across the globe. The speed with which he claimed his #1 position in the industry is attributed to the uniqueness of his business decisions & his work ethic that includes 14-16 hour days 7 days a week. But then again, as Nygård says, "The only time you are working is when you wish you were doing something else."

Peter Nygård's vision & commitment to excellence in quality fashion, service & innovative thinking has made his company a benchmark in IT and e-Commerce for many others. Nygård continues to 'raise the bar' in the standard of excellence for North America's Women's Fashion industry & is recognized as a world leader in technology supply-chain management -- 'Where Fashion Meets Technology' is the company's official corporate slogan and, as such, Nygård was recognized in 2003 by industry giant Microsoft as a gold medal winner for technological excellence.

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