CHAMBER ANNOUNCES WINNERS FOR 25TH ANNUAL BUSINESS AWARDS
The Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the winners for our 25th Annual Business Excellence Awards, which were presented on April 13th at the Valhalla Inn. The event is proudly presented by Bell.
HONOURARY MEMBERSHIP
Uli Walther
COMMITMENT TO QUALITY AWARD (2)
Sponsored by: Bombardier Transport Canada Inc.
Superior Strategies
U2 FASTENERS
BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARD – SMALL
Sponsored by: Gillons* Insurance
Bonobo’s Foods
BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARD – MEDIUM
Sponsored by: Weiler, Maloney, Nelson
Mallon’s Promotional Clothing & Products
BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARD – LARGE
Sponsored by: BDO Canada LLP
North Star Air
NEW BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARD
Sponsored by: RBC Royal Bank
Rent Panda
LOOKING GOOD AWARD
Sponsored by: Tbaytel
Take A Hike + Take 2 Boutique
NOT FOR PROFIT EXCELLENCE AWARD
Sponsored by: Gateway Casinos & Entertainment
Leadership Thunder Bay
QUALITY OF LIFE AWARD
Sponsored by: Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission
Sullivan + Associates Clinical Psychology
GAMECHANGER AWARD
Sponsored by: Synergy North
ORIGIN
CLEAN, GREEN AND BEAUTIFUL AWARD
Sponsored by: City of Thunder Bay
St. Joseph’s Care Group
CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD
Sponsored by: Fort William Historical Park
George Jeffrey Children’s Centre
YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD
Sponsored by: Ontario Power Generation
Nadine Kelly – Breakfast, Lunch & Deener
BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by: Ambassadors Northwest
Dave Thomas – Salt & Pepper Catering
Business Excellence – Large
(26+ employees)
- Best Western Plus Nor’Wester Hotel & Conference Centre
- North Star Air
- Thunder Bay Truck Centre Inc.
Award sponsored by BDO Canada LLP
Business Excellence – Medium
(7-25 employees)
CAA North & East Ontario- Mallon’s Promotional Clothing & Products
- Shout Media Inc.
Award sponsored by Weiler, Maloney, Nelson
Business Excellence – Small
(1-6 employees)
Aly’s Mini Putt & Fun Centre- Bonobo’s Foods
- Primary Foto Source
- Synergy Property Management Solutions, Inc.
- The Steam Guy Inc.
- The Sweet North Bakery
- Thunder Bay Home Check Inc.
Award sponsored by Gillons* Insurance
Business Excellence Criteria: Our three Business Excellence Awards are presented to companies that exhibit true business excellence. These companies have advanced in economic and/or financial growth through sales/earnings and financial management. They excel in quality customer/client service, are leaders in employment creation, diversity and inclusion, and seek to continuously improve employee relations and are prominently involved in community affairs. * Must have been in business for more than 4 years. (prior to January 1, 2014)
Business Person of the Year
Dave Thomas – Salt & Pepper Catering- Sue Hamel – Seek Adventure & Tours
- Terry Gallant – Ozone / Street Legal
Award sponsored by Ambassadors Northwest
The Business Person of the Year award is presented to an individual in the business community who exemplifies excellent leadership qualities, innovative business skills, proactive employee and customer relations, and community leadership.
Customer Service
George Jeffrey Children’s Centre- Gridlink
- La Poutine
- Lakehead University – Residence & Conference Services
- Portobello Home
- U2 FASTENERS
- Work Authority
Award sponsored by Fort William Historical Park
The Customer Service award is presented to a business that is committed to high standards of customer service. This company delivers exceptional service in their dealings with customers and educates and encourages their staff to improve and excel in matters of customer relations. This company also strives to improve the customer experience within their business through communications, problem solving and innovation.
Clean, Green & Beautiful
Eco Depot Waste Diversion Inc.- St. Joseph’s Care Group
Award sponsored by the City of Thunder Bay Clean, Green & Beautiful Committee
Presented to a business or organization enriching the life of the community through a combination of public art, beautification, heritage, greening and environmental preservation. Environmental preservation strategies may include recycling, reduced dependency of energy, alternative/active transportation, contribution to the urban forest through demonstrated landscaping and/or “low impact” storm water management. Project to have been completed within the last 2 years. (January 2016-December 2018)
GameChanger
George Jeffrey Children’s Centre- Intrideo
- La Poutine
- Origin
- Rent Panda
- Sail Superior
- U2 FASTENERS
Award sponsored by Synergy North
The GameChanger is an individual or organization who introduces new offerings, breakthrough solutions or a revolutionary approach to enhance our lives and challenge the status quo. Through their collaborative efforts they inspire Thunder Bay leaders and businesses to think differently about how they serve their clients, employees and community.
Looking Good
Kubota Thunder Bay- Marostica Subaru
- Take A Hike + Take 2 Boutique
- The Chanterelle on Park
Award sponsored by Tbaytel
The Looking Good award is presented to a business or organization that has completed renovations or restored a property or building that already exists within the last two years (January 2016-December 2017) and the improvements of the property have shown a positive impact on its surrounding community.
New Business Excellence
Countdown Escape Rooms Thunder Bay- La Poutine
- Rent Panda
- Seek Adventure and Tours
Award sponsored by RBC Royal Bank.
The New Business Excellence award is presented to a new locally-owned business that has been operating for at least two years but within four years and that has demonstrated innovation, vision, employment creation and business growth prospects.
Not for Profit Excellence
Frontier College- Lakehead Transportation Museum Society
- Leadership Thunder Bay
- PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise
- St. Joseph’s Care Group – Employment Options & Team Werks
Award sponsored by Gateway Casinos
The Not for Profit Excellence award is presented to the organization that exemplifies excellence and innovation in their programs, projects, and partnerships. Their commitment to growth and expanded programs, as well as service, community involvement, sustainable practices and/or job creation/development demonstrates a dedicated focus on achieving their vision and mandate.
Quality of Life
Children’s Centre Thunder Bay- Kelly Mental Health
- Sullivan + Associates Clinical Psychology
- Umbrella Medical Clinic
Award sponsored by Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission
The Quality of Life award is presented to a business or organization for outstanding contribution to the quality of life of a person, group or organization in our community.
Young Entrepreneur
Ashley Kibzey – Maria Maria Photography- Carly Hughes – Wink
- Conor McGoey – InsideUp Games
- Josh Gillingham – Your Body Fitness and Nutrition
- Nadine Kelly – Breakfast, Lunch and Deener
- Richard Togman – Rent Panda
Award sponsored by Ontario Power Generation
Presented to the owner of a company that has been in business for at least 2 years and is 39 years of age or younger (as of Dec 31, 2018). This person exemplifies innovative business skills, proactive employee and customer relations, and community leadership.
Nomination and Judging Process
- An organization can be nominated by anyone (nomination link on web page)
- The Chamber office receives the nomination and ensures the nominee qualifies (ie. for that particular category, are a Chamber member in good standing etc.)
- The nominee is notified of their nomination and they can either decline or accept. If the nominee accepts they then are asked to complete the submission form by the deadline.
- Once all the submissions are collected they are collated and put together for a package for our judges:
- The judges are a cross section of our membership
- The judges each rate submissions based on the rubric in the questionnaire, coming up with an overall score for each nominee
- These totals are tallied then given to an auditor who double checks all the numbers and determines the winners in each category
- The winners are kept secret and revealed at Awards Gala