Staff
With voting closed for the 19th-annual business awards, nominees now will have to wait until the gala next Thursday (March 12) to find out who won.
The Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce tried out a new means of voting this year—letting the public vote online—and it appears to have been a hit.
Voting opened Feb. 19 and closed Monday at 5 p.m. In that time, more than 1,000 votes were cast for this year’s nominees.
“I think it’s amazing,” Chamber manager Annely Armstrong-Thorstad said of the voter response.
“I never thought we’d get quite that many,” she added.
“I was excited when we got 63 people voting for the Chamber election. So that’s great.
“It goes to show how invested people are when they have a chance to be a part of it,” Armstrong-Thorstad said.
Traditionally, the Chamber had an awards committee meet and review all of the nominations for each category, then vote amongst themselves as to who they thought were the best.
“It was becoming too difficult to do that,” noted Armstrong-Thorstad.
“I think putting it out to the public is great,”
In the case of any ties, the awards committee would meet and do it the old-fashioned way.
The winners won’t be revealed until the awards gala.
The award categories, and the nominees for each, included:
•Business of the Year—The Harbourage Restaurant, Lowey’s Greenhouse & Market Garden, Copper River Inn, and From the Grind Up;
•Entrepreneur of the Year—Melanie Williams (Party Rock DJ Services) and Bryce Campbell (Copper River Inn);
•Small Business Trainer of the Year—Andy Peters (Andy Peters Plumbing & Heating), Ted DeBenetti (A Buck or Two), and Paul Peters (Sunrise Meat & Sausage);
•Customer Service (Business)—McDonald’s Restaurant and Lowerys;
•Customer Service (Individual)—Rob Georgeson (Investors Group), Brenda Hanzuk (Life Labs), Samantha Pearson (From the Grind Up), and Neila Booth (Northwoods Gallery & Gifts);
•Employee of the Year—Jay Caldwell (La Place Rendez-Vous), Penny Faragher (Northwoods Gallery & Gifts), Penny Flatt (Northwoods Gallery & Gifts), and Sherry George (Fort Frances Museum);
•Business Woman of the Year—Pamela Williams (4 Your Pets), Nina Stopa (Back in Motion), Melanie Williams (Party Rock DJ Services), and Jess Comeau (807 Custom Paint & Grafix);
•Home-Based Business—Diane Gibson (Gibson Design), Jess Comeau (807 Custom Paint & Grafix), Shelley Wepruk (Sweety Cakes), and Inga Friesen (Merge2); and
•Tony Beyak Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award—Linda Plumridge, Maxine Hayes, and June Keddie.
The awards gala, which again will be sponsored by Tbaytel, will take place Thursday, March 12 at La Place Rendez-Vous.
It promises to be a fun and interactive evening featuring the “Fabulous Feud”—where tables of guests will vie in a trivia- and prize-filled competition to crown grand-prize winners, noted Armstrong-Thorstad.
Local duo “Entirely Mac” also will perform.
There will be two guest speakers, as well.
Business Banking RBC regional manager Mike Nitz and Stephanie Ash, of Firedog Communications Inc., will be welcoming the Chamber’s new Young Entrepreneurs Committee and speaking to the importance of supporting young entrepreneurs in the community.
As a past-president of the Northwestern Ontario Chambers of Commerce (NOACC), Nitz also will bring greetings from that association and congratulate the evening’s nominees.
Tickets for the gala are on sale now. They cost $45 each for Chamber members ($50 for non-members) or $315 for a table of eight ($350 for non-members).
Armstrong-Thorstad noted that tables are going fast, with only a few left.
Cocktails will be at 6 p.m., with opening remarks by Chamber president Jennifer Greenhalgh at 6:20 p.m.
For more information, call the Chamber (274-5773) or visit www.fortfranceschamber.com
