Duane Hicks
For a second-straight year, the public voted for who they felt were the most deserving businesses to be honoured at the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce’s 20th-annual business awards gala.
And it was clear last Thursday night that quite a few new businesses have been making their mark here.
Carl’s Eatery, which just opened its doors on Scott Street last May, won the Customer Service Award (Business).
“It’s awesome,” enthused owner Chef Carl Scott, who also was nominated for the Customer Service Award (Individual).
“I didn’t even know anything about the [Chamber] awards and when I got the call when the nominations had closed, and they told me I was nominated, I was blown away,” he added.
Scott then started promoting the awards, asking people to vote and show their support for both the Chamber and small businesses in the downtown area.
“It was good that they were public this year,” he remarked.
“It really showed that people had something to say about the businesses in town, and are rewarding the small businesses that are on the frontline trying to make a difference and trying to make a go at it.”
Scott said the hospitality industry is “99.9 percent” about customer service, but that notion holds true for all the stores downtown.
“Customer service isn’t just about giving the customers what they want all the time,” he noted.
“It’s giving them a good experience—making them feel happy at the end of it, whether it’s a good meal or suit and tie or whatever service you’re selling to them,” he reasoned.
“The whole thing is to make your customers feel good about spending their money at your establishment.”
Carl’s Eatery also was nominated for Business of the Year, but Scott said he couldn’t let the nomination stand as his business has not even been opened for a full year.
But over the past nine months, he’s been getting positive feedback, with close to 80 reviews on Facebook.
“When I first started, it was hard for people to understand what I was trying to do there,” Scott conceded.
“It was a new restaurant in town and we don’t have a deep fryer, so that kind of threw people off a little bit [though] some people appreciated it.
“I just wanted to open a quaint little eatery, a place where you can feel comfortable and hang out, but some days we can’t even keep up,” he added.
“We’re turning it around like it’s a fast-food joint.
“Myself, I want to focus on top-quality food,” Scott stressed. “I try to focus on making it better all the time—not just the food but the service.
“When we hired out staff, we hired minimal experience staff and trained them from the ground up and worked together as a family, getting better and better as go along,” he remarked.
Looking at the big picture, Scott said he’d love to see local businesses get together and have seminars on “hospitality and kicking it back up to where it was at one time—get everyone on the same page.”
Also nominated for the Customer Service Award (Business) were 4 Your Pets, CIBC, Curves, Odawayigamig, RBC, and Resolution Vapes.
The Customer Service Award (Individual) went to Travis Chabot (Chabot’s All-Season Repair).
“I was very excited when they called me and told me I was nominated,” said Chabot, whose business is located at 858 Sixth St. W., along with Jay’s Auto Repair and Cool Air Mechanical (Jason Supinski).
“I couldn’t believe someone took the time out of their day to nominate me such an award,” he noted humbly, adding he was even more shocked when his name was called to receive the award.
Chabot felt there were “some amazing people” who were nominated for the same award.
“I would have never thought I was, I guess you could say for lack of a better word, in the same class at those people,” he remarked.
“I was severely excited. It was just amazing.”
Chabot noted his children were thrilled to see him bring home the award, and now he proudly displays it in his shop.
“It’s really good publicity,” he admitted, adding he’s been getting plenty of “likes” on Facebook.
“I can’t believe the amount of attention I got such an event like that,” Chabot said.
The other nominees up for the Customer Service Award (Individual) were Bethany Friesen (Gillons’ Insurance), Curran Strachan (CIBC), Curtis Carlson (Sunny Cove Camp), Darlyss Krienke (Rusty Myers Flying Service), Deb Zimmerman (Tompkins Hardware), Heather Armstrong (Celeste’s), Paula Jensen (Shear Serenity), Ramiro Matias (Sunset Medical), and Shelly Matias (RBC).
Meanwhile, Pamela Williams (4 Your Pets) was voted as Entrepreneur of the Year, beating out Josh Leatherdale (Cheers U Brew) and Brian and Pia Beers (H2O 2 GO).
“When I got the call and found out I was nominated for three [awards], I was very, very surprised—basically, it blew my mind,” recalled Williams, who also was nominated for Business Woman of the Year.
She was even more thrilled when she heard her named announced as a winner last Thursday. In a split second, Williams passed her camera to the person beside her and went up on stage.
“It was a blur—it was a great honour,” she enthused. “I wasn’t sure what, if anything, I would get.
“It was really, really great.
“I was really surprised—I was ecstatic,” she reiterated. “As soon as I finished that, I had to go text everybody.”
Williams said being nominated and getting the award helps get the name of her business out there.
Her pet supply store has been open at 214 Scott St. for about two-and-a-half years now, but she still gets people stopping in who say, “I didn’t know we had a pet store? How long have you been here?”
Another newcomer, Stained Glass By Nichole (Nichole Lowey), won the Home-Based Business Award.
“It was an honour to just be nominated, and winning is the cherry on top,” said Lowey.
“It is awesome to be recognized for my stained glass business—it is something I love doing,” she added.
Lowey said it was “awe-inspiring” to win on the same night as her mom, Donna Lowey (Lowey’s Greenhouse & Market Gardens), was named Business Woman of the Year.
“She is one of my role models,” the younger Lowey remarked.
With the nomination and win, Lowey added, she already has received a lot of positive feedback—and even a few new customers.
Merge2 (Inga Friesen) and 807 Grafix (Jess Comeau) also were in the running for the Home-Based Business Award.
The other nominees for Business Woman of the Year were Teresa Hazel (Copper River Inn), Inga Friesen (Merge2), Jess Comeau (807 Grafix), Jennifer Horton (Curvy Chick), Angel Andrushuk (Curves), and Pamela Williams (4 Your Pets).
Cloverleaf Grocery won the prestigious Business of the Year Award at the event.
Also nominated for that award were New Gold, CIBC, Hyatt’s Manion Lake Camp, and Betty’s of Fort Frances.
Christina Kantor (Suds & Tubs Laundromat/Mekong) was honoured as Employee of the Year.
Alex Andrushuk (Curves) also was nominated for that award.
The Small Business Trainer of the Year Award went to M.L. Caron Electric Ltd., which beat out Green’s Brand Source.
Last but not least, local paramedic John Beaton was honoured with the Tony Beyak Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award.
“I would like thank all those who voted for me,” said Beaton. “It is an honour to be voted as volunteer of the year.
“I see the role of a volunteer is to find their own unique way to give back to our community, as well as developing networks to help meet goals that you working towards,” he noted.
Volunteering should be fun, added Beaton—a way to relieve stress while at the same time “allowing you to give back your knowledge or skills to mentor or empower others.”
With the “First Responders” at Fort Frances High School, Beaton said he tries to teach not just medical skills but the importance of teamwork and acceptance, of recognizing each other’s abilities, and the importance of how volunteering will pay off.
“They also see the value of commitment and the long-term unseen gain that will be relevant later in life,” he added.
Also nominated for the Tony Beyak Memorial award were Irene Laing and Leslie Feaver Danielson.
There also was a surprise award Thursday night.
Chamber second vice-president Paul Pirie (Tamarack Legal Services) presented Travis Glowasky of Studio Gibbous with an award “in appreciation of outstanding dedication and support of Chamber projects.”
Nearly 1,600 votes were cast online by the public this year, compared to 1,021 last year.
The awards gala was emceed by Melanie Williams of Party Rock DJ Services, and featured a pink-and-white Valentine’s Day decor by Gibson Design and a delicious dinner.
“The Wonderist” (Chris Funk), who has been featured on the TV show, “Penn & Teller Fool Us,” got the crowd involved in his amazing stage magic act which had to be seen to be believed.
