On Thursday March 27, the Oakville Awards for Business Excellence took place at the Oakville Convention Centre. A record number of nominees as well as a location filling crowd of 560 plus attendees energized the ballroom.
This was the 19th year for the awards. Over two hundred applications made it difficult for the judges to pick the nominees, so choosing the award winners was a serious undertaking. After several weeks of comprehensive interviews with all the nominees the judges gained an in-depth understanding of the businesses. They not only understood products, but also were apprized of the nominees' financial health, growth, customer services, employee relations, as well as community involvement.
This year's winners are:
Euro-Line Appliances Inc. Large Business Award (a company that has more than 20 employees with over $10 million in revenue)
Personal Service Coffee Corp. Medium Business Award (a company that has 5 to 20 employees with over $2 million to $10 million in revenue)
Eastside Auto Service LTD Small Business Award (a company that has 1 to 5 employees with revenue up to $2 million)
Courage Distributing Genworth Community Builder Award (a company which has exemplary business practices and is dedicated to community involvement)
Bronte Natural Health Care Professional Service Provider Award (a person or team with a professional designation that is regulated)
Boston Pizza Restauranteur Award (an Oakville restaurant owner that is open to the public, this is not a food award)
Melissa Richardson of Totem Bags Entrepreneur Award (a person who exhibits extraordinary entrepreneurship, energy, inspiration, leadership, and/or innovation)
Xerox Oakville Hydro Conservation Leadership Award (a business that has participated in energy conservation programs offered by Oakville Hydro that is also an innovator and leader in energy conservation)
Tim Hortons Limited Icon Award (a business which is highly regarded in the business community locally as well as internationally)
The Oakville Awards for Business Excellence not only provides recognition for businesses in our town, but is an integral part of the Rotary Club of Oakville West's fundraising efforts. The funds raised go towards Youth Programs such as the Navigator Program for youth who are dealing with mental health challenges. Over the 19 years this event has help to raise millions of dollars. In partnership with the Oakville Chamber of Commerce the following companies, associations, and government institutions added to the success of the 2014 Oakville Awards for Business Excellence.
Platinum:
RBC
Diamond:
Bell Canada, Edge Hospitality, O'Connor McLeod Hanna LLP, KPMG, Oakville Hydro, Genworth Canada
Gold:
Snap-on Tools, Shred-it, Henderson Partners, Virox Technologies
Silver:
Economic Development Departments of Halton & the Town of Oakville, MediChair
Bronze
D'Orazio Infrastructure, Oakville Club, BDC, Metrican, HighView Financial, FirstOntario Credit Union, Cogeco Cable, Naylor Group
Supporting:
Dorado Systems, Terence Young MP, Intelligent Office, Charles Havill CA, Basic Security Systems, Chisholm Academy