2009 Lunenburg Queens Business Excellence Awards

Written by BACC Admin | 26 May 2010

Lunenburg Queens – 24 September 2009 – Six local businesses will be hanging plaques in their offices after receiving honours as best in their category before a packed audience at the prestigious Lunenburg Queens Business Excellence Awards dinner this evening.

Held this year at the Days Inn in Bridgewater, the Awards event, which has been running in various forms for more than six years, was expanded for the first time to include businesses from both Queens and Lunenburg Counties. The winners for 2009 are:

Small Business Award – J & H Industries, Liverpool

Large Business Award – Lighthouse Publishing, Bridgewater

Export Achievement Award - Terra Beata Cranberries, Lunenburg

Entrepreneurial Award - Em Oceans Lunenburg

Hospitality Award - Guppy’s Place Family Restaurant, New Germany

New Business Award – Classic Granite Countertops, Bridgewater

Six of the Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade in the Lunenburg Queens region worked together to organize the awards ceremony.  Businesses were nominated by customers, employees, suppliers and owners. The winners in each category were selected by the category sponsor and they received a specially designed plaque in recognition of their achievement before more than 260 guests who attended the evening gala event.

Guest speaker John Wiles, Station Manager at CKBW Radio, told the audience when times are hard businesses should devote more attention than ever to getting their messages out to potential customers and he said they should turn to a variety of marketing mediums, traditional and otherwise. Emcee for the evening was Andrew Button, a member of the Business Advisory Team at Nova Scotia Business Inc.

Ann O’Connell, Chairperson of the Awards Organizing Committee and the Executive Director of the Bridgewater and Area Chamber of Commerce, commented:  “It’s inspiring to celebrate outstanding businesses. One of the main reasons for the awards is to celebrate the many, many excellent businesses we have in our area and to recognize their achievements and accomplishments.”

The evening was made possible by a variety of sponsors including CKBW, Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), Bell Aliant, Michelin, BMO, Clearwater, Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI), and the Acadia Centre for Social and Business Entrepreneurship (ACSBE).

NSBI’s Button joined O’Connell on the organizing committee along with Heather Fralic, Branch Manager, Scotiabank, Bridgewater Mall; Sharon LeBlanc, President, The Performance Synergy Group, Andrea Zwicker, Executive Director Lunenburg Board of Trade; John Bryson, President of Safehome Security, Sharon Peripoli, Owner-Operator of Caledonia Country Hostel, and GayleWilson, President of Hoopoe Canada.

The event was organized and presented by The Chester and Area Chamber of Commerce, Lunenburg Board of Trade, Mahone Bay Chamber of Commerce, Riverport Board of Trade, North Queens Board of Trade and the Bridgewater and Area Chamber of Commerce.