The CanadianSME Business Award took place on January 28th 2020. We are very pleased with the turnaround of the event as it was extremely successful. The CanadianSME Business Award gathered over 400 attendees including high profile guests, such as Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Jackie King, Chief Operating Officer of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and the honourable Vic Fedeli, the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade of Ontario. A celebration of Canadian entrepreneurship at its finest, the awards was a night that celebrated and recognized the many achievements of successful entrepreneurs. Presented by top leaders in the Canadian business industry, the CanadianSME Business Award recognized entrepreneurs in several different categories such as the Small Business of the Year, the Entrepreneur of the Year, the Technopreneur of the Year, the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Business Woman of the Year Award. More than just a night of recognizing top entrepreneurs for their hard work and success, the CanadianSME Business Award was a great occasion for business owners to meet and mingle with other entrepreneurs. A fruitful networking opportunity, it was an evening that many entrepreneurs will not soon forget. Whether they were nominated or among the lucky winners who took home an award, entrepreneurs had the opportunity to have their name and business gain visibility towards some of Canada’s top leaders and investors. We at CanadianSME are strong supporters of the Canadian small and medium sized business industries and therefore have made it our goal to do what we can to help them have a successful journey. With that in mind, we are very pleased with the success that the CanadianSME Business Award gained and are looking forward to the next one. Because a stronger SME industry means a stronger economy for Canada, we will continue to do what we can to contribute to the success of Canadian entrepreneurs. Presenting partner
Exclusive PC partner
Banking partner
ÂŽ RBC is a registered trademark of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under license. Cisco is the registered trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc. The Lenovo logo is the registered trademark of Lenovo.
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Red carpet at CanadianSME National Business Awards
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PC partner Lenovo booth
Tech partner Cisco photo booth
Certificate of appreciation for judging panel
Attendees at the CanadianSME National Business Awards
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R O CCO ROSSI
President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
JAC K I E K I N G
Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
LO R I DA R L I N G TON
Vice President, Small Business, Strategy & Partnerships, Business Financial Services RBC Royal Bank
H ON .VIC FE DELI
Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
LIS S A R ICCI
VP of Small Business Solutions, Cisco Canada
J ITA N PATE L
National Director of Sales at Lenovo
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JUDGING
PANEL 2019 The 2019 judging panel was presented Certificates of Appreciation by Hon. Vic Fedeli and Rocco Rossi
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Shannon Lewis, President, Canadian Media Directors Council
Charlie Regan, CEO of Nerds on Site
Roi Ross, VP of Small Business Solutions, TELUS
Silvia Pencak, President of WBE Canada
Miki Velemirovich, President - Cargo
Jackie King, Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Anne Toner Fung, Executive Director, Innovation Guelph
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Lissa Ricci, Vice President of small business solutions for Cisco Canada
Lori Darlington, Vice President, Small Business & Strategic Partnerships, Business Financial Service, RBC Royal Bank
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Duncan Sinclair, Chair of Deloitte Canada and Chile
CanadianSME Editors Choice Award winner, Erica Hakonson
Rocco Rossi with SK
RBC Small Business of the Year Up to 10 employees-Top 1 The Logistics FACTORY Ltd
Dave Miller, VP of Product and Marketing at Danby accepting the award on Jim Estills, President and CEO of Danby, CEO of ShipperBee behalf.
RBC Small Business of the Year, Up to 10 employees - Top 2 Maxxeon
RBC Small Business of the Year, Up to 10 employees - Top 3 Impact Drywall Inc.
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ENTREPRENEUR
OF THE YEAR
Kirk Simpson
Co-Founder & CEO, Wave In 2010, Kirk Simpson co-founded Wave, and has since guided the company to 400,000 active small businesses registered, 260+ people on the Wave team, and over $100 million in funding raised from investors around the world. Wave was acquired in June 2019 by H&R Block for over $537M – the 7th largest tech exit in Canada since 2001. Under Kirk, Wave has won numerous awards for leadership, culture, and innovation, including the Deloitte Fast 50, the KPMG Fintech 100, Waterstone Canada’s Most Admired CEO, and Great Place to Work Canada. In addition, Kirk has served as advisor to the Next 36, and provides mentorship to young entrepreneurs and startup visionaries.
The award was presented by Lissa Ricci is vice president of small business solutions for Cisco Canada. CANADIANSME MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2020 I
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SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR - TOP 1 UPTO 100 EMPLOYEES
JUICEWORKS EXHIBITS
Juiceworks Exhibits began 20 years ago with a passion for marketing display fabrication and installation. Having built a wealth of market-specific experience, we’ve established ourselves as award-winning specialists with the in-house capabilities to create, manage and execute exhibit, event, interior, activation, tradeshow and display projects.
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SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR - TOP 1 UPTO 10 EMPLOYEES
THE LOGISTICS FACTORY LTD
With strong network, key alliances and strategic partnerships in Asia, Europe, North American, South America, and all major trading countries around the world, The Logistics Factory Limited provides seamless freight forwarding solutions and logistics consulting services for the growing small and medium size companies. The award was presented by Lori Darlington, VP, Small Business, Strategy & Partnerships, Business Financial Services, RBC Royal Bank
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BUSINESS WOMAN
OF THE YEAR 2019
Shahrzad Rafati CEO of BroadbandTV Corp
Shahrzad Rafati is the Founder and CEO of BroadbandTV (BBTV), a media-tech company that is advancing the world through the creation, distribution, management, and monetization of content.
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Shahrzad actively pursues ways to encourage social change and is a champion for equality in all forms. She is passionate about job creation, education, and advancing opportunities for women and girls. In September 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed her to represent Canada on the G20 Business Women Leader’s task force, a global initiative to drive actionable, measurable, and results-driven solutions to impact women’s economic empowerment. The award was presented by Charlie Reagan, CEO, Nerd On Site
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Lenovo Small Business of the Year Up to 100 employees - Top 1 Juiceworks Exhibits
Lenovo Small Business of the Year Up to 100 employees - Top 2 DPM Energy Inc.
Received by SK on behalf of Juiceworks Exhibits
Lenovo Small Business of the Year Up to 100 employees - Top 3 Volanté Systems
Best Business Innovation 2019 iNKAS® Armored Vehicle Manufacturing
Best Team of the Year ReMAP Network
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Small Business of the Year Up to 50 employees - Top 1 Smedia
Customer Service Excellence - Top 1 F12.net
Small Business of the Year Up to 50 employees - Top 2 Canadian Mortgages Inc.
Small Business of the Year Up to 50 employees - Top 3 Eco Guardian
Customer Service Excellence - Top 3 Vendasta
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Exporter Of The Year Laipac Technology Inc.
Customer Service Excellence - Top 2 Safety First Consulting Ltd
Fintech Business of the Year Borrowell
The Fastest Growing Company - Top 1 Canadian Home Improvement Credit Corporation The Fastest Growing Company - Top 2 Kidcrew
Inspirational Leader of the Year Paul Downey CEO, Pliteq Inc.
The Fastest Growing Company - Top 3 AlayaCare
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Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year Bassem Ghali, CEO at Green Lotus Inc
Young Entrepreneur of the Year PAWEL SANDHU CEO, Cargo Country Group
Best Professional Services Award - Top 2 The Leadership Agency Inc.
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Best Professional Services Award - Top 1 Peninsula canada
Digital & E-commerce Business of the Year Top 1 Ignite Digital
Best New Business Top 1 Transformer Table
Best Professional Services Award - Top 3 Macro
Digital & E-commerce Business of the Year Top 2 Array of Stars
Best New Business Top 1 Alexio
Digital & E-commerce Business of the Year Top 3 Green Lotus
Best New Business Top 1 Albaslist
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Best Place to Work - Top 1 DPM Energy
Best Place to Work - Top 3 Soapbox Received by SK on behalf of Soapbox
Best Place to Work - Top 2 Plotly
Technopreneur of the Year Cole Diamond, CEO of Coinsquare
Best Business Support Organization York Enterpreneurship Development Institute (YEDI)
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Business of the Year, 100+ employees Simply Green Home Services
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