12 - Southpoint Sun
Wednesday, September 15, 2021
27th Annual Business Excellence Awards
Penelope Gil, centre, is flanked by local artist Todd Stahl, left, and Blackburn Radio’s Cordell Green as she accepts the Alf Bennie Award. SUN photos
Jen Knight and Mark Mailloux entertained the outdoor crowd prior to the event.
Alf Bennie recipient caught off-guard on awards night By Mark Ribble LEAMINGTON — This year’s recipient of the Alf Bennie Award was expecting someone else to win the award, but she soon made the connection and realized she was the winner. “Oh, bloody hell,” said Penelope Gil when she first realized she was the 27th Alf Bennie Award winner. “I thought it was Hilda.” For the Alf Bennie Award, those in attendance were able to watch the winner’s face unfold in a time-lapsed video on the big screen. Local artist Todd Stahl was commissioned to do caricatures of each winner and as his
drawing of Penelope Gil took shape, it became apparent to everyone there. The 27th Annual Leamington District Chamber of Commerce Awards took place once again at the Roma Club parking lot as a drive-in event, Wednesday, September 8. Chamber Manager Wendy Parsons welcomed everyone to the outdoor event and Chamber President Jen Dawson furthered that message by unveiling the evening’s theme, Businesses Are Our Heroes. VIP ticketholders had been treated to a VIP tent with hors d’oeuvres and the music of Mary Newland and Richard Baker.
We are very grateful to receive the
Industrial/Manufacturing Excellence Award By Invest WindsorEssex
Thank you to Leamington District Chamber of Commerce.
128 Oak St. W., Leamington, ON N8H 2B6 www.fortdearborn.com | 519-326-2601
Outside, general admission ticket holders were entertained by Jen Knight and Mark Mailloux. The awards portion kicked off with the Young Entrepreneur Award, sponsored by Cogeco Connexxion and presented by Cogeco Manager Terry Doyle. The nominees were Craig Marentette (Red Lantern Coffee Co.), Caylin Kir, Jeron Kir and Mitch Monaco (My Grind Coffee), and Nicole Anderson (Ricci, Enns, Rollier & Setterington LLP). The winner was Nicole Anderson. Next up was Youth Excellence, an award that was kept secret for a special reason. Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Leamington, Captain Rotary, dressed in full superhero attire, presented this award to Chamber of Commerce intern Isabel Unger, who was also caught off-guard and accepted the award very graciously. Isabel just graduated from the International Baccalaureate program at Leamington District Secondary School and is a young community leader. She’s leaving for Amsterdam next week.
Marion Fantetti of Invest Windsor-Essex, left, presents the Industrial/Manufacturing Award to Carrie Quenneville, centre, and David Delgreco of Fort Dearborn.
The Positive Professional Award, sponsored by RBC Royal Bank, was presented to Nat Milana of Milana’s Men’s Wear. Nominees included Shelby Foster from HoriZEN Bed and Breakfast, and Troy Loop from Jack’s Gastropub. The Warm Welcome Award, sponsored by Parks Canada and Point Pelee National Park, was presented by Superintendent Maria Papoulias. The finalists included Cured Craft Brewing Company, Kingsville BIA and Sunsets by the Bay. The winner was Kingsville BIA. The Industrial/Manufacturing Excellence Award was sponsored by
! u o y k n a Th
I am honoured to win the Alf Bennie Award from the Leamington Chamber. Thank you to Blackburn Radio for sponsoring the award and to Todd Stahl for the beautifully framed caricature. I love Leamington and it’s a privilege to volunteer and give to our lovely community. Congratulations to all nominees and winners!. The Queen Mum - Penny Gil
Invest Windsor Essex and presented by Marion Fantetti. The finalists were Fort Dearborn Company, Caxton Mark Inc. and Thermo Energy Systems. The winner was Fort Dearborn and the award was accepted by Carrie Quenneville and Dave Delgreco. The Welcoming Accessibility Award was sponsored by Community Living Essex County and was presented by Community Living representative Debby Degroote. The finalists were South Essex Community Council, Southwestern Ontario Gleaners and Switzer-Carty Transportation. The winner was South Essex Community Council and the award was accepted by Carolyn Warkentin. The Small Business Excellence Award for businesses with 1-9 employees was sponsored by WFCU Credit Union. The finalists were Flood’s Nursery Farm, Impact Fitness and Speedprint. Tim Willkinson accepted the award on behalf of
Speedprint. The Small Business Excellence Award for businesses with 10-50 employees was sponsored by Scotiabank. The finalists were Leamington Home Hardware, Seacliff Manor Retirement Residence and Shopper’s Drug Mart Leamington. The recipient was Seacliff Manor and the award was accepted by General Manager Kari Sleiman. The Customer First Award was sponsored by CIBC and presented by Leamington CIBC Manager Joe Oswald, who made a passionate speech prior to naming the finalists, who were Abraham Orthodontics, Paul’s Basement Waterproofing and Libro Credit Union. Local managers, Paul Thompson and David Debergh, accepted the award for Libro. The next award up was the Invest in a WorldClass Workforce Award, which was sponsored by Workforce Windsor-Essex and presented by BusiCONT’D ON PAGE 13
