Best of Sudbury businesses share success stories at annual awards
The upper hall of the Caruso Club in Sudbury was packed Thursday night as the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 26th annual Bell Business Excellence Awards honouring local entrepreneurs.
2023 Bell Business Excellence Award winners (Back Row (left to right): Northern Ontario Film Studio’s Dave Anselmo, Raven Rising Enterprises Ltd’s Chef Tammy Maki, BESTECH’s Patrick Fantin, City Welding & Y International Recruiting + Immigration Services Inc.’s Robert Brouilette, Yes Buddy Cleaning Services’ Tiffany Yahaya, HSN Foundations’s Ian Lane and Michael Macnamara Front Row (L to R): NSS Canada’s Bruno Lalonde, DeafBlind Ontario Services’ Crystal Pigeon-Way, Goshenite Senior Services Incorporated’s Nicole Blais, Yes Buddy Cleaning Services’ Faruk Lahaya…FROSKR’s Kati McCartney) Westmount Photography
More than 140 nominations were received for 10 award categories and organizers said it speaks to the resiliency of the business community. Three judges, consisting of two of the 2022 award winners, narrowed each category down to three finalists and one winner.
"Coming out of the pandemic and having an awards gala, being able to gather as a group and celebrate businesses and celebrate the struggles of being able to make it through the pandemic is huge," Anthony Davis, the chamber chair, told CTV News in an interview.
"And being able to be here with other businesses that went through the exact same thing you did, maybe different industries, but similar struggles... it's great. It's great to get it off your chest but to celebrate it as well."
BEST PLACE TO WORK
The three finalists for the Best Place to Work Award were the Adult Enrichment Centre, Bestech and Sudbury Credit Union.
President of engineering firm Bestech Patrick Fantine accepted the award.
"I'm humbled," Fantine said to the crowd.
"This award is all about our team, nothing more, nothing less. Winning the Best Place to Work Award is a testament to the incredible efforts of all our employees. They put into creating a culture that's all about collaboration, motivation, compassion, inclusivity and just having a good time."
BEST SMALL ENTERPRISE
The small enterprise award honours one to two-person operations that have shown significant business achievement, sustainable financial performance and a high level of customer service.
The three finalists were L. May Manufacturing – maker of the miner's lunchbox --, Raven Rising and Sound.wav Rentals.
Chef Tammy Maki, the owner of Raven Rising Global Indigenous Chocolates, was emotional as she spoke to the crowd after being announced the winner.
"My daughter was supposed to be here with us this evening, but she passed away three weeks ago, so she's not able to. But she was an integral part of my business and my voice and my ears at events out of town and was larger than life, so I know that she's 'here' somewhere," Maki said.
"I am very, very honoured to be recognized by the chamber and by Bell and the city that I have grown up in."
At the end of her speech the audience gave her a standing ovation.
BEST YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR
The Best Young Entrepreneur award honours local business owners age 35 and under.
The three finalists were Lauren Barbara Williamson of Cerealously Creamy, Ashlee Lachapelle of Respite Nurses Agency and Tiffany Yahaya of Yes Buddy Cleaning Services.
Yahaya accepted the award she said she and her husband started the business out of survival mode.
"I just had a C-section, my husband had his work permit refused, our (immigration) sponsorship got lost in the mail, we didn't have enough to buy diapers for our son," she said to the crowd.
"So two years ago we started this and it's just crazy how much we could accomplish. I am so excited to see what else we can accomplish in less time."
The married couple runs the business together.
"We were trying to support a new family of three with $600 biweekly, which is obviously not do-able. We didn’t know how we were going to buy diapers or formula for our son. If we didn’t have our family here, we would have been homeless with a newborn. We were running out of options to survive and decided to start this business and take a risk and it was the best and most important leap we could have taken," the couple said on social media.
"We’ve pulled more all-nighters at the shop detailing than anyone will ever know and being afraid that we will not be able to feed our son has given us the fuel to the Yes Buddy fire. He is our biggest motivation and what keeps us going."
Yes Buddy Cleaning Services’ owners Faruk and Tiffany Yahaya at 2023 Bell Business Excellence Awards. May 26/23 (Supplied)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'