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
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.