Sudbury’s Bell Excellence Award winners survived during difficult times
Thursday evening, the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce hosted the 25th annual Bell Business Excellence Awards.
This year, the chamber received 146 nominations for its 10 award categories.
Among the winners was Black Labb, a clothing company that was founded by two Sudburians in 2020. It won the Business Start-Up award.
One of the co-owners, Linda Audette, said winning was a surreal feeling
“We’re still taking a little time to process it," Audette said.
"It’s really nice to get a tap on the back. It’s truly our customers that are designing for us, we’re just bringing all of the ideas to the table and making it happen.”
“I mean, you don’t actually go to an award ceremony thinking you’re going to win, and we were up against some amazing businesses,” added co-owner Becky Calabakas.
Audette owns The Plus Size Factor, where Black Labb clothing is sold. She had to close the doors on multiple occasions due to the pandemic, but she said it all led to where they are now.
“We were deemed non-essential, but continued with our curbside (sales), with our online store and also continued with our manufacturing," Audette said.
"There was a lack of shipping, a lack of goods available, even throughout Canada -- our Canadian manufacturers were suffering just like we were. So, we said, let’s do this and we went right into manufacturing and we (held) our first launch party in September 2020."
The Entrepreneur of the Year award went to Kyle Marcus, owner of The Alibi Room.
He said he couldn’t have won the award without his staff.
“It’s absolutely overwhelming,” said Marcus.
“It’s really hard to take credit for things, especially when you don’t really feel like you did them all on your own. I have an exceptional team that I honour every chance that I get."
Now that lockdowns seem to be a thing of the past, he is looking forward to a busy summer.
“We’re really excited for patio season," Marcus said.
"We have an even larger patio coming this year. You know, we really see that community aspect, COVID really showed people that we need each other, that we need to be together … Having my team back to work is an incredible blessing.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
New Norad commander calls Canada's defence policy update 'very encouraging'
American troops will be spending more time training in the Far North, the new commander of Norad says, a strategy that fits 'hand-in-glove' with Canada's renewed focus on Arctic defence.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Are Canadians getting sick from expired food?
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.