PRINCE ALBERT, SK – Finalists were announced on March 21, for the 2019 Samuel McLeod Business Awards Gala, produced by the Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce and presented by Saskatchewan Polytechnic. The SMBA Gala is a celebration of the amazing businesses growing and operating within the Prince Albert & District. Categories that finalists were announced in include: Business Transformation, Community Involvement, Customer Service, Female Business Leader of the Year, Male Business Leader of the Year, Marketing, New Venture, Non-Profit of the Year, Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Business of the Year.
“We had 100 nominations come in for the Samuel McLeod Business Excellence Awards and we received over 60 completed applications” Elise Hildebrandt, CEO of the Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce advised “we congratulate each company that was nominated, and each that submitted their applications. These numbers show that we have a lot to be proud of in our community.”
The SMBA Awards are open to all enterprises based in Prince Albert & Area, whether large or small. Applications from each of the categories were delivered and marked by independent and anonymous judges.
2019 award finalists are listed below. Award recipients will be named at the Samuel McLeod Business Awards Gala on Thursday, April 18th at Ches Leach Lounge.
For more information, please contact:
Elise Hildebrandt
CEO
Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce
(T): 306-221-2373
(E): ehildebrandt@princealbertchamber.com
The 2019 Samuel McLeod Business Award finalists are as follows:
Business Transformation – Sponsored by Ministry of Trade and Export Development
Presented to a business or organization that has completed renovations or restored a property or building that already exists within the last two years and the improvements of this property have shown a positive impact on its surrounding community.
Community Involvement- Sponsored by SaskTel
This award is presented to the business or community organization demonstrating exceptional performance in its support of the arts and culture, tourism, amateur sports, education, healthcare or voluntary groups.
Customer Service – Sponsored by RBC.
This award recognizes exceptional performance in providing services (wholesale and retail trade, purchasing and distribution, transportation, brokering, professional services, communications, financial).
Female Business Leader of the Year- Sponsored by Northern Lights Casino (SIGA)Recognizes Female Business leaders in the Prince Albert & District area who ensure that their employees are at the heart of their success. Entrants are expected to show how they invest in their staff, engage and include them in the business and outline what it is they do that makes for a happy and healthy workforce. This could include providing a supportive working environment via adopting family-friendly initiatives, developing positive measures to enable employee development, and taking a proactive approach to recognizing and rewarding employee contributions.
- Bernadette Lavoie & Lindsey Rask – North Country Spa
- Corinne Penner – Pet Planet
- Marlyn Philips-Leson – Now Grant Thornton formerly Grayling Consulting
Male Business Leader of the Year Sponsored by TD Bank
Recognizes Male Business leaders in the Prince Albert & District who ensure that their employees are at the heart of their success. Entrants are expected to show how they invest in their staff, engage and include them in the business and outline what it is they do that makes for a happy and healthy workforce. This could include providing a supportive working environment via adopting family-friendly initiatives, developing positive measures to enable employee development, and taking a proactive approach to recognizing and rewarding employee contributions.
Marketing- Sponsored by Loraas Environmental
This award will be presented to the business demonstrating exceptional performance in the execution of a successful marketing strategy.
New Venture- Sponsored by Conexus Credit Union
This award is presented to a new business venture established within the last two years that has already shown exceptional performance in terms of current or expected profitability.
Non-Profit Organization – Sponsored by Affinity Credit Union.
This award is presented to the organization that exemplifies excellence and innovation in their programs, projects, and partnerships. Their commitment to growth and expanded programs, as well as service, community involvement, sustainable practices and/or job creation/ development demonstrates a dedicated focus on achieving their vision and mandate
Young Entrepreneur– Sponsored by Prince Albert & District Community Futures.
This award recognizes an entrepreneur between the ages of 18-35 who has achieved great success in the start-up and operation of a new or existing business, has long-term goals and demonstrates innovation by adapting to marketplace challenges resulting in a competitive advantage. The Young Entrepreneur recipient is proving to be on his/her way to becoming a prominent business leader.
Business of the Year- Sponsored by Diamond North Credit Union
This award will be presented to a business that has demonstrated success and exceptional performance in the above categories. The finalists will be selected from all applications received in the other categories.