Joan Wideman, centre, with the help of APBOT Executive Director Kathy McKay, display the Chair's Award for the Eco-Business program. From left, OCC CEO LenCrispino, APBOT 1st Vice-President Donna McFarlane and OCC Chair Pradeep Sood.

Joan Wideman recognized for volunteerism, Eco-Business wins Chair's Award

AJAX-PICKERING: Joan Wideman, an active member of the  Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade, has been recognized by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) for her long term volunteer commitment in the Ajax-Pickering community, and in particular, the Board of Trade, while the Board's Eco-Business program won a Chair’s award for innovation.

The awards were presented at the OCC Annual General Meeting and Convention in Windsor Apr. 30 to May 2.

Ms. Wideman received the Richard Dolphin Community Service Award, which recognizes members from local chambers of commerce and boards of trade who demonstrate excellence in volunteerism within the community and chamber network.

 

Joan Wideman

“Communities could not function without volunteers, and in Ajax-Pickering Joan Wideman is more than a volunteer, she is a community mentor, role model and cheerleader,” says Len Crispino, President & CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.  “Joan has given unselfishly of her time and talent to lead Ajax-Pickering efforts to create a stronger and greater community and has been instrumental in heightening the Board of Trade’s effectiveness and profile.”

Ms. Wideman has been an active member of the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade since 1985. She has served in various roles including 1st vice president, Chair and two consecutive terms as President. As well, her leadership of the Government Relations Committee has been instrumental over the years in helping the Board maintain its status as a relevant and active advocate for business at all levels of government. She has worked extensively on issues that affect the Ajax-Pickering business community, including the local hospital expansion, provincial health-care, emergency preparedness and lobbying for improved transportation and infrastructure in the region.
 

Joan Wideman, second from left, receives the Richard Dolphin Award with the help of APBOT Executive Director Kathy McKay, right, APBOT 1st Vice-President Donna McFarlane left, and OCC Chair Pradeep Sood.

Of special note, it was Ms. Wideman’s leadership in 2002 that helped implement a plan to rebuild confidence and trust within the Board membership.

“Her strength is clearly in operations and she knew exactly what steps needed to occur to rebuild the board’s standing after experiencing a financial crisis. It is this operational bent, as well as impeccable attention to detail and unwavering integrity, that makes her sought after to sit on various boards within our community,” explains Kathy McKay, Executive Director of the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade.

Ms. Wideman also volunteers on the Board of Directors for the Rouge Valley Health System and serves as Corporate Secretary for the Durham West Arts Centre. For Ms. Wideman’s extensive volunteer work, she has been presented with the Civic Volunteer Award by the City of Pickering, Business Person of the Year in 2006 awarded by the Board of Trade and received the Rotary Club of Pickering's first-ever Community Leadership Award in 2002.

The Richard Dolphin Award was among several awards presented to chambers for their leadership and innovative programs and services, including the Chair’s Award presented to the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade for its Eco-Business Program.

The Board of Trade gathered the expertise and knowledge of several qualified members to form an Environment Task Force two years ago to find ways to raise environmental awareness among the Board’s member businesses. The task force developed the Eco-Business program, launched in 2009, to create a way to inspire businesses to find ways to reduce their carbon footprint and recognize them for making that effort.  The program identifies practices that can easily be applied by local businesses through a simple template checklist that helps companies evaluate their impact on the environment and their conservation efforts.

“This program is simple but effective and demonstrates the excellent leadership shown by the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade in its community,” says Len Crispino, President & CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.  “It is the responsibility of all sectors and all businesses big and small, to adopt environmentally responsible practices, while at the same time those practices can help businesses save money. So it’s a win-win situation.”

Twenty-five members have been recognized through the program and received an Eco-Business Certificate. The program has also sparked the interest of many other companies and inspired some to join the Board of Trade in order to participate in the Eco-Business Program.

The OCC Annual General Meeting and Convention is the main policy-setting conference of the chamber network in Ontario.