AJAX/PICKERING, October 13, 2011 – The Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade was proud to acknowledge local businesses and individuals for their professional achievements at the 17th annual Business Excellence and Business Person of the Year Awards gala, held Thursday, Oct. 13, at Deer Creek Golf Clubs in Ajax.
“The Board of Trade is proud to be able to recognize and celebrate the achievements of such an outstanding field of nominees and we congratulate all of tonight’s winners,” said Donna McFarlane of Durham College, 2011 president of the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade. “There are many shining examples of outstanding businesses and business people here and it is an honour to pay tribute to those companies, organizations and individuals in Ajax and Pickering who truly exemplify excellence in business.”
The 2011 recipients are:
1-9 CATEGORY: Rand Electric
10-49 CATEGORY: Search Engine People.
50+ CATEGORY: Eco-Tec
BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR: Jeff Quipp, Search Engine People
That Chocolate Shoppe by the Lake also received Honourable Mention for their submission, a first in the history of the Business Excellence Awards.
In addition to our regular awards, there were also some very special presentations awarded for outstanding contributions. Eco-Tec was presented with the Global Business Excellence Award and Jack McInnis was posthumously awarded the Sustainability Champion Award.
The Mayors of Ajax and Pickering also presented two emerging entrepreneur awards. Jane Dempsey of Beyond Covers was the winner from Ajax and Thane Fitzgerald of Bykart Software Ltd. was the winner from Pickering.
The Business Excellence Awards were established in 1994 to recognize the achievements and excellence in business performance, while the Business Person category was added in 2004. An independent panel of judges evaluates the nominees based on three categories – one to nine, 10 to 49 and 50+ employees. All nominees are selected by their business peers.
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For additional information, or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Nathan MacDonald
Communications Specialist
905-686-0883 ext. 229
nmacdonald@apboardoftrade.com
3-144 Old Kingston Road • T. 905.686.0883 • F. 905.686.1057
www.apboardoftrade.com
2011 APBOT President Donna McFarlane of Durham College.
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L to R: 2011 APBOT President Donna McFarlane from Durham College, Andy Mittelstaedt from 1-9 BEA Winner Rand Electric, Larry Mittelstaedt from Rand Electric and Harry Yetman from First Durham Insurance and Financial.
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L to R: 2011 APBOT President Donna McFarlane, Rocky Simmons of Eco-Tec and Eryn Wishnowski of Annual Title Sponsor Veridian Connections. Eco-Tec was awarded both a Business Excellence Award for Companies with 50+ employees and a Global Business Excellence Award.
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L-R: 2011 APBOT President Donna McFarlane of Durham College, Business Person of the Year Award Winner Jeff Quipp of Search Engine People and Kevin Mallory of Annual Title Sponsor Hubbell Canada. Search Engine People also won the Business Excellence Award for companies with 10-49 Employees.
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L to R: 2011 APBOT President from Durham College, Emerging Entrepreneur Winner Jane Dempsey from Beyond Covers and Mayor Steve Parish of the Town of Ajax. The award comes with a complimentary APBOT membership.
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Thane Fitzgerald (centre) of Bykart Software Ltd was presented with an emerging entrepreneur award by Mayor Dave Ryan of the City of Pickering (right) and 2011 APBOT President Donna McFarlane of Durham College (left). The award comes with a complimentary APBOT membership.
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Barbara McGinnis (centre) accepts the Sustainability Champion Award on behalf of her late husband Jack McGinnis. The award was presented by 2011 APBOT President Donna McFarlane (left)of Durham College and Don Terry of Annual Title Sponsor, Ontario Power Generation.
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2011 APBOT President Donna McFarlane of Durham College(left) and Kevin Mallory of Annual Title Sponsor Hubbell Canada (right) present Margaret Campbell of That Chocolate Shoppe By the Lake (centre) with a certificate of Honourable Mention.
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About the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade
The Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade is the voice of business in Ajax and Pickering. Established in 1955, approximately 600 members represent an array of business sectors ranging from the service industry to manufacturers and distributors. The group’s advocacy and policy initiatives focus on issues relating to such things as economic development, health care, education, transportation issues, community and social development, environment, and energy. To learn more about the Board, or to become a member, please go to www.apboardoftrade.com.
About the winners
1-9
Rand Electric:
This year, Rand electric is celebrating its 30th year in business, a very impressive milestone. Their submission documented a successful 30 year journey built upon a solid reputation for top notch customer service and an unwavering commitment to quality workmanship. Their strategy of exceeding customer’s expectations by living the mantra that a job isn’t finished until the customer is completely satisfied has proved successful. Rand electric has also been active in supporting our community in the form of charitable donations, athletic sponsorship, volunteer work and more - they are proud to be able to give back.
Search Engine People:
When 50% of your new leads come from existing customers, you must be doing something right -especially when many of those clients are some of Canada’s largest companies. Search Engine People has enjoyed a tremendous growth rate over the past few years because of their commitment to delivering results for their clients, attracting top notch talent and not being afraid to take risks. A company that is never content to rest on its laurels, Search engine people is always looking to develop new methods, products and pricing and to never make the same mistake twice. Its approach certainly appears to be paying off.
(Honourable Mention) That Chocolate Shoppe by the Lake:
There was an extremely impressive field of submissions this year and the competition was extremely close. So much so that for the first time in the history of the Business Excellence Awards, the judges felt that one company was deserving of an Honourable Mention. That Chocolate Shoppe By the Lake has overcome many hurdles on its path to success and it has been able to do so because of the hard work and close positive relationship between Margaret Campbell, or Chocolate Margaret as she has become known, and her staff. A positive corporate culture and the highest quality of sweets, be it ice cream or chocolate have made this business truly outstanding and deserving of recognition.
50+
Eco-Tec:
Eco Tech designs, manufactures and markets capital industrial equipment destined for points the world over and they do it all under one roof, right here in Durham. Eco-Tec’s array of resources and services are all maintained in-house and backed by a long-standing staff with many years of experience. This approach is very uncommon among today’s Canadian-based manufacturers, but it has been a winning tactic for Eco-Tec. It remains a competitor on the world stage in its respective markets and has a commitment to quality, attention to detail and timely accurate responses to problems, attributes very much appreciated by their clients.
Business Person of the Year Jeff Quipp:
As CEO of Search Engine People, Jeff Quipp has instilled his overarching philosophy of win/win/win into the company’s corporate culture. The clients must win, the employees must win and the company must win. This philosophy has allowed him to position his company for innovation, growth and customer satisfaction. A leader with the humility to know his own strengths and weaknesses, the following quote from his submission sums up his approach to staffing:
“I realized that there were areas of the business outside of my expertise, so in order to make sure that Search Engine People was the best in the industry, I need to surround myself with individuals whose background and expertise was better than my own.”
Jeff Quipp has assembled an excellent team and built a formidable company that is growing and adapting while staying on the leading edge of technological developments.
Sustainability Champion
Jack McInnis
The late Jack McGinnis, founder of Durham Sustain Ability, believed that as long as people were given the right tools, they would do the right thing. It was that thinking that solidified Jack as a visionary pioneer, educator and leader in conservation, recycling and sustainability. Jack is regarded as the father of the blue box, introducing the world to the blue box way back in 1981. Since then he has had a tremendous impact on the world of recycling and has led numerous innovative projects including founding the Recycling Council of Ontario and the Is Five Foundation, a non-profit environmental foundation which organized Canada’s first multi-material curbside pickup of recyclable materials. He also focused on special event recycling and organized recycling at high profile world class events such as the Super Bowl and the Olympic Games. A true pioneer and consensus builder, Jack was able to cut through confusion and put things into perspective. A true champion for sustainability, he compared it to riding a bike saying, “Once you know how to do it, you never lose the ability and it can be simple, joyous and efficient”.
Global Business Excellence
Eco-Tec:
Eco-Tec has a truly global perspective. Their strength lies in applying existing technology to other markets. Their success in delivering industrial water treatment and chemical recovery systems worldwide is just one example of this. They recognized the opportunity to provide gas processing systems to recover and purify biogas and sour gas for various industries worldwide. As a result of their global approach they have made their mark on markets around the world and employ a significant number of people in the Durham Region. Eco-Tec has demonstrated their ability to serve the needs of international customers while staying true to their Durham roots and getting the job done here.
Emerging Entrepreneur Awards
(presented by the Mayors of Ajax and Pickering)
Beyond Covers:
Bykart Software Ltd.:
Bykart Software is a provider of professional Open Source solutions and services centered around the CHARM software application. Cofounded by the creators of CHARM, Bykart has the most thorough knowledge of the technology and its applications. They understand complex business requirements and can customize appropriate technology solutions to meet your needs. CHARM is a powerful Open Source Chemotherapy Appointment Reservation Manager built with the needs of a variety of Cancer clinics in mind. It is designed to effectively automate the scheduling of chemotherapy treatments in a clinical environment, simplifying the scheduling role to save time and money.
