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2020 Business Excellence Awards Winners

2020 Business Excellence Awards Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 24, 2020
BURLINGTON, ONTARIO

Burlington, Ontario (June 24, 2020) – The Burlington Chamber of Commerce was delighted to host the 2020 Business Excellence Gala through a reimagined, community-driven, virtual experience. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the original date was set for April 2nd, 2020 and was rescheduled for last evening, June 23rd, 2020.

As the voice of business in Burlington and beyond, the Burlington Chamber of Commerce has been working tirelessly to create new virtual opportunities to connect leaders. We were pleased to continue the tradition of supporting Chamber members, showcasing leadership, and celebrating business excellence by transforming our annual Business Excellence Awards into a live, virtual awards ceremony.

As always, the Business Awards Task Force Committee was impressed by the calibre of companies represented this year and every company that is nominated receives careful attention. All nominated companies are evaluated based on the following criteria: Business Leadership, Technology & Product Innovation, Community Contributions, Environmental Leadership, Customer/Stakeholder Relations, Sales and Market Growth, Entrepreneurship, and Employee Welfare. This year, winners were chosen for the following categories: Not-for-Profit, Retail/Wholesale, Service – Micro, Small, Medium and Large, and Young Entrepreneur. A special award was also added this year at the Task Force’s discretion – the Heritage Award – to recognize an organization demonstrating an outstanding legacy of success in Burlington.

The 21 finalists have shown great resilience overcoming the challenges that businesses are currently facing by adapting their operations and stepping up as community leaders. We were thrilled to be able to celebrate and honour them during this particularly challenging time for business.

The Burlington Chamber of Commerce’s 2020 Business Excellence Awards Winners are:

The Mayor’s Community Service and Burlington Economic Development Award Winners who were also honoured at the Gala are:

Mayor’s Community Service Awards:

Burlington Economic Development Awards:

“We were pleased to move forward with this time-honoured tradition despite not being able to host in person. While this year’s award ceremony may have looked different, we were delighted to recognize and honour this year’s finalists through a reimagined, virtual experience. The priority for this event was to not only adapt to the changing landscape that COVID-19 has brought on but to showcase business excellence while at the same time reinvesting in our community and local economy,” said President & CEO Carla Y. Nell

Taking advantage of the opportunity to support and reinvest in our business community, ticket holders were given exclusive access to the live, interactive event production. As a part of this one-of-a-kind experience, each ticket holder also received their choice of an awards night 3-course meal and gift bags showcasing a broad array of products from Chamber members and the broader business community.

Thank you to our event sponsors and everyone who attended this one-of-a-kind experience! It was wonderful to take advantage of this opportunity to celebrate business excellence and leadership despite not being able to connect in person. Sincere congratulations to our 2020 Business Excellence Award Winners! 

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Media Contact

Lindsay Stevenson
Manager, Strategic Communications and Marketing
Burlington Chamber of Commerce
lindsay@burlingtonchamber.com
289-208-2844

2020 Business Excellence Awards Gala

2020 Business Excellence Awards Gala

We are delighted to announce the 2020 Business Excellence Awards Finalists! The following 21 organizations exemplify leadership and business excellence in our community. The Award nominations are based on criteria that include outstanding business leadership, community involvement, entrepreneurship, environment, employee welfare, innovation and growth.

 
2020 Finalists by Award Category:

 

Not for Profit presented by Cogeco

Retail/Wholesale presented by CN

Service, Micro presented by The Honourable Karina Gould, Minister of International Development, MP Burlington

Service, Small presented by Carla Y. Nell, President & CEO, Burlington Chamber of Commerce

Service, Medium presented by SB Partners

Service, Large presented by RBC

Young Entrepreneur presented by Bell

 

While the list of finalists is now public, the names of the winners remain a closely guarded secret. The winners will be announced at the virtual 2020 Business Excellence Awards Gala presented by RBC on Tuesday, June 23rd. Please join us in honouring our finalists and celebrating our vibrant business community.

 


Presented by

 

 

Wonder Women Conference

Wonder Women Conference

Presented by RBC.

Educate, Inspire, Empower.

On March 4th, we held our first annual Wonder Women conference, where our all-star roster of speakers shared insights on personal branding, money mastery, living your authentic life, owning your ambition and unleashing your Super Powers.

Thank you to all the Wonder Women and the Super Men who support them who took time to pariticpate in this important professional development opportunitiy.

Click here to view the photos from the 2020 Wonder Women Conference!

Speaker Profiles & Highlights

Success Secrets for Wonder Women

Julie Ellis, Co-Founder, Mabel’s Labels

Julie Ellis has 15 years of experience in the financial services industry and was most recently the Chief Operating Officer for a privately held omni channel retailer in Canada, responsible for driving the company’s growth toward operational excellence, team integration and market expansion. She is the co-founder of the successful Canadian small business Mabel’s Labels and has been involved in the business and startup communities for many years. She was Chair of the Board at Innovation Factory in Hamilton, ON., which offers programs that accelerate the innovation process for up-and-coming companies through collaboration with community-based resources from business, science, government, academia and finance. She is the current Board Chair at Angel One Investor Network, one of the most active angel groups in Canada. Julie has extensive experience mentoring leaders of all levels across several industries to achieve their professional goals and is a sought-after speaker and presenter on topics ranging from leadership development to corporate culture building, to growth and scale. Julie is also a two-time winner of the Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards, in the category of RBC Momentum (2009) and Profit Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship (2014). 

Building Your Power Through Money Mastery

Presented by RBC.

From Commodity to Coveted – The Art of Shifting From One of Many to the Only One

Lara McCulloch, Chief Shift Disturber

Lara is an award-winning, results-driven brand positioning expert with over 25 years as a Business Growth Consultant. Basically, she teaches business owners how to become the ONLY one in their industry instead of being one of the many. She’s advised multinationals like Johnson & Johnson, Kraft, Shell and Benjamin Moore as well as small businesses around the globe. Lara travels the world as a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator. She’s the recipient of Connect Magazine’s Top 40 under 40, Rejuvenate Magazine’s Top 40 under 40, has been bestowed the title of Industry Innovator by BizBash magazine, received the coveted Spirit of the Industry Award by the CEIA and is proud to have been honoured with Dedication & Leadership Awards by ILEA. She graduated from Ivy Business School’s Executive Program, but it’s the title of Mom that brings Lara the most pride. When she’s not building Lego with her son, she’s been known to board down active volcanoes, spelunk 16 stories underground, camp in -10 degree temps beside a glacier, bungee jump over a rainforest, swim with sharks and jump from a plane at 15,000 feet.

Panel Discussion: Finding Your Super Power

Shannon M. Tobin, Mom, Author, Philanthropist, Women and Youth Leadership Development Mentor

An author, philanthropist, and passionate speaker, Shannon Tobin is an award-winning entrepreneur with over 28 years of success as an executive in the Cosmetic Direct Sales industry. Her team has broken company records, retailing over 13 million dollars over her career. This is not where the growth ends; She is driven to use her success as a springboard to make a positive impact in her community. Her core belief is that “Success is not a skill, it is a persistent attitude” This is a driving factor for Shannon as she has overcome adversity in her personal and professional life. Guided by a genuine desire to make a positive impact, Shannon has exemplified being the change you wish to see both personally and professionally. Shannon is the founder of the Dare To Be You Foundation, which supports leadership development opportunities and initiatives that empower women and youth to to unlock their potential to ‘BE’ better, and ‘DO’ better in their community. She has been recognized by The Women’s Centre of Halton with an “Honouring 150 Years of Exemplary Women” Award for her exemplary achievements and contribution in supporting her community by demonstrating true Leadership and for creating positive change; a bronze STEVIE Award for Women in business: Female Mentor and Coach of the Year, and in 2019 she was nominated for the Burlington Chamber Business Excellence Award 2020.

Layne, CEO & Founder, The Auctionista

Layne (also known as The Auctionista) is a trailblazer in the fundraising world. Fusing philanthropy and entertainment, Layne offers innovative strategies that inspire charitable giving while energizing and inspiring attendees. Founded in 2010, The Auctionista company has extensive experience in Event Revenue Strategy, Event Ideation and Performance. Layne started a business that disrupts the world of fundraising and they take you through their inspirational and comical journey of how they broke the auctioneer stereotype to become a successful businessperson and CEO of Canada’s fundraising powerhouse company. Layne talks about the power of manifesting and being completely fearless when it comes to taking the first step in business. After building the company brick by brick, Layne discusses the building blocks for success and how those moments of adversity can spark a fire.

Energetic Time Management

Heather Chauvin, CEO & Founder of Mom Is In Control

Heather Chauvin is a leadership coach and strategic parenting expert who helps ambitious women become leaders at work and home. Drawing from her professional experience as a social worker and her life experience raising three boys, Heather created a signature approach to focus her clients on sustainability, profitability and ease in business and life. She is the host of the Mom Is In Control Podcast where she reveals her most vulnerable truths about womanhood, marriage, parenting, living through stage 4 cancer and running a successful business—without burning out. Heather has been featured as a TEDx speaker and on The OWN Network, CTV, and The Jenny McCarthy Show. She has also appeared in Entrepreneur and Real Simple. When Heather isn’t being a classic Canadian by driving her boys to hockey practice, you’ll find her curled up on the couch with her husband surfing the internet, researching their next family adventure.

Not All Super Heroes Wear Capes: Tips & Tricks From a Mom of Six

Julie Cole, Senior Director of Public Relations, Mabel’s Labels

Julie Cole is a recovered lawyer, mom of six and co-founder of Mabel’s Labels. She has helped her company bring their product to a worldwide market, gain media recognition and win countless entrepreneur awards. Cole is a serial entrepreneur, published author, a sought after speaker and emcee and a digital influencer and blogger. Julie is no stranger to the media, having appeared on NBC’s The Today Show, HLN’s Raising America, Canada AM, Breakfast Television, The Marilyn Denis Show, CP24, among many others. Julie has blogged everywhere from The Huffington Post, modernmom.com, Today’s Parent, SavvyMom, PTPA Media, Yummy Mummy Club, and her company’s Mabelhood blog. Her writing has also appeared in The Globe and Mail, Profit Magazine, Working Mother Magazine, Chicken Soup For the Soul – Power Moms and numerous websites. Giving back to her community is one of Julie’s top priorities. When she’s not juggling her busy family and professional life, she is active on charity and community Boards and committees, and volunteers with several organizations. She is an engaged community member who is passionate about women’s issues, mentoring young entrepreneurs, poverty alleviation and social justice.

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