Thursday, October 30, 2008

24th Annual Outstanding Business Achievement Awards Finalists

The Saint John Board of Trade proudly announces the finalists for Greater Saint John’s Outstanding Business Achievement Awards. The awards dinner and presentations will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 26, 2008 at the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre.

The five-member judging panel has selected Bay Ferries/NB Museum, Cyber-Freight Systems Maritimes Inc., and Lorneville Mechanical Contractors as contenders for the Entrepreneurial Achievement award. The finalists for the Business Excellence honour include Jacques Whitford Limited and Loch Lomond Villa. The finalists for the Emerging Enterprise award include Strong and Free Emblem Inc. and Vision Coaching.

The recipient of this year’s Young Entrepreneur Award is Jenny Scott with Ambiance Day Spa.

Now in its 24th year, the Outstanding Business Achievement Awards event recognizes businesses and business people in the community that have aided business development, entrepreneurship and increased economic progress in Greater Saint John.

The Entrepreneurial Achievement award is designed to recognize a company or individual that has started a business, considerably improved a company, or modified an existing enterprise.

The Business Excellence award focuses on established companies that have achieved highly in management quality, sales growth, community relations, marketing and leadership.

The Emerging Enterprise award recognizes new businesses just beginning to make their mark. To be eligible for this award, companies must have been in business less than five years.

The Young Entrepreneur Award recognizes young business leaders (30 years and under) just beginning to make their mark.

Previous winners of the awards, presented annually since 1985, have included: Lingley Printing Co. Ltd; Tabufile Atlantic Ltd; Pete’s Fruitique; Mother Nature’s Pita Bakery & Restaurant; Bourque Manufacturing Ltd; Eastern Technical Services Ltd; Fundy Computer Services Ltd; Moosehead Breweries Ltd; Hunter Marketing & Communications; Beattie Construction Services Ltd; Thirtysomething Enterprises Inc (The Body Shop); Gardner Electric Ltd; NBTel; Kelly Tire Services Ltd; Mitchell, McConnell, Daniels Insurance Brokers Ltd; PCL & Eastern Packaging Limited; Aquila Tours/Destination Marketing; Baxter Foods Limited; Brenan Group Ltd; DMR Consulting Group Inc; Maritime Aqua Service; New North Media; Delta Brunswick Hotel; Senior Watch Inc; Appleby’s Image Center; Discount Car & Truck Rentals; The Document Company Xerox; Impact Forensic Analysis Inc; CanSupply.com; Java Moose; Irving Oil, Refining Division; Funeral Directors’ Choice; Meridian Construction Inc; Media Planet; Eastern Collections Services Ltd; Cendant Canada Inc; Here Publishing Inc; CAA Maritimes; National Leasing, Rent-a-Chef Inc; H.E.L.P. Educational Services Ltd; Simply for Life; Cooke Aquaculture; Fundy Engineering & Consulting Ltd; ADI Limited; Brovada Technologies; Evolving Solutions; Mariner Partners; CentreBeam Inc; Canadian Cable Systems Alliance Inc; Maritime Rescue and Medical Inc; and East Point Inc.

Previous recipients of the Young Entrepreneur Award were Ji Li, Greg Hemmings, Tao Tao Liu, Marc Robichaud, and Leah Anderson.

This year’s winners will be announced at the awards dinner on November 26th. Tickets for the awards dinner may be obtained from the Saint John Board of Trade.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Saint John Board of Trade Awarded Accreditation with Distinction at Canadian Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting

Canadian Chambers Awarded Accreditation at Annual Chamber Meeting

Quebec City –  At the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Annual general Meeting held recently in Quebec City, 12 community chambers from across the country received their accreditation.

"We are proud to recognize these chambers as examples of effective, well-managed and stable organizations making a difference in communities across the country – keeping "the voice of business" loud and strong" said Perrin Beatty, Canadian Chamber President and CEO.

To achieve accreditation, a chamber must meet minimum standards in critical areas, including areas of governance, operations, membership programming, policy and advocacy and strategic planning.

Accreditation is aimed at continuous operational improvement and standards of local chambers of commerce and an elevation of their profile across the country as effective and well-managed organizations.

"Accreditation is the acknowledgment that member chambers have been successfully evaluated against rigorous national standards of policy, service and performance," said Roslyn Castleden, President of the Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada.

Developed by a team of chamber executives, in conjunction with provincial and territorial chambers and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the accreditation program is operated by an arms-length organization called the Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada (CACC). The CACC is composed of representatives from across the country. The Council meets twice per year to review applications for accreditation.

Accreditation is a means of reinforcing and clarifying to the community at large what activities are pivotal to a chamber’s functions and determines the chamber’s unique value proposition vis-à-vis other organizations in the marketplace.

Chambers of commerce and boards of trade that are successful in achieving the requirements for accreditation are recognized each year at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting.

The chambers of commerce and boards of trade that received accreditation at this year’s AGM in Quebec are:

Alberta Chambers of Commerce

The Brampton Board of Trade

Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce

Eastern Kings Chamber of Commerce

Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce

Saint John Board of Trade

Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce

Whitby Chamber of Commerce

La Chambre de commerce de Lévis

La Chambre de commerce de St-Georges

La Chambre de commerce et d'industries de Trois-Rivières

La Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Mirabel

La Chambre de commerce et d'industrie Les Maskoutains

For more information on accreditation, visit the Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada Web site.