For the fourth year in a row, the theme of the evening was Celebrate!
The Belleville Chamber of Commerce took to the high seas on the safest 3-hour tour ever with their virtual cruise event to commemorate the swearing in of the new President (Captain Peter Kempenaar) and the presentations of the Cornerstone and Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Capturing the traditional swearing in ceremony of the President of the Chamber and recognition of the service of retiring members, the Belleville Chamber of Commerce announced the recipients of their annual recognition awards and the fourth edition of the Cornerstone Awards, featuring the people behind the businesses in our community.
Recognition for their contributions to the Board were retiring members Helen Wheeler (LaPalm Moving). Jon Tuer (Wilkinson & Company) was recognized for contributing 5 years and concluding his tenure as Past President.
The President’s Recognition Award is presented by the outgoing President to someone they believe has gone above and beyond for the Chamber. This year’s recipient is Karen Poste, Manager of Economic Development and Strategic Initiatives for the City of Belleville. Greg Sudds reflected on the years she has been the City representative on the Board, through more than 20 Presidents and 4 CEOs, her steadfast and solid approach that always keeps business and politics separate with her presence on the Board struck him as being important to recognize during his presidential year. Watch video here
Greg Sudds, West City Honda receives recognition for his service as the 156th President in 2020, presented by incoming President Peter Kempenaar, Taskforce Engineering. Watch video here. Greg also received the highest award given by the City, presented by Mayor Mitch Panciuk. Watch video here.
In 2020, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Ed Lehtinen of Impacto Protective Products. A story that began with a socially motivated concept to employ people with disabilities and grew to have international prominence with cutting edge development and production of safety wear. The pandemic presented even greater opportunities for the business that continues to remain in the family.
The Cornerstone awards are meant to distinguish and recognize members who have exemplified citizenship, founding, mentoring and vision and helped our community prosper.
The COMMUNITY PARTNER award is presented to an organization that has been a valued partner with Chamber initiatives and they receive the honorary “Key to the Cabin”. YourTV Quinte was acknowledged for their unprecedented support with the virtual concert series in 2020 and a long overdue recognition of all the work they do to provide community programming Watch video here.
The CITIZENSHIP award is presented to a Chamber member who has embraced the spirit of the community by their selfless acts and support to causes that improve the lives of Belleville’s citizens. Bruce MacKay of MacKay Insurance will be recognized as the designated recipient of this award for 2021. Watch video here
The FOUNDER award is presented to a Chamber member who has built a business from its beginning or expanded an existing business that enhances the reputation of Belleville as a place where business can come to grow. The award was presented to Max Haggerty, founder of ITS and a long time supporter of the Chamber and the community. Max passed away last August, and once again, we were saddened we weren’t able to honour him while alive, but were able to acknowledge his contributions to his son, Rob Haggerty. Watch video here
The MENTOR award will be presented to a Chamber member who, through their daily work, intentionally or not, helps develop others with their leadership and guidance. This was another familiar face we lost last year, but the number of lives touched by Sal Longo of Salon You (and multiple others over the 50 years) measured in the hundreds and even around the world. Watch video here.
The VISIONARY award is presented to a Chamber member who has seen an opportunity to revive or create something unique or unprecedented. Their dedication to this vision has resulted in raising the profile of Belleville and has contributed to the overall prosperity of the community. Behind the doors of a little storefront in Foxboro, Karyn Wright has built a mail order seed business with Terra Edibles over the past 20 years with over 8,000 regular customers that skyrocketed last March with the onset of the pandemic. Her commitment to growing awareness around gardening and Canadian sourced products has allowed her to continue to grow. Watch video here
Ultimately, the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award could receive each of these awards individually – and as we begin the process of recognizing the pillars of our business community, there is no doubt some should win in multiple categories now.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT – Armin Quickert, REID’S DAIRY.
Armin Quickert’s father emigrated from eastern Germany as a cheesemaker and went on to buy Riverside Dairy. Armin joined the company in his mid-20s and built up a business that is now one of only a few family owned dairies left. Watch video here
The awards presentation took place on Friday, March 26 at the Annual President’s Dinner held on board the SS BCC virtual Yacht, powered by eSAX out of Ottawa. Guests enjoyed the event from the comfort of their own homes, with dinners of their choice provided by five of our locally owned restaurant members – Chilangos, Dinkel’s & Paulo’s, Montana’s, Sans Souci and Signal – to celebrate the achievements and contributions of members of the Belleville Chamber of Commerce.
Above is a release from the Belleville Chamber of Commerce.
