The Gimli Chamber of Commerce rolled out the red carpet last Saturday evening at the Lakeview Resort to celebrate local businesses and entrepreneurs with its 1st annual Heart of Business Awards.
About 200 people attended the gala dinner and awards ceremony, which included a red-carpet walk, an opening prayer and the drum song, a buffet dinner featuring roast beef, prizes for attendees and an after-party at Interlake Brewing.
Forty-three people were nominated for one of 10 awards, which recognize hardworking, innovative entrepreneurs and organizations that make a difference in the community of Gimli and surrounding areas.
After providing the Treaty 1 land acknowledgement, Gimli Chamber of Commerce president Samantha Hampton said that within the first 24 hours of posting the nominees’ names online, the chamber reached 47,000 people, who provided feedback and comments.
“Our community is built on a foundation of genuine support and shared pride. We see each other. We celebrate each. When our local businesses and organizations succeed, we rise together,” said Hampton. “The energy and excitement sparked by just one post proved how deeply we value and appreciate the people behind the storefronts, the services and the initiatives that keep our region thriving.”
Manitoba Chambers of Commerce president and CEO Chuck Davidson paid tribute to the Gimli chamber for staging the awards and all the nominees for their contributions to the community.
“The best part of what I do is having the opportunity to come out meet with business owners and celebrate business success,” said Davidson. “It’s thrilling this is the first time [Gimli chamber] has done an awards event. Congratulation to all the nominees and congratulations to the Gimli Chamber of Commerce for pulling this event together.”
Express Photos by Patricia Barrett
The awards, nominees and winners were as follows:
• The Gimli Lakeview Resort earned the Chamber Champion Award from nominees that included chamber president Samantha Hampton. The chamber sponsored the award.
• Katie Jones won the After-Hours Award from nominees that included Rayme Thomson. The RM of Gimli sponsored the award.
• Hailey’s Way Inc. earned the Non-Profit Organization Award from nominees that included the Gimli International Film Festival, the Flag of Humanity, the Gimli Art Club and Evergreen Basic Needs. Westshore Community Foundation sponsored the award.
• Interlake Brewing scooped up the Tourism & Hospitality Excellence Award from a list of nominees that included Carlo’s Cucina, KALS Vacation Rentals, Marvelous Meadows Golf & Grill, Prairie Sea Kayak Adventures, and Fun in the Sun Beach Rentals. The Lakeview sponsored the award.
• The Aurora Recovery Centre won the Leadership in Diversity & Inclusion Award from a list of nominees that included the Ship & Plough Tavern, and Sweet Fern Sugaring. Pratts Wholesale Food sponsored the award.
• Tim Arnason earned the Community Volunteer of the Year Award out of a list of nominees that included Ernest Stefanson and Claire Gillis, Barb Gluck and Gwen Harp, and Nancy Stillinger and Marion Yamada. Access Credit Union sponsored the award.
• Romanna Klymkiw earned the Legacy of Impact Award from a list of nominees that included Sherry Benson-Podolchuk, H.P. Tergesen & Sons general store and the Westshore Community Foundation. The Rural Manitoba Economic Development Corp. sponsored the award.
• Lianne Snow was presented with the Young Entrepreneur Award whose nominees included Romanna Klymkiw, Ryan Beck, Kelsey Morgan, and Carson, Alann and Stafford Mellon. The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce sponsored the award.
• Barb Fletcher earned the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from a list of nominees that included Ron Starr, Coralea Courtland, Chad Ermel, Scott Carmen, Kim Magnusson and Carlo Guzzi. The Gimli Chamber of Commerce sponsored the award.
• The Westshore Community Foundation earned the Interlake Impact Award from a list of nominees that included Brittany Isfeld, Arborg’s Creative Cocoon, the Arborg-Bifrost Parks & Recreation Commission, the Riverton & District Friendship Centre and the Westshore Community Foundation. Valley Fibre sponsored the award.
Express Photos by Patricia Barrett
A nomination committee reviewed all submissions and selected the winning recipients based on merit.
Hampton presented Gimli chamber vice president Michelle Thomson with a Mad Hatter Award for her dedication to the chamber and going beyond and above the call of duty.
The gala event’s attendees included the RM of Giml staff and councillors Thora Palson, Andy Damm and Kurt Reichert, Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman MP James Bezan, and members of the Stonewall Chamber of Commerce, the Central Interlake Chamber of Commerce and the Parkland Chamber of Commerce.
