The Morden Chamber of Commerce is honouring a number of local individuals and businesses with its upcoming annual awards.
The chamber recently announced this year’s recipients as well as the three finalists in the running for the Business Excellence Award.
Up for that honour are Krahn Friesen Neufeld CPAs, Pharmasave, and Eagleye. The winner will be announced at the Jan. 30 gala evening.
Meanwhile, the Entrepreneur of the Year Award is going jointly to Bevan and Sandra Wiebe, while the Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Morden Nurseries and Garden Centre
In addition, there are three Community Builder awards. In the business category, the honour goes to Gardenland Co-op, while the non-profit is Regional Connections and the individual recipient is Shannon Samatte-Folkett.
Sandra Wiebe said they were honoured to receive the Entrepreneur Award.
“Morden has been our home for the past 40 years, and we love Morden,” she said, going on then to highlight some of their particular passions.
“We have made an attempt to restore the character of downtown Stephen Street by restoring and renovating historical buildings and building a historical looking building,” she said. “We have helped new business find places to start their businesses in Morden.”
Wiebe has operated Gables Realty since 2011. They moved to a larger location in the circa-1926 barn at 565 Stephen Street in 2022.
“Gables Realty has been very active helping new immigrants during exploration visits and assisting to find accommodation for rentals as a service to the community,” she noted. “And the second and third floors of the barn has an Airbnb which has hosted people from all around the world.”
“It’s been a labour of love,” added Bevan. “The building projects downtown have been restoration projects to keep the history of Morden alive for generations to come.”
In 2021, he took on a huge restoration project at 333 Stephen Street and then opened Stephen Street General, where he sells not just antiques but also vintage stuff, plants, giftware, puzzles and much more.
“I have tried to make it an interesting place to visit with various structural elements as well as a vintage canoe hanging from the ceiling and old signs including one counter and sign that are original to the building.
“In addition, I have various Morden memorabilia and old Morden photos on display. You may even get a history lesson from me.”
Having recently celebrated its 60th anniversary, Morden Nurseries and Garden Centre is certainly a fitting recipient of the Lifetime Achievement nod.
“It’s nice … it’s a nice honour for the family,” said owner Monique Rampton.
She highlighted how it has continued to be family-owned and operated. Her daughter Leah has is currently running the garden centre alongside her, so it is into the third generation now.
“It goes back to my dad’s vision of buying the property and running the nursery … and seeing a need for it in the area,” said Rampton. “We’ve been there for so long, it’s nice to be able to still be there … growing for the whole area … and having all of these things available here for the area is important,” she said. “Providing that over the long term and just being a source of information and knowledge for people is important to us.”
Community Builder Award recipient Shannon Samatte-Folkett, who is executive director of the Boundary Trails Health Centre Foundation, said it is humbling to be recognized in this way.
“I don’t usually like attention on me. I’d rather the focus be on the foundation and the work we’re doing to support health care in our community,” she said. “While I feel a little shy about personal recognition, I’m grateful. I see this as a reflection of the incredible people around me—the staff, volunteers and everyone who supports the foundation’s efforts. It’s not just about me. It’s really about all of us working together to make a difference, and I’m just proud to be part of it.
“I believe that if you care about your community or a cause, you show it by getting involved,” said Samatte-Folkett. “For me, it’s about seeing the real impact, whether it’s raising funds for new equipment, creating programs for staff wellness or simply bringing people together to support a common cause.
“I’m passionate about my work, and I love the challenge of finding new ways to support the community,” she said. “Knowing the work we do helps to make life better for others keeps me going, and I find so much joy in building connections and making things happen behind the scenes.”
Evan Toews, general manager of Gardenland Co-op, noted for them it is simply the fact that if their communities grow and are successful, it in turn helps the Co-op continue to grow and be successful.
“We’re thrilled and honoured to be recognized in the community … and for something like community building, which is what our co-op is all about,” he said. “Being owned by the community and giving back to our community … our ultimate goal is just seeing all the communities we serve succeed.”
A representative of Regional Connections could not be reached for comment at press time.
Chamber executive director Clare Agnew said in an earlier interview that the business community here has a vitality and success that needs to be both recognized and promoted.
“I look forward to celebrating the business community every year,” she said. “One of our key functions is to share our story and to encourage business investment in the area. It’s a key and exciting function of the Morden Chamber of Commerce to have the opportunity to highlight, recognize and acknowledge the leaders in our business community.”
