James Steedsman admitted to some mixed emotions when he learned he would be the recipient of the Community Builder Award: Individual at the upcoming Morden Chamber of Commerce awards gala.
“The significance of it isn’t lost on me,” said Steedsman, who has been the longtime manager of Giant Tiger. “It’s a huge, huge honour, and it’s mostly humbling for me. It just kind of blows me away.
“As I’m sure that a majority of other people who do these kinds of things, you don’t do it for any kind of recognition. You just do it because you want to support the community that supports you.”
Steedsman recalled how the awards program was initiated back when he was on the chamber board.
“I believed pretty strongly that the business community maybe was a little undervalued and maybe not as recognized within the community for what they do quite the way it should be,” he said. “We kind of looked at how can we raise the business profile within the community, because it will be mutually beneficial. Maybe the community will start to recognize business a little more, maybe support them a little more.”
He said that it now has really been elevated into a major event, and that is great to see.
“I think it’s really raised the profile of businesses and individuals, because that’s important too.”
Steedsman, as an individual and through his business, has never hesitated to support organizations and events in the community. Years ago he was one of the people who spearheaded the popular annual downtown block party.
“You kind of grow into a certain role within your business … to some degree, it starts there with what you’re doing and how you can promote your own business, but then it kind of balloons into something like how can I partner with other businesses or people to create something like the block party.”
He also noted for example how he has gotten involved at Legion House across the road from Giant Tiger, which receives a large percentage of customers from those facilities.
As he today navigates a cancer journey, Steedsman observed that it is good to see that what one gives, one will also receive back.
“You realize the whole notion of community support or community building it really does go both ways,” he said. “It certainly reciprocates itself in some way. So I’m hugely thankful for the community for being so supportive of the business.”
Steedsman will be recognized along with the other award recipients at the gala event at the Access Event Centre on Thursday Jan 29. Tickets are available at the chamber.
