Pembroke – The Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce celebrated 60 years of service to the business community on Saturday, April 28. The celebration was held in conjunction with its annual Business Excellence Awards. Title sponsor for the evening was EGM Insurance, Johnston & Mackie Ltd and MC Carroll Insurance.
Presented with the Lifetime Business Achievement Award were brothers Ron and Gerald Tracey of The Eganville Leader. They were also owners of the former Cobden Sun from 1975 to 2011.
“The Leader is in its 116th year of operations,” said UOVCC Board President Maria Morena Church as she presented the award to the Traceys. “While many local newspapers have fallen by the wayside, The Leader continues to be strong and vibrant providing news in a timely and respectful way. Ron and Gerald are great examples to the business community and we are proud to present this award to them for their hard work and dedication.”
The following businesses/people were the recipients of the various awards:
Creative Services Award: Das Studio, Yvonne Keller
Professional Services Award – Northern Credit Union
Excellence in Tourism, Events or Promoting – Upper Ottawa River Race and Paddle Festival
Excellence in Education – Algonquin College Waterfront Campus
Excellence in Construction and Trades – Greenwood Paving
Excellence in Food, Wine or Hospitality – The Nook Creperie
Employee of the Year – Emma Pesme (Discount Car & Truck Rentals)
Excellence in Agribusiness, Farming or Rural Achievement – BMO Bank of Montreal
Business of the Year (Small) – The Sutherland Team
Business of the Year (Large) – Hyska’s Your Independent Grocer
Best Community Impact Award – Pembroke Business Improvement Area
Customer Focus Award – Discount Car & Truck Rentals Pembroke
Start-up Superstar – Sugar Society
Congratulations to all the recipients along with the finalists in each category.
The sponsors for the evening were BMO Bank of Montreal, The City of Pembroke, The Holiday Inn Express Pembroke, Town of Petawawa, Hyska’s YIG, The Delfi Group, The Sutherland Team, Meridian Credit Union, Township of Laurentian Valley, Algonquin College, The Labour Market Group of Renfrew & Lanark, AC Community Employment Service and North Algona Wilberforce and Cathy’s Beautiful Fifth Avenue Jewellery.
UOV Chamber
A little history of the Chamber in this area. The present-day Chamber was actually preceded by the Pembroke Board of Trade going back to the late 1800’s and continuing to at least 1903. In 1955 a group of businessmen took on the task of reforming the Chamber of Commerce and on April 28, 1958, was incorporated under the Boards of Trade Act to become the Pembroke Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber changed its name to the Pembroke and Area Chamber of Commerce in 1994 and then in 2001 changed its name to The Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce to better reflect the area it serves. In December of 2011 the Deep River & Area Chamber of Commerce decided to give up its charter and amalgamate with the Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber. The mission of the Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce is to be a coordinating body providing a cooperative environment to support member businesses in their quest for growth & economic success by providing leadership, education, advocacy, communication, interaction opportunities and tangible financial benefits. For more information on the programs and services of the UOVCC please contact the Chamber office at 613-732-1492.
