The Parry Sound Chamber of Commerce held its 2023 Business of Excellence Awards on Friday.
The annual gala is the local Chamber’s way of celebrating our region’s businesses, both old and new. Eight awards were up for grabs this year, six of which were based on votes and two picked specifically.
Chris McDonald, the Chamber’s Executive Director called the past year “a year of resilience”.
“We had a lot of businesses that swung around and pivoted to adapt with the changing economy and came out strong and I think we’re in good shape in Parry Sound,”
The chamber will also see a change in leadership this coming year with Gail Burrows officially stepping down from her role as President and Chair of the board of directors.
“We very much appreciate Gail’s hard work. She’s going to be continuing on as past president, but we do have a vacancy open for the chair of the board and I’m sure we’ll find somebody very suitable for the role,” McDonald says.
According to him, the President’s Choice Award went to Peter Istvan Photography. The award goes to a nominee that the President of the board feels is deserving and encompasses community focus, business support, and excellence in their field.
Other winners included
- The Chamber Champion Award – 103.3 Moose FM.
- The People’s Choice Award – Parry Sound Forest School.
- The Community Spirit Award – The Drop.
- The Growth and Innovation Award – Legend Spirits Company.
- The Entrepreneur of The Year Award – Sound Wealth Financial.
- The Outstanding Customer Service Award – Bearly Used Books.
- The Business of the Year Award – Sound Youth Counselling.
Looking forward, McDonald says the chamber continues to grow.
“Our membership grows. We’re continuing to see new businesses open, more cruise ships coming next year so that should be very exciting time the next 12 months for sure,” he says.
The awards were presented on the Island Queen Friday, Sept 22. All the recipients were present to accept their respective awards except Bearly Used Books.