On Thursday, October 15th, the Dufferin Board of Trade (DBOT) celebrated business excellence in Dufferin County at their annual Business Excellence Awards ceremony. The evening honoured Dufferin’s finest with awards celebrating their service to the community, their entrepreneurial spirit and their ability to export made in Dufferin products across the globe.
The evening also provided the perfect occasion to introduce the new brand and repositioning of the Greater Dufferin Area Chamber of Commerce, as the Dufferin Board of Trade. Board Chair, Joe Andrews took the opportunity to share the new direction and expanded mandate to support businesses and economic growth throughout Dufferin County. The new organization will offer the same services as the Greater Dufferin Area Chamber previously did with new expanded services designed to positively impact the economic prosperity of the region. Andrews was “thrilled to be able to play this important role in the community of celebrating our brightest businesses and inspiring all the businesses in Dufferin to achieve excellence”.
The 2015 Business Excellence Awards were hosted at the Best Western Plus Orangeville Inn & Suites and began with informal networking, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres presented by local purveyors of fine foods; Lavender Blue Catering, Rosemount General Store, Landman Gardens and Bakery, Fromage and the Edge Wine Bar and Grille. Attendees were wined and dined all evening with a delicious local food inspired dinner prepared by Gourmandissimo. Guests at the awards ceremony were entertained by the Humber College Jazz Trio, and were inspired by a keynote address by Jesse Tipping, President of the Athlete Institute in Orangeville.
Awards were presented in 8 new categories ranging from Global Reach to Local Economic Impact. DBOT was grateful to have judging support from three regional Chambers; Guelph Chamber, Owen Sound Chamber and the KW Chamber. Local businesses sponsored the award and were excited to participate in the presentation of the awards to the deserving winners.
The 2015 Dufferin Business Excellence Awards winners were:
| Award Category | Winner | |
| Local Economic Impact Award, Sponsored by Orangeville Hydro | Millennium 1 Solutions |  |
| Small Business of the Year, Sponsored by Meridian Credit Union | Headwaters Dental Centre |  |
| Global Reach Award, Sponsored by the Athlete Institute | KTH Shelburne Mfg. |  |
| Under 30 Award, Sponsored by Humber College, Orangeville Campus | Matthew McClure |  |
| Community Service, sponsored by Carters Professional Corporation | Headwaters Tourism |  |
| Sustainability, sponsored by the Town of Orangeville | Ice River Springs/Blue Mountain Plastics |  |
| Employer of the Year, sponsored by Headwaters Tourism | Jay_Lor Fabricating |  |
| Dufferin Business Citizen of the Year, sponsored by the Dufferin Board of Trade | Jesse Tipping |  |
The Dufferin Board of Trade was pleased to provide an opportunity for the entire community to recognize the highly successful business here in Dufferin County and to share their moment of celebration. Joe Andrews, Chair of DBOT remarked “the quality of nominees and the breadth of experience and knowledge are quite amazing for a small community like ours and I am thrilled to be part of this event. I want to personally thank all the nominees for their contributions to our economy, our quality of life and our community.”