North Bay's Lucky 13 has won "Company of the Year (1-15 employees) at the 28th Annual Northern Ontario Business Awards (NOBA) held in Sault Ste. Marie today.
Lucky 13 owner Ray Seguin runs an independent c-store chain in North Bay. The first store opened in 1984.
A second local company, iRing Inc won the Innovation Award.
iRing Inc. is a global leader in underground mining solutions, delivering software packages, consulting and research since 2005.
With an inter-disciplinary team of blasting experts, mining engineers, software developers and mathematicians, iRing’s main focus is to develop leading edge underground mining technologies and solutions.
iRing Inc. is based in North Bay and has distributors throughout the world.
Over 400 business and opinion leaders from across the North celebrated the achievements of 11 companies and individuals at the NOBA gala this evening at the Comfort Suites and Quattro Conference Centre in Sault Ste. Marie.
NOBA has become the largest annual gathering of its kind in Northern Ontario since it was first launched in 1986.
The NOBA event was co-hosted by Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Debbie Amaroso and Northern Ontario Business Publisher Patricia Mills.
NOBA is an initiative designed to celebrate successful businesses and entrepreneurs throughout Northern Ontario.
The award evening provides the perfect occasion to acknowledge the efforts of those who create the opportunities that allow everyone to enjoy living and working in the North!
The event rotates annually among the five major cities in Northern Ontario.
There were ten business awards presented:
Company of the Year (three categories, based on size), Entrepreneur of the Year, Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Entrepreneurial Community, First Nations Business Award of Excellence, Innovation, Export and Judges’ Choice.
The Union Gas Essay Scholarship, worth $3,000, was also presented.
2014 NOBA Winners
Company of the Year 1-15 Employees
Winner: Lucky 13 (North Bay)
Sponsored by: Northern Credit Union
Company of the Year 16-50 Employees
Winner: JD Aero Technical Inc. (Sault Ste. Marie)
Sponsored by: OLG
Company of the Year 51+ Employees
Winner: Villeneuve Construction (Hearst)
Sponsored by: Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal
Entrepreneur of the Year
Winner: Justus Veldman, Riversedge Developments (Sault Ste. Marie)
Sponsored by: KIA
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Winner: Jennifer Taback, Design de Plume (Sudbury)
Sponsored by: CIBC
Innovation Award
Winner: iRing Inc. (North Bay)
Sponsored by: TransCanada
First Nations Business Award of Excellence
Winner: Data Cabling (DC) Communications (Sault Ste. Marie)
Sponsored by: Ontario Power Generation
Entrepreneurial Community of the Year
Winner: Downtown Village Development Corp (Sudbury)
Sponsored by: Air Canada
Judges' Choice Award
Winner: S&T Group (Sault Ste. Marie)
Sponsored by: Porter Airlines
Export Award
Winner: Symboticware Inc. (Sudbury)
Sponsored by: EDC
Union Gas Essay Scholarship
Winner: Emily Soares (Sault Ste. Marie)
Sponsored by: Union Gas
An independent panel of judges adjudicated nominations from around Northern Ontario. This year’s judges were: Mark Barsanti, Dealer (owner) – Canadian Tire Associate Store (Sault Ste. Marie), Laurie Bissonette, Partner – Audit (Sudbury), Barb Courte, President – Northstar Drilling Ltd/Cobra Diamond Drilling Ltd. (Thunder Bay), Luc Stang, President and CEO – Gin-Cor Industries (Mattawa), and the Union Gas Essay Scholarship Judge, John Martella, District Manager for GFL Environmental East Corporation (Sault Ste. Marie).
Mark your Calendars: 29th Annual NOBA – 2015 – in Thunder Bay
The 29th Annual Northern Ontario Business Awards 2015 will be held in Thunder Bay.
The networking reception will be held at Bight Restaurant on September 30th and the Gala Awards and Dinner at the Valhalla Inn on October 1st, 2015. For more information on NOBA, contact Kimberley Wahamaa, Operations Manager at 705-673-5705 or 1-800-757-2766 Ext. 320 or email inquiries to [email protected]
