The Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce handed out its 2024 Business Excellence Awards at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough on Tuesday night (October 29), recognizing businesses, organizations, and individuals in 22 categories with more than 50 finalists.
Among the recipients at the 21st annual event, Peterborough’s Phillip Jolicoeur was named Business Citizen of the Year.
Jolicoeur — owner of PJ The Marketing Guy, Phillip Jolicoeur Entertainment, and Photo Booth Fun — was recognized for his entrepreneurial support of other local businesses and his community involvement as a volunteer and fundraiser.
As well as serving on the board of the Kawartha Haliburton Children’s Foundation and as a mentor and social media marketer for Big Brothers Big Sister of Peterborough, Jolicoeur has volunteered with local charities including Right to Heal, YES Shelter for Youth & Families, and Brock Mission.
He has also assisted hundreds of non-profit organizations across Canada to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Jolicoeur is especially known locally for organizing the annual Harmony for Healing event raising funds for mental health, and was recognized in September with a Champion of Mental Health Award from the Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge.
VIDEO: Business Citizen of the Year Award – Phillip Jolicoeur
“Our time here is fleeting, and my purpose is to make as profound an impact as possible, striving to leave this world a better place for my children and generations to come,” Jolicoeur wrote on Facebook after receiving the award. “This mission drives everything I do and everything I give. To be recognized in this way is truly meaningful, and I am deeply humbled.”
Other award recipients announced on Tuesday night included Wanderlight Alpaca Experience, R & M Smith Contracting, Lang Pioneer Village Museum, Paris Marine, nectar co., Couture Candy, Lang Pioneer Village Museum, The Canadian Canoe Museum, Acceptance Nurse Psychotherapy, Camp Kawartha, Flow Spa, Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region, Gauvreau Accounting Tax Law Advisory, The Chocolate Rabbit, and Millbrook Mercantile.
Below are all the award recipients (with finalists) in their categories announced on Tuesday night.
Entrepreneurial Spirit
- Wanderlight Alpaca Experience – Recipient
- Green Street Inc.
- nectar co.
Skilled Trades
- R & M Smith Contracting – Recipient
- Tom’s Heating and Cooling
Tourism
- Lang Pioneer Village Museum – Recipient
- Beachwood Resort
- Kawartha Country Wines
Retail
- Paris Marine – Recipient
- Dan Joyce’s Retailing Limited
- Shop The Lake Inc.
Marketing & Promotion
- nectar co. – The Viral Keepsake Campaign – Recipient
- Cottage Country Lifestyle Magazine
- Harmony for Healing
Customer First
- Couture Candy – Recipient
- The Boardwalk Board Game Lounge
- McLeod’s EcoWater
Local Focus
- Lang Pioneer Village Museum – Recipient
- Market Hall Performing Arts Centre
- OmniWorx Design
Commercial Development or Renovation
- The Canadian Canoe Museum – Recipient
- Ashburnham Realty (The Railyard Development)
- Holmes Riseley LLP (823 Park St. S.)
Professional Services
- Acceptance Nurse Psychotherapy – Recipient
- Gauvreau Accounting Tax Law Advisory
- Holmes Riseley LLP
Green Initiatives
- Camp Kawartha – Recipient
- Cheeks Ahoy
- Dietrich Homes
Health & Wellness
- Flow Spa – Recipient
- Acceptance Nurse Psychotherapy
- Trent Health in Motion
Not-for-Profit
- Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region – Recipient
- Five Counties Children’s Centre
- Kawartha Gymnastics
Employer of the Year
- Gauvreau Accounting Tax Law Advisory – Recipient
- Engage Engineering
Micro Business
- The Chocolate Rabbit – Recipient
- Millbrook Mercantile
- Peterborough Disability Tax Services
Hospitality
- Millbrook Mercantile – Recipient
- Levantine Grill
Below are the award recipients previously announced on August 14 and honoured on Tuesday night.
Businesswomen of the Year
- Entrepreneur – Rosalea Terry (nectar co.)
- Organization – Heidi Popov (Kawartha Gymnastics)
Peterborough County Farm Family of the Year
- Scott, Paula, Jason & Shelby Cornish (Whiskey Lane Livestock)
Business Student Leadership Prizes
- Ali Jammal (Trent University)
- Joylyn Johnson D Souza (Trent University)
- Swarna Latha Mareedu (Fleming College)
Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year
- Sama Noor Yousafzai (Goodies on Mews)
4-under-40 Profiles in memory of Kathy Windrem
- Dr. Taylor Bonner
- Joe Curry
- Hillary Flood
- Dylan Radcliffe
