As you’re mingling at parties, galas, and year-end festivities this holiday season, think about the women in the room — whether they are business owners or employees — who you believe are making the community a better place to live and work.
The Peterborough and Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce is inviting you to nominate these women for the inaugural Luminary Awards, which recognize the contributions and achievements of women in the local business community at all levels of their careers.
To make it easier to nominate a deserving woman, the Chamber is offering a new “speed nominate” feature at www.luminaryawards.ca, which allows you to quickly nominate someone without having to know everything about them or having to complete a detailed nomination form.
“What you’re doing is nominating someone and then, from there, we can start working with the nominee to develop the content of the nomination,” explains Gail Moorhouse, interim president and CEO of the Peterborough and Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce, which has organized the awards with presenting sponsor Sullivan Law Ptbo and presenting media sponsor kawarthaNOW along with other businesses and organizations that are sponsoring the awards.
Nominations for the inaugural Luminary Awards close on Friday, January 17th, with the awards luncheon taking place on Thursday, May 8th at 11 a.m. at The Great Hall at Trent University.
“The awards cover a lot of areas from the up-and-comers to the already successful with legacy and trailblazer awards,” Moorhouse says. “There are many elements so that we can be sure the community is celebrating women in all different walks of the business life.”
To further ensure all accomplishments and accolades are considered, the Chamber is also encouraging women to self-nominate.
“People who opt for self-nomination often have tons more detail than what’s generally available when someone else is doing the nomination,” says Moorhouse. “It’s an opportunity to pull out the file and see all the things you’ve done in your career that have made a difference and to see who you’ve impacted.”
With five individual awards open for nominations, the Luminary Awards celebrate the women who inspire the community no matter where they are on the career journey.
While the Legacy Award celebrates a woman who has spent her business career inspiring others and giving back to the community, the Trailblazer Award recognizes a business owner who has achieved success through innovation, leadership, vision, and commitment.
There’s also the Emerging Entrepreneur Award, which spotlights a woman who has launched a business venture that has been operating successfully for at least two years (but no more than five) and that shows great potential for the future.
“For all of the nominees, they are dedicating significant amounts of both professional and personal resources to make our community a better place,” says Martha Sullivan of Sullivan Law PTBO. “I’m a huge believer that the most significant resource that we all have is our time, and these nominees are giving that resource frequently on a voluntary basis to improve our community.”
As someone who herself has been nominated for various community awards in the past, Moorhouse acknowledges that oftentimes it’s not about winning so much as it’s about what the nomination means.
“What really made the difference for me was that the people who recognized what I did and put the effort into recognizing that work by nominating me,” she recalls. “I didn’t need to win the award to have that great feeling and self-confidence, because what I did was already being recognized.”
There are also two Luminary Awards that recognize the contributions and achievements of employees: the One the Watch Award and the Barrier Buster Award. Both awards recognize the women who work behind the scenes and go above and beyond for the businesses for which they work.
“It goes a long way with your employees to have recognition from the business owner,” Moorhouse says.
Ashley Flynn, CEO of Blackrock Developments, which is the nomination and cocktail sponsor for the Luminary Awards, has already nominated a few of her female employees. She recognizes that, in all workplaces, “women bring a different level to the table.”
“You don’t have to be the person right in the front to be a massive contributing factor to a company,” Flynn says. “I would be nothing if it wasn’t for my employees, and I have 50 per cent female staff. Even though it can be hard to find in the trades, it’s so important to have that diversity and to recognize that, without them, all the leaders have nothing.”
As a female entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry, Flynn has always been an advocate for women in business, which is why she was immediately eager to help sponsor the Luminary Awards.
“It’s an excellent initiative that empowers business owners and creates awareness for other women that might be thinking about going into entrepreneurship,” she says. “It gives them the positive reinforcement and encouragement that they’re valued and respected, and then if they want to do something further with their careers, they can.”
Sullivan echoes that motivation when it comes to Sullivan Law Ptbo’s sponsorship of the awards.
“The initiative, talents, and skills of our community can never be promoted enough because those individuals deserve that recognition,” Sullivan says. “It also inspires others to improve our community as well.”
“I know that our community is a better place because of the dedication of all these wonderful women, so giving them the acknowledgement they deserve also inspires all of us to do bigger, better things.”
With the nomination deadline approaching, Moorhouse suggests the holiday season is a great time to nominate a deserving woman for a Luminary Award, especially with the “speed nominate” feature making it quick and easy to do so.
“When we are socializing during the holidays, it takes two seconds to look around the room and notice a woman you could nominate,” she says.
To complete a speed nomination or a full nomination by January 17, or to purchase tickets for the awards luncheon, visit www.luminaryawards.ca.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be the presenting media sponsor of the Luminary Awards.
