Do you have a favourite business in Lindsay led by someone who gives back their expertise to the community? Does your business offer unique innovation that inspires others to take action? Are you a leader always looking to recognize the hardworking team that makes your business or organization thrive?
If so, the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce wants to hear from you. Nominations are now open for the 2025 Awards of Excellence, which recognizes local leaders, employees, and volunteers working in a range of sectors. Nominees and those nominating are not required to be members of the Chamber, though businesses and individuals must be in the Lindsay and district area to be nominated.
“Our job is to recognize all the businesses, but the Chamber of Commerce is really about the community as a whole, and there’s a lot behind the scenes that make a community thrive,” says Terry Guiel, the chamber’s executive director. “We have many categories here that recognize that.”
Nominations close at 5 p.m. on Friday, February 21, with winners chosen by anonymous judges inclusive of local leaders and staff of other chambers. Winners will be announced at the 2025 Awards Gala on Saturday, April 5 at the Victoria Park Armoury in Lindsay.
“It’s important to pause and collectively recognize and celebrate excellence in business,” says Guiel. “Our local businesses work extremely hard and it’s nice to be able to recognize that good work, visionary excellence, innovation, and new businesses.”
Though the awards have been held annually since 1967, Guiel notes that the award categories are always evolving as the business community does. A new award that has been added this year is the Give Back Award, which recognizes a business or individual that demonstrates support for the community and gives their time and expertise to charity organizations, community groups, and non-profits.
“We really thought it was important to recognize those business leaders that not just give their time but also give their service, whether it’s legal or accounting or even financial support to a charitable organization actively and hands-on,” says Guiel. “They give back to the community, and we have an awful lot of those people, so I think it’s time we recognize them publicly.”
Similarly, the Board Member of the Year celebrates community leaders who volunteer on the boards of organization, who Guiel describes as “unsung heroes that are working so diligently and giving so much of their time and expertise behind the scenes making sure organizations run well.”
The Social Butterfly Award is another new award that recognizes a business, charity, organization, non-profit, or an individual from such that excels at social activities. From their social media presence to attending community events, they present their business in “a positive, outgoing” way.
“Social media continues to take front stage with how businesses advertise and get themselves known, and we’ve got some really social media savvy businesses out there that do a really great job,” says Guiel. “They seem to be all over the place and not just online — they show up at a lot of events or parades and social functions. We thought it would be fun to recognize some of these people.”
Along with the new awards are staples like the New Business of the Year Award, which celebrates emerging businesses that have been established within the past three years, and the Citizen of the Year Award, which honours a community member who has gone above and beyond in a volunteer capacity to benefit the community.
Nomination forms for each of the 24 award categories are available at lindsaychamber.com/events. Printed copies can also be picked up at the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce office at 180 Kent Street West in Lindsay.
While peer nomination is a great way to recognize colleagues, partners, and employees, self-nomination is also encouraged as it allows for a more thorough application.
“There’s nobody that knows your business better than yourself, so an application that’s self-nominated allows for a really in-depth application and reasoning for that nomination with the inclusion of the many nuances of a business,” Guiel says. “I love seeing when a business self-nominates themselves in a category that maybe their customers don’t see them being a candidate for.”
For example, Guiel explains, customers may not realize that a specific business they work with falls into the Green Initiative Award, the Diversity & Inclusion Award, or the Youth Mentorship Excellence Award categories.
“These are areas that may not be the first thing that their customer who would want to nominate them for would think about, so that’s why it’s really critical for businesses to self-nominate in many different categories,” Guiel says.
“What’s great about this is, when other businesses see somebody won an award for giving back to the community or for having a green initiative, it inspires them to also try to do that within their own businesses. It’s really great for businesses to see other examples of how to achieve multiple success points.”
Winners will be announced at an Awards Gala taking place at the Victoria Park Armoury from 5 to 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 5. The evening will include live music and entertainment, dinner from Peterborough’s Franz Catering, complimentary wine, and door prizes in addition to the awards presentation.
Tickets cost $125 for Chamber members and $140 for non-members (plus tax) and are available at lindsaychamber.com/events. Sponsorships for the gala are also available.
“It’s essential to take that time to be in a room with all your peers to recognize yourself and your colleagues and fellow business owners, especially after COVID and the devastation that hit small businesses in particular,” says Guiel, adding it’s also “critical” to support the Chamber by attending the event.
“We are an essential organization that represents local business,” Guiel says. “Use it as a team-building building event and bring your staff out and make sure you’re recognizing your team.”
While the Awards Gala itself only lasts one night, the impact of an award or nomination can be long-lasting. Guiel suggests even just a nomination can be a “stamp of approval from the community.”
“There is a sense of pride in those who are nominated,” he says. “From being nominated to winning, they all feel their efforts and hard work pay off.”
