HUMBOLDT 鈥� The best of what Humboldt and district鈥檚 business community had to offer was on full display.
For the second year in a row, the Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce鈥檚 .
鈥淚've always enjoyed the opportunity to get together with local business leaders and recognize those who've made a positive impact in the community over the last year,鈥� said Rob Jackson, representing event sponsor Nutrien.
鈥淔rom business success to local involvement to providing exceptional customer service, it's great to have an opportunity to acknowledge these accomplishments, even if it's under different, difficult circumstances.鈥�
The 12 awards were judged outside the community, by the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce.
鈥淎cross the country, the pandemic created conditions that devastated many businesses, put a real strain on others and that allowed some to thrive,鈥� said Carlton Trail鈥擡agle Creek MP Kelly Block.
鈥淒espite all of the challenges, business owners and their staff showed great strength, resilience and ingenuity, working every day to find ways to meet the ever changing needs and continue moving forward.鈥�
鈥淭hank you for all that you're doing within your community and keeping the Humboldt community strong through this pandemic,鈥� Humboldt鈥揥atrous MLA Donna Harpauer said.
Inducted into the 2021 RBC Charles Fox Wealth Management Business Hall of Fame were Dave and Darlene Eberle.
Along with partners, Dave and Darlene built the Carnoustie Center in 1981. After moving to Humboldt in 1984, Darlene took over the management of the Dairy Queen restaurant, while Dave began a new legal practice in the city.
Both gave back to the community, with Dave sitting on many boards and organizations that included education, health and sport. He also served as the chair of the Workers Compensation Board. Darlene was on the Humboldt tourism committee, was the chair of the chamber and chair of the Central Plains Health District.
Brent Fitzpatrick, the chamber鈥檚 executive director, said he鈥檚 thrilled to see the Eberles receive the award.
鈥淭hese are a couple of folks that really worked hard, they built their businesses, they really contributed in ways that are very rare, the level of commitment they had to the community,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hey didn't do it for the acclaim, they did it because it's the right thing to do. That really speaks to just the level of quality of people these are.鈥�
The Dairy Queen is still in the family, with Natasha and Gavin having taken over.
Viral sensation Quick Dick McDick also came to the awards, with a message about shopping local. Quick Dick, whose real name is Dickson Delorme, said that when he hasn鈥檛 been able to get a particular item, he has a local business order it. It takes a few days, he said, but so does ordering from Amazon.
鈥淚nstead of clicking away, why don't you just scroll on down to a local business, your local Home Hardware or your Co-op?鈥� he said. 鈥淚 promise if you go and talk to somebody, not only do you get to go get caught up on the gossip or what's going on in town, but you also get to get to interact and make sure that a business is getting a little bit of the revenue off of it instead of Amazon. Amazon is going to be just fine.鈥�
Also featured were a hip hop performance from an A-List Dance and Acrobatics class 鈥� which called themselves the Quick Dick McDick dancers, and drawings of sponsor logos by the kids of the Humboldt Public School Child Care Centre.
Fitzpatrick said the evening went smoothly, thanks to Shelley Romanyszyn-Cross as co-host, Mike Pulice behind the scenes for the technical setup and the other members of the chamber鈥檚 executive.
鈥淲e are going to be using this platform and these mechanics in the future to a greater degree to be able to have more people have better access to what we do.鈥�
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Award winners
Adaptive Business Award 鈥� sponsored听 by Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce
- Winner: Haus of Stitches
Community Merit Award 鈥� sponsored by Conexus Credit Union
- Winner: Humboldt Community Services
Safety Leadership Award 鈥� sponsored by Worksafe Saskatchewan
- Winner: Humboldt Co-op Agro
Youth Involvement Award 鈥� sponsored by the Humboldt Broncos Memorial Golf Tournament
- Winner: 1st Westminster Scout Group
Community Involvement Award 鈥� sponsored by the City of Humboldt
- Winner: Terry鈥檚 No Frills
Marketing Award 鈥� sponsored by CJVR/Beach Radio
- Winner: Aspen Floors
Growth and Expansion Award 鈥� sponsored by The Wireless Age
- Winner: Viking Benefit Solutions
Service Award 鈥� sponsored by Terry鈥檚 No Frills
- Winner: Elite Salon and Spa
- Winner: Weber & Gasper Law Office
Entrepreneur of the Year Award 鈥� sponsored by Sagehill Community Futures
- Winner: A-List Dance & Acrobatics
New Business Award 鈥� sponsored by the Humboldt Journal
- Winner: Lindsey Ortman, RMT
Business of the Year 鈥� sponsored by BHP
- Winner: Viking Benefits Solutions
