SUMMERSIDE — The Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of P.E.I. (CCAFLIPE) has received a record of 14 nominations for the five entrepreneurial awards it will present during the revamped Acadian Entrepreneurs’ Gala March 17 at the Centre Belle-Alliance.
The event was formerly the Acadian Entrepreneurs’ Banquet.
“The award selection committee was very pleased to have received so many nominations during this first year of our restructured awards competition,” says Jeannette Arsenault, spokeswoman for the Chamber.
“On the other side of the coin, picking winners was extremely difficult since the quality of nominations was extremely high and all the nominees definitely deserve to win. In the majority of cases, there were just a few points of difference in the score awarded to each nomination. The committee had some pretty intense discussions while trying to arrive at its final choices.”
The following is the list of award finalists:
2012 Young Enterprising Person of the Year
- Josée Arsenault (daughter of Edgar and Stella Arsenault of Urbainville)
- Sylvain Gallant (son of Roger and Jeanne Gallant of Abram-Village)
- Ginette Arsenault (daughter of Melvin and Paulette Arsenault of Mont-Carmel)
2012 Co-operative of the Year
- Coopérative de développement culturel et patrimonial de Mont-Carmel
- Evangeline Funeral Co-op, Urbainville
- Abram’s Village Handcraft Co-op
2012 Business Woman of the Year
- Paula Gallant - consultant, Charlottetown
- Anne Gallant - artist, Art Gallery of Anne Gallant, Kensington
- Denise Arsenault – holistic health practitioner, Health Within Holistic Centre, Stratford
2012 Distinguished Entrepreneur
- Alyre Arsenault – founder of AJL Construction Ltd., St-Philippe
- Henri Gallant – co-founder and co-owner of HMS Office Supplies, Summerside
2012 President’s Award of Excellence
- Deva Forestry (Marcel and Gérard Arsenault), Abram-Village
- Mermaid Marine (Patrick Villeneuve), Charlottetown
- Wellington Esso (Donnie Arsenault), Wellington
The award winners from each category will be announced during the banquet.
“All of our finalists contribute tremendously to their community and/or to the economy of our province, whether it be by the creation of jobs, the delivery of high quality products and services or the contribution of time or money to various causes aimed at helping our communities evolve,” says Arsenault.
This year’s award sponsors are the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Province of PEI, The Co-operators (Mike Bradley Insurance Services Ltd.), CBDC Central PEI and Evangeline Credit Union.
Tickets for the gala, which will soon go on sale, will be $25 plus GST for CCAFLIPE members and $30 plus GST for non-members. The evening will include a reception, a three-course banquet and the awards ceremony.
