SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Fourteen candidates will vye for six Entrepreneurial Awards of Excellence from the Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of P.E.I. (CCAFLIPE) at its 2020 Entrepreneurs' Gala March 14 at the Centre Belle-Alliance in Summerside.
CCAFLIPE spokesperson Pierre Gallant announced the names of the finalists during the Chamber’s Christmas celebration Friday, Dec. 6, in the very room where the gala will take place.
“The challenge this year was not the number of applications, because we received 21 of them. The problem was that the applications were not well distributed among the categories,” he said.
“In one category, we have only one candidate; in another category, we have eight! And unfortunately, we can only keep a maximum of three finalists per category, which means that some well-deserving candidates regrettably had to be eliminated.”
Gallant indicated that the quality of the submissions was excellent and that, in several circumstances, scores were extremely tight.
Gallant announced Marcel and Gérard Arsenault of Deva Forestry/The Branch Manager of Abram-Village and Summerside and Patrick Villeneuve of Mermaid Marine Products in Charlottetown will compete for the prestigious Acadian and Francophone Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame Award.
In addition to winning the trophy, the winner(s) will be permanently inducted into the new Hall of Fame, which will be erected on a wall of the Wellington Rural Action Centre (with the 17 winners of the Chamber’s former Distinguished Entrepreneur Award). The new distinction is essentially a lifetime achievement award, which recognizes the economic contribution of an entrepreneur over his entire career.
The CCAFLPE reserves the right to make special presentations, during its annual Gala, to individuals, organizations or events that have made significant contributions to the economy but do not necessarily fall within the competition's prize categories.
“You can expect such a special presentation at the Gala next March,” said Gallant.
And the nominees are:
The Business of Excellence Award recognizes a company that stands out for its innovation, quality of service, job creation, greening and impact on the community.
Finalists:
- The Wellington Co-operative
- The Wellington Royal Canadian Legion
- Mermaid Marine Products of Charlottetown
The Immigrant Entrepreneur Award recognizes an entrepreneur for his achievements and business spirit.
Finalist:
- Rafael Octavio Aguirre Jimenez, owner and manager of EastCode Ecommerce Solutions and TopFeed of Charlottetown.
The Distinguished Employee Award recognizes an employee of a company, cooperative or organization who has distinguished himself/herself by the quality of his/her customer service or by his/her achievements or leadership in the business world.
Finalists:
- David Perry, grocery manager of the Wellington Co-operative
- Gisèle Gallant, financial services officer at Évangéline-Central Credit Union in Wellington
- Louis Richard, manager of the Automotive Department at Canadian Tire in Summerside
The Social Economy Business Award recognizes a company, cooperative or organization with an economic vocation that has distinguished itself through its achievements and successes, including its impact on its community.
Finalists:
- Wellington Co-operative
- Wellington Royal Canadian Legion
- Association des centres de la petite enfance acadienne et francophone de l'ÎPÉ
The 2020 Young Enterprising Person Award recognizes finalists 25 years of age or younger who have been actively involved in meaningful entrepreneurial and/or community initiatives over the past year.
Finalists:
- Maria Arsenault of Mont-Carmel
- Samantha Lawther of Charlottetown
The Acadian and Francophone Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame Award recognizes the economic contribution of an entrepreneur over his entire career.
Finalists:
- Marcel and Gérard Arsenault of Deva Forestry/The Branch Manager in Abram-Village and Summerside
- Patrick Villeneuve of Mermaid Marine Products in Charlottetown
