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In what turned out to be a highly competitive process, four local women—Carlie Pitka, Nicole Newman, Stephany Borthwick, and Laura Batista—were the top prize winners of “WIN This Space,” an annual program organized by the Sarnia Lambton Business Development Corporation.

The winner’s prize package presented to Lovewell Birth Collective included a one-year membership in the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce.

The LIVE finale took place at the Lambton College Event Centre last Thursday.

The top prize of a one year’s lease on a commercial space will help kickstart Lovewell Birth Collective’s entrepreneurial journey.

We look forward to welcoming Lovewell Birth Collective to the Sarnia Lambton Chamber community, said Shirley de Silva, President and CEO.

With the nomination period well underway for the 2019 Outstanding Business Achievement Awards, we continue our series highlighting the various categories under which you can put forward your favourite business (or individual).

The Sarnia Lambton Business Achievement Awards (OBAAs) is the most recognized industry gala with a single focus on celebrating business success.

Now in its 30th year, this year’s OBAA will take place on Friday, October 18 at the Imperial Theatre in downtown Sarnia.

Nominations can be done online. Just CLICK HERE to get started.

This week’s feature categories are Marketing & Promotion and Health, Safety & Environmental Leadership.

Marketing & Promotion

The Marketing and Promotion category will showcase organizations looking for ways to communicate everything their firm does to stand out from the crowd. There’s little point if no one knows what great work an organization does, which is where marketing and promotion prowess comes into play.

Criteria:

Demonstrate a well-designed and executed outreach plan geared to expanding a product/service/business reach through various marketing & promotion strategies. Show creativity and forward thinking in advertising design and/or market outreach strategies.

Health, Safety & Environmental Leadership

Recognizes an organization or business that demonstrates leading environmental, social, and health and safety performance.

Criteria:

Demonstration of leadership in the following sectors:

• Corporate Governance: Third-party recognition of HSE management system (ex. IEC Safety Management Assessment; Ontario Certificate of Recognition (COR), ISO 14001, other accreditation.

• Risk & Crisis Management: Emergency response planning. Participation in CAER. Enrollment/active use of My CNN. Evidence of company emergency response processes linked to municipal response processes.

• Environmental Reporting: Environmental performance targets set and tracked related to site conditions, process emissions, waste reduction, housekeeping, etc.

• Social factors: Workplace processes that motivate, recognize and support employee involvement in HSE initiatives. Support of an active Joint Health and Safety Committee. Active involvement in HSE related associations and demonstrated leadership in the field.

• Performance: Absence of adverse regulatory reporting/exceedances. Incident data maintained and performance recognized as a strong performer vs. peer groups.

Next week: Non-profit and Outstanding Customer Service—Business.

Accessibility in Canada is inadequately addressing the barriers nearly four million Canadians face. Within the next 20 years, that number is expected to soar to over nine million, but by creating a more accessible Canada, there is a potential to unlock $16.8 billion in GDP by increasing our economy’s productive capacity by 2030, according to the Conference Board of Canada.

Ultimately, improving accessibility not only betters the quality of life for persons with disabilities but would also dramatically increase their labour force participation and consumer spending. Our members have vocalized finding and retaining skilled staff among their top issues, yet there is an entire pool of educated and qualified Canadians with disabilities who are waiting to be hired. With job retention rates 72% higher among people with disabilities, it makes good cents sense to invest in creating an accessible work environment.

Assessing Accessibility

With one in seven Canadian adults currently living with a mobility, vision or hearing disability, tangible improvements in the built environment are needed to improve accessibility and to promote equality and inclusion for Canadians with disabilities. At our annual general meeting and convention, held last fall, more than 300 local chambers of commerce voted in support of a policy resolution to make Canada truly accessible and inclusive by recommending the federal government adopt the Rick Hansen Foundation’s Accessibility Certification Program as a voluntary complement to the accessibility requirements of the National Building Code. The program provides the roadmap for the adoption of universal principles and a way for all levels of governments to work together to improve the built environment.

But, the responsibility for the built environment can’t fall solely on the government. Businesses must lead the way in improving accessibility in their workplaces. From contrasting floor and wall colours to adjustable desk heights, there are a number of measures businesses can implement.

Including Inclusiveness

Acknowledging the value that inclusion can bring to an organization and the positive impact it can have on the Canadian economy, we built our headquarters to respect the design priorities reflected in the Rick Hansen Foundation’s Accessibility Certification Program and achieved certification this past September. The program measures the level of meaningful access beyond building code, and is based upon the holistic user experience of people with varying disabilities affecting their mobility, vision and hearing.

It is time to access the ability of all Canadians, which is why we are encouraging businesses across Canada to be early adopters of this program and to be leaders in helping build a more accessible nation.

This “5 Minutes for Business” comes from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce which includes the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce as one of its members.

Nominations for the Chamber’s 30th annual Outstanding Business Achievement Awards night are now open!

The Sarnia Lambton Business Achievement Awards (OBAAs) is the most recognized industry gala with a single focus on celebrating business success.

The OBAAs, which celebrate incredible innovations and achievements, is unique in its engagement of a broad range of industry sectors and sizes from across the province. We will be celebrating this year on Friday, October 18 at the Imperial Theatre in Sarnia.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be presenting a series of articles intended to explain in some detail each of the 16 categories that businesses and individuals can be nominated.

Nominations can be done online. Just CLICK HERE to get started.

This week we give you the details on the first two of a total of 16 categories available for nomination: “Cool Place to Work” and “Tech-novation.”

Cool Place to Work

Having a place that focuses on creating a healthy, positive and productive work environment is the very definition of a “cool place to work” and this award epitomizes those qualities. You know you work in such a place when your friends keep asking how they can join the team you love so much.

Criteria:

Through a commitment to staff development, work/life balance, fair employment practices, and employee communications, the organization provides an exceptional work environment with proven positive results in employee satisfaction and retention.

Tech-novation

It’s one thing to apply the latest technology to the work you do. It’s quite another to lean into not just the “latest and greatest” but incorporating a spirit of innovation in doing so. That’s what it means to be a “tech-novation’ standout, an organization full of people who look for ways to be the best at what they do and lead the way.

Criteria:

Bringing a sense of enthusiasm and a commitment to driving technological innovation throughout the value chain.

Next week: Marketing & Promotion and Health, Safety & Environmental Leadership.

Thanks to this month’s host,  WMA Promotions, May’s Business After 5 will be taking place next Wednesday, May 15 at the Sarnia Golf & Curling Club.

Members and guests will be treated to a golf-themed event (no surprise given the venue!) and another great opportunity to network in one of the community’s most appealing places to relax and network.

WMA Promotions, our sponsor, is a marketing and promotions company owned by Wayne Archer, who is pictured with Kendra Langis, a member of his team.

Thanks also to a dedicated volunteer committee that works hard to make each and every Business After 5 gathering the best possible spot to exercise your networking skills.  We look forward to welcoming you on Wednesday, May 15, beginning at 5 p.m. and running through 7 p.m.

See you there!