Awards Honour Halifax’s Best Businesses Of The Year
HALIFAX — Halifax’s business community came together on January 26 to recognize some of the city’s most exciting and innovative business leaders.
Hosted by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce and presented by RBC, The Halifax Business Awards took place in front of a sold-out crowd of about 750 people at the Halifax Convention Centre.
“The Chamber and our partners recognize the importance of celebrating entrepreneurship in Halifax,” says Patrick Sullivan, the president and CEO of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. “Tonight, we come together as a community to shine a spotlight on 35 organizations and leaders blazing a trail to economic prosperity and community impact.”
Seven winners were chosen from that shortlist of 35 finalists. Among the winners were both new businesses blazing a trail in the city and well-known figures from Halifax’s business community.
The big winner of the night was Cyclesmith, which took home the award for business of the year.
Near the end of 2021, the Halifax bike shop implemented a living wage policy. At the time, owner Andrew Feenstra told Huddle the change represented a critical investment in the long-term prosperity of both his staff and the business.
More than a year later, he told the Chamber the policy has helped his staff “flourish in the city and enjoy what Halifax has to offer.”
“We have been a leader in the retail environment, with a hope to inspire others to create their own living wage policy,” he says.
Cyclesmith operates out of a 14,000-square-foot facility on Agricola Street and has more than 35 people on staff.
The business leader of the year award went to Joanne Bernard of Easter Seals Nova Scotia.
Easter Seals is a not-for-profit organization that provides services and programs for people with disabilities. Bernard, a former provincial Liberal cabinet minister, has been its CEO in Nova Scotia for nearly 6 years.
She told the Chamber some of her biggest accomplishments as a business leader have been developing Marguerite Centre for women recovering from addiction, as well as growing Easter Seals’ “capacity, space, footprint, revenue, partnerships, research, and profile.”
Meanwhile, ESG Partners took home the award for new business of the year. The consulting firm advises clients on the emerging field of “environmental, social, and governance” issues.
Founder Nancy Foran told the Chamber she has always been “pulled toward entrepreneurs’ energy and unwavering commitment to achieve their vision.” When the pandemic changed her career path, she was inspired to start a firm to address the “awareness gap” that existed around ESG.
Taking home the award for small business of the year was Placemaking 4G, which styles itself as a “socially conscious” recruiting company.
The company works to build relationships between employers and candidates, with a focus on underrepresented communities.
The company says it works hard to “contribute to the positioning of leaders of colour into c-suite roles in Halifax’s business community, which is essential for influencing equitable decision-making power.”
The full slate of Halifax Business Award nominees and winners is listed below:
NEW BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
WINNER: ESG Partners Inc
Chapman Family Law
Indigenous Treaty Partners
QuickFacts Inc.
Simply Good Form Inc.
SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Placemaking 4G
Art Pays Me
Joyful Sounds Music Studio
Simply Go Natural Cosmetics
Taya Ties
EXPORT BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Nautel
CloudKettle
First Catch Fisheries
Outdoor-Fit Exercise Systems
Solid State Pharma Inc.
NOT-FOR-PROFIT BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank
The PREP Academy
reachAbility
Spencer House Seniors Centre
VON Greater Halifax
INNOVATIVE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Impactful Health and Research Development
Nothing Cleaner by AquaNaka
Elevate & Explore Black Nova Scotia Inc.
Proedge Elite Training
ROCK Networks
BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Cyclesmith
CGI
Enginuity Inc.
Milk Moovement
Northern Business Intelligence
BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Joanne Bernard – Easter Seals Nova Scotia
Tia Upshaw – Canadian Blk Women in Excellence Society (BWIE)
Rod Kerr – Kerr Group
Andrew Doucet – rcs Construction
Chantal Davie – VON Greater Halifax