Fredericton Crowne Plaza Wins ‘Resilience Award’ For Navigating Spring Floods
FREDERICTON – The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce announced finalists for its 2019 Business Excellence Awards that will be handed out October 3.
The committee has picked Crowne Plaza Fredericton Lord Beaverbrook Hotel as this year’s recipient of the Spacek, Armstrong and Norrad Chartered Professional Accountants Resilience Award. It recognizes a business that has overcome a major challenge that wasn’t exclusively financial in nature.
The hotel, located on the St. John River bank, has had to navigate through the impact of severe spring flooding in 2018 and 2019. At the time, the hotel was also in the middle of extensive renovations that had been going on over the past several years.
“The spring freshet over past two years has certainly presented monumental challenges for the hotel, but I have to say that coming out the other end we have emerged as a closer, more united organization – they are like family,” the hotel’s general manager, Dan Myers, said in a release.
“The team we have here is amazing all-year round, but the way everyone – and I mean everyone – steps up to go above and beyond during flooding is more than any manager could ever ask for.”
Hotel staff had to keep water out of the basement, lost access to its parking lot, and were dealing with flooding at their own homes. Stress levels were higher for weeks before, during and after the flooding.
“From monitoring the river and tides to sandbags and hoses to our 24-hour sump pump watch, it’s incredible to watch the teamwork – we hardly even need a ‘to-do list’ anymore – everyone knows what to do and they get to it,” Myers said.
“I would also be remiss if I didn’t also acknowledge and thank our guests for their understanding, kindness and positive attitude throughout the flooding and its aftermath. It would certainly be understandable if our complaints went up during this time, but it’s actually the opposite – guests are thankful for our efforts, not resentful of the situation.”
“The Crowne Plaza Fredericton Lord Beaverbrook Hotel is such a key part of our history and downtown landscape it is wonderful to see the team being recognized for their resilience through truly difficult circumstances,” said chamber CEO Krista Ross in a release.
“I am excited for October 3 to recognize the Crowne, all of the finalists and celebrate all of the recipients of our 2019 awards – they are some of the best that our community has to offer.”
The finalists for this year’s awards are:
Credit Unions Small Business Award
- Bringloe Feeney LLC
- New View Designs by Laurie Cole Inc.
- The Medicine Shoppe Brookside
CBDC Southwest Large Business Award
- AV Group NB
- Exit Realty
- UPS
Jim Gilbert’s Wheels & Deals Not-For-Profit Organization Award
- Fredericton Public Library
- Habitat for Humanity
- YMCA of Fredericton
Elliott McCrea Hill Community Involvement Award
- APEGNB
- Atlantic Growth Solutions
- Liberty Utilities
Wilson Insurance Ltd. Start-Up Award
- Educated Beards
- Donovan Law Group
- My Closet Consignment
Opportunities NB (Opportunités NB) Business Person of the Year Award
- Gilles Volpe – Liberty Utilities
- Johanne Gallant – Fredericton International Airport Authority Inc.
- Sara Holyoke – Delta Hotels by Marriott Fredericton
Winners will be announced at a gala on October 3 at the Delta Fredericton by Marriott hotel. Tickets for the event can be purchased through the chamber’s website and office.