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Mississauga, Ontario (November 9, 2012) - Winners of Mississauga Board of Trade's 2012 Business Awards of Excellence were recognized at a lavish event on Thursday, November 8, 2012 at IMississauga Convention Centre, where MBOT welcomed hundreds of members and honoured guests.
The evening, sponsored by Rogers Business Solutions, began with a cocktail reception and photo opportunity for winners with media, family and friends. MBOT Chair Grant Clark formally welcomed guests and award winners to the event.
"We are delighted you could join us here tonight to recognize, celebrate and honour the organizations and individuals here in our great city that have demonstrated outstanding leadership and business excellence," said Grant Clark, 2012 Chair.
"Our winners and all the award nominees are representative of the Mississauga business community and tell a compelling story for doing business in this great city."
"The accomplishments of this year's winners are impressive and inspirational. These outstanding companies, entrepreneurs and their employees are to be commended for the hard work, innovative spirit and commitment to business excellence that is required to achieve success in this increasingly complex world."
City of Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion was also in attendance during the event and she began her address by enthusiastically congratulating the winners.
"This is a dynamic Board of Trade that we now have in the City of Mississauga," said Mayor McCallion.
"It's so important that we recognize people, and tell them that we're proud of what they've done," she said. "This is the business community of Mississauga."
Mayor McCallion went on to discuss the economic position of Canada's sixth largest city, describing it as in "good shape."
She also referenced the recent elections in the United States of America, citing the importance of today's political leaders working together to continue to support the economy.
"It's time that politics was left at the door," she stated, "and that the leaders of the different parties sat down and said, 'What can we do about the situation of the economy?'" "Let's have hope and faith that the leaders of the different parties will forget about politics, and get on with serving the country... it's up to all of us to try to make a difference, and each and every one of us can make a difference if we try." After Mayor McCallion's energetic and inspiring speech, which caused a stir of applause in the room, the Awards were presented. There were 10 awards presented during the evening and each winner was allocated a few minutes to make their acceptance speech. The award presentations also included short video profiles of each winner, created by BizTV and Adamgood Productions. 2012 Award Winners: Business Person of the Year: Connie Clerici, Closing the Gap Healthcare Group
Corporate Social Responsibility: Amgen Canada Inc
Sam McCallion: Healthy Living Solutions
New Business of the Year: Plaza Premium Lounge Ontario
Employer of the Year: Rogers TV
Technology & Innovation: Honeywell
Not for Profit: ErinoakKids Centre for Treatment and Development
Large Business of the Year: Applied Electronics
Small Business of the Year: Farnham + Company Chartered Accountants
Clean & Green: Broan NuTone Canada Inc.
The prestigious Business Person of the Year award was presented to Connie Clerici, Closing the Gap Healthcare Group. "I am very honored to have received this recognition in the city where I founded Closing the Gap Healthcare Group over 20 years ago," said Clerici. Clerici went on to thank those who helped her grow to become what she has today, a list that included her husband and children, her mentors, leadership, coaches and family. "I cannot possibly name all who have helped me grow," she said, "but I am confident you know who you are.... Thank you to everyone for the positive role you have played in my career and life."
The evening's closing remarks were provided by MBOT President & CEO, Sheldon Leiba.
"As the leading business association in Mississauga, promoting and celebrating the success of business is an important part of what we do," said Leiba.
Despite the doom and gloom about the economy, he continued, business in Mississauga is vibrant.
"Tonight's awards recipients are a great example of success stories that are so abundant in our community," he said. Additional event coverage on the awards, including profiles of all winners, will be in MBOT's December magazine, distributed to its membership and made available at the MBOT office. MBOT sincerely thanks all the event sponsors who helped make this evening an overwhelming success. In particular, special thanks to the evening's emcee, Ron Lenyk, as well as title sponsor, Rogers Business Solutions. As the voice of business since 1976, Mississauga Board of Trade is a private-sector, not-for-profit business organization representing approximately 1,500 businesses, employing 65,000 people in Mississauga. MBOT is well positioned to meet the needs of business by using its considerable influence at all levels of government. As the forum for business, MBOT works together to influence public policy and promote a better understanding of the marketplace among policy makers, media and the general public. -30- Media Contact: Sheldon Leiba President & CEO
Mississauga Board of Trade 905-273-6151 ext. 27 [email protected]
www.mbot.com | 
