Jason Stockfish | [email protected]
The 10th annual Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce (JPCC) Ambassador & Business Awards Gala was held at the Forest Park Hotel on Nov. 4.
After two years of subdued celebrations due to the pandemic, locals gathered to recognize individuals, businesses and nonprofits for their contributions to customer service, business excellence and community-building.
鈥淲e are so proud to have brought our business community together in celebration (and) I truly believe this event shows just how much Jasper is home to the very best people and businesses (as) each contributes in their own way to make us the place to live, work and play,鈥� said Pattie Pavlov, executive director of the JPCC.
This year, two citizens, two managers and 14 businesses or organizations were nominated in nine categories.
The nominees for 鈥淐ommunity Ambassador of the Year鈥� were Jasper Theatre Productions (Joost Tijssen and Pieter van Loon) and Nancy Addison.
While Tijssen and van Loon did much to promote the community in 2022, Addison took home the award for her efforts in co-ordinating the safe arrival of dozens of Ukrainians after Putin鈥檚 invasion of their homeland.
After accepting the prestigious award, Addison was quick to share the accolades with those who helped make her efforts possible.
鈥淚 could never have accomplished this without three crucial ingredients,鈥� Addison said, 鈥渢he unwavering support of my husband, Mark, the trust of the Ukrainians who took the leap and got on planes to Canada, and the generosity and open-hearted nature of the individuals and businesses in this town who offered jobs and homes to those fleeing war.
She explained there were those who waited for the Ukrainians at the arrival gates, such as Bert Journault, Heather Young-Leslie and others, as well as SunDog Tours, which transported them to Jasper free of charge; the myriad of people who filled cupboards with food, gave furniture, bikes and clothing; and government employees who consistently went above and beyond to help.
鈥淚 would be remiss not to mention my church, St. Mary's and St. George's Anglican who have supported me in this endeavour from the beginning,鈥� she added.
鈥淭here are too many acts of generosity to acknowledge. I love this town.鈥�
In recognition of his many years of service to the community, the award for the 鈥淚ndividual Award of Distinction鈥� was presented to Mike Cassio.
In the category of 鈥淓xceptional Customer Service,鈥� there were three nominees: Jasper Pharmasave, Wild Current Outfitters and ATB Jasper.
While each made contributions that merited the award, Jasper Pharmasave was recognized for their efforts in keeping the community safe during the pandemic.
Nominated for the distinguished 鈥淣on-Profit Organization of the Year鈥� were the Jasper Artist鈥檚 Guild, the Jasper Folk Music Festival and the Jasper Food Recovery.
Arguments could be made as to why each organization deserved the award, but it鈥檚 hard to top the significant contributions that Jasper Food Recovery has made in the community, and Melody Gaboury proudly accepted the award on behalf of the organization and its dedicated staff.
Banff Jasper Collection by Pursuit and Home Hardware Jasper were each nominated for 鈥淐orporate Citizen of the Year.鈥�
The judges decided that both should be recognized for their community-building efforts, one as a large corporation and the other as a family-run business.
In the category of 鈥淚mmigrant Entrepreneur of the Year,鈥� Jasper Park Liquor, the Spice Joint and Adriano Laundry Services were nominated.
Having built a business from the ground up that employs a number of locals while serving dozens of clients, Adriano Laundry Services inched out the competition.
The nominees for the 鈥淏usiness of the Year鈥� award were Jasper mettra Pharmacy, TGP Jasper and Jasper Theatre Productions.
It was a tough decision, but the judges decided that TGP deserved to be recognized for its consistent commitment to Jasper over the years.
A new category sponsored by the Jasper Employment and Education Centre (JEEC) was announced this year to recognize the 鈥淒isability Confident Employer.鈥�
The nominees were Dallas Turner of the Other Paw Bakery and Stephanie Sophocleous of Tekarra Lodge.
Once again, the judges struggled to choose a winner, but after much thoughtful debate, Turner took the honour.
The final award of the gala was the 鈥淧eople鈥檚 Choice,鈥� and the winner was chosen by the attendees.
After being shut out in the two categories in which they were nominated, the people ensured that Jasper Theatre Production鈥檚 did not go home empty handed.
鈥淲e are honored to be nominated in two categories and to win the People鈥檚 Choice award in our first year of business,鈥� said Tijssen and van Loon.
The two accomplished thespians said that in their younger years they were often told they would never be able to make theater their careers.
鈥淏ut we can highly recommend you to follow your heart and pursue your dreams because everything is possible when you really want it to happen,鈥� they said.
鈥淭hank you, Jasper. We are looking forward to our next projects.鈥�
