The nominations are in for the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards and a number of local ventures made the cut.
![Drayton Entertainment and Alex Mustakas are one of the nominees in the chamber’s latest round of awards.[File Photo]](https://www.observerxtra.com/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/venture_awards1.jpg)
The nominees are: in the business of the year category (over 50 employees), Conestoga Meat Packers; for hospitality and tourism, Drayton Entertainment and the Courtyard Marriott St. Jacobs; and for the environment and sustainability award the Mennonite Central Committee of Ontario.
Winners will be announced at the 2015 Business Excellence Awards Gala February 19 at Bingemans’ Marshall Hall in Kitchener.
According to the chamber, “The Business Excellence Awards Gala was established to recognize those businesses who have made exceptional contributions through their involvement and leadership, making a clear difference and who act as role models in the community.
“Each and every year our Gala is an affair to remember as nearly 900 of the region’s top business professionals take over Bingemans in a truly unique atmosphere. Each year’s theme is different bringing something new to the event year in and year out, but the goal remains the same: honour those who make the Waterloo Region business community proud. Over the years the chamber has been privileged with the opportunity to recognize truly world-class organizations, individuals, and institutions.”
It’s an honour to be recognized alongside the region’s top organizations, Drayton Entertainment’s artistic director Alex Mustakas said.
“We are in some great company throughout all of the different categories. This whole region is really becoming a remarkable place to live and play and to do business and these awards are a reflection of that. … There has been great leadership with the chamber to really provide an output for creativity throughout every sector and to create the ability for companies to work together.”
He added, “It was a great year for Drayton Entertainment. It started out slow in March and April; I think that we had such a long winter people were still hibernating. But things really picked up through the summer… I truly believe in destination marketing, so that when you come to this area or any one of our locations, there are many other things for people to do as well. We want our shows to be the icing on the cake. We’ve got great partnerships with hotels and other attractions and where the arts make a case for economics, we can prove it. With seven theatres around the province, that means people are travelling a little bit and they end up staying at the local hotels and they may do a bit of shopping and they will certainly be eating at the local restaurants. And so the icing on the cake is seeing our shows and that is what keeps them coming back.”
Angelina Malik of Marriott Hotels echoed his sentiment.
“Courtyard by Marriott Waterloo/St. Jacobs is honored to be nominated for this KW Chamber of Commerce Award,” she said. “Our team recognizes that we not only carry the reputation of the Marriott Brand but the reputation of our local business partners and community who have entrusted our high energy team to deliver a truly exceptional hotel stay experience in this beautiful region. We have a dynamic, tech savvy team who are focused on providing exceptional customer service and committed to be the preferred hotel of choice in the Kitchener-Waterloo region. We are truly honored for being nominated for the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Business Excellence Award.”
A total of 68 businesses, organizations and individuals were nominated across 10 categories.
For further information, visit www.greaterkwchamber.com or call 519-749-6052.
