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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Business women receive accolades
Entrepreneurs of year named
THE owner of a local automotive-loans brokerage firm walked away with the top prize at this year's Women Entrepreneur of the Year Awards dinner.
Amanda Saunders, founder of Epic Dealer Solutions Ltd., was presented with the Overall Excellence Award at a gala dinner Thursday at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.
The winner is chosen from the winners in each of 10 award categories. Saunders had earlier been named the winner in the Young Entrepreneur category.
"Being a woman business owner brings with it a unique set of challenges and it takes a true entrepreneurial spirit to embrace those challenges, managing risk and ultimately reaping the rewards," said Lucy Camara, president of the Women Business Owners of Manitoba, which organized the event.
"The Woman Entrepreneur of the Year gala is our opportunity to recognize and celebrate these successful women."
The WBOM said Saunders launched her company in 2007 when automotive-loans brokerages were new to Canada. So she had to explain the idea to both prospective borrowers and lenders.
Five years later, her firm works with 300 small- and medium-sized independent dealerships, and 12 major lenders. In Manitoba, it services dealerships in both the new and used markets, including the agriculture and construction industries.
The other nine award categories and their winners were:
Impact on Local Economy: Rishona Hyman, Aqua Essence Swim Academy
Building Business: Claudia Earl, Declutter.ca
Lifetime Achievement: Majda Ficko, Hair Do Zoo
Home Enterprise: Kaye Grant, Reconnaissance Management Consulting Group Inc.
Emerging Business: Marta Mikita-Wilson, Eco Stream
Franchisee: Anita Sharma Turner, RE/MAX Associates
Excellence in Service: Penny Brookes, Cruise World Inc.
Contribution to Community: Tannis Wilson, Covet Designs
International Trade: Celeste Brunel, Celestial Designs Inc.
The winners were chosen from 30 finalists.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 19, 2012 B7
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