Spirit of success

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/06/2023 (833 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce held its 14th annual Spirit of Winnipeg Awards gala Friday night at the Club Regent Event Centre in front of about 400 of its closest friends.

The awards celebrate local organizations that are making Winnipeg a strong, vibrant, and prosperous city.

There were 25 nominated in nine categories. Here’s the winners:

● Good Neighbour Brewing – Rising Star Award — Established in the spring of 2021, Good Neighbour Brewing Co. became the first all-female and 2SLGBTQ+ owned and all-female-operated brewery in Manitoba and one of few in Canada. Good Neighbour Brewing Co. has a taproom, One Sixteen, in the heart of West Broadway. Finalists were: QDoc and Indigenous Nations Apparel Company (INAC).

● TheoryMesh – Technology Award — TheoryMesh is a Winnipeg-based software company building solutions to digitize the agriculture and food supply chain to improve food safety and sustainability. By working collaboratively with Manitoba farmers and food companies, the local software company has facilitated data-driven changes to Manitoba’s food supply chain and its consumers’ lives. Finalists in this category were: Delphi Technology Corp. and Vibes Energy.

● Assiniboine Credit Union – Environment and Energy Award — ACU is a financial co-operative with over $6 billion in assets. They offer a full suite of personal and commercial banking products and services and a financial and wealth advisors team to help their members succeed. Their commitment to reducing, reusing, and recycling has diverted over 16,000 kilograms of materials from landfills since 2016, thanks to a collaboration with Compost Winnipeg. Finalists were: Compost Winnipeg and The Forks North Portage.

● Narratives Inc. – Workplace Culture Award — Narratives Inc. is an environmental planning firm that celebrates differences and works to amplify voices that may otherwise go unheard. Their inclusive working model extends beyond culture, gender, and race by amplifying every voice to bring a different lens to a problem and create a different solution. Finalists were: Amanda Lynn Gluten Free and Caisse Financial Group.

● Downtown Community Safety Partnership – Non-profit and Social Enterprise Award — The Downtown Community Safety Partnership (DCSP) serves those who work in, live in, and enjoy Winnipeg’s downtown core area. The three DCSP teams — Connect, Mobile Assist and Connection (MAC247), and the Community Outreach Advocacy Resource Team (COAR) — provide services to residents in the form of resource connections (such as housing and addictions), basic medical assistance, providing directions and suggestions to the public, and courtesy/safety walks. Finalists were: Harvest Manitoba and Sara Riel.

● Coal and Canary – Trade Award — Coal and Canary creates hand-poured luxury wood wick candles for every occasion and every day. They are made with the highest quality vegan soy and vegetable wax blend and true-to-scent fragrance oils. All their candles feature an eco-friendly, clean-burning wood wick made from FSC Certified Wood. Their products are made by candle lovers for candle lovers to spark a little bit of eco-friendly joy in their lives. Finalists were: Eyelet Dove and Zueike

● Nestaweya River Trail, The Forks North Portage Partnership – Design and Building Award — The Nestaweya River Trail at The Forks, presented by the Winnipeg Foundation, is a unique and special winter amenity available to all our city’s locals and visitors. There is nothing quite like taking a skate on the 6 km of River Trail, especially on a mild winter night. They continue to find new ways of making this amenity a draw for folks to check out — from their 13 years of Warming Huts to the now annual Windsock Exposition. Finalists were: 201 Portage and 300 Main.

● KPMG LLP – CODE (Commitment to Opportunity, Diversity & Equity) — KPMG provides audit and tax services for various companies to help them achieve their financial goals. They employ a diverse group of people and are constantly striving to uplift those who are marginalized, creating an inclusive environment where everyone is given equal opportunity to advance and thrive in the KPMG environment. Finalists were: Manitoba Possible and Robertson College.

● True North Sports + Entertainment – Spirit of Winnipeg Award — As Manitoba’s premier sports and entertainment organization, True North Sports and Entertainment has been a catalyst for unforgettable experiences since 1996. Through the hard work and passion of 300 full-time employees who truly bring the organization to life, True North Sports and Entertainment strives to be a consistent source of pride for the entire community.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca