CME Manitoba honours established, emerging firms

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This article was published 20/03/2024 (912 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba Cooperative Honey Producers is being recognized for pioneering work 84 years after its incorporation.

It joins a handful of organizations and individuals being honoured at the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Manitoba awards gala this evening.

“Manufacturers work tirelessly year-round, contributing in no small part to Manitoba’s GDP,” Ron Koslowsky, president of CME Manitoba, said in a news release.

Bee Maid Honey Ltd. (co-owned by MCHP and Alberta Honey Producers Co-operative) alone has committed to a $25-million facility in Winnipeg. In Manitoba and Alberta, Bee Maid intakes 30 per cent of Canadian honey, the company’s CEO estimates.

The CME highlighted 1937 as a year in which there was a need for one central location to gather and market Manitoba honey.

Two other businesses earned nods from CME in 2024: Icon Technologies Ltd., which operates in the recreational vehicle market, and Global Drain Technologies, which the CME says is “rapidly emerging” as a leader in stainless steel drainage manufacturing.

Icon will walk away with CME Manitoba’s export award; Global Drain has garnered the “emerging award.”

CME Manitoba has clocked the latter company’s growth trajectory — it’s a testament to Global Drain’s commitment to innovation, technology and understanding of its customer’s needs, according to the lobbyist.

CME Manitoba is adding a new member — Dickson Gould — to its hall of fame. Gould is president of Progressive Group of Companies, which has operations in agriculture, metal fabrication and food processing. He will be identified for his advocacy of Manitoba’s protein production and processing sectors.

Mitch Tetrault, chief executive of hydraulic cylinder manufacturer Monarch Industries, will take home the safety leadership award. Monarch is planning a 109,000-square-foot expansion of its Winnipeg cylinder facility this year, according to CME.

On Thursday, CME Manitoba will award four scholarships to students and tradespeople.

Among them: Vince Denmark Dela Rosa, receiving money for his second year at Red River College Polytechnic.

“I’m still shocked,” the CNC machinist technician student said.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com