The Oakville Awards for Business Excellence (OABE), hosted by the Oakville Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Rotary Club of Oakville West, is now accepting nominations. “The past few months have been hard for business, but many have shown their ability to quickly innovate, adjust business operations and practices, and find ways to give back and support our community. That’s why we are thrilled to open up nominations for the Oakville Awards for Business Excellence. It’s time to recognize and celebrate the outstanding businesses in Oakville” said Drew Redden, President & CEO, Oakville Chamber of Commerce. “We have also introduced a new category for nominations this year: the Visit Oakville Tourism Excellence of the Year Award. We look forward to recognizing businesses that contribute to the local economy by marketing and attracting visitors to our community” added Drew Redden. The Oakville Awards for Business Excellence are dedicated to recognizing exemplary models of business excellence and community service by Oakville’s businesses.

The award categories open for nominations are:

• RBC Royal Bank Large Business of the Year – This award recognizes a business of more than 20 employees and/or primarily serves the provincial, national and international markets and/or generates approximately $10 million or more in revenue annually.
• Henderson Partners LLP Mid-size Business of the Year – This award recognizes a business of 5-20 employees and/or primarily serves the regional/provincial markets and/or generates between $2 million-$10 million in revenue annually.
• Bell Small Business of the Year – This award recognizes a business of 1-5 full-time equivalent employees and/or primarily serves Oakville and district and/or generates up to approximately $2 million in revenue annually.
• O’Connor MacLeod Hanna, LLP Professional Services Provider of the Year – This award recognizes a person or employee team with a professional designation and whose practice is regulated by a provincial regulatory body within Canada. Nominees will be considered from the following professional categories (but not limited to):
  • Legal
  • Accounting
  • Engineering
  • Medical or Dental
  • Financial
  • Human Resources

• The Morris Mercanti Service Industry of the Year – This award recognizes a business that primarily earns revenue through providing products and services. Nominees will be considered from the following service industries (but not limited to):
  • Retail
  • Food Services
  • Health & Wellness
  • Education

• Cogeco Entrepreneur of the Year – This award recognizes an individual who personally exhibits extraordinary entrepreneurship, energy, inspiration, leadership and/or innovation in their business pursuits.
• KPMG Young Professional or Entrepreneur of the Year (YPEG Award) – This award recognizes an individual who personally exhibits extraordinary energy, inspiration, leadership and / or innovation in their business pursuits. Nominees must be under the age of 40 (as of December 31, 2020).
• Visit Oakville Tourism Excellence of the Year – This award recognizes an Oakville business that has contributed to the local visitor economy by:
  • marketing Oakville to visitors
  • attracting visitors to Oakville
  • providing an exceptional experience to visitors
  • partnering with visitor-minded businesses to create/contribute to visitor experiences and/or advocating for the value of the local tourism industry

Nominees for all categories are assessed on factors such as business growth, reputation, innovation, investment in the business, and business practices.

Nominations will be accepted until 4pm EST on Friday, October 30^th.

“We are asking the Oakville community to submit their nominations and help us recognize and celebrate our businesses. It’s a great way to say thank you to Oakville businesses, who need our support at this time” said Ahmed Ezzat, President of the Rotary Club of Oakville West. All nominations submitted will be reviewed by a panel of expert judges rating them against criteria set for each category. The Judges are individuals from the professional community who bring a wealth of professional expertise and unique business experiences, having made significant contributions to their own professions. To be eligible for nomination, organizations must be physically located in the Town of Oakville and cannot have won in any judged category in the last five years.  

Nominate.

  View the complete list of category criteria and eligibility rules. For assistance, please call Karen Pomfret at 905-845-6613 ext. 210 or e-mail karen@oakvillechamber.com.