The 17th Oakville Awards for Business Excellence
The Oakville Awards for Business Excellence (OABE) are dedicated to recognizing exemplary models of excellence and community service by Oakville’s businesses. The Oakville Chamber of Commerce in partnership with The Rotary Club of Oakville West organizes the OABE now in its 17th year.
The OABE culminates in a prestigious Gala Dinner and Award ceremony. This year’s dinner event for the 2011 Awards was held March 7, 2012 at the Oakville Conference and Banquet Centre (Wyecroft Rd. and Bronte Rd).
The proceeds from the Gala Awards Dinner, including the considerable support from our many Partners, provide funds for the Rotary Club’s numerous youth and academic programs such as the Oakville Awards for Academic Excellence, the Oakville Youth Development Centre, and Camp Enterprise. The funds raised are vital to the Rotary Club of Oakville West’s Vocational program. To date, the OABE galas have raised over $500,000 to support the Rotary Club of Oakville West’s youth programs such as the Oakville Youth Development Centre, Kerr Street Ministries, school breakfast and lunch programs as well as scholarships and bursaries for Oakville’s top students.
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1. Oakville’s Entrepreneur of the Year
This award recognizes an individual who personally exhibits extraordinary entrepreneurship, energy, inspiration, leadership and / or innovation in their business pursuits.
2. Oakville’s Restaurateur of the Year:
This award recognizes a person or employee team of a public eat-in food service establishment located in Oakville.
3. Oakville’s Small Company of the Year:
This award recognizes a company of approximately 20 full time equivalent employees and/or that primarily services Oakville or the surrounding region.
4. Oakville’s Large Company of the Year:
This award recognizes a business of many more than 20 employees and/or that serves the Canadian market and International markets.
5. Oakville’s Professional Service Provider of the Year:
This award recognizes a person (possibly 2-3) who exhibits extraordinary service, community support and client management in a professional service role related to one of the following:
- Personal health care, Wellness or Fitness
- Legal, Financial, Insurance, Real Estate, or Accounting, Consulting or Business Coaching
- Information and communications technology, Printing, Web or marketing agency
- Home maintenance, repair, landscaping
6. Oakville’s Environmental Leader of the Year:
This award is for a company that exhibits a significant proactive concern for, and proven success with, conducting business processes in such a way as to leave the environment (water, earth, and air) better off because of their company’s products, services or investments.
Trophies are awarded to the winners of each category. Runners-up are recognized as well. The Judges select finalists in each category. Of the finalists, one is selected as the excellence winner. The Judges reserve the right to allow for a category tie or to designate a large and small winner in a category when appropriate. In these cases an additional award is presented.
This competition is open to Oakville businesses that have not won in any category in the last 3 years. The business must be located in the Town of Oakville. Size does not matter! The Judges are looking for excellence in business, not size.
These are business awards. Therefore the competition is not open to governments, associations, centres or organizations which operate on a not-for-profit basis. Businesses that have won an OABE in the past three years are not eligible to win in the same category. They may however win in a different category. The competition is also not open to the Judges or their employers, or to members of the OABE Organizing Committee or their employers.
Typically a customer or a supplier nominates a firm they recognize as excellent. Sometimes Oakville businesses self nominate if they feel they have succeeded and excelled and possibly many in Oakville are not aware of them. Nomination forms typically are available from November 1 to November 30 on the www.OABE.ca site. Neither nominees nor nominators need be Rotary Club members or Chamber of Commerce members.
The Judges reserve the right to move a nomination to a more appropriate category if necessary.
Does one have to obtain a company’s permission before nominating them? Not necessarily. Businesses are usually honoured and flattered to be nominated by their customer or suppliers even without consultation. However, you might want to tell them as a courtesy. Most people like to know they are appreciated. In any event they may choose to have their nomination withdrawn.
All eligible nominees will be contacted and invited to qualify for the award competition by submitting insightful information for the Judges’ consideration. The Judges do not probe commercially sensitive information, but ask nominees general questions such as:
What differentiates you, in your business?
Why do employees want to work for you?
What has been the growth of your business since it was formed?
How do you and your business give back to the community?
How do you demonstrate customer service?
The Gala Awards Dinner for the 16th Oakville Awards for Business Excellence will be held March 2, 2011 at the Oakville Conference and Banquet Centre at Bronte Road and Wyecroft.
Sponsorships are still available for the 2011 Oakville Awards for Business Excellence (OABE) ... a joint project of the Rotary Club of Oakville West (RCOW) and the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. Please see the sponsorship outline on the web site.
How do I get tickets to the 16th Annual Gala Award Dinner Event on March 2nd, 2011?
Watch the web site and the Oakville Beaver for details and order forms.
