Augusta Township thanks and congratulates its Business of the Year Nominees and Winners
Augusta Matters by Mayor Doug Malanka
(As published in the South Grenville Journal – Thursday, November 12, 2020)
On Friday, November 6th, 2020, Augusta Township held a mixed live and virtual ceremony in the MERC Recreational Hall in Maitland to announce its Business of the Year (B.O.Y.) and New Business of the Year awards. People physically present at MERC Hall for the event included nominees for each of the awards, members of Council and staff, members of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee and event organizers Wendy Ornstein, Jeanette and Carol from the Leeds and Grenville Small Business Enterprise Centre. Also, in attendance was Member of Parliament, Michael Barrett, and Warden Pat Sayeau. Member of Provincial Parliament, Steve Clark participated virtually on the TEAMS social platform. Thank you both for your constant support of the Township.
Winner of Augusta’s 2020 Business of the Year is Elmer’s Construction located in North Augusta and the award was accepted by Elmer and Patti Covill. The Business of the Year award is given to a business who has shown longevity, community involvement and innovation. Other nominees included: Creekside Diner; Dewar’s Inn on the River; Coville’s Greenhouses; and Shannon Farms. All were deserving nominees and our good wishes for continued success in the future are conveyed to all. As I said at the event, the Township is ready to help in any way it can.
Nominees for the New Business of the Year included: House of Knapp’s Photography; JJ Construction; and Flowers of the Field. The New Business of the Year award is given to an entrepreneur who has launched a business in the last 1 to 5 years and who has shown community involvement, innovation, and sustainability. The winner of this award is Flowers of the Field owned and operated by Brenda Visser. It is exciting to see new business starts in Augusta and all were worthy nominees.
I wish also to thank Karen McDonald-Hurley from the Opportunities Group for her inspiring and encouraging speech which resonated well with the audience. The event was recorded by The Camera Guy, Tony Hicks and can be viewed on the Township’s Web page. The event was well attended by the Press and I wish to thank them for their attendance and stories. This was our 11th annual B.O.Y. event and our sponsors over the years have been Burnbrae Farms, Egg Farmers of Ontario and the Leeds and Grenville Small Business Enterprise Center. It has been a rewarding partnership and I thank them all on behalf of the Township, Council, Staff, and residents.
Moving to another subject, Augusta Council approved a motion at its regular meeting of Council held on Monday, November 9th, 2020, that authorizes staff to proceed with preparations for a Volunteer Appreciation Day in connection with its Farmer’s Market on December 5th, 2020. Staff reported that the Farmer’s Market and Volunteer Appreciation collaborative event will create a significant financial impact towards Farmer’s Market vendors. Volunteers will be given both a food ticket for a meal at either one of the outdoor hot food vendors, and a voucher to redeem at one of the Farmer’s Market vendors. The value of each voucher will be $10, for a total redeemable value of $20 to show our appreciation for each volunteer’s time and honour their effort in the community. Each dollar spent by our volunteers also benefit the venders of the Farmer’s Market through the sale of their products. Estimated total volunteer vouchers is $1400.00, which means that $1400.00 is also cycled back into the market.