Northern Ontario’s business community toasted the achievements of three outstanding individuals and eight remarkable companies at the 30th anniversary of the Northern Ontario Business Awards (NOBA) at the Caruso Club in Sudbury tonight.

A capacity crowd of over 500 was moved and inspired by the stories of the 2016 award winners  as ten business awards were presented: Company of the Year in three categories, Entrepreneur of the Year, Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Entrepreneurial Community, First Nations Business Award of Excellence, Innovation, Export and Judges’ Choice. The $3,000 Union Gas Essay Scholarship was also presented.

Each year, a respected panel of judges from across Northern Ontario is brought together to adjudicate the many nominations. They are asked to look at all aspects of business performance, from customer service and community involvement to human resource management and future planning. This year’s judges were: Tom Laughren, Director of Corporate Responsibility- Lakeshore Gold (Timmins), Mark Sherry, President – Stroma Service Consulting Inc. (North Bay), Jeff Fuller, President- Fuller Industrial,  (Sudbury) and Cliff Friesen, Former Executive Vice President – Bearskin Airlines (Thunder Bay).  Dr. Stephen Monet – Manager of Environmental Planning, City of Greater Sudbury judged the Union Gas Essay Scholarship.

NOBA has become the largest annual gathering of its kind in Northern Ontario since it was launched in 1986.  For 30 years, these awards have served to heighten the visibility and influence of business in the north and bring peer recognition to the business leaders who create prosperity and economic growth.  The 2016 event was co-hosted by Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger and Northern Ontario Business Former Publisher Patricia Mills. Eastlink TV will showcase the winners in a television documentary to be aired Thursday, October 13th at 7 pm, Friday, October 14th at 11 pm, Saturday, October 15th at 9:30 am and Sunday, October 16th at 3 pm.

And there was one winner from Timmins.

Innovation Award

Winner: Haasen Farms Ltd. (Timmins)                                         

Sponsored by: Huntington University

Innovation is integral to the sustainability of Haasen Farms and though it’s been part of the dairy farm for about five years, the state of the art technology employed still raises eyebrows every now and then when people learn robots are milking the cows.

The 31st annual Northern Ontario Business Awards will be held in Timmins.  For more information on NOBA, contact Corissa Miles, Events Coordinator, 705-673-5705 ext. 304, 1-800-757-2766 or email inquiries to cmiles@nob.on.ca

Filed under: Local News