Keystone Awards celebrate entrepreneurship in Niagara

Awards for small and medium-business owners will be presented by Dragon’s Den star Arlene Dickinson at Peller Estates Feb. 12. Nominations close Jan. 31.
A celebration of job-creation entrepreneurship is coming to Niagara-on-the-Lake, and organizers expect that Niagara regional Keystone Award winners will meet with government officials to share their views on employment and job growth.
Small and medium-business owners (considered by Keystone to be over 50 employees) in the Niagara region are being nominated for the awards, which will be presented by Arlene Dickinson, entrepreneur and star of Dragon’s Den, and Keystone Awards founder, Dean French, at Peller Estates Winery and Restaurant Feb. 12.
The Keystone Awards were first launched in Ottawa at the beginning of 2024, and have since been presented in Belleville and Peterborough. French, former chief of staff for Doug Ford, has long seen the economic benefits to the community, and Canada as a whole, of small to medium-businesses.
French explained that Canada is funded by small and medium-enterprises, “and when businesses fail, a country fails, job creation fails, we have less of a tax base, we can’t afford public education, public health care or CPP.”
These “hometown heroes, often two, three or four generations deep,” are valuable to the local economy, said French, a lifelong business owner and current wealth strategist.
Alana Hurov, event producer for the Keystone Awards (she brought Niagara 5000 – the McLaren street festival to old town last year) said that nominations are still open for the awards.
Hurov has reached out to a number of business in the Niagara region but said there is not a simple database that shows how many people a business employs.
“We would love support from the community to nominate people that are deserving of recognition for creating jobs in our region,” said Hurov. “The caveat is that they have to have 50 employees or more.”
Anyone can nominate a business owner by filling out a form at thekeystoneawards.com. Nominations close Friday, Jan. 31.
Ten award winners will be invited to a round table with municipal governments to discuss employment in the Niagara region. “Their recommendations will be taken to the premier with the ultimate goal of every region across the country being represented by Keystone Award winners to come together to talk about national employment and job growth,” said Hurov.
“That’s where the magic really happens,” said French. “Really good two-way flow is important. I think it’s the best form of economic development for the local communities and cities because you’re hearing from the business owners themselves on what they need, and what they need in most cases, is a lot less red tape and regulations.”
Business owners aren’t looking for handouts, added French. “They’re just looking to do business and to make sure that their local communities are open for business, open for jobs.”
Local nominees include Angela Marotta and Melissa Marotta of Two Sisters Vineyards; the president of Arterra Wines, John Boynton; George Lepp of Lepp Farms; and Si Wai Lai, Oban Inn proprietor.
“This is a really important opportunity to get business leaders together in one room, to recognize them across multiple sectors and different industries, to celebrate them, but also to meet with them afterwards to find out their biggest challenges,” said Hurov.
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