A few tears were shed and plenty of laughs had on Saturday, March 9, as hundreds of people gathered at the Albion Community Centre to celebrate the 2024 Business Excellence Awards.
Hosted by the Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce, this annual event acknowledges the hard work of local businesses and hands out awards to people in a variety of categories.
The awards list was extra long this year as the chamber added three new categories for the 2024 gala.
READ MORE: Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows businesses nominated for local business awards
The total list of award winners is:
• Oak and Ivory Collective (Micro Business of the Year)
• Foamers’ Folly Brewing Co. (Small Business of the Year)
• Amsterdam Garden Centre (Medium Business of the Year)
• Hopcott Farms (Large Business of the Year)
• Bruce’s Pet and Farm Supply (New Business of the Year)
• Lucy Meechan (Young Entrepreneur of the Year)
• Maple Ridge Climate Hub (Environmental Leadership Award)
• Maple Ridge Community Foundation (Non-Profit of the Year)
• Kim Dumore (Ridge Meadows Community Spirit Award)
• Frank So (Business Leader of the Year)
Many of the award recipients expressed shock at their win, citing tough competition within their respective categories, including E-One Moli/Molical executive vice president Frank So, who received the Business Leader of the Year title.
“I’m an engineer, so I never considered myself to be a business leader,” said So. “I was not expecting to win because there’s a lot of deserving people who grew up in this community, but it’s a wonderful experience and an incredible honour.”
He pointed out that a large part of what allowed him to win this award was due to the work being done at E-One Moli/Molical, which includes the recent announcement of a $1.05 billion partnership with the provincial and federal governments to rebuild and expand their manufacturing facility.
READ MORE: Maple Ridge battery company planning $1 billion expansion
“I am very fortunate to work for a company that has a vision of transforming the future. We’re in the early stages of an incredible project that will bring substantial economic benefit to the region in the form of job creation, capital investment, and infrastructure upgrades.”
So explained that this award should really be seen as a group effort since the expansion project is going to require hard work and dedication form everyone at E-One Moli/Molicel.
“I see myself as a messenger for the company,” he said.
Stay tuned for a full photo gallery and more coverage from the gala.