Winners from northwestern Ontario have been announced for the 16th annual Influential Women of Northern Ontario awards, presented by Northern Ontario Business and Union Gas.
Tracy Buckler of Thunder Bay, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Care Group, has been named executive of the year. The award is sponsored by Ontario Power Generation.
Erika Maki of Thunder Bay, owner of A Spa For You Inc., has been named entrepreneur of the year. The award is sponsored by Northern Ontario Angels.
Bianca Garofalo of Thunder Bay, owner of Bight Restaurant and Grill, has been named young entrepreneur of the year. The award was sponsored by Porter Airlines.
The IW Awards for northwestern Ontario were held in Thunder Bay on June 3 at the Valhalla Inn in Thunder Bay. Winners of the northeastern Ontario IW Awards will be announced on June 6 in Sudbury at the Radisson Hotel.
“We are so proud to be recognizing another seven exceptional women in the North,” said Patricia Mills, Northern Ontario Business publisher, in a news release. “Each year we receive more and more nominations. We are looking forward to receiving your submissions for 2014.”
The Influential Women of Northern Ontario program was launched in 1997 in order to seek out, honour and profile women in Northern Ontario who contribute to the North’s economic success and expansion. More than 100 influential women have been recognized since the program’s inception. The roster of award winners continues to grow.
This year’s panel of judges included Patricia Aspin-Lecour, executive director for the NECO Community Futures Dev. Corp. in North Bay; Laurie Bissonette, a partner with KPMG LLP Chartered Accountants in Sudbury; Barb Courte, president and CEO of Northstar Drilling and Cobra Drilling in Thunder Bay; and Dawn Willoughby, executive assistant of the Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund in Thunder Bay.
Winners’ profiles and photos will be posted on the IW website on the afternoon of June 6. For a complete list of sponsors visit www.influentialwomen.ca.
