SUMMERSIDE – Oct. 15, 2024 – This year’s Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards Competition, just launched by the Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI, continues to focus on sustainable development. And of course, it wants to keep encouraging new and young entrepreneurs while recognizing the contributions and careers of longtime businesspeople.
Chamber spokesperson Janine Arsenault officially launched the competition and unveiled this year’s award categories during the 2024 Entrepreneurs’ and Co-operators’ Luncheon Oct. 15th in Summerside. She invited everyone to submit nominations of francophone or bilingual businesses, co-ops, organizations, or businesspeople by Nov. 15th at noontime.
She first explained that competition wants to highlight measures that all candidates are taking to ensure a more sustainable, efficient and respectful utilisation of their human, financial, material and natural resources. In fact, that’s one of the main criteria for all the award categories.
Arsenault noted that the overall competition is designed to honour entrepreneurs, businesspeople, companies, organizations and co-operatives that have distinguished themselves through their excellence and the high quality of their products and/or services and for their contributions to the local and provincial economy.
Finalists of four of the award categories will be announced publicly at the Chamber’s “P’tite fête des Fêtes” Christmas party on Nov. 29th at the Village musical acadien in Abram-Village; at the same event, the Chamber will also announce the names of next year’s inductees into its Acadian and Francophone Business Hall of Fame of PEI. The winners of all the awards will receive their trophies during the 23rd edition of the Entrepreneurs’ Gala, which will take place March 22, 2025.
CATEGORIES
The Acadian Chamber is inviting nominations in the following categories:
2025 Outstanding Young Entrepreneur Award: The nominee must be aged 15-30 years as of March 22, 2025, and have demonstrated significant entrepreneurial initiative (including in innovation or in sustainable development), especially over the past year.
2025 Social Economy Business Award: The nominated business, co-operative or organization, which must have an economic vocation of some type, must have distinguished itself by its achievements and successes, including its impact on its community, especially during the past year.
2025 Distinguished Employee Award: The nominee must be an employee of a business, co-operative or organization who has distinguished himself/herself through quality customer service or business accomplishments or leadership, especially in the past year.
2025 Business Excellence Award: The nominated business must have stood out and demonstrated excellence, especially in the past year, in one or more of the following categories: sustainability, innovation, quality of service, job creation and community impact.
2025 Business Hall of Fame Award: The nominee must have at least 25 years of entrepreneurial experience as this award is intended to honor an entrepreneur or businessperson who has distinguished themselves through their efforts and accomplishments throughout their career (life-time achievement). The nominee may be working, retired or decdased. The winner will be officially inducted into the PEI Acadian and Francophone Business Hall of Fame.
RULES
The nominated individual, business, organization or co-operative must be, or be ready to become, a member of the Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI. At least one of the owners, co-owners or officers of the business, organization or co-operative must be able to speak French.
Nominees cannot have won an award in the same category in the last three editions of the Gala. A candidate may be nominated in various categories but cannot win more than one award per year.
A jury of entrepreneurs will evaluate all the nominations and choose finalists and winners. The judges reserve the right to reject incomplete nominations or nominations that do not meet the criteria. They may also choose not to give out one or more of the awards if the nominations for that award are not sufficient or appropriate. It will normally accept a maximum of three nominations per category, but may make exceptions, especially in the case of the Hall of Fame since “We want to be sure to honor our elderly entrepreneurs while they are still among us,” noted Arsenault.
The nomination form (in French only) can be accessed from the web page https://tinyurl.com/3j94dv2j.
The completed form should then be sent, by Nov. 15 at noontime, to coordinator Alecia Arsenault by email at alecia@rdeeipe.org, dropped off in person to the Wellington Rural Action Centre (at 48 Mill Road) or sent by mail to Selection Panel, RDÉE PEI Inc., 48 Mill Road, PO Box 7, Wellington, PE, C0B 2E0.
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PHOTO: Janine Arsenault, spokesperson for the Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI, and Alecia Arsenault, coordinator of the 2025 Entrepreneurs’ Gala, officially launched the Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards Competition, which runs until Nov. 15th at noontime.
For more information:
Alecia Arsenault
Coordinator
2025 Entrepreneurs’ Gala
902-432-2026
alecia@rdeeipe.org