Four businesses from the Humboldt area have been announced as finalists for the Achievement in Business Excellence (ABEX) Awards, scheduled for Saskatoon on Oct. 26.
Diamonds of Detroit and Prairie's Edge Development Corp. are finalists for the Marketing award; Aaron and Monique Strueby of Strueby Plumbing & Heating are up for the Young Entrepreneur award; Schulte Industries is a contender in the Export category and Diamonds of Detroit is also nominated in the Service category.
"It is very exciting for members of the Humboldt & District Chamber of Commerce to have such a strong representation at these prestigious awards," said Jodi Smith, president of the chamber.
Michelle Bankowski has owned Diamonds of Detroit for 28 years and credits the company's marketing nomination to a "very comprehensive" strategy.
"We've taken a lot of innovative approaches," Bankowski said. "Billboards, radio campaigns. We've embraced social media and I think that's had a lot to do with how well we've done."
Also nominated in the marketing category is Prairie's Edge Development Corp.
"I just found out about the nomination," said Lorraine Forster, manager of sales, marketing and operation. "It's a great chance for exposure and to celebrate great Saskatchewan businesses."
Forster and Prairie's Edge have focused on the Water's Edge development in Lucien Lake as an attractive option for both cottage and permanent living.
"We're attracting people from other provinces now," Forster said. "Our marketing efforts are really paying off."
Monique and Aaron Strueby, the husband-and-wife team behind Strueby Plumbing & Heating, are preparing to open a new shop in Humboldt for the business they founded five years ago. They currently operate from their acreage near Marysburg. Both 32, the young couple has been nominated for an ABEX award for the first time.
"We're honoured and appreciated to be nominated," Monique said. "It's not easy to stand out from the competition in the plumbing and heating industry."
Surviving the first few years as a small business is always a tall order, but the Struebys have managed to do it.
"Aaron is the hardest working guy I know," Monique said. "We focus on new technologies, new training and treating our employees well. It hasn't been an easy five years but we wouldn't change anything. We've learned a lot on the business side of things."
The final nominee from the Humboldt area is Schulte Industries, nominated in the Export category. Based out of Englefeld and more than 100 years old, the company specializes in exporting rotary cutters - essentially oversized lawnmowers between six and 42 feet long that are hauled by a tractor. The recent nomination has been the talk of the office.
"Everyone here is talking about it," said Trevor Kowalski, Schulte's financial controller.
Nearly 70 per cent of the company's products are exported, mostly to the United States.
There are 54 nominees in 10 categories for the ABEX awards. According to Bankowski from Diamonds of Detroit, having four businesses from the Humboldt area nominated is a testament to the area's burgeoning community.
"It's a sign of how strong the businesses in this area are," she said.
