The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce announced the list of finalists for the 30th annual Achievement in Business Excellence (ABEX) awards, with two local companies chosen as finalists.
The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce announced the list of finalists for the 30th annual Achievement in Business Excellence (ABEX) awards, with two local companies chosen as finalists.
The adjudication panel chose 54 businesses from a list of nominations, to compete in 10 categories, with one finalist from Weyburn, and one from Midale-Saskatoon.
Local employee recruitment firm, Knibbs/associates Sourcing People, has been named a finalist for the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce's 2013 ABEX Service Award. The Service Award goes to a business demonstrating exceptional performance in providing quality customer service.
Elysia and Natasha Vandenhurk, who operate the office for Three Farmers Camelina Oil under the company, Canpressco Products, have been nominated for the Young Entrepreneur of Year Award.
Three Farmers produces camelina oil grown in the Midale area, by farmers Colin Rosengren, Dan Vandenhurk and Ron Emde; the Vandenhurk sisters operate the company's business office out of Saskatoon, and they successfully appeared on CBC-TV's The Dragon's Den in October 2012. They successfully attracted an investment of $150,000 by "dragon" Arlene Dickinson in return for a 20-per-cent stake of the company.
This award goes to entrepreneurs who are between the ages of 18 and 35 who have achieved success in the startup and operation of a new or existing business.
The ABEX awards honour outstanding achievement in business excellence in Saskatchewan and is one of the most highly esteemed symbols of business excellence in this province.
The ABEX awards gala will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26 at TCU Place in Saskatoon, and tickets for the event are available through the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.
Knibbs/associates Sourcing People was founded in 2010 by three partners, Leah Knibbs of Weyburn, Dawn Hillrud of Ceylon and Cheryl Busby of Regina.
With tight labour markets across Western Canada and specifically in Saskatchewan, Knibbs, Hillrud and Busby recognized a need for a local employee recruitment firm and they set out to provide such a service. The firm's partners and its associates provide a wide range of employee recruitment services and solutions to clients across Western Canada with the focus being on rural Western Canada.
The partners are rich in human resource management experience and emphasize a client-focused, customized approach resulting in successful recruitments and good people connecting with good companies. Going beyond the traditional recruitment methods, social media and multiple other sourcing tools are used to attract candidates.
Multiple screening techniques are also used to assess the fit between the candidate and the company's talent needs. Sourcing People guarantees their services, which is reflective of their confidence in finding the right candidate for the client and the right job for the candidate. While embracing workplace safety and confidentiality, Sourcing People expertly facilitates matching employees to client needs.
"We were very pleased by the quality, number and wide range of nominees for this year's awards," said Steve McLellan, CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber.
The special gala evening will mark the 30th anniversary of the ABEX Awards, Saskatchewan's most prestigious and longest-running celebration of private sector achievement.
The recipients of the Hall of Fame and Business Leader of the Year will be made prior to the event; the Business of the Year ABEX will be announced at the event on Oct. 26. All entrants for the awards are eligible to be awarded as Business of the Year.
