Topic: BUSINESS

2012 BC Aboriginal Business Awards Call for Submissions

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2011 BC Aboriginal Award Recipients

The deadline for submissions is Friday, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012.
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VANCOUVER – BC Achievement Foundation is calling for submissions for the Fourth Annual BC Aboriginal Business Awards. “From young entrepreneurs to joint venture businesses, we welcome submissions for this unique awards program, which celebrates Aboriginal businesses from across BC,” says Keith Mitchell, BC Achievement Foundation Chair.

The BC Aboriginal Business Awards honour business excellence in the following categories: Young Entrepreneur (Male and Female), Joint Venture, Community-Owned and Business of the Year awards for one-to-two-person enterprises, two-to-10-person enterprises, and enterprises with 10 or more persons.

Last year, the award recipients’ businesses ranged from pilates to real estate, from catering to construction. Aboriginal entrepreneurs from across the province are encouraged to participate in this year’s awards by entering their own submissions or nominating a business they feel deserves recognition.”

A judges’ panel evaluates the submissions guided by the viability, success, and competitiveness of the business. The panel selects a first-place recipient and up to two second-place outstanding business achievers in each category. All winners will be celebrated at a gala presentation ceremony on December 5, 2012 in Vancouver.

“It was a tremendous privilege to receive my award and I hope my experience will encourage and inspire other Aboriginal entrepreneurs to consider entering the business world as I did,” says Sharon Bond, president of Kelowna’s Kekuli Café Aboriginal Foods and Catering and past winner of a Business of the Year Award.

“These awards are made possible thanks to a partnership with the Province of British Columbia and our generous sponsors, New Relationship Trust, BC Hydro, Teck, Encana, and Spectra Energy,” says Mitchell. “Thank you to all our partners for recognizing and celebrating the value of our Aboriginal entrepreneurs.”

For further information and submission forms, please visit: www.bcachievement.com
The deadline for submissions is Friday, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012.

Contact:   Ida Gordano – Coordinator Aboriginal Business Awards
BC Achievement Foundation
604-261-9777
Toll-Free: 1-886-882-6068

2011: Native Business Moves To A Higher Level

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It was a year of extremes, when First Nation entrepreneurs were changing gears and moving to another level, making partnerships with corporations in alternative energy and lumber deals with the Chinese. The support of influential people such as former Premier Paul Martin was pivotal in the founding of Cape, an organization set up to fund Native businesses and encourage Aboriginal entrepreneurs. “We raised $50 million dollars,” said Martin. “Our purpose is to back Aboriginal entrepreneurs.” Some of the recipients of Cape investments this year include One Earth Farms in Manitoba, receiving 4 million dollars, and Coastal ShellFish L.P. from BC and Manitobah Muklaksalso also received investment funding.

The success story of the Lax Kw’alaam Band in BC demonstrates the vision of certain Native entrepreneurs. The band opened an office in Bejing a few years ago, so they could negotiate directly with the Chinese. It seemed a bold move at the time, but this year, the band raked in $40 million in lumber sales. Yuen Paul Woo in charge of public relations for the Asia Pacific Foundation told the Globe and Mail, “There is a lot of ignorance about the role First Nations play in resource development projects. I think we are talking about billions of dollars.”
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