(Fredericton, NB) – The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce recognized outstanding achievement in business and community involvement at the 2013 Business Excellence Awards, held at the Delta Fredericton on 16 October 2013. In total, there were 20 finalists in the seven categories below. The complete list of recipients recognized is as follows:

Credit Unions Business Excellence Award (20 or fewer employees)
Recipient: Dana’s Collision Center / CSN

UPS Business Excellence Award (20 or more employees)
Recipient: Kingswood Ventures Inc.

Matthews McCrea Elliott Community Leadership Award
Recipient: Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival

Wilson Insurance Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Recipient: Andrew Bedford & Kerry Wells, Ginger Design

Jim Gilbert’s Wheels & Deals Not-For-Profit Organization Award
Recipient: Fredericton Community Food Centre

Bell Aliant Business Person of the Year Award
Recipients: Sean Dunbar, Northampton Brewing Company Ltd.

KPMG Resilience Award
Recipient: Wilkins Home Building Centre

“The chamber’s business excellence awards recognize both business success and community involvement,” said Chris Johnston, President of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce. “Year after year we can see the close relationship between these two factors in all of our finalists, regardless of what category they appear in. My congratulations go out to each nominee – they are all making a difference in our community.”

“Being able to provide this type of public recognition is one of the great honours of being involved with the Fredericton chamber,” added CEO Krista Ross. “Because the nominees are so consistently strong, our selection committee struggles every year with choosing both the finalists and eventual winners for all of the categories. As the city and the province increasingly recognize and celebrate entrepreneurship as the backbone of our economy, these types of awards take on even greater weight in the current economic environment.”

With more than 900 members, the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce is New Brunswick’s largest chamber of commerce. A dynamic business organization, the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce is actively engaged in policy development that affects the competitiveness of our members and of the Canadian business environment.