Winners to be announced during 15th Entrepreneurs’ Gala March 12

SUMMERSIDE – Jan. 26, 2016 – The Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI was greatly impressed when it received a record of 25 nominations for its six entrepreneurial awards for 2016 (compared to only 13 nominations for five awards last year). It then however had the arduous task of whittling that record number down to 18 to end up with three finalists per category.

These francophone finalists were officially announced to the public Monday during the Chamber’s annual Members’ Luncheon in Summerside. As he disclosed the names, Chamber spokesperson Martin Marcoux said the selection committee was truly impressed by the quality of the nominations and was pleased to get to know several new businesses they weren’t familiar with.

The finalists are:

2016 Young Enterprising Person of the Year
Elliott Fraser et Michael MacEwen (Charlottetown)
Keith Turbide (Charlottetown)
Mathieu Arsenault (Charlottetown)

2016 Co-op of the Year
Coopérative d’hébergement Le Bel âge (Wellington)
Coopérative d’intégration francophone de l’Î.-P.-É. (Summerside)
Coopérative de développement culturel et patrimonial de Mont-Carmel (Mont-Carmel)

2016 Immigration Entrepreneur of the Year
Dottie Daly, Tír na nÓg Inn (St. Peter’s Bay)
Italo Marzari, Sirenella Ristorante (Charlottetown)
Laure Solange Pchamdja, Aldanel Authentic Products (Charlottetown)

2016 Business Woman of the Year
Linda Lowther, Le Groupe Lowther (Rustico)
Marcia Enman, La Voix acadienne (Wellington)
Sylvette Plourde, Mom’s Woodshop (Hunter River)

2016 Distinguished Entrepreneur
Ernest Arsenault, Arsenault Painters (Abram-Village)
Euclide Gallant, Towerside Farms – retired (Urbainville)
Italo Marzari, Sirenella Ristorante – retired (Charlottetown)

2016 President’s Award of Excellence
Darin Foulkes, Foulkes Production (Charlottetown)
Robert Perry, Perry’s Electric (Tignish)
Robert Poirier, Acadian Roofing (St-Raphaël)

The winners of these awards will be announced during the 15th Acadian Entrepreneurs’ Gala Saturday, March 12, at 6 p.m. at the Centre Belle-Alliance in Summerside. During the evening, the 2015 Young Millionaires Award will also be presented to a deserving youth who participated in last summer’s program.

Gala tickets will soon be on sale at the Wellington Rural Action Centre, the RDÉE PEI office in Charlottetown and the reception desk at the Centre Belle Alliance.

-30-

 

CUTLINE 1: During the Members’ Luncheon of the Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI in Summerside Jan. 25, Tania Bernard, loan officer with the CBDC Central PEI, officially announced that her organization would return as a sponsor of the 15th Entrepreneurs’ Gala. She is seen with Chamber spokesperson Martin Marcoux, left, and finalist Robert Poirier, owner of Acadian Roofing of St. Raphael, as they check out the list of 18 finalists for the Chamber’s six awards.

CUTLINE 2: At the Members’ Luncheon in Charlottetown Jan. 26, Acadian Chamber spokesperson Martin Marcoux, second from right, announced the names of the finalists of the Chamber’s entrepreneurial awards competition. Present at the luncheon were three of the finalists: (from left) Sylvette Plourde from Mom’s Woodshop in Hunter River (Business Woman of the Year category), Darin Foulkes from Foulkes Productions in Charlottetown (President’s Award of Excellence category) and Dottie Daly from the Tír na nÓg Inn in St. Peter’s Bay (Immigrant Entrepreneur category).

 

For more information:
Raymond J. Arsenault
Coordinator
Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI
(902) 854-3439, Ext. 231
raymond@rdeeipe.org