The 132nd Orillia & District Chamber of Commerce (ODCC) annual dinner Thursday night ushered in a new era and celebrated some of Orillia's top business leaders.
During the presentation of its annual Business Achievement Awards at Hawk Ridge Golf Club, Leslie Fournier and Pam Carter were unveiled as the winners of the chamber's coveted Chris Bellchambers Award.
Fournier is the founder of Streets Alive, the creative initiative that has helped shape downtown Orillia’s image as an artistic hub. The initiative began in 2007 with a festival of banners and has since grown to include annual art installations including, recently, a tribute to the late Gordon Lightfoot.
"It's really such an honour to be the recipient of the Hats Off Award especially because it's named after Chris Bellchambers who exemplified volunteerism and community spirit," Fournier said.
Fournier says Streets Alive would be nothing without the collaborators, partners, and supporters who have told the stories of the community through their art.
"I think that's what makes the journey so special," she said. "It's not me telling the story, it's the artists, the visitors, the citizens, the businesses, and all of those who have come into our community to see public art and what makes us so special."
As the president of the Mariposa Festival, Carter has been a driving force in developing the festival as a key part of Orillia’s cultural landscape, bringing thousands of visitors to the area. Carter was not in attendance on Thursday night.
Winning the Strengthening Orillia and Lake Country Award was Bent Law Legal Services for showing "dedication to the community by making their services available to diverse and underrepresented groups." The law firm is also actively involved in a wide range of charitable efforts.
Stephanie Bent, the owner of the firm, says winning the award is a "big deal. It humbles us," she said. "We really appreciate being nominated."
Bent, who moved her business to Orillia from Toronto six years ago, says she learned from her father at a young age that charity is the most important thing a person can do.
"It's a 365 days a year thing," she said. "It's not for a purpose but to give back to the community that built you."
This year, Bent Law Legal Services had a teddy bear drive to give sick kids at Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital a reason to smile during their visit.
"We are very happy with what we will do and will continue doing this," Bent said.
Winning the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award were Teanna Larmand of Cheer Sport Sharks and Marlow Devine of Paper Planes Café.
Larmand turned her passion for cheerleading into an entrepreneurial venture, starting her first business, Snow Leopards Cheerleading, at age 19.
"It's really cool to see the love and support from Orillia," Larmand said. "I'm very thankful to the Chamber of Commerce for nominating me for this."
Devine owns Paper Planes Café, a children’s play area in downtown Orillia that features Montessori-inspired toys and an espresso bar. She won the award for best new business last year.
"I'm very happy that every day I get to connect with so many people in the community," she said. "It's nice to see that people in the community are recognizing the effort we are putting in and that it's being well received."
Here is a full list of award winners from Thursday evening's dinner event:
Diversity and Inclusion Award — Low Carb #1 Stop
Business Growth Award — Stay Kleen-Hub
Innovation Award — Anti-Aging Clinic & Dispensary
Customer Service Award — Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Orillia
Milestone Award — Carson Funeral Home
Sustainability Award — Green Storage Orillia
Employer of the Year Award — Tatham Engineering
Strengthening Orillia and Lake Country Award — Bent Law Legal Services
Business Leader of the Year Award — Ben Lowry (Lowry Building Company)
Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award — Teanna Larmand (Cheer Sport Sharks) and Marlow Devine (Paper Planes Café)
Not-for-Profit or Charitable Organization Award — Mariposa House Hospice
Small Business of the Year Award — Stay Kleen-Hub
New Business of the Year Award — Coach House Kids
Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Award — Abby Taxi
Chris Bellchambers Award — Leslie Fournier (Streets Alive) and Pam Carter (Mariposa Folk Festival)
The event also marked the official passing of the gavel from 2023 president Nathan Housser to 2024 president Scott Walker.
Walker, an investment advisor and financial planner at BMO Nesbitt Burns in downtown Orillia, was encouraged by his business partner, Karen O'Coin, to get involved with the chamber more than five years ago. O'Coin is a past president of the organization.
"That kind of snowballed into me joining the board," he explained. "I really enjoyed the volunteer work that we were doing which led to me joining the executive committee."
Walker, 37, pledges to advocate for small businesses at the local, provincial, and federal levels during his one-year term.
"That's something that we continue to strive and push for," he said. "I really want to focus on advocacy but more specifically engagement."
Walker says he wants feedback from chamber members to solve pressing issues without taking too much time out of their busy schedules.
"We are creating an online portal, which is still in the works, where they can get feedback to us," he said. "It will be quick, easy, and won't ask for a lot of time."
Walker is hoping to have a coffee meeting with chamber members or community partners at least once a week.
"It's important that we have a better idea of what's going on with their business," he said. "The more that we can do this, the more we can help our advocacy efforts."
Walker says he is "incredibly passionate" about giving back to the community and he hopes to do more of that as the president of the chamber.
"I'm very fortunate to be in this position to be able to do that," he said.
Housser, who owns Housser's Paint & Wallpaper, says he feels "privileged" to have spent 2023 as the president of the chamber.
"I was the lucky one who got to be the president in a year that saw the return of many of our events after COVID," he said. "There was a good energy at all of those events."
Housser says it was, at times, difficult managing the volunteer position with his full-time job, but it was worth it.
"The staff and our board work hard, they are great to work with, and they make it easy," he said. "Especially at the Port of Orillia, there were some hiccups and hard decisions that had to be made, but I think we made the right ones."
Housser's advice to Walker is to keep a positive outlook and rely on the staff and directors for assistance.
"Lead well," he said. "There will be some curveballs thrown at you, but work with them and be positive."
Housser will stay on the ODCC board of directors as a past president in 2024.
