“The next chapter for the city and entire northern region begins in earnest today,” said Mark Weiman, Chair of the GSCC. “We look forward to the opportunities that await our businesses and northern communities as we begin a long period of prosperity and renewal.”

Cleveland based Cliffs Natural Resources announced a $3.3-billion investment to build a chromite mine, transportation corridor and processing facility in Northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire that would lead to a new generation of prosperity in the north, with thousands of jobs and new infrastructure.

The Ring of Fire represents one of the most significant mineral regions in the province, and includes the largest deposit of chromite ever discovered in North America. The chromite found in this area, 540 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, is a key ingredient used to create stainless steel.

For more information, contact

Jonathan Laderoute
Manager of Policy and Communication
Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce
673-7133 x 228
cell: 677-5735

Entrepreneur of the Year – My Thai Palace / Pipat Sripimolphan
(Sponsored by Royal Bank of Canada)
Pipat Sripimolphan came from Thailand eight years ago and quickly established his first business in Toronto. Three years later, Pipat decided to open a restaurant in Sudbury.
While other Asian restaurants may offer Thai inspired dishes, he is the first to offer authentic Thai food in Northern Ontario. His ingredients are shipped from Thailand and Toronto weekly to serve high quality Thai food at two locations in the city.

Service Excellence Award – Plaza 69 Pharmacy IDA / Walter Mozek
(Sponsored Scotiabank)
Since the very beginning, Plaza 69 Pharmacy has operated seven days a week serving the Greater Sudbury area. They offer a free drug delivery service and provide medication services to the Walford residents and other senior residences across the
region. In 2011, they expanded their merchandise and cosmetic offerings when they doubled the store size to 6,000 sq ft. This renovation allowed for a dermatology center and a new compounding laboratory, which includes veterinarian compounding
that, provides special medication services.

Business Start‐up Award – Sunwire Systems / Patrick Lehoux and Jason Legault (Sponsored by Laurentian University)
Sunwire strives to provide software solutions for any platform – from iPods, iPads, Blackberries and PCs, to VOIP and telephone systems.
They focus on being as versatile as possible in order to provide efficient and effective program solving. Some of their products include a fleet tracking system with real‐time updates and integrated travel history, and a “smart” mobile telephone
integration system that synchronizes individual cell phones.

Hospitality Award – Don’s Pizzeria and Spaghetti / Peter Cousineau (Sponsored by College Boreal)
Don’s Pizzeria first opened its doors in 1960 on Isabella Street, but as the business grew, it moved to its current location on Lorne Street.
Over the last three years, the business has seen revenues grow by 10% annually.
Peter Cousineau, owner and pizza chef, believes this is the direct result of an adherence to quality ingredients and customer satisfaction. As he says, “the customer can come and eat in or they can pick up and take out. Either way, Don’s Pizzeria and
Spaghetti will make sure you leave satisfied.”

New Venture Award – The Ida Sauve Dance Evolution / Ali Loney
(Sponsored by TD Canada Trust)
Ali Loney is the owner and operator of Ida Sauve Dance Evolution and has been working in her field since she was 15 years old. Her passion for dance is what fuels her dedication to the business and her personal touch and professional expertise has aided
in the formation of a strong reputation in the community. Dance Evolution offers dance instruction to children, both male and female, from infant amateur to professional level adult. The studio teaches competitive and non‐competitive classes which include a recital every second year. Dance forms include ballet, tap, jazz, acro, musical theatre and hip‐hop. For the dancers in the competitive stream they also offer pointe, lyrical,
contemporary and conditioning. Close to 70 classes are offered every week at the studio.

Innovation Award – Symboticware / Kirk Petroski
(Sponsored by Cambrian College/NORCAT)
Kirk Petroski is the president and founder of Symboticware Inc.
In 1993, he began in the mining industry as a field Technician for Falconbridge Exploration in Timmins. In 1999, he moved to Sudbury to complete an MBA and in 2001, extended his business network to provide technical and development services for
the mining supply and services sector. In 2008, he founded Symboticware and they now have six full‐time employees and five part‐time employees. The key product
is the SymBot, a hardware software platform black box that can be used in mines to move critical information to surface. The product is designed to be robust to work in harsh underground as well as northern climates. In the external environment, the
SymBot can play a remote sensing role for climate monitoring. A current installation on Baffin Island is monitoring 21 different climate variables such as temperature, humidity and barometric pressure and transmitting data via satellite. The company’s key customers are Xstrata and Vale but they also have three other mining companies in Sudbury that use the SymBot.

Company of the Year Award – WAT Supplies Wallace Gillard
(Sponsored by NOB/Northern Life)
WAT Supplies is one of Northern Ontario’s premier suppliers of janitorial supplies and equipment. The business, which opened in 1989, has grown from a small home‐based business into an extensive operation that employs 160 individuals.
The company’s president, Wallace Gillard and his wife Janice Gillard, have played key roles in shaping the company and its culture. The company has seen expansive growth over the last year and is ever closer to attaining their goal of being the best supplier in their industry in Northern Ontario. WAT Supplies and its sister company Titan Building Services are located in the West End of Sudbury. Current operations are at
1130 Webbwood Drive where the company has been since 1999.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award – Tulloch Engineering / Mark Tulloch (Sponsored by BMO Bank of Montreal)
Tulloch Engineering was founded in 1991 in Sault Ste. Marie by Mike Tulloch.
In 1996, the company started doing consulting work for the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and by 2006 the MTO was still their main client making up 85% of Tulloch contracts. To combat this, in 2008 the company segmented departments into geomatics engineering, mapping, environmental engineering, civil engineering, and contracting administration to grow clientele. They now have five locations (Sudbury,
Thessalon, Parry Sound, Huntsville, and Ottawa). The company now has 118 employees dealing with mapping, civil design, overseeing construction, as well as multi‐year
projects like overseeing the design and construction of wind farms.

Small Enterprise – Lynn’s Place / Lynn Mazzuca
(Sponsored by Regional Business Centre)
Lynn Mazzuca is the owner/operator of Lynn’s Place located in Capreol.
Lynn’s positive personality and attention to customer satisfaction has helped build a base of customers across the north and she has repeat customers from North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie. Lynn offers a large selection of women’s attire from casual clothing to shoes to bridesmaid dresses, although the focus of the store is to offer value to women from 20 years old and up.

Chair’s Award – Maslack Supply Limited /John Maslack
(Sponsored by the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation)
Maslack Supply opened on Barrydowne Road in 1959.
In 1974, they opened Nordic Engine and Machine, which specializes in engine rebuilds and driveline service. Building on the success of these two ventures, they opened Nordic Bearings in 1979 to provide hydraulic services including hydraulic hose
systems and power transmissions to the industrial sector. In 1980, Maslack Supply opened a location on Regent St. to service the south end of the City. Expansion continued when
Valley East Auto was opened in 1985 in Val Caron and Maslack Supply in Chelmsford in 1986. They then extended out into Northern Ontario when they opened a Maslack Supply and Nordic Bearings branch in Timmins in 1995.
In 2001, Maslack Supply became a member of Auto Value / Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance, one of the largest automotive parts distributor and marketing organizations in the world. Maslack Supply strives to provide their customers with the tools and service needed to operate in a more technological industry and has a technical training center where they train many industries, businesses, and their staff.

Approved resolutions become official policy of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

The GSCC presented two resolutions; Fixing the WSIB and Rules Governing Municipal Councillors Running for Higher Office. While the resolution regarding WSIB was unanimously approved, the resolution regarding municipal councillors was not supported by the network.

The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce was the recipient of two prestigious awards at the Chair’s Dinner. Debbi Nicholson, President and CEO of the Chamber and Mark Weiman, Chamber Chair accepted both the Chair’s Award and the Advocacy Award.

The chamber received the Chair’s Award for the successful event Greater Sudbury Today and Tomorrow. The event brought together leading minds in the mining, innovation and post-secondary sectors. The Chair’s Award celebrates the extraordinary efforts within the Chamber/Board network. This award recognizes excellence in operations, member services and community leadership.

Additionally, the chamber was acknowledged with the Advocacy Award for their efforts to reduce municipal red tape. For two years the chamber has been working with city staff to address unnecessary bureaucracy at city hall. Recently, the chamber presented their final report to city council acknowledging work that has been completed and highlighting improvements that need to be addressed. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce created the Advocacy Award to recognize the extraordinary policy-related efforts within the Chamber/Board network.

Discussions included the Provincial Budget, the Northern Ontario Growth Plan, electricity prices and skilled labour.

Read the minutes from the meeting.

The Canadian Chamber believes it can be on the forefront of connecting stakeholders who are impacted by Canada’s skilled labour shortage. In an effort to hear your concerns we encourage you to fill out the surveys that are sent by the CCC as they relate to the skills crisis.

Survey  #1: Focuses on issues relative to post-secondary education

Survey #2:  Focuses on issues relative to life-long learning

Survey #3:  Focuses on issues relative to older workers and persons with disabilities

Future surveys will focus on a variety of issues related to Canada’s skills challenges. The surveys will remain open until the end of June. For more information on Canada’s skills crisis click here.

For a list on the top 10 barriers to Canadian competitiveness and access to articles and information please visit chambertop10.ca.