Business operators shine at awards ceremony

The Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce Business Awards of Excellence were presented on Thursday in recognition of outstanding accomplishments. The 30th annual event took place at the Wasaya Hangar, and among the winners this year, Mayor Ken Boshcoff was presented with the Charles J. Carter Lifetime Business Achievement Award. The accolade acknowledges Boshcoff's outstanding achievement in business excellence, leadership, and community service. He began Boshcoff Insurance Services with his brother and eventually sold it to one of Canada's largest Insurance companies. Boshcoff represented Thunder Bay twice as a member of Parliament, served six terms as a city councillor and now serves his third term as mayor. "I really am inspired by the recognition," he said. "It feels good to be appreciated. This will be helpful with my outreach with both our First Nation and neighbouring communities." Ray Jarvinen, a co-owner and founder of ITEC 2000, was awarded the Business Person of the Year accolade. "This means a lot for myself, but more for our team," Jarvinen said. "In this community, receiving an award like this. It provides inspiration for others to grow their businesses." ITEC 2000 is an acronym for the Intola Township Equipment Company, which Jarvinen bought into in late 1999. By 2003, he acquired the ITEC 2000 name and continued to operate and grow the company with six co-owners, including his wife, Kyla. The company is a key supplier of heavy equipment for Northern Ontario for mining, construction and forestry industries, along with play equipment, as well as parts and services to support these industries. "We've recently expanded to the Timmins region and we're looking to grow in that area to further cover Northern Ontario," he said. "We're continuing to expand in Thunder Bay and we're actively looking at new properties to increase their warehousing." Jarvinen and his team were also recognized with the New Business Excellence award for their sister company, Final Drives Canada. The wholesale company distributes components from Thunder Bay to the rest of Canada, supporting more than 15,000 makes and models of equipment with products from Europe, South Korea and Japan. Jarvinen and his team are renowned for their community work which includes sponsorships for the Thunder Bay Speedway racetrack, sporting events, Rotary clubs, Country on the Bay, golf tournaments and St. Joseph's Care Group. "We have been really big on supporting awareness for men's mental health," he said, adding they're opening up that conversation with different ways of support such as an upcoming golf tournament. "We feel that we have a duty and a desire to give back to the community." Ahead, Jarvinen will continue working with an East Coast consulting firm to help logging customers improve their processes to improve efficiency, productivity and profitability in the industry. Recipients of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce 30th annual Business Excellence Awards are: • Charles J. Carter Lifetime Business Achievement, Ken Boshcoff. • Honorary Membership, Nathan Lawrence. • Large Business Excellence, Newmont Musselwhite Mine. • Medium Business Excellence, Jones Insurance. • Small Business Excellence, Carol's Cakes. • Business Person of the Year, Ray Jarvinen, ITEC 2000. • Clean, Green & Beautiful, Confederation College. • Customer Service, Salt and Pepper Catering. • Game Changer, Waasigan Transmission Line, Hydro One Networks Inc. • Looking Good, Thunder Bay Co-Op Farm Supplies. • New Business Excellence, Final Drives Canada. • Not For Profit Excellence, St. Andrew's Dew Drop Inn. • Quality of Life, Impala Canada. • Young Entrepreneur, Cashen Tighe, Boreal Tree Service Inc.

Sandi Krasowski, Local Journalism Initiative reporter, The Chronicle-Journal