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Table of ContentsPresident’s Letter ...................................................................... 3The Chamber of Commerce Through Time ......................... 4Tourism Excellence ................................................................... 9Environmental Impact ............................................................11Diversity & Inclusion ...............................................................13Small Business ........................................................................ 14Large Business ..........................................................................17Community Impact ................................................................. 20Economic Impact .................................................................... 23Above & Beyond...................................................................... 26Entrepreneur of the Year ...................................................... 28Citizen of the Year .................................................................. 30Lifetime Achievement ............................................................ 33Honourable Mentions ............................................................ 38Last Look ...................................................................................40

There are lots of juicy events in Cornwall, Akwesasne, and SDG.

Take your pick.

—3

Letter from the President Twenty-twenty marked the 130th anniversary of the Cornwall and Area Chamber of Commerce, a true testament to our resiliency and purpose in this community. It was also the year that marked a new beginning for our organization. We launched into the new decade with a view to provide value, guidance, and ad-vocacy for our membership and the business community as a whole. With this in mind, we welcomed a new Executive Director, Greg Pietersma, who brought an abundance of experience, clear vision, and unparalleled passion for our community’s growth. Executive Assistant Shannon Tierney joined us to organize, plan and execute this fresh vision of growth and prosperity. Equipped with experience, knowl-edge, positive energy, and a Board of talented and dedicated Directors, the Chamber was primed to pivot the busi-ness model and take the organization to a new level of service.As we all learned, 2020 had plans of its own: the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a halt and presented difficult challenges for our businesses and the entire communi-ty. That’s precisely when the Cornwall and Area Chamber of Commerce came alive. Our team worked together and with generous partners to support busi-nesses and find solutions to keep them all open—members and non-members alike. From working with local health and government officials to generating innovative tools and resources, the Chamber acted as a support, leader, and advocate for businesses.The year 2020 has proven how vital it is to have an organization like ours to drive the business community forward—particularly through difficult times. The Chamber continues to maintain Cornwall and neighbouring communities as a growing and thriving places to live and work—and I am honoured to be a part of that network. I would like to thank everyone who supported and collab-orated with us to make it through an unprecedented time.We are excited to introduce the very first BEA+ where we can share the sto-ries of our resilient business owners and operators in a way we’ve never done before. The BEA+ will serve as a record of our hardworking community’s de-termination, dedication, and successes and we hope that you, dear reader, will widely share these positive stories. They will undoubtedly reveal why these business people deserve to be recognized for their efforts. We hope you enjoy the very first edition, and can’t wait to see what stories you will all put in motion in 2021.

Warmly,Shannon LebrunPresident, Cornwall & Area Chamber of Commerce

Reach Us

(613) 933-4004

[email protected]

cornwallchamber.com

BEA+ is proudly produced by

The Cornwall and Area Chamber of Commerce

Content Director

Big Catch Communications

Contributing writers

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— 4 B E A + M A G A Z I N E • SUMMER 2021

Bolstering Business

Since 1890

1890 On April 30, a group of 10 men form the Cornwall Board of Trade. During the meeting, roles are defined, and local dry goods merchant John McIntyre is named President. Attendees also ordered the designation of an office (the workplace of member J.T. Kirkpatrick), furniture, stationery supplies, and 200 printed cop-ies of their by-laws. In 1906, on the invite of Mayo W.B. Cavanagh, the Board used Town Council Chambers for meetings until they moved to the Hotel Cornwallis in 1928. After a few more moves, the Chamber is now at the centre of the action at 14 Second Street West.

Early

1900s The Cornwall Board of Trade plays a key role helping establish the city. Efforts include awarding citizens for “best-kept premises” in 1906, holding a Cornwall Business Fair in 1908, roads and highways (1929), the planking of the bridge for automobile travel to Massena (1932) and supporting the devel-opment of a radio station (opened in 1945).

1961The Cornwall Board of Trade meets with the Cornwall Tourist and Convention Association to develop joint tourism projects. Some unique ventures launch: the 1969 Seaway Bathtub Derby and Dance, the 1980 Tour Train— which transports tour-ists around the city to see historic buildings and businesses —and in the early 1990s, the painting of the city’s first murals.

The Cornwall Board of Trade takes on a new identity: The Chamber of Commerce. The new name sparks a period of great progress for the organization: They hold their inaugural Chamber Gala and give the first Citizen of the Year to Father Rudolph Villeneuve. They also sponsor a 15-week small business management course at the newly opened St. Lawrence College, and meet with international business leaders to develop new partnerships.

1976Terri Lalonde makes history as the Chamber’s first female First Female Manager. At the time, she was also a United Way director, and a member of the Executive Committee of Cornwall. Terri went on to serve as city councillor for four terms, between 1983 and 1994.

1969-1970

As one of the oldest business organizations in Ontario, our local Chamber now represents and advocates for more than 500 businesses in Cornwall, Akwesasne, and the SDG Counties. Here are some of the noteworthy moments throughout our 131 years of servicing the community.


1985Chamber votes to break financial ties with the City of Cornwall and establish its independence. Both parties agree to continue working together for the benefit of the community.

1989The Chamber broadens the focus of the regular gala and introduces the Business Excellence Awards. Local business owners are fêted for their unique contributions to the city and local economy.

1997At a Chamber Economic Renewal Meeting, members launch Team Cornwall, a marketing machine powered by local businesspeople who leverage their networks and act as ambassadors for the city. The end goal? To fuel the growth of economic development opportunities.

2000The Chamber sets out the initial framework for a community im-provement program which comes to be known as Heart of the City. The much-needed initiative fosters a wave of revitalization projects in Cornwall’s traditional commercial areas including the downtown core and Le Village. To date, more than 250 Heart of the City projects have been completed with nearly $80 million of investment.

2017Close to 90 members of the CoC, Akwesasne Chamber of Commerce and Greater Massena Chamber of Commerce come together for a historic meet-and-greet and pledge to work together to strengthen the voice of business in the region. Less than six months later, the three organizations sign a historic MOU—the first of its kind to be signed between Canadian, First Nation, and American Chambers. The initiative is recognized with a Cross Border Collaboration Award by the Economic Developers Council of Ontario.

2020The pandemic hits business hard just as the organization reimag-ines its mandate to provide better value, advocacy, and assistance to its members. The Chamber jumps on arranging service and information coordination related to all available grants and financial relief. It also launches a free business directory (shopcorn-wallandarea.ca) to bolster support for hometown businesses and doggedly advocates for policies and pandemic-related rules that better help businesses in need in the area.

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With the right approach, lots of drive, and a community behind you, anything is possible.

Above Par

CC arol Ann Baxter had big plans for 2020. After two decades of owning Archie’s, arguably

Cornwall’s most popular gathering place, she had lined up 20 special events and initiatives to celebrate this milestone with the community. It was her way of thanking everyone who had supported her and her business.Two days before her scheduled opening date, the government declared a state of emergency and ordered all busi-nesses—including Archie’s—to close. At first, Carol Ann’s mind immediately raced with thoughts of the impact on her employees, defaulting on her own loans, possible bankruptcy, and losing her lifeline of golf. But it wasn’t long before she jumped in with her golf family to identify solutions that would bring the game online once again. “We had to let the government know that opening up was something we could do—and we could do so safely,” says Carol Ann, who is the Executive Director of the PGA of Canada—Ot-

tawa and a member of We Are Golf (WAG), a coalition of the sport’s lead-ing organizations. With Carol Ann at the table, WAG developed and pre-sented to the government a stringent and comprehensive series of protocols to provide the safest reopening for Ontario’s golf industry.When word came that golf courses were allowed to operate once again, Carol Ann was ready with a fairway’s worth of positive energy, new traffic flows, more staff to sanitize play areas, systems to avoid personal contact be-tween players, and a refreshed mini-putt course too. For all of her and her staff’s efforts that season, playership rose by 25% and revenue grew more than 30% overall.“It was really heartwarming to know that people trusted us with their safety and supported us through what could have been really tough times,” she says. “I was quickly reminded that our success comes from the embrace of our community. For that, I’m grateful.”

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WWith a limited lifespan of just over 10 years for our local landfill, the City of Cornwall,

its residents, and local organizations have banded together to identify, im-plement, and encourage better waste diversion tactics: lower bag limits, a fREe Store, the recycling program, com-posting, free mulch, and so on. One local business has taken up the task too: The Local Fill, co-owned by Julie and Jason Dennis. Since 2019, the waste-free boutique at 1515 Pitt Street has helped keep more than 20,000 plastic bottles out of the landfill and aims to help local residents live more sustainably. Julie, the frontwoman for the venture, has a vision to increase environmental consciousness in the community and she uses the store—and her voice—to manifest it. The shelves are stocked with everything from bulk shampoos and conditioners to edible items to food storage systems to cleaning supplies. And her social media posts are always centred around offering

helpful tips on making better, plan-et-friendly, and plastic-free choices. “What I wanted to create was a place with everything you need from the time you wake up in the morning to the time you go to bed,” says Julie. The couple started the store to bring this type of waste-free shopping to Cornwall after spending years driving to and from Ottawa to restock their own sustainable supplies. To Julie, that felt counterproductive. But the biggest source of motivation came from their two kids, Lydia, 16, and Max, 14. “I wanted to assure and secure a viable future for them and to show them that taking action, no matter how big or small, is impactful,” she adds. “Some people choose to lobby, some to start groups. I decided to give families a place where they can reduce their single-use plastic consumption by refilling instead.”Happy people, happy planet. Fill ’er up.

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A family-fun business brings happiness to everyone in the community.

Full of Popportunity

IIf you don’t already know the story behind the Happy Popcorn Co., know this: It’ll make you melt like butter.

When the doors first opened at a small new specialty popcorn and classic candy shop on First Street in downtown Corn-wall in December 2019, the crowds went wild! They could barely keep up with the demand. That’s when owners Kirstin Davey and Bill Hallman knew they had hit the sweet spot of collective super snackers and candy lovers in the city. By the summer of 2020—in the throes of the pandemic—, they moved to a bigger space right around the corner on Pitt Street and expanded their selection of goodies. But their success was measured by more than just sales.“We started the Happy Popcorn Co. for our son Jack, who is on the autism spec-trum,” says Kristin. “The future is very unclear for him. He’s capable of doing lots of things, he just needs a place and people to help foster that.”“(I like) working and scooping up pop-corn,” says 11-year-old Jack who often has little sister Delilah join him behind the counter. “I want to get the money for some toys and Legos.”Bill, a well-known morning show radio personality for Corus Entertainment, explained that he and Kristin wanted to hire people with recognized disabilities to show Jack—and the whole commu-

nity—that they are willing and able to work. In addition to Jack, four of five employees at the shop have recognized disabilities.“The world is too fast…you have to find the patience,” says Bill. “We want to show that you can have a successful business, do the things you want to do in a timely manner, and have all kinds of people thrive.”Kristin explained that accommodating abilities and managing expectations are key. She says repetition of tasks is one example; another would be tasking others to fetch stock from the basement when a worker with a physical disability isn’t able to. At the heart of the business is family and Bill feels their products have fostered a way for local families to bond during this uncomfortable period in time. “What better way to pass the time together than with candies, popcorn, soda…comfort food,” he says. “We cater to the community and what they want from our shop (products) and it has real-ly worked out.”With business popping, the Hallmans are once again moving into a bigger space.“We love Cornwall, we love being down-town…we just want to be a part of that,” says Bill. “We feel so fortunate to do what we are doing. No one walks away from this store with a frown.”

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A resilient local company proved it was ready to sidestep supply chain challenges.

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IIt was impossible for anyone to foresee a pandemic, let alone the massive disruptions and short-

ages in all sectors—including food. And yet, the food supply chain, one of the most important sectors of the economy, was impacted from field to consumer.One local company took the disrup-tion in stride. ZipGrow, the vertical farming technology company, was already resilient, ready, and respon-sive. Though they experienced a few delayed orders from customers, over-all, 2020 was a year of growth for the Cornwall-based, globally-recognized company.To wit, in 2020, ZipGrow:• Increased its workforce from 9 to 15.• Bought a new 18,000-square-foot

facility at the corner of Cumberland and 7th Street which gave them the capacity to consolidate three rental units into one, hold more inventory, distribute products more quickly to customers, and to establish a full R&D lab.

• Supplied equipment to the first-ev-er vertical farms in the Middle East (Oman, Bahrain, Dubai, and Egypt).

• Drove more deeply into the Canadi-an market including a large sale of three 5,000-square-foot farms to Local Leaf Farms (Barrie, Kingston, and one more yet-to-be-announced location).

• Was approved for a joint venture with Kemptville Community Col-lege whereby they will build some educational facilities for controlled environment agriculture (CEA).

• Increased its product offering to include a Commercial Growing package which sets up customers to produce up to 100 pounds of leafy green or herb per week.

To put this growth in context, you must first understand ZipGrow’s tech-nology.First, ZipGrow is the only truly vertical farming system on the market with lightweight, modular towers that can grow high-density produce. (Most other “vertical farming” companies in fact use horizontal trays on shelves.)

Growers using ZipGrow Towers are able to double or even triple the tra-ditional and horizontal production thanks to easy planting, a special growing medium, and top-down irri-gation. One five-foot tower can pro-duce 10-12 lettuce-sized plants while an eight-foot tower can produce 16-20. As cool as that sounds, for company President Eric Lang—who by the way, was born and bred in a traditional farming family—vertical farming isn’t about high yields in small space only.“This is about disrupting the concept of growing all the vegetables and fruits we consume in places like Ari-zona and California where they are es-sentially watering the desert,” he says. “We’re breaking down the old distri-bution models, which are flawed, and bringing the food producer back into local areas.”Eric knows that the future is all about more centralized food systems and that ZipGrow is positioned to lead the way. The company is fielding calls from grocery store chains who want to sell hyperlocal products, instead of relying on the distribution chain.“They want to sell fresh produce. We sell equipment to grow that produce. We just need to find the farmer,” he says. They’ve started looking to fill that gap.In 2020, they formed a three-way partnership with a Switzerland-based ZipGrow farmer and national grocery store chain. In their long term, says Eric, “We want to provide our farmers with more than the equipment. We want to guarantee them sales too.”With plans and preparedness to meet the needs of a passionate local fresh food movement, ZipGrow is without a doubt cultivating the future.

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TT here’s an old saying: “If you bought it, a truck brought it.” It’s a slight exaggeration of

course, but not by much. According to the Canadian Trucking Alliance, trucks transport 90 percent of all consumer goods and food in Canada. In other words, without trucking, the wheels of commerce would come off the axle. Yves Poirier, President of Minimax Express Ltd., takes great pride in the essential role his trucking company has played in moving goods over the last 30 years—not to mention during the pandemic. “We’re a vital part of the supply chain,” he says. “With the amount of food and products we truck year over year, warehouses and shelves would be a little emptier without us around.” Minimax provides next-day less-than-load (LTL) freight transportation services across Ontario and Quebec. According to Yves, their typical ship-ments sit anywhere between one and five palettes, and can be made up of any number of goods like clothing, shampoo, paper, machinery, tires, paint, food, gym equipment, and so on.“It’s a little bit of everything, really,” he explains. “Most of it will end up in retail stores, pharmacies and grocery stores.”Yves’ father, Paul, founded the com-pany in 1991, offering LTL service be-tween Cornwall, Toronto, and Montre-

al and it has since trucked on with solid and steady growth. Yves says their stra-tegic location on Boundary Road is everything. “We’re close to the 401 and we can take a truck to Toronto and back on the same day. That’s a really big market in Cana-da,” he says. “I have to add that we’ve definitely also benefited from Cornwall be-coming a logistics centre.” To meet demand, Minimax has swelled to a workforce of 250 that includes drivers, freight handlers, maintenance people, and office staff. They operate 125 trucks and 200 trailers that travel between their service centres in Cornwall, Ottawa, Belleville, Kitchener, Toronto, Drummondville, and their 1,000+ client list includes big, recognizable names like Shoppers Drug Mart, Colgate, and Scotts Miracle-Gro. That all sounds fantastic but let’s translate those figures into real terms: Minimax moved 500 million pounds of goods in 2020 and is on track to move more this year.Working in the industry for three decades, Yves has watched the advent and widespread implementation of track-and-trace technology that allows customers to get real-time data on their parcels. Putting that aside, Yves says the service Minimax provides has pretty much stayed the same.

“We pick up freight and deliver it without breaking it or losing it,” he says mat-ter-of-factly.He equates the success of the company to “consistently do-ing the job right, and having the right people in place.” “Trucks, trailers, technology, and buildings—those things aren’t what makes a good company. It’s the people. I of-ten say we are the best team in trucking and I really mean it,” he says. “At the start of the pandemic when things

were going crazy, our drivers showed up every day. And that meant that we were able to keep serving customers without missing a beat.”Yves credits his father for instilling a company culture that really values its employees. When asked to look back at what made him most proud in the past year, it wasn’t the construction of the new 11,000-square-foot service centre in Belleville or the launch of MX Direct, a new division for same-day parcel delivery. No, he quickly pointed to his corporate family. “I think we’ve created a place where we not only offer a service to our customers but also give work to 250 people with the opportunity to grow and raise their families. We respect our employees and they respect us. That’s satisfying for sure.”

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TT here’s a palpable synergy be-tween Lesley Thompson and Martha Woods. This bond

comes from years of working quietly yet effectively to tackle some of the re-gion’s biggest challenges, weathering personal and pandemic storms togeth-er, and nurturing a friendship with the tenderness only found in a sisterhood. Lesley, as Executive Director of ACC Futures (previously the Cornwall and the Counties Community Future De-velopment Corporation), and Martha, as Executive Director of the Eastern Ontario Training Board (EOTB), share a growth vision for our region. To turn this into reality, they nurture relation-ships, pull in strategic partners, se-cure funding, and lean on their strong teams. And they use a compelling mix of intelligence, passion, and grit to power the programs they put in place. But truly, it’s their leadership skills that define their successes.“I think we very much lead in the same way,” says Lesley, 32. “We trust and empower.”That approach, shared by Martha, 46, had led to admirable loyalty from teams in both organizations during some of the most trying times. In 2020, both ACC Futures and the ETOB had plans and programs in place to continue driving economic development and filling labour force needs, respectively. The arrival of COVID-19 on Canadian soil stopped everyone in their tracks—but these two organizations didn’t miss a beat. Instead, they went into overdrive.For its part, ACC Futures delivered almost $700,000 of relief funding to business owners during the first lockdown—before any government assistance was available. Then, they disbursed almost $1.5 million in loans as part of the federal government’s Regional Relief and Recovery Fund. Meanwhile, they ramped up their Technology Innovation Program, an initiative launched right before the pandemic hit. Though it was in-tended to help 15 local businesses, 45 organizations were ultimately able to increase their resiliency with digital tools like e-commerce sites, new web-sites, social media strategies, and so on. And on top of everything else, ACC

completed an entire branding strate-gy for the organization and a strategic plan for ACC Pathways (formerly the Cross Border Partnership Program).“I think we showed up in a big way for the community,” Lesley says. “Honest-ly, I don’t know where my team got the energy. Our board’s support on this was big too. Because we have a good team with so much trust in one anoth-er, we got through it.”“I’d have to say the same,” Martha adds. “This drive and passion for com-munity isn’t just in me. It’s in everyone in my staff. I know that 100 percent. From a professional standpoint, that’s what makes this work so gratifying.”Some of the EOTB’s biggest wins in recent years came during the pan-demic too. They met their targets for all seven of their training programs, even if that meant pivoting in-person learning to virtual classrooms, and refocusing offerings to match the new pandemic world. (For example, offer-ing grocery store clerk training when the need presented itself.) In the same year, they opened up their Newcomer Employment Welcome Services Centre to attract, integrate, employ, and settle to new arrivals in our region. And by taking the big picture into account, they also started developing a major attainable hous-ing project.“We know that there are many steps to filling a workforce development gap. We’re looking at this project as a way to attract newcomers,” Martha ex-plains. “But at the same time, we can help people interested in the trades by giving them a skillset to build the house for those very newcomers. That’s some good momentum, I’d say.”Looking ahead at the future, neither of the women plan on slowing down the pace of progress.“There’s so much growth our commu-nities can handle,” says Martha. “Our job is to identify what that growth can look like and put in place the programs and supports to make it happen.”Lesley is quick to add: “The relation-ships that we’ve built—with our part-ners, with our teams, and with each other—that’s what will get us through.”

“I think we very much lead in the same way. We trust and

empower.

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— 24 B E A + M A G A Z I N E • SUMMER 2021

TT here’s nothing simple or easy about what Sigmapoint does. Just ask founder Dan Bergeron.

The electronic manufacturing service (EMS)—ranked one of the Top 5 EMS in Canada—produces 25,000 different types of multi-layer, complex circuit boards used in surveillance drones, high-speed rail inspection cameras, and military communications devic-es. They ship more than 800 units a day to more than 50 countries world-wide and their client list reads like a who’s who in the fields of military and defense, aerospace and space, networking and telecommunications, and so on. Think of names like the Department of National Defence, Flir, Teledyne, Siemens, CAE, GE Power. How did this Cornwall company be-come a player in the industry? Back in 1999, when Dan first founded the firm, the Canadian manufacturing sector was solid. It accounted for 19 percent of the country’s GDP and 1.9 million jobs. But by the turn of the millennium, a decline was in motion. Between 2004 and 2007, manufactur-ers cut 322,000 jobs (one in seven jobs in the sector). What was to blame for the significant shift? In addition to free trade agreements that removed tariffs and other regulatory controls, and an aging population that favoured services over goods, Dan explains that “everybody got on the bandwagon to ‘low-cost geography’ like China.” Almost everybody, that is. Sigmapoint decided to buck the trend and stay home.Instead of looking at offshoring as a competitive strategy, the company

went the way of lean enterprise, a con-cept of efficient manufacturing that grew out of the Toyota Production System in the middle of the 20th cen-tury. The basic idea of ‘lean’ is to cut out ‘waste’ by strictly and continually eliminating the use of inefficient or unnecessary resources. “That’s how we differentiated our-selves.” As the market started to shift again and clients wanted to get products into the hands of their customers more quickly, Sigmapoint was—and still is—well equipped to meet demand.“I firmly believe the world should op-erate on a system where products are built in the places where products are consumed. That eliminates issues with things like time zones, language, cul-ture, or having to send engineers over-seas,” says Dan. “Sigmapoint is very competitive because we can offer less lead time, less waste, and lower prices.” There is no better example of the com-pany’s competitive advantage than what happened when COVID-19 dis-rupted the supply chain. Sigmapoint made national news when CAE came calling with a request to partner in the production of their new 10,000 Air1 Ventilators. The deadline for complet-ing the work? Three months from order to finish. “We hit our targets and we were able to do so for two reasons. One, because of our agility and two, because our team really rallied around the idea of helping COVID patients.”Sigmapoint’s successes and lean methods have not gone unnoticed.

Aside from getting new inquiries from Tier 1 customers (large global manufacturers), they have given tours to Montreal hospital and university administrators who were interested in learning about their lean approach. In early 2020, two lean enterprise ex-perts—Mike Rother, author of Toyota Kata, and Jeff Liker, author of The Toy-ota Way—also visited the firm to study their systems; Liker has included ref-erences to Sigmapoint in the second edition of his book.The company also fills an important role in changing the dynamic of the city.“We’re attracting engineers, PhDs, and professional project managers to work here. Supply chain experts, operation experts, and lean enterprise experts as well. I feel that we’re help-ing position Cornwall as a place that can accommodate a highly skilled workforce.” An investment of $1 million dollars from the federal government this past March will help them keep growing their workforce and boosting its man-ufacturing capacity. Dan is certain that Sigmapoint will keep “building quicker and better, and being flexible to market demand”. Will it be easy? “Absolutely not,” says Dan.“This is a really complicated industry and sometimes I wish I was just sell-ing chickens,” he says, laughing. “But I would be bored just doing one thing. I really enjoy building a culture of lean thinkers.”

“I firmly believe the world should

operate on a system where

products are built in the places

where products are consumed.

Are your recruitment efforts coming up short?

Find out more at

cornwallchamber.com/talent

The answer is just beyond the boundary.

We can show you how to access 25,000 skilled employees.


Solidarity, resiliency, and community.

Meeting Challenges Heart First

A B O V E +

B E YO N D

Citizens of Cornwall, Akwesasne & SDG

Award Sponsor

Cheyenne, Corey & Jackson Beth Cayde


IIt’s no secret: The COVID-19 pandemic has without a doubt disrupted the regular course of

life for residents, businesses, and or-ganizations in Cornwall, Akwesasne and the SDG Counties. The workings of our world changed forever in 2020.But what hasn’t changed is how peo-ple in our region react in the face of difficulty. Sure, there are no large, in-person ga-las to double as fundraisers. There are no crowds gathering in the baseball stands, no people lining the streets for parades, no outdoor festivals to bring everyone together. But COVID-19 can’t break our commu-nities. Generosity and kindness per-sist here—even if it has to be six feet apart, online, or drive-through style. We saw it in our leaders who quickly got behind ideas like opening up side-walks and parking lots for outdoor dining, setting up pop-up pods, and providing new amenities in outdoor spaces. We saw it with every army of volunteers that led food drives and circled around the Civic Complex to put together emergency food ham-pers. We saw it in the local grocery stores who started offering delivery to serve the less mobile and vulnerable and with restaurants who generously banded together to support fund-raisers like Rib Fest. We saw it in the countless service groups who donated PPE to regional healthcare workers. We even saw it chalked in sidewalk messages around the city. Our people have persevered. Though we can’t possibly highlight every per-son who has done a good deed and contributed to our region’s resiliency, we highlight the following for their inspirational efforts.

/All Together NowUnder a blazing sun in June 2020, hundreds of people—all masked and socially distanced—stood behind Beth Brown and Annissa Mohamed at the start of the Black Lives Matter march in Cornwall. For most of the crowd, the two-and-a-half-hour demonstration was a

show of unity against police brutality, systemic racism, and the deaths of American George Floyd and Canadian Regis Korchinski-Paquet. But for event organizers Beth and Anissa, now 19 and 23 respectively, it was also an act to honour themselves and their children. “I was a new mom of my little boy and I was scared about what my son would experience growing up with a black mother and being mixed race himself,” says Beth. “The protest was a very personal thing.”Anissa says she shared the same con-cerns, admitting she was bullied for her curly hair and called racial slurs growing up. “Eventually, frustration just built up in-side...and this was the only way me and Beth knew how to speak up about it.”The two young women who mobilized solidarity in the city to protest racial injustices agree about their favourite part of the day: when two demon-strations came together as one. It was the moment when the International March for Peace and Justice, led by Mohawk people coming from Akwe-sasne, united with the BLM protest on Pitt Street. Together, they marched to denounce injustice and promote what should be made right in the world.

/Miles of SupportThrough cold, darkness, and cramp-ing muscles, Cayde Lazore pressed on. His mission was to complete four miles (6.4 kilometres) every four hours in 48 hours to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club of Akwesasne.For three years prior to his feat, the 15-year-old high school student had been running between four and nine miles almost every day. In the winter of 2020-21, he finally decided he was ready to attempt the 4x4x48 challenge creat-ed by his idol, ex-Navy SEAL and ultra- marathoner runner David Goggins. Even though mental endurance was his enemy in the last hours of his 12 laps, he says he appreciated external motivation. “I had a lot of people cheering me on, and it really helped me to push through the last two runs.”

At the finish line, his mother Chey-enne Lazore, his grandparents, BGCA Club staff and kids, and many other community supporters cheered his great and generous feat. Cayde had managed to raise $3,701 from the community. Then David Goggins stepped in with an additional $5,000 donation—and a shoutout to the teen on Twitter.When not chasing his Olympic aspira-tions, Cayde enjoys spending time at the Boys and Girls Club of Akwesasne, a place that served him well since he was six years old. Long may he run.

/Iced InOne of Corey Stone’s favourite child-hood memories is sneaking into the club house at King George Park late at night to turn on the lights at the outdoor rink. That’s where he and his buddies would spend countless hours playing hockey, in -30 Celsius tem-peratures, with their sodas chilling in the snow.This past winter, Corey, his son Jack-son, and fiancé Cheyenne Leger got to keep the tradition alive. Only this time, there was no sneaking around required. He and his crew were giving back to the community by maintain-ing the 56-by-80-foot ODR.“I’ve only ever watered a couple of backyard rinks,” says Corey, chuckling. “We used some old-school techniques: shovelled all the edges, right down to the ice, and threw the snow over the boards. It was flat, no lips or curves.”Looking back, he and Cheyenne feel that maintaining the rink was a good way to give families—including their own—a chance to spend time togeth-er outside amid lockdowns. “Every night we were out there,” says Corey, recalling the many times they would dread putting on their heavy winter gear to go into the cold. “We were always sharing some sort of funny story, laughing. I loved being out there with the lights, reliving the glory days.”“I already want to do it again next year.”


For this ambitious cloud-based bookkeeper, it’s not just about the numbers. It’s about the story they tell.

Balancing Acts

ENTREPRENEUR

O F T H E Y E A R

Andrew SeguinSeguin Financial

Award Sponsor


TT he way Andrew Seguin sees it, bookkeeping is storytelling. To most of us, that may sound

like a stretch. Somehow, the 31-year-old founder of Seguin Financial has flipped the script. He’s turned re-cording, classifying, and organizing financial transactions into powerful plotlines that inform business owners on the state of affairs and guide their next moves. “We’re not just here to collect numbers and spit them out in a report,” he says of his three-year-old business. “Num-bers can be overwhelming but we make them relevant. We weave a story around numbers so our clients know where they’re at and what they can do next to keep meeting their goals.”Andrew credits the company’s growth to this holistic approach. In 2018, his first year of business, he worked as a solopreneur out of a tiny office on 3rd Street in Cornwall, offering his cloud-based bookkeeping services to about 12 clients. His positivity and work eth-ic didn’t go unnoticed; in early 2019, he was named Young Professional of the Year at the 31st Annual Business Excellence Awards presented by the Chamber of Commerce. Since then, he has incorporated, hired three full-time employees, bought and moved

into a commercial building on 13th Street, and grown his client list to close to 70. In March 2020, when the pandemic was declared, Andrew mobilized his staff, energy, and resources to help not only his clients but anyone in the community who needed help and ad-vice. In doing so, he became one of the region’s most powerful protagonists. For about an eight-week period, Andrew spent 12 to 14 hours a day in his office scouring the Interwebs, government sites, and news outlets to make sure he was aware of every grant, every loan, every subsidy, every bit of financial support available to business owners. He then passed on the information through free webi-nars, email blasts, and so-cial media posts. He also opened his phone lines and made himself and his staff available to all. Maintaining that har-ried schedule meant that he neglected his usual healthy habits: powerlifting, eating and sleeping well, drinking lots of water, and spend-ing quality time with his partner, Emma.

“That was a difficult time for me and I broke down a few times in those first few months,” he admits. “I wasn’t wor-ried about myself or my firm— I knew we could weather the storm—but I was really concerned about our clients. So I put all my energy into making sure they could get the information and the support they needed.”“Looking back now, I remember how our community and the businesses really rallied to support each other. People struck positive partnerships and built relationships. That’s what gave me the energy to keep going.”In June, when he felt satisfied his clients had regained balance after the initial shutdown shock and the finan-cial hit, Andrew says he finally started

coming up for air. “I was able to slow down and appreciate how all the people we service—home-based businesses, small mom-and-pop shops, even the bigger businesses—trusted us and stood by us. That’s why I do what I do. I want to give business people the right tools so their story can have a happy ending.”

“Looking back now, I remember how our community and the businesses really rallied to support

each other.


Encouraging open conversation, man-to-man, about mental health.

A Man Among Men

C I T I Z E N OF

THE Y E A R

2 0 2 1

Stephen Douris

THE CORNWALL & AREACHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Award Sponsor


II t was nearly 31 years ago when Stephen Douris attempted suicide.“I would have lost 31 years of a

good life,” says the now 72-year-old mental health advocate. “I never dreamed I would be where I am today.”Stephen grew up poor and malnour-ished in downtown Montreal. As a re-sult of his circumstances, he dropped out of high school shortly after his 16th birthday to work so he could afford to eat. He struggled with anxiety about his future wealth and stability, which drove him to take back-to-back shifts running the roads as a truck driver. “I eventually worked myself into a frenzy,” recounts Stephen. At his worst, he was bankrupt, slept in his car, and survived off of 12 cups of cof-fee, Pepsi, one meal and two packages of cigarettes daily.He remembers the life-changing night in 1990 well. Close to death, he saw a vision of his son.“I thought, ‘I can do this to me but I can’t do this to him,’” says Stephen.He proceeded to sit at his kitchen table overnight without moving, afraid he would continue harming himself. He called Mary Alanna — his girlfriend at the time, now wife, in the morning and got the help he needed.Fast forward to 2021. Stephen inspires community members through numer-

ous philanthropic positions: He is a Big with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cornwall and District and the new Chairper-son of Bereaved Families of Ontario–Cornwall. In addition to this, he volunteers with United Way/Centraide of SDG (UWC SDG). Given his past, he is especially passionate about combating statistics that suggest men-tal health disproportionately affects men in our area. “I want (Stephen) to know how much his dedication and relentless com-mitment to the movement of mental health have impacted our community in such a positive way,” says Angele D’Alessio, a Mental Health Promoter with the Canadian Mental Health As-sociation (CMHA).Stephen speaks publicly on behalf of the CMHA, is a member of the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Champlain East, hosts a YourTV show called “Man to Man” and—most notably —started a Cornwall-based group MenTALK/K’hommunique with Ivan Labelle.When Stephen chatted with Ivan at a suicide prevention meeting in 2018, he knew “right then and there there was something we could do for local men.” He felt more understood and less alone.

The pair launched the men’s support group in January 2019 and men trickled into the weekly event at Centre de santé communautaire de l’Estrie at 841 Sydney Street. All was quiet until Stephen broke the ice and shared his story. Before COVID-19 lockdowns, the group’s

twice-weekly meetings would swell to 50+ men. The meetings are currently held online.“Men want action now,” says Stephen. “If I go to the emergency room, unless I tell them I’m suicidal, I’m back on the street. A phone call for a (mental health) appointment could be in 12 to 18 months from now…Ivan and I are not psychologists, we don’t fix people, but we give them a place to vent and share.”Stephen and Ivan’s goal is to establish MenTALK groups across the region.“If Cornwall had just one or two more people like Stephen, every unmet need would find a solution and have the program in place within a year,” says UWC SDG Executive Director Juliette Labossiere. “This kind, funny, and loving individual is saving lives, is an inspiration for others, and does it all because he can, not because he feels he has to, or because he is being paid to do it. He is a true hero on so many levels.”

“I never dreamed I would be

where I am today.

! THANK

YOUFrom Our Family To Yours,

For Your Continued Support!

Family Photo By Spilt Milk Photography Cornwall


L I F E T I M E

AC H I E V E M E N T

André PommierPommier Jewellers

Award Sponsor

The man who sees greatness and potential in his community with great clarity.

A Finer Life


AA s he grew up in Cornwall in the 1960s and 70s in a fam-ily running one of the city’s

legacy businesses, André Pommier watched his parents’ approach to their customers. “All day long, my mom and dad helped people,” he says admiring-ly of Jackie and Georges. “After they came home from work, they turned off the business side but they never, ever turned off their compassion and dedication to the people in this city.”Today, when you cross the threshold of Pommier Jewellers at 6 Second Street East, you undoubtedly see André flashing his trademark smile and moving with ease among his cus-tomers, greeting them each by name, and gently asking about their family. It’s clear he has inherited the warm traditions of a family business that has operated in Cornwall for 84 years.

“We’ve served genera-tions and generations of families and taken part in the biggest moments of their lives: graduations, engagements, marriages, the births of children, 50th wedding anniversaries,” he says. “I think that’s really special.”André bought into the business at age 23 after returning to Cornwall from a five-year stint in Toronto where he studied gold-smithing and worked in the industry. “When my dad gave me the opportu-nity to become a partner, it was the biggest decision of my life,” he says. “But I know now that I made the right one. My family is here. Business is

good and customers are loyal. Life is good.”Happy and settled into a comfortable life with his wife France and daughters Jade and Bianca, André uses his extra energy and influence to support his city in whatever way he can. Through the busi-ness, he has sponsored events and held fundraisers for chari-ties including the Boys & Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Beyond 21, the Cornwall Com-munity Hospital Foundation,

and the Canadian Cancer Society, to name a few. Most notably, every year for the past 20 years, he has personal-ly designed a custom United Way An-gel to raise funds for the non-profit. André estimates that the special cam-paign has raised a total of $100,000.

“I see our business as a vehicle to do

good work, and as a means to

support events and causes.


“I see our business as a vehicle to do good work, and as a means to sup-port events and causes,” he explains, adding that he “feels surrounded by people who do the same, people who volunteer and give their hearts and souls to charities.” André is firm in his belief that people shape the cities they live in. “Where you live doesn’t determine your quality of life. It’s what you con-tribute to your community that mat-ters. I choose to be here so I want to try to make sure that Cornwall is a little better today than it was yesterday.”His approach explains why he invest-ed in a massive two-year renovation of the store and expansion into the adjacent lot, christened Pommier Court. The project, bolstered by Heart of the City funding and completed in 2013, once again raised the profile of

the now 84-year-old business, estab-lished pride of place in the downtown core, and gave the community addi-tional gathering space—indoor and outside. André says he loves it when the Court is filled with musicians and people enjoying a nice night out on the town. He is eager to keep contributing to a vibrant downtown core. Recently, he and France added their support in the form of a $12,000 donation to the fundraising campaign for the future Arts and Culture Centre located a few doors down from their store. “Build it and they will come,” he says. “I can see it now. People will say, ‘Why don’t we go downtown? We can shop a little, get dinner, go to a show at the Arts Centre, and then grab a drink afterwards?’ Last summer was amaz-ing. People were drawn downtown and we need to keep that going.”

With the Art Centre committee working its way through fundraising, design, and development processes, André is already dreaming of the future. He has his sights set on what was once the Domtar lands. “Imagine people kayaking or pad-dleboarding in the summer and ice skating in the winter on the canal. Or sitting in the pavilion by the water-front, hanging out with friends on a beautiful day. Or a superschool where kids can have a sport étude program and access the water, the Benson Cen-tre, and the waterfront trail. I mean, wouldn’t that be amazing?”“Something like that has to happen in my lifetime,” he says stoically. “I’m ready to put money on the table and offer my energy to see it through.”

CHAMBER MEMBERS ARE EVERYWHERE.Join us today.

cornwallchamber.com | [email protected] | 613-933-4004 | 16 Second St. W., Cornwall, ON K6J 1G2

Community Connections and Growth St. Lawrence College gratefully recognizes businesses and organizations in the Cornwall area who have played a role in helping our students become career ready by being a placement partner. Last year, Cornwall organizations and businesses welcomed 608 SLC students to complete 1,066 placements, working together to connect and grow. Placements are an integral part of students’ experiential learning and the value SLC students bring to a placement includes energy, expertise, and enthusiasm. Student placements are part of programs in several fields: • Supply Chain and Logistics • Front-line workers in Health Care: Nursing,

Paramedic, Personal Support Worker • Business and Project Management • Environmental Science • Community Services: Policing, Early

Childhood Education, Social Work • Computer and Game Programming • Skilled Trades

Learn more about hosting an SLC student on placement and connecting with your community college at placementatslc.ca

OPENING DOORS


Kelly BergeronThe experienCity Project

“Kelly has always been there in the past to help the community

and 2020 was no exception. Holiday Sparkle was a great

initiative and was well executed for its first year. We would

like to thank Kelly for quickly putting together this event to lift everyone’s spirits for the holiday season. We can’t wait to see how this event grows and evolves in

the years to come.”

—Kelsey White, Relationship Manager

Business Banking, BMO V ICE - PR ES I DENT, CO R N WA LL A N D

A R E A CH A M B ER O F CO M M ERC E

Rory & Kathy MacLennanSummerheights Golf Links“Summerheights continues to reinvest into their company

and continue to improve the customer experience for local golfers. Rory and Kathy

MacLennan have made Cornwall their home for many years,

and their recent investment of 60 new golf carts proves that

Cornwall is a great place to start and grow a business – for almost

60 years!”

—Lynn Chauvin, ChaucorS ECR E TA RY/ TR E A SU R ER ,

CO R N WA LL A N D A R E A CH A M B ER O F CO M M ERCE

Barbara LeducMrs. B’s Gifts & Home Décor

“When Barbara devised her ‘Bring Your Own Bubble’

initiative, she wanted to share her idea with other small

business owners in Cornwall. Barbara has called Cornwall

her home for many years and is always looking for new ways to provide excellent products and

service to her customers.”

—Shannon Tierney E X ECUTI V E A SS IS TA NT,


Louise Bazinet-GendronStudio 101

“Louise shows a true passion for building a community of small

business owners and promoting shopping local wherever she

sees an opportunity. From Shop The Block BINGO and downtown

promotional videos, Louise doesn’t let challenges like the

pandemic break her spirit – she rallies other businesses around

her to find solutions!”

—Sue-Anne Heitmann, Fairy Sweet

D I R EC TO R , CO R N WA LL A N D A R E A CH A M B ER O F CO M M ERC E

Honourable Mentions

Though the number of Business Excellence Awards is finite, the talent, dedication, and strong spirit found in our communities are not. The Board

of Directors would like to take this opportunity to highlight a few more outstanding individuals and organizations.


Corus Entertainment“Corus Entertainment is woven

into the fabric of Cornwall & area by entertaining and

keeping listeners informed. As the pandemic made it difficult

to hold their local events, it was clear their team was up to the challenge. The 14th annual Corus Caring Hearts Radiothon raised $120,000 for the Cornwall Community Hospital Foundation,

which is just amazing during these unprecedented times.”

—Bill Makinson, YourTVD I R EC TO R , CO R N WA LL A N D A R E A

CH A M B ER O F CO M M ERCE

Scott FinesFines Home Hardware

“Scott Fines is an ambitious entrepreneur in Cornwall. Since Home Hardware’s adoption of the Fines name, the business

has seen growth and expansion, including the move to their new location on Vincent Massey and the lumber yard expansion in Ingleside. I can’t wait to see what’s next! Perhaps a Fine’s

Home Hardware in South Glengarry?”

—Rizwan Mustafa, Sheep’s Head Bistro

D I R EC TO R , CO R N WA LL A N D A R E A CH A M B ER O F CO M M ERCE

Williamstown Fair“Like many events in 2020,

the pandemic prevented the Williamstown Fair from operating

as usual. The team of staff and volunteers came up with a drive-thru format so Canada’s oldest fair could continue for another

year. Ingenuity helped them pull off another successful, fun family

event. We’re grateful to have determined people like this as

part of our community.”

—Bill Kingston, Cornwall Newswatch


YourTV/ Community Matters

“When citizens were asked to stay at home due to the

pandemic, Bill and his team at YourTV ensured Cornwall and its citizens continued to be updated on the happenings in Cornwall.

From Community Matters interviews to broadcasting

the Canada Day celebration, their team has been pivotal throughout 2020 to keep the

citizens of Cornwall connected and informed.”

—Shannon Gareau, Ramada by Wyndham Cornwall

D I R EC TO R , CO R N WA LL A N D A R E A CH A M B ER O F CO M M ERC E

City of CornwallCity Staff and Council

“The City of Cornwall, including staff and council, worked

quickly and diligently to support downtown businesses during

the pandemic. By enacting free parking, curbside pick up, beautifully decorated picnic

tables, and pop-up shops, the downtown was beautiful and

vibrant, but more importantly, was able to safely serve our

customers. Thank you!”

—Kristin Davey, The Happy Popcorn Co.


The Port Lands“We’d like to recognize the Port Lands Project which is

ground-breaking both for its spirit of partnership and for the

monumental benefits it will bring to the region and its communities. Together, the Akwesasne Harbour Development Corporation and the

Cornwall Harbourfront Development Corporation will redevelop the

formerly industrial harbour into a community destination proving to the rest of Canada what is possible

when communities prioritize meaningful engagement.”

—Gina Scandrett, ZipGrowD I R EC TO R , CO R N WA LL A N D A R E A

CH A M B ER O F CO M M ERCE

COVID Assessment Centre“The COVID-19 Assessment

Centre has given Cornwall a fast and easy process for COVID-19 testing. The staff are helpful, well organized, and provide

fantastic professionalism. They were able to take a scary and confusing process and make it manageable and comfortable.

We would like to thank each one of their staff for their hard work and dedication through these

unprecedented times.”

—Shannon Lebrun, Corus Entertainment

PR ES I DENT, CO R N WA LL A N D A R E A CH A M B ER O F CO M M ERCE

Dr. Paul Roumeliotis“Despite the enormous pressure on Dr. Paul, he has always found the time to listen to the concerns

raised by the Chamber. And (where possible) he has made

the necessary changes to make the emergency orders easier to

implement. We would like to thank Dr. Paul for his willingness to listen and work with us to the

best of his ability.”

—Greg PietersmaE X ECUTI V E D I R EC TO R ,


Last LookIn the study of handwriting, or graphology, slanted handwriting indicates

persistence at work, concentration, order, organization, initiative, and decision.

Upon reading the first meeting minutes of the Cornwall Board of Trade— inscribed on April 30, 1890—these very descriptors could easily apply to the founding members. Though the 10 men busied themselves with mundane activities on that particular day—determining a $75 budget for furnishings, agreeing to purchase stationery, and choosing an office space—they were in fact setting a path and securing a 131-year legacy.


MNP.ca

709 Cotton Mill Street, Cornwall, ON | 613.932.3610

When your livelihood depends on the performance of your business, every decision and challenge you face is personal. You deserve an advisor who understands where you’re coming from and how to help you navigate these challenging times.

MNP has developed a comprehensive suite of services to support your ongoing success. We customize these to your unique needs, so you can overcome challenges, explore opportunities, and find your path ahead.

You don’t have to face the future alone. Contact an advisor in our Cornwall office today to learn how MNP can help you find your way forward.

Performance Management Find opportunities to improve cash flow, optimize revenue, and attract new clients. Together we’ll help you regain operational stability.

Corporate Finance Develop messaging you can present to creditors and shareholders highlighting your performance and business continuity plans.

Business Resilience Plan for how you’ll adapt to a shifting economic landscape so you can act quickly and decisively in a wide range of scenarios.

Succession Maximize the value of your transition and exit on your terms with a comprehensive and stepwise plan.

Practical strategies to help you on the path ahead

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S F SEGUIN FINANCIAL