Chamber Business Achievement Awards
Press Release
The Orillia & District Chamber of Commerce (ODCC) will present its annual Business Achievement Awards on February 1, at the Annual Chamber Dinner at Hawk Ridge Golf Club. The awards ceremony will follow the main dinner event. This event is presented in partnership with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and supported by local business sponsors.
Over 60 nominations were received across the Business Achievement Awards program’s 15 categories, which include Small Business of the Year, Innovation, Business Growth, and more. To be eligible for nomination, a business must operate in the ODCC’s catchment area, which includes Orillia, Oro-Medonte, Ramara, Rama, and Severn. Each nominee is required to complete an entry submission to be scored by a panel of judges.
This year’s judging panel included local post-secondary educators, economic development professionals, and community organization representatives, as well as staff from other Ontario chambers of commerce. Judging wrapped up the first week of January and finalists will be contacted within the next two weeks.
The dinner is a tradition that dates back 132 years. It is the ODCC’s biggest networking event of the year and features the passing of the gavel, which is the official welcoming of the incoming chamber president. This year, the ODCC is welcoming Scott Walker as the 2024 president. Scott is a local Investment advisor and financial planner at O’Coin Walker & Associates, BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. and has been an active member of the ODCC board of directors since 2020.
The Honourable Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, will be in attendance and will provide remarks during dinner. The awards portion of the event will be hosted by local radio personality Carey Moran. There will be musical entertainment by harpist Rachel Easson during the cocktail hour, and adding an element of fun to the evening will be a red carpet photo booth.
Tickets to the Annual Dinner and Business Achievement Awards are available online to the public, and anyone who is part of the local business community or is interested in supporting the ODCC’s local business advocacy work is encouraged to attend.
