CLARENVILLE, N.L. — Seven local business leaders were honoured last night, March 5, at the Clarenville and Area Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting and awards.
This year’s Small Business of the Year Award went to Craig’s Locksmithing and Autoglass, owned by Craig Haines. From a home based, part-time business in 1991, Haines has grown his enterprise a full-time locksmithing and auto glass repair business, complimented with 180 self-storage units.
The Business of the Year Award went to local law firm Mills, Pittman and Twyne. From its incorporation in 1972 by the late Corwin Mills as a one-man operation, the firm now has a staff of 18, including five lawyers. Gregory Pittman, Q.C. joined the firm as an associate in 1992 and Joseph Twyne joined the firm in 2004 and became a partner in 2013. Both were on hand to accept the award.
The Corwin Mills Community Cares Award went to Power to Hope. Power to Hope’s story began in 2013, when a group of friends in Clarenville registered to run the Bluenose Marathon. Inspired by a close friend’s battle with illness, they registered as a team to raise funds to fight Leukemia and Lymphoma.
Since then Power to Hope annually hosts two successful fundraisers: Power to Hope 5K run in Clarenville and Power to Hope Christmas Dinner and Dance.
Since 2013, Power to Hope has raised over $300,000 for cancer-related causes.
In 2016 they were the recognized with the Outstanding Philanthropist Award at the Newfoundland and Labrador Spirit of Philanthropy Awards.
Each year the Chamber of Commerce also inducts local business leaders into their hall of fame.
This year Ern and Kay Warren, local representatives of Steers Insurance, were honoured for their years in business. Both were working other jobs — Ern a mathematics instructor at the vocational school in Clarenville and Kay at a local bank — when they began selling insurance part-time, in 1974.
Today they operate one of the largest insurance agency offices in the region, employing five people at their Clarenville office.
along with Stanley Fleming, who owned and operated the Handy Andy Store in Clarenville for 38 years, until his retirement in 2005.
Watch next week’s print edition of The Packet for more about the award winners.