Terry McNamee
Special to the Beaver
Four women were honoured for their entrepreneurial skills last Thursday during the Women With Momentum Awards Banquet at the Strathcona Paper Centre Banquet Hall in Napanee. Each of the awards included certificates, an inscribed framed plate and a $500 cash prize. The event was organized by Tiffany Lloyd from the DownTown Greater Napanee BIA, Megan Sands of the Napanee and District Chamber of Commerce, local businesswoman Lisa Revell and moderator Lisa Ray Koenig.
Ellen Johnson of Sand N Sea was named the Touch of Wellness Entrepreneur of the Year, awarded to a woman who has owned or co-owned a business for a minimum of three years, contributed to economic growth and job creation and has overcome obstacles to make her business successful. The award was accepted on her behalf by employee Vicky Blacklock.
Johnson has owned Sand N Sea for over a decade and has continued to expand her successful business, which provides travel wear and more in a boutique atmosphere.
The PELA CFDC Tried and Thrived Entrepreneur of the Year Award is given to a woman who has overcome mistakes and obstacles using ingenuity and creativity to make her business successful. The winner was Lisa Revell, who began with a women’s wear shop that did not do well due to the location. Instead of moving, she closed that shop and and replaced it with a sub shop. That has evolved into the very successful Keto Bakery which sells donuts and other baked goods based on the keto diet.
“As women, we run up against challenges all the time, and we have to overcome them,” Revell said.
Nora Ayling, despite being only 15 years old, received the Wilkinson & Co. One To Watch Award, which is for women aged 15 to 25 who shows leadership and who impacts and inspires others in her community.
“I was not expecting to win this tonight,” Nora said, but added that she really enjoys helping other people. In addition to attending school, she has two jobs where she is often asked to step into roles of responsibility such as organizing or leading events, and has been complimented many times for her customer service.
Pamela McCracken was awarded the Rotary Club of Napanee Community Trailblazer Award for all of her work with such projects as Communities in Bloom and the fundraising and planning for the twin ice pad at the Strathcona Paper Centre. The award was accepted on her behalf by Greater Napanee mayor Marg Isbester. The mayor noted that McCracken is one of the original members of 100 Women Who Care and has been involved with community sports, as well as encouraging women to find jobs in traditionally male-dominated occupations.
“Pam will not take the money, and would like to give it back to the Rotary Club,” Isbester said.
The evening included guest speakers Pam Fountas, a coach in wellness, personal development and business, and Lori MacDonald, whose wide-ranging career in corrections and government has led to her current post as senior associate deputy minister of employment and social development Canada and chief operating officer of Service Canada. Both stressed the need for women to use compassion in their dealings with others, to use networking to help themselves and other women and to see themselves as they really are, not as what someone else wants them to be.