BELLEVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CELEBRATES 161st PRESIDENT’S DINNER & CORNERSTONE AWARDS

May 8, 2025

BELLEVILLE, ON – For the eighth year in a row, the theme of the evening was Celebrate as the Belleville Chamber of Commerce officially recognized their 161st  President’s Dinner with presenting sponsor OLG along with Elexicon Energy.  Elevation AV transformed the Ramada by Wyndham Windows Ballroom and set the scene for a night of magic and wonder.  The Mingle Meal with delectable food stations was followed by a more formal dessert presentation and enjoyed by over 160 members of Belleville’s business community.

In addition to the recognition of the service of retiring members, the Belleville Chamber of Commerce announced the recipients of the eighth edition of the Cornerstone Awards, featuring the people behind the businesses in our community.

Recognition for their contributions to the Board were retiring members Dale Hoard, MicroAge Technology Solutions, who has now completed his service as Past-President and Jeanette Cyr-Guerreiro, Wilkinson & Company LLP and Susan Rowe, Quinte Health.

The President’s Recognition Award is presented by the outgoing President to someone they believe has gone above and beyond for the Chamber.  This year’s recipient is Mark Kirkpatrick, President & CEO of Loyalist College credited by Chris Auger for his dedicated support of the Board of Directors and Government Affairs committee, which has moved the advocacy efforts of the Belleville Chamber to both provincial and federal recognition within the Chamber Network.  He has also made significant effort to use local suppliers where possible, and convened a public procurement session to assist small business owners navigate the process of bidding through Supply Ontario and other barriers provincially funded agencies must consider when spending money.

Chris Auger, Trent Valley Distributors received recognition for his service as the 160th President in 2024/2025, presented by President Lisa Comerford, Central Lakes Association of Realtors.  Mayor Neil Ellis also presented Chris with the Heart of the City, a new commendation created to recognize the work of individuals to the community through the Chamber. 

Following acknowledgements of service of the Board members, the Belleville Chamber of Commerce turned their attention to celebrating the contributions of their members through a variety of awards and the stories behind the recipients.

The COMMUNITY PARTNER award is presented to a person or organization that has been a valued partner with Chamber initiatives and they receive the honorary "Key to the Cabin".  The tradition started with the Rotary Club of Belleville, in honour of the 100 year commitment to work together.  This year, Aspira Quinte Gardens was presented the “Key to the Cabin” for their willingness to step up every day in any way to support the community.  Whether it is the offer of a patio or meeting space, a free lunch for the AGM or important learning sessions or even to help out partnering organizations with catering – the team at Quinte Gardens has been absolutely wonderful to us and anyone they’re asked to help.

The Cornerstone awards are meant to distinguish and recognize members who have exemplified citizenship, founding, mentoring and vision and helped our community prosper.

The CITIZENSHIP award is presented to a Chamber member who has embraced the spirit of the community by their selfless acts and support to causes that improve the lives of Belleville’s citizens.  Dr. Aruna Alexander, founder of the United Nations of Canada – Quinte Branch, was recognized for her work to build inclusive communities through her passion as a proud, Canadian citizen and bringing a sense of belonging to every person she meets.  An ordained minister, her faith shows through all she does and makes it impossible to say no to any venture she creates.

The FOUNDER award is presented to a Chamber member who has built a business from its beginning or expanded an existing business that enhances the reputation of Belleville as a place where business can come to grow.   The award was presented to Jeff Cox.  Jeff started working for his father at Carl Cox RV at the age of 16, and fully embraced his father’s energy for building business on anything that moved.  Beyond the RV lot, located on the east end of Belleville, Jeff created the Quinte Sportsman RV & Boat Show, which just celebrated its 25th anniversary and is the largest show between Toronto and Ottawa – drawing thousands of people into the community each year.

The MENTOR award will be presented to a Chamber member who, through their daily work, intentionally or not, helps develop others with their leadership and guidance.  This year’s award is presented to Amber Darling.  Amber has been with Trenval Business Development for over 30 years and currently serves as the Executive Director.  By the very nature of her work, the role of mentor is organic but her compassion, interest, determination and entrepreneurial spirit has served thousands of small business owners fulfill their dreams.

The VISIONARY award is presented to a Chamber member who has seen an opportunity to revive or create something unique or unprecedented. Their dedication to this vision has resulted in raising the profile of Belleville and has contributed to the overall prosperity of the community.  It’s hard to imagine safety as innovative, but Lisa and Rob Hallsworth were determined to find a way that made it easy for organizations to train staff about chemicals in the workplace.  SDS-Risk Assist helps businesses inventory chemicals in the workplace, and sets up employees to understand their risks with a simple screenshot and their “SafetySnaps”. 

Ultimately, the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award could receive each of these awards individually. This year, the Belleville Chamber of Commerce recognized Bernie Ouellet.  Bernie is not new to awards for his compassion and angelic nature, but rarely do people talk about the reputation and businesses he’s supported in the community through his own vision and capacity building of others. 

Bernie joins past recipients Maurice Rollins, Gerry Bongard, Alvin Parkhurst, Ed Lehtinen, Armin Quickert, Bob Doyle, Peter Knudsen and Roli & Linda Tipper as a most deserving representative and we thank him for his continued service to the transportation industry and property development in Belleville.

The night concluded with recognition of a local family through the LEGACY award, presented to Don and Tom Raycroft.  While everyone recognizes Raycroft Drive as a tribute to Tom’s son, Andrew for his NHL career – the rest of the story is equally compelling.  A plumber by trade, Joe Raycroft, started with one business that just kept his family growing.  Don, his younger brother, built a wholesale plumbing and heating supply business ranked in the top 100 in North America while Tom, his son, joined him in the insurance business that gave him the opportunity to serve the community through multiple civic organizations, boards and committees.

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