Chamber News

For the seventh year in a row, the theme of the evening was Celebrate as the Belleville Chamber of Commerce officially recognized their 160^th Anniversary with presenting sponsor OLG along with Elexicon Energy.  Elevation AV transformed the Ramada by Wyndham Windows Ballroom and lit it up just like 160(000,000) candles would have and set an incredible stage, for a birthday party like no other. 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.  Even Marilyn Monroe came by to sing Happy Birthday to the President(s) following the ceremonial procession of all Past-Presidents attending the event.

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

Recognition for their contributions to the Board were retiring members Anthony Callaghan, McDougall Insurance, who has now completed his service as Past-President, Sandra Leslie of Meta Employment Services and Mike Callaghan from the Belleville Police Service.

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 Maxine Holland, Preferred Personal Care credited by Dale Hoard for her outstanding commitment as an ambassador of the Chamber and enthusiasm for supporting and welcoming members at events and service on the Membership committee.  She has set the platinum standard for how the Chamber should be perceived when it comes to being an organization of support for business in the community.

Dale Hoard, MicroAge Technology Solutions, received recognition for his service as the 159th President in 2023, presented by President Chris Auger, Trent Valley Distributors.  Mayor Neil Ellis also presented Dale with a Key to the City, a tradition started in 2018 to recognize the value the Chamber offers the community and the significance of the role the President serves. 

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 Belleville Lions Club celebrated their 75^th anniversary in 2023 and there have been many occasions where the Chamber and Lions have partnered for the betterment of the community.  The Lions have been there for support with multiple events and are there for so many organizations and individuals in Belleville.  The Kiwanis Club was recognized last year and Rotary Club was recognized in 2020 with the very first award when they were celebrating their anniversary.

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.  Patti MacDougall, Papa John’s Pizza, was recognized as the designated recipient of this award for 2024.  Working through the tragic loss of her son in 2009, she met Brenda Snider, who first connected her to a need in the community that inspired Patti to use pizza as the conduit to meeting community needs.  Papa John’s provides hot lunches to 20 area schools and Patti is always first to the table with a prize to help support numerous fundraising campaigns for many local charities.

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 Craig Rushnell, Rushnell Family Services, and has continued to build the vision of his father who imagined they could grow the business to have a funeral home for every member of the family and continue the passion for providing a personalized service to people during one of the most difficult times they face.  Rushnell Family Services continues to grow and serves far beyond the Bay of Quinte region with their continued expansion.

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 Brenda Snider, Volunteer and Information Centre of Hastings & Prince Edward who has been supporting charitable work in the community for 24 years. Through her service to others has ultimately become the sounding board and guiding light to so many as an inspiration, both in connecting volunteers (both young and old) to roles that fulfill them and helping other non-profit leaders and board members strengthen their own organizations.

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.  This year, we recognize Dr. Karen Clayton-Babb, Belleville Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, who made Belleville her home in 2014 with a vision to ensure people have access to primary medical care.  She continues to find ways to collaborate and bring solutions to the primary health care needs where she sees continued potential for growth by managing resources effectively.

Ultimately, the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award could receive each of these awards individually. This year, the Belleville Chamber of Commerce recognized Linda & Roli Tipper, Tipper Financial.  Linda & Roli have built a business together that has been embraced by their sons, a commitment to giving back with so many projects that reflect their love of Belleville and community as a wonderful place to live.

The Tippers join past recipients Maurice Rollins, Gerry Bongard, Alvin Parkhurst, Ed Lehtinen, Armin Quickert, Bob Doyle and Peter Knudsen as a most deserving representative and we thank them for their continued service to both the financial industry and the arts community in Belleville.  

A moment of silence acknowledged the passing of Past President John Trudeau Sr., and 2023 Cornerstone Founder recipient Bill White and 2018 Lifetime Achievement recipient, Gerry Bongard.